Camila Alves says Matthew McConaughey brings ‘so much joy’ in birthday tribute

(L-R) Levi McConaughey, Matthew McConaughey, Livingston McConaughey, Camila Alves McConaughey, and Vida McConaughey

Camila Alves is celebrating her husband Matthew McConaughey in the sweetest way on his birthday.

The Oscar winner turned 55 on Monday.

In an Instagram video she shared on Monday, Alves and McConaughey are seen riding on a motorbike of some sort and cruising through the streets at night with music playing.

She wrote in the caption of the post, "Today we celebrate you!"

Alves then goes on to say that she and her family have been celebrating McConaughey all weekend before saying, "you bring so much Joy Matthew… but I am stopping here before I get all sentimental…!"

"To more sleigh street rides celebrating YOU!" she added.

In the past, Alves and McConaughey have taken to Instagram to celebrate their family’s milestones, especially birthdays.

For her birthday in January, McConaughey shared a photo of the both of them and called Alves a "hot mamma" in the caption of the post.

The duo tied the knot on June 9, 2012 after first meeting in 2006.

Prior to getting married, they welcomed their son Levi, 15, in 2008, and daughter Vida, 14, in 2010.

They welcomed their son Livingston during the same year of their wedding in 2012.

 

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FBI command post ‘triaging’ election threats to share with state and local partners

ABC News

Since Nov. 1, an FBI command post has been operating 24/7 and will continue to for at least nine days to to ensure the election is safe and secure.

"This command post is an opportunity for us to bring people together, all the different subject matter experts here in the FBI at headquarters and in the field, and we bring in our partners so the intelligence and threats that come in, and we can disseminate that information to the key partners, which is state and local officials around the United States," said Jim Barnacle, deputy assistant director of the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division.

The command post is staffed with 80 people from more than a dozen agencies from the U.S. Capitol Police to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

The FBI is focused on criminal threats, such as threats to election workers, foreign malign influence, cyberthreats and acts of violence.

Barnacle said there have been some foreign operations that they have seen as well as "some attempted cyber attacks."

"Russia, China and Iran are seeking to influence us, government, policy and politics for their benefit, they are also looking to undermine democracy, sow discord and undermine Washington's standing in the world," he said.

Last week, the intelligence community found that Russian actors were behind a video purporting to show Haitian migrants voting in Georgia.
MORE: Law enforcement on alert for Election Day threats, new report says

Also in Georgia, there was a denial of service attack on the secretary of state's office. Officials are ready for those incidents to occur and stress there is no material impacting on voting, Barnacle said.

"The FBI is looking at all those threats that come in here in the command post," he said. "We're triaging that information."

Barnacle said the FBI learned from its 2016 and 2020 operations and have improved its communications. When it comes to physical threats, he said it's important for state and locals to have the information they need to act.

"We've learned our lessons in the past," he said. "We are trying to share information."

The FBI isn't monitoring social media and wants to ensure the First Amendment is followed, but when threats are made that is when they step in.

People are more aware about how to report things that happen than in years past, but that has resulted in only a smaller uptick in reporting incidents, he said.

"That's what we're asking people to do when they see a threat of violence or they see a foreign malign influence operation, we're asking people, if they see threats of violence or they see criminal activity, to report that to state and local election officials and law enforcement," he said.

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In brief: ‘The Crown’s’ Dominic West headed to ‘The Agency’ and more

Dominic West has landed a guest-starring role in the upcoming Paramount+ with Showtime series The Agency alongside Michael Fassbender, Jeffrey Wright, Jodie Turner-Smith and Richard Gere, according to Variety. Based on the hit French spy show The BureauThe Agency follows a covert CIA agent, played by Fassbender, home from a six-year mission in Damascus. As he's struggling to let go of his false identity and the woman with whom he had an affair, he gets caught between a French foreign intelligence agency and the CIA. West will play the director of the CIA. The series is set to launch with two episodes streaming Nov. 29 before its linear TV debut on Dec. 1 ...

Mattel's animated Bob the Builder feature, being co-produced by ShadowMachine and Jennifer Lopez's Nuyorican Productions, has landed at Amazon MGM Studios, sources tell Deadline. Actor and recording artist Anthony Ramos, best known for his roles in the original Broadway cast of Hamilton and the film version of In the Heights, is slated to star as Roberto aka Bob, who visits Puerto Rico on a construction job and is confronted with "issues affecting the island and digs deeper into what it means to build," according to Mattel's announcement ...

Big Brother Reindeer Games won't return for a second season, according to Entertainment Weekly. Big Brother co-producer Rich Meehan tells Entertainment Weekly that's mainly due to scheduling problems, explaining, “Because we started so late this season and CBS’ fall schedule starts so late this season, everything just pushes back. So if there’s not airtime, there’s not much you can do for that.” Adds Meehan, “Hopefully, we're in a new year and everything looks like it's going to be smooth sailing and everything's worked out, so hopefully, maybe next year. That's the goal” ...

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Russia suspected of plot to send incendiary devices on planes: Sources

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(MOSCOW) -- Russia schemed to send incendiary devices, shipped through a commercial carrier on planes that would potentially end up in the United States, according to sources familiar with the situation.

In Poland, four people were charged in connection with camouflaged explosives that "detonated during land and air transport" in the U.K. in July, according to a statement from the country's prosecutor's office.

"The group's activities consisted of sabotage and diversion related to sending parcels containing camouflaged explosives and dangerous materials via courier companies to European Union countries and Great Britain, which spontaneously ignited or detonated during land and air transport," the Polish prosecutor's office said in a statement.

"The group's goal was also to test the transfer channel for such parcels, which were ultimately to be sent to the United States of America and Canada," according to the statement.

"I'm not sure the political leaders of Russia are aware of the consequences if one of these packages exploded, causing a mass casualty event," Pawel Szota, the head of the foreign intelligence agency told The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the story.

ABC News has reached out to Szota for a comment.

The Kremlin on Tuesday dismissed reports about the alleged plot, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov describing the allegations as "incoherent" and saying they weren't backed by "truthful information," according to Russian news agency Interfax.

The U.K.'s Metropolitan Police also confirmed that officers from the counter-terrorism unit are investigating the incident that occurred in Birmingham, England.

"On Monday, 22 July, a package at the location caught alight. It was dealt with by staff and the local fire brigade at the time and there were no reports of any injuries or significant damage caused," the Met said in a statement.

There have been no arrests made in the incident.

A U.S. official told ABC News that the Transportation Security Administration remains vigilant against threats to aviation and air cargo systems and said there is no current active threat targeting U.S.-bound flights.

The incident that occurred in England and another incident in Germany are believed to be part of a wider plot, according to a source familiar with the investigation.

A senior U.S. counterterrorism official confirmed to ABC News that the U.S. was alerted to the Russian effort over the summer. European officials told their American counterparts that they believed the Russians were trying to ship incendiary devices that would go off inside locations supporting the Ukrainian war effort to hinder Ukraine as it continues fighting the Russian invasion.

European officials said they do not believe the Russians were planning or trying to take down a commercial or cargo plane, the official said. But devices don't always work properly and the risks to commercial and civilian aviation are serious when incendiary devices are enabled and shipped.

TSA did not address the incidents abroad, but said in a statement to ABC News that the agency "continually adjusts their posture" and promptly shares any and all relevant information."

"Over the past several months, as part of a multi-layered security approach, TSA worked with industry partners to put additional security measures for U.S. aircraft operators and foreign air carriers regarding certain cargo shipments bound for the United States, in line with the 2021 TSA Air Cargo Security Roadmap," the statement said. "We greatly appreciate the cooperation and collaboration with industry as together we work to ensure the safety and security of air cargo."

ABC News' Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.

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Trump campaign doubles down in final hours of election dash

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(GRAND RAPIDS, MI) -- Former President Donald Trump and his vice presidential pick, Sen. JD Vance, spent the closing hours of the 2024 campaign reviving rhetoric criticized by opponents as divisive.

Trump's closing rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, saw the former president deliver meandering attacks on political opponents, baselessly claim that electronic voting machines are not secure and suggest it would be the fault of his supporters if he lost Tuesday's vote.

Trump took aim at President Joe Biden and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during his address, suggesting the former "was stuck in a basement" during the campaign and mouthing an expletive when referring to the latter.

While Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz stuck to their message of American unity, Trump said he was "running against an evil Democrat system" populated by what he called "evil people."

Vance, meanwhile, described Democratic leaders as "trash" in returning to Biden's recent remarks in which he appeared to call Trump supporters "garbage."

Biden's comments were in response to comedian Tony Hinchcliffe's controversial joke about Puerto Rico at last month's Madison Square Garden rally. Biden later said he was referring specifically to Hinchcliffe, not Trump supporters generally.

"To the Pennsylvanians who are struggling, no matter what Kamala Harris and Joe Biden and Tim Walz say, you are not garbage for being worried about not being able to afford your groceries," Vance told rally goers at an event in Newtown, Pennsylvania.

"You are not garbage for thinking that Kamala Harris ought to do a better job," he continued. "You are not racist for thinking that America deserves to have a secure southern border."

"So, to Kamala Harris, you shouldn't be calling your citizens garbage," Vance continued. "You shouldn't be criticizing people for daring to criticize you for doing a bad job."

"And our message to the leadership, to the elites of the Democratic Party is no, the people of Pennsylvania are not garbage for struggling under your leadership," Vance said. "But tomorrow, the people of Pennsylvania are going to take out the trash in Washington, D.C., and we're going to do it together."

Trump also recommitted to working with former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who he described as "a credible guy" that will be "very much involved" in his administration if he wins.

"He's got a tremendous view on health and pesticides and all this stuff," Trump said at a rally in Pittsburgh. "And we're not really a healthy country," he added.

Kennedy would be allowed "to pretty much do what he wants," Trump said.

Kennedy's activism against vaccines, immunization and other public health measures like water fluoridation has raised concerns among medical experts and been broadly criticized by Democrats. So, too, has his opposition to abortion, an issue on which his policy shifted during his presidential tilt.

"Bobby, you got to do one thing," Trump said Monday. "Do whatever you want. You just go ahead, work on that pesticides. Work on making women's health. He's so into women's health … he's really unbelievable. It's such a passion."

ABC News' Lalee Ibssa, Kelsey Walsh, Soo Rin Kim and Hannah Demissie contributed to this report.

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Megyn Kelly endorses Trump, calling him ‘protector of women’

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(PITTSBURGH) -- At the midway point of former President Donald Trump's speech in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Monday, Megyn Kelly took the stage as a headliner to explain why she's backing Trump.

"He will be a protector of women. And it's why I'm voting for him," Kelly said, suggesting the former president previously got mocked for making a similar statement.

The conservative media personality, who was previously a Fox News host, has had an at-times contentious relationship with the former president over the language he's used to describe women. During the first debate of the 2016 campaign, Kelly as moderator had asked Trump about statements he'd made about women, including calling some derogatory names.

Eight years later, Kelly was on the stage in Pennsylvania on Monday helping Trump deliver what would be his final message before Election Day. Kelly suggested on Monday that she supports Trump because he takes care of the common man.

"He will look out for our boys to our forgotten boys and our forgotten men. Guys like you," she said, adding, "Who maybe have a beer after work and don't want to be judged by people like Oprah and Beyonce, who will never have to face the consequences of her disastrous economic policies."

At one point, Kelly pointed to disagreeing with the "left's version of masculinity," mentioning advertisements in support of Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign that called for women to vote for Harris without their husbands' knowledge.

"You see that ad they did about Trump voters trying to encourage women to lie to their husbands so that they could vote for her instead of Trump," Kelly said. "That's their version of what marriage looks like, an overbearing husband who bullies his wife into saying she voted one way as opposed to an honest, open relationship."

She added, "Oh wait, I'm talking about Kamala and Doug," referencing the vice president's husband, Doug Emhoff. "I'm not into their version of toxic masculinity or new masculinity. I prefer the old version," Kelly said, alluding to Trump.

"I prefer a president who understands how to be strong and how to fight. I hope all of you do what I did last week. Vote Trump and get ten friends to vote Trump to."

ABC News' Jon Karl contributed to this report.

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Election Day forecast: Heavy rain, record heat and snow could impact voters across US

Kamil Krzaczynski via Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) -- As millions of Americans head to the polls, thunderstorms are forecast from the Great Lakes to the Gulf Coast, with the potential to cause inconveniences to voters across the country.

The heaviest concentration of rain is expected in Wisconsin, Louisiana, eastern Texas and Arkansas but heavy rain along the Mississippi River and Ohio River valleys could bring flash flooding and approximately 2 inches to 4 inches of rain between Louisiana and southern Indiana.

Meanwhile, heavy snow is forecast in the Rockies from Montana down to Colorado and winter weather alerts have been issued in those regions.

In California, strong winds and dry conditions will create a threat for wildfires from the San Francisco Bay area down to Los Angeles where a red flag warning has been issued.

However, beautiful weather is forecast in the Northeast today, with warm temperatures in the 70s across much of the eastern seaboard and potential record highs from Meridian, Mississippi, all the way to Rochester, New York, with temperatures in the 80s.

The record heat is expected to concentrate in the Northeast on Wednesday with record highs possible for major cities such as Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York City with temperatures close to 80 degrees.

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Turner has 30 points and 11 rebounds, the Pacers beat the Mavericks 134-127

DALLAS (AP) — Myles Turner had season highs with 30 points and 11 rebounds while going over 8,000 career points, Tyrese Haliburton had a season-best 25 points and 12 assists and the Indiana Pacers beat the Dallas Mavericks 134-127 on Monday night.

Dallas cut a 10-point deficit to five with 1:47 left before Haliburton hit a pull-up 17-footer with 50 seconds left. Pascal Siakam added 23 points for Indiana.

Luka Doncic had 34 points and 15 assists for the Mavericks, who split a home back-to-back. Kyrie Irving scored 27 points and Naji Marshall matched a career high with 20 points off the bench, 16 more than he was averaging going into play.

The Pacers played their first game without power forward Isaiah Jackson, who sustained a torn right Achilles tendon Friday night and is out for the season.

Dallas’ Dereck Lively II was out with a sprained shoulder. Maxi Kleber missed his fifth consecutive game because of a hamstring injury.
Takeaways

Pacers: Indiana went into play averaging 11.5 of 33.0 on 3-pointers. The Pacers hit 7 of 9 in the first period in building a 13-point lead and finished 13 of 32.

Mavericks: Doncic was 4 of 10 from downtown and is shooting 32.3% behind the arc after hitting a career-best 38.2% last season.
Key moment

With the score 116-116 and 5:37 to play, Andrew Nembhard put Indiana back ahead with a finger-roll basket while Dallas’ next four possessions were 3-point misses by Klay Thompson and Doncic, a missed jumper by Irving, and a 24-second violation.
Key stat

Rick Carlisle is 5-2 against the Mavericks, the team he coached to the 2011 NBA title, since becoming Indiana’s coach in 2021.
Up next

The Pacers host Orlando on Wednesday night. The Mavericks host Chicago on Wednesday night in the fourth game of a five-game homestand.

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

Clippers rally from 26-point deficit to beat Spurs 113-104

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Norman Powell scored 23 points, Amir Coffey added 21 and the Los Angeles Clippers rallied from an early 26-point deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs 113-104 Monday night for their first win at Intuit Dome.

James Harden scored 17 points and Ivica Zubac had 17 points and 13 rebounds. It was the Clippers’ largest comeback when trailing at the end of the first quarter and tied for the third largest when trailing by any deficit since 1996, according to Sportradar.

Victor Wembanyama had 24 points, 13 rebounds and nine blocked shots for the Spurs, who are without coach Gregg Popovich due to illness. Julian Champagnie had 21 points.

The Spurs had a 40-14 lead at the end of the first quarter, but were unable to sustain the momentum. LA got within eight at halftime and had the margin down to four going into the fourth quarter.

It was the largest blown San Antonio lead at the end of the first quarter and the fourth-largest by any deficit in franchise history.
Takeaways

Spurs: San Antonio was 16 of 26 from the field in the first quarter but 22 of 60 the rest of the game.

Clippers: LA was 19 of 37 on 3-pointers and had a season-high 16 offensive rebounds.
Key moment

The Clippers went on a 33-9 run during a nine-minute span late in the third quarter until the four-minute mark of the fourth. Powell’s 3-pointer with 7:25 remaining gave LA its first lead at 93-91. It went up for good (96-93) with 6:26 left on Coffey’s 3-pointer.
Key stat

The Clippers outscored the Spurs 31-18 in the final 12 minutes.
Up next

Both teams are in action on Wednesday. The Spurs are at Houston and the Clippers host Philadelphia. Paul George, who was with the Clippers for five seasons, is expected to face his former club for the first time.

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

An unraveling season isn’t getting any better for the Cowboys, with more injury issues to boot

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Mike McCarthy slammed a tablet. That was after the Dallas Cowboys coach already had reacted angrily to his failed fourth-down play call.

Dak Prescott grimaced badly on a throw when something the quarterback said he’d never felt before ended up being a hamstring injury that will sideline him at least one game, while All-Pro receiver CeeDee Lamb tossed a towel over his face to try to deal with the pain in a shoulder that hit the turf hard twice.

A season that already was turning south might have headed that way for good in a 27-21 loss to Atlanta, the first of four consecutive games for the Cowboys (3-5) against teams with winning records.

Prescott’s backup, Cooper Rush, is set to start Sunday when the defending NFC East champions play division rival Philadelphia (6-2) at home. It’s possible Prescott will miss multiple games.

Minus the coronavirus pandemic, it’s beginning to look a lot like 2020, a lost season marred by injuries and myriad other issues in McCarthy’s Dallas debut.

The difference is McCarthy isn’t under contract beyond this year, which leaves owner and general manager Jerry Jones at a midseason crossroads with the trade deadline looming Tuesday.

Jones addressed players, coaches and staff in the locker room after the loss to the Falcons, trying to deliver a message that he believes the team can turn things around.

“I really don’t want to get into that because it was a very emotional message,” Jones said when asked by reporters outside the locker room what he said. “We all know we’ve got to play better than we’ve played tonight or we’re not going anywhere.”

Jones backed his coach again, too.

“I’m good with Mike,” Jones said. “I know how hard he works. I like his football mind. He’s really good with players. He’s got a lot of fire in his belly. And so I’m just giving you this: I like the positives I see.”

McCarthy said injured reserve was a consideration for Prescott, who was lost to a broken ankle in Week 5 in 2020, when the Cowboys finished 6-10. Dallas’ current three-game losing streak is the first since that season. An IR move would sideline Prescott for at least four games.

Jones and McCarthy were optimistic Lamb would play against the Eagles despite a right shoulder sprain. Despite clearly being in pain, Lamb returned to the Atlanta game.

Regardless of who’s in the lineup, the Cowboys face a long road to try to extend their three-year playoff run. They already have matched the number of losses from each of those three regular seasons.

“Sometimes in this league, it just takes one,” said Prescott, who left the Atlanta game early in the fourth quarter. “It takes one to get it going, to get that confidence back, to feel good and rally from there. I’m not looking too far ahead.”
What’s working

One of the few positives for the Cowboys is actually something of an indictment. Their best offensive player has been kicker Brandon Aubrey, who has followed a record-setting rookie season with the second-longest field goal in NFL history at 65 yards, which came in Week 3 against Baltimore. He is 19 of 20 from at least 50 yards in two seasons.
What needs help

There are so many problems that it’s more a question of what doesn’t need help. But the starting point is Dallas needs star pass rusher Micah Parsons (ankle) and All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland (foot) back soon.

The Cowboys have had difficulty getting pressure on opposing QBs without Parsons and defensive DeMarcus Lawrence. Both were injured in a victory at the New York Giants in Week 4. Lawrence is on injured reserve with a foot injury.

The secondary has looked lost at times and could use an emotional boost from Bland, who set an NFL record by returning five interceptions for touchdowns last season. The frustration boiled over when 2021 All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs lost his cool with a television reporter after losing to San Francisco.
Stock up

Rico Dowdle looked good against the Falcons in the first game in which the Cowboys abandoned their committee approach behind Prescott. Dowdle got 12 of the 14 carries by running backs and had 75 yards rushing.

Dowdle’s day raises questions about Ezekiel Elliott’s future. Elliott stayed home for disciplinary reasons, and Jones said the issue was being late for meetings. Elliott rejoined the Cowboys after a year in New England. Dallas dumped its former two-time rushing champ in a cost-cutting move after the 2022 season.
Stock down

Dallas keeps talking about communication problems, which just seem to get worse. Even after a timeout, Diggs wasn’t sure where to line up and got beat for a long touchdown against the Falcons. The Cowboys wanted to go for it on fourth-and-1 in the second half but had 12 men in the huddle. They had to punt.
Injuries

Beyond the questions around Prescott, Lamb, Parsons and Bland, the Cowboys are hoping WR Brandin Cooks can return from injured reserve soon. He’s been out with a knee issue. It will be a longer absence for Lawrence and rookie defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, a second-round pick who injured a knee in Week 5 at Pittsburgh.
Key number

3.8 — The air yards per attempt for Prescott against the Falcons, a career low by more than half a yard. It’s a stark illustration of how the Cowboys don’t trust a mostly young and badly underperforming offensive line to protect the quarterback.
Next steps

The Cowboys already are three games behind Washington and Philadelphia in the loss column in the NFC East. They like to look at the bright side of having both games against the Commanders and Eagles remaining.

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Carr’s return to the Saints’ lineup horrendous as he loses his top target, the game and his coach

Derek Carr’s return to New Orleans Saints’ starting lineup couldn’t have gone much worse.

He lost his top target to a concussion when his pass over the middle sailed on him. He lost to the worst team in the league and he became the first NFL quarterback to lose to 31 teams.

A day later, he lost his head coach.

These are not the Saints of Sean Payton and Drew Brees, to be sure. But Carr and Dennis Allen expeditiously raised hopes of parading another Lombardi Trophy down Bourbon Street when the Saints totaled 91 points in back-to-back blowouts of Carolina and Dallas to start the season.

They scored on their first nine possessions in a 47-10 shellacking of the Panthers in the opener, then topped that a week later at Jerry World when they reached the end zone on their first half-dozen drives in a 44-19 jawdropper.

Those were heady times — and, as it turned out, fleeting.

The Saints have lost seven straight games since Week 2 amid a flurry of injuries, including a strained oblique that sent Carr to the sideline for three weeks.

Four of those losses were by double digits, among them a 33-10 Thursday night whooping from Payton and his new team, the resurgent Denver Broncos.

The costliest loss was the Saints’ 23-22 defeat in Charlotte on Sunday when Carr couldn’t lead his team into field-goal range in the final minute and the Saints left town with the same 2-7 record as the Panthers, a team that’s statistically dreadful and historically bad.

So, Dennis Allen, who was previously fired by the then-Oakland Raiders in 2014, on Monday became the first coach in NFL history canned twice with the same quarterback starting both teams.

In a written statement released by the team, Allen thanked team owner Gayle Benson and GM Mickey Loomis for his opportunity and said, “I am sorry the results weren’t better, because they were certainly deserved.”

Allen is the second coach fired midseason in 2024. Jeff Ulbrich replaced Robert Saleh after the Jets’ 2-3 start and it took him a month to get his first victory.

The caretaker in New Orleans is Darren Rizzi, who gets the Browns (2-7) at home the in two weeks and the Giants (2-7) on the road in four, but he inherited a beat-up team and a quarterback who was eviscerated by former teammate Michael Thomas on social media after wide receiver Chris Olave’s concussion Sunday.

As he cut across the middle and reached for Carr’s errant pass, Olave was sandwiched by safety Xavier Woods and cornerback Dane Jackson. While Woods was flagged for unnecessary roughness, Olave remained on the field for several minutes being attended to by trainers as the crowd went silent as players from both teams gathered around him. He was eventually placed on a backboard and taken to a hospital by ambulance.

Thomas immediately castigated Carr on social media, saying that Carr tends to “just panic and throw the ball.” He also reposted another message on X that suggested Carr should be fined for throwing a “hospital pass.”

Carr spoke for more than four minutes about Thomas’ comments after the game.

“I have a pit in my stomach anytime one of my teammates goes down because I love them that much,” Carr said. “No matter if I like them or not, and I happen to love Chris Olave. We have a great relationship. I hate, and I don’t like to use that word a lot, but I hate moments like that.”

Carr said Thomas, who has criticized Carr on social media before, seems to be the one teamnate who hasn’t gotten along with him in the NFL.

“I don’t know what I did to him,” Carr said. “I don’t know why he feels that way. I’m sorry for whatever he’s dealing with to make him feel like he’s got do that. But he’s never called me during all of this. My phone number has never changed. I’ve in fact called him on different occasions just to try. Sometimes, you can try as hard as you want and it doesn’t work out. And that’s OK. … But I wish him the best. I hope he gets on a team and does what he wants to do and loves it.”

Woods said after the game he didn’t think it was a malicious hit, but officials told him he was penalized for hitting Olave in the head. “It was nothing dirty on my part, I was just playing football,” Woods said.

Entering the weekend, Carr was one of 10 QBs to have lost to 30 different teams, a club that includes Brees, Brett Favre, Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan. Now, Carr stands alone as the only QB to lose to 31 teams.

The only team he hasn’t lost to is his old team, the Raiders, whom the Saints host on Dec. 29.
Kelce’s apology

Another mea culpa came when former Eagles center Jason Kelce began ESPN’s broadcast of “Monday Night Countdown” by acknowledging he shouldn’t have returned a gay slur to a Penn State football fan who heckled him Saturday about his brother, Travis, dating Taylor Swift.

“In a heated moment, I chose to greet hate with hate,” Jason Kelce said. “And I don’t think that’s a productive thing.”
Regrettable decisions

What ever happened to the axiom that you play for the tie at home and the win on the road?

The Buccaneers lost 30-24 at Kansas City in overtime Monday night after Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles decided to go for the tie rather than the win following Baker Mayfield’s touchdown throw with 27 seconds left in regulation.

The Bucs were the third team to lose in Week 9 after kicking the game-tying extra point following a TD in the final minute of regulation. The others were the Patriots at Tennessee and the Seahawks at home against the Rams.

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With contributions from AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow in San Francisco and AP Sports Writers Steve Reed in Charlotte and Brett Martel in New Orleans.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Mahomes throws 3 TD passes, Hunt scores TD in overtime as Chiefs beat Buccaneers 30-24

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs coach Andy Reid watched as the Buccaneers drove down the field in the final minute of regulation, and Baker Mayfield threw a touchdown pass that put Tampa Bay within a 2-point conversion of ending Kansas City’s perfect start to the season.

Bucs coach Todd Bowles admitted to giving “very minor” thought to going for 2 before kicking the extra point that sent the game to overtime.

“I’m glad he didn’t,” Reid said with a smile.

That’s because the Chiefs won the ensuing coin toss, and Patrick Mahomes capped a big day — 291 yards passing and three touchdowns on a gimpy ankle — by going 5 for 5 on the only drive of overtime. Kareem Hunt finished it off, along with his 106-yard rushing performance, by plunging into the end zone from 2 yards out to give Kansas City a 30-24 victory on Monday night.

“Everybody had a piece of this,” Reid said.

DeAndre Hopkins had eight catches for 86 yards and two TDs. Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 100 yards with Taylor Swift watching from a suite. And a defense missing a couple of key players to injuries held Mayfield to 200 yards passing and two touchdowns, and shut down a Tampa Bay running game that managed just 95 yards.

The result was familiar: The Chiefs won their 14th straight dating to last season, the longest streak since Carolina started 14-0 in 2014, and they became just the sixth Super Bowl champ to start 8-0 the following season. They also have won their last eight games when trailing in the second half, including the postseason.

The Buccaneers had their chance when Mayfield hit Ryan Miller in the end zone with 27 seconds to go. But rather than go for the win, Bowles decided to kick the extra point — and Bucs ended up losing for the fourth time in five games.

“We’ve got guys who are not going to quit fighting to the end,” Tampa Bay wide receiver Sterling Shepard said. “I’m really proud of the group and the way everybody fought. We’ve just got to clean up some little stuff. And that’s what this league is all about.”

It was a memorable first half for two players who’d been waiting to play in Arrowhead Stadium.

The Bucs’ Rachaad White grew up about 10 minutes away in a tough part of Kansas City, but his family could never afford a ticket for him to see a game. He wound up taking a circuitous path through Division II Nebraska-Kearney and a California junior college to Arizona State, where he eventually became of a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2022 draft.

Two year later, White finally got into Arrowhead — and the end zone. He punctuated his 7-yard scoring run in the second quarter, which gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead, by nearly tossing the football all the way into the second deck.

“I can’t even count right now,” White said, when asked how many friends and family were watching from those stands.

Then it was Hopkins’ turn in his first home game since arriving in Kansas City from a trade with the Titans.

The three-time All-Pro, who already had caught four passes at that point, reeled in a third-down heave from Mahomes amid triple coverage for a 35-yard gain that put the Chiefs inside the Tampa Bay 5. Three plays later, Mahomes found him in the back of the end zone, and Hopkins celebrated his first TD with the Chiefs with a dance from “Remember the Titans.”

“That’s one of my favorite movies,” he said. “I knew if I got in the end zone I was going to remember the Titans.”

Tampa Bay tried to seize control with consecutive scoring drives to start the second half. The first ended with a TD pass to Cade Otton, the latest tight end to shred the Chiefs, and Chase McLaughlin’s 47-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead.

The Chiefs answered in the fourth quarter, though. Mahomes marched them through the driving rain 70 yards for the tying touchdown pass, which he delivered to Samaje Perine while landing awkwardly and tweaking his left ankle, and then threw a laser to Hopkins on third-and-goal from the Buccaneers 5 to give Kansas City the lead.

Mahomes said later the ankle injury scared him more than hurt him. He was checked in the sideline tent but was quickly back to throwing balls in an effort to stay loose, and he never gave Reid an opportunity to pull him from the game.

“You feel the pain and that scares you,” Mahomes said, “because I’ve dealt with ankles before. But I just kind of laid there and as time went on the pain subsided. I just kind of got to it, and got moving again and felt comfortable going out there.”

Tampa Bay promptly went three-and-out after Kansas City took the lead, but its defense got the ball right back, and this time Mayfield calmly led his team down the field. His capped the drive with a touchdown toss to Miller — his first career TD catch — with 27 seconds to go, and Tampa Bay elected to play for overtime.

It wound up being a decision the Buccaneers would regret.
Injuries

Buccaneers: LB Yaya Diaby (chest) briefly left the game. CB Josh Hayes (calf) dealt with cramps in the second half.

Chiefs: WR Mecole Hardman (shoulder) and DE George Karlaftis (hip) were hurt but returned to the game.
Up next

Tampa Bay hosts San Francisco on Sunday.

Kansas City hosts Denver on Sunday.

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College athletes are getting paid and fans are starting to see a growing share of the bill

At Tennessee, they are adding a ‘talent fee’ to the price of sports tickets. At Arkansas, they will charge 3% more at the concessions stands. At Michigan and Michigan State, athletic directors sent letters alerting boosters that winning is going to start costing more. And, in a first, Clemson is going to start adding an athletic surcharge to tuition bills.

Winning at big-time college sports has never been free, but in a rapidly changing era in which players are allowed to earn money and be paid by their own schools, it has never been clearer that fans will be picking up a bigger part of the tab.

“College athletics hasn’t professionalized as much as I think it was capable of,” said Nels Popp, a University of North Carolina sports-business professor who believes most schools still rely on fans’ emotional, long-held school ties more than bottom-line marketing strategies. “And now, I think this is forcing them in that direction.”

When the NCAA reluctantly approved payments to players for use of their names, images and likenesses (NIL) in 2021, boosters who used to give to schools and their athletic departments started funneling money to collectives — independent organizations that raised the money and paid the athletes. Those collectives are becoming more and more closely linked to the universities.

Under terms of a $2.8 billion lawsuit settlement that is on track to take effect next year, the NIL deals will remain in full force and the schools themselves will be dealing with other multimillion-dollar changes to their bottom lines, including:

— Each school with the money to do it will be allowed to share as much as $22 million in annual revenue with athletes — money they get from tickets sales, TV contracts and other sources. They can share less, but top recruits will be front of mind in the arms race for talent.

—The amount the NCAA pays more than 350 Division I schools every year is going to drop. The organization is on the hook to cover some $1.2 billion in damages under the settlement and the rest will be covered by conferences that will see less money shared each year from the NCAA and its lucrative men’s basketball tournament.

— Schools will be allowed to offer more scholarships across all sports and that costs money. For instance, a school could offer up to 20 additional scholarships for a total of 105 in football. Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said adding scholarships across sports could add $29 million in education costs to the department’s bottom line. And that’s on top of the revenue sharing.

“Maintaining a high level of support for our 29 NCAA athletic programs will take an elevated commitment from everyone,” Manuel wrote to Wolverines fans last month.

One possibility for Michigan might be placing advertising inside of Michigan Stadium, a practice the Wolverines have steadfastly avoided over the decades. The school also sent out a recent survey asking, among other questions, if fans were willing to pay between $3,000 and $4,000 for a new tranche of chairback seats, which are rare outside of club sections at The Big House.
Not all fans are signing on amid ‘donor fatigue’

In 2023, it cost two fans an average of around $180 to attend a college football game and about $340 to go to an NFL game. After all, college sports didn’t have to worry about the biggest expense on a pro team’s budget — player salaries.

NIL started chipping away at that, and once the terms of the lawsuit settlement go into effect, that dynamic will shift even more. Michigan State AD Alan Haller told Spartans fans his department’s ’25-26 budget will include between $25 million to $30 million in added expenses.

“As a department, we will continue to explore new opportunities for both revenue generation and cost containment,” Haller said. “However, without a doubt, your continued generosity and involvement will be paramount to our quest for excellence.”

Some fans will undoubtedly keep writing checks to keep the players — and hopefully, the wins — coming, along with retaining their “rights” to buy a certain number of tickets for football games.

A tour around the parking lot before this season’s Michigan-Michigan State game found others who sounded more reluctant.

“The price of the education is out of hand,” said Michigan State fan Mike Bouchard, citing a more than $55,000 price for an out-of-state undergrad to attend his alma mater. “There’s absolutely no way I’m going to dig into my pocket over and above that amount. Tell them to use their hundreds of millions in endowments.”

“Absolutely not,” said Ann Arbor resident Michael Ketslakh when asked if he would give more to support Michigan athletics. “I think it’s excessive. It’s bad for the sports.”

Rick Karcher, the faculty athletics representative at Eastern Michigan, said fans continue to pay because, unlike pro sports where everyone knows the profits go to billionaire owners, the economic models in college are often hard to nail down.

“College sports fans, students and boosters are willing to continue absorbing the operational costs while the team’s coaches and administrators get richer because they view athletics as separate from the university,” he said.
Schools look for other ways of absorbing higher costs

Earlier this fall, Texas Tech said it was budgeting $14.7 million for this fiscal year — about $9 million more than the previous year — in support for the athletic program, which has a budget of nearly $129 million.

“I think if any unit on this campus was facing a 20-something-percent cut in their revenue, we would have to look at how we might respond, and we will in this case,” school President Lawrence Schovanec explained.

Texas Tech is hardly alone in contributing to its athletic program, but not every school runs by the same model. At Florida, for instance, sports are run by the University Athletic Association, which not only has funded sports but has often given money back to the school.

A story in the student-produced Florida Independent Alligator said UF sports revenue was eighth-highest in the nation; two of its biggest boosters have given eight-figure sums to the UAA’s fundraising arm.

Clearly, though, it’s not only eight-figure donations that will keep college sports running.

Tennessee was among the first to grab headlines early in the football season when AD Danny White said the school was adding a 10% “talent fee” for 2025 football ticket renewals. That was on top of a 4.5% hike in ticket prices.

“That connection between resources and competitiveness has never been tighter,” White said. “Only now we have the ability to share these resources with our athletes.”

At Arkansas, AD Hunter Yurachek explained the 3% fee on concessions in a letter to fans that noted the importance of continuing to “maximize additional revenue opportunities” At Clemson, which long prided itself on not charging fees or ticket prices to students, the plan is to raise between $7 million and $8 million by adding a $150 “athletic fee” per semester to the price of tuition. The Tigers have been to four national title games over the past decade and won it twice.

“I think it’s kind of ridiculous, but there comes a point when we have good enough sports teams that it’s kind of valid,” student Sam Gault told South Carolina’s WSPA-TV when the fee was unveiled earlier this month.

To win big, schools will have to pay big, and simply fielding a competitive team is no longer a given. The question hanging over college sports is where the money will come from.

“You can pay more for tickets, put a sponsor patch on the uniforms, cut non-revenue sports or (start calling) the Big 12, the ‘Dr. Pepper Conference,’” said Popp, the professor at North Carolina. “I don’t think fans are anxious for any of those, but what might they be willing to accept? I think that’s what athletic departments have to figure out.”

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AP Sports Writer Larry Lage in Ann Arbor, Michigan contributed

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Cowboys QB Dak Prescott out at least 1 game as team evaluates hamstring injury

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will miss at least one game with a hamstring injury that the team said Monday is still being evaluated.

Coach Mike McCarthy ruled out Prescott for Sunday’s game at home against Philadelphia. Prescott was injured in the second half of a 27-21 loss at Atlanta.

Multiple reports citing anonymous sources said Prescott was expected to miss multiple games. McCarthy said putting his 31-year-old QB on injured reserve was a possibility. That move would sideline Prescott at least four games.

“Obviously a lot of conversation,” McCarthy said. “I think once the doctors and really once he figures out exactly where he’s at, those are conversations that will probably happen here over the course of this week.”

Any lengthy absence for Prescott would be another setback in a season full of them for the Cowboys (3-5), who are on their first three-game losing streak since 2020. Dallas played the last 11 games of that 6-10 season without Prescott after he broke an ankle.

Prescott said after the Atlanta game that he noticed something might be wrong with the hamstring on a scramble, then felt something he hadn’t before on a throw. He didn’t play in the fourth quarter.

Cooper Rush replaced Prescott against the Falcons. Rush was 4-1 as the starter filling in for Prescott two years ago after Prescott broke a thumb in a loss to Tampa Bay in the opener. Dallas went on to the second of three consecutive 12-win playoff seasons.

“It really doesn’t change anything with us,” McCarthy said. “This is about the quarterback room. We’ve always invested all the time and energy into the quarterback, Dak, that has the football. So now it’s Cooper’s turn, and Dak will be part of that process.”

The Cowboys are already three games behind Washington and Philadelphia in the loss column in the NFC East. The defending division champs host the Eagles (6-2) on Sunday, and Rush figures to get the call.

Trey Lance, the No. 3 overall pick by San Francisco in 2021, will be Rush’s backup. The 49ers traded Lance to the Cowboys last year after he lost a battle for the backup job.

Lance played extensively in the preseason as the 24-year-old finishes out his four-year rookie contract. McCarthy indicated there were no immediate plans to get a glimpse of what the future with Lance might be.

Rush led the Cowboys on an 86-yard drive capped by his 4-yard pass to Jalen Tolbert in the final two minutes to cut the Falcons’ lead to six points. Atlanta recovered an onside kick to seal the victory.

“I think if you just look at the way we played the last game, we just really want to improve on the things we did well but also we’ve got to clean up the pre-snap penalties,” McCarthy said. Our focus is really to go into this and have a game plan to beat the Eagles defense, and we have great confidence in Cooper.”

In Prescott’s first eight seasons, Dallas missed the playoffs twice when he wasn’t healthy from start to finish.

The 2017 season was marred by running back Ezekiel Elliott’s six-game suspension over domestic violence allegations. A quick start in 2019 faded to an 8-8 finish, and then-coach Jason Garrett’s contract wasn’t renewed. McCarthy, Garrett’s replacement, is in the final year of his contract.

“It’s definitely hard,” McCarthy said. “I just think this is the path that’s been cut out for us. We’re going through adversity and it’s a phenomenal opportunity for us as a team.”

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Kelce apologizes for cellphone incident at Ohio State-Penn State before Bucs-Chiefs game

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Retired Eagles center Jason Kelce apologized during ESPN’s pregame show Monday night after grabbing the phone of an unruly fan and spiking it to the ground before the Ohio State-Penn State game last weekend.

“In a heated moment, I decided to greet hate with hate,” Kelce said before ESPN’s broadcast of the Buccaneers-Chiefs game featuring his brother, Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce. “I fell short this week.”

Jason Kelce was attending the Big Ten matchup between the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions in State College, Pennsylvania, when the incident occurred. Video on social media showed him walking through a crowd near Beaver Stadium and fans asking for photos and fist bumps when one fan began to heckle him.

At that point, Kelce grabbed the fan’s phone and threw it to the ground, then turned to confront the man dressed in Penn State attire. Another fan appeared to step between them before the altercation could escalate.

“I think everybody has seen on social media what happened this week,” Kelce said on the ESPN broadcast. “Listen, I’m not happy with anything that took place. I’m not proud of it. In a heated moment I chose to greet hate with hate and I just don’t think that’s a productive thing, I really don’t. I don’t think it leads to discourse and it’s the right way to go about things. In that moment I fell down to a level that I shouldn’t have.

“The bottom line is, I try to live my life by the golden rule, that’s what I’ve always been taught,” he said. “I try to treat people with common decency and respect, and I’m going to keep doing that moving forward.”

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