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Bill to detain undocumented immigrants accused of even minor crimes passes with some Texas Democratic help

WASHINGTON — Congress approved a bill Wednesday to detain undocumented immigrants who have been accused of committing even minor crimes, with two Texas Democrats voting for the bill.

The Laken Riley Act passed the U.S. House on Wednesday afternoon on a 263-156 vote, with 46 Democrats joining all voting Republicans supporting the bill. U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar of Laredo and Vicente Gonzalez of McAllen were among the Democrats who voted for the bill.

Supporters worked to make sure that the bill targeting undocumented immigrants would be the first legislation of President Donald Trump’s second term. He has campaigned on mass deportations and hardening the border, and many of his Republican allies in Congress are eager to provide the legislative muscle in support. More than 11 million undocumented immigrants live in the United States, with 1.6 million living in Texas. The bill now heads to Trump’s desk to be signed into law. The U.S. Senate advanced the bill on Monday with 12 Democratic senators joining all Republicans in voting for the bill.

The bill is named after Laken Riley, a Georgia nursing student who was killed by an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela. It would require the Department of Homeland Security to detain undocumented immigrants arrested for or charged with burglary, theft, larceny, shoplifting or assaulting a police officer. It also allows state governments to sue the federal government if they feel Washington is failing to enforce border laws.

The bill does not include funding to increase detention capacity. Funding for immigration enforcement is one of Republicans’ top priorities as it works out its spending plans for the year.

The bill is separate from similar legislation that passed the House last week that would require deportation for migrants convicted of sex crimes or domestic violence. Cuellar, Gonzalez and U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Farmers Branch, were among the 61 Democrats who joined Republicans in voting for that bill. It is now in the Senate.

Both Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz have advocated for stricter penalties for criminal activity by undocumented immigrants. Cornyn included an amendment to the act that would make assaulting a law enforcement officer one of the punishable crimes.

Last year, Cruz introduced the Justice of Jocelyn Act, which was named after Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old Houstonian who was murdered last June. Two undocumented immigrants from Venezuela were charged with her murder.

The Justice for Jocelyn Act would require the Secretary of Homeland Security to detain all migrants unless there is no detention space available and mandate tracking devices and curfews for migrants who are not in detention. The bill would also mandate deportation for migrants who fail to comply with their release order.

Many of the Democrats who voted for the Laken Riley Act represent competitive districts where Republicans have accused Democrats of being too light on the border. Gonzalez’s district was Republicans’ biggest target in Texas this year, and Cuellar is likely to be targeted in next year’s elections. Both represent districts Trump won that have swung heavily to the right in recent years.

Cuellar and Gonzalez have both broken with their party on votes related to the border and other issues Republicans campaigned on, such as transgender rights. Cuellar founded a Democrats for Border Security task force last year.

But other Democrats say the bill amounts to fear mongering. A National Institute of Justice study found that undocumented immigrants tend to commit crimes at a lower rate than U.S.-born citizens. The Laken Riley Act does not make exceptions for recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — a program that protects immigrants who entered the country illegally as children from deportation.

“It makes it so that immigrants, including dreamers, who are supposed to be protected from deportation, if they were accused of a crime like shoplifting, even if they didn’t do it, that they and their families’ lives could be ruined by deportation.” said U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin. “Laken Riley’s killer was tried and convicted and sentenced to life in prison, and he should be convicted and held accountable for this horrific killing. But the Laken Riley Act has nothing to do with her.”

At least 10 dead after record-breaking snowstorm swept across the South

(NEW YORK) -- The Gulf Coast is digging out from a once-in-a-lifetime snowstorm that struck from Texas to Florida, closing airports, crippling roadways and leaving freezing temperatures in its wake.

At least 10 deaths have been attributed to the storm and accompanying cold blast.

In Dale County, Alabama, one person was killed in a house fire after leaving their stove on to keep them warm and a second person was killed in a car accident, according to the local corner.

One person died from hypothermia in Georgia and two people died in the cold in Austin, Texas, officials said.

Southwest of San Antonio, five people died when a tractor-trailer collided with other vehicles on an icy road, the Texas Department of Safety said.

This storm brought more snow to some cities than any other storm in at least the last 130 years.

Florida saw its most snow on record, with 9.8 inches of snow recorded in Milton, northeast of Pensacola.

Pensacola also saw an all-time record for the city with 8.9 inches.

Texas experienced its first-ever blizzard warning. Beaumont, Texas, recorded 5.2 inches of snow -- an all-time record.
Mobile, Alabama, saw an all-time record high of 7.5 inches.

In Louisiana, Baton Rouge saw 7.6 inches.

New Orleans recorded 8 inches, marking the most snow in the city since 1895.

And the danger isn't over. An extreme cold warning is in effect Thursday morning from Mississippi to the Florida Panhandle, with temperatures dropping as low as 12 degrees in parts of the Gulf Coast.

For Louisiana, this is the coldest it's been in over 100 years, state climatologist Jay Grymes said.

While snow has melted in many areas, the freeze remains a serious threat. Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Joe Donahue is urging "everyone to avoid unnecessary travel."

Many of the areas hit hard by the storm will thaw soon; temperatures are expected to climb to the 50s and 60s by Sunday.

Oscars 2025: Full list of nominations

The 2025 Oscar nominations were announced on Thursday.

Rachel Sennott and Bowen Yang announced the nominees in all 23 categories for the 97th Academy Awards at 5:30 a.m. PST / 8:30 a.m. EST from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Los Angeles.

Conan O'Brien will host the 97th Academy Awards, airing live on ABC on Sunday, March 2, beginning at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

Here is the complete list:

Best supporting actor
Yura Borisov, Anora
Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce, The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice

Best costume design
A Complete Unknown – Arianne Phillips
Conclave – Lisy Christl
Gladiator II – David Crossman and Janty Yates
Nosferatu – Linda Muir
Wicked – Paul Tazewell

Best original score
The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg
Conclave – Volker Bertelmann
Emilia Pérez – Clément Ducol and Camille
Wicked – John Powell and Stephen Schwartz
The Wild Robot – Kris Bowers

Best makeup and hairstyling
A Different Man
Emilia Pérez
Nosferatu
The Substance
Wicked

Best live action short film
A Lien
Anuja
I'm Not a Robot
The Last Ranger
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

Best animated short film
Beautiful Men
In the Shadow of the Cypress
Magic Candies
Wander to Wonder
Yuck!

Best adapted screenplay
A Complete Unknown – Jay Cocks and James Mangold
Conclave – Peter Straughan
Emilia Pérez – Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain and Nicolas Livecchi
Nickel Boys – Joslyn Barnes and RaMell Ross
Sing Sing – Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar

Best supporting actress
Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown
Ariana Grande, Wicked
Felicity Jones, The Brutalist
Isabella Rossellini, Conclave
Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez

Best original song
"El Mal" from Emilia Pérez
"The Journey" from The Six Triple Eight
"Like A Bird" from Sing Sing
"Mi Camino" from Emilia Pérez
"Never Too Late" from Elton John: Never Too Late

Best documentary feature film
Black Box Diaries
No Other Land
Porcelain War
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat
Sugarcane

Best documentary short film
Death by Numbers
I Am Ready, Warden
Incident
Instruments of a Beating Heart
The Only Girl in the Orchestra

Best animated feature film
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot

Best film editing
Anora – Sean Baker
The Brutalist – Dávid Jancsó
Conclave – Nick Emerson
Emilia Pérez – Juliette Welfling
Wicked – Myron Kerstein

Best production design
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nosferatu
Wicked

Best sound
A Complete Unknown
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
Wicked
The Wild Robot

Best visual effects
Alien: Romulus
Better Man
Dune: Part Two
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Wicked

Best cinematography
The Brutalist – Lol Crawley
Dune: Part Two – Greig Fraser
Emilia Pérez – Paul Guilhaume
Maria – Ed Lachman
Nosferatu – Jarin Blaschke

Best actor
Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice

Best actress
Cynthia Erivo, Wicked
Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez
Mikey Madison, Anora
Demi Moore, The Substance
Fernanda Torres, I'm Still Here

Best director
Sean Baker, Anora
Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
James Mangold, A Complete Unknown
Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez
Coralie Fargeat, The Substance

Best picture
Anora
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
I'm Still Here
Nickel Boys
The Substance
Wicked

In brief: Jon Bernthal joins Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ adaptation and more

Focus Features is teaming up again with Robert Eggers. The studio is producing and financing the Nosferatu director's next film, Werwulf, which he co-wrote, Deadline reports. It will release on Christmas Day 2026. Nosferatu became Focus Features' second-highest-grossing movie in the U.S. after it made $90.5 million in theaters after it was released in December 2024 ...

Jon Bernthal is the latest actor to join Christopher Nolan's upcoming adaptation of The Odyssey. Deadline first reported that Bernthal will join the star-studded cast that already includes Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o and Charlize Theron. The movie is expected to begin filming in February and is slated for a 2026 release ...

Netflix is sticking with Love is Blind. The streamer has renewed the reality dating series through season 10, it announced Wednesday. Season 8 of the series will drop on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, while two more seasons of the show are to follow. Netflix released a video celebrating five years of Love is Blind on Wednesday. The show first debuted back in February 2020. Nick and Vanessa Lachey return to host season 8, which is set in Minnesota ...

As Trump throws immigration system into uncertainty, parents confront potential statelessness for their children

(WASHINGTON) -- As President Donald Trump starts to defend his executive order ending birthright citizenship in court, parents are beginning to grapple with the uncertainty stemming from his unprecedented executive order and the possibility that their future children could become "stateless."

Five pregnant undocumented women and two nonprofits on Tuesday filed a lawsuit in Maryland District Court challenging the order, which seeks to interpret the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of birthright citizenship as not applying to the children of undocumented parents. Joining the lawsuit under pseudonyms, the women argued that Trump’s order deprives their future children of their constitutional rights.

"The principle of birthright citizenship is a foundation of our national democracy, is woven throughout the laws of our nation, and has shaped a shared sense of national belonging for generation after generation of citizens," the lawsuit said.

The complaint makes a similar claim as the four other federal lawsuits signed on by a combined 22 states and two cities; however, this lawsuit differs by having multiple plaintiffs who would be directly impacted by the executive order. The 38-page filing provides personal details of how the lives of each woman and their future children would be changed under Trump's plan.

Monica – a medical doctor from Venezuela with temporary protected status who joined the lawsuit under the pseudonym– said she joined the lawsuit because she fears her future child will become stateless, as her home country facing an ongoing humanitarian, political and economic crisis.

"I'm 12 weeks pregnant. I should be worried about the health of my child. I should be thinking about that primarily and instead my husband and I are stressed, we're anxious and we're depressed about the reality that my child may not be able to become a US citizen," she said.

Maribel – who joined the lawsuit under a pseudonym along with four other women – has lived in the United States for more than half her life after emigrating from El Salvador and Guatemala. She is due to have her third child in July but worries Trump's executive order will split her young family, the lawsuit said.

"She fears her unborn child will not have the same rights to citizenship as the future child's older sisters, and could even be subject to deportation, separating the family," the lawsuit read.

"Every day, babies are being born in the United States whose constitutionally guaranteed citizenship will be called into doubt under the Executive Order," the lawsuit argued.

Liza and her husband Igor fled Russia to the United States for asylum, and they are expecting a child in May. They can't imagine being forced to bring their newborn back to a country that will likely prosecute them, the lawsuit said.

"Neither Liza nor Igor feel they can return to Russia without being persecuted, and they therefore do not feel they can apply for Russian citizenship for their child. Because of that, Liza and Igor are worried their child will be stateless," the lawsuit said.

Juana – who is two months pregnant – fears what the future might hold for her and her future child if they are sent back to Colombia if her asylum claim falls through, according to the lawsuit.

"She wants her unborn child to be able to grow up without fear and with a sense of belonging in the United States. The thought that her unborn child could be denied U.S. citizenship and deported to Colombia without her is terrifying," the lawsuit said.

Trinidad is a Venezuelan immigrant who is due in August, but she fears that her child will be stateless under Trump's executive order, caught between Venezuela's democratic crisis and the legal tumult of the United States immigration system, the lawsuit said.

Monica and her partner both have Temporary Protected Status after seeking asylum from Venezuela in the United States, but they are worried their child may be ineligible for both the United States and Venezuelan citizenship. Monica said she came to the United States in 2019 with her husband and thought they were doing "everything the right way" by paying taxes, working and buying their own home, she said.

"We had reached a point of stability in this country and wanted to have a child," Monica said.

A happy change in their lives quickly devolved into fear, she said, when they saw Trump act on his promise to end the United States' promise of birthright citizenship with the swipe of a sharpie.

"This is a really difficult situation where I truly do not see a way out for my child, a way forward for my child to be able to get through this," she said.

Because Venezuela no longer offers consular services in the United States, Monica said she is unable to explore the possibility of getting her child citizenship there. Her lawyers do not know if Trump's executive order would apply to people with temporary protected status, so determining if her child will be an American citizen meant filing a lawsuit against the president, she said.

"This executive order has just left us with more uncertainty than even before. Will my child be a US citizen? Will he be nothing? We just do not know what to do," she said.

RFK Jr. reports up to $1.2M in credit card debt, $30M net worth

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attends the inauguration of Donald Trump in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Julia Demaree Nikhinson - Pool/Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) -- From a multimillion-dollar law firm payout to six-figure endorsements and book deals, President Donald Trump’s nominee for health and human services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., raked in at least $12 million in total income in the past two years, new personal financial disclosure forms show.

Kennedy boasted a vast amount of wealth across various investment funds, bank accounts and real estate properties totaling between $8.6 million to $33.4 million. However, he also reported a staggering amount of liabilities -- between $3.4 million and $12.7 million -- which could put him in the red on paper.

Kennedy's liabilities include up to $1.2 million in credit card debt to American Express at a 23% revolving interest rate and three 30-year mortgages worth up to $10.5 million, according to the filing.

The exact values of his total assets and liabilities are unclear because federal financial disclosures are reported in ranges.

A major chunk of Kennedy's income since 2023 was his nearly $9 million payout from his law firm Kennedy & Madonna LLP, which is now called Madonna & Madonna LLP after Kennedy resigned last week.

His main source of income from the past year stemmed from hefty referral fees from multiple law firms, arrangements which Kennedy noted in his ethics agreement that he will terminate upon his confirmation. However, he stated he plans to retain a contingency fee interest in cases that do not involve the U.S. government.

In his ethics agreement, Kennedy disclosed that among the cases he has referred to the Wisner Baum law firm are claims filed under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), from which he said he will divest his interest.

Kennedy, who has been a vocal supporter of cryptocurrency and has spoken at multiple Bitcoin conventions, also reported owning between $1 million to $5 million in Fidelity’s Bitcoin fund, the filing shows.

Kennedy also disclosed smaller holdings in biotech companies Dragonfly Therapeutics and CRISPR Therapeutics AG, as well as in other companies like Progressive Corp, Amazon and Apple, from which he said he plans to divest after his confirmation.

Credit card debt potentially doubled in 6 months

Kennedy's credit card debt potentially doubled in just six months, a comparison of his liabilities in his new disclosure filing and his disclosure from last year suggest.

In July 2024, Kennedy, as a presidential candidate, disclosed having credit card debts to American Express worth $360,004 to $715,000, at roughly 23% revolving interest rate.

In his latest disclosure submitted in late December 2024 and publicly released today, Kennedy's American Express debts snowballed into between $610,000 and $1.2 million.

It's unclear how much, exactly, his credit card debt increased in the past few months because liabilities are reported in ranges, but the latest disclosure shows his debts have potentially grown exponentially.

Money from book deals

Kennedy is set to earn millions from multiple book deals, including up to $4 million in advances for books titled “Unsettled Science” and “A Defense for Israel.” Kennedy also earned $1,000 for an advance for a book titled “Vax-UnVax: Let the Science Speak.”

According to his disclosure, two of the three books have already been written prior to his nomination, and he does not plan to engage in “writing, editing, marketing, or promotional services” while serving as HHS Secretary.

Kennedy earned little income from the fourteen books he has already published – such as "American Values: Lessons I Learned from my Family" and "Vaccine Villains: What the American Public Should Know about the Industry" — making less than $200 from each title, according to the disclosure form.

Money from endorsements

Kennedy earned $100,000 from his endorsement of a boxing ball game called Boxbollen in a video he posted on his social media accounts last month, though he returned $50,000 after cancelling the contract following his nomination as health and human services secretary.

"Mr. Kennedy had a pre-existing contract prior to his nomination, after posting the video - he realized it was best to delete it and cancel the contract,” a source close to Kennedy told ABC News in November.

Kennedy also earned $200,000 in speaking fees during three days in November, speaking at the Rockbridge Fall Summit in Las Vegas -- organized by a conservative donor network co-founded by Vice President JD Vance – and Genius Network Annual Event in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Hollywood money

Kennedy also disclosed dozens of sources of compensation from his wife Cheryl Hines, an actress best known for her role on HBO’s "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

In addition to that show, Hines earns residual payments from multiple films and television shows including "Friends," "Herbie," "Waitress," "The Conners," "The Flight Attendant" and "A Bad Moms Christmas."

Hines also received a $600,000 advance payment for her memoir "My Shade of Crazy."

Oil rights, properties in Chicago

As was disclosed in his previous financial disclosure from his 2024 presidential bid, Kennedy had previously owned oil and gas rights in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida but sold them in the past year, netting roughly $55,000 from the sales, according to the filing.

He also reported owning commercial properties in Chicago worth between $700,000 and $1.5 million.

Winter storm causes rescheduling of NBA and college games across the South

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The NBA and multiple college basketball conferences postponed games in response to winter weather that broke snowfall records in some southern states and coated others with a mix of snow and ice.

Wednesday night’s NBA contest between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Pelicans was called off a day after the storm dumped about a foot of snow in New Orleans — a subtropical city with very little in the way of experience with, or equipment for, clearing large amounts of snow.

In nearby Baton Rouge, LSU’s fifth-ranked women’s basketball team was unable to fly on Wednesday to Columbia, South Carolina, so the Southeastern Conference chose to postpone the Tigers’ game at the No. 2 Gamecocks from Thursday night until Friday evening.

Meanwhile, the Sun Belt Conference cited “hazardous travel conditions” in rescheduling four men’s basketball games.

Georgia Southern’s home game against Coastal Carolina, and Louisiana-Lafayette’s home game against Texas State were moved from Wednesday to Thursday. Two games originally scheduled for Thursday — Southern Mississippi at Troy and South Alabama at Louisiana-Monroe — both were moved to Monday.

The NBA did not immediately announce when the Bucks-Pelicans game would be made up, and it was unclear if the Bucks would be able to make it to Miami in time for a game against the Heat on Thursday night.

The Bucks beat the winter weather in New Orleans by flying in Monday, a day earlier than usual, in the event that road conditions became safe enough to hold the game at the 18,000-seat downtown Smoothie King Center.

But temperatures remained in the 30s on Wednesday, many main highways and bridges across south Louisiana were closed by authorities and surface roads throughout New Orleans were coated with ice.

Schools and businesses throughout the area also remained closed on Wednesday.

Louis Armstrong International Airport canceled all commercial departing flights on Wednesday, making it likely that the Bucks would have to travel to Miami on the day of the game — if they could get out in time.

An NBA official said there were no immediate plans to postpone Thursday’s game, but a decision to play ultimately would hinge on whether the Bucks can fly out of New Orleans in time.

The Pelicans were scheduled to play in Memphis on Friday night.

After breaking snow records in Texas and Louisiana on Tuesday, the storm continued to spread heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain across parts of the Florida Panhandle, Georgia and the coastal Carolinas on Wednesday.

LSU spokesman Michael Bonnette said the university decided to cancel classes through Thursday because of road closures and wintry conditions on surface roads in the area. But athletics officials were confident the women’s basketball team would be able to fly out of Baton Rouge on Thursday.

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

Jaden McDaniels goes for career-high 27 points as Wolves outlast Mavs 115-114

DALLAS (AP) — Jaden McDaniels scored a career-high 27 points, including the clinching free throw with 3 seconds to play, and Anthony Edwards added 21 as the Minnesota Timberwolves outlasted the short-handed Dallas Mavericks 115-114 on Wednesday night.

Two free throws by Mike Conley gave Minnesota a 114-111 lead with 11.8 seconds left. After Kyrie Irving missed a 3-pointer, McDaniels grabbed the rebound and made one of two free throws for a four-point lead. Irving hit a running 3 at the buzzer.

Irving scored 36 points and P.J. Washington Jr. added a season-high 30 points for the Mavericks, who are 4-11 since superstar Luka Doncic was sidelined with a calf strain early in their Christmas Day loss to the Wolves.

The Mavericks announced before the game that center Dereck Lively II has a stress fracture in his right ankle and will be re-evaluated in a month. Guard Klay Thompson (left ankle sprain) was one of four other Dallas regulars out because of injury or illness.

The teams are tied for seventh place in the Western Conference at 23-21.

Six Timberwolves scored in double figures. Conley’s 18 points were a season best.
Takeaways

Timberwolves: While Dallas had the crowded inactive list, Minnesota used fewer players — eight to the Mavericks’ nine — with seven playing more than 26 minutes each.

Mavericks: Irving surpassed 18,000 career points, the 81st NBA player to do so.
Key moment

After Irving’s 3-pointer pulled the Mavericks within 101-100 with 5:45 to play and brought the crowd to its feet, McDaniels hit a right-corner 3, rebounded a miss by Spencer Dinwiddie and fed Edwards for a driving basket and a 106-100 lead.
Key stat

Dallas outscored Minnesota 66-48 in the paint without its starting center.
Up next

The Mavericks play at Oklahoma City on Thursday. The Timberwolves host Denver on Saturday.

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

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores career-high 54 in Thunder’s 123-114 win over Jazz

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 54 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Utah Jazz 123-114 on Wednesday night.

Gilgeous-Alexander made 17 of 35 field goals and 17 of 18 free throws to surpass his previous career best of 45 points. He also had eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Jalen Williams added 25 points for the Thunder (36-7), who are tied with Cleveland for the league’s best record.

John Collins had 22 points and 12 rebounds, Collin Sexton had 18 points and nine assists, and Walker Kessler had 17 points and 15 rebounds for the Jazz, who lost their fourth straight.

Utah (10-32), the worst team in the Western Conference, hung tough throughout.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 23 points in the first half to help Oklahoma City take a 57-55 lead at the break. He scored 18 points in the third quarter as the Thunder took a 95-89 lead.

Gilgeous-Alexander took a break to start the final quarter, and the Thunder led 102-99 when he checked back in. He hit a 3-pointer that gave the Thunder a 115-106 lead and secured his career night.
Takeaways

Jazz: Utah did a lot of things right, including scoring 31 second-chance points off 23 offensive rebounds. The Jazz simply ran into one of the best players and teams in the league.

Thunder: Oklahoma City still was missing injured center Isaiah Hartenstein, and Utah took advantage by winning the rebounding battle 52-39. The Thunder’s lack of size helped the Jazz keep it close.
Key moment

Gilgeous-Alexander scored his 50th point on a pullup jumper over Lauri Markkanen with 1:28 to go that gave the Thunder a 119-110 lead.
Key stat

Oklahoma City overcame its lack of size by scoring 39 points off Utah’s 27 turnovers.
Up next

The Jazz visit Memphis on Saturday. The Thunder host Dallas on Thursday.

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

The trial for Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers is delayed a day because of a water main break

QUINCY, Mass. (AP) — A water main break has delayed a trial scheduled Wednesday for Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers on allegations that he shoved his girlfriend’s head into a wall and repeatedly choked her after she received a phone call while they were in bed together.

Peppers, 29, faces charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a Class B substance believed to be cocaine, court documents show.

He was scheduled to appear in court in Quincy, Massachusetts, but the court was closed following a water main break, the clerk’s office said Wednesday morning. Peppers’ case was rescheduled for Thursday.

Police in Braintree, Massachusetts, said they were called to a home for an altercation between two people in October. Peppers allegedly pushed the woman to the ground, shoved her head into a wall, and allegedly choked her six times, according to court documents.

Police said she refused to go to a hospital and was treated at the home for her injuries.

Peppers answered the door shirtless, nodding his head and telling police, “I know what is going on,” according to court documents. He was arrested without incident. Police said they found a clear plastic bag at the home containing a white powder, which later tested positive for cocaine.

In an October court appearance, Peppers’ attorney, Marc Brofsky, said evidence “sheds real doubt on the allegations, including videotaped evidence.” He said Peppers agreed not to have contact with the woman.

Peppers missed seven games since being placed on the commissioner’s exempt list on Oct. 9 following the incident. This prevented him from practicing or playing with the Patriots but allowed NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to place a player on paid leave while reviewing his case. He was removed from the list on Nov. 25 but appeared in only two of the Patriots’ final five games this season because of foot and hamstring injuries. He was placed on injured reserve before the team’s season finale against the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 5.

The Patriots signed Peppers, a safety in his third season with the team, to an extension over the summer. Peppers was originally drafted by Cleveland in 2017 and spent two seasons with the Browns before playing for the New York Giants for three seasons.

The league said previously that its review of Peppers’ criminal case is ongoing and was not affected by the change in Peppers’ roster status that allowed him to return to play. His current contract with the Patriots runs through 2027.

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Associated Press sports writer Kyle Hightower in Wrentham, Massachusetts, contributed to this report.

Josh Allen looks to break through in fourth playoff meeting against Patrick Mahomes

The near annual playoff matchups between Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen are hardly unprecedented.

The one-sided nature of the postseason rivalry between the two star quarterbacks is more unusual.

Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs will host Allen and the Buffalo Bills in the AFC title game on Sunday night for the fourth postseason matchup between the QBs in the past five seasons.

Mahomes has come out on top in the first three, winning the 2020 AFC title game and 2021 divisional round matchup at home and then a divisional rounder last season in Buffalo.

Mahomes and Allen are the fifth set of quarterbacks to start against each other at least four times in the postseason, with most of the others being fairly even.

The Patriots’ Tom Brady won his first two playoff matchups against Peyton Manning before losing the final three in the only QB rivalry with five postseason meetings.

Brady split four matchups with Baltimore’s Joe Flacco, with the Patriots and Ravens alternating wins in those games that came in a span of six seasons.

Oakland’s Ken Stabler won his first and fourth playoff starts in four seasons against Pittsburgh’s Terry Bradshaw but lost the two in the middle. Stabler also came off the bench in the 1972 divisional round matchup and scored on a go-ahead TD run with 1:17 to play before Bradshaw and the Steelers won with the “ Immaculate Reception ” pass to Franco Harris for a game-winning 60-yard TD pass.

The only other matchup that started so one-sided came in the 1990s when Green Bay’s Brett Favre won his first three playoff games against Steve Young and the 49ers before San Francisco responded with “The Catch II” and a game-winning 25-yard TD pass from Young to Terrell Owens in a 1998 wild-card game.

Favre added one more playoff win over San Francisco with Jeff Garcia at QB and is one of two QBs to beat the same opponent four times in the postseason, with Brady holding a 4-1 record against the Colts.

Mahomes can join them on Sunday with a fourth playoff win against Buffalo. A loss would tie Allen with Aaron Rodgers (0-4 against San Francisco) for the most defeats against one opponent in the playoffs.
Sensational Saquon

The Los Angeles Rams seem to bring out the best in Saquon Barkley.

Barkley followed up his 255-yard rushing performance in the regular season against the Rams with a franchise playoff-record 205 in Philadelphia’s 28-22 win on Sunday, putting Barkley in some rare territory.

Barkley had the fifth-most rushing yards ever in a playoff game and broke the Eagles mark of 195 set by Steve Van Buren against the Rams in the 1949 NFL title game.

He did it thanks to big plays, with a 62-yard TD run in the first quarter and a 78-yarder in the fourth, giving him an NFL-record six touchdown runs of at least 60 yards this season, including four in the two games against the Rams.

Barkley finished with 460 yards against Los Angeles this season. There have been only four other times that one player ran for more than 430 yards against an opponent in a single season, playoffs included.

Adrian Peterson has the most, with 508 yards in three games against Green Bay in 2012, followed by Jamal Lewis with 500 against Cleveland in 2003, O.J. Simpson with 469 versus New England in 1973 and Derrick Henry with 462 against Houston in 2020.

Barkley needs 135 yards on Sunday against Washington to join that group for a second time after rushing for 296 yards in the first two meetings against the Commanders.
Quality Quinn

Coach Dan Quinn has helped engineer an impressive turnaround in Washington.

Quinn took over a team that finished tied for the second-worst record in the NFL last season at 4-13 and helped the Commanders make it all the way to the NFC title game.

With a win Sunday at Philadelphia, Quinn would become the ninth coach to make the Super Bowl in his first full season on the job and the first to do it after taking over a team with a losing record.

Four of those first-year coaches won the Super Bowl, with Gary Kubiak doing it in Denver in the 2015 season, Jon Gruden in Tampa Bay in 2002, George Seifert for San Francisco in 1989 and Don McCafferty for the Baltimore Colts in 1970.

This is the second time Quinn has taken a team to this stage of the playoffs, losing a Super Bowl as head coach for Atlanta in the 2016 season. He is the 13th coach since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to go to the conference title game with at least two teams and could become the eighth coach to take two franchises to a Super Bowl.
Dallas’ drought

With Quinn leading Washington to its first conference title game appearance in 33 years, that means 15 of the 16 teams in the NFC have made it to this stage in the last 15 seasons.

The lone exception? The five-time Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys.

Dallas last played in the NFC championship game in the 1995 season on the way to winning a third Super Bowl in four seasons. The once-proud franchise known as America’s Team has fallen short of that stage for 29 straight seasons despite being tied for the 10th-most playoff trips in that span with 13.

There are three AFC teams that haven’t made the conference title game since 1995, with Miami making its last trip in the 1992 season, Cleveland in 1989 and Houston never making it since becoming an expansion team in 2002.

The Texans fell to 0-6 in the divisional round with the loss on Saturday at Kansas City.
Division flop

The NFC North dominated the regular season, with three teams winning at least 11 games and the .750 winning percentage in non-division games tying for the second-best mark of any division since the 1970 merger.

That success didn’t carry over to the playoffs, with Minnesota and Green Bay losing in the wild-card round and the NFC’s top seed, Detroit, losing its playoff opener to Washington in the divisional round. Those three teams had gone 29-4 in the regular season against non-division opponents.

There had been 34 times since the merger when three teams from a division made the playoffs — excluding the 1982 strike-shortened season when there were no divisions — and this marked the only time none of the teams won a playoff game.

The Lions joined the 2011 Packers as the only teams that won 15 games in the regular season and then failed to win a playoff game.

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Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn agrees to terms with Jets to be their head coach

Aaron Glenn is back where his NFL journey began nearly 31 years ago.

He was a game-changing cornerback for the New York Jets then. Now he’s tasked with helping turn around the fortunes of the franchise.

The Jets and Glenn agreed to terms Wednesday on making the Detroit Lions defensive coordinator their head coach.

Glenn, who oversaw the Lions’ defense the past four seasons, beat out 15 other candidates for the job as the Jets went through an extensive search.

And they ended up choosing one of their former players — a first-round draft pick in 1994 who was mentored by Bill Parcells, became one of the Jets’ best playmakers and developed into a well-respected and highly sought coach.

“This place is special for me,” Glenn said in a statement issued by the Jets, who announced the agreement Wednesday night. “From the time I was drafted and practiced on Long Island to the time I came back as a scout in New Jersey, this organization has always felt like home.”

The 52-year-old Glenn, who turned Detroit’s defense into one of the best in the league, interviewed with Washington, Atlanta, Tennessee and the Los Angeles Chargers last year. And he met with the Jets, Jacksonville, Las Vegas and Chicago this year.

Glenn spoke with the Jets during a video call on Jan. 9 and then interviewed in person Tuesday.

The Jets also interviewed Brian Flores, Jeff Hafley, Vance Joseph, Mike Locksley, Josh McCown, Matt Nagy, Ron Rivera, Darren Rizzi, Rex Ryan, Bobby Slowik, Arthur Smith, Steve Spagnuolo, Jeff Ulbrich, Mike Vrabel and Joe Whitt Jr. for the job.

But only Glenn received a second interview. And New York didn’t need to think twice about talking to anyone else again.

“I’m excited to welcome Aaron Glenn home as the head coach of the New York Jets,” owner Woody Johnson said in a statement. “Aaron earned this opportunity through almost three decades of NFL experience — 10 with us as a player and a scout.

“He brings tremendous leadership skills and the vision this organization needs to be successful. I am thrilled to see him lead this team.”

Glenn becomes the third Black head coach in the franchise’s history, joining Herm Edwards and Todd Bowles. He’s also the first Black coach to be hired to lead an NFL team during this year’s hiring cycle.

“I’m thankful to Mr. Johnson for this opportunity,” Glenn said. “To our players, prepare to be coached with everything we have. That is our responsibility. I ask that we share the same vision and that’s working toward winning a championship.

“To our fans, simply put, expect a winning team that you will be proud of.”

The Jets also are going through a lengthy search for a general manager, and Washington assistant GM Lance Newmark was at the team’s facility Tuesday as well.

Newmark, one of 15 candidates to interview for the GM job, was the first to get a second meeting with the Jets — like Glenn — but hasn’t agreed to a deal. New York is expected to have second interviews with Denver assistant GM Darren Mougey and Cincinnati executive Trey Brown.

Glenn and the new GM will be tasked with trying to revamp a franchise that has the NFL’s longest active playoff drought at 14 seasons.

Glenn played eight seasons with New York and was selected as one of the cornerbacks on the franchise’s All-Time Four Decade team in 2003.

He later had stints with Houston, Dallas, Jacksonville and New Orleans and finished his career with 41 interceptions, including six returned for touchdowns, and made the Pro Bowl three times.

After his 15-year playing career, Glenn had a stint as the general manager for the Houston Stallions of the Lone Star Football League in 2012 before coming back to the Jets as a personnel scout later that year.

He served as Cleveland’s assistant defensive backs coach from 2014 to 2015 before being hired for the same position in New Orleans. After five seasons with the Saints, he was hired by the Lions as defensive coordinator in 2021.

Joe Namath, the quarterback who led the Jets to their only Super Bowl victory, in 1969, was pleased with the hiring of Glenn.

“I’m hoping all @nyjets fans are as thrilled as my family and I are that Aaron Glenn is our new Head Coach,” Namath wrote on X shortly after the news broke. “I wish the season would start next week!”

The Lions, who lost to Washington last Saturday in the NFC divisional round, now have lost both of their coordinators with Glenn joining the Jets and offensive guru Ben Johnson hired by the Bears.

Glenn will become the sixth first-time full-time head coach to be hired by the Jets since the end of the 2000 season. He joins Edwards, Eric Mangini, Ryan, Bowles and Robert Saleh. All had defensive backgrounds. The only coach the Jets hired during that stretch with an offensive background was Adam Gase in 2019.

Johnson hired The 33rd Team, a football media, analytics and consulting group founded by former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum, to assist them in November. They’ll now turn their attention to bringing in a new front-office leader to replace Joe Douglas, who was fired with the Jets en route to a 5-12 season. Saleh was fired after a 2-3 start and New York went 3-9 under interim coach Ulbrich, who was hired this week as Atlanta’s defensive coordinator.

The major tasks for Glenn and the eventual new GM will be trying to build a roster that returns the Jets to the playoffs after a long absence and determining whether the franchise will have quarterback Aaron Rodgers back next season — if he still wants to play — and possibly beyond.

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A technical tangle for Kansas big man Hunter Dickinson draws ire of coach Bill Self

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Kansas big man Hunter Dickinson grabbed an offensive rebound and had the ball cradled into his body with both arms, with no intention of letting TCU take it away from him.

Coach Bill Self wasn’t pleased with how that play ended for his preseason AP All-America center, who never gave in as Trazarien White tried to wrestle ball away — even after officials blew the whistle in the second half of the 12th-ranked Jayhawks’ 74-61 win at TCU on Wednesday night.

“I thought it was asinine that our guy would hang onto the ball like that,” Self said.

The 7-foot-2 Dickinson and 6-6 White remained tangled even while stumbling out of bounds as whistles blew to stop the action. TCU guard Vasean Allette and freshman Malick Diallo also reached for the ball. Once Dickinson finally gave up the ball, officials reviewed the play and issued technical fouls to both him and White.

“That was a bonehead play. But what made it a bonehead play as much as anything … when the whistle blows, you stop. And I’m sure they blew it several times,” Self said. “Cost us a possession, so yeah, I wasn’t happy to see that at all.”

The Horned Frogs had possession after the tie-up and White responded with an alley-oop dunk on a pass from Noah Reynolds with 12:44 left to put them up 48-47. That was the last time they led the game.

Dickinson, who finished with a team-high 16 points and nine rebounds, wasn’t one of the players that Kansas brought into the postgame interview.

TCU coach Jamie Dixon, who was at the opposite end of the court from where the players got tangled up, had a much different reaction to the play than Self.

“It was unimportant, I guess,” said Dixon, who didn’t think there was anything dirty or vicious about the play.

“I don’t even know what the T’s were for, but I guess the officials told them to stop,” he said. “They didn’t do what they were told to do by the officials.”

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Freshman VJ Edgecombe scores 30 to rally Baylor to a 70-62 win over Kansas State

WACO, Texas (AP) — Freshman VJ Edgecombe scored 20 of his career-high 30 points in the second half to rally Baylor to a 70-62 win over Kansas State on Wednesday night.

The Bears were down a dozen when Dug McDaniel drilled a 3-pointer to put the Wildcats up 40-28 less than four minutes into the second half.

Baylor was down nine when Jalen Celestine made a pair of free throws to ignite a 19-5 run for a 55-40 lead. Edgecombe had 11 points and capped the surge with a 3-pointer. Celestine also had a pair of 3s in that stretch.

Brendan Hausen hit his third 3 of the half to pull Kansas State within 57-56 with just under five minutes to go but Celestine and Edgecombe worked the Bears’ lead back to nine with a minute left.

Celestine scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half for the Bears (12-6, 4-3 Big 12 Conference). Norchad Omier grabbed 13 rebounds for Baylor.

David N’Guessan scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Kansas State (7-11, 1-6), which has lost 15-straight road games and six overall. McDaniel and Hausen both added 12.

McDaniel hit a 3-pointer, Coleman Hawkins converted a three-point play and then McDaniel added a pair of layups for a 10-0 run that helped the Wildcats take a 30-26 lead at the half.

Baylor shot 25% in the first half but 60% in the second, when the Bears made 5 of 8 3s and 15 of 19 free throws with just one turnover.

No. 23 West Virginia plays at Kansas State on Saturday when Baylor plays at Utah.

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Obaseki hits 3-pointer to cap rally in No. 13 Texas A&M’s 63-62 win over No. 16 Mississippi

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Manny Obaseki hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 13 seconds left to cap an 11-2 closing run in No. 13 Texas A&M’s 63-62 victory over No. 16 Mississippi on Wednesday night.

Obaseki’s contested shot from the corner gave Texas A&M (15-4, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) its only lead of the game. Jaemyn Brakefield missed a shot for Ole Miss (15-4, 4-2) with two seconds remaining.

Zhuric Phelps led Texas A&M with 14 points. Obaseki added 12 in 18 minutes in a reserve role, and Pharrel Payne had 10 points.

Sean Pedulla led Mississippi with 16 points. Malik Dia and Jaylen Murray each had 12, and Jaemyn Brakefield added 10.
Takeaways

Texas A&M: The Aggies improved to 2-1 in SEC road games, beating a ranked conference fie for the first time this season. … Two-time All-SEC guard Wade Taylor IV, in his second appearance after missing three games with an injury, had only four points and committed five turnovers.

Mississippi: The Rebels lost for the first time this season at home to fall into a a third-place logjam of six teams with two losses in the SEC standings behind No. 1 Auburn and No. 4 Alabama. Pedulla and Murray had four 3-point shots apiece.
Key moment

Obaseki’s winner capped a decisive 11-2 closing run, highlighted by a 7-0 surge in the final 29 seconds. Ole Miss did not have a basket in the final 3:49.
Key stat

Texas A&M had a 48-31 rebounding edge.
Up next

Both team are back in action Saturday. Texas A&M vis at Texas, and Mississippi is at No. 22 Missouri.

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