By GLENN GAMBOA, Associated Press Business Writer

NASHVILLE (AP) — In a life filled with milestones, Irving Locker celebrated a new, unexpected one last week: He became a published songwriter.

One day before his 101st birthday, “If Freedom Was Free” was released by Big Machine Label Group and CreatiVets, the Nashville-based nonprofit that helps veterans work through their traumas by building something new through the arts.

CreatiVets teamed Locker, a World War II veteran who landed at Utah Beach on D-Day, with Texas singer-songwriter Bart Crow and duo Johnny and Heidi Bulford, who also sing on the track. The chorus – “If freedom was free, there wouldn’t be a mountain of metal and men under Normandy” – includes the message Locker has used in lectures from classrooms to the White House. Freedom, he says, is not free. People should be thankful for it and for those who make it possible.

“I have to talk about things like that,” he says. “I got nothing to gain. But people have to know and appreciate the fact that they’re living because of men who died. It comes from the heart, not the lips.”

Locker, who now lives in The Villages, Florida, said the chance to write a song was an “unbelievable” thrill, one that he never dreamed possible. It means even more to him because music is such an important part of his life.

He said he and his wife of 77 years, Bernice, still go out dancing often – still doing the jitterbug and the cha-cha as they have for decades.

“You should see me on the floor even now,” said Locker, adding that he knows how lucky he is to be alive and active when so many other veterans are not.

“To be very honest with you, I was never conscious of God until the war,” he said. “But I came so close to dying that I learned how to thank God and use the simple phrase ‘But for the grace of God go I.’”

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Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

By NICHOLAS RICCARDI and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The pardons of dozens of Republicans accused of participating in efforts to overturn the 2020 election are a continuation of President Donald Trump’s attempts to rewrite the history about his election loss.

They come months after Trump’s sweeping grant of clemency to all 1,500-plus people charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, which was the culmination of the campaign to reverse Trump’s loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

Unlike the Jan. 6 pardons, the newer ones will have little legal effect. None of the people on the new pardon list had faced federal prosecution for their actions in 2020. The presidential pardon has no impact on state or civil cases.

But they send a signal to those thinking of denying future elections in Trump’s favor.

Here’s a look at some of the more prominent names who were pardoned:

Rudy Giuliani

The former New York City mayor, who was celebrated as “America’s mayor” after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, played a pivotal role in pushing Trump’s unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud as the Republican’s personal lawyer in 2020. He has faced a slew of legal woes and financial setbacks for his advocacy of Trump’s false claims, including losing his law license in Washington and New York. He was criminally charged in cases brought by state prosecutors in Georgia and Arizona and pleaded not guilty. Those cases have hit roadblocks but remain unresolved and are not impacted by Trump’s pardon. Giuliani was ordered in 2023 to pay $148 million to two Georgia election workers who sued him over lies he spread about them and a reached a deal in January to resolve the debt and retain some of his property. The amount the women were set to receive was not disclosed. Giuliani has denied wrongdoing and said he was right to challenge an election he believed was tainted by fraud.

Mark Meadows

Trump’s chief of staff during the 2020 election and its aftermath, Meadows was charged in Arizona and Georgia cases and pleaded not guilty in both states. Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his effort to move his case in Georgia to federal court, where a pardon would nullify his jeopardy. Meadows has contended his post-election actions were taken in his official capacity as White House chief of staff, though prosecutors and judges have disagreed. Meadows was on the phone when Trump asked Georgia’s secretary of state, Republican Brad Raffensperger, to “find” him enough votes to be declared the winner of the state.

Kenneth Chesebro

Prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia, alleged that Chesebro, an attorney, worked with Georgia Republicans at the direction of Trump’s campaign to organize 16 people to sign a certificate falsely claiming that Trump won the state and that they were his “duly elected and qualified” electors. Chesebro pleaded guilty to a conspiracy count in the state case but unsuccessfully tried to withdraw his plea as the massive case against him and 17 others, including Trump, collapsed due to legal issues. Chesebro’s law license in New York state was suspended after his plea.

Jenna Ellis

A prominent conservative media figure and an attorney, Ellis also pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting false statements and writings in the Georgia case. She apologized in court for advising the Trump campaign on how to overturn its loss and was censured and barred from practicing law for three years in her native Colorado for her conduct in 2020.

John Eastman

A prominent conservative law professor, Eastman wrote a key memo outlining the Trump strategy of trying to reverse the president’s election loss by presenting a slate of alternate electors to Congress. Eastman faces charges in a state case filed by Arizona’s Democratic attorney general over that scheme. He was also charged in Fulton County, and the disciplinary board of the California State Bar has recommended he lose his California law license. Eastman has pleaded not guilty in the criminal cases and appealed his license suspension to California’s Supreme Court. He argues he is being punished for simply giving legal advice.

Jeffrey Clark

Clark, as a Justice Department official in the first Trump administration, drafted a letter that said the department was investigating “various irregularities” and had identified “significant concerns” that may have impacted the election in Georgia and other states. Clark wanted the letter sent to Georgia lawmakers, but Justice Department superiors refused. A Washington attorney disciplinary panel in July recommended that he be stripped of his law license, finding he made “intentionally false statements” when he continued to push for the Justice Department to issue the letter after being told by superiors that it contained falsehoods. Clark, who is now overseeing a federal regulatory office in the second Trump administration, said in a post on X on Monday: “I did nothing wrong when I questioned the 2020 election in Georgia.”

Sidney Powell

A lawyer and staunch Trump ally, Powell filed in battleground states a series of lawsuits that were rejected by courts and played a pivotal role in pushing unsubstantiated claims of fraud. Emails and documents obtained through subpoenas in one lawsuit showed Powell was involved in arranging for a computer forensics team to travel to rural Coffee County, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast of Atlanta, to copy data and software from elections equipment there in January 2021. She pleaded guilty in 2023 to reduced charges in the Georgia case, becoming the second defendant to reach a deal with prosecutors. She was initially charged with racketeering and six other counts but ultimately received probation after pleading guilty to six misdemeanors accusing her of conspiring to intentionally interfere with the performance of election duties.

Mechanical birds, bears and princesses have chirped, growled and sung in Orlando’s theme parks for more than 50 years. The animatronic trend shows no signs of fading, as new figures arrive in new places at Walt Disney World, and Epic Universe introduces batches of lifelike characters.

The additions range from a planned electronic version of Walt Disney at Magic Kingdom to a lumbering Frankenstein’s monster figure that debuted with Epic in May.

“People still enjoy seeing lifelike figures of their heroes, villains and others come alive,” said Dennis Speigel, CEO of International Theme Park Services. “I think this is one area that continues to evolve, and I don’t think we’ve seen anything yet.”

Technological advances are enabling the improved illusion of the figures, said Brian Orr, show systems studio executive with Walt Disney Imagineering.

“The way that we can now simulate, the way that we now design, the way that we now can generate content for these and in style — like it is moving like the character that everybody sees and recognizes from the film … I think that’s really the appeal of like, ‘Wow, not only did I see Elsa on the ride, but I felt like it was Elsa. It moved, it performed, it looked at me,’” Orr said.

The next new animatronic at Disney World will be Benjamin Clawhauser, a cheetah character that’s part of the “Zootopia: Better Zoogether” show launching at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park on Nov. 7.

“You will see something new and unique from that figure,” Orr said.

Tiki birds, Big Al and beyond: A tour of 10 Disney World animatronics

Other planned figures include Buddy, a support-bot, in the ongoing update for Buzz Lightyear’s Space Rangers Spin at Magic Kingdom; Scooter and other Muppets in the retheming of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios; facelifts for Frozen Ever After figures at Epcot; and the addition of Walt Disney himself at the beginning of Carousel of Progress at Magic Kingdom.

These come on the heels of the first animatronic to represent Walt Disney, which debuted at Disneyland in California this summer.

“I think that has breathed a lot of life back into the animatronics and from the highest level,” Speigel said.

Figures frightening, formidable

Universal Orlando installed animatronics inside Epic Universe’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic, Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment ride and elsewhere.

“Everyone has their normal lives that they’re going through, and that comes with people wanting to be transported,” said Gregory Hall, assistant director, creative design for Universal Creative. “We have the opportunity to bring new technology and use it for good and use it to entertain and inspire people.”

The Monsters Unchained ride is peppered with figures in action, including Dracula, Mummy and the Creature from the Black Lagoon.

A crowd-pleasing scene happens in the Unchained preshow with new character Victoria Frankenstein and Frankenstein’s monster, who strides into the room. It’s a moment that prompts applause from Epic visitors, Hall said.

“That was the first time we made a figure on that scale walk,” Hall said. “And then he’s right next to Victoria, and they’re using extremely different technology.”

Another big animatronic project was the “erumpent,” a charging beast in the Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry ride.

“We’re really all about, how do we get the fastest, smoothest motion moving this giant thing?” said Anisha Vyas, director of projects for Universal Creative. “It needs to be really visceral. It needs to move really fast. It needs to be moving really fluid,” she said. “Getting it to move and stop is not hard. Getting it to look pretty and gorgeous and realistic? That’s hard.”

And the motion must be repeated for each load of passengers.

“We ensure every guest has the same experience,” Vyas said.

It all started with a bird?

The seed for Disney’s animatronics — the company trademarked the term Audio-Animatronics in the 1960s — goes back to Walt and Lillian Disney’s purchase of a miniature caged-bird decoration that tweeted. That eventually led to Enchanted Tiki Room attractions such as the one at Magic Kingdom, which opened with the park in 1971.

Animatronics got a major boost from “Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln,” developed by Disney for the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. Guests watched the faux former president give a speech, and Speigel witnessed this on a high-school trip to the event.

“When he put his arms on that chair and he stood up and talked, the whole audience, I remember, just gasped,” he said.

The 1960s technology propelled the show’s status, said Bob Rogers, chairman of BRC Imagination Arts. Otherwise, it might have been forgotten quickly, he said.

“The fact that it was just a robot, not a human, was the charm,” Rogers said.

Waiting for Walt

Fast forward to 2025 and the installation of the Walt Disney animatronic at Disneyland. “Walt Disney — A Magical Life” is temporarily taking the place of the Lincoln animatronic presentation there. Some fans have criticized the look of the new figure.

“It looks fine to me from a distance,” said Jeremiah Good, the Florida correspondent for LaughingPlace.com, “But people that were there for the opening that were in the front row filming every bit of it were going that doesn’t look a thing like Walt.”

Critics are more forgiving about animatronic looks for animated beings as opposed to actual humans, Good said. He awaits the Walt Disney figure slated to join Carousel of Progress next year.

“That is supposed to be a little bit older of a Walt, so that’ll be interesting to see,” Good said.

“I think there are some opportunities there for the point in Walt’s life,” said Imagineering’s Orr, who noted that Florida’s animatronic would be seen in shorter but more frequent bursts at Magic Kingdom than its counterpart in California. “I also think there are things just logistically about the run time of shows — if you just look at the run time of the Disneyland, the frequency of that show, versus something like Carousel of Progress that is cycling through.”

Tech talk

After pneumatic and hydraulic phases, animatronics are now settling into an all-electric era with computerized programming.

Last year, Walt Disney Imagineering gave a public peek into the process with an episode of “We Call It Imagineering” on YouTube. This preceded the debut of figures for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, the retheming of Splash Mountain at both Magic Kingdom and Disneyland.

A big challenge was the development of Louis, the trumpet-toting alligator, considered one of WDI’s largest and most dynamic figures.

“There’s a lot of moving parts. “So you have all of these layers, you’ve got fabric and it all has to be in sync,” said Sonny Chapman, principal illusion maker, in the episode. Louis’ big belly, upper torso and arms must work together with the costuming, all while he’s bouncing, looking happy and blinking.

Imagineering has expanded into “stuntronics,” creating figures that can perform elaborate aerial acrobatic feats, including one dressed as Spider-Man at Disney California Adventure theme park. The company has also developed knee-high DBX droids, which made appearances at Disney’s Hollywood Studios this summer.

“They’re wonderful not just because they’re robots, but because they are animated and they are written with stories.” Rogers said. “They express emotions. They’re doing things. They get frustrated when they can’t do what they’re trying to do. … That’s just wonderful.”

Animatronics have proven, multigenerational staying power.

“A lot of our engineers went to school just to work on animated figures. … That’s their thing,” Hall said. “They’re studying their whole lives, and they make their entire lives, and it’s time for their generation to show the next generation how to pass the baton. This is one of those moments that’s even bigger than just [theme] parks.”

Vyas points to their entertainment value.

“I just think they bring so much life to the environment,” she said. “I absolutely love that at Epic Universe we’ve doubled down on that. I really think that it just takes it to the next level.”

dbevil@orlandosentinel.com

By KELVIN CHAN, AP Business Writer

While driving to a new restaurant, your car’s satellite navigation system tracks your location and guides you to the destination. Onboard cameras constantly track your face and eye movements. When another car veers into your path, forcing you to slam on the brakes, sensors are assisting and recording. Waiting at a stoplight, the car notices when you unbuckle your seat belt to grab your sunglasses in the backseat.

Modern cars are computers on wheels that are becoming increasingly connected, enabling innovative new features that make driving safer and more convenient. But these systems are also collecting reams of data on our driving habits and other personal information, raising concerns about data privacy.

Here is what to know about how your car spies on you and how you can minimize it:

How cars collect data

It’s hard to figure out exactly how much data a modern car is collecting on you, according to the Mozilla Foundation, which analyzed privacy practices at 25 auto brands in 2023. It declared that cars were the worst product category that the group had ever reviewed for privacy.

The data points include all your normal interactions with the car — such as turning the steering wheel or unlocking doors — but also data from connected onboard services, like satellite radio, GPS navigation systems, connected devices, telematics systems as well as data from sensors or cameras.

Vehicle telematics systems started to become commonplace about a decade ago, and the practice of automotive data collection took off about five years ago.

The problem is not just that data is being collected but who it’s provided to, including insurers, marketing companies and shadowy data brokers. The issue surfaced earlier this year when General Motors was banned for five years from disclosing data collected from drivers to consumer reporting agencies.

The Federal Trade Commission accused GM of not getting consent before sharing the data, which included every instance when a driver was speeding or driving late at night. It was ultimately provided to insurance companies that used it to set their rates.

Be aware

The first thing drivers should do is be aware of what data their car is collecting, said Andrea Amico, founder of Privacy4Cars, an automotive privacy company.

In an ideal world, drivers would read through the instruction manuals and documentation that comes with their cars, and quiz the dealership about what’s being collected.

But it’s not always practical to do this, and manufacturers don’t always make it easy to find out, while dealership staff aren’t always the best informed, Amico said.

Privacy4Cars offers a free auto privacy labeling service at vehicleprivacyreport.com that can summarize what your car could be tracking.

Owners can punch in their car’s Vehicle Identification Number, which then pulls up the automaker’s data privacy practices, such as whether the car collects location data and whether it’s given to insurers, data brokers or law enforcement.

Tweak your settings

Data collection and tracking start as soon as you drive a new car off the dealership lot, with drivers unwittingly consenting when they’re confronted with warning menus on dashboard touch screens.

Experts say that some of the data collection is baked into the system, you can revoke your consent by going back into the menus.

“There are permissions in your settings that you can make choices about,” said Lauren Hendry Parsons of Mozilla. “Go through on a granular level and look at those settings where you can.”

For example, Toyota says on its website that drivers can decline what it calls “Master Data Consent” through the Toyota app. Ford says owners can opt to stop sharing vehicle data with the company by going through the dashboard settings menu or on the FordPass app.

BMW says privacy settings can be adjusted through the infotainment system, “on a spectrum between” allowing all services including analysis data and none at all.

You can opt out…

Drivers in the U.S. can ask carmakers to restrict what they do with their data.

Under state privacy laws, some carmakers allow owners across the United States to submit requests to limit the use of their personal data, opt out of sharing it, or delete it, Consumer Reports says. Other auto companies limit the requests to people in states with applicable privacy laws, the publication says.

You can file a request either through an online form or the carmaker’s mobile app.

You can also go through Privacy4Cars, which provides a free online service that streamlines the process. It can either point car owners to their automaker’s request portal or file a submission on behalf of owners in the U.S., Canada, the European Union, Britain and Australia.

… but there will be trade-offs

Experts warn that there’s usually a trade-off if you decide to switch off data collection.

Most people, for example, have switched to satellite navigation systems over paper maps because it’s “worth the convenience of being able to get from point A to point B really easily,” said Hendry Parsons.

Turning off location tracking could also halt features like roadside assistance or disable smartphone app features like remote door locking, Consumer Reports says.

BMW advises that if an owner opts to have no data shared at all, “their vehicle will behave like a smartphone in flight mode and will not transmit any data to the BMW back end.”

When selling your car

When the time comes to sell your car or trade it in for a newer model, it’s no longer as simple as handing over the keys and signing over some paperwork.

If you’ve got a newer car, experts say you should always do a factory reset to wipe all the data, which will also include removing any smartphone connections.

And don’t forget to notify the manufacturer about the change of ownership.

Amico said that’s important because if you trade in your vehicle, you don’t want insurers to associate it with your profile if the dealer is letting customers take it for test drives.

“Now your record may be affected by somebody else’s driving — a complete stranger that you have no relationship with.”

Is there a tech topic that you think needs explaining? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your suggestions for future editions of One Tech Tip.

This story has been corrected to show that the Mozilla representative’s first name is Lauren, not Laura.

By Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

This seasonal dessert marries two Mediterranean flavors: fresh, ripe figs and sweet peaches.

The pastry crust is very forgiving and comes together in just a few minutes (though it has to be chilled for an hour).

If you have really sweet fruit, you can cut back on the amount of sugar in the filling; if it’s on the under-ripe side, increase it.

The recipe calls for demerara sugar (a partially refined raw cane sugar characterized by its large, light-brown crystals) but you can substitute another large-crystal sugar like turbinado.

Equally delicious warm or at room temperature, the tart can be served with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream for a touch of pizzazz. Also great with your morning coffee!

Fig and Peach Tart

PG tested

Figs are in season from late summer to early fall. You usually can find them at specialty groceries like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.

For pastry

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more to dust

1/4 cup demerara sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

1 extra-large egg yolk (reserve white for glazing)

1 tablespoon cold water

For filling

2 ripe and sweet small peaches

5 ripe figs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup demerara sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

For glaze

1 extra-large egg white, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons demerara sugar

Make pastry: Place flour, sugar, salt and butter in a large bowl and rub together with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Lightly beat egg yolk and cold water, then add to the bowl, using your hands to lightly knead everything together into a soft ball of dough.

Wrap in plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice peaches into 3/4 -inch-thick slices, removing the pits, and quarter the figs. Place the fruit in a bowl and toss with the vanilla, cinnamon, lemon juice, demarara sugar and cornstarch.

Place a sheet of parchment paper on a work surface and put the ball of pastry on it. Lightly flour a rolling pin and use it to roll out the pastry into a circle around 1/4 -inch thick and 14 inches in diameter. Don’t worry if edges are rough. If pastry starts coming apart, just squish it back together with your fingers.

Place parchment paper with the dough on baking sheet, and arrange peach and fig slices in the center of the circle, leaving a 2-inch border. (Either pile all in the middle or make a pattern with circles.)

Fold the edges of the pastry over the fruit. Use your finger to bring the pasty together where you have gaps.

Use a pastry brush to lightly coat the top of the pasty with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for around 40 minutes, until the top of the pastry is an even dark golden-brown color. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 1 tart.

— “Ripe Figs: Recipes and Stories from Turkey, Greece and Cyprus” by Yasmin Khan

©2025 PG Publishing Co. Visit at post-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Arthur Allen, KFF Health News

VENICE, Fla. — MAGA and MAHA are happily married in Florida, and nowhere more at home than in Sarasota County, where on a humid October night a crowd of several hundred gathered to honor state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, his wife, and an unlicensed Canadian radiologist who treats cancer with horse paste.

The event, titled “The 3 Big C’s: Courage, Censorship & Cancer,” was sponsored by the We the People Health and Wellness Center, a clinic, funded by a Jan. 6 marcher, where patients can bask in red light, sit in ozone-infused steam baths, or get their children treated for autism with an experimental blood concentrate.

In Venice, in Sarasota County, a “medical freedom” movement forged in opposition to COVID lockdowns blends wellness advocates, vaccine-haters, right-wing Republicans, and angry parents in a stew of anti-government absolutism and mystical belief.

Ladapo’s wife, Brianna, a self-proclaimed “spiritual healer” who says she speaks with angels and has prophetic visions, chaired a panel at the event at the Venice Community Center. The keynote speech was by William Makis, a litigious COVID conspiracist who, after losing his medical license in 2019, has made a living treating cancer patients with antiparasitic drugs including ivermectin, which was also championed in some circles as a COVID treatment during the pandemic.

Clinical trials showed that ivermectin didn’t work, but COVID skeptics viewed medicine’s rejection of it as part of a conspiracy by Big Pharma against a cheap, off-patent drug. Some of the patients in his care have what he calls “turbo cancers,” Makis says, blaming alleged impurities in mRNA vaccines that he says have killed millions of people.

For Makis, it’s all one big conspiracy — the virus, the vaccine, and the suppression of his therapies.

Brianna Ladapo has her own take on medicine, based on the idea of good and bad spiritual energy. She wrote in a memoir that as the pandemic began she intuited that it had been planned by “sinister forces” to “frighten the masses to surrender their sovereignty to a small group of tyrannical elites.” She has written that the government hides vaccination’s risks.

She sees “dark forces” all over the place, including, she said in a podcast interview earlier this year, in “chemtrails” shaped like a pentagram. “They’ve been plastering it in the sky right outside our house for the last few weeks,” Ladapo said. The chemtrails “they are dumping on us,” she said, had sickened her and her three sons. “The dark side are no fans of ours.”

(“Chemtrails” are a favorite topic of conspiracy theorists who say they think that contrails, the condensation formed around commercial airplane exhaust, contain toxic substances poisoning people and the terrain. Although there is zero evidence of that, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to look into whether they are part of a clandestine effort to use toxic chemicals to change the weather.)

Ladapo’s husband hasn’t publicly endorsed all her beliefs, but as surgeon general he’s reversing decades of accepted public health practice in Florida and embracing untested therapies. “We’re done with fear,” Joseph Ladapo said after being named surgeon general in 2021. He wants to ban mRNA vaccines in Florida, and on Sept. 3 he announced plans to end childhood vaccination mandates in the state.

A few days after the Venice event, Ladapo said he hoped to support Makis’ work — though his treatments are unproven and potentially dangerous — through a new $60 million cancer research fund created by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his wife, Casey.

Vic Mellor, CEO of a local concrete business, founded and owns We the People. He’s an associate of retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who was briefly President Donald Trump’s national security adviser in 2017 before being dismissed for lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russians. Trump later pardoned him, and Flynn since has become a leader of the Christian nationalist movement.

We the People provides vitamin shots but no vaccines. In fact, many of its offerings are treatments for supposed vaccine injuries. Part of the We the People building is a broadcasting studio, where conservatives hold forth on what they see as the villainy of liberals and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Mellor was at the U.S. Capitol during the riot on Jan. 6, 2021 — he said he “just knocked on front doors,” according to a Facebook post described by The Washington Post. He returned home and started building a 10-acre complex that hosts weddings and right-wing assemblies, with playgrounds, a butterfly garden, a zip line over a pond visited by alligators, and an attached, separately owned gun range.

Visitors who travel down a dirt road to The Hollow — named for the hollow-core concrete that made Mellor wealthy — can enter the compound through a dark, cavernous passage lined with neon signs illuminating maxims from the likes of Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and Flynn.

The Hollow has hosted clinics for unvaccinated kids and events for Ladapo, anti-vaccine activist Sherri Tenpenny (who in 2021 told legislators at an Ohio House hearing that COVID vaccine made people magnetic), and other “medical freedom” advocates. Mellor created a medical home for such ideas by opening We the People in 2023.

The year before, three “medical freedom” candidates had won seats on the board overseeing Sarasota’s public hospital and health care system, after protests over the hospital’s refusal to treat COVID patients with ivermectin and other drugs of choice for COVID contrarians.

On a recent afternoon at The Hollow, manager Dan Welch was clearing brush when approached by KFF Health News. As a foe of vaccinations, he welcomed Ladapo’s move to end vaccine mandates. “Maybe in their inception, vaccines were created to prevent what they were supposed to prevent,” Welch said. “But now there’s so much more in there, the metals, aluminum, mercury. Since they started vaccination, the autism rate went through the roof, and I believe these vaccines are part of it.”

The theory that vaccines cause autism has been debunked, and manufacturers removed mercury from childhood vaccines 24 years ago, although Welch said he doesn’t believe it.

Vaccination faces additional challenges in a century-old Sarasota County neighborhood of low-slung bungalows called Pinecraft, home to about 3,000 Mennonites — and double that number when Amish snowbirds arrive in the winter. Pastor Timothy Miller said that while Sarasota’s Mennonites are less culturally isolated than the Mennonite community in West Texas, site of a measles outbreak in January, many in his community also shun vaccination.

His cousin Kristi Miller, 26, won’t vaccinate her 9-month-old daughter or any of the other children she hopes to have, she said, because she thinks vaccines probably cause autism and other harms.

As for vaccine-preventable diseases like measles, she doesn’t worry about them. Like the Ladapos, “I don’t live in fear,” she said. “I have a God who’s bigger than everything.”

(KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs of KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling and journalism.)

©2025 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

A 38-year-old felon is facing charges for a recent armed robbery at a Troy gas station.

Joseph Louis Carter was arraigned Nov. 10 in 52-4 District Court 10  for armed robbery, felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of felony firearm in connection with the Oct. 30 incident at the Shell gas station, located at 6951 Rochester Road. He’s held in the Oakland County Jail, denied bond.

According to the Troy Police Department, a masked man armed with a rifle — allegedly Carter — entered the gas station, pointed a weapon at the store clerk and demanded money from the cash register. The clerk handed over an undisclosed amount of cash to the robber, who then fled on foot.

No injuries were reported.

Police said video surveillance showed the robber with what appeared to be an AK-47 style rifle. He remained near the counter during the interaction before fleeing south behind the building, police said.

Police said Carter’s arrest was “made possible through the exceptional teamwork and dedication of our patrol officers, evidence technicians, detectives, Tactical Support Team, Directed Patrol Unit, and Special Investigations Unit.”

The police department also credited the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Detroit police, Ann Arbor police, assistant U.S. Attorney’s Office and the public for information and assistance in moving the case forward.

Carter’s next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 20 for a probable cause conference.

This fall, multiple appliances in my home announced they were done: A water line inside my washer broke, my dryer began requiring multiple cycles to dry a load, and my hair straightener stopped getting hot enough to do its job.

The only silver lining? Solid holiday sales start in October and get really good in November.

As a personal finance expert, I came up with a shopping strategy: I would select the appliances I wanted to buy before the October sales began, track the prices through Black Friday and buy as soon as those prices dipped to their lowest point.

I estimate leveraging holiday sales to buy my household necessities could save me several hundred dollars.

Samantha Gordon, the deals editor at Consumer Reports, confirmed the logic of my strategy.

“My biggest piece of advice for anybody is to never buy anything not on sale,” she says. And in November, she adds, “Everything goes on sale.”

With some planning, you can leverage the season’s discounts for your own needs.

Make your list early

Research exactly which products you want before the sales start so you can make an informed decision when the discounts begin, Gordon says.

She suggests tracking prices now so you know what constitutes an actual discount versus simply an advertised sale.

“You want to know what the price is on an average day,” Gordon says, adding that price-tracking tools, such as Keepa, CamelCamelCamel.com and PayPal Honey, can help you.

Andrea Woroch, a money-saving expert who shares budgeting tips on her website, has been doing just that. Like me, she has a list of household products — including a vacuum and new fridge — that she hopes to buy during the holiday sales.

“Set a sale alert for an item you want to track so you don’t miss a limited-time, early deal,” she suggests. Shopping apps like Karma and CamelCamelCamel will send a price drop alert right to your inbox.

If you plan to shop at a specific store, Woroch says to sign up for free loyalty programs. That may get you free shipping, rewards for purchases and extra coupons.

Consider everyday household items

Big-ticket items aren’t the only things marked down this time of year. Everyday essentials, such as paper products and makeup, also go on sale.

Trae Bodge, a shopping expert at TrueTrae.com who is based in the New York area, takes advantage of those discounts. During the October sales, she bought brow gel, pretzels, a new fireplace screen and an inflatable travel mattress.

Bodge estimates she saved between 10% to 30% on each item, and stacked that savings with cash back through a browser extension.

Avoid frenzied buying

Of course, all these discounts can also translate into wayward buys.

While it can be a good idea to buy a discounted item for next year now, Woroch cautions against overspending.

“Just make sure you can afford the purchase when you buy it. You don’t want to add to your spending load so much that you can’t pay off your card,” she says, because that can lead to interest charges.

In some cases, 0% financing deals may also be available during sales events, allowing you to spread out payments without interest accruing, she adds.

The washer and dryer set will be my biggest purchase, which is why I’ve taken time to plan for it.

Lock in seasonal savings

October was good, but I’m holding out for Black Friday sales: The hair appliance I plan to purchase — a Beachwaver rotating curling iron — normally retails for $99, but dipped to just under $70 right before the October sales hit.

I was tempted to hit “buy” until I checked the price history on CamelCamelCamel.com. I saw that last Black Friday, the price went all the way down to $49. So I’m waiting, hoping the low price repeats itself again this year. If it does, I’ll save about $50.

For our washer and dryer combo, I selected the LG ThinQ model after combing through online reviews. While it’s currently marked down about $500, I expect an even better deal during the Black Friday sales.

Research shows that appliance prices typically dip during Black Friday, with deals announced ahead of time. So I’m keeping my eye out and will make my purchase when I see sales roll out. It’s a bit of a gamble — because I could save $500 now — but I’m hopeful.

The bottom line? Using seasonal sales to buy necessities can save you cash, which we can all use right now.

Kimberly Palmer writes for NerdWallet. Email: kpalmer@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @kimberlypalmer.

The article How a Personal Finance Expert Leverages Holiday Sales for Household Necessities originally appeared on NerdWallet.

By GERALD IMRAY, Associated Press

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump says that his government will boycott the Group of 20 summit this month in South Africa over his claims that a white minority group there is being violently persecuted. Those claims have been widely rejected.

Trump announced Friday on social media that no U.S. government official will attend the Nov. 22-23 summit in Johannesburg “as long as these Human Rights abuses continue.” South Africa’s Black-led government has been a regular target for Trump since he returned to office.

In February, Trump issued an executive order stopping U.S. financial assistance to South Africa, citing its treatment of the Afrikaner white minority. His administration has also prioritized Afrikaners for refugee status in the U.S. and says they will be given most of the 7,500 places available this fiscal year.

The South African government — and some Afrikaners themselves — say Trump’s claims of persecution are baseless.

Descendants of European settlers

Afrikaners are South Africans who are descended mainly from Dutch but also French and German colonial settlers who first came to the country in the 17th century.

Afrikaners were at the heart of the apartheid system of white minority rule from 1948-1994, leading to decades of hostility between them and South Africa’s Black majority. But Afrikaners are not a homogenous group, and some fought against apartheid. There are an estimated 2.7 million Afrikaners in South Africa’s population of 62 million.

Afrikaners are divided over Trump’s claims. Some say they face discrimination, but a group of leading Afrikaner business figures and academics said in an open letter last month that “the narrative that casts Afrikaners as victims of racial persecution in post-apartheid South Africa” is misleading.

Afrikaners’ Dutch-derived language is widely spoken in South Africa and is one of the country’s 12 official languages. Afrikaners are represented in every aspect of society. Afrikaners are some of South Africa’s richest entrepreneurs and some of its most successful sports stars, and also serve in government. Most are largely committed to South Africa’s multiracial democracy.

Trump claims they’re being ‘killed and slaughtered’

Trump asserted that Afrikaners “are being killed and slaughtered, and their land and farms are being illegally confiscated.” The president’s comments are in reference to a relatively small number of attacks on Afrikaner farmers that he and others claim are racially motivated.

Trump has also pointed to a highly contentious law introduced by the South African government that allows land to be appropriated from private owners without compensation. Some Afrikaners fear that law is aimed at removing them from their land in favor of South Africa’s poor Black majority. Many South Africans, including opposition parties, have criticized the law, but it hasn’t led to land confiscations.

Trump first made baseless claims of widespread killing of white South African farmers and land seizures during his first term in response to allegations aired on conservative media personality Tucker Carlson’s former show on Fox News. Trump ordered then-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to look into the allegations, but nothing came of any investigation.

South Africa rejects the claims

The South African government said in response to Trump’s social media post that his claims were “not substantiated by fact.” It has said that Trump’s criticism of South Africa over Afrikaners is a result of misinformation because it misses the context that Black farmers and farmworkers are also killed in rural attacks, which make up a tiny percentage of the country’s high violent crime rate.

There were more than 26,000 homicides in South Africa in 2024. Of those, 37 were farm murders, according to an Afrikaner lobby group that tracks them. Experts on rural attacks in South Africa have said the overriding motive for the violent farm invasions is robbery and not race.

Other pressure on South Africa

Trump said it is a “total disgrace” that the G20 summit — a meeting of the leaders of the 19 top rich and developing economies, the European Union and the African Union — is being held in South Africa. He had already said he wouldn’t attend, and Vice President JD Vance was due to go in his place. The U.S. will take on the rotating presidency of the G20 after South Africa.

Trump also said in a speech last week that South Africa should be thrown out of the G20.

Trump’s criticism of Africa’s most developed economy has gone beyond the issue of Afrikaners. His executive order in February said South Africa had taken “aggressive positions towards the United States and its allies,” specifically with its decision to accuse Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza at the United Nations’ top court.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio boycotted a G20 foreign ministers meeting in South Africa in February after deriding the host country’s G20 slogan of “solidarity, equality and sustainability” as “DEI and climate change.”

AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

Heading into the season, much of the buzz and attention surrounding Michigan basketball had to do with all the new pieces.

Coach Dusty May’s portal haul was rated among the best in the nation, with three transfers — guard Elliot Cadeau, forward Yaxel Lendeborg and center Aday Mara — being named to preseason watch lists for the top players at their respective positions.

The fourth and final transfer, forward Morez Johnson Jr., and the top-ranked freshman, former Orchard Lake St. Mary’s star Trey McKenney, each shined in their regular-season debuts with 20-point performances.

Yet, May doesn’t want people to forget about returning players Nimari Burnett, L.J. Cason, Roddy Gayle Jr. and Will Tschetter and their importance to the team. He said as much when he brought up the foursome unprompted when speaking about this season’s roster at the midway point of summer workouts.

“We’ve sat here and Tschetter’s name has come up one time and Nimari Burnett’s name hasn’t come up yet,” May said in July. “The continuity they bring, the character that they bring, the work capacity, the unselfishness where they’re trying to help the younger guys 24/7. They’re spending their time and energy trying to help guys that could potentially chip into their minutes because they want to win and they want to be great teammates.

“Then you throw in Roddy Gayle and L.J., when the prognosticators are talking about we went to the portal and signed this guy and that guy and we brought in this five-star recruit and this four-star, those guys get lost in the shuffle. But if we win this year at the level we’re capable of, if we max out as a group, those returners are going to be a big reason why.”

May’s praise didn’t stop there. During Michigan’s media day on Sept. 30, he called the quartet the “biggest, most pleasant surprise” in the preseason.

“I will say our returners have improved drastically. All four of the guys that were in the rotation last year are much better basketball players,” he said. “Roddy Gayle (in practice) probably had as good of a two-week period as anyone in our program. You guys know how I feel about Nimari. His level of consistency, his routine, his mentorship to the young guys, he just brings so much to the table.

“Then you factor in Will Tschetter, who’s becoming a real shooter, someone who’s able to shoot on the move, get it off quick, not just be a spot-up guy, and he’s able to defend the ball. … Prior to (an ankle injury), L.J. was playing at a significantly higher level than he played at last season.”

May called Burnett a consummate pro and a culture builder with the way he approaches everything. On the floor, he doesn’t care if the ball is in his hands and he doesn’t try to do too much. He simply finds his shots in the flow of the game. Off the floor, May said Burnett attacks his player development plan at an “A-plus level” and acts as another assistant coach with recruits.

As for all the roster additions, Gayle described Burnett as the “perfect leader” for the newcomers.

“If you are confused on what to do, just follow Nimari,” Gayle said at Michigan’s media day. “He always has a steady incline where he’s always getting better just by the basics. I think that’s one thing Nimari does well. He does the basics well, probably the best I’ve ever seen, as far as like stretching, taking care of his body, lifting. You know what you’re getting out of Nimari every day; same with Will.”

Given Burnett’s, Gayle’s and Tschetter’s background of experiences and veteran status, they are the three May turns to any time he doesn’t have “a great pulse” on something with the team or needs help figuring things out that he hasn’t yet.

There’s also an added level of familiarity between the coaching staff — which remained intact — and the returners. Everyone knows what’s expected, even if some roles are different than a year ago, with Cason and Gayle taking on more playmaking responsibilities and Tschetter playing more at small forward.

Gayle, for example, was trying too hard to fit in and “please” his teammates and coaches at times after transferring in from rival Ohio State, May said. Now, Gayle looks much more comfortable.

While Gayle’s midseason struggles last season might lead some to underrate what he can bring to this team, assistant coach Mike Boynton Jr. believes a “life-changing year” could be in store if Gayle commits himself to being one of the best Big Ten wing defenders in a league that has a bunch of talented perimeter players.

“If he can make a mark for himself (on defense), he can do well individually, but obviously that’s going to be a big part of us being successful,” Boynton said. “Then on the offensive side, I think there’s a little bit less pressure. All the noise about him coming from Ohio State has dissipated … and now he can just be him as a Michigan returner and be able to play with more freedom and less focus on trying to prove something about who he is. Just be a good player on a really good team.”

Out of the returning cast, Cason has the most natural room for growth and potential to make a greater impact than he did as a freshman, when he turned in several strong postseason performances.

The highs and lows Cason experienced shaped him and should help him become a more consistent contributor, even though he’s been banged up in the fall.

“I think he took all of it in and committed himself to just maturing, being more organized, taking the off-the-court preparation seriously,” Boynton said.

Just as vital as Cason’s ability to get into the lane, collapse the defense and make plays is Tschetter’s ability to connect the defense with his communication and connect the offense with his spacing.

May said it’s noticeable when Tschetter is and isn’t on the floor at practice due to his effort, energy and enthusiasm. In the exhibition against St. John’s, May felt the Wolverines looked like a different team down the stretch when Tschetter was in the game compared to when he wasn’t.

“I’m excited for all of them,” Boynton said of the core four. “Roddy had a good offseason and preseason. Nimari has been as solid as they come. Will is probably as consistent as they (come). He is who he is whether he plays eight minutes or 28 minutes. … They’re all going to play a big role if we do the things we would like to do.”

That’s not lost on May and the rest of the staff. None of them overlook or underestimate the value of Burnett, Cason, Gayle and Tschetter and how the returning pieces will factor into this season’s roster puzzle as it takes shape.

“If we’re ever going to be at a championship level — and time will tell if we’re going to be at a championship level this season — a big part of it is going to be because of the leadership and continuity of those guys,” May said.

LANDOVER, Md. — All it took for the Detroit Lions to see their offensive problems clearly was head coach Dan Campbell putting on a pair of glasses.

With Campbell and not offensive coordinator John Morton calling the plays at Northwest Stadium on Sunday, the Lions’ offense returned to its potent self, exploding for a 44-22 win over the Washington Commanders.

Detroit totaled a season-high 546 yards of offense (8.0 per play) and scored on all eight of its drives, except the final one running out the clock. Quarterback Jared Goff went 25-for-33 passing for 320 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

About calling the plays Sunday, Campbell said, “It was just, let’s try something a little different. I know what I want to do, I know how I want to do it. That being said, this is a collaborative effort. I was taking input from John Morton that whole time, and the other coaches.”

Campbell added: “The coaches work together, but I just wanted to change it up a little bit. Maybe a different play-caller can get us a little rhythm, that’s all.”

Nobody benefitted more than wide receiver Jameson Williams and running back Jahmyr Gibbs.

Williams had a game-high 119 receiving yards on six catches with one receiving touchdown, while Gibbs totaled 172 yards from scrimmage (including 142 rushing) for three total touchdowns. Amon-Ra St. Brown, who had 58 receiving yards, added a 9-yard receiving touchdown that put the Lions up 14-3 with 1:54 to go in the first quarter.

Williams made a critical third-down catch to keep the Lions’ opening drive alive, paving the way for Gibbs to give Detroit a 7-0 lead when he broke free on a Texas route to reach the end zone on a 14-yard receiving touchdown.

Gibbs reached the end zone again with 9:41 left in the first half. He found the edge on an outside run before getting dragged into the end zone by teammates St. Brown and Sam LaPorta.

After the play, St. Brown was cold-cocked in the face by Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne, prompting Payne’s ejection from the game. The Lions used the penalty yardage to their advantage by attempting a successful 2-point conversion to go up 22-3 behind a 1-yard run from David Montgomery.

Commanders defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw was assessed a 15-yard personal foul for making contact with an official as players from both teams gathered in a heated exchange after the 2-point attempt.

Williams was activated again as the Lions took over to begin the third quarter, catching three passes for 47 yards on the drive, including a 14-yard receiving touchdown that gave the Lions a 32-10 lead.

Gibbs completed the hat trick early in the fourth quarter. He ran behind right tackle Penei Sewell before accelerating in the open field for a 44-yard rushing touchdown that sent Commanders fans heading for the exits as the scoreboard read 41-16.

It wasn’t a perfect game for Detroit, especially on special teams. The Lions gave up another big kickoff return as Noah Igbinoghene ripped off 46 yards to kickstart the Commanders’ first scoring drive. Kicker Matt Gay cut the Lions’ lead to 7-3 with a 44-yard field goal at 5:43 in the first quarter. After Gibbs’ third touchdown, the Commanders blocked an extra-point try off the toe of Jake Bates.

Detroit was also troubled by an offense led by backup quarterback Marcus Mariota, who finished 16-for-22 and threw for 213 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions with a passer rating of 133.3. The Lions were without starting safety Kerby Joseph and lost starting cornerback Terrion Arnold to a concussion in the second quarter.

After the Lions took a 22-3 lead, Washington got off the mat with a 75-yard touchdown drive, which was sprung by an early 44-yard completion to Jaylin Lane. The Commanders cut their deficit to 22-10 with a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Chris Rodriguez with 3:39 left in the second quarter.

Detroit Lions offense is commanding in 44-22 road win at Washington

Washington’s offense kept fighting after Williams’ second-half touchdown and reached the end zone for the second time with 7:05 to go in the third quarter. Facing fourth-and-3 from Detroit’s 4-yard line, the Commanders called a perfect play to get wide receiver Deebo Samuel open for a 4-yard touchdown catch. Detroit led 32-16 after the Commanders missed a 2-point attempt.

Ultimately, the Lions’ offense had enough gas in the tank to outpace anybody.

Photo gallery from Detroit Lions’ road win over Washington Commanders

The Commanders added another touchdown with 6:57 left in the game, but again failed on the 2-point attempt, helping maintain the Lions’ sizable lead. The Lions’ offensive starters were pulled after the drive.

Bates had three field goals, including a long of 48.

Even though the road game against the Washington Commanders did not have the level of excitement as a playoff game, the Detroit Lions were seeking to get revenge against a team that previously eliminated them from the postseason.

Detroit was seeking to get the bad taste out of their mouth, following a disappointing performance last week at home in loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

“We’ve got to play clean football. We’ve got to clean our stuff up, take care of it,” Dan Campbell told play-by-play voice Dan Miller this week. “We’ve got to find a way to get takeaways. You can’t give them any confidence, and by the way, we just came off a loss so we’ve got to clean our stuff up and get our confidence back. The best way to do it is to go on the road and get a win.”

Early in the game, supporters watching on television quickly noticed that Campbell was acting differently on the sideline.

After 60 minutes of action, the Lions’ offense has been given a new jolt of excitement, led by an apparent change in play-calling duties.

Here are several takeaways from the Lions’ 44-22 victory against the Commanders:

 

Dan Campbell called offensive plays

Early in the game, the television broadcast noticed Campbell was donning glasses and communicating much more prior to plays being run.

While it took a while to be officially confirmed, the offense clearly looked like much more efficient, explosive and involved more players.

At halftime, it was acknowledged by the fifth-year head coach the team wanted a ‘changeup’ in how things operated, but offensive coordinator John Morton still had a role.

Throughout the first half, Detroit’s offense scored at will and was able to run the football.

In the second half, Jameson Williams was involved and found his way into the end zone. Also, the team did incorporate more plays to Kalif Raymond, the third wideout on the depth chart.

Lions offense starts fast

During the week leading up to the game, Campbell indicated he had plenty of ideas to try and get the offense into gear.

Early in the game, cameras caught Campbell with a play sheet and communicating into the headset. At the same time, it did not appear from the broadcast that offensive coordinator John Morton was making calls.

On Detroit’s offensive drive, the team got into rythym quite quickly, as they established the run and converted on third-down.

Jared Goff led the team on a 10-play, 78-yard drive that was capped off by a Jahmyr Gibbs 14-yard touchdown grab.

By the conclusion of the contest, Detroit had racked up over 500 yards of offense.

Commanders defensive lineman ejected for striking Amon-Ra St. Brown

Tensions boiled over at the worst possible time for one of the Commanders’ top defensive lineman.

In the second quarter, defensive lineman Daron Payne was ejected for striking Detroit’s top wideout, Amon-Ra St. Brown, after Detroit running back Jahmyr Gibbs scored a 13-yard touchdown.

Gibbs was assisted to the end zone by St. Brown and tight end Sam Laporta, who both gave the extra push needed to force the speedy running back into the end zone.

St. Brown was struck in the facemask as he walked past the veteran defender, prompting the immediate ejection.

The additional penalty yardage was used to assist Detroit successfully complete a two-point conversion, giving Detroit a 22-3 lead.

Dan Campbell calls plays, Lions plaster Commanders with dominant offense

Defense has solid first half, issues arise in second half

With Jayden Daniels sidelined, the Lions were tasked with slowing down Commanders backup quarterback Marcus Mariota. A big kick return set up Washington’s first scoring drive, which ended in a field goal, but the defense largely answered the bell.

Mariota was 7-of-11 for 98 yards in the first half, but the Lions were able to smother Washington’s run game aside from one drive. The Commanders averaged just 2.9 yards per in the first half. Detroit forced two punts on five first half drives, and was able to use its explosive offensive start to build a 25-10 halftime lead.

The Commanders were able to get things rolling offensively in the second half, as they were able to get into the end zone. Mariota led a nine-play, 69-yard drive that culminated in a fourth-down scoring throw to Deebo Samuel to cut the lead to two scores.

Photo gallery from Detroit Lions’ road win over Washington Commanders

Jameson Williams more involved in the offense

Prior to the season, coaches indicated the expectation was for the speedy wideout to have a breakout season.

Prior to the Commanders game, there were growing concerns the former first-round pick was being overlooked.

He was not being utilized as effectively as many would have liked, prompting supporters to call for the former Alabama Crimson Tide wideout to be used better in the offense.

This week, Williams was involved more effectively. By the start of the fourth-quarter, he was targeted six times and recorded six receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown.

This article was produced by the staff at Detroit Lions On SI. For more, visit si.com/nfl/lions

The Detroit Lions bounced back from last week’s lackluster showing against the Minnesota Vikings with an offensive clinic in a 44-22 road win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday.

Here are all the sights from the game:

Detroit Lions offense is commanding in 44-22 road win at Washington

Dan Campbell calls plays, Lions plaster Commanders with dominant offense

SEATTLE (AP) — Lenny Wilkens, a three-time inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame who was enshrined as both a player and a coach, has died, his family said Sunday. He was 88.

The family said Wilkens was surrounded by loved ones when he died and did not immediately release a cause of death.

Wilkens was one of the finest point guards of his era who later brought his calm and savvy style to the sideline, first as a player-coach and then evolving into one of the game’s great coaches.

He coached 2,487 games in the NBA, which is still a record. He became a Hall of Famer as a player, as a coach and again as part of the 1996 U.S. Olympic team — which he coached to gold at the Atlanta Games.

___

By TIM BOOTH and ANDREW DESTIN

Tim Booth, a former Associated Press sports writer, was the principal writer of this obituary.

 

NEW YORK (AP) — Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have been indicted on charges they took bribes from sports bettors to throw certain types of pitches, including tossing balls in the dirt instead of strikes, to ensure successful bets.

According to the indictment unsealed Sunday in federal court in Brooklyn, the highly-paid hurlers took several thousand dollars in payoffs to help two unnamed gamblers from their native Dominican Republic win at least $460,000 on in-game prop bets on the speed and outcome of certain pitches.

Clase, the Guardians’ former closer, and Ortiz, a starter, have been on non-disciplinary paid leave since July, when Major League Baseball started investigating what it said was unusually high in-game betting activity when they pitched. Some of the games in question were in April, May and June.

Ortiz, 26, was arrested Sunday by the FBI at Boston Logan International Airport. He is expected to appear in federal court in Boston on Monday. Clase, 27, was not in custody, officials said.

Ortiz and Clase “betrayed America’s pastime,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said. “Integrity, honesty and fair play are part of the DNA of professional sports. When corruption infiltrates the sport, it brings disgrace not only to the participants but damages the public trust in an institution that is vital and dear to all of us.”

Ortiz’s lawyer, Chris Georgalis, said in a statement that his client was innocent and “has never, and would never, improperly influence a game — not for anyone and not for anything.”

Georgalis said Ortiz’s defense team had previously documented for prosecutors that the payments and money transfers between him and individuals in the Dominican Republic were for lawful activities.

“There is no credible evidence Luis knowingly did anything other than try to win games, with every pitch and in every inning. Luis looks forward to fighting these charges in court,” Georgalis said.

A lawyer for Clase did not immediately return messages seeking comment. The Major League Baseball Players Association had no comment.

Unusual betting activity prompted investigation

Major League Baseball said it contacted federal law enforcement when it began investigating unusual betting activity and “has fully cooperated” with authorities. “We are aware of the indictment and today’s arrest, and our investigation is ongoing,” a league statement said.

In a statement, the Guardians said: “We are aware of the recent law enforcement action. We will continue to fully cooperate with both law enforcement and Major League Baseball as their investigations continue.”

Clase and Ortiz are both charged with wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery. The top charges carry a potential punishment of up to 20 years in prison.

In one example cited in the indictment, Clase allegedly invited a bettor to a game against the Boston Red Sox in April and spoke with him by phone just before taking the mound. Four minutes later, the indictment said, the bettor and his associates won $11,000 on a wager that Clase would toss a certain pitch slower than 97.95 mph (157.63 kph).

In May, the indictment said, Clase agreed to throw a ball at a certain point in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the batter swung, resulting in a strike, costing the bettors $4,000 in wagers. After the game, which the Guardians won, Clase sent text messages to one of the bettors with images of a man hanging himself with toilet paper and a sad puppy dog face, the indictment said.

Clase, a three-time All-Star and two-time American League Reliever of the Year, had a $4.5 million salary in 2025, the fourth season of a $20 million, five-year contract. The three-time AL save leader began providing the bettors with information about his pitches in 2023 but didn’t ask for payoffs until this year, prosecutors said.

The indictment cited specific pitches Clase allegedly rigged — all of them first pitches when he entered to start an inning: a 98.5 mph (158.5 kph) cutter low and inside to the New York Mets’ Starling Marte on May 19, 2023; an 89.4 mph (143.8 kph) slider to Minnesota’s Ryan Jeffers that bounced well short of home plate on June 3, 2023; an 89.4 mph (143.8 kph) slider to Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. that bounced on April 12; a 99.1 mph (159.5 kph) cutter in the dirt to Philadelphia’s Max Kepler on May 11; a bounced 89.1 mph (143.4) slider to Milwaukee’s Jake Bauers on May 13; and a bounced 87.5 mph (140.8 kph) slider to Cincinnati’s Santiago Espinal on May 17.

Prosecutors said Ortiz, who had a $782,600 salary this year, got in on the scheme in June and is accused of rigging pitches in games against the Seattle Mariners and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Ortiz was cited for bouncing a first-pitch 86.7 mph (139.5 kph) slider to Seattle’s Randy Arozarena starting the second inning on June 15 and bouncing a first-pitch 86.7 mph (139.5 kph) slider to St. Louis’ Pedro Pagés that went to the backstop opening the third inning on June 27.

Dozens of pro athletes have been charged in gambling sweeps

The charges are the latest bombshell developments in a federal crackdown on betting in professional sports.

Last month, more than 30 people, including prominent basketball figures such as Portland Trail Blazers head coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, were arrested in a gambling sweep that rocked the NBA.

Sports betting scandals have long been a concern, but a May 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling led to a wave of gambling incidents involving athletes and officials. The ruling struck down a federal ban on sports betting in most states and opened the doors for online sportsbooks to take a prominent space in the sports ecosystem.

Major League Baseball suspended five players in June 2024, including a lifetime ban for San Diego infielder Tucupita Marcano for allegedly placing 387 baseball bets with a legal sportsbook totaling more than $150,000.

_____

By MICHAEL R. SISAK, Associated Press

Associated Press reporters Eric Tucker in Washington, D.C., and Ron Blum in New York contributed to this report.

DETROIT (AP) — Connor Bedard had a goal and two assists to lead the Chicago Blackhawks to a 5-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday.

Teuvo Teravainen, Tyler Bertuzzi and Oliver Moore also scored and Andre Burakovsky added an empty-net goal for the Blackhawks, who have won three straight. Arvid Soderblom made 45 saves and Artyom Levshunov had two assists, giving him four assists in his last three games.

Bedard scored on the power play 59 seconds in after Dylan Larkin was penalized for tripping. Bedard has three goals in his last three games.

Bertuzzi has six goals in three games after getting a hat trick in the third period against the Canucks on Wednesday.

Larkin scored at 4:19 of the first period for the Red Wings, losers of three straight, and John Gibson made 15 saves.

Up next

Blackhawks: Host the Devils on Wednesday.

Red Wings: Host Anaheim on Thursday.

EAST LANSING (AP) — Rashunda Jones, Grace VanSlooten and reserve Jalyn Brown scored 15 points apiece and No. 23 Michigan State coasted to a 92-60 win over Eastern Michigan on Sunday.

Theryn Hallock added 14 for the Spartans (2-0), who forced 30 turnovers.

Sis Eleko scored 18 points for the Eagles (1-2), Fernanda Ovalle added 15 and Peyton Hill 10.

The Spartans led 19-15 after one quarter but used a 15-0 burst in the second for a 37-20 lead and closed the half with 11 straight points to go up 48-26 at the break.

Jones had 11 points and VanSlooten 10 as Michigan State made 10 of 11 shots inside the arc and 9 of 11 free throws. Eastern Michigan shot 3 of 9 with 13 turnovers in the second quarter. The Eagles had four 10-second violations by halftime.

The Spartans, who had a school record 125 points in their season opener against Mercyhurst, stretched the lead to 74-45 after three quarters.

Michigan State continues its six-game season-opening homestand on Wednesday against Youngstown State.

ANN ARBOR (AP) — Olivia Olson scored 18 points, Mila Holloway added 17 and No. 13 Michigan used a strong first quarter to cruise to an 84-55 win over Harvard on Sunday.

Syla Swords had 14 points for the Wolverines (2-0), who shot 55%.

Abigail Wright scored 17 points to lead the Crimson (1-1). Karlee White scored 12 of her 15 in the second half, making 9 of 11 from the foul line, and Olivia Jones added 11.

Michigan broke away from a 7-7 tie with 17-straight points, the first four from Olson, who also hit a 3-pointer. Swords also contributed a pair of baskets and the lead was 24-8 after one quarter. The Wolverines hit 10 of 15 shots, the Crimson 3 of 12 with 10 turnovers.

Harvard missed its last nine shots in the first quarter and first two of the second, finishing the first half 9 of 27 to trail 40-24. Michigan had eight turnovers in the second quarter and but shot 58% for the half.

The Wolverines pushed the lead to 61-41 after three quarters. Reserves pushed the lead to 29 as Harvard was 2 of 10 with seven turnovers in the fourth quarter. The Crimson finished with 26 giveaways and Michigan had 20.

Michigan goes to Detroit on Saturday to play No. 15 Notre Dame in the Shamrock Classic.

NEW YORK (AP) — Paul Tagliabue, who helped bring labor peace and riches to the NFL during his 17 years as commissioner but was criticized for not taking stronger action on concussions, died Sunday from heart failure at 84 years old.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Tagliabue’s family informed the league of his death in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Tagliabue, who had developed Parkinson’s disease, was commissioner after Pete Rozelle from 1989 to 2006. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of a special centennial class in 2020. Current Commissioner Roger Goodell succeeded Tagliabue.

“Paul was the ultimate steward of the game — tall in stature, humble in presence and decisive in his loyalty to the NFL,” Goodell said in a statement. “I am forever grateful and proud to have Paul as my friend and mentor. I cherished the innumerable hours we spent together where he helped shape me as an executive but also as a man, husband and father.”

Tagliabue oversaw a myriad of new stadiums and negotiated television contracts that added billions of dollars to the league’s bank account. Under him, there were no labor stoppages.

During his time, Los Angeles lost two teams and Cleveland another, migrating to Baltimore before being replaced by an expansion franchise.

Tagliabue implemented a policy on substance abuse that was considered the strongest in all major sports. He also established the “Rooney Rule,” in which all teams with coaching vacancies must interview minority candidates. It has since been expanded to include front-office and league executive positions.

When he took office in 1989, the NFL had just gotten its first Black head coach of the modern era. By the time Tagliabue stepped down in 2006, there were seven minority head coaches in the league.

Tagliabue certainly had his detractors, notably over concussions. The issue has plagued the NFL for decades, though team owners had a major role in the lack of progress in dealing with head trauma.

In 2017, Tagliabue apologized for remarks he made decades ago about concussions in football, acknowledging he didn’t have the proper data at the time in 1994. He called concussions “one of those pack-journalism issues” and contended the number of concussions “is relatively small; the problem is the journalist issue.”

“Obviously,” he said on Talk of Fame Network, “I do regret those remarks. Looking back, it was not sensible language to use to express my thoughts at the time. My language was intemperate, and it led to serious misunderstanding. I overreacted on issues which we were already working on. But that doesn’t excuse the overreaction and intemperate language.

“Bottom line, it sounded like I was shooting the messenger, which was the concussion issue. My intention at the time was to make a point which could have been made fairly simply: that there was a need for better data. There was a need for more reliable information about concussions and uniformity in terms of how they were being defined in terms of severity.”

Tagliabue is survived by his wife Chandler, son Drew, and daughter Emily.

— By BARRY WILNER and ROB MAADDI, Associated Press