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Emmerdale fans outraged as Tom King's 'creepy' behaviour escalates on ITV show

Super Bowl champion and forgotten Miami Dolphins star finally cut by team after just nine catches all seasonAfter a thrilling conference championship Saturday and a drawn-out reveal show Sunday, the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff field is set. The first true tournament in FBS history has plenty to love -- and elements to loathe. What Went Right: Unique opening-round matchups Whether the first round proves to be more competitive than the four-team Playoff's often lopsided semifinal matchups remains to be seen. Until then, there is at least intrigue in the historic rarity of the four pairings. One opening-round matchup -- ACC automatic qualifier Clemson at Texas -- is a first-time encounter between two programs that combine for seven claimed national championships. Of the other three, the most recent contest occurred in 1996 when Tennessee topped Ohio State in the Citrus Bowl. The Vols and Buckeyes meet as the No. 9 and No. 8 seeds at Ohio State's Horseshoe, with the winner advancing to face top overall seed Oregon. SMU, a perhaps surprising final at-large selection given the Mustangs' dearth of high-profile wins, meets Penn State for the third time ever and first since 1978. The Nittany Lions scored a 26-21 come-from-behind win in Happy Valley, where they will again host SMU. The Penn State victory ended a 30-year stalemate after the first and only meeting in the 1948 Cotton Bowl produced a 13-13 tie. Here's hoping the third part of a 76-year trilogy is as closely contested as the initial two. Meanwhile, the matchup with the most previous installments is the closest in proximity -- less than 200 miles separate in-state counterparts Indiana and Notre Dame -- and the most lopsided. The Fighting Irish and Hoosiers last played in 1991, with Notre Dame's 49-27 win marking its sixth straight victory by multiple scores. Indiana's last win in the series came in 1950, a 20-7 Hoosiers victory in Bloomington. What Went Right: Boise State's big opportunity Although not the first outsider to reach or win a Bowl Championship Series game, Boise State's 2007 Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma was arguably the most pivotal moment in building support for outsiders to compete for the national championship. The Broncos spent two decades knocking on the door, beginning with their perfect 2004 regular season, extending through two Fiesta Bowl wins, and withstanding the heartbreak of late-season losses in 2010 and 2011. The celebration in response to Boise State being part of the bracket -- and not just in, but as the No. 3 seed with a bye into the quarterfinals -- marked a culmination of generations of effort for just this opportunity. What Went Right: ‘Football weather' comes to the postseason From the birth of the bowl system with the first-ever Rose Bowl Game, college football's postseason has resided primarily in warm-weather destinations. This makes sense for the original purpose of bowl games as showcases and celebrations of a team's regular-season performance, but less so for the goal of crowning a national champion. After decades of playing what often amounted to road games in the postseason, northern teams get their opportunity to host. Three of the four first-round contests are in such climates -- though Indiana won't be particularly disadvantaged by weather when playing Notre Dame in South Bend. With average December highs in Pennsylvania in the 30s, SMU will need its heaters on the sideline at Penn State's Beaver Stadium. The more intriguing trip, however, is Tennessee's to Ohio State. Longtime college football fans know the arguments about SEC teams playing in Big Ten country late in the year. Pitting two high-quality teams from the two leagues head-to-head in such conditions is a highlight of this new postseason system. And, given Tennessee and Ohio State have two of the nation's best defenses, expect a style of play befitting what is often described as football weather. What Went Wrong: More teams means more politicking When Mack Brown seemingly spent as much time on TV campaigning in 2004 as that year's presidential candidates, George W. Bush and John Kerry, his Texas Longhorns were among a small collection of teams vying for BCS bids. With the 12-team Playoff opening the top postseason opportunities to as many as 20 teams realistically, the political campaign ads that mercilessly ended in early November were replaced by the politicking of college football figures. Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard spent last week taking shots at SMU and other programs over strength of schedule -- a point neglecting that the Cyclones' losses came to unranked Texas Tech and sub-.500 Kansas. Arizona State's thorough dismantling of Iowa State in the Big 12 Championship Game solved that debate at the proverbial ballot box. However, brace yourself for an offseason of recount demands coming out of the SEC. Alabama's exclusion at 9-3, while 11-2 SMU landed the final at-large spot, is sure to play into the same controversy that South Carolina coach Shane Beamer leaned into last week. Beamer told The State (Columbia, S.C.) last week that his program may consider changing its nonconference scheduling in response to its seemingly inevitable Playoff snub. It's an odd position, given South Carolina's three losses all came in-conference, and the Gamecocks' nonleague slate included sub-.500 teams Old Dominion, Akron and FCS Wofford. But then again, how often are political campaign pitches rooted in logic? What Went Wrong: Quantity over quality? A more salient position in Beamer's case for South Carolina is that the Gamecocks scored quality wins during a season-ending, six-game streak. With its Rivalry Week defeat of Clemson, South Carolina added a victory over a Playoff qualifier to complement victories over Texas A&M and Missouri. Alabama, meanwhile, boasts wins over No. 2 overall seed Georgia and that same South Carolina team in contention. SMU's resume might be the most likely to draw ire, given the Mustangs received the last at-large berth. However, SMU beat nine- and eight-win Duke and Louisville, with two losses by a combined six points. Indiana should be the more contentious at-large choice, with the Hoosiers beating only one team that finished above .500: 7-5 Michigan. Indiana's only other matchup with an above-.500 opponent was a 38-15 blowout at Ohio State. That's something Alabama and South Carolina have in common with Indiana, as all three teams lost in routs. Alabama dropped a 24-3 decision late in the season at Oklahoma that presumably doomed the Crimson Tide's chances, while South Carolina lost to Ole Miss 27-3. To that end, there are arguments to be made for and against every team that was on the bubble. No system will ever appease all parties. What Went Wrong: Seeding conundrum Much of the Playoff's very existence flies in the face of college football tradition. One facet of how the field was set that upholds tradition in its own small way is rewarding teams for winning their conferences by reserving the four first-round byes for league champions. When this format was implemented, however, the committee could not have envisioned that two of the top five conference champions would not be ranked in the top 10. Because three-loss Clemson survived a furious SMU comeback in the ACC championship game, and Arizona State caught fire after underwhelming losses to Texas Tech and Cincinnati to win a weak Big 12, the committee was in the unusual position of having to slot a non-power conference champion and double-digit-ranked team in a top-four spot. This first edition of the Playoff seems likely to be the last to use this format, even if this scenario seems like an outlier. --Kyle Kensing, Field Level Media

Luke Kromenhoek throws 3 TD passes as Florida St. ends six-game skid vs. Charleston Southern

Aurora looks at installing 10 EV charging stations at new Public Works building

Add the Dodgers to the list of teams with confirmed in-person meetings with highly sought-after international free agent Roki Sasaki. The meeting is not a surprise – the Dodgers are considered the favorite to sign the 23-year-old Japanese right-hander. When Sasaki was officially posted by his Nippon Professional Baseball team, the Chiba Lotte Marines, on Dec. 11, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman called it a “major priority” for the Dodgers to sign him. The Dodgers are the sixth team known to have had meetings with Sasaki and his agent, Joel Wolfe. Texas Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young confirmed in mid-December that his team had met with Sasaki. There have also been reports of meetings between Sasaki and the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants. At the Winter Meetings earlier this month, Wolfe said he has been contacted by more than 20 teams interested in signing Sasaki. Sasaki is expected to shrink the number of teams he is considering and hold a second round of meetings with those teams in 2025. Sasaki’s posting window closes Jan. 24. He cannot sign before Jan. 15, when the 2025 international signing period begins. “The best I can say is he has paid attention to how the teams have done as far as overall success, both this year and in years past,” Wolfe said at the Winter Meetings. “He does watch a lot of Major League Baseball. He’s paid attention to what his (World Baseball Classic) teammates have done. He’s talked to a lot of players, foreign players that have been on his team with Chiba Lotte. He asked a lot of questions about weather, about comfortability, about pitching development and just watching what other Japanese players in the major leagues are doing and how they are doing.” Related Articles Unlike Yoshinobu Yamamoto (also a Wolfe client) who signed a record 12-year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers last winter, Sasaki is not able to auction his talents to the highest bidder. Because he is younger than 25, he is considered the same as an international amateur and can only be signed for an amount in a team’s international bonus pool, which ranges from $5 million to $7 million. The same rule applied to Shohei Ohtani when he signed with the Angels in 2017. The 23-year-old Sasaki is considered one of the best pitchers in the world. He became the youngest pitcher to throw a perfect game in NPB in 2022 and tied Ohtani for the fastest pitch recorded in NPB history (102.5 mph). In four NPB seasons, he was 29-15 with a 2.10 ERA and 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings. Last season, he had some injury issues but went 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA in 18 starts. Jeff Fletcher contributed to this story.

Donald Trump’s presidency will be unpredictable, but in our final show, we make some guesses about what’ll happen anyway. WIRED’s Tim Marchman sits down with reporters David Gilbert and Makena Kelly to talk about what could go wrong between Trump and Elon Musk , if Christian nationalists will get their porn ban, the rise of human brain organoids, and whether the new administration will finally declassify those UFO files. Tim Marchman is @ timmarchman . David Gilbert is @ DaithaiGilbert . Makena Kelly is @ kellymakena . Be sure to subscribe to the WIRED Politics Lab newsletter here . Mentioned this week: The Crypto Industry Hails David Sacks, Its New ‘Czar’ by Joel Khalili and Makena Kelly RFK Plans to Take on Big Pharma. It’s Easier Said Than Done by Emily Mullin As FBI Director, Kash Patel Could Offer January 6 Rioters Retribution Against Their Enemies by Tess Owen How to Listen You can always listen to this week's podcast through the audio player on this page, but if you want to subscribe for free to get every episode, here's how: If you're on an iPhone or iPad, open the app called Podcasts, or just tap this link . You can also download an app like Overcast or Pocket Casts, and search for WIRED Politics Lab. We’re on Spotify too. Transcript Note: This is an automated transcript, which may contain errors. Tim Marchman: This is WIRED Politics Lab , a show about how tech is changing politics. I'm Tim Marchman, WIRED's director of science, politics, and security, filling in for Leah Feiger, who is unable to be here due to a personal emergency. The election season is over and it's our final episode of WIRED Politics Lab . One thing we do know about the next four years is that Donald Trump will be right at the center of things, shaping events, making everything about him, and he's always unpredictable. Equally unpredictable is the, at least for now, apparent copresident, Elon Musk. And even beyond Trump and Musk, 2025 seems to have a lot of wild cards in store. What's next for the far-right? How is the administration going to pay off the political debts it owes to Christian nationalists? How are the Lords of Silicon Valley going to both sidle up to the administration and doused with one of their own for influence and proximity to the president? And what can we expect from broader developments in the tech world, ranging from the continued growth of generative AI to the very uncertain status of TikTok as an entity able to legally operate in the United States? Joining me to take some educated guesses are two WIRED politics reporters, Makena Kelly. Hi, Makena. Makena Kelly: Good to be here. Tim Marchman: And from Cork, Ireland, David Gilbert. David Gilbert: Hey, Tim. Good to be here one final time. Tim Marchman: So let's start with Elon Musk. Makena, let's just assume, as we've already predicted on this program, that the Musk-Trump romance, the copresidency, will not survive. What already existing fault line do you think could cause it to explode? Makena Kelly: I think, I don't know if it's any specific policy issue, but they have just two huge egos that I imagine Trump might get upset with Elon maybe getting a little bit more TV time or time on people getting excited about him on Twitter, that would be my main guess. Tim Marchman: What about you David? David Gilbert: I kind of felt, [ inaudible 00:02:06 ] falling apart already because there were reports coming out a week after the election that he was overstaying his welcome, Elon Musk, and acting as co-president in certain respects. But he's still there, he's still meeting with world leaders alongside Trump. It's amazing that it's even lasted this long. I think he may hang around or he may be there until Trump needs someone to blame for not fulfilling all these wild promises that he's made on the campaign trail in terms of efficiency in government or whatever else it may be, and he needs to blame Musk. The one problem I guess with that is that Musk is still extremely powerful, has a huge platform with X and huge amounts of money to hit back at Trump if needed. But who knows? It's really hard to say, I didn't think the relationship would last this long, but they seem to be going strong. Makena Kelly: One thing too, people in Trump's orbit are incredibly disposable. We've seen that when it comes to his cabinet. We've seen it when it comes to even people in his family, it feels like. And so I can imagine a world where we're already seeing Amazon, Jeff Bezos or Andy Jassy or Mark Zuckerberg, somebody who also has a ton of money and is also in the tech space maybe challenging Elon for that seat, maybe attending more meetings and then getting between that relationship and maybe casting him aside. David Gilbert: Maybe we could have that Musk-Zuckerberg fight after all for— Makena Kelly: Oh my gosh. David Gilbert: ... to sit at the right hand of Trump. Makena Kelly: With all of the WWE stuff going on with this, you'd imagine that maybe we have a bigger chance of seeing that fight. David Gilbert: There you go, Linda McMahon could get involved. What more do we need? Tim Marchman: I would pay to see that. Makena, what do you see ahead for X and Truth Social, which is Trump's social media network that now accounts for, I believe over half of his fortune. They're kind of targeting the same audience, do you see them coming together or being a source of friction for the two? Makena Kelly: They don't seem like too much of a source of friction right now. It seems as if Trump is still continuing to use Truth Social as his main messaging platform. The ways that I've seen nominees announced was through Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary at the transition, posting screenshots of his Truth Social posts. And now we're seeing Trump using X a little bit more. I think it was towards the end of the summer that we saw a lot of his Truth Social posts being cross-posted to X for the first time in quite a while. And so maybe Truth Social just kind lingers in the background and falls apart because of internal problems. And of course there's already been struggles within the company running it. Devin Nunes has apparently reportedly fought with other executives, other executives who are there at the ground floor starting the app have exited. And so it might just be one of those things where again, personalities are colliding and X might just win out on top. Tim Marchman: It certainly has a larger user base. David, can we talk a little bit about Musk on the world stage? You referenced the meetings with world leaders. It's weird. He was on a call with Ukrainian president Zelenskyy, he's also recently been palling around with the prime minister of Italy. Should we start thinking of him as a primary driver and financier of global far-right politics right now? David Gilbert: Yeah, this is a fascinating aspect of it because we've seen the kind of growth in the network of far-right communities internationally in 2024. The ties have become much stronger between the US and Europe. We've seen that happening at a kind of lower level where communities are definitely forging closer ties, and Musk could potentially be a key figure in that in 2025. Just yesterday he was at a meeting with Viktor Orbán in Mar-a-Lago alongside Donald Trump. Viktor Orbán, obviously the Hungarian Prime minister who has instituted very repressive authoritarian policies in that country and a person who Trump has Lionized and Valorize repeatedly over the years. We've seen, as you've said, his very close relationship with Giorgia Meloni in Italy. This week he had to deny that he was in a relationship with Giorgia Meloni after [ inaudible 00:06:23 ], the far-right influencer posted a suggestion that he was doing that, and Musk said, "No," in response on Twitter. And one of the most interesting things to me is how there is now a suggestion that he is going to use his money to influence the next elections in the UK just as he used his money to back Trump this time around. There was a report I think a couple of weeks ago saying there was a hundred million was going to be invested, that was denied. But just yesterday, a billionaire in the UK, Nick Candy announced that he was going to be putting seven figures into Reform UK led by Nigel Farage. Again, a very close ally of Trump. And Elon Musk said this morning or confirmed this morning that he's been in communication with Nick Candy about donating money. So it's pretty clear that Musk is looking to build those relationships globally, not just in the US and that's a pretty terrifying prospect. Tim Marchman: I'm interested to know what the rest of Silicon Valley is thinking right now. We've talked about Bezos and Zuckerberg have both been trying to make nice with Trump. Who do you see as the likely winners and losers in Silicon Valley in the coming year? Let's start with you, Makena. Makena Kelly: Sure. What I'm seeing a lot of right now is just this week the Kids Online Safety Act was pushed to the next administration, and so I'm assuming with all of the excitement around protecting kids that law might find itself being passed next year, it's looking a lot more likely than it has been for the last couple of years. And so that is a major loss for social media companies. I think the people that will see the most success in the Trump administration will be people in companies that have government contracts, whether that is with data centers, AWS, things like that. But when it comes to people running social media companies, except for Elon, right, people who run these platforms, I do see folks at the Justice Department, at the FTC, Andrew Ferguson was just nominated to be the chair of the FTC this week under Trump, I still see a lot of people wanting to incur some kind of wrath on these tech companies for censoring them allegedly. Tim Marchman: What about you, David? Who are you looking at as winners and losers? David Gilbert: What's happening right now is people are just scrambling and fighting for position and for influence. Just the fact that Zuckerberg is calling Trump, he wants to remain part of the conversation, he doesn't want Musk to be the only social media owner who has the presidency. So I think the winners will depend on ultimately who's willing to bend the knee the most because that's what Trump values as loyalty. And so whoever is willing to ... We saw a post on Truth Social yesterday, I think from Trump where he said that, "Whoever's willing to invest a billion dollars in the US is going to get, pretty much any tax break they're looking for, is going to get all their environmental licenses approved even before they apply for them." So he's willing to give all of these benefits to whoever is willing to give him the most money. And so I think that's what it comes down to is whoever's willing to put their money where their mouth is and show their patriotism through investing huge amounts of money in the US are going to be the biggest winners. Tim Marchman: I feel the need to point out there, the GDP of the US is about $27 trillion, which is 27,000 billion. So a billion is just not that impressive a figure in the grand scheme of things here. David Gilbert: But he put it in all caps, Tim, so that makes it look much bigger. Tim Marchman: [ inaudible 00:10:06 ] Makena Kelly: Should we address the crypto industry too? Tim Marchman: We should, but before we do, I wanted to ask you, do you see all this feeding at the trough as a big change? It feels like traditionally Silicon Valley hasn't actually run big lobbying operations. Makena Kelly: They have, but not themselves. What we've seen— Tim Marchman: Fair. Makena Kelly: ... there's been millions and millions of dollars put into lobbying Congress specifically. But now I think after going through a first Trump administration, they realize that the way to get things done in Congress isn't lobbyists. We haven't seen basically anything done in Congress for so many years, no big changes since basically I would say the infrastructure Act and before that, maybe the ACA. Those are the main legislative wins that Congress has had. And so to get things done under a Trump administration, it's going to be being around Trump. That's the difference here is that you have CEOs now who are doing lobbying on their own behalf. Jeff Bezos, I wouldn't know if he had any conversations with Obama, and now this is all playing out in public. Tim Marchman: And it's a fascinating thing because that's so personality driven. Trump is so unusually driven by just vibes, and these are not the most dynamic personalities in the world. Makena Kelly: He loves people who are successful. Lobbyists are just little, sorry if you're a lobbyist, but people see them as like cockroaches running around Congress. Those are not the types of people that Trump sees as successful and people that he should be listening to. Tim Marchman: So let's talk about crypto now. I think we can all agree that the crypto industry is going to do very well under this administration. The idea of unregulated securities seems really big with some of these big personalities who are driving things. Let's talk a little bit about that and what is on the table. One of the things that particularly intrigues/alarms me is the notion of some sort of federal backing for Bitcoin that's been floated, which at least seems to me as an amateur economist, the absolute worst of all worlds in that you have an unregulated security, which the government is nonetheless backstopping the same way it would FDIC insured deposits or something like that. Makena Kelly: The crypto industry is one of the biggest winners this election year. Trump made an entire new group of people, a Crypto Advisory Board, a Crypto Czar, which is David Sacks, a very influential VC and friend and Elon Musk and— Tim Marchman: And a podcast host. Makena Kelly: And podcast host, true, with all of his besties, is what he calls them. So there's a whole new group here. And then when you look at the appointees that Trump has made to the important agencies like the Commerce Department and Howard Lutnick or the SEC and Paul Atkins recently, the people in these positions of power to do these things are very excited about crypto and wanting to create whatever this light touch framework is that the crypto industry wants. The crypto industry is always saying that they want to be regulated, they just want to be regulated in a specific way. So now it seems much more likely that we'll actually see something get done. Tim Marchman: So one definite potential loser in Silicon Valley is TikTok, which filed an emergency motion in court this week to try to stop the US from banning it. For people who don't remember this, under the current quarter, TikTok has to be sold to an American owner or it will be banned in the US starting on January 19th. Makena, what do you think is going to happen, first with the court, but looking further out, what do you think TikTok looks like under Trump? Makena Kelly: I imagine that this is going to be really, really hard for them to get out of now. Trump has said that he wants to save TikTok, that all of the stuff that he did in his first administration, he doesn't really believe it anymore and he wants the app to stick around. The funniest thing that I saw recently from Trump was that he was actually posting pages of PDFs on Truth Social of all of his TikTok analytics and how well his TikToks did. So he loves the thing. But if this goes to SCOTUS, it's going to take several months, I imagine, and I don't know if someone like ByteDance wants to wait that much time and all of that uncertainty, they've already dealt with so much uncertainty whether the app could stay in the United States. And so I think we're getting closer to the idea that maybe someone like Frank McCourt, a billionaire or someone like Larry Ellison and Oracle maybe take over the app. That might be the more appetizing position for ByteDance and TikTok come next year. Tim Marchman: David, do you agree with that? David Gilbert: Yeah, it's going to be interesting to see what happens because of, will Elon Musk have an influence over this? Will Mark Zuckerberg be able to influence him on this? Do they even care? Makena Kelly: Sorry, my chaos prediction would be that Elon Musk buys TikTok and then revives Vine. That would be the funniest thing that could happen, and maybe probably the worst thing. We already saw Elon Musk of course joking and doing a poll on X saying that, "Should I bring Vine back?" Because it was such a beloved app. Tim Marchman: I would be highly in favor of someone bringing Vine back. I don't know that Elon has proved to be a great product manager over the last couple of years. Makena Kelly: No. Tim Marchman: Obviously influencers and creators on TikTok and other platforms played a huge role in this election and really seemed to overshadow legacy media in a lot of ways. Musk in a lot of ways is the biggest example of that, philanthropist, billionaire, Iron Man, above all, he's probably an influencer at this point. Who are each of you looking at as a breakout person over maybe the next year or so? And also is there anyone who's influence you think might be on the wane? Let's start with you David. David Gilbert: We've had a lot of discussion over the last month or however long since the election happened where we've had this idea where the Left needs a version of Joe Rogan, even though Joe Rogan isn't necessarily right-wing in all his views, but this idea that a new left-wing superstar or podcaster or influencer needs to come along and do what they believe Joe Rogan did in the election. But I think that's just fundamentally flawed thinking. I think what happened more so is that there was just so many of these influencers and podcasters that the Trump campaign engaged with on a one-to-one basis. I was watching, for a story I was reporting the other day I was watching a ... Five days before the election, Kash Patel, who's now nominated as the FBI director, he was on a podcast on a platform called Pilled.net, which most people will never have heard of and never will hear of again. But he went on that podcast as part of the Trump campaign to, he was talking about going out to vote, getting people out to vote, and this was on a QAnon-adjacent show. And it's just that level of engagement with podcasters and influencers who aren't that prominent, I think that has had much more of an impact on the outcome, and that is something that I don't think people from the Democratic side really got or get yet, and I think that's what will need to happen. Tim Marchman: Last week, WIRED had its Big Interview event in San Francisco, and Mark Cuban spoke a bit about that. He didn't use this phrasing, so I'm loosely paraphrasing, but basically the idea being instead of looking for this person who's going to reach 30 million people, you have to go out there and talk to tons and tons and tons of people who might be reaching 30,000 people a piece. And that this idea of finding a new megaphone is probably a bit dated. I tend to agree with that myself. Makena, I'm curious what you think about both that dynamic and if there are any individual people you're looking at on the up and the down. Makena Kelly: Yeah, I think what you guys are talking about, what Mark Cuban talked about is really important. The Democrats, however, did spend a majority of their money on micro-influencers, I think, when you look at some of the data, it's people with under a hundred thousand followers. I think it has more to do, not with the influencers themselves, but the communities around them. Democrats and even Republicans in many ways, they see influencers as just a billboard of advertising when really what is important about them is that you want to engage with this not as advertising, but as organizing. And once you think about this as organizing, this is where we get into why people love Hasan Piker. Well, they like what he does, they like what he says, and engaging with him is fun. I was listening to an interview Hasan did on Tuesday night with FTC Chair Lina Khan. They're talking about a Kroger's decision, an antitrust decision, all of this stuff that typically would be fairly boring, but there was 40,000 concurrent viewers at the time, the chat was popping off and calling Khan based and all of this stuff. They were excited to participate, not just with Hasan, but with the people in the community. And so I think the important thing coming out of this election is not just finding the most wickedly talented or attractive or best communicator, but finding those engaged communities that can then influence each other as well. I think when I think about the biggest people who are winning, I am definitely surprised that Hasan Piker has the influence that he has now. He has been largely rejected by the Democratic Party as being someone that's a bit more progressive, he's pro-Palestine. He is louder on issues that the mainstream Democratic Party doesn't really want to talk about all the time. And so he was invited to the DNC. He had a whole booth set up to stream and do his thing for an entire day until he got kicked out. But that's another story. And then yesterday, he had Ta-Nehisi Coates on his stream, immediately after he had Lina Khan, and then he had a comedian afterwards. That is killer programming. That's the kind of thing that I think Democrats would be better off considering than all of this spending and advertising that they have been doing. And on the right, I don't necessarily think that the Nelk Boys are this far-right podcasting organization, but they have gotten really involved in politics this go around. They have created a voter outreach organization. They did multiple podcasts with Trump and the folks on their team, and that is the kind of audience that I think the Trump administration and the Republican Party is going after. They're going after a more fratty atmosphere. They're going after something that is a bit more Barstool Sports, and I think the Nelk Boys really fit in well there. Tim Marchman: We're a politics podcast, we're also a tech podcast. And this is a very broad question, but I'm curious, what are the potential developments in tech that you have your eye on next year, AI, quantum computing, biotech, anything you're just interested in, especially as it pertains to politics? Let's start with you David. David Gilbert: One of the most interesting conversations I had this year was with someone who is tracking dark web job boards and how Russian disinformation campaigns are advertising for AI experts, people who can build either large language models or they can develop tools that have no barriers because all the open source ones that are available at the moment have certain barriers on them that prevent these guys from doing things that they might want to do. So I think it would be really interesting to see if next year we actually get to the point where these disinformation campaigns have their own technologies that they can use and roll out at scale that will actually make a difference. Tim Marchman: And how about you, Makena? Makena Kelly : Something I've been reading a lot about that I'm obsessed with reading about is human brain organoids and how this very quickly has this technology been ramping up to the fact that you can use a biological brain created in a lab to run software. And I imagine that maybe we might see some folks putting a lot more research and funding into that. I think it's fascinating, and I do think that there ... I'm curious about when we talk about computing power and needing so much energy for crypto or AI, I want to see if this kind of new biological processing tech gets involved in it and all. Tim Marchman: That's a great answer. I am going to rudely answer my own question and say that I think Signal will be the defining tech of 2025. Everyone should download it and use it. It's an end-end encrypted communications app. If you set disappearing messages and the head of the FBI wants to see your comms, he won't be able to get them because they won't exist. The obvious upside is privacy for journalists, researchers, congressional ... Anyone who might come under the eye of Sauron from the administration. The downside is that there's probably going to be a lot of communications that journalists have relied on being able to get out of the government, whether via the Freedom of Information Act or even discovery and lawsuits, that is just not going to exist anymore. And in the long term, this might even be a pretty significant challenge for historians and archivists, though probably no one is too concerned about them right now, although they should be. We'll be right back to talk more about what's coming up in Trump's second term. Tim Marchman: Welcome back to WIRED Politics Lab . Let's get right into it, which of the Trump cabinet picks, assuming they're all confirmed, are you going to be watching most closely and why? Let's start with you Makena. Makena Kelly: I am going to pay the most attention to who is expected to be the new FCC chair, Brendan Carr. He posts all the time on X how much he wants to expand Starlink, an Elon Musk's technology. And he also talks about, he's gone after TikTok. He's also of the mind that the FCC can regulate online speech, which is something that it has never done before and is not necessarily in its charter. So I am curious to see how far this goes or if it is this realignment Republican conservative mask that he may have been wearing for the last couple of years. Tim Marchman: How about you, David? David Gilbert: There's just so many to pick from. Like what is Kimberly Guilfoyle going to do as ambassador to Greece? That worries me a little bit. Makena Kelly: Chilling. David Gilbert: But I think for me, I'm going to be very closely looking at what Kash Patel does as the head of the FBI. No more so for the reason that his appointment has reinvigorated the QAnon community to an extent that I haven't seen it in quite a long while because he's obviously quite linked to that community. He's given it support in the past. He's mentioned in two Q drops and they believe that his appointment as head of the FBI will usher in mass arrests, public executions, and this glorious new age for America. Tim Marchman: I am going to be keeping an eye on RFK Jr. because he has said he's going to stop the FDA's war on sunshine, and I want to know how he carries that out. One of the big questions is whether the Trump Justice Department under figures like Pam Bondi and Kash Patel will pursue investigations of his political rivals, his enemies and various people he has claimed he will bring the weight of the law against. What do you think, David? David Gilbert: I think if they can, they will. One of the things that they come back to constantly is this idea that they are going to eradicate the deep state, which is this kind of amorphous term for someone within the Justice Department or the federal government that has been working against Trump, which that's core QAnon conspiracy belief, which has now become Republican orthodoxy, that there is this deep state working against Trump and he's fighting back against them. And Pam Bondi and Kash Patel are two of the most loyal figures within Trump world, and they are, from what they have said publicly, willing to do exactly what he wants. So he said in, I think, a Meet the Press interview during the week that he wouldn't be directing them, but at the same time, I think a minute later said that he wanted the people who were involved in the January 6th Committee to be prosecuted. So he's clearly got a list of people he wants to investigate, and Pam Bondi and Kash Patel seem to be willing to do whatever he asks them. Now whether they're allowed to do it from a legal perspective, I think that's up in the air at the moment. Tim Marchman: Yeah. Makena, what do you see as barriers either legal or political with investigations here? Makena Kelly: I don't know. That is a hard one because what are norms and what are systems anymore? Tim Marchman: I think that's a great answer, honestly. I think we should just move on. So one thing we've covered extensively this year is the Stop the Steal movement, which has been regrouping in the wake of Trump's victory. David, I imagine you have some predictions on where the movement goes from here. First, who do you think Trump is going to pick to be his election czar, the head of the Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency? Is he going to go with the MyPillow Guy? David Gilbert: Yeah, Mike Lindell, when I spoke to him last month, he very clearly was willing to step up into whatever or any role that Donald Trump is willing to give him around elections to secure because the Stop the Steal movement is going nowhere. They've spent four years building this massive network, hugely well-funded and influential, and with a network of tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of volunteers all across the country. They're already talking about the midterm elections in 2026 and the fact that the war isn't over, that everything they've done till now has only proven that the system was corrupt in 2020 and that they need to continue to make improvements to it. So the Stop the Steal movement is going nowhere. Whether Trump appoints someone specifically to oversee elections, I don't know. The fact that he's won now I think is all that he wanted. He doesn't really care about the nuances of electoral law across the country and whether that gets better or not because, at the moment, at least come 2028, he won't be running for election again. Tim Marchman: Makena, Trump has obviously been made a sort of temporary monarch by the Supreme Court, which has said that pretty much anything he does as president, or at least anything he can semi plausibly claim was official business, he can't be held accountable for it. He's immune from prosecution. Is there anything you can think of that he would do that would cause a significant backlash even among his supporters? And I want to differentiate between two classes of supporters, one being the public, especially the hardcore MAGA base, and the other Congressional Republicans who unlike him have elections to look at. Makena Kelly: At this point I do think Trump can get away with anything. When he was running for president the first time he said that, "He could shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue and get away with it." And with all of the lawsuits and court appearances and everything, indictments that he's undergone over the last couple of years, he's gotten away scot-free. So I have a hard time believing anything can catch him at this point. David Gilbert: I agree with Makena. I think he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and get away with it. I think he can do pretty much anything he wants because he'll be able to blame anyone, everyone, for failing to complete the promises, like for example, the mass deportations that he's promising. There's this rhetoric, this belief out there that on day one there's going to be these massive sweeps of immigrant communities and they're going to get rid of a million people in the first year, according to JD Vance. But when that doesn't happen and it won't happen, then people will just either forget about it and move on or Trump will claim that he's doing something in the background and it's happening and people don't see it, or ... These Trump supporters have been so convinced and so brainwashed over the years to believe anything he tells them. Makena Kelly: Actually just thought of one thing. Part of the Heritage Foundation's plan for a Trump administration was to ban porn. And with all the child safety bills that are going to affect, if they actually get passed next year and we're required to do this online verification and porn gets banned, I can definitely see some people being pretty upset and being mad. Tim Marchman: I agree with that, and I will also differ with the two of you in that I think foreign adventurism, the whole machinery of the imperial presidency tends toward it, no matter what Trump's anti-war rhetoric is, it's also matched by him loosely talking about things like invading Mexico. And with all the chaos in the world, especially in the Middle East, I think there's a reasonably high percentage of something going catastrophically wrong involving the US military that gets hung around his neck and I think that would have the potential to really scramble what seemed to be very set politics right now. David Gilbert: But do you think it'd make any difference because Trump's not going to care if people turn on him, especially the voters because he doesn't need them anymore? Tim Marchman: I don't think he does, but he does need Congress, which is pretty deferential right now, but that can turn, and we have seen that turn very quickly. So I'll just say there's some potential there. Christian nationalists helped Trump win the White House this year just like they did in 2016. What do you think they're going to demand from Trump as payment, and will they get it? How about you, Makena? We may have just answered that question. Makena Kelly: Yeah, I think there's two things, maybe putting forth a federal abortion ban. That is definitely something that I imagine Christian nationals wanting, they're already pushing for those kinds of things. And then of course, like I mentioned, a porn ban. And so I imagine those are maybe the two big things. David Gilbert: David, I think quite a sizable proportion of them will want more. I think especially education is where they'll want a major shift towards the right in terms of putting Christianity back at the center of the education system. We're already seeing it in Florida where Liberty University has, a Christian university, has signed contracts with certain public school boards in the state, and that allows their students to go into public schools in Florida and teach classes and take part in the education there. So there's already beginning to be a bit of creep there in terms of Christian ideology making its way into public schools. And I think that's where a lot of the Christian nationalists I listen to at least want to see the biggest change. Tim Marchman: Finally, this is a very important one for me personally, will Trump's administration finally declassify information about UFOs and the JFK assassination? We're talking Roswell, hidden files, videotapes, all sorts of things that are rumored to exist, and if so, what's in there? David? David Gilbert: What's in there? Oh, wow, that's a big question. They promised to do it. I guess there's a chance that they will. If they do, I don't think there's going to be proof of aliens. Sorry, Tim. Tim Marchman: What about you, Makena? Makena Kelly: I feel like I have this folk story in my head, and maybe it's real, I need to check, but of Jimmy Carter upon entering office, he saw some UFO files and wept, and he never said anything about it again. Tim Marchman: I believe I've heard this too. Makena Kelly: Yeah, and I don't know if it's real. I just tried to do some searching. And thinking about Trump finding these things out, I don't know if he would release them. I wouldn't be optimistic. Tim Marchman: I don't believe they're going to release anything because he was already president and did not release the material in question. I believe that what the secret files would show if declassified is that the US engaged in a cover-up of Lee Harvey Oswald and his relationship to the Soviet Union in fears that if it were made public, it would lead to a nuclear war. And that much of the subsequent cover-up has been a cover-up of the cover-up. And I believe that the UFO files would show that extraterrestrial biological entities crashed in New Mexico in the 1940s and led the US government on a voyage of discovery about the nature of the universe, that includes aliens having created well-known religious figures throughout human history as guides to give humans instructions on how not to damage their bodies which are containers for souls that aliens are harvesting for energy. This has been the theory, at least that many UFO proponents have been putting out there since the 1980s, and I of course firmly believe it's true, maybe Donald Trump will confirm that. Makena and David, thank you so much for being here. When we come back, it's time for our last ever Conspiracy of the Week. Tim Marchman: Welcome back to WIRED Politics Lab . This is Conspiracy of the Week, that part of the show where our guests bring their favorite conspiracy theories and I will be judging in Leah's place. The winner this week gets to brag about it forever, so I hope both of you brought something good. Makena, let's start with you. Makena Kelly: Yeah, I'm glad that you brought up aliens and the JFK assassination because I'm going to complete the trifecta with this. One of the conspiracy theories that I think has gotten its time in the sky, shall we say, this year, has been chemtrails. These are the trails that planes leave as they fly in the sky, apparently spreading all of these chemicals and ruining and poisoning us, when really it is just water vapor. Just earlier this year with the hurricane in North Carolina there were conspiracies about chemtrails taking place there. Lawmakers in Tennessee passed a bill having to do with something and regulating chemtrails, crazy stuff. But this week, oh my gosh, I lost it when I saw this. There was what appeared to be a satirical joke online about a Lufthansa pilot denying to spray chemtrails on his son while piloting a plane. He took a grandstand apparently and said, "I will not do it." And the chemtrail, I guess we can call it the chemtrail community, was really thrilled with it. And it's not true, it was a joke. Yeah. Tim Marchman: All right. What do you got, David? David Gilbert: I just want to say that chemtrails in Ireland, the conspiracy groups right now are huge. We seem to suddenly have the conspiracy groups here in Ireland, have seemed to discover chemtrails. So I must share that with them because they love it. So yeah, my conspiracy this week ca with Luigi Mangione , who is the alleged shooter in the United Healthcare CEO assassination. And soon after he was arrested and pictures of him came out , almost immediately, there were a ton of conspiracy theories about the fact that he wasn't the actual shooter. He was either a patsy that Nancy Pelosi had placed there because of her links to his family, or many other conspiracies. My favorite one was the conspiracists who started analyzing his eyebrows because in the pictures that first came out, before he was identified, you could only see his eyes, so his eyebrows were kind of this big thing where people were looking at his eyebrows and because they're quite impressive. But now when his identity has been revealed, people are zooming in on his eyebrows and claiming that it's not the same person, that they have done a hair by hair analysis in some cases where people are looking at the eyebrows and saying that this cannot be the same person. There are avowed eyebrow experts on Telegram who are claiming that this is absolutely 100% not the same person. And as our colleague Tess Owen told me this morning, there is a conspiracy around that there is an eyebrow assassination group or a group of assassins with magnificent eyebrows that he's a part of. So I'm looking forward to seeing where this eyebrow conspiracy goes in the future. Tim Marchman: OK. I'm sorry, Makena, but I think we have a clear winner here, eyebrow forensics, assassins who can be identified by their magnificent eyebrows— David Gilbert: It's the new phrenology. Tim Marchman: That is a great final conspiracy of the week. And I think with that, thank you again for joining me today, and thank you for having joined Politics Lab all throughout the year. Do you have any final words for our listeners? Makena Kelly: I will plug one last thing, and that will be the newsletter, which we'll carry on, so you can subscribe to that newsletter in the show notes. David Gilbert: I would also urge everyone to subscribe to Makena's newsletter because it's really great, and I would like people to continue spreading the craziest conspiracy theories online because it keeps me entertained every week. Tim Marchman: This is our last episode of WIRED Politics Lab . Leah, our usual host, was unfortunately unable to be here today, but she did pass along a note to share with you, which I will now read. She says, "My favorite part of hosting this podcast was being able to bring WIRED stories from across the newsroom, and particularly the politics desk, to this entirely new format. While this podcast is ending, these stories aren't going anywhere. These reporters aren't going anywhere. And with Trump 2.0 looming on the horizon, we're more committed than ever to addressing extremism, disinformation, techno-fascism, the rise of Elon Musk, the rise of Pod Bros, and even the rise of Peanut the Squirrel, and dissecting that for all our audiences. A shout-out to you, our listeners who decided to take a chance on this podcast. This was such a privilege. I'm able to offer a few pieces of advice for the coming year, keep an eye on the news, but not too much. Keep an eye on your friends quite a bit. Keep your family and loved ones close, and find things that bring you joy. Always feel free to write to me at leah_feiger@wired.com . I so look forward to hearing from you, and thanks for listening.” And that does it for WIRED Politics Lab . You can still find WIRED politics coverage online and by signing up for the WIRED Politics Newsletter , which Makena writes week. If you have a moment, please subscribe to our other podcast, Uncanny Valley , which is excellent. Special thanks to our producer, Jake Harper and the rest of our production team that made the show possible. Pran Bandi is our studio engineer, Amar Lal mixed this episode, Steven Valentino is our executive producer. Chris Bannon is Global Head of Audio at Condé Nast. And I'm Tim Marchman. Thanks for listening to the show.FREIBURG, Germany (AP) — Freiburg survived a late comeback to beat Wolfsburg 3-2 and move into fifth place in the Bundesliga on Friday. The sides started the day equal on points and Wolfsburg had won its last five games in the league and cup. But Lukas Kübler scored an opportunist opener three minutes before the break and added a second with his head six minutes into the second half to put Freiburg in the driving seat. Michael Gregoritsch added the third in the 62nd. Jonas Wind came off the bench to score his third goal in two games and Mattias Svanberg cut the deficit seven minutes from time as Wolfsburg desperately looked for a way into the game. But it was too late, and Freiburg moved above Wolfsburg to fifth place on the table and equal on points with Leipzig, which has a game in hand. The match was an important one for two teams vying for a Champions League place next year. Although Bayern Munich have a six-point advantage over second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt, only eight points separate the next nine clubs. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

How to complete the Under the Influence challenge in BitLife

Dallas Mavericks sharpshooter Klay Thompson recently caught some heat for snubbing his former teammate, Stephen Curry , from his rightful title as the greatest shooter ever. At the time, Thompson said Reggie Miller was the best, but he has since clarified his stance in response to a fan on social media . Fan: "We love you in the Bay, Steph the greatest shooter of all time, you know that bruh!" Klay Thompson: "My man lemme clarify. I wrote this caption with my childhood in mind. At the time Reggie was the standard for off-guards and ball movement along with shot-making. We all know 30 is the GOAT shooter." Warriors fans felt betrayed when Klay alluded to Reggie as the greatest shooter ever , but Thompson didn't mean it as they thought. Growing up in the 90s, Klay didn't get to watch guys like Stephen Curry or Damian Lillard flash their ridiculous range. Instead, it was people like Reggie Miller , Glen Rice , and Mitch Richmond who dominated from the perimeter. Over his 18 years in the NBA, Reggie Miller set the ultimate standard for three-point shot-making with averages of 18.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game on 47.1% shooting. He made 2,560 threes in his career and shot a respectable 39.5%. In those days, perimeter play wasn't nearly as developed and three-pointers were usually taken in moderation throughout the games. Miller broke all the norms at the time by not only shooting with high volume but also knowing them down consistently enough to be effective on the court. Recently, after passing Miller on the All-Time threes list (Thompson is now 5th all-time with 2,563), he felt compelled to honor the legend in some way, which is why he wrote that caption calling him the greatest shooter. In reality, we all know that title belongs to Curry. As his teammate for 11 years, Thompson knows that more than anyone and he's standing by it today. Besides being first on the NBA's all-time threes list (3,849), Curry boasts an impressive career stat line of 24.7 points, 6.4 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game on 47.2% shooting. As a 10x All-Star, 10x All-NBA player, 4x champion, 2x scoring leader, and 2x MVP, Steph is undoubtedly one of the greatest point guards ever, and his mastery of the three-pointer has changed the game to a massive degree. From 2015-2019, Curry and Thompson dominated the league together as a ridiculous shooting tandem. They formed a dynasty with Draymond Green and head coach Steve Kerr, who helped lead the team to four championships in eight seasons, including five consecutive Finals appearances. Today, at 36 years old, Curry is still making his mark, even if it's without his longtime Splash Bro. In 24 games this season, No. 30 is averaging 22.5 points, 6.5 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game on 44.4% shooting. He's single-handedly keeping the Warriors afloat, who currently rank 11th in the West at 15-15. Tonight, the Warriors have a matchup against the Phoenix Suns at 8:30 PM EST at Footprint Center. On Monday, December 30th, they play the Cleveland Cavaliers at Chase Center before a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at home again on Thursday, January 2nd, at 10:00 PM EST. This article first appeared on Fadeaway World and was syndicated with permission.

Bathinda: After embattled SAD leader Sukhbir Singh Badal , Haryana-based singer Rocky Mittal has now sung a song to remember former CM Parkash Singh Badal ’s contribution to the development of Punjab to mark his birth anniversary, Dec 8. The song goes: “Tera Punjab, Badal saab, hun ujjar giya; jawani nashe ne maari, kisan bhi pichhad giya; Badal saab, teri aundi yaad; bina Akali, Punjab khaali lagda ae (Badal saab, your Punjab is in ruins; youngsters are dying of drugs and farmers too have lagged behind. We remember you; without Akali, Punjab seems empty).” Pictures of Badal have been used in the video of the song. A video grab from the Dec 4 attack on Sukhbir has also been used. We also published the following articles recently Attack on former Punjab deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal shows rise of radical fringe A pro-Khalistan extremist attempted to assassinate Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal outside the Golden Temple. An alert police officer and a volunteer thwarted the attack, pushing the gunman's hand as he fired. Badal was unharmed. The incident highlights rising radical extremism within the Sikh diaspora, fueled by online propaganda and support from Pakistan-based terrorist groups. Attack on Sukhbir Badal a bid to defame Punjab, says Arvind Kejriwal Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal condemned the attack on Sukhbir Singh Badal at the Golden Temple, praising Punjab Police's swift action. He alleged a conspiracy to defame Punjab and criticized the BJP for questioning law and order while ignoring Delhi's crime issues. The BJP retorted, questioning AAP's security measures and highlighting the criminal records of some AAP members. Badal Srs legacy stigmatised; Sukhbir Singh Badal damaged, but allowed a political lifeline The Akal Takht's tankhah strips Parkash Singh Badal's "Panth Ratan Fakhr-e-Qaum" title posthumously, impacting his son Sukhbir's political standing. While Sukhbir faced no explicit political ban, he publicly confessed to wrongdoings during his father's rule, leaving his future in the community's hands. The verdict avoids individual punishment but raises questions about the Badal family's legacy within the Sikh community. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , and Mini Crossword .Laura Loomer Sharpens Attack on Elon Musk: 'Totalitarian Censorship'

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Vikings linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. has been placed on injured reserve after hurting his hamstring Sunday in a 30-27 overtime victory over the Chicago Bears. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Vikings linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. has been placed on injured reserve after hurting his hamstring Sunday in a 30-27 overtime victory over the Chicago Bears. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Vikings linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. has been placed on injured reserve after hurting his hamstring Sunday in a 30-27 overtime victory over the Chicago Bears. The move announced Tuesday means that Pace must miss at least the Vikings next four games. The Vikings also activated outside linebacker Gabriel Murphy from injured reserve and signed linebacker Jamin Davis off the Green Bay Packers practice squad. Pace, 23, had started each of the Vikings nine games this season. The 2023 undrafted free agent from Cincinnati had 56 tackles — including six for loss — and three sacks. Murphy, 24, signed with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent this spring. He was placed on injured reserve Aug. 27. Davis had joined the Packers practice squad Oct. 29 after getting released by the Washington Commanders a week earlier. Washington selected him out of Kentucky with the 19th overall pick in the 2021 draft. The 25-year-old Davis has 282 tackles, seven sacks, one interception, two forced fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles in his NFL career. He led the Commanders with a career-high 104 tackles in 2022. The Vikings (9-2) host the Arizona Cardinals (6-5) on Sunday. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL Advertisement

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