Soldiers recover a piece of furniture from a home flooded by a landslide caused by heavy rains in La Paz, Bolivia, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — A landslide caused by heavy rains after a prolonged drought in La Paz, the capital of Bolivia, flooded dozens of homes early Sunday, local authorities said. It swept away a young girl, spurred evacuations and left parts of the city without electricity.
Torrential rain on Saturday caused a river to spill its banks, dislodging mud from a southwestern La Paz neighborhood where low-slung, shoddily built dwellings dot the hillside.
The torrent of rocks and soil surged down a narrow ravine early Sunday, wrecking some two dozen homes and flooding another 40, said Juan Carlos Calvimontes, Bolivia’s deputy civil defense minister.
“I lost my workshop and the cars that I had there are buried,” said auto mechanic Luis Mencias, his voice shaking as he surveyed the sea of debris.
Hours after the rain subsided, rescuers were still searching for a missing 5-year-old girl in the inundated neighborhood of Bajo Llojeta. Emergency workers trudged through the boot-sucking mud on Sunday, pulling at least six residents — suffering from hypothermia, their hair matted with sludge — from the collapsed hillside. Soldiers helped clear mud from the streets.
“My daughter was with her cousins when the mud came,” said Grover Mendoza, the missing girl’s father. “The neighbors rescued my nephews but my daughter was missing.”
The mayor of La Paz, Iván Arias, directly blamed the poor construction of houses perched on the hillside without permits.
“There are irresponsible people who destabilize the hillside and the rains drag it away, affecting the lower-lying neighborhoods,” he said.
In a visit to the site, President Luis Arce delivered aid to flood victims and vowed to hold people responsible for the illegal construction that exacerbated the damage.
“We are shocked by what happened,” he said. “This cannot be left like this. An investigation must be carried out.”
The city of La Paz, nestled in a valley surrounded by high hills, is particularly prone to floods and landslides. Bolivia’s rainy season is just starting after the nation suffered one of its most severe droughts in recent memory.
Pedestrians pass by Uruguay’s national flag and political party banners for sale on the day of the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Uruguayans on Sunday voted in the second round of the country’s presidential election, with the conservative governing party and the left-leaning coalition locked in a close runoff after failing to win an outright majority in last month’s vote.
The closing of polls started a countdown to the announcement of official results as independent polling firms were preparing to release so-called quick counts.
Depending on how tight the vote turns out to be, electoral officials may not call the race for days — as happened in the contentious 2019 runoff that brought center-right President Luis Lacalle Pou to office and ended 15 years of rule by Uruguay’s left-leaning Broad Front.
Uruguay’s staid election has turned into a hard-fought race between Álvaro Delgado, the incumbent party’s candidate who won 27% in the first round of voting on Oct. 27, and Yamandú Orsi from the Broad Front, who took 44% of the vote in the first round.
But other conservative parties that make up the government coalition — in particular, the Colorado Party — notched 20% of the vote collectively, enough to give Delgado an edge over his challenger.
Congress ended up evenly split in the October vote. Most polls have shown a virtual tie between Delgado and Orsi, with nearly 10% of Uruguayan voters undecided even at this late stage. Many said they believed turnout would be low if voting weren’t compulsory in the country.
“Neither candidate convinced me and I feel that there are many in my same situation,” said Vanesa Gelezoglo, 31, in the capital, Montevideo, adding she would make up her mind at “the last minute.”
Analysts say the candidates’ lackluster campaigns and broad consensus on key issues have generated extraordinary indecision and apathy in an election dominated by discussions about social spending and concerns over income inequality but largely free of the anti-establishment rage that has vaulted populist outsiders to power elsewhere.
“The question of whether Frente Amplio (the Broad Front) raises taxes is not an existential question, unlike what we saw in the U.S. with Trump and Kamala framing each other as threats to democracy,” said Nicolás Saldías, a Latin America and Caribbean senior analyst for the London-based Economist Intelligence Unit. “That doesn’t exist in Uruguay.”
Both candidates are also appealing to voter angst over a surge in violent crime that has shaken a nation long regarded as one of the region’s safest, with Delgado promising tough-on-crime policies and Orsi advocating a more community-oriented approach.
Delgado, 55, a rural veterinarian with a long career in the National Party, campaigned on a vow to continue the legacy of current President Lacalle Pou — in some ways making the election into a referendum on his leadership. He campaigned under the slogan “re-elect a good government.”
While a string of corruption scandals rattled Lacalle Pou’s government last year, the president — who constitutionally cannot run for a second consecutive term — now enjoys high approval ratings and a strong economy expected to grow 3.2% this year, according to the International Monetary Fund. Inflation has also eased in recent months, boosting his coalition.
Delgado served most recently as Secretary of the Presidency for Lacalle Pou and promises to pursue his predecessor’s pro-business policies. He would continue pushing for a trade deal with China that has raised hackles in Mercosur, an alliance of South American countries promoting regional commerce.
“We have to give the government coalition a chance to consolidate its proposals,” said Ramiro Pérez, a street vendor voting for Delgado on Sunday.
Orsi, 57, a former history teacher and two-time mayor from a working-class background, is widely seen as the political heir to iconic former President José “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-Marxist guerilla who raised Uruguay’s international profile as one of the region’s most socially liberal and environmentally sustainable nations during his 2010-2015 term.
His Broad Front coalition oversaw the legalization of abortion, same-sex marriage and the sale of marijuana in the small South American nation of 3.4 million people.
“He’s my candidate, not only for my sake but also for my children’s,” Yeny Varone, a nurse, said of Orsi. “In the future they’ll have better working conditions, health and salaries.”
Mujica, now 89 and recovering from esophageal cancer, was among the first to cast his ballot after polls opened.
“Uruguay is a small country, but it has earned recognition for being stable, for having a citizenry that respects institutional formalities,” he told reporters from his local polling station. “This is no small feat.”
While promising to forge a “new left” in Uruguay, Orsi plans no dramatic changes. He proposes tax incentives to lure investment and social security reforms that would lower the retirement age but fall short of a radical overhaul sought by Uruguay’s unions.
The contentious plebiscite on whether to boost pension payouts failed to pass in October, with Uruguayans rejecting generous pensions in favor of fiscal constraint.
Both candidates pledged full cooperation with each other if elected.
“I want (Orsi) to know that my idea is to form a government of national unity,” Delgado told reporters after casting his vote in the capital’s upscale Pocitos neighborhood. He said that if he won, he and Orsi would chat on Monday over some yerba mate, the traditional herbal drink beloved by Uruguayans.
Orsi similarly pledged a smooth and respectful transition of power, describing Sunday’s democratic exercise as “an incredible experience” as he voted in Canelones, the sprawling town of beaches and cattle ranches just north of Montevideo where he served as mayor for a decade.
“The essence of politics is agreements,” he said. “You never end up completely satisfied.”
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Associated Press writer Isabel DeBre in Villa Tunari, Bolivia, contributed to this report.
A man walks past Rimon Market, a Kosher grocery store managed by the late Rabbi Zvi Kogan, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel said Sunday that the body of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi who went missing in the United Arab Emirates has been found after he was killed in what it described as a “heinous antisemitic terror incident.”
The UAE’s Interior Ministry later said authorities arrested three suspects involved in the killing of Zvi Kogan.
The statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel “will act with all means to seek justice with the criminals responsible for his death.” Israeli authorities did not say how they determined the killing of Kogan was a terror attack and offered no additional details.
Kogan, 28, an ultra-Orthodox rabbi who went missing on Thursday, ran a kosher grocery store in the futuristic city of Dubai, where Israelis have flocked for commerce and tourism since the two countries forged diplomatic ties in the 2020 Abraham Accords.
The agreement has held through more than a year of soaring regional tensions unleashed by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack into southern Israel. But Israel’s devastating retaliatory offensive in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon, after months of fighting with the Hezbollah militant group, have stoked anger among Emiratis, Arab nationals and others living in the the UAE.
Iran, which supports Hamas and Hezbollah, has also been threatening to retaliate against Israel after a wave of airstrikes Israel carried out in October in response to an Iranian ballistic missile attack.
The Emirati government did not respond to a request for comment. However, senior Emirati diplomat Anwer Gargash wrote on the social platform X in Arabic on Sunday that “the UAE will remain a home of safety, an oasis of stability, a society of tolerance and coexistence and a beacon of development, pride and advancement.”
Early on Sunday, the UAE’s state-run WAM news agency acknowledged Kogan’s disappearance but pointedly did not acknowledge he held Israeli citizenship, referring to him only as being Moldovan. The Emirati Interior Ministry described Kogan as being “missing and out of contact.”
“Specialized authorities immediately began search and investigation operations upon receiving the report,” the Interior Ministry said.
The ministry later said that three “perpetrators” had been arrested “in record time” without giving additional details.
Netanyahu told a regular Cabinet meeting later Sunday that he was “deeply shocked” by Kogan’s disappearance and death. He said he appreciated the cooperation of the UAE in the investigation and that ties between the two countries would continue to be strengthened.
Israel’s largely ceremonial president, Isaac Herzog, condemned the killing and thanked Emirati authorities for “their swift action.” He said he trusts they “will work tirelessly to bring the perpetrators to justice.”
Israel also again warned against all nonessential travel to the Emirates after Kogan’s killing.
“There is concern that there is still a threat against Israelis and Jews in the area,” a government warning issued Sunday said.
Kogan was an emissary of the Chabad Lubavitch movement, a prominent and highly observant branch of ultra-Orthodox Judaism based in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood in New York City. It said he was last seen in Dubai. The UAE has a burgeoning Jewish community, with synagogues and businesses catering to kosher diners.
The Rimon Market, a kosher grocery store that Kogan managed on Dubai’s busy Al Wasl Road, was shut Sunday. As the wars have roiled the region, the store has been the target of online protests by supporters of the Palestinians. Mezuzahs on the front and back doors of the market appeared to have been ripped off when an Associated Press journalist stopped by on Sunday.
Kogan’s wife, Rivky, is a U.S. citizen who lived with him in the UAE. She is the niece of Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, who was killed in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
In a statement, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett called Kogan’s killing “a horrific crime against all those who stand for peace, tolerance, and coexistence.”
“We condemn in the strongest terms the murder of Rabbi Zvi Kogan in the UAE and our prayers are with his family, the Chabad-Lubavitch community, the broader Jewish community, and all who are mourning his loss,” Savett said.
The UAE is an autocratic federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula and is also home to Abu Dhabi. Local Jewish officials in the UAE declined to comment.
While the Israeli statement did not mention Iran, Iranian intelligence services have carried out past kidnappings in the UAE.
Western officials believe Iran runs intelligence operations in the UAE and keeps tabs on the hundreds of thousands of Iranians living across the country.
Iran is suspected of kidnapping and later killing British Iranian national Abbas Yazdi in Dubai in 2013, though Tehran has denied involvement. Iran also kidnapped Iranian German national Jamshid Sharmahd in 2020 from Dubai, taking him back to Tehran, where he was executed in October.
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Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates
TYLER – Michael Jones, 31, has had his bond reduction request denied by a Smith County Judge after he and Kerry Jones, 34, were arrested on charges concerning dogfighting after 60 dogs and two cats were seized from a Tyler property on Sept. 9. Michael’s mother, Brenda, took the stand during the Tuesday hearing. She testified the dogs belonged to Michael’s brother, Kerry. He is also facing charges. Brenda called Michael a “nurturer” and says he cared for his puppies. At one point, she tried pleading the fifth when asked about dogfighting. Michael’s bond will remain at $700,000. Kerry’s is set for $560,000.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Matviy, a 6-year-old boy, has been attending a school named Ridne Slovo, which means "native word" in Ukrainian, for two years and primarily focusing on reading and writing in Ukrainian -- to become fluent in his mother tongue, despite being separated from it by thousands of miles.
Ukrainian Saturday school in Vancouver is not just about the educational process -- it is, rather, about building the Ukrainian community, letting children preserve their attachment to Ukraine, their motherland, said Yulia, the mother of the boy.
This educational project of New Westminster Eparchy was established in 2014 by local Ukrainian families, who were interested in more diverse and comprehensive Ukrainian-speaking educational curriculum in comparison with the regular Canadian schools.
After more than 20 years in Canada, Yulia now serves as a head of the parents' council of the school, saying that joining the school was not even a matter of choice: "We want our son to feel himself a part of the community, to understand that he is not alone and his parents are not the only Ukrainians around," she said.
At the very beginning, there were only several dozens of pupils in the school. But this year the number has grown to 160 children -- the smallest is just over 2 years old and the eldest is 14 years old, said Iryna Dziubko, a school administrator.
"A lot of newcomers from Ukraine joined the school -- now there is an equal split between them and children who didn't directly flee the full-scale Russian invasion," Dziubko said.
As she sees it, these new students have changed the vibe of the school as children began to use Ukrainian language during the breaks and before that the school administration were struggling with English language in the corridors.
"The actual war refugees helped us deal with this problem enabling local children to practice Ukrainian language not only during classes," she said.
Fifteen teachers, including seven people who have also recently relocated from Ukraine, teach children how to write and read in Ukrainian, Ukrainian studies, history, math, logic and Bible studies, as preparation for the first communion.
"At first it was all about providing mostly Ukrainian cultural studies but now, with the new wave of children from Ukraine, we understood that we also can level up the general knowledge criteria," Dziubko said. The school is also trying to help young Ukrainians to overcome the war traumas, in part by pushing the student to study -- but also to relax and enjoy themselves, she said.
Ihor, 40, an IT specialist who relocated his family from Lviv, Ukraine, on March 1, 2022, just a week after the full-scale invasion began, said he and his wife are trying to help to their two boys, 13 and 11, and 9-year-old daughter, experience the benefits of attending the Canadian and Ukrainian schools at the same time.
"Our eldest son had a traumatic experience with the school back in Ukraine, he literally hated it against the background of the Canadian school he attends here -- it was about the indifference of the teachers and cruelty among the students," Ihor said.
He said he wanted his children to know why it is so important for them to learn about Ukrainian culture and identity.
"It is all about remembering where you are from, about having friends in here and enjoying the community of your own," Ihor said.
As he sees it, for parents this school is about community and cultural opportunity to keep holding to Ukrainian identity and consciousness in order to secure its transit to their children.
"I became a volunteer in this school, trying to be a role model and help my children with adaptation, to involve them into the learning process in the new surroundings," said Olena.
She said she found the school while in Sri-Lanka, browsing online for schooling opportunities for her children. Her daughter, Maggie, is almost 9 years old and son, Misha, is 6, and both have been attending Ridne Slovo since last winter.
"My children got used to this school despite the fact that they assigned more homework in a week than it has been assigned during the whole year in the Canadian school."
The whole family arrived in Sri-Lanka three days before the Russian invasion to Ukraine, hoping to spend their two weeks' vacation there, but got stuck. They attended a local British school for 18 months. Back then, Olena realized that she had to start speaking Ukrainian instead of Russian.
"My husband is British and I am the only keeper of the Ukrainian heritage in our family -- I bite it off with my teeth," she said. "So, it was my decision to let our children attend this school as Ukrainian language is now very important, although it was not a part of our family before the war -- all of us were Russian speaking."
"Sri-Laka it is almost India, India is a friend of Russia, and the Russians feel themselves very comfortable there -- like somewhere in Krasnodar region," she said. "There were a lot of them there and if you are speaking Russian there is almost no difference between you and them. So, they tend to make you one of them -- saying that we are all together in the same boat, let's hug each other and cry together."
Therefore, the family relocated to Vancouver and there, in this school, Olena was deliberately looking for other Ukrainian-speaking children, hoping that they would interact more and become friends with her daughter and son.
"I hope, my children will understand who they are, where are they from -- it is very important in here -- in Canada where there are so many people representing different races and nationalities," she said.
The language issue is also a key argument for Yevhen, 34, whose family moved to Canada 2 years ago after spending 8 years in Poland. He and his Polish wife are raising three children and the eldest son, 5, attends Ukrainian school.
"The language is the main issue for me -- one of my biggest fears is that my children will not speak Ukrainian," said Yevhen, who speaks four languages fluently. It was a matter of Yevhen's personal choice to switch from Russian to Ukrainian when he turned 16 and decided to change his name to Yevhen, instead of the more Russian Yevheniy, on his passport.
"Our son was born in Poland, we are raising him in Canada, he has never got to know Ukraine for real, so, this school is the only option for us to build up some identity in him, give him the understanding who he is," he said, adding, "I want him to promote Ukrainian culture, proving that it is as good as the others."
The school has become a central part of the lives of some who fled the war, even if they didn't initially intend it to become so. Alina Novytska, from Dnipro, Ukraine, was not a teacher back in her home city, but 5 years ago she joined this school community. First here two girls attended, and then she became a teacher. Now she is responsible for Ukrainian language classes, Ukrainian studies and Bible studies curriculum. "Smaller children are just singing songs about God and others are preparing for the First Communion," she said.
As a professional graphic designer, Alina is also involved in creative workshops and art classes with children. Currently teachers are using workbooks from Ukraine, adopting them according to their schedule. Alina said she sees a difference between newcomers and children who were born in Canada or have been here for a while.
"Due to the peculiarities of the educational system and methodology, it is easier for us to work with children from Ukraine as they are more disciplined, they are listening to the teacher, are precisely following all instructions and need no additional incentives," she said.
At the same time, the newcomers also tend to demonstrate a generally higher level of knowledge if compared to the schoolers of the same age from Canada. But, as Alina said, it is not just about education: "Some parents may barely afford this school as it is not free of charge but their children are the ones who are asking to let them have this small native island."
Ridne Slovo serves as a native island for the children of Father Mykhailo Ozorovych, the abbot of the Holy Eucharist Cathedral in New Westminster and the director of the school.
"As a married priest and father, I can see how important the community, other children and this experience of each other, this growth in knowledge, in Ukrainian culture is important for my children," he said.
In Ozorovych's opinion, being Ukrainian means not just language, embroidery and borscht -- it is something bigger and different, it is a way of thinking, way of life, attitude to the world.
On the one hand, the director admits that the religion is not a must at school and it is just offering more to the children in comparison to the regular schools in Canada. On the other hand, he insists that Ukrainians have to keep together making sure that the children have strong Christian connections. He called his school the investment into the future victory of Ukraine.
"At some point, the war will be over," he said, "there will be a time for the renewal and I want these children, these teachers, all together to rebuild Ukraine."
Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., a prominent ally of Donald Trump, said voters don't care who conducts background checks into the president-elect's Cabinet picks and that Trump would fire members of his administration who don't follow the policy he sets out.
In an interview with "This Week" co-anchor Jonathan Karl, Hagerty lambasted the records of some of President Joe Biden's Cabinet members and insisted that Trump will command compliance from top members of his upcoming administration.
Name-checking Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for the bloody withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, Hagerty said, “They've not been held to account.”
"President Trump will fire people that don't do their job well. I fully expect everybody coming into the Cabinet will listen to President Trump. They'll let him set the policy, and they'll execute according to that plan."
Trump has moved at a rapid pace to flesh out his Cabinet, including picking Fox News host and Army veteran Pete Hegseth to lead the Pentagon, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii to be director of national intelligence and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
Trump also tapped former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to head the Justice Department after former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., withdrew from consideration amid a tumultuous sexual misconduct investigation in the House Ethics Committee.
Hagerty said Trump hopes to have his Cabinet nominees swiftly confirmed, telling Karl that Trump "clearly expects to hit the ground running" and "wants us to have these hearings done quickly and expeditiously."
However, others besides Gaetz have been hit with scandal.
Kennedy has been a prominent vaccine skeptic and supported abortion access, riling anti-abortion groups allied with Trump. Gabbard has blamed the U.S. and NATO for Russia's invasion of Ukraine and met with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. And Hegseth is mired in a sexual misconduct controversy over payments to a woman who alleges he assaulted her at a conference.
With Gaetz out of the running, the spotlight has mostly shifted to Hegseth, who has also ruffled feathers by saying that he doesn't agree that women should serve in combat roles in the military.
Hagerty praised Hegseth and insisted that the Trump transition team has thoroughly vetted all of its candidates -- but that he isn't concerned with who does a formal background check on them before the confirmation process formally begins.
"Don't let these allegations distract us. What we need is real significant change. The Pentagon has been more focused on pronouns than they have lethality the past four years. We need to get back to business, and I think Pete is just the person to do it," Hagerty said.
"The transition team has been working for months to prepare for this. I'm certain that there was significant vetting that has taken place, it has for every candidate," Hagerty added.
FBI background checks have been standard practice for nominees requiring Senate confirmation, but the Trump transition team has yet to sign the necessary agreements to allow such screenings to occur.
However, while some Republican senators have said they'd like to see an FBI background check done on Hegseth, Hagerty said, "I don't think the American public cares who does the background checks. What the American public cares about is to see the mandate that they voted in delivered upon."
Hagerty also said that he supports the use of recess appointments -- allowing Trump to temporarily put Cabinet picks in office while Congress is out of session -- though he did demur when pressed by Karl over whether Trump would do so if the person lacked sufficient Republican support to be confirmed in the Senate.
"I haven't spoken with President Trump about the specific plans. What he wants to do is see these appointments made quickly. He wants to see us get through the confirmation process. And again, I think everything should be on the table," he said.
Democratic Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar emphasized Sunday the importance of FBI background checks for Trump's Cabinet nominees, which she said was necessary for their confirmation.
"I want to make a decision on each one of them on the merits, as I've done in the past, and I can't do that without the background checks," Klobuchar told ABC "This Week" co-anchor Jonathan Karl. "Why wouldn't we get these background checks for the most important job in the United States government?"
Klobuchar expressed concern that the Trump transition team has yet to sign the necessary agreements to allow such screenings to occur, and she believes this will create "a delay in getting these Cabinet officials in."
Klobuchar said she "of course" has concerns about Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general who Trump selected for his attorney general after former Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration, but she plans to meet with her and hear her out.
"Does it concern me that revenge would be part of [Bondi's] mission? Of course it does," she said. "I hope that's not the case. I hope that what she wants to do is uphold the Constitution, because that is a really important job."
During Trump's first term, Klobuchar voted against both of his attorney general nominees, Jeff Sessions and William Barr, but voted yes on about half of his nominees.
When asked what it would take for her to vote to confirm Bondi, Klobuchar said she "doesn't know yet."
"I never weigh in unless it's something as absurd as Matt Gaetz," she said, emphasizing her disapproval of Trump's initial attorney general selection.
Klobuchar added she is "concerned with all these nominees," pointing to Pete Hegseth's comments opposing women in combat and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s questioning of vaccines.
She emphasized the need for Cabinet members to have "views consistent with the American people," in addition to having the necessary qualifications.
However, she added, “As with every nominee, I believe you need to hear them out.”
In regards to Trump making recess appointments and whether Cabinet nominees could be approved without Senate confirmation, Klobuchar said, "I don't think that's going to happen." She cited "a number" of Republican senators who have "both publicly and privately" said "they will not go along with that."
DENVER (AP) — Naji Marshall scored a career-high 26 points, P.J. Washington had 22 points and 13 rebounds, and the Dallas Mavericks recovered after blowing a 24-point lead to beat the Denver Nuggets 123-120 on Friday night in an NBA Cup game.
Playing without Luka Doncic, Dallas built a 20-point halftime lead by was down by five before Washington scored nine points in the final 2:41 to improve to 2-1 in the West Group C. Denver was eliminated from the knockout round.
Doncic will be out at least four games with a right wrist sprain.
Nikola Jokic returned from a three-game absence to notch his sixth triple-double of the season. Jokic, who didn’t go on the three-game road trip while he and his wife waited for the birth of their second child, finished with 33 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists.
Russell Westbrook scored 16 points.
Dallas led 77-53 early in the third quarter but the Nuggets rallied to take a 113-108 lead late in the fourth. The Mavericks went on an 11-2 run to lead 119-115 with 50 seconds left.
Takeaways
Mavericks: Showed their depth without their best player. Seven players scored in double figures.
Nuggets: Christian Braun had 17 points and is the only player to score in double figures in every game this season. Jokic has scored at least 10 points in every game he has played.
Key moment
With the game tied at 113 with 1:52 remaining, Dereck Lively II blocked layups by Jokic and Westbrook in a span of 30 seconds.
Key stat
Westbrook entered Friday night shooting 30.4% from 3-point range in his career and made 4 of 6, including all three in the fourth quarter.
Up next
The Mavericks visit the Miami Heat on Sunday night while the Nuggets head to Los Angeles to play the Lakers on Saturday night.
HOUSTON (AP) — Anfernee Simons scored 25 points and Shaedon Sharpe added 24 as the Portland Trail Blazers bounced back from a tough loss with a 104-98 win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night.
The victory came after Portland was blown out 116-88 by the Rockets in an NBA Cup game Friday night.
The Trail Blazers led by three late before Alperen Sengun cut the lead to 99-98 on a shot in the paint with 21 seconds left.
Portland got two free throws apiece from Deni Avdija and Sharpe to make it 103-98 with 4.3 seconds remaining. Simons added another free throw after a technical foul on Fred Van Vleet to secure the win.
Houston’s Dillon Brooks and Sharpe had to be separated after they got tangled up fighting for a rebound with about two minutes left. Brooks had to be pulled away from Simons after Brooks took issue with Simons pushing him away from the fray.
Sharpe was called for a loose ball foul on the play and Simons and Brooks both received technical fouls.
Sengun had 22 points and Amen Thompson added 19 points off the bench for the Rockets.
Takeaways
Trail Blazers: They showed grit in putting Friday’s loss behind them and moving quickly to snap a two-game skid.
Rockets: Houston needs to play more consistently after a poor offensive showing Saturday night a game after Friday’s big offensive outing when the team made 15 3-pointers.
Key moment
Simons scored five quick points to make it 99-96 with less than 30 seconds to go, putting the Trail Blazers on top for good. He made a layup before hitting a 3-pointer after a block by Avdija.
Key stat
The Blazers made 18 of 44 3-pointers and Houston managed just 8 of 32 attempts with Jalen Green going 1 for 9.
Up next
The Trail Blazers visit Memphis on Monday night and the Rockets visit Minnesota on Tuesday night.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Victor Wembanyama scored 25 points, Harrison Barnes had 22 and the San Antonio Spurs overcame a 17-point third-quarter deficit to beat the Golden State Warriors 104-94 on Saturday night.
Wembanyama added nine assists, seven rebounds and three blocks in his return from a three-game absence with a bruised right knee.
San Antonio rookie Stephon Castle added 19 points and stole the dribble from Golden State’s Stephen Curry behind the 3-point line with 1:46 remaining to preserve an eight-point lead.
Andrew Wiggins had 20 points and Curry had 14 points for the Warriors, who had won two straight. Trayce Jackson-Davis added 12 points and eight rebounds.
San Antonio went on an 11-0 run for a 97-90 lead with Castle and Wembanyama accounting for all but two points. Golden State was held scoreless for 4 1/2 minutes and did not make a field goal for 5:19.
The Spurs were without Devin Vassell (bruised left knee bone), Keldon Johson (right hamstring tightness) and Jeremy Sochan (left thumb surgery).
Takeaways
Warriors: Golden State’s bench, which was averaging 54 points, was held to 36 points.
Spurs: Prior to its fourth quarter surge, San Antonio’s only previously led for 22 seconds. Barnes hit the opening basket on a cutting layup 21 seconds into the first quarter. Golden State then went on an 11-0 run for a 20-8 lead.
Key moment
Castle scored on a driving layup with 4:25 remaining to spark the Spurs’ closing run. He followed that with a 3-pointer from 27 feet, Wembanyama drained a 3 from 31 feet and Castle made one of two free throws to put the Spurs up 97-90 with 2:28 remaining.
Key stat
San Antonio outscored Golden State 33-13 in the final quarter.
Up next
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chris Woodward has been named first base coach by the Los Angeles Dodgers, marking his second stint on manager Dave Roberts’ staff.
The Dodgers made the announcement Friday night. Woodward was the Dodgers first base coach from 2016-18 before leaving to take over as manager of the Texas Rangers.
Woodward fills the opening created after former first base coach Clayton McCullough became manager of the Miami Marlins.
Woodward had a 211-287 record in nearly four seasons with the Rangers. He has been a senior advisor on the Dodgers’ Major League and Player Development staff for the past two seasons.
Dodgers executive vice president and general manager Brandon Gomes said Woodward will take over base running and infield responsibilities with third base coach Dino Ebel shifting to outfield duties.
FILE – Brooke Rollins speaks at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden, Oct. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that he will nominate former White House aide Brooke Rollins to be his agriculture secretary, the last of his picks to lead executive agencies and another choice from within his established circle of advisers and allies.
The nomination must be confirmed by the Senate, which will be controlled by Republicans when Trump takes office Jan. 20, 2025. Rollins would succeed Tom Vilsack, President Joe Biden’s agriculture secretary who oversees the sprawling agency that controls policies, regulations and aid programs related to farming, forestry, ranching, food quality and nutrition.
Rollins, an attorney who graduated from Texas A&M University with an undergraduate degree in agricultural development, is a longtime Trump associate who served as White House domestic policy chief during his first presidency. The 52-year-old is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration. Rollins previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. She worked as a litigation attorney in Dallas and also clerked for a federal judge in the Northern District of Texas after earning her law degree from the University of Texas.
The pick completes Trump’s selection of the heads of executive branch departments, just two and a half weeks after the former president won the White House once again. Several other picks that are traditionally Cabinet-level remain, including U.S. Trade Representative and head of the small business administration.
Rollins, speaking on the Christian talk show “Family Talk” earlier this year, said Trump was an “amazing boss” and confessed that she thought in 2015, during his first presidential campaign that he would not last as a candidate in a crowded Republican primary field.
“I was the person that said, ‘Oh, Donald Trump is not going to go more than two or three weeks in the Republican primary. This is to up his TV show ratings. And then we’ll get back to normal,’” she said. “Fast forward a couple of years, and I am running his domestic policy agenda.”
Trump didn’t offer many specifics about his agriculture policies during the campaign, but farmers could be affected if he carries out his pledge to impose widespread tariffs. During the first Trump administration, countries like China responded to Trump’s tariffs by imposing retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports like the corn and soybeans routinely sold overseas. Trump countered by offering massive multibillion-dollar aid to farmers to help them weather the trade war.
President Abraham Lincoln founded the USDA in 1862, when about half of all Americans lived on farms. The USDA oversees multiple support programs for farmers; animal and plant health; and the safety of meat, poultry and eggs that anchor the nation’s food supply. Its federal nutrition programs provide food to low-income people, pregnant women and young children. And the agency sets standards for school meals.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, has vowed to strip ultraprocessed foods from school lunches and to stop allowing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program beneficiaries from using food stamps to buy soda, candy or other so-called junk foods. But it would be the USDA, not HHS, that would be responsible for enacting those changes.
In addition, HHS and USDA will work together to finalize the 2025-2030 edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. They are due late next year, with guidance for healthy diets and standards for federal nutrition programs.
___ Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Associated Press writers Josh Funk and JoNel Aleccia contributed to this report.
TYLER, Texas (KETK) – Darius Jubarn’e Davis was sentenced to 45 years in prison on Nov. 15 after he was arrested in connection to a Tyler shooting that injured a 3-year-old in March.
Darius Jubarn’e Davis, 31 of Tyler, pleaded guilty to unlawful possesion of a firearm by a felon and manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance between four and 200 grams, according to our news partner KETK. Initially, Davis was also charged and indicted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon but that charge was dropped. Judicial records show that he was sentenced to 45 years in state prison for the firearm charge and 20 years for the controlled substance charge.
Davis was arrested in March after a 3-year-old was hit in the buttocks by a bullet and had to be taken to a local hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
The 45-year sentence and the 20-year sentence both started on Nov. 15. Davis was given a 248-day jail credit, according to Smith County Jail records.
AUSTIN (AP) — Quinn Ewers threw two first-half touchdown passes to Gunnar Helm and No. 3 Texas beat Kentucky 31-14 on Saturday to stay on top of the Southeastern Conference in the Longhorns’ first year in the league.
Quintrevion Wisner ran for 158 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown for Texas (10-1, 6-1, No. 3 CFP ). The Longhorns can earn a berth in the SEC title game when they face No. 15 Texas A&M next week as that rivalry resumes after a 12-year break.
“Back-to-back 10 wins seasons, but more work to do. Obviously, we’ve got a big game next week,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “What that game means to the entire state of Texas. It’s so cool we’re playing the game again.”
Texas’ final home game of the regular season also looked like it could be Ewers’ last home game in burnt orange if the Longhorns don’t host a College Football Playoff game. The three-year starter has a year of college eligibility left but took part in Texas’ senior day pregame celebrations.
Ewers considered leaving for the NFL after leading Texas to the playoff last season. He has dealt with a nagging abdomen injury that forced him to miss two and a half games this season.
He deflected questions about his future after the game.
“I’m just glad we won,” Ewers said. “We’ll see what happens from here on out.”
Ewers was 20-of-31 passing for 191 yards in an uneven performance to push his record to 24-7 as as starter.
His first touchdown pass to Helm came on Texas’ opening drive. Ewers rolled to his left on 4th-and-goal and found Helm roaming in the back of the end zone. The second came on a touch pass where Helm had to reach high and absorb a big hit at the touchline to make it 21-7.
“I really like throwing the football to him,” Ewers said.
Kentucky (4-7, 1-7) cut the lead to 24-14 on Jamon Dumas-Johnson’s 25-yard touchdown return after a Ewers fumble in the third quarter.
Wisner’s power running took over late in the fourth quarter before he pushed in for a 1-yard score. Texas bled 8 minutes off the clock and ran 12 times in a 15-play drive.
Sarkisian called it a “culture, attitude drive.”
“Being able close out the clock and send it home means a lot,” Wisner said.
The Takeaway
Kentucky: Backup quarterback Cutter Boley replaced starter Brock Vandagriff in the third quarter and put some life in the Wildcats’ offense with 160 yards passing. But Kentucky needed to beat Texas and then Louisville next week to keep its eight-year bowl game streak alive.
“The bowl game streak is gone. It hurts. It’s not fun. It’s something we were proud of and you can’t take that stuff for granted,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said.
Texas: The defense continued its dominant form. Texas has not allowed an opponent to score in the first quarter in eight times this season. The defense held again in the third quarter when the Wildcats had first down at the Texas 1-yard line. The drive went back 15 yards before a missed field goal.
Poll Position
Texas should stay put at No. 3 with a solid win but no real room to move up before their showdown with the Aggies next weekend.
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FORT WORTH (AP) — Josh Hoover threw for 252 yards and a touchdown and JP Richardson had 149 all-purpose yards and a 38-yard touchdown reception to lead TCU over Arizona 49-28 on Saturday.
On the first play from scrimmage, Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita was intercepted by Bud Clark and TCU scored five plays later on Trent Battle’s 4-yard run.
The Horned Frogs scored touchdowns on five straight drives, going at least 75 yards on nine or more plays on three of the possessions.
TCU (7-4, 5-3 Big 12) drove 75 yards in 12 plays in the final 1:55 of the first half to take a 21-13 lead on Savion Williams’ 20-yard run. Hoover completed five passes on the drive, including gains of 24, 19, and 24 yards to set up Williams’ score with 20 seconds left in the half.
The Horned Frogs took the second-half kickoff and drove 76 yards in nine plays to build a 28-13 lead on Battle’s 1-yard run.
“We had two series where it didn’t look very good, but the last drive of the first half and the second half were the two pivotal moments of the game,” TCU coach Sonny Dykes said.
Richardson’s 33-yard punt return to the Arizona 34 set up a third touchdown in three possessions. He caught a short pass over the middle from Hoover and raced untouched 38 yards for the score and a 35-13 lead. Richardson led TCU with six catches for 107 yards.
Four TCU running backs scored a touchdown, including Williams, who rushed for 80 yards and two scores. Battle also rushed for 28 yards and two scores.
Fifita was 29 of 44 for 284 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for Arizona (4-7, 2-6). Tetairoa McMillan made nine catches for 115 yards.
“Everyone is disappointed. It’s hard when you go through a season like this,” Arizona coach Brent Brennan said. “It’s challenging on every level. I love these players.”
Scoop and score
Arizona defensive lineman Sterling Lane II picked up a fumble from TCU backup quarterback Ken Seals with just over a minute left in the game and ran it 70 yards for a touchdown to cap the scoring.
Nipped in the Bud
Clark leads the Horned Frogs with three interceptions, including one in each of the past two games. He is tied for fifth-most in the Big 12.
Passing your coach
McMillan became Arizona’s all-time leading receiver, passing his wide receivers coach Bobby Wade for the top spot. McMillan had nine receptions for a game-high 115 yards. He has 78 receptions for 1,251 yards this season and 207 receptions for 3,355 yards in his career. Wade finished his four-year career with 3,351 receiving yards in 2002.
The takeaway
Arizona: The Wildcats, who started the season in the AP Top 25 poll, will not be bowl-eligible this season with a game remaining under Brennan. A year ago under coach Jedd Fisch, who is now at Washington, Arizona advanced to the Alamo Bowl for the first time since 2017.
TCU: The Horned Frogs, who became bowl-eligible two weeks ago, won their third consecutive game at Amon Carter Stadium after losing two in a row to UCF and Houston. TCU has won four of its past five, the only blemish a 37-34 last-second loss at Baylor.
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