3 SIPP mistakes to avoidCarter's single White House term still stirs controversy after more than 40 yearsFormer Minister Gemma Hussey dies aged 86
After Trump's win, Black women are rethinking their role as America's reliable political organizersNone
San Jose State University's women's volleyball co-captain Brooke Slusser says she is standing up for herself and her team on 'The Ingraham Angle' as sports journalist Michele Tafoya reacts. Who/what would have thought something so simple would take so long? The athletic eligibility of San Jose State's volleyball team and trans athlete Blaire Fleming came under legal review on Thursday during an emergency hearing in Colorado. But it couldn't get started before a lengthy discussion on whether to use she/her pronouns when referring to Fleming. Federal Judge Kato Crews, who was appointed by President Biden in January, dedicated the first 45 minutes of the hearing to a debate between the plaintiffs and defendants over what pronouns to use when describing Fleming and whether Fleming's name should be used during the hearing for the sake of privacy. Nearly an hour into the hearing, Crews declared that he would choose to use she/her pronouns, but that any other individual in the courtroom could use whatever pronouns they wanted to use. Crews also clarified that his decision to the she/her pronouns when referring to Fleming did not reflect his decision on what Fleming's biological gender is. Crews also ruled that it was okay to use Fleming's name during the hearing. "While the court is not insensitive to the privacy issues ... the defendants have essentially affirmed there is a transgender player on the SJSU volleyball team," Crews said. THE PRONOUN POLICE HAVE ARRIVED AND ARE COMING FOR YOU NEXT Blaire Fleming of the San Jose State Spartans reacts during the second set against the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Court at East Gym on October 19, 2024, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Andrew Wevers/Getty Images) The verbal implementation of official pronouns when referring to individuals to avoid "misgendering" them has, in fact, been tied to legal repercussions in the U.S. in recent years. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rolled out a new gender pronoun policy in November 2023. "All applicants and employees should be addressed by the names and pronouns they use to describe themselves. Using correct names and pronouns helps foster workplaces free of discrimination and harassment," the U.S. Office of Personnel Management guidance states . "This practice also creates an inclusive work environment where all applicants and employees are treated with dignity. The isolated and inadvertent use of an incorrect name or pronoun will generally not constitute unlawful harassment, but, as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has explained, continued intentional use of an incorrect name or pronoun (or both) could, in certain circumstances, contribute to an unlawful hostile work environment." Heritage Foundation expert and former HHS official Roger Severino previously told Fox News Digital that the laws violate employee rights and will result in firings for "misgendering." SJSU WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL'S 1ST OPPONENT DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT TRASN PLAYER, SUGGESTS MATCH WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED Official and proper pronoun usage has been at the center of mockery and satire by right-wing figures in politics and media, including President-elect Trump, in recent years. After liberal social media influencer and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , D-N.Y. was discovered to have removed pronouns from her X bio after Trump's election win, the congresswoman became the subject of a viral mockery campaign by conservative and satirical users. Former NCAA swimmer and OutKick contributor Riley Gaines didn't let Ocasio-Cortez off the hook in a tirade of insults on X on November 14. "How will we know what to call AOC now that her pronouns in her bio are gone?!" Gaines wrote. And thus, a hearing on the situation with Fleming and San Jose State, which has recently become a landmark event in the civil rights discussion around women's sports, fittingly included a pronoun debate for the ages. The hearing came in response to a recent lawsuit filed against the Mountain West Conference for its policies on gender eligibility and identity. The plaintiffs, including multiple Mountain West volleyball players and Utah State University, contested the conference's policies that have let San Jose State player Blaire Fleming compete, despite being a biological male. San Jose State finished the regular season with a 14-6 record and a 12-6 conference record. Six of its conference wins came via forfeit by opposing teams amid the controversy. Those include forfeits from conference opponents Boise State, Utah State, Wyoming and Nevada. Wyoming and Boise State have each forfeited two matches against the Spartans. The plaintiffs on Thursday were seeking to have the losses that those teams took for the forfeit be erased from their record and not counted against them in qualifying for the Mountain West Tournament. The plaintiffs were also seeking to prevent SJSU from rostering Fleming in any future games, including the upcoming tournament. Fleming has been one of the top players in the conference and an offensive anchor for San Jose State this season, even amid the controversy. Fleming is third in the conference in average kills per serve with 3.86 and amassed 297 total kills on the year despite playing seven fewer games than expected due to the forfeits. It's helped give San Jose State the third best hitting percentage in the Mountain West. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Blaire Fleming of the San Jose State Spartans attempts to block a shot during the first set against the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Court at East Gym on October 19, 2024, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Andrew Wevers/Getty Images) A Mountain West spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that the conference is currently planning for San Jose State and Fleming to compete in the tournament in Las Vegas, starting November 27. That spokesperson also says the conference has a contingency plan in the event teams refuse to face San Jose State over Fleming's presence on the team. That plan includes a willingness to recognize San Jose State as the conference champion if the Spartans advance to the final and win the match by virtue of forfeit from opponents. "If we get to a championship game, and it's San Jose State vs. whoever, if that institution forfeits the game, then San Jose State wins that match, and then they are tournament champions. And they would be the automatic qualifier out of the Mountain West," the spokesperson said. However, Crews' eventual ruling could disrupt that plan and keep Fleming out of the tournament altogether. Crews concluded the hearing by saying he will deliver a ruling on the case in a "timely fashion." The tournament is set to begin next Wednesday. Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X , and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter . Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.
Jacob Holt scores 23 to help Sacramento State beat Stanislaus State 98-47Was Friday's double dose of good news a turning point for the stock market?
If any film has the power to change the world, it’s “Wicked.” When I saw it on stage, I thought it was an above-average show that would best be remembered for turning Gen Z-ers onto theater. And seeing young girls in the lobby dressed as princesses and witches was as uplifting as hearing “Defying Gravity.” But the movie version stirred me even more by doubling down on the show’s anti-bullying theme and the consequences of shutting out those who don’t look like us, messages that resonate more than ever. Plenty of people have already experienced the magic. It made $162.5 million in its opening weekend, setting it up to be the most successful film ever based on a Broadway production. It’s bound to be a contender during awards season. One of the reasons for its popularity is that it’s a companion piece to the beloved “The Wizard of Oz,” one in which we discover that Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West (Cynthia Erivo) isn’t all wicked and Glinda the Good Witch (Ariana Grande) isn’t all good. For others, that plot line is a major turn off. They’d rather face down flying monkeys than sit through a musical. But I urge skeptics to suffer through the sappy songs and focus on the moments that remind you of times you’ve felt like an outsider. Sandy Lor, a 29-year-old social influencer based in the Twin Cities, had never seen the musical when she attended a special preview before the Nov. 22 release. The initial draw for her was Grande and director Jon M. Chu, who previously helmed 2018′s “Crazy Rich Asians,” one of the best rom-coms of the last decade. Lor didn’t expect to get so emotional during the scene in which the green-faced Elphaba is ridiculed at a party for wearing a crooked, black hat and doing a dance that may remind you of Elaine Benes’ herky-jerky moves on “Seinfeld.” But the heart-wrenching moment turns to pure joy when she is joined on the floor by her college roommate Glinda, transforming them from bitter rivals to tight friends. “I’ve been in Elphaba’s shoes before,” said Lor, who uses the name @sandysprosium when offering fashion and lifestyle tips online. “Her walking onto the dance floor was like me walking into the lunch area in high school and not knowing where to sit because I didn’t have a clique. That scene shows that it takes just one person to be on your side to make a big change. I didn’t know a movie could move me this much.” The bond between the two future witches is a huge part of both the film and the musical. The crowd I saw it with erupted into applause when the original version’s pair, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, made unexpected screen cameos. But I had completely forgotten about the dark sub-plot in which there’s a campaign to domesticate Oz’s talking animals by caging them and slowly robbing them of their ability to speak. Chu emphasizes that story line in the film by adding some sympathetic characters, including a bear nanny who nurses Elphaba through her childhood, and a cub that grows up to be the Cowardly Lion. One of the film’s more harrowing moments is when Dr. Dillamond (voiced by Peter Dinklage) is arrested for the “crime” of being a brilliant goat. “When he’s taken away, Elphaba asks, ‘What are we going to do?”' said Dan McNeil, executive director at Peacemaker Minnesota, a Roseville-based, non-profit group committed to fighting harassment in schools. “I hope that’s a question everyone asks when they see bullying going on.” The film also has a direct correlation to debates around the world about immigration, assimilating — or rejecting — other cultures. That theme was one of the reasons Chu, whose parents were born in Taiwan and China, jumped at the chance to direct “Wicked.” ‘‘’The Wizard of Oz’ had such an influence on my own family — an immigrant family that came to America with these dreams,’’ Chu told the New York Times. ‘’We’re going through such a changing period in our culture, and this hit it so on the nose — that change is difficult, that the Yellow Brick Road may not be the path for all of us.” McNeil thinks the film might inspire conversations with friends and family during the holiday season. At the very least, it may make those already standing up against discrimination feel like they’ve got reinforcements. But can a movie, even a blockbuster, really bring us closer together? It can’t hurt. “It takes schools, political leadership, corporate leadership, but also cultural influences like movies and music,” McNeil said. “Every little bit helps.”For environment: Seechewal initiates Phase II of Buddha Dariya clean-up
SADO, Japan (AP) — Japan held a memorial ceremony on Sunday near the Sado Island Gold Mines , listed this summer as a UNESCO World Heritage site after the country moved past years of historical disputes with South Korea and reluctantly acknowledged the mines' dark history. However, it has not offered an apology. At these mines, hundreds of Koreans were forced to labor under abusive and brutal conditions during World War II, historians say. Japanese officials at Sunday’s ceremony time paid tribute for the first to “all workers” including Korean laborers who died at the mines, without acknowledging they were forced laborers — part of what critics call a persistent policy of whitewashing Japan's history of sexual and labor exploitation before and during the war. The ceremony, supposed to further mend wounds, renewed tensions between the two sides. South Korea boycotted Sunday's memorial service citing unspecified disagreements with Tokyo over the event. “As a resident, I must say (their absence) is very disappointing after all the preparations we made,” said Sado Mayor Ryugo Watanabe. “I wish we could have held the memorial with South Korean attendees.” The Associated Press explains the Sado mines, their history and the controversy. The 16th-century mines on the island of Sado, about the size of the Pacific island of Guam, off the western coast of Niigata prefecture, operated for nearly 400 years, beginning in 1601, and were once the world’s largest gold producer. They closed in 1989. During the Edo period, from 1603 to 1868, the mines supplied gold currency to the ruling Tokugawa Shogunate. Today, the site has been developed into a tourist facility and hiking site where visitors can learn about the changes in mining technology and production methods while looking at the remains of mine shafts and ore dressing facilities. Critics say the Japanese government only highlights the glory of the mines and covers up its use of Korean victims of forced labor and their ordeals. The mines were registered as a cultural heritage site in July after Japan agreed to include an exhibit on the conditions of Korean forced laborers and to hold a memorial service annually after repeated protests from the South Korean government. A few signs have since been erected, indicating former sites of South Korean laborers’ dormitories. A city-operated museum in the area also added a section about Korean laborers, but a private museum attached to the main UNESCO site doesn't mention them at all. At the UNESCO World Heritage Committee July meeting, the Japanese delegate said Tokyo had installed new exhibition material to explain the “severe conditions of (the Korean laborers’) work and to remember their hardship.” Japan also acknowledged that Koreans were made to do more dangerous tasks in the mine shaft, which caused some to die. Those who survived also developed lung diseases and other health problems. Many of them were given meager food rations and nearly no days off and were caught by police if they escaped, historians say. But the Japanese government has refused to admit they were “forced labor.” South Korea had earlier opposed the listing of the site for UNESCO World Heritage on the grounds that the Korean forced laborers used at the mines were missing from the exhibition. South Korea eventually supported the listing after consultations with Japan and Tokyo’s pledge to improve the historical background of the exhibit and to hold a memorial that also includes Koreans. Historians say Japan used hundreds of thousands of Korean laborers, including those forcibly brought from the Korean Peninsula, at Japanese mines and factories to make up for labor shortages because most working-age Japanese men had been sent to battlefronts across Asia and the Pacific. About 1,500 Koreans were forced to work at the Sado mines, according to Yasuto Takeuchi, an expert on Japan’s wartime history, citing wartime Japanese documents. The South Korean government has said it expects Japan to keep its pledge to be truthful to history and to show both sides of the Sado mines. “The controversy surrounding the Sado mines exhibit underscores a deeper problem” of Japan’s failure to face up to its wartime responsibility and its growing “denialism” of its wartime atrocities, Takeuchi said. All workers who died at the Sado mines were honored. That includes hundreds of Korean laborers who worked there during Japan’s 1910-1945 colonization of the Korean Peninsula. At Sunday’s ceremony, four Japanese representatives, including central and local government officials and the head of the organizing group, thanked all mine workers for their sacrifice and mourned for those who died. None offered any apology to Korean forced laborers for the harsh treatment at the mines. Attendants observed a moment of silence for the victims who died at the mines due to accidents and other causes. The ceremony dredged up long-standing frustrations in South Korea. About 100 people, including officials from Japan’s local and central government, as well as South Korean Foreign Ministry officials and the relatives of Korean wartime laborers, were supposed to attend. Because of South Korea's last-minute boycott, more than 20 seats remained vacant. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement Saturday it was impossible to settle the disagreements between both governments before the planned event on Sunday, without specifying what those disagreements were. There has been speculation that the South Korean boycott might have been due to the presence of parliamentary vice minister Akiko Ikuina at Sunday's ceremony. In August 2022, Ikuina reportedly visited Tokyo’s controversial Yasukuni Shrine , weeks after she was elected as a lawmaker. Japan’s neighbors view Yasukuni, which commemorates 2.5 million war dead including war criminals, as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism. Her visit could have been seen as a sign of a lack of remorse. Some South Koreans criticized the Seoul government for throwing its support behind an event without securing a clear Japanese commitment to highlight the plight of Korean laborers. There were also complaints over South Korea agreeing to pay for the travel expenses of Korean victims’ family members who were invited to attend the ceremony. Critics say Japan’s government has long been reluctant to discuss wartime atrocities. That includes what historians describe as the sexual abuse and enslavement of women across Asia, many of them Koreans who were deceived into providing sex to Japanese soldiers at frontline brothels and euphemistically called “comfort women,” and the Koreans who were mobilized and forced to work in Japan, especially in the final years of World War II. Korean compensation demands for Japanese atrocities during its brutal colonial rule have strained relations between the two Asian neighbors, most recently after a 2018 South Korean Supreme Court ruling ordered Japanese companies to pay damages over their wartime forced labor. Japan’s government has maintained that all wartime compensation issues between the two countries were resolved under the 1965 normalization treaty. Ties between Tokyo and Seoul have improved recently after Washington said their disputes over historical issues hampered crucial security cooperation as China’s threat grows in the region. South Korea’s conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol announced in March 2023 that his country would use a local corporate fund to compensate forced labor victims without demanding Japanese contributions. Japan’s then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida later expressed sympathy for their suffering during a Seoul visit. Security, business and other ties between the sides have since rapidly resumed. Japan’s whitewashing of wartime atrocities has risen since the 2010s, particularly under the past government of revisionist leader Shinzo Abe . For instance, Japan says the terms “sex slavery” and “forced labor” are inaccurate and insists on the use of highly euphemistic terms such as “comfort women” and “civilian workers” instead. Takeuchi, the historian, said listing Japan’s modern industrial historical sites as a UNESCO World Heritage is a government push to increase tourism. The government, he said, wants “to commercialize sites like the Sado mines by beautifying and justifying their history for Japan’s convenience.” Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, South Korea contributed to this report.
India and Kuwait on Sunday pledged to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation and condemned terrorism in all its forms, including cross-border activities. Discussions during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Gulf nation focused on tackling the menace of terrorism. The reference to cross-border terrorism comes amid Pakistan’s support to terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir. ”The two sides unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism and called for disrupting of terrorism financing networks and safe havens, and dismantling of terror infrastructure,” a joint statement said. Held fruitful discussions with HH Sheikh Ahmed Abdullah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, the Prime Minister of Kuwait. Our talks covered the full range of India-Kuwait relations, including trade, commerce, people-to-people ties and more. Key MoUs and Agreements were also exchanged, which will... pic.twitter.com/dSWV8VgMb8 On Sunday, Modi held extensive talks with Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti Prime Minister Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and Crown Prince Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah with a focus on giving new momentum to the overall bilateral ties. The joint statement said the two sides discussed ways and means to promote cooperation in cybersecurity, including the prevention of the use of cyberspace for terrorism, radicalisation and for disturbing social harmony. It said it was agreed to enhance cooperation in counter-terror operations, information and intelligence sharing and exchange experiences and best practices. ”Expressing appreciation of their ongoing bilateral cooperation in the area of security, both sides agreed to enhance cooperation in counter-terrorism operations, information and intelligence sharing, developing and exchanging experiences, best practices and technologies, capacity building and to strengthen cooperation in law enforcement, anti-money laundering,” according to the statement. Following talks between Modi and the Emir, the two sides elevated their ties to a strategic partnership. With inputs from agenciesDoctors warn about dangers of using Zyn, your favorite celeb's favorite nicotine
No. 12 Boise State (9-1, 6-0 Mountain West, No. 12 CFP) at Wyoming (2-8, 2-4,) Saturday, 7 p.m. ET (CBSSN) BetMGM College Football Odds: Boise State by 22 1/2. Series record: Boise State leads 17-1. Boise State enters its final conference game of the season with an eight-game winning streak - its longest single-season winning streak since 2014 - and with its sights set on a potential top-four seed in the College Football Playoff. With Boise State in front of BYU, the Broncos became the provisional No. 4 seed in the playoff with two weeks left in the regular season. Despite being mired in a two-win season, Wyoming would love to play the spoiler role against the Broncos. Wyoming’s rushing defense against Heisman Trophy candidate Ashton Jeanty. The junior running back comes into this one leading the nation in several categories, including rushing yards (1,893), rushing touchdowns (26), total touchdowns (27) and all-purpose yards (1,991). The Cowboys rank 116th in the nation in allowing 201.2 yards rushing per game. Boise State: WR Cameron Camper continues to play a pivotal role for the Broncos. As Jeanty draws the attention of opposing defensive units, it creates space in the secondary for Camper to operate. The senior leads the Broncos with 665 yards receiving with 40 catches, including four touchdowns. Wyoming: DE DeVonne Harris has proven to be effective for the Cowboys since missing time earlier this season with an injury. Harris registered a season-high six tackles with a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery at Colorado State and has three tackles for loss this season. Harris could be tasked to slow Jeanty in the running lanes while also applying pressure to Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen. Boise State and Wyoming are two of the best teams on third downs on both sides of the ball with the Broncos’ offense checking in third nationally in third-down conversion percentage (52.7%) and Wyoming’s defense ranked fifth in the country in third-down conversion percentage against (.285). ... The Broncos, who own the third-best rushing offense in the country with 258.7 yards rushing per game, have run for 200 or more yards in eight games this season. ... Wyoming linebacker Connor Shay ranks second on the team with 62 tackles this season. His 6.2 tackles per game rank 20th in the conference. .. Wyoming has won 65.9% of its games in War Memorial Stadium, though the Cowboys are just 1-4 in Laramie this season. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football .Carolina Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders was taken to a hospital for a neck injury after landing on his head while making a catch late in the first half of Sunday's 30-27 home loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. As Sanders was brought down near the sideline after a 10-yard reception, he was flipped upside down and landed directly on the top of his helmet as he went out of bounds on the tackle by cornerback Trent McDuffie. After receiving attention from the team's medical staff, Sanders was strapped to a backboard and taken off the field on a cart with 40 seconds remaining in the half. He was taken to Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte for observation and later released Sunday afternoon, according to the team. On the CBS broadcast following halftime, Panthers head coach Dave Canales said Sanders had movement in all his extremities, while extreme precaution was taken because of back tightness. CBS reported he was being examined for a concussion before later amending that to a neck injury. The 21-year-old rookie out of Texas had a team-leading three receptions for the Panthers at the half for 49 yards. In 11 games this season, Sanders has 29 receptions for 302 yards and a touchdown. Sanders was a fourth-round selection in the NFL draft in April. --Field Level Media
No. 9 Kentucky, focused on getting better, welcomes Jackson St.
The heartfelt present Kate Middleton gave the Queen for her FIRST Christmas at Sandringham - and it was inspired by her own grandmother By ALESIA FIDDLER Published: 11:37, 22 December 2024 | Updated: 11:50, 22 December 2024 e-mail View comments What does one buy the Queen for Christmas ? That is is exactly the question Kate faced on her first festive visit. The Princess of Wales spent Christmas at Sandringham with Prince William and his family for the first time in 2011 - after getting married eight months before. Every year the royals gather at the Norfolk residence to celebrate the festive period and attend a service at St Mary Magdalene Church. Like many newlyweds, Kate had the challenge of choosing gifts for her new in-laws, including the late Queen Elizabeth II. The princess settled on a thoughtful present inspired by her own grandparents. Speaking on an ITV documentary to mark the late Queen's 90th birthday in 2016, Kate revealed her homemade offering. The princess said: 'I can remember being at Sandringham, for the first time, at Christmas. And I was worried what to give the Queen as her Christmas present. I was thinking, "Gosh, what should I give her?"' Kate and the late Queen Elizabeth II smiling during a visit to Nottingham in 2012 Kate leaving St Mary Magdalene Church with Camilla during Christmas at Sandringham in 2011 William and his wife on Christmas Day back in 2011. The couple had married in April that year Kate decided to use her grandmother's chutney recipe and make the Queen a homemade jar. She continued: 'I thought, "I'll make her something", Which could have gone horribly wrong. But I decided to make my granny's recipe of chutney.' The late monarch seemed to appreciate the gift, as Kate revealed how the next day it was on the dining table. Kate added: 'I was slightly worried about it, but I noticed the next day that it was on the table. 'I think such a simple gesture went such a long way for me and I've noticed since she's done that on lots of occasions and I think it just shows her thoughtfulness, really, and her care in looking after everybody.' Kate's first Christmas at Sandringham was a special occasion. The Daily Mail reported at the time how her attendance to the traditional service in Sandringham helped to attract a record 3,000 well-wishers. One fan, Alison Croose, who waited outside to catch a glimpse of the princess, said: 'I have not seen crowds like this since back into the Diana days. 'It reminded me of the Diana years – when she introduced Prince William to the crowds when he was about seven or eight. It was touching. Diana used to have her hand on his back. 'Now you see William with his hand on Kate's back. It was really nice.' Kate decided to use her grandmother's chutney recipe and make the Queen a homemade jar (stock Image) Harry and Kate together on Christmas Day in 2011 The Royal Family attending a Christmas church service in Sandringham in 2017 Given the Royal Family's heritage, Kate may have participated in their German festive tradition of opening gifts on Christmas Eve, too. The presents are often small and light-hearted offerings rather than flamboyant and expensive. Each gift is labelled and laid out on a table. Prince Harry recalled a Christmas Eve in his book, Spare, and described how, 'By custom, at the start of the night, each of us located our place, stood before our mound of presents.' Queen Elizabeth went on to develop a close relationship with Kate . The Daily Mail's editor-at-large Richard Kay revealed how the pair shared a special 'grandmotherly bond'. Mr Kay said i n Channel 5's, Kate & The Queen: A Special Relationship programme : 'The queen grew to trust Kate. I don't think she really trusted anyone on first impression, we're all performing the same show, the show is supporting the Queen. 'But with Kate and the Queen it grew deeper than that, there was a real grandmotherly affection between the two'. However, 2011 wasn't the first time Kate was invited to spend Christmas at Sandringham. The Mail on Sunday reported back in 2006 how she had received an invitation but declined and spent the festive period in Scotland with her family instead. Kate's friends said at the time that she only intended to join the royal Christmas gathering after marrying William. The year before, Kate spent Boxing Day with the Royal Family. She stayed in a quiet cottage on Wolferton Marshes with William at the royal estate. Queen Elizabeth II and Kate attending the annual summer exhibition at Buckingham Palace in July 2011 Kate and the late Queen viewing the princess's display at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2019 The late Queen and Kate during a visit to King's College London in 2019 Former royal chef, Darren McGrady, previously told the Daily Mirror how Sandringham is more of a 'home from home' compared to other royal residences for the family. He explained: 'Unlike Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace, which belongs to the State, Sandringham is owned by the royals so it's a real home from home, and somewhere to really relax.' The late Queen usually stayed from December to February, until after the anniversary of her father's death on February 6. Last year, King Charles stayed over the festive period before relocating to Balmoral in January. 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With Boston College trailing defending champion Miami, Flutie threw the Hail Mary and found receiver Gerard Phalen, who made the grab while falling into the end zone behind a pair of defenders for a game-winning 48-yard TD. Flutie and many of his 1984 teammates were honored on the field during BC’s 41-21 victory over North Carolina before the second quarter on Saturday afternoon, the anniversary of the Eagles’ Miracle in Miami. “There’s no way its been 40 years,” Flutie told The Associated Press on the sideline a few minutes before he walked out with some of his former teammates to be recognized after a video of The Play was shown on the scoreboards. It’s a moment and highlight that’s not only played throughout decades of BC students and fans, but around the college football world. “What is really so humbling is that the kids 40 years later are wearing 22 jerseys, still,” Flutie said of his old number. “That amazes me.” That game was played on national TV the Friday after Thanksgiving. The ironic thing is it was originally scheduled for earlier in the season before CBS paid Rutgers to move its game against Miami, thus setting up the BC-Miami post-holiday matchup. “It shows you how random some things are, that the game was moved,” Flutie said. “The game got moved to the Friday after Thanksgiving, which was the most watched game of the year. We both end up being nationally ranked and up there. All those things lent to how big the game itself was, and made the pass and the catch that much more relevant and remembered because so many people were watching.” There’s a statue of Flutie winding up to make The Pass outside the north gates at Alumni Stadium. Fans and visitors can often be seen taking photos there. “In casual conversation, it comes up every day,” Flutie said, when asked how many times people bring it up. “It brings a smile to my face every time we talk about it.” A week after the game-ending Flutie pass, the Eagles beat Holy Cross and before he flew off to New York to accept the Heisman. They went on to win the 49th Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Day. “Forty years seem almost like incomprehensible,” said Phalen, also standing on the sideline a few minutes after the game started. “I always say to Doug: ‘Thank God for social media. It’s kept it alive for us.”’ Earlier this week, current BC coach Bill O’Brien, 55, was asked if he remembered where he was 40 years ago. “We were eating Thanksgiving leftovers in my family room,” he said. “My mom was saying a Rosary in the kitchen because she didn’t like Miami and wanted BC to win. My dad, my brother and I were watching the game. “It was unbelievable,” he said. “Everybody remembers where they were for the Hail Mary, Flutie pass.”ATLANTA (AP) — Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who won the presidency in the wake of the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, endured humbling defeat after one tumultuous term and then redefined life after the White House as a global humanitarian, has died. He was 100 years old. The longest-lived American president died on Sunday, more than a year after entering hospice care , at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died at 96 in November 2023 , spent most of their lives, The Carter Center said. “Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia,” the center said in posting about his death on the social media platform X. It added in a statement that he died peacefully, surrounded by his family. Businessman, Navy officer, evangelist, politician, negotiator, author, woodworker, citizen of the world — Carter forged a path that still challenges political assumptions and stands out among the 45 men who reached the nation’s highest office. The 39th president leveraged his ambition with a keen intellect, deep religious faith and prodigious work ethic, conducting diplomatic missions into his 80s and building houses for the poor well into his 90s. “My faith demands — this is not optional — my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can, with whatever I have to try to make a difference,” Carter once said. A moderate Democrat, Carter entered the 1976 presidential race as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad smile, outspoken Baptist mores and technocratic plans reflecting his education as an engineer. His no-frills campaign depended on public financing, and his promise not to deceive the American people resonated after Richard Nixon’s disgrace and U.S. defeat in southeast Asia. “If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don’t vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president,” Carter repeated before narrowly beating Republican incumbent Gerald Ford, who had lost popularity pardoning Nixon. Carter governed amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over racism, women’s rights and America’s global role. His most acclaimed achievement in office was a Mideast peace deal that he brokered by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the bargaining table for 13 days in 1978. That Camp David experience inspired the post-presidential center where Carter would establish so much of his legacy. Yet Carter’s electoral coalition splintered under double-digit inflation, gasoline lines and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His bleakest hour came when eight Americans died in a failed hostage rescue in April 1980, helping to ensure his landslide defeat to Republican Ronald Reagan. Carter acknowledged in his 2020 “White House Diary” that he could be “micromanaging” and “excessively autocratic,” complicating dealings with Congress and the federal bureaucracy. He also turned a cold shoulder to Washington’s news media and lobbyists, not fully appreciating their influence on his political fortunes. “It didn’t take us long to realize that the underestimation existed, but by that time we were not able to repair the mistake,” Carter told historians in 1982, suggesting that he had “an inherent incompatibility” with Washington insiders. Carter insisted his overall approach was sound and that he achieved his primary objectives — to “protect our nation’s security and interests peacefully” and “enhance human rights here and abroad” — even if he fell spectacularly short of a second term. Ignominious defeat, though, allowed for renewal. The Carters founded The Carter Center in 1982 as a first-of-its-kind base of operations, asserting themselves as international peacemakers and champions of democracy, public health and human rights. “I was not interested in just building a museum or storing my White House records and memorabilia,” Carter wrote in a memoir published after his 90th birthday. “I wanted a place where we could work.” That work included easing nuclear tensions in North and South Korea, helping to avert a U.S. invasion of Haiti and negotiating cease-fires in Bosnia and Sudan. By 2022, The Carter Center had declared at least 113 elections in Latin America, Asia and Africa to be free or fraudulent. Recently, the center began monitoring U.S. elections as well. Carter’s stubborn self-assuredness and even self-righteousness proved effective once he was unencumbered by the Washington order, sometimes to the point of frustrating his successors . He went “where others are not treading,” he said, to places like Ethiopia, Liberia and North Korea, where he secured the release of an American who had wandered across the border in 2010. “I can say what I like. I can meet whom I want. I can take on projects that please me and reject the ones that don’t,” Carter said. He announced an arms-reduction-for-aid deal with North Korea without clearing the details with Bill Clinton’s White House. He openly criticized President George W. Bush for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He also criticized America’s approach to Israel with his 2006 book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.” And he repeatedly countered U.S. administrations by insisting North Korea should be included in international affairs, a position that most aligned Carter with Republican President Donald Trump. Among the center’s many public health initiatives, Carter vowed to eradicate the guinea worm parasite during his lifetime, and nearly achieved it: Cases dropped from millions in the 1980s to nearly a handful. With hardhats and hammers, the Carters also built homes with Habitat for Humanity. The Nobel committee’s 2002 Peace Prize cites his “untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” Carter should have won it alongside Sadat and Begin in 1978, the chairman added. Carter accepted the recognition saying there was more work to be done. “The world is now, in many ways, a more dangerous place,” he said. “The greater ease of travel and communication has not been matched by equal understanding and mutual respect.” Carter’s globetrotting took him to remote villages where he met little “Jimmy Carters,” so named by admiring parents. But he spent most of his days in the same one-story Plains house — expanded and guarded by Secret Service agents — where they lived before he became governor. He regularly taught Sunday School lessons at Maranatha Baptist Church until his mobility declined and the coronavirus pandemic raged. Those sessions drew visitors from around the world to the small sanctuary where Carter will receive his final send-off after a state funeral at Washington’s National Cathedral. The common assessment that he was a better ex-president than president rankled Carter and his allies. His prolific post-presidency gave him a brand above politics, particularly for Americans too young to witness him in office. But Carter also lived long enough to see biographers and historians reassess his White House years more generously. His record includes the deregulation of key industries, reduction of U.S. dependence on foreign oil, cautious management of the national debt and notable legislation on the environment, education and mental health. He focused on human rights in foreign policy, pressuring dictators to release thousands of political prisoners . He acknowledged America’s historical imperialism, pardoned Vietnam War draft evaders and relinquished control of the Panama Canal. He normalized relations with China. “I am not nominating Jimmy Carter for a place on Mount Rushmore,” Stuart Eizenstat, Carter’s domestic policy director, wrote in a 2018 book. “He was not a great president” but also not the “hapless and weak” caricature voters rejected in 1980, Eizenstat said. Rather, Carter was “good and productive” and “delivered results, many of which were realized only after he left office.” Madeleine Albright, a national security staffer for Carter and Clinton’s secretary of state, wrote in Eizenstat’s forward that Carter was “consequential and successful” and expressed hope that “perceptions will continue to evolve” about his presidency. “Our country was lucky to have him as our leader,” said Albright, who died in 2022. Jonathan Alter, who penned a comprehensive Carter biography published in 2020, said in an interview that Carter should be remembered for “an epic American life” spanning from a humble start in a home with no electricity or indoor plumbing through decades on the world stage across two centuries. “He will likely go down as one of the most misunderstood and underestimated figures in American history,” Alter told The Associated Press. James Earl Carter Jr. was born Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains and spent his early years in nearby Archery. His family was a minority in the mostly Black community, decades before the civil rights movement played out at the dawn of Carter’s political career. Carter, who campaigned as a moderate on race relations but governed more progressively, talked often of the influence of his Black caregivers and playmates but also noted his advantages: His land-owning father sat atop Archery’s tenant-farming system and owned a main street grocery. His mother, Lillian , would become a staple of his political campaigns. Seeking to broaden his world beyond Plains and its population of fewer than 1,000 — then and now — Carter won an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1946. That same year he married Rosalynn Smith, another Plains native, a decision he considered more important than any he made as head of state. She shared his desire to see the world, sacrificing college to support his Navy career. Carter climbed in rank to lieutenant, but then his father was diagnosed with cancer, so the submarine officer set aside his ambitions of admiralty and moved the family back to Plains. His decision angered Rosalynn, even as she dived into the peanut business alongside her husband. Carter again failed to talk with his wife before his first run for office — he later called it “inconceivable” not to have consulted her on such major life decisions — but this time, she was on board. “My wife is much more political,” Carter told the AP in 2021. He won a state Senate seat in 1962 but wasn’t long for the General Assembly and its back-slapping, deal-cutting ways. He ran for governor in 1966 — losing to arch-segregationist Lester Maddox — and then immediately focused on the next campaign. Carter had spoken out against church segregation as a Baptist deacon and opposed racist “Dixiecrats” as a state senator. Yet as a local school board leader in the 1950s he had not pushed to end school segregation even after the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision, despite his private support for integration. And in 1970, Carter ran for governor again as the more conservative Democrat against Carl Sanders, a wealthy businessman Carter mocked as “Cufflinks Carl.” Sanders never forgave him for anonymous, race-baiting flyers, which Carter disavowed. Ultimately, Carter won his races by attracting both Black voters and culturally conservative whites. Once in office, he was more direct. “I say to you quite frankly that the time for racial discrimination is over,” he declared in his 1971 inaugural address, setting a new standard for Southern governors that landed him on the cover of Time magazine. His statehouse initiatives included environmental protection, boosting rural education and overhauling antiquated executive branch structures. He proclaimed Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the slain civil rights leader’s home state. And he decided, as he received presidential candidates in 1972, that they were no more talented than he was. In 1974, he ran Democrats’ national campaign arm. Then he declared his own candidacy for 1976. An Atlanta newspaper responded with the headline: “Jimmy Who?” The Carters and a “Peanut Brigade” of family members and Georgia supporters camped out in Iowa and New Hampshire, establishing both states as presidential proving grounds. His first Senate endorsement: a young first-termer from Delaware named Joe Biden. Yet it was Carter’s ability to navigate America’s complex racial and rural politics that cemented the nomination. He swept the Deep South that November, the last Democrat to do so, as many white Southerners shifted to Republicans in response to civil rights initiatives. A self-declared “born-again Christian,” Carter drew snickers by referring to Scripture in a Playboy magazine interview, saying he “had looked on many women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times.” The remarks gave Ford a new foothold and television comedians pounced — including NBC’s new “Saturday Night Live” show. But voters weary of cynicism in politics found it endearing. Carter chose Minnesota Sen. Walter “Fritz” Mondale as his running mate on a “Grits and Fritz” ticket. In office, he elevated the vice presidency and the first lady’s office. Mondale’s governing partnership was a model for influential successors Al Gore, Dick Cheney and Biden. Rosalynn Carter was one of the most involved presidential spouses in history, welcomed into Cabinet meetings and huddles with lawmakers and top aides. The Carters presided with uncommon informality: He used his nickname “Jimmy” even when taking the oath of office, carried his own luggage and tried to silence the Marine Band’s “Hail to the Chief.” They bought their clothes off the rack. Carter wore a cardigan for a White House address, urging Americans to conserve energy by turning down their thermostats. Amy, the youngest of four children, attended District of Columbia public school. Washington’s social and media elite scorned their style. But the larger concern was that “he hated politics,” according to Eizenstat, leaving him nowhere to turn politically once economic turmoil and foreign policy challenges took their toll. Carter partially deregulated the airline, railroad and trucking industries and established the departments of Education and Energy, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He designated millions of acres of Alaska as national parks or wildlife refuges. He appointed a then-record number of women and nonwhite people to federal posts. He never had a Supreme Court nomination, but he elevated civil rights attorney Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the nation’s second highest court, positioning her for a promotion in 1993. He appointed Paul Volker, the Federal Reserve chairman whose policies would help the economy boom in the 1980s — after Carter left office. He built on Nixon’s opening with China, and though he tolerated autocrats in Asia, pushed Latin America from dictatorships to democracy. But he couldn’t immediately tame inflation or the related energy crisis. And then came Iran. After he admitted the exiled Shah of Iran to the U.S. for medical treatment, the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun in 1979 by followers of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Negotiations to free the hostages broke down repeatedly ahead of the failed rescue attempt. The same year, Carter signed SALT II, the new strategic arms treaty with Leonid Brezhnev of the Soviet Union, only to pull it back, impose trade sanctions and order a U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. Hoping to instill optimism, he delivered what the media dubbed his “malaise” speech, although he didn’t use that word. He declared the nation was suffering “a crisis of confidence.” By then, many Americans had lost confidence in the president, not themselves. Carter campaigned sparingly for reelection because of the hostage crisis, instead sending Rosalynn as Sen. Edward M. Kennedy challenged him for the Democratic nomination. Carter famously said he’d “kick his ass,” but was hobbled by Kennedy as Reagan rallied a broad coalition with “make America great again” appeals and asking voters whether they were “better off than you were four years ago.” Reagan further capitalized on Carter’s lecturing tone, eviscerating him in their lone fall debate with the quip: “There you go again.” Carter lost all but six states and Republicans rolled to a new Senate majority. Carter successfully negotiated the hostages’ freedom after the election, but in one final, bitter turn of events, Tehran waited until hours after Carter left office to let them walk free. At 56, Carter returned to Georgia with “no idea what I would do with the rest of my life.” Four decades after launching The Carter Center, he still talked of unfinished business. “I thought when we got into politics we would have resolved everything,” Carter told the AP in 2021. “But it’s turned out to be much more long-lasting and insidious than I had thought it was. I think in general, the world itself is much more divided than in previous years.” Still, he affirmed what he said when he underwent treatment for a cancer diagnosis in his 10th decade of life. “I’m perfectly at ease with whatever comes,” he said in 2015 . “I’ve had a wonderful life. I’ve had thousands of friends, I’ve had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence.” Former Associated Press journalist Alex Sanz contributed to this report.