Today is Friday, Dec. 19, the 353rd day of 2025. There are 12 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Dec. 19, 2008, citing imminent danger to the national economy, President George W. Bush ordered a $17.4 billion emergency bailout of the U.S. auto industry.

Also on this date:

In 1777, during the American Revolutionary War, Gen. George Washington led his army of more than 12,000 soldiers to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, to camp for the winter.

In 1907, 239 workers died in an explosion at the Darr coal mine near Van Meter, Pennsylvania.

In 1960, fire broke out on the hangar deck of the nearly completed aircraft carrier USS Constellation at the New York Naval Shipyard, killing 50 civilian workers.

In 1972, Apollo 17 splashed down in the Pacific, concluding the Apollo program of crewed lunar landings.

In 1998, President Bill Clinton was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives for perjury and obstruction of justice. (He was subsequently acquitted by the Senate.)

In 2011, North Korea announced the death two days earlier of leader Kim Jong Il; North Koreans marched by the thousands to mourn while state media proclaimed his youngest son, Kim Jong Un, as the nation’s new leader.

In 2016, a truck rammed into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin, killing 12 people in an attack claimed by the Islamic State. (The suspected attacker was killed in a police shootout four days later.)

In 2023, a strong earthquake rocked a mountainous region of northwestern China, killing 131 people, reducing homes to rubble and leaving residents outside in below-freezing winter weather.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Actor Tim Reid is 81.
• Singer Janie Fricke is 78.
• Actor Jennifer Beals is 62.
• Basketball Hall of Famer Arvydas Sabonis is 61.
• Olympic skiing gold medalist Alberto Tomba is 59.
• Actor Kristy Swanson is 56.
• Model Tyson Beckford is 55.
• Actor Alyssa Milano is 53.
• Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp is 53.
• Actor Jake Gyllenhaal (JIH’-lihn-hahl) is 45.
• Actor Annie Murphy is 39.
• Journalist Ronan Farrow is 38.

DALLAS (AP) — Cooper Flagg had 23 points and 10 rebounds, Anthony Davis added 15 points and the Dallas Mavericks recovered to beat the Detroit Pistons 116-114 in overtime Thursday night after blowing an 18-point third-quarter lead.

Cade Cunningham had 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his third triple-double this season for the East-leading Pistons (21-6), who have gone 6-4 following a 15-2 start. Jalen Duren had 17 points and 13 rebounds.

Davis’ alley-oop from Flagg put Dallas ahead 114-112 with 3:10 left in overtime. After Cunningham’s bank shot tied it with 1:49 remaining, Davis’ dunk with 1:32 accounted for the final points.

Cunningham’s floater with seven seconds left missed, leaving him 2 for 7 in overtime. Duren grabbed the rebound, missed a shot beneath the basket, and Davis grabbed the rebound with 0.9 seconds left.

The Pistons played without two starters much of the night. Ausar Thompson was ejected late in the first half after disputing a foul and making contact with official John Goble, and Duncan Robinson left after injuring a knee early in the third period.

Cunningham received a technical foul in the final minute of the first half, and Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff got one as thee were leaving the court at halftime.

Davis, who missed Dallas’ previous game with a left calf contusion, shot 7 for 18 from the floor after missing his first eight shots.

Detroit outscored Dallas 30-15 on second-chance points with 25 offensive rebounds. But the Pistons shot a season-worst 18.2% on 3-pointers (6 for 33).

Before the game, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said there’s still no schedule for the return of nine-time All-Star Kyrie Irving following ACL surgery last March. “In another month, we’ll give you an update,” Kidd said.

Up next

Pistons: Host Charlotte on Saturday.

Mavericks: Visit Philadelphia on Saturday.

Senior Da’ron Mason’s huge outing helped lead Bloomfield Hills to a 75-49 win Thursday evening over Berkley.

The Wayne State commit dropped 33 points and Ryan Hunt added 21 to help the Black Hawks improve to 5-0 on the season.

The Bears fall to 1-4 on the season with the road defeat.

More boys basketball

LAKELAND 49, OXFORD 40 >> Junior Chase Carson scored a team-high 14 points and Austin Porcasi added 13 Thursday as the Eagles improved to 4-1 on Senior Night.

MADISON HEIGHTS LAMPHERE 45, BIRMINGHAM SEAHOLM 40 >> Jack Robinson had 11 points, as did Gavin Abbott, who hit the go-ahead 3-pointer that helped the Rams win their fourth in a row and improve to 5-2 on Thursday. The Maples (2-4) have nine days off before their next game at the North Farmington Holiday Extravaganza.

TROY 51, FRASER 31 >> Hayden Oriol scored 15 of his team-high 20 points in the fourth quarter of the Colts’ victory on Thursday. Will De Armit added seven points in the Colts’ win, which gives them a 5-1 record on the year.

Girls basketball

ROCHESTER 49, TROY 25 >> Rochester knocked down seven triples in the first half, including four by Kelly Cook, and the Falcons moved to 3-1 at home Thursday. Stella Marlow added 10 for Rochester, while Olivia Jasniewicz scored a team-high 13 for the Colts (3-1).

Photo gallery of Rochester vs. Troy in an OAA girls hoops crossover

MILFORD 44, LAKE FENTON 32 >> Ashlyn Lutz had three 3-pointers as part of a 30-point night and teammate Cara VanGoethem added six in a Lady Mavs (3-1) home win Thursday.

LAKELAND 50, OXFORD 43 >> Aubrin Miller poured in 28 points and Peyton Baer scored 13 to lead the Eagles (3-2) past the Wildcats (2-2) for a senior night win on Thursday.

ROCHESTER ADAMS 46, ROYAL OAK 29 >> The Highlanders improved to 2-1, while the Ravens, led by 11 points from Allie Hills and four blocks by Lydia Dickens, fell to 1-3 after Thursday's OAA crossover contest.

TROY ATHENS 43, BIRMINGHAM SEAHOLM 26 >> The Red Hawks bounced back from their first loss of the year to Lake Orion by beating the Maples at home on Thursday and improving to 3-1.

BERKLEY 48, WARREN COUSINO 33 >> Freshman forward Niqco Shoulders led with 14 points as the Bears (1-3) collected their first victory on Wednesday.

BRANDON 58, BURTON BENDLE 22 >> Junior Ella Rizzo filled the stat sheet with 21 points, six steals and rebounds each, and a handful of assists in Thursday's win. Sophomore forwarded Maddie Heverly added eight points and 10 boards and Elin Austin swiped it consistently for six steals in the home victory by the Blackhawks (2-2).

WALLED LAKE CENTRAL 49, OAK PARK 37 >> Sophomore Eleanor Heitsch finished with a game-best 17 points as the Vikings (1-3) got their first victory on the season Wednesday night. Naveah Butler, also a sophomore, scored 14 in the Knights' (1-1) road defeat.

Hockey

ORCHARD LAKE ST. MARY'S 9, GROSSE POINTE SOUTH 1 >> Emmett Pilch opened up the scoring, then Thaddeus Raynish's team-leading 14th and 15th goals were among the others for the Eaglets (8-2), who beat the Blue Devils at home on Thursday.

ROCHESTER UNITED 5, PORT HURON NORTHERN 2 >> A first-period goal by Connor Cichocki (14th of the season) and a shorthanded one by Ethan Haselhuhn ensured United (10-2) never trailed Thursday night at McMorran Arena.

RIVERVIEW GABRIEL RICHARD 8, BROTHER RICE 1 >> Logan Jardine assisted Alex Slapak for the lone goal by the Warriors (3-6) on Thursday.

NOVI 2, LIVONIA 1 >> The Wildcats outshot the Red Stallions 43-11 as Cori Hastoy and Lucas O'Brien each hit for goals in Novi's second win of the season on Wednesday.

WALLED LAKE UNITED 3, LAKES UNITED 1 >> Gavin Grondin gave Lakes (4-5) an early lead, but Brady Martel, Cooper Auten and Brady Frelich all scored in the third to seal the comeback for Walled Lake (5-4) on Wednesday evening.

DEXTER 3, DETROIT COUNTRY DAY 2 >> The Dreadnaughts handed the Yellowjackets (9-1) their first loss of the season on Wednesday in spite of goals by Michael Curis and Henry Hannibal.

TROY UNITED 11, FARMINGTON UNITED 1 >> Following a scoreless opening period on Wednesday, Farmington (4-8) got a goal from Ethan Apostolovski, then Troy (11-2) scored three in the second period to take the lead for good.

The Rochester Falcons defeated the Troy Colts 49-25 in the OAA Red/Blue crossover game played on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025 in Rochester Hills.

ALLEN PARK – It was a big Catholic League boys hoops affair on Thursday night when Cabrini welcomed in Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes for the first of two much-anticipated matchups this season.

Cabrini meanwhile is enjoying one of their better starts to a season in program history, having won their first six games by an average of just over 15 points.

It was a hard-fought, back-and-forth battle between the co-champions of the Intersectional 2 Division a year ago. The first contest of this winter’s season series ended with the host Monarchs coming out on top, 59-50, thanks to a late rallying effort.

“Well, the first half was a ton of turnovers, poor shot selections, and we just couldn’t hit free throws,” Cabrini head coach Joseph Osmulski said after the win. “In the second half, I think we only had like five turnovers at the most. Made our shots, made our free throws, played great defense.

“Everything we put in at halftime, they executed to pull this one out.”

The sentiments from Osmulski proved to be valid after his Cabrini team found themselves trailing going into halftime and needed a huge second half to remain perfect on the season.

“I just kind of told them, ‘you know, we’re 6-0, and if you want to be 7-0 and you want to hit our goals, tonight’s a good night to do it,’” Osmulski explained. “Credit to them, they came out and took the challenge.
So that was a good thing.”

It was Lakes who came out hot early on Thursday, jumping out to a 6-0 lead that spanned over four minutes in the first quarter. Cabrini eventually caught fire themselves, ending the opening stanza with an 11-5 stretch to knot the game up at 11 all after one.

The second quarter was all Lakers, who put together their best stretch of the night with 17 points in the frame. If not for an Evan Bergdoll three-pointer at the buzzer, it would have been a near double-digit lead for the visitors, who instead settled for a 28-22 lead going into the intermission.

Coming out of the half, it was a fever dream of runs with both teams trading blow after blow.

The Bergdoll triple before halftime kick-started what was 11 unanswered for Cabrini to take a two-point lead, only for WOLL to respond with a 9-0 stretch of their own.

The Monarchs, though, countered back again with an 11-0 spurt, capping off what was a 19-point third quarter and taking a 41-37 lead into the final frame.

In the fourth, the hosts held tight to their lead, not letting their conference rivals get back in the game while extending the margin in the process en route to a seventh straight win to open the campaign.

“We played hard,” Lakes head coach  Michael Miller said. “We missed some shots late, and got a few bad breaks going the wrong way, and the game turned from one or two points to seven or eight pretty quick.

“So tough to come back from that.”

In a victorious effort, leading the way for Cabrini was senior Lander Emerick with 17 points. His fellow classmate Bergdoll finished with 14 points, while junior Noah Roman joined each of them in double figures with 11 points. That trio of Monarchs combined to sink six of the team’s eight made threes on the night.

For WOLL, senior Jack Miller and junior Lukas Tedder combined for 43 of the team’s 50 points in the loss. The former led all scorers in the contest with 23 points.

UP NEXT

Cabrini (7-0, 2-0 CHSL-Intersectional 2) will get a long break before they play host to Detroit Universal Academy on Jan 5.

It is a much-needed break for the Monarchs, says Osmulski.

“Well, first off, most of our team’s football guys,” Osmulski said. “So we need to get a nice break after the run they had. But we just got to keep the mojo going.

This is the first time the school’s ever been 7-0,” Osmulski continued. “And the boys want to win, so we just got to keep it going.”

For Lakes (2-4, 1-1 CHSL-Intersectional 2), they are going to look at bouncing back after a long break as well when they go on the road to face Clawson on Jan. 6.

For coach Miller and the Lakers, it is about finding their consistency.

“We’ve had some scratches all year long,” Miller said. “We’ve had some few good minutes here, a few good minutes there, and then we have lows where we don’t play as well. I thought today we played much better for a full game, so I think that’s going to serve as well moving forward.”

Photo gallery of Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes vs Allen Park Cabrini in a CHSL boys hoops matchup

The regular season co-champions of the Catholic League’s Intersectional 2 Division from a year ago held their first of two scheduled matchups this season Thursday night when Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes trekked down to Allen Park Cabrini.

Cabrini meanwhile is enjoying one of their better starts to a season in program history, having won their first six games by an average of just over 15 points.

A strong second half ultimately helped the hometown Monarchs rally back and remain undefeated with a 59-50 victory over the visiting Lakers.

Photo gallery is courtesy of Cory Linsner.

By BEN FINLEY, ERIC TUCKER, KEVIN FREKING and JOSHUA GOODMAN

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s “blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers off Venezuela’s coast is raising new questions about the legality of his military campaign in Latin America, while fueling concerns that the U.S. could be edging closer to war.

The Trump administration says its blockade is narrowly tailored and not targeting civilians, which would be an illegal act of war. But some experts say seizing sanctioned oil tied to leader Nicolás Maduro could provoke a military response from Venezuela, engaging American forces in a new level of conflict that goes beyond their attacks on alleged drug boats.

“My biggest fear is this is exactly how wars start and how conflicts escalate out of control,” said Rep. Jason Crow, a Colorado Democrat who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. “And there are no adults in the room with this administration, nor is there consultation with Congress. So I’m very worried.”

Claire Finkelstein, a professor of national security law at the University of Pennsylvania, said the use of such an aggressive tactic without congressional authority stretches the bounds of international law and increasingly looks like a veiled attempt to trigger a Venezuelan response.

“The concern is that we are bootstrapping our way into armed conflict,” Finkelstein said. “We’re upping the ante in order to try to get them to engage in an act of aggression that would then justify an act of self-defense on our part.”

Republicans largely are OK with the campaign

Trump has used the word “blockade” to describe his latest tactic in an escalating pressure campaign against Maduro, who has been charged with narcoterrorism in the U.S. and now has been accused of using oil profits to fund drug trafficking. While Trump said it only applies to vessels facing U.S. economic penalties, the move has sparked outrage among Democrats and mostly shrugs, if not cheers, from Republicans.

Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said Trump going after sanctioned oil tankers linked to Venezuela is no different from targeting Iranian oil.

“Just like with the Iranian shadow tankers, I have no problem with that,” McCaul said. “They’re circumventing sanctions.”

The president has declared the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels in an effort to reduce the flow of drugs to American communities. U.S. forces have attacked 26 alleged drug-smuggling boats and killed least 99 people since early September. Trump has repeatedly promised that land strikes are next, while linking Maduro to the cartels.

The campaign has drawn scrutiny in Congress, particularly after it was revealed that U.S. forces killed two survivors of a boat attack with a follow-up strike. But Republicans so far have repeatedly declined to require congressional authorization for further military action in the region, blocking Democrats’ war powers resolutions.

Sen. Roger Wicker, Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Service Committee, has essentially ended his panel’s investigation into the Sept. 2 strike, saying Thursday that the entire campaign is being conducted “on sound legal advice.”

Venezuela pushes back

Trump announced the blockade Tuesday, about a week after U.S. forces seized a sanctioned oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast. The South American country has the world’s largest proven oil reserves and relies heavily on the revenue to support its economy.

The U.S. has been imposing sanctions on Venezuela since 2005 over concerns about corruption as well as criminal and anti-democratic activities. The first Trump administration expanded the penalties to oil, prompting Maduro’s government to rely on a shadow fleet of falsely flagged tankers to smuggle crude into global supply chains.

The state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela S.A., or PDVSA, has been largely locked out of global oil markets by U.S. sanctions. It sells most of its exports at a steep discount on the black market in China.

Nicolás Maduro Guerra, Maduro’s son and a lawmaker, on Thursday decried Trump’s latest tactic and vowed to work with the private sector to limit any impact on the country’s oil-dependent economy. He acknowledged that it won’t be an easy task.

“We value peace and dialogue, but the reality right now is that we are being threatened by the most powerful army in the world, and that’s not something to be taken lightly,” Maduro Guerra said.

Pentagon prefers the term ‘quarantine’

It wasn’t immediately clear how the U.S. planned to enact Trump’s order. But the Navy has 11 ships in the region and a wide complement of aircraft that can monitor marine traffic coming in and out of Venezuela.

Trump may be using the term “blockade,” but the Pentagon says officials prefer “quarantine.”

A defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to outline internal reasoning about the policy, said a blockade, under international law, constitutes an act of war requiring formal declaration and enforcement against all incoming and outgoing traffic. A quarantine, however, is a selective, preventive security measure that targets specific, illegal activity.

Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said he was unsure of the legality of Trump’s blockade.

“They’re blockading apparently the oil industry, not the entire country,” said Smith, who represents parts of western Washington state. “How does that change things? I got to talk to some lawyers, but in general, a blockade is an act of war.”

The U.S. has a long history of leveraging naval sieges to pressure lesser powers, especially in the 19th century era of “gunboat diplomacy,” sometimes provoking them into taking action that triggers an even greater American response.

But in recent decades, as the architecture of international law has developed, successive U.S. administrations have been careful not to use such maritime shows of force because they are seen as punishing civilians — an illegal act of aggression outside of wartime.

During the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, President John F. Kennedy famously called his naval cordon to counter a real threat — weapons shipments from the Soviet Union — a “quarantine” not a blockade.

Mark Nevitt, an Emory University law professor and former Navy judge advocate general, said there is a legal basis for the U.S. to board and seize an already-sanctioned ship that is deemed to be stateless or is claiming two states.

But a blockade, he said, is a “wartime naval operation and maneuver” designed to block the access of vessels and aircraft of an enemy state.

“I think the blockade is predicated on a false legal pretense that we are at war with narcoterrorists,” he said.

Nevitt added: “This seems to be almost like a junior varsity blockade, where they’re trying to assert a wartime legal tool, a blockade, but only doing it selectively.”

Geoffrey Corn, a Texas Tech law professor who previously served as the Army’s senior adviser for law-of-war issues and has been critical of the Trump administration’s boat strikes, said he was not convinced the blockade was intended to ratchet up the conflict with Venezuela.

Instead, he suggested it could be aimed at escalating the pressure on Maduro to give up power or encouraging his supporters to back away from him.

“You can look at it through the lens of, is this an administration trying to create a pretext for a broader conflict?” Corn said. “Or you can look at it as part of an overall campaign of pressuring the Maduro regime to step aside.”

Goodman reported from Miami. Associated Press reporters Stephen Groves and Konstantin Toropin in Washington and Regina Garcia Cano in Caracas, Venezuela, contributed to this report.

By CLAIRE SAVAGE

The head of the U.S. agency for enforcing workplace civil rights posted a social media call-out urging white men to come forward if they have experienced race or sex discrimination at work.

“Are you a white male who has experienced discrimination at work based on your race or sex? You may have a claim to recover money under federal civil rights laws,” U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Chair Andrea Lucas, a vocal critic of DEI, wrote on X Wednesday evening. The post urged eligible workers to reach out to the agency “as soon as possible” and referred users to the agency’s fact sheet on “DEI-related discrimination” for more information.

Lucas’ post, viewed millions of times, was shared about two hours after Vice President JD Vance posted an article he said “describes the evil of DEI and its consequences,” which also received millions of views. Lucas responded to Vance’s post saying: “Absolutely right @JDVance. And precisely because this widespread, systemic, unlawful discrimination primarily harmed white men, elites didn’t just turn a blind eye; they celebrated it. Absolutely unacceptable; unlawful; immoral.”

She added that the EEOC “won’t rest until this discrimination is eliminated.” Neither the agency nor Vance responded immediately to requests for additional comment.

Since being named acting chair of the EEOC in January, Lucas has been shifting the agency’s focus to prioritize “rooting out unlawful DEI-motivated race and sex discrimination,” aligning with President Donald Trump’s own anti-DEI executive orders. Trump named Lucas as the agency’s chair in November.

Earlier this year, the EEOC along with the Department of Justice issued two “technical assistance” documents attempting to clarify what might constitute “DEI-related Discrimination at Work” and providing guidance on how workers can file complaints over such concerns. The documents took broad aim at practices such as training, employee resource groups and fellowship programs, warning such programs — depending on how they’re constructed — could run afoul of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race and gender.

Those documents have been criticized by former agency commissioners as misleading for portraying DEI initiatives as legally fraught.

David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at the NYU School of Law, said Lucas’s latest social media posts demonstrate a “fundamental misunderstanding of what DEI is.”

“It’s really much more about creating a culture in which you get the most out of everyone who you’re bringing on board, where everyone experiences fairness and equal opportunity, including white men and members of other groups,” Glasgow said.

The Meltzer Center tracks lawsuits that are likely to affect workplace DEI practices, including 57 cases of workplace discrimination. Although there are instances in which it occurs on a case-by-case basis, Glasgow said he has not seen “any kind of systematic evidence that white men are being discriminated against.”

He pointed out that Fortune 500 CEOs are overwhelmingly white men, and that relative to their share of the population, the demographic is overrepresented in corporate senior leadership, Congress, and beyond.

“If DEI has been this engine of discrimination against white men, I have to say it hasn’t really been doing a very good job at achieving that,” Glasgow said.

Jenny Yang, a former EEOC chair and now a partner at law firm Outten & Golden, said it is “unusual” and “problematic” for the head of the agency to single out a particular demographic group for civil rights enforcement.

“It suggests some sort of priority treatment,” Yang said. “That’s not something that sounds to me like equal opportunity for all.”

On the other hand, the agency has done the opposite for transgender workers, whose discrimination complaints have been deprioritized or dropped completely, Yang said. The EEOC has limited resources, and must accordingly prioritize which cases to pursue. But treating charges differently based on workers’ identities goes against the mission of the agency, she said.

“It worries me that a message is being sent that the EEOC only cares about some workers and not others,” Yang said.

The Associated Press’ women in the workforce and state government coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH and JOSHUA GOODMAN

A Kansas tribe said it has walked away from a nearly $30 million federal contract to come up with preliminary designs for immigrant detention centers after facing a wave of online criticism.

The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation ‘s announcement Wednesday night came just over a week after the economic development leaders who brokered the deal with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were fired.

With some Native Americans swept up and detained in recent ICE raids, the deal was derided online as “disgusting” and “cruel.” Many in Indian Country also questioned how a tribe whose own ancestors were uprooted two centuries ago from the Great Lakes region and corralled on a reservation south of Topeka could participate in the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts.

Tribal Chairman Joseph “Zeke” Rupnick nodded to the historic issues last week in a video address that called reservations “the government’s first attempts at detention centers.” In an update Wednesday, he announced that he was “happy to share that our Nation has successfully exited all third-party related interests affiliated with ICE.”

The Prairie Band Potawatomi has a range of businesses that provide health care management staffing, general contracting and even interior design. And Rupnick said in his latest address that tribal officials plan to meet in January about how to ensure “economic interests do not come into conflict with our values in the future.”

A tribal offshoot hired by ICE — KPB Services LLC — was established in April in Holton, Kansas, by Ernest C. Woodward Jr., a former naval officer who markets himself as a “go-to” adviser for tribes and affiliated companies seeking to land federal contracts.

The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation said in 2017 that Woodward’s firm advised it on its acquisition of another government contractor, Mill Creek LLC, which specializes in outfitting federal buildings and the military with office furniture and medical equipment.

Woodward also is listed as the chief operating officer of the Florida branch of Prairie Band Construction Inc., which was registered in September.

Attempts to locate Woodward were unsuccessful. A spokesperson for KPB said Woodward is no longer with the LLC but she declined to say whether he was terminated. Woodward did not respond to an email sent to another consulting firm he’s affiliated with, Virginia-based Chinkapin Partners LLC.

A spokesperson for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation said the tribe divested from KPB. While that company still has the contract, “Prairie Band no longer has a stake,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said Woodward is no longer with the tribe’s limited liability corporation, but she declined to say whether he was terminated.

The ICE contract initially was awarded in October for $19 million for unspecified “due diligence and concept designs” for processing centers and detention centers throughout the U.S., according to a one-sentence description of the work on the federal government’s real-time contracting database. It was modified a month later to increase the payout ceiling to $29.9 million.

Sole-source contracts above $30 million require additional justification under federal contracting rules.

Tribal leaders and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security haven’t responded to detailed questions about why the firm was selected for such a big contract without having to compete for the work as federal contracting normally requires. It’s also unclear what the Tribal Council knew about the contract.

“That process of internal auditing is really just beginning,” the tribal spokesperson said.

Hollingsworth reported from Mission, Kansas, and Goodman from Miami.

By SCOTT BAUER

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department sued three states and the District of Columbia on Thursday for not turning over requested voter information to the Trump administration.

The latest lawsuits were filed against Wisconsin, Illinois, Georgia and the District of Columbia. The Justice Department has now filed 22 lawsuits seeking voter information as part of its effort to collect detailed voting data and other election information across the country.

“We shared our nation-leading list maintenance practices and public voter roll data with the DOJ December 8 at their request, and we look forward to working together to eliminate the federal barriers that prevent even cleaner voter rolls,” Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said in a statement. “Hardworking Georgians can rest easy knowing this data was shared strictly in accordance with state law that protect voters’ privacy.”

The latest round comes one week after the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission voted against the Justice Department’s request for the data. Both Republican and Democratic commissioners voiced concerns about the request last week, saying it would be illegal under Wisconsin law to provide the voter roll information that includes the full names, dates of birth, residential addresses and driver’s license numbers of voters.

Spokespeople for the Wisconsin Elections Commission and the state Department of Justice, which would defend the commission, did not immediately return messages. The Illinois State Board of Elections declined to comment.

An Associated Press tally found that the Justice Department has asked at least 26 states for voter registration rolls in recent months, and in many cases asked states for information on how they maintain their voter rolls. Other states being sued by the Justice Department include California, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

Last week, the Justice Department sued Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Nevada.

The Justice Department said 10 states are either in full compliance or working toward it.

The Trump administration has characterized the lawsuits as part of an effort to ensure the security of elections, and the Justice Department says the states are violating federal law by refusing to provide the voter lists and information about ineligible voters.

The lawsuits have raised concerns among some Democratic officials and others who question exactly how the data will be used, and whether the department will follow privacy laws to protect the information. Some of the data sought includes names, dates of birth, residential addresses, driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers.

“The law is clear: states need to give us this information, so we can do our duty to protect American citizens from vote dilution,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said in a statement. “Today’s filings show that regardless of which party is in charge of a particular state, the Department of Justice will firmly stand on the side of election integrity and transparency.”

Associated Press writers Kate Brumback in Atlanta and John O’Connor in Springfield, Illinois, contributed to this report.

By KRYSTA FAURIA

LOS ANGELES (AP) — At the movies this fall, Josh O’Connor plays a hot priest with a complicated past, Keanu Reeves is an angel who lost his wings and Elizabeth Olsen has a romantic dilemma in the afterlife.

Hollywood, it seems, has found God.

But it’s not just starry big-budget Netflix films or A24 indies that are grappling with religion and its place in entertainment. In recent years, there’s been an explosion of films and television made from a confessional perspective that evangelize or portray a particular faith, often Christianity, that have performed particularly well with audiences.

There are animated biblical films from Angel, like the upcoming musical “David,” which the company said has already exceeded $14 million in theatrical pre-sale tickets ahead of its release this Friday, to docudramas like Martin Scorsese’s “The Saints.” While episodes from Season 2 are still being released, the first season of the Fox Nation series, which premiered last year, was the most watched on the platform.

“There has been a revival, a revolution of sorts, of spirituality and faith content,” proclaimed Traci Blackwell, head of targeted content for Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, at a recent Variety event in Beverly Hills for faith and spirituality in entertainment. Earlier this year, Amazon premiered the first season of its own biblical drama, “House of David,” and gained exclusive U.S. streaming rights to “The Chosen,” a massively popular drama series about the life of Jesus.

‘The Chosen’ effect

Historically some faith-based entertainment has performed well at the box office — Mel Gibson’s 2004 epic “The Passion of the Christ” was notoriously the highest-grossing R-rated film in the U.S. and Canada for two decades. But faith-based hits have been few and far between for most of this century.

“Hollywood has taken a lot of criticism by those in the faith community for not providing films that speak to them, that reflect their values,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s senior media analyst, emphasizing the box-office potential of faith-based films.

Studios are realizing faith-based film and television is a worthwhile investment at least in part due to the success of “The Chosen,” which Angel helped launch in 2017, even if it initially took time to see those results.

“It was like pulling teeth to get people to watch it,” recalled Angel CEO and co-founder Neal Harmon. “People have this idea that faith means cheesy or preachy. And we had to break through that barrier.”

Once they did, it paid off. Since Fathom Entertainment began distributing “The Chosen” theatrically in 2023, the series has grossed more than $116 million domestically.

Though not a Christian company, Angel aims to distribute and market “values-based entertainment” that includes but is not limited to stories of faith. They’ve released a host of religious films, with “Zero A.D.,” a biblical epic about the Massacre of the Innocents recounted in the Gospel of Matthew, on the docket for 2026.

Meanwhile, Lionsgate is set to premiere “I Can Only Imagine 2” in theaters February, a sequel to the 2018 biopic starring Dennis Quaid, which was one of the highest-grossing Christian films of all-time in the United States.

Co-director Andrew Erwin said he noticed a “massive shift” take place about five years ago, after years of disconnect between the demand for these kinds of films and Hollywood’s willingness to make them.

“For the first time, movie studios are really giving us a fair shake,” he said, though he thinks the quality of the content was also a factor. “We didn’t have the knowledge of how to do the filmmaking side of things. And so, I think the storytelling has gotten a lot better.”

Lionsgate is also set to distribute the first of Gibson’s two-part sequel to “The Passion of the Christ” in 2027.

Defining ‘faith-based’

Trying to define what counts as faith-based programming is a bit like trying to define what counts as pornography.

Themes of belief, guilt and “foolish grace” abound in O’Connor’s “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” — the third of filmmaker Rian Johnson’s hit Netflix franchise. But few would call it a religious film.

Amanda Seyfried preaches celibacy and endures persecution in “The Testament of Ann Lee,” the musical biopic about the founder of the Shakers sect, in theaters Christmas. But in all the acclaim and Oscar buzz surrounding the film, there’s little talk of its engagement with faith.

Even Scorsese’s 1988 “The Last Temptation of Christ” or filmmaker Paul Schrader’s Oscar-nominated “First Reformed,” which also stars Seyfried, are hardly thought of broadly as Christian films, despite the fact that both men have been outspoken about their respective traditions.

“This film was his way of exploring his faith and exploring who his God is,” Scorsese’s daughter Francesca, who directed one of the episodes of “The Saints,” said of “The Last Temptation of Christ.”

Conversely, the people behind some of these recent projects resist them being called explicitly religious, even when audiences perceive them as such.

“I wouldn’t characterize it so much as overtly Christian,” Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus in “The Chosen,” told The Associated Press last year. “It’s a historical drama that centers on Jesus.”

For studios and filmmakers, acknowledging that a project is told from a religious perspective can be a double-edged sword.

“If you’re buying in on going to the movie theater for a faith-based movie, you know you’re gonna have people around you who are really into the experience,” Dergarabedian said. “The minute you say faith-based though, it kind of puts a movie in a box.”

A fad or here to stay

Many Christians celebrate the trend beyond its monetary potential. Phil Wickham, a Grammy-nominated Christian recording artist who voices the character of David in the upcoming Angel film, said it’s been gratifying to see the success of shows like “The Chosen” and “House of David.”

“Growing up, anything that was Christian media felt so preachy,” Wickham said. “Even as a pastor’s kid, it was a turn off. But now I think there’s just more opportunity to tell bigger stories over the course of a series and more people willing to really dig in and tell something with excellence and beauty.”

While it’s too soon to tell whether there’s been a sea change in Hollywood or if it’s a short-term fad, the success of some of these projects has stood out amid an otherwise perilous time in the business.

“Hollywood usually follows money,” Jason Klarman, Fox News Media’s chief digital and marketing officer, said as he touted Fox Nation’s packed slate of upcoming faith-based content, including Zachary Levi’s “David: King of Israel” docudrama. “Even when the trend ends, we’ll still be doing it.”

Associated Press religion coverage 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.

Wrestling great Mick Foley has called it quits with the WWE over its cozy relationship with President Donald Trump, he said Tuesday, citing “incredibly cruel comments” Trump made about film director Rob Reiner’s murder.

Long concerned with the WWE’s cozy relationship with Trump amid the administration’s “ongoing cruel and inhumane treatment of immigrants,” Foley wrote in his announcement on social media, “reading the President’s incredibly cruel comments in the wake of Rob Reiner’s death is the final straw for me.”

WWE Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque, known in the wrestling world as Triple H, is a fixture at many White House events. Former WWE CEO Linda McMahon helmed the U.S. Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term and currently serves as U.S. Secretary of Education.

“I no longer wish to represent a company that coddles a man so seemingly void of compassion as he marches our country towards autocracy,” Foley wrote. “Last night, I informed WWE talent relations that I would not be making any appearances for the company as long as this man remains in office.”

Both Foley and Trump were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013, Trump as a celebrity honoree.

Hours after Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were discovered Sunday in their Los Angeles home with their throats slit, Trump posted a social media diatribe blaming Rob’s death on anger he incited with his liberal views. Blowback has come from all sides of the political spectrum. Their younger son, Nick Reiner, has been arrested for their murders.

Foley’s breakup with WWE was thorough.

“Additionally, I will not be signing a new Legends deal when my current one expires in June,” Foley wrote. “I love WWE, will always treasure my time with them, and I am deeply appreciative for all the opportunities they afforded me. But, in the words of Popeye the sailor, ’I stands all I can stands, and I can’t stands no more.’ ”

With News Wire Services

As President Trump takes fire from all sides of the political spectrum for mocking slain director Rob Reiner, it’s the Hollywood icon who may have the last word.

Clips of Reiner’s compassionate response to the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk when he discussed the horrifying incident with Piers Morgan in September are flooding the internet.

“When you first heard about the murder of Charlie Kirk, what was your immediate gut reaction to it?” Morgan asked Reiner on “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” as shown in a clip posted by show staffers and then reposted by its eponymous host.

“Well, horror. Absolute horror,” Reiner said. “And I unfortunately saw the video of it, and it’s beyond belief what happened to him. And that should never happen to anybody. I don’t care what your political beliefs are. That’s not acceptable. That’s not a solution to solving problems.”

On Sunday — just three months later — Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found stabbed to death in their Los Angeles home. Their son Nick Reiner has been charged with their slayings.

Reiner was especially struck, as were many observers, when Kirk’s widow, Erica Kirk, forgave her husband’s attacker during a national memorial service held in Kirk’s honor.

“I felt like what his wife said at the service, at the memorial they had, was exactly right,” Reiner continued. “And totally. I believe, you know, I’m Jewish, but I believe in the teachings of Jesus, and I believe in ‘do unto others,’ and I believe in forgiveness. And what she said, to me, was beautiful and absolutely, you know, she forgave his assassin, and I think that that is admirable.”

Reiner’s remarks resonated in a soft-spoken rebuke to Trump’s widely denounced vitriol, in which he blamed the director’s killing on anger supposedly generated by his liberal views, described him as “tortured and struggling” and said he suffered from “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

“Rob Reiner responded with grace and compassion to Charlie’s assassination,” Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet wrote on X, echoing the public support for the 78-year-old director. “This video makes it all the more painful to hear of he and his wife’s tragic end. May God be close to the broken hearted in this terrible story.”

With News Wire Services

By GEOFF MULVIHILL

Nebraska will become the first state to implement new work requirements for some people with Medicaid health insurance under a law President Donald Trump signed last year.

Gov. Jim Pillen, a Republican, announced Wednesday that the requirement would take effect in the state May 1 and could impact about 30,000 people who have slightly higher incomes than traditional Medicaid beneficiaries.

“We’re not here to take everybody to the curb,” he said. Instead, he said, the aim is “making sure we get every able-bodied Nebraskan to be part of our community.”

The sweeping tax and policy law Trump signed in July requires states to make sure many recipients are working by 2027 but gave them the option to do it sooner.

Beneficiaries will have more reporting duties

The law mandates that people ages 19 to 64 who have Medicaid coverage work or perform community service at least 80 hours a month or be enrolled in school at least half-time to receive and keep coverage.

It applies only to people who receive Medicaid coverage through an expansion that covers a population with a slightly higher income limit. Forty states and the District of Columbia have opted to expand the coverage income guidelines under former President Barrack Obama’s 2010 health insurance overhaul.

Of 346,000 Nebraska residents enrolled in Medicaid as of May, about 72,000 were in the higher income expansion group.

Some people will be exempted, including disabled veterans, pregnant women, parents and guardians of dependent children under 14 or disabled individuals, people who were recently released from incarceration, those who are homeless and people getting addiction treatment. States can also offer short-term hardships for others if they choose.

All Medicaid beneficiaries who are eligible because of the expansion will be required to submit paperwork at least every six months showing they meet the mandate.

Those who don’t would lose their coverage.

The reporting requirement is twice as frequent as it is for most people covered by Medicaid now. That change means more work for the state agencies — and for some of them, extensive and likely expensive computer program updates.

Pillen said he does not expect the state government to increase staffing to make the changes.

When and how to implement the change is likely to be on the agenda for governors and state lawmakers across the country as legislative sessions start — most of them in January.

The policy is expected to lead to lost coverage

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the requirement will reduce Medicaid costs by $326 billion over a decade — and that it will result in 4.5 million people becoming uninsured each year starting in 2027. Currently, about 77 million Americans are covered by Medicaid.

Because most people covered by Medicaid who are able to work already do, it’s not expected to increase employment rates.

Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services, joined Pillen’s announcement via a video feed and said the administration believes there are jobs available across the country, and the challenge is connecting people with them.

“Most people who are able-bodied on Medicaid actually want to get a job,” Oz said.

Georgia implemented similar requirements in 2023. Far fewer people are covered than projected, in part because of the work and reporting requirements.

Arkansas tried another variation of Medicaid work requirements — later blocked by a judge — that saw 18,000 people kicked off coverage in the first seven months after it took effect in 2018.

By GARY FIELDS

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court on Wednesday ruled that the National Guard deployment in the nation’s capital can continue for now, staying a lower-court ruling that had ordered an end to the troops’ presence.

The three-judge panel for U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that Donald Trump may prevail in his argument that the president “possesses a unique power” to mobilize the Guard in Washington, which is a federal district.

The ruling stops the implementation of U.S. District Court Judge Jia Cobb’s Nov. 20 opinion and order, and reaffirms that residents and visitors to Washington will routinely see Guard members well into 2026.

Cobb had ruled that the deployment illegally intrudes on local officials’ authority to direct law enforcement in the District of Columbia.

Wednesday’s unanimous 32-page ruling went on to say that other factors also favored the Republican administration, including the “disruption to the lives of thousands of service members,” as well as what it said was the president’s interest “in the protection of federal governmental functions and property within the Nation’s capital.”

The judges found that the district “has not identified any ongoing injury to its statutory interests.”

The ruling acknowledged that the administration has a strong case for its appeal.

The deployment began in August after Trump issued an executive order declaring a crime emergency in Washington. Within a month, more than 2,300 National Guard troops from eight states and the district were patrolling the city under the command of the Army secretary. Trump also deployed hundreds of federal agents to assist.

The city’s attorney general, Brian Schwalb, sued to challenge the Guard deployments. He asked that the White House be barred from deploying Guard troops without the mayor’s consent while the lawsuit played out. Dozens of states took sides in Schwalb’s lawsuit, with their support falling along party lines.

A spokesperson with Schwalb’s office said the stay was a “preliminary ruling that does not resolve the merits. We look forward to continuing our case in both the district and appellate courts.”

Cobb had found that while the president did have authority to protect federal functions and property, he could not unilaterally deploy the D.C. National Guard to help with crime control as he saw fit or call in troops from other states. She called for the troops to be sent home after her ruling but put her order on hold for 21 days to allow the appeal by the administration.

The appeals court issued an administrative stay of Cobb’s ruling Dec. 4. Wednesday’s action lifts that order.

The court action comes three weeks after two members of the West Virginia National Guard, Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe were ambushed as they patrolled a subway station three blocks from the White House. Beckstrom died Nov. 27 from her injuries. Wolfe continues to recover. Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, has been charged with murder. He has pleaded not guilty.

The administration has called for an additional 500 National Guard members to be deployed to Washington as a result of the shooting.

The appeals court panel said its decision was “limited in several respects.” For example, it did not address questions such as whether the Guard units were engaged in “law enforcement” activities in violation of federal law.

By STEPHEN GROVES

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate gave final passage on Wednesday to an annual military policy bill that will authorize $901 billion in defense programs while pressuring Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to provide lawmakers with video of strikes on alleged drug boats in international water near Venezuela.

The annual National Defense Authorization Act, which raises troop pay by 3.8%, gained bipartisan backing as it moved through Congress. It passed the Senate on a 77-20 vote before lawmakers planned to leave Washington for a holiday break. Two Republicans — Sens. Rand Paul and Mike Lee — and 18 Democrats voted against the bill.

The White House has indicated that it is in line with President Donald Trump’s national security priorities. However, the legislation, which ran over 3,000 pages, revealed some points of friction between Congress and the Pentagon as the Trump administration reorients its focus away from security in Europe and toward Central and South America.

The bill pushes back on recent moves by the Pentagon. It demands more information on boat strikes in the Caribbean, requires that the U.S. keep its troop levels in Europe at current levels and sends some military aid to Ukraine.

But overall, the bill represents a compromise between the parties. It implements many of Trump’s executive orders and proposals on eliminating diversity and inclusion efforts in the military and grants emergency military powers at the U.S. border with Mexico. It also enhances congressional oversight of the Department of Defense, repeals several years-old war authorizations and seeks to overhaul how the Pentagon purchases weapons as the U.S. tries to outpace China in developing the next generation of military technology.

“We’re about to pass, and the president will enthusiastically sign, the most sweeping upgrades to DOD’s business practices in 60 years,” said Sen. Roger Wicker, the Republican chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Still, the sprawling bill faced objections from both Democratic and Republican leadership on the Senate Commerce Committee. That’s because the legislation allows military aircraft to obtain a waiver to operate without broadcasting their precise location, as an Army helicopter had done before a midair collision with an airliner in Washington, D.C. in January that killed 67 people.

“The special carve-out was exactly what caused the January 29th crash that claimed 67 lives,” Sen. Ted Cruz, the Republican chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, said at a news conference this week.

Cruz said he was seeking a vote on bipartisan legislation in the next month that would require military aircraft to use a precise location sharing tool and improve coordination between commercial and military aircraft in busy areas.

Boat strike videos

Republicans and Democrats agreed to language in the defense bill that threatened to withhold a quarter of Hegseth’s travel budget until he provided unedited video of the strikes, as well as the orders authorizing them, to the House and Senate Committees on Armed Services.

Hegseth was on Capitol Hill Tuesday ahead of the bill’s passage to brief lawmakers on the U.S. military campaign in international water near Venezuela. The briefing elicited contrasting responses from many lawmakers, with Republicans largely backing the campaign and Democrats expressing concern about it and saying they had not received enough information.

The committees are investigating a Sept. 2 strike — the first of the campaign — that killed two people who had survived an initial attack on their boat. The Navy admiral who ordered the “double-tap” strike, Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley, also appeared before the committees shortly before the vote Wednesday in a classified briefing that also included video of the strike in question.

Several Republican senators emerged from the meeting backing Hegseth and his decision not to release the video publicly, but other GOP lawmakers stayed silent on their opinion of the strike.

Democrats are calling for part of the video to be released publicly and for every member of Congress to have access to the full footage.

“The American people absolutely need to see this video,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat. “I think they would be shocked.”

Congressional oversight

Lawmakers have been caught by surprise by the Trump administration several times in the last year, including by a move to pause intelligence sharing with Ukraine and a decision to reduce U.S. troop presence in NATO countries in eastern Europe. The defense legislation requires that Congress be kept in the loop on decisions like that going forward, as well as when top military brass are removed.

The Pentagon is also required, under the legislation, to keep at least 76,000 troops and major equipment stationed in Europe unless NATO allies are consulted and there is a determination that such a withdrawal is in U.S. interests. Around 80,000 to 100,000 U.S. troops are usually present on European soil. A similar requirement also keeps the number of U.S. troops stationed in South Korea at 28,500.

Lawmakers are also pushing back on some Pentagon decisions by authorizing $400 million for each of the next two years to manufacture weapons to be sent to Ukraine.

Cuts to diversity and climate initiatives

Trump and Hegseth have made it a priority to purge the military of material and programs that address diversity, anti-racism or gender issues, and the defense bill would codify many of those changes. It will repeal diversity, equity and inclusion offices and trainings, including the position of chief diversity officer. Those cuts would save the Pentagon about $40 million, according to the Republican-controlled House Armed Services Committee.

The U.S. military has long found that climate change is a threat to how it provides national security because weather-related disasters can destroy military bases and equipment. But the bill makes $1.6 billion in cuts by eliminating climate-change related programs at the Pentagon.

Repeal of war authorizations and Syria sanctions

Congress is writing a closing chapter to the war in Iraq by repealing the authorization for the 2003 invasion. Now that Iraq is a strategic partner of the U.S., lawmakers in support of the provision say the repeal is crucial to prevent future abuses. The bill also repeals the 1991 authorization that sanctioned the U.S.-led Gulf War.

The rare, bipartisan moves to repeal the legal justifications for the conflicts signaled a potential appetite among lawmakers to reclaim some of Congress’s war powers.

By JOEY CAPPELLETTI and MATT SEDENSKY, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic senators on Wednesday hammered the Federal Communications Commission’s leader for pressuring broadcasters to take ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel off the air, suggesting that Brendan Carr was politicizing an independent agency and trampling the First Amendment.

The FCC chairman was peppered with questions by Democrats on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee over his criticism of Kimmel for comments about the slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

“You are weaponizing the public interest standard,” said Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., who told Carr that he should resign.

Carr refused to disown his comments about Kimmel, and the chairman said he has simply enforced laws that hold networks to stricter scrutiny than cable and other forms of media.

“The FCC has walked away from enforcing the public interest standard and I don’t think that’s a good thing,” Carr said.

Republican senators appeared intent on bringing up broadcast spectrum auctions, undersea cable infrastructure, algorithm-driven content, robocalls and just about anything other than Carr’s statements about Kimmel.

The committee chairman, Sen. Ted Cruz, had previously equated Carr’s comments to those of a mobster and called them “dangerous as hell.” But at the hearing, Cruz, R-Texas, took a far softer stance. He dismissed Kimmel as “tasteless” and “unfunny,” and shifted to criticizing Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration, a tack that Carr parroted throughout the hearing.

“Joe Biden is no longer president,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., shot back at one point.

The hearing was also included the two other commissioners, Olivia Trusty and Anna M. Gomez. Each gave opening statements, with Gomez, a Biden appointee, saying that the FCC has “undermined its reputation as a stable, independent and expert-driven regulatory body.”

“Nowhere is that departure more concerning,” Gomez said, “than its actions to intimidate government critics, pressure media companies and challenge the boundaries of the First Amendment.”

Carr was nominated to the FCC by both Trump and Biden and unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times. But he has more recently shown more overtly right-wing views, writing a section on the FCC for “Project 2025,” the sweeping blueprint for gutting the federal workforce and dismantling agencies in Trump’s second term.

Since becoming chairman this year, Carr has launched separate investigations of all three major broadcast networks. After Kimmel’s comments on the September killing of Kirk, who was a Trump ally leading voice of the right, Carr said: “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”

Cruz was unflinchingly critical at the time, saying “I think it is unbelievably dangerous for government to put itself in the position of saying we’re going to decide what speech we like and what we don’t, and we’re going to threaten to take you off air if we don’t like what you’re saying.”

While Cruz did not repeat those words Wednesday, they were repeatedly invoked by Democrats.

Carr seemed to surprise some on the committee with his statement that the FCC “is not an independent agency.” Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., asked Carr whether he considered Trump to be his boss and whether he had taken orders from the president or his inner circle.

“I don’t get into the specifics of conversations I’ve had,” Carr said.

Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., noted that the FCC’s website described it as an “independent U.S. government agency overseen by Congress.” Soon after, the website changed, removing “independent” from a section describing its mission.

Sedensky reported from New York.

Garo Danayan learned what it’s like to have an extra $1,000 to spend at Christmas on Wednesday.

“It’s already spent,” he joked. The Huntington Woods resident won the top prize, a $1,000 check, by entering Oakland County’s annual Local Gems contest. For the third year, the county’s economic development department invited people to take selfies at local businesses and share the images with the county to enter a random drawing for cash prizes. Genisys Credit Union supplied the cash.

More than 1,000 people submitted contest entries from some of the county’s estimated 35,000 small businesses.

Danayan took his selfie at a Ferndale gift store, The Rocket, where Local Gem winners were announced on Wednesday.

The Rocket’s owner, Eli Morrissey, said he was grateful for people who spend money locally and have supported his shop for 12 years.

“We need to save our brick-and-mortar businesses,” Morrissey said. “They are the character of our communities … I appreciate the support so much.”

Bret Rasegan of Rochester Hills won $500 for his selfie at McCauley Chiropractic in Rochester and Julie Decker of Oak Park won $250 with her selfie at The Vintage Farmhouse in Holly.

County Executive Dave Coulter said he was very proud of small businesses for all they do to support the community.”

Small businesses, he said, “give back to the community in a way Amazon never could.”

This was supposed to be a year that “was kind of quiet” for Trisha Yearwood.

Instead, the country star released two albums — “The Mirror,” her first album in six years, in July and then “Christmastime” in November. Both put her on the road, too, including a concert Friday, Dec. 19, with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra at Orchestra Hall.

“So it turned out to be one of the busiest years so far. I wasn’t expecting that to happen,” Yearwood says. “Somebody called me not too long ago and said, ‘When are you gonna start your next cookbook?’ (laughs) I said: “You’ve got to give me a minute. I’ve got to get through 2025 first!'”

“Christmastime” — produced by Oak Park native Don Was — is Yearwood’s first holiday release since “The Sweetest Gift” in 1994. She and husband Garth Brooks teamed up for “Christmas Together” in 2016, and Brooks appears on the “Christmastime” track “Merry Christmas, Valentine,” which the couple also co-wrote.

“I just love Christmas. It’s my favorite holiday,” says the Georgia-born Yearwood, 61, who began her recording career with the 1991 single “She’s in Love With the Boy” and has since released 17 albums and scored 18 Top 10 country hits, with three Grammy Awards. “And since it’s been so long since I’ve made a (holiday) record, I had a list of songs I knew I wanted to record someday.

“When I made my first Christmas album, I’d only been making records for a couple of years … so I’ve had a long time to think about this.”

Also among the songs is “Pure Imagination” from “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” which she walked down to aisle to when she and Brooks married in 2005. And “Merry Christmas, Valentine” was a personal highlight on a number of levels.

“I used to be really hard to write with,” Yearwood says, “because in my head, I didn’t believe in myself. It was like pulling teeth to work with me. But I got this newfound confidence a couple of years ago (she co-wrote all 15 tracks on ‘The Mirror’), so I said to him: ‘You need to write with me again, ’cause I’m really fun now. The switch has flipped. I’m not afraid anymore.’

“Then, I had to strong-arm my husband into singing harmony on it. But because it’s a love story for two people, he had to be the guy to sing on it … and I’m really happy with the way it came out.”

Brooks joined her for the song on their wedding anniversary, Dec. 10, in Atlanta.

Yearwood’s holiday tour features Christmas fare as well as other hits, and she plans on touring more extensively to support “The Mirror” in 2026. She also plans to explore some new food-related endeavors, perhaps even another cooking show.

“If you would’ve asked me at 5 years old what I wanted to do when I grew up, I know I wanted to be a singer. That’s all I ever wanted to do,” said Yearwood, who was a studio singer before releasing her 1991 debut studio album. “I don’t take it for granted that I can say I have been getting to do this for 35 years. To be able to live the dream. … It’s not a job, this is really a vocation, and it’s a calling, and I can’t believe I actually get to do the thing I love the most.

“And as long as I can sing, as long as my voice will do the things it needs to do, I’ll do it.”

Trisha Yearwood performs at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19 at Orchestra Hall, 3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit. 313-576-5111 or dso.org.

Other music events of note this weekend (all subject to change) include …

FRIDAY, DEC. 19

• Global EDM star GRiZ — Southfield native Grant Kwiecinski — concludes his charitable GRiZMas event, supporting the youth nonprofit Seven Mile, with a pair of concerts through Saturday, Dec. 20 at the Masonic Temple Theatre, 500 Temple St., Detroit. Doors at 7 p.m., with different supporting acts each night. 313-548-1320 or themasonic.com and 12daysofgrizmas.com.

• Carl Craig hosts a Detroit Love — Holiday Edition with two stages of DJs at 9 p.m. at Lincoln Factory, 1331 Holden St., Detroit. paxahau.com.

• The eclectic Rob Schwimmer partners with Ethan Iverson for “A Science Fiction Holiday” at 7 p.m. for the Detroit Institute of Arts’ Friday Night Live series. 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit. 313-833-7900 or dia.org.

• Polka parody troupe the Polish Muslims holds its annual holiday/anniversary show at the Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale. Doors at 7 p.m. The Redones open. 248-820-5596 or thelovingtouchferndale.com.

• Green Bay’s TAE & the Neighborly hope to pack(er) ’em in at 8 p.m. at 20 Front Street in Lake Orion. 248-783-7105 or 20frontstreet.com.

• Charles and Gwen Scales are home through Saturday, Dec. 20 at the Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe, 97 Kercheval, Grosse Pointe. 313-882-5399 or dirtydogjazz.com.

• The James Carter Organ Trio presents “Yule Log of Soul & Swing” through Sunday, Dec. 21 at Cliff Bell’s, 2030 Park Ave., Detroit. 313-961-2543 or cliffbells.com.

• The Orbitsuns and the Carolyn Striho group team up again at 8:30 p.m. at the Cadieux Cafe, 4300 Cadieux Road, Detroit. 313-882-8560 or cadieuxcafe.com.

• The Shamrock Jazz Orchestra brings its Christmas Show back at 8 p.m. at The Roxy, 401 Walnut Blvd., Rochester. 248-453-5285 or theroxyrochester.com.

• Mild Pup and the Ethan Marc Band pair up at 8 p.m. at the Lager House, 1254 Michigan Ave., Detroit. 313-500-1475 or thelagerhouse.com.

• Finvarra’s Wren gets Celtic for a Solstice Show at 7:30 p.m. at the Trinity House Theatre, 38840 W. Six Mile Road, Livonia. 734-436-6302 or trinityhousetheatre.org.

• A Magical Motown Christmas happens at 7:30 p.m. at the Music Hall Center, 350 Madison St., Detroit. 313-887-8500 or musichall.org.

• The Nine Inch Nails tribute This Broken Machine plays two sets at Small’s, 10339 Conant, Hamtramck. Doors at 7 p.m. Access to Concrete and DJ Pinknoise also perform. 313-873-1117 or smallsbardetroit.com.

• The Ark in Ann Arbor hosts a couple of nights of Celtic music, starting with Tartan Terrors at 8 p.m. and then, at the same time Saturday, Dec. 20, the acoustic quartet Blackthorn. 316 S. Main St. 734-761-1800 or theark.org.

• Saxophonist Marcus Elliot opens the weekend at 7 p.m. at the Blue Llama Jazz Club, 314 S. First St., Ann Arbor. 734-372-3200 or bluellamaclub.com.

• Virtual: Boston horror rock outfit Ice Nine Kills premieres its concert special “I Heard They Kill You” live at 3 p.m., via veeps.com.

• Virtual: Dogs In a Pile rocks at 8 p.m. From Ardmore, Pennsylvania, with shows through Sunday. Nov. 21, via nugs.net.

• Virtual: Pigeons Playing Ping Pong Port Chester, New York, at 8 p.m. and again on Saturday, Dec. 20, streaming both shows via nugs.net.

• Virtual: The Disco Biscuits play three different venues in Chicago this weekend, streaming each night at 9 p.m. via nugs.net.

• Virtual: Queens of the Stone Age’s new concert film “Alive in the Catacombs” and the companion documentary “Alive in Paris” are streaming now, for free, via YouTube.

SATURDAY, DEC. 20

• The Detroit Symphony Orchestra plays the live soundtrack for “Home Alone” at 7:30 p.m. and again at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21 at Orchestra Hall, 3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit. 313-576-5111 or dso.org.

• Dutch DJ Sam Feldt mans the decks at the Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit. Doors at 9 p.m. 313-833-9700 or themajesticdetroit.com.

• DJ Minx headlines a Holiday Your Life celebration with Jon Dixon, KRW and more at 9 p.m. at Spot Lite, 2905 Beaufait St., Detroit. paxahau.com.

• The Steve Taylor Three, Stephen Clark and J.T. Harding repeat their annual Home For the Holidays Songwriter’s Round at 6 and 8 p.m. at 20 Front Street in Lake Orion. The late show is sold out. 248-783-7105 or 20frontstreet.com.

• Detroit rapper Tay B celebrates his birthday with a 6 p.m. performance at El Club, 4114 W. Vernor Highway, Detroit. 313-757-7942 or elclubdetroit.com.

• The Motortown All Stars, the Shades of Blue and Leisa Parham are part of A Motown Merry Christmas at 7 p.m. at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center, 15801 Michigan Ave., Dearborn. 313-943-2354 or dearborntheater.com.

• Warhorses, Haf Life and the Seatbelts perform as part of Detroit Santarchy, a party and pub crawl at three Corktown venues. Get details via thelagerhouse.com.

• Local punk favorite PT’s Revenge starts a two-night stand at Small’s, 10339 Conant, Hamtramck. Doors at 7 p.m. and also on Sunday, Dec. 21. Middle Out, Frank White and Newburgh are on the bill both nights. 313-873-1117 or smallsbardetroit.com.

• Boys of Fall is at home on a bill with Stories Untold, Young Pioneer and Cloud Season at the Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale. Doors at 7 p.m. 248-820-5596 or thelovingtouchferndale.com.

• FinalBossFight! tops a hard-rocking five-band bill at 6 p.m. at the Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff, Hamtramck. 313-462-4117 or sanctuarydetroit.com.

• Aaron Caruso croons a special Christmas Show at 8 p.m. at The Roxy, 401 Walnut Blvd., Rochester. 248-453-5285 or theroxyrochester.com.

• Helen Welch channels the late Karen Carpenter in the Carpenter’s Christmas tribute show at 7:30 p.m. at the Flagstar Strand Theatre, 12 N. Saginaw St., Pontiac. 248-309-6445 or flagstarstrand.com.

• Android Paranoid pays tribute to Radiohead at the Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale. Doors at 7 p.m. 248-544-1991 or themagicbag.com.

• The Nick Collins Sextet sets up at 6:30 p.m. at the Blue Llama Jazz Club, 314 S. First St., Ann Arbor. The Karim Gideon Quartet follows with a 10:15 p.m. show. 734-372-3200 or bluellamaclub.com.

• Virtual: Improvement Movement livestreams at 8 p.. from Atlanta, via nugs.net.

• Virtual: The Terrapin Family Band jams at 11 p.m. and again on Sunday, Dec. 21 from Menlo Park, California, via nugs.net.

• Virtual: Ariana Grande hosts, but it’ll be Cher who sings on the holiday episode of “Saturday Night Live” at 11:30 p.m. on NBC (WDIV, Channel 4 in Detroit).

SUNDAY, DEC. 21

• R&B singer Eric Roberson souls it up at 7:30 p.m. at Sound Board in the MotorCity Casino Hotel, 2901 Grand River Ave., Detroit. 800-745-3000 or soundboarddetroit.com.

• A corps of all-star musicians band together for an All-Star Detroit Organ Jazz Party at 7 p.m. at the Cadieux Cafe, 4300 Cadieux Road, Detroit. The venue also hosts A Tribute to Vince Guaraldi at 3 p.m. 313-882-8560 or cadieuxcafe.com.

• Ann Arbor guitar hero Laith Al-Saadi struts his stuff at 8 p.m. at the Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Road, Westland. 734-513-5030 or tokenlounge.com.

• The Motor City Brass Band plays “Sounds of the Season” at 3 p.m. at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center, 15801 Michigan Ave., Dearborn. 313-943-2354 or dearborntheater.com.

• The Prolifics offer a third Motown Tribute Show at 7:30 p.m. at The Roxy, 401 Walnut Blvd., Rochester. 248-453-5285 or theroxyrochester.com.

• DRAW presents the Christmas of Hope concert, featuring more than 60 musicians to raise money for disaster victims, at 6:30 p.m. at the Flagstar Strand Theatre, 12 N. Saginaw St., Pontiac. 248-309-6445 or flagstarstrand.com.

• John Prine tribute specialist Mark Laavengood headlines a John Prine Tribute Show that also includes a lineup of Michigan artists at 7:30 p.m. at The Ark, 316 S. Main St., Ann Arbor. 734-761-1800 or theark.org.

• Trumpeter Maurice Mobetta Brown blows his own horn at 6 p.m. at the Blue Llama Jazz Club, 314 S. First St., Ann Arbor. 734-372-3200 or bluellamaclub.com.

• Virtual: Brandi Carlile settles down at her log cabin for a “Merry & Gay Holiday Special” at 3 p.m., streaming via veeps.com.

• Virtual: Michigan alt-rock favorite Chiodos streams the final performance of its All’s Well That Ends Well 20th Anniversary Tour at 11:45 p.m. from Anaheim, California, via veeps.com.