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phmacao download app Two matches, two seemingly comfortable wins and producing his best darts when it matters most. It is a formula that represents a satisfactory start to quest for the World Darts Championship, but the blunt truth is that a significant improvement will almost certainly be required to even match last year’s run to the final. Against an opponent old enough to have defeated his grandfather Phil in local leagues around Runcorn, Littler again initially looked jittery on his return to the Alexandra Palace stage before finally beating Ian White – the 54-year-old world No 57 – by four sets to one. That, though, only told a part of the story, with Littler surviving a final-leg shoot-out and shots at double for White to have won two of those sets. Littler’s final average of 97.84 was also the first time in 15 matches that he has dipped below 100 on the PDC tour. That statistic in itself does highlight the extraordinary standards he has set (there have been only five 100-plus averages so far in this year’s entire World Championship) but also underlines how he has seemed decidedly less comfortable than last year. That is hardly surprising, given the chasm of difference between how Littler arrived last year on darts’ biggest stage as an unknown 16-year-old to now, having since won 10 senior tournaments and rightly being installed as the favourite to become the youngest world champion in his sport’s history. After the tense start, it was actually a slightly ironic chant for White that seemed to spur Littler into action. Littler, who always seems to revel in the most raucous atmospheres, briefly joined in by dancing to the fans’ chants before narrowly clinching the first set and then moving through the gears. The highlight was the 14, 13 and 12-dart finishes to sweep through the third set. “It was tough – Ian threw everything at me – I had to stay switched on and the fourth set was massive,” said Littler. “The crowd was good for both me and Ian – if they are chanting his name I am going to hit a 180! I have to improve my doubles but, most importantly, I won.” Littler will now face “Relentless” Ryan Joyce in the fourth round ahead of a potential semi-final against the defending champion Luke Humphries. The presence of the best two players this year at the top of the draw has left Michael van Gerwen looming large on the bottom half and the Dutch three-time world champion also moved safely into the last 16 on Saturday night with a 4-2 win against Brendan Dolan. Littler will return on Monday to face Joyce for a place in the quarter-final, with the highlight on Sunday likely to be the showdown between , the defending champion having accused “Snakebite” of trying to play mind games. 11:08 PM GMT Former BDO world champion Mark Webster on Sky Sports “We can focus on Luke Littler not being at his best but give credit to Ian White and the way he played. It is the standard that he is at when he finishes with almost a 98 average - because he has set standards. “Sometimes when you want to win a title you have got to scrap away.” 11:06 PM GMT Tomorrow’s schedule Jeffrey de Graaf vs Paolo Nebrida R3 Kevin Doets vs Krzysztof Ratajski (31) R3 Dimitri Van den Bergh (11) vs Callan Rydz R3 Ricky Evans vs Robert Owen R3 Jonny Clayton (7) vs Gerwyn Price (10) R4 Luke Humphries (1) vs Peter Wright (17) R4 11:04 PM GMT Today’s results Ryan Joyce 4-3 Ryan Searle Scott Williams 1-4 Ricardo Pietreczko Nathan Aspinall 4-0 Andrew Gilding Chris Dobey 4-2 vs Josh Rock Michael van Gerwen 4-2 Brendan Dolan Luke Littler 4-1 Ian White 11:01 PM GMT The thoughts of Luke Littler “It was definitely tough. Ian threw everything at me. If I hit 180, he would hit back with a 180. I always had to stay switched on. It was a case of settling in quickly. First set was ok and after the first break I was really up for it. When you are 3-1 up you have that feeling, you are only three legs away. I do not think double 20 and double 10 liked me tonight and I do not think I like them! “The crowd were good for both of us. I watched Ryan’s [Joyce] game. He was very good. I know I need to hit my doubles. Most importantly I won tonight.” 10:57 PM GMT Littler into the last-16 Can Littler check out 170 to win the match? He hits treble 20, treble 20 but narrowly misses bullseye for an incredible end to the match. White cannot check out 133, which leaves Littler 25 to win. He hits single five and then lands double ten to win the match 4-1. He will play Ryan Joyce in the next round. A dozen 180s in the match for Littler. He finishes up with an average of 97.84. Luke Littler passes another test ✅ He is through to the fourth round of the World Darts Championship! 👏 — Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) 10:54 PM GMT Littler (3) 2-1* (1) White Another 180 struck by Littler. His first possible checkout is 140 with White off the pace. Littler will not hit 140 but has 80 to win the leg. Littler misses double 10 but hits double five and is now just one leg away from the next round. 10:53 PM GMT Littler (3) *1-1 (1) White Littler fires in a 180 to put the pressure on White. He has 47 to break White’s throw. Littler cannot double 20 or double 10 which gives White the chance of the leg with a checkout of 40 remaining. He gets double 20 to take the leg. 10:50 PM GMT Littler (3) 1-0* (1) White Just one set away from the fourth round, Littler has the throw at the start of the set. He has 91 to win the leg with White not on a finish but he cannot hit double tops. Littler needs double 10 to go 1-0 up in this fifth set but misses. That leaves him double five, which he takes. 10:45 PM GMT Littler takes the fourth set Littler is hitting plenty of 180s but White has the higher average at the moment. White has 110 to claim the set. He hits treble 20, single 10 but misses double tops. That gives Littler the chance to check out 70 and at the second attempt hits double 20 to win set four. He is 3-1 up and just one set away from the fourth round. "He has responded!" Luke Littler is 3-1 up in a VERY close match 🤏 — Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) 10:42 PM GMT Littler (2) 2-2* (1) White White hits a 180 of his own and is in with a great chance of breaking the throw. Despite a 180 for Littler, White has the chance of checking out 60 but misses. Littler has one dart at tops to close out the set but wastes it. Over to White for double 10 and he lands it at the second attempt. All to play for for the fourth set. 10:41 PM GMT Littler (2) *2-1 (1) White An eighth maximum in the 15th leg for Littler. With Littler having just 35 remaining, White has 120 to win the leg. He has double tops to win it but misses. Littler then has the chance to take the leg by hitting double 10 and, at the second attempt, delivers. On his own throw coming up, Littler will have the chance to win the set. 10:38 PM GMT Littler (2) 1-1* (1) White Yet another 180 for Littler, who is storming his way to this leg. He has a chance of 130 with the bullseye finish but, with White not on a finish, he just sets up the finish on his next throw. He has double 20 to win the leg and delivers to make it 1-1 in this fourth set. 10:37 PM GMT Littler (2) *0-1 (1) White White is on throw to start the fourth set. Littler lands the 11th 180 of the match between these two. Can White check out 140? No he cannot so Littler requires 74 to break throw. He just misses double 20, giving White a shot at double tops, which he takes. It feels like White needed that one. 10:35 PM GMT Littler takes third set Both players start this leg with 180s. Littler has 88 to claim the third set and, with white needing just 36, the pressure is on. Littler has to hit the bullseye to win the set and he does so. He now leads 2-1 in the match. 10:33 PM GMT Littler (1) *2-0 (1) White Against the throw Littler has a 52 checkout to go 2-0 up in the third set. 12 sets up double tops, which he hits again to go one leg away from taking the third set and he will be on throw. 10:31 PM GMT Littler (1) 1-0* (1) White Despite a 180 from White in that leg, Littler has 40 to win the first leg of this third set. Double tops hit first time and Littler is on the board in the third set. Exactly the response he was after. 10:25 PM GMT White fights back to claim second set Littler lands another 180 to leave him 72 to win the leg. He has double tops to win but goes too high, leaving White with 51 to close out the set. He misses double 10 and wastes the opportunity. Littler misses double 20 and double 10 so White has another chance. He hits double five and the second set goes to White. Game well and truly on. Ian White goes inside D10 but nails D5 and is all square with Luke Littler! ⚖️ — Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) 10:23 PM GMT Littler (1) *1-2 (0) White Littler leaves himself 114 to win the leg and hits double tops to take it. He will now be on throw and, if he lands the next leg, it will be all to play for in this set. 10:21 PM GMT Littler (1) 0-2* (0) White Littler makes his second 180 of the match at the start of the second leg. White responds later in the leg with a 180 of his own. Littler needs 125 to win but cannot get it so White requires 86 to go 2-0 up. He hits double 16 and is just one leg away from taking the second set. 10:19 PM GMT Littler (1) *0-1 (0) White White has the throw at the start of this second set. He has 72 to win the first leg of the set but misses double tops. Littler has a 140 checkout but only makes 100. White has 20 for the leg and at the second attempt hits double 10. 10:13 PM GMT Littler wins first set Littler has 52 to win the first set. He hits 12 and then lands double tops to close out the first set. He was 2-1 down but comes back to win the first set. A wobbly first set by Luke Littler - just as last week - but he seemed to come to life when the crowd began chanting for his 54-year-old opponent Ian White, who had a dart at double top to take the lead. The longer matches from the third round onwards should suit Littler, who has definitely looked nervous at the start of both matches, and it would be a surprise if he does not now coast to a comfortable victory. 10:11 PM GMT Littler (0) *2-2 (0) White Ally Pally is serenading Ian White and Littler joins in. The next time he steps up to the oche; he lands his first 180 of the match. White comes so close to taking the first set as he just misses double tops. Will he regret that? Yes he will as Littler steps up to land double ten at the second attempt to win the leg. He will be on throw to win the first set. 10:08 PM GMT Littler (0) 1-2* (0) White A second maximum of the match for White puts the pressure on Littler, who has 170 to win the third leg but cannot land it. White needs 81 to break throw but he just misses the bullseye. Littler misses double tops to hand White the chance to win the leg. White misses double four and double two which hands Littler the chance for the leg but he goes bust. White finally lands double one and breaks throw. He is just one leg away from the first set. Littler got off to a slow start in his second round match. 10:06 PM GMT Littler (0) *1-1 (0) White White lands the first 180 of the match. Littler is all over the place in this leg, nowhere near it, which allows White to easily finish with double tops to check out 55. White takes the second leg. 10:04 PM GMT Littler (0) 1-0* (0) White The crowd serenade Littler before the match starts with , which used to be Phil Taylor’s song. Littler will have the throw to start the match. Littler’s first checkout of the match is 148. He is under no pressure with White not on a finish but he cannot land it. 60 to win the first leg but he cannot do that either. White cannot finish either so eventually Littler hits double seven to win the first leg. 09:59 PM GMT Walk-ons Here come the players for the final match of the night. First to make his way onto the stage is Ian ‘Diamond’ White. Then it is time for Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler. He is looking pretty relaxed on the stage as he smiles at the crowd. We are ready for action. Luke Littler is here! 🟢 — Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) 09:40 PM GMT MVG through The Dutchman is into the fourth round, overcoming Brendan Dolan 4-2. Next up is Luke Littler in the final match of the night against Ian White. A tough battle! ⚔️ Michael van Gerwen is through to the fourth round! 🎯 — Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) 09:31 PM GMT Dolan responds It looked like MVG was destined to close out the match but Brendan Dolan has fought back to win the fifth set to keep the match alive. 09:20 PM GMT MVG flying The fourth set has gone to the Dutchman and he now leads 3-1, one set away from the fourth round. 09:16 PM GMT MVG update The Dutchman got off to a slow start, losing the first set to Brendan Dolan, but is now moving through the gears. He is two sets to one up and looks in a good spot to win the fourth set. 09:15 PM GMT Today’s schedule Ryan Joyce 4-3 Ryan Searle Scott Williams 1-4 Ricardo Pietreczko Nathan Aspinall 4-0 Andrew Gilding Chris Dobey 4-2 vs Josh Rock Michael van Gerwen 2-1 Brendan Dolan (ongoing) Luke Littler (4) vs Ian White R3 08:42 PM GMT Littler back in action Luke Littler is in round three action at Alexandra Palace tonight as he takes on Ian White for a place in the fourth round. There is a personal link between these players despite the 37-year age difference. 17-year-old Littler’s grandfather played against White in matches between Egerton and Albion, and they were teammates when representing the Cheshire town of Runcorn in local tournaments. Littler began his quest to go one step better than he did last year by beating Ryan Meikle 3-1 in the second round a week ago. After a slow start in that match, he ended up racing to victory due to an incredible fourth set average of 140.91 and was visibly emotional after the match, even though his progression was expected. We have seen two nine-darters so far at the World Championships courtesy of Christian Kist and Damon Heta. Littler came so close to a nine-darter of his own in his second round match against Meikle and he wants to secure his fifth nine-darter of the year. “I watched it [Kist’s nine-darter] at my friend’s house and I’ve not missed a session, apart from the evening when Ryan [Meikle] played Fallon [Sherrock],” said Littler. “I just looked at my mate and I was like ‘how’s he done that? He was nowhere near last year!’ Just goes to show how well he’s played this year. So fair play to him - he’s going to have a lovely vacation ahead!” White received a walkover in the first round after Sandro Eric Sosing withdrew through illness and shocked European Championship winner Ritchie Edhouse with a 3-1 victory in the next. White is eyeing up a shock against the fourth seed Littler. “Listen, the lad’s talented and we all know that,” White said. “He has put the darts on the map again. Everyone wants to come to the darts and that’s the best thing that’s ever happened to us. “But I just want to say that he’s from Runcorn - the same as me - so he’s No 2 and I’m No 1!” The winner of tonight’s match will face Ryan Joyce in the last-16 and, in theory, we are still set for a potential semi-final encounter between Littler and defending champion Luke Humphries in a repeat of last year’s final. Stay with us for all the action from Alexandra Palace.

White House pressing Ukraine to draft 18-year-olds so it has enough troops to battle Russia31 Wacky Products That'll Make Your Guests Say "Why Do You Own This And Where Can I Get It?"Mega Millions reaches $1.15 Billion Published 4:36 pm Thursday, December 26, 2024 By Staff Report There’s still a chance to end 2024 as a billionaire. The current estimated Mega Million’s jackpot for Friday is set at $1.15 billion, with an estimated cash value of $516.1 million. If the jackpot is not hit Friday night, the prize will grow even larger for the final drawing of the year on Tuesday, Dec. 31. No player matched all five numbers and the Mega Ball in the Christmas Eve drawing. The winning numbers were 11-14-38-45-46 with a Mega Ball of 3. Friday night’s jackpot will be the fifth largest in Mega Million’s history. The last Mega Millions jackpot hit was Sept. 10, 2024, with the $810 million top prize – or $409.3 million cash – awarded to the holder of a ticket sold in Sugar Land, Texas. The highest ever won in a Mega Millions jackpot was $1.6 billion in 2023, with the winning ticket sold in Florida. Originally known as The Big Game, Mega Millions began in 1996. Powerball’s jackpot for Saturday, Dec. 28, is an estimated $145 million with an estimated cash value of $66.2 million while Lotto America’s jackpot is an estimated $19.01 million with an estimated cash value of $8.68 million. Tonight’s Mississippi Match 5 jackpot is an estimated $60,000.

Hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs has been denied bail as he awaits a sex trafficking trial, by a judge who cited evidence showing him to be a 'serious risk' of witness tampering. or signup to continue reading Lawyers for Combs argued that a $50 million bail package would be sufficient to ensure he doesn't flee and doesn't try to intimidate prospective trial witnesses. US District Judge Arun Subramanian concurred with two previous judges that the Bad Boy Records founder was a danger to the community if he was not behind bars. "There is compelling evidence of Combs's propensity for violence," Subramanian wrote. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he coerced and abused women for years, aided by associates and employees. An indictment alleges that he silenced victims through blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings. Subramanian said he took a fresh look at all the bail arguments and the evidence supporting them to make his decision. Prosecutors say that even in a federal lockup in Brooklyn, Combs has orchestrated social media campaigns designed to influence prospective jurors and tried to publicly leak materials he thinks can help his case. They say he also has contacted potential witnesses through third parties. Lawyers for Combs say any alleged sexual abuse described in the indictment occurred during consensual relations between adults and that new evidence refutes allegations that Combs used his "power and prestige" to induce female victims into drugged-up, elaborately produced sexual performances with male sex workers known as "Freak Offs." Subramanian said evidence shows Combs to be a "serious risk of witness tampering," particularly after he communicated over the summer with a grand jury witness and deleted some of his texts with the witness. The judge also cited evidence showing that Combs violated Bureau of Prisons regulations during pretrial detention at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn when he paid other inmates to use their phone code numbers so he could make calls to individuals who were not on his approved contact list. Subramanian said Combs "willingness to skirt" jailhouse rules to conceal communications was "strong evidence" that any conditions of release would not prevent similar behaviour. Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data. Read our . AdvertisementRuling may further delay count of Puerto Rico's still-uncertified votes in Nov. 5 electionsPAU youth fest: Agriculture College bags overall trophyPutin apologizes for crash but stops short of saying Azerbaijani plane was shot down

Donald Trump weighed in Saturday in a bitter debate dividing his traditional supporters and tech barrons like Elon Musk, saying that he backs a special visa program that helps highly skilled workers enter the country. "I've always liked the (H1-B) visas, I have always been in favor of the visas, that's why we have them" at Trump-owned facilities, the president-elect told the New York Post in his first public comments on the matter since it flared up this week. An angry back-and-forth, largely between Silicon Valley's Musk and traditional anti-immigration Trump backers, has erupted in fiery fashion, with Musk even vowing to "go to war" over the issue. Trump's insistent calls for sharp curbs on immigration were central to his election victory in November over President Joe Biden. He has vowed to deport all undocumented immigrants and limit legal immigration. But tech entrepreneurs like Tesla's Musk -- as well as Vivek Ramaswamy, who with Musk is to co-chair a government cost-cutting panel under Trump -- say the United States produces too few highly skilled graduates, and they fervently champion the H1-B program. Musk, who himself migrated from South Africa on an H1-B, posted Thursday on his X platform that luring elite engineering talent from abroad was "essential for America to keep winning." Adding acrimony to the debate was a post from Ramaswamy, the son of immigrants from India, who deplored an "American culture" that he said venerates mediocrity, adding that the United States risks having "our asses handed to us by China." That angered several prominent conservatives who were backing Trump long before Musk noisily joined their cause this year, going on to pump more than $250 million into the Republican's campaign. "Looking forward to the inevitable divorce between President Trump and Big Tech," said Laura Loomer, a far-right MAGA figure known for her conspiracy theories, who often flew with Trump on his campaign plane. "We have to protect President Trump from the technocrats." She and others said Trump should be promoting American workers and further limiting immigration. Musk, who had already infuriated some Republicans after leading an online campaign that helped tank a bipartisan budget deal last week, fired back at his critics. Posting on X, the social media site he owns, he warned of a "MAGA civil war." Musk bluntly swore at one critic, adding that "I will go to war on this issue." That, in turn, drew a volley from Trump strategist Steve Bannon, who wrote on the Gettr platform that the H1-B program brings in migrants who are essentially "indentured servants" working for less than American citizens would. In a striking jab at Trump's close friend Musk, Bannon called the Tesla CEO a "toddler." Some of Trump's original backers say they fear he is falling under the sway of big donors from the tech world like Musk and drifting away from his campaign promises. It was not immediately clear whether Trump's remarks might soothe the intraparty strife, which has exposed just how contentious changing the immigration system might be once he takes office in January.

WASHINGTON — Special counsel Jack Smith moved to abandon two criminal cases against Donald Trump on Monday, acknowledging that Trump’s return to the White House will preclude attempts to federally prosecute him for retaining classified documents or trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat. The decision was inevitable, since longstanding Justice Department policy says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution. Yet it was still a momentous finale to an unprecedented chapter in political and law enforcement history, as federal officials attempted to hold accountable a former president while he was simultaneously running for another term. Trump emerges indisputably victorious, having successfully delayed the investigations through legal maneuvers and then winning re-election despite indictments that described his actions as a threat to the country's constitutional foundations. FILE - Special counsel Jack Smith speaks to the media about an indictment of former President Donald Trump, Aug. 1, 2023, at an office of the Department of Justice in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) “I persevered, against all odds, and WON," Trump exulted in a post on Truth Social, his social media website. He also said that “these cases, like all of the other cases I have been forced to go through, are empty and lawless, and should never have been brought.” The judge in the election case granted prosecutors' dismissal request. A decision in the documents case was still pending on Monday afternoon. The outcome makes it clear that, when it comes to a president and criminal accusations, nothing supersedes the voters' own verdict. In court filings, Smith's team emphasized that the move to end their prosecutions was not a reflection of the merit of the cases but a recognition of the legal shield that surrounds any commander in chief. “That prohibition is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government’s proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the Government stands fully behind,” prosecutors said in one of their filings. They wrote that Trump’s return to the White House “sets at odds two fundamental and compelling national interests: on the one hand, the Constitution’s requirement that the President must not be unduly encumbered in fulfilling his weighty responsibilities . . . and on the other hand, the Nation’s commitment to the rule of law.” In this situation, “the Constitution requires that this case be dismissed before the defendant is inaugurated,” they concluded. Smith’s team said it was leaving intact charges against two co-defendants in the classified documents case — Trump valet Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira — because “no principle of temporary immunity applies to them.” Steven Cheung, Trump's incoming White House communications director, said Americans “want an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and we look forward to uniting our country.” Trump has long described the investigations as politically motivated, and he has vowed to fire Smith as soon as he takes office in January. Now he will start his second term free from criminal scrutiny by the government that he will lead. The election case brought last year was once seen as one of the most serious legal threats facing Trump as he tried to reclaim the White House. He was indicted for plotting to overturn his defeat to Joe Biden in 2020, an effort that climaxed with his supporters' violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. President-elect Donald Trump arrives before the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024 in Boca Chica, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Pool via AP) But the case quickly stalled amid legal fighting over Trump’s sweeping claims of immunity from prosecution for acts he took while in the White House. The U.S. Supreme Court in July ruled for the first time that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution, and sent the case back to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to determine which allegations in the indictment, if any, could proceed to trial. The case was just beginning to pick up steam again in the trial court in the weeks leading up to this year’s election. Smith’s team in October filed a lengthy brief laying out new evidence they planned to use against him at trial, accusing him of “resorting to crimes” in an increasingly desperate effort to overturn the will of voters after he lost to Biden. In dismissing the case, Chutkan acknowledged prosecutors' request to do so “without prejudice,” raising the possibility that they could try to bring charges against Trump when his term is over. She wrote that is “consistent with the Government’s understanding that the immunity afforded to a sitting President is temporary, expiring when they leave office.” But such a move may be barred by the statute of limitations, and Trump may also try to pardon himself while in office. immunity afforded to a sitting President is temporary, expiring when they leave office. The separate case involving classified documents had been widely seen as legally clear cut, especially because the conduct in question occurred after Trump left the White House and lost the powers of the presidency. The indictment included dozens of felony counts accusing him of illegally hoarding classified records from his presidency at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, and obstructing federal efforts to get them back. He has pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing. The case quickly became snarled by delays, with U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon slow to issue rulings — which favored Trump’s strategy of pushing off deadlines in all his criminal cases — while also entertaining defense motions and arguments that experts said other judges would have dispensed with without hearings. In May, she indefinitely canceled the trial date amid a series of unresolved legal issues before dismissing the case outright two months later. Smith’s team appealed the decision, but now has given up that effort. Trump faced two other state prosecutions while running for president. One them, a New York case involving hush money payments, resulted in a conviction on felony charges of falsifying business records. It was the first time a former president had been found guilty of a crime. The sentencing in that case is on hold as Trump's lawyers try to have the conviction dismissed before he takes office, arguing that letting the verdict stand will interfere with his presidential transition and duties. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office is fighting the dismissal but has indicated that it would be open to delaying sentencing until Trump leaves office. Bragg, a Democrat, has said the solution needs to balance the obligations of the presidency with “the sanctity of the jury verdict." Trump was also indicted in Georgia along with 18 others accused of participating in a sprawling scheme to illegally overturn the 2020 presidential election there. Any trial appears unlikely there while Trump holds office. The prosecution already was on hold after an appeals court agreed to review whether to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over her romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she had hired to lead the case. Four defendants have pleaded guilty after reaching deals with prosecutors. Trump and the others have pleaded not guilty. Associated Press writers Colleen Long, Michael Sisak and Lindsay Whitehurst contributed to this story. ___ Special Counsel Jack Smith plans to step down before Trump’s inauguration, according to The New York Times. Among President-elect Donald Trump's picks are Susie Wiles for chief of staff, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, former Democratic House member Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Trump named Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state, making a former sharp critic his choice to be the new administration's top diplomat. Rubio, 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket last summer. Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Trump said of Rubio in a statement. The announcement punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator called a “con man" during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. And as Trump campaigned for the presidency a third time, Rubio cheered his proposals. For instance, Rubio, who more than a decade ago helped craft immigration legislation that included a path to citizenship for people in the U.S. illegally, now supports Trump's plan to use the U.S. military for mass deportations. Pete Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. Hegseth lacks senior military or national security experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises — ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea. Hegseth is also the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” published earlier this year. Trump tapped Pam Bondi, 59, to be attorney general after U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration. She was Florida's first female attorney general, serving between 2011 and 2019. She also was on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020. Considered a loyalist, she served as part of a Trump-allied outside group that helped lay the groundwork for his future administration called the America First Policy Institute. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appears on Fox News and has been a critic of the criminal cases against him. Trump picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a well-known conservative who faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir about shooting a rambunctious dog, to lead an agency crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda. Noem used her two terms leading a tiny state to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. South Dakota is usually a political afterthought. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions that other states had issued and instead declared her state “open for business.” Trump held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large gatherings of the pandemic. She takes over a department with a sprawling mission. In addition to key immigration agencies, the Department of Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service, and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports. The governor of North Dakota, who was once little-known outside his state, Burgum is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump, and spent months traveling to drum up support for him, after dropping out of the race. Burgum was a serious contender to be Trump’s vice presidential choice this summer. The two-term governor was seen as a possible pick because of his executive experience and business savvy. Burgum also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs. Trump made the announcement about Burgum joining his incoming administration while addressing a gala at his Mar-a-Lago club, and said a formal statement would be coming the following day. In comments to reporters before Trump took the stage, Burgum said that, in recent years, the power grid is deteriorating in many parts of the country, which he said could raise national security concerns but also drive up prices enough to increase inflation. “There's just a sense of urgency, and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration,” Burgum said. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president as a Democrat, than as an independent, and then endorsed Trump . He's the son of Democratic icon Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated during his own presidential campaign. The nomination of Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services alarmed people who are concerned about his record of spreading unfounded fears about vaccines . For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Scott Bessent, 62, is a former George Soros money manager and an advocate for deficit reduction. He's the founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management, after having worked on-and-off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary. He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump’s campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending. “This election cycle is the last chance for the U.S. to grow our way out of this mountain of debt without becoming a sort of European-style socialist democracy,” he said then. Oregon Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her reelection bid this month, but received strong backing from union members in her district. As a potential labor secretary, she would oversee the Labor Department’s workforce, its budget and put forth priorities that impact workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer’s rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. Chavez-DeRemer is one of few House Republicans to endorse the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and would add penalties for companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws that allow employees in more than half the states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their places of employment. Scott Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” Sean Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children. A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Write is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. Wright also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.” The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States. Wright also won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term. President-elect Donald Trump tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump promised to dismantle. McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut. She’s seen as a relative unknown in education circles, though she expressed support for charter schools and school choice. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Brooke Rollins, who graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development, is a longtime Trump associate who served as White House domestic policy chief during his first presidency. The 52-year-old is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration. She previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Trump chose Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and a cryptocurrency enthusiast, as his nominee for commerce secretary, a position in which he'd have a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. Trump made the announcement Tuesday on his social media platform, Truth Social. Lutnick is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team, along with Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration. Both are tasked with putting forward candidates for key roles in the next administration. The nomination would put Lutnick in charge of a sprawling Cabinet agency that is involved in funding new computer chip factories, imposing trade restrictions, releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. It is also a position in which connections to CEOs and the wider business community are crucial. Doug Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial, which centered on U.S. assistance for Ukraine. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential nomination, but he was acquitted by the Senate. Collins has also served in the armed forces himself and is currently a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command. "We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need," Trump said in a statement about nominating Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Karoline Leavitt, 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps. Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, was a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term before she became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's choice for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has been tapped by Trump to be director of national intelligence, keeping with the trend to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities rather than veteran professionals in their requisite fields. Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the party's 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022. She endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him this fall. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community,” Trump said in a statement. Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions. Trump has picked John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as director of national intelligence during his first administration, to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his next. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump's first term, leading the U.S. government's spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. “I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation's highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement, calling him a “fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans” who would ensure “the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.” Trump has chosen former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to serve as his pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency . Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on X , “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.” “We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” he added. During his campaign, Trump often attacked the Biden administration's promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referring to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often told his audiences during the campaign his administration would “Drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration. In a statement, Trump said Zeldin “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.” Trump has named Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, as the new chairman of the agency tasked with regulating broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband. Carr is a longtime member of the commission and served previously as the FCC’s general counsel. He has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times and was nominated by both Trump and President Joe Biden to the commission. Carr made past appearances on “Fox News Channel," including when he decried Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' pre-Election Day appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” He wrote an op-ed last month defending a satellite company owned by Trump supporter Elon Musk. Rep. Elise Stefanik is a representative from New York and one of Trump's staunchest defenders going back to his first impeachment. Elected to the House in 2014, Stefanik was selected by her GOP House colleagues as House Republican Conference chair in 2021, when former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after publicly criticizing Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik, 40, has served in that role ever since as the third-ranking member of House leadership. Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile. If confirmed, she would represent American interests at the U.N. as Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine begun in 2022. He has also called for peace as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon to target Hezbollah. President-elect Donald Trump says he's chosen former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO. Trump has expressed skepticism about the Western military alliance for years. Trump said in a statement Wednesday that Whitaker is “a strong warrior and loyal Patriot” who “will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended” and “strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability.” The choice of Whitaker as the nation’s representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an unusual one, given his background is as a lawyer and not in foreign policy. Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. “He loves Israel, and likewise the people of Israel love him,” Trump said in a statement. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East.” Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Trump has been praised by some in this important Republican voting bloc for moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Trump on Tuesday named real estate investor Steven Witkoff to be special envoy to the Middle East. The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and was golfing with him at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination. Witkoff “is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy,” Trump said of Witkoff in a statement. “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud." Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee. Trump asked Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, Trump announced in a statement Tuesday. The move puts Waltz in the middle of national security crises, ranging from efforts to provide weapons to Ukraine and worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah. “Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda,” Trump's statement said, "and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!” Waltz is a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population. Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner , was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump's priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump's first administration. Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump's policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation's economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the United States illegally. Since Trump left office in 2021, Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organization made up of former Trump advisers aimed at challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as free speech and national security. Thomas Homan, 62, has been tasked with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history. Homan, who served under Trump in his first administration leading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border, an issue Trump made central to his campaign. Though Homan has insisted such a massive undertaking would be humane, he has long been a loyal supporter of Trump's policy proposals, suggesting at a July conference in Washington that he would be willing to "run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.” Democrats have criticized Homan for his defending Trump's “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border. Dr. Mehmet Oz, 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show,” a long-running daytime television talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Trump, who endorsed Oz's bid for elected office. Elon Musk, left, and Vivek Ramaswamy speak before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at an Oct. 27 campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. Trump on Tuesday said Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency" — which is not, despite the name, a government agency. The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside the government to offer the White House “advice and guidance” and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.” He added the move would shock government systems. It's not clear how the organization will operate. Musk, owner of X and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been a constant presence at Mar-a-Lago since Trump won the presidential election. Ramaswamy suspended his campaign in January and threw his support behind Trump. Trump said the two will “pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” Russell Vought held the position during Trump’s first presidency. After Trump’s initial term ended, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as “renew a consensus of America as a nation under God.” Vought was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that he tried to distance himself from during the campaign. Vought has also previously worked as the executive and budget director for the Republican Study Committee, a caucus for conservative House Republicans. He also worked at Heritage Action, the political group tied to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Scavino, whom Trump's transition referred to in a statement as one of “Trump's longest serving and most trusted aides,” was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign, as well as his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president. Scavino had run Trump's social media profile in the White House during his first administration. He was also held in contempt of Congress in 2022 after a month-long refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Blair was political director for Trump's 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and assistant to the president. Blair was key to Trump's economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign this year, a driving force behind the candidate's “Trump can fix it” slogan and his query to audiences this fall if they were better off than four years ago. Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump's 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president. Budowich also had served as a spokesman for Trump after his presidency. McGinley was White House Cabinet secretary during Trump's first administration, and was outside legal counsel for the Republican National Committee's election integrity effort during the 2024 campaign. In a statement, Trump called McGinley “a smart and tenacious lawyer who will help me advance our America First agenda, while fighting for election integrity and against the weaponization of law enforcement.” Associated Press writer Colleen Long contributed to this story. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.Demi Moore, Heidi Klum, Kim Kardashian top most revealing looks of 2024: PHOTOS

You knew it was coming, didn’t you? Baseball’s reigning Evil Empire took the initiative this week, signing another high-profile starting pitcher and giving its fans something additional to be grateful for during Thanksgiving week (besides, of course, those shots of the Commissioner’s Trophy being shown off here, there and everywhere throughout Southern California). And after the bombshell announcement Tuesday night, that the Dodgers had signed Blake Snell , the howls could be heard throughout the land. The Dodgers are making a mockery of the sport. The rest of baseball can’t compete. They’re signing everybody! And how are the Cincinnatis and Pittsburghs and Colorados of the sport able to compete with an organization that not only brings in boatloads of money – and has created a second source of runaway revenue through its ties to Japan – but isn’t interested in hoarding it? Shouldn’t the next step be a salary cap to restrain this franchise’s runaway spending? Oh, stop it. Competitive balance is not an issue in baseball, period. Four different teams have won the last four World Series, and nine different fan bases have celebrated championships in the last 12 years. There hasn’t been a repeat champion in ... checks notes ... a quarter of a century. (That would be the New York Yankees, the first Evil Empire, in 1999-2000.) Meanwhile, Kansas City, Detroit and Baltimore have all risen from rebuilding to contention in the last couple of seasons. Milwaukee and Cleveland, both smaller markets, were legitimate threats as this past postseason began. And the Padres, long squeezed between Mexico to their south, the Imperial Valley to their east, the Pacific to their west and L.A. to their north, just might have been the second-best team in baseball in 2024 and, may we remind you, had the Dodgers by the neck going into Game 4 of their National League Division Series . Nor are they going away, even with some payroll retrenching in the wake of controlling owner Peter Seidler’s death. (But, nope, still no parade.) Most of the caterwauling, of course, comes from those whose favorite teams were either outbid or declined to spend. Trust me, no ownership in Major League Baseball can claim poverty, even with the cable TV issues that have scrambled some teams’ finances. Yes, big-market teams start with a financial advantage. Yes, Diamond Sports’ bankruptcy and the cord-cutting revolution have factored in. And yes, the Dodgers and Yankees have insulated themselves to a degree by owning their own cable networks. So, maybe, give them some credit for intelligence and foresight? Front Office Sports reported that deferrals on Snell’s reported five-year, $182 million deal, said to be $60 million, would push the Dodgers closer to the $1 billion mark in deferred money owed to five players. Shohei Ohtani’s whopping $680 million deferred on a $700 million contract signed last winter enabled the Dodgers to add additional pieces. Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts also have chunks of deferred money in their contracts – as does, interestingly, Teoscar Hernández on his one-year 2024 deal with the Dodgers. That would make that contract even more of a bargain than we thought. And this is an undisputable fact: Salary caps and other payroll-limiting mechanisms put no limits on front office creativity and ingenuity. It’s been pretty well established that in Guggenheim Baseball’s 13-year ownership of the Dodgers, especially after Mark Walter’s organization corrected the problems of the Frank McCourt era and particularly after Friedman arrived from Tampa Bay in 2015, the Dodgers have a smart, savvy organization whose advantages go way beyond their cash on hand. (And yes, as I noted on social media Tuesday night, we do tease them about sometimes trying too hard to be the smartest guys in the room. But most of the time they are, anyway.) Assuming everyone stays healthy – and as we saw throughout baseball in 2024, that’s a tall ask – what will the Dodgers’ rotation look like in 2025? They’ll have left-hander Snell, a two-time Cy Young Award winner who was one of the victims of a soft free agent market last spring and didn’t sign with the San Francisco Giants until March 19. He got off to a dreadful start as a result but was lights out from the start of July. In 14 starts he was 5-0 (and his team 12-2 in those starts), with a 1.23 ERA, an opponents’ batting average of .123, an 0.78 WHIP, five double-digit strikeout games and a 3.8-1 strikeout to walk ratio, and a complete-game no-hitter, an achievement for someone denigrated as a five-and-dive pitcher. Maybe those final three months spurred him to sign early this time. It’s almost certain the Dodgers will use a six-man rotation from the start of the season, and right now they have seven possibilities and who knows what they do from here. They’ll have Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Shohei Ohtani as a pitcher. Tyler Glasnow, Snell’s former teammate in Tampa Bay, will be back, as will Tony Gonsolin in his return from Tommy John surgery. Dustin May, essentially inactive since May of 2023, will return, and Clayton Kershaw is expected to re-sign and has indicated he plans to retire a Dodger. Is there room for free agent Jack Flaherty, last season’s major trade deadline acquisition? Or fellow free agent Walker Buehler, who closed out Game 5 of the World Series against the Yankees, following a sometimes spotty comeback from injury? And the wild card might be Roki Sasaki, who will be posted by his Japanese team this winter. The Dodgers had long been considered the favorites to land him, and even Snell’s signing might not change that. Then again, the way the 2024 Dodgers went through pitchers because of injuries – 40 for the season, including 12 starting pitchers – shouldn’t they be tempted to grab every reasonably healthy arm they can and sort it out as they go along? But this is, and should be, the bottom line: Every fan in every sport wants the people running their favorite team to care as much about winning as they do. In a lot of cities, with a lot of teams, that’s really hard to envision. In Dodger Stadium, it’s not hard at all. And if they’re going to be the new Evil Empire, why not just lean into it and have Dieter Ruehle play “The Imperial March” (i.e., Darth Vader’s Theme) before every game? jalexander@scng.com

Donald Trump weighed in Saturday in a bitter debate dividing his traditional supporters and tech barrons like Elon Musk, saying that he backs a special visa program that helps highly skilled workers enter the country. "I've always liked the (H1-B) visas, I have always been in favor of the visas, that's why we have them" at Trump-owned facilities, the president-elect told the New York Post in his first public comments on the matter since it flared up this week. An angry back-and-forth, largely between Silicon Valley's Musk and traditional anti-immigration Trump backers, has erupted in fiery fashion, with Musk even vowing to "go to war" over the issue. Trump's insistent calls for sharp curbs on immigration were central to his election victory in November over President Joe Biden. He has vowed to deport all undocumented immigrants and limit legal immigration. But tech entrepreneurs like Tesla's Musk -- as well as Vivek Ramaswamy, who with Musk is to co-chair a government cost-cutting panel under Trump -- say the United States produces too few highly skilled graduates, and they fervently champion the H1-B program. Musk, who himself migrated from South Africa on an H1-B, posted Thursday on his X platform that luring elite engineering talent from abroad was "essential for America to keep winning." Adding acrimony to the debate was a post from Ramaswamy, the son of immigrants from India, who deplored an "American culture" that he said venerates mediocrity, adding that the United States risks having "our asses handed to us by China." That angered several prominent conservatives who were backing Trump long before Musk noisily joined their cause this year, going on to pump more than $250 million into the Republican's campaign. "Looking forward to the inevitable divorce between President Trump and Big Tech," said Laura Loomer, a far-right MAGA figure known for her conspiracy theories, who often flew with Trump on his campaign plane. "We have to protect President Trump from the technocrats." She and others said Trump should be promoting American workers and further limiting immigration. Musk, who had already infuriated some Republicans after leading an online campaign that helped tank a bipartisan budget deal last week, fired back at his critics. Posting on X, the social media site he owns, he warned of a "MAGA civil war." Musk bluntly swore at one critic, adding that "I will go to war on this issue." That, in turn, drew a volley from Trump strategist Steve Bannon, who wrote on the Gettr platform that the H1-B program brings in migrants who are essentially "indentured servants" working for less than American citizens would. In a striking jab at Trump's close friend Musk, Bannon called the Tesla CEO a "toddler." Some of Trump's original backers say they fear he is falling under the sway of big donors from the tech world like Musk and drifting away from his campaign promises. It was not immediately clear whether Trump's remarks might soothe the intraparty strife, which has exposed just how contentious changing the immigration system might be once he takes office in January. bbk/nro

Datamine Production Sector OverviewBrandon Stroud scores 16 as South Florida knocks off Webber International 106-49

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MANAHAWKIN — Juan Sanchez and Qadir Dixon combined for 53 points and the Trenton High boys basketball team won two of its three games at the Score at the Shore by beating Holmdel, 76-71, on Saturday afternoon at Southern Regional High. Sanchez scored 27 points and Dixon finished with 26 and 16 rebounds as the Tornadoes (3-3) evened their record after six games and finished third in the event. Daxx Corneior had 23 points to lead the Hornets (2-3). WW-PN 64, Delaware Valley 49 PLAINSBORO — Blake Amos Whitfield scored 23 points to lead three in double figures and the unbeaten Knights (5-0) outpaced the Terriers (2-3) for a spot in the West Windsor Plainsboro Holiday Tournament final. Malachi Jeffers-Viera added 18 points and Ryan Jean-Baptiste had 15 as North set up a championship game against Somerville. Ewing 50, Hunterdon Central 44 HAMILTON ‚— Joel Cineus netted 15 points, Terrance Traylor added 14 and the Blue Devils (3-2) bested the Red Devils (1-4) in the ESCIT. Robbinsville 63, Deptford 43 ROBBINSVILLE — Tyler Bunnell netted 20 points, Frank Pagano made four 3s on his way to 14 points and the host Ravens (5-1) swept the Ravens Winter Classic for their fifth straight win. Luke Vilary scored 21 points for Deptford (3-1), which lost for the first time. Allentown 57, Monmouth 42 NEPTUNE — Frank Varricchio netted 16 points, Mattox Watson added 14 and the Redbirds (1-3) beat Monmouth (0-5) for win number one. Pinelands 56, Steinert 49 NEW EGYPT — Ty Kline scored 23 points and Pineland (3-2) used a hot start to hold off the Spartans (0-6) in the consolation game of the Warriors Holiday Classic. Anthony Santucci led Steinert with 14 points. Delran 69, WW-PS 62 PLAINSBORO — Andrew Reim scored 21 points, Dennis Vittese added 19 and the Bears (2-2) rallied past the Pirates (1-6) with a fourth-quarter run at the West Windsor-Plainsboro Holiday Tournament. Adriel Dominguez led South with 16 points and Josiah Cureton finished with 12. Kingsway 61, Hamilton West 36 HAMILTON — Dasir Williams-Bay tallied 13 points to lead a a balanced offensive effort as Kingsway (5-1) handled the winless Hornets (0-5) in the ESCIT. Sean Turner had a team-best nine points for Hamilton. Bishop Eustace 70, PDS 38 CINNAMINSON — The Panthers (2-3) split a pair of games at the Cinnaminson Holiday Showcase after falling to the Crusaders (5-0) Bordentown 55, North Brunswick 42 ROBBINSVILLE — Chase Martin scored 21 points, Max Martin added 18 and the Scotties (1-2) picked up their first victory by beating the Raiders (0-5) at the Ravens Winter Classic. STEM Civics 68, Whippany Park 62 BOUND BROOK — JayDon English-Fulton poured in a game-high 28 points, Garmari Davidson added 12 and Rahquan Jackson finished with 10 to lead the Purple Lightning (1-2) to their first win over Whippany Park (0-5) at the Crusader Classic.