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Navy edges Oklahoma in Armed Forces Bowl with record run, two-point conversion stop‘Thoughts And Prayers Are Out Of Network’: The Cold Online Response To An Insurance Executive’s Killing

‘Dictatorial’ father of Sara Sharif said daughter ‘brings smile to my face’The common murre, a large black-and-white seabird native to northern waters, has become far less common in Alaska over the past decade due to the impacts of climate change. A study published Thursday in Science reveals that a record-breaking marine heat wave in the northeast Pacific from 2014 to 2016 triggered a catastrophic population collapse, wiping out four million birds -- about half the species in the region. Strikingly, they have shown little signs of rebounding, suggesting long-term shifts in the food web that have locked the ecosystem into a troubling new equilibrium. "There's a lot of talk about declines of species that are tied to changes in temperature, but in this case, it was not a long term result," lead author Heather Renner of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge told AFP. "To our knowledge, this is the largest mortality event of any wildlife species reported during the modern era," she and her colleagues emphasized in their paper. The finding triggers "alarm bells," Renner said in an interview, as human-caused climate change makes heat waves more frequent, intense, and longer-lasting. With their dapper, tuxedoed look, common murres are sometimes called the "penguins of the north." Their slender wings power them across vast distances in search of food and make them expert divers. But even these hardy seabirds were no match for an unprecedented environmental catastrophe. The largest marine heat wave ever recorded began in the late fall of 2014, spanning a massive swath of the northeast Pacific Ocean from California to Alaska. It persisted for over two years, leaving devastation in its wake. During this time, some 62,000 emaciated murres washed ashore along the North American Pacific coastline -- dead or dying from starvation. Experts point to two key reasons for the bird deaths: elevated ocean temperatures reduced both the quality and quantity of phytoplankton, impacting fish like herring, sardines, and anchovies -- the mainstay of the murre diet. At the same time, warmer waters increased the energy demands of larger fish, such as salmon and Pacific cod, which compete with murres for the same prey. "We knew then it was a big deal, but unfortunately, we couldn't really quantify the effects," explained Renner. For years after the event, breeding colonies failed to produce chicks, complicating efforts to assess the full impact. Earlier estimates pegged the number of deaths at around a million, but a more robust analysis -- drawing on data from 13 murre colonies -- revealed the toll was four times higher. "It is just so much worse than we thought it was," Renner said of the new findings. The marine heat wave didn't just impact common murres. Pacific cod stocks collapsed, king salmon populations dwindled, and as many as 7,000 humpback whales perished. Yet the crisis created an uneven playing field: some species emerged unscathed, while others even thrived. Thick-billed murres, which often share nesting cliffs with common murres, were largely unaffected, possibly due to their more adaptable diet, Renner noted. For common murres, however, the fallout lingers. Despite nearly a decade since the heat wave, their numbers show no sign of bouncing back -- and the losses may well be permanent. Part of the reason lies in the long-term decline of some of their prey. Another factor is murres' survival strategy relies on numbers: they aggregate in massive colonies to protect their eggs from opportunistic predators like eagles and gulls. With their populations slashed, these birds have lost their critical safety buffer. Still, Renner offered a glimmer of hope. While addressing global warming is essential for curbing long-term climate change, conservation efforts can make a difference in the short term, she said. Removing invasive species like foxes and rats from murre nesting islands could also provide the beleaguered birds with a fighting chance. ia/des

Huge bar chain with dozens of locations giving away free cocktails for customers who get in the festive spiritBy Luc Cohen , Reuters Donald Trump may seek dismissal of the criminal case in which he was convicted in May of 34 felony counts involving hush money paid to a porn star, a judge ruled on Friday, while also indefinitely delaying Trump's sentencing in light of his victory in the 5 November US presidential election. The sentencing had been scheduled to take place next Tuesday. Prosecutors with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office this week asked New York state Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan to consider deferring all proceedings in the case until after Trump, 78, finishes his four-year presidential term that begins on 20 January. Lawyers for Trump, a Republican, have argued that the case must be dismissed because having it loom over him while he is president would cause "unconstitutional impediments" to his ability to govern. Bragg's office said it would argue against dismissal, but agreed that Trump deserves time to make his case through written motions. Merchan on Friday set a 2 December deadline for Trump to file his motion to dismiss, and gave prosecutors until 9 December to respond. The judge did not set a new date for sentencing or indicate how long proceedings would remain on hold. The judge also did not indicate when he would rule on Trump's motion to dismiss. The case stemmed from a $130,000 payment Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels for her silence before the 2016 election about a sexual encounter she has said she had a decade earlier with Trump, who denies it. A Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of falsifying business records to cover up his reimbursement of Cohen. It was the first time a US president - former or sitting - had been convicted of or charged with a criminal offence. Trump pleaded not guilty in the case, which he has sought to portray as a politically motivated attempt by Bragg, a Democrat, to interfere with his presidential campaign. "The American People have issued a mandate to return him to office and dispose of all remnants of the Witch Hunt cases," Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement. A spokesperson for Bragg's office declined to comment. Falsification of business records is punishable by up to four years in prison. Before he was elected, experts said it was unlikely - but not impossible - that Trump would face time behind bars, with punishments such as a fine or probation seen as more likely. Trump's victory over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the 5 November election made the prospect of imposing a sentence of jail or probation even more politically fraught and impractical, given that a sentence could have impeded his ability to conduct the duties of the presidency. Trump was charged in three additional state and federal cases in 2023, one involving classified documents he kept after leaving office and two others involving his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. He pleaded not guilty in all three cases. A Florida-based federal judge in July dismissed the documents case. The Justice Department is now evaluating how to wind down the federal election-related case. Trump also faces state criminal charges in Georgia over his bid to reverse his 2020 loss in that state, but that case remains in limbo. As president, Trump would have no power to shut down the New York or Georgia cases because they were filed in state courts. His Justice Department may close the federal cases. Trump last week nominated his defence lawyers in the hush money case, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, to serve senior roles at the Justice Department during his administration. - ReutersMembers of the Adanfo Ensemble perform. The 34th Annual Syracuse University Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at the Carrier Dome, January 27, 2019, Michael Greenlar | mgreenlar@syracuse.com Michael Greenlar | mgreenlar@syr Maggie Hicks | mhicks@syracuse.com Syracuse, N.Y. -- Smith College’s president and the daughter of a prominent Syracuse University graduate will speak at SU’s 40th annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration next month. Sarah Willie-LeBreton, who will speak at the celebration on Jan. 26 in the JMA Wireless Dome, is the 12th president of Smith College. She is also the daughter of Charles Willie, who was the first Black full-time professor, department chair and vice president at SU. Willie-LeBreton specializes in sociology, social inequity, race and ethnicity. She was appointed president of Smith College last year. She also taught at Colby College, Bard College and Swarthmore College, where she was the coordinator of the Black studies program and chair of the sociology and anthropology department. “We are honored to welcome President Sarah Willie-LeBreton as our featured speaker for this historic 40th anniversary celebration,” said Brian Konkol, vice president and dean of Hendricks Chapel at SU, in a university news release. “Through her remarkable impact built through years of dedicated service, President Willie-LeBreton honors her father’s legacy by creating a legacy of her own, and she inspires us all to spark and sustain a better world.” SU’s MLK celebration includes speakers and performances to commemorate King’s legacy. In years past, it has featured remarks from well-known academics and advocates, including King’s oldest son, Martin Luther King III. The university will also honor the winners of this year’s Unsung Hero Award , which is given to people in the university and surrounding community who “have embodied the spirit of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” Tickets are $40 for SU faculty and staff as well as the general public. They are $20 for university students. Maggie Hicks covers education, including the Syracuse City School District and Syracuse University. She can be reached at mhicks@syracuse.com or follow her on X @maggie_hickss .

Schuylerville football to face Salamanca for Class C state title

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil soccer extended its kit deal with Nike by 12 years to 2038 on Friday. A source told The Associated Press the agreement was worth $100 million per year, plus royalties on the sale of national team shirts which were not included in previous contracts. The source spoke on condition of anonymity as they weren’t authorised to discuss the agreement with media. For the first time, the Brazilian Football Confederation will also be allowed to license products and open stores worldwide. “This contract shows the strength of Brazilian soccer,” CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues said. “This is one of the longest and most successful partnerships in soccer and, together, we will keep celebrating the brilliance of Brazilian soccer and honor the jogo bonito legacy.” Brazil and Nike first paired up in 1996, and their latest contract wasn’t going to expire until 2026. Nike vice president for Latin America, Doug Bowles, said the deal “strengthens our old commitment with Brazilian soccer.” Nike kits are worn by Brazil’s men’s and women’s teams of all ages, plus by the beach soccer and futsal teams. RELATED COVERAGE Woltemade’s second half brace leads Stuttgart comeback to beat Union Berlin Atalanta tops Serie A after late win over AC Milan while Inter goes 13 games unbeaten Foden and Ake to miss Man City’s game at Crystal Palace In March, Nike signed a deal with the German soccer federation to replace adidas as the provider of apparel and equipment for its national teams from 2027 to 2034. The agreement was reportedly worth about 100 million euros ($108 million). Germany’s relationship with adidas goes back some 70 years and appeared unshakeable. Other national teams sponsored by Nike include Australia, Croatia, England, France, Nigeria, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea. ___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Letter to the editor: Can otherworldly guests please share the secret to converting mass to energy?

US senator says mysterious drones spotted in New Jersey should be 'shot down, if necessary'Climate Crisis: One In Five People At Risk Due To Extreme Weather EventsISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani police arrested thousands of Imran Khan supporters ahead of a rally in the capital to demand the ex-premier’s release from prison, a security officer said Sunday. Khan has been behind bars for more than a year and has over 150 criminal cases against him. But he remains popular and his political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf or PTI, says the cases are politically motivated. Shahid Nawaz, a security officer in eastern Punjab province, said police have arrested more than 4,000 Khan supporters. They include five parliamentarians. Pakistan has sealed off Islamabad with shipping containers and shut down major roads and highways connecting the city with PTI strongholds in Punjab and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. Tit-for-tat teargas shelling between the police and the PTI was reported on the highway bordering Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Earlier on Sunday, Pakistan suspended mobile and internet services “in areas with security concerns.” The government and Interior Ministry posted the announcement on the social media platform X, which is banned in Pakistan. They did not specify the areas, nor did they say how long the suspension would be in place. “Internet and mobile services will continue to operate as usual in the rest of the country,” the posts said. Meanwhile, telecom company Nayatel sent out emails offering customers “a reliable landline service” as a workaround in the areas suffering suspended cellphone service. Khan's supporters rely heavily on social media to demand his release and use messaging platforms like WhatsApp to share information, including details of events. PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram said Khan's wife Bushra Bibi was traveling to Islamabad in a convoy led by the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Gandapur. “She cannot leave the party workers on their own,” said Akram. There was a festive mood in Peshawar, with PTI members dancing, drumming and holding up pictures of Khan as cars set off for Islamabad. The government is imposing social media platform bans and targeting VPN services , according to internet advocacy group Netblocks. On Sunday, the group said live metrics showed problems with WhatsApp that were affecting media sharing on the app. The U.S. Embassy issued a security alert for Americans in the capital, encouraging them to avoid large gatherings and warning that even “peaceful gatherings can turn violent.” Last month, authorities suspended the cellphone service in Islamabad and Rawalpindi to thwart a pro-Khan rally. The shutdown disrupted communications and affected everyday services such as banking, ride-hailing and food delivery. The latest crackdown comes on the eve of a visit by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko . Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said authorities have sealed off Islamabad's Red Zone, which houses key government buildings and is the destination for Khan's supporters. “Anyone reaching it will be arrested,” Naqvi told a press conference. He said the security measures were in place to protect residents and property, blaming the PTI for inconveniencing people and businesses. He added that protesters were planning to take the same route as the Belarusian delegation, but that the government had headed off this scenario. Naqvi denied cellphone services were suspended and said only mobile data was affected. Associated Press writers Riaz Khan in Peshawar and Asim Tanveer in Multan contributed to this report.

Fantasy Football Week 17 DFS lineups: Another dominant performance appears to be in the cards for Bucky IrvingBy MATTHEW BROWN and JACK DURA BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Donald Trump assigned Doug Burgum a singular mission in nominating the governor of oil-rich North Dakota to lead an agency that oversees a half-billion acres of federal land and vast areas offshore: “Drill baby drill.” That dictate from the president-elect’s announcement of Burgum for Secretary of Interior sets the stage for a reignition of the court battles over public lands and waters that helped define Trump’s first term, with environmentalists worried about climate change already pledging their opposition. Burgum is an ultra-wealthy software industry entrepreneur who grew up on his family’s farm. He represents a tame choice compared to other Trump Cabinet picks. Public lands experts said his experience as a popular two-term governor who aligns himself with conservationist Teddy Roosevelt suggests a willingness to collaborate, as opposed to dismantling from within the agency he is tasked with leading. That could help smooth his confirmation and clear the way for the incoming administration to move quickly to open more public lands to development and commercial use. “Burgum strikes me as a credible nominee who could do a credible job as Interior secretary,” said John Leshy, who served as Interior’s solicitor under former President Bill Clinton. “He’s not a right-wing radical on public lands,” added Leshy, professor emeritus at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco. The Interior Department manages about one-fifth of the country’s land with a mandate that spans from wildlife conservation and recreation to natural resource extraction and fulfilling treaty obligations with Native American tribes. Most of those lands are in the West, where frictions with private landowners and state officials are commonplace and have sometimes mushroomed into violent confrontations with right-wing groups that reject federal jurisdiction. Burgum if confirmed would be faced with a pending U.S. Supreme Court action from Utah that seeks to assert state power over Interior Department lands. North Dakota’s attorney general has supported the lawsuit, but Burgum’s office declined to say if he backs Utah’s claims. U.S. Justice Department attorneys on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to reject Utah’s lawsuit. They said Utah in 1894 agreed to give up its right to the lands at issue when it became a state. Trump’s narrow focus on fossil fuels is a replay from his 2016 campaign — although minus coal mining, a collapsing industry that he failed to revive in his first term. Trump repeatedly hailed oil as “liquid gold” on the campaign trail this year and largely omitted any mention of coal. About 26% of U.S. oil comes from federal lands and offshore waters overseen by Interior. Production continues to hit record levels under President Joe Biden despite claims by Trump that the Democrat hindered drilling. But industry representatives and their Republican allies say volumes could be further boosted. They want Burgum and the Interior Department to ramp up oil and gas sales from federal lands, in the Gulf of Mexico and offshore Alaska. The oil industry also hopes Trump’s government efficiency initiative led by billionaire Elon Musk can dramatically reduce environmental reviews. Biden’s administration reduced the frequency and size of lease sales, and it restored environmental rules that were weakened under Trump . The Democrat as a candidate in 2020 promised further restrictions on drilling to help combat global warming, but he struck a deal for the 2022 climate bill that requires offshore oil and gas sales to be held before renewable energy leases can be sold. “Oil and gas brings billions of dollars of revenue in, but you don’t get that if you don’t have leasing,” said Erik Milito with the National Ocean Industries Association, which represents offshore industries including oil and wind. Trump has vowed to kill offshore wind energy projects. But Milito said he was hopeful that with Burgum in place it would be “green lights ahead for everything, not just oil and gas.” It is unclear if Burgum would revive some of the most controversial steps taken at the agency during Trump’s first term, including relocating senior officials out of Washington, D.C., dismantling parts of the Endangered Species Act and shrinking the size of two national monuments in Utah designated by former President Barack Obama. Officials under Biden spent much of the past four years reversing Trump’s moves. They restored the Utah monuments and rescinded numerous Trump regulations. Onshore oil and gas lease sales plummeted — from more than a million acres sold annually under Trump and other previous administrations, to just 91,712 acres (37,115 hectares) sold last year — while many wind and solar projects advanced. Developing energy leases takes years, and oil companies control millions of acres that remain untapped. Biden’s administration also elevated the importance of conservation in public lands decisions, adopting a rule putting it more on par with oil and gas development. They proposed withdrawing parcels of land in six states from potential future mining to protect a struggling bird species, the greater sage grouse. North Dakota is among Republican states that challenged the Biden administration’s public lands rule. The states said in a June lawsuit that officials acting to prevent climate change have turned laws meant to facilitate development into policies that obstruct drilling, livestock grazing and other uses. Oil production boomed over the past two decades in North Dakota thanks in large part to better drilling techniques. Burgum has been an industry champion and last year signed a repeal of the state’s oil tax trigger — a price-based tax hike industry leaders supported removing. Burgum’s office declined an interview request. In a statement after his nomination, Burgum echoed Trump’s call for U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. The 68-year-old governor also said the Interior post offered an opportunity to improve government relations with developers, tribes, landowners and outdoor enthusiasts “with a focus on maximizing the responsible use of our natural resources with environmental stewardship for the benefit of the American people.” Related Articles National Politics | Judge delays Trump hush money sentencing in order to decide where case should go now National Politics | Republicans scramble to fill JD Vance’s Ohio Senate seat National Politics | Gaetz’s withdrawal highlights how incoming presidents often lose Cabinet nominees National Politics | What to know about Pam Bondi, Trump’s new pick for attorney general National Politics | Democrat Bob Casey concedes to Republican David McCormick in Pennsylvania Senate contest Under current Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the agency put greater emphasis on working collaboratively with tribes, including their own energy projects . Haaland, a member of the Pueblo of Laguna tribe in New Mexico, also advanced an initiative to solve criminal cases involving missing and murdered Indigenous peoples and helped lead a nationwide reckoning over abuses at federal Indian boarding schools that culminated in a formal public apology from Biden. Burgum has worked with tribes in his state, including on oil development. Badlands Conservation Alliance director Shannon Straight in Bismarck, North Dakota, said Burgum has also been a big supporter of tourism in North Dakota and outdoor activities such as hunting and fishing. Yet Straight said that hasn’t translated into additional protections for land in the state. “Theodore Roosevelt had a conservation ethic, and we talk and hold that up as a beautiful standard to live by,” he said. “We haven’t seen it as much on the ground. ... We need to recognize the landscape is only going to be as good as some additional protections.” Burgum has been a cheerleader of the planned Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota. Brown reported from Billings, Montana.

An online debate over foreign workers in tech shows tensions in Trump’s political coalition