jolibet affiliate Former NJ Gov. Chris Christie hit the overall government response to the New Jersey drone sightings on Sunday after Secretary Mayorkas told residents they had nothing to worry about. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie slammed Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas' dismissal of the drone activity and said that to suggest it wasn't unusual activity was ridiculous. "Is this a mass hysteria of some sort?" ABC News host George Stephanopoulos asked the former governor. The ABC News host also just spoke to Mayorkas, who said the public had no reason to be concerned about the drones and that they hadn't seen any unusual activity. Dozens of drones have been spotted flying throughout New Jersey over the last few weeks, as government officials have yet to determine where they're coming from or who operates them. "Here’s why, George," Christie said. "Because of answers like the secretary just gave. They’re not answering the questions." Chris Christie joined ABC's George Stephanopoulos on Sunday to react to the drones that have been spotted flying through New Jersey. (Screenshot/ABC) MORE THAN 20 DAYS INTO PHENOMENON, PENTAGON STILL HAS NO ANSWERS ABOUT ORIGINS OF MYSTERIOUS NJ DRONES "To say this is not unusual activity, it’s just wrong. I’ve lived in New Jersey my whole life. This is the first time that I’ve noticed drones over my house. And I was in a restaurant in Monmouth County on Friday night, had people at the bar coming up to me and saying, ‘Gov. Murphy won’t tell me anything. The president won’t tell me anything,’" Christie said. Christie detailed his own experience, and said he had stopped drones flying over his house in New Jersey a couple of days ago. "The Biden Administration and state authorities have to be more vocal and let people know exactly what they’re doing. This interview this morning was a bit of a better step, but I think much too little too late, and when people see this kind of activity, it’s a new-ish technology to most people, and they’re worried about it and concerned," he added. Stephanopoulos asked, "so you don't think it's the kind of thing where once people become focused on it, they actually see things that they wouldn’t necessarily pay attention to in the past?" George Stephanopoulos speaks during ABC's "This Week." (ABC/Paula Lobo via Getty Images) CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE Christie said it might be "some of that," but said people, including himself, were seeing drones fly above their homes for the first time in their lives. The former governor said if he was still governor he'd want "our state police to be able to have the authority to bring those drones down and find out why they’re doing what they’re doing, and of course, you would have to coordinate with the FAA." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "What we’re going to find, George, is you’re going to have individuals acting as drone vigilantes, and they’ll start taking them down. That’s not what they want, because they’re now an important part of commerce and law enforcement uses them frequently for surveillance and other things. We need to be able to operate in a safe way, and we’re not doing that," he added. Hanna Panreck is an associate editor at Fox News.Ohio State is getting close to full strength and is looking forward to a final non-conference foe before diving into its Big Ten schedule. The Buckeyes (8-4) host Indiana State (8-4) on Sunday afternoon in Columbus, Ohio, with another opportunity to get valuable minutes for center Aaron Bradshaw. Bradshaw, who transferred from Kentucky after his freshman year last season, missed seven games while Ohio State investigated an alleged domestic incident at his off-campus apartment. He made his first five shots and finished with 11 points in 18 minutes during the Buckeyes' 85-65 rout of then-No. 4 Kentucky on Dec. 21. "Aaron plays with an intensity and a passion that I thought we missed," Buckeyes coach Jake Diebler said Friday. "And certainly, his size (7-foot-1), rebounding ability, his ability to protect the rim, all of those things were certainly missed. "I'm not going to lie. I didn't anticipate he was going to go 5 for 6 but that spoke to his focus the last couple of weeks to get back out there." While Ohio State was battling the storied Kentucky program, Indiana State was posting a 101-53 win over the University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy. The Sycamores open Missouri Valley Conference play next week. To say it's a giant leap to play Ohio State for the first time in program history is an understatement. "I'm definitely excited. I know the team is super excited because we all think we can play at that level," Indiana State guard Jahni Summers said. "We all know we can play at that level. It will be a big game for us, a huge challenge for sure." The Sycamores are led by Samage Teel, who is averaging 17.5 points per game while shooting 58.2 percent from the field. He also leads the team with 4.3 assists per game. Indiana State has won five in a row and has scored at least 80 points in each of the past six games. Diebler said the Buckeyes need to move past the win over Kentucky. "We know what's coming up here, certainly starting off with a really good Indiana State team," he said. --Field Level Media

US News Today Live Updates on December 16, 2024 : Magnolia Bakery’s famous banana pudding now on United AirlinesPago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The American Samoa Community College (ASCC) has announced the fall 2024 recipients of its two “in-house” scholarships, the President’s Merit Scholarship and the Saili le Atamai Non-Pell Scholarship. All ASCC students may apply for these scholarships, including those who do not qualify for the federal financial aid, which most students born in the territory have access to. This semester, Ms. Falesoa AJ Tufi and Ms. Mavy F. Tuipala have both received the President’s Merit Scholarship, while the Saili le Atamai Scholarship has gone to Ms. Pearl Eunice Munoz and Ms. Rhea M. Salamat. The recipients will each receive a deduction of $500 from their ASCC tuition and fees. Applicants for the President’s Merit Scholarship must be full-time students in the previous and current semesters and have maintained a grade point average of 3.60 or better. The need to have completed 24 credits towards an Associates Degree at ASCC, as well as the classes English 150, English 151 and Math 90. President’s Merit Scholarship recipient Ms. Tufi AJ Falesoa is studying towards an Associate of Science degree in Civil Engineering Technology. She graduated last year from Nuuuli Voc Tech, where she earned an impressive record of serving as president of the Student Government Association and the National Technical Honor Society, as an officer in the Technology Students Association and the 4H Club, and as Health Occupation Students of America state president. Ms. Tufi as worked as a teaching assistant in the ASCC Guitar Building program, as well as praise from her instructors as she pursues her Civil Engineering Technology major. Also receiving the President’s Merit Scholarship this semester is Ms. Mavy F. Tiapula, a Tafuna High School graduate now pursuing Associate of Science degrees in two fields, Accounting and Automotive Technology. Ms. Tiapula cites the scripture Romans 12:2 as an inspiration, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” She has demonstrated her commitment to academic excellence, by being accepted this semester into the ASCC chapter of the Phi Teta Kappa honor society. Ms. Tiapula has been commended by her instructors for her growing skills in accounting, and she has been a member of the Future Business Leaders of America and the ASCC Rotary Club. The Saili le Atamai Non-Pell Scholarship, sponsored by the ASCC Student Government Association (SGA) requires that applicants be full-time students in the previous and current semester with a grade point average of 3.0 or better, have completed 12 credits or more towards an Associates Degree or Certificate of Proficiency at ASCC, and have completed English 90 and Math 80. Born in the Philippines, Saili le Atamai Non-Pell Scholarship recipient Ms. Pearl Eunice Munoz graduated from Fa’asao Marist in 2022 and is now pursuing an Associate degree in Practical Nursing at ASCC. Ms. Munoz has shared that she found her initial move from the Philippines to American Samoa highly challenging, but that her family joining a local Filipino church helped considerably in her overcoming these challenges. Ms. Munoz cites her church experience as having helped her develop empathy, patience and communication, skills essential to being a successful nurse. Thus far, she has earned her credentials as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), and she continues to work towards her goal of becoming a fully licensed nurse. Also receiving the Saili le Atamai Non-Pell Scholarship this semester, also born in the Philippines, and also a Nursing major, Ms. Rhea M. Salamat has financed her own studies at ASCC by working various jobs, including bookkeeping. Ms. Salamat has also received her Certified Nursing Assistant credentials, and now seeks to achieve the next level of qualification in the Nursing field. “My desire to pursue a career in Nursing comes from a deep sense of compassion and an understanding that, like me, many people face overwhelming challenges in life,” she said. “My own struggles have given me a sense of purpose and a drive to help others.” ASCC Dean of Student Services Dr. Emilia Le’i congratulated this semester’s four scholarship recipients and encouraged any interested ASCC students to apply for the available assistance. “Here at ASCC, we recognize the challenges faced by many of our students in meeting their educational expenses, especially those who don’t qualify for the Pell Grant,” she said. “We feel proud to offer these scholarships to the students deemed as the most deserving, even though the limit on our resources makes it necessary for the selection to be competitive.” For more information on the in-house scholarships at ASCC, contact the Division of Student Services at 699-2722, extension 0004.

“The End,” by director Joshua Oppenheimer ( “The Act of Killing,” “The Look of Silence” ), is a gloomy musical about perhaps the only six people left on Earth: an oilman and his trophy wife (Michael Shannon and Tilda Swinton), their bunker-born adult son (George MacKay) and the three aides (Bronagh Gallagher, Tim McInnerny, Lennie James) invited into this underground ark. Something awful is outside. We hear allusions to a blood-red sun, a poisoned sea and buzzards. But this salt mine-slash-sanctuary boasts walls hung with fine art and a dinner table set for wine and Champagne. These survivors have walled-off suffering for more than 20 years. Still, they can’t breathe. Not in the literal sense. The cast has the lung capacity for more than two hours of singing and the songs, which Oppenheimer wrote the lyrics for and composer Joshua Schmidt scored, are flat-out stunners, belted with humble charm. If a voice cracks, it cracks. The emotion holds center stage, backed by adamant violins and horns and sneaky melodies that vault up an octave to hit surprising notes. But there’s not enough air in here for everyone to have a personality. The characters are all rigorously mannered, as though they’re mimicking the mannequins in old film strips of 1950s bomb shelters. In the opening song, people stroll into the living room one by one, casually clutching mugs of coffee, and when they realize the others are already crooning about another perfect new morning, they join in as though to be polite. “We fight through the dark together / our future is bright,” they harmonize, keeping their backs as straight as a church choir. The irony is obvious and for the first hour, that’s all there is. The assured magnate, the superficial wife, the doted-upon child who was raised so cloistered he whistles canary songs to a tank of crawdads and tries to teach pet tricks to a fish. These aren’t full characters — they don’t even merit names — they’re just the clichés we’d expect to see dining on Dover sole while the rest of us are dead. (Plus the workers don’t merit much attention.) Oppenheimer and his co-screenwriter Rasmus Heisterberg have given each family member one flaw that they sing about so incessantly that the running time could be slashed by a third. We get it, bunker life is airless. This house is so gray and cold that something’s got to snap. During the film’s stiff and dull first stretch, the family discovers a young stranger, played by Moses Ingram, who has endured the apocalypse long enough to track the source of their smoke exhaust. If you think that’s implausible, wait til you see how this presumably hardscrabble refugee — a girl who has never before worn shoes — not only arrives with TikTok-trained options about the rights of the working class, but appears unfazed by these opulent digs. Ingram and MacKay start off like the kind of couple you wouldn’t put together even though they truly might be the last fertile singles alive. But they warm to each other enough to sing their own duet, running through the salt mine with their arms stretched wide. (The choreographers Sam Pinkleton and Ani Taj smartly choose liberated movement over precision.) Finally, the film kicks up its heels and becomes something beautiful. Oppenheimer is after something that drives right at the heart of what a musical is. To harmonize means to agree. It’s a public display of solidarity — a pact to parrot the same delusions. Here, it’s only when these characters splinter off on their own that they sing their truth. Even then, they’ve been so suffocated by lies that they can’t always come up with the right words. In one number, Swinton, who goes glossy-eyed to show the cracks in her high-fashion veneer, poses in a transparent rain slicker while bleating raw, yowling noises that blend with the despairing strings. As for the naive son, whom MacKay plays with apple-cheeked precociousness plus a brain worm, during his wildest solo, he thrusts his crotch and goes, “Nyah, nyah!” Lies are to Oppenheimer what the skeleton was to Da Vinci. He’s fixated on understanding how they work, how they evolve and bend, how they wind up controlling the way a person moves through life. When Shannon’s patriarch insists that “drilling for oil was just an excuse for wind farms, clean water, save the chimpanzees,” he’s rewriting history for an audience of no one but himself and how he wants his son to see him. The scale of destruction he has caused is vague and unspeakable. We know riots were involved because he insists they weren’t. Given that our setting is the end of the world and all, we can estimate that his death toll trumps that of Oppenheimer’s breakthrough 2012 documentary, “The Act of Killing,” in which the former soldiers of an Indonesian death squad reenacted their past massacres to shore up their conviction that they were the heroes. That powerful film sided with our desire to punish the aggressors. But when Shannon’s fossil-fuel tycoon rebuts that the rest of humanity drove cars, too, well, he’s got a point. Perhaps out of a shared sense of guilt, Oppenheimer yearns to give these sinners a chance to atone for their mistakes. Alone, they plead for forgiveness, like when Shannon scales a mound of salt clutching a taxidermy bird like he fancies himself the heroine of “The Sound of Music.” Rather than condemn its characters forever, “The End” gives these plastic people the choice to reclaim their humanity. That’s what turns out to be torture. This is a musical that treasures goofy imperfection, a scene where McInnerny does a funny little tap dance, or the joy in Shannon’s hyena cackle. Oppenheimer untethers his script from the responsibilities of explaining how this doomsday manor functions. The food stash, the waste disposal, none of that comes into play, and the characters are wholly incurious about whatever’s going on outside their cave. Instead, all the attention goes to micro-shifts in people’s moods, which, for characters this manicured, are as dramatic as a new ripple in a rock garden. Only Ingram’s home invader can be both happy and sad at once. The girl can’t wall her emotions away and that rattles this bunker to its very foundation. The film around her is itself built on a fault line of contradictions — it’s at once tepid and sledgehammer-insistent, a slab of decadent milquetoast. But you leave thinking about the question the characters never bring themselves to ask or sing: What’s the difference between being alive and living?Inside Coleen Rooney's £20m mansion with on-site football pitch, as star opens up on I'm A Celebrity

With something significant from which to build, North Carolina will see if it can sustain the momentum following a holiday break. The Tar Heels are back in action for their final nonconference game Sunday night when in-state opponent Campbell visits Chapel Hill, N.C. This will be the first meeting between the programs despite the campuses less than a one-hour drive apart. North Carolina (7-5) rallied to defeat then-No. 18 UCLA on Dec. 21 in New York, its first win over a ranked foe this season. It was a much-needed outcome after numerous late-game disappointments for the Tar Heels. "It's because we've been in those situations against really good competition that allowed us to have the confidence to come back, and then also the experiences of what we needed to do to finish it out and win," coach Hubert Davis said. North Carolina could turn to more four-guard lineups, Davis said. That's a deviation from what has worked for the Tar Heels through the years when they've been stabilized by a strong post presence. "We may not have tremendous size, but we do have athleticism," Davis said. The Tar Heels, who have won three of their past four games, insist they're up to the challenges despite the rocky stretches. They resume Atlantic Coast Conference play next month with three road trips in four games, so working out any kinks in the Campbell game will likely be critical. "We've been battle-tested all year," senior guard RJ Davis said. "These first 12 games, it feels like we've been in March Madness games. But that's what it's going to be like at the end of the year, where we're playing against tough teams all the way to the wire and being able to execute, being able to get an extra rebound, an extra stop." Freshman Ian Jackson has drained multiple 3-point shots in four games this season. He hit three 3s and scored a season-high 24 points vs. UCLA. Campbell (5-7), riding a two-game skid with losses at Morgan State and at home to Longwood, has defeated only three Division I teams. Sunday night marks the Camels' final outing before opening their Coastal Athletic Association schedule. "We believe that will help strengthen us to compete at a high level in CAA play," coach Kevin McGeehan of nonconference tests. North Carolina will be Campbell's third power-conference opponent (following Virginia and Ohio State). Jasin Sinani (12.4 points per game) is the only Campbell player scoring in double figures. He joins Nolan Dorsey and Cam Gregory as the only team members with more than nine starts this season as McGeehan has juggled the lineup. --Field Level Media

President Joe Biden is considering preemptive pardons for several prominent names facing possible retribution from the incoming Trump administration, US media has reported. Among those being considered for the historic pardons are Anthony Fauci, the former White House special advisor on Covid-19, and former Republican lawmaker Liz Cheney, who has become a fierce critic of Donald Trump. The president-elect has made no secret of his desire to exact vengeance against critics and those he claims stole the 2020 election from him. Biden has discussed with advisors the possibility of using his constitutional power to protectively issue preemptive pardons -- even to people yet to be charged with any crime -- before he leaves the White House on January 20. The discussions were reported by Politico and later by the New York Times, CBS News and the Washington Post, all citing anonymous sources close to the talks. Biden sparked controversy on Sunday when, in a reversal, he pardoned his son Hunter, who was due to be sentenced this month in cases involving a gun purchase and tax fraud. Democratic Representative Adam Schiff of California, who served as lead manager during the first Senate impeachment of Trump, and retired general Mark Milley might also be in line for preemptive pardons to shield them from Trump. Milley, who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during Trump's first term, later told journalist Bob Woodward that Trump was "a total fascist" and "the most dangerous person to this country." Overseeing such prosecutions would be the man who the president-elect has nominated to head the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Kash Patel. Patel, who held a high position in the Pentagon during the first Trump term, has said that as FBI chief he would "come after" those "who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections." "WHEN I WIN," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform in September, "those people that CHEATED will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law." Presidential pardons, issued at the end of a term, have a long history in the United States. On his last day in the White House in January 2021, Trump pardoned 74 people accused of various crimes and misdemeanors. And in September 1974, a month after Richard Nixon resigned as president during the Watergate scandal, his successor Gerald Ford announced "a full, free and absolute pardon" for any crimes against the United States which Nixon might have committed while in office. But the multiple preemptive pardons reportedly being considered by Biden -- to insulate several people from future prosecutions that might not ever happen -- could constitute a first. rle/bbk/bgs

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