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sports still break the rules
Columnist asks: Why do the greatest athletes
cheat when they don’t need to? In Sports
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US prods Israel over deaths in Gaza
Austin says protecting
civilians is ‘moral duty’
John Bacon
USA TODAY
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin
met with Israeli Prime Minister Benja-
min Netanyahu and Defense Minister
Yoav Gallant in Tel Aviv on Monday
Pope OKs
same-sex
blessings
for couples
Rituals still must not
resemble marriage
N’dea Yancey-Bragg
USA TODAY
Pope Francis has formally permit-
ted priests to perform blessings for
same-sex couples, a move that stops
short of sanctioning same-sex mar-
riages, but is still being heralded by
some LGBTQ+ advocates as historic.
The document from the Vatican’s
doctrine office released Monday reaf-
firmed its previous statements saying
marriage is a sacrament between a
man and a woman. But the document
says requests for blessings from same-
sex couples should not be denied, so
long as the blessing is not conferred at
the same time as a civil union, using
set rituals or with the clothing and ges-
tures that are part of a wedding.
GLAAD President and CEO Sarah
Kate Ellis called Monday’s announce-
ment “the latest in a historic pattern of
See BLESSINGS, Page 3A
SANDRA DAY O’CONNOR
JACK GRUBER/USA TODAY
Justice’s final trip
to Supreme Court
Members of the Supreme Court and
the public gathered in Washington to
honor the late Justice Sandra Day
O’Connor, the first woman to serve on
the high court. She died Dec. 1 at 93.
O’Connor’s casket was rested on the
Lincoln catafalque, built in 1865 for
President Abraham Lincoln. The last
justice to lie in repose at the court was
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died in
2020. Full story, 3A
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2023 was banner year for
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Film fare included blockbusters and Oscar-ready
pictures. Here are the must-see flicks. In Life
amid growing international pressure on
Israel to curb civilian deaths in its dev-
astating military campaign in the Gaza
Strip.
Austin, speaking at a briefing with
Gallant, reiterated the Biden admini-
stration position that U.S. commitment
to Israel is “unshakeable.” And he said
the U.S. was leaving the timeline for the
war to Israel. But he also said civilians in
Gaza must be protected and more hu-
HAWAII WILDFIRE RECOVERY
The Rev. Ai Hironaka, resident minister of the Lahaina Hongwanji Mission, stands on the stairs of his destroyed temple on
Dec. 7 in Lahaina, Hawaii. Cleanup efforts are still underway after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina
community on the Hawaiian island of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. LINDSEY WASSON/AP
Lack of housing, aid
stymie Maui residents
Without a solution, some
may be forced to leave
Kayla Jimenez
USA TODAY
Sarah Burns has raised her family
on the island of Maui in the spirit of
Ohana for decades.
But that spirit of Ohana, the Hawai-
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND CLIMATE CHANGE
What tribal views of food can teach the rest of us
Madeline Heim and Caitlin Looby
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY NETWORK
ONEIDA, Wis. − Everyone puts their
own spin on braiding corn husks.
Toni House offered this wisdom the
first day of October as she and a part-
ner wove 65 ears of Tuscarora white
corn into a hefty, impressive braid.
When finished, they held the braid
high – prompting a cheer from those
around them – and carried it into a
nearby barn, where it will hang to dry
until spring, when it will be used for
mush, cornbread and corn soup.
House is a member of Ohe·láku, a
co-op of Oneida Nation families that
grow white corn on reservation land.
What began as an experiment has
SAUL LOEB/AFP VIA
GETTY IMAGES
manitarian assistance must be provid-
ed to the nearly 2 million displaced peo-
ple there.
“Protecting the Palestinian people in
Gaza is both a moral duty and a strategic
imperative,” Austin said.
Austin said the talks also focused on
Iran-backed threats across the region
and the shared commitment of Israel
and the U.S. to counter this “aggres-
sion.” Netanyahu, in a joint statement
ian word for “family,” is fading as quickly
as the vestiges of the Lahaina commu-
nity that burned in one of the most dev-
astating wildfires in U.S. history.
“If a housing solution for residents
like us is not found, we will regrettably
be forced to leave Hawaii. Time is of the
essence,” Burns wrote in a recent letter
to the Maui City Council. Dozens of oth-
er letters from longtime island residents
reflect similar despair and frustration.
blossomed into a robust organization;
members even shared a stage with Wil-
lie Nelson when Farm Aid came to Wis-
consin in 2019.
The ritual of husking, braiding and
hanging corn signifies more than just
the start of harvest season.
It reflects the Indigenous approach to
agriculture. It’s community.
“That’s the medicine of it,” House
said.
Many Wisconsin tribes have re-
newed an interest in farming as a way to
reconnect with their cultural history,
and regain ownership of their food sup-
ply. They hold deep respect for crops
they grow, speak often about the rela-
tionship between humans and plants,
See CLIMATE, Page 2A
Relief from
pricey eggs
may be
short-lived
The egg market had
finally started to settle
after sky-high prices late
last year. The latest bird
flu outbreak may raise
costs again. In Money
with Austin, said Israel was fighting a
war pitting “civilization against barba-
rism.”
Netanyahu and Gallant both thanked
the U.S. for its support and reiterated Is-
rael’s commitment to achieve “total vic-
tory” against Hamas.
“The United States and Israel have
never been more determined and aligned
See GAZA, Page 6A
Burns and others who long have
feared being displaced from the island
they’ve lived on for generations are an-
gry about the lack of help available.
They blame city and state officials for
not doing enough to free up housing.
Many are facing emotional distress.
There have been 10 reported suicides on
the island since the wildfires, according
See WILDFIRE, Page 6A
Carol Elm, from left, Frank Kutka and
Randy Cornelius husk corn at the
Yeyathókwas Wahnitale (Harvest
Moon), a multigenerational event
hosted by the white corn co-op of
Oneida families, Ohe·láku.
JOVANNY HERNANDEZ/USA TODAY NETWORK
2A ❚ TUESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY
Climate
Continued from Page 1A
and make decisions based on preserv-
ing a way of life for future generations.
What’s become apparent to both
tribal leaders and an increasing number
of outsiders is the gulf between how In-
digenous people approach the land and
the typical approach of American farm-
ing – maximizing yield, prioritizing
profit, a “go big or get out” mentality,
said Lea Zeise, who co-founded Ohe·lá-
ku in 2016.
It’s unlikely that the gulf will narrow
significantly, at least not in the world of
corporate agriculture. Farming is part of
a global marketplace involving world-
wide economic forces and massive crop
volume.
But climate change is threatening to
upend the world’s food system, and
many consumers increasingly resist
processed food laden with chemical ad-
ditives, and want a closer relationship
to what they eat. One prime example:
The farm-to-table movement that has
had such an influence on grocery stores
and restaurants.
In that environment, Indigenous
growers offer lessons from their connec-
tion to food, thoughtfulness about the
land, and commitment to healing the
natural world.
“What we’re saying is, ‘Let’s come to-
gether, let’s come back to the land … we
don’t have to commodify everything,’ ”
Zeise said. “We can do this, just putting
our minds together and putting our bod-
ies together on the field, and get it done.”
Food isn’t just a commodity
for these tribes
Sydney Colwell, who manages com-
munity gardening efforts for the Ho-
Chunk Housing and Community Devel-
opment Agency in Tomah, Wisconsin,
said she was taught as a child that her
food had feelings.
“If we nurture it and take care of it,
it’ll take care of us,” she said.
Unlike the norms of conventional ag-
riculture, tribal farmers have a spiritual
relationship with their crops.
Today, many tribes have a long-term
goal of achieving food sovereignty, or
the ability to control their agriculture
and food supply systems, ensuring
healthy and culturally appropriate food.
That was a key reason the Forest
County Potawatomi Community in
northeast Wisconsin started its farm,
Bodwéwadmi Ktëgan, near Laona in
2017, said farm manager Dave Cronauer.
Today, they grow a variety of fruits and
vegetables, including Potawatomi wa-
termelon and pole beans; raise beef cat-
tle and bison; and have an orchard and
an aquaponics facility on site.
On Bodwéwadmi Ktëgan, tillage is re-
duced, grazing rotated, and pesticides
avoided to benefit both the land and the
people consuming the food, Cronauer
said. That food is sold at a storefront,
donated to tribal programs, and given to
tribal elders and others in need.
Cronauer said his ultimate goal is to
produce almost everything his commu-
nity needs.
That’s beginning to happen with
Ohe·láku members in Oneida as well.
Having an abundance of corn has given
them the ability to barter for maple
syrup, wild rice, fish and bison that
other tribal members have raised or
produced, bringing back to life tribal
trading practices. The corn is also the
most requested product in the Tribal
Elder Food Box program, which feeds
Indigenous elders across Wisconsin,
said Laura Manthe, a co-founder of the
co-op.
Co-op members save the best corn
and use its seeds to plant the following
year, just like their ancestors did, so
they don’t have to buy more.
Manthe sees a contrast with conven-
tional farming, in which seeds are or-
dered and corn is picked by machine.
“Not one human hand ever touched
it,” she said. “So what is the relationship
between the human and the corn?”
Tribal growers seek
long-term sustainability
Daniel Hayden, a doctoral student at
the University of Wisconsin-Madison,
has been working with the co-op on one
of its fields since 2019, testing different
cover crop mixes to restore the soil,
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Stephanie Rosio harvests aquaponically grown oakleaf lettuce in October at
Bodwéwadmi Ktëgan, the Forest County Potawatomi farm in Laona, Wis. The
farm, which uses sustainable practices, provides food to tribal members and area
schools, and has a store for the public. This crop of lettuce is being sold to the
Crandon School District. MARK HOFFMAN/USA TODAY NETWORK
dent at the University of Kansas, said
reconnecting with the land provides a
huge opportunity to strengthen the
community.
“When you have a relationship to the
land, you’re creating a better environ-
ment – not just for yourself, but for all
our plant and animal relatives that live
with us,” Hall said.
The better environment she speaks
of isn’t just theoretical – it’s on display
near Lake Michigan.
The Oneida Nation reservation sits
Daniel Hayden, doctoral student at the within the lower Fox River watershed,
University of Wisconsin-Madison, who which drains into Lake Michigan via the
has been working with Ohe·láku, bay of Green Bay. The river is the largest
explains his research of Oneida white contributor of phosphorus to the lake
corn and soil microbial diversity at a and the second largest contributor of
field in Oneida, Wis. sediment, part of the reason why the
SARAH KLOEPPING/USA TODAY NETWORK river and the lower bay of Green Bay are
one of the most degraded areas in the
Great Lakes.
But now, the creeks on the reserva-
About this series tion have met their goal of limiting
phosphorus for the second year in a row,
This four-part series examines said Jim Snitgen, water resources su-
how Indigenous communities in pervisor for the Oneida Nation. And this
Wisconsin are pushing to protect year, Snitgen and his team spotted evi-
land, air and water. It is supported dence that brook trout were reproduc-
by a climate change reporting ing in Trout Creek for the first time in
grant from the Poynter Institute, decades. Less pollution in the creeks,
through funding by the Joyce which flow into other, larger water bod-
Foundation. All content was ies, will ultimately mean less pollution
produced by the Milwaukee in Lake Michigan and a healthier habitat
Journal Sentinel staff, part of the for fish and wildlife.
USA TODAY Network, under the In addition, more than 400 acres of
guidance of its editors. agricultural land on the reservation
have been converted to native habitat
since 2018. The restored lands provide
habitat for pollinators and birds, and
which had been depleted under prior create space for tribal members to gath-
ownership. He has roots in the Coman- er fruit, nuts and medicinal plants.
che, Pawnee and Muscogee (Creek) na- The work is having a ripple effect
tions and understands the co-op’s rela- with non-tribal farmers, Snitgen said.
tionship to the corn. Three-fourths of Oneida’s leased-out
This year, Hayden planted a mix of agricultural land is rented to non-tribal
winter wheat, clover and chicory in be- members, but any farmer who leases
tween the row crops, a process called in- land must adhere to tribal conservation
terseeding. Cover crops like these are practices.
left on the field after the crop is harvest- Those farmers will see they can still
ed so the fields are never bare. They in- make a profit, and hopefully extend the
crease soil fertility, limit runoff and keep practices beyond the reservation, sug-
the soil moist. gests Greg Baneck, conservationist with
Many farmers worry that planting Outagamie County.
cover crops could negatively impact
yield, Hayden said. He’s hoping to pro- Systemic barriers disrupt
vide data showing that’s not true. relationship between tribes, land
He believes this year has been the
most successful yet, and suspects the Today, there are about 80,000 pro-
corn did well with cover crops because, ducers across the country who identify
historically, it was planted alongside as American Indian or Alaska Native,
beans and squash. according to the U.S. Department of Ag-
Oneida people used to rotate through riculture’s 2017 agriculture census, the
their territory, living and growing in new most recent available. That year, they
areas to give the land they’d just grown contributed roughly $3.5 billion to the
on time to rest and recover, Zeise ex- industry, a small share of the $389 bil-
plained. Today, they can’t pick up the lion in agricultural products produced
reservation and move it, but they can across the U.S.
rotate which fields they plant on and But Indigenous growers have faced
give the soils an extra boost to help them discrimination from government agen-
regenerate. cies meant to provide assistance. In
“It’s just taking some of that ances- 2010, the USDA agreed to pay hundreds
tral knowledge and thinking about it in a of millions of dollars to Native American
different way,” Zeise said. farmers after they alleged that the agen-
The passion for this type of work cy was denying them loan opportunities
spans generations. Celina Hall, a mem- given to white farmers. And even
ber of the Ho-Chunk Nation who though they’re getting those opportuni-
worked with the tribe’s agriculture divi- ties today, they’re coming slower. A
sion during an internship this past sum- 2022 report by the Center for Public In-
mer, hopes to help her tribe continue to tegrity found that the Farm Service
make the connection between sustain- Agency was late delivering 33% of direct
able agriculture and traditional ecologi- loans to Native Americans and Alaska
cal knowledge. Hall, who is now a stu- Natives, more than double the percent-
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age of loans to white farmers that were
late.
Indigenous farmers continue to face
obstacles because they are trying to
pursue goals with long-term sustenance
in mind within a system that’s designed
for a different type of farming, Hayden
said. They may not be taken seriously,
he said – or they may struggle to find
equipment that aligns with their needs
and the smaller scale of their opera-
tions. USDA resources often are market-
ed toward commercial agricultural op-
erations.
When the agency is designing con-
servation programs, Indigenous farm-
ers should get to weigh in on whether
those programs will work for them,
Zeise said.
“We do have a different set of rules
when it comes to land … we have differ-
ent interests, different priorities, differ-
ent approaches to conservation,” she
said. “If the program isn’t written for us,
then we’re not going to be able to utilize
it.”
Chris Borden, who’s currently serv-
ing as acting national tribal liaison for
the USDA’s Natural Resources Conser-
vation Service and is based in Wiscon-
sin, acknowledged this is one area
where his agency needs to better meet
the needs of Indigenous growers.
The agency’s financial incentives for
conservation practices are structured
for its typical clientele, he explained –
corn, soy or dairy producers with vast
acreage.
Although the agency hasn’t neces-
sarily turned down tribal producers
wanting to participate in programs, “our
incentives haven’t been meaningful
enough (for them) to engage with us,”
Borden said. “We need to get to a better
place on that.”
In other places, though, progress is
being made. Tribal knowledge of issues
like wild rice restoration and walleye
raising have informed the programs and
practices the agency has developed,
Borden said. And there’ll be more to
come – like developing a financial in-
centive for farmers who plant corn,
beans and squash together or use other
Indigenous growing techniques.
Tribal agriculture advocates are also
pushing to have their knowledge and
priorities recognized in federal farming
legislation. In 2018, 63 tribal provisions
were included in the Farm Bill, which
governs programs and spending for the
USDA. That made it the most inclusive
Farm Bill to date, according to the Native
Farm Bill Coalition.
The coalition has developed a slate of
priorities for the 2023 Farm Bill as well,
including enhancing Conservation Ser-
vice programs for tribal producers and
funding more research on the role tradi-
tional knowledge plays in natural re-
sources, nutrition and health.
Traditional knowledge provides
the path for future generations
Still, the same threat that is looming
over agriculture worldwide is facing In-
digenous growers: climate change. Lois
Stevens, an assistant professor of First
Nations Studies at the University of
Wisconsin-Green Bay and a member of
the Oneida Nation, said increasing
weather extremes mean it’s getting
harder to predict what each growing
season will be like.
But sometimes, things work out bet-
ter than expected. Despite the past
summer being one of the driest on rec-
ord for Wisconsin, the Ohe·láku corn
crop grew tall and strong. Manthe, the
co-op co-founder, credited the plant’s
historical adaptability, having existed
through a multitude of weather situa-
tions over thousands of years.
“Our corn knows what to do,” Manthe
said.
Climate change was one of the first
discussions when the co-op was form-
ing, she said. It increased the urgency of
their work.
American culture tends to focus on
individuality and what a person can
achieve in one lifetime, Zeise said. The
Indigenous focus is on what can be
achieved for the next lifetime, and the
next.
“I think food has unique potential to
heal a lot of damage in our lives,” Zeise
said. “Healing the land and the water,
the people … our economy, ensuring our
culture persists into the next genera-
tion.”
“I could not think of something that
would be more powerful than that.”
Corrections
and clarifications
Our goal is to promptly
correct errors. Contact
Standards Editor Michael
McCarter at accuracy@
usatoday.com to report a
mistake. Describe the
error, where you saw it, the date, page
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NEWS
The National Weather Service said
more than 2 inches of rain fell in
areas of New Jersey and New York.
SETH HARRISON/USA TODAY NETWORK
Falling trees
kill two as
storm lashes
East Coast
Christopher Cann, Thao Nguyen
and Doyle Rice
USA TODAY
NEW YORK – An intense storm sys-
tem battered the Northeast on Monday
with torrential rains and fierce winds
that snarled traffic, delayed flights,
knocked out power and killed at least
two people.
The deaths happened when trees
fell in Hingham, Massachusetts, and
Windham, Maine.
The National Weather Service’s
Weather Prediction Center warned
the potent low-pressure system would
bring “wind-swept heavy rain” and
strong thunderstorms, with possible
flash flooding. Weather warnings
were issued in more than a half-
dozen states from North Carolina to
Maine.
In Connecticut, wind speeds of over
60 mph toppled trees and power lines.
More than 2 inches of rain fell in areas
of New Jersey and New York, accord-
ing to the National Weather Service.
More than 700,000 utility customers
were without power across the region
as of mid-afternoon, according to
PowerOutage.us.
In Rhode Island, water levels at Fox
Point in Providence were likely to
approach 10 feet, forecasters with the
National Weather Service said. The
last time water levels reached such
heights was in 1991 from Hurricane
Bob.
Adrienne Auchmoody, 79, was
awakened around 2 a.m. in the Hud-
son Valley area north of New York City
by the sound of intense winds.
“You could hear it howling, and
that’s always a scary thing,” she said.
Some neighbors later reported base-
ment flooding, she said.
The Northeast maelstrom followed
a weekend of heavy rain across the
Southeast that flooded streets and
rained out holiday celebrations.
Travel difficult
Flooding in New York City and Phil-
adelphia left streets completely un-
derwater ahead of morning rush hour.
The storm throttled mass transit sys-
tems, including the New York City sub-
way.
As of midday Monday, over 120
flights in New Jersey, New York City
and Boston were delayed and about
100 were canceled, according to
FlightAware.
Amtrak paused service to Rhode Is-
land because of a downed power line.
Also in Rhode Island, all ferries were
canceled to Block Island, home to over
1,000 people.
School districts across the region
canceled classes, opened late or closed
early. That included most schools in
Connecticut, according to WFSB-TV.
After storm subsides, a chill
Colder air behind the storm is ex-
pected to trigger lake-effect snow
across the Great Lakes and into the
Appalachians and upstate New York
on Tuesday, according to the Weather
Prediction Center.
“Even though the big storm will be-
gin to depart the Northeast Monday
evening, the huge circulation of the
storm will overspread the entire east-
ern U.S. with very blustery condi-
tions,” the Weather Prediction Center
said.
Already Monday morning, whiteout
conditions in Michigan led to a huge
pileup on Interstate 94 west of Kala-
mazoo, AccuWeather reported.
Contributing: The Associated Press
O’Connor makes final
journey to high court
Sotomayor says ‘she
brought us all together’
Ronald J. Hansen and John Fritze
USA TODAY NETWORK
WASHINGTON − Members of the
Supreme Court and the public remem-
bered the late Justice Sandra Day
O’Connor on Monday as a historic fig-
ure who cared deeply about how the
law affected Americans and who
sought out practical answers to some
of the nation’s most challenging legal
questions.
“We are here today to mark the
passing of a truly remarkable person to
honor and remember Sandra not only
for her work as a judge, but for her hu-
manity, leadership, determination,
and vision,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor
said during a private ceremony at the
Supreme Court. “She brought us all to-
gether.”
O’Connor’s casket arrived at the Su-
preme Court on a blustery morning in
Washington and was carried up the
steps as her former law clerks lined the
path. All nine current justices stood in
the Great Hall during a private cere-
mony. Members of the public will pay
their respects throughout the day with
O’Connor lying in repose.
O’Connor, the first woman to serve
on the Supreme Court, died Dec. 1 in
Arizona at 93 after battling dementia
for years. Nominated by President
Ronald Reagan, she served on the Su-
preme Court from 1981 until 2006.
“Today, I know she is smiling,
knowing that four sisters serve on her
court,” Sotomayor said. “For the four of
us and for so many others of every
background and aspiration, Sandra
was a living example that women
could take on any challenge, could
more than hold their own in spaces
dominated by men, and could do so
with grace.”
In addition to Sotomayor, Justices
Elena Kagan, Amy Coney Barrett and
Ketanji Brown Jackson are the other
women who sit on the Supreme Court.
O’Connor’s casket was rested on the
Lincoln catafalque, built in 1865 for
President Abraham Lincoln. The last
justice to lie in repose at the court was
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the leader of the
court’s liberal wing who died in 2020.
Daniel Bussel, a law professor at the
University of California, Los Angeles,
clerked for O’Connor during the 1986-
87 term “just the time when she was
blossoming into her role as the center
of the court.”
“It was an amazing experience. We
were like a family. For that year, you
worked incredibly intensively. ... The
pressure at the Supreme Court is enor-
mous,” he said, noting they often
worked 16 hours a day six days a week.
“She knew she was working us to
death, and she didn’t in any way feel
bad about that. But the compensation
Blessings
Continued from Page 1A
actions and announcements from
Pope Francis which show that LGBTQ
people should not be used as a divid-
ing issue, and we are worthy of love,
respect and compassion.”
“By removing barriers to priests
blessing LGBTQ couples, the Pope ac-
curately recognizes that LGBTQ peo-
ple and our relationships are worthy of
the same affirmation and support in
the Church, and this strengthens cou-
ples in their faith and to the communi-
ty,” Ellis said in a statement.
What is a blessing?
The document offers an extensive
definition of the term “blessing” in
Scripture to insist people seeking a
transcendent relationship with God
and looking for his love and mercy
should not be subject to “an exhaus-
tive moral analysis” as a precondition
for receiving it.
“Ultimately, a blessing offers people
a means to increase their trust in God,”
the document said. “The request for a
blessing, thus, expresses and nurtures
openness to the transcendence, mer-
cy, and closeness to God in a thousand
concrete circumstances of life, which
is no small thing in the world in which
we live.”
E2 USA TODAY ❚ TUESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2023 ❚ 3A
The casket of retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor arrives at the
United States Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Monday. O’Connor, the first
woman to serve on the Supreme Court, died on Dec. 1. JACK GRUBER/USA TODAY
for it was she cared what you thought
about this stuff. She brought you into
the process. You were fully part of her
process of deciding the cases. That’s
such a privilege for a young lawyer to be
at the knee of this very powerful person
as she’s deciding the most important le-
gal issues of the day.”
Vice President Kamala Harris and
second gentleman Douglas Emhoff
were among the government officials
who paid their respects. Harris stood
before O’Connor’s casket for a few min-
utes before walking over to admire
O’Connor’s portrait hanging nearby.
After the Monday tribute at the court,
a service will be held for O’Connor on
Tuesday at the Washington National
Cathedral. President Joe Biden will de-
liver remarks at that ceremony.
Lauren Stiller Rikleen, a Massachu-
setts-based lawyer and author of “Her
Honor – Stories of Challenge and Tri-
umph from Women Judges,” said
O’Connor made history as the first
woman but also provided an enviable
template for justices.
“I think her legacy is sitting as a Su-
preme Court justice without an agenda,”
Rikleen said. “She never took the law so
far ahead of where the public was on her
decision-making.”
O’Connor stands out more than ever
as “an independent justice who respect-
ed precedent and had an instinctive un-
derstanding of where the court should
seek common ground,” she said.
Rikleen, who consults organizations
on ensuring workplace diversity,
praised O’Connor for helping bring
about overdue opportunities for wom-
en.
“Of course, there’s been a lot of pro-
gress,” she said. “But you can’t rest on
It adds: “It is a seed of the Holy Spirit
that must be nurtured, not hindered.”
The document from the Vatican’s
doctrine office released Monday elabo-
rates on a letter Francis sent to two con-
servative cardinals that was published
in October. In that preliminary re-
sponse, Francis suggested such bless-
ings could be offered under some
circumstances if they didn’t confuse the
ritual with the sacrament of marriage.
Jim Bretzke, a priest and professor of
theology at John Carroll University in
Ohio, said that while the Pope will likely
face criticism from both those within
the church who oppose same-sex mar-
riage and supporters who don’t feel the
church has gone far enough, the docu-
ment is a “very positive contribution to
the church’s pastoral and theological
understanding some of these complex
situations.”
“This is a real watershed moment in
the development of the church’s pasto-
ral response to people in irregular
unions and same-sex unions,” Bretzke
said.
What else have Vatican and Pope
Francis said about LGBTQ+ rights?
Nearly half of LGBTQ+ adults in the
United States consider themselves reli-
gious, including 1.3 million Roman
Catholics, according to a 2020 study
from the Williams Institute at the Uni-
versity of California, Los Angeles School
of Law.
that.”
Bussel, who is planning to be among
the clerks on hand for O’Connor’s ser-
vices in Washington, said she fostered a
closeness with her staffers that com-
bined the pressure of often being the
pivotal vote on the court and the
warmth of a caring mentor.
“You’re like a little family and you’re
in this intense period and she cared
about you as an individual. She wanted
to know about your family, and she
wanted to know how you were holding
up under the pressure,” he said. “She
brought us into her home and intro-
duced us to her family. We felt part of
the O’Connor family as well as part of
the chamber’s family.”
O’Connor’s staffers have distin-
guished themselves over the decades
since they served to her.
About three dozen of them became
law professors, according to biographies
tracked by the Sandra Day O’Connor In-
stitute in Phoenix. At least six became
federal appellate judges, one rung below
the Supreme Court. Two of her former
clerks became chief justice of the Arizo-
na Supreme Court, Ruth McGregor and
Scott Bales.
Scott O’Connor, one of O’Connor’s
three sons, was impressed by the gath-
ering expected of that extended family
on Monday. Of the 108 people who
clerked for O’Connor at the Supreme
Court, 80 of them are expected to be on
hand for her service on Monday, he said.
“How’s that for a tribute?” Scott
O’Connor said. “That’s considering that
a couple of them have passed away.
They’re coming there from coast to
coast to rally for her.”
Hansen reports for the Arizona Re-
public; Fritze reports for USA TODAY.
But the Vatican has maintained its
opposition to same-sex marriage. In
2021, the Vatican’s Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith said the church
couldn’t bless same-sex unions because
“God cannot bless sin.”
Amid backlash to that document,
Francis removed the official responsible
for it and began laying the groundwork
to reverse it.
Last year, Francis directed parents
around the world not to condemn their
children if they are gay. In January, he
told the Associated Press that although
homosexuality is a sin for Catholics,
laws criminalizing homosexuality are
“unjust.”
Last month, the Vatican made public
a document saying under certain cir-
cumstances, transgender people can be
baptized as Catholics and serve as god-
parents.
Does this mean Catholic Church
will embrace same-sex marriage?
Bretzke, from John Carroll Univer-
sity, said although the document is a
positive step forward, he doesn’t believe
it’s an indicator that the church will ac-
cept same-sex marriage.
“I think the church is always going to
be very, very reluctant at celebrating the
sacrament, the sacrament of marriage
for people in a same-sex union, but I
cannot look two centuries into the fu-
ture,” he said.
Contributing: The Associated Press
4A ❚ TUESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY NEWS

‚ˆ–œ’˜†„‘ŠŒ¦Wš•„“—‹„—
Your visual guide to wrapping oddly shaped holiday gifts
JENNIFER BORRESEN/USA TODAY

any have already purchased a few unique gifts for their loved wrapping easier. If you have an oddly shaped gift and have run out of boxes
ones and will set aside time to wrap their presents sneakily. But or bags, there is a way to wrap them with minimum effort and have them
only some things you buy will be in a perfect box to make look clean, professional and festive.

What supplies How to wrap an oddly shaped gift?

do I need? 1X WRAPPING Choosing a thicker, high-quality paper is the key to wrapping an oddly
PAPER shaped gift. It will make it less prone to tear, and the paper will crease more
Quality wrapping
easily. If you have run out of boxes or bags, this is a way you can quickly
paper, a sturdy pair
turn some wrapping paper into a gift bag and wrap any shaped gift.
of correct-sized
scissors, and good
transparent tape in 1X TRANSPARENT TAPE
a weighted
dispenser will make
all the difference.
1X SCISSORS

1X BOW

How to wrap a square or rectangular box

Wrapping a box is the most straightforward shape to wrap and creates
nice, clean folds. Measuring and cutting the paper correctly is important,
as too much paper creates a lumpy, poorly wrapped gift. A helpful hint,
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1. 2.

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you wish to wrap, add an inch to overlapping and securing the
that measurement, and cut. seam together with tape.

3. 4.
1. Lay down the box on the
edge of the paper and roll it
2. Place the box in the center
of the paper upside down.
on all four sides across the Fold left end of the paper to
width of the paper. the center of the present.

Fold over the long edges, Now fold the bottom edge of the
overlapping and securing the wrapping paper up, making sure
seam together with tape. it’s wide enough to hold your gift.

5.

On the last roll, cut the Fold the right side over
paper, leave about ¾” at least ½”, creating a
to 1½” extra paper. clean seam.
At the bottom of your gift bag, separate your wrapping paper
and flatten out the two corners, creating a diamond shape.

3. Repeat the opposite side, overlapping the left side of the paper.
Secure with one piece of transparent tape.
Take the bottom edge Now take the top edge and Cut off any excess
4. of your diamond fold it down toward the from the top of your
shape and fold it up center, slightly overlapping bag, if needed.
toward the center. the bottom edge. Secure
with tape.

6.
Fold down the top Firmly crease and fold Fold and crease
flap, creasing the side the side flaps inward. bottom flap with
flaps into corners. about ½ inch seam.

Place the bag Fold the top Next, fold over the Add a
Holding the side Secure bottom flap Repeat these steps on right side up and corners of top of the bag, bow.
flaps in place, with one piece of the opposite side of the insert your gift. your bag making another small
crease and fold the transparent tape gift. Place a bow on top. inward. fold to give it a clean
bottom up. ²“Ž˜Š“™†•Š™Š
gift bag closed.
SOURCE USA TODAY reporting and research
NEWS
Trump supporters reject ‘dictator’ concern
However, rhetoric alarms
authoritarianism experts
Riley Beggin
USA TODAY
DURHAM, N.H. – Former President
Donald Trump drew a torrent of criti-
cism when he told Fox News’ Sean Han-
nity earlier this month he wouldn’t be a
dictator “except on Day One” of a second
administration.
But many attendees at Trump’s cam-
paign rally Saturday at the University of
New Hampshire said the comment was
a joke meant to provoke his rivals. The
voters said they’re not concerned
Trump would truly lead as a dictator.
“He’s like a guy with a laser pointer,
and the left is a cat,” said John LaClair,
who drove from Barrington to attend the
rally with his brother.
Rather, more than a dozen people
who spoke with USA TODAY outside the
rally said they believe the presidency
would give Trump enough power to le-
gally accomplish what is most impor-
tant to them. That ranges from
strengthening the economy to stopping
migration at the southern border and
preventing U.S. participation in foreign
conflicts.
Shelly Temple, who volunteered for
Trump’s campaign in New Hampshire
in 2016 and attended the rally Saturday,
said the nation’s energy production and
border security are among her priori-
ties. But Trump would have plenty of
authority under America’s system to ad-
dress those issues, she said.
“I don’t see that as dictator, I see that
as being a leader and to protect his
country. ... I like a president that re-
spects the Constitution,” she said. “Let
the government work the way it’s sup-
posed to. Let there be checks and bal-
ances.”
The interpretation of Trump’s com-
ments among supporters at his Satur-
day rally diverges from the rising alarm
among authoritarianism experts.
“Two things about Trump. One, he
often says what he means and he often
says it in the form of a joke,” said Mabel
Berezin, a sociology professor at Cornell
University who studies nationalist and
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Shelly Temple, left, attends the rally
with her husband, Josh Hartwich. The
presidential powers outlined in the
Constitution are enough to enable
former President Donald Trump to
deliver on his promises, she said.
PHOTOS BY RILEY BEGGIN/USA TODAY
Nori Kozuma, right, attends with his
wife, Sarah. He said he’s afraid
democracy is under threat and
something needs to change.
John LaClair, right, with his brother
Dennis, said Trump is “a guy with a
laser pointer, and the left is a cat.”
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USA TODAY ❚ TUESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2023 ❚ 5A
populist political movements. “The sec-
ond part of it is, I don’t think we should
discount him.”
Trump’s allies are planning ways to
bypass some of those checks and bal-
ances, Berezin said, even if consolida-
tion of power couldn’t happen over-
night. Trump on the campaign trail has
proposed measures that would grant
the president additional powers.
“I think it’s one of those classic
Trump things which have two mean-
ings: It has a grain of truth in it, and it’s
also a joke,” she said. “Trump’s most
outrageous statements are worth pay-
ing attention to.”
Trump makes promises
for a second term
As he seeks a second term in office,
Trump has eyed using the presidency to
investigate and potentially prosecute
his political enemies.
He wrote on his Truth Social platform
and told attendees at another New
Hampshire rally that he would “root out
the communists, Marxists, fascists, and
the radical left thugs that live like ver-
min within the confines of our country.”
The former president has said he will
make it easier to fire tens of thousands
of federal workers, end birthright citi-
zenship and carry out a mass deporta-
tion campaign.
At a town hall event in Iowa earlier
this month, Hannity asked Trump about
some of these pledges and whether he
planned “to abuse power as retribution
against anybody” if he regains the presi-
dency.
“Except for Day One. I want to close
the border and I want to drill, drill, drill,”
Trump responded. “He says you’re not
going to be dictator are you? No, no, no −
other than Day One... after that, I’m not
a dictator.”
He doubled down on the comments a
few days later in a speech to the New
York Young Republican Club.
Trump has also repeatedly praised
authoritarian leaders in other countries,
including Russian President Vladimir
Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping,
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo-
gan and North Korean President Kim
Jong Un. Trump on Saturday again said
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Kim was “very nice.”
‘You have to demolish
your whole house’
As he addressed the crowd, Trump
pledged to “drill, baby, drill,” but did not
touch on his previous “dictator” com-
ments. Instead, he pointed a finger at
President Joe Biden and the Democrats.
“Biden and the far-left lunatics are
desperate to stop us by any means nec-
essary. They’re willing to violate the U.S.
Constitution at levels never seen before
in order to win,” he said.
Multiple rally attendees who spoke
with USA TODAY also said their con-
cerns about democracy don’t lie with
Trump but with the current president.
“I’m not at all worried about that,”
Charles Martin, an engineer from
southern New Hampshire said when
asked about Trump’s comments about
being a dictator.
He said he’ll “never forgive” Biden for
the administration’s handling of CO-
VID-19 vaccines, which put him at odds
with his employer, adding that he be-
lieves “We live in a tyranny right now.”
The split reflects recent polling from
the Associated Press and the NORC
Center for Public Affairs Research,
which found that a majority of Repub-
licans and Democrats both feel democ-
racy is at risk in the 2024 presidential
election − but for different reasons.
Eighty-seven percent of Democrats said
Trump would threaten democracy, and
82% of Republicans said Biden would.
Nori and Sarah Kozuma own a cafe in
Newmarket. They feel their business
fared better under the Trump presiden-
cy and are hoping a second term would
rejuvenate the economy.
Nori Kozuma added that he’s con-
cerned democracy is in danger. The po-
litical system isn’t serving the people,
he said, so “now we have to change the
system.”
“You have to demolish your whole
house to build a brand new house that’s
really good for you. In order to destroy
the whole house, it takes a long time and
it takes leadership. (Allegations of dic-
tatorship are) fanned by the media,” he
said. “He hasn’t done one single thing
that makes me think he’s a dictator.”
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6A ❚ TUESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY
Wildfire
Continued from Page 1A
to local police.
Aid is lagging in some ways and
dwindling in other cases, residents told
USA TODAY.
Locals are anxious about their future
on the island. Some are fishing and
camping on Kaanapali Beach from day
to night to grab officials’ attention. Fam-
ilies are preparing to spend the holidays
in hotel rooms. Psychologists who lost
their homes in the disaster are navigat-
ing how to treat residents who share the
same traumas. Many people said they
lost more than their homes.
“The impact reaches beyond the loss
of our homes; we’ve lost our bank, our
doctors’ office, and our business office
on Front Street,” Burns wrote to the City
Council. One hundred people died dur-
ing the fires.
Residents frustrated about
a slow road to housing stability
Residents who survived the wildfires
are preparing for months or longer of
unstable living. More than 100 days
have passed since Aug. 8 when the fires
leveled most of the historic community
of Lahaina.
The island, and Lahaina, in particu-
lar, holds a special place for residents
who want to return or stay there, even
though many potential setbacks exist. A
small fishing village turned popular
tourist spot, the 13,000 or so residents
of Lahaina took the brunt of the fires in
August.
On a November sailing trip from Cali-
fornia to Hawaii, seven-year Maui resi-
dent Kati Hedden was on her way to
what could have been Oahu. She was
hesitant about returning to Maui where
her condo and belongings burned down.
She’s lived in Lahaina for years and
she’s concerned about how the air qual-
ity there will affect her health.
But she felt a calling to return to
Maui.
“There’s this kind of saying on Maui
that she either takes you in or she spits
you out,” she said. “And I guess I felt
Maui from across the ocean, and that I
needed to come back.”
Hedden recently bought a small wag-
on and plans to buy plastic crates to help
her in what she anticipates will be mul-
tiple moves while living in federally-
funded housing for what she said could
be several years.
The Lahaina Intermediate School
teacher is living in a hotel. She said she’ll
return to work after a hiatus from the is-
land when the second semester of the
school year resumes in January.
“I know I could be relocated at any
time. I’m kind of at the Red Cross’s mer-
cy,” she said. “I know people who had to
move out of the Westin the other day.”
The Federal Emergency Manage-
ment Agency has the money and will to
pay for wildfire survivors to live in
houses instead of hotel rooms. But there
aren’t enough houses in the disaster
area to buy.
Thousands of houses in the area are
owned by people who rent them to visi-
tors to the island for a short time. Agen-
cy staffers are trying to reach 11,000
owners of those homes to convince
them to rent or lease them to 2,680 fam-
ilies living in hotel rooms on the island,
said Bob Fenton, a FEMA spokesman.
The need is so dire that the Maui City
Council plans to grant tax breaks for
Gaza
Continued from Page 1A
in our shared values, our shared inter-
ests and our shared goals,” Gallant said.
Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas offi-
cial, held a news briefing in Beirut short-
ly after Austin spoke in Tel Aviv. Ham-
dan played a video showing Hamas
fighters targeting Israeli troops and dis-
abled Israeli military bulldozers being
towed away through Gaza. The “sands
of Gaza will swallow” the Israeli invad-
ers, he said.
Hamdan was dismissive of the help
the U.S. was providing Israel.
“We are asking what experience the
American secretary of defense is shar-
ing with Israel?” Hamdan said in a
translation by Al Jazeera. “Are we talk-
ing about the victories in Vietnam? Or
their victory in Afghanistan after 20
years? The only experience to be shared
is killing women and children, and de-
stroying hospitals, houses and schools.”
Four more Israeli troops were killed
in combat Sunday and another soldier
died of his wounds, the army an-
nounced Monday. That raised the mil-
itary death toll for the war to 127.
The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry
An Aug. 10 aerial image shows Old Lahaina Center and Foodland Lahaina
standing among destroyed homes and businesses along Front Street burned to
the ground in the historic Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui in
Lahaina, Hawaii. PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
property renters who give preference to
wildfire survivors.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green has agreed
that shifting existing short-term rentals
to long-term rentals could help. He’s
presented other solutions that could be
funded with federal dollars: building
small homes on people’s properties and
rushing existing residential building
projects.
Relocation: For better or worse
Many who are living in or lived in ho-
tel rooms paid for by FEMA and run by
the American Red Cross told the City
Council that the program is unwieldy
and unpredictable. Several said they re-
cently received notice to move their be-
longings to another hotel within a mere
few hours or days.
Some hotels have ended their con-
tracts with the agency recently because
they don’t want to host wildfire survi-
vors during the peak holiday tourism
season. Red Cross officials are assuring
people they will have access to shelter in
hotels for as long as they need. The pro-
gram is set to end in February.
At a podium overlooking a room full
of Christmas decorations, Maui officials
and her Lahaina community, Lori Rob-
ertson said she’s moved hotels four
times with her fiancee and dogs.
“Most recently I was given five hours’
notice that I would be relocated,” Rob-
ertson said. “I’ve shed the tears and felt
powerlessness.”
Another resident, Shannon Edie,
urged the City Council to act urgently.
“This is exhausting, defeating and
downright inhumane the way we are be-
ing treated,” Edie said to the council ear-
lier this month. “My 17-year-old daugh-
ter has told me multiple times she’s tired
of living like this and she just wants to
go home. ... I feel helpless.”
Sandra Ignacio lost her home and her
acupuncture office in Dickenson
Square. Her husband lost his surfboard-
building workshop in Wili Ko Place.
They found a place to live in a home
through a friend.
“We got lucky,” she wrote.
But she’s frustrated by the lack of
housing available to her fellow commu-
nity members.
“When I consider the extreme grief
and sadness, sleeplessness, anxiety,
early-on breathing issues, difficulty
swallowing, daily crying that I have ex-
perienced as a result of this disaster and
losing everything, I cannot even begin to
imagine what my fellow community
members are experiencing while now
facing homelessness or being forced to
said the Palestinian death toll had sur-
passed 19,000 since the war began Oct. 7,
when Hamas militants crossed the Israeli
border and killed 1,200 people before seiz-
ing more than 240 as hostages.
Hamas rebuffs US on hostages
CIA Director William Burns met in
Warsaw with the head of Israel’s Mos-
sad intelligence agency and the prime
minister of Qatar on Monday, reportedly
for talks aimed at obtaining the release
of more hostages, multiple media out-
lets in the U.S. and Israel reported.
It was the first known meeting in-
volving the three nations since the end
of a weeklong cease-fire last month that
resulted in freedom for more than 100
hostages. More than 100 remain under
militant control, and Hamas reaffirmed
its stance not to conduct any such talks
until the “Zionist aggression against our
people” is halted.
Hamas has called on the U.N. and
other international organizations to
protect health facilities in Gaza from
“brutal war crimes” and provide them
with the tools to continue functioning.
The militants said Nassar Hospital was
targeted by Israeli bombs late Sunday
and Al-Shifa Hospital early Monday,
both cases resulting in the death of ci-
leave their generational community,”
she wrote.
Counsuelo Apolo-Gonsalves told the
City Council she’s devastated after
hearing the stories of wildfire victims
during her time volunteering at a relief
hub at the Sheraton hotel for the last
four months.
“It breaks my heart to know that La-
haina residents after losing everything
they have to live with (and are wonder-
ing) if today will be the day they have to
relocate but not know where? And some
or most (are) thinking their only choice
is to relocate somewhere else cause they
can’t afford to live here,” she wrote.
Some survivors are trying to help
others find solutions in the interim.
It’s important to Alfy Basurto that as
many families as possible stay on the is-
land and outsiders don’t buy the land or
take up housing once it becomes avail-
able.
Basurto and his family are trying to
build several dome-like homes on 2 1⁄2
acres of land in Lahaina. But he said he’s
facing a lawsuit from a nearby home-
owners association that doesn’t want
unhoused people living nearby.
Basurto’s family home also went up
in flames. Their family lived in a hotel
for two months after their home burned
down before they found a new place to
live on Oct. 1. The mortgage on the house
they’ve living in is twice as expensive as
their old home.
Other aid is drying up
On Dec. 15, federal officials closed a
disaster recovery center opened after
the wildfires. The center offered help to
people who lost their homes and needed
to apply for federal aid. The deadline to
apply for aid has passed.
The federal government is also send-
ing fewer staffers to the island to help
with recovery than they did in August.
The number dropped from 600 in Au-
gust to 407 in December.
A display for action is taking place at
Kaanapali Beach. For the last several
weeks, about 25 people a day have
camped and fished where Hawaiian
flags and “Defend the Land” signs stand
in the sand. Jordan Ruidas, a spokes-
person for the grassroots organization
Lahaina Strong, said that aid has “defi-
nitely dwindled” since August, but the
need remains.
“We don’t see as many convoys com-
ing through with supplies,” she said.
“Hubs are starting to shut down.”
Ruidas said the group will continue
its protest until they are confident that
state and city officials’ proposals “will
vilians. Hamas called on the interna-
tional community to hold Israel ac-
countable for “horrific crimes against ci-
vilians and the medical sector, which is
exposed to systematic bombing around
the clock.”
Accusations of war crimes in Gaza
The Israeli government is committing
a war crime by deliberately starving Pal-
estinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, Hu-
man Rights Watch said in a report is-
sued Monday. The international advo-
cacy group accused Israeli forces of in-
tentionally blocking the delivery of
food, water and fuel while “willfully im-
peding” distribution of humanitarian
aid. The report calls on the Israeli gov-
ernment to halt attacks on infrastruc-
ture necessary for the survival of the ci-
vilian population, to lift its blockade of
Gaza and to restore power and water to
the battered enclave.
The starving of civilians is a war
crime under international humanitar-
ian law. For the first two months of the
war, humanitarian aid was delivered to
Gaza through a single border crossing
from Egypt, severely restricting the
amount of food and other supplies that
could reach the coastal enclave’s resi-
dents. After pressure from the United
NEWS
result in solutions, actions will become
words and the uncertain and displaced
victims have security.”
A mental health crisis
Many Lahaina residents lost their
jobs and are struggling to afford basic
needs. The lack of resources has led to a
mental health crisis on the island, said
Lauren Ampolos, a psychologist at Illu-
minate Wellness Maui. Ampolos is
working overtime to accommodate
traumatized patients.
“It’s interesting as a provider going
through some of the things these people
have gone through,” Ampolos said.
“Normally as a provider, there’s a sep-
aration between what you’re treating
and your own separate experience. It’s
been difficult having some of the very
same difficult experiences with people.”
Thousands of people on the island
need mental health care at a low cost or
for free, she said. The practitioners at
her practice can’t help them all.
Several residents on the island have
shared the stresses they’re facing with
city officials.
Lisa Jones, a 25-year-long resident of
Lahaina, lost her home, job, and pets in
the Maui wildfires, according to a letter
she wrote to the city council.
She was living at The Westin in West
Maui before she “was evicted along with
200 other people to make room for tour-
ists.”
“I was relocated to Kahului, a town
I’m not familiar with and without a vehi-
cle, I’m completely separated from my
community and those I love,” she wrote.
“This greatly adds to my depression.
The only chance I have to get back to
West Maui is if there is housing avail-
able to rent.”
She was volunteering and caring for
the animals in the burn zone for the
Maui Humane Society, but she had to
leave that role when she was forced to
move hotels.
“It broke my heart to have to leave the
job as I was forced from my town and
support system,” she said.
‘Long-term housing recovery
is a very, very slow thing’
The slow road to housing solutions in
Maui is similar to the lag in recovery in
other places in the U.S. affected by natu-
ral disasters, said Jeff Schlegelmilch,
the director of the National Center for
Disaster Preparedness at the Columbia
Climate School at Columbia University.
“Long-term housing recovery is a
very, very slow thing,” he said. “It can
take years just to take first dollars in a lot
of permitting decisions about recovery
and things like that.”
Maui is unique, he said, because lo-
cals have long faced a housing crisis be-
cause of the high rates of tourism on the
island. There are many short-term rent-
als and timeshares there. It’s caused a
low housing supply and an increase in
housing costs for locals.
The disaster has only exacerbated
the tension between locals and tourists.
Residents don’t want tourists to visit
Maui because they fear they’ll displace
local Hawaiians who have lived on the
island for generations. Yet tourism
could bring in the financial aid the is-
land needs, Schlegelmilch said.
“We have the governor saying ‘We
need tourism,’ but then there are fresh
scars here from the community,” Schle-
gelmilch said. “It’s like ‘We want the
tourism dollars, but also don’t want the
tourists.’ ”
States, Israel reopened a second border-
crossing into Gaza last week. But the
amount of aid entering the territory is
still less than half of prewar imports,
even as needs have soared and fighting
hinders delivery in many areas.
The Israeli army’s chief spokesman,
Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said on Mon-
day that Israel is not restricting the
amount of humanitarian aid.
“We know civilians in Gaza are suf-
fering. This is because of Hamas’ strate-
gy and tactics and because Hamas
steals the international aid meant for
them,” he said.
Netanyahu and the Israeli military
have repeatedly defended the attacks
on apparently civilian targets by accus-
ing Hamas of hiding among the civilian
population and using people as human
shields.
“World leaders should be speaking out
against this abhorrent war crime, which
has devastating effects on Gaza’s popula-
tion,” said Omar Shakir, Israel and Pales-
tine director at Human Rights Watch.
More world leaders are joining that
chorus almost daily. The foreign minis-
ters of France, Germany and the United
Kingdom on Sunday called for a “sus-
tainable” cease-fire, saying too many ci-
vilians have been killed.
Contributing: The Associated Press
NEWS
OPINION
We need the old Biden to speak up on Sudan
Daniel P. Sullivan
Opinion contributor
Door-to-door searches. Houses
burned to the ground. Men, women and
children targeted for death or sexual as-
sault based on ethnic lines. Mass
graves. These were the reports from Su-
dan 20 years ago at the height of the
Darfur genocide. Such accounts
shouldn’t be emerging again today. Yet,
that is exactly what survivors, inter-
viewed by Refugees International at the
border with Chad and Sudan, recently
reported.
The evidence of atrocities is mount-
ing. They include war crimes, crimes
against humanity and – possibly, once
again – genocide. Several independent
reports have documented widespread
and systematic violence in Darfur, the
region in western Sudan that saw a full-
fledged rebellion and genocide starting
in 2003.
Satellite data backs numerous eye-
witness testimonies of mass destruc-
tion based on ethnic lines and the exis-
tence of mass graves.
And now, the United States has made
an official determination that atrocities
– including war crimes, crimes against
humanity and ethnic cleansing – have
been taking place in Sudan.
Independent experts are warning of
further atrocities looming in North Dar-
fur. It is past time for the Biden admini-
stration to speak out on Sudan and to
take action to prevent further loss of life.
‘Many bodies in the streets’
The resurgence of mass atrocities
was evident as Refugees International
interviewed survivors from a November
massacre in the town of Ardamata, in
West Darfur, who were just arriving in
neighboring Chad with horrifying ac-
counts.
Rougaya Isska, a 33-year-old woman
who had just crossed the border, de-
scribed seeing a blind woman thrown
into a fire. She told of men in uniforms of
the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and al-
lied militias going house to house, loot-
ing or burning them, and shooting the
men – including her husband. Unable to
Antisemitism, hate against Jews is unsurprising in US
Dr. Marc Siegel
Opinion contributor
My 100-year-old Jewish father, a
World War II veteran, recently asked me
a question with concern: “Where is all
this antisemitism coming from?”
His question was spurred by the hor-
rific increase in antisemitism since Ha-
mas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. The Anti-
Defamation League has recorded more
than 2,000 antisemitic acts in the Unit-
ed States − an increase of 337% − in the
two months since Hamas terrorists
slaughtered 1,200 men, women and
children.
“The lid to the sewers is off, and Jew-
ish communities all across the country
are being inundated with hate,” Jona-
than Greenblatt, CEO of the ADL, has
said.
Yet, the deeper answer to my father’s
question is that the history of antisem-
itism in the United States is long and
sordid.
After World War I, universities im-
posed quotas on how many Jewish stu-
dents they would admit. Certain neigh-
borhoods, hotels and clubs excluded
Jews. Auto magnate Henry Ford pro-
moted antisemitic propaganda, stating
that Jews sought to control the world’s
economy, beliefs that Adolf Hitler
praised in his infamous “Mein Kampf.”
In the late 1930s, antisemitism and
pro-Nazi sentiment were rampant and
growing. In fact, when my father was
graduating from the renowned Brook-
“USA TODAY hopes to serve as a forum for better understanding and unity to help make the USA truly one nation.” – Allen H. Neuharth, Founder, Sept. 15, 1982
Chairman and CEO Chief Financial Officer:
Gannett Co. Doug Horne
Michael Reed
bury him, she held a funeral at home
and then fled. A soldier at a roadblock
tried to snatch her young son, but she
was able to wrest him away.
Kamisa Abdullah, 30, cradled her 5-
month-old baby – all that she could
bring with her. She was separated from
her three other children, who fled with
her sister. “They killed many people,”
she said, describing “many bodies in the
streets.”
The United Nations estimates that
paramilitary groups killed hundreds in
Ardamata.
Ardamata is not the first or only mas-
sacre that has been reported out of Dar-
fur in recent months. Sharif Moham-
med was among more than 40 men and
boys from the Massalit tribe in the West
Darfur town of Misterei who were forced
by the RSF and allied militias in early
May to lie down with their arms tied be-
hind their backs, then were shot.
Sharif pretended to be dead for two
days before someone was able to take
him to Chad. Now, in one of the refugee
sites near the Chad-Sudan border, he
helps other wounded refugees in an
emergency hospital. As the 30-some-
thing pointed out girls and boys on
crutches because of bullets that broke
their legs, tears filled his eyes.
The latest spate of violence in Darfur
is connected to, but distinct from, the
broader fighting that erupted in Sudan’s
capital, Khartoum, last April. The com-
bat between the Sudanese Armed
Forces (SAF) and the breakaway faction
known as the RSF – largely descended
from the infamous Janjaweed “devils on
horseback” of the Darfur genocide – has
been marked by war crimes as well, in-
cluding the targeting of hospitals and
widespread rape.
The violence in Darfur has also taken
on disturbingly familiar tones with a
largely Arab-identifying RSF and allied
militias targeting tribes like the Massa-
lit, which are seen as “Black Africans.”
Disturbingly, investigations have
shown that this violence is being fueled
by arms shipments that the United Arab
Emirates is sending directly to the para-
military RSF in Darfur.
Sen. Joe Biden vs. President Biden
Two decades ago, then-Sen. Joe Bi-
den was a leading voice for taking action
to stop the genocide in Darfur. Today, he
Bernard Siegel, 100, is a World War II
veteran. PROVIDED
lyn Technical High School in New York,
he sacrificed his final grade and valedic-
torian status by standing up for a fellow
Jewish student who was being picked
on by an antisemitic teacher.
Nazis gained a foothold in
America before World War II
In 1939, on the precipice of World War
II, famed national radio announcer Wal-
ter Winchell condemned a rally of
20,000 Nazi sympathizers at Madison
Square Garden in New York City. He also
criticized Charles Lindbergh, an Amer-
ican hero and international celebrity
Chief Content Officer: Editor in Chief,
Kristin Roberts USA TODAY
Terence Samuel
USA TODAY ❚ TUESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2023 ❚ 7A
WANT TO COMMENT?
We’re on Facebook (USA TODAY Opinion) and Instagram and Twitter (@usatodayopinion). You can also
comment directly on columns.
Kamisa Abdullah, 30, said she escaped a massacre in Ardamata, Sudan, in
November with only her 5-month-old baby. She was separated from her three
other children, who fled with her sister. PROVIDED BY REFUGEES INTERNATIONAL
is virtually silent.
The Biden administration has made
only modest efforts to stop a potential
genocide: statements from officials con-
demning the violence, new sanctions on
a few individuals, and support for some
efforts to collect evidence and pursue
accountability. U.S.-backed cease-fire
talks, meanwhile, have done little more
than tread water while the killing con-
tinues.
These efforts have been undercut by
a lack of attention at the highest level.
The president himself has not refer-
enced Sudan beyond written state-
ments last spring and has not given the
leadership attention required in the face
of such atrocities.
President Biden can change this by
speaking out and by supporting the
atrocity determination with concrete
actions, including: 1) appointment of a
presidential envoy on Sudan to spear-
head robust diplomatic efforts; 2) sup-
port for accountability efforts through
the Sudan Conflict Observatory, the In-
dependent International Fact-Finding
who became an apologist for the Nazis.
Lindbergh’s bigotry inspired my
teacher and mentor Philip Roth to write
a great novel, “The Plot Against Amer-
ica,” exploring how U.S. history might
have unfolded had Lindbergh’s danger-
ous views prevailed.
Yet, World War II galvanized Ameri-
cans against a common enemy in a way
we can certainly learn from now. Our
military were liberators, freeing Europe
from the oppressive evil that would cast
others as subhuman to justify genocide.
The massive patriotism of that gen-
eration and societal sacrifice triumphed
over all naysayers and Nazi sympathiz-
ers, including Lindbergh and his Amer-
ica First Committee. Most Americans
celebrated the role they played together
in freeing the world, and antisemitism
was at a low.
When my father says antisemitism
appears to be far greater now in the
United States than during World War II,
he is right. During the war, 550,000
Jews, including my dad, served in the
U.S. military, and the country came to-
gether in a singular fight against the Na-
zis.
This positive sentiment carried over
into the golden era of post-war America.
When I was growing up in the 1960s and
’70s, I felt little antisemitism, but then it
began to creep slowly back, fueled by
hate groups.
The antisemitism story of 2023 isn’t
about freedom of speech or academic
freedom.
It’s about meanness and divisive-
ness, flames fanned by the cruelty of so-
cial media, where it is too easy to hide
anonymously behind cruel expression.
Vice President/Group Editor,
Gannett Opinion
Michael McCarter
Mission and the International Criminal
Court; 3) stepped-up humanitarian
support for those in need in Sudan and
for people who have fled to neighboring
countries; and 4) the use of additional
sanctions based on investigation of
those who might be abetting these
crimes, including a close look at the
United Arab Emirates providing weap-
ons to the paramilitary RSF.
Finally, and most urgently, President
Biden must speak out loudly and clearly
on Sudan.
In the meantime, refugees such as
Rougaya, Kamisa and Sharif have no
choice but to wait. Sharif will wait for
more wounded new arrivals to assist.
Kamisa will wait for her three other chil-
dren. She told Refugees International,
before moving on from the border to the
closest refugee site, “Maybe tomorrow
they will come.”
Daniel P. Sullivan, formerly a senior
policy adviser with the Save Darfur Co-
alition, is the director for Africa, Asia
and the Middle East at Refugees Inter-
national.
George W. Bush offers wise advice
I recently interviewed former Presi-
dent George W. Bush on his ranch in
Crawford, Texas, where he gave sage ad-
vice for our country. History goes in cy-
cles, he said, and we are in the midst of a
dark time, a down cycle, but we will
come back up to the light.
In the meantime, he said, “We need
hugging instead of yelling.”
I couldn’t agree more. Jews are sensi-
tive to the word “genocide,” considering
that the Holocaust occurred only 80
years ago. But the rest of the world
needs to be sensitive to it, too.
The issues have not been this clear or
sharply focused since perhaps World
War II.
Israel has a right to defend its bor-
ders. Hamas is monstrous and engages
in tactics reminiscent of the Nazis. They
need to be eradicated if Israel is ever to
feel secure.
At the same time, the humanitarian
crisis in Gaza also is disturbing and de-
serving of the world’s attention. Efforts
to provide medical and humanitarian
relief for Palestinians are crucial.
President Bush is right. Hugging may
have been a problem a few years ago for
fear of spreading infection, but it is cer-
tainly the right medicine for all of us
now.
Dr. Marc Siegel, a member of USA TO-
DAY’s Board of Contributors, is a profes-
sor of medicine and medical director of
Doctor Radio at New York University’s
Langone Health. His latest book is “CO-
VID: the Politics of Fear and the Power of
Science.” Follow him on Twitter:
@DrMarcSiegel.
Vice President/Executive Editor,
Sports
Roxanna Scott
8A ❚ TUESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY NEWS

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MONEY
USA TODAY | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2023 | SECTION B
MONEYLINE
PROVIDED BY RAGO/WRIGHT
RARE VASE AT GOODWILL
WORTH OVER $100,000
While shopping at a local Goodwill
store in Virginia with her partner, Jes-
sica Vincent noticed a stunning glass
vase with a swirling translucent red
and seafoam green pattern in perfect
condition for $3.99. While she knew
she had to have it, she didn’t know it
would be worth over a $100,000. Spe-
cialists from Wright auction house
visited Vincent to see the piece in-
person and make an offer. After care-
ful consideration Vincent sold the
vase to Wright for $107,000.
4 ACCUSED OF SCAMMING
MORE THAN $80 MILLION
Four people, including three from
Southern California and one from
Chicago, accused of fraud and money
laundering were charged in an alleged
“pig butchering” scheme that
scammed victims out of more than
$80 million over at least 284 trans-
actions, the United States Department
of Justice said Thursday. The alleged
scammers would initiate cold call vic-
tims via dating apps and social media
platforms, “often masquerading as a
wrong number,” and would gain their
trust before introducing the idea of
making a business investment using
cryptocurrency, according to a state-
ment by federal prosecutors in Los
Angeles.
REPORT: CONTAMINATION OF
FOOD MAY BE INTENTIONAL
The U.S. Food and Drug Administra-
tion is investigating whether recalled
cinnamon-flavored applesauce pouch-
es, which had high lead concentra-
tions and have sickened at least 65
children, were intentionally contam-
inated. In late October, the FDA issued
a public health alert advising against
consuming or buying WanaBana apple
cinnamon fruit puree pouches be-
cause they may contain elevated lev-
els of lead. Subsequently, the agency
added Schnuck brand and Weis brand
products to the recall. During its in-
vestigation, the agency has found that
the lead may have been added as “an
intentional act on the part of someone
in the supply chain and we’re trying to
sort of figure that out,” Jim Jones, the
FDA’s deputy commissioner for human
foods, told Politico, which first report-
ed the development.
MACABE BROWN/USA TODAY NETWORK
ANHEUSER-BUSCH UNION
MEMBERS APPROVE STRIKE
Anheuser-Busch union members are
prepared to strike. Ninety-nine per-
cent of the roughly 5,000 Teamsters
working across the company’s 12 U.S.
breweries have voted to authorize a
strike, according to a Saturday news
release from the International Broth-
erhood of Teamsters. The union said it
wants an agreement that improves
wages, protects jobs and secures
health care and retirement benefits
for its members. The current agree-
ment expires on Feb. 29.
Traveler wants Southwest You can check the headlines
to change wheelchair policy from your home state or city
Bethany Piehl urges airline to update its seat We survey and compile the top news stories
strapping rules for mobility devices.Page 3B from all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. Page 4B
Laura VanBlaricum trims a plastic container at the Vantage Plastics facility in Standish, Mich. Through an arrangement
between her employer and the state, VanBlaricum pays only one-third of the cost of her child care.
PROVIDED BY VANTAGE PLASTICS
Child care model may
be answer for families
Cost-sharing approach in Michigan offers financial
relief, draws attention from leaders across the US
Emily Tate Sullivan EdSurge
Laura VanBlaricum did the math. She couldn’t return to work – not with
the cost of infant care in her Michigan community, on the low wages she
was earning. h Left with no choice, she dropped out of the workforce,
like millions of American women have had to do. It was 2020. h A year
later, she tried again. She bounced around a couple of different jobs,
looking for a company that would provide her with a livable wage and a
reason to stay, until finally, in early 2022, she found one.
VanBlaricum works as a machine in most places, than in-state college tu-
operator and assembler at a manufac- ition, and exceeds some families’ mort-
turing plant that molds plastic parts for gage payments, that workplace benefit VanBlaricum is joined by her three
automotive companies in Standish, can amount to a substantial raise. children, 3-year-old Alissa, left,
Michigan. The job is physically de- The program has provided tremen- 11-year-old Wyatt, center, and
manding. Shifts can run 12 hours in the dous financial relief to VanBlaricum, 13-year-old Zoey.
hot, grueling conditions necessary to who is saving thousands of dollars annu- PROVIDED BY LAURA VANBLARICUM
heat and shape the plastic. Many em- ally. Tri-Share allows her family of five to
ployees of Vantage Plastics, as a result, afford many goods and services they
don’t last long. previously did without, including cable published earlier this year estimated
Yet VanBlaricum remains – in part, and internet. that the United States loses about
she says, because one of the benefits of “It’s more food on the table, more $122 billion annually because of inade-
this job is too good to give up. clothes,” she says. quate child care. A separate report, pub-
Vantage Plastics is one of more than Launched in early 2021, the bipartisan lished this fall, found that Michigan
169 employers participating in Michi- program began as a three-region pilot to could recoup nearly $3 billion a year by
gan’s Tri-Share program, a cost-shar- address what had become a glaring is- providing accessible, affordable child
ing approach where the state, the em- sue: the prohibitive cost of child care. Af- care to working families.
ployer and the employee each pay for ter at least 136,000 women in Michigan Tri-Share debuted as a possible solu-
one-third of the price of child care, ef- left the workforce during the pandemic, tion, a public-private partnership to help
fectively giving families a 66% dis- many people started to realize how inte-
count. For an expense that runs higher, gral child care is to the economy. A study See CHILD CARE, Page 2B
Expect egg costs to rise as bird flu rages
Bailey Schulz ilar pace to the previous major outbreak,
USA TODAY so it is serious,” Bergquist said. He de-
scribed the current virus mutation as
The relief from sky-high egg prices “one of the more virulent and conta-
may be starting to crack. gious, which is not good for the entire
Cal-Maine Foods, the largest egg poultry industry.”
producer in the country, reported re- The migration of wild birds is likely
cently that a Kansas facility had an the cause of the most recent spike.
avian flu outbreak in about 1.6% of the “They’re often mixing with other
company’s total flock, or about birds and allowing for that am-
684,000 laying hens. Meanwhile, data Federal data shows egg prices have plification, ping-ponging of the virus to
from the U.S. Department of Agricul- dipped more than 22% over the past occur,” said University of Minnesota
ture shows dozens of commercial year as egg producers worked on School of Public Health Professor Jeff
flocks have been hit hard by the virus rebuilding their supply. Bender. “Then, (it’s) spilling over into
in recent months. KEN RUINARD/USA TODAY NETWORK those very susceptible birds like our tur-
The latest bird flu outbreak has keys and chickens.”
stirred concerns that egg prices –
which had finally started to settle after Is there another avian flu spike? Why are egg prices going back up?
reaching nearly $5.50 a dozen late last
year – may start spiking again. More than 72.5 million birds have Federal data shows egg prices have
“Seemingly every day there is an- been killed in 2022 and 2023 to stem the dipped more than 22% over the past
other announced infection site, which spread of the virus, according to the U.S. year as egg producers worked on re-
not only physically reduces the actual Department of Agriculture. building their supply. A USDA report re-
number of egg layers, but also casts a After a lull in infections, the agency’s leased recently quotes combined re-
negative psychology over the entire data shows we’re in the midst of a fall gional large egg wholesale prices at
egg market,” Kevin Bergquist, Wells spike. The number of birds killed has $2.06 a dozen – close to the three-year
Fargo Agri-Food Institute sector man- risen from 1.4 million in October to 8 mil- average but far below last year’s prices.
ager, said in a written statement. “The lion in November and more than 4 mil- Egg prices already had been expected
reaction to supply stress is price in- lion in the first few days of December.
crease.” The virus “is expanding at a very sim- See EGG PRICES, Page 2B
2B ❚ TUESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY
Child care
Continued from Page 1B
modest-income families shoulder the
high cost of child care and, in turn, allow
Michiganders like VanBlaricum – most
of whom are women – to reenter and re-
main in the workforce. In the brief time
since its launch, Tri-Share has expanded
to 59 of the 83 counties in Michigan and
attracted the attention of leaders across
the country, several of which have adap-
tations of the model already underway in
their own states.
Proponents of Tri-Share recognize
that this program alone will not remedy
the many afflictions of the early care and
education sector. But they believe it
could go a long way toward supporting
working families and strengthening the
U.S. labor force.
“We have to change something in
child care,” says Kristina Bajtka, who
oversees Tri-Share adoption in north-
west Michigan, “and this is one piece of
that puzzle.”
Laying the groundwork
It was early 2019, and Greg VanWoer-
kom, a Republican, had just been sworn
in for his first term in the Michigan
House of Representatives. Among the is-
sues he was eager to address was child
care. With three young children of his
own, he knew firsthand how difficult it
could be to find and afford, and he saw
how universally vexing it was for fam-
ilies, nonprofit leaders and business ex-
ecutives in his district.
Once in office, he began researching
the issue and joined a local working
group focused on child care. He wanted
to understand the experiences of child
care providers and the public programs
already available to support families.
And then one day that spring, he
sketched out an idea. Using a spoke and
wheel model, his drawing included a “fa-
cilitator hub” at the center, acting as an
intermediary between families, child
care providers and employers. (Van-
Woerkom concedes that he might have
drawn the plan up on a napkin, where
“all great ideas start.”)
The sketch became the early outline
of Tri-Share.
Here’s how it works. An employer
signs on to the program through a local
facilitator hub (often a community-
based nonprofit). The hub handles all
administrative tasks, including vetting
employee applications and determining
eligibility, paying child care providers di-
rectly, and billing employers and the
state for their portions. The hub also
supports families in finding licensed
child care that meets their needs.
The hub ensures that providers are
paid consistently and on time, employ-
ers aren’t saddled with additional ad-
ministrative tasks, and employees’ fi-
nancial circumstances remain private.
The concept garnered broad biparti-
san support, including from Gov. Gretch-
en Whitmer, a Democrat. Two years lat-
er, in March 2021, the pilot launched with
an initial $1.1 million grant.
Employers immediately saw improve-
ments in retention, says Cheryl Berg-
man, CEO of the Michigan Women’s
Commission, which the governor tapped
to lead the pilot and administer the pro-
gram. “It’s a workforce development pro-
gram,” says Bergman, “and it is changing
people’s lives.”
To be eligible for Tri-Share, employ-
Egg prices
Continued from Page 1B
to rise this winter because of seasonal
demand, and the spike in avian flu in-
fections could compound that.
“Christmas is one of the times
where egg consumption goes up for
holiday meals, the eggnog and all that
kind of stuff,” said Yuko Sato, a poultry
extension veterinarian and diagnostic
pathologist at Iowa State. “So natural-
ly, every year, the egg prices go up dur-
ing Christmastime or holiday season.”
But it’s unlikely we’ll see prices
spike as high as they did in 2022 be-
cause the egg inventory has rebound-
ed, said Dennis Brothers, associate ex-
tension professor at Auburn Univer-
sity’s agricultural economics and rural
sociology department.
“I don’t think we’ll see a price spike
in the real near future. At least nothing
like we saw last year,” he said. “Prices
are going to go up, of course, because of
seasonal demand, and this will start
restricting inventory some. But we’ve
got a lot of eggs on hand right now.”
Bergquist also doesn’t expect
wholesale egg prices to jump to the lev-
els seen in late 2022, but he does ex-
pect higher wholesale egg prices in the
near term.
Amy Breitner with her two youngest children, 4-year-old Harrison, center, and
9-year-old Isabella. PROVIDED BY AMY BREITNER
ees must have a household income be-
tween 200% and 325% of the federal
poverty level – between $60,000 and
$97,500 for a family of four. Below that
threshold, families are eligible for the
state’s child care subsidy program,
which covers up to 100% of the cost.
Above it, in theory, families are in a fi-
nancial position to afford the full price of
child care.
“This program picks up where the
child care subsidy leaves off,” Bergman
says. “It’s meant to help those people
who make too much to qualify for the
child care subsidy in the state but still
struggle to afford child care.”
Amy Breitner falls into that category.
She is a graphic designer for Crystal
Mountain, a ski resort about 15 miles
from the coast of Lake Michigan. She
and her husband both work full time.
Their combined income is over the limit
for the state subsidy, but they still feel
crushed by the cost of child care.
“We don’t live a lavish lifestyle. We’re
frugal and do our best to manage our
money well,” Breitner shares. “But we
were always behind on our day care bills.
Always.”
That changed when she learned that
Crystal Mountain was participating in
Tri-Share, and that she qualified. She
could even keep using her current child
care provider. (She says that, as much as
her family needed the financial relief, she
likely wouldn’t have signed up if it meant
she had to leave the trusted provider who
has cared for all three of her children.)
Since joining Tri-Share almost two
years ago, Breitner and her husband
haven’t missed a payment, and because
it can be used for summer and after-
school care, too, Breitner was able to
send her 9-year-old to summer camp
this year.
The money back in their pockets has
helped them get on top of expenses such
as medical bills and student loans. “It is
so nice,” Breitner says, “to be current on
my payments.”
Slow to grow
The last time Breitner checked, she
was the only employee at her company
enrolled in Tri-Share. “Why that is,” she
says, “is absolutely beyond me. It is an
insanely helpful program.”
It’s not just Crystal Mountain. Van-
tage Plastics, with 400 employees, has
only three taking advantage of the bene-
fit.
Temu lawsuit claims ‘mafia-style intimidation’
Mary Walrath-Holdridge
USA TODAY
An ongoing feud between two fast
fashion giants came to blows again
this week when Temu filed a lawsuit
against Shein for what it called “mafia-
style intimidation.”
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in
the U.S. District Court of the District of
Columbia. While both companies are
Chinese-based, the suit was lodged by
WhaleCo, Temu’s U.S.-based parent
company, alleging that Shein has gone
to great lengths to intimidate Temu
employees and suppliers and interfere
with the e-commerce platform’s oper-
ations.
Both brands have become huge
contenders in the U.S. market since
Shein’s American launch in 2019 and
Temu’s in 2022. Before Temu’s expan-
sion into the U.S. market, Shein dom-
inated the cheap commerce space,
selling clothes and lifestyle items at
steeply discounted prices.
Both platforms ship items predomi-
nantly from China and generally offer
very similar, if not almost identical,
low-cost, trendy products. It seems a
bit of healthy competition between the
two was inevitable, but according to
When Shape Corp., an auto supplier
with more than 1,500 employees in
southwest Michigan, signed on, the
company added its own criteria, limiting
the program to full-time employees who
had worked there for over a year, and
covering only one child per family. The
company had reserved 10 child care
slots.
“We were fully prepared to do a lot-
tery, to raffle off the slots,” says Erica
Phelps, a health and well-being special-
ist for Shape Corp. “We thought we’d be
overwhelmed with people.”
They weren’t.
Within a couple of months, the com-
pany eased up on some of its eligibility
requirements. Still, today, just seven
families from Shape Corp. are enrolled.
(Each child, Phelps says, costs the com-
pany an average of $300 a month.)
Tri-Share offers families a significant
cost savings on what is typically one of
their biggest monthly expenses. Partici-
pants laud its ease of use and love that
they can keep their provider, as long as
that provider is licensed. So why aren’t
more of them using it?
Some say it’s a communication issue.
Many employers don’t yet know the pro-
gram exists, and some employers that
offer it may have employees who don’t
know about it.
“We are finding that just getting the
word out, that it’s available, is a big chal-
lenge,” says Bergman.
There have been other hangups.
Some companies have been reluctant to
roll out a benefit that relies on continued
state funding. In the event of an econom-
ic downturn, many employers worry the
program would be among the first to go.
They don’t want to promote a program
and then abruptly pull out of it in a reces-
sion, when families need it most.
Perhaps the biggest barrier, though, is
that many families who want to enroll
are earning slightly over the eligibility
cap. “What we’ve been finding across
multiple industries – school districts,
semiconductors, manufacturing – is that
the 325% cap should be the bottom of the
threshold. A lot of families are just above
it,” shares Rich Van Tol, who helps with
employer outreach for one of the Tri-
Share hubs.
If a family in Michigan has two young
children – an infant and a 4-year-old, say
– their child care costs at a center would
average nearly $25,000 a year. That is
not sustainable for a family earning
350% of the federal poverty level, or even
Temu, Shein has played anything but
fair.
Temu alleges ‘malicious
and unlawful conduct’
According to court documents,
Wednesday’s lawsuit accused Shein of
employing “mafia-style intimidation”
tactics against Temu, alleging “mali-
cious and unlawful conduct intended to
thwart Temu’s success.”
Part of the complaint accuses Shein
of “falsely imprisoning merchants doing
business with Temu,” allegedly detain-
ing them in Shein’s offices for hours, and
threatening merchants who work with
Temu. Shein was also accused of ma-
nipulating U.S. copyright law by lodging
unfounded copyright infringement
suits, issuing bad-faith copyright take-
down notices and illegally seizing intel-
lectual property rights to obtain im-
proper copyright registrations.
According to the suit, Temu believes
these incidents have increased leading
up to a Super Bowl LVIII advertising
campaign set for February 2024, which
it believes will drive traffic to its site.
“Shein has resorted to even more
desperate and coercive measures, in-
cluding physical detention of mer-
MONEY
400%, says Van Tol.
“That’s so high,” he says, “that one
parent is going to end up staying at
home. It ends up disproportionately
hurting women.”
If Tri-Share is going to be the state’s
solution to the workforce problem, Van
Tol says, then it needs to have a higher
income limit.
“It’s a beautiful idea that has so much
potential,” he says, “but we’re just not
capitalizing on it yet because of that eli-
gibility band.”
A steady path to sustainability
As of October, 489 children from 376
families across Michigan were enrolled
in Tri-Share.
Those modest numbers belie the
steady growth the program has seen
since its inception, Bergman says, noting
that family participation has increased
about 10% every month for the last year.
Besides, a slow start may not be such
a bad thing, if it’s allowed for a better
paced and more prudent rollout.
VanWoerkom, the state representa-
tive, wants to prove that Tri-Share works
and ensure its sustainability before
bringing it to scale.
Marcus Keech, who was involved with
Tri-Share from “day zero” as VanWoer-
kom’s legislative director, doesn’t believe
the program has reached its perfect
form. He suggests that one of the states
currently trying to replicate the model –
North Carolina, New York, Kentucky, a
county in Indiana – could in fact get
there first.
“If they can take our program and
make it better, I’m not offended by it,”
says Keech, who now works for the
Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce.
In the meantime, the program in
Michigan is constantly evolving.
“I think we’re getting more organic
growth, it’s building more steam, build-
ing interest every month,” says Bajtka,
director of Tri-Share at the hub in north-
west Michigan.
Several changes are underway to sim-
plify and streamline the forces that pow-
er Tri-Share, shifts that should usher in
improvements and growth, Bergman ex-
plains. By next summer, if all goes ac-
cording to plan, she thinks Tri-Share will
be available statewide.
“I think it’s going to explode,” Berg-
man says, adding that she’s in conversa-
tion with leaders from big companies like
General Motors and Henry Ford Health.
Tri-Share is projected to reach 7,500
children across 5,000 households state-
wide by 2028, according to a five-year
plan released by the Michigan Women’s
Commission. To accommodate those
families, the state would need to spend
about $40 million a year on Tri-Share,
more than 10 times the amount it’s allo-
cating now.
That’s a realistic trajectory, Bergman
says. The program has even had a couple
of private foundations chip in with sup-
port because they believe in the program
and want to be a part of its success.
“Employers need workers, and fam-
ilies need affordable, accessible child
care,” says Bergman. “This program
solves for both. It’s doing both. And it’s
working.”
This article was co-published with
EdSurge. EdSurge is a nonprofit news-
room that covers education through
original journalism and research. Sign
up for their newsletters. Emily Tate Sulli-
van is a senior reporter for EdSurge
covering early childhood and K-12
education.
chants who dare to work with Temu,
personal threats, and illegal seizures of
merchants’ personal devices to obtain
access to the merchants’ Temu accounts
and Temu’s confidential information
and trade secrets,” the lawsuit claims.
Previous Temu-Shein legal battles
This lawsuit is one in a series of legal
actions between Shein and Temu.
Last December, Shein sued Temu in
federal court for allegedly contracting
social media influencers to make “false
and deceptive statements” against
Shein and tarnish the company’s repu-
tation.
Then, in July, Temu filed another suit
against Shein in federal court, accusing
the competitor of violating antitrust
laws by using monopolistic methods to
keep competitors out of the fast fashion
marketplace.
“Having controlled nearly the entire
market in ultra-fast fashion in the U.S.
between early 2020 and Temu’s entry in
late 2022, Shein was and is a monopo-
list,” the lawsuit says. “Shein has at-
tempted to maintain its monopoly using
its anticompetitive scheme, desperate
to avoid the robust competition Temu
brought to the market.”
MONEY
ASK HUMAN RESOURCES
Must parents OK drug testing kids for jobs?
Johnny C. Taylor Jr.
Columnist
USA TODAY
Johnny C. Taylor Jr. tackles your hu-
man resources questions as part of a se-
ries for USA TODAY. Taylor is president
and CEO of the Society for Human Re-
source Management, the world’s largest
HR professional society and author of
“Reset: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an
Age of Upheaval.”
Question: My high school-age son
recently applied for a seasonal holiday
job. They required and executed a
background check, which included an
on-site drug test, without my consent.
Should parents of minors be required
to authorize any drug testing for
work? – Ashe
Answer: I understand your concern
about your son undergoing a back-
ground check and on-site drug test with-
out your consent. The legal require-
ments for drug testing, particularly for
minors, can vary by state. In many
states, employers are obligated to obtain
parental consent before conducting
drug tests on minors, considering priva-
Norwegian Cruise Line’s
free-fall Drop slide offers
‘a really cool experience’
Nathan Diller
USA TODAY
The Atlantic Ocean was the last thing
I saw before the floor beneath me dis-
appeared.
As I stood inside a metal tube at the
top of The Drop last month, a free-fall
slide on Norwegian Cruise Line’s new
ship Viva, a robotic voice gave me a
four-second countdown before I
dropped 10 stories. I slid from Deck 18 to
Deck 8 in seconds.
When I fell, my stomach dropped,
too, and I clutched the straps of the cloth
liner I’d been given a little tighter. But as
I rounded the first turn, my shock
turned to awe when the opaque tubes
gave way to a translucent section.
The blue horizon appeared briefly be-
fore I went hurtling back toward the
ship. Norwegian billed the attraction as
the world’s first free-fall dry slide when
it debuted last year on Viva’s sister ship,
Prima. And unlike water slides, it’s a no-
muss, no-fuss way to get a theme-park
quality adrenaline fix.
Norwegian designed the slide for the
Prima Class after hearing from guests
who had limited time to ride previous
drop water slides and didn’t want to don
a bathing suit, according to Julie Vale-
riote, the line’s Director of Entertain-
ment Operations.
“So, it’s just much more convenient,
and I think more people are willing to do
it,” Valeriote told USA TODAY. “It ex-
pands the opportunity for the guests to
have a really cool experience.”
When I emerged from the slide, I
stood up, finally exhaled and headed to
the onboard Starbucks to go about my
day.
Traveler wants Southwest to change policy: ‘My chair is my legs’
Zach Wichter
USA TODAY
Bethany Piehl said the damage to her
wheelchair on a recent Southwest Air-
lines flight could have easily been avoid-
ed. It was her first time flying with a
wheelchair since she started using one
regularly, and she is frustrated that,
even after preparing as best she could,
her device is irreparably damaged.
Piehl was flying home to Texas after a
work trip in Washington, D.C., and saw
her wheelchair get damaged during a
layover in New Orleans.
“I watched them throw, for lack of a
better word, my chair onto the conveyor
belt,” she told USA TODAY.
When she arrived in San Antonio,
Piehl said her chair was visibly dented
and scratched up, and once she got into
it, she realized the front wheels weren’t
level, and it wobbled when she moved.
Piehl uses her wheelchair as a result
of several conditions that affect her ner-
vous system. She said as those condi-
tions have progressed, the wheelchair is
now a necessity to prevent injuries.
cy considerations and the fact that mi-
nors generally cannot enter into legal or
binding agreements.
Parents of minors should ideally be
fully informed about the nature of a drug
test, the reasons for its implementation,
and the potential consequences of fail-
ing the test. If you have concerns about
the lack of parental consent in your son’s
case, it is advisable to contact his em-
ployer to seek clarification on their pol-
icies and procedures. Additionally,
check the applicable state laws to under-
stand the requirements regarding drug
testing for minors.
If needed, you may consider discuss-
ing the matter with legal professionals
specializing in employment matters to
understand the options available to you
and your son in this situation. It’s crucial
to ensure that the employment practices
align with both state regulations and
your expectations as a parent.
For any future employment opportu-
nities your son pursues while still a mi-
nor, consider encouraging him to dis-
cuss the employment process with you
beforehand. This way, you can review
any forms together, including those re-
lated to drug testing, and determine if
parental consent is required. Open com-
munication and understanding of em-
Who can ride The Drop?
Passengers who meet height and
weight requirements can ride the slide
(riders must be at least 55 inches tall – 4
feet and 7 inches – for instance). Only
one guest can ride at a time.
How much does The Drop cost?
The slide is included in the cruise
fare.
What other activities does
Norwegian Viva have?
The Drop is just one of many activ-
ities Viva has on offer, including:
h The Rush and The Wave: The Rush
is another 10-story dry slide – albeit
without the free-fall component – with
two chutes that allow for multiple rid-
ers. But water slide lovers won’t have to
do without: The Wave, which marked
the line’s first Tidal Wave water slide
when it launched on Prima, makes an
appearance on Viva as well.
h Viva Speedway: The three-level
go-kart track is back with a new name
on Viva. If you’re looking for a thrill, it’s
sure to do the trick – even if you come in
last place like I did. Just try not to get
distracted by the ocean views. The at-
traction costs $15 per person.
h “Beetlejuice” The Musical: The
stage production made its at-sea debut
on Viva. And while itmay be a “show
about death,” as the characters tell the
audience, it’s packed full of comedy and
a striking set. Valeriote said the ship’s
90-minute adaptation uses replicas of
set pieces used on Broadway.
h Galaxy Pavilion: The virtual-reali-
Bethany Piehl challenges the
misconception that wheelchairs are
easily replaced. PROVIDED BY BETHANY PIEHL
“I travel for work a lot, multiple times
a year. How can I travel safely with you
next time and know my legs won’t be
broken next time because my chair is
my legs?” she said.
USA TODAY ❚ TUESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2023 ❚ 3B
ployment requirements will help ensure
that both you and your son are informed
and comfortable with the process.
I am a part-time graphic designer.
But my company has recently hit its
busy season, and I have been required
to work full-time hours or more for the
last three weeks. However, my part-
time status does not allow me access
to the company’s full-time benefits.
What is the line between being a full-
time and part-time employee? Is it just
an artificial designation employers
can use to withhold benefits?” – Bruno
Your concerns about the line between
full-time and part-time employment
and access to benefits are well-founded.
The distinction between full-time and
part-time employment is not precisely
defined by federal law, but some state
and local laws may have specific guide-
lines. In the absence of such laws, em-
ployers typically determine their own
definitions for full-time and part-time
status.
While federal regulations may not ex-
plicitly define full-time or part-time em-
ployment, they do require certain bene-
fits for employees who meet specific
hours requirements. For instance, under
the Affordable Care Act, if you work for a
large employer (50 or more employees),
The Drop slide on Norwegian Viva. NATHAN DILLER/USA TODAY
ty arcade from Norwegian’s Breakaway
Plus Class ships was reimagined for its
Prima Class. Guests will find flying sim-
ulators; a Topgolf Swing Suite where
they can try their hand at golf, football
and other sports; two escape rooms and
Southwest Airlines’ standing state-
ment on wheelchair damage to USA TO-
DAY says it’s working with Piehl to re-
solve the issue.
“Our teams have been in touch with
the customer to assist them with their
individual situation,” the statement
said.
However, Piehl feels the airline hasn’t
gone far enough, and that a simple pol-
icy change could have prevented this
damage from happening.
“I would like to see every passenger
that has a manual wheelchair have the
right to have their chair on board with
them through either the closet if it fits or
through seat strapping, without having
it be an extra cost,” she said. “I don’t
think anyone should be left wondering
if they’ll be able to get off the same way
they got on.”
Piehl said she spoke to the airline
about seat strapping before her trip. The
procedure would have allowed her to
purchase an extra seat and strap her
wheelchair frame to it using the stan-
dard seat belt – similar to how musi-
cians often wind up traveling with large
you generally become eligible for health
insurance if you consistently work at
least 30 hours per week or more. Accord-
ing to the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act, if you work 1,000 hours in
12 months, you typically become eligible
to participate in your employer’s retire-
ment plan. State and local laws may also
govern benefits such as paid sick leave.
If you find you are working full-time
hours during the busy season but are
classified as part time without access to
full-time benefits, it’s important to dis-
cuss this with your Human Resources
team. They can provide clarity on your
benefits eligibility and explain the crite-
ria used by the company to determine
full-time and part-time status.
Certainly, if you are concerned the
part-time designation is intentionally
being used to withhold benefits, dis-
cussing this with HR is even more cru-
cial. They can address your concerns
and ensure your employment classifica-
tion aligns with the company’s policies
and legal requirements.
I understand this busy season may be
demanding, and I encourage you to
carve out time to speak with HR for guid-
ance on benefits and any other ques-
tions you may have. I hope your con-
cerns are addressed to your satisfaction.
more.
Passengers can choose from multiple
packages and play as much as they
want. For $29, guests get unlimited ac-
cess for one hour or a whole day for $49.
The escape rooms cost $15 per person.
instruments like cellos or tubas. But,
she said, Southwest told her seat strap-
ping was against its policy.
In an audio recording Piehl provided
to USA TODAY, a Southwest customer
service employee confirms that seat
strapping is permitted for instruments
on the airline but not for mobility de-
vices.
“To allow seat strapping, it’d be 100%
protection against this kind of damage
happening for a manual chair,” she said.
Piehl started a petition to encourage
Southwest to update its seat strapping
rules and other policies around how it
handles mobility devices and compen-
sates disabled travelers when damages
occur.
A technician for Global Repair Group,
which contracts with Southwest Air-
lines on mobility device repair, told
Piehl her chair would need to be re-
placed. She’s not sure how long that will
take.
“I think there’s this misconception
that it’s just a chair, it’s replaceable,” she
said. “Every single measurement on my
chair is specific to my body.”
4B ❚ TUESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY
ALABAMA Montgomery: Two more
cases of a fatal disease have been
found in deer in northwest Alabama.
The Alabama Department of Conser-
vation and Natural Resources an-
nounced confirmation of two cases of
chronic wasting disease in hunter-
harvested, white-tailed deer in north-
ern Lauderdale County. That brings
Alabama’s total number of confirmed
cases to five, al.com reported.
ALASKA Anchorage: Howard Weav-
er, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
for the Anchorage Daily News, has
died. He was 73.
ARIZONA Tucson: The University of
Arizona has become the latest school
dealing with a sizeable budget prob-
lem. To address its $240 million bud-
get shortfall, the University of Arizo-
na unveiled an extensive financial
recovery plan last week.
ARKANSAS Little Rock: Dassault
Falcon Jet announced last week a
$100 million expansion of its facility
in Little Rock that the jet manufactur-
er said will add 800 new jobs.
CALIFORNIA Pomona: A Los Ange-
les-area church was destroyed in a
massive fire Sunday, hours before a
celebration that was set to include a
Christmas play and a toy giveaway.
COLORADO Denver: A federal judge
has allowed the reintroduction of
gray wolves in Colorado to move for-
ward in the coming days by denying a
request from the state’s cattle indus-
try for a temporary delay in the pred-
ators’ release.
CONNECTICUT Hartford: Opponents
of Connecticut’s policy letting trans-
gender girls compete in girls high
school sports will get a second
chance to challenge it in court, an
appeals court ruled, which revived
the case without weighing in on its
merits.
DELAWARE Wilmington: Police say a
46-year-old driver believed to be
drunk accidentally plowed into a
parked SUV that was guarding Presi-
dent Joe Biden’s motorcade Sunday
night while the president was leaving
after a visit to his campaign head-
quarters. The president and first lady
Jill Biden were unharmed.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washing-
ton: Lawrence L. Knutson, a longtime
Associated Press writer whose deep
knowledge of the presidency, Con-
gress and American history made
him an institution in his own right,
has died. He was 87.
FLORIDA Tallahassee: The Repub-
lican Party of Florida suspended
Chairman Christian Ziegler and de-
manded his resignation during an
emergency meeting Sunday, adding
to calls by Gov. Ron DeSantis and
other top officials for him to step
down as police investigate a rape
accusation against him.
GEORGIA Atlanta: A federal judge
has ruled that school board districts
in Georgia’s second-largest school
system appear to be unconstitution-
ally discriminatory and must be
quickly redrawn ahead of 2024’s
elections.
HAWAII Honolulu: Officials said one-
third of Honolulu Emergency Medical
Services’ units was out of service for
a 12-hour period due to a temporary
staffing shortage, Hawaii News Now
reported.
IDAHO Boise: The University of Ida-
ho has announced that the demoli-
tion of the house where four students
were killed in 2022 will be on Dec. 28,
Boise State Public Radio reported.
ILLINOIS Chicago: Richard Hunt, a
prolific Chicago artist who was the
first Black sculptor to receive a solo
retrospective at New York City’s Mu-
seum of Modern Art and whose pub-
lic works drew praise from presi-
dents, has died at age 88.
INDIANA Indianapolis: Families
reliant on Medicaid worry changes
coming in January will limit access to
applied behavior analysis – a therapy
based on learning and behavior fo-
cused on improving communicative,
social and motor skills – as Indiana
attempts to limit the cost and, along
with other states, cut the size of the
low-income health care program.
IOWA Altoona: Nikki Haley de-
nounced Republican presidential
rival Ron DeSantis in Iowa for cam-
paigning in the state with Kentucky
Rep. Thomas Massie, the lone House
Republican who voted against a GOP
resolution condemning antisemitism
on university campuses.
HIGHLIGHT: MAINE
The loons are listed as endangered or threatened in some other New England
states and beyond. JIM COLE/AP FILE
Freeport: The population of a beloved Maine bird, the common loon, dipped for
the second straight year, but wildlife surveyors said they are heartened by an
increased number of the bird’s chicks. Maine has the largest number of common
loons in the eastern U.S., and the state is critical to the species’ breeding pop-
ulation. Maine Audubon, which conducts a loon count every year, said recently it
projects a population of 2,892 of the birds based on this year’s results. That is
down slightly from a year ago and about 16% lower than the 2021 total. However,
Maine Audubon’s biologists said they aren’t worried, in part because the number
of loon chicks climbed from 298 in 2022 to 411 this year.
KANSAS Topeka: Two Corvette
Stingrays, one model each from 1972
and 1974, are among items Heart-
land Motorsports Park is selling at
the going-out-of-business auction it
kicked off Wednesday. So are gui-
tars signed by former Country
Stampede performers Hank Wil-
liams Jr., Reba McEntire, Jason
Aldean, Tim McGraw, Martina
McBride, Alan Jackson, Blake Shel-
ton, Faith Hill and Dierks Bentley.
Also being sold is the Heartland
Park property itself.
KENTUCKY Louisville: Two people
were shot and one died after police
responded to a domestic incident
with an armed person.
LOUISIANA Shreveport: A north
Louisiana attorney is now the first
Black federal judge to serve on the
state’s U.S. Western District Court
following confirmation by the U.S.
Senate.
MARYLAND Salisbury: Three times
a week, on average, a police car
pulls up to a school in Wicomico
County on Maryland’s Eastern
Shore. A student is brought out,
handcuffed and placed inside for
transport to a hospital emergency
room for a psychiatric evaluation.
Over the past eight years, the proc-
ess has been used at least 750 times
on students.
MASSACHUSETTS Boston: A former
professor at Harvard Medical School
and founder of one of the nation’s
largest fertility clinics is being ac-
cused of secretly impregnating a
patient in 1980 after promising the
sperm would come from an anony-
mous donor, according to a lawsuit
filed last week.
MICHIGAN East Lansing: Trustees
at Michigan State University agreed
to release documents to the state
attorney general related to the
school’s investigations into now-
imprisoned former sports doctor
Larry Nassar.
MINNESOTA Minneapolis: A state
commission selected a basic design
concept for a new state flag for Min-
nesota to replace a current banner
that is considered offensive to Na-
tive Americans, but will need more
time to add the finishing touches.
MISSISSIPPI Greenville: A federal
judge has overturned the death
penalty conviction of a Mississippi
man, finding a trial judge didn’t give
the man’s lawyer enough chance to
argue that the prosecution was dis-
missing Black jurors for discrimi-
natory reasons.
MISSOURI Springfield: Arguing that
Missourians who donated to a left-
leaning media watchdog nonprofit
may have been misled, state At-
torney General Andrew Bailey has
waded into a recent controversy
involving the social media platform
X, formerly known as Twitter. Bai-
ley, who is seeking election to his
first full term as attorney general,
launched an investigation into
Media Matters, a liberal advocacy
group, on grounds that it improperly
solicited donations.
MONTANA Billings: Four teenagers
were killed in a single-vehicle crash
in an industrial area of Montana’s
largest city, authorities said.
NEBRASKA Hastings: A body was
found Sunday after a house explo-
sion that authorities say was likely
caused by “destructive devices.”
NEVADA Virginia City: Nearly two
years after he signed documents
attempting to overturn Donald
Trump’s 2020 loss in Nevada, Jim
Hindle thanked everyone gathered
in a historic Nevada boomtown’s
commission chambers and asked
them to bear with him while he
learned how to oversee elections in
rural Storey County.
NEW HAMPSHIRE Durham: Donald
Trump wants New Hampshire to
help him pocket the Republican
presidential nomination before any
rivals find their footing with the
2024 campaign’s opening contest
just weeks away.
NEW JERSEY Atlantic City: With
prospects for a smoking ban in At-
lantic City’s casinos looking hazier
than ever, workers who want smok-
ing banned took matters into their
own hands, lips and lungs Thurs-
day. Members of the United Auto
Workers union disrupted a meeting
of a state Assembly committee that
had been scheduled to take a pre-
liminary vote on a bill to ban smok-
ing in the casinos by lighting ciga-
rettes and blowing smoke toward
legislators.
NEW MEXICO Albuquerque: A
match made in the wilds of New
Mexico? An endangered Mexican
wolf captured after wandering hun-
dreds of miles from Arizona to New
Mexico is now being readied for a
dating game of sorts as part of fed-
eral reintroduction efforts. But only
time will tell whether the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service can succeed in
finding a suitable mate for the
female wolf numbered F2754. The
newly captured wolf will be offered
a choice among two brothers that
are also housed at the federal gov-
ernment’s wolf management facility
in central New Mexico.
NEW YORK Albany: New York’s
Metropolitan Museum of Art said it
will return more than a dozen pieces
of ancient artwork to Cambodia and
Thailand after they were tied to an
art dealer and collector accused of
running a huge antiquities traffick-
ing network out of Southeast Asia.
NORTH CAROLINA Raleigh: On her
last day on the job, State Auditor
Beth Wood pleaded guilty Friday to
two misdemeanors for misusing a
state-issued vehicle for personal
activities.
NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: A feder-
al appeals court denied a request to
delay a judge’s decision that North
Dakota’s legislative map violates the
Voting Rights Act in diluting the
voting strength of two Native Amer-
ican tribes.
OHIO Columbus: The Ohio Supreme
Court has dismissed the state’s
challenge to a judge’s order that has
blocked enforcement of Ohio’s near-
ban on abortions for the past
14 months.
OKLAHOMA Shawnee: Just one
month after a law regulating feeding
the homeless downtown went into
effect, the city announced a propos-
al to prohibit sleeping outdoors.
MONEY
News from across the USA
OREGON Independence: A small
plane crashed into power lines in
Oregon late Saturday afternoon and
killed the pilot and two passengers,
police said.
PENNSYLVANIA Harrisburg: More
criminal records in Pennsylvania can
be sealed from public view and fewer
people might be kept on probation or
in county jails, under legislation
signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro. Both
bills passed the House and Senate
with large majorities amid a flurry of
end-of-year action.
RHODE ISLAND Providence: Four
homeless service providers have
started vetting candidates for a new
permanent supportive housing pro-
gram that rewards private investors if
the clients do well.
SOUTH CAROLINA Greenville: It’s a
holiday classic that almost didn’t
make it from book to screen but for a
friendship forged during World War
II. The exhibit “A Very Grinchy Christ-
mas” is on display at the Upcountry
History Museum – Greenville County
and outlines the backstory of one of
the most watched animated made-
for-television specials of all time.
SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: The
South Dakota Department of Correc-
tions has asked a Lincoln County
judge to dismiss a pending lawsuit
filed against it by a group of Lincoln
County homeowners regarding the
site of the new men’s penitentiary.
TENNESSEE Nashville: There were no
fish in the water that day. The small
insects in the stream were impaired.
The state investigated. They found
their culprit: Nearly 8,000 cows and a
young farmer who has led his fam-
ily’s cattle business since the death
of his father. The state Department of
Environment and Conservation says
it needs to shut down his and his
mother’s Clay County operations to
prevent further pollution from ma-
nure running off into nearby waters,
at least until he can get his permits
and put the proper controls in place.
TEXAS Austin: Police are trying to
determine who injured three by-
standers as officers shot and killed a
man who pointed a firearm at them
at a bar in an entertainment district.
UTAH Salt Lake City: Utah is poised
to get plenty of attention in the 2024
election season, with the Beehive
State set to serve as an early litmus
test in the presidential primary and
identify new members of Congress
for seats long held by political main-
stays like Chris Stewart and Mitt
Romney. In addition, voters can ex-
pect to see three statewide ballot
measures to consider, including a
proposal to end the state's practice of
dedicating all revenue from income
taxes to support education systems.
VERMONT South Burlington: A pro-
ject that would replace an intersec-
tion of vacant buildings in South
Burlington with new apartments, a
bank and commercial spaces, is la-
boring through the permitting proc-
ess, with an uncertain future, accord-
ing to the developer.
VIRGINIA Newport News: The moth-
er of a 6-year-old boy who shot his
teacher in a Virginia classroom was
sentenced to two years in prison for
felony child neglect by a judge who
chastised her for abdicating her re-
sponsibilities as a parent.
WASHINGTON Seattle: King County
will pay $225,000 to settle a civil
rights lawsuit brought by a Black man
who was arrested on drug charges
after a veteran detective made false
statements to obtain a search war-
rant, including misidentifying him in
a photo.
WEST VIRGINIA Charleston: A man
in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle
was killed by state police Sunday
night when officers attempting to
serve an arrest warrant at a home say
they were met with gunshots and
returned fire, authorities said.
WISCONSIN Madison: The Wiscon-
sin Supreme Court announced the
director of state courts job will be
filled by the person who has been
doing it since August, despite com-
plaints that the hiring was illegal
because she had been elected to
serve as a Milwaukee County judge.
WYOMING Cheyenne: The city an-
nounced a new commission has been
created to lead the efforts to bring
passenger rail service to the city,
Wyoming Tribune Eagle reported.
From USA TODAY Network and
wire reports
SPORTS
NFL Week 15 32 things:
Browns striking fear, 3C
NBA power rankings: Rudy Gobert has the Min-
USA TODAY | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2023 | SECTION C nesota Timberwolves thriving this season, 7C
Latest news, results, opinions
24/7 at sports.usatoday.com
See who won the Eagles-Seahawks MNF game,
plus the Famous Toastery Bowl college game

CHEATING IN SPORTS

From left, cyclist Lance Armstrong, receiver Jerry Rice and Patriots coach Bill Belichick. USA TODAY ILLUSTRATION

Even greatest bend the rules

Jerry Rice, Lance Armstrong were the best; why did they cheat?
So why did Rice use stickum, which was illegal, de-
spite clearly not needing it? A similar question could
Mike Freeman be asked of Lance Armstrong, who would have likely
Columnist been the greatest cyclist in history without the use of
USA TODAY performance-enhancing drugs. Why did he cheat? Bill
Belichick and the Patriots still would have been one of
the greatest dynasties ever without deflating footballs

I
n a 2015 interview with ESPN, one of the greatest
athletes in the history of American sports did
something that’s since been mostly forgotten, but
was remarkable then and even now: He publicly
admitted to breaking the rules.
Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice’s admission in 2015
to using stickum, a substance popularized in the 1970s
by Oakland Raiders players Fred Biletnikoff and Lester
Hayes and banned by the NFL in the early 1980s, actu-
ally intersected with another cheating scandal: the
New England Patriots and Deflategate.
Rice’s use of the substance would spark a question
then that remains relevant today. Why do the greatest
athletes cheat when they don’t need to?
Rice, whose spokesperson did not respond to a re-
quest for comment from USA TODAY Sports, had some
of the best hands, maybe the best hands, the sport has
seen. Few who know NFL history well would rank any
wide receiver ahead of him. There are football histori-
ans who insist he’s not just the best receiver ever, but
the best football player ever. He played for 20 years,
won three Super Bowls (he was MVP of Super Bowl
23), made 13 Pro Bowls, is a member of the 75th and
100th anniversary teams, and when he left the game in
2005 held essentially every significant receiving rec-
ord.
or taping practices. So why do it?
“Part of this is you have super competitive, focused
people who are at the top of their profession,” said Sam
Sommers, a professor of psychology at Tufts Univer-
sity, who also co-authored “This is Your Brain on
Sports” with Jon Wertheim. “Huge contracts are at
stake. Their legacy is also at stake. They feel the pres-
sure to be even greater than they already are.”
‘Then you’re a real schmuck’
Is Rice in the same category as a mega-cheater like
Armstrong or even Belichick? No, of course not. But his
reasons may have been the same. Despite how strato-
spheric a talent he was, Rice still looked for that edge.
One of the most fascinating pieces of this particular
cheating story is that sometimes it’s done even when
the people doing it know it won’t help. That was the
case with the Patriots and Spygate. Belichick, in 2007,
was accused of secretly videotaping coaches’ signals
during games. After an investigation by the NFL, Bel-
ichick was fined $500,000, the team $250,000 and the
Patriots also were docked a first-round draft pick.
Owner Robert Kraft, according to one report, asked
See FREEMAN, Page 2C

Metcalf brings Swift-like

NFL WEEK 15 WINNERS AND LOSERS

Browns gain momentum awareness to signing

Lorenzo Reyes
USA TODAY
It’s getting to be that time.
The NFL playoff picture is starting to
settle, with several teams having
clinched postseason berths with three
weeks left in the regular season.
The Dallas Cowboys and Philadel-
phia Eagles clinched NFC playoff spots
Sunday, even though Dallas got blown
out by the Buffalo Bills and the Eagles
didn’t suit up until Monday.
It’s quieter in the AFC, where the Bal-
timore Ravens became the first team in
the conference to secure their bid,
though chaos is surely looming with a
crowded field for the wild card.
Here are the winners and losers from
Sunday of Week 15.
WINNERS
Buckle up for chaos in the AFC
With the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 23-7
loss to the Ravens, three AFC South
teams are now tied (not counting tie-
breakers) at 8-6: Jacksonville, the In-
dianapolis Colts and the Houston Tex-
ans. There are five teams in the confer-
ence with an 8-6 record, two of which
(Houston and Buffalo) are just outside
the playoff picture. There are nine
teams caught in a logjam between 7-7
and 9-5. Translation: The race for
three wild-card spots in the AFC is go-
ing to be nuts. One team that is surging
and may be the squad no one wants to
face is the Bills, who are currently in
ninth. But since Joe Brady took over
the offense, Buffalo is 3-1 and averag-
ing 29.3 points per game. In any case,
the margin for error is so slim, and tie-
breaker advantages are going to be
crucial. Many of these teams play each
other in the final weeks. This is a foot-
ball fan’s dream.
See WEEK 15, Page 4C
Cydney Henderson
USA TODAY
Every Tuesday, Seattle Seahawks
star DK Metcalf sits down in front of
his computer. But he’s not just watch-
ing film or highlights, like his 73-yard
touchdown reception in Week 13,
where he hit 22.23 mph to become the
league’s fastest ball carrier since 2020.
He’s taking American Sign Language
classes on Zoom.
“I’ve had seven lessons now,” Met-
calf said last week. “I think it’s great
that I get to learn something new.”
Although many believe Metcalf em-
barked on his journey to study ASL for
the sole purpose of covertly dissing his
opponents, the 26-year-old wide re-
ceiver took up the language for a much
more meaningful reason: He’s show-
casing sign language on a national Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf
stage. has used American Sign Language
after scoring to get his message
See METCALF, Page 4C across. CARY EDMONDSON/USA TODAY SPORTS
2C ❚ TUESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY
Freeman
Continued from Page 1C
Belichick a question after the accusa-
tions became public.
“How much did this help us on a scale
of 1 to 100?” Kraft asked Belichick.
“One,” Belichick said.
“Then you’re a real schmuck,” Kraft
said.
Some of the greats cheat because
they feel if they don’t, with sports being
an arms race of cheating, if you’re not
doing it, the people trying to catch you
(sometimes literally) will. That was def-
initely the case with Armstrong. He was
banned from sport for life in 2012 after
the United States Anti-Doping Agency
stripped him of the seven Tour de
France wins between 1999 and 2005. So
much of Armstrong’s defense was that
all cyclists cheated.
Sommers said the explanation that
some great athletes give – everyone
cheats – is less about “athlete mental-
ity” and more about “human mentality.”
If you’re caught driving 65 mph in an
area where the speed limit is 55, you
might tell the officer that everyone
drives slightly over the limit, Sommers
said.
“An athlete that cheats, even a great
one,” Sommers said, “might justify what
they’re doing by saying others are doing
the same thing.”
In fact Sommers, in writing a story for
Fortune magazine in 2020 about the
Houston Astros cheating scandal, said
cheaters like them aren’t so different
from the rest of us.
“These Astros are a cadre of deplor-
ables, according to conventional wis-
dom,” he wrote. “Root out the bad ap-
ples, therefore, and we can remediate
the problem. Or can we? A more sober-
ing possibility is that the Houston As-
tros aren’t such an aberration, within
baseball or society more generally. In-
deed, research on the psychology of
cheating suggests that bad behavior is
about much more than bad people or
bad organizations – that in many re-
spects, there’s a potential Astro in all of
us, circumstances permitting.”
There’s also, in some circumstances,
a sort of cosmic question: What exactly
is cheating? In Armstrong’s case, he
didn’t just cheat, he ran almost a cheat-
ing industrial complex. His case is clear.
But in other examples it’s not. In the
early 1990s some NFL kickers would put
footballs just out of the box inside ovens
and saunas to soften them because they
were so firm. Newer footballs often
hampered both accuracy and distance.
The league eventually made it illegal but
some kickers still did it.
Violating that rule is of course still
cheating but the rule was so unreason-
able, and stupid, is violating it actually
cheating? The technical answer is yes
but the practical one, including the mor-
al one, isn’t as clear. Because rules, like
in this case, can often be arbitrary and
even inefficient.
A deflating admission
Rice is one of the best examples (and
perhaps most forgotten) of how cheat-
ing is a complex maneuver and in some
cases, especially his, it can be a com-
plete waste of time, but in the moment,
the athlete doesn’t realize that.
Rice’s admission actually begins
with the Patriots being accused of
cheating by deflating footballs. In an in-
terview with Jim Rome in 2015, Rice said
the Patriots were cheaters because de-
flating footballs gave them an illegal ad-
vantage.
Hall of Famer Jerry Rice is a three-time Super Bowl champion who is considered
the greatest NFL receiver ever. ROBERT HANASHIRO/USA TODAY
Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin refuted Jerry Rice’s claim that many receivers used stickum on their gloves.
DOUG MURRAY
Patriots coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000 for his role in the Spygate
cheating scandal. STEW MILNE/USA TODAY SPORTS
“I’m going to be point blank, I feel like
it’s cheating,” Rice told Rome of the 2014
AFC championship game, when the Pa-
triots beat the Colts. “Because you have
an edge up on your opponent and it’s
unfortunate that it happened. I’m not
saying the outcome of the game would
have been different or anything like that
because they got beat 45-7, but they still
had an edge.”
Rice added: “I’ve played in cold
weather, I know how hard the football is
and you can grip the leather [if deflated]
just a little bit better.”
Patriots fans, angered by the fact that
Rice was saying their team cheated, sur-
faced the video where Rice himself ad-
mitted to cheating. Rice was inter-
viewed by ESPN about a story on the
evolution of gloves in a post-stickum
world and how glove technology was
evolving. Rice admitted he cheated us-
ing stickum.
“I know this might be a little illegal,
guys, but you put a little spray, a little
stickum on them, to make sure that tex-
ture is a little sticky,” Rice said, laughing.
The use of stickum and the evolution
of gloves receivers use are intertwined.
Once stickum was banned some receiv-
ers turned to gloves to help assist them
with catching footballs, particularly in
bad weather. In many ways, the end of
stickum led to a rapid evolution in glove
technology.
Some receivers took it a step further
and combined using gloves and stick-
um. This is what Rice was admitting to.
Rice later took to social media to ad-
dress the issue after his admission be-
came more widely known. “I apologize
ppl after doing my research about stick-
um!,” Rice said on X, formerly known as
Lance Armstrong, climbing Mont Ventoux, was banned from sport for life for
doping and stripped of the seven Tour de France titles he won.
JOEL SAGET/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
SPORTS
Twitter. “The NFL banned this in 1981.
All players did it! #equalplayingfield.”
The site ProFootballTalk.com wrote
at the time: “With or without the stick-
um or the gloves, Rice still would have
been the greatest receiver of all time.
But, as he said regarding the Patriots, he
still had an edge.”
Rice’s claim that all players used
stickum angered some receivers includ-
ing Hall of Famers Michael Irvin and
Cris Carter, who felt that Rice saying ev-
eryone did it, cheapened their careers.
“I love Jerry Rice, but that’s what ev-
erybody says. ‘Oh, everybody did it.’
That’s the oldest defense in the world,”
Irvin said. “I didn’t use stickum. I never
used stickum, didn’t need stickum,
didn’t believe in stickum. I wouldn’t do
it. Troy (Aikman) would go off on me if I
put stickum on his footballs. You see
what I’m saying? Stop asking me this
junk. I didn’t feel like I should answer it.
I have not answered one (tweet) on it.”
Carter said at the time that if Rice
was using stickum he was cheating.
Rice, seeing the criticism, later re-
versed course. “Never been investigated
for stickum!” Rice said. “Mistakenly
used that word and dealing with conse-
quences! But I don’t have a problem tak-
ing a Polygraph!”
How he “mistakenly” used such a
specific word like stickum was baffling.
Later that year Rice was asked directly if
he ever used stickum and he didn’t di-
rectly answer.
“You know the thing is, the way I
worked and my work ethic and stuff like
that it really speaks for itself,” Rice said.
“I’m not even going to address that any-
more. When people think about me they
think about the time I put in on the field.
And even with the situation with the
New England Patriots. The Patriots,
they really deserve what they got by
winning the Super Bowl, you know,
that’s fantastic. I look at the Patriots
and I think about the San Francisco
49ers and what they were able to ac-
complish. And I look at Tom Brady – you
know what? – he was able to accom-
plish winning four Super Bowls. So you
know those are the things I’m focusing
on right now and you know my work
ethic was everything during my entire
career and I think it speaks for itself.”
He’s right. Of course. All of it.
But it doesn’t answer the question ...
Why?
SPORTS
NFL WEEK 15 32 THINGS WE LEARNED
Bills striking fear down the stretch
Nate Davis
USA TODAY
The 32 things we learned from
Week 15 of the NFL season prior to the
“Monday Night Football” game between
the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Sea-
hawks:
1. Stampede coming? The Buffalo
Bills have won three of four games since
firing offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey
and are averaging 29.3 points in that
stretch following Sunday’s 31-10 rollover
of the Dallas Cowboys, a beatdown that
knocked “America’s Team” out of first
place in the NFC East.
2. The Bills remain stuck in ninth
place overall in the AFC, a spot to which
they ascended Saturday, but their 8-6
mark matches the Cincinnati Bengals,
Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans
... and those clubs aren’t playing the Los
Angeles Chargers and New England Pa-
triots the next two weeks.
3. After some early-season missteps,
Buffalo QB Josh Allen would need a Hail
Mary to win the league MVP award – the
Bills probably have to win out, including
a Week 18 win at Miami, to simply re-
capture the AFC East – but he is bur-
nishing a more realistic case for Offen-
sive Player of the Year honors. He’s ac-
counted for a league-best 37 TDs (26
passing, 11 rushing) despite a light pass-
ing game (94 yards in the rain) Sunday.
4. Allen became the first player to
have 10 games with at least one TD pass
and run in a season, a mark he previous-
ly shared with Kyler Murray.
5. Buffalo RB James Cook had 221
yards and two TDs from scrimmage in
the win. His 179 rushing yards against
Dallas were the most by a Bills player in
13 years.
5a. His brother, New York Jets
RB Dalvin Cook, has 292 yards and no
TDs ... all season.
6. As for the Cowboys? Their fourth
road loss – and third embarrassing one
following earlier setbacks at Arizona
and San Francisco – raises serious
questions about their viability as a Su-
per Bowl contender while also damag-
ing QB Dak Prescott’s MVP credentials.
7. Chicago Bears WR Darnell Mooney
has given new meaning to the term “Fail
Mary.”
8. The Chargers may be in the market
for a new coach, but good news for in-
terim boss Giff Smith given fellow sub-
stitute teachers Antonio Pierce of the
Las Vegas Raiders and Chris Tabor of
the Carolina Panthers got wins in Week
15 – Pierce’s obviously very much com-
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL WINNERS AND LOSERS
Ravens nab AFC spot; Lawrence in protocol
Chris Bumbaca and Tyler Dragon
USA TODAY
The Baltimore Ravens remain in the
driver’s seat in the race for the No. 1 seed
in the AFC.
The North Division first-place Rav-
ens became the first AFC squad to clinch
a postseason spot with a “Sunday Night
Football” victory, leading wire to wire as
they defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars
23-7. Baltimore has won eight of its last
nine games.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson rushed
12 times for 97 yards and was 14 of 24
passing for 171 yards with one touch-
down and an interception.
The play of the game came in the
third quarter when Jackson evaded a
sack twice and threw a jump ball to tight
end Isaiah Likely, filling in for injured
Mark Andrews. Likely, who led the Rav-
ens with five catches and 70 receiving
yards and added a touchdown, came
down with it between a pair of Jaguars
defenders. Gus Edwards finished the
drive by scoring his 11th rushing touch-
down of the season (and 10th since
Week 7, most in the league).
In the first half, the Jaguars squan-
dered opportunity after opportunity.
Brandon McManus missed a pair of 50-
plus-yard field goals, quarterback Tre-
vor Lawrence fumbled in the red zone
and the Jaguars ran out of time inside
the 5-yard line; with no timeouts, Law-
rence opted to not spike the ball and
Parker Washington was tackled in
bounds. It was the second time in fran-
chise history Jacksonville had four pos-
sessions inside an opponent’s 40-yard
line and failed to score in one half.
The lone score for the Jaguars came
on the longest touchdown pass of Law-
rence’s career, a 65-yard play to Jamal
Agnew – in his first game off injured re-
serve since a Week 9 injury – on a wheel
ing at the Bolts’ expense in Thursday’s
63-21 assault.
9. Prior to this weekend, the Minne-
sota Vikings (15 points per game) and
Denver Broncos (16 ppg) had had the
league’s stingiest defenses over the pre-
vious nine weeks. They then combined
to surrender 69 points in Saturday’s
crippling losses to their playoff hopes.
10. And over the preceding five
weeks, no D had been more airtight than
the Patriots’ (11 ppg, 247.3 yards al-
lowed). It got torched for 27 points and
326 yards by the Kansas City Chiefs’
supposedly struggling offense.
11. Still, Taylor Swift didn’t enjoy the
show as much on a day when K.C. TE
Travis Kelce was limited to five recep-
tions for 28 yards ... and by his own in-
sufficient acting skills.
12. With the Chiefs’ Andy Reid and
Patriots counterpart Bill Belichick
matching wits Sunday, their personal
matchup became the first in league his-
tory pairing head coaches each with at
least 250 regular-season wins.
13. The 557 combined regular-season
wins from Reid (256) and Belichick (301)
are 61 more than the next-most prolific
HC couplet – which was Hall of Famers
Don Shula and Tom Landry and their
then-total of 496 during the 1987 sea-
son.
14. Green Bay Packers HC Matt La-
Fleur lost two games in a six-day period,
his team falling to the New York Giants
and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They were
LaFleur’s first career losses in the
month of December after winning his
first 16.
15. With the old NFC Central “Battle
of the Bays” going to the Bucs, it’s Tam-
Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely
celebrates his 16-yard touchdown
reception against the Jaguars.
JEREMY REPER/USA TODAY SPORTS
route that made it 10-7 in the third quar-
ter. It was the closest the Jaguars came
on the scoreboard.
Ravens defensive lineman Justin
Madubuike had a sack, hit Lawrence
four times and now has had at least a
half-sack in 11 straight games. Baltimore
recovered two fumbles and improved on
its standing as the best scoring defense.
Baltimore’s offense struggled within
the red zone, going 2-for-5. Justin Tuck-
er made all three of his field goal at-
tempts (26, 34, 43 yards) to help them
out.
The Ravens did not escape without a
worsening of their injury fortunes. Run-
ning back Keaton Mitchell needed to be
carted off and appeared to suffer a seri-
ous knee injury, while left tackle Ronnie
Stanley left in the fourth quarter to be
evaluated for a concussion. Safety Mar-
cus Williams also missed the second
half following his touchdown-saving
tackle to end the first half.
USA TODAY ❚ TUESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2023 ❚ 3C
Bills
linebacker
Terrel
Bernard
celebrates
with
Jordan
Phillips
(97) after
the
tackle’s
sack of
Dallas’ Dak
Prescott.
JAMIE
GERMANO/
ROCHESTER
DEMOCRAT
AND
CHRONICLE
pa that looks like a much more viable
playoff outfit than the Pack, the Super
Bowl 55 champs suddenly closing in on
their third straight division crown.
16. Speaking of the Giants, the New
Orleans Saints turned the tables on roo-
kie QB Tommy DeVito’s Italian celebra-
tions in Sunday’s 24-6 runaway. Inci-
dentally, the Saints are right there with
the Bucs in the NFC South.
17. Huge game this Thursday night as
the Saints head to Los Angeles to play
the Rams, who moved into the NFC’s fi-
nal wild-card position Sunday. Both
teams are 7-7, but LA is playing decided-
ly better football after winning for the
fourth time in five games since its Week
10 bye.
18. League MVP candidate and lead-
ing receiver Tyreek Hill of the Miami
Dolphins missed his first game this sea-
son with an ankle injury. Still at 1,542 re-
ceiving yards, Cheetah would have to
average nearly 153 yards over the final
three weeks to reach his record-break-
ing 2,000-yard goal.
18a. Hill does have five 150+ yard ef-
forts in 2023 and another of 146.
19. Despite his absence, the Dolphins
whitewashed the New York Jets 30-0,
sweeping the NYJ by a 64-13 aggregate
this year.
20. Miami RB Raheem Mostert
rushed for two TDs, meaning he’s
reached the end zone 20 times this sea-
son – a Dolphins single-season record.
If he is on your fantasy team, seems
likely you’re winning your league.
21. Mostert had 19 career TDs over his
previous eight seasons.
22. The Jets were also eliminated
from the playoffs for the 13th consecu-
Jacksonville now finds itself in a
three-way tie with the Indianapolis
Colts and Houston Texans in the crowd-
ed AFC South race.
– Bumbaca
WINNERS
Ravens stamp playoff ticket: The
Ravens (11-3) became the first team to
clinch a playoff spot in the AFC. Balti-
more controls its destiny and has a
chance to be the No. 1 seed in the confer-
ence. The Ravens have a two-game lead
in the AFC North Division.
Lamar Jackson makes another
case for MVP: Lamar Jackson’s elusive-
ness and play-making ability were on
display. He was the best player on the
field, and it wasn’t even close. Jackson
was giving Jaguars defenders fits as
he continuously escaped in the pocket
to buy extra time or scramble for rush-
ing yards. Jackson compiled 171 passing
yards, one touchdown and one inter-
ception through the air. On the ground,
the quarterback rushed for a team-high
76 yards.
Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely: The
Ravens are without star tight end Mark
Andrews, but Isaiah Likely is a more
than capable replacement. Likely high-
pointed a football over two Jaguars de-
fenders for a 26-yard reception. A few
plays later, the Ravens scored a touch-
down. Likely produced a game-best five
catches, 70 yards and a touchdown.
Ravens defense: The Ravens had a
bend-but-don’t-break defense in the
victory. Baltimore held Jacksonville to
seven points. The Jaguars went 0-for-3
in the red zone, and they were 3-for-13
on third downs. The Ravens forced two
turnovers. Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton
had a team-high seven tackles.
Ravens defensive tackle Justin Ma-
dubuike: Madubuike’s career-best sea-
tive season, the NFL’s longest active
drought. See ya next year, Aaron Rodg-
ers.
23. The Tennessee Titans are no
longer eligible for the playoffs, either, af-
ter Sunday’s overtime loss to the C.J.
Stroud-less Houston Texans.
24. Houston took extra glee in elim-
inating the team that left H-Town and
took the Columbia Blue Oilers uniforms
with them (and wearing them again
Sunday did seem a bit excessive).
25. Speaking of would-be MVPs, you
can’t discount San Francisco 49ers ... RB
Christian McCaffrey? Like Mostert,
CMC has 20 TDs after scoring three
against the Arizona Cardinals, an effort
that helped the Niners officially lock
down the NFC West.
26. McCaffrey’s seven touchdowns
this season against the Cards are the
most by any player against one team
during a season in the Super Bowl era
(since 1966).
27. The league’s rushing leader with
1,292 yards, McCaffrey is trying to be-
come the first in-season, wire-to-wire
rushing champ this century.
28. He’s already the fourth player
ever with at least four seasons with
1,000 rushing yards and 500 receiving
yards.
29. New Orleans Saints TE Jimmy
Graham has four TD catches this sea-
son. He has two other receptions on the
year that did not produce six points.
30. Detroit Lions TE Sam LaPorta
won’t win Offensive Rookie of the Year
honors and probably can’t hope to finish
much better than third behind Stroud
and Rams WR Puka Nacua. Still, LaPor-
ta became the first rookie at his position
during the Super Bowl era with at least
700 receiving yards and seven TDs after
hauling in three scores in Saturday
night’s win over Denver.
31. Already looking forward to Week
16, which begins with that potentially
pivotal Saints-Rams game Thursday.
Colts-Falcons, Browns-Texans, Lions-
Vikings and Jags-Bucs will all have ma-
jor postseason implications on Christ-
mas Eve, too ... with Bengals-Steelers
offering another weighty fixture on
Christmas Eve Eve, or Saturday if you
like.
32. But if you’re looking for huge pre-
sents under the tree? Dolphins-Cow-
boys and Ravens-49ers will deservedly
be among the game’s most-hyped
matchups of the season ... even if only
one of them is a legitimate Super Bowl
preview. (Feel free to make a guess,
partygoers. And Happy Holidays.)
son continued in Week 15. Madubuike
registered a strip sack deep in Jackson-
ville territory in the fourth quarter that
resulted in a Baltimore field goal. Madu-
buike has a career-high 12 sacks this
season. He had 8.5 sacks in his first
three years in the NFL.
Unfortunate injury: Ravens head
coach John Harbaugh said after the
game that it is believed that promising
rookie running back Keaton Mitchell
suffered a season-ending injury. Mitch-
ell was injured in the fourth quarter
when his left leg buckled at the end of a
13-yard run.
LOSERS
Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars offense:
Jacksonville’s offense fizzled out far too
often in Baltimore territory. It was the
story of the game for the Jaguars. Jack-
sonville went 0-for-3 in the red zone,
which included a bad fumble by Law-
rence.
The Jaguars entered Baltimore terri-
tory on five separate occasions and
failed to score each time. The only Jack-
sonville touchdown came on a long 65-
yard bomb to Jamal Agnew.
Lawrence lost two fumbles and only
completed 25 of 43 passes in the loss.
In a matchup that featured two of the
better quarterbacks in the NFL, Jackson
was superior. Lawrence and the Jaguars
failed to execute and finish off drives
with points.
Jaguars kicker Brandon McManus:
Brandon McManus missed two field
goal attempts from 50 and 55 yards in
the loss.
Jaguars drop third straight: The
Jaguars have lost three in a row. The
Jaguars (8-6), Indianapolis Colts (8-6)
and Houston Texans (8-6) are all tied on
top of the AFC South.
– Dragon
4C ❚ TUESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY
Week 15
Continued from Page 1C
The Rams as a run-first team
The Los Angeles Rams (7-7) have
stayed alive in the playoff race and are
currently sitting in the final seed in the
NFC after handling the Washington
Commanders 28-20. And the constant
in Los Angeles’ revival has been the
rushing attack led by running back Ky-
ren Williams. Against Washington, he
ran for 152 yards and a score on 27 car-
ries. In fact, Williams is averaging 20.7
carries per game and 116 rushing yards
per game in LA’s victories. In losses,
those numbers plummet to 15.5 and
64.3, respectively. In recent games,
though, the Rams have made an inten-
tional effort to feed Williams, whose
big-play ability has helped open up the
play-action passing game, allowing
quarterback Matthew Stafford to devel-
op his rapport with receivers Cooper
Kupp and Puka Nacua. LA’s remaining
schedule isn’t optimal, with games left
against the New Orleans Saints (7-7),
New York Giants (5-9) and 49ers (11-3).
It’s time to keep feeding Williams.
Browns might just be a problem
down the stretch
Joe Flacco had his worst game since
joining the Cleveland Browns off his
couch, but he still threw for 374 yards
and a pair of scores – albeit with three
interceptions – as Cleveland (9-5)
erased a 10-point deficit late in the
fourth quarter to topple the Chicago
Bears 20-17. This has been a resilient
group, one that has battled key injuries
and had four different quarterbacks win
at least one game as a starter. Cleveland
has a ferocious defense that’s one of the
best in the league and one that can gen-
erate pressure in high-leverage mo-
ments behind edge rusher Myles Gar-
rett. But Flacco has sparked a downfield
passing game that wasn’t there with re-
serves P.J. Walker and Dorian Thomp-
son-Robinson. The other great news is
that receiver Amari Cooper and tight
end David Njoku have seen a bit of a re-
vival with Flacco under center, combin-
ing for four touchdowns over Cleve-
land’s last two games, both victories.
Metcalf
Continued from Page 1C
“New people are starting to learn ASL
and take heed to … ‘What is he signing?’
The curiosity factor comes in to where it
is bringing attention,” Metcalf said. “It
started out as me trying to learn some-
thing new and then the refereeing thing
got thrown into the mix where it kind of
turned into trash talk, but I’m trying to
learn a new language, simply put.”
Here’s everything you need to know
about Metcalf learning ASL:
Why does DK take sign language
lessons?
Metcalf first took an ASL course at
the University of Mississippi, where he
recorded 1,228 yards and 14 touchdowns
across 21 games before he was drafted
by the Seahawks in 2019. Metcalf said
he wanted to revisit ASL last summer to
“exercise my mind and try to learn
something new.”
He connected with Darrell Utley, an
instructor at the Sign Language Center,
in hopes of becoming fluent in the lan-
guage. Utley told USA TODAY Sports
that he wasn’t familiar with Metcalf pri-
or to their one-hour lessons but quickly
learned about the impact the Pro Bowl
receiver has and the hype he’s created
around ASL.
“I have to admit, for a while I didn’t
know who he was. I didn’t identify him
by name as being somebody with the
stage that he has and being such a fan-
tastic football player,” Utley said in an
interview through his interpreter Barry
Utley. “I’m not a fanatic for sports … but
now with (Metcalf) people are saying,
‘Hey, did you see him sign something af-
ter?’ That was when I realized, oh, OK.
That’s my student and we have that
connection.”
Metcalf didn’t just learn ASL
to trash talk
During an appearance on “The Rich
Eisen Show” in October, Metcalf said he
uses sign language to circumnavigate
unsportsmanlike conduct fines during
his celebrations. “I kept getting flags
from my mouthing, so gotta sign my (ex-
pletive)-talking now,” he said.
But that wasn’t his motivation be-
hind learning the language.
“I get to challenge myself to learn
something new and also to bring light to
Browns defensive players Myles Garrett (95), Dalvin Tomlinson (94) and Alex
Wright (91) celebrate against the Bears. KEN BLAZE/USA TODAY SPORTS
In face of adversity,
Texans bounce back
The Houston Texans were without
six starters against the division rival
Tennessee Titans. Despite that, and
with backup quarterback Case Keenum
starting, Houston leaned on running
back Devin Singletary for 170 yards from
scrimmage that powered a 19-16 win.
The Texans (8-6) faced an early 13-point
hole and overcame a 1-for-3 day in red-
zone conversions, but the defense
clamped down to force six punts in Ten-
nessee’s final seven possessions, in-
cluding stops in the final four. Even
without Anderson, Houston got after Ti-
tans quarterback Will Levis and sacked
him seven times. With the Texans in the
AFC eighth seed, this is exactly the kind
of victory that can build momentum.
LOSERS
Cowboys can’t stop Bills’ bully ball
If there was a weakness on the Dallas
defense, it was stopping the run, though
the Cowboys still came into Sunday
ranked 11th in the NFL. Yet what hap-
pened in a blowout loss to the Bills
should concern Dallas (10-4). Buffalo
running back James Cook terrorized co-
ordinator Dan Quinn’s defense for 179
rushing yards on a 7.2-yard-per-carry
a community who I didn’t know felt un-
seen or felt like they were being forgot-
ten about,” Metcalf said.
Utley said he doesn’t see Metcalf ’s
celebrations as inappropriate. In fact,
he sees it as quite the opposite: “I don’t
think it makes ASL look bad. If any-
thing, it shines a spotlight on the lan-
guage. … I’m thrilled that he wants to
use the sign language he’s learning.
“People who learn American Sign
Language always want to learn some of
the swear words,” Utley added. “(Met-
calf) has never even asked me, ‘Hey,
how would I sign this if I wanted to trash
talk this?’ Like for example, recently he
said, ‘44 is my son.’ He never asked me.
We didn’t script it out, we didn’t plan
ahead for him to do that. I had no idea
that he was going to plan to do that on
the field. It’s just something that as we
exchange the language and the culture
and things, he has found a new way to
do that.”
What did DK Metcalf say
in sign language?
‘44 is my son’
During the Seahawks’ 17-16 loss to the
Los Angeles Rams in Week 11, Metcalf
scored an 8-yard touchdown while be-
ing covered by Rams CB Ahkello Wither-
spoon, who wears No. 44. Metcalf
signed ‘44 is my son’ in celebration in
the end zone.
Utley explained to USA TODAY
Sports how Metcalf applied his lessons
to this particular ASL celebration:
“When we approach our lessons, for
example, there are different topics that
we talk about. So in this case, there’s
pronouns – you, me, yours, mine. We
talked about numbers, one through
however high we went ... family mem-
ber’s names and how to sign father,
mother, son and daughter. Shortly after
that, he was able to use that just natu-
rally. And he said, ‘44 is my son.’ So he
may have learned that because of the
lesson, and it made me chuckle a little
bit. I know that he’s actually learning.
And he’s able to find a true application
in his life on the field.”
‘Standing on Business’
During the Seahawks’ 41-35 loss to
the Dallas Cowboys on “Thursday Night
Football” in Week 13, Metcalf caught a
pass from Geno Smith and ran it in 73
yards for a touchdown. In front of a
prime-time audience of more than 15
million viewers on Amazon Prime
Video, Metcalf celebrated by signing
“Standing on Business.” It’s a lyric from
average and two total TDs. The most
first downs the Cowboys had allowed
via rushing plays this season had been
10 in a Week 5 loss to the 49ers. The next
closest was eight, in a Week 3 loss to the
Arizona Cardinals. The Bills posted 12
rushing first downs by halftime and fin-
ished the game with 20 overall. Dallas
was without defensive tackle Johna-
than Hankins, but the Bills simply im-
posed their will on the Cowboys, who
missed tackles all game long.
It’s time in Atlanta
The Atlanta Falcons entered Sunday
in a three-way tie atop the NFC South.
They couldn’t afford to drop a game
against a Carolina Panthers team that
entered with a 1-12 record and an interim
coach. Atlanta (6-8) did just that, and it
was the offense, coach Arthur Smith’s
presumed area of expertise, that failed
again in the 9-7 defeat. Desmond Ridder
has massive limitations as a quarter-
back, and his fourth-quarter intercep-
tion in the red zone was debilitating. But
Smith has proved himself to be incapa-
ble of scheming plays to properly in-
volve his wide receivers. Against Caroli-
na, Atlanta’s top two targets were tight
ends; the team’s leading wide receiver
was Drake London, who caught two
passes for 24 yards. The only other wide
Drake’s 2023 song “Daylight” that
means to take care of your obligations
and responsibilities.
“Everybody can give credit to (Sea-
hawks linebacker) Boye (Mafe) for that
one,” Metcalf explained afterward, re-
ferring to teammate Boye Mafe, who
signs “I love you” to the sky every game
in honor of his late mother.
“Actually, ‘Standing on Business,’
Boye did that when he was walking out
of the meeting on Wednesday night. He
did it one time and I was like … one more
time,” said Metcalf as he signed “again.”
“(Boye) signed standing on business.
I said, ‘OK, I’m going to do that tomor-
row if I score.’ ”
He did just that.
‘I’m a dog, w-o-o-f ’
During the Seahawks’ 28-16 loss to
the San Francisco 49ers, Metcalf scored
a 31-yard touchdown over 49ers CB De-
ommodore Lenoir. (Both Metcalf and
Lenoir were later disqualified from the
contest following a dust-up.) Metcalf
celebrated his score by signing, “I’m a
dog, w-o-o-f,” lyrics from Migos’ 2016
song “Bad and Boujee.” He said he heard
the song during practice, which inspired
his post-touchdown celebration.
49ers long snapper Taybor Pepper
shared an expletive-laden message
aimed at Metcalf following the game
and attempted to sign “14 (expletive)
around and found out.”
Metcalf bringing Swift-like
awareness to ASL
Utley, who doesn’t root for any par-
ticular team, said Metcalf ’s ASL cele-
brations have created a “natural attrac-
tion for me to want to watch the game.
There’s some hype around it that I en-
joy.” He compared the buzz that Metcalf
has created within the ASL community
to that of Taylor Swift, who has intro-
duced a new legion of fans to football
through her whirlwind romance with
Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce.
“All of a sudden people who never
watched football are now watching be-
cause of the Travis (Kelce)-Taylor
(Swift) thing,” Utley said. “I think it’s
nice that there’s another similarity or
parallel to ASL and DK (Metcalf). Every-
one wants to see what’s going on next.
So it’s kind of cool.”
Utley explained that it’s deeper than
just a celebration and that Metcalf is
helping “normalize and also increase
awareness” for ASL. “It’s wonderful how
one person creates such such a positive
ripple effect,” he added.
SPORTS
receiver to record a reception was Kha-
Darel Hodge (one catch, 10 yards). Run-
ning back Bijan Robinson drew eight
touches for … 14 yards. The Falcons must
move on from Smith.
Barry, Packers are not ready
The Green Bay Packers started the
day in the seventh spot in the NFC and
needed to keep pace with the Minnesota
Vikings (7-7) in the North Division. In-
stead, the Packers (6-8) lost 34-20 to a
middling Tampa Bay Buccaneers team,
have lost two in a row and fell to No. 11 in
the conference. While the Packers con-
verted just 2 of 5 trips in the red zone,
the biggest issues against Tampa Bay
were mostly defensive. Green Bay de-
fensive coordinator Joe Barry was con-
tent to have his defense drop back into a
zone and didn’t adjust when quarter-
back Baker Mayfield dissected the de-
fense, finding soft spots. The odd part is
that the Packers actually generated
pressure on Mayfield and sacked him
five times. But when the pressure didn’t
get home, Mayfield could find his tar-
gets in rhythm and with ease.
Forget Aaron Rodgers – the Jets
were a lost cause, regardless
The New York Jets won the offsea-
son, and in a landslide. That’s about it.
While Aaron Rodgers’ quest to return
from a torn Achilles tendon suffered on
the fourth offensive play of the season
likely won’t be fulfilled – the Jets (5-9)
were eliminated from playoff conten-
tion following a 30-0 loss to the Dol-
phins – it frankly wouldn’t have mat-
tered. New York entered this season
with an offensive line so faulty that
Rodgers’ presence would have helped,
but it wouldn’t have masked the group’s
inability to protect long enough for any
quarterback to stay upright. The offense
cannot function to any capacity be-
cause it’s always rushed. Miami collect-
ed six sacks Sunday. The locker room is
in peril, with receiver Allen Lazard say-
ing the Jets got “out-schemed” and “out-
efforted.” Which brings us to 2024. New
York should retain most of its key de-
fenders and young offensive talent. If it
doesn’t entirely retool its line, its offen-
sive inefficiency will almost certainly
persist and Rodgers’ addition would be
nothing more than a waste.
Darrell Utley, a sign language
instructor at the Sign Language
Center, teaches Seahawks star DK
Metcalf ASL each week during virtual
sessions. DARRELL UTLEY
“I don’t know that he understands or
realizes the impact. It’s a huge impact
on the signing and ASL communities.
We as deaf people have typically strug-
gled with accessibility. … That’s part of
our life experience,” Utley said.
More than 90% of deaf children are
born to hearing parents, a point Utley
emphasized. “ASL is not always the first
option,” he said. “It leads to language
deprivation. ASL is a visual language
and without that early exposure they
miss that and it creates a huge gap in a
child’s developing years.”
DK, Darrell Utley to meet in
Tennessee
The Seahawks (6-7) travel to Tennes-
see to face the Titans (5-8) on Christmas
Eve in Week 16. Metcalf, who has never
met Utley in person, only through Zoom,
said he plans to invite his Tennessee-
based instructor to the game. Utley “ab-
solutely” accepted.
“He has reached out to me. He’s
asked if I’m interested in joining. And of
course I said, ‘Yes!’ Looking forward to
that,” Utley said. “It’s always nice to see
a 3D version of American Sign Lan-
guage, as opposed to just 2D on TV.”
What will he sign next?
Not even Metcalf knows. He said he
doesn’t go into each game with a prede-
termined celebration. “It usually just
happens on the spot,” Metcalf said.
Utley added, “DK is DK. He takes
what he knows … and of course he puts
DK on that.”
SPORTS
NCAA WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Texas players celebrate after defeating Nebraska on Sunday to win the NCAA
Division I women’s volleyball championship. CHRIS O’MEARA/AP
Texas sweeps Nebraska
to repeat as champions
Thomas Jones
Austin American-Statesman
USA TODAY Network
TAMPA, Fla. – Texas volleyball
served up a second consecutive nation-
al championship to its fans.
Literally.
Powered by a pinpoint service game,
Texas stunned top-ranked Nebraska in
Amalie Arena while rolling to a second
consecutive national title. The 25-22,
25-24, 25-11 sweep capped off an im-
probable repeat run for the Longhorns,
who never topped the national poll this
season and entered the NCAA Tourna-
ment as a No. 2 seed.
But Texas (28-4) played its best vol-
leyball in December while knocking off
top seeds Stanford, Wisconsin and, fi-
nally, Nebraska. That’s become a habit
for the Longhorns, who haven’t dropped
a set in either of its two wins in the past
two national title games.
Texas was at its best at the service
line. The Longhorns fired 12 aces, in-
cluding five from middle blocker Asjia
O’Neal, who capped arguably the best
career of any Longhorn volleyball player
with four kills and three blocks.
Junior outside hitter Madisen Skin-
ner, a leading candidate for the national
player of the year award, again aced the
Texas offense with 16 kills, while setter
Tiger Woods’ son Charlie is lighting up golf world at 14 years old
Victoria Hernandez
USA TODAY
A little birdie told us that Charlie
Woods is as exciting as his father was as
a rising star.
This past weekend, the 14-year-old
and his father, superstar golfer Tiger
Woods, participated in the PNC Cham-
pionship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in
Orlando, Florida, where Team Woods
finished tied for fifth behind Team
Langer, which won the tournament by
two strokes.
On the ninth hole in the final round
on Sunday, Charlie went viral for chip-
ping in a birdie from the green. After the
ball plunked into the hole, he pumped
his fist, emulating his father’s signature
celebration. Tiger was thrilled and
grinned with wide eyes as he joined the
crowd in applauding the young golfer.
This isn’t the first time Charlie has
captured national attention.
Per Golf Digest, the teenager played
soccer growing up and got serious about
golf during the COVID-19 pandemic in
2020.
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PLACE YOUR AD HERE! To advertise, call: 1-800-397-0070
Ella Swindle had 21 assists while be-
coming just the third true freshman to
lead her team to a Division I champi-
onship. Libero Emma Halter joined
Skinner, O’Neal and Swindle on the
all-tournament team after collecting
nine digs.
Emotions ran hot all match in the
meeting between two teams that have
now each won five national titles, es-
pecially in a taut first set. After a ques-
tionable four-touch call on Texas ne-
gated a kill from Jenna Wenaas at the
end of a marathon rally, Elliott didn’t
hide his frustration with the officials
and drew a yellow card for a caution.
Moments later, Elliott got even more
steamed over an apparent substitu-
tion violation by Nebraska that didn’t
get called, which led to a red card and a
point for Nebraska.
But with the set tied at 22-22 and
the partisan Cornhusker crowd in full
throat, Texas showed its champion-
ship poise by scoring three straight
points, including an ace by Keonilei
Akana that closed out the set.
The next two sets lacked such dra-
ma as the Longhorns cruised to the
win over a shellshocked Nebraska
(33-2) with the match breaking the
NCAA attendance record for an indoor
volleyball contest as 19,727 fans took in
Sunday’s final.
Last month, Charlie
won the Florida High
School Athletic Associa-
tion Class A state cham-
pionship with The Benja-
min School Buccaneers.
Woods The freshman, nick-
named “C-Dub,” scored
78 and 76 as the program took home its
fourth state championship trophy.
A high school state title gives Charlie
one accolade that his father, a 15-time
major champion, did not achieve in his
illustrious career.
“Having a win over him and having
something he doesn’t, it feels pretty
good,” Charlie said at the PNC Champi-
onship, per The Palm Beach Post.
In September, Tiger caddied for
Charlie en route to the Notah Begay III
Junior Golf National Championship.
During the regional qualifying tour-
nament, Charlie scored a career-best
66.
In true Woods fashion, he sunk an 8-
foot putt on the last hole to secure the
boys 14-15 division and broke out his fa-
ther’s signature fist pump.
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USA TODAY ❚ TUESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2023 ❚ 5C
Texas outside hitter Madisen Skinner, shown in October, had 16 kills and two
aces Sunday against Nebraska. SARA DIGGINS/AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Madisen Skinner named
top player in Final Four
Thomas Jones
Austin American-Statesman
USA TODAY Network
TAMPA, Fla. – With a jaw-dropping
blend of athleticism and efficiency,
Texas outside hitter Madisen Skinner
was a near-unanimous selection as
the NCAA women’s volleyball Final
Four most outstanding player.
Not that she particularly cared for
an individual award.
“It’s for everybody,” Skinner said,
referring to the honor she received af-
ter helping Texas sweep Nebraska in
the championship match Sunday. “I
mean, it’s cool and it’s awesome, and
I’ve worked really hard to get to this
point.
“I love celebrating individual
awards, but I want a national champi-
onship for my team. I want every sin-
gle one of these girls to have a ring be-
cause they deserve it. And they put in
so much work to get to this point. And
for me, individual stuff means nothing
if your team’s not coming first and
coming out on top. So I’m just super
proud of this group and so excited that
we all get to enjoy this and get a tro-
phy.”
Skinner proved unstoppable in both
of Texas’ matches in Tampa. In Thurs-
day’s 3-1 win over Wisconsin in the
semifinals, the junior fired 18 kills and
Charlie finished tied for 17th in the
championship tournament.
Tiger played with Charlie in the 2021
PNC Championship when his son was
12. It was Tiger’s first tournament since
a near-death experience when his SUV
crashed and rolled off a hill in Los Ange-
les earlier that year. He was hospitalized
for a month with several broken bones
in his leg. Tiger mostly rode a cart for the
competition but shared a special mo-
ment when he walked with his son up to
the 18th hole green.
Team Woods had 11 birdies in a row in
their last 12 holes that year, including at
17 where Charlie had a sailing drive.
They ultimately lost to John Daly and
his son by two strokes. The second-
place finish was their best at the compe-
tition since they started playing togeth-
er in 2020.
Charlie Axel Woods was born on
Feb. 8, 2009, to Tiger and his then-wife
Elin Nordegren.
He is the couple’s second and young-
est child. He has an older sister, Sam,
who caddied for Tiger earlier in the PNC
Championship.
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set a Final Four record for aces in a
match with six. She followed that up
with 16 kills on 33 swings and another
two aces against overwhelmed Nebras-
ka.
The American Volleyball Caches As-
sociation already handed out its player
of the year award to Wisconsin’s Sarah
Franklin, but the chatter among the
media members after Sunday’s finals
hinted at Skinner winning any other
such awards.
Skinner ended this season averaging
4.8 kills a set and led Texas in aces while
earning the Big 12’s player of the year
award as well as a first-team All-Amer-
ican nod from the AVCA. She batted
down any praise aimed at her on Sun-
day while complimenting teammates
such as middle blockers Asjia O’Neal
and Bella Bergmark and setter Ella
Swindle.
“Asjia does a great job of pulling the
block on the slide – you have to respect
the slide,” Skinner said. “I’ll say it again
– and the same thing with Bella and our
right side as well. They’re just giving me
a lot of space, and Ella has great vision.”
Oh, and Skinner also gave a nod to
mother Rebecca Skinner and father Bri-
an Skinner, who played a dozen years in
the NBA.
“Yeah, thank you to my parents for
great genetics and giving the hops and
whatnot,” she said, flashing a grin.
Bernhard Langer, son Jason make
history with 2023 PNC win
For more than 20 years, Raymond
Floyd was the only five-time winner of
the annual PNC Championship. That all
changed on Sunday.
Bernhard Langer and his son Jason
ran away with the 2023 family hit-and-
giggle after a white-hot day on the put-
ting green. They made birdie on their
first seven holes and shot an impressive
13-under 59 during Sunday’s final round
to take the trophy at 25 under.
Floyd and Langer are now the only
five-time winners of the event. Larry
Nelson has three wins and Davis Love III
has two. Langer won with his son, Ste-
fan, in 2005 and 2006 and won with Ja-
son in 2014, 2019 and now 2023. He also
previously played with his daughter,
Christina, in 2013 and 2016.
David Duval and his son, Brady, fin-
ished second at 23 under, while defend-
ing champions Vijay and Qass Singh
finished third at 22 under.
Contributing: Adam Woodard, Golf-
week
To view more Classified listings,
visit: classifieds.usatoday.com
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6C ❚ TUESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY SPORTS

FOR THE RECORD Monday

FAVORITE LINE O/U UNDERDOG
KANSAS CITY 10 43 Las Vegas
PHILADELPHIA 10½ 44 Giants
All times ET South Wednesday, Feb. 21 Tuesday’s Games SAN FRANCISCO 5½ 45½ Baltimore
W L T Pct PF PA Napoli (Italy) vs. Barcelona (Spain), 3 p.m. Columbus at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
NBA Houston 8 6 0 .571 306 295 Porto vs. Arsenal, 3 p.m. Minnesota at Boston, 7 p.m. College Football
Indianapolis 8 6 0 .571 344 343 N.Y. Rangers at Toronto, 7 p.m. Tuesday
Jacksonville 8 6 0 .571 319 313 English Premier League Philadelphia at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
e-Tennessee 5 9 0 .357 257 301 GP W D L GF GA Pts St. Louis at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.
Frisco Bowl
EASTERN CONFERENCE North Arsenal 17 12 3 2 35 15 39 Vegas at Carolina, 7 p.m. Frisco, Texas
Atlantic Division W L T Pct PF PA Liverpool 17 11 5 1 36 15 38 Edmonton at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m. FAVORITE LINE O/U UNDERDOG
W L Pct GB x-Baltimore 11 3 0 .786 384 225 Aston Villa 17 12 2 3 37 21 38 Vancouver at Nashville, 8 p.m. UTSA 11½ 52½ Marshall
Boston 20 5 .800 — Cleveland 9 5 0 .643 309 289 Man City 17 10 4 3 40 20 34 Colorado at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
Philadelphia 18 7 .720 2 Thursday
Cincinnati 8 6 0 .571 307 311 Tottenham 17 10 3 4 35 23 33 Ottawa at Arizona, 9 p.m. New BetMGM customers can sign
New York 14 11 .560 6 Pittsburgh 7 7 0 .500 223 280 Newcastle 17 9 2 6 36 21 29 Los Angeles at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Boca Raton Bowl
Brooklyn 13 12 .520 7 Man United 17 9 1 7 18 21 28 Wednesday’s Games up today and get a First Bet Offer Boca Raton, Fla.
Toronto 10 15 .400 10 West FAVORITE LINE O/U UNDERDOG
W L T Pct PF PA West Ham 17 8 3 6 29 30 27 Detroit at Winnipeg, 7:30 p.m. up to $1,500 using bonus code
Southeast Division Brighton 17 7 5 5 33 30 26 Syracuse 1½ 58½ South Florida
W L Pct GB
Kansas City 9 5 0 .643 319 245
Chelsea 17 6 4 7 28 26 22
N.Y. Islanders at Washington, 7:30 p.m. USAT. Just download the BetMGM
Orlando 16 9 .640 —
Denver 7 7 0 .500 304 351
Fulham 17 6 3 8 26 29 21
Seattle at Los Angeles, 10 p.m. app, deposit at least $10 and Friday
Las Vegas 6 8 0 .429 265 280 Thursday’s Games
Miami 15 11 .577 1½ L.A. Chargers 5 9 0 .357 303 345 Brentford 17 5 4 8 24 24 19 place your first wager on any Gasparilla Bowl
Atlanta 10 15 .400 6 Wolverhampton 17 5 4 8 21 29 19 Carolina at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. Tampa, Fla.
Charlotte 7 17 .292 8½ NATIONAL CONFERENCE Bournemouth 16 5 4 7 21 30 19 Nashville at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. game. If your first bet loses, you FAVORITE LINE O/U UNDERDOG
Washington 4 21 .160 12 East Crystal Palace 17 4 5 8 17 25 17 St. Louis at Florida, 7 p.m. will receive bonus bets in the UCF 4½ 67½ Georgia Tech
W L T Pct PF PA Everton 17 8 2 7 22 20 16 Toronto at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Central Division x-Philadelphia 10 3 0 .769 342 321 Vegas at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m. amount of your bet (up to Saturday
W L Pct GB Nottingham For. 17 3 5 9 17 30 14
Milwaukee 19 7 .731 — x-Dallas 10 4 0 .714 431 264 Luton Town 16 2 3 11 17 32 9 Washington at Columbus, 7 p.m. $1,500). Just make sure you use Camellia Bowl
Indiana 13 11 .542 5 N.Y. Giants 5 9 0 .357 189 338 Burnley 17 2 2 13 16 36 8 Edmonton at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. bonus code USAT when you sign Montgomery, Ala.
e-Washington 4 10 0 .286 281 423 Montreal at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Cleveland 14 12 .538 5 Sheffield United 17 2 2 13 12 43 8
Vancouver at Dallas, 8 p.m. up. Bet now! FAVORITE LINE O/U UNDERDOG
Chicago 10 17 .370 9½ South Sunday’s Games Ottawa at Colorado, 9 p.m.
Arkansas St 1½ 53½ Northern Illinois
Detroit 2 24 .077 17 W L T Pct PF PA Arsenal 2, Brighton 0 Birmingham Bowl
WESTERN CONFERENCE New Orleans
Tampa Bay
7 7 0 .500
7 7 0 .500
309
296
267
290
Brentford 1, Aston Villa 2
West Ham 3, Wolverhampton 0
Calgary at Anaheim, 10 p.m.
Arizona at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. ODDS SPONSORED Birmingham, Ala.
Southwest Division
W L Pct GB
Atlanta
e-Carolina
6 8 0 .429
2 12 0 .143
258
206
278
348
Liverpool 0, Man United 0 BY BETMGM.COM FAVORITE
Troy
LINE O/U
7½ 44½
UNDERDOG
Duke
Dallas 16 9 .640 —
North
Thursday’s Game COLLEGE BASKETBALL
New Orleans 16 11 .593 1 Crystal Palace vs. Brighton, 3 p.m. Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
W L T Pct PF PA NFL
Houston 13 10 .565 2
Detroit 10 4 0 .714 382 331 Friday’s Game Boise, Idaho
Memphis 6 18 .250 9½ Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United, 3 p.m. USA Today Men’s Top 25 Poll Thursday FAVORITE LINE O/U UNDERDOG
San Antonio 4 21 .160 12 Minnesota 7 7 0 .500 290 269
Green Bay 6 8 0 .429 300 301 Saturday’s Games The USA TODAY Sports Top 25 men’s basket- FAVORITE LINE O/U UNDERDOG Utah State 1½ 61½ Georgia St
Northwest Division Chicago 5 9 0 .357 287 329 West Ham vs. Man United, 7:30 a.m. ball poll, with first-place votes received in pa- LA RAMS 4 44½ New Orleans Armed Forces Bowl
W L Pct GB Fulham vs. Burnley, 10 a.m. renthesis, team’s records, total points based
Minnesota 19 5 .792 — West on 25 for first place through one point for Saturday Fort Worth, Texas
W L T Pct PF PA Luton Town vs. Newcastle, 10 a.m. FAVORITE LINE O/U UNDERDOG FAVORITE LINE O/U UNDERDOG
Oklahoma City 16 8 .667 3 Man City vs. Brentford, 10 a.m. ppd 25th and ranking in last week’s final poll:
Denver 17 10 .630 3½ y-San Francisco 11 3 0 .786 425 234 Cincinnati 2½ 38½ PITTSBURGH James Madison 2½ 41½ Air Force
L.A. Rams 7 7 0 .500 327 310 Nottingham Forest vs. Bournemouth, 10 a.m. W-L Pts LW Buffalo 13½ 42½ LA CHARGERS
Utah 9 17 .346 11 Tottenham vs. Everton, 10 a.m. 1. Purdue (20) 10-1 785 4 68 Ventures Bowl
Portland 6 19 .240 13½ Seattle 6 7 0 .462 280 318
e-Arizona 3 11 0 .214 259 376 Liverpool vs. Arsenal, 12:30 p.m. 2. Kansas (3) 10-1 750 2 Sunday Mobile, Ala.
Pacific Division Sunday’s Game 3. Houston (9) 11-0 732 3 FAVORITE LINE O/U UNDERDOG FAVORITE LINE O/U UNDERDOG
W L Pct GB e-eliminated from playoffs; x-clinched play-
Wolverhampton vs. Chelsea, 8 a.m. 4. Arizona 8-1 707 1 HOUSTON 2½ 42½ Cleveland S Alabama 16½ 46½ Eastern Michigan
Sacramento 15 9 .625 — off spot; y-clinched division Indianapolis 1½ 44½ ATLANTA
5. Connecticut 10-1 704 5
L.A. Clippers 15 10 .600 ½ Thursday’s Game 6. Marquette 9-2 628 7 Seattle 2½ 42½ TENNESSEE Las Vegas Bowl
Las Vegas 63, L.A. Chargers 21
L.A. Lakers
Phoenix
15
14
11
12
.577
.538 2
1
Saturday’s Games NHL 7. Tennessee
8. Oklahoma
8-3
10-0
541
533
10
12
Green Bay
JETS
4½
3
36½
38
CAROLINA
Washington
Paradise, Nev.
FAVORITE LINE O/U UNDERDOG
Golden State 12 14 .462 4 Cincinnati 27, Minnesota 24, OT 9. Kentucky 8-2 485 15 Detroit 3½ 46½ MINNESOTA Utah 6½ 41½ Northwestern
Sunday’s Games Indianapolis 30, Pittsburgh 13 10. Baylor 9-1 431 6 TAMPA BAY 1½ 43½ Jacksonville
Detroit 42, Denver 17 EASTERN CONFERENCE 11. Illinois 8-2 422 16 CHICAGO 4½ 44 Arizona Hawai’i Bowl
Boston 114, Orlando 97 Atlantic Division
New Orleans 146, San Antonio 110 Sunday’s Games GP W L OT Pts GF GA
12. Florida Atlantic 9-2 403 14 MIAMI 1½ 51 Dallas Honolulu
Milwaukee 128, Houston 119 Carolina 9, Atlanta 7 13. North Carolina 7-3 371 9 DENVER 6 36 New England FAVORITE LINE O/U UNDERDOG
Boston 29 19 5 5 43 94 73 14. Creighton 9-2 354 8 San Jose St 9½ 53½ Coastal Carolina
Phoenix 112, Washington 108 Cleveland 20, Chicago 17 Toronto 28 16 6 6 38 106 90
Golden State 118, Portland 114 Houston 19, Tennessee 16, OT 15. Brigham Young 10-1 332 17
Florida 30 18 10 2 38 90 78 16. Gonzaga 8-3 307 13
Monday’s Games Kansas City 27, New England 17 Detroit 30 15 11 4 34 107 95 Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to
Miami 30, N.Y. Jets 0 17. Colorado State 10-1 264 18 betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over nor are any such
Chicago at Philadelphia Tampa Bay 32 14 13 5 33 105 114 18. Clemson 9-1 254 11
Houston at Cleveland New Orleans 24, N.Y. Giants 6 Montreal 30 13 13 4 30 84 104 revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage.
Tampa Bay 34, Green Bay 20 19. Duke 7-3 211 19
L.A. Clippers at Indiana Buffalo 32 13 16 3 29 90 105 20. Virginia 9-1 184 21
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Charlotte at Toronto L.A. Rams 28, Washington 20 Ottawa 26 11 15 0 22 88 89 1-800-GAMBLER CO, DC, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MS, NJ, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY. Call
San Francisco 45, Arizona 29 21. James Madison 10-0 165 20
Detroit at Atlanta Metropolitan Division 22. Texas 8-2 156 22 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY) Call 1-800-327-5050 (MA). 21+ to
Minnesota at Miami Buffalo 31, Dallas 10 GP W L OT Pts GF GA wager. Please Gamble Responsibly. Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700
Baltimore 23, Jacksonville 7 23. Memphis 8-2 146 NR
Memphis at Oklahoma City N.Y. Rangers 29 21 7 1 43 96 80 24. Wisconsin 8-3 141 23 (NV), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI), 1-800-981-
Brooklyn at Utah Monday’s Game Philadelphia 30 17 10 3 37 90 79 25. Mississippi 10-0 132 25 0023 (PR). In partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino and Hotel. Visit BetMGM.com
Dallas at Denver Philadelphia at Seattle N.Y. Islanders 30 14 8 8 36 94 100 Dropped out: No. 24 Miami (Fla.) (8-2). for Terms & Conditions. US promotional offers not available in DC, Nevada, New
Washington at Sacramento Thursday, Dec. 21 Carolina 31 16 12 3 35 100 100 Others receiving votes: Auburn (8-2) 60; Mi- York or Ontario.
New York at L.A. Lakers New Orleans at L.A. Rams, 8:15 p.m. Washington 28 15 9 4 34 70 80 ami (Fla.) (8-2) 41; Colorado (8-2) 36; TCU
Tuesday’s Games Saturday, Dec. 23 New Jersey 29 16 12 1 33 101 104 (8-1) 26; Michigan State (5-5) 18; Ohio State
Memphis at New Orleans, 7:30 p.m. Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, 4:30 p.m. Pittsburgh 29 13 13 3 29 83 81 (9-2) 17; Grand Canyon (9-1) 13; Iowa State
San Antonio at Milwaukee, 8 p.m. Columbus 32 10 17 5 25 96 117 (9-2) 12; Texas A&M (7-4) 7; Utah (8-2) 7;
BOWL GAMES ALL TIMES EASTERN
Buffalo at L.A. Chargers, 8 p.m.
Boston at Golden State, 10 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 24 WESTERN CONFERENCE South Carolina (9-1) 5; Nebraska (9-2) 4; New
Phoenix at Portland, 10 p.m. Cleveland at Houston, 1 p.m. Central Division Mexico (10-1) 4; Nevada (9-1) 3; Princeton
Wednesday’s Games Detroit at Minnesota, 1 p.m. GP W L OT Pts GF GA (10-1) 3; Alabama (6-4) 2; San Diego State
Charlotte at Indiana, 7 p.m.
Miami at Orlando, 7 p.m.
Green Bay at Carolina, 1 p.m.
Indianapolis at Atlanta, 1 p.m.
Colorado
Winnipeg
31
29
19 10 2 40 113 96
18 9 2 38 97 76
(8-2) 2; Dayton (8-2) 1; Indiana State (10-1) 1. Monday
Minnesota at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. Seattle at Tennessee, 1 p.m. Dallas 29 17 8 4 38 103 92 h Famous Toastery Bowl: Western Kentucky vs. Old Dominion
Utah at Cleveland, 7 p.m. Washington at N.Y. Jets, 1 p.m. Nashville 31 18 13 0 36 99 94 GOLF
Denver at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. Jacksonville at Tampa Bay, 4:05 p.m. Arizona 30 15 13 2 32 93 86 Tuesday
St. Louis 30 15 14 1 31 88 99
New York at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m.
Atlanta at Houston, 8 p.m.
Arizona at Chicago, 4:25 p.m.
Dallas at Miami, 4:25 p.m. Minnesota 28 12 12 4 28 86 91 PGA Tour Champions h Marshall vs. UTSA (Frisco Bowl) | 9 p.m. | ESPN
L.A. Lakers at Chicago, 8 p.m.
L.A. Clippers at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
New England at Denver, 8:15 p.m. Chicago 30 9 20 1 19 70 109 PNC Championships Thursday
Monday, Dec. 25 Pacific Division Saturday
Boston at Sacramento, 10 p.m. Las Vegas at Kansas City, 1 p.m. GP W L OT Pts GF GA h USF vs. Syracuse (Boca Raton Bowl) | 8 p.m. | ESPN
Thursday’s Games Vegas 32 21 6 5 47 113 81 At Ritz-Carlton Golf Club
Utah at Detroit, 7 p.m.
N.Y. Giants at Philadelphia, 4:30 p.m.
Baltimore at San Francisco, 8:15 p.m. Vancouver 32 21 9 2 44 120 79 Orlando, Fla. Friday
New Orleans at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m. Los Angeles 27 17 6 4 38 97 67
Calgary 31 12 14 5 29 93 109
Yardage: 7,106; Par: 72 h Georgia Tech vs. UCF (Gasparilla Bowl) | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN
Indiana at Memphis, 8 p.m. Purse: $1.085 million
L.A. Clippers at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m. SOCCER Seattle
Edmonton
32 10 14 8 28 87 105
28 13 14 1 27 97 97 Final Round
Orlando at Milwaukee, 8 p.m. Team Langer, $200,000........60-59—119 (-25)
San Antonio at Chicago, 8 p.m. Anaheim 30 11 19 0 22 80 102
San Jose 31 9 19 3 21 66 124 Team Duval, $80,000 ............60-61—121 (-23)
L.A. Lakers at Minnesota, 9 p.m. Champions League Team Singh, $57,250.............60-62—122 (-22) Team Faldo, $41,000..............68-35—133 (-11) Texas (AHL).
Washington at Portland, 10 p.m. NOTE: Two points for a win, one for OT loss. Team Trevino, $40,500...........69-66—135 (-9) WASHINGTON CAPITALS — Loaned F Joe Sniv-
(Home teams listed first) Sunday’s Games
Team Goosen, $50,000 .........60-63—123 (-21)
Team Harrington, $40,125........67-70—137 (-7) ely to Hershey (AHL). Placed D Lucas Johan-
SECOND ROUND Team Woods, $47,000 ...........64-61—125 (-19)
Vancouver 4, Chicago 3 Team Furyk, $40,125 ................66-71—137 (-7) sen on waivers.
NFL First leg Washington 2, Carolina 1, SO
Team Kucher, $47,000 ...........57-68—125 (-19)
Team Daly, $47,000 ...............61-64—125 (-19) SOCCER
Tuesday, Feb. 13 Anaheim 5, New Jersey 1 Major League Soccer
Copenhagen vs. Manchester City, 3 p.m. Colorado 6, San Jose 2
Team Lehman, $47,000 .........62-63—125 (-19)
Team Cink, $47,000 ...............62-63—125 (-19) DEALS NEW YORK RED BULLS — Traded F Tom Barlow
AMERICAN CONFERENCE Leipzig vs. Real Madrid, 3 p.m. Vegas 6, Ottawa 3 Team Stricker, $44,500 .........64-64—128 (-16) to Chicago in exchange for $125,000 in Gener-
East Wednesday, Feb. 14 Monday’s Games Team Annika, $43,750............62-67—129 (-15) al Allocation Money (GAM) in 2024 and an ad-
W L T Pct PF PA Lazio vs. Bayern Munich, 3 p.m. Anaheim at Detroit Team O’Meara, $43,750 .........62-67—129 (-15) HOCKEY ditional $125,000 in GAM in 2025.
Miami 10 4 0 .714 441 294 Paris Saint-Germain vs. Real Sociedad, 3 p.m. Minnesota at Pittsburgh Team Thomas, $42,750 .........64-66—130 (-14) National Hockey League
Buffalo 8 6 0 .571 379 254 Montreal at Winnipeg CAROLINA HURRICANES — Signed G Aaron
NWSL
Tuesday, Feb. 20 Team Korda, $42,750 ............64-66—130 (-14) HOUSTON DASH — Re-signed F Maria Sanchez
e-N.Y. Jets 5 9 0 .357 201 287 Seattle at Dallas Team Leonard, $42,000 .........64-67—131 (-13) Dell to a professional tryout agreement.
e-New England 3 11 0 .214 186 299 Inter Milan vs. Atlético Madrid, 3 p.m. to a long-term contract.
PSV Eindhoven vs. Borussia Dortmund, 3 p.m. Florida at Calgary Team Price, $41,500 ..............68-64—132 (-12) DALLAS STARS — Recalled G Matt Murray from

WEATHER
TODAY’S FORECAST TODAY’S HIGH TEMPERATURES
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Much colder air will push Seattle

across the Northeast today with Olympia
51 Bangor
55 Spokane
47
temperatures 10-15 degrees Portland 41 Miles City
Bismarck Duluth Marquette

Fahrenheit lower than Monday. Salem 51

Helena
46 37 33 31 PRECIPITATION FORECAST
58 49 Burlington Augusta

Rain and snow showers as well Boise Fargo Mpls-St. Paul 40 Montpelier
46 T-storms Rain Snow Ice/mix
Bend
47 Billings 35 39 Boston
as heavy snow squalls over the 51 54
Rapid City Grand Buffalo 36 47
Burns
56 Milwaukee Rapids 31 Albany
interior will taper off during the af- 43 Pierre Sioux Falls
36 35 35
Detroit
39
Hartford
Eureka Idaho Falls Jackson
45 48 Cleveland 45
ternoon and evening. 60 43 Hole Casper
Des Moines Madison
Lansing 34 Pittsburgh New York
Dry weather will continue Sacramento
Reno
Elko 39 51 North Platte
43 33 35 31 43
63 52 47 Salt Lake City 63 Chicago
Harrisburg Philadelphia
across the Southeast as an area 50
Cheyenne Omaha
35 Columbus
Carson City
57 48 34 40 42
of high pressure builds across the 49 Kansas City Springfield Washington Annapolis
San Francisco
48 37 Indianapolis Cincinnati
43 43
region. This will also provide plen- 62 St. George Aspen
Denver
34 35
Las Vegas
59 43 64 Topeka
Charleston Richmond
ty of sunshine, although tempera- Fresno
62 49 Jefferson City St. Louis Louisville 36 47 TODAY
64 Wichita 46 43
Knoxville
40
tures will be below the historical Dodge City 38 Raleigh
60 52 Memphis
47
averages for Dec. 19. Los Angeles Santa Fe Charlotte
63
Palm Springs Flagstaff
47 Oklahoma 49 Nashville
46 Columbia
On the other side of the nation, 72 52 City
Tulsa
42
Albuquerque 55 47
showers will continue to occur San Diego
Phoenix 52 56 Little Rock Birmingham Atlanta Charleston
66 Lubbock Dallas/Ft. Worth 51 48 46 48
across the West Coast as a storm Alaska 76 61 63 Montgomery Savannah
remains well offshore. Periods of El Paso Midland- Shreveport Jackson 52 48
steadier rain are possible, mainly 65 Odessa Austin
57 53 Jacksonville
Fairbanks Hawaii 64 68 Mobile
Tallahassee
50
in Northern California. In the 3 Juneau
Honolulu San Antonio
Baton Rouge 57 53
Northwest, rain could mix with Anchorage 34 79 68 Houston 59 New WEDNESDAY
23 63
Orleans
snow or sleet at times, mainly in 55 Tampa

the higher elevations. Across the 62

Puerto Rico
Miami EXTREMES
San Juan
center of the country, dry and mild 71 Note: For contiguous 48 states through 3 p.m. ET yesterday
Brownsville 85
weather will continue. Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather Inc. ©2023
75 HOTTEST: 77° COLDEST: -11°
Key West, Fla. Angel Fire, N.M.
Below 10 10s 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s 100s 110+
TOP TRAVEL CITIES Air quality index (AQI)
ATLANTA BALTIMORE BOSTON CHARLOTTE CHICAGO DALLAS/FT. WORTH DENVER DETROIT HONOLULU HOUSTON LAS VEGAS LOS ANGELES
Plenty of Breezy, Sunny, Partly Rather Plenty of Showers Partly Mostly A little
TUE TUE cooler TUE Cooler TUE TUE Sunny TUE TUE TUE TUE TUE TUE TUE
sun cooler sunny cloudy sun around sunny cloudy rain
43/25 47/29 35/30
46/30 46/23 63/46 64/35 35/27 79/69 63/48 62/45 63/57
Sunny Mostly Mostly Partly Some Rain, Mostly Some
WED Warmer WED WED Sunny WED WED Milder WED WED WED WED WED WED WED Rain
48/29 sunny cloudy sunny sun breezy cloudy sun
53/33 42/32 44/35 65/58
52/28 69/53 60/33 43/30 77/69 70/56 64/47
Partly Partly Some Mostly A P.M. Mostly Partly Mostly
THU THU sunny THU Sunny THU THU THU THU THU THU Rain THU THU Shower THU Rain
sunny sun cloudy shower sunny sunny cloudy
52/29 41/25 79/70 62/48 66/53
60/38 59/33 46/39 65/55 62/32 43/32 72/59
AQI Moderate AQI Moderate AQI Good AQI Moderate AQI Moderate AQI Good AQI Moderate AQI Moderate AQI Good AQI Moderate AQI Moderate AQI Moderate
MIAMI MPLS-ST. PAUL NEW ORLEANS NEW YORK ORLANDO PHILADELPHIA PHOENIX SALT LAKE CITY SAN DIEGO SAN FRANCISCO SEATTLE WASHINGTON
Partly Breezy, Sunny, Windy, Partly Cloudy, A quick Showers Breezy,
TUE Sunny TUE sunny TUE Cooler TUE TUE TUE TUE TUE TUE TUE TUE Showers TUE
cooler cool cooler sunny mild shower around cooler
71/59 39/25 55/45 51/41
43/30 60/48 42/28 76/55 50/39 66/58 62/54 43/28
Partly Partly Partly Plenty of Mostly A few Low
WED WED sunny WED WED Sunny WED Warmer WED WED WED WED Rain WED Rain WED WED Sunny
sunny sunny sun cloudy showers clouds
41/28 45/36 70/54 68/58 60/51 48/32
72/65 61/50 46/32 75/55 52/37 51/41
Showers Cloudy Partly Partly Mostly Mostly Turning Low Partly
THU THU THU THU Sunny THU THU THU THU THU Rain THU Shower THU THU
around 39/35 sunny sunny sunny cloudy cloudy clouds sunny
46/31 67/56 63/51
74/63 64/54 71/51 47/29 76/57 50/32 51/43 51/33
AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good AQI Moderate AQI Good AQI Good AQI Moderate AQI Moderate AQI Moderate AQI Good AQI Moderate AQI Good
c Cloudy f Fog i Ice r Rain sf Snowflurries sn Snow w Windy dr Drizzle h Haze pc Partly cloudy s Sunny sh Showers t Thunderstorms

U.S. CITIES TODAY WED

Cincinnati
TODAY
35/24s
WED
48/31pc Hartford, Conn.
TODAY
45/25c
WED
43/29s Nags Head, N.C.
TODAY
43/36s
WED
43/38s Sarasota, Fla.
TODAY
63/47s
WED
69/54pc
WORLD CITIES
Akron, Ohio 31/21sf 42/29c Cleveland 34/26sf 43/32pc Indianapolis 34/26s 47/34pc Nashville, Tenn. 42/24s 54/32pc Savannah, Ga. 48/29s 54/29s TODAY WED
Albany, N.Y. 39/24sf 40/29s Colorado Springs 64/34c 57/33pc Islip, N.Y. 43/25pc 44/30s Newark, N.J. 44/28c 47/33s Scottsdale, Ariz. 74/54pc 74/52c Beijing 25/5h 20/2s
Albuquerque 52/35c 54/35c Columbia, S.C. 47/25s 52/29s Jackson, Miss. 53/34s 58/34pc New Haven, Conn. 46/29c 45/33s Shreveport, La. 57/36pc 69/47pc Buenos Aires 70/64c 72/65r
Allentown, Pa. 39/23sf 46/27s Columbus, Ohio 34/24s 44/29pc Jacksonville, Fla. 50/32s 58/38pc Norfolk, Va. 44/32s 46/33s Sioux Falls, S.D. 48/25pc 46/32pc Cancun, Mexico 78/66pc 79/65pc
Amarillo, Texas 63/38w 65/44pc Corpus Christi, Texas 75/60pc 77/63pc Jefferson City, Mo. 46/36pc 59/44pc Oakland, Calif. 61/53sh 58/50r South Bend, Ind. 35/27s 44/32pc Dubai, UAE 81/66c 80/67pc
Anaheim, Calif. 67/57r 67/56r Dayton, Ohio 35/25s 45/31pc Kansas City 48/41pc 56/46pc Oklahoma City 56/44pc 60/50c Spokane, Wash. 41/35c 41/33c Frankfurt 42/40r 46/42pc
Anchorage, Alaska 23/20sn 26/18sn Daytona Beach, Fla. 57/48s 66/53pc Key West, Fla. 68/62s 73/64c Omaha, Neb. 48/30pc 50/39pc Springfield, Mo. 49/35pc 58/43pc Hong Kong 70/55c 62/50pc
Aspen, Colo. 43/24pc 42/22c Des Moines, Iowa 43/32pc 49/38pc Knoxville, Tenn. 38/20s 47/22pc Palm Springs, Calif. 72/53c 73/51pc Springfield, Ill. 37/29pc 51/39pc Istanbul 55/42h 55/50h
Atlantic City, N.J. 43/28w 47/33s Duluth, Minn. 33/24pc 31/25pc Laredo, Texas 72/55pc 74/60pc Pensacola, Fla. 56/40s 56/42pc St. Louis 43/35pc 56/43pc Jerusalem 62/48s 62/48h
Augusta, Ga. 49/22s 53/24s Durham, N.C. 45/24s 48/27pc Lexington, Ky. 38/24s 54/32pc Pierre, S.D. 45/21pc 42/26c St. Petersburg, Fla. 59/46s 67/53pc Johannesburg 85/61t 83/63pc
Austin, Texas 68/49pc 70/54c El Paso, Texas 65/42pc 67/48c Lincoln, Neb. 52/29w 50/37pc Pittsburgh 31/22sf 43/28pc Syracuse, N.Y. 34/26sn 41/29s London 57/42r 51/49c
Bakersfield, Calif. 67/52sh 69/52c Fairbanks, Alaska 3/-5c 1/-10pc Little Rock, Ark. 51/32s 57/35pc Portland, Maine 46/24pc 39/27s Tallahassee, Fla. 53/30s 58/33pc Mexico City 71/44pc 72/45c
Baton Rouge, La. 59/38s 66/43pc Flagstaff, Ariz. 52/29sh 51/28c Long Beach, Calif. 67/59r 67/60r Portland, Ore. 51/40sh 53/42pc Tampa, Fla. 62/45s 68/51pc Montreal 37/23sf 38/21s
Billings, Mont. 54/36pc 52/35pc Fargo, N.D. 35/24c 37/26s Louisville, Ky. 40/27s 53/34pc Providence, R.I. 46/27pc 42/31s Toledo, Ohio 37/28s 46/31pc Moscow 38/35c 37/32w
Birmingham, Ala. 48/29s 56/32pc Fort Myers, Fla. 65/49s 70/58pc Lubbock, Texas 61/40c 63/46pc Raleigh, N.C. 47/25s 50/26s Topeka, Kan. 49/40pc 57/47pc Mumbai, India 92/74pc 89/74pc
Bismarck, N.D. 37/18pc 34/23pc Fort Smith, Ark. 53/33s 60/42pc Madison, Wis. 33/26s 40/29pc Rapid City, S.D. 56/27pc 49/28c Tucson, Ariz. 76/50pc 71/47c Paris 49/42c 49/47pc
Boise, Idaho 47/36c 48/36pc Fort Wayne, Ind. 33/24s 43/29pc Manchester, N.H. 45/26pc 44/29s Reno, Nev. 52/35sh 51/36c Tupelo, Miss. 47/29s 55/29pc Rio de Janeiro 81/72s 81/73s
Buffalo, N.Y. 31/28sf 38/30pc Fresno, Calif. 64/50sh 65/49sh Memphis, Tenn. 49/35s 56/38pc Richmond, Va. 47/23s 49/26s Tulsa, Okla. 55/42s 61/49c Rome 58/40s 57/43c
Burlington, Vt. 40/26sf 38/26s Grand Rapids, Mich. 35/27s 40/28c Milwaukee 36/31s 42/36c Rochester, N.Y. 32/26sn 41/27s Virginia Beach, Va. 45/34s 45/37s Seoul 36/18sf 23/5pc
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 38/27pc 44/35pc Green Bay, Wis. 33/27s 39/30pc Mobile, Ala. 57/36s 58/37pc Sacramento, Calif. 63/55sh 60/46sh Wichita, Kan. 52/41pc 62/48pc Singapore 86/77r 87/77sh
Charleston, S.C. 48/29s 54/31s Greensboro, N.C. 44/23s 46/27pc Modesto, Calif. 62/52sh 62/48sh San Antonio 68/52pc 71/58c Wilmington, Del. 43/25c 47/28s Sydney 94/67t 68/64r
Charleston, W.Va. 36/20pc 46/23pc Greenville, S.C. 46/22s 53/28pc Montgomery, Ala. 52/28s 58/29pc San Jose, Calif. 64/52sh 61/48r Winston-Salem, N.C. 45/24s 49/28pc Toronto 31/26w 41/29c
Cheyenne, Wyo. 57/35pc 55/34pc Harrisburg, Pa. 40/25c 46/28s Myrtle Beach, S.C. 46/28s 49/32s Santa Fe, N.M. 47/30c 47/30c Worcester, Mass. 40/26c 43/30s Tokyo 47/42pc 54/42pc
SPORTS
NBA POWER RANKINGS
Rudy Gobert has Timberwolves thriving
Jeff Zillgitt
USA TODAY
That Rudy Gobert trade doesn’t look
so bad now, does it?
Going into Monday, the Minnesota
Timberwolves own the best record in
the Western Conference at 19-5 and the
No. 1 defense, allowing 106.6 points per
100 possessions – and those victories
include triumphs over some of the
NBA’s top teams: Denver, Boston, Phila-
delphia, Oklahoma City and Dallas.
Anthony Edwards is a two-way star
(24.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists
and 1.3 steals per game), Karl-Anthony
Towns is having one of his best all-
around seasons (22.4 points, 9.5 re-
bounds, 51.6% from the field, 43% on 3-
pointers) and Rudy Gobert (12.7 points,
12.0 rebounds and 2.4 blocks) helps an-
chor a defense on a deep roster that in-
cludes Naz Reid, Mike Conley, Jaden
McDaniels, Kyle Anderson, Shake Mil-
ton, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Troy
Brown Jr.
In July 2022, new Timberwolves
president Tim Connelly gave Utah four
first-round picks (2023, 2025, 2027 and
2029) plus 2022 first-rounder Walker
Kessler and a 2026 first-round pick
swap for Gobert.
The Timberwolves were 16-21 as 2022
turned to 2023. Minnesota made the
play-in tournament with a 42-40 record
and advanced to the playoffs, where it
lost to Denver in the first round.
The Timberwolves are off to the best
start in franchise history, and while
winning a playoff series for the first time
since 2004 is necessary, they are play-
ing like a team with bigger goals under
fourth-year coach Chris Finch.
USA TODAY NBA power rankings:
1. Minnesota Timberwolves (19-5)
The Timberwolves have nine victo-
ries by at least 15 points through 24
games – that’s three more than they had
in 82 games last season.
Previous ranking: 2
2. Boston Celtics (20-5)
Per 36 minutes, reserve Sam Hauser
averages 15.1 points and shoots 45.8%
on 3s, giving the Celtics’ depth a boost.
Previous ranking: 1
3. Milwaukee Bucks (19-7)
The Bucks are winning games but
this isn’t the best version possible – not
with a defense that is ranked No. 22.
Previous ranking: 5
4. Philadelphia 76ers (18-7)
The Sixers have the No. 2 offense, No.
7 defense, No. 1 net rating and have won
six consecutive games – albeit against
teams with losing records.
Previous ranking: 10
5. Oklahoma City Thunder (16-8)
Rookie guard Cason Wallace is shoot-
ing 58.4% from the field and 52% on 3s –
part of a deep team that is No. 7 offen-
sively, No. 5 defensively and No. 3 in net
rating.
Previous ranking: 4
NHL
Stanley Cup Final rematch leads games of week
Mike Brehm
USA TODAY
The NHL is playing its final week be-
fore the Christmas break, and the
league’s holiday roster freeze starts at
11:59 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
But there will be plenty of action with
a rematch of the 2022-23 Stanley Cup
Final. Among the marquee matchups,
one former No. 1 overall pick is looking to
continue his surge and another is trying
to end a surprising goal drought.
Here’s a look at the projected Stanley
Cup playoff bracket as of Monday morn-
ing, plus the key games of the week.
Eastern playoff bracket
If the season ended on Dec. 17, here’s
how the Eastern Conference playoff
matchups would align:
No. 1 New York Rangers vs. No. 8
Washington Capitals
No. 2 Boston Bruins vs. No. 7 Carolina
Hurricanes
No. 3 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. No. 6
Florida Panthers
No. 4 Philadelphia Flyers vs. No. 5
Rudy Gobert is averaging 12.7 points
and 12 rebounds for the Timberwolves.
JESSE JOHNSON/USA TODAY SPORTS
6. Dallas Mavericks (16-9)
The Mavs lead the league in made 3s
per game (15.9) as Luka Doncic, Tim
Hardaway Jr., Kyrie Irving and Grant
Williams all average at least two 3s. Der-
rick Jones is right behind at 1.6 3s per
game.
Previous ranking: 11
7. Denver Nuggets (17-10)
Since returning from a right ham-
string strain, Jamal Murray is averaging
20.8 points and 6.1 assists and shooting
51.3% from the field and 40% on 3-
pointers in his past five games.
Previous ranking: 6
8. Orlando Magic (16-9)
Last season’s rookie of the year, Pao-
lo Banchero is shooting better from the
field and 3-point range than he did in
2022-23 – 48.1% (up from 42.7%) and
38.2% (up from 29.8%), respectively.
Previous ranking: 3
9. Los Angeles Clippers (15-10)
Small sample size, but the Clippers
have won seven consecutive games,
combining top-rate offense and de-
fense.
Previous ranking: 19
10. Sacramento Kings (15-9)
In the two games leading up to Sat-
urday’s game against Utah, Keegan
Murray had missed seven consecutive
3-pointers. Against the Jazz, he made
12-of-15 3-pointers and had 47 points.
Previous ranking: 9
11. New Orleans Pelicans (16-11)
Jonas Valanciunas doesn’t get
enough credit for what he does: 14.6
points (on 57% shooting) and 9.7 re-
bounds per game with 14 double-dou-
New York Islanders
Western playoff bracket
If the season ended on Dec. 17, here’s
how the Western Conference playoff
matchups would align:
No. 1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. No. 8
Arizona Coyotes
No. 2 Colorado Avalanche vs. No. 7
Nashville Predators
No. 3 Vancouver Canucks vs. No. 4
Los Angeles Kings
No. 4 Winnipeg Jets vs. No. 5 Dallas
Stars
Key games this week
TUESDAY
Colorado Avalanche at Chicago
Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m. ET. Avalanche
center Nathan MacKinnon can set a per-
sonal best with a 16-game point streak.
His surge has moved him to No. 1 in the
league in assists and No. 2 in points, five
behind the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Nik-
ita Kucherov.
WEDNESDAY
New York Islanders at Washington
USA TODAY ❚ TUESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2023 ❚ 7C
bles, including 15 points, 15 rebounds,
one block and one steal in 23 minutes
against San Antonio on Sunday.
Previous ranking: 13
12. Los Angeles Lakers (15-11)
The Lakers moved Austin Reaves to a
reserve (though he still plays starter’s
minutes), and they are 12-4 with him off
the bench.
Previous ranking: 12
13. Houston Rockets (13-10)
No. 2 defensively after allowing 107.4
points per 100 possessions, including
98.8 in their past five games, the Rock-
ets are also No. 3 in defensive rebound-
ing percentage, No. 1 in 3-point percent-
age allowed (.312) and No. 2 in field goal
percentage allowed (43.5%).
Previous ranking: 17
14. Miami Heat (15-11)
The Heat lead the league in 3-point
shooting percentage and have made
40.7% of their threes in the past six
games.
Previous ranking: 18
15. New York Knicks (14-11)
Jalen Brunson scored a career-high
50 points in Friday’s victory against
Phoenix. He made all nine 3s he at-
tempted and also had nine assists, six
rebounds and five steals.
Previous ranking: 7
16. Indiana Pacers (13-11)
The Pacers are a treat to watch offen-
sively (No. 1 in the league) and difficult
to watch defensively (No. 28).
Previous ranking: 16
17. Phoenix Suns (14-12)
Three victories in their past nine
games plus another injury to Bradley
Beal (sprained right ankle) put the
brakes on an 11-6 start.
Previous ranking: 8
18. Brooklyn Nets (13-12)
Mikal Bridges continues his clutch
production, averaging 5.1 points (No. 3
in the NBA) and shooting 54.8% from
the field (No. 5) in the final five minutes
of the fourth quarter or overtimes when
the game is within five points.
Previous ranking: 15
19. Cleveland Cavaliers (14-12)
Donovan Mitchell is averaging a ca-
reer high in steals per game (1.9) and has
at least one steal in 21 consecutive
games, the second-longest active
streak.
Previous ranking: 14
20. Golden State Warriors (12-14)
Rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis, the
No. 57 overall pick in the second round
of the draft, scored a career-high 14
points, had eight rebounds, three as-
sists, two steals and one block as Gold-
en State ended a seven-game road los-
Capitals, 7:30 p.m. ET: Capitals star
Alex Ovechkin’s goal drought has hit a
career-worst 13 games and is jeopardiz-
ing his chances of breaking Wayne
Gretzky’s career record. His shooting
percentage is a career-worst 4.8%, but
he has 44 goals against the Islanders,
including a two-goal game this season.
SATURDAY
Dallas Stars at Nashville Predators,
2 p.m. ET: Dallas’ Matt Duchene plays in
Nashville for the first time since the
Predators bought out his contract. He
entered the week ranked fourth on the
Stars with 24 points.
Vegas Golden Knights at Florida
Panthers, 3 p.m. ET. A rematch of the
2023 Stanley Cup Final. The defending
champion Golden Knights entered the
week as the league’s top team and the
Panthers were tied for fourth in the
Eastern Conference. Their last meeting
was a 9-3 Golden Knights victory in
Game 5.
When do the Stanley Cup playoffs
begin?
They’re scheduled to begin on April
ing streak with a 118-114 victory against
Portland on Sunday.
Previous ranking: 20
21. Chicago Bulls (10-17)
The Bulls are No. 8 in steals per game
(8.1) and are No. 3 in points scored off
turnovers per game (18.7).
Previous ranking: 25
22. Toronto Raptors (10-15)
Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes
each average at least 20 points, five re-
bounds and five assists – just one of two
pairs of teammates posting those stats.
Previous ranking: 22
23. Utah Jazz (9-17)
The Jazz are No. 1 in offensive re-
bounds per game (13.7) – led by Walker
Kessler’s 3.1, John Collins’ 2.7 and Lauri
Markkanen’s 2.2 offensive boards per
game. The Jazz are also No. 1 in second-
chance points per game (17.0)
Previous ranking: 23
24. Atlanta Hawks (10-15)
Since starting 8-7, the Hawks have
won just two of their past 10 games.
Previous ranking: 21
25. Charlotte Hornets (7-17)
Miles Bridges was a minus-56 while
on the court in Charlotte’s 135-82 loss to
Philadelphia on Saturday. It was the
second-worst plus-minus in a game
since the league officially began track-
ing the stat in 2007-08.
Previous ranking: 27
26. Memphis Grizzlies (6-18)
The Grizzlies get Ja Morant back
from his 25-game suspension this
week, but they can’t expect him to be
the savior right away.
Previous ranking: 26
27. Portland Trail Blazers (6-19)
With his first career double-double
(23 points, 10 assists), against Utah on
Thursday, Scoot Henderson became the
first rookie this season to have at least
20 points and 10 assists in a game.
Previous ranking: 24
28. Washington Wizards (4-21)
The Wizards are No. 2 in points in the
paint at 56.3 per game.
Previous ranking: 28
29. San Antonio Spurs (4-21)
The Spurs ended an 18-game losing
streak with a victory over the Los Ange-
les Lakers and LeBron James.
Previous ranking: 29
30. Detroit Pistons (2-24)
The Pistons have lost a franchise-
record 23 consecutive games and are
close to tying the league record of con-
secutive losses in a season at 26 (Phila-
delphia 76ers, 2013-14).
Previous ranking: 30
Mark Stone lifts the Stanley Cup after
the Golden Knights won the 2022-23
title. LUCAS PELTIER/USA TODAY SPORTS
22. The last possible day of the Stanley
Cup Final is June 24.
8C ❚ TUESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY
When Cowboys hit the trails, game days not so happy
Jarrett Bell
Columnist
USA TODAY
So, the Dallas Cowboys are a playoff
team, right?
It’s official now. The much-anticipat-
ed NFC playoff berth was clinched on
Sunday, thanks to another loss by the
lowly Atlanta Falcons. Dallas is in.
But the devil is undeniably in the
details.
It was just like the Cowboys (10-4) to
mark their fresh postseason status by
getting blasted 31-10 by the Buffalo Bills.
See, the Cowboys have had this
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde thing going pret-
ty much all season. They are one team at
Jerry World down in Texas, a perfect
7-0. Away from home (3-4), it’s a grossly
different character that looks nothing
like Dr. Jekyll. On Sunday they hap-
pened to be playing in Orchard Park,
New York.
How fitting. When the NFC playoffs
arrive in January, chances are pretty
strong that the Cowboys will have to win
at least two and maybe three games on
the road in order to reach Super Bowl 58.
And maybe Sunday provided a rather
ominous playoff preview for Dallas.
It was so ugly. Bills running back
James Cook shredded the Cowboys de-
fense in rushing 25 times for 179 yards,
with two touchdowns. Dak Prescott
looked nothing like the MVP candidate
he became in passing for a season-low
134 yards and zero TDs, with a pathetic
57.7 passer rating.
Sure, the NFL offers week-to-week
progress reports as part of the allure.
Yet losing again wasn’t the big prob-
lem for the Cowboys, who had their five-
game winning streak snapped. It was
the manner in which they were annihi-
lated. No punch, no fight, no way. What
a contrast from a week earlier, when
they destroyed the Philadelphia Eagles
33-13 at AT&T Stadium.
Away from home, the Cowboys can’t
be trusted to be anybody’s Super Bowl
contender. Talk about a split personal-
ity.
“It’s a huge difference,” Prescott, who
didn’t produce a touchdown for the first
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The Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott are 3-4 this season when playing on the road, the latest loss Sunday to the
Bills at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. MARK KONEZNY/USA TODAY SPORTS
time since a Week 1 blowout in which he Buffalo demonstrated an ideal for- games dating to last season. Dallas is
was barely needed, said during his post- mula that could likely doom the Cow- averaging 39.9 points per game at home
game news conference. “And really, boys if it happens in January. It built a and are the first team in NFL history to
that’s what the next week of prepara- sizable lead (14-0, then 21-3) to force the score at least 30 points in each of their
tion and obviously the next couple of Cowboys to play catch-up. Dallas is first seven games at home.
weeks are about, is figuring out what the most successful when it uses its high- The road ledger, though, provides a
difference is and trying to close that powered offense to dictate such terms. reality check against the hype. The best
gap.” In this case, the Bills were able to run competition does not bring out the best
Next up is another road game against and run some more against a smaller from Dallas when it hits the road, as the
a formidable opponent, the AFC East- defense that is more suited for rushing latest example illustrated.
leading Miami Dolphins, who are trying opposing quarterbacks than stopping Last month, the Cowboys lost 28-23
to nail down a division crown while the ground game. at Philadelphia. In October, they were
chasing the top seed in the conference. Again, this pattern tends to show up blown out 42-10 in Santa Clara, Califor-
On Sunday, the Cowboys had no an- when the Cowboys are visitors. nia – which is where they might have to
swers as the Bills rushed for 266 yards. “We’d like to come out strong like we go again as the San Francisco 49ers seek
It was such a physical domination that do at home, produce like we do at to hang on to the NFC’s No. 1 seed that
centerpiece Bills quarterback Josh Allen home,” Prescott said. “But that just they are currently in possession of.
attempted just 15 passes and finished hasn’t been the case. We’ve got to find Hey, at least the rabid Cowboys fans
with a season-low 94 passing yards. out what those answers are and try to can grasp at a bright side. After the loss
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LIFE
14 hours of sleep may sound Couples are getting frisky
heavenly, or exhausting when they let out their anger
Too much or not enough can affect your health, Experts say sexual behavior after using a rage
USA TODAY | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2023 | SECTION D and there’s no one-size-fits-all amount. Page 2D room is natural and OK if consensual. Page 2D
K1
K1

LIFELINE MOVIES NEWS & VIEWS

DICK VAN DYKE BY FILMMAGIC

THEY SAID WHAT?

THE STARS’ BEST QUOTES

“I would do a movie or some-

thing and come home, and just
sit down, wait for the phone to ring. I
wasn’t aggressive. So, I was out of
work a lot because I didn’t go out and
look for it. I didn’t mind it. I’m pretty
lazy. When I’m having fun, you know,
all right. But I’m a lazy person. I don’t
have a lotta drive. I’ve been very
lucky.” – Dick Van Dyke in a clip for
CBS’ “Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Mag-
ic,” a two-hour special scheduled to Ken (Ryan Gosling) and Barbie (Margot Robbie) go on a life-altering journey in Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie.” The film helped
air Dec. 21 at 9 p.m. EST. Van Dyke make 2023 a great year at the movies. PROVIDED BY WARNER BROS. PICTURES
became a household name after the
1964 movie musical “Mary Poppins”
alongside Julie Andrews and the 1968
musical “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”
opposite Sally Ann Howes. His good
fortune continued with acting credits
’23 a film lover’s feast,
and we rank best bites
on “The Carol Burnett Show,” his
comedy “The Van Dyke Show,” “Diag-
nosis Murder” and more.

Brian Truitt

Y
USA TODAY

IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY
WHO’S CELEBRATING TODAY
Jake Gyllenhaal is 43. Alyssa Milano
is 51. Annie Murphy is 37.
’all, this was a great year in film. h There have been pretty stellar ones in the past (1984
boasted “Ghostbusters,” “Beverly Hills Cop,” “Amadeus,” “The Terminator” and “Footloose”)
but 2023’s film fare brought welcome nuance to theaters and blockbusters that mattered.
“Barbenheimer,” anyone? h So what are the greatest hits, the works that have been artis-
tically excellent and emotionally resonant? It was a hard job winnowing it down to the highlights but
they’re there. The refreshing origin tale of, yes, a sneaker. A feminist take on a “Frankenstein” fable.
Sure, a Martin Scorsese crime saga always has a good chance to make a best-of list – his newest defi-
nitely earns a fire emoji. Yet you’ll also find here a joyous period musical, a bit of 1970s holiday nostalgia
and a ghost story. h Here are 2023’s best movies, definitively ranked:

10. ‘Cassandro’ Gael García

HOROSCOPE | SANCTUARY
More: www.sanctuaryworld.co
Aries (March 21-April 19). Ready for
your ship to come in? The Pisces first
quarter moon can put you in an ex-
pectant dream space.
Taurus (April 20-May 20). Sensitivity is
heightened in the group space today.
Prepare for emotional challenges.
Gemini (May 21-June 21). Tension
arises between relationships and your
professional world. Has one area of
life been sacrificed over the other?
Cancer (June 22-July 22). Push your
boundaries today. The moon sparks
your creativity to do life differently.
Move beyond your routine.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22). Loose lips sink
ships. Tempted to pass secrets along?
Watch for betraying confidences.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Comprising
your vision? Deep inside you know
where you’re heading. Don’t water it
down to be palpable for others.
Libra (Sept.23-Oct. 23). Prepare for
overwhelm. Emotions are amplified
around your workload. Assess what to
let go of.
Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Your inner
child pulls at your heart strings today.
Listen to its soulful plea under the
Pisces first quarter moon.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You’re
tapped into the Divine. Feel like the
cosmos is whispering in your ear?
Tune into these starry transmissions.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Lend a
compassionate ear. A heartfelt con-
versation may be in the works.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Watch for
making excuses. Don’t have enough of
this? Don’t have enough of that?
Question your habitual justifications.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20). Be con-
scious of how you’re showing up. Du-
plicity will send the wrong message.
Wrestling fans sadly don’t have a
large canon of great films (“No Holds
Barred,” anyone?). But we’re in a
mini-golden age between “The Iron
Claw” and this underdog biopic that
passionately puts a headlock on
viewers’ hearts and minds. Gael
García Bernal’s Saúl hangs up his
mask – a signature aspect of the
Mexican luchador set – and
embraces his queer identity inside
and outside the ring by being a
flamboyant “exótico,” making a
character type historically jeered and
mocked into a runaway success.
Where to watch: Prime Video
See YEAR IN MOVIES, Page 4D
WEIGHT LOSS MEDICATION
Transparency may be turning point
Experts say Oprah Winfrey’s
openness could aid a healthy trend of
transparency when it comes to
celebrity body transformations.
JACQUELYN MARTIN/AP
Winfrey’s openness
helps fight public stigma
Charles Trepany
USA TODAY
It seemed to start as a whisper.
Rumors spread on social media. Jim-
my Kimmel joked about it at the Oscars.
People wondered: Were that many
Hollywood stars really taking medica-
tion to lose weight? If so, who? And
what medication?
Over the past year, weight loss drugs,
such as Ozempic and Wegovy, have be-
come a part of our cultural lexicon, as
more and more A-listers have slowly
started to share their experiences − both
positive and negative − with these med-
ications.
Now, an icon in her own right − but
also, yes, an icon in the weight loss in-
dustry − Oprah Winfrey − is admitting to
using weight loss medication, too, giv-
ing these drugs even more of a main-
Bernal’s Saúl
plays a gay
grappler
from El Paso
who takes
off his mask,
reinvents
himself as a
flamboyant
character
and rises to
stardom in
the
wrestling
biopic
“Cassandro.”
PROVIDED BY
PRIME VIDEO
stream boost. Experts say it could be a
turning point in how our culture views
weight loss medication and continues
a healthy trend of transparency when
it comes to celebrity body transforma-
tions.
“She’s bringing down a lot of the
public stigma with medications help-
ing patients,” says Dr. Aria Vazirnia, a
leading lipedema surgeon with the Ad-
vanced Lipedema Treatment Program
at The Roxbury Institute. “(These
medications) should not be taken
lightly; but, if they are monitored by an
appropriate specialist such as a board-
certified endocrinologist, then they
can be given safely, and they can be
safely used to treat patients.”
Why Winfrey’s weight loss
medication reveal matters
Winfrey’s weight has long been the
subject of intense scrutiny. In a People
See WEIGHT LOSS, Page 4D
2D ❚ TUESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY
HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
Sleep time ‘like shoe size,’ not 1-size-fits-all
Charles Trepany
USA TODAY
Is it healthy to sleep 10 to 14 hours per
night? Dakota Johnson thinks so.
The “Fifty Shades of Grey” star, 34,
shared in an interview with The Wall
Street Journal, published Monday, that
she’s “not functional” if she gets less
than 10 hours of sleep and “can easily go
14 hours” asleep in one night.
“I don’t have a regular (wake-up)
time,” she said. “It depends on what’s
happening in my life. If I’m not working,
if I have a day off on a Monday, then I
will sleep as long as I can. Sleep is my
number one priority in life.”
Experts say the ideal amount of sleep
varies depending on the individual;
but, pushing 14 hours is likely overdoing
it.
“There’s a range,” explains Shelby
Harris, a licensed clinical psychologist
and the author of “The Women’s Guide
to Overcoming Insomnia: Get a Good
Night’s Sleep without Relying on Medi-
cation.” “The majority of people fall
somewhere between seven to nine
hours of sleep a night ... but there are
some people who are outliers, with
some needing only six hours and others
closer to 10.”
How much sleep should you get?
For middle-aged to older people look-
ing to get the best sleep possible, seven
hours of consistent sleep may be the
sweet spot, research suggests. The
American Academy of Sleep Medicine
advises adults get at least seven hours
of sleep per night and teens get eight to
10.
Can you sleep too much?
Though many struggle to get enough
sleep, it’s also possible to get too much
of it.
Harris says what’s too much sleep
varies for each individual, but more
than 10 is likely overboard. This can re-
sult in feeling “sleep drunk,” or especial-
ly groggy or foggy, in the morning, she
says.
“Some people can feel fine if they’re
naturally longer sleepers, but often-
times people who are very long sleepers
don’t usually feel like the sleep is re-
RELATIONSHIPS
Rage rooms may trigger arousal, and that’s OK
Katie Camero
USA TODAY
Over the past five years, a growing
number of people have turned to rage
rooms for unique date nights and bach-
elorette parties, or used them as safe
outlets to release their anger. Hurling
plates at a concrete wall, destroying a
TV with a baseball bat or taking a ham-
mer to a framed photo of your ex with no
limits or judgment is, for many rage
roomers, the cathartic release they need
when feeling overwhelmed.
For some people, however, it’s more
than that. Owners and managers of rage
rooms across the country say they have
seen an emerging trend of customers
engaging in sexual behaviors in their fa-
cilities. While eyebrow-raising, experts
say it’s not totally surprising, given the
physiological link between intense
emotions and sexual attraction.
In fact, the connection between ag-
gression and sexual arousal was a hot
topic for psychoanalysis founder Sig-
mund Freud, who believed humans are
unconsciously motivated by aggressive,
sexual impulses. Today, portrayals of
this link can be found in pornography
and in BDSM practices that explore
themes of power, control and domi-
nance, experts say.
Corey Holtam, 33, owner of Wreck
Room Las Vegas, said he has been work-
ing in the rage room industry for so long
that “nothing really surprises” him any-
more.
“Every once in a while people do get
a little handsy. I’ve had some custom-
ers lay down together in a room filled
with broken glass, so maybe there’s a
danger aspect to it,” Holtam said. “Being
in that atmosphere, it’s super weird, so I
think people tend to go to a primal
place.”
To curb the behavior, Holtam said
“we make it known that there’s a camera
in the room for safety purposes,” he add-
ed.
Meanwhile, Neko Farmer, 34, foun-
der of REKT in Carrollton, Georgia, said
he sees couples engage in sexual behav-
Dakota Johnson shared in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, published
Monday, that she’s “not functional” if she gets less than 10 hours of sleep and
“can easily go 14 hours” asleep in one night. NEILSON BARNARD/GETTY IMAGES FOR GUCCI
freshing,” she says.
Oversleeping may also be a red flag
of an underlying sleep disorder, such
as hypersomnia or sleep apnea, says
Sarah Silverman, a licensed psycholo-
gist and behavioral sleep medicine spe-
A growing number of people have
turned to rage rooms as safe outlets to
release anger. PROVIDED BY COREY HOLTAM
ior like “heavy petting and intense
make-out sessions” about twice a
month, “with some customers stripping
down to their underwear.”
Rage rooms might be a turn on
Both aggressive and sexual behavior
activate our fight-or-flight response,
which triggers the release of adrenaline,
according to Justin Lehmiller, a re-
search fellow with The Kinsey Institute
for Research in Sex, Gender and Repro-
duction and host of the Sex and Psy-
chology Podcast. This is why your heart
might start pounding both when being
chased by a dog and when you kiss your
crush for the first time.
The innate response also increases
blood flow throughout the body, includ-
ing to the genitals, which may be why
intense emotional states can lead to a
sexual response, Lehmiller said.
What’s likely happening inside rage
rooms, however, is that people are con-
cialist.
“Sleep is just like shoe size,” she says.
“One size does not fit all, and some peo-
ple are going to need more than eight.
Some people are going to need less than
eight. But really, I’d say that the sweet
fusing this physiological response root-
ed in anger or excitement with sexual
arousal because they’re in a room with
someone they find attractive. “In other
words, when the source of arousal is
ambiguous, sometimes we attribute it to
the person instead of the situation,”
Lehmiller said.
It’s a classic mix-up some people ex-
perience during dates that involve
physical activities like rock climbing or
other energetic situations like haunted
houses or amusement parks, said sex
therapist Leigh Norén.
“If you look at shows like ‘The Bache-
lor’ where they often go on dates like
bungee jumping, they seem to fall in
love (more easily),” Norén said. “That
might be a misinterpretation of these
physiological markers going on in their
bodies.”
Having a safe space to wildly destroy
things and allow strong emotions to run
their course could also liberate some
people from boundaries they’ve built
that may have been repressing their
sexual desires, Norén said.
“Engaging in a behavior that trans-
gresses the boundaries we put up in so-
ciety about how we’re meant to act in
front of others may buffer potential sex-
ual shame,” Norén said, “and make it
easier to have sex.”
It’s possible, too, that the strong
emotions some experience in a rage
room linger after the person leaves and
intensify subsequent emotions, Leh-
miller said.
For instance, Michael Hellmann, 30,
CEO of Rage Room Long Island in New
York, said his staff encountered couples
engaging in sexual activity in the park-
ing lot outside his facility.
Lehmiller said that’s likely due to a
phenomenon called “excitation trans-
fer.”
“If you visited a rage room with your
partner and then went straight home
and had sex, it’s likely that the sex
would be more intense than usual due to
the fact that the emotional response for
the earlier situation hadn’t fully cleared
from your system,” Lehmiller said.
LIFE
spot is going to be the number of hours
of sleep that allows you to feel your
best.”
Why does it matter?
As people sleep, their brains work to
consolidate memories and process
things learned during the day, particu-
larly during what’s called deep sleep,
Barbara Sahakian, a professor in the
psychiatry department at the Univer-
sity of Cambridge, previously told USA
TODAY.
But too little or too much sleep can
create chronic stress. It can also cause
changes in the hippocampus, a part of
the brain vital to learning and memory,
Sahakian said.
How can you improve your sleep?
If you’re looking to improve your
nighttime habits and feel well-rested,
here are some tips to better your sleep
hygiene:
h Stay consistent: A regular bed and
wake-up time can help set your biologi-
cal clock to become sleepy at the same
time every day.
h Wind down: A period of “wind-
down time” is another step to ensure
you’re getting a good quality night of
sleep. Try a relaxing meditation, a warm
bath or shower, reading, or listening to
calming music.
h Establish your sleeping space:
The bedroom should be a cool, dark,
quiet and comfortable place to ensure
the best possible sleep experience. Dark
shades and earplugs can help achieve
this.
h Avoid alcohol, food, caffeine and
electronics before bed: Eating before
bed has been known to cause acid re-
flux, and caffeinated beverages (includ-
ing soda, coffee, tea and chocolate) may
keep you up at night. And while you may
be tempted to end the night with a glass
of wine, alcohol can impact your sleep.
You should also avoid using electronics
before bed and even leave them outside
of the bedroom.
h Exercise regularly: Several studies
have linked increased aerobic exercise
and better quality sleep for individuals
with insomnia.
Contributing: Saleen Martin, Daryl
Austin and Clare Mulroy
Observing rage could spur arousal
The pathways in the brain that acti-
vate when we participate in a rage room
also turn on when we watch others en-
gage in the same behavior, said Jacob
Nordman, an assistant professor of
physiology at the Southern Illinois Uni-
versity School of Medicine who studies
anger and the brain.
So watching your partner or date
smash things with a bat inside a rage
room could excite you from the side-
lines, Nordman said. The same thing
can happen when watching a sex scene
in a movie, for example.
Some may also be attracted to the
dominance that radiates while people
destroy things, according to Michael
Aaron, a licensed clinical psychologist
and certified sex therapist.
“They’re in charge, but … they’re not
aggressive toward you or threatening
you,” Aaron said, “so you experience
them in a dominant way that’s safe.”
It could be gratifying as well to watch
your partner do something beyond the
norm or witness their much-needed
emotional release after struggling to ex-
press themselves, Norén said
Is sex healthy if driven by anger?
Boundaries can always be crossed,
but Norén said it’s OK to engage in sexu-
al behaviors and activities that don’t
“only have positive reasons behind it,”
as long as it’s consensual. (Research
from 2007 actually discovered 237 mo-
tivations for having sex, ranging from
boredom to feeling closer to God.)
“It’s OK for anger to propel you to-
wards sex as long as it’s not being used
to punish your partner,” she said.
That said, having sex while angry
may cloud your ability to clearly com-
municate your wants and needs with
your partner, Norén added. Establish
boundaries before engaging in sexual
activities, experts say, and take note of
how often you and your partner have
angry sex, as you don’t want to establish
an unhealthy pattern.
LIFE
LIFE USA TODAY ❚■ TUESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2023 ❚I 3D

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12/19
Monday’s Answer: “Lots of folks confuse bad
management with destiny.” - Kin Hubbard

7 Little W©rds THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME

By David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek
Find the 7 wards lo match tho 7 clties. The numbers in swrennoses < Unscramble these Jumbles,
Get the free JUST JUMBLE app • Follow us on Twitter @PlayJumble

represent the number ot letters in each solution Each letter = one letter to each square,
ownbinatbn can bo uccd on!/ ortoo, but all lotto'’ cxmbinaiiona • to form four ordinary words.
will bo 'vwossary to compcto tho puizc.

CLUES SOLUTIONS
GDITI
1 bouquet holder (4)
2 protective finish (7)
3 oven setting (5) NEVTE
4 nutty green ice cream flavor (9)
5 taking a break (7)
6 grubby state (10) SLENOS
7 circular file (11)
54 55 56 58 59 60
NESS NG VA PIS CO GAROFE
61 65
ATI FIL BRO HIO NG Now arrange the circled letters
©2023 Tribune Content Agency, LLC to form the surprise answer, as
IL WAS RE SE AS
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I
4D ❚ TUESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY
A screenwriter (Andrew Scott, left) fosters a new relationship with a neighbor (Paul Mescal) in the romantic fantasy “All
of Us Strangers,” which tops our ranking of the year’s movies. PROVIDED BY PARISA TAGHIZADEH
Year in movies
Continued from Page 1D
9. ‘The Holdovers’
Alexander Payne’s latest will have you
revisiting your list of all-time
Christmas movies because this
throwback is a heartfelt and humorous
instant holiday classic. Dripping in a
1970s aesthetic and boasting a
crackling script, the film stars Paul
Giamatti as an uptight teacher who
befriends a rebellious student
(newcomer Dominic Sessa) and a
grieving cook (Da’Vine Joy Randolph)
while stuck at a boarding school over
winter break.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Vudu,
Amazon
8. ‘American Fiction’
It’s past time for Jeffrey Wright to get
his flowers. In Cord Jefferson’s sharp
satire, the Golden Globe nominee is a
curmudgeonly academic tired of
getting his books rejected while books
with stereotypically Black tropes get
all the love. He writes a “bad” novel as
a joke and, much to his chagrin,
becomes a runaway hit in a thoughtful
film that has something to say about
race and culture but also family and
aging.
Where to watch: In select theaters
now (expanding Friday, nationwide
Jan. 5)
7. ‘Air’
While it’s hard to imagine anything as
cool as a pair of original Air Jordans,
director Ben Affleck’s retro basketball
business drama comes pretty close.
Matt Damon plays the embattled but
optimistic talent scout obsessed with
signing NBA rookie Michael Jordan to a
Nike shoe deal in 1984 – the only
problem is he has to get His Airness’
protective mother (Viola Davis) totally
on board too.
Where to watch: Prime Video
6. ‘The Color Purple’
Blitz Bazawule’s vibrant and joyous
adaptation of the Broadway musical
(based on Alice Walker’s seminal book)
is a different experience than Steven
Spielberg’s 1985 best picture nominee
but no less effective. “American Idol”
favorite Fantasia Barrino is terrific as a
Southern woman shackled to a
no-good man (Colman Domingo) who
fosters a strong sisterhood with a loyal
friend (Danielle Brooks) and a blues
singer (Taraji P. Henson).
Where to watch: In theaters Dec. 25
5. ‘Barbie’
Only in director Greta Gerwig’s hands
could the famous doll become the
feminist meta pop-culture moment
Matthew Maher, from left, Matt
Damon and Jason Bateman play Nike
co-workers crafting the perfect shoe
in “Air.” PROVIDED BY ANA CARBALLOSA/
AMAZON STUDIOS
Ernest (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Mollie (Lily Gladstone) meet when he drives
her to and from town in Martin Scorsese’s crime drama “Killers of the Flower
Moon.” PROVIDED BY MELINDA SUE GORDON
that everyone can get behind. When
things go awry in Barbie Land,
Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken
(Ryan Gosling) head to the Real
World and deal with existential
crises in enjoyably madcap fashion in
a goofy and heartfelt comedy that
explores humanity, patriarchy and
the meaning of life. May we all be a
little less Ken and a lot more Weird
Barbie.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Vudu,
Amazon, Google Play
4. ‘Rye Lane’
An awkward, tearful meeting in a
unisex bathroom brings together
recently dumped Dom (David
Jonsson) and carefree Yas (Vivian
Oparah) and kickstarts Raine
Allen-Miller’s wonderfully endearing,
must-see reimagining of the
rom-com. The adorably quirky
twosome bond during a revelatory
stroll through London that involves a
cathartic run-in with an ex, spicy
vittles, revealing chats and some
light breaking-and-entering.
Where to watch: Hulu
3. ‘Poor Things’
Is it too early to give Emma Stone’s
best actress Oscar for “La La Land” a
new golden friend? She’s never been
better as the reanimated Bella
Baxter in Yorgos Lanthimos’
fantastical dark comedy. Bella
matures from infantile woman-child
to liberated Victorian-era prostitute
with a heart of gold in a sex-filled,
eccentric narrative that co-stars
Mark Ruffalo as a punchable toxic
David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah
star as 20-something Londoners
spending a memorable day
together in the comedy “Rye Lane.”
PROVIDED BY SUNDANCE INSTITUTE
love interest and Willem Dafoe as
Bella’s mad-scientist “dad.”
Where to watch: In theaters now
2. ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’
That this true-life Western epic is
one of the best in Martin Scorsese’s
iconic career is saying something.
The Oscar-winning director’s newest
is a love story between a World War I
veteran (Leonardo DiCaprio) and a
young woman (a fantastic Lily
Gladstone) from Oklahoma’s wealthy
Osage Nation. At the same time, it’s
also a murder mystery about the
deaths that plagued the Native
American tribe in the 1920s, and a
well-acted, thought-provoking look
at white greed, corruptive power and
America’s complicated history with
its indigenous people.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Vudu,
Amazon
1. ‘All of Us Strangers’
In director Andrew Haigh’s moving
fantasy, Andrew Scott delivers an
astounding performance as a lonely
London screenwriter who fosters a
relationship with a flirty neighbor
(Paul Mescal) while at the same time
regularly visiting his childhood home
to talk with the parents (Claire Foy
and Jamie Bell) he lost 30 years prior.
For those looking for a metaphysical
masterpiece, it’s a brilliant and
haunting narrative about grief, love
and letting go of the past to find
one’s self in the present.
Where to watch: In select theaters
on Friday, expanding through Jan. 19
Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) becomes
tired of boorish love interest
Duncan (Mark Ruffalo) in the dark
comedy “Poor Things.” PROVIDED BY
ATSUSHI NISHIJIMA/SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES
LIFE
Weight loss
Continued from Page 1D
cover story, published Wednesday, the
media mogul, 69, said she’s been
“blamed and shamed” constantly over
her weight.
Winfrey said it wasn’t until this year
that she added weight loss medication
to her health regimen, which also in-
cludes hiking, eating her last meal at
4 p.m. and drinking a gallon of water a
day. She also serves as an investor and
board member for WeightWatchers,
which announced in March it would
add weight loss drugs like Wegovy to
its program.
“I was actually recommending it to
people long before I was on it myself,”
Winfrey told People. “I had an aware-
ness of medications, but felt I had to
prove I had the willpower to do it. I now
no longer feel that way.”
She added: “Obesity is a disease.
It’s not about willpower – it’s about the
brain.”
Vazirnia says it’s common for peo-
ple to feel shame around taking weight
loss medication, even when they meet
the medical requirements for it or need
it to treat an underlying condition,
such as diabetes. He hopes Winfrey’s
words help change that.
“A lot of people look up to Oprah as a
source of mentorship, inspiration and
guidance,” he says. “If Oprah speaks
about a medication and shines light
about it, then a lot of people will not
only look at it more favorably, but they
would also research it more on their
own, get more information and learn
more about it.”
After looking into the science be-
hind the medication, Winfrey said she
“released my own shame about it” and
consulted her doctor, who prescribed
it to her. Vazirnia emphasizes these
medications can cause side effects and
should only be taken under medical
supervision.
“The fact that there’s a medically
approved prescription for managing
weight and staying healthier, in my
lifetime, feels like relief, like redemp-
tion, like a gift, and not something to
hide behind and once again be ridi-
culed for,” Winfrey said. “I’m absolute-
ly done with the shaming from other
people and particularly myself.”
Why transparency
like Winfrey’s is essential
By coming forward about weight
loss medication, Winfrey is also mod-
eling transparency with the public,
something experts say is essential for
celebrities who do not wish to promote
unrealistic body image expectations.
Winfrey isn’t the only public figure
to embrace this ethos. Sia revealed on
social media Saturday she underwent
a liposuction procedure; Kaley Cuoco
was lauded for openly discussing her
plastic surgeries; and Dolly Parton
famously said “if something is bag-
ging, sagging or dragging, I’ll tuck it,
suck it or pluck it.”
“Many celebrities look good natu-
rally, but many also have work done.
And when they’re not honest about it, I
think they’re being unethical because
they’re in the spotlight,” Dr. Daniel
Barrett, a plastic surgeon in Beverly
Hills, previously told USA TODAY.
“They ... have a moral obligation to
be transparent about anything they’ve
had done that helps them achieve a
certain look,” Barrett added, unlike or-
dinary people, who can benefit from
and take advantage of keeping their
body alterations private.
The consequences of deceiving the
public in this way can be detrimental
and long-lasting, experts say, espe-
cially when it comes to people’s men-
tal health.
“The psychological pressure to
meet societal beauty standards can be
difficult to manage, especially because
it can leave you feeling like you’re nev-
er good enough,” Naomi Torres-Mack-
ie, a clinical psychologist and head of
research at the Mental Health Coali-
tion, previously told USA TODAY. The
pressure to be perfect can also contrib-
ute to disordered eating, experts say.
It can be tempting to compare your-
self to seemingly perfect celebrities or
influencers, but Torres-Mackie said
it’s healthier to separate who you are
from what you or others look like.
“In a culture where a lot of value is
placed on appearance, it takes a lot of
effort to distance yourself from that,”
she said. “Consider unfollowing social
media accounts that leave you feeling
bad. Be mindful as you scroll about
which accounts leave you feeling good
and which leave you second-guessing
your own value. Unfollowing those is
a way of practicing trigger elimina-
tion.”
Contributing: Taijuan Moorman
and Katie Camero.

US ENVOYS WORK
FOR HOSTAGE DEAL
No timetable for scale-down of Israel-Hamas war
Firefighters spray water on the rubble of a building following Israeli bombardment in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on
Monday. MOHAMMED ABED/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Tara Copp, Melanie Lidman
and Samy Magdy
ASSOCIATED PRESS
TEL AVIV, Israel – The head of the
CIA jetted to Europe for talks with Israeli
and Qatari officials Monday, sounding
out the potential for a deal on a new
cease-fire and the release of hostages in
Gaza, as the U.S. defense secretary
spoke to Israeli military leaders about
scaling back major combat operations
against Hamas.
Still, there was no sign that a shift in
the war was imminent after more than
two months of devastating bombard-
ment and fighting.
Fierce battles raged in northern Gaza,
where residents said rescue workers
were searching for the dead and the liv-
ing under buildings flattened by Israeli
strikes.
Pressure is growing, as France, the
U.K. and Germany – some of Israel’s
closest allies – joined global calls for a
cease-fire over the weekend. Israeli pro-
testers have demanded the government
relaunch talks with Hamas on releasing
more hostages after three were mistak-
enly killed by Israeli troops while wav-
ing a white flag.
U.S. officials have repeatedly ex-
pressed concern about the large number
of civilian deaths in Gaza.
But after talks with Israeli officials
Monday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd
Austin said, “This is Israel’s operation.
I’m not here to dictate timelines or
terms.” The U.S. has vetoed calls for a
cease-fire at the U.N. and has rushed
munitions to Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
has insisted that Israel will keep fighting
until it ends Hamas rule in Gaza, crush-
es its formidable military capabilities
and frees hostages still held in Gaza
since the deadly Oct. 7 attack inside Is-
rael that ignited the war. Militants killed
some 1,200 people and abducted 240
others in the attack.
The war has killed more than 19,000
Palestinians and demolished much of
the north into a moonscape. Some 1.9
million Palestinians – nearly 85% of Ga-
za’s population – have fled their homes,
with most packing into U.N.-run shel-
ters and tent camps in the southern part
of the besieged territory.
NATION & WORLD EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2023 | 1NN
WAR IN MIDDLE EAST
Above: U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd
Austin, left, and Israeli Defense
Minister Yoav Gallant issue a joint
statement Monday. MAYA ALLERUZZO/AP
Rudy Glazer, whose brother Ranani
Glazer was killed in the Oct 7 Hamas
attack, hugs a photo of his brother
Monday at a memorial at the site of
the Nova music festival site in Re’im,
Israel. ALEXI J. ROSENFELD/GETTY IMAGES
More on Israel-Hamas war
h Pentagon announces new
international mission to counter attacks
on commercial vessels in Red Sea. 7NN
h U.N. Security Council delays vote
urging cessation of hostilities. 8NN
SUBSCRIBER-EXCLUSIVE SPECIAL EDITION
Hostage talks
In an apparent sign that talks on a
hostage deal were growing more seri-
ous, CIA Director William Burns met in
Warsaw with the head of Israel’s Mos-
sad intelligence agency and the prime
minister of Qatar, a U.S. official said.
It was the first known meeting of
the three since the end of a weeklong
cease-fire in late November, during
which some 100 hostages – including a
number of foreign nationals – were
freed in exchange for the release of
around 240 Palestinians held in Israeli
prisons.
National Security Council spokes-
person John Kirby said the talks were
not “at a point where another deal is
imminent.”
Aiming to increase public pressure
on the Israeli government, Hamas re-
leased a video showing three elderly
Israeli hostages, sitting in white T-
shirts and pleading for Israel to bring
their immediate release.
The comments were likely made
under duress, but the video signaled
Hamas wants to move on to discus-
sions of releasing sick and elderly men
in captivity. Israel has said it wants
See SCALE-DOWN, Page 8NN
INSIDE
Storm knocks out
power, grounds
flights in Northeast
U.S. 4NN
New Texas
law allows
arrests of
migrants
Those entering illegally
can be prosecuted
Valerie Gonzalez and Paul J. Weber
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Republi-
can Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Mon-
day approved sweeping new powers
that allow police to arrest migrants
who illegally cross the U.S. border and
give local judges authority to order
them to leave the country, testing the
limits of how far a state can go to en-
force immigration laws.
Opponents have called the measure
the most dramatic attempt by a state
to police immigration since a 2010 Ari-
zona law – denounced by critics as the
“Show Me Your Papers” bill – that was
largely struck down by the U.S. Su-
preme Court. Immigration enforce-
ment is a federal responsibility, and
Texas’ law is also likely to face swift le-
gal challenges.
The law, which takes effect in
March, allows any Texas law enforce-
ment officer to arrest people who are
suspected of entering the country ille-
gally. Once in custody, they could ei-
ther agree to a Texas judge’s order to
leave the U.S. or be prosecuted on mis-
demeanor charges of illegal entry. Mi-
grants who don’t leave could face ar-
rest again under more serious felony
charges.
Abbott, who signed the law in front
of a section of border fence in Browns-
ville, predicted the number of people
crossing illegally into Texas would
drop by “well over 50%, maybe 75%.”
See TEXAS, Page 6NN
Migrants cross the Rio Grande from
Mexico on Monday in Eagle Pass,
Texas. JOHN MOORE/GETTY IMAGES
Marvel,
Disney drop
all projects
with Majors
Actor was convicted of
assaulting ex-girlfriend
Jennifer Peltz. Jake Coyle
and Jake Offenhartz
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK – Marvel had more rid-
ing on Jonathan Majors than perhaps
any other actor. Now it’s parting ways
with him, and throwing
years of plans for its
cinematic universe in
disarray.
Marvel Studios and
the Walt Disney Co.
dropped Majors from all
Majors future projects follow-
ing the actor’s convic-
tion for assault and harassment on
Monday, according to a person close to
the studio who spoke on condition of
anonymity because he wasn’t autho-
rized to speak publicly on the matter.
See MAJORS, Page 6NN
2NN | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2023 | NATION & WORLD EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK

In the digital e-edition, you can click anywhere on the US map to get up-to-date forecasts, radar, MinuteCast® and more.
NATIONAL SUMMARY
Flurries and heavy snow Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation for Tuesday. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
squalls will diminish later
today in the Northeast as a
storm travels to the north- Seattle Winnipeg
east into Canada. In the 50/40 28/12
West, a storm well off the Montreal
coast of California will con- 36/23
tinue to bring showers to Billings
the state. These showers 53/35
can spread farther north
Toronto
into the Northwest, and
32/26
Minneapolis Chicago
rain could mix with snow or
sleet at times.
39/25 35/30
Detroit New York
36/27 43/31
San Francisco
62/54 Washington
Denver Kansas City
65/35 49/40 44/29

Los Angeles
Fairbanks 63/58
6/-2 Atlanta
47/30
Anchorage El Paso
25/22 Juneau 66/40
33/29
Houston
Chihuahua 63/48
Honolulu 72/45 Miami
80/69 72/61
Hilo Monterrey
76/67 67/50
-10s -0s 0s 10s 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s 100s 110s Showers T-storms Rain Flurries Snow Ice Cold front Warm front Stationary front

MONDAY EXTREMES TODAY IN HISTORY WEATHER TRIVIA™

NATIONAL (for the 48 contiguous states) INTERNATIONAL (excludes Antarctica) Dry weather is usually in the cards at Las Q: What can be said about the daylight period
High: 80 at Tucson, AZ High: 113 at Birdsville, Australia Vegas, Nev., but a rare heavy rainstorm hit after winter is underway?
Low: -11 at Angel Fire, NM Low: -59 at Oymyakon, Russia the city on Dec. 19, 1984. Local flooding de-
Precip: 4.72” at Oxford, CT Precip: 4.72” at Oxford, USA posited silt in area drainage ways, requiring
subsequent spadework.
A: It increases gradually

NATIONAL CITIES TUESDAY O Denotes possible travel delays

Air Air Air Air
High/low/W Quality High/low/W Quality High/low/W Quality High/low/W Quality
Aberdeen, SD 40/19/pc 41 Evansville, IN 37/26/s 42 Levittown, PA 43/26/pc 38 Rochester, NY 32/26/sn 39
O Abilene, TX 66/50/pc 24 Fall River, MA 47/26/pc 36 O Lincoln, IL 35/28/s 45 Rockford, IL 36/27/s 44
Accomac, VA 43/25/pc 30 Farmington, NM 54/30/pc 43 Louisville, KY 41/27/s 50 Ruidoso, NM 55/36/pc 50
Adrian, MI 36/26/s 50 Fayetteville, NC 47/25/s 43 Lubbock, TX 61/39/c 27 Salem, OR 58/39/sh 39
Akron, OH 31/22/sf 51 Fond du Lac, WI 34/29/s 49 Manitowoc, WI 34/30/s 50 O Salina, KS 53/40/pc 29
Alamogordo, NM 61/36/c 52 Fort Myers, FL 66/49/s 30 Mansfield, OH 31/25/s 50 O Salinas, CA 66/53/sh 20
Alexandria, VA 43/25/pc 52 Fort Smith, AR 53/33/s 34 Marshall, NC 36/20/s 42 Salisbury, MD 43/24/pc 28
Alliance, OH 32/23/sf 51 Framingham, MA 46/24/pc 35 Marshfield, WI 32/22/s 42 San Angelo, TX 65/49/pc 27
Amarillo, TX 62/39/pc 31 Freeport, IL 34/27/s 43 Massillon, OH 33/22/sf 51 Sarasota, FL 63/46/s 33
O Ames, IA 44/26/pc 25 Fremont, OH 35/28/s 51 McLean, VA 41/24/pc 51 Savannah, GA 49/29/s 33
Anderson, SC 46/24/s 41 Fort Collins, CO 61/34/pc 52 O Melbourne, FL 63/55/s 36 Sheboygan, WI 36/32/s 49
Appleton, WI 30/25/s 43 Gadsden, AL 44/17/s 40 Memphis, TN 50/35/s 50 Shelby, NC 45/19/s 51
Asheville, NC 40/20/s 45 Gainesville, FL 55/34/s 30 Middletown, NY 38/23/sf 39 Sherman, TX 60/45/pc 31
Ashland, OH 32/24/pc 51 Galesburg, IL 36/27/pc 41 Milford, MA 45/24/pc 36 Shreveport, LA 56/37/pc 44
Athens, GA 47/24/s 41 Gastonia, NC 46/20/s 51 Milwaukee, WI 37/32/s 51 Silver City, NM 61/37/pc 50
Augusta, GA 50/22/s 49 Glen Rose, TX 64/46/pc 31 Monroe, MI 36/28/s 50 Sioux Falls, SD 48/25/pc 34
Austin, TX 67/48/pc 30 Gonzales, LA 56/38/s 37 Monroe, LA 53/33/s 40 Somerset, PA 28/18/sf 52
Bartlesville, OK 53/38/pc 39 Great Falls, MT 50/38/c 49 Montgomery, AL 52/29/s 33 Somerville, NJ 42/24/c 35
Battle Creek, MI 35/28/s 45 Green Bay, WI 33/26/s 43 Muncie, IN 36/29/s 49 South Bend, IN 35/27/s 43
Bedford, IN 36/25/s 48 Greenville, SC 46/23/s 47 Murfreesboro, TN 41/19/s 50 Spartanburg, SC 46/23/s 50
Binghamton, NY 31/23/sf 27 O Hackensack, NJ 43/29/c 45 Naples, FL 67/52/s 31 O Springfield, IL 37/29/pc 44
Bluffton, SC 48/35/s 36 Hagerstown, MD 38/25/pc 47 Nashville, TN 42/25/s 49 O Springfield, MO 50/35/pc 33
O Bremerton, WA 48/40/sh 47 Hattiesburg, MS 55/30/s 32 O Neptune, NJ 43/28/c 40 St. Augustine, FL 50/45/s 27
Brockton, MA 47/25/pc 37 Henderson, KY 38/26/s 46 New Bedford, MA 47/27/pc 31 St. Cloud, MN 39/24/c 38
Brownwood, TX 66/49/pc 25 Hendersonville, NC 40/22/s 49 New Bern, NC 46/27/s 31 St. George, UT 56/39/c 34
O Burlington, IA 39/29/pc 35 Herkimer, NY 34/24/sn 50 New Philadelphia, OH 34/20/pc 50 Staunton, VA 39/14/s 42
Burlington, NC 45/21/s 49 Hillsdale, MI 34/27/s 46 Newark, OH 35/21/s 51 Stevens Point, WI 34/25/s 47
Burlington, VT 41/26/sf 36 Holland, MI 37/33/pc 46 Newton, NJ 39/24/sf 35 O Stockton, CA 65/54/sh 59
Cambridge, OH 35/22/pc 45 Hornell, NY 30/21/sf 42 New York, NY 43/31/c 51 Stroudsburg, PA 38/22/sf 31
O Camdenton, MO 49/36/pc 30 Houma, LA 57/38/s 36 Norwich, CT 45/24/pc 31 Stuart, FL 68/61/pc 36
Canandaigua, NY 30/24/sn 46 Howell, MI 35/27/s 50 Ocala, FL 56/38/s 32 Sturgis, MI 34/27/s 49
Canton, OH 32/23/sf 51 O Hutchinson, KS 52/39/pc 34 O Oklahoma City, OK 56/44/pc 31 Tallahassee, FL 53/30/s 24
Carlsbad, NM 65/37/c 49 Hyannis, MA 47/31/sh 31 Opelousas, LA 56/37/s 38 Thibodaux, LA 57/40/s 36
Chambersburg, PA 38/22/c 48 Indianapolis, IN 35/26/s 50 Oshkosh, WI 32/27/s 43 O Topeka, KS 50/39/pc 33
Cherry Hill, NJ 42/27/c 46 Iowa City, IA 40/25/pc 33 Palm Beach, FL 71/63/pc 37 Tuscaloosa, AL 50/28/s 43
Cincinnati, OH 36/24/s 51 Ithaca, NY 29/22/sf 29 Palm Springs, CA 73/53/c 40 Utica, NY 33/23/sn 40
Clarksville, TN 42/24/s 44 Jackson, MS 52/34/s 38 Panama City, FL 54/37/s 24 O Ventura, CA 64/58/r 51
Coldwater, MI 34/28/s 48 Jackson, TN 44/25/s 46 O Pekin, IL 37/29/pc 48 Victorville, CA 62/43/c 51
Columbus, OH 34/24/s 50 Jacksonville, FL 51/33/s 30 Pensacola, FL 55/41/s 28 Vineland, NJ 42/22/c 35
Corning, NY 33/19/sf 40 Jacksonville, NC 45/26/s 32 O Peoria, IL 37/28/pc 50 Visalia, CA 65/49/sh 103
Corpus Christi, TX 76/59/pc 33 Kent, OH 33/22/sf 51 Petersburg, VA 47/22/pc 50 Washington, DC 44/29/s 49
Daytona Beach, FL 57/48/s 35 Kewanee, IL 36/28/pc 42 Phoenix, AZ 75/55/pc 67 Watertown, SD 41/22/pc 44
Deming, NM 63/35/pc 52 Keyser, WV 37/19/sf 51 Port Huron, MI 34/27/s 41 Wausau, WI 32/25/s 42
DeRidder, LA 57/39/pc 39 Kinston, NC 46/25/s 38 Portsmouth, NH 46/25/pc 25 Waynesboro, PA 38/22/pc 47
O Des Moines, IA 43/30/pc 25 Knoxville, TN 39/21/s 44 Poughkeepsie, NY 42/21/sf 30 O White Plains, NY 42/26/c 33
Detroit, MI 36/27/s 51 Lafayette, IN 34/26/s 45 Providence, RI 46/27/pc 31 O Wichita Falls, TX 61/46/pc 23
Devils Lake, ND 31/15/c 28 Lafayette, LA 59/40/s 41 Pueblo, CO 63/26/pc 39 Wilmington, DE 43/25/c 40
Dover, NH 46/22/pc 35 Lakeland, FL 60/45/s 34 Quincy, MA 47/29/pc 45 Wilmington, NC 47/26/s 34
El Paso, TX 66/40/pc 53 Lansing, MI 36/28/s 39 O Redding, CA 60/52/r 20 Wisconsin Rapids, WI 33/23/s 47
Elmira, NY 33/18/sf 33 Las Cruces, NM 63/38/pc 52 Reno, NV 52/34/sh 53 Wooster, OH 33/22/pc 48
Erie, PA 33/24/sf 50 Lebanon, PA 39/23/c 43 Ravenna, OH 33/21/sf 51 Worcester, MA 41/26/c 31
O Eugene, OR 57/44/sh 52 Leesburg, FL 57/43/s 29 Richmond, IN 35/24/s 51 York, PA 40/22/c 47
Air Quality Index: 0-50, Good; 51-100, Moderate; 101-150, Unhealthy for sensitive groups; 151-200, Unhealthy; 201-300, Very unhealthy; 301-500, Hazardous
INTERNATIONAL CITIES
Tuesday Wednesday Tuesday Wednesday Tuesday Wednesday Tuesday Wednesday
High/low/W High/low/W High/low/W High/low/W High/low/W High/low/W High/low/W High/low/W
Acapulco 87/71/s 86/71/pc O Cape Town 78/60/s 75/59/s La Paz 58/42/r 61/43/pc San Jose 79/67/c 81/67/pc
Addis Ababa 77/49/pc 77/51/s Caracas 92/74/s 92/75/sh Lagos 90/76/pc 91/76/s San Salvador 82/58/s 84/59/s
Algiers 62/44/sh 63/49/pc Casablanca 66/39/s 66/47/s O Lima 76/68/pc 77/68/c Santiago 79/49/s 87/51/s
Amman 60/40/s 59/42/pc O Colombo 88/74/t 89/75/t Lisbon 58/48/s 60/46/pc Sao Paulo 85/65/s 83/65/pc
O Amsterdam 51/44/r 50/47/r Copenhagen 47/39/c 42/38/r London 56/41/r 52/49/c Sarajevo 46/28/pc 46/32/c
Ankara 48/25/s 52/28/pc Damascus 57/32/pc 58/38/s Madrid 54/30/s 51/33/pc Shanghai 42/29/r 40/20/s
O Asuncion 91/77/t 87/74/sh O Dublin 47/43/s 52/50/c Manila 89/78/sh 89/77/c O Singapore 86/77/r 87/77/sh
Athens 65/45/s 62/54/s Geneva 45/34/s 45/36/pc Mexico City 70/45/pc 72/45/c Stockholm 42/28/s 32/23/sn
Auckland 75/63/c 76/62/pc O Guatemala City 68/47/s 70/50/s Milan 55/35/pc 49/32/pc O Sydney 88/68/t 69/64/r
Baghdad 65/41/pc 65/41/pc Hanoi 61/55/r 64/56/c Mombasa 92/78/c 93/79/pc Taipei 68/57/c 61/50/c
Bangkok 94/77/pc 93/75/c O Harare 80/64/t 78/64/t O Montevideo 66/63/c 71/65/sh Tegucigalpa 71/55/pc 73/57/pc
Beijing 25/5/pc 20/2/s Havana 73/58/s 78/60/pc Montreal 36/23/sf 38/21/s Tehran 54/41/pc 54/41/s
Beirut 68/56/s 69/58/s O Helsinki 40/31/r 35/25/pc O Moscow 38/35/c 37/32/pc Tokyo 47/42/sh 54/42/pc
Belgrade 54/32/pc 47/35/pc O Hong Kong 70/55/c 62/50/pc Nairobi 79/62/c 80/61/pc Toronto 32/26/pc 41/26/c
O Berlin 46/41/sh 45/40/sh Jakarta 94/75/pc 95/74/pc New Delhi 71/47/pc 69/47/pc O Tunis 61/51/r 64/54/pc
O Bogota 67/52/sh 66/50/r Jerusalem 62/48/s 62/48/pc Panama City 90/74/sh 88/73/sh O Vancouver 50/46/sh 50/43/c
O Brussels 48/42/r 47/45/r O Johannesburg 84/59/t 82/64/pc O Paris 48/41/c 49/47/pc Vienna 42/30/pc 45/39/r
Bucharest 48/28/pc 49/32/pc Kabul 54/33/pc 56/33/pc Port-au-Prince 85/70/t 87/68/sh O Warsaw 47/41/r 43/37/r
O Budapest 38/27/pc 43/34/c Khartoum 93/68/s 93/69/s Rio de Janeiro 81/72/s 81/74/s Yerevan 36/22/s 36/24/s
O Buenos Aires 71/64/c 71/66/r Kyiv 44/37/pc 45/36/pc Riyadh 74/49/pc 75/48/s Zagreb 45/27/pc 44/32/pc
Cairo 72/55/pc 71/59/pc Kingston 85/75/pc 87/75/s Rome 58/40/s 58/42/c Zurich 43/34/s 43/37/r
O Denotes possible travel delays Tuesday Weather(W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.
©2023; forecasts and graphics provided by | Go to AccuWeather.com
 NATION & WORLD EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2023 | 3NN

DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE
W +.86
S&P 500 • STANDARD & POOR’S NASDAQ COMPOSITE RUSSELL 2000
Closing: 37,306.02 Closing: 4,740.56 Closing: 14,904.81 Closing: 1,982.42
Change: +0.9%
...%
YTD % Chg: +12.6%
W+21.37 Change: +.5%
YTD % Chg: +23.5%
W +90.89 Change: +.6%
YTD % Chg: +42.4%
X -2.71 Change: -.1%
YTD % Chg: +12.6%

MARKET PERFORMANCE BY SECTOR MARKET NOTEBOOK TOP 10 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS COMMODITIES
Sector Close Chg. 4wk 1 YTD 1 Issues NYSE NASDAQ ETF, ranked by volume Ticker Close Chg. % Chg %YTD Commodities Close Prev. Chg. % Chg. % YTD
Technology 191.85 +0.15 +3.5% +54.2% Advancing 1,198 1,562 ProShs UltPro ShtQQQ SQQQ 13.93 -0.32 -2.2% -74.2% Cattle (lb.) 1.69 1.68 +0.01 +0.4% +9.0%
Declining 1,132 1,945 SPDR S&P500 ETF Tr SPY 471.97 +2.64 +0.6% +23.4% Corn (bushel) 4.77 4.83 -0.06 -1.2% -29.7%
Consumer discret. 180.00 +0.79 +7.1% +39.4%
Unchanged 71 256 Direx SOX Bear 3X SOXS 6.19 +0.04 +0.7% -84.3% Gold (troy oz.) 2,026.30 2,021.10 +5.20 +0.3% +11.4%
Telecom 74.04 +0.75 +0.7% +36.0%
Total 2,401 3,763 ProShs UltraPro QQQ TQQQ 50.27 +1.03 +2.1% +190.6% Hogs, lean (lb.) .72 .72 unch. -0.5% -18.4%
Industrials 112.40 -0.62 +6.1% +14.4% Natural Gas (Btu.) 2.50 2.49 +0.01 +0.5% -44.1%
Issues at Invesco QQQ Trust QQQ 407.08 +1.74 +0.4% +52.9%
Financials 37.29 -0.06 +6.1% +9.0% Direx SOX Bull 3X SOXL 30.29 -0.28 -0.9% +213.2% Oil, heating (gal.) 2.67 2.62 +0.05 +2.0% -20.5%
New 52 Week High 111 163
Materials 84.71 -0.46 +5.3% +9.0% iShares Rus 2000 IWM 197.11 +0.07 ...% +13.0% Oil, lt. swt. crude (bar.) 72.47 71.43 +1.04 +1.5% -9.7%
New 52 Week Low 9 103
Health care 133.78 -0.38 +3.7% -1.5% SPDR Financial XLF 37.29 -0.06 -0.2% +9.0% Silver (troy oz.) 23.83 23.87 -0.04 -0.2% -0.1%
Share Volume
Energy 84.18 -0.12 -0.7% -3.8% Total 3,834,463,522 5,659,733,567 iShs China Large Cap FXI 23.88 -0.25 -1.0% -15.6% Soybeans (bushel) 13.27 13.16 +0.11 +0.9% -12.7%
iShares 20+yr TrsBd TLT 98.36 -0.79 -0.8% -1.2% Wheat (bushel) 6.17 6.29 -0.12 -2.0% -22.1%
Consumer staples 71.44 +0.20 +2.9% -4.2% Advancing 2,013,507,060 2,508,166,727
Utilities 63.23 -0.74 +1.8% -10.3% Declining 1,762,342,359 2,996,544,966
Unchanged 58,614,103 155,021,874 FOREIGN CURRENCIES FOREIGN MARKETS
Currency per dollar Close Prev. 6 mo. ago Yr. ago Country Close Prev. Change %Chg. %YTD
S&P 500’S BIGGEST GAINERS S&P 500’S BIGGEST LOSERS British pound .7911 .7880 .7793 .8219 Frankfurt 16,650.55 16,751.44 -100.89 -0.6% +19.6%
Company (ticker) Price $ Chg . % Chg. YTD Company (ticker) Price $ Chg . % Chg. YTD Canadian dollar 1.3393 1.3371 1.3180 1.3691 Hong Kong 16,629.23 16,792.19 -162.96 -1.0% -15.9%
Etsy Inc (ETSY) 84.46 +3.78 +4.7 -29.5 VF Corp (VFC) 18.36 -1.55 -7.8 -33.5 Japan (Nikkei) 32,758.98 32,970.55 -211.57 -0.6% +25.5%
Chinese yuan 7.1335 7.1178 7.1263 6.9733
Costco Wholesale (COST) 681.24 +22.42 +3.4 +49.2 Paramount Global B (PARA) 15.51 -.76 -4.7 -8.1 London 7,614.48 7,576.36 +38.12 +0.5% +2.2%
Arch Dan Mid (ADM) 72.34 -3.41 -4.5 -22.1 Euro .9160 .9175 .9138 .9434
Hasbro Inc (HAS) 51.97 +1.59 +3.2 -14.8 Mexico City 57,732.81 57,130.08 +602.73 +1.1% +19.1%
Kroger Co (KR) 45.53 +1.42 +3.2 +2.1 M&T Bank (MTB) 137.13 -5.63 -3.9 -5.5 Japanese yen 142.90 142.19 141.80 136.56
Netflix Inc (NFLX) 486.12 +14.06 +3.0 +64.9 SolarEdge Tech (SEDG) 93.48 -3.64 -3.7 -67.0 Mexican peso 17.1700 17.2222 17.0406 19.8304 SOURCE Morningstar, Dow Jones Indexes, The Associated Press

SALMONELLA POISONING

Outbreak tied to cantaloupes has been deadly

Disease-causing bacteria
hard to remove at home
Jonel Aleccia
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Hundreds of people in the U.S. and
Canada have been sickened and at least
10 people have died in a growing out-
break of salmonella poisoning linked to
contaminated whole and precut canta-
loupe.
Health officials are warning consum-
ers, retailers and restaurants not to buy,
eat or serve cantaloupe if they don’t
know the source.
That’s especially important for indi-
viduals who are vulnerable to serious
illness from salmonella infection and
those who care for them. High-risk
groups include young children, people
older than 65 and those with weakened
immune systems.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention is especially concerned
because many of the illnesses have been
severe and because victims include
people who ate cantaloupe served in
child care centers and long-term care fa-
cilities.
Here’s what we know about this out-
break:
How many people have been
sickened in the cantaloupe
salmonella outbreak?
Overall, at least 302 people in the
U.S. and 153 in Canada have been sick-
ened in this outbreak. That includes
four killed and 129 hospitalized in the
U.S. and six killed and 53 hospitalized in
Canada.
When did the cantaloupe outbreak
begin?
The first U.S. case was a person who
fell ill on Oct. 16, according to the CDC.
The latest illness detected occurred on
The cantaloupes implicated in this outbreak include two brands, Malichita and
Rudy, that are grown in the Sonora area of Mexico. MARY CONLON/AP
Nov. 28. Canadian health officials said
people fell ill between mid-October and
mid-November.
The first recalls were issued Nov. 6 in
the U.S., according to the Food and Drug
Administration. Multiple recalls of
whole and cut fruit have followed.
Where did the cantaloupes
come from?
The cantaloupes implicated in this
outbreak include two brands, Malichita
and Rudy, that are grown in the Sonora
area of Mexico. The fruit was imported
by Sofia Produce LLC, of Nogales, Arizo-
na, which does business as TruFresh,
and Pacific Trellis Fruit LLC, of Los An-
geles. So far, more than 36,000 boxes or
cases of cantaloupe have been recalled.
On Dec. 15, Mexican health officials
temporarily closed a melon-packing
plant implicated in the outbreak.
Roughly one-third of FDA-regulated
human food imported into the U.S.
comes from Mexico, including about
60% of fresh produce imports. The aver-
age American eats about 6 pounds of
cantaloupe a year, according to the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
How did the cantaloupes
get contaminated?
Health officials in the U.S. and Cana-
da are still investigating, but canta-
loupes generally are prone to contami-
nation because they are “netted” mel-
ons with rough, bumpy rinds that make
bacteria difficult to remove.
Salmonella bacteria are found in ani-
mals’ intestines and can spread if their
waste comes in contact with fruit in the
field. Contamination can come from
tainted water used in irrigation, or in
cleaning and cooling the melons.
Poor hygienic practices of workers,
pests in packing facilities and equip-
ment that’s not cleaned and sanitized
properly can also lead to contamination,
the FDA says.
The Mexico growing area saw power-
ful storms and hurricanes in late sum-
mer and early fall that resulted in flood-
ing that could be a factor, said Trevor
Suslow, a produce safety consultant
and retired professor at the University
of California, Davis.
Once the melons are contaminated,
the nubby rinds harbor nutrients that
can help the salmonella bacteria grow,
Suslow said.
If the cantaloupe become moldy or
damaged, the bacteria can move from
the outside of the rind to the inner layer
or into the flesh. Also, when the fruit is
sliced – in a home kitchen, grocery store
or processing plant – the bacteria can
spread to the flesh.
Cut fruit in a tray or clamshell pack-
age can harbor the bacteria. If the fruit
isn’t kept very cool, the germs can grow.
How should consumers
handle cantaloupe?
It is difficult to remove disease-caus-
ing bacteria from cantaloupe at home.
Food safety experts recommend rinsing
whole melons in cool water and scrub-
bing them with a clean produce brush
and then drying completely.
Blanching the cantaloupes briefly in
very hot water is another method, Sus-
low said. And Purdue University re-
searchers found that household items
such as vinegar and iodine diluted in
water could reduce exterior contamina-
tion with salmonella by 99%.
For high-risk people, it might be best
to avoid cantaloupe, especially pre-cut
cantaloupe and especially during an
outbreak, said Amanda Deering, a Pur-
due University food scientist.
Understanding that certain foods
can pose a serious health risk is key, she
added.
“As consumers, we just assume that
our food is safe,” she said. “You don’t
want to think that a cantaloupe is
what’s going to take you out.”

Air Jordans sell for nearly $51K FDA: Cinnamon at plant

Claire Rush
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PORTLAND, Ore. – Watching a
countdown of the auction’s final min-
utes on Monday, Erin Holcomb
couldn’t believe it: the sale price kept
jumping for the rare, gold Nike Air Jor-
dan 3s that were anonymously
dropped in the donation chute of the
Oregon shelter where she works in
Portland.
“In the last five minutes it went up
and up, and every time we saw that
number increase, there were tears and
people clapping,” Holcomb, director of
staff ministries at the Portland Rescue
Mission, told The Associated Press.
The sneakers, one of just a few cus-
tom pairs that had been made for film-
maker Spike Lee, ultimately sold for
$50,800 – more than double the high
end of the predicted sale price. All pro-
ceeds will benefit the Portland Rescue
Mission, which has served people
struggling with homelessness, hunger
and addiction since 1949.
Some two dozen people, mostly
staff, gathered Monday morning to
watch the auction live on a big screen
TV in one of the shelter’s conference
rooms, Holcomb said.
Among them was James Free, a for-
merly homeless man who found the
shoes while sorting through donations
and brought them to the attention of
the staff. Free has lived at the mission
for the past few months as part of its
long-term shelter program, Holcomb
said.
“I’m just so happy to be a part of
Spike Lee accepts the award for best
adapted screenplay for
“BlacKkKlansman” at the Oscars in
2019 at the Dolby Theatre in Los
Angeles. A pair of rare Nike sneakers
similar to those worn by Lee at the
Academy Awards were donated to a
homeless shelter in Portland, Ore.
CHRIS PIZZELLO/INVISION/AP FILE
this,” Free said in a news release
shared by the shelter after the auction
closed. “I love this place, and I’m so
glad to see this story shared.”
The sneakers were on auction at
Sotheby’s. They were auctioned along
with a replacement box and other Nike
merchandise donated by Tinker Hat-
field, who custom designed the sneak-
ers for Lee in 2019.
Lee wore his pair to the Academy
Awards that year when he accepted an
Oscar for his “BlacKkKlansman”
screenplay. The donated sneakers
weren’t Lee’s personal pair, but were
among a few made for him to give out
to his inner circle, the Portland Rescue
Mission said.
in Ecuador contained lead
Tainted fruit pouches linked
to dozens of illnesses in US
Jonel Aleccia
ASSOCIATED PRESS
U.S. food inspectors found “extreme-
ly high” levels of lead in cinnamon at a
plant in Ecuador that made applesauce
pouches tainted with the metal, the
Food and Drug Administration said
Monday. The recalled pouches have
been linked to dozens of illnesses in U.S.
kids.
Cinnamon tested from the plant had
lead levels more than 2,000 times high-
er than a maximum level proposed by
the FDA, officials said.
The samples came from ground or
powdered cinnamon from Negasmart,
an Ecuadorian company that supplied
the spice to Austrofoods, which made
the pouches. The applesauce pouches
were sold under three brands – Wana-
Bana, Schnucks and Weis. Officials with
Austrofoods did not respond to requests
for comment about the investigation.
FDA said lead has not been detected
in WanaBana products made without
cinnamon and sold in the U.S.
The agency continues to investigate
how the cinnamon was contaminated.
Jim Jones, who heads the agency’s hu-
man foods program, said in an interview
with Politico last week that the lead
contamination appeared to be “an in-
tentional act.”
One theory is that the cinnamon may
have been contaminated for economic
reasons, agency officials said. That
could mean an ingredient is added or
subtracted from a food to to boost its
value. For example, compounds like red
brick, red lead salt, lead oxide and lead
chromate, which mirror cinnamon’s red
color, have been added to increase the
value of the spice, research shows.
High blood lead readings
FDA officials said they “cannot take
direct action” with Negasmart and are
relying on officials in Ecuador for the in-
vestigation into the company’s actions.
Negasmart does not ship product di-
rectly to the U.S. and of Negasmart’s
customers, only Austrofoods shipped
foods to the U.S., the agency said.
At least 125 children from 22 states
may have been sickened by lead poison-
ing since late October, the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention said.
Using a different reporting method, the
Food and Drug Administration counts at
least 65 kids ages 6 and younger sick-
ened in 27 states as of Dec. 8.
Tests show children who ate the
pouches had blood lead readings up to
eight times higher than the reference
level that sparks concern, health offi-
cials said. Samples of the puree showed
lead contamination more than 200
times higher than the FDA allows, offi-
cials said.
4NN | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2023 | NATION & WORLD EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK
Heavy rain swamps Northeastern US
Maine experiences
widespread wind damage
Patrick Whittle and Lisa Rathke
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PORTLAND, Maine – A storm bar-
reled into the Northeastern U.S. on
Monday, flooding roads and downing
trees, knocking out power to hundreds
of thousands, forcing flight cancella-
tions and school closures, and killing at
least four people.
More than 5 inches of rain fell in parts
of New Jersey and northeastern Penn-
sylvania by mid-morning, and parts of
several other states got more than 4
inches, according to the National
Weather Service. Wind gusts reached
nearly 70 mph along the southern New
England shoreline.
Power was knocked out for hundreds
of thousands of customers in an area
stretching north from Virginia through
New England, including nearly 423,000
in Maine and about 200,000 in Massa-
chusetts as of Monday night, according
to poweroutage.us.
The weather service issued flood and
flash-flood warnings for New York City
and the surrounding area, parts of
Pennsylvania, upstate New York, west-
ern Connecticut, western Massachu-
setts and parts of Vermont, New Hamp-
shire and Maine.
An 89-year-old Hingham, Massachu-
setts, man was killed early Monday
when high winds caused a tree to fall on
a trailer, authorities said. In Windham,
Maine, police said part of a tree fell and
killed a man who was removing debris
from his roof.
In Catskill, New York, a driver was
killed after the vehicle went around a
barricade on a flooded road and was
swept into the Catskill Creek, the Times
Union reported. A man was pronounced
dead in Lancaster County, Pennsylva-
nia, after he was found in a submerged
vehicle Monday morning.
On Sunday in South Carolina, one
person died when their vehicle flooded
on a road in a gated community in
Mount Pleasant.
Five months after flooding inundated
Vermont’s capital city of Montpelier,
water entered the basements of some
downtown businesses as the city mon-
Quake hits China, killing at least 111 people
Houses, roads damaged;
more than 230 injured
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BEIJING – At least 111 people were
killed in a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in
a cold and mountainous region in north-
western China, the country’s state
media reported on Tuesday.
Search and rescue operations were
underway in Gansu province and neigh-
boring Qinghai province. The earth-
quake left more than 230 people in-
jured, damaged houses and roads, and
knocked out power and communication
lines, according to the media reports.
State broadcaster CCTV said that 100
At least 13 dead after explosion in Guinea’s capital
178 injured in disaster
at massive fuel depot
Boubacar Diallo
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CONAKRY, Guinea – An explosion
and inferno at Guinea’s main fuel depot
in the capital of Conakry left at least 13
people dead and 178 injured, authorities
said Monday, as the West African coun-
try was assisted by other nations in
managing the disaster.
The massive explosion sparked the
fire at the Guinean Petroleum Company
depot after midnight Sunday, Guinea’s
presidency said. It caused significant
damage in the heart of the Kaloum ad-
ministrative district, home to most gov-
ernment offices.
At least 89 of the 178 people injured
have been treated and are back home,
the government said in a statement. It
also updated the casualty toll that Guin-
ea’s Civil Protection Service had earlier
said was provisional.
Among the 13 killed were foreigners,
it added.
Authorities said an investigation has
started to reveal what caused the explo-
Ashley Koontz of Jamaica, Vt., takes a photo at Ball Mountain Brook on Monday.
KRISTOPHER RADDER/THE BRATTLEBORO REFORMER VIA AP
bury when that person’s vehicle was
swept away by floodwaters, said Ver-
mont Public Safety Commissioner Jen-
nifer Morrison at a press conference
with the governor. A shelter was set up
in Barre and Morrison urged people to
stay off the roads Monday night and not
drive through floodwaters as the rivers
are expected to rise.
Some schools canceled classes or
sent students home early due to the
Pedestrians are buffeted by wind and storm. A numbers of roads were also
rain as they cross a street Monday in closed around the state due to flooding,
Boston. STEVEN SENNE/AP including in Londonderry and Ludlow,
the southern Vermont communities
that were hit hard by flooding in July.
itored the level of the Winooski River, “Although there will be damage to in-
officials said. Authorities in the village frastructure, homes and businesses, we
of Moretown, Vermont, urged residents do not expect this to be the same scale
to evacuate some 30 to 50 homes be- as July,” said Gov. Phil Scott.
cause of flooding. Some schools canceled classes or
However, the city announced Mon- sent students home early due to the
day night that the river was receding storm. A numbers of roads were also
and forecasts predict the rain will taper closed around the state due to flooding,
off overnight. including in Londonderry and Ludlow,
“Several businesses needed to pump the southern Vermont community that
water from basements but damage was were hit hard by flooding in July.
minimal due to many basements being Windspeeds exceeded 60 mph in
empty as a precaution following the Maine, which was the site of wide-
July flood,” the city’s statement said. spread damage to trees and structures,
Three people were rescued from a representatives for Maine’s largest util-
home in Jamaica and another in Water- ity said. Central Maine Power said it an-
Earthquakes are somewhat common in the mountainous
area of western China that rises up to form the eastern
edge of the Tibetan plateau.
people died in the province of Gansu Qinghai and 96 in Gansu, according to
and 11 in the neighboring province of CCTV and the official Xinhua News
Qinghai in the quake, which struck at a Agency.
depth of 6 miles just before midnight on The U.S. Geological Survey put the
Monday. quake’s magnitude at 5.9.
The quake struck in Gansu’s Jishish- State broadcaster CCTV reported
an county, about 3 miles from the pro- that there was damage to water and
vincial boundary with Qinghai. The epi- electricity lines, as well as transporta-
center was about 800 miles southwest tion and communications infrastruc-
of Beijing, the Chinese capital. ture.
At least 140 people were injured in The earthquake was felt in Lanzhou,
There are now fears of a major supply disruption as the country relies on
imported refined petroleum products.
STRINGER/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
sion at the depot that supplies most of Officials were “identifying vital fuel-
the fuel in Guinea. The depot had been related needs to prevent possible dis-
in the process of being relocated to a re- ruptions in supplies from the capital to
mote site in a bid to avoid such a disas- other parts of the country,” the govern-
ter. ment said in the statement.
There are now fears of a major supply A worker at the depot was quoted by
disruption as the country relies on im- the Conakry-based Guinee Matin news
ported refined petroleum products. website as saying the explosion oc-
ticipated a “multi-day restoration ef-
fort” and crews Monday evening re-
mained unable to safely use bucket
trucks or to start making repairs.
Heavy rain and high tides caused
flooding along the Jersey Shore, leading
authorities to block off roads near Bar-
negat Bay in Bay Head and Mantolok-
ing. The Delaware River spilled over its
banks in suburban Philadelphia, lead-
ing to road closures. In the suburb of
Washington Crossing, crews placed
barriers along roadways and worked to
clear fallen tree limbs. Seven people
died after flash flooding in that area over
the summer.
Many flights were canceled or de-
layed across the region. Boston’s Logan
International Airport grounded all
flights Monday morning because of the
poor conditions, leading to more than
100 canceled flights and about 375 de-
lays, according to the flight-tracking
service FlightAware. At New York City
area airports, nearly 80 flights were
canceled and more than 90 were de-
layed.
In Rhode Island, the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers closed parts of Provi-
dence’s hurricane barrier system to pre-
vent flooding from storm surge, Mayor
Brett Smiley said. The Providence River
gates were closed in the morning and
another gate was scheduled to close.
City Hall in Pawtucket, Rhode Island,
was closed due to leaks and water dam-
age from its landmark tower, the city
posted online.
In New York City, high winds caused
the temporary closure of the Verrazzano
Bridge. It reopened later Monday morn-
ing, but with a ban on large vehicles.
The storm moved up the East Coast
on Saturday and Sunday, breaking rain-
fall records and requiring water rescues.
It brought unseasonably warm temper-
atures of more than 60 degrees to the
Northeast on Monday.
In South Carolina on Sunday, the tide
in Charleston Harbor reached 9.86 feet
just before noon, which was the fourth-
highest reading ever.
“This was a tough and frustrating day
for our citizens, as historic high tides
came up and over the land in the city,
flooding cars, homes, businesses and
streets,” Charleston Mayor John Teck-
lenburg said, adding there were no re-
ports of serious injuries.
the Gansu provincial capital, about 60
miles northeast of the epicenter.
University students in Lanzhou
rushed out of their dorms, according to a
social media post that had images
showing young people standing out-
side.
Tents, folding beds and quilts were
being sent to the disaster area, CCTV
said. It quoted Chinese leader Xi Jinping
as calling for an all-out search and res-
cue effort to minimize the casualties.
The overnight low in the area was 5 to 16
degrees Fahrenheit, the China Meteoro-
logical Administration said.
Earthquakes are somewhat common
in the mountainous area of western Chi-
na that rises up to form the eastern edge
of the Tibetan plateau.
curred while a ship was offloading. “I
lost several of my friends in this fire.
Some like me are guards, others are
technicians. … All offices are destroyed
as well as all equipment,” said the work-
er identified as Ahmed Condé.
Security Minister Bachir Diallo said
on state television the fire had been con-
tained and some countries including
Senegal and Mali were sending medical
and safety teams.
The fire razed several offices and
buildings. Many residents fled their
homes as thick smoke spread.
“I was sleeping when I heard a whis-
tle, then a deafening explosion,” said
resident Mounatou Baldé.
Authorities shut down schools and
public places in the capital. Access to
the district was shut except for essential
services.
The presidency asked people to stay
at home.
Col. Mamadi Doumbouya, who was
sworn in as interim president following
a coup in 2021, said the state is taking
full care of those injured.
“I call on the people of Guinea to
show solidarity and prayer for the na-
tion in these moments of hard trial,”
Doumbouya added.

Meadows can’t move charges
to federal court, judges rule
Appeals panel rejects
request from former
Trump chief of staff
Kate Brumback
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA – A federal appeals court
on Monday ruled that former Trump
White House chief of staff Mark Mead-
ows cannot move charges related to ef-
forts to overturn the 2020 election in
Georgia to federal court.
Meadows was indicted in August
along with former President Donald
Trump and 17 others on charges that
they illegally conspired to keep the Re-
publican incumbent in power despite
him losing the election to Democrat Joe
Biden.
A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Mead-
ows’ request, affirming a lower court
ruling from September. The ruling is a
win for Fulton County District Attorney
Fani Willis, who brought the case and is
seeking to try the remaining defendants
in a single trial.
Meadows’ attorneys had argued that
he should be allowed to move the case to
federal court because his actions out-
lined in the indictment were directly re-
lated to his duties as a federal official.
Prosecutors argued that Meadows
failed to show any connection between
his actions and his official duties and
that the law allowing federal officials to
move a case to federal court doesn’t ap-
ply to those who have left office.
Circuit Chief Judge William Pryor
wrote in Monday’s ruling that the law
“does not apply to former federal offi-
cers, and even if it did, the events giving
rise to this criminal action were not re-
Election workers seek court order
barring Giuliani from repeating lies
Attorneys for women say
it’s clear he intends to
continue defaming them
Lindsay Whitehurst
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON – Two former Georgia
election workers who won a $148 million
defamation judgment against Rudy
Giuliani asked Monday for a court order
barring him from continuing to repeat
the lies he spread about them following
the 2020 election.
The new lawsuit points to comments
the former New York City mayor made
during and after the damages trial last
week, repeating the baseless conspira-
cy theories about Ruby Freeman and
Wandrea “Shaye” Moss.
Those statements “make clear that
he intends to persist in his campaign of
targeted defamation and harassment. It
must stop,” attorneys for the mother and
daughter wrote in court documents.
Officials: 2022 vote not tainted by foreign interference
Eric Tucker
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON – Foreign hackers did
not change vote totals or otherwise
compromise the integrity of federal
elections last year in the United States,
according to a declassified U.S. govern-
ment report made public Monday.
The report does identify multiple in-
stances in which hackers linked to Iran,
China and Russia connected to election
infrastructure, scanned state govern-
ment websites and copied voter infor-
mation. But it says there is no evidence
that any of the cyber activity had any
impact on the election or on the vote to-
tals.
“We have no evidence that any de-
tected activity prevented voting,
changed votes, or disrupted the ability
to tally votes or to transmit election re-
sults in a timely manner; altered any
technical aspect of the voting process;
or otherwise compromised the integrity
of voter registration information or any
ballots cast during 2022 federal elec-
tions,” the report says.
The report, a joint document pre-
pared by the Justice Department and
the Department of Homeland Security,
NATION & WORLD EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2023 | 5NN
Mark Meadows’ attorneys had argued that he should be allowed to move the
case to federal court because his actions outlined in the indictment were directly
related to his duties as a federal official. ALEX BRANDON/AP FILE
lated to Meadows’s official duties.”
Meadows was one of five defendants
seeking to move his case to federal
court. The other four were also rejected
by the lower court and have appeals
pending before the 11th Circuit.
Moving Meadows’ charges to federal
court would have meant drawing from a
jury pool that includes a broader area
than just overwhelmingly Democratic
Fulton County. It would have also meant
an unphotographed and televised trail,
Rudy Giuliani has previously
acknowledged in court documents
that he made public comments falsely
claiming Ruby Freeman and Wandrea
“Shaye” Moss committed ballot fraud.
JOSE LUIS MAGANA/AP
A spokesman for Giuliani did not im-
mediately return a message seeking
comment.
Giuliani has previously acknowl-
edged in court documents that he made
public comments falsely claiming Free-
man and Moss committed ballot fraud
A voter submits a ballot at an early
voting location in Alexandria, Va., on
Sept. 26, 2022. ANDREW HARNIK/AP FILE
represents a declassified overview of
the U.S. government’s assessment of
election security last year. It evaluated
the impact of foreign government activ-
ity on election infrastructure but did not
examine efforts by foreign governments
to shape public perception or sway vot-
ers’ opinions.
That topic has been central to Amer-
ican discourse in the last several elec-
tions, particularly after Russian opera-
tives in 2016 hacked Democratic emails
and facilitated their public release in
what U.S. officials have said was an ef-
as cameras are not allowed inside. But it
would not have opened the door for
Trump, if he’s reelected in 2024, or an-
other president to pardon anyone be-
cause any convictions would still hap-
pen under state law.
Four people have already pleaded
guilty in the Georgia election case after
reaching deals with prosecutors. The re-
maining 15, including Trump, Meadows
and former New York Mayor Rudy Giu-
liani, have pleaded not guilty.
as he fought to keep fellow Republican
Donald Trump in the White House after
Democrat Joe Biden won the 2020
presidential election.
Those claims led to racist threats and
intense harassment that forced the
mother and daughter to flee their homes
and fear for their lives, they said in emo-
tional testimony last week. The trial was
held to determine the amount of dam-
ages after a judge found he was liable for
defaming them.
Giuliani has vowed to appeal the ver-
dict, and it is not clear whether he would
be able to pay the staggering damages.
He’s shown signs of financial strain as
he defends himself against costly law-
suits and investigations stemming from
his representation of former president
Donald Trump.
He is also among 19 people charged in
Georgia in the case accusing Trump and
his Republican allies of working to sub-
vert the state’s 2020 election results.
Giuliani has pleaded not guilty in that
case and has characterized the charges
as politically motivated.
fort to benefit Republican candidate
Donald Trump over his Democratic op-
ponent Hillary Clinton.
Four years later, multiple Trump ad-
ministration officials repudiated
Trump’s oft-stated claims of voter fraud
and other problems in the 2020 elec-
tion, with a broad coalition of top gov-
ernment officials and industry officials
pronouncing that contest “the most se-
cure in American history.”
The new report says that, since then,
election officials, third-party vendors
and political organizations have all tak-
en steps to reduce the potential for a
damaging cyber intrusion, and federal
and state officials have improved their
collaboration with the private sector.
Despite those improvements and the
absence of disruptions in tallying vote
totals, the report does single out several
episodes that caught the attention of of-
ficials, including suspected Chinese
government hackers who scanned
“election-related and non-election state
government websites” or collected pub-
licly available U.S. voter information, as
well as pro-Russian “hacktivists” who
claimed to have conducted a cyberat-
tack that temporarily affected access to
a U.S. state election office website.
IN BRIEF
Biden’s push for more aid
to Ukraine stalls in Senate
WASHINGTON – President Joe Bi-
den’s push to have Congress replen-
ish wartime aid for Ukraine as part of
a deal on border and immigration
policy changes will almost certainly
drag into next year.
The Senate, which had postponed
its holiday recess, returned to Wash-
ington on Monday after negotiators
worked through the weekend on the
border legislation, trying to reach an
agreement that could unlock the Re-
publican votes for Biden’s $110 billion
package of aid for Ukraine, Israel and
other security priorities.
But senators said they still had
plenty of work ahead, and it re-
mained uncertain how many more
days the Senate will remain in ses-
sion this week. Barely half of the sen-
ators returned for a Monday evening
vote.
The delay heaps more uncertainty
on the future of the Biden admini-
stration’s priority of providing sup-
port against Russia’s invasion. It also
puts a potential pause on politically
fraught negotiations over immigra-
tion and border security policy,
though Senate negotiators planned
to continue working on the package.
Judge criticizes Trump’s expert
witness, refuses to toss lawsuit
NEW YORK – Former President
Donald Trump has lost his latest bid
to end the business fraud lawsuit he
faces in New York as he campaigns to
reclaim the White House.
Judge Arthur Engoron issued a
written ruling Monday denying the
Republican’s latest request for a ver-
dict in his favor in a lawsuit brought
by New York Attorney General Letitia
James.
And in doing so, the judge dis-
missed the credibility of one of
Trump’s expert witnesses at the trial,
a professor who testified that he saw
no fraud in the former president’s fi-
nancial statements.
The trial is centered on allegations
Trump and other company officials
exaggerated his wealth and inflated
the value of his assets to secure loans
and close business deals.
In the three-page ruling, Engoron
wrote that the “most glaring” flaw of
Trump’s argument was to assume
that the testimony provided by Eli
Bartov, an accounting professor at
New York University, and other ex-
pert witnesses would be accepted by
the court as “true and accurate.”
Trade group representing
TikTok, Meta and X sues Utah
A trade group that represents Tik-
Tok and other major tech companies
sued Utah on Monday over its first-
in-the-nation laws requiring children
and teens to obtain parental consent
to use social media apps.
Two laws signed in March by Re-
publican Gov. Spencer Cox will pro-
hibit minors from using social media
between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and
6:30 a.m. unless authorized by a par-
ent – and require age verification to
open and maintain a social media ac-
count in the state.
The restrictions are designed to
protect children from targeted adver-
tisements and addictive features
that could negatively impact their
mental health. Both laws take effect
March 1, 2024.
The NetChoice trade group argues
in its federal lawsuit that although
Utah’s regulations are well-inten-
tioned, they are unconstitutional be-
cause they restrict access to public
content, compromise data security
and undermine parental rights.
Iceland volcano erupts weeks
after thousands were evacuated
A volcanic eruption started Mon-
day night on Iceland’s Reykjanes
Peninsula, turning the sky orange
and prompting the country’s civil de-
fense to be on high alert.
The eruption appears to have oc-
curred about 2.4 miles from the town
of Grindavik, the Icelandic Meteoro-
logical Office said. Grainy webcam
video showed the moment of the
eruption as a flash of light illuminat-
ing the sky at 10:17 p.m. local time. As
the eruption spread, magma, or
semi-molten rock, could be seen
spewing along the ridge of a hill.
In November, police evacuated the
town of Grindavik after strong seis-
mic activity in the area damaged
homes and raised fears of an immi-
nent eruption.
Iceland sits above a volcanic hot
spot in the North Atlantic and aver-
ages an eruption every four to five
years.
From wire reports
6NN | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2023 | NATION & WORLD EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK
YouTube mom pleads
guilty in child abuse case
Franke family’s parenting
advice faced criticism
Amy Beth Hanson
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A Utah mother of six who gave par-
enting advice on YouTube pleaded
guilty Monday to child abuse charges
and will go to prison for trying to con-
vince her two youngest children they
were evil, possessed and needed to be
punished to repent.
Ruby Franke stood shackled in gray
and white jail clothing as she closed her
eyes and took a deep breath before
pleading guilty to each of her first three
charges. On the fourth, she fought back
some emotion before saying: “With my
deepest regret and sorrow for my family
and my children, guilty.”
Judge John J. Walton scheduled sen-
tencing for Feb. 20 after accepting the
plea agreement, which described new
details of the abuse the children en-
dured, including the claims that they
were possessed. Under the plea agree-
ment, Franke agreed to serve a prison
term and the sentences will run consec-
utively. Sentencing would be up to the
judge.
Franke pleaded not guilty to two oth-
er counts, court records said, and was
returned to custody after the hearing.
Under Utah law, second-degree ag-
gravated child abuse can be charged if
that person knowingly or intentionally
inflicts serious physical injury to a child
or causes or permits another to inflict
serious physical injury to their child.
Each charge carries a sentence of one to
15 years in prison.
Winward Law said in a statement Fri-
day that the abuse occurred while
Franke was influenced by a relationship
counselor who led her to “a distorted
sense of morality.”
“Ruby Franke is a devoted mother
and is also a woman committed to con-
stant improvement,” Winward Law said
in a statement. Franke initially believed
that her co-defendant Jodi Hildebrandt
“had the insight to offer a path to contin-
ual improvement,” but said that Hilde-
brandt “took advantage of this quest
and twisted it into something heinous.”
In the plea agreement, Franke admits
that she tortured her son from May 22
through Aug. 30 by forcing him into
Texas
Continued from Page 1NN
He did not offer evidence for that esti-
mate.
“The consequences of it are so ex-
treme that the people being smuggled
by the cartels, they will not want to be
coming into the state of Texas,” he said.
The law adds another tension point
over immigration amid a struggle be-
tween the White House and Senate ne-
gotiators to reach a deal on border secu-
rity. Republicans in Congress are de-
manding changes to the immigration
system in exchange for any help for Uk-
raine, Israel and other national security
needs.
Texas Republicans have increasingly
challenged the U.S. government’s au-
thority over immigration, saying Presi-
dent Joe Biden’s administration isn’t
doing enough to control the 1,950-mile
southern border.
Texas has bused more than 65,000
migrants to cities across America since
August 2022 and recently installed ra-
zor wire along the banks of the Rio
Grande, which has snagged and injured
some asylum-seekers.
The U.S. government on Monday
temporarily shut down two railroad bor-
der crossings in Texas, a move that rail
operators said would hamper trade
ahead of Christmas. Troy Miller, U.S.
Customs and Border Protection’s acting
commissioner, said the closures at Ea-
gle Pass and El Paso were a response to
more migrants traveling on freight
trains, particularly over the last week.
Miller said authorities are seeing
“unprecedented” arrivals at the border,
topping 10,000 crossings on some days
this month.
Shortly after Abbott signed the new
law, the American Civil Liberties Union
of Texas said it would challenge the
measure in court. More than 20 con-
gressional Democrats also signed a let-
ter urging the U.S. Justice Department
to sue to stop the law, known as Senate
Bill 4.
“SB 4 is dangerous for the people of
Texas and interferes with the federal
government’s exclusive authority over
Utah mother Ruby Franke has pleaded
guilty to four counts of aggravated
child abuse for abusing and starving
two of her children.
RON CHAFFIN/ST. GEORGE NEWS VIA AP POOL
hours of physical tasks, summer work
outdoors without adequate water and
“repeated and serious sunburns” that
blistered. He was denied food or given
very plain meals, and he was isolated
from other people without access to
books, notebooks or electronics.
After he tried to run away in July, his
hands and feet were regularly bound,
sometimes with handcuffs.
At times, ropes were used to tie to-
gether handcuffs that secured his hands
and feet as he lay on his stomach, lifting
his arms and legs off the ground and in-
juring his wrists and ankles, the plea
agreement said.
Franke also admitted to kicking her
son while wearing boots, holding his
head under water and smothering his
mouth and nose with her hands, accord-
ing to the plea agreement.
“He was also told that everything
that was being done to him were acts of
love,” the agreement states.
Franke acknowledged similarly
abusing her 9-year-old daughter by
forcing her to work outside, run on dirt
roads barefoot, and go without food and
water.
“She was also repeatedly told she was
evil and possessed, the punishments
were necessary for her to be obedient
and repent, and these things were being
done to her in order to help her,” the plea
agreement said. The girl “was con-
vinced” what her mother said was true,
the agreement said.
Franke and Hildebrandt were arrest-
ed on Aug. 30 after Franke’s 12-year-old
son escaped from Hildebrandt’s house
in the southern Utah city of Ivins and
asked a neighbor to call police, accord-
Migrants, many wearing mylar blankets supplied by the U.S. Border Patrol, try
to stay warm after spending the night outside a processing center near the
Mexican border on Monday in Eagle Pass, Texas.
Under the Texas law, migrants ordered
to leave would be sent to ports of
entry along the border with Mexico,
even if they are not Mexican citizens.
PHOTOS BY JOHN MOORE/GETTY IMAGES
immigration and foreign affairs,” the let-
ter read.
Mexico’s government also has re-
buked the measure. Under bilateral and
international agreements, Mexico is re-
quired to accept deportations of its own
citizens, but not those of other coun-
tries. Under the Texas law, migrants or-
dered to leave would be sent to ports of
entry along the border with Mexico,
even if they are not Mexican citizens. In
September and October, Venezuelans
were the largest nationality arrested for
illegally crossing the U.S. border.
ing to the 911 call released by the St.
George Police Department.
The boy and Franke’s daughter, who
was also found at Hildebrandt’s house,
were taken to the hospital. Eventually,
Franke’s four youngest children were
taken into state custody.
Franke and Hildebrandt were each
charged with six felony counts of ag-
gravated child abuse. They have re-
mained jailed since their arrests.
During Franke’s incarceration, “she
has actively engaged in an introspec-
tion that has allowed her to reset her
moral compass and understand the
full weight of her actions. Ms. Franke is
committed to taking responsibility for
the part she played in the events lead-
ing up to her incarceration,” the state-
ment said.
The boy told investigators that “Jo-
di” put the ropes on his ankles and
wrists and that they used cayenne
pepper and honey to dress the wounds
caused by the ropes, according to a
search warrant.
Hildebrandt has agreed not to see
patients until the allegations are ad-
dressed by state licensing officials. Her
next court hearing is set for Dec. 27, ac-
cording to court records. Her attorney,
Douglas Terry, did not immediately re-
turn a phone call seeking comment on
the allegations made against Hilde-
brandt in the statement by Franke’s at-
torney.
The Franke family was criticized
online for its “8 Passengers” video blog
showing parenting decisions includ-
ing banning their oldest son from his
bedroom for seven months for prank-
ing his younger brother. In other
videos, Ruby Franke talked about re-
fusing to take lunch to a kindergarten-
er who forgot it at home and threaten-
ing to cut the head off a young girl’s
stuffed toy to punish her for cutting
things in the house.
In one video, Franke said she and
her husband told their two youngest
children that they would not be getting
presents from Santa Claus one year
because they had been selfish and
weren’t responding to punishment like
being kept home from school and
cleaning the floorboards.
The YouTube channel, which start-
ed in 2015, ended after seven years.
Franke’s husband, Kevin Franke,
has filed for divorce.
During debate in the Texas House in
November, GOP state Rep. David Spill-
er pushed back against concerns that
the law would be used as a dragnet to
arrest immigrants statewide. He said
enforcement would mostly take place
in border counties. But he also re-
buffed several efforts by Democrats to
narrow the law, including a proposed
carve-out for police on college cam-
puses.
Because the illegal entry charge is a
misdemeanor, which has a statue of
limitation of two years, Spiller has said
the law will not be used to target im-
migrants who have long been settled in
the U.S.
“This is not, ‘Round up everyone
who is here illegally and ship them
back to Mexico,’” he said during debate
over the bill.
Opponents have accused Texas Re-
publicans of using the law as a vehicle
to force the Supreme Court’s new con-
servative majority to revisit its land-
mark 2012 Arizona decision. At the
time, Justice Anthony Kennedy said
Arizona may have “understandable
frustrations” with immigrants who are
in the country illegally but that it can’t
pursue policies that “undermine fed-
eral law.”
Jonathan Majors leaves a courtroom
in New York on Monday after he was
convicted on misdemeanor assault
and harassment charges.
SETH WENIG/AP
Majors
Continued from Page 1NN
The swift move by Disney marked
a stunning about-face for an actor
who had been one of Hollywood’s
fastest-rising stars. A Manhattan jury
on Monday found the 34-year-old
Majors guilty of one misdemeanor as-
sault charge and one harassment vio-
lation for a March altercation with his
then-girlfriend Grace Jabbari.
Majors, who was acquitted of a dif-
ferent assault charge and of aggravat-
ed harassment, will be sentenced on
Feb. 6. He declined to comment as he
left the courthouse. Majors’ attorney,
Priya Chaudhry, said in a statement
that “it is clear that the jury did not
believe Grace Jabbari’s story of what
happened in the SUV because they
found that Mr. Majors did not inten-
tionally cause any injuries to her.”
“Mr. Majors still has faith in the
process and looks forward to fully
clearing his name,” said Chaudhry.
As the superhero studio prepared
phase five of the Marvel Cinematic
Universe, it cast the highly acclaimed
Majors as the antagonist Kang the
Conqueror. The character was to span
several films and series as the Marvel
Cinematic Universe’s next-phase an-
swer to Thanos, the villain of “Aveng-
ers: Endgame.”
Majors had already appeared in
“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantuma-
nia” and the first two seasons of “Lo-
ki.” He was to star in “Avengers: The
Kang Dynasty,” dated for release in
May 2026.
The future of “The Kang Dynasty”
is now unclear. Disney declined to
comment on whether it will recast the
role of Kang or pivot in a new direc-
tion.
The studio has been preparing for
the possibility of Majors’ exit from the
franchise. But Marvel was limited in
its ability to fashion rewrites due to
the screenwriters strike that ran from
May to late September. The studio re-
cently hired screenwriter Michael
Waldron to rework “The Kang Dynas-
ty.”
For Marvel, Majors’ departure adds
to a series of recent setbacks. Though
its box-office success – nearly $30 bil-
lion worldwide from 33 films – is un-
surpassed in movie history, the
superhero factory has recently seen
some atypical struggles. “The Mar-
vels,” released in November, has been
the MCU’s worst performer in thea-
ters, with $204 million in worldwide
ticket sales.
Majors also recently starred as a
troubled amateur bodybuilder in
“Magazine Dreams,” which made an
acclaimed debut at the Sundance
Film Festival in January and was ac-
quired by the Disney-owned indie
distributor Searchlight Pictures. Fol-
lowing its premiere, an Oscar nomi-
nation for Majors was widely predic-
ted.
“Magazine Dreams” had been dat-
ed to open in theaters in Dec. 8. But
ahead of Majors’ trial, Searchlight re-
moved the film from its release calen-
dar. Instead, on Dec. 8 text messages
from Majors were read in the fifth day
of the trial. In one, Majors begged Jab-
bari not to seek medical attention for
a head injury sustained in 2022,
warning she had “no perspective of
what could happen” if the truth got
out.
In late February as “Creed III,” star-
ring Majors alongside Michael B. Jor-
dan, was being released, Majors
spoke in an interview with The Asso-
ciated Press in the neighborhood of
Chelsea, just a few blocks away from
where his fight with Jabbari would
weeks later spill out onto New York
streets.
Majors then sounded acutely
aware that his rapid new fame carried
the risk of a downfall.
“Though I’ve not seen the boogey-
man, I know it’s out there,” Majors
said. “And I’ve been around to know
it’s comin’. I won’t go down my rabbit
hole of death, but it’s comin’. But you
outrun it. You just stay out of the
frame. I’ll stay out of the frame.”

Biden administration: EPA enforcement on upswing
Matthew Daly and Michael Phillis
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON – The Environmental
Protection Agency conducted more on-
site inspections of polluting industrial
sites this year than any time since the
start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the
agency said Monday as it seeks to rein-
vigorate its enforcement program after
more than a decade of budget cuts.
EPA opened nearly 200 criminal in-
vestigations this year, a 70% increase
over 2022, the agency said in a report. It
completed nearly 1,800 civil settle-
ments, a 9% increase over 2022. More
than half the inspections and settle-
ments involved poor and disadvantaged
communities long scarred by pollution,
the agency said, reflecting the Biden ad-
ministration’s emphasis on environ-
mental justice issues.
But some parts of EPA’s enforcement
efforts still lag. In 2023, for example, it
charged 102 defendants criminally. The
Trump administration charged more ev-
ery year, although most years only mar-
ginally. Nearly 200 defendants were
charged in the latter years of the Obama
administration. There is, however, an
uptick in the number of criminal cases
they’ve opened recently.
EPA said its enforcement and com-
pliance work have resulted in the reduc-
tion, treatment, elimination or minimi-
zation of 1.84 billion pounds of pollut-
ants, and required violators to pay over
$704 million in penalties, fines, and res-
titution. The dollar amount is a 57% in-
crease over 2022.
This comes even as the EPA’s en-
forcement staff remains far below its
peak of more than a decade ago, even as
officials move to add about 300 posi-
tions. The increase in staffing comes af-
ter EPA eliminated approximately 950
enforcement positions following budget
cuts imposed since 2011.
The 2011 budget and debt deal, which
included automatic spending cuts, “hit
all agencies hard, but hit EPA especially
hard,’’ said David Uhlmann, EPA’s assis-
tant administrator for enforcement. En-
forcement efforts were further ham-
pered by an inability to complete many
on-site inspections during the pandem-
ic, which began nearly four years ago,
and a series of actions by former Presi-
dent Donald Trump to roll back environ-
The USS Carney is an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer that has
already shot down multiple rockets the Houthis have fired toward Israel so far
during the war. PETTY OFFICER 3RD CLASS BILL DODGE/U.S. NAVY VIA AP
New mission will counter
attacks on vessels in Red Sea
Tara Copp and Lolita C. Baldor
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MANAMA, Bahrain – The U.S. and a
host of other nations are creating a new
force to protect ships transiting the Red
Sea that have come under attack by
drones and ballistic missiles fired from
Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, De-
fense Secretary Lloyd Austin an-
nounced early Tuesday in Bahrain.
The seriousness of the attacks, sev-
eral of which have damaged the vessels,
has led multiple shipping companies to
order their ships to hold in place and not
enter the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until the
security situation can be addressed.
“This is an international challenge
that demands collective action,” De-
fense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in
statement released just after midnight
in Bahrain. “Therefore today I am an-
nouncing the establishment of Opera-
tion Prosperity Guardian, an important
new multinational security initiative.”
The United Kingdom, Bahrain, Cana-
da, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway,
Seychelles and Spain will join the U.S. in
the new mission, Austin announced.
Some of the countries will conduct joint
patrols while others will provide intelli-
gence support in the southern Red Sea
and the Gulf of Aden.
Several other countries have also
agreed to be involved in the operation
but prefer not to be publicly named, a
defense official said on the condition of
anonymity to discuss additional details
of the new mission that have not been
NATION & WORLD EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2023 | 7NN
The Fifth Ward Elementary School and residential neighborhoods sit near the Denka Performance Elastomer Plant, seen in
the background, in Reserve, La. GERALD HERBERT/AP FILE
mental regulations.
“While our work is not complete,
EPA’s revitalized enforcement program
is making a positive difference in com-
munities across America, particularly
for people living in underserved and
overburdened communities that for too
long have borne the brunt of pollution,’’
Uhlmann said in a statement.
Uhlmann, who was confirmed as
EPA’s enforcement chief in July after a
two-year delay, said in an interview that
enforcement efforts are “still a struggle”
at the environmental agency.
“We can’t replace a decade of staff
cuts in one year, but I feel good that en-
forcement levels are back up to where
they were prior to the pandemic,’’ he
said.
“EPA has increased enforcement ac-
tivities across the nation,’’ he said. “Pol-
luters who broke the law are being
brought to justice.’’
EPA sued Norfolk Southern railway
over a train derailment in eastern Ohio
that spilled hazardous chemicals and
forced thousands of people to evacuate.
Federal officials want to ensure the
publicly announced.
The mission will be coordinated by
the already existing Combined Task
Force 153, which was set up in April
2022 to improve maritime security in
the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb and the
Gulf of Aden. There have been 39
member nations in CTF 153, but offi-
cials were working to determine which
of them would participate in this latest
effort.
Separately, the United States has
also called on the United Nations Se-
curity Council to take action against
the attacks.
In a letter to council members ob-
tained Monday by The Associated
Press, U.S. Ambassador Linda Thom-
as-Greenfield said Houthi attacks tar-
geting commercial vessels legally
transiting the international waterways
continue to threaten “navigational
rights and freedoms, international
maritime security, and international
commerce.”
The 15 council members discussed
the Houthi threat behind closed doors
Monday but took no immediate action.
Three U.S. warships – the USS Car-
ney and the USS Mason, Navy destroy-
ers – have been moving through the
Bab el-Mandeb Strait daily to help de-
ter and respond to attacks from the
Houthis.
The move to set up the expanded
operation came after three commer-
cial vessels were struck by missiles
fired by Iranian-back Houthis in Ye-
men on Dec. 3.
EPA Administrator Michael Regan,
right, speaks to reporters at the O.B.
Curtis Water Treatment Plant about
longstanding water issues that have
plagued Jackson, Miss.
ROGELIO V. SOLIS/AP FILE
company pays for the cleanup.
The agency also sued Denka Perfor-
mance Elastomer LLC, arguing that its
petrochemical operations in southern
Louisiana posed an unacceptable can-
cer risk to the mostly Black community
nearby. The EPA has demanded that the
company reduce toxic emissions from
Fresh EU sanctions aimed at
Russia’s diamond industry
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BRUSSELS – The European Union
said Monday that it has imposed fresh
sanctions on Russia over its war
against Ukraine, targeting the lucra-
tive diamonds industry, more than 140
officials and organizations, and clos-
ing loopholes that Moscow has used to
bypass previous punitive measures.
It’s the 12th round of sanctions and
restrictions that the EU has slapped on
Russia since President Vladimir Putin
ordered his troops into Ukraine almost
two years ago. The measures have tar-
geted the energy sector, banks, com-
panies and markets, and made over
1,000 Russian officials subject to asset
freezes and travel bans.
EU headquarters said the latest
measures would “deliver a further
blow to Putin’s ability to wage war by
targeting high-value sectors of the
Russian economy and making it more
difficult to circumvent EU sanctions.”
The import, purchase or transfer of
Russian nonindustrial natural and
synthetic diamonds and diamond
jewelry will be banned starting Jan. 1.
The ban applies to diamonds originat-
ing in Russia, exported from Russia
and transiting through Russia, as well
as Russian diamonds processed else-
where.
The EU estimates the diamond sec-
tor to be worth around $4.5 billion
each year to Moscow.
The new round of sanctions also
obliges EU companies to prohibit in
their contracts the export of certain
goods so buyers can’t sell them on to
Russia, particularly “sensitive goods
and technology” that could be used by
the Russian armed forces in Ukraine.
Additional chemicals, lithium bat-
teries, thermostats, certain electric
motors that could be used in the man-
ufacture of drones, and some machine
tools and parts have been put on the
EU’s list of restricted items banned for
export to Russia.
Imports into the EU of some goods
that generate significant revenue for
Russia also were tightened, including
on copper and aluminum wire, foil,
quantities of tubes and pipes above a
certain limit, and restrictions on lique-
fied propane.
its plant that makes synthetic rubber.
The Biden administration also went
to court to try to help the troubled Jack-
son, Mississippi, water system, which
suffered a near-total collapse in 2022
after a heavy rainstorm.
In May, the EPA reached a deal with a
BP subsidiary that required the compa-
ny to reduce harmful pollution from its
refinery in Indiana. The company also
agreed to pay a $40 million penalty un-
der the Clean Air Act.
The agency has set climate change
and environmental justice as top priori-
ties for enforcement, along with danger-
ous chemicals known as PFAS that are
linked to a broad range of health issues,
coal ash contamination, safe drinking
water, prevention of toxic air pollution
and chemical accident prevention, Uhl-
mann said.
Uhlmann, a longtime environmental
law professor at the University of Michi-
gan Law School, declined to give a letter
grade to the agency’s overall efforts. But
given budget constraints and other is-
sues, his staff was “hitting it out of the
park” over the past year, he said.
The import, purchase or transfer of
Russian nonindustrial natural and
synthetic diamonds and diamond
jewelry will be banned starting Jan. 1.
PHOTOS BY VIRGINIA MAYO/AP FILE
The European Union said Monday that
it has imposed fresh sanctions on
Russia over its war against Ukraine,
closing loopholes that Moscow has
used to bypass previous punitive
measures.
The EU also added 29 more “entities”
– often organizations, agencies, compa-
nies or banks – alleged to be supporting
Russia’s military and industrial com-
plex in the war against Ukraine. The en-
tities and people whose assets have
been frozen were not immediately
named.
The sanctions were expected to be
published in the EU’s official journal
shortly, which allows for them to for-
mally enter force.
The 27 EU countries will now consid-
er imposing sanctions against people
who benefit from the seizure of Euro-
pean assets or parts of companies in
Russia. The member states will also
come under tighter control to ensure
they are actively tracing the assets of
people targeted for sanctions.
8NN | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2023 | NATION & WORLD EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK

UN vote on ‘cessation of hostilities’ delayed

Resolution urges action
in Gaza to deliver aid
Edith M. Lederer
ASSOCIATED PRESS

UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. Securi-

ty Council delayed until Tuesday morn-
ing a vote on an Arab-sponsored resolu-
tion calling for a halt to hostilities in Ga-
za to allow for urgently needed aid deliv-
eries to a massive number of civilians as
members intensified negotiations to try
to avoid another veto by the United
States.
The council said Monday’s 5 p.m.
EST vote would not take place, and dip-
lomats said negotiations were taking
place to get the United States, Israel’s
closest ally, to abstain or vote “yes” on
the resolution.
A key issue is how to implement and
sustain a desperately needed aid opera-
tion. Human Rights Watch accused Is-
rael earlier Monday of deliberately
starving Gaza’s population by blocking
the delivery of water, food and fuel, a
method of warfare that it described as a
war crime. The United Nations’ food
agency reported on Dec. 14 that 56% of
Gaza’s households were experiencing
“severe levels of hunger,” up from 38%
two weeks earlier.
The draft on the table Monday morn- Humanitarian aid trucks enter through the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel into the Gaza Strip Monday. The UN’s food
ing called for an “urgent and sustainable agency reported Dec. 14 that 56% of Gaza’s households were experiencing “severe levels of hunger.” PHOTOS BY HATEM ALI/AP
cessation of hostilities” for humanitar-
ian access to deliver aid. But this lan-
guage is expected to be watered down to General Assembly resolutions are not throughout the Gaza Strip.”
a “suspension” of hostilities or some- legally binding, but though they are a It “calls for an urgent and sustainable
thing possibly weaker to satisfy the significant barometer of world opinion. cessation of hostilities to allow safe and
Americans, the diplomats said, speak- The draft resolution that was being unhindered humanitarian access” in
ing on condition of anonymity because considered by the 15 council members Gaza and also “firmly condemns all vio-
discussions have been private. on Monday recognizes that civilians in lations of international humanitarian
The U.S. vetoed a Security Council Gaza don’t have access to sufficient law, including all indiscriminate attacks
resolution on Dec. 8 that was backed by food, water, sanitation, electricity, tele- against civilians and civilian objects, all
almost all council members and dozens communications and medical services violence and hostilities against civil-
of other nations demanding an immedi- “essential for their survival.” Also, it ians, and all acts of terrorism.”
ate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza. would express the council’s “strong A key issue before the U.N. Security The draft also demands the immedi-
The 193-member General Assembly concern for the disproportionate effect Council is how to implement and ate and unconditional release of all Ha-
overwhelmingly approved a similar res- that the conflict is having on the lives sustain the aid operation. mas-held hostages .
olution on Dec. 12 by a vote of 153-10, and well-being of children, women and The draft confirms its “unwavering
with 23 abstentions. other civilians in vulnerable situations.” commitment to the vision of the two-
The importance of a Security Council The draft, obtained by The Associat- umanitarian law and enable “the imme- state solution,” and stresses “the impor-
resolution is that it is legally binding, ed Press, demands the parties to the diate, safe and unhindered delivery of tance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the
but in practice many parties choose to conflict – Hamas and Israel – fulfill their humanitarian assistance at scale direct- West Bank under the Palestinian Au-
ignore the council’s requests for action. obligations under international h ly to the Palestinian civilian population thority.”

Scale-down
Continued from Page 1NN

around 19 women and two children

freed first. Hamas says the women in-
clude soldiers, for whom it is expected
to demand a higher price in terms of
prisoner releases.
Hamas and other militants are still
holding an estimated 129 captives. Ha-
mas has said no more hostages will be
released until the war ends.

Scaling down the war

Austin, who arrived in Israel with

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown,
said he and Israeli officials exchanged
“thoughts on how to transition from
high intensity operations” in Gaza and
how to increase the flow of humanitar-
ian aid.
American officials have called for tar-
geted operations aimed at killing Ha-
mas leaders, destroying tunnels and
rescuing hostages. U.S. President Joe
Biden warned last week that Israel is
losing international support because of
its “indiscriminate bombing.”
Speaking alongside Austin, Israeli
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said only
that “the war will take time.”
Israeli military spokesman Daniel
Hagari said the Israeli chief of staff met The sun sets Monday in Egypt across the border from the southern Gaza Strip near tents housing Palestinians displaced by
with Austin and Brown and presented the conflict. MAHMUD HAMS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
“plans for the continuation of the battle
in the coming stages.”
European countries appear to be los- Israeli strikes Sunday on residential that the U.S. and other nations have cre-
ing patience. “Far too many civilians buildings in the urban Jabaliya refugee ated a new force to protect commercial
have been killed in Gaza,” EU foreign camp in northern Gaza, Munir al- ships passing through the Red Sea from
policy chief Josep Borrell posted on X. Boursh, a senior Health Ministry offi- attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The
Under U.S. pressure, Israel provided cial, told Al Jazeera television. Houthis say their attacks aim to end Is-
more precise evacuation instructions Fierce fighting continued Monday in rael’s offensive in Gaza, and their cam-
earlier this month as troops moved into Jabaliya and the Gaza City districts of paign has prompted a growing list of
the southern city of Khan Younis. Still, Zaytoun and Shijaiyah, where tens of companies to halt operations in the ma-
casualties have continued to mount and thousands of Palestinians remain jor trade route.
Palestinians say nowhere in Gaza is safe trapped, crowded in homes or schools. “This is an international challenge
as Israel carries out strikes in all parts of In Jabaliya, first responders and resi- Soldiers stop for lunch near the Gaza that demands collective action,” Austin
the territory. dents searched the rubble of many col- border on Monday in Re’im, Israel. said in statement.
Israel reopened its main cargo cross- lapsed buildings. “They use their hands ALEXI J. ROSENFELD/GETTY IMAGES Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah have
ing with Gaza to allow more aid in – also and shovels,” said Amal Radwan, who is traded fire along the border nearly every
after a U.S. request. But the amount is staying at a U.N. shelter there. “We need day since the war began. And in the Is-
less than half of prewar imports, even as bulldozers and above all the bombing to ground offensive. It says it has killed raeli-occupied West Bank, over 300 Pal-
needs have soared and fighting hinders stop.” thousands of militants, without provid- estinians have been killed since the
delivery in many areas. Israel blocked More than 19,400 Palestinians have ing evidence. start of the war, including four overnight
entry off all goods into Gaza soon after been killed, according to the Health Israel blames civilian deaths on Ha- during an Israeli military raid in the Fa-
the war started and weeks later began Ministry, which has said that most are mas, saying it uses them as human raa refugee camp, according to the Pal-
allowing a small amount of aid in women and minors and that thousands shields. But the military rarely com- estinian Health Ministry.
through Egypt. more are buried under rubble. The min- ments on individual strikes. This has been the deadliest year for
istry does not differentiate between ci- Palestinians in the West Bank since
More death and destruction vilian and combatant deaths. Regional tensions 2005. Most have been killed during mil-
Israel’s military says 127 of its sol- itary raids, which often ignite gunbat-
At least 110 people were killed in diers have been killed in the Gaza In Bahrain early Tuesday, Austin said tles, or during violent demonstrations.
 SPORTS EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2023 | 1NS

SPORTS EXTRA

SEAHAWKS 20, EAGLES 17

Drew Lock of the Seahawks looks to pass in the second half against the Eagles at Lumen Field in Seattle on Monday night. STEPH CHAMBERS/GETTY IMAGES

LOCKED IN
Late TD pass rallies paused briefly to reflect.
Rare is the chance to have a moment
Seahawks over Eagles like what the Seattle Seahawks’ backup
quarterback experienced on Monday
Tim Booth night.
ASSOCIATED PRESS “I think it was just the over-the-top of
feeling of you don’t get very many mo-
SEATTLE – Amid the flood of emo- ments, you don’t very many opportuni-
tions that continued long after he ties in this league,” Lock said. “And with
walked off the field a winner, Drew Lock every opportunity you get, you need to
be as ready as you can be.”
Lock threw a 29-yard touchdown
pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba with 28 sec-
onds left to cap a 92-yard drive, and the
Seahawks stunned the Philadelphia Ea-
gles 20-17, ending a four-game skid and
getting back into NFC playoff conten-
tion.
Seattle (7-7) rallied behind Lock, who
moved the team the length of the field
for its longest touchdown drive this sea-
son and found the Seahawks’ rookie
first-round pick for the biggest catch of
his young career.
On third-and-10, Smith-Njigba beat
James Bradberry off the line and Lock’s
throw was perfect to cap an unlikely
comeback from an early 10-0 deficit.
See SEAHAWKS, Page 2NS

WESTERN KENTUCKY 38, OLD DOMINION 35 (OT)

Veltkamp throws for 5 TDs,

Western Kentucky wins
Famous Toastery Bowl
Steve Reed
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Western Ken-
tucky redshirt freshman quarterback
Caden Veltkamp decided to enter the
transfer portal earlier this year after be-
ing told by the coaching staff he’d be
converted to tight end if he came back
next season.
The Hilltoppers may want to recon-
sider that plan.
Veltkamp came off the bench to
throw for 383 yards and five touch-
downs, Lucas Carneiro made a winning
29-yard field goal in overtime and West-
ern Kentucky erased a 28-point deficit
to beat Old Dominion 38-35 on Monday
at the Famous Toastery Bowl.
Veltkamp, the Hilltoppers third-
string quarterback this season who had
thrown just six passes in his college ca-
reer, threw a 15-yard touchdown pass on
fourth-and-goal with 19 seconds left in
regulation to push the game into an ex-
tra period.
The Hilltoppers (8-5) blocked a short
field-goal attempt in the extra period –
their second blocked kick of the game –
before Carneiro drilled his.
“I knew I could do it; I knew it was in
me,” Veltkamp said. “But it’s all credit to
these guys around me. I love these guys.
I love this team and I would do anything
for this team.”
As for his future, he said, “they told
me if I come back I’m a tight end. So we
will see if they still want to do that. We’ll
see.”
Western Kentucky’s Dalvin Smith
had nine receptions for 77 yards and
three touchdown catches, two of which
Western Kentucky quarterback Caden Veltkamp (10) runs the ball against Old
See BOWL, Page 6NS Dominion on Monday. JIM DEDMON/USA TODAY SPORTS

SUBSCRIBER-EXCLUSIVE SECTION
2NS | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2023 | SPORTS EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK

NFL

NOTEBOOK

NFL suspends Steelers safety for rest of season

ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK – The NFL suspended

Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae
Kazee without pay for the remainder of
the season for what the league de-
scribed as “repeated violations” of rules
designed to protect player safety.
The ruling, issued by NFL Vice Presi-
dent of Football Operations Jon Runyan
on Monday, means Kazee will miss
Pittsburgh’s final three regular-season
games and any potential playoff games
if the Steelers (7-7) advance to the post-
season.
Kazee was ejected from Pittsburgh’s
30-13 loss to Indianapolis on Saturday
after hitting diving Colts wide receiver
Michael Pittman Jr. in the second quar-
ter. Pittman laid out to try and catch a
pass and Kazee made contact with Pitt-
man’s head. Pittman left the game and
went into the concussion protocol.
Runyan wrote in a letter to Kazee that
illegal contact with Pittman “could have
been avoided.” Runyan pointed to Ka-
zee’s repeated violations of safety rules
as one of the driving forces behind the
suspension.
Kazee, a seven-year veteran, has
been fined nearly a half-dozen times by Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (11) collides with Steelers safety Damontae Kazee (23) at Lucas Oil Stadium.
the league this season. He will forfeit ROBERT SCHEER/USA TODAY SPORTS
around $208,000 in game checks by
missing Pittsburgh’s final three games.
The suspension means Pittsburgh are 28th in scoring and haven’t scored penalty that gave Kansas City the ball protocol and was not allowed to speak
will be without both of its starting safe- more than 18 points in each of their past back. The Chiefs, who improved to 9-5 to reporters afterward.
ties against the Bengals. Minkah Fitz- five games, a stretch in which they’ve with the win over the Patriots, were It was the Jaguars’ third consecutive
patrick is already out with a knee injury. gone just 1-4 to squander the momen- hopeful that Moore could improve upon loss and dropped them into a tie with
Also, the Steelers are turning to Ma- tum generated by a somewhat surpris- a rookie season in which he caught 22 Houston and Indianapolis atop the AFC
son Rudolph at quarterback in hopes of ing 6-3 start. passes for 250 yards but began to show South at 8-6.
salvaging their season. promise late in the season and into the “Again, we can’t get out of our way,”
Coach Mike Tomlin said Monday that Chiefs put struggling WR Moore playoffs. Instead, Moore caught just 21 Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said.
Rudolph, a six-year veteran who hasn’t on injured reserve passes for 244 yards and a touchdown “That’s the frustrating part because we
started a meaningful game since 2021, while ceding playing time to other wide do some really good things, and then it’s
will start on Saturday against Cincin- KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City receivers. a play two or here and there that keep us
nati if Kenny Pickett’s surgically re- Chiefs placed wide receiver Skyy Moore from scoring.”
paired right ankle isn’t healthy in time. on injured reserve Monday, ending what Jags’ Lawrence lands in Lawrence completed 25 of 43 passes
Rudolph replaces Mitch Trubisky, had been a disappointing second sea- concussion protocol for 264 yards, with a 65-yard touch-
who struggled in losses to New England son for the 2022 second-round draft down pass to Jamal Agnew as one of his
and Indianapolis while filling in for Pick- pick. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Trevor Law- few highlights. He also led the team with
ett. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said earlier in rence will have to wait a few days, at the 41 yards rushing. But his miscues stood
“We’ve got a great deal of comfort the day that Moore had some swelling in very least, to address his latest debacle. out.
with (Rudolph),” Tomlin said. “Why are his knee, which caused him to play lim- Lawrence fumbled twice in Jackson- The Jaguars had four scoring
we making the change, man? We don’t ited snaps during Sunday’s 27-17 win in ville’s 23-7 home loss to Baltimore on chances in the first half but failed to
like what we’re looking at and the con- New England. But in the time that he Sunday night and made a head-scratch- cash in on any of them. They managed
sistency of it. What I mean is we’re not was on the field, Moore once again fum- ing throw short of the end zone in the 181 yards, which was the most by a team
scoring enough points.” bled the ball away after a catch, only to waning seconds of the first half. He end- in an opening half this season that did
Not by a long shot. The Steelers (7-7) be bailed out by a defensive holding ed the night in the NFL’s concussion not score.

Seahawks STARTING LOCK

Smith remained sidelined by a groin

Continued from Page 1NS injury, although he was active for the
game and warmed up on his own a cou-
Lock, who made his second straight ple hours before kickoff. Seattle coach
start in place of the injured Geno Smith, Pete Carroll said the decision to start
connected with DK Metcalf three times Lock was made about 90 minutes before
on the decisive drive, including much- the game.
needed chunk plays of 18 and 34 yards. Lock didn’t put up big numbers, but
Seattle moved into a logjam with four he avoided major mistakes and was
teams currently at .500 that are battling great on the final drive, when he com-
for the NFC’s last two playoff spots, pleted 5 of 10 passes and accounted for
while Philadelphia (10-4) lost its third all 92 yards.
straight and wasted a chance to move a “It’s a memory you’re never going to
game ahead of Dallas in the NFC East. lose. He’s going to hold on to this Mon-
The defending NFC champion Eagles day night forever,” Carroll said. “He
have already secured a playoff spot. earned it, he deserved it. He played up to
Philadelphia had one last opportuni- the great moments in the game and
ty, but Julian Love made his second in- came through.”
terception of the fourth quarter, picking
off Jalen Hurts’ deep pass intended for UP NEXT
A.J. Brown and just getting his feet
down inbounds. Eagles: Host the New York Giants on
“I was watching (Brown) that entire Christmas Day.
play. I was in the post, I saw a double Seahawks: At Tennessee on Sunday.
move, I just took off. I saw the ball float-
ing and I must be living right because I
got my feet in, thankfully,” Love said. Seattle 20, Philadelphia 17
Philadelphia 7 3 7 0 — 17
Love also picked off Hurts in the end Seattle 0 3 7 10 — 20
zone on a deep shot for Quez Watkins First Quarter
with 8:08 remaining to prevent the Ea- Phi—Hurts 3 run (Elliott kick), 6:31.
Second Quarter
gles from extending their 17-13 lead. Phi—FG Elliott 27, 6:20.
Lock’s touchdown pass to Smith- Sea—FG Myers 26, 1:42.
Third Quarter
Njigba was a play Seattle ran earlier in Sea—Walker 23 run (Myers kick), 10:05.
the game, and Lock knew if he got single Phi—Hurts 1 run (Elliott kick), 4:43.
Fourth Quarter
coverage again, the throw was headed Sea—FG Myers 43, 10:00.
to the rookie. Sea—Smith-Njigba 29 pass from Lock (Myers kick), :28.
“Sure enough, they gave us one-on- Phi Sea
First downs 23 16
one. It was kind of the perfect look,” said Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) passes against the Seahawks during the Total Net Yards 321 297
Lock, who finished 22 of 33 for 208 fourth quarter at Lumen Field. JOE NICHOLSON/USA TODAY SPORTS Rushes-yards 38-178 24-100
Passing 143 197
yards. Punt Returns 3-30 2-7
It was the second game-winning Kickoff Returns 1-13 0-0
touchdown in the fourth quarter for Hurts, who was questionable to play for the first three quarters he played well Interceptions Ret. 0-0 2-0
Comp-Att-Int 17-31-2 22-33-0
Smith-Njigba, who had one against with an illness, had a difficult night. He enough. He capped a pair of long scoring Sacked-Yards Lost 0-0 2-11
Cleveland. And it looked awfully famil- had 13 carries for 82 yards and two drives with touchdown runs of 3 yards Punts 5-49.6 5-56.0
iar to a catch he made for Ohio State in touchdowns, but he was just 17 of 31 and 1 yard. Hurts now has 14 rushing Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0
Penalties-Yards 5-40 5-35
the Rose Bowl against Utah. passing for 143 yards with the two picks. touchdowns, tied with Cam Newton in Time of Possession 32:58 27:02
“Definitely kind of similar. Same kind Hurts was unable to practice after 2011 for the most by a quarterback in a INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
of corner. I’ve been making catches like getting sick on Saturday. He flew sepa- season. RUSHING—Philadelphia, Hurts 13-82, Swift 18-74, Gainwell 6-21,
Goedert 1-1. Seattle, Walker 19-86, Charbonnet 4-16, Lock
that for a long time,” Smith-Njigba said. rately from his teammates on a private “I liked the opportunity to to go out 1-(minus 2).
PASSING—Philadelphia, Hurts 17-31-2-143. Seattle, Lock
Lock was also the lead blocker on jet to Seattle and it wasn’t clear he there and execute regardless what the 22-33-0-208.
Kenneth Walker III’s 23-yard touch- would play until the list of inactive play- circumstances is and I didn’t do a good RECEIVING—Philadelphia, A.Brown 5-56, D.Smith 5-50, Goedert
4-30, Swift 2-1, Jones 1-6. Seattle, Metcalf 5-78, Smith-Njigba
down run in the third quarter that pulled ers was announced 90 minutes before job with that,” Hurts said. “I didn’t lead 4-48, Walker 3-26, Lockett 3-21, Fant 3-16, Dissly 2-9, Parkinson
Seattle even at 10-10. Walker finished kickoff. good enough. I didn’t do a good enough 1-6, Bobo 1-4.
MISSED FIELD GOALS—None.
with 86 yards rushing. Hurts didn’t look like he felt great, but job in any circumstance.”
 SPORTS EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2023 | 3NS

NBA

ROUNDUP

Pistons near NBA history with 24-game skid

ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA – Trae Young extended his
recent hot streak with another double-
double, scoring 31 points with 15 assists,
as the Atlanta Hawks beat Detroit 130-
124 on Monday night, handing the Pis-
tons their 24th consecutive loss.
The Pistons’ last win came on Oct. 28
against Chicago. Detroit is two losses
away from matching the NBA’s longest
losing streak in one season.
The NBA record for the longest losing
streak within a single season is 26,
shared by the 2010-11 Cleveland Cava-
liers and 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers.
The 76ers lost a record 28 consecutive
games over the 2014-15 and 2015-16 sea-
sons.
Cade Cunningham led the Pistons
with a career-high 43 points. Bojan Bog-
danovic had 25 points.
CLIPPERS 151, PACERS 127
INDIANAPOLIS – James Harden
scored 21 of his season-best 35 points in
the fourth quarter and had nine assists
as Los Angeles extended the league’s
longest active winning streak to eight
games by routing Indiana.
Kawhi Leonard added 28 points for
Los Angeles and Paul George added 27
against his former team. Facing the
league’s second-worst defense, the
Clippers matched their season-high
point total for a half with 77 in the first
on the way to their highest-scoring
game of the season.
Bennedict Mathurin had a season-
high 34 points to lead Indiana. Isaiah
Jackson scored 15 points while starting
in place of injured two-time NBA blocks
champion Myles Turner.
KNICKS 114, LAKERS 109
LOS ANGELES – Jalen Brunson
scored 11 of his 29 points in the fourth
quarter, and New York overcame LeBron
James’ 109th career triple-double for a
victory over Los Angeles.
Julius Randle had 27 points and 14 re-
bounds, and Immanuel Quickley scored
20 points while the Knicks hung tough
in the fourth quarter and survived a ral-
ly led by James to earn their second road
win over the Lakers in 2023.
James had 25 points, 11 assists and 11
rebounds for the Lakers, who have lost
three of four since winning the inaugu-
ral In-Season Tournament. Anthony
Davis had 32 points and 14 rebounds,
but Los Angeles couldn’t capitalize on
numerous chances down the stretch to
close the gap.
TIMBERWOLVES 112, HEAT 108
MIAMI – Anthony Edwards scored 32
points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 18
and Minnesota clamped down in the
second half to beat Miami.
Naz Reid scored 15, Mike Conley add-
ed 12 and Rudy Gobert grabbed 16 re-
Pistons center James Wiseman (13) is fouled by Hawks guard Trae Young (11) at
State Farm Arena. BRETT DAVIS/USA TODAY SPORTS
bounds for the Timberwolves.
Minnesota improved to 20-5, tying
idle Boston for the NBA’s best record.
The Timberwolves gave up just 42
points in the second half, after trailing
by as many as 17 points in the early go-
ing.
Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo re-
turned from long injury absences and
combined for 47 points for the Heat;
Herro scored 25, Adebayo had 22. Jim-
my Butler scored 15, Duncan Robinson
14 and Josh Richardson 13 for the Heat.
BULLS 108, 76ERS 104
PHILADELPHIA – Coby White
scored 24 points and Chicago held on to
snap Philadelphia’s six-game winning
streak.
Former Sixer Nikola Vucevic chipped
in 23 points while DeMar DeRozan add-
ed 15 for the Bulls.
The Bulls have won six of their last
nine even though they are playing with-
out All-Star Zach LaVine, who has been
sidelined with left foot inflammation
and is likely still a little bit away from re-
turning.
Joel Embiid had 40 points and 13 re-
bounds, his 11th straight game with 30 or
more points and 10 or more boards. Ty-
rese Maxey added 29 points in the 76ers’
first loss to a team without a winning
record this season after starting 12-0
against sub-.500 teams. No other Sixers
player was able to crack double figures.
CAVALIERS 135, ROCKETS 130, OT
CLEVELAND – Donovan Mitchell
scored 37 points, Sam Merrill had a ca-
reer-high 19 off the bench and Cleveland
earned its 11th consecutive overtime vic-
tory by beating Houston.
Merrill had five points and Max Strus
added four in the extra period, when
Cleveland outscored Houston 13-8 to
match the second-longest OT winning
streak in NBA history. New Orleans
owns the record with 13 victories in a
row from 2006-08.
Rockets center Alperin Sengun made
one free throw with 36.8 seconds left in
regulation to tie it. Caris LeVert missed a
3-pointer on the Cavaliers’ subsequent
possession and Sengun’s fadeaway at
the buzzer rimmed out.
Fred VanVleet had season highs of 27
points and 17 assists, along with eight
rebounds, and Sengun had 24 points,
eight rebounds and six assists. The
Rockets are 2-10 on the road and 11-1 at
home.
THUNDER 116, GRIZZLIES 97
OKLAHOMA CITY – Shai Gilgeous-
Alexander had 30 points and nine re-
bounds in three quarters to help Okla-
homa City beat Memphis in the Griz-
zlies’ final game before Ja Morant re-
turns from his suspension.
Gilgeous-Alexander hit a game-win-
ner at Denver on Saturday night and fol-
lowed it up by making 8 of 18 field goals
and 13 of 14 free throws against Mem-
phis.
Chet Holmgren had 17 points, seven
blocks and six rebounds. Josh Giddey
added 16 points and 12 rebounds for the
Thunder, who have won four of five.
Ziaire Williams scored 19 points and
Desmond Bane added 17 for the Grizzlies
(6-19), who have lost five straight. Jaren
Jackson Jr., who had scored at least 40
points in two of his past three games,
finished with 11.
NUGGETS 130, MAVERICKS 104
DENVER – Jamal Murray finished
with 22 points, going 4 for 4 from 3-
point range, to help Denver race past
short-handed Dallas.
Aaron Gordon tied a season high with
21 points, while Nikola Jokic added eight
points, nine rebounds and seven assists
in a game where the Nuggets starters
got the fourth quarter off. The Denver
bench outscored the Mavericks re-
serves by a 62-34 margin to help the
Nuggets bounce back from a home loss
to Oklahoma City over the weekend.
Leading 77-70 with 6:48 remaining in
the third, the Nuggets pulled away on
the strength of a 21-10 run to close out
the quarter. Murray helped ignite the
pivotal run and had 10 points in the peri-
od. He’s finding his shooting touch after
dealing with hamstring and ankle inju-
ries this season.
Luka Doncic scored 22 of his 38
points in the second quarter to keep
Dallas close. He also had 11 rebounds.
The Mavericks were missing Kyrie Ir-
ving (heel), Josh Green (elbow), Maxi
Kleber (toe) and Dereck Lively II (an-
kle).
KINGS 143, WIZARDS 131
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Domantas
Sabonis had his 35th career triple-dou-
ble with 28 points, 13 rebounds and 12
assists as Sacramento beat Washing-
ton.
De’Aaron Fox scored 12 of his 30
points during Sacramento’s 46-point
third quarter, and Keegan Murray added
25 on a night when six Kings scored in
double figures. Harrison Barnes had 19,
Kevin Huerter 14 and Malik Monk fin-
ished with 10 as Sacramento (16-9) won
for the fourth time in five games.
Jordan Poole matched his career high
with eight 3-pointers and scored 28
points for the Wizards. Kyle Kuzma add-
ed 27, but Washington (4-22) has lost 17
of its last 19 games.
RAPTORS 114, HORNETS 99
TORONTO – Pascal Siakam scored
eight of his 27 points in the fourth quar-
ter, Gary Trent Jr. had season highs of 22
points and 10 rebounds, and Toronto
rallied past a Charlotte team missing
Miles Bridges and three other starters.
Bridges was denied entrance to Can-
ada due to his past legal problems, a
person familiar with the situation told
The Associated Press. Hornets coach
Steve Clifford would not comment on
the reason for Bridges’ absence before
the game.
JAZZ 125, NETS 108
SALT LAKE CITY – Collin Sexton and
Talen Horton-Tucker scored 27 points
apiece to lead Utah over Brooklyn.
Sexton had his fifth straight 20-point
game to help Utah win for the third time
in four games. Horton-Tucker also had a
team-high six assists. Lauri Markkanen
added 20 points and 10 rebounds, and
Walker Kessler tallied 14 points, 14 re-
bounds and five blocks.
Cam Thomas led the Nets with 32
points, and Spencer Dinwiddie chipped
in 17 points, 11 assists and eight re-
bounds. Brooklyn’s three-game win-
ning streak against Utah was snapped.

MONDAY’S BOX SCORES

N.Y. Knicks 114, L.A. Lakers 109
NEW YORK (114)
Barrett 3-10 6-6 12, Randle 12-22 2-2 27, Sims 0-0
0-0 0, Brunson 10-21 6-6 29, DiVincenzo 3-5 0-0 8,
Gibson 0-0 0-0 0, Hartenstein 3-4 3-6 9, Grimes 1-5
0-0 3, Hart 2-6 2-2 6, Quickley 8-15 1-1 20. Totals
42-88 20-23 114.
L.A. LAKERS (109)
James 10-23 3-4 25, Reddish 2-9 0-0 4, Davis 14-22
3-3 32, Prince 3-13 0-0 9, Russell 3-10 0-0 9,
Hachimura 3-6 1-1 8, Vanderbilt 0-0 0-0 0, Hayes
1-1 0-0 2, Reaves 6-15 5-5 20. Totals 42-99 12-13
109.
NYK 35 22 33 24 — 114
LAL 27 31 22 29 — 109
3-Point Goals—New York 10-30 (Brunson 3-6,
Quickley 3-7, DiVincenzo 2-4, Grimes 1-4, Randle
1-4, Barrett 0-2, Hart 0-3), L.A. Lakers 13-41
(Russell 3-6, Reaves 3-7, Prince 3-13, James 2-8,
Davis 1-1, Hachimura 1-2, Reddish 0-4). Fouled
Out_None. Rebounds_New York 52 (Hartenstein
17), L.A. Lakers 41 (Davis 14). Assists_New York 21
(Barrett 4), L.A. Lakers 29 (James 11). Total
Fouls_New York 16, L.A. Lakers 17. A_18,997 (18,997)
Sacramento 143, Washington 131
WASHINGTON (131)
Avdija 3-8 2-4 9, Kuzma 8-16 8-8 27, Gafford 3-5 2-2
8, Poole 10-18 0-0 28, T.Jones 7-10 0-0 16, Gill 2-5
0-0 4, Kispert 2-6 1-2 7, Omoruyi 1-3 0-0 2, Muscala
2-3 6-6 11, Coulibaly 3-7 5-7 11, Butler 3-4 1-1 8.
Totals 44-85 25-30 131.
SACRAMENTO (143)
Barnes 8-11 1-1 19, Murray 9-17 3-3 25, Sabonis 11-16
5-6 28, Fox 10-19 8-12 30, Huerter 4-8 2-2 11,
Edwards 1-2 0-0 3, Lyles 0-3 0-0 0,
Toscano-Anderson 1-1 0-0 2, Vezenkov 3-5 0-0 8,
C.Jones 1-3 0-0 2, Duarte 0-1 0-0 0, Ellis 1-5 0-0 3,
Mitchell 1-2 0-0 2, Monk 3-7 1-2 10. Totals 53-100
20-26 143.
WAS 31 25 35 40 — 131
SAC 27 39 46 31 — 143
3-Point Goals—Washington 18-38 (Poole 8-13,
Kuzma 3-7, T.Jones 2-2, Kispert 2-5, Muscala 1-1,
Butler 1-2, Avdija 1-3, Omoruyi 0-1, Coulibaly 0-2,
Gill 0-2), Sacramento 17-43 (Murray 4-7, Monk 3-6,
Vezenkov 2-3, Barnes 2-4, Fox 2-7, Sabonis 1-1,
Edwards 1-2, Huerter 1-4, Ellis 1-5, Duarte 0-1, Lyles
0-3). Fouled Out_None. Rebounds_Washington 39
(Kuzma 8), Sacramento 42 (Sabonis 13).
Assists_Washington 26 (T.Jones 9), Sacramento 35
(Sabonis 12). Total Fouls_Washington 21,
Sacramento 24. A_17,794 (17,608)
Utah 125, Brooklyn 108
BROOKLYN (108)
Bridges 4-16 2-5 13, C.Johnson 2-9 2-2 7, Claxton
4-5 3-4 11, Dinwiddie 7-15 2-3 17, Thomas 12-23 3-3
32, Finney-Smith 2-7 0-0 6, O'Neale 2-6 0-0 6,
Watford 2-3 0-0 5, Wilson 1-1 2-2 5, Giles III 0-0 0-0
0, Sharpe 3-5 0-1 6. Totals 39-90 14-20 108.
UTAH (125)
Fontecchio 1-7 0-0 2, Markkanen 6-14 7-7 20,
Kessler 6-8 2-4 14, Horton-Tucker 11-19 0-0 27,
Sexton 6-17 12-13 27, Hendricks 0-1 0-0 0, Samanic
2-2 0-0 5, Collins 4-9 0-0 11, Olynyk 1-2 0-0 2,
Agbaji 6-10 0-0 13, Dunn 2-2 0-0 4. Totals 45-91
21-24 125.
BKN 28 31 23 26 — 108
UTA 28 26 34 37 — 125
3-Point Goals—Brooklyn 16-39 (Thomas 5-7,
Bridges 3-8, Finney-Smith 2-5, O'Neale 2-6,
Watford 1-1, Wilson 1-1, C.Johnson 1-5, Dinwiddie
1-6), Utah 14-34 (Horton-Tucker 5-7, Collins 3-4,
Sexton 3-7, Samanic 1-1, Agbaji 1-5, Markkanen 1-5,
Hendricks 0-1, Olynyk 0-1, Fontecchio 0-3). Fouled
Out_None. Rebounds_Brooklyn 36 (Dinwiddie 8),
Utah 51 (Kessler 14). Assists_Brooklyn 25
(Dinwiddie 11), Utah 30 (Horton-Tucker, Sexton 6).
Total Fouls_Brooklyn 17, Utah 20. A_18,206 (18,206)
Denver 130, Dallas 104
DALLAS (104)
Jones Jr. 3-9 0-0 6, Williams 3-8 0-0 7, Powell 4-6
0-0 8, Doncic 13-24 6-10 38, Exum 5-5 0-0 11, Brown
III 2-3 1-5 5, Holmes 1-4 0-0 2, Morris 1-3 0-0 2,
Prosper 1-5 0-0 2, Hardaway Jr. 3-12 0-0 8, Curry
0-0 0-0 0, Hardy 3-9 1-2 9, Lawson 2-4 1-2 6. Totals
41-92 9-19 104.
DENVER (130)
Gordon 7-9 5-6 21, Porter Jr. 3-8 0-0 8, Jokic 3-8 2-2
8, Caldwell-Pope 4-6 0-0 9, Murray 8-14 2-2 22,
Nnaji 5-8 4-4 14, Holiday 0-2 0-0 0, Braun 3-5 2-3 8,
Gillespie 0-1 0-0 0, Jackson 8-11 1-1 18, Strawther
5-10 0-0 12, Watson 3-5 2-4 10. Totals 49-87 18-22
130.
DAL 20 39 21 24 — 104
DEN 28 40 30 32 — 130
3-Point Goals—Dallas 13-38 (Doncic 6-12, Hardy 2-3,
Hardaway Jr. 2-9, Exum 1-1, Lawson 1-2, Williams
1-2, Morris 0-2, Prosper 0-2, Jones Jr. 0-5), Denver
14-26 (Murray 4-4, Gordon 2-3, Porter Jr. 2-3,
Watson 2-3, Strawther 2-4, Caldwell-Pope 1-2,
Jackson 1-3, Braun 0-1, Jokic 0-1, Nnaji 0-2). Fouled
Out_None. Rebounds_Dallas 42 (Doncic 11), Denver
46 (Jokic 9). Assists_Dallas 18 (Doncic 8), Denver
29 (Jokic 7). Total Fouls_Dallas 20, Denver 19.
A_19,659 (19,520)
Oklahoma City 116, Memphis 97
MEMPHIS (97)
Jackson Jr. 3-7 4-5 11, Williams Jr. 2-7 0-0 5, Tillman
0-8 0-0 0, Bane 6-14 1-2 17, Gilyard 4-9 0-0 12,
Aldama 2-10 3-4 9, Jackson 3-6 0-0 8, LaRavia 1-4
0-0 3, Roddy 2-5 3-3 8, Konchar 1-3 2-2 5, Z.Williams
6-12 5-5 19. Totals 30-85 18-21 97.
OKLAHOMA CITY (116)
Dort 4-7 0-0 11, Jal.Williams 3-9 3-4 10, Holmgren
7-14 1-1 17, Giddey 6-12 4-4 16, Gilgeous-Alexander
8-18 13-14 30, Dieng 2-5 0-0 4, Jay.Williams 1-3 0-0
2, K.Williams 2-3 0-0 6, Sarr 3-5 0-0 6, Joe 2-5 0-0
5, Mann 0-0 0-0 0, Micic 0-1 0-0 0, Wallace 3-6 0-0
7, Wiggins 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 42-92 21-23 116.
MEM 26 27 13 31 — 97
OKC 34 34 26 22 — 116
3-Point Goals—Memphis 19-54 (Gilyard 4-6, Bane
4-9, Jackson 2-3, Aldama 2-7, Z.Williams 2-7,
Konchar 1-3, Roddy 1-3, Jackson Jr. 1-4, LaRavia 1-4,
Williams Jr. 1-5, Tillman 0-3), Oklahoma City 11-36
(Dort 3-6, K.Williams 2-3, Holmgren 2-4,
Gilgeous-Alexander 1-3, Jal.Williams 1-3, Joe 1-3,
Wallace 1-4, Jay.Williams 0-1, Micic 0-1, Dieng 0-2,
Sarr 0-2, Giddey 0-4). Fouled Out_None.
Rebounds_Memphis 45 (Aldama 9), Oklahoma City
53 (Giddey 12). Assists_Memphis 25 (Gilyard 7),
Oklahoma City 31 (Gilgeous-Alexander, Jal.Williams
5). Total Fouls_Memphis 19, Oklahoma City 18.
A_16,409 (18,203)
Atlanta 130, Detroit 124
DETROIT (124)
Boj.Bogdanovic 9-17 2-3 25, Thompson 1-5 0-0 2,
Bagley III 7-12 3-4 17, Cunningham 16-24 8-9 43,
Ivey 6-13 3-5 15, Livers 0-3 0-0 0, Wiseman 5-5 0-2
10, Burks 2-11 2-2 6, Harris 0-1 1-2 1, Hayes 0-0 0-0
0, Sasser 2-3 0-0 5. Totals 48-94 19-27 124.
ATLANTA (130)
Bey 8-15 3-5 21, Hunter 7-15 0-0 19, Capela 7-11 3-3
17, Murray 8-13 1-2 20, Young 8-17 11-12 31, Lundy
0-1 0-0 0, Okongwu 5-6 4-4 14, Mathews 2-5 0-1 6,
Matthews 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 46-85 22-27 130.
DET 25 27 32 40 — 124
ATL 38 23 35 34 — 130
3-Point Goals—Detroit 9-22 (Boj.Bogdanovic 5-9,
Cunningham 3-5, Sasser 1-1, Harris 0-1, Livers 0-1,
Thompson 0-1, Burks 0-2, Ivey 0-2), Atlanta 16-36
(Hunter 5-6, Young 4-11, Murray 3-5, Mathews 2-5,
Bey 2-7, Lundy 0-1, Matthews 0-1). Fouled
Out_Detroit 2 (Ivey, Sasser), Atlanta None.
Rebounds_Detroit 36 (Ivey, Thompson 8), Atlanta
40 (Capela 15). Assists_Detroit 23 (Cunningham 7),
Atlanta 25 (Young 15). Total Fouls_Detroit 26,
Atlanta 24. A_17,664 (18,118)
Minnesota 112, Miami 108
MINNESOTA (112)
McDaniels 5-10 0-0 10, Towns 7-14 3-3 18, Gobert
3-8 3-4 9, Conley 4-5 0-0 12, Edwards 13-25 4-4 32,
Anderson 2-4 1-2 5, Brown Jr. 1-1 0-0 3, Reid 5-13
4-4 15, Alexander-Walker 2-5 2-2 8. Totals 42-85
17-19 112.
MIAMI (108)
Butler 5-12 4-6 15, Love 3-7 0-0 9, Adebayo 10-22
2-3 22, Herro 10-18 4-4 25, Martin 1-5 0-0 2,
D.Robinson 5-9 0-0 14, Highsmith 0-0 0-0 0,
Jaquez Jr. 3-8 2-2 8, Richardson 4-6 3-3 13. Totals
41-87 15-18 108.
MIN 22 32 23 35 — 112
MIA 33 33 17 25 — 108
3-Point Goals—Minnesota 11-29 (Conley 4-5,
Alexander-Walker 2-4, Edwards 2-9, Brown Jr. 1-1,
Towns 1-4, Reid 1-6), Miami 11-30 (D.Robinson 4-8,
Love 3-7, Richardson 2-4, Butler 1-3, Herro 1-6,
Jaquez Jr. 0-1, Martin 0-1). Fouled Out_Minnesota 1
(McDaniels), Miami None. Rebounds_Minnesota 46
(Gobert 16), Miami 39 (Love 10). Assists_Minnesota
27 (Conley 6), Miami 27 (Adebayo 6). Total
Fouls_Minnesota 19, Miami 18. A_19,819 (19,600)
Cleveland 135, Houston 130 (OT)
HOUSTON (130)
Brooks 6-12 1-2 16, Smith Jr. 2-7 0-0 5, Sengun 11-20
1-2 24, Ja.Green 2-12 7-7 12, VanVleet 9-19 5-5 27,
Eason 5-13 4-5 14, Je.Green 6-6 3-3 15, Tate 1-4 1-1
3, Landale 0-0 0-0 0, Holiday 5-9 2-2 14. Totals
47-102 24-27 130.
CLEVELAND (135)
Okoro 4-7 2-3 11, Wade 4-5 2-2 12, Allen 3-7 4-7 10,
Mitchell 14-27 5-5 37, Strus 5-13 4-5 17, Niang 4-10
0-0 10, T.Thompson 1-1 2-8 4, LeVert 5-13 1-2 12,
Merrill 6-11 2-2 19, Porter Jr. 1-2 0-0 3. Totals 47-96
22-34 135.
HOU 34 25 39 24 8 — 130
CLE 33 24 42 23 13 — 135
3-Point Goals—Houston 12-33 (VanVleet 4-8,
Brooks 3-7, Holiday 2-5, Sengun 1-3, Ja.Green 1-4,
Smith Jr. 1-4, Eason 0-2), Cleveland 19-48 (Merrill
5-10, Mitchell 4-11, Strus 3-9, Wade 2-3, Niang 2-6,
Porter Jr. 1-1, Okoro 1-2, LeVert 1-6). Fouled
Out_None. Rebounds_Houston 47 (Eason, Sengun,
VanVleet 8), Cleveland 37 (LeVert, Okoro 7).
Assists_Houston 34 (VanVleet 17), Cleveland 29
(Mitchell, Okoro 6). Total Fouls_Houston 32,
Cleveland 25. A_19,432 (19,432)
Chicago 108, Philadelphia 104
CHICAGO (108)
DeRozan 5-15 5-6 15, Williams 5-13 0-0 13, Vucevic
10-18 0-0 23, Dosunmu 1-3 2-2 4, White 9-17 4-4 24,
Terry 1-1 0-0 2, Drummond 2-3 1-2 5, Carter 4-11 0-0
12, Caruso 5-8 0-1 10. Totals 42-89 12-15 108.
PHILADELPHIA (104)
Batum 1-4 0-0 3, Harris 1-3 0-0 3, Embiid 15-28 8-9
40, Maxey 9-23 6-6 29, Melton 3-5 0-0 6,
Covington 1-3 0-0 2, Reed 3-5 2-2 8, House Jr. 1-1
0-0 3, Oubre Jr. 2-10 1-2 6, Beverley 2-6 0-0 4.
Totals 38-88 17-19 104.
CHI 25 30 26 27 — 108
PHI 24 20 25 35 — 104
3-Point Goals—Chicago 12-29 (Carter 4-8, Williams
3-4, Vucevic 3-7, White 2-6, Dosunmu 0-1, Caruso
0-3), Philadelphia 11-32 (Maxey 5-11, Embiid 2-6,
Harris 1-1, House Jr. 1-1, Batum 1-4, Oubre Jr. 1-5,
Melton 0-1, Reed 0-1, Beverley 0-2). Fouled
Out_None. Rebounds_Chicago 45 (Drummond,
Vucevic, White 8), Philadelphia 44 (Embiid 14).
Assists_Chicago 24 (White 9), Philadelphia 23
(Maxey 8). Total Fouls_Chicago 15, Philadelphia 17.
A_19,773 (20,478)
L.A. Clippers 151, Indiana 127
L.A. CLIPPERS (151)
George 9-21 4-4 27, Leonard 12-18 2-2 28, Zubac
7-10 4-5 18, Harden 12-16 3-3 35, Mann 2-5 0-0 4,
Ko.Brown 0-2 0-0 0, Theis 1-4 2-2 4, Coffey 0-1 0-0
0, Boston Jr. 3-4 0-0 6, Powell 6-11 3-3 19,
Westbrook 4-6 2-4 10. Totals 56-98 20-23 151.
INDIANA (127)
Hield 5-9 1-2 14, Toppin 6-8 0-0 14, Jackson 6-9 3-5
15, B.Brown 4-11 3-3 11, Haliburton 3-12 1-2 8,
Johnson 0-1 0-0 0, Nwora 4-8 0-0 9, Mathurin
12-20 7-7 34, Nesmith 4-7 2-2 12, McConnell 5-10
0-0 10. Totals 49-95 17-21 127.
LAC 37 40 37 37 — 151
IND 38 28 28 33 — 127
3-Point Goals—L.A. Clippers 19-38 (Harden 8-11,
George 5-11, Powell 4-6, Leonard 2-5, Coffey 0-1,
Ko.Brown 0-1, Mann 0-3), Indiana 12-33 (Hield 3-7,
Mathurin 3-7, Nesmith 2-3, Toppin 2-3, Nwora 1-4,
Haliburton 1-5, B.Brown 0-4). Fouled Out_None.
Rebounds_L.A. Clippers 46 (Zubac 16), Indiana 34
(Mathurin, Nesmith 6). Assists_L.A. Clippers 26
(Harden 9), Indiana 38 (Haliburton 11). Total
Fouls_L.A. Clippers 19, Indiana 21. A_16,665
(20,000)
Toronto 114, Charlotte 99
CHARLOTTE (99)
McGowens 4-9 4-4 14, Washington 5-16 2-2 15,
Richards 4-5 2-2 10, Miller 6-16 2-2 14, Rozier 9-20
2-2 22, Black 2-2 0-0 4, Thor 2-2 1-1 5, Smith 4-10
0-0 8, Smith Jr. 3-9 0-0 7. Totals 39-89 13-13 99.
TORONTO (114)
Barnes 7-14 7-7 22, Siakam 11-16 5-6 27, Poeltl 2-2
0-0 4, Anunoby 2-10 1-1 5, Schroder 4-6 2-2 13,
Achiuwa 5-9 2-4 12, Boucher 3-6 1-2 7, Flynn 1-6 0-0
2, Trent Jr. 9-17 0-0 22. Totals 44-86 18-22 114.
CHA 27 25 29 18 — 99
TOR 19 29 31 35 — 114
3-Point Goals—Charlotte 8-32 (Washington 3-9,
McGowens 2-5, Rozier 2-8, Smith Jr. 1-5, Miller 0-5),
Toronto 8-29 (Trent Jr. 4-10, Schroder 3-5, Barnes
1-2, Achiuwa 0-1, Boucher 0-1, Siakam 0-1, Flynn
0-4, Anunoby 0-5). Fouled Out_None.
Rebounds_Charlotte 36 (Richards 10), Toronto 51
(Barnes 17). Assists_Charlotte 18 (Rozier 7),
Toronto 30 (Siakam 8). Total Fouls_Charlotte 19,
Toronto 16. A_19,288 (19,800)
4NS | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2023 | SPORTS EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar faces 3 months of recovery
Beth Harris
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES – Kareem Abdul-Jab-
bar is recovering from surgery for a bro-
ken hip after he fell at a concert in Los
Angeles. The basketball Hall of Famer
had surgery Sunday “with no complica-
tions,” his business partner and spokes-
woman, Deborah Morales, told The As-
sociated Press on Monday.
“He will be in recovery for the next
three months,” she wrote via text.
Abdul-Jabbar was attending the
Manhattan Transfer’s concert at Disney
Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles
on Friday night when he was injured.
NHL ROUNDUP
Henrique’s goal lifts Ducks over Red Wings
ASSOCIATED PRESS
DETROIT – Adam Henrique scored
his fourth goal in two games and the An-
aheim Ducks held off the Detroit Red
Wings 4-3 on Monday night.
Henrique was coming off his first ca-
reer hat trick Sunday against New Jer-
sey.
Radko Gudas, Pavel Mintyukov and
Troy Terry also scored for the Ducks,
who have won two straight after a five-
game losing streak. Lukas Dostal made
30 saves.
Alex DeBrincat surpassed 400 career
points with two power-play goals in the
third period for Detroit. Jeff Petry scored
his first goal this season and Patrick
Kane added two assists. The slumping
Red Wings have lost six of seven.
CANADIENS 3, JETS 2, OT
WINNIPEG, Manitoba – Justin Bar-
ron scored a power-play goal 1:09 into
overtime to lift Montreal over Winnipeg.
Josh Anderson and Christian Dvorak
also scored for the Canadiens. Jake Al-
len made 30 saves for his first win in
eight games.
Cole Perfetti and Gabriel Villardi
scored for the Jets, and Connor Helle-
buyck had 23 saves.
In the extra period, Barron fired the
puck through traffic to beat Hellebuyck
for his sixth goal of the season.
STARS 4, KRAKEN 3, OT
DALLAS – Matt Duchene scored
twice and assisted on Thomas Harley’s
goal 2:16 into overtime that gave Dallas a
victory over Seattle.
Jason Robertson also scored for the
Stars, who improved to 3-0-1 in their
past four games.
The Kraken sent the game to over-
time on Eeli Tolvanen’s 6-on-5 goal with
21.8 seconds left in regulation.
Scott Wedgewood made 35 saves and
shook off an early scare, when he
dropped to the ice after taking a slap
shot near his left collarbone about three
minutes in.
Tomas Tatar and Matty Beniers each
Senators fire coach Smith
Stephen Whyno
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Ottawa Senators fired coach D.J.
Smith on Monday, replacing him on an
interim basis with Jacques Martin and
adding Hall of Famer and former cap-
tain Daniel Alfredsson to the staff as an
assistant.
It’s the latest shakeup for the NHL
team in Canada’s capital city in three
months since owner Michael Andlauer
took over. Andlauer quickly hired Steve
Staios away from the Edmonton Oilers
to be president of hockey operations
and on Nov. 1 fired longtime general
manager Pierre Dorion following a
league investigation that caused the
Senators to forfeit a first-round draft
pick.
Staios, now also interim GM, fired
Smith 12 days after hiring Martin as
senior adviser, which put the 71-year-
old coaching veteran as an eye in the
sky. Staios said at the time he consulted
with Smith on the decision.
The Senators have since lost five of
six games to fall into last place in the
Eastern Conference. Only the Chicago
Blackhawks have fewer points than Ot-
tawa’s 22.
“It’s never good timing, but I think
this was the time to make the decision
to bring some hope to our players and
really in search of some consistency to
our game,” Staios said on a video call
with reporters from Arizona. “We’re all
Paramedics at the venue responded and
took 76-year-old by ambulance to Ron-
ald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
“I’d like to say I fell while trying to
save a child from plunging over the bal-
cony, but I just tripped,” he posted Mon-
day on his Substack account. “Hard for
me to accept that a once world-class
athlete just stumbled. But age is the
great equalizer and humbles us all.”
Abdul-Jabbar wrote that he had hip
replacement surgery “like 450,000 oth-
er Americans every year.”
He had been scheduled to read a let-
ter from Vice President Kamala Harris
to the venerable vocal group before his
fall. The Manhattan Transfer was cele-
Ducks center Adam Henrique (14) reacts after his goal on Red Wings goaltender James Reimer (47) during the first period
on Monday in Detroit. CARLOS OSORIO/AP
had a goal and an assist for the Kraken,
who have lost 10 of their last 12 games.
Joey Daccord stopped 24 shots in his
fourth straight start.
PENGUINS 4, WILD 3
PITTSBURGH – Sidney Crosby’s 18th
goal of the season broke a third-period
tie as Pittsburgh edged Minnesota.
The Penguins blew a three-goal lead
but recovered to win for the third time in
four games behind Crosby, who added
an assist to move past Mark Recchi and
into 13th place on the NHL’s all-time
Senators coach D.J. Smith was fired
by the club on Monday.
MICHAEL AINSWORTH/AP
looking for more consistency, more de-
tail to our game, more structure.”
Martin will be back behind the
bench after coaching the Senators for
nine seasons from 1995-96 through
2003-04. He has a total of 17 seasons of
NHL head-coaching experience and
won the Stanley Cup twice as an assis-
tant with Pittsburgh in 2016 and ‘17.
“A lot of our issues in our team play
are the strengths of Jacques Martin:
detailed, structured, organized, disci-
plined,” Staios said. “To me, in theory,
he’s the perfect fit for everything that
we had been lacking in those areas.”
He also has a connection with Al-
fredsson. During Martin’s time in Otta-
wa, Alfredsson was named captain and
wore the “C” as the face of the franchise
until a messy parting of ways in 2013.
Alfredsson’s return comes as a re-
placement for assistant Davis Payne,
who was also let go.
brating its 50th anniversary before per-
forming for the last time.
Abdul-Jabbar is a longtime fan of the
group that blends R&B, jazz, blues and
pop, and is best-known for its 1981 hit
“The Boy From New York City.”
“I’m sorry I was not able to join you
onstage to read the letter and tell the au-
dience how much your music has meant
to me,” he wrote. “On the plus side, my
fall hit all the newspapers so I made your
final show even more memorable. Come
for the music, stay for the klutzy fall.”
Abdul-Jabbar was a key player on the
Los Angeles Lakers’ teams during their
“Showtime” era in the 1980s, leading
them to five NBA championships.
scoring list with 1,535 points.
Jake Guentzel, Evgeni Malkin and
Reilly Smith also scored, Valtteri Puusti-
nen and Marcus Pettersson each added
two assists and Alex Nedeljkovic
stopped 24 shots.
Ryan Hartman, Jake Middleton and
Vinni Lettieri scored for the Wild, who
scored three times in less than 10 min-
utes across the second and third periods
to rally from a 3-0 deficit. Filip Gustavs-
son, given the nod over former Penguins
goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, made 26
saves.
NHL SUMMARIES
Florida
Calgary 3, Florida 1
1 0 0 — 1
Calgary 1 0 2 — 3
First Period—1, Calgary, Pospisil 4 (Gilbert, Kadri), 8:45. 2,
Florida, Reinhart 18 (Tkachuk, Barkov), 19:29 (pp).
Penalties_Mangiapane, CGY (Interference), 1:23; Mikkola, FLA
(High Sticking), 4:16; Cousins, FLA (Slashing), 16:51; Andersson,
CGY (Interference), 17:30.
Second Period—None. Penalties_Lorentz, FLA (Tripping), 6:28.
Third Period—3, Calgary, Backlund 7 (Hanifin), 3:31 (sh).
Penalties_Bennett, FLA (Misconduct), 0:40; DeSimone, CGY
(Interference), 3:07; Ekblad, FLA (Slashing), 9:02; Coleman, CGY
(Holding), 11:15; Backlund, CGY (Delay of Game), 17:47.
Shots on Goal—Florida 15-9-11_35. Calgary 9-7-8_24.
Power-play opportunities—Florida 1 of 5; Calgary 0 of 5.
Goalies—Florida, Stolarz 4-2-1 (24 shots-22 saves). Calgary,
Markstrom 6-8-2 (35-34).
A—16,813 (19,289). T_2:28.
Referees—Ghislain Hebert, Kyle Rehman. Linesmen_Kiel
Murchison, Derek Nansen.
Dallas 4, Seattle 3 (OT)
Seattle 0 2 1 0 — 3
Dallas 2 1 0 1 — 4
First Period—1, Dallas, Duchene 9 (Seguin, Marchment), 1:14. 2,
Dallas, Robertson 10 (Hintz, Pavelski), 10:20.
Penalties_Dellandrea, DAL (Holding), 6:07.
Second Period—3, Seattle, Tatar 2 (Beniers), 0:32. 4, Dallas,
Duchene 10 (Pavelski, Dadonov), 6:20. 5, Seattle, Beniers 5
(Eberle, Tatar), 13:48. Penalties_Heiskanen, DAL (Delay of
Game), 15:06; Wennberg, SEA (Roughing), 19:39.
Third Period—6, Seattle, Tolvanen 9 (Wennberg, Bjorkstrand),
19:38. Penalties_Tatar, SEA (Holding), 2:37; Harley, DAL
(Interference), 5:11; Gourde, SEA (Hooking), 9:52; Gourde, SEA
(Interference), 12:24; Pavelski, DAL (Tripping), 13:25.
Overtime—7, Dallas, Harley 8 (Benn, Duchene), 2:16.
Penalties_None.
Shots on Goal—Seattle 13-14-10-1_38. Dallas 13-10-4-1_28.
Power-play opportunities—Seattle 0 of 4; Dallas 0 of 4.
Goalies—Seattle, Daccord 5-5-8 (28 shots-24 saves). Dallas,
Wedgewood 7-1-2 (38-35).
A—18,532 (18,532). T_2:33.
Referees—TJ Luxmore, Carter Sandlak. Linesmen_Ryan
Galloway, Brandon Grillo.
Montreal 3, Winnipeg 2 (OT)
Montreal 0 2 0 1 — 3
Winnipeg 0 1 1 0 — 2
First Period—None. Penalties_None.
Second Period—1, Montreal, Anderson 4 (Matheson, Evans), 4:57.
2, Montreal, Dvorak 3 (Gallagher, Anderson), 15:04 (pp). 3,
Winnipeg, Vilardi 5 (Ehlers, Morrissey), 19:04.
Penalties_Slafkovsky, MTL (Roughing), 1:19; Dillon, WPG
(Tripping), 13:31; Winnipeg bench, served by Niederreiter
(Delay of Game), 15:04.
Third Period—4, Winnipeg, Perfetti 10 (Dillon, Namestnikov),
12:24. Penalties_Barron, MTL (Holding), 0:45; Ehlers, WPG
(Tripping), 19:33.
Overtime—5, Montreal, Barron 6 (Caufield, Suzuki), 1:09 (pp).
Penalties_Lowry, WPG (Cross Checking), 0:49; Matheson, MTL
(Closing Hand on the Puck), 0:49.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is recovering
from surgery for a broken hip after he
fell at a concert in Los Angeles. KIRBY
LEE/USA TODAY SPORTS
FLAMES 3, PANTHERS 1
CALGARY, Alberta — Mikael Back-
lund’s third period short-handed goal
was the game-winner and Jacob Mark-
strom made 34 saves for Calgary.
Rookie Martin Pospisil and Blake
Coleman also scored for Calgary. The
Flames have recorded points in their
last four (2-0-2) outings.
Sam Reinhart scored a power-play
goal for Florida. The Panthers wrapped
up their five-game road trip with a 2-3-0
record.
Shots on Goal—Montreal 5-14-5-2_26. Winnipeg 6-11-15-0_32.
Power-play opportunities—Montreal 2 of 3; Winnipeg 0 of 2.
Goalies—Montreal, Allen 4-6-2 (32 shots-30 saves). Winnipeg,
Hellebuyck 15-6-2 (26-23).
A—13,363 (15,321). T_2:30.
Referees—Brandon Blandina, Garrett Rank. Linesmen_Michel
Cormier, Ryan Daisy.
Anaheim 4, Detroit 3
Anaheim 3 1 0 — 4
Detroit 0 1 2 — 3
First Period—1, Anaheim, Gudas 5 (Leason, Henrique), 2:23. 2,
Anaheim, Mintyukov 2 (Carlsson, Terry), 8:19. 3, Anaheim,
Henrique 10 (Fowler, Strome), 18:49 (pp). Penalties_Leason,
ANA (Tripping), 9:15; Kostin, DET (Interference), 15:33; Holl, DET
(Holding), 18:06.
Second Period—4, Anaheim, Terry 8 (Vaakanainen, Killorn), 1:46.
5, Detroit, Petry 1 (Copp, Kane), 2:29. Penalties_Mintyukov, ANA
(Tripping), 7:55; Vatrano, ANA (Cross Checking), 17:02; Fabbri,
DET (Hooking), 18:21.
Third Period—6, Detroit, DeBrincat 14 (Kane, Gostisbehere), 7:17
(pp). 7, Detroit, DeBrincat 15 (Larkin, Gostisbehere), 17:31 (pp).
Penalties_Fischer, DET (Unsportsmanlike Conduct), 3:04;
Johnston, ANA (Hooking), 3:04; Anaheim bench, served by
Jones (Tripping), 6:30; Strome, ANA (Cross Checking), 9:07;
Rasmussen, DET (Roughing), 9:07; Gudas, ANA (Holding Stick),
12:26; Mintyukov, ANA (High Sticking), 15:31.
Shots on Goal—Anaheim 10-8-4_22. Detroit 9-11-12_32.
Power-play opportunities—Anaheim 1 of 3; Detroit 2 of 7.
Goalies—Anaheim, Dostal 5-6-0 (32 shots-29 saves). Detroit,
Reimer 2-3-2 (14-12), Detroit, Husso 9-5-2 (8-6).
A—0 (20,000). T_2:34.
Referees—Kevin Pollock, Francois St. Laurent.
Linesmen_Shandor Alphonso, Julien Fournier.
Pittsburgh 4, Minnesota 3
Minnesota 0 2 1 — 3
Pittsburgh 1 2 1 — 4
First Period—1, Pittsburgh, Smith 8 (Puustinen, Pettersson),
7:39. Penalties_Bogosian, MIN (Holding Stick), 18:47.
Second Period—2, Pittsburgh, Guentzel 14 (Karlsson, Crosby),
0:36 (pp). 3, Pittsburgh, Malkin 11 (Puustinen, Pettersson), 3:34.
4, Minnesota, Hartman 8 (Johansson, Faber), 15:06 (pp). 5,
Minnesota, Middleton 5 (Kaprizov, Boldy), 17:30.
Penalties_Hartman, MIN (Holding Stick), 5:42; Letang, PIT
(Interference), 8:05; Malkin, PIT (Tripping), 12:18; Malkin, PIT
(Roughing), 18:52; Goligoski, MIN (Holding), 18:52; Eriksson Ek,
MIN (Interference), 19:25.
Third Period—6, Minnesota, Lettieri 3 (Hunt, Merrill), 5:33. 7,
Pittsburgh, Crosby 18 (Guentzel, Malkin), 6:20 (pp).
Penalties_Kaprizov, MIN (High Sticking), 5:45; Pittsburgh bench,
served by Harkins (High Sticking), 7:27; Hartman, MIN
(Interference), 7:27; Dewar, MIN (Interference), 12:21.
Shots on Goal—Minnesota 8-8-11_27. Pittsburgh 13-7-10_30.
Power-play opportunities—Minnesota 0 of 3; Pittsburgh 2 of 5.
Goalies—Minnesota, Gustavsson 8-8-2 (30 shots-26 saves).
Pittsburgh, Nedeljkovic 4-2-1 (27-24).
A—18,200 (18,387). T_2:33.
Referees—Kendrick Nicholson, Chris Rooney. Linesmen_David
Brisebois, Ben O'Quinn.
 SPORTS EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2023 | 5NS

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S TOP 25 ROUNDUP

Osborne, Betts lead No. 2 UCLA past No. 13 Ohio State

ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Charisma Os-
borne scored 19 points, Lauren Betts had
17 and No. 2 UCLA beat No. 13 Ohio State
77-71 on Monday night.
Kiki Rice had 15 points and Gabriela
Jaquez had 11 points for the Bruins
(10-0), who overcame a sluggish first
half and out-rebounded the Buckeyes
40-30.
Jacy Sheldon scored 30 points and
Taylor Thierry added 20 for Ohio State
(9-2).
NO. 6 USC 93,
CAL STATE-FULLERTON 44
LOS ANGELES – JuJu Watkins had
23 points, six rebounds and six assists,
and Southern California routed Cal
State-Fullerton. Watkins made all six of
her free throws while falling short of
scoring at least 30 points for just the
fourth time in nine games this season.
McKenzie Forbes added 17 points and
Taylor Bigby scored 15 points, making a
career-high five 3-pointers, for the Tro-
jans (9-0). They tied their season high
with 93 points. Kathryn Neff led the Ti-
tans (4-5) with 14 points as their only
double-figure scorer.
NO. 12 KANSAS STATE 102,
ORAL ROBERTS 59
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Ayoka Lee had
24 points and a career-high 21 rebounds
to post her school-record 53rd career
double-double, and Kansas State rout-
ed Oral Roberts. Lee reached double fig-
ures in points and rebounds by early in
the second quarter. She also finished
with five blocks.
Gabby Gregory scored 16 points for
Kansas State (11-1). Ruthie Udoumoh led
Oral Roberts (6-4) with 15 points and 10
rebounds.
NO. 16 INDIANA 109,
EVANSVILLE 56
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Yarden Gar-
zon scored a career-high 30 points on
12-of-14 shooting, Mackenzie Holmes
had 22 points and 10 rebounds for her
22nd career double-double, and Indi-
ana beat Evansville.
Indiana (9-1) shot 71.7% from the field
(38 of 53) for the highest single-game
percentage by a Division I team this sea-
son. Indiana also tied a program record
for points in a third quarter with 34.
Freshman Maggie Hartwig scored 13
points for Evansville (2-8).
NO. 17 UCONN 88, BUTLER 62
HARTFORD, Conn. – Freshman Ash-
lynn Shade scored a season-high 22
points, Paige Bueckers had 16 points and
seven assists, and UConn beat Butler in
the Big East opener for both teams.
Aubrey Griffin scored 14 points and
Aaliyah Edwards had 12 points and 12 re-
bounds for UConn (8-3).
Rachel Kent and Caroline Strande
each scored 13 points for Butler (7-4).
Jordan Meulemans, averaging 11.1 points UCLA's Charisma Osborne, right, tries to dribble past Ohio State's Jacy Sheldon,
per game, was held to three points. left, on Monday in Columbus, Ohio. JAY LAPRETE/AP

South Carolina remains unanimous No. 1 in poll

Doug Feinberg
ASSOCIATED PRESS
South Carolina remained the unani-
mous No. 1 in The Associated Press wom-
en’s basketball poll on Monday, while
Washington was ranked for the first time
since 2017.
The Gamecocks received all 36 votes
from a national media panel after win-
ning their only game last week in a rout.
Many teams were finishing off their
break for exams and there wasn’t much
movement, with the top 10 unchanged
from the previous week.
UCLA, North Carolina State, Iowa and
Texas followed South Carolina. The sec-
ond-ranked Bruins face No. 13 Ohio State
on Monday night. That’s one of the only
meetings between two AP Top 25 teams
this week because schools have a short
week because of the holidays. Southern
California, LSU, Colorado, Stanford and
Baylor were next. The 10th-ranked Bears
beat then-No. 24 Miami on Sunday.
The Hurricanes fell out of the Top 25
and were replaced by No. 25 TCU, which
made its first appearance in the poll
since 2020. Washington also entered at
No. 23, the first time it has been ranked
since the final poll in 2017. The Huskies’
first game as a ranked team will be at No.
19 Louisville on Wednesday. UNLV also
dropped out of the rankings after losing
at Seton Hall on Saturday.
Milestone win: Virginia Tech coach
Kenny Brooks earned his 500th career
victory on Sunday in a win over Rutgers.
His players were wearing shirts after
the game in honor of their coach, who
last year guided the team to its first-ever
Final Four. The No. 15 Hokies have two
losses this season, to No. 4 Iowa on a
neutral court and at No. 7 LSU.
Big 12 dominance: TCU is one of 14
unbeaten teams left in women’s college
basketball, including five in the Big 12.
The Horned Frogs (11-0) haven’t had the
most difficult nonconference schedule
and won’t play a ranked team until facing
Baylor on Jan. 3.
The other undefeated teams in the Big
12 are Texas, Texas Tech, Baylor, UCF and
West Virginia. The six have combined to
go 59-0 but have played only three true South Carolina coach Dawn Staley reacts during Sunday’s game against Utah.
road games. The Gamecocks won 78-69 to improve to 10-0 on the season. JESSICA HILL/AP

MEN’S POLLS

Purdue jumps back to No. 1 Purdue returns

Aaron Beard
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Purdue’s slide from No. 1 in The As-
sociated Press Top 25 men’s college
basketball poll turned out to be brief.
The Boilermakers headlined Mon-
day’s latest poll for the second time
this season after beating former No. 1
Arizona over the weekend. The Wild-
cats had spent two weeks at No. 1 after
Purdue’s loss to Northwestern ended
the Boilermakers’ stint at the top after
one week.
Purdue received 48 of 62 first-place
votes in the latest poll to jump from
third with the Arizona win, which
marked the program’s first win against
a No. 1 team in 23 years. It also marked
the latest impressive nonconference
win to a resume that already includes
ranked teams in Gonzaga, Tennessee
and Marquette.
Preseason No. 1 Kansas stayed at
No. 2 with six first-place votes, while
Houston moved up one spot to No. 3
and had the other eight votes. Arizona
fell to fourth.
The top tier: UConn, Marquette,
Oklahoma, Tennessee, Kentucky and
Baylor rounded out the top 10.
Of that group, the Sooners are mak-
ing their first appearance inside the top
Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn
shoots against Arizona on Saturday.
AJ MAST/AP
10 since February 2021. And the Wild-
cats cracked the top 10 for the first time
this season after beating North Caroli-
na in the CBS Sports Classic.
Rising and falling: Kentucky’s five-
spot rise marked the biggest jump of
the week. Oklahoma and Tennessee
were next with four spots to push in-
side the top 10, while No. 13 Illinois rose
three spots. In all, 10 teams climbed
from last week’s poll.
No. 15 Gonzaga and No. 18 Clemson
took the biggest tumbles, with each
falling five spots after losses. Baylor,
which lost in a blowout to Michigan
State, and No. 12 Creighton were next
by falling four spots. A total of seven
teams slid from last week’s rankings.
Status quo: Six teams held their po-
sition from last week, including
UConn, No. 19 Texas, No. 20 James
Madison, No. 21 Duke and No. 22 Vir-
ginia.
Welcome aboard: No. 23 Memphis
and No. 25 Mississippi were the week’s
new additions.
The Tigers handed Clemson its first
loss after a 9-0 start to jump into the
rankings for the first time this season.
As for Ole Miss, the Rebels (10-0) are
off to their best start since opening at
13-0 in 2007-08. The program, in its
first season under Chris Beard, is
ranked for the first time since January
2019.
Miami (No. 24) and Northwestern
(No. 25) fell out from last week.
to No. 1 in
coaches poll
Eddie Timanus USA TODAY
Purdue is back on top of the USA TO-
DAY Sports men’s basketball coaches
poll.
The Boilermakers, ranked fourth last
week, vault back to No. 1 after taking
down Arizona, the team that had held
the No. 1 position for the last two weeks.
With that result, Purdue now owns
three top-10 victories, with earlier wins
against No. 6 Marquette and No. 7 Ten-
nessee in Hawaii.
Kansas, which held the No. 1 spot ear-
lier in the season, is back up to No. 2,
claiming three first-place votes. Hous-
ton, unbeaten but yet to face anyone
else in the top five, slips to No. 3 despite
picking up the remaining nine No. 1
nods. Arizona falls to No. 4, and defend-
ing champ Connecticut holds at No. 5.
Oklahoma climbs four places to No. 8,
and Kentucky leaps six slots to No. 9 af-
ter staving off No. 13 North Carolina over
the weekend. Baylor drops four spots af-
ter losing to Michigan State but remains
in the top 10.
No. 23 Memphis is the lone newcom-
er to the poll this week as Miami (Fla.)
drops out.
6NS | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2023 | SPORTS EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Daniels won’t play
in ReliaQuest Bowl
Koki Riley
Lafayette Daily Advertiser
USA TODAY NETWORK
BATON ROUGE — LSU football quar-
terback Jayden Daniels has played his
final game in the purple and gold.
The Heisman Trophy winner an-
nounced Dec. 18 that he will not play in
the ReliaQuest Bowl against Wisconsin
on Jan. 1 and will instead prepare for
the 2024 NFL Draft.
Daniels had a historic second season
at LSU. The former Arizona State trans-
fer led the country in total yards, total
touchdowns, QBR, plays of 20+ yards
and passer rating by the end of the reg-
ular season. He also became the first
player in FBS history to throw for 350+
Clemson’s Mukuba
transfers home to Texas
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Former Clemson safety Andrew Mu-
kuba announced Monday he is trans-
ferring to Texas, his hometown school,
cornerback Decamerion Richardson
said he is leaving Mississippi State for
rival Mississippi and quarterback
Dante Moore committed to Oregon af-
ter spending his freshman year at
UCLA.
Entering the portal officially were
Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson, a
three-year starter, TCU quarterback
Chandler Morris, and two former five-
star recruits from USC in freshman
quarterback Malachi Nelson and soph-
omore cornerback Domani Jackson.
Moore, a former five-star recruit
from Michigan, played nine games and
started five for the Bruins. He complet-
ed 53.6% of his passes and three 11
touchdowns and nine interceptions.
He is the second high-profile quar-
terback to choose Oregon as a transfer
destination this month, joining Dillon
Gabriel.
Moore, who originally committed to
Oregon as a high school recruit before
flipping to UCLA, made his announce-
ment with an Instagram post.
Gabriel, who played the last two sea-
sons at Oklahoma, will play a sixth sea-
son at Oregon.
Florida State received a commit-
ment from the son of a former Semi-
noles star when edge rusher Marvin
Jones Jr. posted on social media that he
was transferring from Georgia to Talla-
hassee.
The elder Jones was an All-America
linebacker from Florida State in the
early 1990s who went on to play 10 sea-
sons for the New York Jets. Jones Jr.
Bowl
Continued from Page 1NS
he speared with one hand.
“I wasn’t throwing great balls, but
these guys were making plays,” Velt-
kamp said.
The Hilltoppers (8-5) played without
starting quarterback Austin Reed, who
opted out of the game to prepare for the
NFL draft. The plan was to turn the
reigns of the offense over to Turner Hel-
ton, the nephew of head coach Tyson
Helton.
But Helton was benched midway
through the first quarter after he fum-
bled on his first possession and threw a
pick-6 on his next.
The coach said he planned to rotate
his two QBs, but stuck with Veltkamp
after he developed the hot hand.
“Caden was ready when it was his
turn,” Helton said. “He has a warrior
spirit and a competitive spirit.”
The Hilltoppers would mount a
comeback with Smith snaring a pass
out of the air with one hand on a cross-
ing route and taking it 17 yards for a
touchdown to cut the lead to 28-14 with
10:24 left in the third quarter.
After ODU quarterback Grant Wil-
son scored a 21-yard scramble to make
it a 21-point game, Veltkamp respon-
ded with two more touchdown passes –
a 37-yard strike to Elijah Young and his
third scoring toss to Smith – to cut the
yards and run for 200+ yards in the
same game.
His Heisman Trophy victory made
him the third LSU player to win the
award, joining Joe Burrow in 2019 and
Billy Cannon in 1959. Daniels also won
the Davey O’Brien National Quarter-
back Award, Johnny Unitas Golden
Arm Award and the Walter Camp Player
of the Year Award.
Daniels led the Tigers to consecutive
nine-win regular seasons and the SEC
Championship Game in 2022. LSU can
capture its second straight 10-win cam-
paign if it defeats Wisconsin.
Garrett Nussmeier is LSU’s pre-
sumed starter at quarterback with
Daniels not available.
was a five-star recruit who played spar-
ingly for Georgia in two seasons.
A busy day for defensive backs exit-
ing the portal also includes two Mid-
American Conference starters an-
nouncing they were headed to Power
Five schools.
Former Buffalo safety Devin Grant,
who had five interceptions this season,
committed to Syracuse, the day after
the Orange and new coach Fran Brown
landed former Ohio State quarterback
Kyle McCord.
Texas A&M got a commitment from
Central Michigan safety Trey Jones.
Mukuba is an Austin, Texas, native
and former four-star recruit who has
started 31 games over three seasons for
the Tigers.
h Former Duke running back Jordan
Waters is staying in the same area code,
moving over to North Carolina State
about 20 miles away in Raleigh. He ran
for 753 yards and 12 touchdowns this
year for the Blue Devils, hitting the 100-
yard rushing mark three times while
also having four multi-touchdown
showings.
h Washington added former San
Diego State offensive tackle Drew Az-
zopardi, who started six games this
season as a redshirt freshman. He was
the fourth addition in recent days for
the Huskies, joining former Mississippi
State quarterback Will Rogers, former
Vanderbilt linebacker Ethan Barr and
former Arizona State edge rusher B.J.
Green.
h Colorado lost a transfer when for-
mer Indiana offensive lineman Mat-
thew Bedford flipped his commitment
to Oregon but gained one when former
Houston defensive lineman Chidozie
Nwankwo committed to the Buffaloes.
lead to 35-28.
Old Dominion tried to make it a two-
possession game, but Ethan Sanchez’s
47-yard field goal was blocked, giving
the Hilltoppers one last chance with
2:53 left.
Western Kentucky quickly reached
the Monarchs 5 behind a 30-yard re-
ception by Jimmy Holiday and a penal-
ty on ODU staff for interfering with an
official near the sideline. Still, it looked
like ODU might hold on and win after
Wayne Matthews sacked Veltkamp on
third down at the 15.
But Veltkamp wouldn’t be denied.
He responded with a 15-yard TD pass
on fourth-and-goal to Hutchinson near
the left pylon to send the game into
overtime.
“This team never quits and it never
backs down,” coach Helton said on the
field during the trophy presentation.
“We were in the locker room at halftime
and nobody complained. We said it’s
going to be a hell of a victory, and it
was.”
Wilson ran for 126 yards and two
touchdowns and threw for another for
Old Dominion (6-7). Kris Caine re-
turned an interception 30 yards for a
touchdown and Kadarius Calloway
added a rushing touchdown for the
Monarchs.
This was the first year for the bowl in
Charlotte. It is normally the Bahamas
Bowl, but was moved to the mainland
because stadium renovations in Nas-
sau were not complete.
Georgia quarterback Carson Beck (15) throws a touchdown pass against
Kentucky in Athens, Ga. JOSHUA L. JONES/USA TODAY NETWORK
Georgia QB Beck to
return for 2024 season
Marc Weiszer
Athens Banner-Herald
USA TODAY NETWORK
Carson Beck waited three seasons to
finally get the chance to be the Georgia
football starting quarterback.
He’s coming back for a second year
in that role.
The Jacksonville native is returning
for the 2024 season, Georgia football
announced Monday afternoon on its
social media accounts including X, for-
merly Twitter.
“My friends and family have helped
put me in a situation to have options for
my future,” Beck said. “However, the
NFL can wait one more year. I am re-
turning to UGA for my senior season.”
That will give Beck a chance to move
up into the top tier of quarterback
prospects for the 2025 NFL draft and
build on the 14 starts he will have going
into his second season as starter.
The decision came after huddling
with Georgia coach Kirby Smart follow-
ing the SEC championship game loss to
Alabama, learning where he may fit
into this year’s quarterback draft class
and taking his time before deciding he
wasn’t ready to be a one-and-done
starter.
Beck, a second-team All-SEC pick
by the coaches, is fourth in the nation
in passing yards with 3,738 and threw
for at least 250 yards in his first 11
games this season.
He was a key reason Georgia entered
the SEC championship game unbeaten
and No. 1 in the nation.
Beck was rated the No. 45 overall
prospect by Pro Football Focus last
month, but did not make the top 50
Thursday by ESPN draft analyst Jordan
Reid.
“He doesn’t possess elite arm talent,
but throughout the regular season, he
became one of the most accurate pass-
ers in the country, and his recognition
and anticipation of defenses continue
Highly touted QB recruit Raiola
flips commitment to Nebraska
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Quarterback Dylan Raiola, one of the
top high school football recruits in the
country, announced Monday he will
sign with Nebraska after months of be-
ing a verbal commitment to Georgia.
Raiola, whose father played for Ne-
braska and uncle is a current assistant
coach, made his announcement with a
poem posted to social media.
“No longer a cog in some power-
house machine, But a quarterback,
with an even grander ambition un-
seen,” Raiola wrote in his post.
The early signing period of high
school recruits starts Wednesday,
when Raiola and other recruits can
make their college decisions official by
signing a national letter of intent.
When Raiola signs, he will become
one of the highest-rated recruits to ever
join Nebraska. He has played high
school football in Texas and Arizona
before transferring to Georgia this year
and playing at Buford High School, a
traditional power northwest of Atlanta.
Nebraska is the third commitment
for Raiola, who initially pledged to Ohio
State in 2022 before switching to Geor-
gia in May.
Raiola’s father, Dominic, was a star
to improve,” PFF draft analyst Trevor
Sikkema wrote.
He’ll have a chance to play in a tough
road environments next season for a
schedule that offers up games at Ala-
bama and Texas, two playoff teams this
year.
Beck is in line to reap a financial ben-
efit in this NIL era where quarterback
free agency has touched Georgia al-
ready. Backup Brock Vandagriff is
transferring to Kentucky and 5-star
high school senior commitment Dylan
Raiola could be close to flipping to Ne-
braska.
Beck has provided good value for
Georgia at the position.
He is on track to set a Georgia single-
season record for completion percent-
age (72.4 percent entering bowl), is
ninth nationally in passing efficiency
and 12th in passing yards per game
(287.5).
“Obviously, he’s in the system, he
knows the terminology, but you’re a
first-time starter in this league,” offen-
sive coordinator Mike Bobo said earlier
this month in Little Rock, Ark., on 103.7
The Buzz while there for the Broyles
Award ceremony. “You’re going to grow
through growing pains. Being a starter
in this league, you’re going to get criti-
cized from everybody — the talking
heads but your own fans. How are you
going to handle that? He handled that
and was able to persevere, continue to
just try to lock in each week and get bet-
ter and grow within our team.”
Beck threw 22 touchdowns and had
six interceptions this season.
“It was definitely a work in progress
as the season kind of started,” Beck
said before the SEC championship
game, “but I’d say that South Carolina
game, after that second half kind of
where we started to pick up steam,
started to become a little bit more com-
fortable within the offense and with the
players around me, and I think our con-
fidence kind of shot up from there.”
High school quarterback Dylan Raiola
stands on the sideline at Sanford
Stadium. DALE ZANINE/USA TODAY SPORTS
offensive lineman for Nebraska in the
late 1990s who started more than 200
NFL games with the Detroit Lions.
Raiola’s uncle, Donovan, is the current
offensive line coach for Nebraska under
head coach Matt Rhule.
Nebraska, a program that claims five
national titles, has not even qualified
for a bowl game since 2016.
 SPORTS EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2023 | 7NS

SCOREBOARD
y-San GP W L OT Pts GF GA Bowie St. 84, Johnson C. Smith 71 New Orleans 67, Tarleton St. 59 St. 12, Michigan St. 10, TCU 10, Texas A&M
Francisco 11 3 0 .786 425 234 Boston 29 19 5 5 43 94 73 California (Pa.) 100, Shippensburg 71 Texas St. 67, FIU 61 9, San Diego St. 8, Northwestern 5,
L.A. Rams 7 7 0 .500 327 310 Toronto 28 16 6 6 38 106 90 Chowan 79, Virginia-Wise 76 EAST Providence 5, Alabama 3, Dayton 3,
Seattle 7 7 0 .500 300 335 Florida 31 18 11 2 38 92 82 Dartmouth 77, Thomas (Maine) 48 CCSU 69, Colgate 54 Nevada 3, New Mexico 2, Grand Canyon 2,
e-Arizona 3 11 0 .214 259 376 Detroit 31 15 12 4 34 110 99 Drexel 117, Penn State Greater Allegheny Canisius 67, Marist 62 Washington 2, Saint Joseph’s 2, South
e-Eliminated from playoffs Tampa Bay 32 14 13 5 33 105 114 Lions 49 Fairfield 82, Manhattan 58 Carolina 1, Mississippi St. 1.
x-clinched playoff spot Montreal 31 14 13 4 32 87 106 Duquesne 69, Bradley 67
Buffalo 32 13 16 3 29 90 105 Niagara 74, St. Peter's 57 Women’s AP Top 25
y-clinched division East Stroudsburg 84, Clarion 77 Quinnipiac 60, Rider 57 The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’
Ottawa 26 11 15 0 22 88 89 Gannon 121, Kutztown 76
Thursday's Games Robert Morris 66, Fairmont St. 55 women’s college basketball poll, with
Las Vegas 63, L.A. Chargers 21 Metropolitan Division Indiana (Pa.) 77, Mansfield 59 Siena 61, Mount St. Mary's 55 first-place votes in parentheses, and total
GP W L OT Pts GF GA Le Moyne 92, Houghton 72 Syracuse 78, Cornell 71 points based on 25 points for a first-place
Saturday's Games N.Y. Rangers 29 21 7 1 43 96 80
New BetMGM customers can sign up Cincinnati 27, Minnesota 24, OT Lincoln (Pa.) 79, Livingstone 68 UConn 88, Butler 62 vote through one point for a 25th-place
today and get a First Bet Offer up to Philadelphia 30 17 10 3 37 90 79 Lock Haven 83, Seton Hill 73
Indianapolis 30, Pittsburgh 13 N.Y. Islanders 30 14 8 8 36 94 100 West Virginia 77, Wright St. 72 vote and previous ranking.
$1,500 using bonus code USAT. Just Detroit 42, Denver 17 Marist 76, Md.-Eastern Shore 52 Record Pts Prv
Carolina 31 16 12 3 35 100 100 SOUTH
download the BetMGM app, deposit at Marshall 103, Bluefield College Ramblin 1. S. Carolina (36) 10-0 900 1
Sunday's Games Washington 28 15 9 4 34 70 80 Alabama A&M 80, Chicago St. 43 2. UCLA 9-0 861 2
least $10 and place your first wager on New Jersey 29 16 12 1 33 101 104 Rams 70
Carolina 9, Atlanta 7 Charlotte 65, Charleston Southern 60 3. NC State 11-0 796 3
any game. If your first bet loses, you will Pittsburgh 30 14 13 3 31 87 84 Millersville 75, Edinboro 63
Cleveland 20, Chicago 17 Davidson 75, UNC-Wilmington 56 4. Iowa 11-1 755 4
receive bonus bets in the amount of your Columbus 32 10 17 5 25 96 117 Mississippi Univ. for Women 68, Penn
Houston 19, Tennessee 16, OT East Carolina 65, George Mason 44 5. Texas 11-0 750 5
bet (up to $1,500). Just make sure you St.-Brandywine 60
Kansas City 27, New England 17 WESTERN CONFERENCE FAU 59, UCF 58 6. Southern Cal 8-0 683 6
use bonus code USAT when you sign up. Penn St.-Harrisburg 76, Alvernia 71
Miami 30, N.Y. Jets 0 Central Division Louisiana Tech 77, Cal Baptist 51 7. LSU 11-1 674 7
Bet now! Pitt.-Johnstown 91, Bloomsburg 60
New Orleans 24, N.Y. Giants 6 GP W L OT Pts GF GA Mississippi 64, South Alabama 41 8. Colorado 9-1 645 8
Quinnipiac 77, Holy Cross 57 9. Stanford 9-1 607 9
Tampa Bay 34, Green Bay 20 Dallas 30 18 8 4 40 107 95 Morehead St. 83, Davis & Elkins 28
ODDS SPONSORED L.A. Rams 28, Washington 20 Colorado 31 19 10 2 40 113 96
Slippery Rock 63, Shepherd 57, OT
West Chester 68, Mercyhurst 63
Murray St. 89, W. Carolina 79 10. Baylor 9-0 603 10
San Francisco 45, Arizona 29 Winnipeg 30 18 9 3 39 99 79 NC Central 65, UNC-Asheville 63 11. Utah 9-2 490 11
BY BETMGM.COM Buffalo 31, Dallas 10 Nashville 31 18 13 0 36 99 94 Wilkes 74, Clarks Summit 40
New Orleans 67, Tarleton St. 59 12. Kansas St 10-1 486 12
Baltimore 23, Jacksonville 7 Arizona 30 15 13 2 32 93 86 SOUTH Norfolk St. 85, High Point 71, OT 13. Ohio St. 9-1 482 12
St. Louis 30 15 14 1 31 88 99 Albany St. (Ga.) 84, Kentucky St. 56 Tennessee Tech 77, N. Kentucky 59 14. Notre Dame 8-1 460 14
Odds available as of print deadline. Monday's Games 15. Virginia Tech 8-2 388 16
Minnesota 29 12 13 4 28 89 95 Augusta 86, Reinhardt 64 Texas St. 67, FIU 61
Seattle 20, Philadelphia 17 Chicago 30 9 20 1 19 70 109 Bluefield 57, Fayetteville St. 56 16. UConn 7-3 386 17
College Football UNC-Greensboro 56, SC-Upstate 53 17. Indiana 8-1 380 15
Thursday, Dec. 21 Pacific Division Campbell 83, Morgan St. 76 W. Kentucky 72, Abilene Christian 68
Tuesday New Orleans at L.A. Rams, 8:15 p.m. GP W L OT Pts GF GA Coll. of Charleston 84, Coastal Carolina 81 18. Marquette 11-0 306 19
Frisco Bowl MIDWEST 19. Louisville 10-2 211 18
Saturday, Dec. 23 Vegas 32 21 6 5 47 113 81 Converse 97, Francis Marion 87
Detroit 59, Bellarmine 49 20. Gonzaga 11-2 205 21
Frisco, Texas Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, 4:30 p.m. Vancouver 32 21 9 2 44 120 79 Edward Waters 66, Tuskegee 65 21. Florida St. 8-3 127 22
Los Angeles 27 17 6 4 38 97 67 Indiana 109, Evansville 56
FAVORITE LINE O/U UNDERDOG Buffalo at L.A. Chargers, 8 p.m. Ferrum 65, Greensboro 59 22. Creighton 8-2 122 20
Calgary 32 13 14 5 31 97 111 Kansas St. 102, Oral Roberts 59
UTSA 11½ (52½) Marshall Sunday, Dec. 24 Florida Tech 65, Barton 56 23. Washington 11-0 87 -
Seattle 33 10 14 9 29 90 109 Loyola Chicago 77, SIU-Edwardsville 74
Cleveland at Houston, 1 p.m. Fort Valley St. 80, Central St. (Ohio) 69 24. North Carolina 7-4 57 25
Thursday Edmonton 28 13 14 1 27 97 97 N. Illinois 65, E. Illinois 55
Detroit at Minnesota, 1 p.m. Georgia Southwestern 83, Lynn 64 25. TCU 11-0 50 -
Boca Raton Bowl Anaheim 31 12 19 0 24 84 105 UCLA 77, Ohio St. 71
Green Bay at Carolina, 1 p.m. Jacksonville 75, Louisiana-Monroe 65 Others receiving votes: Miami 48, West
San Jose 31 9 19 3 21 66 124 UMKC 121, Falcons 37
Boca Raton, Fla. Indianapolis at Atlanta, 1 p.m. Lees-Mcrae 100, Johnson U. 87 Virginia 37, Washington St 29, UNLV 18,
FAVORITE LINE O/U UNDERDOG NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for Mary Washington 69, Bridgewater (Va.) SOUTHWEST
Syracuse 3 (61½) South Florida Seattle at Tennessee, 1 p.m. overtime loss. Top three teams in each Houston Christian 66, Schreiner 40 Texas A&M 13, Texas Tech 13, Mississippi
Washington at N.Y. Jets, 1 p.m. 52 St. 6, Oregon St. 5, Minnesota 4, Green
division and two wild cards per Montana St.-Billings 81, Rollins 70 Omaha 68, Texas Southern 63
Friday, Dec. 22 Jacksonville at Tampa Bay, 4:05 p.m. conference advance to playoffs. SMU 69, Sam Houston St. 64 Bay 4, Davidson 4, Syracuse 3, Nebraska
Arizona at Chicago, 4:25 p.m. Morehouse 71, Lane 66 2, Mississippi 2, Michigan St. 1.
Gasparilla Bowl Sunday's Games Norfolk St. 108, S. Virginia 52 Texas A&M 95, MVSU 45
Tampa, Fla. Dallas at Miami, 4:25 p.m.
New England at Denver, 8:15 p.m. Vancouver 4, Chicago 3 Rhodes 90, Sewanee 79 FAR WEST
FAVORITE LINE O/U UNDERDOG Washington 2, Carolina 1, SO Savannah St. 71, Spring Hill 54 N. Arizona 80, Pepperdine 62
UCF 4½ (67½) Georgia Tech Monday, Dec. 25 Anaheim 5, New Jersey 1 St. Augustines 75, Elizabeth City St. 69 Saint Mary's (Cal) 83, Cal St.-East Bay 67 TRANSACTIONS
Gannett may earn revenue from Las Vegas at Kansas City, 1 p.m. Colorado 6, San Jose 2 UCF 74, Maine 51 San Jose St. 70, CS Northridge 53
N.Y. Giants at Philadelphia, 4:30 p.m. Monday's Transactions
sports betting operators for Vegas 6, Ottawa 3 UNC-Asheville 79, SC State 75 Southern Cal 93, Cal St.-Fullerton 44
audience referrals to betting Baltimore at San Francisco, 8:15 p.m. W. Colorado 51, Utah St. 49 BASEBALL
Monday's Games Wake Forest 88, Delaware St. 59
services. Sports betting operators UNC-Greensboro 56, SC-Upstate 53 Major League Baseball
Pittsburgh 4, Minnesota 3 MIDWEST American League
have no influence over nor are any Anaheim 4, Detroit 3 Adrian 79, Hiram 58 Men’s USA LINE Top 25
such revenues in any way NBA Montreal 3, Winnipeg 2, OT Calvin 81, Wis.-Stevens Pt. 70 The USA TODAY Sports Top 25 men’s
KANSAS CITY ROYALS — Signed RHP
dependent on or linked to the Michael Wacha to a one-year contract.
EASTERN CONFERENCE Dallas 4, Seattle 3, OT Cent. Missouri 71, Missouri-St. Louis 46 basketball poll, with first-place votes
newsrooms or news coverage. Acquired RHP Cesar Espinal from
Calgary 3, Florida 1 Concordia (Ill.) 86, Aurora 76 received in parenthesis, team’s records,
Terms apply, see operator site for Atlantic Division Baltimore for RHP Jonathon Heasley.
W L Pct GB Tuesday’s Games Cornell (Iowa) 67, Wartburg 63 total points based on 25 for first place
Terms and Conditions. Gambling Dominican 89, North Park 86, OT through one point for 25th and ranking in National League
problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER CO, Boston 20 5 .800 — Columbus at Buffalo, 7 p.m. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS — Claimed RHP
Philadelphia 18 8 .692 2½ Minnesota at Boston, 7 p.m. Evansville 98, UT Martin 91 last week’s final poll:
DC, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MS, NJ, OH, New York 15 11 .577 5½ Lake Superior St. 67, SW Minnesota 61 Record Pts Pvs Collin Snider off waivers from Kansas City.
PA, TN, VA, WV, WY. Call N.Y. Rangers at Toronto, 7 p.m. 1. Purdue (20) 10-1 785 4 ATLANTA BRAVES — Released 1B Matt
Brooklyn 13 13 .500 7½ Philadelphia at New Jersey, 7 p.m. Loras 90, Lakeland 72
877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY Toronto 11 15 .423 9½ Malone 71, WV Wesleyan 59 2. Kansas (3) 10-1 750 2 Carpenter.
(467369) (NY) Call 1-800-327-5050 St. Louis at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m. 3. Houston (9) 11-0 732 3
Southeast Division Vegas at Carolina, 7 p.m. Mary 81, Valley City St. 74 HOCKEY
(MA). 21+ to wager. Please Gamble 4. Arizona 8-1 707 1
W L Pct GB Edmonton at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m. Michigan St. 79, Oakland 62 5. Connecticut 10-1 704 5 National Hockey League
Responsibly. Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP Orlando 16 9 .640 — Missouri S&T 79, St. Louis 53 ANAHEIM DUCKS — Recalled G Calle Clang
(AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (NV), Vancouver at Nashville, 8 p.m. 6. Marquette 9-2 628 7
Miami 15 12 .556 2 Colorado at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. N. Illinois 92, Calumet College of St. 7. Tennessee 8-3 541 10 from San Diego (AHL).
1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), Atlanta 11 15 .423 5½ Joseph 48 BUFFALO SABRES — Waived D Jacob
1-800-270-7117 for confidential Ottawa at Arizona, 9 p.m. 8. Oklahoma 10-0 533 12
Charlotte 7 18 .280 9 Los Angeles at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Ohio 108, Defiance 28 9. Kentucky 8-2 485 15 Bryson.
help (MI), 1-800-981-0023 (PR). In Washington 4 22 .154 12½ Pittsburg St. 94, Truman St. 88 10. Baylor 9-1 431 6 BOSTON BRUINS — Recalled D Mason
partnership with Kansas Crossing SIU-Edwardsville 99, Central Christian 11. Illinois 8-2 422 16 Lohrei from Providence (AHL).
Central Division
Casino
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and
for
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&
W L Pct GB COLLEGE FOOTBALL (Mo.) 56 12. Fla. Atlantic 9-2 403 14 CAROLINA HURRICANES — Signed G Aaron
Milwaukee 19 7 .731 — St. Leo 73, Maryville (Mo.) 69 13. N. Carolina 7-3 371 9 Dell to a professional tryout agreement.
Conditions. US promotional offers Cleveland 15 12 .556 4½ Bowl Schedule Transylvania 89, Bluffton 76 14. Creighton 9-2 354 8 COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS — Recalled C
not available in DC, Nevada, New Indiana 13 12 .520 5½ Monday, Dec. 18 Trine 79, Anderson (Ind.) 76 15. BYU 10-1 332 17 Brendan Gaunce from Cleveland (AHL).
York or Ontario. Chicago 11 17 .393 9 Famous Toastery Bowl W. Illinois 92, Eureka 56 16. Gonzaga 8-3 307 13 DALLAS STARS — Recalled G Matt Murray
All times Eastern Detroit 2 25 .074 17½ William Woods 71, Lincoln (Mo.) 69 17. Colorado St. 10-1 264 18 from Texas (AHL).
Charlotte, N.C. 18. Clemson 9-1 254 11
WESTERN CONFERENCE W. Kentucky 38, Old Dominion 35, OT Wis.-Oshkosh 84, Ripon 60 DETROIT RED WINGS — Reinstated C Dylan
Wis.-Parkside 82, Clarke Pride 56 19. Duke 7-3 211 19
Larkin from injured reserve. Assigned C
NFL Southwest Division
W L Pct GB
Tuesday, Dec 19 Wis.-Whitewater 80, Marian 47
20. Virginia
21. James Madison
9-1 184 21
10-0 165 20 Austin Czarnik to Grand Rapids (AHL).
Dallas 16 10 .615 — Frisco Bowl Youngstown St. 117, Westminster (Pa.) 45 NEW YORK ISLANDERS — Recalled D Grant
AMERICAN CONFERENCE 22. Texas 8-2 156 22
New Orleans 16 11 .593 ½ Frisco, Texas SOUTHWEST 23. Memphis 8-2 146 NR Hutton from Bridgeport (AHL).
East Houston 13 11 .542 2 UTSA vs. Marshall, 9 p.m. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS — Placed D Ryan
W L T Pct PF PA Angelo St. 101, West Liberty 98 24. Wisconsin 8-3 141 23
Miami 10 4 0 .714 441 294 Memphis 6 19 .240 9½ Thursday, Dec. 21 Ark.-Pine Bluff 125, Ecclesia 75 25. Mississippi 10-0 132 25 Shea on waivers.
Buffalo 8 6 0 .571 379 254 San Antonio 4 21 .160 11½ Cameron 88, Midwestern St. 87 Others receiving votes: Auburn (8-2) 60; TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING — Reassigned D
Boca Raton Bowl
e-N.Y. Jets 5 9 0 .357 201 287 Northwest Division Cent. Oklahoma 86, Henderson St. 72, OT Miami (Fla.) (8-2) 41; Colorado (8-2) 36; Sean Day to Syracuse (AHL).
e-New W L Pct GB Boca Raton, Fla. East Central 78, John Brown 55 WASHINGTON CAPITALS — Loaned F Joe
USF vs. Syracuse, 8 p.m. TCU (8-1) 26; Michigan State (5-5) 18; Ohio
England 3 11 0 .214 186 299 Minnesota 20 5 .800 — Hardin-Simmons 94, Dallas 85 State (9-2) 17; Grand Canyon (9-1) 13; Iowa Snively to Hershey (AHL). Placed D Lucas
Oklahoma City 17 8 .680 3 Friday, Dec. 22 Jacksonville St. 65, Tarleton St. 62 State (9-2) 12; Texas A&M (7-4) 7; Utah Johansen on waivers.
South Denver 18 10 .643 3½
W L T Pct PF PA Gasparilla Bowl McMurry 91, Ozarks 85 (8-2) 7; South Carolina (9-1) 5; Nebraska FOOTBALL
Houston 8 6 0 .571 306 295 Utah 10 17 .370 11 Prairie View 92, North American 61
Portland 6 19 .240 14 Tampa, Fla. (9-2) 4; New Mexico (10-1) 4; Nevada (9-1) National Football League
Indianapolis 8 6 0 .571 344 343 Georgia Tech vs. UCF, 6:30 p.m. Rogers St. 82, Simon Fraser 63 3; Princeton (10-1) 3; Alabama (6-4) 2; San CINCINNATI BENGALS — Placed CB DJ Ivey
Jacksonville 8 6 0 .571 319 313 Pacific Division Southern Miss. 82, Lamar 79 Diego State (8-2) 2; Dayton (8-2) 1; and DT DJ Reader on injured reserve.
e-Tennessee 5 9 0 .357 257 301 W L Pct GB Saturday, Dec. 23
St. Mary's (Texas) 78, Dominican (NY) 69 Indiana State (10-1) 1. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS — Placed OL
Sacramento 16 9 .640 — Camellia Bowl Texas A&M Commerce 130, Arlington
North L.A. Clippers 16 10 .615 ½ Men’s AP Top 25 Cole Strange on injured reserved.
W L T Pct PF PA
L.A. Lakers 15 12 .556 2 Montgomery, Ala. Baptist 53 The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ SOCCER
x-Baltimore 11 3 0 .786 384 225 Arkansas St. vs. N. Illinois, noon Texas A&M-CC 102, Texas Lutheran 50 college basketball poll, with first-place
Cleveland 9 5 0 .643 309 289 Phoenix 14 12 .538 2½ Major League Soccer
Golden State 12 14 .462 4½ Birmingham Bowl Texas St. 110, LeTourneau 68 votes in parentheses, and total points
Cincinnati 8 6 0 .571 307 311 ATLANTA UNITED — Re-signed G Quentin
UALR 80, Murray St. 66 based on 25 points for a first-place vote
Pittsburgh 7 7 0 .500 223 280 Sunday's Games Birmingham, Ala. Westberg to a one-year contract.
Troy vs. Duke, noon FAR WEST through one point for a 25th-place vote FC DALLAS — Signed F Malik Henry-Scott
West Boston 114, Orlando 97
Biola 79, Dominican (Cal.) 72 and previous ranking. to a one-year contract, with club options
W L T Pct PF PA New Orleans 146, San Antonio 110 Armed Forces Bowl Record Pts Prv
CS San Bernardino 70, Alaska-Anchorage through 2027.
Kansas City 9 5 0 .643 319 245 Milwaukee 128, Houston 119 Fort Worth, Texas 1. Purdue (48) 10-1 1534 3
Denver 7 7 0 .500 304 351 64 NEW YORK RED BULLS — Traded F Tom
Phoenix 112, Washington 108 No. 24 James Madison vs. Air Force, 3:30 2. Kansas (6) 10-1 1457 2
Las Vegas 6 8 0 .429 265 280 Cal Lutheran 58, Illinois Wesleyan 52 Barlow to Chicago in exchange for
Golden State 118, Portland 114 p.m. 3. Houston (8) 11-0 1394 4
L.A. Chargers 5 9 0 .357 303 345 Chaminade 70, Lincoln University $125,000 in General Allocation Money
Monday's Games Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Oaklanders 67 4. Arizona 8-1 1372 1
NATIONAL CONFERENCE Chicago 108, Philadelphia 104 5. UConn 10-1 1367 5 (GAM) in 2024 and an additional $125,000
Boise, Idaho Chicago St. 78, Texas Rio Grande Valley 68 in GAM in 2025.
East L.A. Clippers 151, Indiana 127 6. Marquette 9-2 1235 7
Georgia St. vs. Utah St., 3:30 p.m. Concordia (Cal.) 81, Academy of Art 74 7. Oklahoma 10-0 1062 11 SEATTLE SOUNDERS — Acquired $325,000
W L T Pct PF PA Toronto 114, Charlotte 99 Denver 89, Adams St. 83
x-Philadelphia 10 4 0 .714 359 341 Cleveland 135, Houston 130, OT 68 Ventures Bowl 8. Tennessee 8-3 983 12 in 2024 General Allocation Money (GAM)
E. Washington 62, Cal Poly 53 9. Kentucky 8-2 981 14 from Columbus in exchange for two 2024
x-Dallas 10 4 0 .714 431 264 Minnesota 112, Miami 108 Mobile, Ala. Loyola Marymount 76, Detroit 56
N.Y. Giants 5 9 0 .357 189 338 South Alabama vs. Eastern Michigan, 7 10. Baylor 9-1 896 6 International Roster Slots.
Atlanta 130, Detroit 124 Pacific 68, CS Stanislaus 46 11. N. Carolina 7-3 773 9
e-Washington 4 10 0 .286 281 423 Oklahoma City 116, Memphis 97 p.m. National Women's Soccer League
Portland St. 75, Fresno St. 72, OT 12. Creighton 9-2 734 8
South Denver 130, Dallas 104 Las Vegas Bowl HOUSTON DASH — Re-signed F Maria
UC San Diego 83, Sacramento St. 52 13. Illinois 8-2 727 16
W L T Pct PF PA Utah 125, Brooklyn 108 Sanchez to a long-term contract.
Las Vegas UC Santa Cruz 77, Puget Sound 54 14. FAU 9-2 716 15
New Orleans 7 7 0 .500 309 267 Sacramento 143, Washington 131 15. Gonzaga 8-3 642 10 UTAH ROYALS FC — Signed FW Addisyn
Tampa Bay 7 7 0 .500 296 290 Utah vs. Northwestern, 7:30 p.m. West Texas A&M 81, Colorado Mesa 66
New York 114, L.A. Lakers 109 16. Colorado St. 10-1 588 17 Merrick.
Atlanta 6 8 0 .429 258 278 Hawaii Bowl Monday’s Women’s Scores COLLEGE
Tuesday’s Games 17. BYU 10-1 569 18
e-Carolina 2 12 0 .143 206 348 Honolulu, Hawaii EAST 18. Clemson 9-1 501 13 CAMPBELL — Announced the resignation
Memphis at New Orleans, 7:30 p.m.
North San Antonio at Milwaukee, 8 p.m. Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose St., 10:30 CCSU 69, Colgate 54 19. Texas 8-2 449 19 of head football coach Mike Minter.
W L T Pct PF PA
Boston at Golden State, 10 p.m. p.m. Canisius 67, Marist 62 20. James Madison 10-0 442 20
Detroit 10 4 0 .714 382 331 West Virginia 77, Wright St. 72 21. Duke 7-3 311 21
Minnesota 7 7 0 .500 290 269 Phoenix at Portland, 10 p.m.
22. Virginia 9-1 287 22
Green Bay 6 8 0 .429 300 301 COLLEGE SOUTH
Alabama A&M 80, Chicago St. 43 23. Memphis 8-2 274 - ON THIS DATE
Chicago 5 9 0 .357 287 329 24. Wisconsin 8-3 269 23
West
NHL BASKETBALL FAU 59, UCF 58 25. Mississippi 10-0 180 - Dec. 19
W L T Pct PF PA
Morehead St. 83, Davis & Elkins 28 1913 — Heavyweight champion Jack
EASTERN CONFERENCE Monday’s Men’s Scores Murray St. 89, W. Carolina 79 Others receiving votes: Miami 97, Auburn
87, Colorado 84, Utah 37, Iowa St. 24, Ohio Johnson fights to a 10-round draw with
Atlantic Division EAST NC Central 65, UNC-Asheville 63 Battling Jim Johnson in Paris.

MLB NOTEBOOK

Maryland approves lease extension for Orioles

ASSOCIATED PRESS
BALTIMORE – Maryland officials ap-
proved a lease extension for the Balti-
more Orioles at Camden Yards on Mon-
day, formalizing a long-term agreement
between the team and the state and
capping months of negotiations that
were challenged by how to proceed with
future development plans near the ball-
park. The state’s Board of Public Works,
chaired by Gov. Wes Moore, voted 3-0
for the lease extension, after it was ap-
proved by the Maryland Stadium Au-
thority earlier in the day.
“This is a great day, and I am thrilled
to tell you why, but first I want to say
something that I have been waiting to
say for a long time: Baltimore, the deal is
done,” Moore said at a news conference
The deal extends the lease for 30
years, with an option to end it after 15 if
the team does not receive approval from
state officials for development plans
next to the stadium.
The Orioles’ lease at Camden Yards,
which is owned by the state of Mary-
land, was set to expire at the end of the
year.
Pirates agree to terms with
veteran lefty Pérez
PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Pi-
rates added another veteran left-hander
to fill out their starting rotation, agree-
ing Monday with Martín Pérez on an $8
million, one-year deal.
The agreement with the 32-year-old,
who won a World Series with Texas in
November, is pending a physical, a per-
son with knowledge of the agreement
told The Associated Press. The person
spoke on condition of anonymity be-
cause the deal wasn’t final.
Pérez becomes the second left-hand-
ed starter to join Pittsburgh in recent
weeks. The Pirates acquired Marco
Gonzales from Atlanta for $100,000 on
Dec. 5, a trade in which the Braves are
sending Pittsburgh $9.25 million to cov-
er most of the $12 million salary Gon-
zales is owed next season.
Pérez went 10-4 for the Rangers last
season, going 10-4 with a 4.45 ERA in 35
games, 20 of them starts. He moved
from the rotation to the bullpen in Au-
gust and made three relief appearances
in the playoffs – all in mop-up duty – as
Texas won its first World Series title. His
salary is less than half the $19.65 million
he earned this year after accepting the
Rangers’ qualifying offer.
Pérez is 85-81 with a 4.44 ERA in his
12-season big league career for Texas
(2012-18, ‘22-23), Minnesota (2019) and
Boston (2020-21). He was an All-Star in
2022, when he finished 12-8 with a ca-
reer-best 2.89 ERA.
Carpenter released by Braves
ATLANTA – First baseman Matt Car-
penter was released Monday by the At-
lanta Braves, who acquired him last
week from San Diego.
The decision costs the Braves in ef-
fect $4 million. Atlanta obtained Car-
penter along with left-hander Ray Kerr
from the Padres on Friday for outfielder
Drew Campbell. As part of the trade, the
Padres agreed to pay the Braves $1.5 mil-
lion. That covers part of Carpenter’s
$5.5 million salary for next season.
A three-time All-Star with St. Louis,
the 38-year-old Carpenter revived his
career with the New York Yankees in
2022 when he took advantage of the
right-field short porch and hit .305 with
15 homers and 37 RBIs. He played for the
Yankees from May 26 to Aug. 8, when he
broke his left foot with a foul ball. He re-
turned for the postseason and went 1 for
12 with nine strikeouts.
Carpenter signed a $12 million, two-
year contract with the Padres that in-
cluded a $5.5 million player option for
2024. He hit .176 with five homers and 31
RBIs, but had just 50 at-bats from July 1
on. Carpenter didn’t play after Sept. 10
because of right elbow inflammation.
Wacha, Royals finalize 2-year
contract
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City
Royals made official their deal with
starting pitcher Michael Wacha on
Monday, a $32 million, two-year pact
that includes a player option for 2025
and incentives based on the number of
innings he pitches. The Royals have
been among the busiest teams in the
majors this offseason, bolstering their
rotation in free agency by signing Wa-
cha and Seth Lugo along with their bull-
pen by signing Chris Stratton and Will
Smith. They also have landed power-
hitting outfielder Hunter Renfroe to give
their lineup a veteran presence along
with some additional pop.
The deal for Wacha includes a $16
million salary next year, a $16 million
option and $50,000 bonuses for pitch-
ing 105 innings each season and each
additional five through 150.
Giants, Murphy agree to $8
million, 2-year contract
SAN FRANCISCO – Free-agent
catcher Tom Murphy and the San Fran-
cisco Giants have agreed on an $8 mil-
lion, two-year contract, according to a
person with direct knowledge of the ne-
gotiations.
The person spoke to The Associated
Press on condition of anonymity Mon-
day because Murphy still must pass a
physical for the deal to be finalized.
The 32-year-old Murphy spent the
past four years with Seattle after playing
his first four major league seasons for
Colorado. He batted .290 with eight
home runs and 17 RBIs over 47 games for
the Mariners this year.
The Athletic first reported Murphy’s
agreement Monday.