The Detroit Lions’ offense couldn’t get anything going in their Sunday Night Football matchup, turning the ball over on downs five times in a 16-9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, their fourth loss of the season, dropping them to third in the NFC North standings.

Here are all the sights from the game:

Takeaways as lifeless Lions offense flounders in 16-9 loss to Eagles

Super Bowl champs put clamps on Lions’ offense, Eagles prevail

NEW YORK (AP) — Lucas Raymond scored the tiebreaking goal late in the third period and the Detroit Red Wings beat the New York Rangers 2-1 on Sunday night.

Alex DeBrincat also scored and Cam Talbot had 18 saves as Detroit rebounded from a 5-4 overtime loss to Buffalo at home on Saturday.

Mika Zibanejad scored for the Rangers, who snapped a three-game winning streak and fell to 1-7-1 at home to go along with their league-best 9-1-1 road mark. Jonathan Quick finished with 40 saves.

Raymond scored his fifth of the season with 3:47 remaining as he brought the puck into the offensive zone up the right side, skated around the back of the net and beat Quick from between the circles.

DeBrincat opened the scoring with his ninth on the power play at 9:30 of the second. Raymond and Patrick Kane had assists on the play, with Kane getting his 1,352nd point — one behind Guy Lafleur for 30th place on the all-time scoring list.

Zibanjead tied it with his seventh on the power play with 8:01 remaining in the middle period. Artemi Panarin had an assist on the play, giving him 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in his last six games.

New York, which beat Nashville last Monday for its lone home win, has been shut out five times and scored once in two other losses at Madison Square Garden.

Before the game, the Rangers honored Hall of Fame journalist Larry Brooks, who passed away on Nov. 13 at 75. Brooks primarily covered the Rangers for the New York Post in a career spanning five decades.

Up next

Red Wings: Host Seattle on Tuesday night to start a three-game homestand.

Rangers: At Vegas on Tuesday night to begin a three-game trip.

— By ALLAN KREDA, Associated Press

By JOHN HANNA and JACK DURA The Associated Press

CARBONDALE, Kan. (AP) — Four law enforcement officers were shot Saturday morning while responding to a domestic violence call at a home in a rural area south of Topeka, and a 22-year-old male suspect died of gunshot wounds at the scene.

The suspect’s 77-year-old grandfather also was wounded in the gunfire but he and the law enforcement officers are all expected to recover, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said.

The shooting occurred around 10:30 a.m. Three Osage County sheriff’s deputies and one Kansas Highway Patrol trooper were shot, the KBI’s director and the patrol’s superintendent said.

Two deputies underwent surgery at a Topeka hospital and were in good condition, the KBI said, and the third deputy was discharged. The trooper was transferred from the same hospital to the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas.

“After being on scene less than 10 minutes, gunfire erupted,” patrol Superintendent Erik Smith said during a news conference at the Carbondale City Library.

Carbondale is a town of about 1,300 people about 16 miles south of Topeka, the state capital, off Highway 75.

The shooting stunned neighbors John and Heather Roberts, who live about a mile north of where it occurred on the same two-lane road. They never sensed any problem in any of the family members, such as drugs, alcohol abuse or violence, and they said the suspect’s grandmother gave Christian books to area children she knew.

They said it is not uncommon to see law enforcement vehicles on the road outside their home because they live at the line between Osage County, home to Carbondale, and Shawnee County, home to Topeka, and vehicles turn around there or the counties exchange prisoners.

John Roberts said he was putting siding on his barn when two law enforcement vehicles flew down the road in the morning.

“Both of them were running, I would say, well over 100 miles an hour as they went by,” he said. “Then the city of Topeka officers started going by. That’s when I started to really get concerned.”

He said the suspect visited the shop he has at his home to return tools and was “a good kid.” Roberts added that many families in the area own guns because hunting is a common hobby, and that was the case with this family.

“I love the family. They’re great people,” Heather Roberts said, adding that she and her husband were praying for the wounded officers too.

She said every time the suspect visited their home, he would give her a hug and he was “very respectful.”

“I don’t know what snapped in him today, but his grandparents loved him very much,” she said.

___

Dura reported from Bismarck, North Dakota.

EAST LANSING (AP) — Isaline Alexander scored 20 points off the bench and No. 24 Michigan State thrashed Western Michigan 98-44 on Sunday.

Alexander, a senior whose past two seasons were cut short by injury, was 9-for-9 shooting and made 2 of 5 free throws.

Grace VanSlooten had 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists for Michigan State (4-0). Kennedy Blair delivered 14 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Rashunda Jones scored 13 points.

The Spartans scored the first 18 points of the game and led 31-5 after one quarter. Michigan State dominated the third quarter in similar fashion, outscoring the Broncos 33-7 due in large part to a scoring streak of 21-2.

The Spartans had a huge 39-1 advantage in points after turnovers. Western Michigan turned it over 29 times compared to only four miscues for Michigan State.

De’Ahna Richardson scored 11 points and Kailey Starks 10 for the Broncos (1-3). Ariana Wilkes had 10 rebounds and the Broncos outrebounded the Spartans 43-37.

Michigan State entered the game second in the NCAA and second in the Big Ten in assists per game, averaging 27.3. The Spartans had 28 assists on Sunday.

The Spartans have won 12 in a row in the series after trailing 8-7 in the early days of the in-state matchup.

Up next

Michigan State: Eastern Illinois visits on Thursday.

Western Michigan: The Broncos host Roosevelt on Tuesday.

Mattias Samuelsson scored at 1:05 of overtime as Buffalo rallied from a three-goal deficit to snap a five-game losing streak with a 5-4 win over Detroit on Saturday night.

Tage Thompson had a goal and set up Samuelsson's winner. Josh Doan also had a goal and an assist as the Sabres got their first road win this season. Buffalo had gone 0-5-2 in road games as the only team not to have a road victory

Ryan McLeod scored the tying goal on a short-handed breakaway. Alex Tuch also scored while Colten Ellis made 24 saves.

Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin added an assist. He rejoined the team after a three-game leave of absence. Dahlin spent a week in Sweden visiting his fiancee, who is recuperating from heart transplant surgery.

Alex DeBrincat scored two goals for the second straight game for the Red Wings. He also had two goals and an assist against Anaheim on Thursday.

Dylan Larkin scored his team-high 11th goal and Patrick Kane scored his first goal since Oct. 15. Lucas Raymond added three assists and John Gibson made 22 saves.

The teams scored 29 seconds apart midway through the first period. Kane tapped in a pass from Ben Chiarot but Tuch answered with a backhander after Gibson couldn't corral a loose puck in the crease.

Detroit led 4-2 after two periods. Raymond assisted on all three of the Red Wings' goals during the period. Larkin lifted a shot into the upper left-hand cornet of the net during a four-on-four situation in between DeBrincat's goals. Doan scored late in the period, deflecting Dahlin's shot from the point.

Thompson's goal at 4:25 of the third pulled the Sabres within one. McLeod converted his short-handed goal midway through the period for the tying goal.

Up next

Sabres: Host Edmonton on Monday night.

Red Wings: Visit New York Rangers on Sunday.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Ethan Grunkemeyer threw two touchdown passes to Devonte Ross, Kaytron Allen ran for a career-high 181 yards and two touchdowns and Penn State defeated Michigan State 28-10 on Saturday to snap a six-game losing streak.

Grunkemeyer completed 8 of 13 passes for 127 yards for the Nittany Lions (4-6 overall, 1-6 Big Ten).

Grunkemeyer sealed the win with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Ross with 4:32 left and Allen added his second touchdown on a 26-yard run with 2:07 remaining.

Im just super happy for our kids, said Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith. Im super happy for our program. Im super happy for our fans and our following. We deserved this game. We now know again what it feels like to win, and we just got to build on this with momentum.

Alessio Milivojevic completed 17 of 27 passes for 128 yards for the Spartans (3-7, 0-7) who lost their seventh straight game.

Elijah Tau-Tolliver ran 57 yards for a touchdown on Michigan States first play of the game. Allen tied it on the ensuing Penn State possession with an 8-yard scoring run.

Following a Michigan State field goal, the Nittany Lions went in front 14-10 on Grunkemeyers 75-yard touchdown pass to Ross.

We havent won a game in a little bit, Ross said. So its definitely some relief to finally get that win again. We know what were about. We know what this team is about, so just finally getting that win just showcased that, and we all played amazing today.

Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles did not play as he was on the pregame sidelines wearing a walking boot on his left foot. He started the first eight games of the season but saw his streak of 20 consecutive starts come to an end on Nov. 1 against Minnesota when he was replaced by Milivojevic.

They earned that win beating us, Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith said. They are good on defense. And we did think though, we had to create a couple opportunities situationally to take a shot, and we just did not capitalize a couple of times.

Probation update

The Spartans played their first game since the NCAA placed Michigan States football program on three years of probation for violations that occurred during Mel Tuckers tenure as coach.

In his first comments about the NCAA investigation that's now concluded, Smith said after the game that he did not know about the investigation when he was hired from Oregon State in November 2023. He said it was brought to his attention earlier this year.

The takeaway

Penn State: The Nittany Lions avoided their first seven-game losing streak in the same season since 1931. With a home game against Nebraska and traveling to Rutgers to close the regular season, Penn State's hopes to go to a bowl remain alive.

Michigan State: Porous pass protection and the inability of wide receivers hampered the Spartans' passing game. Michigan State gave up five sacks to Penn State, raising their total sacks given up this season to 35.

We've got to protect him (Milivojevic)," Smith said. "The five guys in front of him, the scheme schematics have to help out once in a while. But you got to pick and choose once in a while to be able to try to push it down the field. And you run that risk (of a QB sack).

Up next

Penn State hosts Nebraska on Saturday.

Michigan State visits Iowa on Saturday.

___

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Dominic Zvada kicked a 31-yard field goal as time expired, Jordan Marshall ran for 142 yards and two touchdowns before exiting with an injury and No. 18 Michigan stayed in the playoff chase by beating Northwestern 24-22 at Wrigley Field on Saturday.

The Wolverines (8-2, 6-1 Big Ten, No. 18 CFP) overcame three late turnovers, including two interceptions by Bryce Underwood, and remained in the running for the College Football Playoff with their fourth straight win. Northwestern (5-5, 3-4) lost its third in a row.

Oh man, how about that one? Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said as he stepped to the podium.

Zvadas boot capped a 50-yard drive and set off a celebration on the field and in the stands, where a large part of the crowd wore maize and blue. He missed earlier from 34 and 60 yards.

Michigan was up 21-9 when the Wildcats Preston Stone plowed in from the 1 two minutes into the fourth quarter.

Michigan then had a third down at its 26 when Braden Turner picked off a pass intended for Deakon Tonielli and returned it to the 6. Caleb Komolafe ran it in on the next play, giving Northwestern a 22-21 lead with 12:05 remaining in the game. The 2-point conversion pass failed.

Michigan then drove to the 30 before Underwood got picked off again, this time by Robert Fitzgerald at the 20. The Wolverines had another opportunity after Northwestern punted, only to give it away again after opting not to go for the field goal. They had a fourth-and-1 at the Wildcats 24 when Bryson Kuzdzal fumbled the handoff and Northwestern recovered.

You appreciate the hard work, you appreciate their fight, their grit to finish, Moore said.

Marshall had another big outing with Justice Haynes missing his second consecutive game because of a right foot injury. After setting career highs with 185 yards rushing and three touchdowns in a narrow win against Purdue two weeks ago, he scored twice from the 1 and set up a TD run by Underwood with a 65-yard dash. He exited with what Moore described as a minor injury after getting tackled on a 24-yard run early in the fourth.

Underwood, coming off shaky performances in wins over Michigan State and Purdue, completed 21 of 32 passes for 280 yards.

Just got a lot of things to work on, to watch back on film, to see (what) we did wrong, Underwood said. But overall, just coming back next week being better, not making the same mistakes.

Freshman Andrew Marsh's 12 receptions and 189 yards were the most by a Michigan freshman since at least 1979. He became the Wolverines' first freshman wide receiver with multiple 100-yard games since Roy Roundtree in 2009.

Marsh kept the winning drive going with a neat grab, hauling in a third-down conversion as he fell out of bounds along the sideline, and the Wolverines beat Northwestern for the 14th time in the past 15 meetings.

It means the world to me just to be able to have a chance, an opportunity to come out here with the team, with the guys I work hard with every week, he said.

Stone was 13 of 27 for 184 yards.

Hunter Welcing had 81 yards receiving, and the Wildcats dropped their 14th straight against Top 25 teams.

None of us want to hear, Hey, good effort, guys. You gave Michigan a run for their money. That was a great effort, coach David Braun said. We came here to win a football game and that was the expectation.

Takeaways

Michigan: The Wolverines remained on course to make the College Football Playoff, no easy task with No. 1 Ohio State visiting on Nov. 29.

Northwestern: The Wildcats have two more opportunities to become bowl-eligible for the second time in coach David Brauns three seasons. They host Minnesota at Wrigley next week before visiting Illinois in the finale.

Up next

Michigan: Visits Maryland on Nov. 22.

Northwestern: Hosts Minnesota at Wrigley Field on Nov. 22.

___

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EAST LANSING (AP) — Ethan Grunkemeyer threw two touchdown passes to Devonte Ross, Kaytron Allen ran for 181 yards and two touchdowns and Penn State defeated Michigan State 28-10 on Saturday to snap a six-game losing streak.

Grunkemeyer completed 8 of 13 passes for 127 yards for the Nittany Lions (4-6 overall, 1-6 Big Ten).

Grunkemeyer sealed the win with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Ross with 4:32 left and Allen added his second touchdown on a 26-yard run with 2:07 remaining.

Alessio Milivojevic completed 17 of 27 passes for 128 yards for the Spartans (3-7, 0-7) who lost their seventh straight game.

Elijah Tau-Tolliver ran 57 yards for a touchdown on Michigan State’s first play of the game. Allen tied it on the ensuing Penn State possession with an 8-yard scoring run.

Following a Michigan State field goal, the Nittany Lions went in front 14-10 on Grunkemeyer’s 75-yard touchdown pass to Ross.

Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles did not play as he was on the pregame sidelines wearing a walking boot on his left foot. He started the first eight games of the season but saw his streak of 20 consecutive starts come to an end on Nov. 1 against Minnesota when he was replaced by Milivojevic.

The Spartans played their first game since the NCAA placed Michigan State’s football program on three years of probation for violations that occurred during Mel Tucker’s tenure as coach.

The takeaway

Penn State: The Nittany Lions avoided their first seven-game losing streak in the same season since 1931. With a home game against Nebraska and traveling to Rutgers to close the regular season, Penn State’s hopes to go to a bowl remain alive.

Michigan State: Porous pass protection and the inability of wide receivers hampered the Spartans’ passing game. Michigan State gave up five sacks to Penn State, raising their total sacks given up this season to 35.

Up next

Penn State hosts Nebraska on Saturday.

Michigan State visits Iowa on Saturday.

— By BOB TRIPI, Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) — Olivia Olson scored 30 points and No. 14 Michigan blasted Hannah Hidalgo and No. 18 Notre Dame 93-54 in the Shamrock Classic on Saturday, the worst loss for the Fighting Irish in more than two decades.

Three days after Hidalgo scored a school record 44 points with an NCAA record 16 steals, the Wolverines led wire-to-wire on the Wayne State campus and limited Hidalgo to 12 points on 4-of-21 shooting with seven turnovers. Hidalgo, who has scored in double figures in each game of her career that spans 71 games, converted a a three-point play with 2:21 to go.

Mila Holloway had 12 points, Syla Swords 11 and Ashley Sofilkanich 10 for Michigan (3-0). Swords had nine rebounds and Brooke Quarles Daniels grabbed 10 as the Wolverines had a 50-28 advantage on the boards, dominating second-chance points 19-5 and points in the paint 50-26.

Cassandre Prosper had 17 points and KK Bransford added 15 for the Fighting Irish (3-1).

Swords knocked down consecutive 3-pointers late in the first quarter to give Michigan a 17-10 lead.

Olson made two layups and Swords and Holloway had three-point plays a half-minute apart to give the Wolverines a 28-15 lead four minutes into the second quarter. They pushed the lead to 19 before going into the break on top 46-29.

Michigan finished it off with a 16-0 run in the fourth quarter. The Wolverines shot 50% and Notre Dame 28%, going 2 of 22 behind the arc.

Up next

Michigan is home on Tuesday against Binghamton and plays No. 1 UConn at the Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase in Uncasville on Friday.

Notre Dame returns to campus to play No. 8 Southern Cal on Friday.

CHICAGO (AP) — Dominic Zvada kicked a 31-yard field goal as time expired, Jordan Marshall ran for 142 yards and two touchdowns before exiting with an injury and No. 18 Michigan stayed in the playoff chase by beating Northwestern 24-22 at Wrigley Field on Saturday.

The Wolverines (8-2, 6-1 Big Ten, No. 18 CFP) overcame three late turnovers, including two interceptions by Bryce Underwood, and remained in the running for the College Football Playoff with their fourth straight win. Northwestern (5-5, 3-4) lost its third in a row.

Zvada’s boot capped a 50-yard drive and set off a celebration on the field and in the stands, where a large part of the crowd wore maize and blue.

Michigan was up 21-9 when the Wildcats’ Preston Stone plowed in from the 1 two minutes into the fourth quarter.

Michigan then had a third down at its 26 when Braden Turner picked off a pass intended for Deakon Tonielli and returned it to the 6. Caleb Komolafe ran it in on the next play, giving Northwestern at 22-21 lead with 12:05 remaining in the game. The 2-point conversion pass failed.

Michigan then drove to the 30 before Underwood got picked off again, this time by Robert Fitzgerald at the 20. The Wolverines had another opportunity after Northwestern punted, only to give it away again after opting not to go for the field goal. They had a fourth-and-1 at the Wildcats’ 24 when Bryson Kuzdzal fumbled the handoff and Northwestern recovered.

Marshall had another big outing with Justice Haynes missing his second consecutive game because of a right foot injury. After setting career highs with 185 yards rushing and three touchdowns in a narrow win against Purdue two weeks ago, he scored from the 1 early in the second quarter to give Michigan a 7-0 lead.

Underwood, coming off shaky performances in wins over Michigan State and Purdue, completed 21 of 32 passes for 280 yards against a defense that began the day ranked 22nd in the nation against the pass. He also ran for a touchdown.

Freshman Andrew Marsh set career highs with 12 receptions for 189 yards, and the Wolverines beat Northwestern for the 14th time in the past 15 meetings.

Stone was 13 of 27 for 184 yards.

Hunter Welcing had 81 yards receiving, and the Wildcats dropped their 14th straight against Top 25 teams.

Northwestern also fell to 0-7 all-time at Wrigley Field. Six of those losses have come since 2010, when college football returned to the famed ballpark after more than a seven-decade absence.

Takeaways

Michigan: The Wildcats remained on course to make the College Football Playoff, no easy task with No. 1 Ohio State visiting on Nov. 29.

Northwestern: The Wildcats have two more opportunities to become bowl-eligible for the second time in coach David Braun’s three seasons. They host Minnesota at Wrigley next week before visiting Illinois in the finale.

Up next

Michigan: Visits Maryland on Nov. 22.

Northwestern: Hosts Minnesota at Wrigley Field on Nov. 22.

— By ANDREW SELIGMAN, Associated Press

By ROB GILLIES and MATTHEW LEE, Associated Press

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, Ontario (AP) — Top diplomats from the Group of Seven industrialized democracies are meeting Ukraine’s foreign minister on Wednesday as Ukraine tries to fend off relentless Russian aerial attacks that have brought rolling blackouts across the country ahead of winter.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will participate in a G7 session on Ukraine and defense cooperation.

Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand is hosting the meeting in southern Ontario as tensions rise between the U.S. and traditional allies like Canada over defense spending, trade and uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan in Gaza and efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he wants to order 25 Patriot air defense systems from the United States. Combined missile and drone strikes on the power grid have coincided with Ukraine’s frantic efforts to hold back a Russian battlefield push aimed at capturing the eastern stronghold of Pokrovsk.

Canada announced additional sanctions on 13 people and 11 entities, including several involved in the development and deployment of Russia’s drone program.

Britain says it will send $17 million to help patch up Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as winter approaches and Russian attacks intensify. The money will go toward repairs to power, heating and water supplies and humanitarian support for Ukrainians.

U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, who made the announcement before the meeting, said Russian President Vladimir Putin “is trying to plunge Ukraine into darkness and the cold as winter approaches” but the British support will help keep the lights and heating on.

Canada recently made a similar announcement.

The two-day meeting in Niagara-on-the-Lake, near the U.S. border, comes after Trump ended trade talks with Canada because the Ontario provincial government ran an anti-tariff advertisement in the U.S. that upset him. That followed a spring of acrimony, since abated, over the Republican president’s insistence that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state.

Anand will have a meeting with Rubio, but she noted that a different minister leads the U.S. trade file. The U.S. president has placed greater priority on addressing his grievances with other nations’ trade policies than on collaboration with G7 allies.

The G7 comprises Canada, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. Anand also invited the foreign ministers of Australia, Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, South Korea, South Africa and Ukraine to the meeting, which began Tuesday.

Putin has tried to justify Russia’s attack on Ukraine by saying it was needed to protect civilians in eastern Ukraine — a false claim the U.S. had predicted he would make as a pretext for his invasion.

By SAFIYAH RIDDLE, Associated Press/Report for America

A federal appeals court will hear arguments Wednesday about whether a spending law passed in July that ended Medicaid reimbursements for Planned Parenthood can remain in effect while legal challenges continue.

President Donald Trump’s tax and spending cut bill targets organizations that both provide abortions and receive more than $800,000 a year in Medicaid reimbursements. Planned Parenthood has argued the law violates the Constitution, while anti-abortion activists applauded the legislation.

The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston ruled that the law could go into effect in September while a lower court considered Planned Parenthood’s claims. A three-judge panel of the appeals court was scheduled to preside over the hearing Wednesday.

In a report released ahead of the hearing, Planned Parenthood said the legislation cost $45 million in September alone as clinics across the country paid for treatment for Medicaid patients out of pocket — a rate that the organization says is unsustainable.

Nearly half of Planned Parenthood’s patients rely on Medicaid for health care aside from abortions, which was already not covered by the federal insurance program that serves millions of low-income and disabled Americans.

Legal fight

Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its member organizations in Massachusetts and Utah, as well as a major medical provider in Maine, filed lawsuits against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in July. The Maine provider has been forced to stop it’s primary care services while its lawsuit works its way through the courts.

In the meantime, seven states — California, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York and Washington — have directed state funds to compensate for lost federal Medicaid reimbursements.

That has covered roughly $200 million of the $700 million that the organization spends annually on Medicaid patients, according to Planned Parenthood.

In light of the shortfall, some clinics will force Medicaid patients to pay out of pocket while others will close altogether, adding to the 20 Planned Parenthood affiliated clinics that have closed since July and the 50 total that have closed since the start of Trump’s second term.

“The consequence is for patients who are going to be forced to make impossible choices between essential services,” Planned Parenthood President and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Abortion at the heart of the debate

Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life Committee, said Trump’s legislation is a step in the right direction. Even though federal tax dollars aren’t used for abortions directly, she said taxpayers are contributing to abortion services even if they are morally or religiously opposed since Medicaid reimbursements help organizations that provide them stay afloat.

“To be forced to pay for that is just very objectionable,” Tobias said.

She suggested Planned Parenthood could stop offering abortions if it wanted to keep providing medical care to vulnerable populations.

Planned Parenthood’s president has doubled down on the organization’s commitment to providing abortions.

“The government should not play a role in determining any pregnancy outcomes,” Johnson said.

A range of services hit

Planned Parenthood is the country’s largest abortion provider, but abortions only constituted 4% of all medical services in 2024, according to the organization’s annual report. Testing for sexually transmitted infections and contraception services make up about 80%. The remaining 15% of services are cancer screenings, primary care services and behavioral health services.

Jenna Tosh, CEO of Planned Parenthood California Central Coast, said in an interview that the Medicaid cuts threaten abortion and non-abortion medical care in equal measure. Roughly 70% of patients who use Planned Parenthood California Central Coast rely on Medicaid, she said.

“Many of our patients, we are their primary provider of health care,” Tosh said. “You really start pulling at the thread of the entire health care safety net for the most vulnerable people.”

The story has been corrected to show that the hearing Wednesday is before a judicial panel of the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals, not before a federal judge.

By KEVIN FREKING, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The longest government shutdown in history could conclude as soon as Wednesday, Day 43, with almost no one happy with the final result.

Democrats didn’t get the heath insurance provisions they demanded added to the spending deal. And Republicans, who control the levers of power in Washington, didn’t escape blame, according to polls and some state and local elections that went poorly for them.

The fallout of the shutdown landed on millions of Americans, including federal workers who went without paychecks and airline passengers who had their trips delayed or canceled. An interruption in nutrition assistance programs contributed to long lines at food banks and added emotional distress going into the holiday season.

The agreement includes bipartisan bills worked out by the Senate Appropriations Committee to fund parts of government — food aid, veterans programs and the legislative branch, among other things. All other funding would be extended until the end of January, giving lawmakers more than two months to finish additional spending bills.

Here’s a look at how the shutdown started and is likely to end:

What led to the shutdown

Democrats made several demands to win their support for a short-term funding bill, but the central one was an extension of an enhanced tax credit that lowers the cost of health coverage obtained through Affordable Care Act marketplaces.

The tax credit was boosted during the COVID-19 pandemic response, again through President Joe Biden’s big energy and health care bill, and it’s set to expire at the end of December. Without it, premiums on average will more than double for millions of Americans. More than 2 million people would lose health insurance coverage altogether next year, the Congressional Budget Office projected.

“Never have American families faced a situation where their health care costs are set to double — double in the blink of an eye,” said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

While Democrats called for negotiations on the matter, Republicans said a funding bill would need to be passed first.

“Republicans are ready to sit down with Democrats just as soon as they stop holding the government hostage to their partisan demands,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said.

Thune eventually promised Democrats a December vote on the tax credit extension to help resolve the standoff, but many Democrats demanded a guaranteed fix, not just a vote that is likely to fail.

Thune’s position was much the same as the one Schumer took back in October 2013, when Republicans unsuccessfully sought to roll back parts of the Affordable Care Act in exchange for funding the government. “Open up all of the government, and then we can have a fruitful discussion,” Schumer said then.

Democratic leaders under pressure

The first year of President Donald Trump’s second term has seen more than 200,000 federal workers leave their job through firings, forced relocations or the Republican administration’s deferred resignation program, according to the Partnership for Public Service. Whole agencies that don’t align with the administration’s priorities have been dismantled. And billions of dollars previously approved by Congress have been frozen or canceled.

Democrats have had to rely on the courts to block some of Trump’s efforts, but they have been unable to do it through legislation. They were also powerless to stop Trump’s big tax cut and immigration crackdown bill that Republicans helped pay for by cutting future spending on safety net programs such as Medicaid and SNAP, formerly known as food stamps.

The Democrats’ struggles to blunt the Trump administration’s priorities has prompted calls for the party’s congressional leadership to take a more forceful response.

Schumer experienced that firsthand after announcing in March that he would support moving ahead with a funding bill for the 2025 budget year. There was a protest at his office, calls from progressives that he be primaried in 2028 and suggestions that the Democratic Party would soon be looking for new leaders.

This time around, Schumer demanded that Republicans negotiate with Democrats to get their votes on a spending bill. The Senate rules, he noted, requires bipartisan support to meet the 60-vote threshold necessary to advance a spending bill.

But those negotiations did not occur, at least not with Schumer. Republicans instead worked with a small group of eight Democrats to tee up a short-term bill to fund the government generally at current levels and accused Schumer of catering to the party’s left flank when he refused to go along.

“The Senate Democrats are afraid that the radicals in their party will say that they caved,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said at one of his many daily press conferences.

The blame game

The political stakes in the shutdown are huge, which is why leaders in both parties have held nearly daily press briefings to shape public opinion.

Roughly 6 in 10 Americans say Trump and Republicans in Congress have “a great deal” or “quite a bit” of responsibility for the shutdown, while 54% say the same about Democrats in Congress, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

At least three-quarters of Americans believe each deserves at least a “moderate” share of blame, underscoring that no one was successfully evading responsibility.

Both parties looked to the Nov. 4 elections in Virginia, New Jersey and elsewhere for signs of how the shutdown was influencing public opinion. Democrats took comfort in their overwhelming successes. Trump called it a “big factor, negative” for Republicans. But it did not change the GOP’s stance on negotiating. Instead, Trump ramped up calls for Republicans to end the filibuster in the Senate, which would pretty much eliminate the need for the majority party to ever negotiate with the minority.

Damage of the shutdown

The Congressional Budget Office says that the negative impact on the economy will be mostly recovered once the shutdown ends, but not entirely. It estimated the permanent economic loss at about $11 billion for a six-week shutdown.

Beyond the numbers, though, the shutdown created a cascade of troubles for many Americans. Federal workers missed paychecks, causing financial and emotional stress. Travelers had their flights delayed and at times canceled. People who rely on safety net programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program saw their benefits stopped, and Americans throughout the country lined up for meals at food banks.

“This dysfunction is damaging enough to our constituents and economy here at home, but it also sends a dangerous message to the watching world,” said Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan. “It demonstrates to our allies that we are an unreliable partner, and it signals to our adversaries that we can’t work together to meet even the most fundamental responsibilities of Congress.”

Today is Wednesday, Nov. 12, the 316th day of 2025. There are 49 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Nov. 12, 1954, Ellis Island officially closed as an immigration station and detention center. More than 12 million immigrants arrived in the United States via Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954.

Also on this date:

In 1927, Josef Stalin became the undisputed ruler of the Soviet Union as Leon Trotsky was expelled from the Communist Party.

In 1936, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge opened as President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressed a telegraph key in Washington, D.C., and gave the green light to traffic.

In 1936, American playwright Eugene O’Neill received the Nobel Prize in Literature.

In 1948, Japanese general and former Prime Minister Hideki Tojo and several other World War II Japanese leaders were sentenced to death by a war crimes tribunal; he was executed in December 1948.

In 1970, the Bhola cyclone struck East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. The deadliest tropical cyclone on record claimed the lives of an estimated 300,000-500,000 people.

In 2001, American Airlines Flight 587, en route to the Dominican Republic, crashed after takeoff from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, killing all 260 people on board and five people on the ground.

In 2019, Venice saw its worst flooding in more than 50 years, with the water reaching 6.14 feet (1.87 meters) above average sea level; damage was estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

In 2021, a judge in Los Angeles ended the conservatorship that had controlled the life and money of pop star Britney Spears for nearly 14 years.

In 2024, a federal judge sentenced Jack Teixeira, a Massachusetts Air National Guard member, to 15 years in prison for leaking classified military documents about the war in Ukraine; Teixeira had pleaded guilty to willful retention and transmission of national defense information under the Espionage Act, nearly a year after his arrest in the most consequential national security breach in years.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Actor-playwright Wallace Shawn is 82.
• Rock musician Booker T. Jones is 81.
• Sportscaster Al Michaels is 81.
• Singer-songwriter Neil Young is 80.
• Author Tracy Kidder is 80.
• Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island is 76.
• Actor Megan Mullally is 67.
• Olympic gold medal gymnast Nadia Comăneci is 64.
• Olympic gold medal swimmer Jason Lezak is 50.
• Pakistani filmmaker and journalist Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is 47.
• Actor Ryan Gosling is 45.
• Actor Anne Hathaway is 43.
• Golfer Jason Day is 38.
• NBA point guard Russell Westbrook is 37.

By LISA MASCARO, AP Congressional Correspondent

WASHINGTON (AP) — After refusing to convene the U.S. House during the government shutdown, Speaker Mike Johnson is recalling lawmakers back into session — and facing an avalanche of pent-up legislative demands from those who have largely been sidelined from governing.

Hundreds of representatives are preparing to return Wednesday to Washington after a nearly eight-week absence, carrying a torrent of ideas, proposals and frustrations over work that has stalled when the Republican speaker shuttered the House doors nearly two months ago.

First will be a vote to reopen the government. But that’s just the start. With efforts to release the Jeffrey Epstein files and the swearing in of Arizona’s Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, the unfinished business will pose a fresh test to Johnson’s grip on power and put a renewed focus on his leadership.

“It’s extraordinary,” said Matthew Green, a professor at the politics department at The Catholic University of America.

“What Speaker Johnson and Republicans are doing, you have to go back decades to find an example where the House — either chamber — decided not to meet.”

Gaveling in after two months gone

When the House gavels back into session, it will close this remarkable chapter of Johnson’s tenure when he showed himself to be a leader who is quietly, but brazenly, willing to upend institutional norms in pursuit of his broader strategy, even at the risk of diminishing the House itself.

Rather than use the immense powers of the speaker’s office to forcefully steer the debate in Congress, as a coequal branch of the government on par with the executive and the courts, Johnson simply closed up shop — allowing the House to become unusually deferential, particularly to President Donald Trump.

Over these past weeks, the chamber has sidestepped its basic responsibilities, from passing routine legislation to conducting oversight. The silencing of the speaker’s gavel has been both unusual and surprising in a system of government where the founders envisioned the branches would vigorously protect their institutional prerogatives.

“You can see it is pretty empty around here,” Johnson, R-La., said on day three of the shutdown, tour groups no longer crowding the halls.

“When Congress decides to turn off the lights, it shifts the authority to the executive branch. That is how it works,” he said, blaming Democrats, with their fight over health care funds, for the closures.

An empty House as a political strategy

The speaker has defended his decision to shutter the House during what’s now the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. He argued that the chamber, under the GOP majority, had already done its job passing a stopgap funding bill in September. It would be up to the Senate to act, he said.

When the Senate failed over and over to advance the House bill, more than a dozen times, he refused to enter talks with the other leaders on a compromise. Johnson also encouraged Trump to cancel an initial sit-down with the Democratic leaders Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries to avoid a broader negotiation while the government was still closed.

Instead, the speaker, whose job is outlined in the Constitution, second in line of succession to the presidency, held held almost daily press conferences on his side of the Capitol, a weekly conference call with GOP lawmakers, and private talks with Trump. He joined the president for Sunday’s NFL Washington Commanders game as the Senate was slogging through a weekend session.

“People say, why aren’t you negotiating with Schumer and Jeffries? I quite literally have nothing to negotiate,” Johnson said at one point.

“As I’ve said time and time again, I don’t have anything to negotiate with,” he said on day 13 of the shutdown. “We did our job. We had that vote.”

And besides he said of the GOP lawmakers, “They are doing some of their best work in the district, helping their constituents navigate this crisis.”

Accidental speaker delivers for Trump

In many ways, Johnson has become a surprisingly effective leader, an accidental speaker who was elected to the job by his colleagues after all others failed to win it. He has now lasted more than two years, longer than many once envisioned.

This year, with Trump’s return to the White House, the speaker has commandeered his slim GOP majority and passed legislation including the president’s so-called “one big beautiful bill” of tax breaks and spending reductions that became law this summer.

Johnson’s shutdown strategy also largely achieved his goal, forcing Senate Democrats to break ranks and approve the funds to reopen government without the extension of health care subsidies they were demanding to help ease the sticker shock of rising insurance premium costs with the Affordable Care Act.

Johnson’s approach is seen as one that manages up — he stays close to Trump and says they speak often — and also hammers down, imposing a rigid control over the day-to-day schedule of the House, and its lawmakers.

Amassing quiet power

Under a House rules change this year, Johnson was able to keep the chamber shuttered indefinitely on his own, without the usual required vote. This year his leadership team has allowed fewer opportunities for amendments on legislation, according to a recent tally. Other changes have curtailed the House’s ability to provide a robust check on the executive branch over Trump’s tariffs and use of war powers.

Johnson’s refusal to swear-in Grijalva is a remarkable flex of the speaker’s power, leading to comparisons with Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell’s decision not to consider President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, said David Rapallo, an associate professor and director of the Federal Legislation Clinic at Georgetown University Law Center. Arizona has sued to seat her.

Marc Short, who headed up the White House’s legislative affairs office during the first Trump administration, said of Johnson, “It’s impressive how he’s held the conference together.”

But said Short, “The legislative branch has abdicated a lot of responsibility to the executive under his watch.”

Tough decisions ahead for the Speaker

As lawmakers make their way back to Washington, the speaker’s power will be tested again as they consider the package to reopen government.

Republicans are certain to have complaints about the bill, which funds much of the federal government through Jan. 30 and keeps certain programs including agriculture, military construction and veterans affairs running through September.

But with House Democratic leaders rejecting the package for having failed to address the health care subsidies, it will be up to Johnson to muscle it through with mostly GOP lawmakers — with hardly any room for defections in the chamber that’s narrowly split.

Jeffries, who has criticized House Republicans for what he called an extended vacation, said, “They’re not going to be able to hide this week when they return.”

By GLENN GAMBOA, AP Business Writer

NASHVILLE (AP) — Richard Casper shakes his head as he touches one of the boarded-up windows in the once-abandoned church he plans to transform into a new 24-hour arts center for veterans.

The U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Purple Heart recipient said he was an arm’s length away from military officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, at Marine Barracks Washington when he learned the former church his nonprofit CreatiVets just purchased had been vandalized.

The physical damage to the building and its stained glass windows saddened Casper. But what worried him more was that the church had remained empty since 2017 without damage. That vandalism came just weeks after CreatiVets bought it, suggesting that maybe he and the veterans in his program were not welcome.

“I almost just left,” Casper said. “It put me in a weird headspace.”

However, Casper, 40, a CNN Heroes winner and Elevate Prize winner, needed more support for the center — “a place to go when the PTSD hits.” Like so many veterans, he said his PTSD, caused by seeing a close friend die on patrol in Iraq, would generally come in the middle of the night, when the only places open are bars and other spaces that can be ”destructive.”

He figured a 24-hour center where veterans could engage in music, painting, sculpture, theater and other arts could help. It could “turn all that pain into something beautiful.” The artistic element factored in when Casper, who suffered a traumatic brain injury while serving in Iraq, returned home and found it hard to be in public — unless he was listening to live music.

So he completed his mission that night in Washington, introducing new people to CreatiVets’ work. Then, Casper returned to Nashville to practice what he has preached to hundreds of veterans since his nonprofit opened in 2013. He asked for help.

And help came.

Within weeks, CreatiVets’ Art Director Tim Brown was teaching a roomful of volunteers how to create stained glass pieces to replace those that were vandalized. Brown said the volunteers wanted to give back to the organization, “but also because of the impact that these activities have had on them.”

Gary Sinise believes in art’s impact

Gary Sinise values that impact. The actor, musician and philanthropist had already signed on to donate $1 million through his foundation to help CreatiVets purchase the building. Sinise’s involvement encouraged two other donors to help finalize the purchase.

The “CSI: NY” star said he believed in CreatiVets’ work and had already seen a similar program in his hometown of Chicago help veterans process their wartime experiences.

“In the military, you’re trained to do serious work to protect our country, right?” Sinise said. “If you’re in the infantry, you’re being trained to kill. You’re being trained to contain any emotion and be strong.”

Those skills are important when fighting the enemy, but they also take a toll, especially when veterans aren’t taught how to discuss their feelings once the war is over.

“Quite often, our veterans don’t want any help,” Sinise said. “But through art – and with theater as well – acting out what they are going through can be very, very beneficial.”

David Booth says he is living proof of how CreatiVets can help. And the retired master sergeant, who served 20 years in the U.S. Army as a medic and a counterintelligence agent, wishes he participated in the program sooner.

“For me, this was more important than the last year and a half of counseling that I’ve gone through,” said Booth. “It has been so therapeutic.”

After years of being asked, Booth, 53, finally joined CreatiVets’ songwriting program in September. He traveled from his home in The Villages, Florida, to the historic Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, to meet with two successful songwriters – Brian White, who co-wrote Jason Aldean’s “Blame It on You,” and Craig Campbell, of “Outskirts of Heaven” fame – to help him write a song about his life.

Booth told them about his service, including his injury in Iraq in 2006 when the vehicle he was in struck an improvised explosive device and detonated it.

He suffered a traumatic brain injury in the explosion, and it took months of rehab before he could walk again. His entire cervical spine is fused. He still gets epidurals to relieve the nerve pain. And he still suffers from nightmares and PTSD.

In Iraq, Booth’s unit was once surrounded by kids because American soldiers used to give them Jolly Rancher candies. Snipers shot the children in hopes the soldiers would become easier targets when they tried to help.

“Things like that stick in my head,” Booth said. “How do you get them out?”

He also told them about his desire for a positive message and Combat Veterans to Careers, the veteran support nonprofit he founded. Those experiences became the song “What’s Next.”

Booth hopes “What’s Next” becomes available on music streaming services so others can hear his story. CreatiVets has released compilations of its veterans’ songs since 2020 in cooperation with Big Machine Label Group, Taylor Swift’s first record label. This year’s collection was released Friday.

“It’s almost like they could feel what I was feeling and put it into the lyrics,” said Booth, after hearing the finished version. “It was pretty surreal and pretty awesome.”

Why Lt. Dan from ‘Forrest Gump’ launched a nonprofit

Sinise has seen the unexpected impact of art throughout his career. His Oscar-nominated role as wounded Vietnam veteran Lt. Dan Taylor in “Forrest Gump” in 1994 deepened his connection to veterans. His music with the Lt. Dan Band expanded it. In 2011, he launched the Gary Sinise Foundation to broadly serve veterans, first responders and their families.

“I think citizens have a responsibility to take care of their defenders,” he said. “There are opportunities out there for all of us to do that and one of the ways to do it is through multiple nonprofits that are out there.”

Sinise immediately connected with CreatiVets’ mission. When the idea came to dedicate the performance space at the new center to his late son Mac, who died last year after a long battle with cancer, Sinise saw it as “a perfect synergy.”

“Mac was a great artist,” he said. “And he was a humble, kind of quiet, creative force… If Mac would have survived and not gone through what he went through, he’d be one of our young leaders here at the foundation. He would be composing music and he’d be helping veterans.”

Mac Sinise is still helping veterans, as proceeds of his album “Resurrection & Revival” and its sequel completed after his death, are going to the Gary Sinise Foundation. And Gary Sinise said he discovered more compositions from his son that he plans to record later this year for a third album.

After the new center was vandalized, Casper said he was heartbroken, but also inspired knowing part of the center was destined to become the Mac Sinise Auditorium. He decided to take pieces of the broken stained glass windows and transform them into new artwork inspired by Mac Sinise’s music.

“I told you we’re going to go above and beyond to make sure everyone knows Mac lived,” Casper told Sinise as he handed him stained glass panes inspired by Mac Sinise’s songs “Arctic Circles” and “Penguin Dance,” “not that he died, but that he lived.”

Sinise fought back tears as he said, “My gosh, that’s beautiful.”

As he examined the pieces more closely, Sinise added, “I’m honored that we’re going to have this place over there and that Mac is going to be supporting Richard and helping veterans.”

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

By CHEYANNE MUMPHREY, Associated Press

After carefully choosing the freshest produce at the market, people face even more choices with vegetables, fruit, meat and dairy products at home that can help prolong freshness, minimize waste and prevent foodborne illnesses.

There are several methods to store and preserve food, such as canning and pickling produce, freezing leftover ingredients and storing food in the refrigerator. Although refrigeration is effective and most households have the appliance, experts say it is safe to say most families simply set it and forget it.

“Storing perishable items in refrigerated conditions is the first step, but it is necessary to stay aware of how long certain foods have been prepared, exposed to the air, and stored. Refrigerated items are still able to develop mold and dangerous microorganisms like listeria, Salmonella, and E. coli, so consumers must stay alert and take necessary precautions,” said Emily Hilliard, press secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

This is especially important during the holiday season, when people buy more and expect meals to last. Planning recipes, buying less and being creative with extras and leftovers can help reduce food waste, said Diane Beckles, professor at the University of California, Davis, who studies the quality of fruits and vegetables. She said these steps can also help stretch shopper’s budgets, especially with inflation on the rise and federal food aid under threat as the government shutdown continues.

Preparing your groceries for refrigeration

Experts say proper food storage starts before groceries even reach a refrigerator. Buy products before their expiration or “sell by” dates — which tell stores how long to display their products, and are not safety dates. Follow handling instructions and place foods in the refrigerator within two hours of being at room temperature. Other tips include keeping appliances clean by wiping spills, especially from thawing meat, and discarding spoiled food. The Department of Energy recommends keeping refrigerator temperatures between 35-38 degrees Fahrenheit (1.7-3.3 degrees Celsius).

Social media offers seemingly endless tips to make food last longer, such as cleaning fruits before refrigerating and storing everything in plastic or glass containers. But experts say there isn’t just one right way to properly store many foods.

It comes down to understanding temperature and relative humidity when storing produce, said Wyatt Brown, emeritus professor at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. After that, “it becomes more refined” and includes considerations like storage space, timing of meals and personal preference.

For Beckles, the most important thing is to eat more fruits and vegetables — not worrying so much about how they are stored. “I recommend not storing tomatoes in the fridge, but there are people who feel better doing so,” she said. “It’s not going to taste as good, but if they eat them and get the nutrients, who cares.”

Fruits and vegetables

Most produce, including fruits, vegetables, leafy greens and herbs, is alive. Experts say refrigerating produce can slow spoilage, if done correctly. Brown, who studied post-harvest technology and taught for 31 years, said refrigeration can also maintain nutrition and extend shelf life.

Experts recommend using your fridge’s crisper drawers to separate fruits and vegetables and control humidity. Keep berries dry and wash them just before eating. Refrigerate broccoli, carrots, and green beans, and store leafy greens in plastic or paper bags to prevent wilting.

Some produce, like tomatoes, pears and apples, emit ethylene gas as it spoils causing the surrounding fruits and vegetables to ripen more quickly, so experts say to get rid of rotting food to keep other items fresh. Onions, garlic, apples, nectarines, citrus fruits and squash can all be left on the countertop.

Brown said to consider storing onions and potatoes outside of the refrigerator to limit roots sprouting from the bulbs. “If you store potatoes in the refrigerator for a long time, the starch will break down into sugar, and the Maillard reaction could cause the sugars to produce dark pigments when cooked,” he said, explaining the reaction causes dark patches on cooked potatoes.

Proteins, including meats, eggs and beans

Uncooked meat should remain chilled and not left at room temperature for more than two hours, or one hour if above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius), federal health agencies say. Avoid thawing meats on the counter, and marinate in the refrigerator, experts say. When placed in the refrigerator, meats should be stored at the bottom to prevent cross-contamination from drips or spills.

Food safety guides from the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service suggest storing eggs on the middle or back shelves rather than the door, where the temperature is warmer. Avoid washing eggs because it removes their natural protective outer layer called the bloom. Unwashed farm-fresh eggs can be stored at room temperature, but refrigeration extends their shelf life.

Dairy products, milk and cheeses

Milk, yogurt and cheeses should all be refrigerated. Experts say yogurt is a ready-to-eat product that can be stored on the top shelves in refrigerators. On the other hand, cheeses should not be stored on top shelves or the door where air circulation could dry them out. Experts say soy, coconut and nut milks should also be refrigerated but, depending on the carton, can be stored at room temperature until opened.

Breads, grains and rice

The FDA advises against refrigerating bread, as it can dry out and become stale. However, refrigeration slows mold growth in humid climates, and freezing preserves quality for up to six months. Non-perishable foods like rice, pasta, and flour can be stored at room temperature.

Other

Ready-to-eat meals and leftovers can be stored on the top shelves for quick and convenient access, while dressings, condiments and non-dairy drinks can be kept in the door where it is warmer. The USDA says leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or frozen for 3 to 4 months. Alcohol storage depends on the type, whether it’s opened, and if it contains dairy or fruit. Opened wine should be refrigerated on its side to slow oxidation and keep the cork moist.

Mumphrey reported from Flagstaff, Arizona.

By JAMIE DUCHARME, Associated Press

You won’t find dumbbells or weight machines in the gym Sean Keogh runs. At Calisthenics Club Houston, it’s all about training with body weight.

“That’s all we do,” Keogh said — but that’s enough to keep new members coming through the doors, excited to learn moves like handstands and pullups.

Keogh and his members have plenty of company. These days, content creators, independent gyms and megachains alike are promoting calisthenics, an age-old form of fitness that uses little or no equipment and instead relies on body weight for resistance.

In July, President Donald Trump even reestablished the Presidential Fitness Test, intending that youth across the country will again practice old-school exercises like situps, pushups and pullups.

It’s little surprise that these no-frills moves are making a comeback in our over-scheduled society, said Anatolia Vick-Kregel, director of the Lifetime Physical Activity Program at Rice University. “We don’t always have time to go to the gym,” she said. “This is what you can do at home or in your office.”

Another reason might be economic, said Michael Stack, an exercise physiologist and president of the Physical Activity Alliance, a coalition of groups that promote physical activity. With no equipment required, calisthenics-based programs are affordable for exercisers and profitable for gyms that offer them. Plus, people may have gotten used to exercising with few accoutrements during the pandemic.

“This trend has been building,” Stack said. “The pandemic definitely accelerated it.”

How effective are calisthenics?

There’s plenty of research to suggest that calisthenics can improve everything from muscle strength to aerobic conditioning, Vick-Kregel said.

“Body weight is phenomenal,” she said.

But there are limits to its effects, said John Raglin, a professor of kinesiology at the Indiana University School of Public Health, Bloomington. “It can be effective,” Raglin said. “But I think the idea that it can or should replace the use of even simple equipment is wrong-headed.”

Sometimes, Raglin said, using equipment can actually make exercises simpler or safer to perform. Many people, for example, do pushups with improper form.

“If you’re not strong enough or you have joint issues or arthritis, then lying on a bench and using small hand weights can actually be safer and more practical,” he said.

It all depends what your goal is

Beyond safety, people looking to significantly increase their strength or muscle size will likely see more dramatic results if they use weights, Raglin said. Doing so “utilizes more of your muscle and generates more force than you could otherwise,” he explained.

Lifting weights also damages muscle tissue in a way that can be productive, as muscles grow larger through the body’s repair process. Over time, though, it may take larger amounts of weight to keep seeing gains. Progress plateaus as the body gets used to exercises it’s done before.

It’s not impossible to grow muscle through calisthenics, Vick-Kregel said; it’s just harder to continuously level up exercises for sustained progress without increasing external weight.

“After you’ve done a couple workouts of squatting with your body weight, your body’s going to need external load to get stronger or to build muscle tissue,” Stack agreed.

In other words, if you’re after bulging biceps, you may need more than calisthenics to get there. But if you’re just looking to get moving and improve your health, your body is probably enough.

Particularly for the roughly 75% of Americans who aren’t meeting federal physical activity guidelines — which call for at least 75 minutes of vigorous or 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week, plus two strength-training sessions — calisthenics are a great option, Stack said.

“Body weight is the simplest apparatus you can use,” Stack said. “I would encourage anyone who’s not exercising to start exercising with just their body.”

How to begin a calisthenics routine

First, assess your current fitness and mobility, Vick-Kregel said. With the help of a mirror, workout buddy or trainer, see if you can do exercises like planks, pushups and squats with correct form. If not, look for modifications, such as doing pushups from your knees.

Once you feel confident with the fundamentals, aim to perform calisthenics in 10- to 30-minute chunks, two to three times a week, she suggested. (For a little more structure, you can consult the The Five Basic Exercises Plan, or 5BX, a classic calisthenics program developed by the Royal Canadian Air Force in the 1950s.)

Progressively increase the duration and intensity of your workouts as you get fitter. “Gradual progression is critical,” Vick-Kregel emphasized.

As you get more experienced, though, calisthenics can be performed at high intensity. Keogh maintains that these exercises are not just for beginners. There are plenty of ways to increase the difficulty of body-weight exercises over time, making them both highly challenging and effective, he said.

For doubters, Keogh has a blunt message: “Try it.”

By GLENN GAMBOA, Associated Press Business Writer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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