By ERIC TUCKER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kash Patel has been well-known for years within Donald Trump’s orbit as a loyal supporter who shares the president-elect’s skepticism of the FBI and intelligence community. But he’s receiving fresh attention, from the public and from Congress, now that Trump has picked him to lead the FBI.

As he braces for a bruising and likely protracted Senate confirmation fight, Patel can expect scrutiny not only over his professed fealty to Trump but also for his belief — revealed over the last year in interviews and his own book — that the century-old FBI should be radically overhauled.

Here’s a look at some of what he’s proposed for the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency. How much of it he’d actually follow through on is a separate question.

He’s mused about shutting down the FBI’s Washington headquarters

The first FBI employees moved into the current Pennsylvania Avenue headquarters 50 years ago. The building since then has housed the supervisors and leaders who make decisions affecting offices around the country and overseas.

But if Patel has his way, the J. Edgar Hoover Building could be shut down, with its employees dispersed.

“I’d shut down the FBI Hoover Building on day one and reopen it the next day as a museum of the ‘deep state,’” Patel said in a September interview on the “Shawn Kelly Show.” “Then, I’d take the 7,000 employees that work in that building and send them across America to chase down criminals. Go be cops. You’re cops — go be cops.”

Such a plan would undoubtedly require legal, logistical and bureaucratic hurdles and it may reflect more of a rhetorical flourish than a practical ambition.

In a book last year titled, “Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth and the Battle for Our Democracy,” he proposed a more modest reform of having the headquarters moved out of Washington “to prevent institutional capture and curb FBI leadership from engaging in political gamesmanship.”

As it happens, the long-term fate of the building is in flux regardless of the leadership transition. The General Services Administration last year selected Greenbelt, Maryland, as the site for a new headquarters, but current FBI Director Christopher Wray has raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest in the site selection process.

He’s talked about finding ‘conspirators’ in the government and media

In an interview last year with conservative strategist Steve Bannon, Patel repeated falsehoods about President Joe Biden and a stolen election.

“We’re going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens, who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections,” Patel said. The same applies for supposed “conspirators” inside the federal government, he said.

It’s not entirely clear what he envisions, but to the extent Patel wants to make it easier for the government to crack down on officials who disclose sensitive information and the reporters who receive it, it sounds like he’d back a reversal of current Justice Department policy that generally prohibits prosecutors from seizing the records of journalists in leak investigations.

That policy was implemented in 2021 by Attorney General Merrick Garland following an uproar over the revelation that the Justice Department during the Trump administration had obtained phone records of reporters as part of investigations into who had disclosed government secrets.

Patel himself has said that it’s yet to be determined whether such a crackdown would be done civilly or criminally. His book includes several pages of former officials from the FBI, Justice Department and other federal agencies he’s identified as being part of the “Executive Branch Deep State.”

Under the FBI’s own guidelines, criminal investigations can’t be rooted in arbitrary or groundless speculation but instead must have an authorized purpose to detect or interrupt criminal activity.

And while the FBI conducts investigations, the responsibility of filing federal charges, or bringing a lawsuit on behalf of the federal government, falls to the Justice Department. Trump intends to nominate former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi as attorney general.

He wants ‘major, major’ surveillance reform

Patel has been a fierce critic of the FBI’s use of its surveillance authorities under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and in his “Shawn Kelly Show” interview, called for “major, major reform. Tons.”

That position aligns him with both left-leaning civil libertarians who have long been skeptical of government power and Trump supporters outraged by well-documented surveillance missteps during the FBI’s investigation into potential ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 campaign.

But it sets him far apart from FBI leadership, which has stressed the need for the bureau to retain its ability to spy on suspected spies and terrorists even while also implementing corrective steps meant to correct past abuses.

If confirmed, Patel would take over the FBI amid continued debate over a particularly contentious provision of FISA known as Section 702, which permits the U.S. to collect without a warrant the communications of non-Americans located outside the country for the purpose of gathering foreign intelligence.

Biden in April signed a two-year extension of the authority following a fierce congressional dispute centered on whether the FBI should be restricted from using the program to search for Americans’ data. Though the FBI boasts a high compliance rate, analysts have been blamed for a series of abuses and mistakes, including improperly querying the intelligence repository for information about Americans or others in the U.S., including a member of Congress and participants in the racial justice protests of 2020 and the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Patel has made clear his disdain for the reauthorization vote.

“Because the budget of FISA was up this cycle, we demanded Congress fix it. And do you know what the majority in the House, where the Republicans did? They bent the knee. They (reauthorized) it,” Patel said.

In his book, Patel said a federal defender should be present to argue for the rights of the accused at all FISA court proceedings, a departure from the status quo.

He has called for reducing the size of the intelligence community

Patel has advocated cutting the federal government’s intelligence community, including the CIA and National Security Agency.

When it comes to the FBI, he said last year that he would support breaking off the bureau’s “intel shops” from the rest of its crime-fighting activities.

It’s not clear exactly how he would intend to do that given that the FBI’s intelligence-gathering operations form a core part of the bureau’s mandate and budget. Wray, who’s been in the job for seven years, has also recently warned of a heightened threat environment related to international and domestic terrorism.

After the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, then-FBI Director Robert Mueller faced down calls from some in Congress who thought the FBI should be split up, with a new domestic intelligence agency created in its wake.

The idea died, and Mueller committed new resources into transforming what for decades had been primarily a domestic law enforcement agency into an intelligence-gathering institution equally focused on combating terrorism, spies and foreign threats.

Frank Montoya Jr., a retired senior FBI official who served as the U.S. government’s national counterintelligence executive, said he disagreed with the idea of breaking out the FBI’s “intel shops” and viewed it as a way to defang the bureau.

Doing so, he said, “makes the bureau less effective at what it does, and quite frankly, it will make the intelligence community less effective at what it does.”

Today is Tuesday, Dec. 3, the 338th day of 2024. There are 28 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Dec. 3, 1984, a cloud of methyl isocyanate gas escaped from a pesticide plant operated by a Union Carbide subsidiary in Bhopal, India, causing an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 deaths and more than 500,000 injuries.

Also on this date:

In 1947, the Tennessee Williams play “A Streetcar Named Desire” opened on Broadway.

In 1967, a surgical team in Cape Town, South Africa, led by Dr. Christiaan Barnard (BAHR’-nard) performed the first human heart transplant on Louis Washkansky, who lived 18 days with the donated organ from Denise Darvall, a 25-year-old bank clerk who had died in a traffic accident.

In 1979, 11 people were killed in a crush of fans at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Coliseum, where the British rock group The Who was performing.

In 1989, U.S. President George H.W. Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev concluded two days of positive bilateral discussions in Malta in a symbolic end to the Cold War.

In 2015, Defense Secretary Ash Carter ordered the armed services to open all military jobs to women, removing the final barriers that had kept women from serving in combat.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Singer Jaye P. Morgan is 93.
• Rock singer Ozzy Osbourne is 76.
• Rock singer Mickey Thomas is 75.
• Actor Daryl Hannah is 64.
• Actor Julianne Moore is 64.
• Olympic figure skating gold medalist Katarina Witt is 59.
• Actor Brendan Fraser is 56.
• Singer Montell Jordan is 56.
• Actor Holly Marie Combs is 51.
• Actor/comedian Tiffany Haddish is 45.
• Actor Anna Chlumsky (KLUHM’-skee) is 44.
• Actor Amanda Seyfried is 39.
• Rapper Lil Baby is 30.
• Actor Jake T. Austin is 30.

Veteran defensive back Jamal Adams was encouraged by his family to quickly get in contact with Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.

After being released by the Tennessee Titans in October, the 29-year-old was hoping for another opportunity to join a team that had an opportunity to have playoff success.

Adams has fond memories of Detroit’s defensive coordinator from participating in a Pro Day workout that was being run by Glenn, the Saints defensive back’s coach, prior to being selected sixth-overall in the 2017 NFL Draft.

With all the injuries the Lions have been dealt with this season, Glenn decided it was time to get in contacted with the former three-time Pro-Bowler.

Adams made his first appearance at Lions practice Monday, wearing No. 25. He was observed participating in positional drills with the linebackers during the portion of practice open to the media, which is an intriguing development.

“I mean, there’s no better opportunity, man,” said Adams. “Obviously, just being home in Dallas and just continuing to train. When A.G. called, it was a no-brainer for me.”

When asked what his perspective from afar was of the Lions, Adams noted, “We’ve been kicking everybody’s a–. So, I’m fortunate enough, again, just to be on a team that’s rolling like this. Whatever I can do to help, that’s what I’m here for.”

A former All-Pro safety, Adams does possess the physicality to slide down into the front seven and compete at the linebacker position. His versatility will be an asset for the Lions, who are currently navigating a number of injuries to their defense.

“It was definitely something I thought about, you know. If I can get an opportunity with a team that’s obviously winning and a first class organization,” Adams noted. “Obviously when the call came, it was like a dream come true.”

Dan Campbell indicated that Monday’s practice, which was designed to be full speed in the mold of what a Thursday practice would be on a traditional week, would say a lot about whether Adams would be elevated from the practice squad for the Packers game.

“Yeah, there again, we brought in he and Kwon Alexander, Myles Adams and Jonah Williams,” Campbell told 97.1 The Ticket. “So we’ve got some guys that we’re gonna get a look at and see, with what we have on this roster, who we can use, how we can use them, what gives us the best chance. There may be a place, there may be a place here for Jamal and today’s gonna tell a lot. This will be our full speed today, we’re gonna get really good movement. So we’ll have a whole better feel by this afternoon, five, six-o’clock tonight.”

Adams first impression of Detroit’s popular head coach was similar to what many new players who join the Lions’ roster express.

“He’s fired up. He’s very energetic,” said Adams. “That’s a coach that you will run through the wall for. It’s no secret to why Detroit is very good. So again, I’m just very excited to be here.”

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

By ROB GILLIES, Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Donald Trump that Americans would also suffer if the president-elect follows through on a plan to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products, a Canadian minister who attended their recent dinner said Monday.

Trump threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico if they don’t stop what he called the flow of drugs and migrants across their borders with the United States. He said on social media last week that he would impose a 25% tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico as one of his first executive orders.

Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, whose responsibilities include border security, attended a dinner with Trump and Trudeau at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club on Friday.

Trudeau requested the meeting in a bid to avoid the tariffs by convincing Trump that the northern border is nothing like the U.S. southern border with Mexico.

“The prime minister of course spoke about the importance of protecting the Canadian economy and Canadian workers from tariffs, but we also discussed with our American friends the negative impact that those tariffs could have on their economy, on affordability in the United States as well,” LeBlanc said in Parliament.

If Trump makes good on his threat to slap 25% tariffs on everything imported from Mexico and Canada, the price increases that could follow will collide with his campaign promise to give American families a break from inflation.

Economists say companies would have little choice but to pass along the added costs, dramatically raising prices for food, clothing, automobiles, alcohol and other goods.

The Produce Distributors Association, a Washington trade group, said last week that tariffs will raise prices for fresh fruit and vegetables and hurt U.S. farmers when the countries retaliate.

Canada is already examining possible retaliatory tariffs on certain items from the U.S. should Trump follow through on the threat.

After his dinner with Trump, Trudeau returned home without assurances the president-elect will back away from threatened tariffs on all products from the major American trading partner. Trump called the talks “productive” but signaled no retreat from a pledge that Canada says unfairly lumps it in with Mexico over the flow of drugs and migrants into the United States.

“The idea that we came back empty handed is completely false,” LeBlanc said. “We had a very productive discussion with Mr. Trump and his future Cabinet secretaries. … The commitment from Mr. Trump to continue to work with us was far from empty handed.”

Joining Trump and Trudeau at dinner were Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick to lead the Interior Department, and Mike Waltz, Trump’s choice to be his national security adviser.

Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., Kirsten Hillman, told The Associated Press on Sunday that “the message that our border is so vastly different than the Mexican border was really understood.” Hillman, who sat at an adjacent table to Trudeau and Trump, said Canada is not the problem when it comes to drugs and migrants.

On Monday, Mexico’s president rejected those comments.

“Mexico must be respected, especially by its trading partners,” President Claudia Sheinbaum said. She said Canada had its own problems with fentanyl consumption and “could only wish they had the cultural riches Mexico has.”

Flows of migrants and seizures of drugs at the two countries’ border are vastly different. U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border during the last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border.

Most of the fentanyl reaching the U.S. — where it causes about 70,000 overdose deaths annually — is made by Mexican drug cartels using precursor chemicals smuggled from Asia.

On immigration, the U.S. Border Patrol reported 1.53 million encounters with migrants at the southwest border with Mexico between October 2023 and September 2024. That compares to 23,721 encounters at the Canadian border during that time.

Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85% of U.S. electricity imports as well.

Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing for national security.

By Holden Lewis, NerdWallet

The year promises a mix of good and harsh news.

The good news: Buyers will have more properties to choose from. Home prices won’t skyrocket. Mortgage rates might drop, to the relief of buyers and some sellers.

The harsh news: Even if mortgage rates fall, they probably won’t decline much. That will restrict affordability for buyers, and some homeowners will keep their homes off the market as long as mortgage rates remain elevated.

Here’s a cheat sheet for buying or selling a home in 2025 (or doing both), along with advice from successful real estate agents.

Folks get real about mortgage rates

Buyers have one overriding question for 2025: “Can I find a home I can afford?” Three other questions lurk inside that one: What will happen to mortgage rates? What will happen to home prices? Will I find a wide-enough selection of homes?

First, mortgage rates: The 30-year mortgage rate spent much of 2024 above 6.5%, occasionally shimmying above 7%. For most of the year, forecasters expressed confidence that rates would fall below 6% in 2025. But since the election, forecasters have begun revising their mortgage rate predictions upward. They’re forming a consensus that mortgage rates will remain above 6% in 2025.

Mortgage rates parked themselves below 5% for 11 years from February 2011 to April 2022, and home buyers and refinancers grew accustomed to the friendly rate environment. But we’re entering what more than one commenter called the “new normal.” Terri Robinson, a real estate agent with Re/Max Distinctive in Ashburn, Virginia, says buyers “are getting used to the new normal in terms of what interest rates are — and they’ve stopped looking for that 3% unicorn.”

Prices should rise, but not by a ton

When it comes to home prices, we talk of supply and demand. In 2024, buyers quickly made offers when mortgage rates dropped to around 6.25% or lower. Demand cooled when rates climbed above that. As rates rose, homes lingered on the market. According to Altos Research, there were 28% more homes on the market in the first week of November than the same week a year before. Higher inventory benefits buyers because they have more properties to choose from.

Demand for homes still exceeds the supply, but the imbalance isn’t as acute as it used to be. This means home prices will keep rising in 2025, but probably not by a lot, especially while mortgage rates remain above 6.25%.

Home prices might accelerate whenever mortgage rates drop noticeably, as buyers get off the sidelines and start bidding against one another for the limited supply of homes available.

The housing shortage may ease

You can trace the shortage of homes to a couple of factors. First, builders haven’t constructed enough houses and apartments in the last 18 years or so. Second, many homeowners keep their homes off the market because they refinanced into mortgages with ultralow rates in 2020 and 2021. Almost half of outstanding mortgage debt has an interest rate of 3.5% or lower, according to the Urban Institute.

These homeowners know that if they sell, they would pay a much higher interest rate on their next home. This dynamic, known as rate lock-in, prevented 800,000 homeowners from selling their homes in the 15 months between the second quarter of 2022 and the third quarter of 2023, according to a working paper published in November by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Stacy Hennessey, a real estate agent with McEnearney Associates in Falls Church, Virginia, sees signs that rate lock-in weakens over time. “People are getting used to the higher interest rates. People want to move,” she says. “So I think people are just going to carry on with their plans and start putting their houses on the market.”

Robinson, the agent in Ashburn, Virginia, advises sellers to think less about the low mortgage rate they’re giving up, and more about the home equity they’ve built. The monthly payment on the next house “may be the same or less, depending on how much equity you have and how much of that you want to use to put down on your next house,” she says.

Other factors affecting the housing market

It’s too early to guess how the Trump administration’s policies will affect housing in 2025. One proposal, to allow housing on land owned by the federal government, is unlikely to result in the construction of ready-to-move-in homes by the end of 2025. New housing developments just don’t get built that fast.

Under a new rule that went into effect in August, home buyers are now responsible for setting their own agents’ commissions. (Previously, sellers decided how much buyers’ agents would be paid.) Buyers can ask sellers to pay some or all of the buyer’s agent’s commission, and sellers often do. But sometimes buyers end up paying out of pocket. Agents say the policy puts first-time buyers at a disadvantage because they tend to have less savings and wealth.

Advice for home sellers

Home sellers will continue to have a negotiating advantage over buyers. But sellers’ dominance has slipped since 2021, and they must put in the work to market their homes effectively. “Stop thinking you hold all the keys to the castle,” says Andy Sachs, managing broker for Around Town Real Estate in Newtown, Connecticut.

Begin by demonstrating value, says Chuck Vander Stelt, a real estate agent in Valparaiso, Indiana. Work with the listing agent to set a reasonable price, and tell buyers about updates made to the home.

Insist that your agent hire a professional photographer, says Hennessey, the agent in Falls Church, Virginia, because buyers “will look at the first five photos and if they’re great, they’ll continue on. But if they’re crummy, they’re not going to look.”

Hennessey laments the poor quality of real estate photography. “It’s an advertisement. It’s not a disclosure,” she says. “We don’t need to see your dirty closet. We don’t need to see your toilet seat up.”

Advice for home buyers

Buyers, on the other hand, should search first for deal-breaking flaws before focusing on a home’s delights, agents say.

Victoria Ray Henderson, owner and broker of HomeBuyer Brokerage in Bethesda, Maryland, says, “Don’t just go into the kitchen and go, ‘Wow, look at this granite countertop!’ You know, you gotta look at the bones first.”

If the home has a basement, “go directly into the basement first and look at the condition and the smell of that basement.” Has water gotten in? Has the owner taken steps to prevent water damage? If you find the basement acceptable, then climb the stairs and geek out over the kitchen counters.

A cautious buyer goes even further. Hennessey recommends that buyers in competitive markets get pre-offer home inspections. This means hiring a home inspector to accompany you and your agent on the home tour. A one-hour inspection won’t get into as much depth as a three-hour post-offer inspection, but it’s enough to detect something big, like a crack in the foundation. Not every seller will allow a pre-offer inspection, “but usually they do because they want an offer with no contingencies.”

The final bit of advice comes from Vander Stelt, who urges action over hesitation. “Go out there and buy,” he says. “Stop looking at interest rates. If you can afford the house today, buy it.”

Holden Lewis writes for NerdWallet. Email: hlewis@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @HoldenL.

The article Home Sellers and Buyers: What You Must Know for 2025 originally appeared on NerdWallet.

Those who plan to make the Salvation Army of Metro Detroit part of their donations during this holiday season may want to offer their support Tuesday.

As part of the Giving Tuesday campaign, all donations up to $25,000 will be doubled, thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor.

Donations will be matched dollar for dollar and donations may be made by the following methods:

• Texting GIFT to 24365

• Donating money via online kettle, Paypal, Venmo or through Tap to Give.

• Visiting SAmetrodetroit.org.

• Call 877-SAL-MICH

Proceeds will provide critical social services and programs to those in need, including feeding and sheltering, outdoor and educational opportunities for at-risk youth, anti-human trafficking initiatives, a free legal aid clinic, emergency disaster services, drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs and more.

— MediaNews Group staff 

Three weeks after being re-elected as West Bloomfield Township supervisor, Steve Kaplan announced his resignation from the post.

He will join the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office as assistant prosecuting attorney. He served both the Wayne and Macomb county prosecutors before he became supervisor.

Kaplan’s resignation from the township’s top post will be effective in early December. The Board of Trustees will have 45 days to appoint a successor, according to “The Splash Live,” a program on the township’s community access cable channel.

He could not be reached for comment on his resignation.

Kaplan, a Democrat, was elected to the township board in 2000. He was elected supervisor in 2016 and re-elected in 2020 and also in the Nov. 5 election.

Kaplan’s last Board of Trustees’ meeting will be at 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 2. The board meets at Township Hall, 4550 Walnut Lake Road. You can watch the meeting live at https://civiccentertv.com/.

He ran unopposed in the Nov. 5 election. He garnered 26,765 votes, more than any other elected official in the township, even though the clerk and treasurer were also unopposed.

The supervisor is a full-time post, overseeing all township departments, according to West Bloomfield’s website.

In addition to his previous work in both the Wayne and Macomb county prosecutors’ offices, Kaplan worked as a Warren-based criminal attorney. He represented several well-known defendants, including Timothy Fradeneck. The Eastpointe man pleaded guilty but mentally ill in 2016 in the strangulation deaths of his wife and two children.

Kaplan, an attorney since 1981, was a Macomb County assistant prosecutor for 24 years and Wayne County assistant prosecutor for two years.

During his time in the Macomb Prosecutor’s Office, ending in 2010, Kaplan prosecuted some of the biggest murder cases in the county, including convictions in 24 of 25 cold cases.

He said in a 2016 interview with the Macomb Daily that he is most satisfied with the murder convictions of Robert Pann, Arthur Ream and Michael George, although the George conviction was reversed and he was convicted again in a second trial by another assistant prosecutor.

Pann was convicted in 2001 of killing his girlfriend, Bernice Gray, 23, of St. Clair Shores, despite no body, no eyewitness and no confession.

Ream died in August while serving a life sentence for the murder of Cindy Zarzycki, a 13-year-old Eastpointe girl. He was a suspect in the disappearance of at least four other girls, but police didn’t have enough evidence to charge him in the additional cases.

Kaplan ran for Oakland County prosecutor and Oakland County Circuit Court judge in the late 1990s. He narrowly lost both races — the prosecutor post by 0.6% in a recount won by Republican David Gorcyca.

Kaplan said in the Macomb Daily interview, given when he became supervisor in 2016, that he would miss being in the courtroom.

“Whether it’s a retail fraud trial or a murder trial, there’s drama, action, passion and choreography in every trial,” he said.

He said he would transfer some of his lawyering abilities to his new job, as he would run the township Board of Trustees meetings and would be keyed into legal matters as the township’s top administrator.

By Laurie Baratti, TravelPulse

A recent survey conducted by the Global Rescue Traveler Sentiment and Safety Survey highlights the influence of the recent U.S. elections on Americans’ international travel plans for 2025. The findings show a mix of enthusiasm and caution among travelers regarding their future global itineraries.

Approximately 30% of respondents indicated they expect to increase their international trips next year, while 7% foresee scaling back on foreign travel. However, the majority — 55% — anticipate no significant changes to their plans despite the election outcome.

The reasons behind increased international travel are varied. Some respondents cited dissatisfaction with the election results as a driving factor, expressing a strong desire to spend more time abroad. One traveler remarked, “I want to spend as much time as possible outside the U.S. over the next four years.”

For others, optimism about a potential post-election economic boost played a pivotal role. “The economy should show signs of improvement, and if the new administration can make peace deals around the world, then travel will be as good or better next year,” shared another participant.

Conversely, those who reported no change in their travel plans pointed to stable financial conditions. With inflation at its lowest point in three years, many travelers have already secured their 2025 travel arrangements. “I have a general feeling of being better off and secure. I anticipate increased disposable income available, and I’m already booked for 2025,” stated one respondent.

Economic factors appear to be bolstering travel confidence overall. Dan Richards, CEO of The Global Rescue Companies and a U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board member, explained: “With inflation at a three-year low, fewer travelers are canceling or postponing trips. In 2024, travelers embarked on their long-postponed dreams of global travel, fueled by a stabilizing economy and a renewed focus on meaningful experiences over material possessions.”

Still, a small proportion of respondents (7%) plan to travel less internationally in the coming year, citing personal safety concerns tied to the U.S. elections. “The change of U.S. administration makes me more apprehensive about being in a foreign country with the risk of anger and animosity toward Americans being higher,” one participant admitted. Others attributed their hesitance to ongoing geopolitical tensions, including conflicts and terrorist threats worldwide.

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©2024 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. Visit at travelpulse.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

In the espionage thriller “The Agency,” Michael Fassbender plays a CIA case officer working deep undercover when he’s abruptly exfiltrated and called back to London Station. No one is telling him why. And his re-acclimation process has its own complications. A gorgeously shot meditation on the psychological toll of obscuring one’s identity, the series also stars Richard Gere and Jeffrey Wright as men higher up in the chain of command, and Jodie Turner-Smith as the lover he left behind who mysteriously — coincidentally? — shows up in London not long after his return.

Fassbenger’s character is called Martian. Is that his real name or a wry code name hinting at the alien reality of this existence? The CIA has put him in a stylish high-rise apartment that offers a view of the perpetually gray skyline. But before he settles in, he puts a record on the turntable and begins studiously examining his new digs for listening devices. It’s a wordless and elegantly tense sequence. At one point, the camera frames a tight shot of Martian’s eyeball as he stares through a shelving unit. Even back home he’s being watched — and followed wherever he goes — by the very government that employs him. It’s for his own good, he’s told. Standard protocol in the first few months after a case officer returns. That proves to be an inconvenience for Martian, who’s hiding some secrets, including his reunion with that lover he met under his previous identity. Is she really who she says she is? Turner-Smith gives the kind of refined and cagey performance that suggests the answer could go either way.

Has Martian been played or is he just paranoid? What does it mean to constantly side-eye everyone around you? A psychologist (Harriet Sansom Harris) has been summoned to the office to see how he’s coping, but he resists her efforts at every turn.

Created by brothers Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth, the show (streaming on Paramount+) is based on the French series “The Bureau.” Only four of the season’s 10 episodes were made available to critics, so this comes with a heavy caveat — a story can start out well enough and then struggle to live up to its ambitions — but I like what I’ve seen so far, with its world of operatives and handlers, of covert glances and back-channel subterfuge, laid out with a seductive urgency that gives a deceptively graceful quality to all this unseemly work. Can the show maintain this quietly tasteful propulsion over 10 episodes?

Martian is opaque by necessity and also perhaps by personal inclination — he is methodical and robotic and deeply uninteresting — but Fassbender never allows us to see behind the mask, which makes Martian a somewhat inert character amid the high-stakes work at hand. There’s a potential catastrophe in Belarus, where a CIA operative is arrested for driving drunk. Will he blow his cover? That sets in motion plotting and strategizing from Martian and his bosses, played by Gere (unflappable, pinched, corporate) and Wright (the smartest guy in the room who is trying to keep Martian from self-destructing). They calmly watch a video of an interrogation in which a man is tortured, trying to determine if he’s a double agent. He’s nothing more than a specimen they’re observing. It’s all so emotionless and sick. This is a far less heroic vision of the CIA than that portrayed in the jingoistic “Jack Ryan,” but it’s not exactly a critical one, either.

There’s another mission they’re worried about that’s of “utmost sensitivity — the capture of these operatives would constitute an immediate strategic geopolitical disaster.” That Gere delivers this line with a straight face is nothing short of remarkable. What these covert operatives are trying to accomplish is kept vague, which is probably the right storytelling choice; it suggests whatever they’re doing has value (rather than the opposite, which seems more likely).

Martian’s outlook and motives are just as hazy. When he slips his tail for a sexual rendezvous, Wright’s character finds him anyway and he’s unstinting in his reprimand. People come back damaged after being deployed undercover for so long he says. “Can’t sleep. Flashbacks. Some go absolutely raving lunatic insane. Therefore we have protocols — for instance, we follow you.”

“This isn’t national security, it’s personal,” Martian says.

“It’s the agency, nothing is personal,” he’s told.

Everyone is hiding something. Nothing remains hidden for long. That dissonance is underscored by a number of compelling cinematic choices in the first episode. The U.S. embassy, where they are based, is filled with glass-walled offices where so much is obscured, despite the apparent transparency. But it all comes out in the end.

“The Agency” — 3 stars (out of 4)

Where to watch: Paramount+

Nina Metz is a Tribune critic.

A police detective in Jamaica works to track down a missing teenage girl and the case proves to be more complicated — and dangerous — than anticipated in the five-episode HBO drama “Get Millie Black.” A sunbaked noir, the series is from Jamaican-born, Minnesota-based novelist Marlon James.

Though a fairly conventional cop show, the Kingston setting is a refreshing change visually and culturally. Starring Tamara Lawrance as the title character, Millie was banished to England as a child, where she lived her entire adult life until learning her younger brother — who she thought was dead — is very much alive.

That’s enough to pull her home again. Millie is smart and driven and she bucks authority. She also has all kinds of emotional baggage that returns with her to Jamaica. Her sibling, she soon realizes, has transitioned and is now named Hibiscus (a terrific Chyna McQueen, vulnerable and sharp).

But Hibiscus has little interest in Millie’s efforts to reconnect, in part because the latter insists on living in their childhood home, where so much abuse once filled the rooms. “My sister would rather live in a gutter than with me,” Millie laments, but that’s not the full story. Hibiscus doesn’t want to live in that house, where the memories linger like a bad smell. And anyway, in the years since they’ve been separated, she’s found a nurturing if precarious community of her own, made up of fellow transgender sex workers. Millie escaped her mother’s wrath when she was sent away. Hibiscus wasn’t so lucky and this has left a gulf between them, as if they hold one another responsible for how their childhoods played out.

Anger, exasperation and guilt preoccupy Millie when she’s not at work. But it’s also why she’s so fixated on the case of the missing teen. “If you didn’t know me, you’d say I was just doing my job,” she says in a voiceover. “Nobody knew I was paying an unpayable debt to a ghost.” It’s an old cliche; becoming a cop means trying to make up for a past she can not change.

Working with her partner (the quietly droll Gershwyn Eustache Jnr), Millie’s investigation leads them to one of the richest white families in Kingston. “Behind every old white family is the ghost of a slave,” she thinks to herself as they drive through an Uptown neighborhood. That kind of tension is underscored when a white detective from Scotland Yard arrives (Joe Dempsie), hoping to get in on the case as well. The family in question is involved in child trafficking and it’s initially unclear whether this interloper from across the pond will be a help or a hindrance to Millie’s efforts to unravel it all. “Scotland Yard is watching, you’ve got to do everything by the book,” warns Millie’s boss, and that old mindset borne of Jamaica’s colonial past is yet another ghost hovering at the edges. Having worked at Scotland Yard herself, Millie is unimpressed.

The show’s creator is probably best known for his Booker Prize-winning novel “A Brief History of Seven Killings,” about the attempted assassination of Bob Marley. Here, James is drawing inspiration from his own mother, who worked as a police detective in Jamaica. Even so, and despite the uniqueness of the setting rarely featured on U.S. television, the overall contours of a character like Millie are similar to that of “Prime Suspect’s” Jane Tennison or any other police detective who is a dogged investigator with an unstable personal life. That’s likely a selling point for audiences looking for something new but familiar.

And on those terms, “Get Millie Black” is worthwhile. Lawrance is a compelling screen presence who is able to carry the show’s emotional weight on her shoulders. And the show itself is atmospheric and finds room for the occasional wry line of dialogue. “I need a big favor,” Millie says to an old colleague. “That’s the only size you know,” comes the reply.

“Get Millie Black” — 2.5 stars (out of 4)

Where to watch: 8 p.m. Mondays on HBO (streaming on Max)

Nina Metz is a Tribune critic.

By Nicole Hvidsten, The Minnesota Star Tribune

Brunch has a special seat at the table: It bridges savory and sweet and breakfast and lunch, and appeases both early birds and late risers.

It’s a meal with very few rules, which is especially welcome to cooks as we head into a season filled with tradition and culinary expectations. Want to serve pancakes alongside prime rib or burgers with doughnuts? No problem. Gooey mac and cheese and quiche? Why not?

Brunch is also a chance to try new flavors and dishes or put a different spin on tried-and-trues — like these recipes from recent cookbooks.

Let’s start with biscuits. A good biscuit recipe should be in every cook’s repertoire, and we found one in America’s Test Kitchen’s “When Southern Women Cook.” In addition to including more than 300 recipes, it tells the stories of women who have helped shape the cuisine of the American South. The ATK drop biscuit recipe features two variations — chocolate chip and bacon, cheese and black pepper — inspired by Bomb Biscuits restaurant in Atlanta that would be a fine addition to any meal.

Joey Maggiore’s debut cookbook, “Brunch King,” caught our attention with its fun boozy drinks made with breakfast cereal, but the Italian American chef’s inventive breakfast bruschetta and over-the-top breakfast burger made us true fans. For the bruschetta, batons of brioche are pan-toasted in butter, topped with crème brûlée custard and brown sugar and then broiled, garnished with strawberries and, if you’re in a playful mood, strawberry cotton candy.

Maggiore’s brunch burger starts with a bacon/ground-beef patty, and then stacks all your brunch favorites between two buns: hash browns, eggs, cheese and hollandaise. It’s a natural pairing with a Bloody Mary, and a post-brunch nap would not be out of the question. The chef, who runs a family of restaurants in the Phoenix area, is not shy about making a culinary statement.

The traditional breakfast dish shakshuka, eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce, is reimagined as a breakfast sandwich thanks to Owen Han, whose passion for sandwiches has made him a sensation on TikTok, where he’s amassed more than 4 million followers. His new book, “Stacked: The Art of the Perfect Sandwich,” will provide plenty of creative brunch options — and lunch and dinner, too.

Cooking for a crowd? Another social media standout, Heather Bell, can help. Bell chronicles her life with eight kids as@justthebells10, and her slow-cooker Denver omelet from “Mama Bell’s Big Family Cooking” goes together quickly. It keeps the oven open for other morning brunch duties, but is hearty enough to pinch hit for a make-ahead supper, too.

Whether you follow these recipes or use them to spark ideas of your own, just remember the most important rule of brunch: There are no rules.

Drop Biscuits

Makes 12 biscuits.

One of the best starting recipes for new biscuit bakers is drop biscuits — and they’re just as soul satisfying as any. Unlike rolled and stamped biscuits that typically call for carefully cutting cold fat into flour before liquid is added, drop biscuits are simply stirred together, dropped onto the baking sheet, and baked. For a drop biscuit with buttery flakes, stir together warm melted butter and cold buttermilk before incorporating the dry ingredients. This causes the butter to clump up; it looks like a mistake, but it produces pockets of steam in the oven for light, fluffy — and easy — stir-and-drop biscuits. The flavor variations are inspired by flavors at Erika Council’s Bomb Biscuits restaurant in Atlanta. From “When Southern Women Cook,” from America’s Test Kitchen (America’s Test Kitchen, 2024).

INGREDIENTS

2 c. (10 oz.) all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. sugar

¾ tsp. table salt

1 c. buttermilk, chilled

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, plus 2 tbsp. unsalted butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 475 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk flour, ­baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt together in large bowl. Stir buttermilk and melted butter together in 2-cup liquid measuring cup until butter forms clumps.
2. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and stir with rubber spatula until just incorporated. Using greased ¼-cup dry measuring cup, drop level scoops of batter 1 ½ inches apart on the prepared sheet. Bake until tops are golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.
3. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter and brush on biscuit tops. Transfer biscuits to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
4. Bacon, Cheese and Black Pepper Biscuits: Add 4 slices cooked, crumbled bacon, ¾ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives, and 1 teaspoon pepper to flour mixture and stir to combine before adding buttermilk mixture.
5. Chocolate Chip Biscuits: Increase sugar to ½ cup. Add ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips to flour mixture and stir to combine before adding buttermilk mixture.

Crème Brûlée Bruschetta

Serves 4.

From “The Brunch King: Eats, Beats, and Boozy Drinks,” by Joey Maggiore, who writes: “Bruschetta is one of those dishes we always eat. So naturally, I had to make it part of an Italian breakfast. With the creamy crème brûlée topping, crispy sugar and sweet strawberries, bruschetta doesn’t get much better than this. And don’t forget the cotton candy! It gives the palate that sweet kiss at the end. Note: Store extra custard in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month. If using frozen custard, defrost in the fridge for 2 days. (Figure 1, 2024).

INGREDIENTS

For the crème brûlée custard:

4 egg yolks

¼ c. granulated sugar

1 ¾ c. heavy cream

1 Madagascar vanilla bean, split lengthwise

For the bruschetta:

1 tbsp. butter

6 slices brioche bread, each cut into 3- by 3- by 1-inch batons

1 ½ c. crème brûlée custard

3 tbsp. brown sugar

12 strawberries, sliced

½ c. strawberry cotton candy, torn, optional

DIRECTIONS

1. To make the crème brûlée custard: Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
2. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl large enough to fit over the pan. Whisk until smooth and pale yellow. Set aside.
3. Pour cream into a small saucepan. With the tip of a knife, scrape seeds from the vanilla bean into the pan, add the bean and stir. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, making sure not to burn the mixture. Simmer gently for 3 minutes. Remove bean and scrape any more seeds into the pan. Stir and simmer for 3 more minutes.
4. Ladle a small amount of cream into the egg mixture, whisking continuously. (This tempers the eggs. If hot cream is added at once, the eggs will scramble.) Keep adding ladles of cream, whisking continuously, until incorporated.
5. Place the bowl over the saucepan of simmering water and whisk vigorously, occasionally scraping the sides to prevent eggs from scrambling. Whisk until the mixture forms a smooth custard. Remove from heat, then transfer to a container (or spread in a baking pan to cool faster).
6. To make the bruschetta: Preheat broiler over high heat.
7. Melt butter in a hot griddle or large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add bread and toast for 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Transfer to a baking sheet.
8. Top each baton with a layer of crème brûlée custard, then sprinkle with brown sugar. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes, until sugar is caramelized. (Or use a kitchen torch and treat your guests to a show.) Arrange strawberries over the caramelized sugar and top with cotton candy, if using.

Shakshuka Breakfast Sandwich

Makes 4 sandwiches.

Shakshuka (or one of its derivations) is a popular breakfast throughout northern Africa, southern Europe and Turkey, which covers quite a lot of territory. It is quite simple, consisting of eggs poached in a spicy vegetable sauce. Served on a toasted roll, it becomes a more substantial meal. If you wish, add sliced avocado to your sandwich. From “Stacked: The Art of the Perfect Sandwich,” by Owen Han (Harvest, 2024).

1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped

½ large red bell pepper, seeded and cut into ½-in. dice

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. sweet or smoked paprika

⅛ tsp. cayenne pepper

1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes

Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 large eggs

½ c. (50 g) crumbled feta cheese

2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or cilantro

4 crusty round sandwich rolls, such as kaiser rolls, split, brushed with olive oil, and toasted

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the spicy tomato sauce: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the cumin, paprika and cayenne and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes with their juices and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook at a brisk simmer, stirring often, until the juices thicken, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Using the back of a large spoon, make 4 evenly spaced wells in the sauce. Crack an egg into each well. Cover the skillet and simmer over medium-low heat until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny, 4 to 5 minutes. Season the eggs with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the cheese and parsley (feta cheese does not melt). Remove from the heat.
3. For each sandwich, place a roll on a dinner plate. Use a large spoon to transfer an egg and a serving of the sauce onto the roll bottom. Cap with the roll top, cut in half, and serve immediately with a fork and knife.

Brunch Burger

Serves 2.

From “The Brunch King: Eats, Beats, and Boozy Drinks,” by Joey Maggiore, who writes: “If I put a burger on a menu, it has to be the best burger I have ever eaten. Here, I have a half-pound beef and bacon patty stacked with crispy hash browns, pepper jack cheese, fried onions, hollandaise and a fried egg with an oozy yolk — and every bite pops. Pair this with one a Bloody Mary for the perfect hangover cure.” (Figure 1, 2024)

INGREDIENTS

For the hash browns:

4 russet potatoes

2 eggs, beaten

1 large white onion, finely chopped

½ c. all-purpose flour

Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

1 to 2 tbsp. canola oil

For the burger:

8 oz. ground beef (90% lean)

8 oz. bacon, finely chopped

1 tbsp. butter

2 brioche burger buns

2 tsp. olive or canola oil

2 eggs

Kosher salt and black pepper

2 slices pepper jack cheese

2 hash browns

Fried onions, for serving

½ c. hollandaise (see below), for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. To prepare the hash browns: Shred potatoes with a box grater. Place in a medium bowl of ice water for 15 minutes. Drain, then rinse under cold running water until water runs clear. (This helps to remove excess starch.) Drain and squeeze dry.
2. In a large bowl, combine potatoes, eggs, onion and flour. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, shape the potato mixture into golf-ball-sized balls. Flatten, then place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess moisture.
4. Add oil to the skillet. Carefully place potatoes in the hot oil and fry for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. For crispier hash browns, press down with a spatula after flipping. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil.
5. Hash browns can be stored in an airtight container and frozen for up to 3 months. To reheat, defrost at room temperature on a paper towel-lined plate.
6. To prepare the burgers: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7. In a large bowl, combine ground beef and bacon and mix thoroughly. Form into 2 (8-ounce) patties.
8. Melt butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add burger buns, cut sides down. Toast for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown. Set aside and cover with paper towels to keep warm.
9. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add eggs, then break the yolks and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until the whites are set. Season with salt and pepper.
10. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Generously season both sides of the patties with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes. Flip, then cook for another 3 minutes. Place in the oven and cook for another 4 minutes for medium.
11. Top with cheese and return to the oven for another minute, until cheese has melted.
12. Top each toasted bottom bun with a burger patty, followed by a hash brown, fried egg and fried onions. Serve with a ramekin of hollandaise on the side.
13. Easy blender Chef Pierce hollandaise: Melt 2 sticks of butter and set aside. Place 6 egg yolks, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon hot sauce and ⅛ teaspoon paprika in a blender and blend on high speed for 30 seconds. With the motor still running, slowly pour in the warm melted butter in a thin and steady stream until the mixture is creamy and smooth. Season with salt to taste, and use immediately.

Breakfast Slow Cooker Denver Omelet

Serves 10.

From “Mama Bell’s Big Family Cooking” by Heather Bell, who writes: “We have made so many wonderful dinner recipes with the slow cooker that I had to try out breakfast. When I was growing up, my mom and dad made breakfast for dinner at least three times a week. Our family really loved breakfast foods. So to make a breakfast recipe and serve it to my family for dinner seemed like a super cool idea. They loved it!” (Adams Media, 2024)

INGREDIENTS

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped

1 (16-oz.) pkg. sliced black forest ham, chopped

10 large eggs

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tbsp. Dijon mustard

2 c. whole milk

2 tbsp. avocado oil

4 c. (1-in. cubes) French bread

2 c. shredded medium Cheddar cheese, divided

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, combine red and green peppers, onion and ham. Stir together and set aside.
2. In a separate medium bowl, combine eggs, Worcestershire sauce, salt, black pepper, mustard and milk. Whisk together until lightly scrambled and set aside.
3. In a 10-quart slow cooker, spread oil on the bottom, then layer with 2 cups cubed bread, half of the vegetable and ham mixture, and 1⁄2 cup cheese. Repeat the layers (bread, vegetables and ham, 1⁄2 cup cheese) and then pour egg mixture over the top.
4. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours, until egg is cooked through. When done, sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheese on top and serve.

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©2024 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Visit at startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

If you’re the type of person who grimaces at the thought of throwing away the absurd quantity of cereal crumbs in the bottom of the Shredded Wheat bag — or any cereal bag, for that matter — here’s an easy, tasty solution: Stir them into a peanut butter-honey mixture to form the basis of these couldn’t-be-easier Chocolate Peanut Butter Crisp Bars.

Even people who don’t experience literal pangs of guilt at the thought of wasting cereal crumbs will enjoy these as a quick nibble that feels like a snack or a treat, depending on one’s mood.

These bars work with a whole range of ingredients. Crunchy or smooth nut butter. Peanut or almond. Shredded Wheat Big Biscuits or Minis. Kashi Cinnamon Harvest or off-brandFrosted Mini Wheats (psst, reduce the honey and up the peanut butter, if you don’t want it too sweet). I’ve even used crushed Triscuits for an extra crispy and salty snack (psst, reduce the salt in the recipe).

Point being, you just need some sort of nut butter and a pile of crumbs from some sort of shredded wheat product and voila, it works.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crisp Bars

Makes 24 bars

INGREDIENTS

1½ cups natural peanut butter, smooth or crunchy

¼ cup honey

½ teaspoon salt or to taste

2 cups shredded wheat crumbs

1 cup dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate

Flaky salt for topping, optional

DIRECTIONS

Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir together the peanut butter and honey until smooth. If it’s too thick to mix well, heat it for 10 to 15 seconds in the microwave, then stir. If you are using unsalted peanut butter, add the salt; otherwise, add salt to taste or omit it entirely.

Stir in the Shredded Wheat crumbs, using your hands as necessary to squeeze the mixture together and crumble it repeatedly to disperse the crumbs evenly.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press into place, so it covers the bottom in a firm layer.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a double-boiler or in the microwave on low power at30-second intervals, stirring after each interval until smooth. Pour the melted chocolate over the peanut butter mixture and spread evenly to cover the top. Sprinkle with some flaked sea salt, if desired, and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes to set.

Slice into 24 bars and store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze to enjoy later.

Registered dietitian and food writer Laura McLively is the author of “The Berkeley Bowl Cookbook.” Follow her at @myberkeleybowl and www.lauramclively.com.

There’s no word yet on what charges — if any — will be filed against a driver who struck a pedestrian in Rochester Hills last month. The pedestrian died five days after being hit, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.

Soon after the Nov. 3 crash, the sheriff’s office described the driver as a 28-year-old Colombian who is in the United States illegally.

The victim, Stephen Singleton, was hospitalized in “grave condition” after being hit, and died Nov. 8, the sheriff’s office said. He was 72.

Singleton was wearing a reflective vest and walking westbound on Avon Road when he was struck while crossing Rochester Road. It’s believed he was hit while in a marked crosswalk, the sheriff’s office said.

The driver was in a 2013 Ford Focus when he reportedly hit the pedestrian at around 6:45 a.m. The sheriff’s office said alcohol, drugs and/or excessive speed don’t appear to have been factors in the crash.

The case is under review by the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office.

The driver is expected to have a hearing in federal court regarding his illegal immigration status, as determined by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the sheriff’s office added.

Sheriff: Pedestrian still in ‘grave condition’ after being struck by car driven by illegal migrant

Accused golf course rapist makes plea deal with prosecutors

Overdosing on cannabis — when a good time goes bad 

Mistrial declared in Wayne County murder case; victim was Farmington Hills man

 

By Paul Sisson, The San Diego Union-Tribune

SAN DIEGO — More than 100 locations nationwide participating in new clinical trials for a drug that shows promise for treating epileptic seizures among patients for whom other medications do not work.

The drug, BHV-7000, activates potassium receptors in the brain in a way that appears to modulate seizures, explained Dr. Taha Gholipour, a neurologist at the University of California, San Diego, a participant in the trial and the study’s local investigator. Other commonly prescribed anti-seizure medications act on sodium and calcium channels in neurons, routes that are effective for some but not all patients.

About 40% of the estimated 1.5 million people with epilepsy are resistant to drugs that engage the calcium and sodium routes, meaning that having a third avenue, through potassium, would be a major expansion of the options for treating seizures.

“The potassium channel is not completely new or unknown in our neuroscience community — there have been many attempts in the past to study this route — but we have had no success in getting a drug that has minimal side effects and also effective seizure control,” Gholipour said. “But years of preclinical work in labs, in cell models, in animal models, and then in early clinical trials in humans, have shown that it looks like this drug is well tolerated and potent in controlling seizures, which is exciting news.”

A phase 1 trial tested the drug in 58 patients, mostly white men with a median age of 40, finding that the main side effects, observed in just a handful of participants, were headaches and abdominal discomfort, which resolved when they stoped taking the drug.

Biohaven Ltd. a Connecticut-based biopharmaceutical company, is working to enroll 390 participants for the second and third phases of a clinical trial designed to determine whether the drug can decrease the average seizure frequency in patients diagnosed with focal onset epilepsy, which causes seizures in a specific part of the brain.

Participants must be aged 18 to 75 and are randomly assigned to receive one of two different dose strengths or a placebo, a non-active dose that is vital for comparison purposes. A diagnosis of focal onset epilepsy must have been made at least one year prior and participants must experience four or more seizures in a 28-day period, have been unsuccessfully treated with at least two anti-seizure medications, and must be “on a stable dose of at least one and up to three anti-seizure treatments.”

EAST LANSING — The Michigan State football season is over.

Needing a sixth win in their final game to be bowl eligible, the Spartans (5-7, 3-6) fell short in a 41-14 loss to Rutgers (7-5, 4-5). The loss eliminates Michigan State from postseason play. And it largely happened by the hand of the same mistakes that have plagued the Spartans much of the season.

“We didn’t play well enough to earn a win or earn a chance to continue on playing,” Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith said, ending his first season in East Lansing.

Michigan State knew the stakes heading into the game. It was a must-win for myriad reasons — bowl eligibility, a winning record, a send-off for its seniors. And at the start, the Spartans played like a team leaving it all on the table.

The Spartans started with the ball and put together a strong opening drive. Running back Kay’ron Lynch-Adams broke off a 36-yard run, which set up his tandem partner Nate Carter for a 26-yard touchdown.

As Carter did snow angels on the field — for which he earned an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that helped Rutgers start its first drive from midfield — Michigan State showed that it was friendly with the ground game. Carter and Kayron Lynch-Adams combined for 86 rushing yards on 12 carries in the first half, then added 30 yards in the second.

But with a win vital, struggles reappeared in so many areas the Spartans have experienced them. Poor pass protection showed up in two first half sacks. Special teams miscues spotted Rutgers a field goal after a high punt snap turned the ball over on downs at the 2-yard line. And too many Michigan State drives were short-lived, with five of the six first-half drives fizzling within five plays and four of them lasting less than three minutes. The one long drive they did string together ended in a failed fourth-and-1 conversion.

“It definitely is frustrating that it’s still happening in Game 12,” tight end Jack Velling said of the miscues, on the heels of his own season-high 77 yards on five catches. “It’s frustrating that it’s every room, and there’s guys in every room doing it.”

Even with all that hanging in the balance, progress did not arrive in time for Michigan State’s final game and final chance.

Michigan State’s defense played stout for most of the first half, but it gave up big plays. Out of 213 first-half yards allowed, 140 came on seven big plays. The pass rush shouldered much of the blame, allowing Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis ample time in the pocket. Again, this was an issue facing Michigan State all season. And again, a lack of resolution came back to bite the Spartans.

Kaliakmanis queued up both of his team’s first-half touchdowns with big passing plays. Running backs Kyle Monangai and Antwan Raymond punched in the scores, part of 129 yards on the ground in the first half. Those scores, plus 25-, 42- and 30-yard field goals by kicker Jai Patel, gave Rutgers a 23-7 lead at the half.

With 3:33 left in the first half, defensive back Jaylen Thompson was carted off the field with his head and neck stabilized by the trainers. After the game, Smith said that Thompson was OK and was placed in concussion protocol.

Heading into the second half, Michigan State needed to come out with a response to put its season back within reach. It needed its defense to stiffen and force a stop.

Instead, Rutgers churned 75 yards down the field on a 14-play drive that killed more than half of the third quarter. And after a 9-yard receiving touchdown by Ian Strong extended the gap, a two-point conversion on a pass to KJ Adams only made it more drastic. Michigan State’s same issues with pass rush persisted, while Kaliakmanis picked apart a depleted secondary.

“That really changed the thing,” Smith said. “And that’s what Rutgers is about. They’re leading the league in time of possession for a reason. And so they really separated the thing at that point.”

Lynch-Adams put together a few strong runs on the ensuing response drive — his own college playing career coming to a close with this game — and yet it wasn’t enough. The Spartans left the field with their third turnover on downs of the game.

As Rutgers ran down the clock on both the game and Michigan State’s season with another seven-minute drive resulting in Patel’s fourth field goal, there just wasn’t enough time to mount a comeback.

Velling made things interesting with a walk-in touchdown — his first of the season — with 7:21 left in the game, but Rutgers recovered an onside kick attempt and bled the clock. Raymond punched in his second touchdown of the day, the eighth out of nine drives in which his team scored points.

With one more chance to answer, Michigan State sent out freshman quarterback Alessio Milivojevic, who threw an interception that allowed Rutgers to kneel out the clock.

Everything hung in the balance of this game, but the Spartans didn’t seize the opportunity. Too many familiar issues proved costly in the end, leaving the program with its third straight losing season and fourth in the past five years.

DETROIT (AP) — Tyrese Maxey scored 28 points and the Philadelphia 76ers won their fourth game of the season by beating the Detroit Pistons 111-96 on Saturday night.

Jared McCain added 19 points and Ricky Council IV scored 17 for Philadelphia, which had lost seven of its previous eight games.

Malik Beasley had 19 points for the Pistons. Jaden Ivey had 15 points and Marcus Sasser scored 12. Simone Fontecchio had 11 rebounds for Detroit — the only player on either team to reach double figures in assists or rebounds.

Takeaways

Sixers: Andre Drummond left the game in the first quarter with a left ankle injury. Paul George was listed as out on the pregame injury report, but started after missing the last three games with a bone bruise on his left knee and scored 11 points.

Pistons: Cade Cunningham was a late scratch with a sprained left sacroiliac joint. Starters Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway, Jr. and Jalen Duren combined for eight points on 3-for-16 shooting. Combined, they missed all seven of their 3-point attempts.

Key Moment

The Sixers scored 11 points in 101 seconds to take an early 22-7 lead. Maxey, George and Kelly Oubre Jr. hit three straight 3-pointers before Oubre finished the run with a mid-range jumper. Philadelphia led by as many as 18 points in the first quarter and 57-52 at halftime.

Key Stat

After starting the game with a 22-7 run, the Philadelphia starters began the second half with a 27-10 run to take an 84-62 lead late in the third quarter. KJ Martin replaced Drummond in the rotation after his injury.

Up Next

Both teams return to action on Tuesday night. The Sixers travel to Charlotte for a game with the Hornets while the Pistons play host to the Milwaukee Bucks.

— By DAVE HOGG, Associated Press

KALAMAZOO (AP) — Zahir Abdus-Salaam ran for a touchdown and caught another as Western Michigan defeated Eastern Michigan 26-18 on Saturday to become bowl eligible, snapping a three-game losing streak.

Abdus-Salaam scored on a 22-yard run for a 23-8 lead in the third quarter and he celebrated by jumping into a snowbank bordering the end zone.

The Broncos (6-6, 5-3 Mid-American Conference) blocked a punt for safety that started a run of 16 points in under four minutes. Abdus-Salaam scored on a 31-yard screen pass then Joey Pope recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff to set up Jalen Buckley’s 15-yard TD run with 19 seconds before the half ended.

Eastern Michigan’s Delmert Mimms II scored two third-quarter touchdowns. The teams exchanged field goals for the only fourth-quarter scoring.

The Eagles got the ball back with 2:18 remaining but on their first play Bilhal Kone intercepted a tipped pass. Eastern Michigan (5-7, 2-6) lost its last five games.

Abdus-Salaam rushed for 135 yards and Buckley 103 on 19 carries apiece. Hayden Wolff threw for 126 yards and a score. Abdus-Salaam had 40 yards receiving.

Mimms rushed for 127 yards on 18 carries. Cole Snyder was only 7 of 22 for 91 yards passing.

Pontiac Notre Dame Prep took home the MHSAA Division 5 state championship with a 42-7 victory over Frankenmuth Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 at Ford Field in Detroit.

 

Notre Dame Prep dominates Frankenmuth in D5 final for program’s first-ever state title

DETROIT – This will be one stage dive Notre Dame Prep and head coach Pat Fox won’t soon forget.

The Fighting Irish dominated Fox’s alma mater, Frankenmuth, winning Saturday afternoon’s Division 5 final 42-7 for the program’s first-ever state championship.

And for the 12th and final time this season, the Irish celebrated by dancing to “Stacy’s Mom” and with a Fox dive from a bench into a sea of his players, but none sweeter than this one.

“Of course, there’s going to be a stage dive,” Irish senior linebacker and tight end Michael Wiebelhaus said.

“There will be some ‘Stacy’s Mom’ being played, and I will be getting airborne tonight,” Fox confirmed.

When the Eagles went for it on fourth-and-3 from their own 25-yard line midway through the first quarter, they may have known already that more than luck was on the Fighting Irish’s side.

After Frankenmuth (13-1) was stuffed for a two-yard loss on that attempt, Irish junior quarterback Sam Stowe hit Wiebelhaus the next play for a 25-yard touchdown to put the Irish up 14-0.

“They’re a quick football team,” Frankenmuth head coach Phil Martin said. “Give them credit, they played well today.”

Prior to that, Frankenmuth looked set for the game’s biggest play after the Irish punted on the game’s opening possession, but Cash Tedford’s fumble after gaining 49 yards was recovered by Drake Roa at Notre Dame Prep’s 13-yard line. Two plays after, Billy Collins follows his blocks upfield for an 87-yard catch-and-run score to give the Irish their initial lead just under three minutes in.

Frankenmuth also had it fourth-and-3 from its own 27-yard line the drive after going for it, but instead elected to punt when faced again with an almost identical situation as it had prior. The result was essentially the same: Stowe struck Joey DeCasas streaking across the middle for a 47-yard TD that made it 21-0 with 1:52 still to go in the first quarter.

Frankenmuth did force a turnover on downs when its defense took the field the next time, but its offense punted for the fourth time when it got the ball back. Stowe completed passes for a combined 46 yards to DeCasas and Mark Galle when the Irish gained possession the next time, then threw his fourth touchdown when Collins motioned left, then back out wide right and was uncovered on a 25-yard pass, making it 28-0 with 2:44 left in the opening half.

“I was surprised at how open (Billy) was, but that’s just from a great scheme and a great play call from Coach (Jason) Whalen.”

The Irish defense dominated before intermission, denying the Eagles on their first seven third or fourth-down conversion attempts until Frankenmuth finally converted on fourth-and-2 about midway into the second quarter.

“We know we’re fast, and we watched a lot of their film against Grand Rapids Catholic Central and saw how they ran,” Wiebelhaus said. “We already played GRCC in the past and knew our speed matched up well with GRCC and saw them get past (Frankenmuth) a lot, so we knew for sure that our speed would be a problem for them.”

The Eagles moved the chains twice when they start with the ball after halftime, but DeCasas and Galle halted Tedford on fourth-and-3 to get it at Frankenmuth’s 49-yard line.

Stowe completed all four of his attempts of the ensuing drive – all to different targets – then Drew Heimbuch followed his blockers that pulled right eight yards into the end zone to make it 35-0 with 4:35 remaining in the third.

The Eagles broke up the shutout on Lleyton Hoard’s 11-yard touchdown run with 8:58 left, but the celebration was short-lived, as after Notre Dame Prep recovered the onside kick, Heimbuch broke several tackles the next play on an inside handoff for a 50-yard TD run with 8:46 remaining.

On what allowed Notre Dame Prep to win the title in its first trip to the finals, Luca Gasperoni, who had a game-high 13 tackles, simply said, “We trusted our coach. He led the way for us. We let him prepare us and we stayed coachable throughout the entire week, and it paid off.”

Galle and Wiebelhaus followed with 11 and 10 tackles, respectively.

Stowe finished 15-of-21 passing for 293 yards. Collins had four catches for a game-high 126 yards, while DeCasas had 70 receiving yards. Wiebelhaus followed with 36 yards on a pair of receptions.

Fox called it a difficult week preparing to play against his former school. “I owe a lot of my success to that program,” he said while fighting back his emotions. “All those guys raised me and al ot of my classmates. We all have great lives because of the work ethic we learned in that program.”

Photo gallery from the Division 5 football state title game between Notre Dame Prep and Frankenmuth

On what the championship victory meant, DeCasas said, "It’s exciting. I’m doing it for all these guys, for Coach. It’s exciting, the first one in Notre Dame history. No one deserves it more than my coach over here."

Added Heimbuch, "It's great. I'm glad I got to do this with all my friends. You know, we've been friends since freshman year. We've been talking about this for forever, and, you know, we put in the work and made that happen."