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.’”

---

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

By NICHOLAS RICCARDI and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, Associated Press

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

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

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

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

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

Rudy Giuliani

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

Mark Meadows

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

Kenneth Chesebro

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

Jenna Ellis

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

John Eastman

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

Jeffrey Clark

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

Sidney Powell

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

By KELVIN CHAN, AP Business Writer

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

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

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

How cars collect data

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

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

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

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

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

Be aware

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

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

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

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

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

Tweak your settings

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

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

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

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

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

You can opt out…

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

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

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

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

… but there will be trade-offs

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

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

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

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

When selling your car

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By GERALD IMRAY, Associated Press

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

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

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

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

Descendants of European settlers

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

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

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

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

Trump claims they’re being ‘killed and slaughtered’

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

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

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

South Africa rejects the claims

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

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

Other pressure on South Africa

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

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

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

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

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

Cade Cunningham made two clutch baskets down the stretch and finished with 26 points, Jalen Duren had 21 points and 16 rebounds, and the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons extended their winning streak to six games with a 111-108 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night.

Tyrese Maxey scored 33 points for Philadelphia, which played without Joel Embiid. Andre Drummond, starting for Embiid, had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the 76ers.

The teams play again on Friday in Detroit.

Embiid did not play in the second game of a back-to-back after scoring 29 points in Philadelphias 130-120 win over Toronto on Saturday night. Embiid has played in six of 10 games as he continues to recover from offseason left knee surgery. He is averaging 19.7 points and 5.5 rebounds in 23.3 minutes.

Detroit led by as many as five points in the fourth quarter but trailed 101-100 with 4:54 remaining after a Maxey 3-pointer.

Cunningham capped a 9-3 Detroit run with a dunk over Drummond and then converted the free throw after being fouled to give the Pistons a 109-104 lead with 1:51 left.

After four straight points from Maxey pulled the 76ers within a point, Cunningham drained a fadeaway jumper from just in front of the free-throw line with 16.9 seconds to play to put Detroit ahead by three. After a 76ers timeout, Maxey managed to get off a last-second 3-pointer that rimmed out.

Maxey, who got M-V-P! M-V-P! chants from the 76ers crowd late in the fourth quarter, is averaging 33.2 points.

Up next

Pistons: Host Washington on Monday night.

76ers: Host Boston on Tuesday night.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

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

Here are all the sights from the game:

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

Dan Campbell calls plays, Lions plaster Commanders with dominant offense

Dan Campbell's Detroit Lions do not lose consecutive games, so as the head coach seemingly took over play-calling Sunday, Jared Goff threw three TD passes and Jahmyr Gibbs found the end zone three times in a bounce-back 44-22 win over the Washington Commanders in front of President Donald Trump.

With Trump watching from a suite after arriving late in the first half making him the first sitting U.S. president at a regular-season NFL game since 1978, and just the third ever the Lions (6-3) scored the first 22 points and never looked back.

The Commanders (3-7), playing without injured quarterback Jayden Daniels and wideout Terry McLaurin, lost their fifth game in a row, one season after going 12-5 in the regular season and beating Detroit in the playoffs en route to the NFC championship game.

Washington moved defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. from the booth down to the sideline for this game, but that did little to fix the club's problems on that side of the ball. As often has been the case this season, the Commanders put up little resistance.

Before exiting in the fourth quarter, Goff was 25 for 33 for 320 yards, no interceptions and touchdown throws to Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown who celebrated with a Trump dance and Jameson Williams.

Gibbs also produced scoring runs of 13 and 43 yards and carried a total of 15 times for 142 yards.

Williams had six catches for 119 yards.

It was more than enough to keep intact a streak that began in Campbell's second season in charge and is the longest active such run in the NFL: The Lions have not lost two regular-season outings in a row since a five-game skid ended in October 2022.

After his club's sloppy performance in last week's 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Campbell apparently decided he needed to exert additional control, particularly with his offense, holding a play sheet and frequently speaking into his headset when Detroit was driving.

Last season's offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, left to become coach of the Chicago Bears and was replaced in Detroit by John Morton.

Washington trailed 32-10 early in the second half Sunday, marking its fourth straight game that was not competitive. Commanders fans headed to the exits early as did Trump, after making an appearance on the game broadcast.

Daniels dislocated his left elbow in Week 9 and sat out his fourth game of the season after not missing any while earning AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

He was replaced by Marcus Mariota, who went 16 for 22 for 213 yards and a pair of touchdowns without receivers McLaurin, Noah Brown or Luke McCaffrey.

Daron Payne ejected

Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne was ejected in the first half for unnecessary roughness.

Injuries

Lions: C Graham Glasgow went to the sideline late in the second quarter with a bad back. ... CB Terrion Arnold left with a concussion.

Commanders: CB Trey Amos left the game in the second quarter after hurting his ankle. ... RB Chris Rodriguez Jr. injured his shoulder. ... LB Ale Kaho got a concussion. ... CB Jonathan Jones departed in the third quarter with a groin injury. ... McLaurin (quadriceps) was sidelined for the sixth time in the past seven games.

Up next

Commanders: Head to Spain to face the Miami Dolphins in Madrid next Sunday.

Lions: At the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday night.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams (1) scores as teammate tight end Ross Dwelley (82) watches during the second half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Photo Metadata (1 of 5) Date Nov 9, 2025 7:25 PM Headline APTOPIX Lions Commanders Football Source FR67404 AP

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

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

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

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

___

By TIM BOOTH and ANDREW DESTIN

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Unusual betting activity prompted investigation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dozens of pro athletes have been charged in gambling sweeps

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

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

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

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

_____

By MICHAEL R. SISAK, Associated Press

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

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

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

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

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

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

Up next

Blackhawks: Host the Devils on Wednesday.

Red Wings: Host Anaheim on Thursday.

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

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

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

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

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

Up next

Blackhawks: Host the Devils on Wednesday.

Red Wings: Host Anaheim on Thursday.

___

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

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Chicago Blackhawks left wing Tyler Bertuzzi, right, celebrates after scoring during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Detroit Red Wings, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Photo Metadata (1 of 5) Date Nov 9, 2025 3:59 PM Headline Blackhawks Red Wings Hockey Source AP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— By BARRY WILNER and ROB MAADDI, Associated Press

Freshman Cam Ward had 18 points and 10 rebounds, Coen Carr scored 15 points and had seven rebounds and No. 22 Michigan State beat No. 14 Arkansas 69-66 on Saturday night in a matchup of Hall of Fame coaches.

The Spartans (2-0) grabbed 19 offensive rebounds and converted them into 18 points, a staple of Tom Izzo's program for 31 seasons.

John Calipari has highly touted freshmen Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas in his second season with the Razorbacks (1-1), as he often did at Kentucky, Memphis and Massachusetts.

Acuff, who is from Detroit, had 16 points on 5 of 16 shooting points and six assists. Thomas, who is from Pittsburgh, scored 16 on 5 of 15 shooting.

Arkansas went on an 8-0 run to pull into a 66-all tie with 1:41 left.

Carson Cooper ended Michigan State's scoring drought with a go-ahead free throw and grabbed a defensive rebound on the ensuing possession. After a scoreless first half with two fouls, the 6-foot-11 senior had nine points in the second half.

Jeremy Fears took advantage of Acuff's inexperience, drawing a foul on a 3-point shot with 43.2 seconds left and making two free throws for a three-point lead.

Thomas missed a 3-pointer with 27 seconds to go and after Michigan State freshman Jordan Scott missed two free throws, Acuff missed a 3-pointer with seven seconds left.

The Razorbacks retained possession and after Izzo called timeout, Trevon Brazile shot an air ball on a 3-pointer.

D.J. Wagner scored eight of his 13 points in the first half, helping Arkansas lead 39-36 in the closely contested game.

Up next

Arkansas: Hosts Central Kansas on Tuesday.

Michigan State: Hosts San Jose State on Thursday.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

Today is Saturday, Nov. 8, the 312th day of 2025. There are 53 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Nov. 8, 2000, a statewide recount began in Florida, which emerged as critical in deciding the winner of the 2000 presidential election between Republican George W. Bush and Democratic Vice President Al Gore. The recount would officially end on Dec. 12 upon orders from the U.S. Supreme Court, delivering Florida’s electoral votes and the presidency to Bush.

Also on this date:

In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln won reelection as he defeated Democratic challenger George B. McClellan.

In 1889, Montana was admitted to the Union as the 41st state.

In 1923, Adolf Hitler launched his first attempt at seizing power in Germany with a failed coup in Munich that came to be known as the “Beer-Hall Putsch.”

In 1942, the Allies launched Operation Torch in World War II as U.S. and British forces landed in French North Africa.

In 1950, during the Korean War, the first air-to-air combat between jet warplanes took place as U.S. Air Force Lt. Russell J. Brown shot down a North Korean MiG-15.

In 1960, John F. Kennedy won the U.S. presidential election over Vice President Richard M. Nixon.

In 1974, a federal judge in Cleveland, citing insufficient evidence, dismissed charges against eight Ohio National Guardsmen accused of violating the civil rights of students killed or wounded in the 1970 Kent State shootings.

In 2012, Jared Lee Loughner was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the January 2011 shootings in Tucson, Arizona, that killed six people and wounded 13 others, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded, slammed into the central Philippines, leaving more than 7,300 people dead or missing, flattening villages and displacing more than 5 million.

In 2016, Republican Donald Trump was elected America’s 45th president, defeating Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton in an astonishing victory for a celebrity businessman and political novice.

In 2018, tens of thousands of people fled a fast-moving wildfire in Northern California that would become the state’s deadliest ever, killing 86 people and nearly destroying the community of Paradise.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Racing Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero Jr. is 83.
• Singer Bonnie Raitt is 76.
• TV personality Mary Hart is 75.
• Actor Alfre Woodard is 73.
• inger-songwriter Rickie Lee Jones is 71.
• Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro is 71.
• Filmmaker Richard Curtis is 69.
• Chef and TV personality Gordon Ramsay is 59.
• Actor Courtney Thorne-Smith is 58.
• Actor Parker Posey is 57.
• Actor Gretchen Mol is 53.
• News anchor David Muir is 52.
• Actor Matthew Rhys is 51.
• Actor Tara Reid is 50.
• TV personality Jack Osbourne is 40.
• Actor Jessica Lowndes is 37.
• Baseball player Giancarlo Stanton is 36.
• R&B singer SZA is 36.

By FATIMA HUSSEIN

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Congressional Budget Office on Thursday confirmed it had been hacked, potentially disclosing important government data to malicious actors.

The small government office, with some 275 employees, provides objective, impartial analysis to support lawmakers during the budget process. It is required to produce a cost estimate for nearly every bill approved by a House or Senate committee and will weigh in earlier when asked to do so by lawmakers.

Caitlin Emma, a spokeswoman for the CBO said in a written statement that the agency “has identified the security incident, has taken immediate action to contain it, and has implemented additional monitoring and new security controls to further protect the agency’s systems going forward.”

The Washington Post first wrote the story on the CBO hack, stating that the intrusion was done by a suspected foreign actor, citing four anonymous people familiar with the situation.

The CBO did not confirm whether the data breach was done by a foreign actor.

“The incident is being investigated and work for the Congress continues,” Emma said. “Like other government agencies and private sector entities, CBO occasionally faces threats to its network and continually monitors to address those threats.”

The CBO manages a variety of massive data sources that relate to a multitude of policy issues — from the Trump administration’s mass deportation plans, to the unprecedented implementation of sweeping tariffs on countries around the world, to massive tax and spending cuts passed into law this summer.

By REBECCA SANTANA, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is speeding up the implementation of new rules that would give the agency tasked with protecting federal government facilities greater authority to charge people for a broader array of offenses on or off those properties.

The changes outlining the powers of the Federal Protective Service, an agency within the Department of Homeland Security, were put forward in early January under the Biden administration and were slated to take effect on Jan. 1 of next year but instead went into effect Wednesday. The administration said the rules were being changed ahead of time so they could address a “recent surge in violence.”

They come as protests have surged against President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda, especially near buildings associated with immigration enforcement, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices or facilities. They also come as the Trump administration is facing lawsuits in both Chicago and Portland against what critics say is the excessive use of force by federal officers against protesters and others or unjustified attempts to bring in federal forces to protect facilities.

Activists and many political leaders have accused Homeland Security of aggressively suppressing peaceful protests and targeting activists trying to hold them accountable. Critics said the new rules could be used to target protesters.

“DHS is using every tool possible to protect the lives of our law enforcement as they face a surge in violence and lawlessness at many of our federal facilities,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a news release announcing the sped-up schedule. The release cited a shooting at a Dallas ICE facility, an incident that killed two detainees.

The new rules empower officers from the Federal Protective Service to make arrests and charge people for actions near the federal property, and they include new rules regulating unauthorized use of drones and tampering with digital networks.

The Homeland Security news release gave some examples of conduct that the Federal Protective Service could now charge someone for, both on federal property and off, including wearing a mask while committing a crime, obstructing access to federal property and tampering with government IT systems like card readers.

Spencer Reynolds, a former intelligence and counterintelligence lawyer at the Department of Homeland Security who’s now with the Brennan Center for Justice, a think tank, said Congress gave the Federal Protective Service the ability to work and carry out arrests off of federal property as necessary. But he’s concerned that the new regulations codifying these powers will be used as a way to target protesters.

“I see this as being guidance to go after peaceful protests where they are happening in the vicinity or even not in the vicinity of federal property,” he said.

In a report last year issued by the Brennan Center, Reynolds said the FPS expanded dramatically after Sept. 11 and that’s led to “overreach under political pressure.”

In Chicago, a federal judge overseeing a case alleging federal agents carrying out an immigration crackdown there are using excessive force against journalists and protesters said Thursday that she’s going to restrict federal agents’ use of force to prevent the “chilling of First Amendment rights.” U.S. District Court Judge Sara Ellis said she didn’t feel federal agents’ use of force was justified and that she didn’t find their “version of events credible.”

In Portland, the Trump administration has argued that protests at the city’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building have gotten so out of control that it justifies sending in National Guard troops to protect federal personnel and property where protests are occurring or likely to occur.

U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut Sunday barred the Trump administration from deploying the National Guard to Portland, Oregon, until at least Friday, saying she “found no credible evidence” that protests in the city grew out of control before the president federalized the troops earlier this fall.

The Federal Protective Service is tasked with protecting federal properties. The agency used to fall under the U.S. General Services Administration, which is responsible for purchasing and managing federal real estate, but when the Department of Homeland Security was created in the aftermath of Sept. 11, the FPS was transferred to Homeland Security.

By COREY WILLIAMS The Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) — City Council President Mary Sheffield will be Detroit’s newest mayor and the first woman to lead the city.

Sheffield defeated popular megachurch pastor the Rev. Solomon Kinloch in Tuesday’s general election.

She will take office in January and succeed three-term Mayor Mike Duggan who announced last year that he would not seek reelection. Duggan is running for Michigan governor as an independent to replace term-limited Democrat Gretchen Whitmer.

Sheffield thanked voters in her victory speech Tuesday night, addressing those who voted for her and those who didn’t.

“I am here to listen to you, to fight for you and to serve you,” she said. “Because, at the end of the day, we all want the same thing, a Detroit that works for everyone.”

Sheffield will inherit a city that continues to improve following Detroit’s 2014 exit from the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. Duggan was elected in 2013 and took office in January 2014. Under his watch, Detroit has dramatically improved city services, including shorter police response times, public lighting and blight elimination.

Detroit has had 12 consecutive years of balanced budgets and the city has been showing historically low violent crime numbers.

Its population also has grown following decades of losses. Earlier this year, the U.S. Census estimated Detroit’s population at 645,705 — a gain of 12,487 residents since a May 2024 estimate, according to the city.

Detroit’s population reached 1.8 million people in the 1950s.

Sheffield and Kinloch, both Democrats, advanced to Tuesday’s election after finishing with the most votes in the city’s nonpartisan August primary.

Sheffield, 38, first was elected to the City Council in 2013 at age 26 and has been council president since 2022.

Sheffieldhas said that focusing on educating Detroit’s children, and continuing to improve public safety and life in the neighborhoods will be among her priorities if elected mayor.

“My commitment, Detroit, is to build on the foundation that has been laid working with Mayor Duggan and our council … by expanding opportunities, strengthening our neighborhoods and making sure that Detroit’s progress reaches every block and every family of this city,” Sheffield said alongside Duggan at a September campaign event.

Duggan endorsed Sheffield.

“Our city’s progress is in very good hands and I know she and her team will make sure it not only continues, but expands,” he said in a statement following her victory.

Kinloch conceded the election in a short speech to his supporters Tuesday night. He reiterated what he said throughout the campaign that all of Detroit has to share in the city’s revival.

“You can’t make all of the investments downtown,” Kinloch said. “It has to reach the whole town.”

Kinloch also said he hopes the campaign shows people they need to stay involved in their city government and repeated his campaign themes of pushing for more action on affordable housing, crime and support for neighborhoods across Detroit.

“This city’s in trouble and we need you to stand up and step up more now than ever before,” he urged supporters.