Ukraine peace talks in Miami end with lingering questions over security guarantees and territory

Talks between US and Ukrainian negotiators over a proposed peace deal with Russia ended in Miami this weekend, with few new developments and lingering questions over security guarantees and territorial issues, according to Ukrainian officials.

As the talks concluded, the Kremlin welcomed US President Donald Trump's new security strategy, saying it dropped the language of past US administrations describing Russia as a threat.

The marathon Miami meeting began on Thursday between US special envoy Steve Witkoff, President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Ukrainian officials Rustem Umerov and Andriy Hnatov.

After three days of talks, "difficult issues remain," Ukrainian Ambassador to the US Olga Stefanishyna said Saturday, "but both sides continue working to shape realistic and acceptable solutions."

"The main challenges at this stage concern questions of territory and guarantees, and we are actively seeking optimal formats for addressing them," Stefanishyna said. "More details will be provided once all information is compiled."

Territory and security guarantees are long-standing sticking points for any possible deal. Ukraine maintains that a just end to the war would include reliable security guarantees and would not force it to surrender more territory to Russia.

As the meetings kicked off earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters in India that his country intends to seize Ukraine's eastern Donbas regionby any means.

The Miami talks had been preceded by a visit to Moscow by Kushner and Witkoff. Trump said Wednesday the US delegation had a "very good meeting" with Putin, and that they believed the Russian president "would like to see the war ended" — though the talks failed to yield a breakthrough.

In a social media post on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he had a "long" and "constructive" phone conversation with Witkoff and Kushner, as well as his Ukrainian delegation in Miami.

"We covered many aspects and went through key points that could ensure an end to the bloodshed and eliminate the threat of a new Russian full-scale invasion," Zelensky said. "We agreed on the next steps and formats for talks with the United States."

Also discussed on the call was "the risk of Russia failing to honor its promises, as has happened repeatedly in the past," he said.

Zelensky said that Hnatov and Umerov are expected to deliver him a "detailed in person report" on the negotiations.

"Not everything can be discussed over the phone," Zelensky said. "So we need to work closely with our teams on ideas and proposals."

Peace and its conditions will also be the subject of a meeting on Monday between Zelensky and French, British and German leaders in London. The discussion will cover "the situation and the ongoing negotiations within the framework of the American mediation," French President Emmanuel Macron said Saturday.

Kremlin welcomes removal of 'threat' label

Separately, the Kremlin has welcomed the new US national security strategy, released on Friday, which sets out the Trump administration's realignment of US foreign policy and takes an anunprecedentedly confrontational posture toward Europe.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Trump administration's document has dropped language describing Russia as a threat, state-owned news agency TASS reported.

"We considered this a positive step," Peskov told the news agency.

"Overall, these messages are certainly in contrast with approaches of previous administrations."

The strategy document says European nations regard Russia as "an existential threat," but paints the US as having a significant role in diplomacy to re-establish "conditions of stability within Europe and strategic stability with Russia."

A 2022Biden-era national security strategysaid Russia posed "an immediate threat to the free and open international system, recklessly flouting the basic laws of the international order today, as its brutal war of aggression against Ukraine has shown."

The Trump administration's new document also reiterates its push for "ending the perception, and preventing the reality, of NATO as a perpetually expanding alliance."

This article has been updated with additional information.

CNN's Alejandra Jaramillo and Todd Symons contributed reporting

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byCristiano Ronaldo

in

December 06, 2025

Ukraine peace talks in Miami end with lingering questions over security guarantees and territory

Talks between US and Ukrainian negotiators over a proposed peace deal with Russia ended in Miami this weekend, with few new developments an...

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Soon no Pearl Harbor survivors will be alive. People turn to other ways to learn about the bombing

HONOLULU (AP) — Survivors of the 1941 Japanesebombing of Pearl Harborhave long been the center of a remembrance ceremony held each year on the military base's waterfront.

But today only 12 are still alive — all centenarians — and this year none is able to make the pilgrimage to Hawaii to mark the event, scheduled for Sunday.

That means no one attending will have firsthand memories of serving during the attack, which killed more than 2,300 troops and catapulted the U.S. into World War 2. The development is not a surprise and is an evolution of an ongoing trend. As survivors fade, their descendants and the public are increasingly turning to other ways of learning about the bombing.

"The idea of not having a survivor there for the first time — I just, I don't know — it hurt my heart in a way I can't describe," said Kimberlee Heinrichs, whose 105-year-old fatherIra "Ike" Schabhad to cancel plans to fly in from Oregon after falling ill.

Survivors have been present every year in recent memoryexcept for 2020,when the Navy and the National Park Service closed the observance to the general public because of coronavirus pandemic health risks.

"I can still see what was happening."

The ceremony begins with a moment of silence at 7:55 a.m., the same time the attack began on Dec. 7, 1941. Solemn rituals follow.

Fighter jets fly overhead in "missing man formation," in which one jet peels off to symbolize those lost. Survivors present wreaths to honor the dead, though active duty troops have assumed this job in recent years. Survivors rise to salute active duty sailors who themselves salute as their ship passes the USS Arizona Memorial, which sits above submerged hull of the battleship sunk in the attack.

About 2,000 survivors attended the 50th anniversary event in 1991. A few dozen have showed in recent decades. Last year,only two made it. That is out of an estimated 87,000 troops stationed on Oahu that day.

Many survivors were jovial despite the occasion, happy to catch up with old friends and pose for photographs. Even so, harrowing recollections were seldom far from their minds.

In 2023, Harry Chandler gazed across the waterwhile telling an Associated Pressreporter how he was raising the flag at a mobile hospital in the hills above the base when he saw Japanese planes fly in and drop bombs. Chandler and his fellow Navy hospital corpsmen jumped in trucks to help the injured.

He spoke of seeing the Arizona explode, and of hearing sailors trapped onthe capsized USS Oklahomadesperately tapping on their ship's hull to summon rescue. He helped care for Oklahoma sailors after crews cut holes in the battleship.

"I can still see what was happening," Chandler said.He diedthe next year at a senior living center in Tequesta, Florida.

Lessons from the past

The bombing has long held different meanings for different people, the historian Emily S. Rosenberg wrote in her book "A Date Which Will Live: Pearl Harbor in American Memory."

Some say it highlights the need for a well-prepared military and a vigilant foreign policy. To some it evokes then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt administration's "ineptitude or deceit" and the unfair scapegoating of the military. Others focus on the "treachery" of Japan or the heroic acts of individual troops, she wrote.

Asked what he wanted Americans to know about Pearl Harbor, Chandler said: "Be prepared."

"We should have known that was going to happen. The intelligence has to be better," he said.

Lou Conter, who was theArizona's last living survivorwhen he died last year at 102,told the AP in 2019he liked to attend to remember those who lost their lives.

"It's always good to come back and pay respect to them and give them the top honors that they deserve," Conter said.

Heinrichs' father has been six times since 2016. The former tuba player on the USS Dobbin likes to go not only to remember those killed but also in place of his late band mates; his three brothers who fought in World War II; and the now-deceased Pearl Harbor survivors he has met.

Recording the remembrances before the survivors are gone

Retired National Park Service Pearl Harbor historian Daniel Martinez said the circumstances resemble the early 20th century when Civil War veterans were dying in increasing numbers. Awareness grew that soon they wouldn't be able to share their stories of Gettysburg and other battles, he said.

Martinez knew something similar could happen with Pearl Harbor survivors and recorded their oral histories. During a 1998 convention, he conducted interviews 12 hours a day for three days. The Park Service today has nearly 800 interviews, most on video.

"They remain as a part of the national memory of a day that changed America and changed the world," Martinez said.

The Park Service shows some in its Pearl Harbor museum and aims to include more after renovations, said David Kilton, the agency's Pearl Harbor interpretation, education and visitor services lead.

The Library of Congress has collections from 535 Pearl Harbor survivors, including interviews, letters, photos and diaries. Over 80% are online. They are part of the library'sVeterans History Projectof firsthand recollections of veterans who served in World War I onward. Many were recorded by relatives, Eagle Scouts and other amateurs interested in documenting history.

The Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors gives presentations in schools and marches in parades to share the stories of their families. The California chapter has added six new members this year, including two great-grandchildren of survivors.

"When they're all gone, we're still going to be here," said Deidre Kelley, the group's president. "And it's our intent to keep the memory alive as long as we're alive."

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

December 06, 2025

Soon no Pearl Harbor survivors will be alive. People turn to other ways to learn about the bombing

HONOLULU (AP) — Survivors of the 1941 Japanesebombing of Pearl Harborhave long been the center of a remembrance ceremony ...

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Takeaways from AP's investigation into Russia's Africa Corps in Mali

DAKAR. Senegal (AP) — Dozens of people who have fled Mali tell The Associated Press that a new Russian military unit that replaced the Wagner mercenary group this year is carrying out abuses, including rapes and beheadings, as it teams up with Mali's military to hunt down extremists.

The refugees said the Africa Corps, which reports to Russia's Defense Ministry, is using the same tactics as Wagner. Their accounts, collected during rare access to the Mauritanian border, have not been reported by international media until now.

West Africa's vast Sahel region has become the deadliest place in the world for extremism. The military governments of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in recent years have turned from Western allies to Russia for help combating the fighters affiliated with al-Qaida or the Islamic State group.

The Africa Corps replaced Wagner six months ago. That sparked hope for less brutality among weary civilians whothe United Nations sayshave been abused by all sides. But refugees described a new reign of terror by the "white men" in the vast and largely lawless territory. The AP spoke to 34 refugees. Most spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

Here are takeaways from the AP investigation.

A 'scorched-earth policy'

Two refugees showed videos of villages they said were burned by Africa Corps. Two others said they found bodies of loved ones with liver and kidneys missing.Previous AP reportinghas tracked social media channels, likely administered by Wagner members, that shared images of men in military uniform butchering corpses of what appear to be Malian civilians, hacking out organs and posing with severed limbs.

"It's a scorched-earth policy," said a Malian village chief who fled to Mauritania last month for the second time. "The soldiers speak to no one. Anyone they see, they shoot. No questions, no warning. People don't even know why they are being killed."

He added: "There is no difference between Wagner and Africa Corps."

Malian authorities never publicly acknowledged Wagner's presence, and have not acknowledged Africa Corps. But Russian state media in recent weeks have published reports from Mali praising Africa Corps for defending the country from "terrorists," and Russia's Foreign Ministry has confirmed that the unit is active "at the request of the Malian authorities," providing ground escorts, search-and-rescue operations and other work.

Russia's Defense Ministry did not respond to AP questions.

Questions around Africa Corps

Reported abuses against civilians intensified when Wagner teamed up with the underfunded Malian army in 2021. According to private security analysts, Mali paid Russia about $10 million a month for Wagner's assistance. While the group was never officially under the Kremlin's command, it had close ties to Russia's intelligence and military.

Moscow began developing the Africa Corps as a rival to Wagner after its leaderYevgeny Prigozhinwas killed in a plane crash in 2023 following his brief armed rebellion in Russia that challenged the rule ofPresident Vladimir Putin.

It is unclear whether Mali's agreement remains the same for Africa Corps. Much is unknown about the unit's operations, including the number of fighters, which analysts estimate at around 2,000.

Not all Africa Corps fighters are Russian. Several refugees told the AP they saw Black men speaking foreign languages. The European Council on Foreign Relations in a recent report said the unit recruits from Russia, Belarus and African states.

Civilians are 'between a rock and a hard place'

The hunt by Africa Corps and Malian forces for militants intensified in September, when JNIM fighters imposed anunprecedented blockade on fuelinto Mali from neighboring countries.

Experts say it's impossible to know how many people are being killed and assaulted in Mali, especially in remote areas, while journalists and aid workers have limited access to the country.

"There is a lot of people raped, attacked, killed. Families are separated, there is no doubt about that," said Sukru Cansizoglu, the representative in Mauritania for the U.N. refugee agency. But "it is sometimes difficult to really pinpoint who are the perpetrators."

Civilians, under pressure from both the militants and the Africa Corps and Malian fighters, are "between a rock and a hard place," said Heni Nsaibia from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.

As one refugee put it: "If you don't tell the army you saw jihadists, the army will kill you. But if you tell them, the jihadists will find you and kill you."

Direct accountability of the Russian state

Legal experts said the shift from Wagner to Africa Corps makes the Russian government directly accountable for its military unit's actions.

"Despite the rebranding, there is striking continuity in personnel, commanders, tactics and even insignia between Wagner and Africa Corps," said Lindsay Freeman, senior director of international accountability at the UC Berkeley School of Law's Human Rights Center, which has monitored the conflict in Mali.

Because Africa Corps is embedded in Russia's Ministry of Defense, it can be treated as an organ of the Russian state under international law, Freeman said. "That means any war crimes committed by Africa Corps in Mali are, in principle, attributable to the Russian government under the rules on state responsibility."

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

December 06, 2025

Takeaways from AP's investigation into Russia's Africa Corps in Mali

DAKAR. Senegal (AP) — Dozens of people who have fled Mali tell The Associated Press that a new Russian military unit that...

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BYU wide receiver calls out CFP committee's bias to SEC, ESPN

BYU footballhad an automatic berth to theCollege Football Playoffsitting in front of itself when it arrived at AT&T Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 6 forthe Big 12 championship game.

However, the 11th-ranked Cougars were unable to grab that ticket, asthey lost 34-7 to No. 6 Texas Tech(No. 4 in CFP rankings) to drop to 11-2 on the season.

Following the loss,BYU wide receiver Parker Kingstonoffered an emphatic answer to the CFP selection committee on why the Cougars should still make the field at 11-2, which included a jab at the SEC and ESPN, which owns the broadcast rights to the CFP and theSEC.

"... What's the point of going to a Big 12 championship when it's going to hurt us (and) our College Football Playoff chances. I hope the committee realizes it. They are all biased towards ESPN and the SEC," Kingston told BYUtv Sports Nation following the Big 12 championship game. "It is what it is. If we don't get put in, we will be there next year."

CFP predictions:Live bracket projections for 12-team field

BYU's CFP pitch after Texas Tech loss:'Who's played the best team in the country twice? We have'

BYU Wide Receiver Parker Kingston shares his thoughts on the CFP situation 😤pic.twitter.com/zggtiGT8wF

— BYUtv Sports Nation (@BYUSportsNation)December 6, 2025

The Cougars were outplayed and outmatched by theRed Raidersfor the second time this season in Saturday's Big 12 title game. After driving down the field for a touchdown on its opening drive of the game, BYU was unable to score for the remainder of the game.

Texas Tech's defense came up with four takeaways and a turnover on downs in BYU's final seven drives of the second half. The Cougars finished with just 200 total yards of offense compared to the Red Raiders' 374 yards.

BYU entered Week 15 on the wrong side of the bubble as the 11th-ranked team in the penultimate CFP top 25 rankings: The No. 11 and 12 seeds will go to two of the five highest-ranked conference champions, meaning BYU's only way to the CFP entering the day was to become a conference champion.

As noted by Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark in a news conference before the game, no Power Four team with an 11-1 record had ever finished outside the top 10 in the CFP rankings entering championship week until the committee ranked BYU 11th in the penultimate rankings.

Using the penultimate CFP rankings, the SEC is projected to have five of the 12 spots in the CFP field, which is the most by any Power Four conference.

Kingston wasn't the only member of BYU's program to give a last-minute pitch to the committee, asBYU coach Kalani Sitake offered his two centsin his postgame news conference as well.

"If you look at what Texas Tech's done, they're the best team in the country for a reason," Sitake. "I'm not on the playoff committee, but I can tell you one thing: Who's played the best team in the country twice? We have."

When do new CFP rankings come out?

The Cougars will learn whether they made the 12-team field as an at-large or not at noon ET on Sunday, Dec. 7 when the official 12-team CFP bracket is released.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:BYU's Parker Kingston says CFP committee is 'biased' toward ESPN, SEC

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

December 06, 2025

BYU wide receiver calls out CFP committee's bias to SEC, ESPN

BYU footballhad an automatic berth to theCollege Football Playoffsitting in front of itself when it arrived at AT&T S...

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Browns reportedly keeping Deshaun Watson and his $80.7 million cap hit on roster for 2026

It's unclear if Deshaun Watson will see any game action this season afterbeing designated to return to practice this week, but we know where he'll be next season.

The Cleveland Browns are planning to keep the former Pro Bowl quarterback on their roster for next season according toESPNandNFL Network, confirminga report from cleveland.com on Tuesdaythat he'll be on the 2026 roster barring "something unforeseen."

Next season is the last one on Watson's fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract, or at least the final one in which he'll be obligated to play for the team. After that come the void years.

PerOverTheCap, Watson will carry an $80.7 million cap hit for 2026, the largest number in the history of the NFL. Still it's preferable to the $131.2 million in dead money they would incur by cutting him loose before June 1. If they cut him after June 1, they would still save zero money against the cap.

Watson hasn't played in a game since rupturing his Achilles tendon on Oct. 20, 2024. After undergoing surgery,he re-ruptured it in January, putting his 2025 season in jeopardy. He has now been designated to return after spending the season on the PUP list, which means he needs to be activated or placed on season-ending injured reserve over the next three weeks.

Per NFL Network, the plan with Watson returning to practice isn't so much activating him as it is getting him back into football shape ahead of the offseason. It's reportedly possible he could join the 53-man roster and serve as backup quarterback, but it's unlikely.

With Watson out, the Browns have started Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, and the result has been a 3-9 record with neither player posting great numbers. Sanders is slated to get his third start of the season Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

Watson figures to compete with the rookie duo next season, and it's possible Cleveland uses one of its two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft on a quarterback. Any productivity the franchise gets from Watson will be a pleasant surprise at this point, but it will definitely be dealing with the cost of the worst contract in NFL history for some time.

Deshaun Watson's contract is a deserved nightmare for the Browns

When the Browns traded for Watson and gave him the most guaranteed money in the history of the NFL, despite sexual misconduct accusations against him from more than 20 women, they figured they would at least be getting a star quarterback after decades of languishing at the position.

Instead, they received only further embarrassment, as Watson still has yet to play more than seven games in a season for them. He holds a 9-10 record since joining Cleveland, with numbers that have only gotten worse with age.

Rather than become contenders, the Browns haven't won a single playoff game since acquiring Watson. And here's the punchline: The worst parts of Watson's contract haven't even kicked in yet.

Via OverTheCap, Watson's salary cap numbers with the Browns have been $9.4 million in 2022, $19.1 million in 2023, $27.9 million in 2024 and $36 million this year. By the standards of an NFL starting quarterback, those are reasonable numbers.

Next year, it's that record $80.7 million, though cleveland.com reports his fourth contract restructure will push some of that money to 2030. For now,due to a contract restructure that spread out his dead money, he still has three void years with numbers of $27.1 million in 2027, $18.1 million in 2028 and $8 million in 2029.

Cleveland might have Watson on its roster for 2026, but it appears it will have him on its cap sheet through 2031. Disaster doesn't even begin to describe it.

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

December 06, 2025

Browns reportedly keeping Deshaun Watson and his $80.7 million cap hit on roster for 2026

It's unclear if Deshaun Watson will see any game action this season afterbeing designated to return to practice th...

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Duke takes down No. 17 Virginia in OT to put ACC on brink of missing out on College Football Playoff

The ACC's nightmare is nearing reality. The conference could completely miss out on theCollege Football Playoff.

Duke beat No. 17 Virginia 27-20 in overtimeon Saturday night in the ACC championship game for the Blue Devils' first conference title since 1962. But with Duke at 8-5 and highly unlikely to be ranked in Sunday's College Football Playoff rankings, there's a realistic scenario that no ACC team will make the 12-team field.

The playoff is made up of the five highest-ranked conference champions and seven at-large teams. Duke was unranked in Tuesday's rankings and behind the highest-ranked teams in the Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC. Additionally, American Conference winner Tulane and Sun Belt winner James Madison were ranked. They're going to stay ranked too.

With those five conferences set to take the automatic berths, the ACC's lone hope hinges on the grace of the committee.No. 9 Alabama lost to No. 3 Georgia in the SEC title gameandNo. 11 BYU lost to No. 4 Texas Tech in the Big 12 title game. Will that be enough for No. 12 Miami to move into the top 10 in the rankings to secure an at-large berth for the ACC? Or will Miami — which beat Notre Dame in Week 2 — jump ahead of the No. 10 Fighting Irish for that last at-large spot even though neither team played on Saturday?

When the 12-team playoff was created, it was hard to envision one of the four power conferences missing out on the playoff entirely. The only plausible scenario was basically what has played out in the ACC so far this season. The conference may not have a team good enough to make it as an at-large and the conference champion was an unlikely team who had a brutal time outside of ACC play.

Duke went 6-2 in the ACC but 1-3 outside the conference. The Blue Devils lost to Illinois, Tulane and UConn in non-conference play but won a five-way tie for second behind Virginia thanks to the winning percentage of the team's opponents. Duke's opponents had a better conference record than the teams that SMU, Miami, Pitt and Georgia Tech all played. Those four teams were all tied with Duke for second.

Miami lost to Louisville and SMU in conference play. Georgia Tech lost to NC State and Pitt in the final month of the season. A win in any of those four games by the Hurricanes or Yellow Jackets would have saved the ACC from this potential scenario.

Duke coach Manny Diaz said after the game that his team was a playoff-caliber team. But it's hard to envision the committee thinking the same thing.

"They don't have wins like this. They don't have a win against a team like that...@DukeFOOTBALLis a playoff team." 🏆@Coach_MannyDiaz's final message to the@CFBPlayoffCommittee.pic.twitter.com/s3Av1y1r1P

— ACC Football (@ACCFootball)December 7, 2025

How Duke won

Virginia (10-3) tied the game with 22 seconds left in the fourth quarter on a great catch by Eli Wood after he was pushed out of bounds.

But Duke opened overtime with a fourth-down touchdown of its own on a pass from Darian Mensah to Jeremiah Hasley, and a roughing-the-passer penalty on the play put the Cavaliers on their own 40-yard line to start the drive instead of at the 25.

Did that field position play into Virginia's thought process? The Cavaliers went with a trick play to start its drive and QB Chandler Morris was intercepted by Duke's Luke Mergott to end the game.

Mensah finished the game 19-of-25 passing for 196 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. He came to Duke from Tulane — a team that's in the College Football Playoff after winning the American Conference — and threw 30 touchdowns over the 2025 season.

Morris was 21-of-40 passing for 216 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Virginia outgained the Blue Devils on Saturday night but they couldn't capture their overtime magic for a fourth time in 2025. Virginia entered the ACC title game 3-0 in overtime games with wins over Florida State, Louisville and North Carolina.

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

December 06, 2025

Duke takes down No. 17 Virginia in OT to put ACC on brink of missing out on College Football Playoff

The ACC's nightmare is nearing reality. The conference could completely miss out on theCollege Football Playoff. Duke beat No. 17 Virg...

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'SNL' mocks Hegseth, Trump over Venezuelan boat strikes in cold open

"Saturday Night Live" is back to take onthe Trump administration's Venezuelan boat strikes.

The sketch show's latest cold open on Dec. 6 starredColin JostasDefense Secretary Pete Hegsethdelivering a combative press conference about the United States'recent assault on alleged drug boats.

In the skech, Jost's Hegseth, after chugging an energy drink, angrily declared "we're now at war with Venezuela," and before taking questions, he told reporters to "pretend I'm a random fishing boat and fire away."

Jost as Hegseth then defended what he dubbed "operation kill everybody," and when asked for an official death toll from the strikes, he said, "Let's just say if I had a drink for every Venezuelan we've killed, I'd really like that number of drinks." After one reporter in the sketch suggested the administration's "so-called war on smugglers is a smokescreen for regime change," Jost's Hegseth admitted, "Of course that's what we're doing!"

Jost's Hegseth went on to insist thatPresident Donald Trumphas his back and is a "high-energy alpha," only for the sketch to cut toJames Austin Johnsonas Trump sleeping through the press conference.

"I wasn't sleeping," Johnson's Trump said after waking up. "I'm very much awake. Now, someone quickly tell me: Where am I, who am I, and what year might it be?"

He added, "I stand by Pete, and nothing can change my mind. Unless, of course, it could hurt me in any way, in which case I'll throw him under one of Mamdani's free busses."

The sketch ended with Trump once again falling asleep, this time while standing up, leading Hegseth to say, "We've got to get him toanother MRIbefore he wakes up."

'SNL' skewers Trumpover Jeffrey Epstein emails in cold open

The cold open also featuredSarah Shermanreviving her impersonation ofMatt Gaetz, now as a reporter, and included a nod toNetflix's proposed purchase of Warner Bros. A faux opening bumper for C-SPAN featured a message from the network: "Hey, Netflix: We're for sale, too."

Melissa McCarthyhosted the first episode of "SNL" since mid-November after the show took a three-week break around the Thanksgiving holiday. This marked McCarthy's sixth time serving as host on "SNL," but first time doing so since 2017. She previously won an Emmy for her work on the show.

The previous episode of "SNL" in Novemberopened with a sketch spoofingTrump's reaction to the release of emails written byconvicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In the sketch,Ashley PadillaplayedWhite House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, insisting in a briefing that "if anything, [Trump's] crime was loving too much, and possibly too young."

Johnson as Trump then took the podium to declare that he "barely knew" Epstein, "as evidenced by the thousands of pictures of us together, dancing and grinding our teeth at various parties, always leering and pointing at something just off camera − probably a book we're excited to read."

"SNL" is seven episodes into its 51st season, which kicked off in early October after acast exodus over the summer hiatus. Prior to McCarthy, Bad Bunny, Amy Poehler, Sabrina Carpenter, Miles Teller and Nikki Glaser have served as hosts this season.

In 'SNL' sketch,Trump ignores travel chaos, 'the planes are gone'

Who's hosting 'SNL' next week?

"SNL" will be back for two consecutive weeks of episodes before the end of 2025.

On Dec. 13,Josh O'Connor, star of the third"Knives Out" mystery "Wake Up Dead Man,"will take the stage and host with musical guestLily Allen.

O'Connor's episode will be followed a week later by "Wicked: For Good" starAriana Grandereturning as host accompanied byCher, who is serving as the "SNL" musical guest for the first time since 1987.

Contributing: Thao Nguyenand Zac Anderson

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:'SNL' cold open takes on Pete Hegseth over Venezuelan boat strikes

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

December 06, 2025

'SNL' mocks Hegseth, Trump over Venezuelan boat strikes in cold open

"Saturday Night Live" is back to take onthe Trump administration's Venezuelan boat strikes. The sk...

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Miley Cyrus Shares Update on Godmother Dolly Parton After the Country Singer's Health Challenges

Katherine Bomboy/NBC via Getty

NEED TO KNOW

• Miley Cyrus shared an update on Dolly Parton after the country legend dealt with "health challenges" earlier this year

• "She's always gonna keep the show going," Cyrus said of her godmother

• A source close to Parton previously told PEOPLE, "Dolly is getting better every day"

Miley Cyrusis sharing an update on her godmotherDolly Parton's health.

While attending theAvatar: Fire and Ashpremiere in Los Angeles, the singer, 33, spoke about Parton, 79, and how she has been doing after the country singer said she faced some "health challenges" earlier this year.

"She's always gonna keep the show going," Cyrus toldEntertainment Tonighton Dec. 1.

"The show must go on. She's just excited to get back to work," continued theSomething Beautifulmusician.

Rodin Eckenroth/Getty

In September, Partonmissedan event announcingDollywood's new Night Flight Expedition ride.

Instead, she explained her absence in a video shown, stating, "Hello Dollywood! It's me. I know — and I'm here, and you're there. And you're wondering why that is? Well, I had a little problem."

"I had a kidney stone that was causing me a lot of problems, turned out it'd given me an infection, and the doctor said, 'You don't need to be traveling right this minute, so you need a few days to get better, ' " continued the "Jolene" singer.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Just over a week later, the country legend alsopostponed a number of her Las Vegas showsdue to what she described as "health challenges."

"As many of you know, I've been dealing with some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have a few procedures," Parton wrote onInstagramat the time. "As I joked with them, it must be time for my 100,000 check-up, although it's not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon!"

Going on to emphasize that she would not be able to "rehearse and put together a show that I want you to see," Parton shared a new list of tour dates for 2026.

"Don't worry about me quittin' the business because God hasn't said anything about stopping yet," she then wrote. "But, I believe He is telling me to slow down right now so I can be ready for more big adventures with all of you. I love you and thank you for understanding."

Vijat Mohindra/NBC via Getty

Fans grew increasingly more concerned when the Grammy winner's sister,Freida Parton, shared on Facebook that she was "up all night praying" for the "9 to 5" singer.

However, she clarified in another Facebook post later that day that she "didn't mean to scare anyone" and that her sister was just "a little under the weather."

In November, a source close to Parton told PEOPLE, "Dolly is getting better every day."

"She is at home taking care of herself while many friends and family visit her," the insider continued. "In true Dolly spirit, she has already started decorating for the holidays — her favorite time of year."

Read the original article onPeople

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

December 06, 2025

Miley Cyrus Shares Update on Godmother Dolly Parton After the Country Singer's Health Challenges

Katherine Bomboy/NBC via Getty NEED TO KNOW Miley Cyrus shared an update on Dolly Parton after the country legend dealt with "health...

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Elizabeth Olsen Calls Husband Robbie Arnett the 'Greatest Support' in Rare Comment

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."

Back in 2021, Elizabeth Olsen dropped some key information about her personal life while being interviewed by Kaley Cuoco forVariety'sActors on Actorsseries. Olsen has been with her longtime partner, Robbie Arnett, since 2017, but she suddenly referred to him as her husband. The interview was aboutDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of MadnessandWandaVision,which stars Olsen as the Scarlet Witch. The mention of magic reminded Olsen that Arnett decorated the background of her interview in her honor.

"I also just noticed that my husband putLittle Miss Magic—you know, theLittle Missbooks? They're these classic books, but 'magic' because ofWandaVisionbecause he's such a f*cking cutie!" Olsen exclaimed.

Elizabeth Olsen's husband (who she's married to, by the way) decorated her video chat background for her#ActorsOnActorsinterview with Kaley Cuoco!https://t.co/Lo40kuI09npic.twitter.com/rOb7Uqxf68

— Variety (@Variety)June 8, 2021

So here's what we know about Robbie Arnett, Elizabeth Olsen'shusband.

Who is Robbie Arnett?

Arnett, 31, is a musician from Los Angeles, who is part of the band Milo Greene. The trio released their self-titled debut album in 2012. They have since releasedControlin 2015 and a third album,Adult Contemporary,in 2018. Olsen clearly loves that her boyfriend is a musician, saying during an interview onSway in the Morningin 2017, and that her "boyfriend's in a cool band."

Arnett is also an author, co-writing a book for kids with Olsen titledHattie Harmony: Worry Detective, published in June 2022. Olsen toldPeople, "Robbie and I couldn't be more thrilled to introduce the world to Hattie Harmony. Inspired by the picture books we adored as kids, we hope that Hattie will become a friend and a welcomed reminder to be kind to yourself and to each other."

She later told Jimmy Fallon onThe Tonight Showthat Arnett came up with the title, gushing, "That's my husband. He's very clever."

The book is now getting a sequel.

How did Olsen and Arnett meet?

The pair met through a mutual friend while vacationing in Mexico, and started dating in February of 2017. A source toldE! Newsat the time that they were in an "exclusive relationship" and that the actress was very "excited" about her new man.

"She deserves it," they added. "It's very new though, but they seem to like each other a lot already."

They were first photographed at a public event in July that year, attending the Christian Dior show during Paris Fashion Week.

In September of that same year, they attended a pre-Emmy party in Los Angeles together, which was a slightly more formal relationship launch.

Arnett has joined Olsen as she's moved around for her intense Marvel shooting schedule, accompanying her to London as she worked onDoctor Strange,according toVariety.

During an interview on the podcastTable Manners with Jessie W, Olsen discussed their time in the UK together, saying, "I'm having the greatest time. I'm with my man partner and we're in Richmond...We're living this British dream, in this house, in Richmond right by the water. We want to figure out how to stay here so now we want to write a rom-com…because we don't wanna leave...I have such an affinity for England already that last year we were looking into how we could legally live here."

The couple has worked together also, pairing up in 2018 with nonprofit organizationThe Latitude Projectby hosting a trip to Nicaragua to help repair access to fresh water after Hurricane Nate.

When did Olsen and Arnett get married?

There doesn't seem to be a widely known specific date, but in an interview withSiriusXM'sThe Jess Cagle Showshe suggested it happened before 2020.

"We eloped and then we had a wedding at another time and it was before COVID," she said. Truly, a blessed union!

In an interview with theGuardianin 2024, Olsen said they planned the paperwork first so they could have a big party later.

She explained, "I thought, let's just sign these papers, let's not have too much attachment."

Where have they been seen recently?

The couple tends to keep a pretty low profile. But on Thursday, October 19, they were photographed taking a casual stroll through New York City and then again the next day while out shopping in lower Manhattan.

On both days, the couple wore baseball caps and layered fall looks in warm tones. On Thursday, Olsenworea long black trench to match her hat, while Arnett sported a vivid orange cropped jacket to match his.

On Dec. 29, 2024, they wereseenon a grocery run in Los Angeles at the local Hollywood Trader Joe's. Olsen was all in black with a baseball cap and sunglasses, carrying a reusable coffee cup. Arnett wore a tan cap, sunglasses, a red T-shirt, and a checkered jacket.

The pair enjoyed an afternoon date to a Studio City bookstore on Apr. 4, 2025. In photos shared byJust Jared, Olsen wore a gray turtleneck sweater loose pants, while Arnett wore a blue T-shirt under a jacket with denim jeans and a baseball hat.

Has Arnett attended any 2024 awards shows with Olsen?

Yes. The couple posed together at the 2024 Golden Globes in January, where Olsen wore a very bridal white lace dress.

Has Olsen spoken about their wedding at all?

In an October 2025InStyleinterview, the actress responded to reports of her and Arnett "secretly" tying the knot. She said, "Why is it a 'secret?' I eloped.Youjust didn't know about it."

She added that she doesn't consider herself mysterious: "I think I'm private in certain aspects, but I say too much. I'm long-winded. And circuitous."

What else has she said about her husband?

On the Dec. 4, 2025, episode of theDear ChelseapodcastOlsen made a rae comment about her relationship with Arnett and how she knew he was the one early on.

"I didn't know I'd even want to get married or have kids [before I met him]," Olsen said. "I was actually renovating a house when we first started dating. I realized six months in that we'll probably move into this house together and wanted him to be a part of making choices, so it didn't feel like my space [but rather] our space."

She continued, "After living with each other for a very short period of time, [I realized] he's truly the most comfortable person to be around and the greatest support in my life."

She also gushed about how Arnett is in general, saying he is "so sweet and funny and clever and smart."

"His goal every day is to make me laugh, which is also annoying when I'm mad at him," she added. "He does it very quickly and early in the morning. He's great. He's a sensitive, kind, very good at communication [type of man]."

Olsen was promoting her filmEternity, in which she stars across from Miles Teller and Callum Turner.

"One of the reasons I lovedEternity[from] reading that script is because I really think of my husband as a Larry," Olsen said. "My husband is incredibly neurotic, very uncomfortable all the time, always has something wrong with his anything, like his coccyx, his pinky... They're always this 1 percent odd thing, and they have real diagnoses, but he then tells himself all the stories."

She recounted the proposal Arnett planned, which apparently didn't go exactly how he wanted.

"When we got engaged, we went to this place in Northern California and he was acting so annoyed there wasn't a cheeseboard," she shared. "He asked for a cheeseboard, and we got there and I was like, 'You've never cared this much about a cheeseboard,' and he was freaking out."

She went on, "He was, like, 'What kind of man doesn't know how to start a fire?' He was just so mean to himself. He was like, 'It's embarrassing if I had to ask someone to get a fire.' Then, it was 30 minutes later [that] he proposed when we were outside, but he needed there to be a cheeseboard [and a] fire in order for it to feel romantic or something."

But Olsen remembers the moment fondly anyway.

"He tried to go down on one knee … but we were on this wood dock," she shared. "He goes down on his knee and he's, like, 'Ow, this really hurts' and gets back up. It was just the two of us, [and] there's not a single photo. It was just so lovely. I loved it so much just because it was him."

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See photos of the Pearl Harbor attack on its 84th anniversary

The United States will mark the 84th anniversary of the Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Sunday, Dec. 7, as the number of Americans belonging to "the Greatest Generation" who lived through World War II diminishes.

The attack on Dec. 7, 1941, killed 2,403 service members, and civilians were killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor, according to the National Park Service. Five of the eight battleships, three destroyers, and seven other ships stationed at the base were sunk or severely damaged. More than 200 aircraft were destroyed –according to History.com.

The bombing led the U.S. to declare war on Japan the next day, when then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared that Dec. 7, 1941, would be "a date which will live in infamy."

The U.S. defeated Japan in August 1945, days after launching atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing hundreds of thousands of civilians.

Here is a look at some of the photos from that fateful Sunday morning.

Dec. 7, 1941: Pearl Harbor attack in photos

From the network:Eyewitness account of Pearl Harbor attack as 84th anniversary approaches

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Pearl Harbor attack in photos. The day that lives in 'infamy'

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See photos of the Pearl Harbor attack on its 84th anniversary

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Video shows masked Border Patrol agent chasing woman back to her Louisiana home

Masked immigration authorities were recorded on video this week following a woman back to her Louisiana home during what the Department of Homeland Security is calling a "targeted immigration enforcement operation."

Jacelynn Guzman, 23, was walking home Thursday from a corner store in Marrero, a New Orleans suburb, when a silver, unmarked SUV pulled up next to her and two masked agents exited, she said.

"I was walking and the first car pulled up on the side of me and I thought it was an Uber," she said. "They said, 'Wait don't run, Ma'am.' That's all I heard before I blasted off," Guzman told NBC News on Saturday.

Guzman said she repeatedly told the agents she's a U.S. citizen.

"I just kept repeating it — I'm a U.S.-born citizen. I was born and raised here. This is my home. My baby's waiting for me," she recalled.

She said an agent responded by saying, "OK, that's fine, come here," but she kept running. She said a second SUV pulled up shortly after.

"As soon as I started running, one of the cars started speeding up with me, but then he went ahead of me and I felt like he thought maybe I was going to keep running," Guzman said.

Security footage shared with NBC News by Guzman's mother, Ramona Anglin, showed an SUV pulling up next to Guzman before two masked agents appeared on foot tailing behind Guzman as she ran to her property.

She screamed "Leave me alone" and then disappeared out of view, apparently into the home. The two masked men chased after her but stopped running at the property line, the video shows.

A second video Anglin shared with NBC News showed Guzman's stepfather shouting at five agents from inside the property line.

"Get the f--- out of here," he shouted.

The agents left in two SUVs shortly afterward, the video shows.

On Friday, the Department of Homeland Security reposted the security footage published by a local news outlet and offered an explanation of the events.

"U.S. Border Patrol was conducting a targeted immigration enforcement operation against a criminal illegal alien previously charged with felony theft and convicted of illegal possession of stolen property," the agency said.

"As the agents exited their vehicle, they encountered a female matching the description of the target. Agents identified themselves and the individual ran toward her residence," the department wrote. "Agents immediately stopped upon reaching the property, determined the individual in question was not the target, and all agents departed the area."

No arrests were made, DHS added.

A spokesperson for DHS did not immediately return a request for further comment.

Guzman said she's doing "OK" since the ordeal.

"I keep playing over different things I could have done. But I think in that moment it was just panic and my first thought was I have to get home to my baby," she said.

She said she was aware of federal immigration operations detaining people, adding, "I kind of was always watching my back, but not as much I guess."

She urged people to "be strong" amid the immigration crackdown.

"I know it's hard to be strong in such difficult times, but just be safe, watch over your family," she said.

The video from Marrero comes days after the Trump administrationlaunched immigration enforcement operationsin New Orleans and Minneapolis. Trump alsosaid on Tuesdaythat he would be sending National Guard troops to Louisiana.

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in

December 06, 2025

Video shows masked Border Patrol agent chasing woman back to her Louisiana home

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Magnitude 7 earthquake rocks Alaska, more than 20 aftershocks felt

A7.0 magnitude earthquakehas rocked Alaska on Saturday, Dec. 6, according to theUnited States Geological Survey(USGS).

The earthquake occurred at 11:41 a.m. local time in northeast of Yakutat, Alaska, the USGS said.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Yakutat had a total population of about 657 in 2020 and 332 housing units in 2023. Yakutat is over 300 miles from Anchorage, where the earthquake was also felt, the USGS's interactive map shows.

NASA's Earth Observatory said on average, there are 18 major earthquakes measuring between 7.0 and 7.9. And one great earthquake that's 8.0 or larger every year.

8.8 Russia earthquake one of the biggest ever recorded. See the full list of megaquakes

Over 20 aftershocks felt after 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Alaska

Austin Holland, director of operations at the Alaska Earthquake Center, told USA TODAY that they have not received reports of injuries or damage, but he acknowledged that the tremor was "strongly felt" in nearby areas of Alaska and Canada. He added that the earthquake originated in a "fairly remote area."

According to Holland, it isn't "unexpected" for earthquakes to occur where the 7.0 magnitude did because it happened in an area with large faults.

Following the 7.0 magnitude temblor, more than 20 aftershocks, including some above 5.0, occurred, theAlaska Earthquake Center said on Facebook.

"Here we are 40 minutes after the earthquake, it appears to be generating a pretty vigorous aftershock sequence," Michael West, the state seismologist with the Alaska Earthquake Center, toldKTUU-TV.

"Magnitude 7 is certainly enough to cause ground failures," West told the TV station. "So, though I have no observations yet, I wouldn't be surprised if we heard about roadways or something that were impacted or landslides in the area or anything like that. But, again, we do not know that at this time, but magnitude 7 is the kind of earthquake where we would begin to expect those kinds of impacts."

Holland said he expects the aftershocks to "remain quite numerous" in the area in the coming days and weeks. He added that there is a "very small chance" that there could be a "larger earthquake" within the ongoing sequence.

No tsunami warnings or watches have been issued, according to theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA), sharing messages from National Weather Service offices in the region.The National Tsunami Centersaid on X that a "Tsunami NOT expected."

What does magnitude mean in an earthquake?

Magnitude is a measurement of the strength of an earthquake. Officially, it's called themoment magnitude scale. It's alogarithmic scale, meaning each number is 10 times as strong as the one before it. So a 5.0 earthquake is 10 times stronger than a 4.0.

The magnitude and effect of an earthquake, according toMichigan Technological University:

• Below 2.5: Generally not felt

• 2.5 to 5.4: Minor or no damage

• 5.5 to 6.0: Slight damage to buildings

• 6.1 to 6.9: Serious damage

• 7.0 to 7.9: Major earthquake. Serious damage.

• 8.0 or greater: Massive damage, can destroy communities

Contributing: Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Magnitude 7 earthquake rocks Alaska

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

December 06, 2025

Magnitude 7 earthquake rocks Alaska, more than 20 aftershocks felt

A7.0 magnitude earthquakehas rocked Alaska on Saturday, Dec. 6, according to theUnited States Geological Survey(USGS). ...

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No. 14 Illinois beats No. 13 Tennessee 75-62 in Music City Madness

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tomislav Ivisic and Keaton Wagler each scored 16 points and No. 14 Illinois beat No. 13 Tennessee 75-62 Saturday night in the second part of the Music City Madness.

The Fighting Illini(7-2) came in rested after an eight-day break with this their last of four Top 15 opponents over a seven-game stretch. Illinois snapped a five-game skid on neutral courts againstrankedopponents and also gave coach Brad Underwood his first win in three tries against Tennessee.

Illinois is averaging 90.4 points a game this season after leading the Big Ten in scoring last season. Leading scorer Kylan Boswell went to the bench in the opening minutes grabbing at his left shoulder. He returned and finished with 15 points.

David Mirkovic added 10 for the Fighting Illini.

Tennessee(7-3) has lost three straight after going 30-8 last season and reaching the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament.

Ja'Kobi Gillespie led Tennessee with 15 points. Freshman Nate Ament, who has been averaging 17.1 points a game, finished with nine.

The Vols never led by more than two and had their last lead at 49-48 on a dunk by J.P. Estrella when Illinois went on a 15-3 spurt started by Andrej Stojakovic's layup taking the lead back for good, and Boswell's layup with 6:55 to go put the Fighting Illini up 63-52. Illinois pushed that to as much as 14 in the final minutes.

Illinois controlled much of the first half. Ivisic scored the last 10 of the half for the Fighting Illini, but the Vols finished the half on an 11-4 run with Cade Phillips' layup with 51 seconds left putting Tennessee up 34-32 at halftime.

Illinois: At Ohio State on Tuesday night.

Tennessee: Hosts No. 6 Louisville on Dec. 16.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign uphereandhere(AP mobile app). AP college basketball:https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-pollandhttps://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

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No. 14 Illinois beats No. 13 Tennessee 75-62 in Music City Madness

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Alabama fails CFP bracket test, puts pressure on committee after blowout loss

ATLANTA – Now, the elephant sweats.

With a chance to remove all doubt that it's aCollege Football Playoffteam,Alabamalet doubt multiply like weeds after a thunderstorm.

Alabamacould have played its way into the bracket. Now, it's left to try to talk its way in, after trying its darnedest to play its way out in apitiful 28-7 loss to Georgiain the SEC Championship game.

One of these teams looked like a playoff team.

CFP rankings predictions:Live bracket projections for 12-team field

The other team looked like a worthy opponent for Michigan in the Citrus Bowl. Alabama hasn't played like a playoff team since descending from its mid-October peak.

Alabama's one-dimensional offense downgraded to zero-dimensional on this day.Georgiastomped a hole in its chest.

When Ty Simpson's fourth-down pass deep inside Alabama territory sailed incomplete to suffocate Alabama's faint hope, Kalen DeBoer threw his hands onto his head.

Sorry, coach,the Penn State job is fillednow.

CFP rejecting Alabama would spur debate on playoff size, format

We can have a spirited debate about the optics or ethics ofNotre Dame and Miamibenefiting from sitting at home while Alabama strapped it up against one of the nation's best teams, but this is college football, so what are ethics?

I'm unaware of any playoff rule that says the committee must select a three-loss team that got whipped twice.

There's two spots for three teams. The committee must decide whether to bounce Alabama, Notre Dame or Miami.Brigham Young, Texas and Vanderbilt would like a word, too, but their words will fall on deaf ears.

Two spots. Three teams.

The committee must play the hand its dealt. It's not the committee's fault thatit must select a Tulane, which lost to Mississippi by 35 points, or that five-loss Duke retained a shot at an automatic bid, hours before selection day.

If Alabama had just been competitive in this game, that would have buttoned up the Tide's spot. They weren't competitive. They were steamrolled.

The "It Just Means More" brigade will howl that there's no way the SEC's runner-up should be left out of a 12-team bracket. That would hold merit if we knew Alabama is the conference's second-best team.

Truth be told, there's no evidence Alabama is superior to Mississippi or Texas A&M. When it played Oklahoma, it lost at home. Nobody forced the SEC to expand to 16 teams, and Alabama played only half the conference to earn its spot here. The Tide reached this game thanks in part to league tiebreaker rules. Those tiebreakers don't apply to the CFP.

If the SEC's runner-up gets rejected from the bracket, that probably assures change is coming to the playoff's size and format. Change is likely coming, anyway. If this is to be the accelerant, so be it.

While the muckety mucks do their playoff rethinking, spare some brainpower for what should be done with the first weekend in December.

Conference championships were a wonderful data point when the playoff consisted of four teams. At 12 teams, we'd be better served if conference title games were dumped in favor of a 13th game for everyone on the first weekend in December.

I don't savor the idea of rewarding Notre Dame and Miami for putting their feet up. Dumping conference championship games for a 13th game would remedy that situation.

SEC boss Greg Sankey will holler that a loss to his conference's champ shouldn't eliminate Alabama, and he'd be right. A single loss to Georgia shouldn't eliminate Alabama. But, how about a loss to a bad ACC team? Should that eliminate Alabama, just as Texas' loss to Florida sinks the Longhorns?

Heavy is the anchor of Alabama's Week 1 flop to Florida State.

Alabama's best case vs. Notre Dame, Miami: Strength of schedule

Consider this microcosm of the SEC Championship: Alabama's first three possessions of the third quarter totaled 7 yards and no first downs. And Alabama's rushing attack? It produced negative yardage. Lord, have mercy. Georgia showed none.

A shutout would've been rocket fuel for the Notre Dame and Miami propaganda campaigns, but Alabama mustered one fourth-quarter score to save a little face.

Since Alabama comfortably beat Tennessee on the Third Saturday in October, the Tide have produced white-knuckle victories against South Carolina and Auburn, two of the SEC's worst teams. They got a mucky win against LSU. They had a turnover meltdown in a loss to Oklahoma. Now, this.

None of that means Alabama doesn't have a playoff case. It does. Even after this debacle, I'd think long and hard before booting the Tide, but not because it reached Atlanta. Remember, tiebreakers influenced this spot. I'm unmoved by tiebreakers. The committee shouldn't be either.

What remains persuasive, though, is that Alabama won as many games as Notre Dame and Miami against a tougher schedule than either of those teams endured.

It's hard to believe now, but Alabama beat Georgia on the road in September. That trumps Miami's win against Notre Dame. It's a much better win than anything on the Irish's resume, even if the Tide's FSU loss is more unsightly than anything Alabama's challengers sustained.

The Tide have a case — but a shaky one, and it's much more wobbly after Georgia smashed it in the mouth for four quarters, while Notre Dame and Miami polished their talking points.

Blake Toppmeyeris the USA TODAY Network's senior national college football columnist. Email him atBToppmeyer@gannett.comand follow him on X@btoppmeyer.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Alabama CFP bracket odds take hit as Georgia cruises in SEC Championship

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December 06, 2025

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James Harden passes Carmelo Anthony to move into 10th place on the NBA's career scoring list

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — James Harden moved into 10th place on the NBA's career scoring list Saturday, passing Carmelo Anthony during the Los Angeles Clippers' game against Minnesota.

Harden was 20 points behind Anthony's 28,289 career points entering the game. Harden hit a pair of free throws in the third quarter to move ahead of the Hall of Famer.

The 17-year veteran is averaging 26.5 points this season, his highest average since he led the league with 34.3 per game for the Houston Rockets in the 2019-20 season.

Next on the list ahead of Harden is Shaquille O'Neal, who scored 28,596 points during his Hall of Fame career.

AP NBA:https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

December 06, 2025

James Harden passes Carmelo Anthony to move into 10th place on the NBA's career scoring list

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — James Harden moved into 10th place on the NBA's career scoring list Saturday, passing Carmelo Anth...

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James Harden passes Carmelo Anthony to move into 10th place on the NBA's career scoring list

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — James Harden moved into 10th place on the NBA's career scoring list Saturday, passing Carmelo Anthony during the Los Angeles Clippers' game against Minnesota.

Harden was 20 points behind Anthony's 28,289 career points entering the game. Harden hit a pair of free throws in the third quarter to move ahead of the Hall of Famer.

The 17-year veteran is averaging 26.5 points this season, his highest average since he led the league with 34.3 per game for the Houston Rockets in the 2019-20 season.

Next on the list ahead of Harden is Shaquille O'Neal, who scored 28,596 points during his Hall of Fame career.

AP NBA:https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

December 06, 2025

James Harden passes Carmelo Anthony to move into 10th place on the NBA's career scoring list

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — James Harden moved into 10th place on the NBA's career scoring list Saturday, passing Carmelo Anth...

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Lacey Chabert Is Going to Disney World for Her Next Hallmark Christmas Movie! Get All the Joy-Filled Details

Lacey Chabert revealed her 2026 Hallmark Christmas movie on Saturday, Dec. 6, following the premiere of her 2025 movie, She's Making a List

NEED TO KNOW

• The new movie, Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True, will film on location at Walt Disney World Resort

• The movie will also star Travis Van Winkle, Richard Kind and Christy Carlson Romano

The happiest place on Earth is joining forces with the most festive network on TV.

During Hallmark Channel's live special,The Hallmark Christmas Experience: A Hometown Holiday Christmas Special, on Saturday, Dec. 6,Lacey Chaberthelped to announce that she will be starring inHoliday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True, which is filming on location at Disney World and will air as part of the 2026 Countdown to Christmas.

The news comes just minutes after the credits rolled on Chabert's 43rd Hallmark movie,She's Making a List.

"Hello, everyone! I am Lacey Chabert and I'm so excited to be celebrating with you all," Chabert, 43, began in a pre-recorded clip. "I am here with some special friends, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, and I have got some big news that I cannot wait to share from the most magical place on earth."

"Well, I bet you can guess where I am, and for the first time ever, we are announcing a brand new, 2026 Countdown to Christmas movie a whole year ahead of schedule," she continues. "I am incredibly excited and so honored to share that I will be starring in the all new 2026 Hallmark Christmas movieHoliday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True, filming right here on location at Walt Disney World Resort."

Chabert, who shares a 9-year-old daughter Julia with her husband, David Nehdar, also notes, "I love visiting here with my family, and I always thought it would make the absolute perfect setting for a Hallmark Christmas movie."

Chabert will be paired withFUBARactor Travis Van Winkle, who also has a few Hallmark holiday movies under his belt.

They'll be joined by Richard Kind, Christy Carlson Romano, Bryce Durfee, Taegen Burns and Asher Alexander. The Sandlot's Patrick Renna will appear in a cameo role.

Roy Rochlin/Getty;Kevin Winter/Getty

The movie's official synopsis reads: "Lindsey (Chabert) and her extended family head to Walt Disney World to spend a magical Christmas together, but the dream of a jolly holiday gets quickly dashed when Lindsey discovers her room is next door to Philip (Van Winkle), a disastrous first date she recently had, who's also there on a family trip. As Lindsey and Philip's paths cross throughout their stay, the frost starts to thaw as they learn they're not so different from each other after all. Thanks to some Walt Disney World magic, the holiday wish Lindsey made in Cinderella Fountain just might turn their rivalry into romance."

The film is written and directed by Ryan Landels, who also worked on 2024'sSanta Tell MeandBeauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebrationin 2022.

"The history between Hallmark and Disney dates back decades, when a shared Kansas City connection and friendship between Hallmark's founder, J.C. Hall, and Walt Disney himself led to our first-ever licensed products, including the very first greeting card featuring Mickey Mouse," Darren Abbott, chief brand officer at Hallmark, says in a statement. "We're thrilled to expand our partnership beyond the products we create together and onto the screen with this heartwarming and joyful Christmas movie that embodies the very best of both brands."

Sally Conner, VP of global content, adds: "Storytelling is at the heart of both Disney and Hallmark, and that magic shines even brighter during the holidays. We're thrilled that Walt Disney World will serve as the immersive setting for a Hallmark holiday movie highlighting the cheerful festivities of the season. Across our theme parks, resorts, and beyond, countless unique stories unfold and new memories are made every day with our guests. This film is a wonderful way to share that joy and pixie dust with fans everywhere."

Allister Foster/ Hallmark Media

Not surprisingly, the partnership doesn't stop at bringing Chabert and Van Winkle's characters together in time for Christmas.

An exclusive Hallmark and Disney collection of goodies inspired by the movie will be available, featuring greeting cards, ornaments, gifts, gift wrap and other unique products.

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Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come Truewill premiere on Hallmark Channel in 2026. In the meantime, Chabert's latest,She's Making a List, will arrive on Hallmark+ on Sunday, Dec. 7.

Read the original article onPeople

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

December 06, 2025

Lacey Chabert Is Going to Disney World for Her Next Hallmark Christmas Movie! Get All the Joy-Filled Details

Lacey Chabert revealed her 2026 Hallmark Christmas movie on Saturday, Dec. 6, following the premiere of her 2025 movie, S...

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Jane Fonda Calls Netflix-Warner Bros. Acquisition a ‘Catastrophic Business Deal’ That ‘Threatens the Entire Entertainment Industry’

Jane Fonda is speaking out against Netflix's earthshaking move to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, calling the$82.7 billion deala "catastrophic" development that threatens to "destroy our creative industry."

Fonda released her statement against the acquisition onInstagramthrough her Committee for the 1st Amendment organization. She wrote on Friday, "Today's News that Warner Bros. Discovery has accepted a purchase bid is an alarming escalation of the consolidation that threatens the entire entertainment industry, the democratic public it serves and the First Amendment."

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She continued, "Make no mistake, this is not just a catastrophic business deal that could destroy our creative industry. It is a constitutional crisis exacerbated by the administration's demonstrated disregard for the law."

View this post on Instagram

Directing her message to the powers that be, Fonda demanded the Justice Department and state regulators abstain from using their legal standing to "extract political concessions that influence content decisions or chill free speech." In a sidebar to "Netflix and any company that becomes involved in this destructive deal," Fonda wrote that it's their "responsibility to defend our rights, not trade them away to pad your pockets. We know there will be enormous pressure to acquiesce, it is critical you stay strong."

Hollywood at large has been mostly sour on the Netflix-Warner Bros. deal, withlawmakers,film producersandindustry guildsalike all voicing concerns in the last week. Many expect the deal to cause seismic shifts in the entertainment industry, especially in thetheatrical sector.

After months of deliberation, Netflix acquired Warner Bros. Discovery on Friday, outbidding David Ellison's Paramount Skydance and Comcast. The cash and stock transaction is valued at $27.75 per share, and the deal is expected to close within 12-18 months, according to Netflix and WBD.

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byCristiano Ronaldo

in

December 06, 2025

Jane Fonda Calls Netflix-Warner Bros. Acquisition a ‘Catastrophic Business Deal’ That ‘Threatens the Entire Entertainment Industry’

Jane Fonda is speaking out against Netflix's earthshaking move to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, calling the$82.7 bi...

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Blood pressure drug recalled for possible cross-contamination

Thousands of bottles of a commonly usedprescription drugto treathypertensionhas been recalled for possible contamination with another drug.

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc., which hasU.S. headquartersin Elmwood Park, New Jersey, has recalled multiple lots of bisoprolol fumarate and hydrochlorothiazide tablets (brand nameZiac), because the tablets may have been cross contaminated with other products, according to a recall report published online by theFood and Drug Administration.

The global drug maker, which is headquartered in Mumbai, India, said testing of reserve samples showed presence of traces of ezetimibe, a cholesterol drug the company also produces, according to the recall, posted Dec. 1.

Vaccine directive:RFK Jr. panel ends recommendation of hepatitis b vaccine for newborns

The FDA classified the recall with aClass III risk level, which suggests "use of or exposure to a violative product is not likely to cause adverse health consequences," according to the agency.

Bisoprolol/hydrochlorothiazide blocks beta-1 receptors in your heart, allowing the heart to beat normally, according toWebMD. The drug also increases urination to remove sodium and water from the body, as well as relaxes blood vessels – to help lower blood pressure and help to reduce heart attack and stroke risk.

USA TODAY Recall Database:Search vehicle, product and food recalls

What blood pressure medicine is being recalled?

The recall involves an undeclared number of lots of tablets, from 2.5 mg to 6.25 mg dosages, in various sized bottles, manufactured in Madhya Pradesh, India for Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, Inc., USA.

These lots were recalled:

• 30-tablet bottles, NDC-68462-878-30. Lot 17232401, exp. 11/2025.

• 100-tablet bottles, NDC-68462-878-01. Lot 17232401, exp. 11/2025.

• 500-tablet bottles, NDC-68462-878-05. Lots 17232401, exp. 11/2025 and 17240974, exp. 05/2026.

USA TODAY has reached out to Glenmark Pharmaceuticals. Neither Glenmark nor the FDA have issued guidance on what to do withthe recalled tablets.

But according toGoodRx, anyone affected by a drug recall is advised to check their medication's lot number, contact their pharmacist as well as their prescriber and throw away the recalled medication.

Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund

Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him atmikegsnider&@mikegsnider.bsky.social&@mikesnider& msnider@usatoday.com

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Blood pressure drug recall linked to possible cross-contamination

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

December 06, 2025

Blood pressure drug recalled for possible cross-contamination

Thousands of bottles of a commonly usedprescription drugto treathypertensionhas been recalled for possible contamination ...

Read More

169 Panicked Passengers Escape Plane After Airport Fire Caused Cabin to Fill with Smoke

Vitor Cesa Aguiar - UGC / AFP via Getty

NEED TO KNOW

• A LATAM Airlines plane was consumed by smoke after a fire broke out at São Paulo's Guarulhos International Airport

• The Dec. 4 fire started on a baggage carousel connected to aircraft while parked on the runway, according to reports

• Footage posted online shows the smoke-filled aircraft surrounded by flames at the airport in Brazil
  

Passengers on a LATAM Airlines plane were left panicked after the aircraft was engulfed in smoke due to a fire at an airport in Brazil.

Flight LA3418 was scheduled to depart from São Paulo's Guarulhos International Airport (GRU Airport) for Porto Alegre whena fire broke outon the ground on the night of Thursday, Dec. 4, Brazilian newspaperEstadãoreported.

A baggage conveyor connected to the aircraft caught fire, causing the plane to fill with smoke, according to the outlet. The jet reportedly carried 169 passengers at the time.

Footage from the scary incidentposted on Xshows the plane engulfed in smoke while surrounded by flames at the airport. Fire crews were seen on the ground putting out the fire.

Panicked passengers were filmed inside the aircraft, queuing up to leave and evacuating the plane at the airport. Fire crew members were also seen preparing an emergency slide for passengers to escape the aircraft.

Vitor Cesa Aguiar - UGC / AFP via Getty

All 169 passengers aboard the plane were safely evacuated with no injuries reported, per Estadão. "The situation was quickly brought under control," LATAM Airlines said.

The airline explained that the fire "started in equipment belonging to a subcontractor responsible for loading cargo onto the plane," theDaily Mailreported, which added that passengers were told to "leave everything" onboard as they evacuated the plane.

According to the flight-tracking websiteFlight Aware, the flight departed GRU two hours and 59 minutes behind schedule at GRU Airport at 1:04 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 5. The plane landed at Salgado Filho International Airport in Porto Alegre at 2:54 a.m.

Sergio Yate / AFP via Getty

Among the passengers onboard the original flight, 159 arrived in Porto Alegre on Friday morning, while 10 others were placed on other flights or transported by land, per theDaily Mail.

The incident is being investigated.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

LATAM Airlines and GRU Airport did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on Saturday, Dec. 6.

Read the original article onPeople

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

December 06, 2025

169 Panicked Passengers Escape Plane After Airport Fire Caused Cabin to Fill with Smoke

Vitor Cesa Aguiar - UGC / AFP via Getty NEED TO KNOW A LATAM Airlines plane was consumed by smoke after a fire broke out at São Paulo...

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Man wounded in 2nd stabbing attack on North Carolina commuter train since August

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Police in North Carolina have charged a 33-year-old man with critically injuring another person in a stabbing on a Charlotte commuter train, just a few months after aUkrainian refugeeriding one of the city's trains was killed in an unrelated knife attack.

Oscar Solarzano, 33, was charged with attempted first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon and other crimes stemming from the Friday afternoon attack in which he wielded a large knife, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said in a news release.

Police said the victim suffered a stab wound and was hospitalized in critical but stable condition.

Solarzano was being held in jail Saturday without bond. A magistrate judge said in a court filing that the suspect was in the U.S. illegally and had previously been deported. He faced a hearing Monday morning in Mecklenburg County District Court.

An arrest warrant filed in a North Carolina court says Solarzano appeared to be intoxicated and was slurring his words when he challenged the victim to a fight.

Online court and jail records did not list an attorney for Solarzano.

The attack comes less than four months after a 23-year-old woman from Ukraine was killed on a Charlotte commuter train in an apparently random assault captured on video. The victim, Iryna Zarutska, had been living in a bomb shelter in Ukraine before coming to to the U.S. to escape thewar, her relatives said.

A suspect, Decarlos Brown Jr., has been charged first-degree murder for Zarutska's killing in a North Carolina state court, and was also indicted infederal courton a charge of causing death on a mass transportation system.

The death of the Ukrainian woman sparked anger among allies of President Donald Trump and figures in his Make America Great Again movement. Many pointed to the case asevidence that federal intervention was neededbecause leaders of large cities and state governors are failing to protect their residents from crime and rampant illegal immigration.

In November, the Trump administrationincreased immigration enforcementin Charlotte. City officials said the surge in enforcement caused "unnecessary fear and uncertainty."

Trump commented Saturday about the latest stabbing on his Truth Social site. "Another stabbing by an Illegal Migrant in Charlotte, North Carolina. What's going on in Charlotte? Democrats are destroying it, like everything else, piece by piece!!! President DJT"

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

December 06, 2025

Man wounded in 2nd stabbing attack on North Carolina commuter train since August

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Police in North Carolina have charged a 33-year-old man with critically injuring another person in...

Read More