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646-ph GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) — Treysen Eaglestaff's 19 points helped North Dakota defeat Waldorf College 97-57 on Sunday night. Eaglestaff shot 6 of 11 from the field, including 2 for 4 from 3-point range, and went 5 for 6 from the line for the Fightin' Hawks (6-9). Mier Panoam added 13 points and six rebounds. Zach Kraft had 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting from 3-point range. Gene Noble led the way for the Warriors with 12 points and six rebounds. Emmanuel Ferguson scored 10 and Ugo Ejiofor pitched in with nine points, 11 rebounds and two blocks. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Inside the Gaetz ethics report, a trove of new details alleging payments for sex and drug useInside the Gaetz ethics report, a trove of new details alleging payments for sex and drug use

Tony Okocha emerges APC chairman in Rivers

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir held an urgent meeting of top security brass on Friday after a shootout at the home of powerful former spy chief Akol Koor, who was sacked almost two months ago amid rumours of a coup plot. Gunfire erupted on Thursday evening in the capital Juba, sparking concerns about the stability of the world's youngest country that is already plagued by power struggles, ethnic infighting and a deep economic malaise. The shooting around the home of Koor, who was fired by Kiir in early October and placed under house arrest, caused panic among local residents before it was contained after about an hour. Following the meeting, South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF) spokesman Lul Ruai Koang said the incident took place after a "misunderstanding" between security forces attempting to relocate the ex-head of the National Security Services. Koang said Koor had now agreed to the relocation "with his dear wife, one bodyguard, and a cook" elsewhere in the city. He would be provided with additional army protection at his new residence, but Koang emphasised he was not under "their (army) detention." He said four people, two civilians and two soldiers, had been killed during the confrontation. The meeting convened by Kiir included the heads of defence, police, national security and military intelligence. A source in the presidency press unit said Koor was also present. The Sudans Post newspaper quoted a security official as saying the meeting had "resolved all outstanding tensions" and that the spy chief and his family "have been assured of their safety". In an alert to its staff on the ground on Thursday, the United Nations in South Sudan had said the shooting was linked to the arrest of the former spymaster and advised people to take cover. Koang told AFP that Koor "remains at his house", and denied claims circulating on social media that he had fled to the UN compound in Juba. There was a heavy deployment of military forces around his home in the Thongpiny district, an AFP correspondent said, but traffic has resumed and people were going about their daily business. Police spokesman John Kassara said the situation was now calm but that Thongpiny remained sealed off and residents "should remain vigilant". Koor became head of the feared National Security Services (NSS) after South Sudan's independence in 2011 but was sacked in October leading to widespread speculation he had been planning to overthrow Kiir. After his dismissal from the NSS, Koor was appointed governor of Warrap State, Kiir's home state, but this was abruptly revoked by the president before he took the oath of office. Koang said there had been a "misunderstanding" between two security services forces present at Koor's residence when a third unit arrived for the relocation. "That was the start of the armed confrontation that you heard," he said. Four people, two servicemen and two civilians, were killed in the incident, he said, and two civilians were wounded. Koor's sacking came just two weeks after Kiir again postponed by two years, to December 2026, the first elections in the nation's history. The delay has exasperated the international community, which has been pressing the country's leaders to complete a transitional process, including unifying rival armed forces and drawing up a constitution. The NSS was at the centre of controversy in July when parliament approved amendments to legislation allowing the agency to continue to arrest -- without a warrant -- anyone accused of offences against the state, raising alarm among rights groups and South Sudan's international partners. The country has struggled to recover from a brutal civil war between forces loyal to Kiir and his now deputy Riek Machar from 2013 to 2018 that killed about 400,000 people and drove millions from their homes. It remains one of the poorest and most corrupt countries on the planet and continues to be plagued by chronic instability and climate disasters. str-txw-rbu/givWEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau returned home Saturday after his meeting with Donald Trump without assurances the president-elect will back away from threatened tariffs on all products from the major American trading partner. Trump called the talks “productive” but signaled no retreat from a pledge that Canada says unfairly lumps it in with Mexico over the flow of drugs and migrants into the United States. After the leaders’ hastily arranged dinner Friday night at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, Trudeau spoke of “an excellent conversation” but offered no details. Trump said in a Truth Social post later Saturday that they discussed “many important topics that will require both Countries to work together to address.” For issues in need of such cooperation, Trump cited fentanyl and the “Drug Crisis that has decimated so many lives as a result of Illegal Immigration," fair trade deals "that do not jeopardize American Workers” and the U.S. trade deficit with its ally to the north. Trump asserted that the prime minister had made “a commitment to work with us to end this terrible devastation” of American families from fentanyl from China reaching the United States through its neighbors. The U.S., he said, “will no longer sit idly by as our Citizens become victims to the scourge of this Drug Epidemic.” The Republican president-elect has threatened to impose a 25% tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico as one of his first executive orders when he takes office in January. U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border. On immigration, the U.S. Border Patrol made 56,530 arrests at the Mexican border in October alone and 23,721 arrests at the Canadian border between October 2023 and September 2024 — and Canadian officials say they are ready to make new investments in border security. Trudeau called Trump after the Republican's social media posts about the tariffs last Monday and they agreed to meet, according to a official familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss detail of the private talks. The official said other countries are calling Canadian officials to hear how about how the meeting was arranged and to ask for advice. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, after speaking with Trump on the telephone, said Thursday she was confident a tariff war with Washington would be averted. At the dinner that was said to last three hours, Trump said he and Trudeau also discussed energy, trade and the Arctic. A second official cited defense, Ukraine, NATO, China, the Mideast, pipelines and the Group of Seven meeting in Canada next year as other issues that arose. Trump, during his first term as president, once called Trudeau “weak” and “dishonest,” but it was the prime minister who was the first G7 leader to visit Trump since the Nov. 5 election. "Tariffs are a crucial issue for Canada and a bold move was in order. Perhaps it was a risk, but a risk worth taking,” Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal. Trudeau had said before leaving from Friday that Trump was elected because he promised to bring down the cost of groceries but now was talking about adding 25% to the cost of all kinds of products, including potatoes from Prince Edward Island in Atlantic Canada. “It is important to understand that Donald Trump, when he makes statements like that, he plans on carrying them out. There’s no question about it,” Trudeau said. “Our responsibility is to point out that he would not just be harming Canadians, who work so well with the United States, but he would actually be raising prices for Americans citizens as well and hurting American industry and business,” he added. The threatened tariffs could essentially blow up the North American trade pact that Trump’s team negotiated during his first term. Trudeau noted they were able to successfully renegotiate the deal, which he calls a “win win” for both countries. When Trump imposed higher tariffs as president, other countries responded with retaliatory tariffs of their own. Canada, for instance, announced billions of new duties in 2018 against the U.S. in a response to new taxes on Canadian steel and aluminum. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US $2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85% of U.S. electricity imports are from Canada. Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing in for national security. Canada is one of the most trade-dependent countries in the world, and 77% of Canada’s exports go to the U.S. ___ Gillies reported from Toronto.

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Mr Biden told African leaders the resource-rich continent of more than 1.4 billion people had been “left behind for much too long”. “But not anymore,” Mr Biden added. “Africa is the future.” Mr Biden used the third and final day of a visit to Angola – his long-awaited, first trip to sub-Saharan Africa as president – to travel to the coastal city of Lobito and tour an Atlantic port terminal that’s part of the Lobito Corridor railway redevelopment. Mr Biden described it as the largest US investment in a train project outside America. The US and allies are investing heavily in the project that will refurbish nearly 1,200 miles of train lines connecting to the mineral-rich areas of Congo and Zambia in central Africa. The corridor, which likely will take years to complete, gives the US better access to cobalt, copper and other critical minerals in Congo and Zambia that are used in batteries for electric vehicles, electronic devices and clean energy technologies that Mr Biden said would power the future. China is dominant in mining in Congo and Zambia. The US investment has strategic implications for US-China economic competition, which went up a notch this week as they traded blows over access to key materials and technologies. The African leaders who met with Mr Biden on Wednesday said the railway corridor offered their countries a much faster route for minerals and goods – and a convenient outlet to Western markets. “This is a project that is full of hope for our countries and our region,” said Congo President Felix Tshisekedi, whose country has more than 70% of the word’s cobalt. “This is not just a logistical project. It is a driving force for economic and social transformation for millions of our people.” The leaders said the corridor should spur private-sector investment and improve a myriad of related areas like roads, communication networks, agriculture and clean energy technologies. For the African countries, it could create a wave of new jobs for a burgeoning young population. Cargo that once took 45 days to get to the US – usually involving trucks via South Africa – would now take around 45 hours, Mr Biden said. He predicted the project could transform the region from a food importer to exporter. It’s “something that if done right will outlast all of us and keep delivering for our people for generations to come,” he said. The announcement of an additional $600 million took the U.S.’s investment in the Lobito Corridor to 4.0 billion dollars (£3.15 billion).Supporting local stores on Small Business Saturday

House panel shares dueling findings in COVID reportCLEVELAND (AP) — Shortly after doing a face-down snow angel, firing a few celebratory snowballs and singing “Jingle Bells” on his way to the media room, Jameis Winston ended his postgame news conference with a simple question. “Am I a Brown yet?” he asked. He is now. And who knows? Maybe for a lot longer than expected. Winston entered Cleveland football folklore on Thursday night by leading the Browns to a 24-19 win over the division rival Pittsburgh Steelers, who had their five-game winning streak stopped. Winston's performance at Huntington Bank Field, which transformed into the world's largest snow globe, not only made him an instantaneous hero in the eyes of Browns fans but added another wrinkle to the team's ever-changing, never-ending quarterback conundrum. In his fourth start since Deshaun Watson's season-ending Achilles tendon injury, Winston made enough big plays to help the Browns (3-8) get a victory that should quiet conjecture about coach Kevin Stefanski's job. Some wins mean more than others. In Cleveland, beating the Steelers is as big as it gets. But beyond any instant gratification, Winston has given the Browns more to consider as they move forward. Watson's future with Cleveland is highly uncertain since it will still be months before the team has a grip on whether he's even an option in 2025, his fourth year since signing a $230 million, fully guaranteed contract that has proven calamitous. It's also possible the Browns will cut ties with Watson. They signed Winston to a one-year contract to be Watson's backup. But the unexpected events of 2024 have changed plans and led to the possibility that the 30-year-old Winston could become Cleveland's full-time QB or a bridge to their next young one. So much is unclear. What's not is that Winston, who leaped into the end zone on fourth-and-2 for a TD to put the Browns ahead 18-6 in the fourth quarter, is a difference maker. With his larger-than-life personality and the joy he shows whether practicing or throwing three touchdown passes, he has lifted the Browns. A man of faith, he's made his teammates believe. Winston has done what Watson couldn't: made the Browns better. “A very, very authentic person,” Stefanski said Friday on a Zoom call. “He’s the same guy every single day. He's the same guy at 5 a.m. as he at 5 p.m. He brings great energy to everything he does, and I think his teammates appreciate that about him.” Winston, who is 2-2 as a starter with wins over the Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, has a knack for inspiring through fiery, preacher-like pregame speeches. But what has impressed the Browns is his ability to stay calm in the storm. “He doesn’t get rattled,” said Myles Garrett, who had three sacks against the Steelers . “He’s just tuned in and focused as anyone I’ve seen at that position. Turn the page. There was a turnover, came back to the sideline, ‘Love you. I’m sorry. We’re going to get it back.’ He was already on to the next one, ‘How can we complete the mission?’ “I have a lot of respect for him. First was from afar and now seeing it on the field in front of me, it’s a blessing to have someone who plays a game with such a passion and want-to. You can’t ask for a better teammate when they take those things to heart and they want to play for you like we’re actually brothers and that’s what we have to attain. That brotherhood.” What's working Winston has done something else Watson couldn't: move the offense. The Browns scored more than 20 points for just the second time this season, and like Joe Flacco a year ago, Winston has shown that Stefanski's system works with a quarterback patient enough to let plays develop and unafraid to take shots downfield. What needs help The conditions certainly were a factor, but the Browns were a miserable 1 of 10 on third down, a season-long trend. However, Cleveland converted all four fourth-down tries, including a fourth-and-3 pass from Winston to Jerry Jeudy with 2:36 left that helped set up Nick Chubb's go-ahead TD run. Stock up RT Jack Conklin. Garrett outplayed Steelers star T.J. Watt in their rivalry within the rivalry partly because Conklin did a nice job containing Pittsburgh's edge rusher, who was held without a sack and had one tackle for loss. Conklin has made a remarkable comeback since undergoing reconstructive knee surgery last year. Stock down Owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam. Their desire to build a dome is well intended, but an indoor game could never come close to matching the surreal setting of Thursday night, when snow swirled throughout the stadium and covered nearly all the yard lines and hash marks. “It was beautiful,” Winston said. Injuries WR Cedric Tillman is in the concussion protocol. He had two catches before taking a big hit on the final play of the third quarter. Key numbers 9 — Consecutive home wins for the Browns in Thursday night games. Three of those have come against Pittsburgh. What's next An extended break before visiting the Denver Broncos on Dec. 2. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL Tom Withers, The Associated Press

The realization came in the form of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report from November indicating a reacceleration of inflation, as well as a material reacceleration of “core inflation,” which for some reason excludes the things I spend most of my money on, food and energy. While this reality check was somewhat abated a week later when one of the Fed’s now preferred alternative inflation indicators, Personal Inflation Expenditures (PCE) did not reaffirm the November CPI number, the sting of the higher CPI number still hangs in the air. If one were to muse as to why the Fed has so many divergent flavors of inflation tracking, perhaps the best answer is if inflation was a core metric of your job performance, wouldn’t you? Either way, whether its CPI, Core CPI, PCE or Core PCE, PPI, or the GDP Deflator, those of use who live in the real world know inflation is by no means tamed (I just spent $127 on ribeye steaks for Christmas). Cost inflation is both a simple and extremely complicated topic. The simple part of the equation is when the supply of money in an economy increases, prices denominated in this money also tend to rise as more money circulating means each unit of money is worth a little less in terms of purchasing power. In the United States, the most widely used measure of money supply is a metric called M2, and the Fed of course tracks this as well. A glance at the Fed’s M2 chart shows what we would expect based on our lived experience over the past four years. A historically rapid increase in money supply during COVID years, a gentle reduction through 2022 and 2023 as the Fed shifted its policy approach, but surprisingly a then even more subtle but clear increase in M2 starting again mid-2024. With this chart as our guide, the reacceleration of CPI inflation last month should not catch us off guard. So, what causes money supply to rise? This is where the topic gets considerably more complicated, but one straightforward part of the answer to this question is of course, government deficit spending. Regardless of which end of the political spectrum we draw our bias from, it's impossible to argue the Federal government has been running a tight ship over the past few years. Rampant ineptitude, coupled with zero accountability, tends to bust the budget, and with a $1.8 trillion deficit in 2024, “busting the budget” is a woeful understatement. Rather than festering in blame, I say it’s time to look forward. In my opinion we stand at a unique spot in the history of the economic cycle. I believe it will soon become apparent the Fed has no ability to address rising inflation and this realization will come at a very important moment in time politically in the U.S. While by any measure the rest of us would use in real life, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, aka the Trump tax cuts, have been amazingly productive from a federal revenue perspective. With $4.92 trillion in 2024 federal tax receipts, government funding has never been higher. Tax cuts, however, are not an immediate gratification magic bullet. Smarter tax and regulatory burden tend to work into the economy over time, creating stronger growth and more tax receipts, but present less attractive short-term math when it comes to immediate tax receipts. Based on the rhetoric leaking into the ether, I expect the new Trump administration to cut taxes even more next year. These tax cuts are highly likely to result in lower tax receipts at the front end of the policy period. Maybe the D.O.G.E. will be effective at tightening up federal spending, but it certainly won’t happen quickly. Long story short, federal deficits are highly likely to not go down in the shorter term, and I wouldn’t bet on inflation cooling as well, leaving the Fed in a lurch when it comes to interest rate policy. Welcome to 2025.