Asif William Rahman is charged with willful transmission of national defense information, according to a court documents.
The documents are vague about what exactly he allegedly shared, but sources have confirmed that the charges are related to the leak reported widely last month -- although it’s not immediately clear whether Rahman is believed to be the primary source of the leak.
On Tuesday, Rahman was arrested in Cambodia and brought to Guam, according to the charging documents.
In October, documents purporting to be Israel’s retaliation plans were leaked on the internet, possibly exposing plans for the American ally – a deep breach of national security.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters in October that they are taking the situation “very seriously.â€
The New York Times was first to report on Rahman’s arrest.
There hasn't even been a trailer for season 3 of The White Lotus, but creator Mike White is already prepared for a potential season 4. Casey Bloys, the CEO of HBO and Max, said Tuesday that White pitched him a concept for a fourth season of the popular drama series while he visited the show's season 3 set in Thailand. Bloys also said if White is up to do another season of The White Lotus, then HBO will make another season ...
Guy Richie is bringing Benedict Cumberbatch, Rosamund Pike and Anthony Hopkins together for his latest film, Wife & Dog. While plot details are not yet known, the movie has been described as a “return to the colourful, back-stabbing world of the British aristocracy Richie explored in The Gentlemen film and TV series.†It starts shooting in the U.K. in February 2025 ...
Newlyweds Justin Long and Kate Bosworth are reuniting on their first film together since becoming husband and wife. The couple will star in the upcoming thriller Coyote, which follows a family fighting for their lives against coyotes amidst a wildfire in the Hollywood Hills. This isn't their first collaboration. Long and Bosworth previously acted together in the films Barbarian and House of Darkness ...
(WASHINGTON) -- For the first time in four years, Democrats are leaderless. But chaos is a ladder, as the saying goes, and the party is packed with climbers.
Democrats are still sifting through the rubble of last week's election results, and many said that a period of grieving and soul-searching is due after Vice President Kamala Harris' loss. But over a dozen operatives said that the leadership vacuum fueled by her defeat will attract members of the party's deep bench who likely won't wait long to cast themselves as the messenger Democrats need to bounce back ahead of the 2028 election.
"I have not seen any outreach from the national party to folks for 2028. I think they're too busy playing the blame game, they're too busy knifing each other," said one person who has spoken to multiple potential 2028 candidates. "In terms of donors reaching out to their candidate of choice, that has been never ending over the course of the last four or five days. And then there's a lot of local outreach to people."
Democrats boast several governors, senators, House members and more rumored to have national ambitions.
Among them are California Gov. Gavin Newsom; Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker; Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear; Maryland Gov. Wes Moore; Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer; North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper; Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro; Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock; New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker; Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman; California Rep. Ro Khanna; and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, her running mate, could also play some role in guiding the party, though it's unclear how much of an appetite there is in the party to allow the bench to take on a supporting role to members of the losing ticket.
Already, the jockeying is underway, albeit not yet in full force.
Shapiro has received calls from Democrats in his state, a source familiar with the matter confirmed, as has Beshear, who also wrote a New York Times op-ed examining his party's woes. Newsom held a call with his grassroots donor network and is set to be a top Trump antagonist, and Khanna is mulling a media blitz and listening tour to areas that have borne the brunt of deindustrialization, sources familiar with their thinking said.
Buttigieg has traversed the country touting the administration's infrastructure achievements, often goes behind enemy lines to appear on Fox News and moved his residency to Michigan, which has an open gubernatorial race in two years. Fetterman has been vocal about what he calls his party's disconnect from working-class voters.
All have some kind of argument, whether it's a blue-collar appeal the party has been missing, proven electoral experience in red or purple areas, or something else, and most hit the campaign trail for Harris this year. More maneuvering is expected to come, especially once Trump takes office and his policies go into effect, likely galvanizing Democrats' base.
"I think that what you'll probably see beginning in January, is people who are at least considering being candidates come out with really detailed, expansive programs. Some may be about jobs, some may be about education, some may be about who knows what else. But it will probably be policy-based," said Dan Fee, a Democratic strategist and donor adviser based in Pennsylvania.
"I think you're going to see a lot of a lot of governors and a lot of other folks do the speaking circuit thing, be going to events, certainly heading into '26, you're going to see a lot of people endorsing folks," added one senior Democratic strategist, referencing the 2026 midterms.
There is no clear frontrunner in the beefy field, but some did see their personal stock rise during the Biden administration or as the result of the election.
Newsom, in particular, could benefit, given that his California roots and political base overlapped significantly with Harris'. But Buttigieg also boasts a beefier resume after four years in President Joe Biden's Cabinet, Shapiro and Beshear were vetted as part of Harris' veepstakes, and many hit the trail -- especially to the early primary state of New Hampshire -- throughout the year, helping them building relationships with local groups and voters.
Still, anything can happen in four years.
Republicans, not too long ago, were walking in the political wilderness themselves after President Barack Obama won reelection in 2012, sparking a famed autopsy. Four years later, now-President-elect Donald Trump won his first term, ushering in two years of unified Republican control but a series of fits ever since over the identity of the party and how much it should hew to his brand.
Democrats too were on a high after Biden's win in 2020, a euphoria reinforced after the party defied the odds in the 2022 midterms to expand its Senate majority and limit its House losses. Now, they're conducting a postmortem of their own.
What's more, positioning oneself for higher office is more art than science. Appearing too eager risks turning off voters, while not stepping on the gas hard enough risks ceding ground to other aspirants.
But promoting oneself isn't the only way to improve one's standing amid the jockeying, and operatives predicted that the knives will be out.
"I think the [opposition research] books are probably already being built," said the operative who has spoken to multiple potential 2028 candidates.
For all the preparation, though, would-be party leaders can't make themselves so just by themselves. And party donors may not quite be ready to indulge a 2028 free-for-all as it analyzes its 2024 loss, especially after Harris' team boasted of smashing several fundraising records only to get swept in all seven swing states.
"People were being told this is a toss-up, and so, their biggest problem is going to be getting fundraising," said John Morgan, a prominent donor to Democratic candidates and causes. Donors "do not trust people with the money. Nobody does."
That's not expected to make a bench full of ambitious politicos collectively pump the brakes, though.
Several of the operatives who spoke to ABC News predicted a gargantuan 2028 primary field, even eclipsing that of 2020, which boasted over two dozen candidates.
"It's gonna make the 2020 presidential primary look like it was a small gathering. This is going to be frenzied, it's going to be competitive. There will be no punches pulled. And I think that's a good thing," a former Fetterman staffer said. "I hope we let it all out this time and the strongest person emerges."
(WASHINGTON) -- The judge overseeing the Arizona "fake elector" case against several of Donald Trump's allies has recused himself from the case after accusations of personal bias.
Last week, defense attorneys for State Senator Jacob Hoffman filed a motion to disqualify Judge Bruce Cohen, alleging that an email published by a media outlet revealed "politically charged statements" made by Cohen while overseeing the case.
"While Judge Cohen is entitled to his political opinions and speech, his rhetoric and exhortation precisely mirrors the evidence of hostile partisan political zealotry at the heart of the motions to dismiss that have been languishing before the Court for months," the attorneys said in the filing last week.
"Judge Cohen's impartiality can readily be questioned because of his apparent personal prejudice against President Trump and his supporters," the attorneys added.
In an email sent in August, Cohen urged fellow members of the bench to speak out against attacks made against Vice President Kamala Harris. He also lamented the failure to speak out against Nazism, according to the attorneys.
"When we cannot or do not stand with others, the words of Martin Niemoller are no longer a historic reference to the atrocities of WWII, those words describe the present," Cohen wrote.
"But it is time for me to state my piece or be complicit in the depravity," he added.
In response to the filing, Cohen had initially scheduled a conference hearing to discuss the issue but on Tuesday afternoon, he sent a notice of recusal to the defense attorneys.
In the notice, Cohen defended the email that surfaced, saying it was not reflective of bias.
"As noted in the subject e-mail, the same cry for decency and respect would have been made about disparaging comments from either political sphere," Cohen wrote. "That said, within hours after sending the August e-mail solely to other judicial officers and not in any public forum, an apology was sent out to those same judicial officers."
"Out of a commitment to justice, even the appearance of bias cannot be allowed to undermine the fundamental fairness that is extended by the court to all who come before it," Cohen added.
"It is for that reason alone that this court is recusing itself from all further proceedings in this matter."
All those indicted in the case pleaded not guilty earlier this summer to charges of fraud, forgery, and conspiracy for their alleged efforts to overturn the state's election results. Trump's former attorney Jenna Ellis subsequently reached a cooperation agreement with prosecutors in exchange for the state dropping the charges against her.
(WASHINGTON) -- A Secret Service agent tasked with protecting former President Barack Obama knowingly and repeatedly breached his duties while trying to woo a love interest — and living a double life, according to a new memoir by the agent’s former girlfriend.
In “Undercover Heartbreak: a Memoir of Trust and Trauma,†Koryeah Dwanyen describes a series of potential security lapses, including a time when she said she was invited to join the senior agent at the Obamas’ beachfront property in Hawaii in 2022 while they were away.
He had already sent her "several photos" of the house a week earlier, and suggested a tour, according to the book.
“No one will know. If anything, I’m the one who could get in trouble,†says the agent in the memoir, where he is given the pseudonym “Dale.â€
He then tried to get her to fool around in the first lady’s bathroom, according to Dwanyen.
“We should have sex in Michelle [Obama]’s bathroom, like a mile-high club,†Dwanyen claims he said.
The senior agent's alleged violations of fundamental regulations prompted an internal investigation by the Secret Service.
The self-published memoir was released on Oct. 28, adding another reputational shiner to the agency after a major security lapse in the summer led to calls for operational reform.
The Secret Service had faced intense scrutiny since a gunman attempted to assassinate Donald Trump while the former president campaigned at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July. That incident, which prompted the ouster of the agency’s director, was called a “historic security failure by the Secret Service" in an independent review by the Department of Homeland Security.
“The U.S. Secret Service’s top priority is ensuring the safety and security of our protectees, and any actions that compromise this commitment are addressed with the utmost seriousness,†Anthony Guglielmi, the agency's chief of communications, told ABC News.
Guglielmi confirmed that an incident matching the book's Hawaii anecdote had occurred – and that upon finding out, a probe was launched and the agent involved was ultimately fired.
“On Nov. 6, 2022, a Secret Service agent involved in protective functions brought an individual who did not have authorized access into a protectee’s residence without permission," Guglielmi said. "As soon as the Secret Service became aware of the incident, the agent involved was immediately suspended and after a full investigation, terminated.â€
“Although the protectees were not present at the time of the incident, these actions were an unacceptable violation of our protocols, our protectees’ trust and everything we stand for,†he continued.
The former agent and prominent character in the book did not respond to requests for comment from ABC News.
According to her memoir, Dwanyen first met the Secret Service agent while he was assigned to the security detail of the Obama family and while she was vacationing in Martha’s Vineyard in 2022.
He said that he was divorced and had been for nearly a decade, Dwanyen said.
As their relationship developed, the author said, so did her concerns about the man that she had fallen for. She would later come to find out that the agent was still married, according to the book.
“There were major red flags -- breaches of trust and of his job,†the author said in a phone interview with ABC News. “One of my friends has joked, ‘You were a walking national security risk.’â€
Finally, Dwanyen said, she sent an email to his boss outlining her fears related to the agent's safety -- as well as his family’s and her own.
She wrote that, by then, she had met the agent's boss "several times" in Hawaii, and she explained that she had his "direct contact information" from emails that the agent had shared with her.
The agent’s boss immediately set up an exhaustive interview with agents in the Inspection Division of the Secret Service’s Office of Professional Responsibility, Dwanyen told ABC. The meeting would last “nearly four hours,†she wrote in her book.
“They realized that not only had ‘Dale’ shared photos of the Obamas’ house, but he had also brought me there,†Dwanyen wrote. She “showed them photos on my phone to corroborate what I was saying,†scrolling through “pictures of Alicia Keys’ house, Steven Spielberg’s boats, Melinda Gates, Tyler Perry and Amal Clooney.â€
“He was really oversharing,†Dwanyen recalled one of the agents saying.
The agent told her “personal tidbits he should not have,†Dwanyen said on the phone with ABC News. Those "tidbits" he shared spanned across protectees, she said: ranging from information about background on Mike Pence — whom the agent had been assigned to during his vice presidency under Trump — to details about the Obamas.
"I knew their code names. I knew what day Orange Theory was, what day [Michelle Obama] had private tennis lessons and when her personal trainer came," Dwanyen said. "Things that I should not have been privy to as a civilian."
(WASHINGTON) -- The U.S. government is set to release new inflation data on Wednesday, offering a fresh look at price increases little more than a week after the issue appeared to help former President Donald Trump win re-election.
Inflation has cooled dramatically since a peak of 9% attained in 2022, now hovering near the Federal Reserve’s target rate of 2%.
The slowdown of price increases has coincided with robust economic growth, establishing the twin conditions necessary for the U.S. to achieve a “soft landing.â€
Economists expect prices to have risen 2.6% over the year ending in October. That figure would mark a slight uptick from the annual rate of 2.4% recorded during the previous month.
Still, policymakers at the Fed forecast that inflation will inch downward toward normal levels next year, and reach the central bank’s target rate in 2026, according to projections released in September.
The Fed cut interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point last week. The move came two months after the Fed cut its benchmark interest rate a half of a percentage point, dialing back its fight against inflation since it began in 2021.
The Fed is guided by a dual mandate to keep inflation under control and maximize employment. In theory, lower interest rates help stimulate economic activity and boost employment.
While the central bank’s concern about inflation has receded in recent months, a renewed focus on the labor market has risen to the fore. Employment has continued to grow but expansion has slowed in recent months. The unemployment rate has ticked up from 3.7% to 4.1% this year.
"We continue to be confident that with an appropriate recalibration of our policy stance, strength in the economy and labor market can be maintained with inflation moving sustainably down to 2%," Fed Chair Jerome Powell said at a press conference in Washington, D.C., last week.
Even as inflation has slowed, that progress hasn't reversed a leap in prices that dates back to the pandemic. Since President Joe Biden took office in 2021, consumer prices have skyrocketed more than 20%.
The price hikes appeared to fuel support for Trump in last week’s election. More than two-thirds of voters say the economy is in bad shape, according to the preliminary results of an ABC News exit poll.
However, Trump’s proposals of heightened tariffs and the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants could rekindle rapid price increases, some experts previously told ABC News.
When asked last week about the Fed's potential response to Trump's policies, Powell said the central bank would make its decisions based on how any policy changes could impact the economy.
"In the near term, the election will have no effects on our policy decisions," Powell said on Thursday. "We don’t know what the timing and substance of any policy changes will be. We therefore don’t know what the effects on the economy will be."
"We don’t guess, we don’t speculate and we don’t assume," Powell added.
The magazine made the announcement for its annual Sexiest Man Alive issue, which includes an interview with the actor exclusive to People.
Upon hearing the news that he was named Sexiest Man Alive, the actor told People that he thought he was "being punked."
"Just immediate blackout," he said. "Zero thoughts. Other than maybe I'm being punked. That's not how I wake up usually, thinking, 'Is this the day that I'll be asked to be Sexiest Man Alive?' And yet it was the day you guys did it. You really raised the bar for me."
In his interview with the magazine, he talked about his life as an actor, including his roles as Jim Halpert from The Office, and his work in A Quiet Place, which he co-wrote, directed and starred in with his wife, actress Emily Blunt.
Krasinski said working with Blunt was "one of the most thrilling processes I've ever had, because I'd never worked with Emily."
The actor said that he met Blunt in 2008 in a restaurant and as soon as he shook her hand, he said he "just knew" that she was the one.
When he told Blunt that he was named Sexiest Man Alive, he said she was "very excited."
"There was a lot of joy involved in me telling her," he said.
They've been married for 14 years and share two daughters: Hazel, 10, and Violet, 8.
"It's a phenomenal thing to get to be in this family and be a dad," he added. "It's changed my life completely."
To see more of the men featured in People's Sexiest Man Alive Issue pick up the new issue on newsstands nationwide Friday.
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Dak Prescott has decided on surgery for his torn hamstring, ending the season for the franchise quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys when their playoff hopes were already fading fast.
Owner Jerry Jones said Prescott will have the surgery Wednesday in New York. Jones was speaking on his radio show Tuesday.
“His prognosis is wonderful,†Jones said. “It just means we’re not going to have him for the rest of the year.â€
The decision comes a little more than a week after Prescott injured the hamstring in a 27-21 loss at Atlanta. He was on the sideline for Dallas’ fourth consecutive loss, 34-6 at home to Philadelphia on Sunday.
The Cowboys (3-6) already knew they would be without last season’s runner-up in NFL MVP voting for at least a month, and were resigned to the outcome that was finalized after Prescott visited one more specialist.
The recovery time is at least three months, about the amount of time former Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith was sidelined after sustaining a similar injury in training camp two years ago.
Prescott’s hamstring was partially torn off the bone, a condition known as a partial avulsion. Surgery isn’t always required in such instances, as opposed to the full tear off the bone that Smith sustained.
It’s the second time in five years that the 31-year-old Prescott will miss more than half the season because of an injury. He broke an ankle in Week 5 in 2020, when Dallas finished 6-10.
The Cowboys, who play Houston (6-4) at home Monday night, are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2020. The defending NFC East champions finished 12-5 in each of three consecutive playoff seasons.
Prescott wasn’t having a great year when he got hurt. He had 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions for an offense that was in the middle of the pack in the NFL after being among the league’s best in the playoff years.
Cooper Rush started in Prescott’s place against the Eagles but had just 45 yards passing, the fewest for a Dallas starter in a game since Matt Cassel had 37 in another lost season for the Cowboys in 2015.
Rush and Trey Lance, who briefly replaced Rush in the third quarter and came on for good later, combined for 66 passing yards. It’s the fewest for Dallas since having 34 in a 10-6 loss to Tampa Bay in 2001.
Rush will start again Monday night against the Texans. The Cowboys signed Will Grier to their practice squad Tuesday. Grier was with the Cowboys from 2021-22.
EAGAN, Minn. — Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores left no doubt Tuesday. As the NFL’s head coaching carousel ramps up this winter, he wants to be a part of it.
“Look, there’s only 32 of these jobs, so I would certainly want to be a head coach in this league again,” Flores said on “The Adam Schefter Podcast.”
The Vikings’ defense ranks No. 1 in the NFL based on DVOA, making Flores one of the NFL’s top-performing assistant coaches this season. But before speaking to Schefter, Flores had left questions about his future largely unaddressed since his controversial ouster as the Miami Dolphins’ coach after the 2021 season.
He subsequently sued the NFL and several teams, alleging discrimination regarding his interview processes with Denver and New York and his firing by the Miami Dolphins. The NFL stripped the Dolphins of their 2023 draft pick, among other disciplinary measures, after an investigation into accusations of tampering that surfaced in Flores’ lawsuit. But the lawsuit itself is still working its way through the legal system and the NFL’s arbitration process.
Flores spent the 2022 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers before joining the Vikings. He confirmed after the 2023 season that no NFL teams requested a head-coaching interview. Since then, he has been forced to address criticism from Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who referred to Flores as a “terrible person” in an interview this summer. Another former Dolphins quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, said in 2023 that Tagovailoa “was broken” by Flores’ coaching methods.
Speaking Tuesday to Schefter, Flores said there exists a public misconception of his time with the Dolphins.
“I think a lot of people view the Miami experience as [if] I see it as all negative,” he said. “I really don’t. I think it was a great experience for me and my family. There’s so much that I learned during my time there that’s made me a much, much better coach today … better in a lot of areas. And just in reflecting on that time, there’s things that obviously I would like to do better, but there’s also a lot of things that I would continue to implement.
“But it wasn’t all negative. Obviously, there was some things that I would have done better, but I thought it was a great experience and I’ve really, really come out of it in positive way and excited about where I am now. I really learned a lot from it.”
Flores has spoken often this season about the football and social comfort zone he has found in Minnesota and joked with Schefter on Tuesday that his family might put up “some resistance” to moving away.
“But for me personally,” he said, “I think [being a head coach] is something that I would love to do again.”
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco will face charges of illegal use and possession of a firearm related to his arrest in an armed altercation in the Dominican Republic countryside, public prosecutors said Tuesday.
Franco, 23, was arrested in San Juan de la Maguana, 116 miles west of Santo Domingo after what police said was an altercation Sunday in the parking lot of an apartment complex in which guns were drawn. He had been held for questioning by police but is expected to be granted provisional release Tuesday, with terms of his bail yet to be defined.
Prosecutors said a Glock with its magazine and 15 rounds of ammunition but no registration papers was found in Franco’s black Mercedes-Benz at the time of the altercation.
Police said the firearm was registered to Branly Fernando Lugo RodrÃguez, who Franco said was his uncle.
The armed altercation occurred Sunday between Franco, another man and the father of that man over Franco’s relationship with a woman prosecutors said lived in the apartment complex. The dispute took place in the parking lot of the apartment complex after Franco arrived there.
There were no injuries, and the involved parties agreed they will not press charges.
No court date has yet been set for Franco’s arraignment. The use and possession of illegal firearms carries a maximum sentence of three to five years plus a fine.
Franco, who was placed on indefinite administrative leave from Major League Baseball on Aug. 22, 2023, is due to stand trial in the Dominican Republic on Dec. 12 in a separate case involving charges of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation against a minor and human trafficking that could result in a sentence of up to 20 years.
Franco was placed on MLB’s restricted list in July, sources had told ESPN, after prosecutors in the Dominican Republic accused him of having a sexual relationship with a then-14-year-old girl.
He is also under an MLB investigation under its domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy until the case is resolved.
The court summoned Franco and the mother of the girl for the trial after an investigation that opened in 2022. The case will be heard by a panel of three or five judges.
Franco cannot leave the Dominican Republic under his bail agreement as he awaits the trial, but he is free to travel within the country, police confirmed.
The Rays gave Franco an 11-year, $182 million extension in 2021, just 70 games into his major league career.
He made the All-Star team for the first time in 2023.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Former Duke star Kyle Singler’s cryptic Instagram post saying he fears for his life has drawn an outpouring of concern and support from former teammates and others.
Singler, 36, spoke slowly and was shirtless in the short video, which was posted Tuesday morning.
“I have been mistreated and abused, neglected, made into a mental example,” Singler said. “And I fear for my life every day. And people in my community make me look out as if I’m going to be someone that’s going to be a problem and make things difficult for people when I’m only trying to be helpful.
“I feel like I have a certain way about myself and strength and purpose that does not get valued or get treated properly.”
The video cut off abruptly after about 90 seconds. It was shared more than 1,200 times in the 12 hours after it was posted.
Several NBA players responded.
Kevin Love of the Miami Heat wrote, “I love you Kyle. Hit me whenever. Please.”
Veteran guard Isaiah Thomas said: “Here for you bro! Always and forever.”
Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond added, “You aren’t alone brother! I’m here for you.”
Many of those who responded included Duke men’s basketball and the NBA in their comments, hoping to get their attention.
Singler was on Duke’s 2010 national championship team and was named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA tournament.
He posted another video Tuesday afternoon. He repeated grievances from the first post but seemed more stable.
Singler was the 33rd pick in the 2011 draft and started his career overseas before playing in the NBA. He played three seasons for the Detroit Pistons, who drafted him, and was on the All-Rookie second team in 2013. He played parts of four seasons for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Duke basketball, the Thunder and the National Basketball Players Association did not immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Even after a strong 2023 campaign and a training camp in which he was consistently one of the best players on the field, San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir was in no rush to sign a big-money contract extension until he could solidify himself as one of the league’s best at his position.
As it turned out, it took only nine more games for that to happen, as Lenoir and the 49ers reached agreement on a five-year, $92 million contract extension, a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Tuesday.
The deal comes in the midst of a season when Lenoir has emerged as one of the Niners’ best — and most versatile — young players, even on a roster with plenty of star power. Through those nine contests, Lenoir has 53 tackles, a forced fumble and two interceptions. He has allowed a passer rating of just 66.5 when targeted as the nearest defender, according to Next Gen Stats.
Lenoir also recovered a blocked field goal and raced 61 yards for a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5.
He has done all of that despite bouncing between outside corner and playing in the slot when the Niners go into nickel packages. It’s a double duty he began taking on toward the end of the 2022 season before fully embracing last season, when he played 570 snaps at outside corner and 311 in the slot, allowing a minus-4.7 EPA (expected points added), 80.1 passer rating and just one touchdown when targeted.
Despite starting this season on the final year of his rookie contract and the Niners’ desire to sign him, Lenoir told ESPN in August he wasn’t in a hurry to sign an extension because he was “at the point where I’m trying to be one of the top guys in the NFL as far as the corner position, the nickel position, just somewhere in the top where a lot of people starting to recognize me and remember my name.”
When asked about the possibility of signing an extension before he would hit free agency, Lenoir didn’t dismiss the idea but made it clear he wanted to prove he deserved to be paid among the top corners in the league.
Lenoir’s new deal averages $18.4 million per season, which places him 12th among cornerbacks and represents a significant pay raise for the 2021 fifth-round pick out of Oregon. He is making $3.116 million in base salary this season with a cap charge of $3,187,217.
While the timing of Lenoir’s deal might be a surprise, there have been signs pointing toward the 49ers hoping to get something done before the offseason so they can clear the decks for a forthcoming payday for quarterback Brock Purdy.
Coach Kyle Shanahan even seemed to hint at the end of October that something might be brewing.
“He is exactly what you want a 49er to play like,” Shanahan said then of Lenoir. “He started out really well, made a couple mistakes early on as a rookie and lost his confidence just a little bit, I thought, his rookie year. Then that second season, the way he came back in the offseason, kind of just possessed to get that job back, and he’s kind of owned it ever since. He’s been a stud for a while to me, and he gets better each year. He’s having a hell of a year.”
Lenoir is the latest in a line of homegrown middle- to late-round draft picks to ink lucrative contracts to stay in San Francisco, including linebacker Fred Warner (third round) and tight end George Kittle and linebacker Dre Greenlaw (fifth-rounders), with Purdy presumably next up.
With Lenoir in the fold, the Niners still have plenty of other big-name players set to be unrestricted free agents in the offseason. It’s a list that includes fellow starting cornerback Charvarius Ward, safety Talanoa Hufanga, guard Aaron Banks and Greenlaw.
But the Niners made it clear Tuesday that keeping Lenoir was a top priority.
Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve and Los Angeles Dodgers utilityman Mookie Betts led the field of Silver Slugger honorees by picking up the award for the seventh time in their careers.
Major League Baseball revealed the 2024 Silver Sluggers on Tuesday, as voted on by major league managers and coaches. The group features seven first-time winners and 14 different clubs with at least one honoree.
Altuve, 34, was picked as the American League second baseman winner after he batted .295 with a .789 OPS, 20 home runs, 31 doubles and 65 RBIs in 153 games in 2024. He was an All-Star for the ninth time.
Betts, 32, hit .289 with an .863 OPS, 19 home runs, 24 doubles and 75 RBIs while being limited to 116 games for the World Series champion Dodgers. He earned his eighth career All-Star nod and was named a Silver Slugger for the third year in a row.
MVP favorites Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers predictably made the list after their strong seasons. Judge hammered 58 homers and 144 RBIs with a 1.159 OPS to lead the majors in all of those categories. Ohtani posted career highs of 54 home runs and 130 RBIs with a 1.036 OPS; he added 59 stolen bases to become the first 50-50 player in major league history.
It is Judge’s fourth Silver Slugger win and Ohtani’s third.
The full list of winners is as follows:
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Catcher: Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals
First base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays
Second base: Altuve, Astros
Third base: Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians
Shortstop: Bobby Witt Jr., Royals
Outfield: Judge, Yankees; Juan Soto, Yankees; Anthony Santander, Baltimore Orioles
Oregon remained No. 1 in the second rankings released by the College Football Playoff selection committee Tuesday night.
The Ducks, who cruised past Maryland 39-18 last week to improve to 10-0, were followed by No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Penn State and No. 5 Indiana.
BYU, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Miami, Alabama, Ole Miss and Georgia round out the committee’s top 12.
Miami’s first loss of the season, 28-23 at Georgia Tech, and Georgia’s second defeat, 28-10 at Ole Miss, shook up the committee’s rankings. The Hurricanes fell five spots to No. 9, while the Bulldogs dropped nine spots to No. 12.
Using the current rankings, Oregon (Big Ten), Texas (SEC), BYU (Big 12) and Miami (ACC) would be the four highest-rated conference champions and would receive first-round byes in the 12-team playoff.
Boise State is No. 13 in the committee’s rankings, but the Broncos would be included in the 12-team playoff as the fifth-highest-rated conference champion from the Mountain West.
The first-round matchups would look like this: No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Ohio State, No. 11 Ole Miss at No. 6 Penn State, No. 10 Alabama at No. 7 Indiana and No. 9 Notre Dame at No. 8 Tennessee.
“All I can say is there’s a lot of games left to play in the season with three weeks and a conference championship in four weeks from now,” said selection committee chair Warde Manuel, Michigan’s athletic director. “There’s a lot of ball to be played. Every team in America is going to realize what I’m saying when the best thing that people can do is continue to win and then let everything fall as it may in terms of the rankings.”
Although Georgia, which captured two of the past three CFP National Championships, is ranked No. 12 in the committee’s rankings, the Bulldogs would be the first team left out of the 12-team playoff.
SMU is No. 14, followed by Texas A&M, Kansas State, Colorado, Washington State, Louisville and Clemson.
South Carolina, LSU, Missouri, Army and Tulane close out the top 25.
The Gamecocks and Green Wave made their CFP rankings debuts this season, replacing Iowa State and Pittsburgh, who were Nos. 17 and 18 last week, respectively.
There were nine SEC teams included in the committee’s rankings, four each from the ACC and Big Ten and three from the Big 12.
Georgia, which also fell 41-34 at Alabama on Sept. 28, plays what might be a CFP elimination game against Tennessee at Sanford Stadium on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET/ABC, ESPN+). Georgia is 14-3 after a loss under coach Kirby Smart, bouncing back after each of its previous eight defeats. The Bulldogs haven’t lost back-to-back games in the regular season since 2016, Smart’s first season coaching his alma mater.
Georgia has defeated Tennessee in seven of its past eight contests, including a 38-10 win on the road last season.
“Their offense hasn’t been consistent,” Manuel said. “The committee discussed that. They’ve struggled with some turnovers. Defense has been solid, although in the loss to Ole Miss, we felt that that plays a factor into with the offense struggling, their defense was on the field quite a bit. But they have just lacked some consistency on the offensive side.”
Asked Monday about the CFP implications of the game, Smart said his team had to focus solely on beating the Volunteers.
“I don’t ever take those approaches,” Smart said. “I don’t think they’re the right way to go about things. I think you’re trying to win your conference all the time, and to do that you’ve got to win your games at home. You’ve got to play well on the road, which we have and haven’t. We’ve done both, but I like making it about who we play and how we play, and less about just outcomes.”
BYU survived a 22-21 scare at Utah last week. With Miami’s loss, the Cougars jumped the Hurricanes as the third-highest-rated conference champion. BYU hosts Kansas on Saturday, followed by a road game at Arizona State on Nov. 23 and home game against Houston the next week. According to ESPN Analytics, BYU is the heavy favorite (92%) to earn a spot in the Big 12 title game and also win it (40%).
Army would be the next-highest-rated conference champion behind Boise State, one spot ahead of fellow AAC program Tulane. The Black Knights improved to 9-0 with last week’s 14-3 victory at North Texas. They’ll have their best chance to make a statement to the selection committee in their next game, against Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium in New York on Nov. 23.
The four first-round games will be played at the home campus of the higher-seeded teams on Dec. 20 and 21. The four quarterfinal games will be staged at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl presented by Prudential and Allstate Sugar Bowl on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.
The two semifinal games will take place at the Capital One Orange Bowl and Goodyear Cotton Bowl on Jan. 9 and 10.
The CFP National Championship presented by AT&T is scheduled for Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
NEW YORK — The Winnipeg Jets made NHL history with their 6-3 victory at the New York Rangers on Tuesday night, becoming the first team to win 15 of its first 16 games in a season.
“You play at MSG, you’ve got to put on a show,” said center Mark Scheifele, who scored two goals in the win. “It feels amazing. Obviously, it’s been a great start for us, but tonight’s over. Enjoy the win. And then back to work.”
The Jets’ start has been nothing short of remarkable. They became the fourth team since 1967-68 to lead the NHL in goals for and against per game through their first 15 games. They’ve scored five or more goals in half their games. Their 73 goals this season are the third most by a team in its first 16 games over the past 30 years.
With their win at the Rangers, the Jets moved to 7-0-0 on the road. The 36 goals they’ve scored away from Winnipeg are the most in NHL history for the nine teams that have won their first seven road games.
“We had talked about banking points at the start of the season. We’ve got a very tough division. I don’t think I quite drew it up this way, but certainly the guys have earned every inch of it,” said head coach Scott Arniel, who was promoted from associate coach in the offseason.
Kyle Connor scored twice, while Gabriel Vilardi and Vladislav Namestnikov added goals. Connor Hellebuyck made 33 saves for the Jets, many of them critical stops against the Rangers to maintain his team’s momentum. Hellebuyck is now 12-1-0 on the season and outdueled the Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin (five goals on 32 shots) in a battle of favorites to win the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender.
Connor said he felt that the Jets’ forecheck benefitted from the Rangers pressing offensively.
“I think they, for lack of better words, were cheating for offense in certain areas. They were going past our defensemen at times, and we were able to keep pucks in and make ’em pay,” he said.
Rangers coach Peter Laviolette simply felt the Jets executed better.
“I don’t think we were pressing. When you’re playing a team that’s firing offensively and the execution isn’t where it needs to be, it can turn around on you pretty quickly,” he said.
Scheifele scored 57 seconds into the contest before the Rangers’ Will Cuylle tied it at 13:07 of the first. Vilardi put the visitors ahead on the power play at 8:58 before Alexis Lafreniere tied the game again at 12:51 of the second. Connor put the Jets ahead for good at 16:03 of the second. Scheifele scored again 1:08 into the third — his ninth of the season — before Kaapo Kakko narrowed the deficit to 4-3 just 32 seconds later. Namestnikov scored his fifth at 13:08, and Connor completed the scoring into an empty net with 20 seconds to play.
“It’s coming from all areas of our team, top to bottom. Everybody’s involved in it, and that’s what makes it so dangerous, so lethal,” Connor said of the Jets’ offense. “It’s not just a one-trick pony. If one line has an off night, we usually have two or three going.”
The Jets continue on the road with games at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday and the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Saturday.
Connor said the team understands the history it’s making but isn’t allowing it to be a distraction.
“Honestly, we know what we’re doing, but we don’t take too much stock in it. It’s move on to the next one. It’s ‘How can we improve, how can we be better?'” he said. “I think that’s what made us successful to this point. Nobody’s satisfied. We won 15 here, but I just think that speaks to leadership not getting comfortable. Still a lot of season left.”
