CLARKSTON – The Clarkston Everest Collegiate Mountaineers dropped a Catholic High School League crossover matchup to the Jackson Lumen Christi Titans, 56-45, at home Saturday afternoon.

The Mountaineers hung tough early, but a 10-0 run that bridged the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second quarter put the Titans up 21-14, and Everest never led again.

Everest put up a fight to the end, finishing the game on a 7-0 run of its own and outscoring the Titans in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late for the hosts. They came into the game shorthanded, having only seven players available in their first game returning from the holiday break.

Nolan Alban and Dominic Walker each scored 13 points to lead Everest, while Sean Felix had nine points and seven rebounds. Additionally, Benjamin Sasak contributed seven points and six rebounds.

But the Mountaineers never really got an offensive rhythm in this one, and they also had rebounding trouble. The Titans piled up a 33-25 edge on the glass and were particularly effective on the offense boards in the middle two periods when they build their lead.

“That will be a big focus moving forward, just doing a better job on the glass rebounding,” Everest head coach Richie Cross said.

The Mountaineers also had no answer for Jonathan Morgan, who poured in 28 points for Lumen Christi.

After a 24-2 campaign last year that saw the Mountaineers reach a regional final (they lost to eventual D4 semifinalist Allen Park Inter-City Baptist), the Mountaineers are off to another solid start, sitting at 5-3 overall and 2-1 in the CHSL Intersectional 1 Division despite returning only three players who saw significant minutes last year.

“We have one starter from that team and basically two other guys who played a lot of minutes for us,” Cross said. “We’re really fortunate to have a lot of guys that are committed three-sport athletes. I think that really helps on the competitive side, and it really pays off for us,” he added.

Photos of Clarkston Everest Collegiate vs. Jackson Lumen Christi in a CHSL boys hoops crossover

That has not stopped the Mountaineers from scheduling tough games, often against much bigger schools.

“To us, this is just another opportunity to play kind of a crossover in the Catholic League and we're just grateful for Lumen Christi agreeing to play us (and) making the drive,” Cross said. “I think we’ll get there, but we’ve just got to keep getting as much experience for all the guys stepping into bigger roles this year.”

Next up for Everest is a road test against Detroit Douglass on Wednesday before hosting Marine City Cardinal Mooney next Friday to resume CHSL play.

“They (Cardinal Mooney) are always good. They are kind of a rival in recent years just because they’re another good Division 4 program. So you seem them not only in the Catholic League but you see them sometimes in a regional or in the state tournament,” Cross said.

Jackson Lumen Christi used a 10-0 run in the first half to win 56-45 at Clarkston Everest Collegiate on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026.

By REGINA GARCIA CANO, JUAN ARRAEZ and ISABEL DEBRE, Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Uncertainty gripped Venezuela on Saturday as people scrambled to understand who was in charge of the South American country after a U.S. military operation captured President Nicolás Maduro.

“What will happen tomorrow? What will happen in the next hour? Nobody knows,” Caracas resident Juan Pablo Petrone said.

President Donald Trump delivered a shocking pick for who would take control: The United States, perhaps in coordination with one of Maduro’s most trusted aides.

Delcy Rodríguez has served as Maduro’s vice president since 2018, overseeing much of Venezuela’s oil-dependent economy as well as its feared intelligence service. But she is someone the Trump administration apparently is willing to work with, at least for now.

“She’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again,” Trump told reporters of Rodríguez, who faced U.S. sanctions during Trump’s first administration for her role in undermining Venezuelan democracy.

Long lines wound through supermarkets and outside gas stations as Venezuelans long used to crises stocked up once again. Small pro-government rallies broke out in parts of Caracas, but most streets remained empty in the nation of 29 million people.

In a major snub, Trump said opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who was awarded last year’s Nobel Peace Prize, didn’t have the support to run the country.

Trump said Rodríguez had a long conversation with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in which Trump claimed she said, “‘We’ll do whatever you need.’”

“I think she was quite gracious,” Trump added. “We can’t take a chance that somebody else takes over Venezuela that doesn’t have the good of the Venezuelan people in mind.”

Rodríguez tried to project strength and unity among the ruling party’s many factions, downplaying any hint of betrayal. In remarks on state TV, she demanded the immediate release of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and denounced the U.S. operation as a flagrant violation of the United Nations charter.

“There is only one president in this country, and his name is Nicolás Maduro,” Rodríguez said, surrounded by top civilian officials and military commanders.

There was no immediate sign that the U.S. was running Venezuela.

No sign of a swearing-in

Trump indicated that Rodríguez had been sworn in already as president of Venezuela, per the transfer of power outlined in the constitution. However, state television has not broadcast any swearing-in ceremony.

In her televised address, Rodríguez did not declare herself acting president or mention a political transition. A ticker at the bottom of the screen identified her as the vice president. She gave no sign that she would be cooperating with the U.S.

“What is being done to Venezuela is an atrocity that violates international law,” she said. “History and justice will make the extremists who promoted this armed aggression pay.”

The Venezuelan constitution also says a new election must be called within a month in the event of the president’s absence. But experts have been debating whether the succession scenario would apply here, given the government’s lack of popular legitimacy and the extraordinary U.S. military intervention.

Venezuelan military officials were quick to project defiance in video messages.

“They have attacked us but will not break us,” said Defense Minister Gen. Vladimir Padrino López, dressed in fatigues.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello appeared on state TV in a helmet and flak jacket, urging Venezuelans to “trust in the political leadership and military” and “get out on the streets” to defend the country’s sovereignty.

“These rats attacked and they will regret what they did,” he said of the U.S.

Caracas residents like Yanire Lucas were left picking up shattered glass and other debris after an early-morning explosion in a military base next to her house.

“What is happening is unprecedented,” Lucas said, adding that her family is scared to leave home. “We’re still on edge, and now we’re uncertain about what to do.”

Strong ties with Wall Street

A lawyer educated in Britain and France, Rodríguez has a long history of representing the revolution started by the late Hugo Chávez on the world stage.

She and her brother, Jorge Rodríguez, head of the Maduro-controlled National Assembly, have strong leftist credentials born from tragedy. Their father was a socialist leader who died in police custody in the 1970s, a crime that shook many activists of the era, including a young Maduro.

Unlike many in Maduro’s inner circle, the Rodríguez siblings have avoided criminal indictment in the U.S. Delcy Rodríguez has developed strong ties with Republicans in the oil industry and on Wall Street who balked at the notion of U.S.-led regime change.

Among her past interlocutors was Blackwater founder Erik Prince and, more recently, Richard Grenell, a Trump special envoy who tried to negotiate a deal with Maduro for greater U.S. influence in Venezuela.

Fluent in English, Rodríguez is sometimes portrayed as a well-educated moderate in contrast to the military hardliners who took up arms with Chávez against Venezuela’s democratically elected president in the 1990s.

Many of them, especially Cabello, are wanted in the U.S. on drug trafficking charges and stand accused of serious human rights abuses. But they continue to hold sway over the armed forces, the traditional arbiter of political disputes in Venezuela.

That presents major challenges to Rodríguez asserting authority. But experts say that Venezuela’s power brokers have long had a habit of closing ranks behind their leaders.

“These leaders have all seen the value of staying united. Cabello has always taken a second seat or third seat, knowing that his fate is tied up with Maduro’s, and now he very well might do that again,” said David Smilde, a sociology professor at Tulane University who has conducted research into Venezuela’s political dynamics over the past three decades.

“A lot depends on what happened last night, which officials were taken out, what the state of the military looks like now,” Smilde said. “If it doesn’t have much firepower anymore, they’re more vulnerable and diminished and it will be easier for her to gain control.”

An apparent snub of the opposition

Shortly before Trump’s press conference, Machado, the opposition leader, called on her ally Edmundo González — a retired diplomat widely considered to have won the country’s disputed 2024 presidential election — to “immediately assume his constitutional mandate and be recognized as commander-in-chief.”

In an triumphant statement, Machado promised that her movement would “restore order, free political prisoners, build an exceptional country and bring our children back home.”

She added: “Today we are prepared to assert our mandate and take power.”

Asked about Machado, Trump was blunt: “I think it would be very tough for (Machado) to be the leader,” he said.

“She doesn’t have the support or respect within the country.”

Venezuelans expressed shock, with many speculating on social media that Trump had mixed up the two women’s names. Machado has not responded to Trump’s remarks.

Associated Press reporter Joshua Goodman contributed to this report from Miami. Debre reported from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

DETROIT (AP) — Bryan Rust and Yegor Chinakhov scored first-period goals and the Pittsburgh Penguins topped the Detroit Red Wings for the second time in three days, 4-1, on Saturday.

Rickard Rakell and Connor Dewar added empty-net goals to clinch Pittsburgh’s fourth consecutive victory. Kris Letang’s overtime goal gave the Penguins a 4-3 win over Detroit in Pittsburgh on Thursday.

Sidney Crosby extended his point streak to six games with two assists. Crosby, who scored two goals on Thursday, has four goals and six assists during that stretch and 53 points in 40 career games against the Red Wings.

Parker Wotherspoon had two assists and Stuart Skinner made 11 saves for the Penguins.

Alex DeBrincat scored his team-leading 22nd goal for Detroit. John Gibson stopped 27 shots for the Red Wings, who are 5-2-1 over their last eight games.

The Penguins led 2-0 after the first period. Rust lifted a shot over Gibson’s left shoulder 3:44 into the game. Ben Kindel passed the puck out of his zone to Chinakhov, who got behind Detroit’s defense and converted on the breakaway with 2:30 remaining in the period.

DeBrincat scored on a breakaway with 4:54 remaining in the second period. He clanged a shot off the right post during a power play later in the period.

Rakell and Dewar scored their empty-netters in the final minute.

Up next

Red Wings: Visit Ottawa on Monday.

By LISA MASCARO, JOSHUA GOODMAN and BEN FINLEY, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration’s capture of Venezuela’s president and claims that it will “run” the country are raising stark new questions about the legality of the U.S. actions and its future operations in the South American nation.

The middle-of-the-night seizure of Nicolás Maduro, who was transported with his wife on a U.S. warship to face narco-terrorism conspiracy charges in New York, is beyond even the most high-profile historical examples of aggressive American actions toward autocratic governments in Panama, Iraq and elsewhere, legal experts said. It came after a surprise U.S. incursion that rocked the Venezuelan capital with overnight explosions.

“This is clearly a blatant, illegal and criminal act,” said Jimmy Gurule, a Notre Dame Law School professor and former assistant U.S. attorney.

The stunning development caps months of aggressive U.S. military action in the region, including the bombing of boats accused of trafficking drugs and seizures of oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela. The Trump administration has conducted 35 known boat strikes against vessels, killing more than 115 people since September, and positioned an armada of warships in nearby waters.

The bigger debate than legality is yet to come, said John Yoo, an early architect of the George W. Bush administration’s policy in Iraq and now a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

“It’s easier to remove a dictator,” he said, based on his experience in the Iraq War. But ensuring the transition to a stable democratic government is “the harder part.”

Maduro’s arrest on anniversary of Noriega’s surrender

Maduro’s arrest came 36 years to the date of the surrender of Panama’s strongman Manuel Noriega, a notable milestone in American involvement in the Western Hemisphere. The U.S. invaded Panama in 1989 to arrest Noriega on drug trafficking charges.

In Panama, however, U.S. national security interests were directly at stake in the form of the Panama Canal as well as the safety of American citizens and U.S. military installations in the country.

By contrast, Congress has not authorized any American military strike or law enforcement move against Venezuela.

“The President will claim that this fits within a vast body of precedent supporting broad executive power to defend the United States, its citizens, and its interests,” Matthew Waxman, a Columbia University law professor who was a national security official in the Bush administration, said by email. “Critics will charge that this exceeds the bounds of presidential power without congressional authorization.”

While U.S. agents have a long history of snatching defendants abroad to execute arrest warrants without authorization, federal courts have long deferred to the White House in foreign policy and national security matters.

For example, U.S. bounty hunters, working under the direction of the Drug Enforcement Administration, in 1990 abducted in Mexico a doctor accused of killing DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena.

“Courts give great deference to the president on issues related to national security,” said Gurule, who led the prosecution against Camarena’s killers. “But great deference does not mean absolute deference and unfettered authority to do anything.”

Congress has yet to authorize or ban US actions

Trump’s administration has declared the drug cartels operating from Venezuela to be unlawful combatants and has said the United States is now in an “armed conflict” with them, according to an administration memo obtained in October by The Associated Press.

The memo appears to represent an extraordinary assertion of presidential war powers, with Trump effectively declaring that trafficking of drugs into the U.S. amounts to armed conflict requiring the use of military force. That is a new rationale for past and future actions.

Congress, which has broad authority to approve or prohibit the president’s war powers, has failed to do either, even as lawmakers from both political parties grow increasingly uneasy with the military actions in the region, particularly after it was revealed that U.S. forces killed two survivors of a boat attack with a follow-up strike.

Congress’ Democratic leaders, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, demanded immediate briefings for the “gang of eight” leaders on Capitol Hill, which includes top members of the Intelligence committees, as well as for other lawmakers. Congressional leaders were not notified of the actions until after the operation was underway.

“The idea that Trump plans to now run Venezuela should strike fear in the hearts of all Americans,” Schumer said. “The American people have seen this before and paid the devastating price.”

Michael Schmitt, a former Air Force lawyer and professor emeritus at the U.S. Naval War College, said the entire operation — the boat strikes as well as the apprehension of Maduro — clearly violates international law.

“Lawyers call it international armed conflict,” Schmitt said. “Lay people call it war. So as a matter of law, we are now at war with Venezuela because the use of hostilities between two states clearly triggers an internal armed conflict.”

War powers vote ahead

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said the administration “is working to schedule briefings” for lawmakers next week.

Republican lawmakers in Congress largely welcomed the capture of Maduro as ridding the region of a leader they say is responsible for drug trafficking, but Democratic lawmakers warned that in veering from the rule of law, the administration is potentially greenlighting other countries such as China or Russia to do the same.

“Beyond the legality, what kind of precedent does it send?” asked Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee. He said in an interview that the rebuilding plan ahead has echoes of the Iraq War as the Trump administration promises to use Venezuela’s oil revenue to pay the costs.

Waxman, the Columbia University law professor, said seizing control of Venezuela’s resources opens up additional legal issues: “For example, a big issue will be who really owns Venezuela’s oil?”

The Senate is expected to try again next week to curtail Trump’s actions, with a vote expected on a bipartisan war powers resolution that would block using U.S. forces against Venezuela unless authorized by Congress.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he is grateful for the armed forces “who carried out this necessary action.” He said he spoke to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and wants more information.

“I look forward to receiving further briefings from the administration on this operation as part of its comprehensive counternarcotics strategy when the Senate returns to Washington next week,” Thune said.

Rubio said at a briefing Saturday with Trump that because of the nature of the surprise operation, it was not something that could be shared beforehand with the lawmakers.

Goodman reported from Miami.

By REGINA GARCIA CANO The Associated press

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Nicolás Maduro, who rose from unionized bus driver to Venezuelan president and oversaw his country’s democratic undoing and economic collapse, was captured Saturday during an attack by U.S. forces on his capital.

U.S. President Donald Trump, in an early morning social media post, announced Maduro’s capture. Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, later announced that the whereabouts of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, remained unknown. Trump’s attorney general, Pam Bondi, said Maduro and Flores, would face charges after an indictment in New York.

Maduro’s fall was the culmination of months of stepped-up U.S. pressure on various fronts.

He had spent the last months of his presidency fueling speculation over the intentions of the U.S. government to attack and invade Venezuela with the goal of ending the self-proclaimed socialist revolution that his late mentor and predecessor, Hugo Chávez, ushered in 1999. Maduro, like Chávez, cast the United States as Venezuela’s biggest threat, railing against Democratic and Republic administrations for any efforts to restore democratic norms.

Maduro’s political career began 40 years ago. In 1986, he traveled to Cuba to receive a year of ideological instruction, his only formal education after high school. Upon his return, he worked as a bus driver for the Caracas subway system, where he quickly became a union leader. Venezuela’s intelligence agencies in the 1990s identified him as a leftist radical with close ties to the Cuban government.

Maduro eventually left his driver job and joined the political movement that Chávez organized after receiving a presidential pardon in 1994 for leading a failed and bloody military coup years earlier. After Chávez took office, the former youth baseball player rose through the ranks of the ruling party, spending his first six years as a lawmaker before becoming president of the National Assembly. He then served six years as foreign minister and a couple months as vice president.

Appointed the political heir to Chávez

Chávez used his last address to the nation before his death in 2013 to anoint Maduro as his successor, asking his supporters to vote for the then-foreign affairs minister should he die. The choice stunned supporters and detractors alike. But Chávez’s enormous electoral capital delivered Maduro a razor-thin victory that year, giving him his first six-year term, though he would never enjoy the devotion that voters professed for Chávez.

Maduro married Flores, his partner of nearly two decades, in July 2013, shortly after he became president. He called her the “first combatant,” instead of first lady, and considered her a crucial adviser.

Maduro’s entire presidency was marked by a complex social, political and economic crisis that pushed millions into poverty, drove more than 7.7 million Venezuelans to migrate and put thousands of real or perceived government opponents in prison, where many were tortured, some at his direction. Maduro complemented the repressive apparatus by purging institutions of anyone who dared dissent.

Venezuela’s crisis took hold during Maduro’s first year in office. The political opposition, including the now-Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado, called for street protests in Caracas and other cities. The demonstrations evidenced Maduro’s iron fist as security forces pushed back protests, which ended with 43 deaths and dozens of arrests.

Maduro’s United Socialist Party of Venezuela would go on to lose control of the National Assembly for the first time in 16 years in the 2015 election. Maduro moved to neutralize the opposition-controlled legislature by establishing a pro-government Constituent Assembly in 2017, leading to months of protests violently suppressed by security forces and the military.

More than 100 people were killed and thousands were injured in the demonstrations. Hundreds were arrested, causing the International Criminal Court to open an investigation against Maduro and members of his government for crimes against humanity. The investigation was still ongoing in 2025.

In 2018, Maduro survived an assassination attempt when drones rigged with explosives detonated near him as he delivered a speech during a nationally televised military parade.

Bedeviled by economic problems

Maduro was unable to stop the economic free fall. Inflation and severe shortages of food and medicines affected Venezuelans nationwide. Entire families starved and began migrating on foot to neighboring countries. Those who remained lined up for hours to buy rice, beans and other basics. Some fought on the streets over flour.

Ruling party loyalists moved the December 2018 presidential election to May and blocked opposition parties from the ballot. Some opposition politicians were imprisoned; others fled into exile. Maduro ran virtually unopposed and was declared winner, but dozens of countries did not recognize him.

Months after the election, he drew the fury after social media videos showed him feasting on a steak prepared by a celebrity chef at a restaurant in Turkey while millions in his country were going hungry.

Under Maduro’s watch, Venezuela’s economy shrank 71% between 2012 and 2020, while inflation topped 130,000%. Its oil production, the beating heart of the country, dropped to less than 400,000 barrels a day, a figure once unthinkable.

The first Trump administration imposed economic sanctions against Maduro, his allies and state-owned companies to try to force a government change. The measures included freezing all Venezuelan government assets in the U.S. and prohibiting American citizens and international partners from doing business with Venezuelan government entities, including the state-owned oil company.

Out of options, Maduro began implementing a series of economic measures in 2021 that eventually ended Venezuela’s hyperinflation cycle. He paired the economic changes with concessions to the U.S.-backed political opposition with which it restarted negotiations for what many had hoped would be a free and democratic presidential election in 2024.

Maduro used the negotiations to gain concessions from the U.S. government, including the pardon and prison release of one of his closest allies and the sanctions license that allowed oil giant Chevron to restart pumping and exporting Venezuelan oil. The license became his government’s financial lifeline.

Losing support in many places

Negotiations led by Norwegian diplomats did not solve key political differences between the ruling party and the opposition.

In 2023, the government banned Machado, Maduro’s strongest opponent, from running for office. In early 2024, it intensified its repressive efforts, detaining opposition leaders and human rights defenders. The government also forced key members of Machado’s campaign to seek asylum at a diplomatic compound in Caracas, where they remained for more than a year to avoid arrest.

Hours after polls closed in the 2024 election, the National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner. But unlike previous elections, it did not provide detailed vote counts. The opposition, however, collected and published tally sheets from more than 80% of electronic voting machines used in the election. The records showed Edmundo González defeated Maduro by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

Protests erupted. Some demonstrators toppled statues of Chávez. The government again responded with full force and detained more than 2,000 people World leaders rejected the official results, but the National Assembly sworn in Maduro for a third term in January 2025.

Trump’s return to the White House that same month proved to be a sobering moment for Maduro. Trump quickly pushed Maduro to accept regular deportation flights for the first time in years. By the summer, Trump had built up a military force in the Caribbean that put Venezuela’s government on high alert and started taking steps to address what it called narco-terrorism.

For Maduro, that was the beginning of the end.

By AAMER MADHANI, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump declared Saturday’s military operation that led to the ouster of Nicolás Maduro a major success as he offered a vague plan for his administration “to run” Venezuela until a transition of power can take place.

While there are no visible signs of a U.S. presence on the ground in Caracas, Trump was demonstrating chutzpah that’s become the trademark of his foreign policy approach. It’s one marked by a grand confidence that his will on the international stage is an immovable force.

“This was one of the most stunning, effective and powerful displays of American military might and competence in American history,” Trump declared at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

The president strode into office with a promise to turn the page on America’s decades of foreign entanglements. But on Saturday, he committed the U.S. to help Venezuela usher in a period of “peace” and “justice” after decades of rule by strongmen.

The president’s pledge to a Venezuela project comes as he finds himself struggling to bring about a permanent peace between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and find an endgame to Russia’s nearly four-year war in Ukraine.

But the path ahead is treacherous. The White House will need to grapple with any power vacuum caused by Maduro’s ouster and inevitable complications of trying to maintain stability in a country that’s already endured years of hyperinflation, food and medicine shortages and brain drain despite its vast oil wealth.

It also remains to be seen what lessons U.S. adversaries may take from Trump’s decision to demonstrate American might in its sphere of influence in the aftermath of Trump’s play in Caracas. China’s Xi Jinping has vowed to annex the self-ruled island of Taiwan and Russia’s Vladimir Putin has designs on neighbor Ukraine and diminishing NATO’s eastern flank.

Yet Trump was unflinching in his confidence that the bad actors of the old government will be pushed aside as he helps make Venezuela “great again.” He also sought to reassure American taxpayers that they won’t be on the hook for his plan to help out Caracas.

“The money coming out of the ground is very substantial,” Trump said. “We’re going to get reimbursed for everything that we spend.”

Trump hasn’t shied away from flexing U.S. military might even as he has vowed to keep America out of war. He’s now twice used U.S. forces to carry out risky operations against American adversaries. In June, he directed U.S. strikes on key Iranian nuclear sites.

Saturday’s action stirred fresh anxiety in capitals around the world that have sought to adjust to a new normal in Trump 2.0, where the idea of the U.S. trying to find global consensus on issues of war and peace is now passe.

What’s next for Venezuela?

European allies had expressed concern as Trump built up a massive presence of troops in the Caribbean in recent months and carried out dozens of lethal strikes on suspected drug smugglers — many that the administration claimed were effectively an arm of the Maduro government.

Maduro was hardly viewed as a choir boy by the international community. His 2018 and 2024 elections were seen as riddled with irregularities and viewed as illegitimate.

But many U.S. allies greeted news of Maduro’s capture with a measure of trepidation.

European Commission President António Costa said he had “great concern” about the situation in Venezuela following the U.S. operation.

France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said “the military operation that led to the capture of Maduro infringes the principle of the non-use of force that underpins international law.”

The criticism from some Democrats over Trump’s military action to oust Maduro was immediate.

“This war is illegal, it’s embarrassing that we went from the world cop to the world bully in less than one year.” Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona wrote on X. “There is no reason for us to be at war with Venezuela.”

Russia’s foreign ministry condemned what it called a U.S. “act of armed aggression” against Venezuela in a statement posted on its Telegram channel Saturday. The ouster of Maduro, who was backed by the Russians, comes as Trump is urging Putin to end his war on Ukraine.

“Venezuela must be guaranteed the right to determine its own destiny without any destructive, let alone military, outside intervention,” the statement said.

Similarly, China’s foreign ministry in a statement condemned the U.S. operation, saying it violates international law and Venezuela’s sovereignty.

Capture follows months of pressure

The operation was the culmination of a push inside the administration led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other like-minded foes of Maduro who have been urging Trump to take action against the Venezuelan leader for years.

In south Florida — the epicenter of the Venezuelan diaspora opposition to Maduro that has influenced Rubio’s thinking — Saturday’s operation was cheered as an era-changing moment for democracy.

Rep. Carlos Gimenez, a Florida Republican, said he had spoken to Rubio and thanked Trump for having “changed the course of history in our hemisphere. Our country & the world are safer for it,” he wrote on X, comparing Maduro’s ouster to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Trump: Venezuela has no chance without his intervention

Maduro had sought a pathway to exit from power while saving face.

Venezuelan government officials had floated a plan in which Maduro would eventually leave office, The Associated Press reported in October.

The proposal called for Maduro to step down in three years and hand over to his vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, who would complete Maduro’s six-year term that ends in January 2031. Rodriguez would not run for reelection under the plan.

But the White House had rejected the proposal because the administration questioned the legitimacy of Maduro’s rule and accused him of overseeing a narco-terrorist state.

Maduro earlier this week said Venezuela was open to negotiating an agreement with the United States to combat drug trafficking and work with Washington on promoting U.S. further investment in the Venezuelan oil industry. Trump said Maduro was recently offered chances to surrender but declined.

Rubio held a long phone conversation on Saturday with Rodriguez, who was sworn into office following Maduro’s capture, Trump said.

“If we just left, it has zero chance of ever coming back. We’ll run it properly. We’ll run it professionally,” Trump said. “We’ll have the greatest oil companies in the world going in, invest billions and billions of dollars. … And the biggest beneficiary are going to be the people of Venezuela.”

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said Maduro “F’d around and found out.” He added adversaries of the U.S. should “remain on notice” that “America can project our will anywhere, anytime.”

“Welcome to 2026,” Hegseth said. “Under President Trump, America is back.”

Venezuela’s opposition says the rightful president is the exiled politician Edmundo González, an ally of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.

Trump said he wasn’t ready to commit to a certain leader but pledged his administration has to remain “very involved” in Venezuela.

“We can’t take a chance of letting somebody else run it — just take over where (Maduro) left,” Trump said.

AP writers Darlene Superville in Palm Springs, Fla., Matthew Lee in Washington, Kanis Leung in Hong Kong, Sylvie Corbet in Paris, and Elise Morton in London contributed reporting.

For decades, Avenida Revolución in Tijuana was a bustling tourist zone, attracting U.S. visitors with its colorful souvenir shops, restaurants and nightlife.

But at some point, popular interest in the historic district faded.

State and city officials have been trying to revitalize the area for some time to attract more tourists, with hopes of making it a place locals want to hang out, too.

The latest move involves closing off a few blocks to vehicles to make way for a pedestrian promenade. Visitors can now wander from Fourth to Seventh streets along the 136-year-old avenue.

When unveiling the $1.3 million project in October, Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila pledged to restore more public spaces to promote cultural, musical and recreational activities.

“This is what Tijuana deserves,” she said in a video posted on social media. “These spaces represent Tijuana.”

So far, it seems to be working.

Isabel Hernández and her fiancé, Ramón Félix, are street vendors who craft bracelets and necklaces on a bench in the area to sell later in the day. One recent Saturday morning, the couple was particularly busy, preparing for two events taking place on different blocks of the same stretch of the avenue within a few hours — a food festival followed by a Christmas tree lighting ceremony.

The couple said many visitors have come to check out the revamped spot, surrounded by hotels, coffee shops, pharmacies and restaurants.

Officials said people can expect more artistic activities in the plaza, such as music and theatrical performances.

“They come with their children, play with them for a while, have some ice cream, and stay for a bit,” Félix noted.

Tijuana’s landmark 

Avenida Revolución is at the center of much of the city’s history. In 1889, it became the first street in the city to be paved and provided with utilities, boosting its draw as a commercial and tourist hub. Throughout its history, the avenue has had five names, adopting its current one in 1932.

The concept of creating a pedestrian square was inspired by other cities, said José Carlos Robles, president of the Association of Merchants and Tourism Entrepreneurs of Avenida Revolución. He cited several examples, including the Gaslamp Quarter in downtown San Diego, which has experimented with a pedestrian promenade.

Robles said that Tijuana was missing that experience in its downtown area. “When you visit any city, you always want to go downtown and see the historic sites,” he said.

Robles said that some businesses reported increased sales after the opening of the pedestrian plaza and that the project has attracted others to open their businesses on the popular avenue, which is better known by locals as “La Revu.”

The project has faced some opposition, as some businesses were not on board with the idea. A vendor from a souvenir shop within the pedestrian plaza said the change didn’t help the business because it relies more on international tourists who come by bus or car than on locals who walk through the area.

U.S. tourists, including those traveling for medical reasons, still frequently visit Avenida Revolución. But there was a time when it was far more popular, recalled José Gabriel Rivera, head of the Baja California Historical Archive.

In the Prohibition era, when alcohol was banned in the U.S., people flocked to Tijuana to drink and gamble. It was around this time that the world-famous Caesar salad was created in the area.

In the 1980s and ’90s, Avenida Revolución was a mecca for San Diegans looking to party. Some took advantage of the fact that the legal drinking age in Mexico is 18 instead of 21.

However, that all changed after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, when crossing the U.S.-Mexico border became a more rigorous endeavor. Reports of cartel-related violence in the city around that time also discouraged many visitors.

This led to a binational tourism crisis, Rivera said, prompting a shift in focus to attract local tourism.

Rivera welcomed the ongoing efforts to improve the ever-changing avenue and its surroundings, but noted that it could be more attractive to locals.

“The Avenida Revolución is a landmark and icon in Tijuana’s history,” he said. “It’s important to develop different types of policies to revitalize it.”

On a recent Saturday, locals Óscar Díaz and his mother, Sanjuana Nachez, ran an errand a few blocks away and took the opportunity to visit the food festival and explore the new pedestrian plaza.

Díaz reminisced about the late ’80s, when he used to party in the area. He said that back then, it was common to see many visitors from the United States. “Many people from San Diego came,” his mother echoed. But nowadays, not as many, they said.

“It was about time they renovated the Revolución,” he said. “Hopefully, it will attract tourism.”

Local life

For the past three years, Mariana Sánchez — known on social media as Nana en Tijuana — has been giving walking tours of her hometown. Her bilingual tours begin on Avenida Revolución. As she points out, to understand the city, you have to go back to where it all began.

Throughout her time working in the industry, she has noticed the interests of tourists changing. She said that many want to “experience life as we live it.”

“They want to know where we go, what we eat and how we get around,” she said. “Many people are searching for that feeling of local life.”

That still often includes the souvenir shops and famous salad at Caesar’s Restaurant, which long ago relocated onto Avenida Revolución. But tourists are also venturing farther from downtown, trying the numerous taquerías scattered throughout the city or attending a Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles soccer game or a Toros baseball game, Sánchez said.

Caesar’s, which many agree is one of the most touristy places on the avenue, is situated within the new pedestrian plaza. Visitors can no longer valet park in front of the restaurant. Instead, they must look for public parking nearby.

While Sánchez welcomes the idea, she said there is still work to be done. For instance, although the avenue is closed to vehicles, the side streets are not, which may confuse pedestrians and drivers.

“It’s an interesting time to analyze and rethink tourism strategies,” she said. “The pedestrian plaza has presented new opportunities for some vendors, as well as some challenges that need to be considered.”

By JILL LAWLESS and REBECCA SANTANA, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a lightning military strike, the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and spirited them out of the country to face justice in the United States.

Now President Donald Trump says the U.S. is “going to run” Venezuela until a transition of power can take place, but it’s not clear what that will mean on the ground in the South American country.

The overnight operation left Venezuela reeling, with its leadership uncertain and details of casualties and the impact on its military still to emerge. Much is still unknown about how the U.S. ouster of Maduro will ricochet across the country and the region.

Here’s what we know — and what we don’t.

Rising US pressure, then an overnight attack

Explosions rang out and low-flying aircraft swept through Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, early Saturday. At least seven blasts were heard in an attack that lasted less than 30 minutes. The targets appeared to include military infrastructure.

Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernández said Maduro and Flores were captured at their home within the Ft. Tiuna military installation outside Caracas.

Venezuelan officials said people had been killed, but the scale of casualties was unclear.

The attack followed months of escalating pressure by the Trump administration, which has built up naval forces in the waters off South America and since early September has carried out deadly strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean. Late last month, the CIA carried out a drone strike at a docking area alleged to have been used by drug cartels.

Trump says the US will run Venezuela, but how is unclear

Trump said during a news conference Saturday the U.S. would run the country and gestured to officials arrayed behind him, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and said they’d be the ones doing it “for a period of time.”

Trump claimed the American presence was already in place, although across Venezuela’s capital there were no signs that the U.S. had taken control of the government or military forces.

Trump claimed that Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez had been sworn in as president shortly before he spoke to reporters and added she had spoken with Rubio.

“She is essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again. Very simple,” Trump said.

But during a televised address after Trump’s news conference, Rodriquez made no mention of talking to Rubio, of taking over the presidency or of cooperating with the U.S. State television has not shown a swearing-in ceremony and during her address, a ticker at the bottom of the screen identified her as the vice president.

Instead, she demanded the U.S. free Maduro, called him the country’s rightful leader and said what was happening to Venezuela “is an atrocity that violates international law.”

Rodriquez left open the door for dialogue with the U.S., while seeking to calm ruling party supporters.

“Here, we have a government with clarity, and I repeat and repeat again … we are willing to have respectful relations,” she said, referring to the Trump administration. “It is the only thing we will accept for a type of relationship after having attacked (Venezuela).”

Armed individuals and uniformed members of a civilian militia took to the streets of a Caracas neighborhood long considered a stronghold of the ruling party. But in other areas of the city, the streets remained empty hours after the attack. Parts of the city remained without power, but vehicles moved freely.

Trump offered no details on what U.S. leadership in Venezuela would mean or specify whether it would involve more military involvement.

The State Department did not immediately respond to questions about how the U.S. would run Venezuela, what authority it would use to administer it or whether it would involve any American personnel — either civilian or military — on the ground in Caracas or other areas of Venezuela.

The future of Venezuela’s oil infrastructure

Trump mentioned the country’s oil infrastructure repeatedly during the news conference. He suggested there would be a substantial U.S. role in Venezuela’s oil industry, saying that U.S. oil companies would go in and fix the broken infrastructure.

And Trump said the U.S. would use revenues from oil sales to pay for running the country.

“We’re going to get reimbursed for everything that we spend,” he said.

The US charges against Maduro

According to an indictment made public Saturday, Maduro is charged alongside his wife, his son and three others. Maduro is indicted on four counts: narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

Authorities allege powerful and violent drug trafficking organizations, such as the Sinaloa Cartel and Tren de Aragua gang, worked directly with the Venezuelan government and then sent profits to high-ranking officials who helped and protected them in exchange.

It was not immediately clear when Maduro and his wife would make their first court appearance in New York or where they would be detained once in the U.S.

How the US operation played out

Trump gave some details of the operation during a Saturday morning interview on “Fox and Friends,” and he and Caine went into more depth during the news conference.

Trump said a few U.S. members of the operation were injured but he believed no one was killed.

He said Maduro was “highly guarded” in a presidential palace akin to a “fortress” and he tried to get to a safe room but wasn’t able to get there in time.

Trump said U.S. forces practiced the operation ahead of time on a replica building, and the U.S. turned off “almost all of the lights in Caracas,” although he didn’t detail how they accomplished that.

Caine said the mission had been “meticulously planned” for months, relying on work by the U.S. intelligence community to find Maduro and detail how he moved, lived, ate and what he wore.

The mission involved more than 150 aircraft launched across the Western Hemisphere, Caine said. Helicopters came under fire as they approached “the target area,” he said, and responded with “overwhelming force.”

Questions over legality

The U.S. does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, and the legal implications of the strike under U.S. law were not immediately clear.

The Trump administration maintains that Maduro is not the legitimate leader of Venezuela and claims he has effectively turned Venezuela into a criminal enterprise at the service of drug traffickers and terrorist groups.

Mike Lee, a U.S. senator from Utah, said on X that the action “likely falls within the president’s inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect U.S. personnel from an actual or imminent attack.”

But some Democrats were more critical.

Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, said in a statement, “President Trump’s unauthorized military attack on Venezuela to arrest Maduro — however terrible he is — is a sickening return to a day when the United States asserted the right to dominate the internal political affairs of all nations in the Western Hemisphere.”

How opposition leader Machado figures in Trump’s plans

Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado had intended to run against Maduro in the 2024 presidential election, but the government barred her from running for office. She went into hiding and wasn’t seen for nearly a year.

Trump said Saturday that he hadn’t been in touch with Machado and said it would be “very tough” for her to lead Venezuela.

“She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country. She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect,” Trump said.

Lawless reported from London. Associated Press Writer Danica Kirka in London contributed to this story.

Charlie Polinger achieves a lot with relatively little with his feature directorial debut, “The Plague.”

Getting a wide release this week, this slice of psychological horror is quite effective despite its small scale and a cast consisting largely of little-known young actors.

A cross between “Lord of the Flies” and … some other movie set at a youth water polo camp, “The Plague” explores, as Polinger puts it in his directorial statement, “the clumsy liminal space between childhood and adolescence, when the id grows too fast and too strong for the conscience to keep up.”

Also the film’s writer, Polinger found inspiration for the story when he unearthed old journals from when he was 12. He read his tales of a youth sports camp, where boys told tall tales of a mysterious “plague” that had infected one unfortunate kid — it was the reason for his acne-covered face and was turning his brain to “mush.”

That is the situation 12-year-old Ben (Everett Blunck) encounters when he joins the second session of a water polo camp after moving to the area from another city in summer 2003. A bunch of the boys — led by the charismatic Jake (Kayo Martin) — have ostracized another with a skin issue, Eli (Kenny Rasmussen), which they make very clear as they accept Ben into their fold.

“Those aren’t regular pimples,” Jake tells Ben as they sit on the bottom part of a bunk bed, several feet from Eli. “Those are plague pimples. That’s a plague face.”

Jake proceeds to fill Ben’s head with more disturbing details, including the fate of the unfortunate boy who supposedly gave the plague to Eli. (Spoiler alert: He’s said to be spending his time in a mental institution playing “Jenga.”)

You can tell from Ben’s face that he doesn’t believe any of this to be true — mostly, kinda, probably — but he does as instructed, scrubbing his skin quickly after any physical contact with the outcast. He’s just trying to fit in, especially after Jake gives him a hard time about having trouble pronouncing “t” sounds, earning him the cruel nickname “Soppy” as a result. We’ve all been there — if roughly, not precisely.

That’s why “The Plague” feels so authentic for its first long stretch: It’s relatable in a way you may not enjoy thinking about, even if you were more follower than leader, more Ben than Jake, in your youth.

As the film progresses, however, Polinger skillfully blurs the line between childhood nonsense and reality in a really potent and, at times, downright chilling way, as Ben takes the inevitable turn away from Jake and toward Eli — despite the latter’s odd social behavior. (To be clear, Eli’s idiosyncrasies feel authentic for an outcast kid … at least for the most part.)

With the help of collaborators who include director of photography Steven Breckon, production designer Chad Keith and sound designer Damian Volpe, Polinger creates an aesthetic that evolves from lovely (the opening underwater shots) to unsettling (well, you’ll see).

Plenty of heavy lifting is also done by the aforementioned actors, with Blunck (“Griffin in Summer”) compelling as a pre-teen everyman — not exactly cool but able to vaguely fake it — and newcomer Rasmussen, who throws himself into the role of a boy trying to make the best of being separated from the group at camp.

The standout, though, is Martin, who, as the ringleader, straddles the line between angel and devil, aided by an often-present smile that can be read either way. (Also into skating and boxing, the youth has about a million Instagram followers.)

Joel Edgerton (“Boy Erased,” “Train Dreams”) portrays the only meaningful adult role, that of the boys’ coach, Daddy Wags, and he turns in solid work, both when his character lays into Jake for his behavior and later tries to comfort Ben.

Know that a viewer isn’t likely to find much comfort in “The Plague.” It isn’t a fun experience, the film dipping its toes into such upsetting topics as self-mutilation, but it is impactful.

Without hinting at the nature of the conclusion, Polinger sticks the landing, leaving the viewer wanting more — not of “The Plague” but of him.

‘The Plague’

Where: Theaters.

When: Jan. 2.

Rated: R for language, sexual material, self-harm/bloody images, and some drug and alcohol use – all involving children.

Runtime: 1 hour, 38 minutes.

Stars (of four): 3.

ROCHESTER HILLS – Sometimes teams just have that can’t miss attitude.

Rochester sure did so Friday night against visiting Utica Ford.

In the annual Battle of the Falcons game, host Rochester came out on fire by making nine of its first 11 shots from the field to build a 22-8 lead after the first quarter and never looked back in recording an impressive 75-49 non-league victory over Utica Ford in the 10th annual event.

Unbeaten Rochester scored a season-high in points with 75 – all while shooting 65.6 percent from the floor in the first half and 52 percent overall from the floor in one of the best single-game team field goal shooting percentages in program history and in over 100 years of Rochester basketball.

Although the host Falcons cooled down some in the second half, going 12-for-23 from the floor after shooting lights out in the first half (19-for-29), Rochester never allowed Utica Ford to make a serious threat on the lead.

“I didn’t realize the stat of our field goal percentages, but it did seem like we couldn’t miss for a while there in the first half,” said Rochester coach Nick Evola. “They do love playing with one another. They share the ball. We talk about playing the right way. We share the ball and it moves around. We play with a lot of energy and it seems like we find people in the right spots. I’m happy with the guys making plays – they’ve done that all season long.”

Rochester used a 24-15 second quarter surge to go up 46-23 at the half, while the home-standing Falcons outscored Ford 18-13 in the third quarter for a 64-38 advantage through three quarters of play.

The home Falcons – who led by as many as 31 points at 62-31 late in the third quarter – rotated all 14 players in the fourth frame.

“We just want to go 1-0 each night,” said Evola. “We want to keep working, keep our heads down and keep working hard and keep trying to get better. But you can see it. I think they are having fun out there. I’m proud of these guys. Some of them I’ve had for a long time. It’s a fun group to coach.”

Rochester was 27-for-52 from the floor in the contest, finished 5-for-9 from the foul line (55.6 percent) and made 8-of-19 shots from beyond the three-point arc (42.2 percent). Rochester also out-rebounded the taller Falcons 29-14, forced 17 turnovers, recorded 12 steals and showcased its balance and unselfish brand of basketball by registering 22 assists on 27 made baskets.

Senior guard Luke Lower scored all 20 of his points in the first half, finishing 4-for-8 from beyond the arc while adding four steals, three assists and three rebounds to pace Rochester.

One of five third-year varsity veterans, 6-foot-3 senior forward Anthony Chirco added 15 points and seven rebounds, and 6-2 junior guard Nate Tandy registered 15 points, six rebounds, five steals and three assists as he continued to impress in his first varsity campaign.

Photos of Rochester vs. Utica Ford in a boys hoops contest

A total of 10 Rochester players reached the scoring column, with 6-6 sophomore center Ben Bissett adding six points, four rebounds and four assists while senior point guard Logan Pleasant swished a pair of three-pointers for six points. Rochester’s starting five finished 26-for-44 shooting from the floor (59.1 percent).

Ford finished the night 19-for-44 from the floor, good for a reasonable 43.2 percent. The visiting Falcons also converted 8-fo-21 three-point attempts (38.1 percent). But even with those strong shooting numbers, Utica Ford just couldn’t keep pace with red-hot Rochester’s torrid shooting pace.

Junior guard Aiden Gillich sank four 3-pointers on the night to lead Ford with 12 points to go along with five assists. Senior center Nick Pagel added seven points, four rebounds and three blocked shots, and sophomore forward Mason Marchand and senior guard Jamie Thomas both chipped in with six points apiece.

The visiting Falcons still dipped their wings to a 1-6 record.

“I’m a first-year coach at Ford and we’re still searching for an identity,” said Ford coach George Woods. “We are playing hard, but one game we do one thing well and the next game we do something else well. We haven’t had that complete night yet. That will come with time.

“I think we’ve played a very tough schedule,” said Woods, whose team dropped its second game of the week to an undefeated team, including Tuesday’s 51-38 setback to Division 2 Yale. “In all of my years coaching, I always try to schedule some very good teams to help get us get ready for league play. I think everyone in our league has four, five, six losses overall. Someone will get hot and win our league.

“I think Adam Gillich really came to play tonight,” continued Woods. “He shot the ball well and passed it well. If we can get that type of effort from everybody, we’ll be fine.”

Rochester put up its most points in a game this season and remained unbeaten with a 75-49 win over visiting Utica Ford on Friday, Jan. 2, 2025.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Rienk Mast hit the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1:51 left and finished with 19 points to lead No. 13 Nebraska to a 58-56 victory over No. 9 Michigan State on Friday night.

Fans rushed the court at the final buzzer as the Cornhuskers (14-0, 3-0 Big Ten) won their 18th straight game since last season, the longest streak in the nation.

It was the lowest-scoring game of the season for both teams in what was the first ranked vs. ranked matchup in Lincoln since 1991. The game was hyped as a measuring stick for Nebraska, the only power-conference team to have never won an NCAA Tournament game. The Huskers met the moment.

What started as a slog quickly turned into a battle of bigs shooting 3-pointers. The 6-foot-10 Mast made five of his first seven from distance and finished 6 of 13. Michigan State’s 6-10 Jaxon Kohler made a career-high five on six attempts and finished with 19 points.

Pryce Sandfort had 13 points and Jamarques Lawrence added 12 for the Huskers. Jeremy Fears Jr. had 14 for the Spartans and Kur Teng, who started in place of Divine Ugochukwu (illness), added 12.

Michigan State was just 6 of 24 from the field in the second half and its 19 turnovers were its most since it committed the same number against Nebraska four years ago.

Mast’s last 3 was his only field goal of the second half and gave the Huskers the lead for good.

The Spartans had a chance to tie when Carson Cooper was fouled with 0.7 seconds left. But his first free throw bounced off the rim, and the Huskers came up with the rebound when he intentionally missed the second.

The Huskers are among six undefeated teams in Division I.

Up next

Michigan State: Hosts No. 24 Southern California on Monday.

Nebraska: Visits Ohio State on Monday.

— By ERIC OLSON, Associated Press

ROCHESTER HILLS – A year ago around the holidays break, Utica Ford pulled away from Rochester down the stretch.

The Ford Falcons earned a 63-48 win in that game between two cross-borders rivals of two traditionally-strong programs – Ford from Macomb County and Rochester from Oakland County.

On Friday night some 54 weeks later, Rochester remembered that defeat.

In a back-and-fourth battle that had the feeling of a state tournament atmosphere, Rochester held off visiting Utica Ford in the annual Battle of the Falcons, 43-42.

Rochester sophomore guard Sam Walker drilled a three-pointer off a senior Kelly Cook feed with 3:05 remaining for the go-ahead points – and the game’s final points overall.

“Last year (Ford) had two really good guards that took over in the second half and we couldn’t stop them,” said second-year Rochester coach Andy Topie. “This was a good win for us because Ford is always a strong program.”

Rochester missed two free throws and also misfired on two point-blank layups down the stretch, while Ford was 0-for-3 from the floor in the final three minutes of the game. Ford junior Lia Raciti’s three-point attempt was off the mark with one second left, as the home-standing Falcons staved off Utica Ford in the final minute.

Rochester opened the game with a 9-2 run, only to see Utica Ford surge back with a 13-0 run to take 15-9 lead late in the first quarter. Senior Aris McDonald hit a late three to make it a 15-12 game at the end of the first frame.

Ford (3-3) kept going inside to 6-foot senior center Claire O’Brien in the first half, where she scored all 20 of her points over the opening half. Ford outscored Rochester 14-12 in the second quarter to take a 29-24 lead into the locker room.

Rochester (4-1) switched up its defensive pressure to go on a 12-5 third-quarter run – and more importantly made life miserable for O’Brien and her teammates on the inside. O’Brien was 8-for-14 from the floor in the first half but finished 0-for-7 from the field in the second half.

“She (O’Brien) was killing us in the first half. She’s a really good player. We pinched her a little bit more and had someone come over on the backside every time she touched the ball,” offered Topie. In the first half we were letting her get to her spots. We tried to take that away and make it a little more tougher by sending someone behind. That really helped us get some momentum and we also started to make more shots in the third quarter,” said Topie. “We wanted to make someone else try to beat us.”

Holding on to a 36-34 lead through three quarters of play, Rochester continued to match Ford’s defensive pressure toe-for-toe and neither team was able to build larger than a four-point advantage in the fourth quarter.

“(Rochester) started to run three girls at (O’Brien) and we needed to do a better job taking care of the ball, kicking the ball out and having other players make shots,” said veteran Ford coach Matt Joseph. “We needed to do a better job of opening up that lane. Rochester did nice job taking that away in the second half.”

Photo gallery of Rochester vs. Utica Ford in girls hoops action

Utica Ford opened the fourth stanza with a 8-2 run with freshman Laila Sosnowski’s triple from the right corner giving the visiting Falcons a 42-38 advantage with 5:15 remaining in the contest. Ford would not score again.

“This is the 10th year in a row we’ve played them and it has become a fun little (non-league) rivalry,” said Joseph. “It’s good competition and we’ve had some great games with them. Both teams I thought competed very hard. It wasn’t always pretty, but I thought both teams fought hard to the end. They were just one point better than us this time around.”

Rochester picked up a layup from sophomore Abby Condon with 4:29 left to cut the deficit down to 42-40 with 4:29 left, while Walker’s triple 1:24 later served as the game-winning dagger.

Senior guard Taylor Parsons had one of the best efforts of her career, scoring 12 with a game-high 14 rebounds, five assists and four steals.

Cook led Rochester with 13 points and four rebounds and Walker finished with eight points and four rebounds for the hosts. Rochester finished 18-for-49 from the floor (36.8 percent) and made 7-of-22 three-pointers (31.9 percent) but finished an uncharacteristic 0-for-5 from the foul line.

Rochester also forced 17 turnovers, had 12 team assists and recorded 10 steals on the night.

“This was, I thought, a great team effort,” said Topie. “We lost one a couple of weeks ago to Romeo where we made some mistakes that really cost us. This time we found a way to win.”

Utica Ford finished 17-for-50 shooting from the floor (34 percent), made 5-of-10 free throws (50 percent) and canned 3-of-15 three-point attempts (20 percent). Following O’Brien, junior forward Emma McNally added eight points and nine rebounds, Sosnowski scored eight points, while Raciti finished with six points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals for Ford.

Utica Ford had 14 assists on 17 made baskets, recorded 11 steals and forced 20 turnovers. The visiting Falcons held a 30-25 edge on the boards.

ALLEN PARK — What a difference four months can make.

The Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears have trended in opposite directions since the former blew out the latter, 52-21, in a September matchup. The Lions (8-8) are 7-7 since that meeting, and they’ll miss the playoffs for the first time since 2022. The Bears (11-5) and first-year coach Ben Johnson, meanwhile, are 11-3, and they’ve already clinched the NFC North.

“I’m sure Ben wants to beat our ass,” Lions left tackle Taylor Decker said of his former offensive coordinator. “He would want to do that even if they won the first game; it’s just how he is. That’s probably why he’s going to have success, be a successful coach. That being said, we want to do everything we can to beat them. I’m happy for Ben’s success, I really am. But when we play, it doesn’t matter. We want to beat their ass, they want to beat at our ass. If there’s bad blood from the first one, that’s fine. That’s football, it is what it is.”

Johnson has led the Bears to their first division title since 2018. With a triumph over the Lions at Solider Field on Sunday, he’ll tie for the franchise’s second-most wins since 2006, when it won 13 games under former coach Lovie Smith before losing Super Bowl XLI to the Indianapolis Colts.

The Bears are a much different team since falling to the Lions in Week 2, adding or shuffling pieces throughout the season. C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who spent one season with Detroit in 2023, is a prime example. The defensive back signed with the Bears in October and has played at least 40 snaps in every game since. Gardner-Johnson has started six games for Chicago, notching three sacks and two interceptions to go along with 45 total tackles and four pass deflections.

But when taking a big-picture look at how the Bears have changed, they’re simply more refined in what they do, especially on the side of the ball in which Johnson specializes. Caleb Williams is on pace to set the franchise’s single-season record for passing yards, and running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai have formed a tandem that’s up there with any duo in the NFL.

Then there’s rookie Colston Loveland, who has 506 receiving yards since Week 9. That’s more than all but three tight ends, with Arizona’s Trey McBride (753), San Francisco’s George Kittle (531) and Atlanta’s Kyle Pitts (526) being the exceptions.

“Offensively, they’re more polished,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “Ben’s done a good job. The system is in and these little things that were there (as problems in) game two, game one, they’ve begun to go away. They’ve got a run game, they’ve found a run game. … Caleb’s playing really well, O-line’s playing really well. … Swift’s running well, (Monangai), he’s a downhill, hard runner, too. … They’re playing at a high level. They’re doing things well. Much more polished.”

Johnson isn’t running the same exact plays in Chicago that he did for three seasons in Detroit, though there are clear similarities. The Bears are extremely efficient in their rushing attack, which sets up play action. Williams has thrown 178 passes off a play-fake this season, second-most in the NFL. For comparison, Williams had 94 of those attempts (16th) as a rookie in 2024. Lions quarterback Jared Goff led the league in play-action passes last season. He’s fifth this year, with 149 tries.

But what makes Johnson special is his ability to build his offense around his personnel: “Ben’s a great coach,” Lions offensive coordinator John Morton said. “He sees what he has, and he plays to their strengths.”

Defensively, limiting mistakes has been an emphasis for the Lions in their preparation. That’s key against any team, but it’s particularly important versus the Bears, who lead the NFL with 32 total takeaways, including 22 interceptions and 10 recovered fumbles. Veteran safety Kevin Byard has a league-best six interceptions. Cornerback Nahshon Wright has five, and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds has four.

At home, the Bears are allowing 17.4 points per game. On the road, that average shoots up to 30.4.

“I think the biggest thing that we touched on, as a team, is turnovers come in bunches,” Decker said. “If the offense is giving them opportunities to get their hands on the ball, they’re making those plays. … They fly around, they play with energy. I would say the biggest thing (that’s changed since Week 2) is they play more nickel, and then they just gained confidence. You see it on film, they’re just more confident in the way they play.”

Michigan linebacker Cole Sullivan, one of the Wolverines’ top defensive players who led the team with three interceptions during the 2025 season, has entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal.

Sullivan joined the portal on Friday, and by his name is a do-not-contact emblem. Receiver Semaj Morgan, who played at West Bloomfield High, also entered his name in the portal, as did freshman cornerback Elijah Dotson, who had an interception this year, freshman offensive lineman Kaden Strayhorn, freshman running back Jasper Parker. Veteran defensive back Zeke Berry is entering his name in the portal, per several reports. Berry was a third-team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches in 2025.

This is typically the time for normal attrition as players decide to try new paths with other programs, but for Michigan, this is an additional time of transition with the coaching change to Kyle Whittingham. Whittingham coached the last 21 years at Utah and was hired by Michigan on Dec. 26. He met with each player individually while in Orlando for the bowl game.

Michigan general manager Sean Magee said in an email sent Thursday to players and parents that he knows the timing of Whittingham’s hire and the opening of the portal on Friday – it will be open 15 days – is challenging.

“We have begun engaging in conversations with many of your representatives and some of you directly,” Magee wrote in the email obtained by The Detroit News. “It is important that new staff has input and visibility on many of the program decisions that are going to be made.

“We are working our absolute best to try and accomplish all of this in a very short window. With 105+ on our roster, this will not be able to occur as quickly as we would have liked, but we promise to operate in good faith and transparency with each of you as we navigate this coaching transition.”

Sullivan said after Michigan’s 41-27 loss to Texas on Wednesday that he did not know what his football future holds.

“I had a great meeting with Coach Whittingham,” Sullivan said after the game. “I really like him and what he’s bringing to this team and this program. As far as my future is concerned, it’s hard to say. There are too many uncertainties at this point, but I love this university.”

Sullivan said he wanted to learn more about what defense new coordinator Jay Hill, officially announced on Friday as Michigan’s defensive coordinator, plans to install.

“Obviously, the scheme is one thing, and just the mentality of the staff,” Sullivan said. “That’s all I could really say right now. I’m really excited to meet everybody that’s coming and just see what they have to say, and hopefully we blend in a good way.”

Michigan quarterback Davis Warren, who started nine games in 2024, also is in the portal, along with quarterback Jadyn Davis. Both had previously announced their decisions.

ANN ARBOR (AP) — Morez Johnson Jr. scored a career-high 29 points, including 17 in the first half, and No. 2 Michigan beat No. 24 Southern California 96-66 on Friday night.

Roddy Gayle Jr. added 12 points for the Wolverines (13-0, 3-0 Big Ten), and Will Tschetter, Trey McKenney and L.J. Cason each scored 10.

Michigan is off to its best start since it won 17 straight games to start the 2018-19 season.

Jaden Brownell scored 16 points and Erza Ausar added 15 for the Trojans (12-2, 1-2), whose only previous loss was by eight points against Washington on Dec. 6. Chad Baker-Mazara, who came into the game averaging 21 points, was hampered by early foul trouble and finished with 12 points on 3-of-11 shooting.

Michigan starting guard Nimari Burnett was helped from the court with 16:25 left after falling during a battle under the basket. He went down to the floor and appeared to be bleeding above his eyebrow and holding his ankle. He sat on the bench the rest of the night.

The Wolverines bolted out to an 11-0 lead thanks to a defense that forced six early turnovers. USC got within five points twice in the first half and Michigan responded with a 32-19 run to build a 49-31 halftime advantage.

USC got no closer the rest of the way.

Up next

USC: At No. 9 Michigan State on Monday.

Michigan: Visits Penn State on Tuesday.

— By BOB TRIPI, Associated Press

Transfer portal roster churn is no anomaly in the college football world. But the sheer volume of players entering the portal should make this transfer season quite busy for Pat Fitzgerald and the Michigan State football team.

With the addition of Alex VanSumeren and Armorion Smith to its portal departure list, Michigan State now has 40 players who have entered or plan to enter the transfer portal, headlined by contributors like quarterback Aidan Chiles, tight end Michael Masunas, wide receiver Nick Marsh and cornerback Aydan West.

Fitzgerald, unsurprisingly, expected all this when he took the job. As early as his introductory press conference Dec. 2, Fitzgerald made clear that he knew he and his staff would need to go big in the transfer portal. To donors and other stakeholders, he likely discussed it even sooner.

Though he spent the past three seasons out of the college ranks since his 2023 firing after 17 years leading Northwestern, Fitzgerald isn’t oblivious to the changes in the sport. He spent the past three years studying the current landscape of college football, which gives him insight into the rapid change in recent years with tools like the portal, revenue share and NIL reshaping the sport’s conventions.

“I don’t see any dinosaurs walking outside here,” Fitzgerald said Dec. 2, standing inside the Tom Izzo Football Building. “So I’m going to make sure that we’re as fully, nimble, flexible as we can be.”

In conversations with other coaches and his own observations, Fitzgerald came away with some takeaways on the current football landscape. A big one was that a high number of transfers can hurt teams, and the rosters that maintain experience and depth tend to fare better than those that don’t. Against the guidance of that lesson, the current roster churn may leave Fitzgerald no choice.

“That might not be my choice here to start off with,” Fitzgerald said. “You got to double down on the right people, right? You got to double down, and you don’t want to ever have to paint yourself in a corner with the roster. But you also have to be nimble and flexible enough to take the right number of guys by each position to make sure you’ve got the competitive depth.”

In that regard, Fitzgerald faces a challenge. Of 46 Spartans to take at least 100 snaps in the 2025 season, just 10 remain on the roster as of Friday, including a few headliners like quarterback Alessio Milivojevic, defensive tackle Ben Roberts and offensive tackle Rustin Young. That 11 also includes safety Nikai Martinez, who appeared in four games last season as a senior but has a redshirt year to use.

Some of those absences are players seeking better opportunities. Some, like West, are those who want to play for a proven contender. Some players may have been told that the program’s new direction doesn’t include them. Those are common factors in transfer decisions everywhere, let alone a program amid a coaching change.

Many of the players entering the portal are those who have already been through this type of roster turnover, when Jonathan Smith took over Mel Tucker’s program after the latter’s scandalous firing. Smith added 24 transfers in his first season and 21 in his second, through the winter and spring windows. And even then, he struggled to cultivate depth across two seasons in which he went 5-19, 4-14 in Big Ten play. This year, the portal window is condensed into one two-week period, from Friday to Jan. 16, which means Fitzgerald will have to move quickly.

Again, none of this is unexpected. Fitzgerald outlined an early action plan that started with putting together an early signing period class, hiring his staff and then recruiting transfers to fill out the roster. Those first two steps are largely done. Now, he’s got a big shopping list to fulfill in the portal.

“That’s just a reality of college football,” Fitzgerald said. “And if young men decide that this is the right fit for them, then we’re going to evaluate them like I would to make sure that that’s going to happen, and we’ll add those pieces. And if some young men decide that maybe moving on is their best decision, I would support them wholeheartedly — without a doubt.”

Fitzgerald and his staff should have lots of players to look at to fill the roster. There were reportedly more than 1,000 names in the transfer portal within an hour of midnight Friday, and that number is expected to grow as players throw their names in at more reasonable hours of the day.

There are a number of position groups that will need extra attention. Only eight offensive linemen are on the roster right now, granted six played at least a snap and five started at least one game. Only two safeties, Martinez and Aveon Grose, have played more than 100 snaps and the only cornerback to factor into meaningful reps is Chance Rucker. There isn’t a punter on the roster right now — except for quarterback Alessio Milivojevic if Fitzgerald wants to get tricky.

So, expect Michigan State to get busy the next two weeks putting together the bulk of Fitzgerald’s first roster.

MSU transfer portal players

Quarterbacks: Aidan Chiles and Ryland Jessee

Wide receivers: Nick Marsh, Chrishon McCray, Evan Boyd and Shawn Foster

Tight ends: Michael Masunas and Wyatt Hook

Running back: Makhi Frazier

Offensive linemen: Stanton Ramil, Ashton Lepo, Gavin Broscious, Kristian Phillips, Rashawn Rogers, Cole Dellinger, Justin Bell, Payton Stewart, Mercer Luniewski, Cooper Terpstra and Charlton Luniewski

Linebackers: Darius Snow, Semaj Bridgeman, Aisea Moa and Marcellius Pulliam

Defensive linemen: Alex VanSumeren and Jalen Thompson

Edge rushers: David Santiago, Stone Chaney and Tyler Gillison

Defensive backs: Aydan West, Ade Willie, Chance Rucker, Justin Denson Jr., Jeremiah Hughes, George Mullins, Elisha West, Tracy Revels and Armorion Smith

Long snapper: Kaden Schickel

Kicker: Martin Connington

An attempted 3-pointer in the final seconds by Utica Ford was missed, allowing Rochester to send its fans home happy with a 43-32 victory Friday, Jan. 2, 2026 in Rochester Hills.