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The Darnold-Jefferson connection is thriving for the surging VikingsNEW ORLEANS (AP) — A scruffy little fugitive is on the lam again in New Orleans, gaining fame as he outwits a tenacious band of citizens armed with night-vision binoculars, nets and a tranquilizer rifle. Scrim, a 17-pound mutt that's mostly terrier, has become a folk hero, inspiring tattoos, T-shirts and even a ballad as he eludes capture from the posse of volunteers. And like any antihero, Scrim has a backstory: Rescued from semi-feral life at a trailer park and adopted from a shelter, the dog broke loose in April and scurried around the city until he was cornered in October and brought to a new home. Weeks later, he'd had enough. Scrim leaped out of a second-story window, a desperate act recorded in a now-viral video. Since then, despite a stream of daily sightings, he's roamed free. The dog’s fans include Myra and Steve Foster, who wrote “Ode to Scrim” to the tune of Ricky Nelson’s 1961 hit, “I’m a Travelin’ Man.” Leading the recapture effort is Michelle Cheramie, a 55-year-old former information technology professional. She lost everything — home, car, possessions — in Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and in the aftermath, found her calling rescuing pets. “I was like, ‘This is what I should be doing,’” Cheramie said. “I was born to rescue.” She launched Zeus’ Rescues, a nonprofit shelter that now averages 600 cat and dog adoptions a year and offers free pet food to anyone who needs it. She helped Scrim find the home he first escaped from. It was Cheramie's window Scrim leaped from in November. She's resumed her relentless mission since then, posting flyers on telephone poles and logging social media updates on his reported whereabouts. She's invested thousands of dollars on wildlife cameras, thermal sensors and other gear. She took a course offered by the San Diego Zoo on the finer points of tranquilizing animals. And she's developed a network of volunteers — the kind of neighbors who are willing to grid-search a city at 3 a.m. People like writer David W. Brown, who manages a crowd-sourced Google Map of all known Scrim sightings. He says the search has galvanized residents from all walks of life to come together. As they search for Scrim, they hand out supplies to people in need. “Being a member of the community is seeing problems and doing what you can to make life a little better for the people around here and the animals around you,” Brown said. And neighbors like Tammy Murray, who had to close her furniture store and lost her father to Parkinson's disease. This search, she says, got her mojo back. “Literally, for months, I’ve done nothing but hunt this dog,” said Murray, 53. “I feel like Wile E. Coyote on a daily basis with him.” Murray drives the Zeus' Rescues' van towards reported Scrim sightings. She also handles a tactical net launcher, which looks like an oversized flashlight and once misfired, shattering the van's window as Scrim sped away. After realizing Scrim had come to recognize the sound of the van's diesel engine, Murray switched to a Vespa scooter, for stealth. Near-misses have been tantalizing. The search party spotted Scrim napping beneath an elevated house, and wrapped construction netting around the perimeter, but an over-eager volunteer broke ranks and dashed forward, leaving an opening Scrim slipped through. Scrim's repeated escapades have prompted near-daily local media coverage and a devoted online following. Cheramie can relate. “We’re all running from something or to something. He's doing that too,” she said. Cheramie's team dreams of placing the pooch in a safe and loving environment. But a social media chorus growing under the hashtag #FreeScrim has other ideas — they say the runaway should be allowed a life of self-determination. The animal rescue volunteers consider that misguided. “The streets of New Orleans are not the place for a dog to be free,” Cheramie said. “It’s too dangerous.” Scrim was a mess when Cheramie briefly recaptured him in October, with matted fur, missing teeth and a tattered ear. His trembling body was scraped and bruised, and punctured by multiple projectiles. A vet removed one, but decided against operating to take out a possible bullet. The dog initially appeared content indoors, sitting in Cheramie's lap or napping beside her bed. Then while she was out one day, Scrim chewed through a mesh screen, dropped 13 feet to the ground and squeezed through a gap in the fence, trotting away. Murray said Cheramie's four cats probably spooked him. “I wholeheartedly believe the gangster-ass cats were messing with him,” Murray said. Cheramie thinks they may have gotten territorial. Devastated but undeterred, the pair is reassessing where Scrim might fit best — maybe a secure animal sanctuary with big outdoor spaces where other dogs can keep him company. Somewhere, Murray says, “where he can just breathe and be.” Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Brook on the social platform X: @jack_brook96sr fc188 vs sr jhs189 。

Robert Griffin III Makes His Stance on Daniel Jones' Next Team Extremely ClearST. PAUL — A former lawmaker who is the longest-serving woman in the history of the Minnesota House has suffered a stroke. Former Rep. Mary Murphy, DFL-Hermantown, experienced a stroke last week and is in comfort care following complications, House Speaker Melissa Hortman said in a Facebook post late Monday. Hortman said Murphy remains hospitalized until she can be transferred to a hospice care facility. “Mary has had some visitors. Her family hopes that Mary could feel and appreciate their presence,” Hortman said. “While heart-wrenching, the family has determined that hospice is the best solution. Mary will receive comfort care at the hospital until she can be placed in a hospice care facility, which they expect to happen soon.” Murphy, 85, is the second-longest-serving member of the Minnesota House and the longest-serving female legislator. She was first elected in 1976 and was defeated in her bid to represent the Duluth-area seat in 2022 by 33 votes. She’s also a former history and social studies teacher. Murphy was supposed to participate in last week’s Electoral College voting last week at the Capitol, an honor bestowed by party officials. She didn’t attend and an alternate was elevated. Hortman said Murphy’s family is grateful for the love and support shown by her friends, colleagues and community. This story was originally published on MPRNews.org

MADRID (AP) — Spanish King Felipe VI used his traditional Christmas Eve speech to remember the victims of the catastrophic Valencia flash floods , and urged the country to remain calm despite public debates around hot-button issues such as immigration and housing affordability. In a pre-recorded speech that usually reviews the year's most relevant issues, Felipe said Spain “must never forget the pain and sadness" the flood have caused. The Oct. 29 floods killed more than 225 people in eastern Spain, damaging countless homes and leaving graveyards of cars piled on top of each other. In some towns, the heavy downpours that caused the floods dropped as much as a year's worth of rain in just eight hours. In early November, as Spaniards' shock at the wreckage turned into frustration, a political blame game began, directed especially at regional authorities who failed to send timely emergency alerts to cell phones on the day of the floods. The frustration of residents in hard-hit Paiporta near Valencia was on display when people tossed mud and shouted insults at the king and government officials in early November when they made their first visit to the town. “We have seen — and understood — the frustration, the pain, the impatience, the demands for greater and more effective coordination," Felipe said about how the disaster was managed, adding that he had asked that aid be sent to everyone who needed it. He also addressed the country's housing crunch and high rents, which have become a leading concern in this European Union country that is the eurozone's fourth-largest economy. Fast-rising rents are especially acute in cities like Barcelona and Madrid, where incomes have failed to keep up, especially for younger people in a country with chronically high unemployment. Felipe urged that “all the actors involved reflect” and "listen to each other” so that they facilitate bringing access to housing under “affordable conditions.” Spain's immigration debate should keep in mind the country's European partners and immigrants' countries of origin, Felipe said, warning that “the way in which we are able to address immigration ... will say a lot in the future about our principles and the quality of our democracy.” Felipe said Spain need to remain calm in the public sphere, even in the face of a “sometimes thunderous” contest in its politics.How NORAD’s Santa tracker has given anxious kids ‘screams and giggles and laughter’ for decades

PlayersTV Acquires Cloud Media Center, Integrates Sports-AI Ad Technology to Surpass 1B Monthly ImpressionsThe way Enzo Maresca remembers it, his Leicester players did not ring the doorbell, they snuck around the back of his house and tapped on the windows. It was the end of April, late at night, the club’s promotion back into the Premier League confirmed when Leeds lost at QPR and the players could have gone anywhere to celebrate. That they came here – to be with the manager who had guided them – said everything about their collective bond. Maresca would over the summer. But as he prepares to take his new club to visit his old one on Saturday lunchtime, he was never going to blot out the emotion, to look beyond the relationships he built during the season that made him. They provide the template for what he wants at Chelsea. “The first face I saw was Hamza [Choudhury],” Maresca says, with a nod to the Leicester midfielder. “They didn’t knock at the door, they were in the garden and then at my window. When I drew the curtains, it was his face there. We had many good moments and this was maybe not the most important one. But it was the one which showed me how good the connection was between the players and staff. “It was probably the best present I got last season when we were promoted and at around two o’clock in the morning all the team arrived at my house. I was watching the Leeds game and when it finished all the staff arrived. And then later, very late, the players arrived. They could be in different places to celebrate but they decided to come to my home. When I was a player I was lucky to win things but I never thought to go to the manager’s house.” Maresca was appointed at Leicester in the summer of 2023 after the club’s relegation; they looked beyond the Italian’s lack of first-team managerial experience – 13 Serie B games with Parma in 2021-22. After an excellent start, it became nervy; questions were asked about him by the Leicester support. On 13 February Maresca’s team had been 12 points clear of second-placed Leeds and 14 ahead of Southampton. Two months later, after three wins in 10 matches, they were level with second-placed Ipswich and one point clear of Leeds. Home wins over West Brom and Southampton would steady them and perhaps the plunge down towards the wire pulled them even more tightly together. Maresca says he is unsure about the reception he will get from the King Power Stadium crowd; after all, he did walk out on them. But he knows how he will be with everyone connected to Leicester. “I will be thankful to the club, the players and the fans because it was a fantastic season,” he says. “I met people that are very difficult to find in football – the owner, his family ... they are fantastic human beings. They care for the players, the staff, all of the people who work inside the club. And then in terms of players, it was top. I will be thankful for all of my life to that squad. Most of them I am still in contact with.” The affection is plain. When Jamie Vardy’s name comes up, Maresca makes a remarkable claim. “England has been quite lucky with strikers, like Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney and many others but if you ask me, Jamie has been the best one,” he says. “People don’t realise how good he is.” Maresca remains in very close contact with one of them – the attacking midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who followed him to Chelsea in a £30m deal. Dewsbury-Hall was one of the stars of Leicester’s league season, a virtual ever-present who contributed 12 goals and 14 assists. At Chelsea he has been out of the match-day squad in the league more than in it, restricted to three substitute appearances. Maresca has counted on him in the Conference League and started him in the two Carabao Cup ties. Maresca believes that Dewsbury-Hall’s time will come in the league. But as he tries to shape a positive culture, and the , even if it retains a delicate feel with so many talents to satisfy, he wants to highlight Dewsbury-Hall’s contribution. “The problem with Kiernan is that people just see him if he’s playing or not,” Maresca says. “But people don’t see the way he is helping us in terms of process. Along with Cole [Palmer] and Roméo [Lavia], who worked with me at Manchester City [where Maresca was on the coaching staff], Kiernan is the one that is knowing some of my concepts. He helps us a lot – more than what he’s thinking. “Kiernan was the most important player at Leicester; he moved to Chelsea to be one other player. You have to accept that. And probably at the beginning, you struggle to accept that. Now it’s getting better. But for sure he has to fight and continue to work, to wait for the chance and take it.”

South Korea's leadership crisis deepened on Sunday as prosecutors named President Yoon Suk Yeol as a subject of a criminal investigation over last week's martial law attempt, a media report said, and his former defense minister was arrested. Yoon survived an impeachment vote in the opposition-led parliament late on Saturday, prompted by his short-lived attempt to impose martial law on Tuesday, but the leader of his own party said the president would effectively be excluded from his duties before eventually stepping down. That proposal, which appeared to win tacit approval from the Yoon-appointed prime minister on Sunday, drew condemnation from opposition lawmakers who said it was another unconstitutional power grab to delegate authority without resignation or impeachment. Thousands of people rallied in front of the parliament in Seoul on Sunday, calling for the impeachment and arrest of Yoon and the disbandment of his ruling party. Yoon's martial law declaration on Tuesday plunged Asia's fourth-largest economy and a key U.S. military ally into its greatest political crisis in decades, threatening to shatter South Korea's reputation as a democratic success story. The leader of Yoon's People Power Party, Han Dong-hoon, told a press conference alongside the prime minister on Sunday that Yoon would not be involved in foreign and other state affairs before his early resignation. But National Assembly speaker Woo Won-shik said it was unconstitutional to delegate presidential authority to the prime minister and the ruling party without impeachment. Woo proposed a meeting of rival parties to discuss ways to suspend Yoon's presidential power immediately. The main opposition Democratic Party called for the immediate suspension of Yoon’s presidential duties and for stripping him of authority to control the military. The DP called for the arrest of Yoon and related military officials implicated in the martial law fiasco. Yoon shocked the nation on Tuesday night when he gave the military sweeping emergency powers to root out what he called "anti-state forces" and obstructionist political opponents. He rescinded the order six hours later, after parliament defied military and police cordons to vote unanimously against the decree. CRIMINAL PROBE Yonhap news agency reported that prosecutors had "booked" Yoon, a process in South Korea that involves formally naming subjects of investigation. Prosecutors could not immediately be reached for comment on the report. Three minority opposition parties filed a complaint with the prosecution against Yoon, ex-Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun and martial law commander Park An-su, accusing them of insurrection. The crime of leading an insurrection is punishable by death or life imprisonment, with or without prison labour. Kim, who stepped down on Wednesday after Yoon rescinded martial law, was seen as a central figure in the debacle. He had proposed martial law to the president, according to a senior military official and the impeachment filings. The prosecution's special investigative team arrested Kim on Sunday and seized his mobile phone, it said in a brief statement to reporters. Before the arrest, investigators questioned Kim, who voluntarily appeared at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, Yonhap news agency reported. The national police raided Kim's office on Sunday as part of an investigation into claims of treason against Yoon and top ministers, Yonhap said. Opposition lawmakers allege Yoon mobilized military forces to block a vote by lawmakers seeking to nullify what they said was an unconstitutional martial law decree. MILITARY CRISIS Hours before Saturday's impeachment vote, Yoon addressed the nation in a televised speech to apologise for his martial law decree, saying he would put his fate in the hands of his party. Han said the comments were effectively a promise to leave office early, adding that the ruling party would consult with the prime minister to manage state affairs. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said on Sunday the cabinet would do its best to "maintain trust with our allies", referring to the United States and Japan. The ruling party offered few details on their plan to prevent Yoon's impeachment but have him give up power, and the proposal added more confusion to the crisis over presidential authority. In an effort to reassure the public, multiple military leaders, including the acting defence minister, have stated they would refuse any orders to impose another round of martial law. The defence ministry did not respond to repeated questions from foreign media on Sunday over who is now the commander-in-chief of South Korea's military, which is one of the largest in the world and operates combined commands with the United States. "I think (military commanders) are very disappointed, some of them are feeling that they have been betrayed. It will take a lot of work to regain the trust of the military," said Chun In-bum, a retired lieutenant general in the South Korean army and former commander of the country’s special forces, who blamed politicians for the mess. "I resent the fact they draw in the military to do their job, and it was a bad decision to try to use the military to solve a political problem," Chun said. The leadership crisis threatens to undermine allied efforts to deter nuclear-armed North Korea, analysts said. "North Korea will probably take a wait-and-see approach toward these events, but it cannot be ruled out that Pyongyang will attempt to exploit divisions in Seoul," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.NBA rumors: Why Kyle Kuzma won't repeat a Wizards trade shutdown

A Windows zero-day security vulnerability under active exploit leads Microsoft's December 2024 Patch Tuesday security update, which hardly constitutes a sleigh of festive tidings for security admins: A stocking stuffed with 71 patches. The tech giant unwrapped CVEs in Windows and Windows Components, Office and Office Components, SharePoint Server, Hyper-V, Defender for Endpoint, and System Center Operations Manager. This year's holiday-season entry brings the total number of patches for the year to 1,020, Redmond's second-most voluminous year for fixes after 2020's 1,250. Out of this month's CVEs, 16 are rated as critical. The actively exploited bug is tracked as CVE-2024-49138 (CVSS 7.8), a moderate-severity flaw in the Windows Common Log File System (CLFS) Driver. “CLFS is a logging service that supports user and kernel-mode operations,” explained Henry Smith, senior security engineer at Automox, in an emailed analysis. "While the details are still limited, the root cause likely ties back to improper data validation. ... Early indicators suggest that attackers might exploit this bug by using Windows APIs to manipulate log files or corrupt log data, triggering the vulnerability." The potential impact is substantial, he added, given that an exploit leads to SYSTEM-level privileges on Windows Server. When paired with a remote code execution (RCE) bug, it's a perfect recipe for completely taking over a PC. Related: Microsoft NTLM Zero-Day to Remain Unpatched Until April Satnam Narang, senior staff research engineer at Tenable, noted via email that ransomware operators in particular have "developed a penchant for exploiting CLFS elevation-of-privilege flaws over the last few years." He noted, "unlike advanced persistent threat (APT) groups that typically focus on precision and patience, ransomware operators and affiliates are focused on the smash-and-grab tactics by any means necessary. By using elevation-of-privilege flaws like this one in CLFS, ransomware affiliates can move through a given network in order to steal and encrypt data and begin extorting their victims." The critical-severity CVE-2024-49112 (CVSS 9.8) is perhaps the most concerning CVE in this month's stocking of misery. It's an unauthenticated RCE issue in the Windows Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP). According to Dustin Childs at the Zero Day Initiative (ZDI), cyberattackers can exploit the bug to compromise Domain Controllers by sending a specially crafted set of LDAP calls. Related: Microsoft Expands Access to Windows Recall AI Feature "Code execution occurs at the level of the LDAP service, which is elevated, but not SYSTEM," Childs wrote in a blog post on Dec. 10 . "Microsoft provides some ... interesting mitigation advice. They recommend disconnecting Domain Controllers from the Internet. While that would stop this attack, I'm not sure how practical that would be for most enterprises. I recommend testing and deploying the patch quickly." Another critical RCE vulnerability to address quickly is CVE-2024-49117 (CVSS 8.8) in Windows Hyper-V. An exploit would allow someone on a guest virtual machine (VM) to execute code on the underlying host OS, or perform a cross-VM attack. "The good news here is that the attacker does need to be authenticated," Childs noted. "The bad news is that the attacker only requires basic authentication — nothing elevated. If you are running Hyper-V or have hosts on a Hyper-V server, you'll definitely want to get this patched quickly." A total of nine critical bugs affect Windows Remote Desktop Services, with one ( CVE-2024-49132 , CVSS 8.1) allowing RCE by exploiting a use-after-free memory condition. "The exploit requires precise timing, making it an advanced attack," Ryan Braunstein, security manager at Automox, said via email. "Specifically, if a user connects through the Remote Desktop Gateway role, an attacker could intentionally trigger the use-after-free scenario. Successfully exploited, this vulnerability can allow attackers to execute their code remotely, gaining control of the system." Related: Open Source Security Priorities Get a Reshuffle That means exploitation is on the difficult side, but Braunstein cautioned that "over time, it's likely that cyberattackers develop tools that simplify the attack process. Until then, there are no effective workarounds, making immediate patching your best chance to mitigate this risk." There are also eight other critical vulnerabilities that rate 8.1 on the CVSS scale in Remote Desktop Services, including five other UAF bugs ( CVE-2024-49115 , CVE-2024-49116 , CVE-2024-49108 , CVE-2024-49106 , and CVE-2024-49128 ); CVE-2024-49123 , which involves sensitive data storage in improperly locked memory; CVE-2024-49120 , an insecure default variable initialization flaw; and CVE-2024-49119 , arising from improper resource handling during RDP sessions. "These vulnerabilities underscore persistent issues in RDP components , including memory management, timing, and operational handling," said Mike Walters, president and co-founder of Action1, via email. “[With] varied root causes, [it shows that] attackers can exploit different facets of RDP services. Organizations should avoid exposing RDP services to the global Internet and implement robust security controls to mitigate risks. These flaws further prove the dangers of leaving RDP open and unprotected." Security experts also flagged two other bugs for security admins to add to their holiday checklists , including an EoP vulnerability in the Windows Resilient File System (ReFS). Resilient File System (ReFS) is a file system designed for enhanced scalability and fault tolerance for virtualization environments, databases, and backups. It offers data resilience, storage efficiency, and improved performance. " CVE-2024-49093 (CVSS 8.8) revolves around a scope change that allows an attacker to elevate privileges from a low-privilege app container environment," explained Seth Hoyt, senior security engineer at Automox, via email. "Normally, app containers are designed to limit a process's ability to access files, memory, and other resources. Exploiting this vulnerability enables attackers to escape those confines, gaining broader system-level access. This means they can interact with files, processes, and memory previously out of reach." From there, cyberattackers could move laterally across the environment, he added. The final lump of coal called out by researchers this month is an RCE vulnerability in Musik ( CVE-2024-49063 ), a research project on AI-created music. “We've been wondering what bugs in AI would look like, and so far, they look like deserialization vulnerabilities," ZDI's Childs said. "That's what we have here. An attacker could gain code execution by crafting a payload that executes upon deserialization. Neat." Tara Seals has 20+ years of experience as a journalist, analyst and editor in the cybersecurity, communications and technology space. Prior to Dark Reading, Tara was Editor in Chief at Threatpost, and prior to that, the North American news lead for Infosecurity Magazine. She also spent 13 years working for Informa (formerly Virgo Publishing), as executive editor and editor-in-chief at publications focused on both the service provider and the enterprise arenas. A Texas native, she holds a B.A. from Columbia University, lives in Western Massachusetts with her family and is on a never-ending quest for good Mexican food in the Northeast.Sam Darnold sensed the backside pressure as soon as he dropped back with Minnesota trailing by four points late in the fourth quarter in Seattle, so he moved into a safe space in the pocket and did precisely what the Vikings would prefer him to do with the game on the line. He threw the ball down the field to Justin Jefferson. The perfectly placed throw near the sideline beat double coverage for a 39-yard touchdown that put the Vikings back in front with 3:51 remaining in a 27-24 victory over the Seahawks on Sunday. “It was a great call,” said Jefferson, who had 10 receptions for 144 yards and two scores, all season highs. “I’m not going to say too much about that play, but something went on where me and Sam were on the same page, and he found me and we went up.” The Vikings were understandably coy about the context around the go-ahead touchdown , when Darnold made a difficult on-the-run pass just over cornerback Tariq Woolen that Jefferson deftly twisted to catch next to his backside hip so he could shield the ball from late-breaking safety Julian Love. Darnold saw Love's shoulders initially shaded inside just enough to believe he couldn't retreat fast enough to prevent Jefferson from getting the ball. Jefferson also applied some improvisation to his route that Darnold clearly and properly read during the play. “I want those guys to have some freedom in those moments,” coach Kevin O'Connell said. “We do a lot of things with Justin and Sam, seeing the coverage and then with some route opportunities to get to at the line of scrimmage, and I think those guys have just gotten so comfortable with that stuff.” Darnold's long-delayed breakout performance under O'Connell has been one of the stories of the NFL this season, one that wouldn't have unfolded as neatly for the third overall pick in the 2018 draft without such synergy between him and his superstar wide receiver. If the Vikings (13-2) win their last two games, they will not only be NFC North champions for the second time in three years but also get the No. 1 seed and the lone first-round bye in the NFC for the playoffs. “Every single game we’re finding different ways to overcome adversity, overcome the different stuff defenses have thrown towards us," Jefferson said. “Sam has done a great job being a leader.” What's working The pass rush was strong, with Andrew Van Ginkel recording two sacks and pressure leading to both interceptions of Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith. The Vikings were credited with eight hits on Smith. What needs help The Vikings converted only three of 12 third downs, their second-worst rate of the season. Stock up Theo Jackson, who saw significant playing time at safety with Harrison Smith out, had the game-sealing interception with 49 seconds left. Stock down Tight end Josh Oliver has played 47% of the snaps the last two games, his two lowest usage rates of the season. He dropped the only pass he was thrown on Sunday. Injury report The defense ought to get a big boost this week with the expected return of the 13-year veteran Smith from his first absence in two years when he was sidelined at Seattle with a foot injury. Linebacker Ivan Pace, who has missed four games on injured reserve with a hamstring strain, is also on track to be back with his return to practice. Backup defensive lineman Jalen Redmond, who didn't play against the Seahawks because of a concussion, has made progress through the protocol, O'Connell said. Backup cornerback Fabian Moreau, who was inactive at Seattle with a hip injury, will continue to be evaluated throughout the week. Key number 13.6% — That's the third-down conversion allowance rate for the Vikings over the last two games, with Chicago and Seattle combining to go just 3 for 22. The Vikings rank second in the NFL in third-down defense at 33.7% for the season and also rank second on fourth down at 36.7%. Up next The Vikings host Green Bay on Sunday, with the kickoff moved to the late afternoon showcase spot on Fox. If Minnesota loses to the Packers, the Lions will clinch the NFC North and the Vikings would open the playoffs on the road as the No. 5 seed at best. Even if the Lions were to lose at San Francisco on Monday night, the Vikings would need to win at Detroit on Jan. 5 to take the division title. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL Dave Campbell, The Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — The Astros welcomed first baseman Christian Walker to the team Monday, in one of two moves that almost certainly marks the end of Alex Bregman’s time in Houston. Walker signed a $60 million, three-year contract that will pay him $20 million annually just more than a week after the Astros acquired infielder Isaac Paredes from Cubs in the trade that sent outfielder Kyle Tucker to Chicago . “The way I view it right now is Paredes is going to play third base and Walker is going to play first base,” general manager Dana Brown said Monday. “And Bregman’s still a free agent.” The Astros had hoped to re-sign Bregman, the team’s third baseman for the last nine seasons, but Brown said the negotiations stalled. “I thought we made a really competitive offer, showing that we wanted him back,” he said. “But we had to pursue other options. We couldn’t just sit there. We locked in Paredes early in that trade, knowing that he could play third or first and then when the opportunity to add another bat came up we just jumped on it.” The addition of a first baseman was a priority this offseason for the Astros after they released struggling first baseman José Abreu less than halfway through a $58.5 million, three-year contract. “We knew we had to get better at first base,” Brown said. “We pursued (Walker) and we’re excited to have him because we know that we’re going to have a really good first baseman that can defend and also hit the ball on the seats from time to time.” Walked was attracted by the sustained success of the Astros, who won their first two World Series titles in 2017 and ‘22. “I’ve been watching this team for a while now, and that edge, the energy, the expectation, you can tell that they’re going out there with a standard,” he said. “And I’m very excited to be a part of it.” Walker is looking forward playing on an infield with star second baseman Jose Altuve. He’s fascinated by the success and consistency Altuve has had over his 14-year career. “I get a chance to learn from Jose Altuve,” Walker said. “Nothing really gets better than that.” Brown was asked what he would tell fans disappointed to see the Astros lose another star after George Springer and Carlos Correa left as free agents in recent years. “I would just tell the fans that look, we are very focused on remaining competitive,” he said. “We’re very focused on winning division and going back to the World Series, and I think with these additions that we have the ability to do that. So, I feel strongly that we’re going to be picked to win the division first off. And if our pitching holds up, which I feel strongly about, as well, I think we’ll get deep into the postseason.” The Astros won the AL West for a fourth straight year this season before being swept by the Tigers in an AL Wild Card Series. Walker, who turns 34 during the opening week of the season, hit .251 with 26 homers, 84 RBIs, 55 walks and 133 strikeouts this year. That was down from 2023, when he batted .258 with 33 homers and 103 RBIs as the Diamondbacks reached the World Series. Walker played in 130 games this year, down from 157 in 2023 and 160 in 2022. He was sidelined between July 29 and Sept. 3 by a strained left oblique. He spent the last eight seasons with the Diamondbacks, where he hit 146 homers with 442 RBIs and a .251 batting average. He didn’t secure a full-time job in the big leagues until 2019. He’s provided consistent power over the past six seasons and has grown into an elite defensive first baseman, winning Gold Gloves in each of the past three seasons. Walker played college ball at South Carolina and was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 2012. He made his big league debut with the Orioles in 2014 but couldn’t stick in the majors and was claimed off waivers by Atlanta, Cincinnati and Arizona in a five-week span. Walker’s contract has a limited no-trade provision allowing him to block deals to six teams without his consent. He would earn $200,000 for winning an MVP, $175,000 for second, $150,000 for third, $125,000 for fourth and $100,000 for fifth. Walker also would get $100,000 for World Series MVP, $50,000 for League Championship Series MVP and $75,000 apiece for making the All-Star Game or winning a Gold Glove or Silver Slugger Award. Infielder Grae Kessinger was designated for assignment to open a roster spot. ___ AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlbGlobal stock markets mostly retreated Tuesday as traders eyed looming US inflation data and a key European interest rate call amid global political upheaval. After winning numerous records in the weeks since the November 5 US presidential election, US stocks fell for the second straight day as analysts pointed to profit-taking. But Alphabet jumped more than five percent after Google showed off a new quantum computing chip that it described as a significant breakthrough in the field, arguing it could lead to advances in drug discovery, fusion energy and other areas. The Paris stock market retreated as French party leaders gathered at President Emmanuel Macron's Elysee Palace office to chart a route towards a new government. The euro also fell ahead of the European Central Bank's monetary policy meeting on Thursday. The ECB is expected to lower interest rates by 25 basis points amid weak eurozone growth. Independent analyst Andreas Lipkow said traders were taking a cautious approach ahead of the ECB meeting. The main US indexes struggled as traders eyed US consumer price inflation (CPI) data due Wednesday, which could play a role in whether the US Federal Reserve decides to cut interest rates next week. On Wall Street, "tomorrow's CPI report is in full focus with a looming rate-decision from the Fed coming," analyst Bret Kenwell of trading platform eToro said in a note. Following recent spending and jobs data "traders have felt even more emboldened to bet on a December rate cut, while the Fed has done little... to quiet that expectation," he added. Earlier, stock markets weighed "concerns that China's economic stimulus measures might not have a long-lasting effect", noted Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell. The growth plan comes as Beijing contemplates Donald Trump's second term in the White House. The US president-elect has indicated he will reignite his hardball trade policies, fueling fears of another standoff between the economic superpowers. The Shanghai stock market ended higher but Hong Kong fell. Seoul's Kospi index rallied more than two percent after tumbling since President Yoon Suk Yeol declared short-lived martial law on December 3. On the corporate front, shares in Stellantis rose around one percent on the Paris stock exchange after the car giant and Chinese manufacturer CATL announced plans for a $4.3-billion factory making electric-vehicle batteries in Spain. Walgreens Boots Alliance soared 17.7 percent following reports that it could be acquired by private equity firm Sycamore Partners. Boeing jumped 4.5 percent as it announced it was resuming production at two Seattle-area plants that had been shuttered for nearly three months due to a labor strike. New York - Dow: DOWN 0.4 percent at 44,247.83 (close) New York - S&P 500: DOWN 0.3 percent at 6,034.91 (close) New York - Nasdaq Composite: DOWN 0.3 percent at 19,687.24 (close) Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 1.1 percent at 7,394.78 (close) Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 0.1 percent at 20,329.16 (close) London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.9 percent at 8,280.36 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.5 percent at 20,311.28 (close) Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.6 percent at 3,422.66 (close) Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.5 percent at 39,367.58 (close) Seoul - Kospi: UP 2.4 percent at 2,417.84 (close) Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0529 from $1.0554 on Monday Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2773 from $1.2757 Dollar/yen: UP at 151.92 yen from 151.21 yen Euro/pound: DOWN at 82.42 from 82.73 pence West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.1 percent at $68.59 per barrel Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.1 percent at $72.19 per barrel burs-jmb/nro

"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum." Section 1.10.32 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC "Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" To keep reading, please log in to your account, create a free account, or simply fill out the form below.