Associated Press

Defender Malia Berkely had three assists as the North Carolina Courage earned a 4-1 road win against the San Diego Wave on Sunday evening in the National Women’s Soccer League.

The Courage (10-8-1) came away with their second road win this season and played spoliers on a special evening, as 26,516 fans filled the stands at Snapdragon Stadium to witness Alex Morgan’s last professional soccer game.

Morgan announced earlier this week that Sunday’s game would be her last, as she is retiring and pregnant with her second child. The longtime U.S. women’s national team forward retires with two World Cup titles, one Olympic gold medal and a bronze medal. She also won the NWSL Shield with San Diego in 2023 and helped fight for equal pay and to bring light to abuse in the NWSL.

All three opening goals came off corner kicks.

In the 4th minute, North Carolina’s Haley Hopkins headed in Berkely’s corner kick.

Morgan had one final chance to add to her goal tally with a penalty kick, but Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy saved the attempt. Shortly after, Wave teammate Kennedy Wesley got her head on a corner kick to tie the score.

In the 13th minute, in honor of her jersey number, Morgan subbed out of the match for a final time to a thunderous applause.

Felicitas Rauch rose up to head in another corner from Berkley in the 21st minute, while Bianca St-Georges scored off Berkley’s pass just before halftime.

Wave goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan received a red card in the 61st minute for denying a goal-scoring opportunity.

Meredith Speck finished Olivia Wingate’s cross to give the Courage an insurance goal in the 94th minute.

The Wave (3-9-7) are winless in 12 straight games.

GOTHAM 2, DASH 1

Esther González scored in the 93rd minute to give Gotham a 2-1 home win over the Houston Dash.

The forward got the ball with her back to the goal, turned and fired into the left corner to seal the win at Red Bull Arena.

Lynn Williams, in her first match back from the Paris Olympics, assisted the goal.

Yazmeen Ryan opened the scoring for Gotham (11-4-4) in the 10th minute, dribbling into the box and shooting into the left corner.

Diana Ordóñez headed in Avery Patterson’s cross to bring the match level in the 17th minute.

Houston (3-11-5) have lost five straight games and finished the weekend in last place.

PRIDE 1, RED STARS 0

Marta’s first-half goal gave the Orlando Pride a 1-0 win on the road against the Chicago Red Stars.

Orlando (14-0-5) is now undefeated in a league record 20 straight games, dating back to last year.

In the 37th minute, Marta whipped a left-footed shot into the far post to put Orlando ahead.

Chicago (7-10-2) was held to just three shots and has lost three straight games.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

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BEIJING (AP) — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and other top officials during his second trip to China in a year-and-a-half that comes amid a spat over electric cars. The center-left Socialist leader will also attend a business forum in Beijing for Spanish and Chinese companies. He will travel to Shanghai later Monday. Spain was among the European Union members that expressed support earlier this year for a 36.7% tariff on Chinese electric vehicles. The Chinese government responded by launching an investigation into EU pork imports.

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Associated Press

DILI, East Timor (AP) — East Timor pulled out all stops for Pope Francis’ historic visit to one of the world’s youngest and poorest countries to the tune of $12 million, drawing rebuke from activists and human rights organizations in a nation where almost half the population lives in poverty.

The cost for the two-day visit starting Monday was approved by the government through the Council of Ministers in February, including $1 million to build an altar for a papal Mass.

Walls were still being dabbed with fresh paint and banners and billboards filled the streets of the seaside capital, Dili, to welcome the pontiff, who earlier visited Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

About 42% of East Timor’s population of 1.3 million live below the poverty line, according to the U.N. Development Program. Unemployment is high, job opportunities in the formal sector are generally limited and most people are subsistence farmers with no steady income.

The country’s budget for 2023 was $3.16 billion. The government had earmarked only $4.7 million to increase food production, said Marino Fereira, a researcher at Timor Leste Institute for Development Monitoring and Analysis. He said the $12 million expense for the papal visit “was exaggerating.”

The non-governmental agency, known locally as Lao Hamutuk, has submitted several papers to the government and parliament asking to cut expenditures on ceremonies and prioritize issues that affect people, Fereira said.

“The governments have ignored the poor in the country,” he said.

East Timor has recently faced challenges of high inflation and weather changes that have reduced cereal production, pushing some 364,000 people, or 27% of the population, to experience acute food insecurity from May to September, according to the U.N.’s Food and Agricultural Organization.

East Timor’s Minister of State Administration Tomas Cabral, who heads the national organizing committee for the pope’s visit, said the $12 million was excessive but it was also being used for infrastructure development, such as road constructions, renovating churches and other public facilities.

“Don’t compare our country with neighboring nations that have proper facilities and infrastructure to host international events or high-ranking state guests,“ Cabral said. ”Here, we have to build it from the scratch.”

Cabral said that about $1.2 million has been allocated for transportation and logistics of people from across the country to welcome the pontiff and attend his Mass on Tuesday.

East Timor views the visit as a prime opportunity to put the world’s spotlight on the small nation with a turbulent path to independence. It’s the youngest country in Asia where 97% of the population identify as Catholic.

“The pope’s visit is the biggest, the best marketing anyone can aspire to promote the country, to put the country on the tourist map,” East Timor’s President Jose Ramos-Horta said in an interview with The Associated Press last week.

The highlight of Francis’ visit will be a Eucharistic celebration on Tuesday where more than 300,000 faithful are expected, including several thousands living from near the border of Indonesia’s West Timor, the western part of the island of Timor.

The papal Mass in Tasitolu, an open field on the coast some 8 kilometers (nearly 5 miles) from downtown Dili, is also causing displeasure. The government has bulldozed about 185 families and confiscated 23 hectares (57 acres) of land for the event. Rights groups accuse the government of not offering any alternatives to poor families.

“The lives of those families are uncertain at the moment, they don’t know where to go as they are still there waiting for compensation,” said Pedrito Vieira, coordinator of the Land Network, a coalition of NGOs advocating land rights. “Sudden eviction will only give them uncertainty to plan their life.”

Cabral said those were settlers and not traditional landowners who were squatting on state land. He said they were given advance notices and time to remove their structures and move out.

“There have been those who have politicized the situation there so that the illegal settlers have refused to move for unclear reasons,” Cabral said.

Several violent crackdowns on street vendors ostensibly to ensure order in Dili ahead of Francis’ trip also drew outcry among rights activists.

Social media were flooded with angry comments after footage showed dozens of alleged plainclothes police officers with sticks, crowbars and spears destroying vendor stands and goods in one of the paths where the pope’s entourage will pass.

Suzana Cardoso, a veteran journalist who recorded the incident last week in Dili’s Fatuhada neighborhood, told The Associated Press that she received threats in an attempt to stop her from sharing the video.

“I have a moral obligation as a journalist to uphold justice for those weak and poor,” said Cardoso, who also covered the country’s darkest days when Indonesia responded to East Timor’s U.N.-backed vote seeking independence 25 years ago with a scorched-earth campaign that shocked the world. About 1,500 people were killed, more than 300,000 were displaced and over 80% of East Timor’s infrastructure was destroyed.

Ramos-Horta instructed the police and Dili city administration to arrest those behind the destruction of vendor stands and compensate the traders.

“The government has never been instructed to carry out public order with violence,” Ramos-Horta said in a news conference.

“A free and independent press is protected by law in this country,” he said. “I appeal to all institutions not to hinder journalists and to respect press freedom.”

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Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A blockbuster new Chinese video game is smashing records. “Black Myth: Wukong” drew millions of players within hours of its launch in August and is being hailed as a milestone in China’s gaming industry. It drew praise and pride for its compelling plot and beautiful graphics but also set off a heated debate over sexism in Chinese gaming. United Kingdom-based organization Women in Games found that, despite making up almost half of the gamers globally, women made up only about 22% of the gaming industry workforce in 2020. Some gamers are using the release of “Black Myth” as an opportunity to shine a light on sexism in the industry.

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AP Sports Writer

CLEVELAND (AP) — Lying face down in the grass, Deshaun Watson couldn’t see another of his passes sail out of bounds.

Everything about his return on Sunday was off target.

Watson didn’t look comfortable from the start in his first game since breaking a bone in his right shoulder in November as the Cleveland Browns were blasted 33-17 in their season opener by the Dallas Cowboys.

This was not the comeback Watson or the Browns had hoped for as the 28-year-old quarterback tries to jump-start his career after making just 12 starts over the past two seasons due to an NFL suspension and shoulder surgery.

Cleveland’s new-look offense was hard to look at.

Watson spent much of the day running from Dallas defenders as Cleveland’s offensive line, missing both of its starting tackles, struggled to keep their quarterback upright. He was sacked six times and the Cowboys were credited with 17 hits on Watson.

“Yeah, he got hit way too often,” coach Kevin Stefanski said. “We can’t let that happen to him. He fought like crazy, and listen, the football team fought like crazy to the end. But bottom line is, we have to protect our quarterback better than that.”

Watson also took several hard shots while running after the pocket collapsed. He said his surgically repaired shoulder held up fine, but Watson said he couldn’t gauge how he was overall physically until the adrenaline wore off.

It wasn’t too early for him to address a poor performance that triggered booing from Cleveland fans in the first half and a mass exodus in the third quarter.

“We’re not the type of people that make excuses,” Watson said. “So some people can say that can contribute a lot, you know, my injury, guys missing time. But at the end of the day, once you’re on the field, you gotta perform, you gotta execute.

“We didn’t do that overall. And yeah, it showed.”

Watson didn’t play in the preseason as the Browns chose to keep him as healthy as possible. The long layoff certainly affected his timing. Watson missed some easy throws, was hesitant on others and never got into a rhythm.

Cleveland’s offense, which has been re-designed by Stefanski and first-year coordinator Ken Dorsey, sputtered badly in the first half. The Browns picked up just one first down and gained only 54 yards in the first 30 minutes.

Watson finished 24 of 45 for 169 yards with two interceptions and one TD.

It was ugly, but Watson said the outing didn’t shake his confidence.

“Hell no,” he said. “I’ll always be Deshaun Watson, regardless of whoever else says otherwise. We all have days like this when you’re playing this type of game, and that’s just part of what comes with it. It comes with the territory.

“And especially in my position: much is given, much is required.”

As bad as things went, Watson found some perspective after a trying few days.

Following the game, he sat quietly at his locker and mostly listened during an extended conversation with backup QB Jameis Winston. General manager Andrew Berry stopped to offer support.

Watson said his father died on Friday and that a former teammate passed away Saturday. He said the Browns told him he didn’t have to play.

‘Football is definitely something that you got to take very, very seriously and it’s our job, it’s our career,” Watson said. “But you know, there are other things that are bigger than this. It’s been a long week and they gave me the opportunity to go back home, but I told them I wanted to be here with my guys.”

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

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Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — Pavin Smith homered in first three at-bats for his first multi-home run game and drove in a career-high eight runs, helping the Arizona Diamondbacks rout the Houston Astros 12-6 on Sunday night to end a three-game losing streak.

Smith became the second Diamondback with a three-homer game this season, with Eugenio Suárez doing it against Washington on July 30. J.D. Martinez set the Arizona record with four home runs at Los Angeles on Sept. 4, 2017.

“It was a great day for Pavin,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “Pavin can hit. We always feel comfortable with his at-bats, his ability to come in the lineup after not playing for a couple of days and be able to barrel up the baseball.”

Smith fell an RBI shy of the Arizona record set by Erubiel Durazo in 2002. Chris Iannetta also had eight RBIs for the Diamondbacks in a 2017 game. Smith’s previous high was six.

Arizona — which scored at least 10 runs for a majors-best 18th time — pulled within a half-game of San Diego for the National League’s first wild card and increased its lead over New York and Atlanta to 1 1/2 games. Houston leads Seattle by 4 1/2 games in the AL West.

Smith’s first home run of the night followed back-to-back singles to start the second inning and struck the foul pole in right. Arizona had increased the lead to 4-0 when Smith came up with the bases loaded in the third and sent a 2-2 fastball from Justin Verlander (3-6) into the Crawford Boxes for the third career grand slam.

“Just one of those nights where you’re in a zone,” Smith said. “Obviously, Justin’s a great pitcher. I faced him before, and he’s got great stuff, so once I was able to put a good swing the first at-bat it gave me confidence the rest of the game.”

Verlander allowed eight runs on eight hits over three innings and failed to record a strikeout for just the third time in 381 career regular-season starts. He has a 9.68 ERA in four starts since returning from the injured list.

“Felt better, physically,” Verlander said. “It seemed like they had a really good game plan, and saw some pitches really well in some surprising spots, so tip your cap.”

With Verlander out of the game, Smith answered Alex Bregman’s fourth-inning, two-run home run by starting the fifth with his seventh homer of the season, a solo shot off Kaleb Ort that left the bat at 112.1 mph. Smith wanted to hit a fourth home run, but he struck out and walked in his final two plate appearances of the night.

“It’s something that not many people have done, and I figure if you have the chance you might as well go for it,” Smith said.

Suárez was 4 for 5 with his 26th homer, two RBIs and four runs.

Kevin Ginkel (8-3) got the last out in the fifth for the victory.

Chas McCormick and Yainer Diaz each had three hits for the Astros. McCormick is batting .409 in six games since being recalled from Triple-A.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Astros INF Mauricio Dubón missed his second straight game after jamming his left thumb when he dove into first base Friday. He was able to take swings in the cage before the game.

UP NEXT

Diamondbacks: RHP Zac Gellen (11-6, 3.69 ERA) was scheduled to face Texas RHP Nathan Eovaldi (11-7, 3.55 ERA) at home Tuesday night.

Astros: RHP Spencer Arrighetti (7-12, 4.82 ERA) was set to meet Oakland RHP Osvaldo Bido (5-3, 3.52 ERA) at home Tuesday night.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

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AP Entertainment Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Top nominee “Shogun” won a staggering 14 awards in a near-sweep Sunday night at the Creative Arts Emmys, while “The Bear” won seven including guest actress in a comedy series for Jamie Lee Curtis.

Presenters were saying “Shogun” all night at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on the second night of the two-night Creative Arts Emmys, where awards are handed out that don’t quite make the main Primetime Emmys ceremony. That will be held Sept. 15 and air on ABC with hosts Dan and Eugene Levy.

“Shogun,” the FX series about political machinations in feudal Japan, won 14 of the 16 trophies it could have claimed on Sunday night, including Emmys for costumes, makeup, editing, stunts and cinematography, along with a best guest actor in a drama Emmy for Néstor Carbonell.

As he accepted, Carbonell thanked the crew, then marveled at how many of them were in the audience.

“You’re all here! You’re all nominated!” Carbonell said. “I love the team sport of this.”

The wins mean that “Shogun” is already guaranteed to have the highest total after the main ceremony on Sept. 15, though its biggest nominations are yet to come, including best drama and best actor in a drama for star Hiroyuki Sanada.

Curtis was emotional on stage after winning her first Emmy 18 months after winning her first Oscar for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

“I’m the luckiest girl in the world,” Curtis said backstage. “I just never thought I would get to do work at this level of depth and complexity and intelligence. It’s been the thrill of my creative life these last couple of years.”

Asked if she could win a Grammy and a Tony to make it an EGOT, she said no way.

“I can’t sing at all,” she said, “and I’ve never been on stage.”

The songwriting team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, however, did become the 20th and 21st members of the elite EGOT club when they won their first Emmy for a song they co-wrote for “Only Murders in the Building.” The duo had previously won an Oscar for “La La Land” and a Grammy and Tony for “Dear Evan Hansen.”

Curtis won for the season two “Bear” episode “Fishes,” in which she played the mother of star Jeremy Allen White at a nightmare holiday family gathering. Jon Bernthal, who played White’s big brother in the episode, won best guest actor in a comedy.

Michaela Coel won best guest actress in a comedy series for her appearance on “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.”

“Shogun” shook up the Emmys race when it switched from the limited series to the drama series category in May, and many Emmys were lost because of it Sunday.

It won so steadily that the few who beat it — it lost only in two music-composition categories — felt the need to comment on it.

“I didn’t write a speech, because there was no way I was beating ‘Shogun’ tonight,” said Siddharta Khosa, who won best music composition for a series for “Only Murders in the Building.”

When Eric Andŕe was asked only one question in the media room after winning his first Emmy for his performance on his self-titled talk show, he said, with fake exasperation, “Sorry I’m not on Shogun!”

Maya Rudolph and Angela Bassett were among the Creative Arts winners on Saturday night, which focused on reality and variety TV. Rudolph won her sixth career Emmy, for her voice-over work on the animated “Big Mouth.” Bassett won her first, for her narration of the National Geographic wildlife documentary series “Queens.”

Both nights of the show will be edited into a single 2 1/2 hour show that will air on FXX on Sept. 14 and stream the following day on Hulu.

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For more coverage on this year’s Emmy Awards and recent television shows, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/television

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AP Business Writer

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s economy grew at an annual rate of 2.9%, slower than the earlier report for 3.1% growth, in the April-June period, boosted by better wages and spending. That shows clear risks remain, including U.S. economic growth, which greatly affects export-reliant Japan. Political uncertainty in Japan is another risk as the ruling party picks a new leader. The revised data from the Cabinet Office on Monday still showed Japan’s economy rebounded in the fiscal first quarter.

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NEVADA CITY, Calif. (AP) — A California woman was found atop a river canyon this week near the Yuba River in Northern California after she disappeared from a mining camp site 12 days ago. The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said Friday the 24-year-old Sacramento woman was severely dehydrated and emaciated when found. The woman disappeared in late August from a camp site in Nevada City. Law enforcement and volunteers had to “repel into and out of the canyon” while facing “treacherous” canyon area, the sheriff’s office said. She was airlifted to a hospital for treatment. Officials said the extent of her injuries were unknown.

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Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Passage of a six-month temporary spending bill would have widespread and devastating effects on the Defense Department, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said in a letter to key members of Congress on Sunday.

Austin said that passing a continuing resolution that caps spending at 2024 levels, rather than taking action on the proposed 2025 budget will hurt thousands of defense programs, and damage military recruiting just as it is beginning to recover after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Asking the department to compete with (China), let alone manage conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, while under a lengthy CR, ties our hands behind our back while expecting us to be agile and to accelerate progress,” said Austin in the letter to leaders of the House and Senate appropriations committees.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has teed up a vote this week on a bill that would keep the federal government funded for six more months. The measure aims to garner support from his more conservative GOP members by also requiring states to obtain proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport, when registering a person to vote.

Congress needs to approve a stop-gap spending bill before the end of the budget year on Sept. 30 to avoid a government shutdown just a few weeks before voters go to the polls and elect the next president.

Austin said the stop-gap measure would cut defense spending by more than $6 billion compared to the 2025 spending proposal. And it would take money from key new priorities while overfunding programs that no longer need it.

Under a continuing resolution, new projects or programs can’t be started. Austin said that passing the temporary bill would stall more than $4.3 billion in research and development projects and delay 135 new military housing and construction projects totaling nearly $10 billion.

It also would slow progress on a number of key nuclear, ship-building, high-tech drone and other weapons programs. Many of those projects are in an array of congressional districts, and could also have an impact on local residents and jobs.

Since the bill would not fund legally required pay raises for troops and civilians, the department would have to find other cuts to offset them. Those cuts could halt enlistment bonuses, delay training for National Guard and Reserve forces, limit flying hours and other training for active-duty troops and impede the replacement of weapons and other equipment that has been pulled from Pentagon stocks and sent to Ukraine.

Going forward with the continuing resolution, said Austin, will “subject service members and their families to unnecessary stress, empower our adversaries, misalign billions of dollars, damage our readiness, and impede our ability to react to emergent events.”

Noting that there have been 48 continuing resolutions during 14 of the last 15 fiscal years — for a total of nearly 1,800 days — Austin said Congress must break the pattern of inaction because the U.S. military can’t compete with China “with our hands tied behind our back every fiscal year.”

Johnson’s bill is not expected to get support in the Democratic-controlled Senate, if it even makes it that far. But Congress will have to pass some type of temporary measure by Sept. 30 in order to avoid a shutdown.

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CHICAGO (AP) — Chennedy Carter scored seven of her 28 points in the first couple minutes Sunday and the Chicago Sky never trailed in their 92-77 win over the Dallas Wings.

Chicago (13-22) has a one-game lead game lead over the Atlanta Dream for the eighth and final playoff spot with five games remaining in the Sky’s regular season.

Carter, the No. 4 pick in the 2020 WNBA draft, made 10-of-17 from the field, hit her only 3-point attempt, went 7 of 9 from the free-throw line and finished with six assists. The 5-foot-9 guard returned Friday from a four-game absence due to illness and helped the Sky beat the Los Angeles Sparks 92-78 to snap their seven-game losing streak.

Dallas (9-26) has lost four games in a row following a three-game winning streak.

Isabelle Harrison made her first start of the season and finished with a season-high 21 points and nine rebounds for the Sky and Kamilla Cardoso added 11 rebounds to go with 10 points. Dana Evans scored 11, including three 3-pointers, and Michaela Onyenwere added 10 points for the Sky.

Carter scored 11 points in the first quarter, and Chicago used a 13-1 run midway through the period to blow the game open. Carter’s free throw just before the buzzer gave the Sky a 33-19 lead going into the second period.

Arike Ogunbowale led the Wings with 23 points and Natasha Howard scored 17. Satou Sabally finished with 12 points, seven assists and six rebounds.

Ogunbowale scored 16 points and combined with Satou Sabally for 28 of Dallas’ 35 first-half points.

Record-setting rookie Angel Reese did not play for Chicago after suffering a season-ending wrist injury in the Sky’s win over Los Angeles last time out. The 6-foot-3 forward set WNBA single-season records for total rebounds (446) and offensive rebounds (172) and her 26 doubles-doubles this season — including a league-record 15 in a row — are the second most in WNBA history.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

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AP Sports Writer

CLEVELAND (AP) — Dak Prescott barely had time to celebrate getting the biggest contract in NFL history before learning it came with a price.

His Cowboys teammates all want something.

“They’re expecting Rolexes,” Prescott joked. “Everybody’s giving me their wrist size.”

Prescott threw a touchdown pass hours after agreeing to a four-year, $240 million contract with Dallas and the Cowboys’ defense roughed up Deshaun Watson in his return, throttling the Cleveland Browns 33-17 in their opener Sunday.

Prescott’s deal makes him the first player to average $60 million per season and ends months of speculation about his future with the Cowboys, who have won 12 games in each of the past three years with him.

Earlier this week, Prescott, who was coming off his best season and entering his final year under contract, said he wants to be the quarterback to finally end the team’s Super Bowl drought. He’ll have time to try.

“It’s about holding up my end of the deal,” said Prescott, who completed 19 of 32 passes for 179 yards and spent much of the second half relaxing on the sideline.

Prescott was getting ready in his hotel room to leave for the stadium when he got a suprising call from his agent, telling him about the contract. His next move was to hug teammate Ezekiel Elliott, whom he credited with helping him as a young player.

“I am just super excited for him,” said Elliott, who had a 3-yard TD run in his first game back with the Cowboys. “I see the work he puts in day in and day out, so I could not think of a more deserving person to get that contract.”

Prescott threw a 21-yard scoring pass to Brandin Cooks in the first quarter and the Cowboys opened a 27-3 lead early in the third on KaVontae Turpin’s 60-yard punt return TD.

Brandon Aubrey kicked field goals of 57, 50, 46 and 40 yards for Dallas.

Prescott’s deal came just two weeks after the Cowboys gave wide receiver CeeDee Lamb a four-year, $136 million contract. Lamb sat out all of training camp before the sides reached an agreement.

“We have a little bit of experience with distractions, so we dealt with it,” coach Mike McCarthy said with a laugh. “The timing was different, but he handled it well. We made sure to congratulate him on the development because this is something you have to celebrate. But as soon as we got done, he was locked in.”

Watson played for the first time since breaking a bone in his right shoulder in November. Cleveland’s QB didn’t play during the preseason and the Browns’ new-look offense didn’t look very good with him running it.

Watson was sacked six times, intercepted twice and the 28-year-old wasn’t sharp. He had several overthrows, held the ball too long on some plays and rarely looked comfortable as the Cowboys blanketed his receivers.

He finished 24 of 45 for 169 yards in just his 13th game for Cleveland since signing a $230 million fully guaranteed deal in 2022.

At halftime, the Browns trailed by 17, had just one first down and were being outgained 216-54.

“They came out and hit us in the face on both sides,” said Browns Pro Bowl guard Joel Bitonio. “It was disappointing.”

On Dallas’ first scoring drive, Prescott showed beautiful touch while connecting with Lamb on a 34-yard completion down the right sideline.

Prescott was nearly intercepted on the next play, but then lofted his first TD pass of the season to Cooks, who ran past flat-footed safety Juan Thornhill before making an uncontested grab in the end zone.

Elliott spent last season doing little with New England before the Cowboys re-signed the two-time rushing champion in April after releasing him in a cost-cutting move. The 28-year-old barreled in to give the Cowboys a 14-3 lead in the second quarter.

The Browns took a 3-0 lead on a 51-yard field goal by Dustin Hopkins, who has made all nine kicks beyond 50 since Cleveland acquired him in a trade before last season.

Just for kicks

Aubrey appeared to tie Justin Tucker’s NFL record with a 66-yard field goal in the final seconds of the first half. However, the boot was wiped out as the Cowboys were called for delay of game despite coach Mike McCarthy’s vehement protests.

In his second season from Notre Dame, Aubrey made a 66-yarder during the preseason against Las Vegas.

Man of the people

Browns star end Myles Garrett surprised fans by showing up at a pregame tailgate in the Muni Lot, the team’s notoriously rowdy parking and partying area just east of the stadium.

The reigning AP Defensive Player of the Year led a group of fans in a “Here we go Brownies” chant. Garrett was joined by Cavaliers All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell.

Injuries

Cowboys: TE Jake Ferguson limped off in the third with a left knee injury after being tackled on a short completion. McCarthy said Ferguson will have imaging tests Monday. … LB Eric Kendricks went out briefly to get fluids, but finished with two sacks and an interception.

Browns: TE David Njoku left in the third quarter with an ankle injury. Njoku, who led Cleveland in receptions and TDs last season, got hurt while making a 29-yard catch. … LBs Tony Fields II (ankle) and Mohamoud Diabate (hip) were both hurt.

Up next

Cowboys: Host New Orleans next Sunday.

Browns: At Jacksonville next Sunday.

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

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AP Sports Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Jannik Sinner climbed into the stands after winning the U.S. Open title to hug the people rooting hardest for him in a crowd that was largely behind his American opponent. Seal was happy to be among them. The singer and No. 1-ranked men’s tennis player from Italy became friends at the U.S. Open two years ago and Seal was back to watch Sinner beat Taylor Fritz 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 on Sunday to win the tournament for the first time. Seal watched the match from two rows behind Sinner’s coaches and was among the friends and family waiting nearly two hours after the match ended for him to collect his trophy.

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AP Sports Writer

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Quarterback Anthony Richardson showed everyone Sunday what the Indianapolis Colts learned while drafting him — he possesses one of the NFL’s strongest arms.

The former Florida star also found out how much he needs to improve.

While Richardson threw two touchdown passes of more than 50 yards and powered through Houston’s defense on a late 3-yard TD run in the opening game of his second pro season, it wasn’t enough to stop the Colts’ Week 1 winless streak.

“I want to be better as a player, so I’m always criticizing myself,” Richardson said following the 29-27 loss. “We were highly confident we could come in here and win, especially at home. We’ve got more games ahead of us and we’ve got more chances to come out with a victory.”

The Richardson roller coaster provided plenty of fodder for fans and critics alike.

He looked spectacular on his third throw of the game, a 60-yard laser to Alec Pierce in stride despite slipping on Lucas Oil Stadium’s turf as he wound up. He looked equally impressive on a 54-yard dart to Ashton Dulin in the second half and the 57-yarder to Pierce, which set up his first scoring run of the season and got the Colts within two with 2:14 remaining.

Aside from those three throws, though, he went 6 of 16 with 41 yards and one costly red zone interception. He also missed two additional potential scoring throws to wide-open receivers.

While he ran six times for 56 yards including that determined fourth down scoring run and occasionally slid, he also was sacked twice, sometimes missed his receivers badly and hit his head hard on the turf in the first quarter when Mario Edwards Jr. slammed him to the ground in the first quarter, knocking Richardson’s helmet off.

It’s a play that may rekindle the debate over Richardson doing a better job of protecting himself after missing 13 games and finishing only one of four starts because of various injuries.

Richardson started — and finished this one to match last season’s total — and he wasn’t complaining about the hit.

“I love physical football,” he said. “’That’s part of playing physical. Some people are saying it should be a flag. I don’t know.”

What he does know is that Sunday’s performance wasn’t good enough.

Yes, Richardson, finally, ended Indy’s streak of seven consecutive seasons with a different opening day starter at quarterback, he failed to snap the league’s longest active Week 1 winless drought. It’s now 11 straight going back to 2013.

And if the Colts hope to end a three-year playoff drought, Richrdson needs to be on the field for more than 43 plays and 20 total minutes and 2021 league rushing champion Jonathan Taylor needs to be more involved.

All of it would help the defense stay fresh, something that didn’t happen Sunday, and it’s not just on Richardson to get the job done.

“You can put that on me,” coach Shane Steichen said when asked about Taylor’s workload. “Like I could have called more runs. I think we had 19 passes, I don’t remember how many carries we had, but we’ll look at those things and get that thing cleaned up, learning from tough, close games like this.”

If the Colts do get it fixed, and Richardson steadies his performance, the Texans know how much more difficult their path to defending the AFC South title could be.

“We made plays when we had to, but not good enough, right?” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Got to eliminate the big plays. That’s when you give up big points, that equals points.”

___

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

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Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans have released a scathing report on their investigation into the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The more than 18-month investigation by Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee lays the blame for the chaotic end of America’s longest war at the feet of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. It zeroes in on the months leading up to the removal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in August 2021 and claims the Biden administration undermined high-ranking officials and ignored warnings of the Taliban’s growing strength. Earlier probes have concluded former President Donald Trump — who made the deal with the Taliban agreeing to withdraw U.S. forces — shares blame.

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Associated Press

DAMASCUS (AP) — Syrian state media is reporting a series of Israeli strikes have hit multiple areas in central Syria, killing at least four people, wounding 13 and sparking fires. Syria state news agency SANA reported that Syrian air defenses “confronted an aggression that targeted several points in the central region,” damaging a highway in Hama province and sparking fires that firefighting teams were battling to control early Monday. At least four dead and 13 wounded civilians arrived at the Masyaf National Hospital in western Hamas province, SANA said, citing hospital head Faysal Haydar.

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AP Sports Writer

The impasse between DirecTV and Disney over a new carriage agreement has become more heated as it entered its second week.

DirecTV filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission on Saturday night accusing Disney of negotiating in bad faith.

Disney channels, including ESPN and ABC-owned stations in nine markets, have been off DirecTV since the evening of Sept. 1. That meant DirecTV customers were blacked out from viewing most college football games and the final week of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, including the women’s and men’s finals.

DirecTV has 11.3 million subscribers, according to Leichtman Research Group, making it the nation’s third-largest pay TV provider.

ABC and ESPN will have the “Monday Night Football” opener between the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers. ABC will also produce and carry a presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on Tuesday in Philadelphia.

ABC-owned stations in Los Angeles; the San Francisco Bay Area; Fresno, California; New York; Chicago; Philadelphia; Houston; and Raleigh, North Carolina, are off DirecTV.

Besides all ESPN network channels and ABC-owned stations, Disney-branded channels Freeform, FX and National Geographic channel are dark.

DirecTV says in its 10-page complaint that Disney is violating the FCC’s good faith mandates by asking it to waive any legal claims on any anticompetitive actions, including its ongoing packaging and minimum penetration demands.

DirecTV has asked Disney for the option to provide consumers with cheaper and skinnier bundles of programming, instead of bigger bundles that carry programming some viewers might not be interested in watching.

The complaint states: “Along with these anticompetitive demands, Disney has also insisted that DirecTV agree to a ‘clean slate’ provision and a covenant not to sue, both of which are intended to prevent DirecTV from taking legal action regarding Disney’s anticompetitive demands, which would include filing good faith complaints at the Commission. Not three months ago, however, the Media Bureau made clear that such a demand itself constitutes bad faith.”

DirecTV CEO Ray Carpenter said during a conference call with business and media analysts on Tuesday that they would not agree to a new carriage deal with Disney without bundling changes.

“We’re not playing a short-term game,” Carpenter said. “We need something that is going to work for the long-term sustainability of our video customers. The resolve is there.”

Disney has claimed since the blackout began that mutual release of claims is standard practice after licensing agreements are negotiated and agreed upon by the parties. It has also had one with DirecTV under its past renewals.

A Disney spokesperson said: “We continue to negotiate with DirecTV to restore access to our content as quickly as possible. We urge DirecTV to stop creating diversions and instead prioritize their customers by finalizing a deal that would allow their subscribers to watch our strong upcoming lineup of sports, news and entertainment programming, starting with the return of Monday Night Football.”

Last year, Disney and Charter Spectrum — the nation’s second-largest cable TV provider — were involved in a nearly 12-day impasse until coming to an agreement hours before the first Monday night NFL game of the season.

___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

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AP Sports Writer

The impasse between DirecTV and Disney over a new carriage agreement has become more heated as it entered its second week.

DirecTV filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission on Saturday night accusing Disney of negotiating in bad faith.

Disney channels, including ESPN and ABC-owned stations in nine markets, have been off DirecTV since the evening of Sept. 1. That meant DirecTV customers were blacked out from viewing most college football games and the final week of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, including the women’s and men’s finals.

DirecTV has 11.3 million subscribers, according to Leichtman Research Group, making it the nation’s third-largest pay TV provider.

ABC and ESPN will have the “Monday Night Football” opener between the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers. ABC will also produce and carry a presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on Tuesday in Philadelphia.

ABC-owned stations in Los Angeles; the San Francisco Bay Area; Fresno, California; New York; Chicago; Philadelphia; Houston; and Raleigh, North Carolina, are off DirecTV.

Besides all ESPN network channels and ABC-owned stations, Disney-branded channels Freeform, FX and National Geographic channel are dark.

DirecTV says in its 10-page complaint that Disney is violating the FCC’s good faith mandates by asking it to waive any legal claims on any anticompetitive actions, including its ongoing packaging and minimum penetration demands.

DirecTV has asked Disney for the option to provide consumers with cheaper and skinnier bundles of programming, instead of bigger bundles that carry programming some viewers might not be interested in watching.

The complaint states: “Along with these anticompetitive demands, Disney has also insisted that DirecTV agree to a ‘clean slate’ provision and a covenant not to sue, both of which are intended to prevent DirecTV from taking legal action regarding Disney’s anticompetitive demands, which would include filing good faith complaints at the Commission. Not three months ago, however, the Media Bureau made clear that such a demand itself constitutes bad faith.”

DirecTV CEO Ray Carpenter said during a conference call with business and media analysts on Tuesday that they would not agree to a new carriage deal with Disney without bundling changes.

“We’re not playing a short-term game,” Carpenter said. “We need something that is going to work for the long-term sustainability of our video customers. The resolve is there.”

Disney has claimed since the blackout began that mutual release of claims is standard practice after licensing agreements are negotiated and agreed upon by the parties. It has also had one with DirecTV under its past renewals.

A Disney spokesperson said: “We continue to negotiate with DirecTV to restore access to our content as quickly as possible. We urge DirecTV to stop creating diversions and instead prioritize their customers by finalizing a deal that would allow their subscribers to watch our strong upcoming lineup of sports, news and entertainment programming, starting with the return of Monday Night Football.”

Last year, Disney and Charter Spectrum — the nation’s second-largest cable TV provider — were involved in a nearly 12-day impasse until coming to an agreement hours before the first Monday night NFL game of the season.

___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

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Associated Press

CONWAY, N.H. (AP) — College football players aspire to play in bowls games. Professional players dream of playing in the Super Bowl.

A bunch of amateurs in New Hampshire just want to get muddy.

On Sunday, a three-day sloppy, muddy mess wrapped up for the Mud Bowl, which is celebrating its 50th year of football featuring players trudging though knee-deep muck while trying to reach the end zone.

For these athletes, playing in mud brings out their inner child.

“You’re playing football in the mud, so you’ve got to have a smile on your face,” said Jason Veno, the 50-year-old quarterback of the North Country Mud Crocs, who described mud as an equalizer. “It’s just a different game in the mud. It doesn’t matter how good you are on grass. That doesn’t matter in the mud.”

The annual event takes place at Hog Coliseum, located in the heart of North Conway. It kicked off Friday night with revelry and music, followed by a Tournament of Mud Parade on Saturday. All told, a dozen teams with men and women competed in the tournament in hopes of emerging as the soiled victor.

Ryan Martin said he’s been playing mud ball for almost 20 years and said it’s a good excuse to meet up with old friends he’s grown up with.

“You get to a point where you’re just like, I’m not going pro on anything I might as well feel like I’m still competing day in and day out,” he said.

He also acknowledged that the sport has some lingering effects — mostly with mud infiltrating every nook and cranny of his body.

“It gets in the eyes. You get cracks in your feet. And you get mud in your toenails for weeks,” he said. “You get it in your ears too. You’ll be cleaning out your ears for a long while …you’ll be blowing your nose and you’ll get some dirt and you’re like, oh, I didn’t know I still had that there.”

Mahala Smith is also sold on the camaraderie of the event.

She said she fell in love with football early in life and has been playing the sport since first grade and ultimately joined a women’s team for tackle football in 2018 and played that for a few years before she was invited to play in the mud.

She said the weekend was a treat.

“It’s like a little mini vacation and everyone’s all friendly,” she said. “People hang out at the hotels and restaurants, people camp, we all have fires and stuff, just like a nice group event.”

Even though it’s fun, the teams are serious about winning. And the two-hand touch football can get chippy on the field of play, but it’s all fun once the games are over. Many of the players were star high school or college athletes, and there have been a smattering of retired pros over the years, Veno said.

The theme was “50 Years, The Best of Five Decades.” Over the years, the event has raised more than $1 million for charity, officials said.

The post Joy in Mud Bowl: Football tournament celebrates 50 years of messy fun appeared first on KVIA.

Associated Press

PANAMA CITY (AP) — Matías Delacroix has been taking photos for The Associated Press since 2019. The award-winning Chilean photojournalist, currently based in Panama City, has covered some of the biggest events in Latin America for the AP including the COVID-19 pandemic, the aftermath of the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, soccer great Pelé’s funeral, Javiér Milei’s election in Argentina, Nicolas Maduro’s election in Venezuela, and the 2023 Pan American Games among other moments. This is what he had to say about this extraordinary photo.

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AP Sports Writer

Fox Sports is spending $375 million to put Tom Brady in the broadcast booth, and the network wants to make sure everyone knows he’s there.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion made his debut as an NFL analyst during the Fox broadcast of the regular-season opener between the Dallas Cowboys and the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. But first came a Brady hype video leading into the pregame show, where the studio team admitted they couldn’t help but “fanboy” over their new co-worker.

“You’re a broadcaster, how about that!” play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt said when the camera cut to the booth in Cleveland, where Brady, in a coat and tie, made his first live appearance on screen. The former Patriots and Buccaneers quarterback was identified when they cut to the booth as a “7-time Super Bowl champion.”

And that, as the kids say, is a nice flex.

Sideline reporter Erin Andrews made sure to let Dallas coach Mike McCarthy know that Brady had been complimentary of his play calling. Charissa Thompson gave him a couple of shout-outs when she broke in with score updates on the game between Tampa Bay, one of his former teams, and the Washington Commanders.

Burkhardt joked during during another on-screen appearance that he paid extra attention to his hair because he knew there would be more shots of the broadcast booth.

“I do what they tell me. I understand that,” Brady said with a chuckle. “I’m still a rookie in here.”

To the viewers, that was obvious.

Brady’s commentary was knowledgeable, as expected, but also lacking in personality — no Tony Romo anticipating the next play, no John Madden with his “Boom!” and turducken, not even the quarter-zip sweaters that make Peyton Manning stand out from the dozens or hundreds of other ex-jocks who joined the media when their playing careers were over.

There were awkward laughs, a cringey fist-bump with rules analyst Mike Pereira, and a lot of calling players by their first names (along with an unnecessarily deferential reference to “Coach McCarthy”). Brady declined to call out Cleveland receiver Amari Cooper when a pass went through his hands in the fourth quarter and made excuses for the Browns while trying to find positives in a dreadful performance.

As one X user tweeted, “Tom Brady is to broadcasting as Michael Jordan is to baseball.”

(Of course Brady, a sixth-round draft pick who spent his first NFL season as the Patriots fourth-string quarterback, managed to grow into the quarterbacking thing just fine.)

It didn’t help that the game, which Dallas led 27-3 early in the second half, was headed toward a blowout that would challenge even a veteran broadcaster to hold the audience’s interest. But that’s where Brady was able to deploy his experience as an asset.

“There’s plenty of time left in this game,” said the quarterback who famously led the Patriots back from a 28-3 deficit in Super Bowl 51 against Atlanta. “Just the margin of error’s slim.”

On one play, Brady called for Deshaun Watson to throw it to an open tight end; the Browns quarterback didn’t see it.

Brady played 23 years in the NFL before retiring after the 2022 season as the most decorated player in league history. He signed a 10-year deal with Fox Sports — replacing the well-regarded Greg Olsen as the network’s lead analyst. Brady took last year off, a gap that only added to the anticipation over whether he could transfer some of his on-field knowledge and skills to the booth.

A commercial a few minutes before the kickoff featured Brady in his various football uniforms talking to his current self, questioning why he didn’t just take the estimated $450 million he earned in his playing career and “lay on a beach getting fat on pina coladas.”

“What they’re really asking is why don’t you quit football?’ They don’t understand that you live and breathe for football. Because you’re Tom Freaking Brady,” a succession of helmeted Bradys say. “And our football journey isn’t even close to done.”

“Back to work,” the current Brady says.

With five Super Bowl MVP awards in his seven victories in the NFL title game — six for New England and one for Tampa Bay — Brady established himself as the greatest player in league history. He retired with the career records for wins and playoff wins, passing touchdowns and playoff passing touchdowns, and passing yards and playoff passing yards, among other bests.

And while he couldn’t completely avoid controversy in his career — most notably during the two-year Deflategate odyssey that led to a four-game suspension for cheating — Brady rarely made news with anything he said.

Brady’s new career has already seen a setback because his concurrent attempt to purchase a minority share in the Las Vegas Raiders means he won’t have the access to team facilities, players and coaches that other broadcasters receive. He also must abide by the league constitution and bylaws that prohibit public criticism of officials and other clubs; he is allowed to broadcast Raiders games.

The much-anticipated debut stole some of the attention from the game between the defending NFC East champion Cowboys, who signed quarterback Dak Prescott to a record-setting four-year, $240 million contract earlier Sunday, and a Browns team that isn’t expected to make the playoffs.

As the final 30 seconds ticked off on the Cowboys’ 33-17 victory, Brady and Burkhardt discussed their new partnership as much as the game itself. Back in the studio, Michael Strahan picked Brady — not any of the players — as the day’s biggest winner, and Brady shared some wisdom he got from his fellow athlete-turned-TV personality: “You’re going to wake up tomorrow, on Monday morning, you ain’t going to be sore.”

“That,” Brady said, “I’m very happy about.”

___

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

The post Tom Brady takes awkward first steps in transition from football field to TV booth appeared first on KVIA.

AP Sports Writer

Fox Sports is spending $375 million to put Tom Brady in the broadcast booth, and the network wants to make sure everyone knows he’s there.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion made his debut as an NFL analyst during the Fox broadcast of the regular-season opener between the Dallas Cowboys and the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. But first came a Brady hype video leading into the pregame show, where the studio team admitted they couldn’t help but “fanboy” over their new co-worker.

“You’re a broadcaster, how about that!” play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt said when the camera cut to the booth in Cleveland, where Brady, in a coat and tie, made his first live appearance on screen. The former Patriots and Buccaneers quarterback was identified when they cut to the booth as a “7-time Super Bowl champion.”

And that, as the kids say, is a nice flex.

Sideline reporter Erin Andrews made sure to let Dallas coach Mike McCarthy know that Brady had been complimentary of his play calling. Charissa Thompson gave him a couple of shout-outs when she broke in with score updates on the game between Tampa Bay, one of his former teams, and the Washington Commanders.

Burkhardt joked during during another on-screen appearance that he paid extra attention to his hair because he knew there would be more shots of the broadcast booth.

“I do what they tell me. I understand that,” Brady said with a chuckle. “I’m still a rookie in here.”

To the viewers, that was obvious.

Brady’s commentary was knowledgeable, as expected, but also lacking in personality — no Tony Romo anticipating the next play, no John Madden with his “Boom!” and turducken, not even the quarter-zip sweaters that make Peyton Manning stand out from the dozens or hundreds of other ex-jocks who joined the media when their playing careers were over.

There were awkward laughs, a cringey fist-bump with rules analyst Mike Pereira, and a lot of calling players by their first names (along with an unnecessarily deferential reference to “Coach McCarthy”). Brady declined to call out Cleveland receiver Amari Cooper when a pass went through his hands in the fourth quarter and made excuses for the Browns while trying to find positives in a dreadful performance.

As one X user tweeted, “Tom Brady is to broadcasting as Michael Jordan is to baseball.”

(Of course Brady, a sixth-round draft pick who spent his first NFL season as the Patriots fourth-string quarterback, managed to grow into the quarterbacking thing just fine.)

It didn’t help that the game, which Dallas led 27-3 early in the second half, was headed toward a blowout that would challenge even a veteran broadcaster to hold the audience’s interest. But that’s where Brady was able to deploy his experience as an asset.

“There’s plenty of time left in this game,” said the quarterback who famously led the Patriots back from a 28-3 deficit in Super Bowl 51 against Atlanta. “Just the margin of error’s slim.”

On one play, Brady called for Deshaun Watson to throw it to an open tight end; the Browns quarterback didn’t see it.

Brady played 23 years in the NFL before retiring after the 2022 season as the most decorated player in league history. He signed a 10-year deal with Fox Sports — replacing the well-regarded Greg Olsen as the network’s lead analyst. Brady took last year off, a gap that only added to the anticipation over whether he could transfer some of his on-field knowledge and skills to the booth.

A commercial a few minutes before the kickoff featured Brady in his various football uniforms talking to his current self, questioning why he didn’t just take the estimated $450 million he earned in his playing career and “lay on a beach getting fat on pina coladas.”

“What they’re really asking is why don’t you quit football?’ They don’t understand that you live and breathe for football. Because you’re Tom Freaking Brady,” a succession of helmeted Bradys say. “And our football journey isn’t even close to done.”

“Back to work,” the current Brady says.

With five Super Bowl MVP awards in his seven victories in the NFL title game — six for New England and one for Tampa Bay — Brady established himself as the greatest player in league history. He retired with the career records for wins and playoff wins, passing touchdowns and playoff passing touchdowns, and passing yards and playoff passing yards, among other bests.

And while he couldn’t completely avoid controversy in his career — most notably during the two-year Deflategate odyssey that led to a four-game suspension for cheating — Brady rarely made news with anything he said.

Brady’s new career has already seen a setback because his concurrent attempt to purchase a minority share in the Las Vegas Raiders means he won’t have the access to team facilities, players and coaches that other broadcasters receive. He also must abide by the league constitution and bylaws that prohibit public criticism of officials and other clubs; he is allowed to broadcast Raiders games.

The much-anticipated debut stole some of the attention from the game between the defending NFC East champion Cowboys, who signed quarterback Dak Prescott to a record-setting four-year, $240 million contract earlier Sunday, and a Browns team that isn’t expected to make the playoffs.

As the final 30 seconds ticked off on the Cowboys’ 33-17 victory, Brady and Burkhardt discussed their new partnership as much as the game itself. Back in the studio, Michael Strahan picked Brady — not any of the players — as the day’s biggest winner, and Brady shared some wisdom he got from his fellow athlete-turned-TV personality: “You’re going to wake up tomorrow, on Monday morning, you ain’t going to be sore.”

“That,” Brady said, “I’m very happy about.”

___

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

The post Tom Brady takes awkward first steps in transition from football field to TV booth appeared first on KVIA.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Andrew Heaney snapped an eight-start winless streak as the Texas Rangers took an early five-run lead and beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-4 on Sunday.

Heaney (5-13), one short of the major league lead in losses, allowed four runs, three earned, on three hits in six-plus innings to win for the first time since July 21. He was backed by home runs from Marcus Semien, Nathaniel Lowe and Ezequiel Duran.

It was rare run support for Heaney. The 33-year-old left-hander received two runs or fewer of support in his previous seven starts and 18 of his 27 this season before Sunday. His 3.55 average run support as a starter was fourth lowest in the American League.

“Very happy about that. Happy for those guys,” Heaney said. “I know it’s not intentional. I know those guys aren’t having a meeting about, ‘Hey, don’t forget. Heaney’s on the mound. Let’s not support him.’ I know it’s been trying for them.”

Kirby Yates earned his 29th save in 30 chances after David Robertson left runners on the corners in the eighth with a one-run lead.

The Rangers won three of four games against the Angels to match a season-best four consecutive series won, the other time happening April 26-May 8. The defending World Series champions (70-74) have climbed within four games of .500 for the first time since July 30.

Texas chased 20-year-old right-hander Caden Dana (1-1) 11 batters into his second major league start. Dana, who was brought up from Double-A Rocket City on Aug. 30, gave up five runs on seven hits, including three home runs, and left with the bases loaded with none out in the second inning.

Ryan Zeferjahn followed Dana and shut down Texas by striking out Wyatt Langford and getting Adolis García to ground into a double play.

Semien hit Dana’s first pitch for his sixth leadoff homer this season and 30th of his career.

“Marcus led off a home run, and then it was pow, pow, pow after that,” Angels manager Ron Washington said of Dana, one of seven Angels rookies to play on Sunday. “Just wasn’t his day.”

Duran’s homer was his third of the season, the first since June 11.

“Threw stuff over the middle. Happened too many times,” said Dana, an 11th-round draftee in 2022.

Heaney retired Los Angeles’ first nine batters before Taylor Ward led off the fourth with a walk, Zach Neto doubled down the left-field line and Charles Leblanc, recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Sept. 1 for the second time this season, pulled a 3-2 slider down the left-field line for his first Angels homer.

The Angels (59-84) pulled within 5-4 in the seventh on Michael Stefanic’s sacrifice fly off José Leclerc to score Matt Thaiss. Thaiss reached on a high fly ball down the left-field line off Heaney that was dropped by Langford into foul territory and ruled foul. Los Angeles successfully challenged that Langford stood in fair territory when he dropped it, and Thaiss was awarded second base.

Texas scored two unearned runs in the eighth on Travis Jankowski’s two-out single to right field that was overrun by Jordyn Adams.

UP NEXT

Angels: LHP Reid Detmers (3-6, 5.87 ERA) will open a three-game series at Minnesota on Monday against Twins RHP David Festa (2-5, 4.75).

Rangers: RHP Nathan Eovaldi (11-7. 3.55) will face Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (11-6, 3.69) on Tuesday in a rematch of Texas’ most recent appearance at Arizona, the clinching game of last year’s World Series.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

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Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — The mother of a student in class with the boy accused of killing four people in a Georgia high school shooting says information that school officials were warned that the boy was having a crisis shows the shooting could have been prevented.

“The school failed them, that they could have prevented these deaths and they didn’t,” Rabecca Sayarath said Sunday in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. “I truly, truly feel that way.”

Sayarath’s daughter, Lyela, told reporters on Wednesday, the day of the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, that administrators appeared to be looking for Colt Gray, the 14-year-old who has been charged with four counts of murder, before the gunfire began.

Others, though, are declining to blame school or law enforcement officials.

“I’m not going to referee or second-guess what happened with the authorities the other night,” U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Georgia Democrat, said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. “I applaud our first responders. When others are running away from danger, they run toward the danger in order to do the best they can.”

Officials say Gray shot and killed students Christian Angulo and Mason Schermerhorn, both 14, and teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53. Eight other students and a teacher were injured — seven of them shot — and are expected to recover.

Annie Brown told The Washington Post that her sister, Colt Gray’s mother, texted her saying she spoke with a school counselor and warned staff of an “extreme emergency” before the killings. Brown said Marcee Gray urged them to “immediately” find her son to check on him.

Brown provided screen shots of the text exchange to the newspaper, which also reported that a call log from the family’s shared phone plan showed a call was made to the school at 9:50 a.m. Warrants for Gray’s arrest say the shooting started at 10:20 a.m.

Brown confirmed the reporting to The Associated Press on Saturday in text messages but declined to provide further comment.

Marcee Gray expressed remorse for the shootings Saturday to The Washington Post and The New York Post.

“I am so, so sorry and can not fathom the pain and suffering they are going through right now,” Gray told The Washington Post in a text.

“It’s horrible. It’s absolutely horrible,” Gray told The New York Post outside her father’s home in Fitzgerald, Georgia, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) south of Atlanta.

Charles Polhamus, the boy’s grandfather, has told multiple news outlets that Marcee Gray got a text from her son on Wednesday saying he was sorry. Polhamus told CNN that Marcee Gray drove to Winder, more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) from Fitzgerald, immediately after the shooting.

The Washington Post also reported that texts show relatives contacted the school about the boy’s mental health a week before the shooting, and that Brown told a relative he having “homicidal and suicidal thoughts.” The newspaper reported that the teen’s grandmother, Deborah Polhamus, met with a school counselor to request help.

The boy “starts with the therapist tomorrow,” Polhamus wrote in a text to Brown after that meeting.

Investigators haven’t said what they believe might have motivated Gray or whether they believe he targeted particular victims.

Authorities have said Gray’s father, Colin Gray, gave him access to the semiautomatic AR-15 style rifle used in the shooting. It’s not clear how Gray brought the gun to campus or what he did with it in the two hours between school starting at 8:15 a.m. and when shots first rang out.

Colin Gray became the first parent of a school shooting suspect to be charged in Georgia, District Attorney Brad Smith said Friday. He’s accused of second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and cruelty to children for providing his son with the rifle.

Colin Gray is jailed in Barrow County after declining to seek bail in a brief court hearing Friday in Winder. Colt Gray is being held in a juvenile detention center after declining to seek bail. Neither has been indicted or entered a plea.

Lyela Sayarath said Wednesday that Colt Gray had left her algebra classroom and that she believed he was skipping class.

In the minutes before the shooting, a female administrator came to her class looking for a student with the same last name and almost identical first name as Gray, she said. That other student was in the bathroom, but the administrator demanded to see his bag. That student returned with his bag moments later, Sayarath said, and told her that administrators had concluded he wasn’t the student they were looking for.

Someone also called the teacher on the intercom, apparently asking about Gray, Sayarath said. She said as the intercom buzzed a second time, the teacher responded, “Oh he’s here,” seeing Gray outside the classroom door.

When students went to open the door, which automatically locks from the inside when closed, Sayarath said they backed away. She said she saw Colt Gray turn away through the window of the door and then she said she heard gunshots — “10 or 15 of them at once, back-to-back.”

Rabecca Sayarath, Lyela’s mother, has said she believed the school erred by sending an unarmed administrator to look for Colt Gray instead of one of Apalachee High’s armed school resource officers.

When she questioned Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith about her daughter’s account at a Wednesday night news conference, Smith cautioned, “With all due respect, ma’am, I think your information is incorrect.”

It’s unclear if Barrow County school authorities knew before the shooting that Colt and Colin Gray previously had been interviewed by a sheriff’s deputy in neighboring Jackson County in May 2023 after a report of an online threat to shoot up a middle school that Colt Gray, then 13, attended.

Colt Gray told the deputy that “he would never say such a thing, even in a joking manner,” according to a report filed by investigators. No action was taken because of inconsistent information about the social media account used to make the threats.

Colin Gray told the investigator back then that Colt had access to unloaded guns in the house but knew “how to use them and not use them.” He also said his son had struggled since he and his wife separated and that Colt was picked on in school.

Nicole Valles, a spokesperson for the Barrow County school district, declined to comment Sunday in response to emailed questions seeking more details about what may have happened before the shooting.

“Because this is an active investigation and now court proceedings have begun, we are not commenting on specific details,” Valles wrote, referring questions to the district attorney.

Smith didn’t immediately respond to emails Sunday with similar questions, while the Georgia Bureau of Investigation referred requests for comment to the district attorney.

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Associated Press

HAVANA, Cuba (AP) — In the land of the salsa, more and more youngsters are turning to K-pop. Popular all over the world, South Korean bands have gained dedicated fan clubs even on the socialist island, thanks to greater access to the internet. K-pop fans who follow the bands, adopt the fashion, and learn the steps gather on weekends at different public spaces in Havana to perform, exchange gossip about their favorite artists and sell K-pop memorabilia. South Korean pop artists have become popular in Cuba even before the two countries restored diplomatic relations earlier this year, which had been severed in 1959 after the Cuban revolution.

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Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek opposition leader Stefanos Kasselakis has been ousted by his party’s central committee via a motion of no confidence, just a year after his election to the post by party cadres who accused him of being an authoritarian and not fully ideologically aligned with the party. Kasselakis, who was elected leader in September 2023, reacted by saying that he felt “liberated” and strongly attacked his opponents.  He did not say whether he will join a new leadership contest. An extraordinary congress must take place within three months, followed by a leadership election by party members and “friends” where practically anyone who shows up can vote.

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ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins and head coach Raheen Morris wore Apalachee High School T-shirts during warmups before the NFL team’s season opener, honoring the victims of a fatal shooting. Four people were killed and nine injured last week at the school in Winder, a city in Atlanta’s sprawling suburbs. A 14-year-old student has been charged with the shooting, which took the lives of two students and two teachers. Apalachee High is about 20 miles from the Falcons’ practice facility in Flowery Branch. A moment of silence was observed before the game, which was won by the Pittsburgh Steelers 18-10.

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AP Sports Writer

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Houston Texans invested heavily in the offseason in giving C.J. Stroud some additional scoring options.

It’s already paying big dividends.

Stefon Diggs caught two touchdown passes and Joe Mixon ran for 159 yards and another score in their Houston debuts to help the Texans close out a 29-27 victory against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

“It’s everything for us,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said of his new tag-team tandem. “Those guys go out and make plays no matter what the situation is, like when you can count on those guys to make plays it’s huge for our team, not just our offense but what they did for an entire team, providing the energy they did for our team, it’s outstanding.”

In some ways, it was more of the same for Houston (1-0).

C.J. Stroud was 24 of 32 with 234 yards and no turnovers as the defending AFC South champs won their ninth consecutive road game in division play — inside the same venue they clinched a playoff spot in Week 18 last season.

Still, Mixon, who was acquired in a trade from Cincinnati, and Diggs, who was acquired in a trade with Buffalo, gave Houston a more potent look.

Diggs caught six passes for 33 yards with two touchdowns — a 9-yard score to give Houston a 12-7 lead it never surrendered and a 2-yard TD reception on fourth-and-goal to essentially seal the victory with 4:42 to play.

Mixon carried a career-high 30 times, finished with his highest single-game rushing total since gaining a career-best 165 yards against Pittsburgh in November 2021 and scored on a 3-yard run early in the fourth quarter on the first play after a holding penalty erased a Colts interception.

“I’m just finally getting tapped into the player I know I am,” Mixon said. “The guys are encouraging me to make sure this thing is still up and going. I’m just glad I’m one of the forefront persons to really set the tone and let people know what it is like playing us.”

For the Colts (0-1), it was an all-too-familiar script.

They extended the NFL’s longest active opening day winless drought, three of the past four coming against division teams including a 20-20 tie at Houston in 2022.

And even though Anthony Richardson gave them a chance with two TD passes of more than 50 yards and a powerful 3-yard TD run with 2:14 to play, Indy’s weary defense couldn’t get the ball back to Richardson.

Houston’s offense had the ball for 40 minutes.

“It’s going to be like this a lot, you know, there’s going to be a lot of one-score games,” Colts coach Shane Steichen said. “We’ve got to find ways at the end, offensively and defensively, to make the plays in critical situations.”

But Mixon, Diggs, Stroud and Nico Collins simply wouldn’t allow it.

Collins had his third consecutive big game against the Colts, catching six passes for 117 yards including a 55-yarder that set up Diggs’ first score and Ka’imi Fairbairn made three field goals from 50 or more yards.

It was simply too much for the Colts, who took a 7-3 lead when Richardson and Alec Pierce hooked up on a 60-yard TD pass in the first quarter.

Diggs’ first score made it 12-7 and when Fairbairn started the second half with another field goal, the Texans’ lead expanded to 15-7.

The Colts capitalized on a blocked punt with Jonathan Taylor’s 5-yard TD run, but a failed 2-point conversion left Indy in a 15-13 deficit.

Mixon responded with his TD run and after Richardson found Ashton Dulin on a 54-yard score, Diggs extended the lead to 29-20 with less than five minutes to play.

Richardson was 9 of 19 with 212 yards and one interception and ran six times for 56 yards. Taylor rushed 16 times for 48 yards and Pierce finished with three catches for 125 yards as the Colts came up short again.

Strange ending

Houston won despite an unusual finish to the first half, which may have cost it at least three points with officials stopping the clock to review Dalton Schultz’s 7-yard reception after a spike.

When referee John Hussey announced it was a catch and the clock would be reset to 15 seconds, Steichen called a timeout. Before play resumed, Hussey “apologized for the confusion,” rescinded the timeout and enforced a 10-second runoff for the review to reset the clock at 5 seconds while starting it on his signal. But with the offense still on the field, Houston didn’t get the ball snapped before time expired.

“It’s on us on the sideline,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “We’ve got to be better.”

Turf trouble

Indianapolis installed new turf during the offseason and both teams struggled to stay upright. Stroud slipped on two consecutive plays on the Texans first series and when Colts rookie Adonai Mitchell slipped on a screen pass in the first half, it messed up the timing. And Kylen Granson’s bad footing led to Calen Bullock’s interception at the Texans 8-yard line late in the first half.

Up next

Texans: Host Chicago next Sunday night.

Colts: Visit Green Bay next Sunday.

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

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AP Sports Writer

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — This time it really is au revoir. A summer sporting bonanza which started under pouring rain on July 26 with a remarkable opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics on the Seine River ended Sunday with the Paralympics closing ceremony at a rain-soaked Stade de France. It lowered the curtain on successful back-to-back Games that captivated fans and raised the bar high for others to follow, including Los Angeles in 2028. As the stadium was lit up in the colors of the French flag a trumpet player played the national anthem “La Marseillaise” and Paralympic flagbearers made their way into the stadium. Later on famed French electronic music composer Jean-Michel Jarre closed out the ceremony with a giant open-air dance party.

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SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemen’s state-run media say a passenger bus has overturned while driving in a mountainous area in the country’s southwest, killing at least 14 people. The official SABA news agency said the vehicle was traveling Sunday on a highway overlooking a rocky area in the Maqatra district when it suffered a mechanical failure and tumbled to the ground. It said only one person survived the crash and was taken to hospital for treatment. Deadly traffic crashes are not uncommon in Yemen, where a decade of civil war wrecked the country’s infrastructure.

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ATLANTA (AP) — Walt Ehmer, the president and CEO of Waffle House and a member of the board of trustees for the Atlanta Police Foundation, has died at age 58, the foundation announced Sunday.

Ehmer joined Waffle House in 1992 and quickly rose to senior leadership, becoming president of the company in 2002, and later adding the titles of CEO and chairman, according to information from Georgia Tech University, his alma mater.

“His leadership, dedication and warmth touched the lives of many, both within the Waffle House family and beyond. He leaves behind a remarkable legacy,” Mayor Andre Dickens said in a news release.

The board of directors for Waffle House issued a statement Sunday afternoon saying Ehmer died after a long illness. “He will be greatly missed by his entire Waffle House family,” the statement said.

Ehmer was chair of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association Board of Trustees from 2012 to 2013 and served numerous organizations, including the Georgia Tech Foundation Board and the Georgia Tech Advisory Board.

The Waffle House chain of around-the-clock diners opened in 1955 and now boasts more than 1,900 locations in 25 states.

Ehmer is survived by three children, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A reckless driver has been arrested after a police-involved shooting Sunday in Santa Fe that canceled the Desfile de la Gente parade, authorities said.

Santa Fe police reported the incident occurred near downtown Santa Fe Plaza around 10:30 a.m., hours ahead of the popular parade that had been scheduled to start at 1 p.m.

The name and age of the suspect weren’t immediately available Sunday.

“We had one individual crashing into cars recklessly, confronting the police, leading the police on a chase,” Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber told the Santa Fe New Mexican. “There were shots fired from the police. He was apprehended and he’s in custody. Unfortunately, he successfully ruined the day for everybody else.”

New Mexico State Police said in a statement that the shooting involved both Santa Fe police and the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office.

State Police said the police officers escaped injury but that the suspect was wounded.

Dan Shipp told The Associated Press that he was a half block away from the plaza make when he saw a white pickup truck make several hard turns before going through a barricade.

Shipp said he then heard “six or seven shots” fired but didn’t know if it was police or the suspect who was doing the shooting.

Hundreds of people were at the plaza setting up tents along the parade route to sell trinkets, rugs and other things, according to Shipp.

“Everything is shut down now,” he said, adding that all other scheduled events at the plaza were also cancelled.

The purpose of the parade, according to the event’s website, “is to provide fun, relaxation and cultural enjoyment for the citizens and visitors of Santa Fe.” The site also refers to the parade as the Santa Fe Fiesta Historical/Hysterical Parade.

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SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A reckless driver has been arrested after a police-involved shooting Sunday in Santa Fe that canceled the Desfile de la Gente parade, authorities said.

Santa Fe police reported the incident occurred near downtown Santa Fe Plaza around 10:30 a.m., hours ahead of the popular parade that had been scheduled to start at 1 p.m.

The name and age of the suspect weren’t immediately available Sunday.

“We had one individual crashing into cars recklessly, confronting the police, leading the police on a chase,” Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber told the Santa Fe New Mexican. “There were shots fired from the police. He was apprehended and he’s in custody. Unfortunately, he successfully ruined the day for everybody else.”

New Mexico State Police said in a statement that the shooting involved both Santa Fe police and the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office.

State Police said the police officers escaped injury but that the suspect was wounded.

Dan Shipp told The Associated Press that he was a half block away from the plaza make when he saw a white pickup truck make several hard turns before going through a barricade.

Shipp said he then heard “six or seven shots” fired but didn’t know if it was police or the suspect who was doing the shooting.

Hundreds of people were at the plaza setting up tents along the parade route to sell trinkets, rugs and other things, according to Shipp.

“Everything is shut down now,” he said, adding that all other scheduled events at the plaza were also cancelled.

The purpose of the parade, according to the event’s website, “is to provide fun, relaxation and cultural enjoyment for the citizens and visitors of Santa Fe.” The site also refers to the parade as the Santa Fe Fiesta Historical/Hysterical Parade.

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Associated Press

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A fuel tanker collided head-on with another truck in Nigeria on Sunday causing an explosion that killed at least 48 people, the country’s emergency response agency said.

The fuel tanker was also carrying cattle in the Agaie area in north-central Niger state and at least 50 of them were burned alive, Abdullahi Baba-Arab, director-general of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, said.

Search and rescue operations were underway at the scene of the accident, Baba-Arab said.

Baba-Arab said initially that 30 bodies were found but in a later statement said an additional 18 bodies of victims who were burned to death in the collision were found. He said the dead had been given a mass burial.

Mohammed Bago, governor of Niger state, said residents of the affected area should remain calm and asked road users to “always be cautious and abide by road traffic regulations to safeguard lives and property.”

With the absence of an efficient railway system to transport cargo, fatal truck accidents are common along most of the major roads in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country.

In 2020 alone, there were 1,531 gasoline tanker crashes resulting in 535 fatalities and 1,142 injuries, according to Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps.

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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Multi-Cy Young Award winners Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer are prepared to rejoin the Texas Rangers’ starting rotation after completing rehab assignments, manager Bruce Bochy said Sunday.

“He’s ready to start here,” Bochy said of two-time winner deGrom. “Same with Max. Both had great outings, terrific outings.”

Bochy said the staff is still discussing specific dates for deGrom and Scherzer with the possibility that deGrom could pitch Friday in the second of four games at Seattle.

“We’ll have that down here in a couple days for sure,” Bochy said.

For deGrom, it would be his first big league game since April 28, 2023, when he was pulled from his sixth Rangers start and subsequently had elbow surgery. He threw 49 pitches for Double-A Frisco on Saturday working primarily on off-speed pitches.

“I’m really excited to be back out there,” deGrom said. “It’s the next step — big league games, big league hitters.”

Scherzer threw 59 pitches for Triple-A Round Rock at Las Vegas on Saturday, pitching four scoreless innings and striking out eight of the 14 batters he faced. The 40-year-old has been sidelined with right shoulder fatigue and a nerve issue, most recently starting a major league game on July 30.

Scherzer is 2-4, pitching 39 1/3 innings in eight starts with a 3.89 ERA.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

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Taylor Swift is at the U.S. Open to watch another Taylor perform.

Swift is at the men’s final along with Travis Kelce on Sunday, four days after watching her boyfriend’s Kansas City Chiefs open their NFL season with a victory.

The singing superstar was wearing a red-and-white checkered dress when she arrived for the match between American Taylor Fritz and Jannik Sinner of Italy. Kelce was dressed in a white shirt and sweater, looking appropriately attired for Wimbledon.

The couple sat in a box at Arthur Ashe Stadium along with Patrick Mahomes, Kelce’s teammate with the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs, and his wife, Brittany.

The U.S. Open posted a photo on social media of Swift enjoying a Honey Deuce, the tournament’s cocktail phenom that runs for $23.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

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DENVER (AP) — A Colorado State Patrol trooper is recovering after he was shot in the arm during a shootout near Denver that left the gunman dead, authorities said.

Cpl. Tye Simcox was in his parked pickup in the center median of U.S. 36 on Saturday afternoon when a passing driver fired at him multiple times with a semi-automatic pistol, The Denver Post reported. The gunman, whose name has not been released, then pulled over, got out of his vehicle and fired more shots through the windshield of the marked patrol vehicle.

Simcox got out of the truck with his rifle and returned fire, killing the suspect, said Col. Matthew Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol.

“I will tell you very directly that our member was targeted today by a man that intended to kill him, and that is shocking and unacceptable,” Packard said during a news conference Saturday evening.

Simcox applied a tourniquet to his arm as he waited for state patrol troopers and Westminster police officers to arrive. He was treated and released from a hospital.

Investigators do not know why the gunman attacked the trooper, Packard said.

“I want it to be known that we came out on top today, and that’s really, really important, because that’s what good does,” Packard told reporters. “Good and courageous people win over evil cowardice — and that’s what happened today on Highway 36.”

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AP Tennis Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Jannik Sinner started slowly at the U.S. Open, dropping the first set he played after being exonerated in a doping case no one knew about until shortly before play began at Flushing Meadows.

If that episode initially hung over him during the tournament, Sinner was able to put it aside while on court. Was he ever. The No. 1-ranked Sinner beat Taylor Fritz 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 with his typical relentless baseline game to win the men’s championship at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday, less than three weeks after word emerged of the Italian’s two positive tests for a trace amount of an anabolic steroid.

“It was, and it’s still, a little bit in my mind,” Sinner said. “It’s not that it’s gone, but when I’m on court, I try to focus (on) the game, I try to handle the situation the best possible way. … It was not easy, that’s for sure, but … I tried to stay focused, which I guess I’ve done a great job, mentally staying there every point I play.”

This 2-hour, 15-minute victory gave him a second Grand Slam trophy — the other was at the Australian Open in January — and prevented No. 12 Fritz from ending the major title drought for American men that has lasted 21 years.

Andy Roddick’s triumph at Flushing Meadows in 2003 was the last Slam title for a man from the United States. The last before Fritz, a 26-year-old from California, to even contest a final at one of the four biggest tournaments in tennis also was Roddick, who lost to Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2009.

“I know we’ve been waiting for a champion for a long time,” Fritz said, “so I’m sorry I couldn’t get it done this time.”

Still, this tournament was a success in many ways for U.S. tennis, with two women and two men from the country all in the semifinals for the first time at a major since the 2003 U.S. Open. Jessica Pegula reached the women’s final before losing to Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus.

Sinner improved to 55-5 with a tour-high six titles in 2024. That includes a 35-2 mark on hard courts, the surface used at both the Australian Open and U.S. Open. He’s the first man since Guillermo Vilas in 1977 to win his first two Grand Slam trophies in the same season.

This was the first year since 2002 in which no member of the Big Three — Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or the retired Federer — won at least one major. Instead, Sinner, who is 23, and Carlos Alcaraz, 21, split the four Slam titles.

“Nice to see new champions,” Sinner said. “Nice to see new rivalries.”

The world found out on Aug. 20 that he tested positive twice in an eight-day span during March for a substance sold in an over-the-counter product in Italy, but he was cleared because his use was ruled unintentional — his defense was that the steroid entered his system via a massage from a team member he later fired.

While some players wondered whether Sinner was accorded special treatment, most believed he wasn’t trying to dope. And the U.S. Open’s fans never gave him a hard time.

“You can understand why people are upset about it. In anti-doping, it sounds so ridiculous,” said Travis Tygart, CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which wasn’t involved in the case. “But the science is such that, if the facts are actually proven out, it is actually plausible.”

Sinner, who dedicated this win to an aunt that is in poor health, said the months before his case was resolved were not easy.

“It was very difficult for me to enjoy in certain moments. Also how I behaved or how I walked on the court in certain tournaments before … was not the same as I used to be,” he said, “so whoever knows me better, they know that something was wrong. But during this tournament, slowly I re-started to feel a little bit more how I am as a person.”

As expected, Fritz enjoyed a home-court advantage on a cool afternoon under a nearly cloudless sky. In a celebrity-filled crowd that included Taylor Swift and her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, some spectators occasionally engaged in chants of “U-S-A!” between games or rose whenever Fritz picked up what felt like a crucial point.

The loudest they got was at 3-all in the third set, when Fritz smacked an overhead winner, punched the air and screamed, “Let’s go!” People all around rose, applauding and shouting. After Fritz deposited a volley winner to earn a break point, he celebrated in the same fashion, and thousands in the seats went wild. Sinner then double-faulted, putting Fritz in front 4-3.

“If he wins that third,” said Fritz’s coach, Michael Russell, “it’s a whole new game.”

But when Fritz tried to serve out the set at 5-4, Sinner pulled even. He used a drop shot to lure Fritz forward, then hit a passing shot that drew a netted volley. Fritz bounced his racket off the court. Sinner loped to the towel box, not even smiling.

Ten minutes later, it was over, thanks to Sinner’s closing four-game run. He raised his arms, threw his head back and closed his eyes.

Sinner’s playing style is less spectacular than solid, less magical than metronomic. Either way, it was masterful, as he used his long limbs and squeaking, sliding sneakers to get to everything before aiming high-speed shot after shot right near lines.

“Sometimes, he makes you go for a little more than you want to,” Russell said, “because he gets so many balls back.”

Sinner — the second Italian to win a singles title at the U.S. Open, joining 2015 women’s champion Flavia Pennetta — finished with just 21 unforced errors, 13 fewer than Fritz.

A poor first set hurt Fritz. He put 36% of first serves in, delivered only two aces and wound up with more than twice as many unforced errors (12) as winners (five).

The stats would improve, but Fritz never figured out a way to consistently put Sinner in trouble. Few can these days.

“That’s just kind of how it goes,” Fritz said, “when you’re playing … the best player in the world right now.”

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AP National Writer Eddie Pells in Denver and AP Sports Writer Brian Mahoney in New York contributed.

___

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

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Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — A tropical system in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico was expected to strengthen this week into a tropical storm and dump heavy rains onto Mexico and Texas before reaching the U.S. as a potential hurricane, the National Weather Service said Sunday.

The system, about 340 miles (545 kilometers) south-southeast of the mouth of the Rio Grande, had maximum 50 mph wind speeds (85 kilometers per hour) on Sunday and was forecast to drift slowly northwestward. Forecasters said it was too early to pinpoint the exact track of the storm and its potential impacts but warned that the upper Texas and Louisiana coastlines could see damaging winds and storm surges beginning Tuesday evening.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott put state emergency responders on increased readiness and warned of the potential of flash flooding and heavy rains.

“Texas will continue to closely monitor weather conditions to protect the well-being of Texans,” Abbott said in a statement.

Donald Jones, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles, Louisiana, said during a weather briefing Saturday night that parts of southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana should expect a “whole lot” of rain in the middle and later part of this week.

The tropical disturbance comes after an unusually quiet August and early September in the current Atlantic hurricane season, which runs through Nov. 30. The season was set to peak on Tuesday, Jones said.

So far, there have been five named storms this hurricane season, including Hurricane Beryl, which knocked out power to nearly 3 million homes and businesses in Texas — mostly in the Houston area — in July. Experts had predicted one of the busiest Atlantic hurricane seasons on record.

The next named storm would be called Francine.

In a report issued last week, researchers at Colorado State University cited several reasons for the lull in activity during the current hurricane season, including extremely warm upper level temperatures resulting in stabilization of the atmosphere and too much easterly wind shear in the eastern Atlantic.

“We still do anticipate an above-normal season overall, however, given that large-scale conditions appear to become more favorable around the middle of September,” according to the report.

Last month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration updated its outlook but still predicted a highly active Atlantic hurricane season. Forecasters tweaked the number of expected named storms from 17 to 25 to 17 to 24.

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Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — A tropical system in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico was expected to strengthen this week into a tropical storm and dump heavy rains onto Mexico and Texas before reaching the U.S. as a potential hurricane, the National Weather Service said Sunday.

The system, about 340 miles (545 kilometers) south-southeast of the mouth of the Rio Grande, had maximum 50 mph wind speeds (85 kilometers per hour) on Sunday and was forecast to drift slowly northwestward. Forecasters said it was too early to pinpoint the exact track of the storm and its potential impacts but warned that the upper Texas and Louisiana coastlines could see damaging winds and storm surges beginning Tuesday evening.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott put state emergency responders on increased readiness and warned of the potential of flash flooding and heavy rains.

“Texas will continue to closely monitor weather conditions to protect the well-being of Texans,” Abbott said in a statement.

Donald Jones, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles, Louisiana, said during a weather briefing Saturday night that parts of southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana should expect a “whole lot” of rain in the middle and later part of this week.

The tropical disturbance comes after an unusually quiet August and early September in the current Atlantic hurricane season, which runs through Nov. 30. The season was set to peak on Tuesday, Jones said.

So far, there have been five named storms this hurricane season, including Hurricane Beryl, which knocked out power to nearly 3 million homes and businesses in Texas — mostly in the Houston area — in July. Experts had predicted one of the busiest Atlantic hurricane seasons on record.

The next named storm would be called Francine.

In a report issued last week, researchers at Colorado State University cited several reasons for the lull in activity during the current hurricane season, including extremely warm upper level temperatures resulting in stabilization of the atmosphere and too much easterly wind shear in the eastern Atlantic.

“We still do anticipate an above-normal season overall, however, given that large-scale conditions appear to become more favorable around the middle of September,” according to the report.

Last month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration updated its outlook but still predicted a highly active Atlantic hurricane season. Forecasters tweaked the number of expected named storms from 17 to 25 to 17 to 24.

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ISLAMABAD (AP) — Thousands of supporters of Pakistan’s imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan have rallied on the outskirts of the capital, Islamabad, demanding his release. Khan has been embroiled in more than 150 police cases since he was ousted from power in 2022 through a no-confidence vote in parliament and has been in prison for more than a year. Khan, the main rival of current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, remains a popular figure despite these cases, which critics and his party say are politically motivated. Sunday’s rally was held peacefully, though police briefly clashed with some activists of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf opposition party, or PTI.

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AP College Football Writer

Haters of the Southeastern Conference got a glimpse of a nightmare College Football Playoff scenario two weeks into the season.

Using the AP Top 25 to set a projected 12-team bracket, half of the field would be SEC teams, including two-thirds of the top nine seeds.

The SEC surge comes on the heels of No. 2 Texas’ dominant victory over defending national champion Michigan of the Big Ten and No. 7 Tennessee turning a ranked matchup against North Carolina State of the Atlantic Coast Conference into a romp.

The top four seeds stayed the same this week, though Miami moved up to No. 3 as the highest-ranked ACC team and projected champion. Projected Big 12 champion Utah is the fourth seed.

Georgia (SEC) and Ohio State (Big Ten) remained Nos. 1 and 2, respectively.

Reminder of the format: The top four seeds go to the highest-ranked conference champions, regardless of their overall ranking.

The five highest-ranked conference champions, regardless of league, are guaranteed spots in the field. Northern Illinois grabbed the fifth conference champion spot this week after shocking Notre Dame.

There is no cap on the number of teams that can come from one conference.

The CFP selection committee starts ranking teams in November.

No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Missouri. Winner vs. No. 1 Georgia in Sugar Bowl.

No. 12 Northern Illinois at No. 5 Texas. Winner vs. No. 4 Utah in Fiesta Bowl.

No. 10 Penn State at No. 7 Mississippi. Winner vs. No. 2 Ohio State in Rose Bowl.

No. 11 Oregon at No. 6 Alabama. Winner vs. No. 3 Miami in Peach Bowl.

Moving in: Tennessee, Northern Illinois.

Falling out: Notre Dame, Boise State.

Next three: Southern California, Oklahoma State, Kansas State.

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Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP

___

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Associated Press

Grief, pain, hope and faith permeated church services Sunday in an Atlanta area community coping with the nation’s latest deadly school shooting. There were prayers, hymns, sermons and at one church, a first-person account of the tragedy. Brooke Lewis-Slamkova, who teaches at Apalachee High School, told members of Bethlehem First United Methodist Church that she was about halfway through a class Wednesday when the lockdown alarms activated. She said she took heart in seeing the way students and parents comforted each other in the tragedy’s wake. A student, 14-year-old Colt Gray, has been charged with murder over the killing of two students and two teachers.

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AP College Football Writer

After the first shake-up of the college football season, the Southeastern Conference grabbed six of the top seven spots in the AP Top 25 — a first in the 88-year history of the rankings — and Notre Dame tumbled all the way to No. 18 on Sunday after being stunned at home.

Georgia received 54 out of a possible 63 first-place votes to keep a firm hold on No. 1. No. 2 Texas jumped a spot after dominating defending national champion Michigan on the road and received four first-place votes. The Longhorns have their best ranking since finishing second in 2009.

The Wolverines were down to No. 17.

No. 3 Ohio State from the Big Ten Conference slipped a spot. Then it was four more SEC teams. Alabama held steady at No. 4 and Mississippi moved up a spot to No. 5.

Missouri moved up three spots to No. 6 and Tennessee made a big jump from No. 14 to No. 7 after routing North Carolina State in Charlotte.

With the SEC bigger (16 teams) — and seemingly better — than ever given the additions of Texas and Oklahoma — the circumstances were right for an early season takeover like never before.

Not only is six of the top seven teams from one conference a record for a poll, but never before had a single league held as many as five of the top seven places.

Those teams will start playing each other in the coming weeks so it is unlikely the SEC can keep this up, but it’s a stark example of what’s possible in the superconference era.

Especially after the first huge upset of the college football season. Notre Dame’s 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois marked the first time a top-five team lost to an unranked team since the 2022 season, when Purdue knocked off then-No. 2 Iowa on Nov. 5, 2022.

The Huskies’ victory, the first top-five win for a Mid-American Conference team in league history, landed Northern Illinois at No. 25 in the rankings. NIU is ranked for the first time since 2013 and is the first team from non-Power Four conference to be ranked this season.

Rounding out the top 10 were No. 8 Penn State and No. 9 Oregon of the Big Ten and No. 10 Miami. The Ducks slip two spots after a wild, comeback victory against Boise State.

Poll points

Northern Illinois is one of four teams to move into the rankings this week for the first time this season, most notably Nebraska at No. 23.

The Cornhuskers are ranked for the first time since 2019 after easily handling Colorado at home. That was a brief stay. After starting that season ranked No. 24, the Huskers lost in Week 2, fell out the rankings and have been gone ever since.

The last sustained season in the rankings for Nebraska was 2016, though even that season ended with the Huskers unranked. They have not finished a season ranked since 2012. That’s what second-year coach Matt Rhule and freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola are aiming for.

Just a reminder: Nebraska still owns the record for the longest streak of poll appearances with 348 under coach Tom Osborne from 1981-2002. The second-best streak is Alabama’s active 264 straight weeks ranked.

In and out

The turnover came from the bottom of the rankings, where Kansas, Iowa, Georgia Tech and North Carolina State all fell out after losses.

No. 21 Iowa State essentially switched places with its Cy-Hawk rivals by beating Iowa.

Last week, Georgia Tech made its first appearance in the AP Top 25 since 2015, snapping one of the longest active droughts among power conference teams. The Yellow Jackets lasted only a week after losing at Syracuse, but another Atlantic Coast Conference team snapped its own lengthy drought.

No. 24 Boston College is ranked for the first time since 2018.

Conference call

The only other time a conference had four of the top five teams was the SEC on Oct. 19, 2014, when Mississippi State was No. 1, Ole Miss was third, Alabama was fourth and Auburn was fifth.

SEC — 8 (Nos. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 15, 16).

Big Ten — 6 (Nos. 3, 8, 9, 11, 17, 23).

Big 12 — 5 (Nos. 12, 13, 14, 20, 21).

ACC — 4 (Nos. 10, 19, 22, 24).

MAC — 1 (No. 25).

Independent — 1 (No. 18).

Ranked vs. ranked

No. 20 Arizona at No. 14 Kansas State, Thursday. A Big 12 game that’s not actually a Big 12 game. This is a nonconference matchup that already was set before realignment.

No. 24 Boston College at No. 6 Missouri, Saturday. An unexpectedly ranked ACC-SEC matchup.

___

Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

The post AP Top 25: SEC grabs six of the first seven spots in rankings as Notre Dame tumbles to No. 18 appeared first on KVIA.

AP College Football Writer

After the first shake-up of the college football season, the Southeastern Conference grabbed six of the top seven spots in the AP Top 25 — a first in the 88-year history of the rankings — and Notre Dame tumbled all the way to No. 18 on Sunday after being stunned at home.

Georgia received 54 out of a possible 63 first-place votes to keep a firm hold on No. 1. No. 2 Texas jumped a spot after dominating defending national champion Michigan on the road and received four first-place votes. The Longhorns have their best ranking since finishing second in 2009.

The Wolverines were down to No. 17.

No. 3 Ohio State from the Big Ten Conference slipped a spot. Then it was four more SEC teams. Alabama held steady at No. 4 and Mississippi moved up a spot to No. 5.

Missouri moved up three spots to No. 6 and Tennessee made a big jump from No. 14 to No. 7 after routing North Carolina State in Charlotte.

With the SEC bigger (16 teams) — and seemingly better — than ever given the additions of Texas and Oklahoma — the circumstances were right for an early season takeover like never before.

Not only is six of the top seven teams from one conference a record for a poll, but never before had a single league held as many as five of the top seven places.

Those teams will start playing each other in the coming weeks so it is unlikely the SEC can keep this up, but it’s a stark example of what’s possible in the superconference era.

Especially after the first huge upset of the college football season. Notre Dame’s 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois marked the first time a top-five team lost to an unranked team since the 2022 season, when Purdue knocked off then-No. 2 Iowa on Nov. 5, 2022.

The Huskies’ victory, the first top-five win for a Mid-American Conference team in league history, landed Northern Illinois at No. 25 in the rankings. NIU is ranked for the first time since 2013 and is the first team from non-Power Four conference to be ranked this season.

Rounding out the top 10 were No. 8 Penn State and No. 9 Oregon of the Big Ten and No. 10 Miami. The Ducks slip two spots after a wild, comeback victory against Boise State.

Poll points

Northern Illinois is one of four teams to move into the rankings this week for the first time this season, most notably Nebraska at No. 23.

The Cornhuskers are ranked for the first time since 2019 after easily handling Colorado at home. That was a brief stay. After starting that season ranked No. 24, the Huskers lost in Week 2, fell out the rankings and have been gone ever since.

The last sustained season in the rankings for Nebraska was 2016, though even that season ended with the Huskers unranked. They have not finished a season ranked since 2012. That’s what second-year coach Matt Rhule and freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola are aiming for.

Just a reminder: Nebraska still owns the record for the longest streak of poll appearances with 348 under coach Tom Osborne from 1981-2002. The second-best streak is Alabama’s active 264 straight weeks ranked.

In and out

The turnover came from the bottom of the rankings, where Kansas, Iowa, Georgia Tech and North Carolina State all fell out after losses.

No. 21 Iowa State essentially switched places with its Cy-Hawk rivals by beating Iowa.

Last week, Georgia Tech made its first appearance in the AP Top 25 since 2015, snapping one of the longest active droughts among power conference teams. The Yellow Jackets lasted only a week after losing at Syracuse, but another Atlantic Coast Conference team snapped its own lengthy drought.

No. 24 Boston College is ranked for the first time since 2018.

Conference call

The only other time a conference had four of the top five teams was the SEC on Oct. 19, 2014, when Mississippi State was No. 1, Ole Miss was third, Alabama was fourth and Auburn was fifth.

SEC — 8 (Nos. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 15, 16).

Big Ten — 6 (Nos. 3, 8, 9, 11, 17, 23).

Big 12 — 5 (Nos. 12, 13, 14, 20, 21).

ACC — 4 (Nos. 10, 19, 22, 24).

MAC — 1 (No. 25).

Independent — 1 (No. 18).

Ranked vs. ranked

No. 20 Arizona at No. 14 Kansas State, Thursday. A Big 12 game that’s not actually a Big 12 game. This is a nonconference matchup that already was set before realignment.

No. 24 Boston College at No. 6 Missouri, Saturday. An unexpectedly ranked ACC-SEC matchup.

___

Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

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LONDON (AP) — Bass guitarist Herbie Flowers, who played with David Bowie, Elton John, Lou Reed and other music legends in a decades-long career, has died at 86. The musician’s family confirmed his death on Facebook Saturday. Flowers was a founding member of the pop group Blue Mink, who later joined the rock band T Rex. He won acclaim for his work with many of the biggest names in U.K. music in the 1970s, giving Reed’s “Walk On The Wild Side,” from the 1972 “Transformer” album, its recognizable twinned bassline. He also played bass for Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” Bryan Ferry’s “The Bride Stripped Bare,” Paul McCartney’s “Give My Regards To Broad Street,” and featured in two of John’s early ’70s albums.

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AP Film Writer

TORONTO (AP) — Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield made one the most emotionally wrecking, tenderly exquisite movies of their careers. But what’s gone viral from “We Live in Time”? A carousel horse’s face seen in a still from the movie. “We Live in Time” premiered over the weekend at the Toronto International Film Festival. When one of the first images from the film was released, at the bottom of the frame was a yellow steed with a cartoonishly bug-eyed expression. In an interview, Pugh and Garfield debate the pluses and minuses — the yeas and neighs — of the horse meme.

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Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — For millions of Venezuelans, Edmundo González was the undisputed winner of the country’s July 28 presidential election. But on Sunday, he joined the swelling ranks of once-prominent government opponents who have fled into exile, leaving his political future uncertain and tightening Nicolas Maduro’s grip on power. The former presidential candidate arrived in Spain after being granted safe passage by Maduro’s government. His surprise departure came just days after Maduro’s government ordered his arrest. González, who is 75, burst onto Venezuela’s political scene less than five months ago after opposition powerhouse María Corina Machado was barred from running and a handpicked substitute was also blocked.

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FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agree that Russia should be included in a future peace conference aimed at ending Russia’s war against Ukraine. He called Sunday for stepped up efforts to solve the conflict. A previous peace conference June 15-16 in Switzerland ended with 78 countries expressing support for Ukraine’s “territorial integrity” but otherwise left the path forward unclear. Russia did not participate. “I believe that now is the moment when we must discuss how we get out of this war situation faster than the current impression is,” Scholz said in an interview with Germany’s ZDF public television aired Sunday.

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ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — After being declared the winner of Algeria’s election, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune joined his two challengers in criticizing the country’s election authority for announcing results that contradicted earlier turnout figures and local tallies.

The claims of irregularities mar what had earlier appeared to be a landslide re-election for the 78-year-old head of state.

Algeria’s National Independent Election Authority, or ANIE, on Sunday announced that Tebboune had won 94.7% of Saturday’s vote, far outpacing his challengers Islamist Abdelali Hassani Cherif, who received only 3.2% and socialist Youcef Aouchiche, who got just 2.2%.

Hours later, Tebboune joined his opponents in questioning the reporting of results with the three campaigns jointly issuing a statement accusing the country’s top election official of announcing contradictory results.

In a country where elections have historically been carefully choreographed affairs, such astonishing questions about irregularities shocked Algerians who expected Tebboune to win in a relatively uneventful fashion.

It’s unclear what will follow all three candidates casting doubt on irregularities and whether they will prompt legal challenges or delay the final certification of the result.

The tally reported on Sunday gave Tebboune a total vote share that was far more than the 87% that Vladimir Putin won in Russia’s March elections and the 92% that Ilham Aliyev got in Azerbaijan’s February contest.

But efforts from Tebboune and members of his government to encourage voter turnout to project legitimacy appeared to have fallen short, with less than one out of every four voters participating.

Election officials on Sunday reported 5.6 million of the country’s roughly 24 million voters had turned out to vote. Such high abstention rates, which remain unofficial, would surpass the 2019 presidential election when 39.9% of the electorate participated.

Officials did not explain why they had earlier announced 48% voter turnout at the time of polls closing. Before the three candidates joined in questioning the discrepancy, both of Tebboune’s challengers raised concerns about it, citing their own tallies.

Aouchiche called it “strange.” Ahmed Sadok, Cherif’s campaign manager, blasted delays and the way the figure was calculated.

“It’s a shame. It’s an attack on the image of Algeria, which will become the laughing stock of nations,” Sadok said earlier in the day.

He also said there had been a failure to deliver vote-sorting records to the candidates’ representatives and that said the party had recorded instances of proxy group voting and pressure put on poll workers to inflate certain figures.

The claims of irregularities cap off an election season that outraged activists and civil society groups. Human rights advocates railed against the campaign season’s repressive atmosphere and the harassment and prosecutions of those involved in opposition parties, media organizations and civil society groups.

Some denounced this election as a rubber stamp exercise that can only entrench the status quo. Amnesty International last week condemned Algeria’s “brutal crackdown on human rights including the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association in the run up to the country’s presidential elections.”

Before the candidates questioned the results, Tebboune’s supporters and detractors each had drawn conclusions from the results.

Pro-Tebboune university professor Abdellaoui Djazouli said on public television that the result was a resounding endorsement of Tebboune’s program.

“The president has more legitimacy to continue his action to better establish his project for the new Algeria,” he said on public television.

But his runaway victory fueled criticism from pro-democracy activists who have long seen elections as tools that the country’s political elites have used to give off an appearance of popular support.

Many said the loudest message to come out of the election came from those who chose to abstain out of fear that the election would only entrench and legitimize “le pouvoir” — a term used to describe the military-backed elites who run the country.

“The vast majority of the Algerian people have just given ‘le pouvoir’ a lesson in democracy,” said Nassira Amour, a teacher and leading figure from Algeria’s pro-democracy movement.

“The majority did not vote … This electoral masquerade is a victory for the Hirak,” Amour added, referencing the pro-democracy movement that swept the country in 2019.

That year, after Hirak protestors flooded the streets of Algerian cities, the military ousted President Abdelaziz Bouteflika after two decades in power. The interim government that replaced him heeded calls from military leaders to hold elections later that year, angering protestors who saw expediting elections as a way to calm discontent and sidestep demands for civilian-led, non-military rule.

Tebboune, considered the military’s candidate, won his first-term in a widely boycotted election during which crowds sacked voting stations and police broke up demonstrations. Despite his early overtures and pledges to listen and usher in a “New Algeria,” Hirak protestors continued weekly demonstrations demanding deeper reforms.

Algeria is Africa’s largest country by area and, with almost 45 million people, it’s the continent’s second most populous after South Africa to hold presidential elections in 2024 — a year in which more than 50 elections are being held worldwide, encompassing more than half the world’s population.

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