Oklahoma's throwback offensive approach against Alabama gets LSU's attentionCanada's Trudeau survives third no-confidence votePHOENIX — Gov. Katie Hobbs said Monday there’s a good reason she is ignoring the recommendation of her hand-picked expert who said it’s impossible to humanely kill inmates by lethal injection: She says he was not “up to the task” of studying how to properly conduct executions. Hobbs declined to say whether she personally believes it’s possible to humanely conduct an execution. “I’m not going to get into that,’’ she said. Hobbs recently dismissed retired federal magistrate David Duncan, whom she hired last year to study the system of putting people to death after what she called a series of “botched executions’’ in Arizona using lethal injection. “I’m grateful for the work he did,’’ she said. “But we decided to go in a different direction.’’ Gov. Katie Hobbs. That different direction is to resume putting inmates convicted of capital crimes to death by lethal injection — the only method currently authorized under the Arizona Constitution. Hobbs’ fellow Democrat, Attorney General Kris Mayes, had paused seeking execution warrants while Duncan was conducting the study Hobbs initiated. Hobbs said Duncan got into issues that went beyond her order to study the process. “Just one example of that was he started saying that we should execute people by firing squad,’’ the governor said. “And that is clearly unconstitutional, not the job he was hired to do.’’ Duncan, however, told Capitol Media Services he was hired to find out what went wrong with previous executions, and said that required him to determine whether the procedure is humane. He said his comments about using a firing squad were designed to say that if the state is going to have a death penalty — a decision that wasn’t his to make — a firing squad is more humane, quicker, and results in less pain. Hobbs said Monday that her decision to fire Duncan — and give her blessing to resuming executions — followed a review of the process by the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry conducted under Ryan Thornell, whom she picked to run the department. Thornell came to Arizona from the Department of Corrections in Maine, which has no death penalty. “I am very confident in their review,” Hobbs said. “They have thoroughly gone through every procedure and process and updated them. And I’m confident in the process.’’ She noted that the death penalty, and lethal injection, are the law in Arizona. “And we’re going to follow the law,’’ she said. Hobbs said, though, she will not follow the lead of Mayes, who told Capitol Media Services she intends to be a witness at the next execution. Mayes “believes that given her role in requesting the warrant it is her obligation to attend,’’ said Richie Taylor, Mayes’ press aide. Hobbs pointed out that her decision to stay away is no different than those of her gubernatorial predecessors. “And I’m confident in the team that’s in place and the processes that will be in place,’’ she said. She does not expect a repeat of prior problems, saying there is a new team in place, not the one “where we had botched executions.’’ Method of execution aside, when asked whether she believes in capital punishment, Hobbs responded, “I’m not going to talk about that.” Strictly speaking, the governor plays no role in executions. It is solely up to the attorney general to ask the Arizona Supreme Court for the necessary warrant to execute someone once all appeals have been exhausted. Unlike in some states, the governor here cannot unilaterally pardon someone or commute a sentence without first getting a recommendation to do so from the Arizona Board of Executive Clemency. Mayes filed paperwork last week asking the Arizona Supreme Court to set a schedule to hear arguments about whether to issue a warrant to execute Aaron Gunches. He pleaded guilty to the 2002 kidnapping and murder of Ted Price, his girlfriend’s ex-husband. Hobbs said Monday that case is one reason she and Mayes want to resume executions. “This is something that the victim’s family has been waiting for a long time,’’ the governor said. “And this is the law of the state of Arizona, and both of us have been elected to uphold that law.’’ Respond: Write a letter to the editor | Write a guest opinion Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.Ulbrich Reveals Why Jets Can Rebound
Chhattisgarh BJP has intensified its attack on the Congress following new revelations in the Bitcoin scam, accusing senior party leaders, including former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, of possible involvement. BJP State General Secretary Sanjay Srivastava demanded that Baghel and the Congress leadership provide answers regarding their alleged role in the scandal, which he claims has far-reaching implications, particularly in the context of the Maharashtra elections. Addressing a press conference at the BJP office in Ekatm Complex, Srivastava cited an online post by former Congress leader Radhika Khera, which questioned Baghel’s links to Gaurav Mehta, an accused in the Bitcoin scam. Srivastava emphasized that the revelations about the Bitcoin scam come on the heels of the Mahadev App case, which had already exposed ties between Congress and international criminal networks. He suggested that these new disclosures further solidify the case against Congress. Srivastava also referred to an audio tape involving Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole, insinuating that the Chhattisgarh Congress, under Baghel's leadership, could be complicit in the Bitcoin scam. He reiterated earlier allegations that funds siphoned from the Chhattisgarh government had been used to finance Congress campaigns in other states. In a pointed attack, Srivastava named several individuals, including Soumya Chaurasia, Sameer Vishnoi, and Aijaz Dhebar, all of whom he claimed were involved in corruption cases under the Congress government. He stated that many of Baghel’s close associates are either in jail or out on bail in connection with economic offenses. Srivastava also took aim at the judicial proceedings surrounding the case, particularly the denial of bail to several key accused, including former Public Service Commission (PSC) Chairman Taman Sonwani. He argued that these developments pointed to systemic corruption within the Congress government, and criticized Baghel for defending individuals under investigation. He dismissed the former CM’s claims that the cases were politically motivated. The issue also gained traction at the national level, with BJP’s IT Cell Head Amit Malviya accusing Baghel of being linked to multiple corruption scandals. Malviya noted that in every major scam, Baghel’s name has surfaced, further fueling the BJP’s narrative of systemic corruption within the Congress party. The BJP's aggression was further fueled when Bhupesh Baghel posted a news clipping on his X account, alleging that black money had been found with BJP and its allies in Maharashtra. The BJP swiftly responded, viewing it as an attempt to deflect attention from the growing allegations against Congress in the Bitcoin scam. With both parties exchanging heated accusations, the Bitcoin scam controversy is expected to remain a focal point in political discourse as the Maharashtra elections draw nearer.
The American Athletic Conference is the only Football Bowl Subdivision league whose championship game matchup is set: Army vs. Tulane. The final week of the regular season will determine pairings for the other eight conferences. Here's a look at the possible matchups in the Power Four and Group of Five. All championship games are Dec. 7 except in the AAC, Conference USA and Mountain West, which will be played Dec. 6. SMU vs. Miami or Clemson. Miami is in if it beats Syracuse. Clemson is in if Miami loses. Oregon vs. Ohio State, Penn State or Indiana. Ohio State is in if it beats Michigan or if Penn State and Indiana lose this week. Penn State is in if it beats Maryland and Ohio State loses. Indiana is in if it beats Purdue and Ohio State and Penn State lose. Arizona State vs. Iowa State if both win this week. Multiple scenarios including BYU, Colorado and other teams exist otherwise. Georgia vs. winner of Texas-Texas A&M game. Army vs. Tulane. Jacksonville State vs. Liberty, Western Kentucky or Sam Houston. Liberty is in with a win over Sam Houston. WKU is in with a win over Jacksonville State and a Liberty loss. Sam Houston is in with a win over Liberty and a Jacksonville State win. Miami, Bowling Green and Ohio are tied for first place and control their destinies. Miami-Bowling Green winner is in, as is Ohio if it beats Ball State. Other scenarios exist that include those teams and Buffalo. Boise State vs. UNLV or Colorado State. If UNLV and CSU both win or lose their final regular-season games, the tie would be broken by either College Football Playoff rankings or results-based computer metrics. Louisiana-Lafayette at Marshall if both win their games this week. Other scenarios exist if one or both lose. 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
ROME (AP) — Robert Lewandowski joined Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the only players in Champions League history with 100 or more goals. But Erling Haaland is on a faster pace than anyone by boosting his total to 46 goals at age 24 on Tuesday. Still, Haaland's brace wasn't enough for Manchester City in a 3-3 draw with Feyenoord that extended the Premier League champion's winless streak to six matches. Lewandowski’s early penalty kick started Barcelona off to a 3-0 win over previously unbeaten Brest to move into second place in the new single-league format. The Poland striker added goal No. 101 in second-half stoppage time. Ronaldo leads the all-time scoring list with 140 goals and Messi is next with 129. But neither Ronaldo nor Messi play in the Champions League anymore following moves to Saudi Arabia and the United States, respectively. The 36-year-old Lewandowski required 125 matches to reach the century mark, two more than Messi (123) and 12 fewer than Ronaldo (137). Barcelona also got a second-half score from Dani Olmo. The top eight finishers in the standings advance directly to the round of 16 in March. Teams ranked ninth to 24th go into a knockout playoffs round in February, while the bottom 12 teams are eliminated. Haaland has 46 goals in 44 games Haaland converted a first-half penalty to eclipse Messi as the youngest player to reach 45 goals then scored City's third after the break to raise his total to 46 goals in 44 games. Ilkay Gundogan had City's second. But then Feyenoord struck back with goals from Anis Hadj Moussa, Santiago Gimenez and David Hancko. Inter leads standings and hasn't conceded a goal Inter Milan beat Leipzig 1-0 with an own goal to move atop the standings with 13 points, one more than Barcelona and Liverpool, which faces Real Madrid on Wednesday. The Serie A champion is the only club that hasn't conceded a goal. Bayern Munich beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 — the same score from the 2020 final between the two teams. PSG ended with 10 men and remained in the elimination zone. The French powerhouse has struggled in Europe after Kylian Mbappe’s move to Real Madrid. Atalanta moved within two points of the lead with a 6-1 win at Young Boys. Also, Arsenal won 5-1 at Sporting Lisbon; and Bayer Leverkusen routed Salzburg 5-0. AC Milan follows up win over Real Madrid with another victory AC Milan followed up its win at Real Madrid with a 3-2 victory at last-place Slovan Bratislava in an early match. Christian Pulisic put the seven-time champion ahead midway through the first half by finishing off a counterattack. Then Rafael Leao restored the Rossoneri’s advantage after Tigran Barseghyan had equalized for Bratislava and Tammy Abraham quickly added another. Nino Marcelli scored with a long-range strike in the 88th for Bratislava, which ended with 10 men. Bratislava has lost all five of its matches. Alvarez and Griezmann lead Atletico to 6-0 rout Argentina World Cup winner Julian Alvarez scored twice and Atletico Madrid routed Sparta Prague 6-0 in the other early game. Alvarez scored with a free kick 15 minutes in and Marcos Llorente added a long-range strike before the break. Alvarez finished off a counterattack early in the second half after being set up by substitute Antoine Griezmann, who then marked his 100th Champions League game by getting on the scoresheet himself. Angel Correa added a late brace for Atletico, which earned its biggest away win in Europe. Atletico beat Paris Saint-Germain in the previous round and extended its winning streak across all competitions to six matches. ___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer Andrew Dampf, The Associated Press