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Jimmy Carter funeral live updates: Harris to deliver eulogy at Capitol ceremony

(WASHINGTON) -- Members of Congress, the Supreme Court and other dignitaries will gather at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday afternoon for a lying-in-state ceremony for former President Jimmy Carter.

Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver one of the eulogies for Carter, who died on Dec. 29 at the age of 100.

Service to begin at Capitol

Former President Jimmy Carter’s casket has been placed on the Lincoln catafalque in the Rotunda, a stand that has been used for most memorial services at the Capitol, dating back to President Abraham Lincoln.

A service for the 39th president will begin momentarily.

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Supreme Court justices, members of Congress and ambassadors are among the dignitaries in attendance.

House cancels Wednesday votes

The House canceled Wednesday votes in observance of former President Jimmy Carter lying in state at the Capitol.The 39th president will lie in state at the Capitol from Tuesday evening to Thursday morning for the public to pay respects.

The next votes in the House will be Thursday at 11:45 a.m., according to Majority Leader Steve Scalise.

Family, Carter Cabinet members serve as honorary pallbearers

The Carter family and surviving members of former President Jimmy Carter’s Cabinet have gathered at the top of the steps of the Capitol to serve as honorary pallbearers and help bring Carter’s casket inside the Capitol.

Carter arrives at Capitol

Former President Jimmy Carter’s casket, in a horse-drawn caisson, has arrived at the U.S. Capitol. Military body bearers will carry the casket into the Capitol Rotunda.

At 4:30 p.m. ET, members of Congress, the Supreme Court, the Cabinet, the Joint Chiefs and other officials will come together at the Capitol for a lying in state ceremony. Vice President Kamala Harris, Senator Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson are expected to deliver eulogies and lay wreaths.

Motorcade makes emotional stop at Navy Memorial

Former President Jimmy Carter’s motorcade made an emotional stop at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C., to honor Carter’s service as a lieutenant in the Navy.

Carter’s childhood dream was to be in the Navy and he went on to graduate from the United States Naval Academy in 1946. Carter resigned from the Navy in 1953 after his father’s death so he could return to the family farm.

Carter’s casket was transferred from the hearse to a horse-drawn military caisson for a funeral procession that reproduces the walk Carter took with his family on the day of his inauguration. On that January day in 1977, Carter walked the mile-and-a-half inaugural parade route to the White House, rather than ride in a limousine, bringing a common touch to his presidency.

Navy officers stood silently along the snow-lined street, witnessing the casket's transfer to the caisson.

The Carter family will walk behind the casket as it heads from the U.S. Navy Memorial to the U.S. Capitol.

Motorcade leaves Joint Base Andrews

Former President Jimmy Carter’s motorcade has left Joint Base Andrews in Maryland en route to Washington, D.C., to begin several days of services in the nation’s capital.

Carter lands in DC

A plane carrying the Carter family and the casket of former President Jimmy Carter has landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland for several days of ceremonies in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Navy Memorial will be the first stop for the motorcade to honor Carter’s service as a lieutenant in the Navy.

Carter en route from Georgia to DC

The Carter family is accompanying former President Jimmy Carter’s remains on a flight from Georgia’s Dobbins Air Reserve Base to Washington, D.C. for the late president’s final journey to the nation’s capital.

"Hail to the Chief" was played and troops fired a 21-gun salute after the coffin was taken out of the hearse. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp was among the officials at the base to witness the coffin’s transfer from the hearse to the plane.

Carter is survived by four children -- John William (Jack), James Earl III (Chip), Donnel Jeffrey (Jeff) and Amy Lynn -- and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The flight will land in the D.C. area around 2 p.m.

The late president’s first stop in snowy D.C. will be the U.S. Navy Memorial to honor his time in the service.

That will be followed by a 4:30 p.m. ET service at the U.S. Capitol, which will be

Carter leaves Carter Presidential Center for final time

Former President Jimmy Carter is leaving the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta for the final time Tuesday morning as Carter Center employees and their families look on.

The former president had been lying in repose at the center since Saturday, allowing the public to come pay their respects.

At a Saturday service at the Carter Presidential Center, Carter's son Chip Carter thanked his parents for their service and sacrifice.

"The two of them together changed the world," he said, overcome with emotion.

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter founded the Carter Center after his presidency to improve health around the world and enhance freedom and democracy.

Carter to head to DC for services at Capitol, Washington National Cathedral

Former President Jimmy Carter's remains will be escorted from the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday for the 39th president's final trip to the nation's capital.

His remains will leave the Carter Center at 11:30 a.m. ET.

The first stop in D.C. will be the U.S. Navy Memorial in honor of the former president's service.

At 4:30 p.m. ET, members of Congress, the Supreme Court, the Cabinet, the Joint Chiefs and other officials will congregate at the U.S. Capitol for a lying in state ceremony. Vice President Kamala Harris, Senator Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson are expected to deliver eulogies and lay wreaths.

Carter's remains will lie in state at the Capitol from Tuesday evening to Thursday morning, allowing the public to pay respects.

On Thursday morning, former presidents and other dignitaries will attend a state funeral at Washington National Cathedral. President Joe Biden will deliver a eulogy.

On Thursday afternoon, Carter’s body will return to his hometown of Plains, Georgia, for a private service and private interment. Carter will be buried next to his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn, who died on Nov. 19, 2023, at the age of 96.

In brief: Joey King, Cooper Koch to announce SAG Awards nominations and more

Joey King and Cooper Koch will reveal this year's Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations. The announcement will take place Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. PT and will stream exclusively on Netflix's YouTube channel. The first nominees announced will be those for outstanding action performance in a stunt ensemble, which will be revealed by SAG Awards committee members Jason George and Elizabeth McLaughlin. The 31st annual SAG Awards will stream live on Netflix on Sunday, Feb. 23 ...

Grimm is the latest show to be developing a reboot. The supernatural drama series is looking to return in the form of a movie, Deadline reports. Peacock is developing the film, with Drop Dead Diva creator Josh Berman writing and executive producing it along with the original show's creative team, including co-creators David Greenwalt and Jim Kouf, and showrunners Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner ...

Timothée Chalamet's lookalike contest winner walked the Golden Globes red carpet on Sunday night, where he finally met his celebrity doppelgänger. Miles Mitchell, who won the Chalamet lookalike contest in October, posed for a photo with the A Complete Unknown actor. "It was definitely probably one of the coolest things I've ever done in my life, by far. They called me Friday night at 9:00 p.m. asking me to go on a morning flight to LA," Mitchell said. "I didn't even have anything to wear. I literally bought a tuxedo arriving into LA, because I had zero time to prepare for a red carpet outfit." ...

Facebook to rely on ‘Community Notes,’ replacing fact checkers, Zuckerberg says

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

(NEW YORK) -- Facebook plans to replace its fact-checkers with "community notes," a move that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said would allow the social network to return "to our roots around free expression."

"We're replacing fact checkers with Community Notes, simplifying our policies and focusing on reducing mistakes," Zuckerberg said on Tuesday. "Looking forward to this next chapter."

The changes, which will also be in place for Instagram and Threads, will lift restrictions "on some topics that are part of mainstream discourse" and will focus the company's "enforcement on illegal and high-severity violations," Joel Kaplan, chief global affairs officer, said in a blog post.

Meta executives sought in their statements to tie the update to what they described as a sea change in public discourse accompanying the rise of President-elect Donald Trump's brand of politics.

Fact-checkers who were put in place in the wake of Trump's 2016 election have proven to be "too politically biased" and have destroyed "more trust than they've created," particularly in the United States, Zuckerberg said.

"The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point towards once again prioritizing speech," Zuckerberg said.

The decision also follows Zuckerberg recent meeting with Trump at the president-elect's private Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. And Meta is donating to Trump's presidential inaugural committee, marking a first for the company.

The shift in policy mirrors a series of updates that Elon Musk -- a Trump ally -- made after purchasing rival social network Twitter, which he's since rebranded as X.

Kaplan on Tuesday praised the approach Musk has taken, saying X under its new owner has empowered its "community to decide when posts are potentially misleading and need more context."

"We think this could be a better way of achieving our original intention of providing people with information about what they're seeing -- and one that's less prone to bias," Kaplan said.

As the company's fact-checking capabilities have grown, they have expanded "to the point where we are making too many mistakes," which in turn has frustrated many of the social networks' users, Kaplan said.

"Too much harmless content gets censored, too many people find themselves wrongly locked up in 'Facebook jail,' and we are often too slow to respond when they do," he said.

ABC News' Michael Kreisel, Zunaira Zaki and Chris Donovan contributed to this report.

Cold weather alerts from New Mexico to Florida, with another winter storm expected

(NEW YORK) -- The snow and ice that fell during the winter story is not expected to go anywhere for days, as temperatures remain at or below freezing for many and four states may see soon get another storm.

Cold Weather alerts and Freeze alerts issued from New Mexico to Florida. Wind chills are near 20 degrees all the way south to the Gulf Coast and are in the 30s in Florida.

The major winter storm that brought heavy snow and ice from Kansas to New Jersey is gone. Washington, D.C., had 7.1 inches of snow, making it the biggest snowstorm since 2019. And Cincinnati, Ohio, received about 10.6 inches of snow, marking the biggest snowstorm since 2016.

The chilly weather will continue for most of the East through Friday. The cold air in place, will set up perfect conditions for a new winter storm.

A Winter Storm Watch has already been issued for four states: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Lousiana, where snow and sleet could create treacherous road conditions.

Ice and snow are expected to begin in Texas and Oklahoma early Thursday morning and will continue all day. Dallas, Texas; Shreveport, Louisiana; and Little Rock, Arkansas, are just a few cities that will see this winter storm Thursday morning into Friday morning.

By Friday, the snow will move into Tennessee, hitting both Memphis and Nashville, with ice possible for northern Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.

Even Atlanta, Georgia, could see ice and snow on Friday afternoon and evening.

Snow is also expected to fall in the recently hard hit Ohio Valley on Friday from Louisville to Cincinnati.

By Friday night into Saturday the snow will move into mid-Atlantic and I-95 corridor again. At this point, it is still too early to say how much snow I-95 corridor will get, but a few inches possible, especially from Washing to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

2 found dead in JetBlue landing gear compartment after flight, airline says

(FORT LAUDERDALE, FL) -- Two people were found dead in the landing gear compartment of a JetBlue plane after it landed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the airline said in a statement on Tuesday.

The bodies, which have not yet been publicly identified, were discovered Monday evening during a "routine post-flight maintenance inspection," the airline said.

"At this time, the identities of the individuals and the circumstances surrounding how they accessed the aircraft remain under investigation," JetBlue said. "This is a heartbreaking situation, and we are committed to working closely with authorities to support their efforts to understand how this occurred."

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

New federal rule will remove medical debt from credit reports

(WASHINGTON) -- In a major change that could affect millions of Americans' credit scores, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Tuesday finalized a rule to remove medical debt from consumer credit reports.

The rule would erase an estimated $49 billion in unpaid medical bills from the credit reports of roughly 15 million Americans, the CFPB said.

That could help boost those borrowers' credit scores by an average of 20 points, helping them qualify for mortgages and other loans.

"No one should be denied economic opportunity because they got sick or experienced a medical emergency," Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement touting the new rule.

She announced the proposal for the rule last June alongside CFPB Director Rohit Chopra.

"This will be life-changing for millions of families, making it easier for them to be approved for a car loan, a home loan or a small-business loan," Harris added.

Major credit reporting agencies have already announced voluntary steps to remove medical debt from their reports.

The final rule is set to take effect in March – but that timeline could be delayed by legal challenges.

Debt collection industry groups like the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals have opposed the change, saying it would result in "reduced consequences for not paying your bills, which in turn will reduce access to credit and health care for those that need it most."

At least 126 dead, scores injured in 6.8 magnitude earthquake near holy city in Tibet, Chinese media reports

(TIBET) -- At least 126 people were killed and more than 188 others were injured as a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck near Tibet's holy city on Tuesday, according to Chinese state media.

The earthquake occurred in Dingri County, Shigatse City, Tibet, just after 9 a.m. with a focal depth of 10 kilometers, according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre. More than 3,600 houses had collapsed, state media said.

The U.S. Geological Survey placed the earthquake's magnitude at 7.1, pinpointing the epicenter in Xizang, the local name for the Tibet Autonomous Region.

"The region near the India and Eurasia plate boundary has a history of large earthquakes," the USGS said in a summary of the quake. "In the past century, there have been 10 earthquakes of magnitude 6 and greater within 250 km of the January 7, 2025, earthquake."

The Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhism's exiled spiritual leader, said in a statement that he was "saddened" to learn of the deadly earthquake.

"It has caused the tragic loss of many lives, numerous injuries, and extensive destruction to homes and property," he said. "I offer my prayers for those who have lost their lives and extend my wishes for a swift recovery to all who have been injured."

The Chinese media also reported that as of 10 a.m. local time, multiple aftershocks were recorded, the largest of which was 4.4.

The death toll has risen steadily in the hours since the earthquake, according to Xinhua, a state media outlet. First reported at 53, with about 60 other injured, it climbed hours later to about 95 dead and 130 injured, the outlet reported.

North Korea fired hypersonic missile in message to ‘rivals,’ Kim Jong Un says

Kim Jae-Hwan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

(LONDON) -- North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday claimed a successful test a new type of intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile, with leader Kim Jong Un touting the weapon as a major military achievement.

KCNA said the successful test took place on Jan. 6. The launch marked Pyongyang's first missile test of 2025 and came with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the region for what is expected to be his last foreign trip as America's top diplomat.

Kim personally oversaw the test, KCNA said.

Kim said the missile's hypersonic glide vehicle travelled more than 930 miles at 12 times the speed of sound. It reached two different peaks of 62 miles and 26.4 miles before hitting a simulated target at sea, the North Korean leader said.

The development of the weapon is "mainly aimed to steadily put the country's nuclear war deterrent on an advanced basis by making the means of changing the war situation, the weapon system to which no one can respond, the linchpin of strategic deterrence," Kim said, as quoted by KCNA.

"This is clearly a plan and effort for self-defence, not an offensive plan and action," Kim added.

"The performance of our latest intermediate-range hypersonic missile system cannot be ignored worldwide and the system can deal a serious military strike to a rival while effectively breaking any dense defensive barrier," the leader added.

The launch "clearly showed" Pyongyang's "rivals" that the country is "fully ready to use even any means to defend our legitimate interests," Kim continued.

"The hypersonic missile system will reliably contain any rivals in the Pacific region that can affect the security of our state," he said.

North Korea has embarked on an intense program of weapons tests in recent years, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, medium-range rockets and hypersonic weapons. The increase in tests came as relations with the U.S. and its regional allies deteriorated and Pyongyang pulled closer to Russia.

North Korea has been testing hypersonic weapons -- which fly at more than five times the speed of sound, their speed and trajectory making them difficult to intercept -- since 2021.

South Korea cast doubt on its neighbor's purported test. Lee Sung Joon, the spokesperson for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Seoul's military believed Pyongyang was exaggerating its capabilities, the Associated Press reported.

Lee said the missile covered a shorter distance than Kim claimed and that there was no second peak.

The latest test came as Blinken visited South Korea and Japan -- two key American regional allies.

Blinken on Monday condemned North Korea's launch as "yet another violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions," and again criticized Pyongyang for its materiel and personnel contributions to Russia's ongoing war on Ukraine.

ABC News' Will Gretsky contributed to this report.

Ukraine is bringing war ‘back to Russia,’ Zelenskyy says after new Kursk offensive

DONETSK OBLAST, UKRAINE - DECEMBER 31: Ukrainian soldiers watch the Zelensky New Years Eve address from their base in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on 31 December 2024. (Photo by Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu via Getty Images)

(LONDON) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that some 38,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded fighting in Russia's western Kursk region since August, with Kyiv now launching a fresh offensive in the border region.

"We continue to maintain a buffer zone on Russian territory, actively destroying Russian military potential there," Zelenskyy said in a statement posted to the presidency's website.

Monday marked five months since Ukrainian units crossed into Kursk in a surprise summer 2024 offensive there. Russian forces -- recently supported by North Korean troops -- have since slowly been reclaiming ground in their bid to eject Ukrainian troops from the region.

On Sunday, Ukrainian and Russian officials confirmed that Kyiv had launched a fresh offensive in Kursk, with fierce fighting reported in several villages.

"Since the beginning of the Kursk operation, the enemy has already lost over 38,000 troops in this area alone, including approximately 15,000 irrecoverable losses," Zelenskyy said.

"The Russians have deployed their strong units to the Kursk region," he added. "Soldiers from North Korea are involved there. What's important is that the occupier cannot currently redirect all this force to other directions, in particular the Donetsk, Sumy, Kharkiv, or Zaporizhzhia regions."

"I thank all our warriors who are bringing the war back to Russia and providing Ukraine with greater security and strength," Zelenskyy said.

Multiple Russian military bloggers reported that Ukrainian troops, tanks, armored vehicles and demining equipment attacked the villages of Berdin and Bolshoye Soldatskoye, north of Sudzha -- the main administrative border town that Ukraine captured in August. Bloggers also reported an attack further west on the border town of Tetkino.

Russia's Defense Ministry said in a Monday statement that two assaults were repelled. "The operation to destroy the Ukrainian Armed Forces formations continues," it wrote on Telegram.

The Institute for the Study of War think tank reported that Ukraine intensified its offensive operations in Kursk through Monday, with Russian forces elsewhere in the region launching their own fresh attacks on the Ukrainian salient.

The think tank reported "tactical advances" by Ukrainian troops in areas northeast of Sudzha, though the extent of their success remains unclear.

Andriy Yermak -- the head of Zelenskyy's presidential office -- said in a Sunday post to Telegram there was "good news" from the Kursk battlefields, adding: "Russia is getting what it deserves."

Ukraine launched its latest Kursk push just two weeks before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Trump has promised to end the war in 24 hours, repeatedly hinting at pressing Ukraine to make territorial and political concessions in exchange for peace.

Zelenskyy and his top officials have been working hard to build ties with the incoming administration and convince the president-elect of the need to support Ukraine and contain Russia.

Zelenskyy said on Monday that he "held a meeting with international relations officials to plan our meetings and negotiations for January.

"We are accelerating arms deliveries to Ukraine and working toward new and more long-term relations with partners," he said. "We are preparing positive diplomatic news for Ukraine."

Continued Ukrainian presence in Kursk may give Kyiv more leverage in peace talks with Moscow, with Russian troops still occupying around 25% of Ukraine's internationally recognized territory.

"We don't need Russian territory, but we need our territories back," Yehor Cherniev -- a member of the Ukrainian parliament and the chairman of his country's delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly -- told ABC News.

"This will probably be one of the positions for further negotiations," Cherniev said.

ABC News' Patrick Reevell and Natasha Popova contributed to this report.

Golden Globes producers want Nikki Glaser to host again

It seems Nikki Glaser could be returning to host the Golden Globes next year.

The comedian hosted the 82nd Golden Globes awards ceremony for the first time on Sunday, and producers were so impressed with her performance, they seem to be ready to ask her back to host again.

“We absolutely had a great experience with her, and think that she would be great at this in the long term,” executive producer Glenn Weiss told Variety.

He would not disclose if she had officially been asked back, but hinted that could be the case.

“Perhaps!” Weiss said. “I can’t talk officially for anything. I will say, as someone who produces and directs award shows, she really found her niche here, and I think it really worked out beautifully on this show. And I would love to see it continue.”

Additionally, Weiss said he thinks Glaser provided the proper mood for the awards show.

“Nikki, in my mind, home run,” Weiss said. “She really prepared. She did her homework. She’s been practicing material at clubs, sometimes four or five shows a night for a couple of weeks straight, working on this pretty hard since November. And when you have a host that’s that prepared and that dedicated and also not tone deaf, listening to what’s going on in our business and even in the room on the fly, she’s really good at this. And she proved herself to be a really good host."

Cowboys stars want Mike McCarthy back as coach. Owner Jerry Jones has to make that decision

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys are fully committed to Dak Prescott, and their franchise quarterback wants Mike McCarthy back as the coach.

So do standout receiver CeeDee Lamb and star edge rusher Micah Parsons.

Team owner Jerry Jones, at least publicly, hasn’t been as clear about his plans with McCarthy’s contract set to expire after completing his fifth season. They likely will be talking later this week about what is next.

Jones spoke to reporters for more than 45 minutes after the Cowboys ended their 7-10 season with a last-second loss to playoff-bound Washington, saying he didn’t know if he was even considering making a coaching change and talking about McCarthy being one of the league’s best coaches. But the owner never provided any certainty that the coach would remain with the team.

“I’m not trying in any way to play a guessing game here with anybody,” Jones said. “We’ve got some work to do, and we need to do some things differently, and we can, and that’s usually the case.”

Dallas has now gone 29 seasons since the last of its five Super Bowl titles. The Cowboys haven’t made it past the divisional round of the NFC playoffs since that 1995 season, including after three consecutive 12-5 regular seasons under McCarthy.

Prescott, after agreeing to a record $240 million, four-year contract right before the season opener, missed the final nine games with a torn hamstring. Lamb, perennial All-Pro guard Zack Martin, cornerback Trevon Diggs and rushing defender DeMarcus Lawrence also finished the season on injured reserve.

The big question after a season plagued by injuries to so many Pro Bowl-caliber players is if the Cowboys can get back to where they were in the previous three years.

“This is the lowest of the lows, I would say. And if you give myself another opportunity, you give this is locker room another opportunity and attack this thing in the right way, I promise you will be a playoff-contending team this year,” Parsons said. “I know the challenges that we face and how we can still overcome those things if we are still in it together. So I’m glad I went through this this year. You know, it is humbling, you know, to be reground, reset.”

McCarthy will almost certainly have other options if he doesn’t stay in Dallas, but said he and the Cowboys have a lot invested in each other and that there was no question in his mind that he was in position to move forward with Jones. He is 49-35 with the Cowboys, and has a 174-112-2 record in 18 seasons overall as an NFL coach, the first 13 with Green Bay and with a Super Bowl win, though that was 14 years ago at AT&T Stadium.

“I’ll just be clear. I’m a winner. I know how to win. I’ve won a championship. I won a championship in this building,” McCarthy said after the season-ending 23-19 loss to the Commanders, who scored the winning touchdown with 3 seconds left. “We’ll see where it goes.”
Payday for Parsons?

Parsons, the first player since Reggie White in 1982 with at least 12 sacks in each of his first four seasons, is next in line after Prescott and Lamb for a big contract. Lamb got a $136 million, four-year deal in August after a month-long holdout before the final season of his rookie contract.

With Parsons now heading into the final season of his rookie contract, the Penn State standout said he hopes to have a new deal in place as soon as possible. But he has said that he doesn’t intend on holding out.

Even though he missed four games this season with a high ankle sprain, Parsons finished with 12 sacks after 2 1/2 in the last game. He had two on the opening drive.
Aubrey getting his kicks

Brandon Aubrey kicked four field goals in the finale, giving him an franchise-record 40. He is only the fifth kicker in NFL history with at least 40 field goals, joining Chris Boswell (41) this season, and behind David Akers’ record 44 in 2011.

None of Aubrey’s kicks Sunday was from 50 yards, but his 14 this season were an NFL record.

After 36 field goals as a rookie last season, Aubrey is the only NFL kicker to make at least 35 field goals in each of his first two seasons.
Other coaching contracts expiring

McCarthy isn’t the only Cowboys coach on an expiring contract. His entire staff of assistants was signed only through this season. That includes offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and special teams coordinator John Fassel.
Next steps

The decision on McCarthy’s future has to be determined first of all before the Cowboys can really move forward in the offseason.

After that comes the recovery of the players who were injured this season, including Prescott, right guard Martin and Diggs, the cornerback who has had consecutive injury-filled seasons.

Martin, a 2014 first-round draft pick and seven-time All-Pro pick, had season-ending ankle surgery in December. The decision by the 34-year-old on whether to come back for a 12th NFL season could determine how much more flux there will be for the offensive line.

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

Chargers plan to sign Ezekiel Elliott to practice squad after his release by Cowboys

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Chargers are planning to sign running back Ezekiel Elliott to their practice squad pending a physical, two people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday night.

The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the move had not been completed.

The Chargers (11-6) are the No. 5 seed in the AFC and open the playoffs at Houston on Saturday in a wild-card round game.

Elliott was released by the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 31 so that he could possibly sign with a playoff team seeking a veteran running back. The same thing happened last season when Dalvin Cook was cut by the New York Jets and played for Baltimore in a divisional-round win over Houston.

This season in 15 games, Elliott had just 74 carries for 226 yards with a 3.1-yard-per-carry average, all career lows. The two-time NFL rushing champion has 9,130 yards and 74 rushing touchdowns in nine seasons.

J.K. Dobbins is the Chargers’ starting running back. Gus Edwards missed the last two games of the regular season with an ankle injury.

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

Veteran reliever Chris Martin returns to hometown team on 1-year deal with Texas Rangers

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Veteran reliever Chris Martin signed a one-year contract with his hometown Texas Rangers on Monday night, returning to a team he pitched for in 2018 and 2019.

Martin went 3-1 with a 3.45 ERA in 45 relief appearances for Boston last season, when he struck out 50 batters in 44 1/3 innings and his three walks were the fewest by qualified major league relievers. The right-hander had a 2.16 ERA in 100 games for the Red Sox the past two years.

The 38-year-old Martin has a 16-18 career record with a 3.38 ERA and 14 saves in 369 games — all in relief. His career began with Colorado in 2014, and he pitched for the New York Yankees in 2015 before going to Japan in advance of his first stint with the Rangers.

Texas traded Martin in 2019 to Atlanta. He was with the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers in 2022 before going to the Red Sox in free agency.

Right-hander Matt Festa was designated for assignment to make room on the Rangers’ big league roster.

Earlier in the day, Texas traded right-hander Owen White to Cincinnati for cash.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Patriots owner wants to move quickly to hire new head coach

ByMIKE REISS
January 6, 2025, 1:29 PM

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said he planned to move quickly to hire a head coach, while also addressing the decision to fire Jerod Mayo after just one season.

“This whole situation is on me,” Kraft said Monday. “I feel terrible for Jerod, because I put him in an untenable situation. I know that he has all the tools as a head coach to be successful in this league. He just needed more time before taking the job.

“In the end, I’m a fan of this team first, and now I have to go out and find a coach who can get us back to the playoffs and hopefully championships.”

The Patriots, who were 4-13 under Mayo, have already submitted a request to speak with Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, according to a source.

Kraft, 83, was also asked if former Patriots linebacker and former Tennessee head coach Mike Vrabel is near the top of his list.

“There are some wonderful people that we’ve heard about. I’d rather respond to that after I’ve seen everyone,” Kraft said. “We want to interview as many people as we can that we think can help us get to that position that we want to be in.”

Kraft said his son, team president Jonathan Kraft, will be involved in the interview process along with senior personnel executive Alonzo Highsmith and executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf.

Kraft said Highsmith and Wolf “will be staying on” as the Patriots are “looking for people working together.” But he also acknowledged the hiring of a new coach could potentially alter internal dynamics because the coach will “obviously have big input on who the players are, and who the coaches are — it will be his decision.”

Of the decision to fire Mayo, Kraft said he “went back and forth” over the past month. He described a Week 1 win at Cincinnati as his high point of the season, but “midseason, I think we started to regress.”

Kraft said he didn’t inform Mayo of his decision until after Sunday’s season finale, when the Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills 23-16 — a result that bumped them from the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft to the No. 4 spot.

“He was a man,” Kraft said of his conversation with Mayo after the game. “Look, it was one of the more difficult things I’ve had to do in my life because I had such affection for him. And I believe in him. I really do believe as he gets more experience, he’ll be successful. He was a gentleman and accepted it that way.”

Kraft acknowledged that negative fan reaction in recent weeks, which included chants in the team’s home stadium to fire Mayo, had an impact in his decision.

“We don’t own this team; it’s owned by the fans of this region,” Kraft said. “We’re custodians of a very special asset of the community. That helps me try to make decisions. That if it was just personal, it would be different.”

Sources: Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving (back) out at least 1-2 weeks

BySHAMS CHARANIA AND TIM MACMAHON
January 6, 2025, 2:19 PM

Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving has a bulging disk in his back and is expected to miss at least one to two weeks, sources told ESPN.

There is optimism that treatment over the coming days will provide a return-to-play target date, sources said.

The Mavs announced Sunday that Irving would miss Monday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies with a lumbar sprain in his back. He did not join the team on the road trip, remaining in Dallas to be reevaluated, sources said.

Irving did not play in Friday’s home loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, when he was ruled out hours before tipoff with an illness.

Dallas is already down one superstar, as guard Luka Doncic has been out since suffering a strained left calf during the Christmas Day loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Doncic, who was seen using a scooter to move around at the arena Friday night, is expected to be reevaluated in the final week of January.

The Mavs, who also dealt with suspensions to forwards Naji Marshall and P.J. Washington stemming from a Dec. 27 altercation with Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic, have lost four consecutive games entering Monday night. Dallas (20-15), the defending Western Conference champion, is 0-3 when missing both Doncic and Irving this season.

Irving, 32, has performed at an All-Star level in his 14th NBA season, averaging 24.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game while shooting 49.0% from the floor and a career-best 44.1% from 3-point range.