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LUKE LITTLER stormed into the quarter-finals of the Players Championship Finals with a 10-3 win over Danny Noppert. The Nuke, 17, breezed into the third round earlier in the day with a 6-23 victory over Ritchie Edhouse - having already beaten Rob Cross 6-0 in his opening match . Edhouse was left applauding Littler after he hit double bullseye to complete a 120 checkout. And it was more exhibition stuff from the teenager in the evening session as he booked a last-eight clash with Mike De Decker. Littler won the opening two legs before Noppert pegged him back to level at 2-2. That sparked the world championship runner-up into life as he proceeded to claim six legs on the spin to effectively put the match to bed. READ MORE ON LUKE LITTLER Noppert pulled one back to add some respectability to the scoreline, before Littler finished it off. Littler averaged a breathtaking 104.70 to Noppert's 88.92. But the supreme talent batted away talk of breaking 16-time world champion Phil Taylor's records when asked in his post-match interview. He said: "It’s crazy to think about trying to beat Phil Taylor’s records of 16 world titles. But I guess I’ll just have to keep going for years and years!" Most read in Darts CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS On the potential of a nine-dart finish, he added: "Every time I start any leg with a 180 they expect me to follow up. "Tomorrow if I do get a shot it’s going to be treble 17 for double 15, so I’ll switch it up." Littler also took the time to speak about his next opponent, De Decker. He said: "I’m sure it will be another great game. Obviously at the Grand Slam it was incredible to be a part of that game against Mike. "I’ll go back now and chill out on my phone and play a bit of my Nintendo Switch. Go to bed and up early." Reacting to the performance, one darts fan said: "Different class to anyone right now." While another added: "Didn’t get out of second gear, such maturity from Littler 🎯🎯🎯." And a third said: "No contest, different class again." Littler has won both of his previous meetings against De Decker. The latest of those came last week at the Grand Slam of Darts where the pair battled it out in an epic. READ MORE SUN STORIES Littler trailed 8-4 but came roaring back to claim a 10-9 win in the last-16 clash. He then went on to win the tournament - his first ranking title.
Middlefield ETFs Estimated Capital Gains DistributionsLea Miller-Tooley hopped off a call to welcome the Baylor women’s basketball team to the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas, where 80-degree temperatures made it easy for the Bears to settle in on Paradise Island a week before Thanksgiving. About 5,000 miles west of the Caribbean nation, similar climes awaited Maui Invitational men's teams in Hawaii. They’ve often been greeted with leis, the traditional Hawaiian welcome of friendship. College basketball teams and fans look forward to this time of the year. The holiday week tournaments feature buzzworthy matchups and all-day TV coverage, sure, but there is a familiarity about them as they help ward off the November chill. For four decades, these sandy-beach getaways filled with basketball have become a beloved mainstay of the sport itself. “When you see (ESPN’s) ‘Feast Week’ of college basketball on TV, when you see the Battle 4 Atlantis on TV, you know college basketball is back,” said Miller-Tooley, the founder and organizer of the Battle 4 Atlantis men's and women's tournaments. “Because it’s a saturated time of the year with the NFL, college football and the NBA. But when you see these gorgeous events in these beautiful places, you realize, ‘Wow, hoops are back, let’s get excited.’” MTE Madness The Great Alaska Shootout was the trend-setting multiple-team event (MTE) nearly five decades ago. The brainchild of late Alaska-Anchorage coach Bob Rachal sought to raise his program’s profile by bringing in national-power programs, which could take advantage of NCAA rules allowing them to exceed the maximum allotment of regular-season games if they played the three-game tournament outside the contiguous 48 states. The first edition, named the Sea Wolf Classic, saw N.C. State beat Louisville 72-66 for the title on Nov. 26, 1978. The Maui Invitational followed in November 1984, borne from the buzz of NAIA program Chaminade’s shocking upset of top-ranked Virginia and 7-foot-4 star Ralph Sampson in Hawaii two years earlier. Events kept coming, with warm-weather locales getting in on the action. The Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Cancun Challenge in Mexico. The Cayman Islands Classic. The Jamaica Classic. The Myrtle Beach Invitational joining the Charleston Classic in South Carolina. Numerous tournaments in Florida. Some events have faded away like the Puerto Rico Tipoff and the Great Alaska Shootout, the latter in 2017 amid event competition and schools opting for warm-weather locales. Notre Dame takes on Chaminade during the first half of a 2017 game in Lahaina, Hawaii. Atlantis rising Miller-Tooley’s push to build an MTE for Atlantis began as a December 2010 doubleheader with Georgia Tech beating Richmond and Virginia Tech beating Mississippi State in a prove-it moment for a tournament’s viability. It also required changing NCAA legislation to permit MTEs in the Bahamas. Approval came in March 2011; the first eight-team Atlantis men’s tournament followed in November. That tournament quickly earned marquee status with big-name fields, with Atlantis champions Villanova (2017) and Virginia (2018) later winning that season’s NCAA title. Games run in a ballroom-turned-arena at the resort, where players also check out massive swimming pools, water slides and inner-tube rapids surrounded by palm trees and the Atlantic Ocean. “It’s just the value of getting your passport stamped, that will never get old,” Miller-Tooley said. “Watching some of these kids, this may be their first and last time – and staff and families – that they ever travel outside the United States. ... You can see through these kids’ eyes that it’s really an unbelievable experience.” ACC Network analyst Luke Hancock knows that firsthand. His Louisville team finished second at Atlantis in 2012 and won that year’s later-vacated NCAA title, with Hancock as the Final Four's most outstanding player. “I remember (then-coach Rick Pitino) saying something to the effect of: ‘Some of you guys might never get this opportunity again. We’re staying in this unbelievable place, you’re doing it with people you love,’” Hancock said. “It was a business trip for us there at Thanksgiving, but he definitely had a tone of ‘We’ve got to enjoy this as well.’” Popular demand Maui offers similar vibes, though 2024 could be a little different as Lahaina recovers from deadly 2023 wildfires that forced the event's relocation last year. North Carolina assistant coach Sean May played for the Tar Heels’ Maui winner in 2004 and was part of UNC’s staff for the 2016 champion, with both teams later winning the NCAA title. May said “you just feel the peacefulness” of the area — even while focusing on games — and savors memories of the team taking a boat out on the Pacific Ocean after title runs under now-retired Hall of Famer Roy Williams. “Teams like us, Dukes, UConns – you want to go to places that are very well-run,” May said. “Maui, Lea Miller with her group at the Battle 4 Atlantis, that’s what drives teams to come back because you know you’re going to get standard A-quality of not only the preparation but the tournament with the way it’s run. Everything is top-notch. And I think that brings guys back year after year.” That’s why Colorado coach Tad Boyle is so excited for the Buffaloes’ first Maui appearance since 2009. “We’ve been trying to get in the tournament since I got here,” said Boyle, now in his 15th season. And of course, that warm-weather setting sure doesn’t hurt. “If you talk about the Marquettes of the world, St. John’s, Providence – they don’t want that cold weather,” said NBA and college TV analyst Terrence Oglesby, who played for Clemson in the 2007 San Juan Invitational in Puerto Rico. “They’re going to have to deal with that all January and February. You might as well get a taste of what the sun feels like.” Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo argues a call during the first half of a Nov. 16 game against Bowling Green in East Lansing, Michigan. Mi zzo is making his fourth trip to Maui. Packed schedule The men’s Baha Mar Championship in Nassau, Bahamas, got things rolling last week with No. 11 Tennessee routing No. 13 Baylor for the title. The week ahead could boast matchups befitting the Final Four, with teams having two weeks of action since any opening-night hiccups. “It’s a special kickoff to the college basketball season,” Oglesby said. “It’s just without the rust.” On the women’s side, Atlantis began its fourth eight-team women’s tournament Saturday with No. 16 North Carolina and No. 18 Baylor, while the nearby Baha Mar resort follows with two four-team women’s brackets that include No. 2 UConn, No. 7 LSU, No. 17 Mississippi and No. 20 N.C. State. Then come the men’s headliners. The Maui Invitational turns 40 as it opens Monday back in Lahaina. It features second-ranked and two-time reigning national champion UConn, No. 4 Auburn, No. 5 Iowa State and No. 10 North Carolina. The Battle 4 Atlantis opens its 13th men’s tournament Wednesday, topped by No. 3 Gonzaga, No. 16 Indiana and No. 17 Arizona. Michigan State Hall of Famer Tom Izzo is making his fourth trip to Maui, where he debuted as Jud Heathcote’s successor at the 1995 tournament. Izzo's Spartans have twice competed at Atlantis, last in 2021. “They’re important because they give you something in November or December that is exciting,” Izzo said. Any drawbacks? “It’s a 10-hour flight,” he said of Hawaii. Mike Tyson, left, slaps Jake Paul during a weigh-in ahead of their heavyweight bout, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Irving, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) In this image taken with a slow shutter speed, Spain's tennis player Rafael Nadal serves during a training session at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall, in Malaga, southern Spain, on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez) A fan takes a picture of the moon prior to a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 between Uruguay and Colombia in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Santiago Mazzarovich) Rasmus Højgaard of Denmark reacts after missing a shot on the 18th hole in the final round of World Tour Golf Championship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) Taylor Fritz of the United States reacts during the final match of the ATP World Tour Finals against Italy's Jannik Sinner at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Tolbert (1) fails to pull in a pass against Atlanta Falcons cornerback Dee Alford (20) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/ Brynn Anderson) Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love, top right, scores a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears in Chicago, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) India's Tilak Varma jumps in the air as he celebrates after scoring a century during the third T20 International cricket match between South Africa and India, at Centurion Park in Centurion, South Africa, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe) Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski warms up before facing the Seattle Kraken in an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Kansas State players run onto the field before an NCAA college football game against Arizona State Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Manhattan, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) A fan rapped in an Uruguay flag arrives to the stands for a qualifying soccer match against Colombia for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico) People practice folding a giant United States flag before an NFL football game between the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) Brazil's Marquinhos attempts to stop the sprinklers that were turned on during a FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match against Venezuela at Monumental stadium in Maturin, Venezuela, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) Georgia's Georges Mikautadze celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the UEFA Nations League, group B1 soccer match between Georgia and Ukraine at the AdjaraBet Arena in Batumi, Georgia, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Tamuna Kulumbegashvili) Dallas Stars center Mavrik Bourque, right, attempts to score while Minnesota Wild right wing Ryan Hartman (38) and Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson (32) keep the puck out of the net during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt) Mike Tyson, left, fights Jake Paul during their heavyweight boxing match, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Italy goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario misses the third goal during the Nations League soccer match between Italy and France, at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) Cincinnati Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki (88) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second half of an NFL football game in Cincinnati, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) President-elect Donald Trump attends UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Fans argue in stands during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between France and Israel at the Stade de France stadium in Saint-Denis, outside Paris, Thursday Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova hits a return against Danielle Collins, of the United States, during a tennis match at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Malaga, southern Spain. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez) St. John's guard RJ Luis Jr. (12) falls after driving to the basket during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against New Mexico, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith) England's Anthony Gordon celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between England and the Republic of Ireland at Wembley stadium in London, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Katie Taylor, left, lands a right to Amanda Serrano during their undisputed super lightweight title bout, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver DJ Turner, right, tackles Miami Dolphins wide receiver Malik Washington, left, on a punt return during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) UConn's Paige Bueckers (5) battles North Carolina's Laila Hull, right, for a loose ball during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Greensboro, N.C., Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown) Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!
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With his new pick for attorney general, President-elect Donald Trump has found not only a powerhouse media strategist and loyal ally, but a tenacious litigator known for her battles in court for conservative causes. And while little about Trump is conventional, Pam Bondi is a far more conventional selection to lead the US Justice Department than Matt Gaetz, who stepped aside after a week of nonstop scrutiny from Democrats and Republicans alike. Bondi’s rise through the Florida state legal system and her fealty to Trump make her a key enforcer on his proposed policies around immigration, reproductive health and political retribution. Inside the Justice Department, the Bondi announcement was met mostly with relief from employees who a week ago were dismayed by the prospect of Gaetz and his slew of ethics and legal issues . But Justice employees are still steeling for heavy disruption, given that Trump’s stated plans are to bring the department to heel after being the subject of years of investigations he claims were unfair and politicized. “None of the baggage,” one Justice Department lawyer said of Bondi, “but still the same orders.” Some career employees speculate that with Gaetz out of the picture, familiar conservative lawyers who have served at the Justice Department in past Republican administrations will be willing to come back to help Trump’s new administration. Those career employees hope Bondi and Todd Blanche, Trump’s pick for deputy attorney general, will be able to recruit more lawyers who know the department and understand the fine balance between independence and also carrying out the president’s policies. At the same time, Bondi has not held back about DOJ as she advocated for Trump this campaign. “The Department of Justice, the prosecutors will be prosecuted — the bad ones,” she said in a TV appearance in August 2023. “The investigators will be investigated. Because the deep state, last term for President Trump, they were hiding in the shadows. But now they have a spotlight on them, and they can all be investigated.” First woman Florida attorney general Bondi prosecuted several high-profile cases during more than a decade as a state attorney, including that of former New York Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden, who was sentenced in 2006 to one year in prison for violating his probation by using cocaine. She was elected in 2011 to her first political position – Florida attorney general – and was the first woman to hold that office. One of Bondi’s top deputies in the state, prosecutor Nick Cox – who has known Bondi since they were in college Greek life at the University of South Florida – described her as “effusive” and “sweet,” but said that “if you crossed her in court or pissed her off, run for the door.” Cox said he spoke to Bondi after her nomination was announced, and that she was “very excited.” “She’s going to do everything she can, I’m sure, to remain loyal to what [Trump’s] desires are and what his needs are,” Cox said, adding he doesn’t believe Bondi would “cross the line” into bringing politically-based charges. “But when it comes to criminal prosecutions, we have nothing to worry about.” Retired State Attorney Bruce Colton, who collaborated on cases with Bondi’s office at the time, recounted how Bondi would give her personal phone number so that local offices could reach out with any issues. “Knowing her as a trial attorney and the attorney general,” Colton told CNN, “I feel that she would be very qualified for this job.” Dave Aronberg, a Palm Beach County state attorney who worked for Bondi when she was attorney general in Florida, told CNN that while Bondi will carry out Trump policies loyally, she is likely to treat Justice Department employees fairly. “She will not intentionally violate the law to round up Trump’s enemies,” Aronberg says. But Aronberg did say to expect Bondi to order more special counsel investigations, like what we saw with attorney John Durham, who investigated potential misconduct in the FBI’s Trump-Russia probe. “I know she will do controversial things like John Durham-like investigations, but we have been through that, and it will be OK,” Aronberg said. And for Trump’s opponents, Aronberg said not to expect a better pick for attorney general. “Pam Bondi is the best attorney general that Donald Trump is going to nominate,” Aronberg said. “We should pick our battles.” Key figure in court fight against Obamacare During her eight years as attorney general, Bondi unsuccessfully brought cases that aimed to undermine the Affordable Care Act and fought to keep Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage. Bondi was at the vanguard of the 2012 Supreme Court challenge to President Barack Obama’s signature health care law and, as attorney general, could now be positioned to work to undercut the Affordable Care Act again. Trump himself has given mixed signals on his health care agenda. As Joan Biskupic reported at the time for Reuters , when other Republican state officials across the country were racing to be the first to test Obamacare at the high court, Bondi and other Florida state attorneys flew to Washington to screen powerhouse appellate lawyers to represent the state. Bondi borrowed a conference room at the Washington law firm where her brother was a partner to quickly interview leading candidates. Florida narrowly lost their case at the Supreme Court in June 2012, when a 5-4 decision to uphold the ACA almost went the opposite way. Chief Justice John Roberts switched his vote late in the private negotiations, giving the Obama administration the win. Bondi also fought for years to keep a state ban on same-sex marriage, only abandoning her series of appeals aiming to uphold the Florida constitutional amendment after the landmark 2015 Supreme Court decision ruled that same-sex couples can marry nationwide. She also made central to her platform combatting so-called “pill mills,” which are facilities that prescribe pain medications without sufficient diagnosis or documentation to do so. Political turmoil While her cases often handled hot-button issues, Bondi herself landed in the headlines for her political maneuvers, as she grew increasingly partisan during her two terms in office. She came under criticism in 2013 for persuading the governor at the time, Rick Scott, to postpone an execution in 2013 because it conflicted with a fund-raiser for her re-election campaign. She later apologized . That same year, Trump’s foundation gave a $25,000 contribution to Bondi’s political action committee during her reelection bid – a donation that Democrats later alleged influenced Bondi to drop a fraud investigation into Trump University. (A Florida ethics panel cleared Bondi of wrongdoing in the matter). Since leaving the Florida attorney general post in 2019, Bondi has worked Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm with deep ties to Trump and his incoming chief of staff Susie Wiles. There, Bondi represented the country of Qatar from 2019 to 2020, according to documents submitted to the federal government by the firm under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which say that she helped “provide guidance and assistance in matters related to combating human trafficking.” She has also lobbied on behalf large corporations like Amazon, General Motors and Uber. Trump impeachment lawyer During the 2016 presidential election, Bondi became a top Florida surrogate for the Trump campaign and her support for the president-elect has not wavered. When Trump was first impeached , Bondi joined the defense team for his trial in the Senate and baselessly accused then-private citizen Joe Biden of corrupt business dealings with his son Hunter. She railed against the Bidens again at the Republican National Convention in 2020, and promoted unfounded theories about election fraud. For instance, she claimed that “fake ballots” were being counted in Pennsylvania after Trump lost his second bid for the White House, saying that “we do have evidence of cheating” and “we are not going anywhere until they declare we won Pennsylvania.” She is now listed as the chair for the Center for Litigation at the pro-Trump America First Policy Institute, where she has helped lead its work against the so-called “weaponization” of the Justice Department. She has also repeatedly railed in the media about the DOJ’s focus on political cases – like the ones against Trump – instead of focusing on violent crime. CNN’s Joan Biskupic contributed to this report.
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