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In a dramatic Champions League encounter, Benfica twice came from behind to end AS Monaco's unbeaten run. The Portuguese side secured a 3-2 win on Wednesday, aided by late headers and a critical red card for Monaco's Wilfried Singo. Monaco's Eliesse Ben Seghir opened the scoring in the 13th minute, following an impressive counter-attack. However, Benfica responded with intensity. Angel Di Maria almost leveled the game in the first half, but missed opportunities allowed Monaco to maintain their lead until Vangelis Pavlidis capitalized on a defensive error. Despite Monaco's second goal from substitute Soungoutou Magassa, Benfica surged back with two late headers from Arthur Cabral and Zeki Amdouni. This victory pushed Benfica to 14th in the standings while Monaco dropped to eighth place, marking a significant shift in their campaigns. (With inputs from agencies.)Why Daniel Jones signing with the Vikings makes a world of sense for both sides

1 2 Kolkata: To help students avoid missing classes due to various reasons, several city schools are encouraging them to continue their education with live online classrooms . They are introducing apps for submitting classwork and taking online tests as well. South City International School is allowing children to attend live classes if they are not in the city or country, or if there is an emergency. Principal Satabdi Bhattacharjee said, "Earlier, if children had emergencies, including health and family-related matters, they had no other option choice but to miss classes. So, we decided to provide online support that allows them to attend classes along with other students. They can communicate during classes, ask questions to the teachers, and experience the classroom atmosphere while away from the school." From this year, South City International has introduced online admission tests for different classes. Conducting exams, interactions, and publishing results are all done online. "There are many students from outside the city who wanted to take exams but could not because they were unable to attend physically. So, we made it more flexible through our online platform, and several students from outside Bengal were able to participate," Bhattacharjee said. There are several other schools in and around the city are using digital platforms if a child misses classes. Ashok Hall Girls' Higher Secondary School, GD Birla Centre for Education, and Mahadevi Birla Shishu Vihar have introduced mobile applications to provide class assignments, homework, performance updates, and real-time attendance updates. GD Birla Centre for Education principal Craig Lucas said, "The new website is designed to be more informative, illustrative, and interactive, while our ERP will facilitate better communication, accurate information, and a closer connection between our parents and the school team of teachers and leaders. The changing times demand that we reimagine, reinvent, and redefine the way we transact education. Students will get all the class updates even if they are not in the classroom and will receive details of homework even if they miss attending classes for some reason. Everything will be uploaded immediately after classes are over. Parents can monitor their wards while they are in school through technological support." Ashok Hall Higher Secondary School's principal Atreyee Sengupta emphasised that these tools enhance collaboration and streamline communication for a brighter future.None

Stocks wavered in afternoon trading, as losses for several Big Tech companies offset gains elsewhere in the market. The S&P 500 fell 0.5 per cent, even though more stocks were rising than falling in the index. The Dow Jones fell 78 points, or 0.2 per cent. Both indexes set records on Tuesday. The Nasdaq composite fell 1.1 per cent. Wall Street’s tech giants retreated on Wednesday. Credit: AP The Australian sharemarket is set to inch up, with futures at 4.56am AEDT pointing to a rise of 14 points, or 0.1 per cent, at the open. The ASX added 0.6 per cent on Wednesday. Losses for tech heavyweights helped pull the broader market lower. Semiconductor giant Nvidia slipped 3.3 per cent. Its huge value gives it outsized influence on market indexes. Microsoft fell 1.1 per cent. Several personal computer makers added to Big Tech’s heavy weight on the market following their latest earnings reports. HP sank 12.6 per cent after giving investors a weaker-than-expected earnings forecast for its current quarter. Dell slumped 12.1 per cent after its latest quarterly revenue fell short of Wall Street forecasts. Gains for financial and health care companies helped counter Big Tech’s downward pull. The US economy expanded at a healthy 2.8 per cent annual pace from July through September, according to the Commerce Department, leaving its original estimate of third-quarter growth unchanged. The growth was driven by strong consumer spending and a surge in exports. The update follows a report on Tuesday from the Conference Board that said confidence among US consumers improved in November, but not by as much as economists expected. Consumers have been driving economic growth, but the latest round of earnings reports from retailers shows a mixed and more cautious picture. Department store operator Nordstrom fell 10.3 per cent after warning investors about a trend toward weakening sales that started in late October. Clothing retailer Urban Outfitters jumped 15.9 per cent after beating analysts’ third-quarter financial forecasts. Weeks earlier, retail giant Target gave investors a discouraging forecast for the holiday season, while Walmart provided a more encouraging forecast. Consumers, though resilient, are still facing pressure from inflation. The latest update from the US government shows that inflation accelerated last month. The personal consumption expenditures index, or PCE, rose to 2.3 per cent in October from 2.1 per cent in September. Overall, the rate of inflation has been falling broadly since it peaked more than two years ago. The PCE, which is the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation, was just below 7.3 per cent in June of 2022. Another measure of inflation, the consumer price index, peaked at 9.1 per cent at the same time. The latest inflation data, though, is a sign that the rate of inflation seems to be stalling as it falls to within range of the Fed’s target of 2 per cent. The central bank started raising its benchmark interest rate from near-zero in early 2022 to a two-decade high by the middle of 2023 and held it there in order to tame inflation. The Fed started cutting its benchmark interest rate in September, followed by a second cut in November. Wall Street expects a similar quarter-point cut at the central bank’s upcoming meeting in December. “Today’s data shouldn’t change views of the likely path for disinflation, however bumpy,” said David Alcaly, lead macroeconomic strategist at Lazard Asset Management. “But a lot of observers, probably including some at the Fed, are looking for reasons to get more hawkish on the outlook given the potential for inflationary policy change like new tariffs.” President-elect Donald Trump has said he plans to impose sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China when he takes office in January. That could shock the economy by raising prices on a wide range of goods and accelerating the rate of inflation. Such a shift could prompt the Fed to rethink future cuts to interest rates. Treasury yields slipped in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.24 per cent from 4.30 per cent late Tuesday. The yield on the two-year Treasury, which more closely follows expected actions by the Fed, fell to 4.21 per cent from 4.25 per cent late Tuesday. US markets will be closed Thursday for Thanksgiving. AP The Market Recap newsletter is a wrap of the day’s trading. Get it each we e kday afternoon .

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NoneUNITY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — The team looking for a missing Pennsylvania woman believed to have fallen into a sinkhole has determined that an abandoned coal mine is too unstable for people to safely search underground, authorities said Wednesday while still expressing hope Elizabeth Pollard will be found alive. Rescue workers continue to search for Elizabeth Pollard, who is believed to have disappeared in a sinkhole while looking for her cat, Wednesday in Marguerite, Pa. Gene J. Puskar, Associated Press Emergency crews and others have been trying to find Pollard, 64, for two days. Her relatives reported her missing early Tuesday and her vehicle with her unharmed 5-year-old granddaughter inside was found about two hours later, near what is thought to be a freshly opened sinkhole above the long closed, crumbling mine. Authorities said in a noon update that the roof of the mine collapsed in several places and is not stable. The sinkhole is in the village of Marguerite, about 40 miles east of Pittsburgh. “We did get, you know, where we wanted, where we thought that she was at. We’ve been to that spot," said Pleasant Unity Fire Chief John Bacha, the incident's operations officer. “What happened at that point, I don’t know, maybe the slurry of mud pushed her one direction. There were several different seams of that mine, shafts that all came together where this happened at.” Trooper Cliff Greenfield said crews were still actively searching for Pollard. “We are hopeful that she’s found alive,” Greenfield said. Searchers were using electronic devices and cameras as surface digging continued with the use of heavy equipment, Bacha said. Search dogs may also be used. Rescue workers search through the night in a sinkhole for Elizabeth Pollard, who disappeared while looking for her cat, Tuesday in Marguerite, Pa. Gene J. Puskar, Associated Press On Wednesday afternoon, machinery was removing material from the area around the hole while police and other government vehicles blocked a clear view of the scene. Sinkholes occur in the area because of subsidence from coal mining activity. Rescuers had been using water to break down and remove clay and dirt from the mine, which has been closed since the 1950s, but that increased the risk “for potential other mine subsidence to take place," Pennsylvania State Police spokesperson Trooper Steve Limani said. Crews lowered a pole camera with a sensitive listening device into the hole, but it detected nothing. Another camera lowered into the hole showed what could be a shoe about 30 feet below the surface, Limani said. Searchers have also deployed drones and thermal imaging equipment, to no avail. Marguerite Fire Chief Scot Graham, the incident commander, said access to the immediate area surrounding the hole was being tightly controlled and monitored, with rescuers attached by harness. The top of a sinkhole is seen Tuesday in the village of Marguerite, Pa., where rescuers searched for a woman who disappeared. Pennsylvania State Police “We cannot judge as to what’s going on underneath us. Again, you had a small hole on top but as soon as you stuck a camera down through to look, you had this big void,” Graham said. “And it was all different depths. The process is long, is tedious. We have to make sure that we are keeping safety in the forefront as well as the rescue effort.” Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts Bacha said they were “hoping that there’s a void that she could still be in.” Pollard's family called police at about 1 a.m. Tuesday to say she had not been seen since going out at about 5 p.m. Monday to search for Pepper, her cat. The temperature dropped well below freezing that night. Her son, Axel Hayes, said Pollard is a happy woman who likes going out to have fun. She and her husband adopted Hayes and his twin brother when they were infants. Hayes called Pollard “a great person overall, a great mother” who “never really did anybody wrong.” He said at one point Pollard had about 10 cats. “Every cat that she’s ever come in contact with, she has a close bond with them,” Hayes said. His mother worked for many years at Walmart but recently was not employed, he said. “I’m just hoping right now that she’s still with us and she’s able to come back to us,” he said. Police said they found Pollard's car parked behind Monday's Union Restaurant in Marguerite, about 20 feet from the sinkhole. Hunters and restaurant workers in the area said they had not noticed the manhole-size opening in the hours before Pollard disappeared, leading rescuers to speculate that the sinkhole was new. “It almost feels like it opened up with her standing on top of it,” Limani said. Searchers accessed the mine late Tuesday afternoon and dug a separate entrance out of concern that the ground around the sinkhole opening was not stable. “Let’s be honest, we need to get a little bit lucky, right?” Limani said Wednesday. “We need a little bit of luck on our side. We need a little bit of God’s good blessing on our side.” Pollard lives in a small neighborhood across the street from where her car and granddaughter were located, Limani said. The young girl “nodded off in the car and woke up. Grandma never came back," Limani said. The child stayed in the car until two troopers rescued her. It's not clear what happened to Pepper. In an era of rapid technological advancement and environmental change, American agriculture is undergoing a revolution that reaches far beyond the farm gate. From the food on consumer plates to the economic health of rural communities, the transformation of U.S. farming practices is reshaping the nation's landscape in ways both visible and hidden. LandTrust explores how these changes impact everyone, whether they live in the heartland or the heart of the city. The Changing Face of American Farms The image of the small family farm, while still a reality for many, is increasingly giving way to larger, more technologically advanced operations. According to the USDA, the number of farms in the U.S. has fallen from 6.8 million in 1935 to about 2 million today, with the average farm size growing from 155 acres to 444 acres. This shift has profound implications for rural communities and the food system as a whole. Despite these changes, diversity in farming practices is on the rise. A landmark study published in Science , involving data from over 2,000 farms across 11 countries, found that diversifying farmland simultaneously delivers environmental and social benefits. This challenges the longstanding idea that practices boosting biodiversity must come at a cost to yields and food security. Technology Revolution on the Farm The adoption of precision agriculture technologies is transforming how farmers manage their land and resources. GPS-guided tractors, drone surveillance, and AI-powered crop management systems are becoming commonplace on many farms. These technologies allow farmers to apply water, fertilizers, and pesticides with pinpoint accuracy, reducing waste and environmental impact while improving yields. However, the digital divide remains a challenge. More than 22% of rural communities lack reliable broadband internet access, hindering the widespread implementation of AI and other advanced technologies in agriculture. The Economic Tightrope: Challenges Facing Modern Farmers While technology offers new opportunities, farmers are also facing significant economic challenges. The USDA's 2024 farm income forecast projects a 4.4% decline in net farm income from 2023, following a sharp 19.5% drop from 2022 to 2023. This financial pressure is compounded by rising production costs and market volatility. Climate variability adds another layer of complexity. Extreme weather events, changing precipitation patterns, and shifting growing seasons are forcing farmers to adapt quickly. These factors could reduce agricultural productivity by up to 25% over the coming decades without significant adaptation measures. But adapting requires additional financial resources, further straining farm profitability. Diversification: A Lifeline for American Farms In the face of these challenges, many farmers are turning to diversification as a strategy for resilience and profitability. The Science study mentioned earlier found that farms integrating several diversification methods supported more biodiversity while seeing simultaneous increases in human well-being and food security. Agritourism is one popular diversification strategy. In 2022, 28,600 U.S. farms reported agritourism income, averaging gross revenue of $44,000 from these activities. Activities like farm tours, pick-your-own operations, and seasonal festivals not only provide additional income but also foster a deeper connection between consumers and agriculture. From Farm to Table: The Consumer Connection The changing face of agriculture is directly impacting consumers. The rise of farm-to-table and local food movements reflects a growing interest in where our food comes from and how it's produced. If every U.S. household spent just $10 per week on locally grown food, it would generate billions of dollars for local economies. However, the larger challenges in agriculture can also lead to price fluctuations at the grocery store. The USDA's Economic Research Service projects that food-at-home prices will increase between 1.2% and 2.2% in 2024. The Future of Farming: Opportunities and Innovations Looking ahead, several innovations are poised to reshape agriculture: Sustainable farming practices : Cover cropping, no-till farming, and precision agriculture are gaining traction. These practices can reduce soil erosion by up to 90% compared to conventional tillage. Genetic engineering : CRISPR and other gene-editing technologies offer the potential to develop crops with enhanced nutritional profiles and resistance to pests and diseases. Alternative protein sources : The market for plant-based and lab-grown meat alternatives is projected to reach $30 billion by 2030. Conclusion: A Call to Action The transformation of American agriculture affects everyone, from the food we eat to the health of our environment and rural communities. Consumers have the power to support sustainable and diverse farming practices through our purchasing decisions. As citizens, they can advocate for policies that support farmers in adopting innovative and sustainable practices. The challenges facing agriculture are complex, but they also present opportunities for innovation and positive change. By understanding and engaging with these issues, everyone can play a part in shaping a more resilient, sustainable, and equitable food system for the future. This story was produced by LandTrust and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. LandTrustNew Zealand's growing Chinese population experienced a challenging year in 2024 that was somewhat overshadowed by high-profile criminal cases involving members of the community as well as concerns about public safety. However, there were a few bright spots in the year as well as the community expanded its business reach. Here's a quick look back at the year that was ... Crime in the spotlight Media attention this year focused on three high-profile criminal cases involving members of the Chinese community. In July, police discovered the remains of missing Christchurch real estate agent Yanfei Bao in a shallow grave on a farm in Greenpark . The discovery gave her family a chance to find closure after Bao had been missing for more than a year, with a funeral service held for the 44-year-old mother in November . After a seven-week trial that ended in early December, Chinese national Tingjun Cao, 53, was found guilty of Bao's murder . Cao's sentencing has been set for 7 March 2025. In March, a woman's body was found wrapped in plastic bags by the Gulf Harbour ferry terminal north of Auckland. After a seven-month investigation, police identified the mystery woman as 70-year-old Shulai Wang from China . Three people have since been charged with kidnapping and manslaughter in relation to Wang's death . The police investigation remains ongoing. Twenty-six-year-old Lok Fung Lorrence Li and 42-year-old Shu Man Poon were early in the year named as the suspects charged with the murder of a Chinese couple living in Ellerslie . Joseph Kwok and his wife, Mei Han Chong, were killed at their home in November 2023. The trial for the accused is set to commence in April 2025. Public safety concerns Public safety was also in the spotlight after several high-profile incidents that occurred on public transport in Auckland. A vicious attack on a Chinese teenager on a bus in June initially sparked concern about law and order. Less than a month later, a woman boarded an Auckland bus, started counting Asian passengers and began using racist slurs . Amid growing tensions, bus drivers in the country's largest city have been calling for increased protection and de-escalation training. In one [alarming https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/527370/auckland-bus-driver-badly-shaken-after-being-attacked-by-passenger case], an Indian bus driver was punched in the face in Auckland, resulting in stitches and a broken tooth. Figures from Auckland Transport show a troubling increase in assaults against bus drivers . In response to calls for greater safety measures, Auckland Transport announced that protection screens will be installed on all buses by 2026. Representation milestone The Chinese community celebrated a historic moment in March with the official swearing-in of Lawrence Xu-Nan , the first lawmaker of Chinese descent to represent the Green Party in New Zealand's Parliament. Xu-Nan's entry into the Beehive is a significant milestone, as it is the first time three lawmakers of Chinese heritage will simultaneously serve in the country's Parliament. The other two lawmakers of Chinese origin are Nancy Lu and Carlos Cheung of the National Party. Political discourse Bilateral ties between New Zealand and China remained a key focus in 2024. Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited New Zealand in June, becoming the highest-ranking Chinese official to visit the country in seven years . More than 150 protestors and supporters lined the street amid tense scenes outside the hotel the premier was staying in. AUKUS and concerns about foreign interference dominated discussions between the two nations during the visit. In November, Chinese Ambassador to New Zealand Wang Xiaolong warned of political consequences if New Zealand were to join pillar two of the AUKUS military pact. Wang also addressed political interference allegations during an exclusive 30-minute interview with investigative journalist Guyon Espiner. In September, the Chinese Embassy complained that several members of the Chinese community had been subjected to harassment following the release of the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service's annual threat assessment . In response, the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service confirmed that it does engage with individuals linked to certain front organizations to dissuade them from activities that are not in line with national security interests . Cost of living crunch The cost-of-living crisis pushed many businesses close to the brink throughout 2024. Chinese restaurant owners in Auckland's CBD reported that turning a profit was worse than it had been during Covid . To attract customers, some Chinese restaurants embarked on a fierce price war with their competitors, introducing set meals for as little as $9.90 . The restaurant owners admitted that offering meals at such low prices made turning a profit nearly impossible, but they had little choice in a highly competitive market. High-profile supermarket openings The roster of supermarkets serving New Zealand's Asian communities expanded with the addition of several new players in 2024. The opening of colossal Asian supermarket Foodie in West Auckland marked a significant milestone for the Chinese community. The managing director of Foodie said the store's size ranked it alongside New Zealand's mainstream supermarkets. Other noteworthy openings over the past year included a new Chinatown Market store in Christchurch and a new Tai Ping outlet in the West Auckland suburb of Henderson. Landmark property development stalls Work on the Seascape apartments, developed by Chinese company Shundi Customs and constructed by China Construction NZ, shuddered to a halt in August , leaving what was meant to be New Zealand's tallest residential building as an unfinished shell. Sources suggested that a dispute between the developer and the builder caused the project to be halted . The Building Disputes Tribunal ruled in favour of China Construction in August, but Shundi Customs refused to pay. Shundi Customs has said work would restart and be completed in early 2026. Ethnic business opportunities The contribution of ethnic minorities to New Zealand's economy was a focal point at the inaugural Ethnic Business Summit in October. Ethnic Communities Minister Melissa Lee said migrant groups contributed approximately $64 billion to New Zealand's economy in 2021, emphasising their potential to make a substantial impact. Finance Minister Nicola Willis echoed these sentiments, stating that ethnic communities also played a crucial role in establishing and strengthening international trade relationships. Other highlights Several other stories were noteworthy in their own way throughout the year. In November, China extended its visa-free policy for New Zealand passport holders from 15 days to 30 in a move that was welcomed by the tourism industry and other businesses. In June, dozens of Chinese New Zealanders gathered in Auckland to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing . Chinese youth called on people to learn about the history of the 1989 pro-democracy protests and honour the memories of those who lost their lives. Many Chinese New Zealanders reconnected with their cultural heritage this year. More than a dozen refugees who fled China as children during Japan's invasion in the 1930s and '40s gathered to mark the 85th anniversary of their journey to New Zealand. Some Chinese New Zealanders explored their heritage by embarking on journeys to learn Chinese . In wider recognition of New Zealand's history, some also engaged with te reo Māori , seeking a deeper understanding of the country's rich culture. Meanwhile, the Year of the Dragon has also provided Chinese New Zealanders with vibrant opportunities to showcase and celebrate their cultural traditions through festivals and community events .

Five takeaways from Vikings’ 42-21 win over FalconsDALLAS — Jimmy Carter might be best remembered for what he did after his presidency rather than his tumultuous one-term in the White House. In 2014, during a trip to Dallas, Carter led 5,000 volunteers to help build more than 100 homes for Habitat for Humanity. When asked how many homes he had helped to build since the 1980s, Carter said “3,800 is what the Habitat [for Humanity] folks have tabulated.” Carter, who was 90 at the time, recalled in his deep southern accent many of the firsts he had as president – including being the first U.S. president ever born in a hospital. “I was. My mother was a registered nurse down in Plains [Georgia]. We had 500 people living in Plains. Now, we’ve grown to 630. And my mother was a nurse. She was the operating room assistant to the doctor. He wanted to get her back in the operating room as quick as he could, and he had an empty room across the hall from the operating room, so my mother had her baby in the hospital,” Carter told WFAA. Carter is said to have once described himself as “Conservative, moderate, liberal and middle-of-the-road.” He was governor of Georgia in 1971, then elected president in 1976 amid soaring energy prices and as the country was trying to move beyond the Watergate crisis. Notably, Carter was the last Democratic presidential candidate to win Texas. Politically, history will remember Carter as the first to broker peace in the Middle East between Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. But many others will remember President Carter for crippling inflation. It soared to 14 percent on his watch. Then, in 1979, another crisis gripped the nation. Iranian militants stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took 66 Americans hostage. Carter worked until the final hours of his administration to free them. But the former president wanted to point out something else in the 2014 interview with WFAA. “We’ve been at war almost continuously since the Second World War. If you look at it, I think we’ve been at war with 35 different countries now. When I was in the White House, fortunately, and by commitment, we never fired a bullet, we never dropped a bomb. We never launched a missile,” Carter explained. When asked whether his legacy should be more political or humanitarian, Carter responded: “Well, I think both combined. I think the words I would like to have describe me; I kept the peace, and I did all I could to promote human rights. As we look on human rights, it’s not just freedom of speech, and freedom of the press and trial by jury but also the right to have a home that’s decent. The right to have food to eat. The right to have a modicum of education. The right to have a little bit of healthcare. Those are basic human rights. Quite often, an American doesn’t think about that for human rights. We think about political freedom.” After he left the White House, Carter did not retire to the speaking circuit but did something no other modern president did. The former president, still surrounded by U.S. Secret Service detail, devoted himself to the common good and spent decades building homes around the world for Habitat for Humanity. To each new homeowner, Carter said he would give new house keys and a Bible that he signed. It wasn’t a free place to live, the former president stressed, each family has to pay full price for it and help build it, as well. Carter bragged that he would sometimes revisit Habitat for Humanity homes he helped build and never saw one dilapidated. The former president also remained an avid outdoorsman into his 80s. He said he would hunt wild turkeys during the spring season and eat quail and venison while trying to avoid red meat. In 2013, Carter attended the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Carter, a Democrat, was the first evangelical president, but he later supported gay marriage. “I think all people oughta have an equal right,” Carter told WFAA in 2014. He also made news for saying at the time that he thought the states should decide individually on whether to allow gay marriage, not the federal government. The following year, on June 26, 2015, in the landmark Obergefell decision, the U.S. Supreme Court required states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and to recognize same-sex marriages validly performed in other jurisdictions. Jimmy Carter is the end of an era when a peanut farmer from Plains, Georgia could ascend to the world’s most powerful position. But this rural Georgia boy never forgot where he came from. “You look back and you see, I’ve done all I possibly could as a human being,” the former president said at age 90. Those words are quite a testament to a life well lived. History will likely remember Jimmy Carter as a humanitarian, peacemaker and president who worked hard in each role to leave this world better than he found it.ASR Africa commences construction of N250 million Abdul Samad Rabiu Laboratory Complex at University of Lagos

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal judge took 's request for a limited preliminary injunction under advisement at the end of a hearing Wednesday as the Vanderbilt quarterback seeks to while his lawsuit against the NCAA plays out in court. U.S. District Judge William L. Campbell asked attorneys how quickly they could be ready for trial. He also asked about the upcoming transfer portal, which opens Monday and closes Dec. 28. Attorney Ryan Downton argued during a 2 1/2-hour hearing that Pavia wants “the narrowest injunction possible” to keep his time in junior college from counting against his NCAA Division I eligibility using older guidelines. Their best hope is for a quick ruling by Monday. “I get the sense from him today that he’s looking at the date the portal closes and trying to give enough time to react before it closes,” Downton said of the judge's timing after the hearing. Campbell peppered attorneys with questions. The judge noted prep schools play against junior colleges, including Pavia's, without starting their NCAA eligibility clock. He also noted junior colleges don't allow redshirt seasons. The judge also said the NCAA has changed its rules over the past 50 years, including allowing freshmen to play and later added the redshirt rule. Campbell sounded surprised when told a player who redshirted this season could play a total of nine games if on the team that wins the College Football Playoff. in Nashville. His request for a temporary restraining order was denied giving him two more seasons of eligibility allowing a redshirt season “to avoid additional harm.” His lawsuit also asks that Vanderbilt, or any other college, not be punished for complying with orders from the court. Pavia filed a declaration Monday that he is applying to the masters' program for legal studies at starting in January if he is granted the preliminary injunction. Attorneys Tamarra Matthews Johnson and Max Warren argued for the NCAA that Pavia had done exactly what the organization wants athletes to do earning a bachelor's degree at New Mexico State before being a graduate transfer to Vanderbilt earlier this year. They also argued Pavia easily can seek another degree without playing football. Warren disputed the idea of irreparable damages noting Pavia can receive economic damages at trial without an injunction. Warren also questioned the lawsuit's timing with Pavia quoted that this was his last year of college football. “His best opportunity to earn a living is playing college football ...,” Downton said in court. “This is his chance.” Pavia did not get an offer from a Football Bowl Subdivision school coming out of Volcano Vista High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He went to New Mexico Military Institute in 2020 and led the junior college to the 2021 national championship. He went to New Mexico State in 2022 and won 10 games in 2023. The Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year then followed his head coach, Jerry Kill, and offensive coordinator Tim Beck to Vanderbilt this offseason. Matthews Johnson argued that Vanderbilt simply will find another quarterback. Vanderbilt hasn't had many quarterbacks like Pavia who had a handful of his teammates sitting behind him in court. Pavia is a big reason why Vanderbilt is 6-6 and bowl eligible for the first time since 2018. He led the Commodores to their best start in decades, ranked twice in the AP Top 25 and posted That snapped a 60-game winless skid over over AP top-5 teams. Wednesday’s hearing coincided with the . Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea supported his quarterback’s initial filing and has talked of how much he has meant to the Commodores. That didn’t stop Vanderbilt from out of an Illinois high school in Jack Elliott. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up . AP college football: and .Updated December 29, 2024 at 17:44 PM ET Few presidents have come as far as fast in national politics as Jimmy Carter . In 1974, he was nearing the end of his single term as governor of Georgia when he told the world he wanted to be president. Two years later, he was the president-elect. Although his name recognition nationally was only 2% at the time of his announcement, Carter believed he could meet enough people personally to make a strong showing in the early presidential caucuses and primaries. He embarked on a 37-state tour, making more than 200 speeches before any of the other major candidates had announced. When voting began in Iowa and New Hampshire in the winter of 1976, Carter emerged the winner in both states. He rode that momentum all the way to the presidential nomination and held on to win a close contest in the general election. His career as a highly active former president lasted four full decades and ended only with his death Sunday in his hometown of Plains, Ga. He was 100 and had lived longer than any other U.S. president, battling cancer in both his brain and liver in his 90s. A life that bridged political eras James Earl Carter Jr. was the 39th U.S. president, elected as a Democrat displacing the incumbent Republican, Gerald Ford, in 1976. Carter would serve a single tumultuous term in the White House, beset by inflation, energy shortages, intraparty challenges and foreign crises. But he managed to win the nomination for a second term. He lost his bid for reelection to Republican Ronald Reagan in a landslide in 1980. Thereafter, he worked with Habitat for Humanity and traveled the globe as an indefatigable advocate for peace and human rights. He was given the U.N. Prize in the Field of Human Rights in 1998 and awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Carter was the first president from the Deep South elected since the Civil War. He entered politics at a time when Democrats still dominated in his home state and region. He had begun his career as a naval officer in the submarine corps, but in 1953 he left the service to take over the family peanut business when his father died. He later served four years in Georgia's state legislature before making his first bid for governor in 1966. In that contest, he finished behind another Democrat, Lester Maddox, a populist figure known for brandishing a pickax handle to confront civil rights protesters outside his Atlanta restaurant. Carter shared much of the traditional white Southern cultural identity. But he was also noted for his support for integration and the Civil Rights Movement led by fellow Georgian Martin Luther King Jr. Four years after losing to Maddox, Carter was elected his successor and declared in his inaugural speech that "the time for racial discrimination is over." Time magazine would feature him on its cover four months later, making him a symbol of the "New South." And as his term as governor ended, he was all in on a presidential bid. But he did not burst onto the national stage so much as he crept up onto it, appearing before small groups in farming communities and elsewhere far from the big media centers. A meteoric rise to the White House Beyond his earnest image and rhetoric, Carter also had a savvy game plan based on the new presidential nominating rules that the Democratic Party had adopted in the early 1970s. Carter's team, led by campaign manager Hamilton Jordan, mastered this new road map, with Carter climbing from a strong showing in the still-new Iowa caucuses to a clean win in New Hampshire's primary. So though in January 1976 he was the first choice of only 4% of Democrats nationally, he won the first two events and leveraged that attention to capture the imagination of voters in other regions. Carter shut out segregationist champion George Wallace in the Southern primaries and also dominated in the industrial states of the North and Midwest. Democrats held 48 primaries or caucuses around the United States that year, and Carter won 30, with no other candidate winning more than five. Wherever he went, he was able to connect with rural voters and evangelicals wherever they were to be found — doing well in big cities but also in the sparsely populated parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania. While Carter's juggernaut lost momentum in the summer and fall, with Republican President Gerald Ford nearly closing the polling gap by Election Day, the Georgian held on to win 50% of the popular vote in November. By winning in his home state and everywhere else in the South (save only Virginia) while holding on to enough of the key population centers in the Northeast and Great Lakes regions, Carter was able to cobble together nearly 300 Electoral College votes without winning California, Illinois or Michigan. Troubles in office The surprisingly modest margin of Carter's victory over Ford augured more difficulties ahead. And as well as the Carter persona may have suited the national mood in 1976, it did not fit well in the Washington he found in 1977. All presidential candidates who "run against Washington" find it necessary to adjust their tactics if and when they are elected. But the former peanut farmer and his campaign staff known as the "Georgia mafia" never seemed to lose faith in the leverage they thought they had as outsiders. Almost immediately upon taking office, Carter encountered difficulties with various power centers in Congress. He and his tight circle of aides brought along from Georgia and the campaign were not attuned to congressional customs or prerogatives, and a variety of their agenda priorities ran afoul of their own party's preferences. A case in point was a "hit list" of Western water projects that the Carterites regarded as needless pork barrel spending. For a raft of Democratic senators and representatives facing reelection in thirsty states and districts, the list came as a declaration of war. Although Congress fought Carter to a draw on the projects, many of these Western seats would be lost to Republican challengers in 1978 and 1980. Carter did have signal successes in brokering a historic peace deal between Israel and Egypt and in securing Senate ratification of his treaties ceding the Panama Canal to Panama. He also managed to achieve significant reforms in regulations — especially those affecting energy production and transportation — that would eventually lower consumer prices. Carter had taken office amid historically high inflation and energy prices that had persisted since the Arab oil embargo of 1973. Carter appointed a new chair of the Federal Reserve, Paul Volcker, whose tight money policies eventually tamed inflation but also triggered a recession and the highest unemployment rates since the Great Depression. Along the way, there was more grief on the oil front as Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979 caused not only a price spike but long lines at the pump — worse than in 1973. Carter and the Democrats paid a price, suffering more than the usual losses for the president's party in the 1978 midterm elections, which greatly reduced Democratic margins in both the House and the Senate. Yet the Iranian crisis had even worse consequences. The revolution saw the overthrow of the Shah, a longtime ally of the U.S., and the installation of a stern theocratic regime led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a fierce critic of the United States. When Carter agreed to grant the Shah a visa to receive cancer treatments in the U.S., young followers of the ayatollah overran the U.S. Embassy in Tehran . Fifty-two Americans were taken hostage for 444 days. Carter's efforts to free them were unavailing. An airborne raid intended to free them ended in catastrophe in the Iranian desert, leaving eight U.S. service members dead after a collision of aircraft on the ground. Afghanistan becomes an issue Yet another blow was dealt to Carter's standing when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to prop up its client regime there. Opposing that aggression was popular, but Carter's decision to retaliate by having the U.S. boycott the 1980 Olympics in Moscow was less so. Carter was able to use the hostage crisis to his advantage in suppressing the challenge to his nomination mounted by Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts. Carter refused to debate Kennedy and made the primaries a kind of referendum on the Iranian situation. Enough Democrats rallied to his side that Kennedy's bid, a favorite cause of liberal activists and organized labor, fell far short. Still, it contributed to the weakness of Carter's standing in the general election. And what had worked against a challenger from the Democratic left did not work when Carter faced one from the Republican right. Ronald Reagan was a former two-term governor of California who had sought the nomination twice before, and he did not begin 1980 as the consensus choice of his party. But he wove a complex set of issues into a fabric with broad appeal. He proposed sweeping tax cuts as a tonic for the economy, more spending on defense, a more aggressive foreign policy and, just as important, a return to the traditional values of "faith, freedom, family, work and neighborhood." He also opposed abortion and busing for racial integration and favored school prayer — the three hottest buttons in social policy at the time. After a come-from-behind win in New Hampshire and a sweep of the Southern primaries, Reagan never looked back. His triumph at the Republican National Convention in Detroit set the tone for his campaign. The election looked close at Labor Day and even into October. But the single debate the two camps agreed to , held on Oct. 28, 1980, the week before the election, was a clear win for the challenger. Carter failed in his attempts to paint Reagan as an extremist. The Republican managed to be reassuring and upbeat even as he kept up his attacks on Carter's handling of the economy and on the rest of Carter's record. The polls broke sharply in the final days, and in November, Reagan captured nearly all the Southern states that Carter had carried four years earlier and won the 1980 presidential election with 489 Electoral College votes. Carter conceded before the polls had even closed on the West Coast. Reassessment in retrospect Historians have generally not rated Carter's presidency highly, and he left office with his Gallup poll approval rating in the low 30s. But there has been a steady upward trajectory in assessments of his presidency in recent years, and his Gallup approval rating has climbed back above 50% and has remained there among the public at large. This reflects the work of several Carter biographers and former aides and the natural comparison with the presidents who have followed him. In 2018, Stuart E. Eizenstat, Carter's chief domestic policy adviser, published President Carter: The White House Years , which historians have praised both as a primary source and as an assessment of Carter's term. In it, Eizenstat wrote that Carter "was not a great president, but he was a good and productive one. He delivered results, many of which were realized only after he left office. He was a man of almost unyielding principle. Yet his greatest virtue was at once his most serious fault for a president in an American democracy of divided powers." As far back as 2000, historian Douglas Brinkley wrote that in the first 20 years after Carter lost the presidency, he had become "renowned the world over as the epitome of the caring, compassionate, best sort of American statesman ... an exemplar of behavior for all national leaders in retirement." A new life out of office But the greatest factor in Carter's rising reputation was his own performance in his post-presidential career. He worked with Habitat for Humanity to rehabilitate homes for low-income families. He taught at Emory University and established his own nonprofit, the Carter Center . And over the ensuing decades, he published more than two dozen books and became an international advocate for peace, democratic reforms and humanitarian causes. As former president, Carter did not shy from controversy, particularly when it came to the Middle East, the region that gave him his greatest foreign policy achievement and also his most damaging setback as president. Copyright 2024 NPR

Though the game was actually pretty competitive for prolonged stretches on Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Vikings imposed their will in the final quarter to run away with a 42-21 win over the Atlanta Falcons. ADVERTISEMENT It was a masterful performance from Sam Darnold in a game against the man he replaced. It wasn’t as good of a game for Kirk Cousins as he struggled to make much of an impact against his former team. Here are five takeaways from the Vikings’ 42-21 win over the Falcons: The ascension of Darnold continues There were audible “MVP! MVP! MVP!” chants as the game between the Vikings and Falcons wound to a close. They were for Darnold, who completed 22 of 28 passes for 347 yards and five touchdowns, proving that the Vikings are legitimate Super Bowl contenders with him at the helm. There aren’t many quarterbacks in the NFL that have played better than Darnold over the past month. In that span, Darnold has completed 85 of 125 passes for 1,158 yards and 11 touchdowns, while leading the Vikings to a 4-0 record. ADVERTISEMENT Will he actually win MVP? Not likely. Does he deserve to be in the conversation? Absolutely. More empty stats for Cousins Never mind that Cousins put up some prolific numbers, completing 23 of 37 passes for 344 yards. He also threw a pair of interceptions and failed to keep the game competitive. There were countless games while he was playing for the Vikings that featured a similar script. It was commonplace for Cousins to pad his stats in garbage time of a game that he had no chance of winning. Now, that’s a problem the Falcons are navigating in real time. After some strong play from Cousins earlier this season, he has regressed over the past month, and as a result, the Falcons have an 0-4 record in that span. ADVERTISEMENT No answer for Jefferson and Addison The dynamic duo of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison rewrote the record books for the Vikings in the win over the Falcons. They became the only players in franchise history to each record more than 100 yards receiving and a pair of touchdowns in the same game. That’s an insane stat considering Randy Moss and Cris Carter played together as did Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. In total, Jefferson finished with seven catches for 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Addison finished with eight catches for 133 yards and a trio of touchdowns. ADVERTISEMENT An effective game for Jones After being held in check last time out, Aaron Jones bounced back with a solid effort for the Vikings against the Falcons. He was extremely effective carrying the ball and finished with 13 rushes for 73 yards and a touchdown. The fact that Jones was able to find pay dirt late in the game was a nice reward for him, considering he was an unsung hero on offense. As explosive as the Vikings proved to be throughout the air, Jones provided a nice changeup on the ground, which helped in chewing up clock down the stretch. As somebody who had a lot of success in the final month of last season, Jones is well on his way to replicating that this season. Some opportunistic takeaways Though the defense for the Vikings struggled at times, allowing nearly 500 yards of total offense, it also stepped up a couple of times to force key turnovers. ADVERTISEMENT Whether it was Josh Metellus recording an interception early, or Byron Murphy with an interception late, the defense needed both of them to help turn the tide in the game. There was also an important forced fumble from Brian Asamoah on special teams that ended up being recovered by C.J. Ham. On the flip side, the Vikings did not turn the ball over on offense, which helped them pull away in the final frame. ______________________________________________________ This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here .

Madhushree Ghosh launched a supper club to help build community by sharing food — and ideas.