SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — One of the strongest storms on the West Coast in decades knocked out power for thousands of people, unleashed strong winds that toppled trees and left two dead in Washington before making its way through Oregon to Northern California where on Thursday it dropped heavy snow and record amounts of rain. The National Weather Service extended a flood watch into Saturday for areas north of San Francisco as the region was inundated by the strongest atmospheric river — a long and wide plume of moisture that forms over an ocean and flows over land — so far this season. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get any of our free email newsletters — news headlines, obituaries, sports, and more.CFP games top 10M average, but NFL wins head-to-headNo. 22 Army faces unexpected foe La. Tech in Independence Bowl
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Penn State clinches Big Ten championship game berth with win vs. Maryland, will play Oregon
Miami of Ohio and Colorado State will try to overcome notable transfer-portal defections during Saturday's Arizona Bowl at Tucson, Ariz. Miami (8-5) enters the game without its top two wide receivers Javon Tracy and Reggie Virgil after the duo elected to play elsewhere. Tracy, a redshirt sophomore who caught 57 passes for 818 yards with seven touchdowns, is moving on to Minnesota. Virgil, a junior who tallied 816 yards on 41 receptions with nine touchdowns, is bound for Texas Tech. "It's kind of insane, to be honest," Miami coach Chuck Martin said. "We'll lose some real good kids in the portal, but we'll also gain some good ones. It's just crazy. "In some ways, it stinks, but in some ways, it's fun, too. We're looking at a lot of some good ones." Miami has also lost two cornerbacks, including sophomore Raion Strader to Auburn. Strader had 53 tackles with two interceptions and a team-best 17 passes broken up. Will Jados, a redshirt junior offensive tackle who started 38 games for Miami, is transferring to Texas Tech. Colorado State (8-4) also lost its two top receivers in the portal. Sophomore Caleb Goodie committed to Cincinnati and sophomore Jamari Person remains undecided. Goodie caught 21 passes for 436 yards with four touchdowns, and Person had 36 receptions for 386 yards and a touchdown. Another sophomore, linebacker Buom Jock, also is in the transfer portal after he led the Rams with 100 tackles. "They lost a couple receivers in the portal, just like us, so they've adjusted, just like most teams in the bowl season have adjusted to the team that they have available," Colorado State coach Jay Norvell said. Redshirt sophomore Armani Winfield, who had 37 catches for 338 yards and two touchdowns, is the top available receiver for the Rams. Miami's leading receiver entering the game is fifth-year senior Cade McDonald (49 catches for 606 yards and three touchdowns). Miami won seven straight games before losing to Ohio in the MAC championship game behind sixth-year quarterback Brett Gabbert, who has completed 57.6 percent of his passes (204 of 354) for 2,737 yards and 21 touchdowns. Gabbert has been prone to throw interceptions, with 11, including one against Ohio in the conference title game. He did not throw an interception in a 30-20 victory over Ohio earlier this season. Keyon Mozee is Miami's featured running back with 1,073 yards on 170 carries with four touchdowns. Matt Salopek, a sixth-year linebacker, leads Miami with 113 tackles. He is the first player in program history with four 100-tackle seasons. Colorado State won six of its last seven games -- committing only seven turnovers in that span. Senior running back Avery Morrow has 956 yards on 166 attempts with nine touchdowns. Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, a redshirt sophomore, has thrown for 2,475 yards while completing 207 of 335 attempts (61.8 percent) with 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Chase Wilson, a fifth-year senior linebacker, has 91 tackles this season, three for loss. --Field Level Media
Islamist rebel groups, also called opposition forces, have managed to sweep victory into Aleppo city only three days after starting an unexpected operation in the country. This occurred for the first time that the Syrian opposition was able to step on the country’s second-largest city after President Bashar al-Assad’s regime supported by Iran and Russia recaptured it in December 2016. By Friday evening, the forces reached the city’s heart, as seen in videos posted by CNN that show fighters holding the flag of the Syrian opposition in one of the squares of the city, marking the first major challenge to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, who has ruled the war-torn country since 2000. Subsequently, the rebels mainly operated by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, officially announced that they had taken control of more than 50 towns and villages in large portions of the city and entered the western districts of Aleppo and Idlib provinces in northern Syria while describing the victory as reclaiming their lost ground. The invasion prompted fierce retaliation from al-Assad’s government forces supported by Russian airstrikes. In a statement on Friday the army said the HTS launched attacks using various heavy and medium weapons, including drones provided by its foreign allies, Xinhua news agency reported. “Our armed forces have inflicted heavy losses to the attacking groups, causing hundreds of deaths and injuries among the terrorists,” the statement said, adding, “We have destroyed dozens of vehicles and armoured units and have downed 17 drones.” Britain-based Observatory stated that the fighting was intense in the beginning, and 277 people were killed. The toll included 28 civilians among which many were killed by a Russian air strike. Pertinently, Russia launched airstrikes inside Syrian territory on Friday for the first time after 2016. After a decade Aleppo has made headlines again as it has been the worst battleground throughout the Syrian civil war. Before the conflict, it was estimated that about 2.3 million people lived in this particular region. The city was split in 2012 after rebel forces seized the eastern part of it but by 2016 government forces managed to liberate the region after a devastating war characterised by indiscriminate bombings and starvation tactics. The latest aggression is potentially capable of frustrating this achieved delicate balance and the consequent possibility of resumed urban combat. The offensive is being led by HTS, which began as an al-Qaida affiliate but has now shifted toward a focus on governance and is still considered a terrorist group by the United States and the United Nations. HTS is reportedly backed by the United States and Turkey, operating under the umbrella of the Syrian National Army. However, the United States and the United Nations still consider HTS a terrorist organization, but its leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, distanced the group from its extremist roots. These groups have a history of internal conflicts. However, al-Assad is their common enemy whom they describe as a dictator and war criminal for his alleged role in the mass killing of civilians including children by using chemical weapons in the early hours of August 21 2013 in Ghouta. In a video statement announcing the campaign, rebel military commander Lt. Col. Hassan Abdulghany claimed the attack as defensive in an effort to safeguard civilians from airstrike attacks and regain territory. They asserted that their specific objectives are to prevent Syrian government ground as well as air assaults on populated districts and disrupting supply lines essential for Assad’s military operations. “To push back their fire from our people, this operation is not a choice. It is an obligation to defend our people and their land. It has become clear to everyone that the regime militias and their allies, including the Iranian mercenaries, have declared an open war on the Syrian people,” he said, according to the New York Times Of necessity, this operation is not a match to push back their fire from our people. People must be protected and their territory is to be safeguarded. As it was seen by everyone, the regime militias and their allies, including Iranians, launched an open war against the Syrian people,” he said, according to the New York Times . The timing of this operation is crucial as it coincides with ongoing conflicts involving Iranian rebel wings such as Hezbollah and Hamas in Lebanon and Gaza. These groups are currently engaged in their own battles against Israel which might make it difficult for them to effectively support Assad. Additionally, Turkey’s role—supporting rebel groups on the ground in northwest Syria complicates already fragile conflict. Although Syria has not actively participated in recent conflicts in the Middle East, the country’s territory has been called a battleground by global actors for decades. Israel has regularly conducted attacks in Syria, claiming its targets are Iran-backed factions including the Hezbollah from Lebanon. These kinds of attacks, however, have since then surged after the Hamas-led assault on Israel on October 7, 2023. These attacks have already weakened Asaad’s regime. President Asaad has depended on Russian and Iranian forces to contain the rebels for years yet the civil unrest in the Middle East has also compromised his support. On the other side, the emergence of renewed fighting in Syria has now added severe humanitarian risks. The International Rescue Committee reported that 6674 families have been affected and displaced in recent days by violence. Currently, northwestern Syria hosts millions of internally displaced people who are already living in vulnerable situations. Some of them might find themselves in an even worse situation if the situation deteriorates. The recent increase in violence in Aleppo brings to light that any stability in Syria is transient and this has implications for not only Syria but other countries in the Middle East and will assume a new dimension in Middle East conflicts. Soon after announcing victory in Aleppo and other major districts, rebel forces stormed into Syrian jails and released all of the prisoners in Northwestern Aleppo, most of whom were seen as women and political prisoners of the Assad Regime. Rebels have broken into and freed all of the Prisoners at the Al-Sabil Temporary Prison in Northwestern Aleppo, most of whom are Women and Political Prisoners of the Assad Regime. pic.twitter.com/b99Xbl5yxN Rebel forces pose in front of the Syrian army flag, at the Citadel within the City of Aleppo. Rebel Fighters pose in front of the Free Syrian Army Flag, at the Citadel within the City of Aleppo. pic.twitter.com/2U5snyGgc9 The rebel forces movement in Aleppo after taking over #MiddleEast – Assad forces defence lines in #Aleppo have collapsed, and rebels are advancing almost unopposed through the city centre. 60,000 #SyrianRebels from 13 different factions have participated in the takeover of #Syria 's 2nd largest city. pic.twitter.com/HTojz2LtUf Bashar al-Assad’s army arrived with reinforcements and started launching attacks at the rebel forces. The battle on Aleppo: Bashar al-Assad’s army has arrived with reinforcements, starting now launching at the rebel forces, who entered the city. There is panic among the Shiite militias. pic.twitter.com/69hLKwVfIV After Kurdish forces rejected the Syrian National Army’s demand to withdraw from the area north of Aleppo, rebel forces launched an attack. Clashes between Kurdish forces and the Syrian National Army have been reported near Tel Rifaat. #BREAKING #Syria JUST IN: After Kurdish forces rejected the Syrian National Army's demand to withdraw from the area north of Aleppo, rebel forces launched an attack. Clashes between Kurdish forces and the Syrian National Army have been reported near Tel Rifaat. pic.twitter.com/F4ZQRyvWNJ
RACHEL Reeves boldly insisted last night there will be no further tax rises during her time as Chancellor. Her dramatic claim to a frosty reception from business leaders came as McVitie’s biscuit chief said Britain was becoming a less attractive place to invest. Reeves , whose pledge makes her a hostage to fortune, vowed she has “wiped the slate clean” after £40 billion of tax hikes at the Budget last month. But her intervention comes as Tory leader Kemi Badenoch refused to say if she would reverse changes. Ms Reeves told the CBI business summit that she hadn’t heard “many alternatives” after facing claims firms were being used as cash cows. She said: “I faced a problem, and I faced into it, and we have now drawn a line under the fiction peddled by the previous government. read more on politics “We’ve put our public finances back on a firm footing, and we’ve now set the budgets for public services for the duration of this Parliament. “Public services now need to live within their means because I’m really clear, I’m not coming back with more borrowing or more taxes.” In a boost to the public and business, she added that “we’re never going to have to do a budget like that again ”. But her comments came after Rain Newton-Smith, CBI chief executive, said that “tax rises like this must never again be simply done to business”. Most read in Money And the chief executive of the firm behind brands such as McVitie’s and Jacob’s also said the UK was less attractive to do business . Salman Amin, boss of Pladis, said: “Historically we’ve been super bullish on the United Kingdom. In fact, by far, the greatest investment across all of our countries over the last decade or so has come to the UK. “So we’ve been a very major investor in the UK. We would like to continue to be a major investor going forward. It’s becoming harder to understand what the case for investment is.” A Confederation of British Industry survey of 266 firms found 62 per cent were likely to reduce the number of new hires as a result of the NI hike while almost half - 48 per cent - would reduce their current headcount. However, Tory leader Ms Badenoch refused to say whether she would reverse the rise in employers’ national insurance at the Budget. She told Sky News that she would likely change the policy but wouldn’t comment on “every bit of micropolicy”. The Chancellor has also been under pressure after imposing changes to inheritance tax that will hit farmers and taking away universal winter fuel payments.No. 23 Alabama women beat Alabama State 83-33 at Emerald Coast ClassicBrock Purdy participated in the start of Thursday's practice with the 49ers but the San Francisco starting quarterback was not on the field for the majority of the workout, casting doubt over his availability to play Sunday at Green Bay. Purdy is dealing with a right shoulder injury and the 49ers are also potentially without left tackle Trent Williams and Nick Bosa due to injuries. Bosa was listed as out of Thursday's practice with an oblique injury. Williams also didn't suit up Thursday. He played through an ankle injury last week after being listed as questionable. Purdy's typical Thursday post-practice media session was scrapped until Friday as the 49ers did not make any quarterback available. Kyle Allen would step in for Purdy as the starter if he can't play against the Packers. Run game coordinator Chris Foerster said the 49ers aren't where they want to be at 5-5 because they haven't won close games, not because of injuries. "Seven games left is like an eternity," Foerster said. "So much can happen. Do the math. What was our record last year? It was 12-5. I was on a 13-win team that was nowhere near as good as the team last year." With or without Purdy, Foerster said the challenge for the 49ers is not to give up the ball to a defense that has 19 takeaways. The 49ers have 13 giveaways this season. --Field Level Media
Limited again, 49ers QB Brock Purdy still fighting sore shoulder
For the second year in a row, five couples will compete in the Dancing With the Stars finale! The contenders will dance a traditional “redemption” dance where they’re coached by one of the show’s three judges – Carrie Ann Inaba , Derek Hough , and Bruno Tonioli – as well as their highly anticipated “freestyle” routines. The latter allows the couples to display everything they’ve learned throughout the season. It’s not uncommon that the couple with the best and most entertaining (granted, that’s subjective) freestyle ends up winning the coveted Len Goodman Mirrorball trophy. As far as redemption dances go, watch for Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong to revisit the Jive while Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson are going to take on once again the Cha-cha-cha. Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten are going to also do another Jive. Danny Amendola and Witney Carson will reprise the Tango. Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold will repeat the Quickstep. In past seasons, couples have been tight-lipped about what will go into their freestyle routines. This year, TV Insider has some inside scoop on what to expect. Arnold already teased with us what her and Nedoroscik’s routine might include. Read on to get details from the other four finalists. Also, Bersten talks about why Maher deserves her spot in tonight’s finale. While a few Bachelorettes have won the mirror ball trophy, Graziadei is the first Bachelor to make it to the finals. Might there be roses or other Bachelor themes included in his freestyle? “We’re going to pay homage to Joey’s roots,” Johnsons teases to TV Insider. “Who he is and was before everybody else knew him.” (According to Graziadei’s bio, prior to appearing on The Bachelor , he was a tennis pro and Ike Kuluz ambassador at The Club in Kukui’ula in Koloa, Hawaii.) A post shared by Dancing With The Stars #DWTS (@dancingwiththestars) Kinney has appeared on TV shows including Lethal Weapon and Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin . However, she and Armstrong preview that their freestyle won’t necessarily include themes from those programs. “It’s not what [Chandler] is most well-known for that will make this freestyle the most interesting,” Armstrong, who’s going to the finals for the first time, says. Kinney adds: “It’s a much bigger message that we’re hoping resonates and will be received. No matter what happens, it’s important and we’re proud to be here.” Carson is keeping her freestyle playbook a bit closer to her vest. “Maybe we’ll put a football in there,” she says with a smile. Given Amendola’s lengthy professional sports resume, which includes playing a wide receiver for the New England Patriots, St. Louis Rams, and the Detroit Lions, how can she not? Just as Nedoroscik’s freestyle may include a pommel horse, which he performed on to win a Bronze Medal at the Olympics this year, Maher’s may include her Olympic sport, rugby. “Ilona is now a dancer,” Bersten proclaims, “so, we’re going to see some dancing . Maybe we’ll include some rugby, but what’s important is showing all sides of her as this amazing person which includes her incredible dancing. We’re not going to limit ourselves to one thing.” Bersten and the other finalists are thrilled that producers saw fit to advance all five couples to the three-hour finale tonight. However, he believes he and Maher are still in the game not just because of how America has embraced his partner’s vulnerability. Bersten feels Maher has earned her spot among the other finalists. “Fan support is everything,” Bersten says, “But I also want to commend Ilona on her rehearsals. She has improved so much and that’s what the show is ultimately about. It’s about growing and taking somebody who doesn’t know how to dance and make them dance and Ilona really danced [throughout this competition], so I’m so proud of her, but I am also very, very grateful for all the fans supporting us.” Dancing With the Stars , Season 33 Finale, Tuesday, November 26, ABC This article first appeared on TV Insider and was syndicated with permission.Miami (Ohio), Colorado State take adjustments into Arizona Bowl
Pope Francis kicks off a yearlong Jubilee that will test his stamina and Rome's patience VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has opened the great Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica. The ceremony kicks off the 2025 Holy Year. It's a celebration of the Catholic Church that is expected to draw some 32 million pilgrims to Rome. And it will test the pope’s stamina and the ability of the Eternal City to welcome them. This begins the Christmas Eve Mass. The ceremony inaugurates the once-every-25-year tradition of a Jubilee. Francis has dedicated the 2025 Jubilee to the theme of hope. Bethlehem marks a second subdued Christmas Eve during the war in Gaza BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Bethlehem is marking another somber Christmas Eve under the shadow of war in Gaza. Manger Square lacked its usual festive lights and crowds of tourists on Tuesday. Instead, the area outside the Nativity Church was quiet. The church was built atop the spot where Jesus is believed to have been born. The war, the violence in the occupied West Bank it has spurred and the lack of festivities has deeply hurt Bethlehem's economy. The town relies heavily on Christmas tourism. The economy in the West Bank was already reeling because of restrictions placed on laborers preventing them from entering Israel during the war. Heavy travel day starts with brief grounding of all American Airlines flights WASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. Government regulators cleared American flights to get airborne Tuesday about one hour after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a national ground stop, which prevented planes from taking off. American said in an email that the problem was caused by an issue with a vendor technology that maintains its flight operating system. Aviation analytics company Cirium said flights were delayed across American’s major hubs, with only 37% leaving on time. Nineteen flights were cancelled. Middle East latest: Israeli raid and airstrikes in West Bank kill at least 8 Palestinians The Palestinian Health Ministry says at least eight people were killed by Israeli military operations in the northern West Bank. The ministry said three of the dead were killed by Israeli airstrikes. The attacks took place around the city of Tulkarem and nearby refugee camps. The Israeli military said it opened fire after militants attacked soldiers, and it was aware of some uninvolved civilians who were harmed in the raid. Elsewhere in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian city of Bethlehem was marking a somber Christmas Eve under the shadow of the war in Gaza. Most festivities were cancelled and crowds of tourists were absent. Caitlin Clark honored as AP Female Athlete of the Year following her impact on women's sports Caitlin Clark has been named the AP Female Athlete of the Year after raising the profile of women’s basketball to unprecedented levels in both college and the WNBA. She led Iowa to the national championship game, was the top pick in the WNBA draft and captured rookie of the year honors in the league. Fans packed sold-out arenas and millions of television viewers followed her journey on and off the court. Clark's exploits also put other women's sports leagues in the spotlight. A group of 74 sports journalists from AP and its members voted on the award. Other athletes who received votes included Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and boxer Imane Khelif. Clark’s only the fourth women’s basketball player to win the award since it was first given in 1931. Major storm pounds California's central coast, blamed for man's death and partially collapsing pier SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP) — A major storm has pounded California’s central coast bringing flooding and high surf that was blamed for fatally trapping a man beneath debris on a beach and later partially collapsing a pier, tossing three people into the Pacific Ocean. The storm was expected to bring hurricane-force winds and waves up to 60 feet Monday as it gained strength from California to the Pacific Northwest. Some California cities have ordered beachfront homes and hotels to evacuate early Monday afternoon. Forecasters have warned that storm swells would continue to increase throughout the day. Medellin Cartel victims demand truth and justice as cartel boss Fabio Ochoa walks free in Colombia BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) — The return of the notorious drug trafficker Fabio Ochoa to Colombia, following his deportation from the United States, has reopened old wounds among the victims of the Medellin cartel, with some expressing their dismay at the decision of Colombian authorities to let the former mafia boss walk free.Some of the cartel victims said on Tuesday that they are hoping the former drug lord will at least cooperate with ongoing efforts by human rights groups to investigate one of the most violent periods of Colombia’s history, and demanded that Colombian prosecutors also take Ochoa in for questioning. Man arraigned on murder charges in NYC subway death fanned flames with a shirt, prosecutors say NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors say a man accused of burning a woman to death inside a New York City subway train used a shirt to fan the flames, causing her to become engulfed. The suspect, identified by police as Sebastian Zapeta, was arraigned in Brooklyn criminal court on Tuesday. He faces murder charges that could put him in prison for life. Federal immigration officials say 33-year-old Zapeta is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally after being deported in 2018. The apparently random attack occurred Sunday morning on a stationary F train at the Coney Island station in Brooklyn. Amsterdam court sentences 5 men over violence linked to Ajax-Maccabi soccer game THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — An Amsterdam District Court has issued sentences of up to six months in jail against 5 men who were involved in violent disorder after a soccer match between the Dutch club Ajax and Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv in November. The riots caused an international outcry and accusations of deliberate anti-Semitic attacks. The violence following a UEFA Europa League match left 5 people in hospital. More than 60 suspects were detained. The court on Tuesday sentenced one man to 6 months in prison, another to 2 1/2 months, two to 1 month and one to 100 hours of community service.SYM Stock News: Shareholder Rights Law Firm Robbins LLP Urges Symbotic Inc. Stockholders with Large Losses to Seek Legal Counsel in Connection with the Class Action Lawsuit
10 Famous People Who Actually Admitted To Using Ozempic And 9 Who Flat-Out Denied It