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Northern Kentucky knocks off South Carolina State 58-47

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins' playoff hopes are not in their hands, but they did their part with a gritty win over San Francisco on Sunday. Coach Mike McDaniel knows that's not enough, and his team will need to do it two more times to even have a shot at making the postseason for the third straight year. “I was just proud of this effort and proud of the guys’ effort in general,” McDaniel said. “And that gives you a chance to win December football. Regardless, unless you’re playing in February, you also have to get adept at experiencing that, going through that, having some momentum and then going back and applying it to the next opponent, because no one cares about one win in December or January realistically. It’s about accumulating those.” Miami (7-8) is on the bubble for a wild-card spot along with Indianapolis (7-8) and Cincinnati (7-8). Even if the Dolphins win their remaining two games, they'll need help from other teams to get in. In one scenario, Miami would make the playoffs with two wins and two losses each by Denver (9-6) and the Los Angeles Chargers (9-6). “This team, we know when we do it well, we can do it very well,” defensive tackle Calais Campbell said. “We know that our chances are slim, but there’s a lot of fight left. And if we have a chance, we’re going to fight for it.” Miami closed out Sunday's game with a strong fourth quarter in all three phases. The offense converted on all three of its third-down attempts. Running back De'Von Achane had 93 of his 190 scrimmage yards in the quarter, including a 50-yard rushing score that put the game out of reach. Jason Sanders nailed a 48-yard field goal just before the two-minute warning. And the defense intercepted Brock Purdy on one of the Niners' last-ditch efforts. “I think that was something that we needed to see as a team together,” quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said. “You could see in all three phases that we were able to play the complementary football that we said we wanted to play. The defense giving the offense opportunities to go put points on the board. Then when there were times where we didn’t do what we wanted to do offensively, the defense held.” With both of the Dolphins' final games on the road, they'll need to play better than they have in away games for much of the season. Miami is 5-3 at home, its fifth straight home winning record, but the Dolphins are 2-5 on the road. McDaniel expressed confidence that those home efforts can travel in this final stretch. “When you’re trying to play football so that in the inevitable situation that you face every season,” McDaniel said, “an elimination game, whether it’s to get in the playoffs or it’s in the playoffs, you want to be tooled with a team that can succeed or execute in those types of situations.” Miami's run game finally got going with 166 yards. It was the Dolphins' first time topping 100 yards rushing since Week 9. Achane led the charge with 120 yards. His 50-yard rushing score was Miami's longest run this season. The Dolphins moved the ball well but scored touchdowns on just one of three trips to the red zone. Sanders. He was 5 for 5 on field goals with a long of 54 yards, and 2 for 2 on extra points. Sanders has made 23 consecutive field goals and is 11 of 13 on kicks of 50-plus yards. He's one of two kickers, alongside Dallas' Brandon Aubrey, who have made a field goal in every game this season. WR Tyreek Hill. The All-Pro receiver caught just 3 of 7 targets for 29 yards and a touchdown. He had a third-down drop on the Dolphins' opening drive and dropped a potential touchdown later in the game. The NFL's receiving leader last year is averaging just 55.6 yards per game and has only two 100-plus yard receiving games this season. WR Jaylen Waddle missed the game because of a knee injury. ... CB Kendall Fuller (knee) and LB Jordyn Brookes (quad/knee) both went down late in the second half. 76 receptions, 802 yards — Both single-season Dolphins records for a tight end, which Jonnu Smith broke with six catches for 62 yards on Sunday. The Dolphins will continue their efforts to sneak into the playoffs when they play at Cleveland (3-12) on Sunday. They'll need to beat the Browns and the New York Jets (4-11) in their regular-season finale to give themselves a chance. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFLESPN anchor Elle Duncan may want to steer clear of social media this Friday because things aren't looking so good for her. On Friday morning, Duncan mocked Daniel Jones for saying farewell to the New York Giants this week. She thought it was ridiculous for him to do with seven games left in the season. "The opportunity to play for the New York Giants was truly a dream come true, and I'm extremely grateful to the Mara and Tisch families for the chance to play here," Jones said. "The Giants are truly a first-class organization, and I have nothing but genuine respect and appreciation for the people who have built it and who helped carry on that tradition." Duncan didn't just make fun of Jones' NFL career, she ripped his classy speech directed towards the Giants and their fan base. "You guys think he had this saved in his notes since like 2020? In all seriousness, DJ, I could have saved you like 90 seconds. A rewrite: I'm sorry you paid me $108 million for one playoff win. And I look forward to reviving my career as Brock Purdy's backup. The end," Duncan said . ESPN's Elle Duncan on Daniel Jones' farewell to Giants fans: "You guys think he had this saved in his notes since like 2020? In all seriousness, DJ, I could have saved you like 90 seconds. A rewrite: I'm sorry you paid me $108 million for one playoff win. And I look forward to... pic.twitter.com/CF8Ix8M9M9 This rant from Duncan looks even worse now that Jones has been released by the Giants. It proves that his farewell speech at Thursday's practice was warranted. With that said, Duncan is getting crushed by sports fans on X, formerly known as Twitter. "She a reason I stop watching First Take ," a fan said in response to Duncan's rant. "She is truly a hard watch," another fan tweeted. "This was pathetic," a social media user commented. "She’s so insufferable." "She’s so trashy—racist, too. ESPN continues to be a clown show," a fourth person added. John Nacion/Getty Images Duncan is aware of the online criticism. Instead of ignoring it, she has decided to double down on her initial remarks. "You want to call me disrespectful to Daniel Jones? Am I more disrespectful than the Giants making him a scout team safety? Am I more disrespectful than all of those same fans that are in my mentions right now who booed him mercilessly for the last six seasons?.. I stand by everything that I said," Duncan said on First Take this Friday. From the outside looking in, it appears Duncan is fighting a losing battle. Related: Why The Dallas Cowboys Should Sign Ex-Giants Quarterback Daniel Jones

WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Joe Biden visited Angola last week, one of the highlights was his pledge of hundreds of millions of dollars for an ambitious trans-Africa rail project that would bring copper and cobalt from central Africa to the Atlantic port of Lobito. The project is possible because of the commitment of a $553 million direct loan from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, created in 2019 during the first Trump administration to counter through infrastructure projects, such as the mega-port in Chancay, Peru, inaugurated just last month. On Monday, the U.S. agency celebrated its five-year milestone by vowing to advance U.S. foreign policy and strategic interests through projects around the world such as the one in Angola. It also seeks re-authorization from Congress and a greater ability to invest in more countries when there’s a strategic need to compete with China. “We need to be good partners while offering an alternative based on our values,” said Scott Nathan, the chief executive officer of the development agency, who was in Angola last week with the president. “Quite simply, we need to continue to show up.” Nathan is set to leave the post. President-elect Donald Trump is yet to name his pick to lead the agency. Over its first five years, the agency has developed a portfolio of more than $50 billion in 114 countries, including solar panel manufacturing in India, a power plant in Sierra Leone, and digital infrastructure in South America. To do that, the agency has leveraged government funding to partner with private investments. Last year, the agency committed to $12 billion in new transactions, using the roughly $800 million in appropriations, Nathan said. Investments by the agency are having a “transformational impact on economic development while concretely advancing U.S. strategic interests,” Nathan said. In Angola, for example, the rail project would help secure the supply chain by cutting both time and cost in transporting critical minerals. National security adviser Jake Sullivan said the agency was created when the U.S. was “ceding the field” to China in a new era of geopolitics. The U.S. needed a vision “calibrated to new geopolitical realities” and that matched ”the scope of the transformational challenges we faced.” It was in 2013 when Beijing launched the massive Belt and Road Initiative to gain markets and influence around the world by building roads, railways, power plants, transmission lines and ports, usually in less-developed regions. A recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office said China provided $679 billion for international infrastructure projects such as those in transportation and energy between 2013 and 2021, compared with the $76 billion the U.S. provided in the same period. Western politicians have criticized these Beijing-backed projects for creating debt traps, but Beijing argues that they have brought tangible and much-needed economic benefits to the host countries. In 2018, Congress passed a bipartisan bill that created the U.S. development agency, aimed at bringing private investments into low- and middle-income countries through tools such as equity investment, loan guarantee and political risk insurance. On Monday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised the agency for “reimagining how the U.S. does development” and said, through its work, the U.S. has “shown countries that they don’t have to resort to projects that are poorly built, environmentally destructive, that import or abuse workers, that foster corruption or burden countries with unsustainable debt.” “We really are the partner of choice,” Blinken said. As challenges lie ahead, Blinken said the agency needs to do even more and in more countries than before.NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart's sweeping rollback of its diversity policies is the strongest indication yet of a profound shift taking hold at U.S. companies that are re-evaluating the legal and political risks associated with bold programs to bolster historically underrepresented groups. The changes announced by the world's biggest retailer on Monday followed a string of legal victories by conservative groups that have filed an onslaught of lawsuits challenging corporate and federal programs aimed at elevating minority and women-owned businesses and employees. The retreat from such programs crystalized with the election of former President Donald Trump, whose administration is certain to make dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs a priority. Trump's incoming deputy chief of policy will be his former adviser Stephen Miller , who leads a group called America First Legal that has aggressively challenged corporate DEI policies. “There has been a lot of reassessment of risk looking at programs that could be deemed to constitute reverse discrimination,” said Allan Schweyer, principal researcher at the Human Capital Center at the Conference Board. “This is another domino to fall and it is a rather large domino,” he added. Among other changes, Walmart said it will no longer give priority treatment to suppliers owned by women or minorities. The company also will not renew a five-year commitment for a racial equity center set up in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd. And it pulled out of a prominent gay rights index . Schweyer said the biggest trigger for companies making such changes is simply a reassessment of their legal risk exposure, which began after U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June 2023 that ended affirmative action in college admissions. Since then, conservative groups using similar arguments have secured court victories against various diversity programs, especially those that steer contracts to minority or women-owned businesses. Most recently, the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty won a victory in a case against the U.S. Department of Transportation over its use of a program that gives priority to minority-owned businesses when it awards contracts. Companies are seeing a big legal risk in continuing with DEI efforts, said Dan Lennington, a deputy counsel at the institute. His organization says it has identified more than 60 programs in the federal government that it considers discriminatory, he said. “We have a legal landscape within the entire federal government, all three branches -- the U.S. Supreme Court, the Congress and the President -- are all now firmly pointed in the direction towards equality of individuals and individualized treatment of all Americans, instead of diversity, equity and inclusion treating people as members of racial groups,” Lennington said. The Trump administration is also likely to take direct aim at DEI initiatives through executive orders and other policies that affect private companies, especially federal contractors. “The impact of the election on DEI policies is huge. It can’t be overstated,” said Jason Schwartz, co-chair of the Labor & Employment Practice Group at law firm Gibson Dunn. With Miller returning to the White House, rolling back DEI initiatives is likely to be a priority, Schwartz said. “Companies are trying to strike the right balance to make clear they’ve got an inclusive workplace where everyone is welcome, and they want to get the best talent, while at the same time trying not to alienate various parts of their employees and customer base who might feel one way or the other. It’s a virtually impossible dilemma,” Schwartz said. A recent survey by Pew Research Center showed that workers are divided on the merits of DEI policies. While still broadly popular, the share of workers who said focusing on workplace diversity was mostly a good thing fell to 52% in the October survey, compared to 56% in a similar survey in February 2023. Rachel Minkin, a research associate at Pew, called it a small but significant shift in short amount of time. There will be more companies pulling back from their DEI policies, but it likely won’t be a retreat across the board, said David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at New York University. “There are vastly more companies that are sticking with DEI," Glasgow said. "The only reason you don’t hear about it is most of them are doing it by stealth. They’re putting their heads down and doing DEI work and hoping not to attract attention.” Glasgow advises organizations to stick to their own core values, because attitudes toward the topic can change quickly in the span of four years. “It’s going to leave them looking a little bit weak if there’s a kind of flip-flopping, depending on whichever direction the political winds are blowing,” he said. One reason DEI programs exist is because without those programs, companies may be vulnerable to lawsuits for traditional discrimination. “Really think carefully about the risks in all directions on this topic,” Glasgow said. Walmart confirmed will no longer consider race and gender as a litmus test to improve diversity when it offers supplier contracts. Walmart says its U.S. businesses sourced more than $13 billion in goods and services from diverse suppliers in fiscal year 2024, including businesses owned by minorities, women and veterans. It was unclear how its relationships with such business would change going forward. Organizations that have partnered with Walmart on its diversity initiatives offered a cautious response. The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, a non-profit that last year named Walmart one of America's top corporation for women-owned enterprises, said it was still evaluating the impact of Walmart's announcement. Pamela Prince-Eason, the president and CEO of the organization, said she hoped Walmart's need to cater to its diverse customer base will continue to drive contracts to women-owned suppliers even if the company has no explicit dollar goals. “I suspect Walmart will continue to have one of the most inclusive supply chains in the World,” Prince-Eason wrote. “Any retailer's ability to serve the communities they operate in will continue to value understanding their customers, (many of which are women), in order to better provide products and services desired and no one understands customers better than Walmart." Walmart's announcement came after the company spoke directly with conservative political commentator and activist Robby Starbuck, who has been going after corporate DEI policies, calling out individual companies on the social media platform X. Several of those companies have subsequently announced that they are pulling back their initiatives, including Ford , Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s and Tractor Supply . Walmart confirmed to The Associated Press that it will better monitor its third-party marketplace items to make sure they don’t feature sexual and transgender products aimed at minors. The company also will stop participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual benchmark index that measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees. A Walmart spokesperson added that some of the changes were already in progress and not as a result of conversations that it had with Starbuck. RaShawn “Shawnie” Hawkins, senior director of the HRC Foundation’s Workplace Equality Program, said companies that “abandon” their commitments workplace inclusion policies “are shirking their responsibility to their employees, consumers, and shareholders.” She said the buying power of LGBTQ customers is powerful and noted that the index will have record participation of more than 1,400 companies in 2025.

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The semiconductor sector has had an electrifying run in recent years, but 2024 proved to be more selective. While some chipmakers soared to triple-digit gains, others struggled to stay afloat. As traders look forward to2025, a fresh question emerges: Should you chase the winners, pick the laggards, or focus on undervalued opportunities with high analyst backing? The iShares Semiconductor ETF SOXX delivered a 15.2% year-to-date gain as of Dec. 23, cooling off after a massive 65% surge in 2023. Within the group, performance varied wildly: Top Performers : Nvidia Corp. NVDA rose 180%, while Broadcom Inc. AVGO gained 109%. Biggest Laggards : Intel Corp. INTC sank 60%, Microchip Technology Inc. MCHP fell 36%, and ON Semiconductor Corp. ON dropped 20%. The key takeaway? The semiconductor market is far from homogenous, with companies diverging sharply based on their ability to capitalize on emerging trends like AI. 5 Chip Stocks Analysts Are Betting On for 2025 Rather than chasing laggards or jumping on already overheated names, traders might want to focus on undervalued semiconductor stocks that align with analysts' bullish forecasts. Here are five potential winners for 2025: Median Price Target (upside vs. current market price) : 32.02% 2024 YTD Performance: +3.29% 2023 Total Return: 67.97% Market Cap: $136.21 billion P/E Ratio (Next 12 Months): 17.7x Median Price Target (upside vs. current market price): 33.08% 2024 YTD Performance: -2.20% 2023 Total Return: 79.78% Market Cap: $30.09 billion P/E Ratio (Next 12 Months): 38.6x Median Price Target (upside vs. current market price): 43.12% 2024 YTD Performance: +4.80% 2023 Total Return: 71.93% Market Cap: $99.64 billion P/E Ratio (Next 12 Months): 11.4x Median Price Target (upside vs. current market price): 45.83% 2024 YTD Performance: -15.34% 2023 Total Return: 127.59% Market Cap: $202.53 billion P/E Ratio (Next 12 Months): 27.7x Median Price Target (upside vs. current market price): 49.26% 2024 YTD Performance: -36.11% 2023 Total Return: 30.90% Market Cap: $30.94 billion P/E Ratio (Next 12 Months): 34.9x Now Read: AMD and Micron Are Top Analyst Picks for AI and Next-Gen Tech Growth Image: Shutterstock © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

For many law firms, thought leadership content is driven primarily by marketing. The goal? Stay visible, stay relevant and ensure the firm is top of mind. While this approach serves a purpose, it often sacrifices long-term value for short-term visibility. A thought leadership strategy driven by business development, on the other hand, offers a more targeted, strategic and lasting approach – one that positions lawyers and their firms as trusted advisors on the exact issues their clients care about most. This method turns thought leadership into a tool for attracting and retaining high-value clients while building a resource that serves the firm for years to come. The Difference: Marketing-Driven vs. Business Development-Driven Thought Leadership Marketing-Driven Thought Leadership : Most law firms produce content that casts a wide net. This “one-to-many” approach focuses on: Recent court decisions and regulatory updates Proposed or enacted legislation Agency actions and industry trends While this content is relevant and informative, it often lacks a clear connection to specific client needs or firm priorities. The result is content that keeps the firm visible but rarely sets it apart. Worse, this kind of content tends to have a short shelf life – a court decision from two months ago or an analysis of proposed legislation quickly becomes old news. Business Development-Driven Thought Leadership : A business development-driven approach, in contrast, focuses on specific issues that matter to the firm’s ideal clients. This content is highly targeted, addressing the real-world legal and business challenges clients are facing now or are likely to face in the future. Rather than aiming for the broadest reach, this type of thought leadership: Demonstrates deep expertise and industry insight Provides practical guidance and actionable takeaways Aligns with the types of matters the firm wants to attract more of For example, instead of producing a generic update on a new employment law, a firm might create content on the common pitfalls in compliance for mid-sized retail businesses or red flags in employee classification for growing technology companies. The focus here is on relevance, not reach. Why Business Development-Driven Thought Leadership Has Staying Power One of the most significant advantages of business development-driven content is its longevity. Unlike news-based content, which quickly becomes outdated, this content focuses on legal and business issues rather than legal developments. These issues are often recurring, evergreen and directly relevant to clients. The result is a growing library of reusable content that lawyers can leverage for months – or years – to come. How Firms Can Use This Content Library: By creating evergreen, issue-based content, firms ensure their thought leadership remains useful long after publication – offering sustained value for clients while supporting the firm’s business development goals. Taking a Strategic Approach to Business Development-Driven Thought Leadership Shifting to a business development-driven strategy requires a more intentional, strategic approach. Here’s how law firms can implement it at their firms: 1. Start with the Clients Identify the firm’s ideal clients and the specific legal and business issues they face. These could include: Industry-specific challenges (e.g., regulatory hurdles in healthcare) Growth and expansion issues (e.g., navigating M&A in private equity) Common misconceptions or risks (e.g., compliance pitfalls in fintech) By understanding the pain points and priorities of key client segments, firms can focus their content efforts on the topics that matter most. 2. Create Highly Targeted Content Unlike broad marketing content, business development-driven thought leadership is tailored to a specific audience. The content might take the form of: Best Practices : Actionable guidance on handling complex issues Red Flags and Risks : Warning signs clients should look out for Case Studies : Examples of how the firm helped solve similar challenges Forward-Looking Trends : Insights into what’s on the horizon for a particular industry or issue For instance, a firm focused on private equity clients might publish a white paper on key considerations in GP-led secondary transactions or a blog post on mitigating tax risks in cross-border deals. The content speaks directly to the firm’s ideal audience while reinforcing its expertise in the matters that audience cares about most. 3. Make Content a Team Effort Lawyers are often the subject matter experts behind thought leadership, but marketing and business development teams play a critical role in shaping, publishing and promoting the content. Collaboration ensures that the content aligns with the firm’s business goals and resonates with the target audience. Business Development Teams : Identify client pain points and ensure the content addresses them Marketing Teams : Edit and distribute the content across the right channels Lawyers : Contribute subject matter expertise and insights 4. Focus on Consistency To build a truly impactful library of thought leadership content, firms need to publish consistently. Regular, high-quality content not only demonstrates the firm’s deep expertise but also positions it as a reliable resource on key client issues. Consistency doesn’t require constant output—a well-planned editorial calendar with monthly or quarterly posts can make a significant impact over time. The Long-Term Impact of a Business Development-Driven Strategy Law firms that prioritize a business development-driven thought leadership strategy benefit in multiple ways: A Smarter Approach to Thought Leadership While marketing-driven thought leadership has its place, law firms that adopt a business development-driven approach can achieve far greater impact. By focusing on the issues that matter most to ideal clients, firms create content that demonstrates their expertise, builds trust and drives meaningful business opportunities. Over time, this strategic approach turns thought leadership into a powerful tool for attracting, retaining and growing high-value client relationships while building a lasting resource that supports the firm’s success for years to come.

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Bashir puts up 27, Monmouth knocks off Fairfield 88-74