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Emerging tight end Noah Gray gives Mahomes and the Chiefs another option in passing game
After losing 7-2 to the worst team in the Pacific Division on Monday, the Kings will pivot straight into Wednesday’s showdown with the NHL’s best club. The Winnipeg Jets just moved to 18-4-0 with a resounding 4-1 win over another early-season powerhouse, the Minnesota Wild. Now, Winnipeg’s trip south will signify a visit from some former Kings cohorts: Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo and Rasmus Kupari, all of whom became Jets as a result of the disastrous Pierre-Luc Dubois trade . Vilardi has continued to be one of the top net-front presences in the NHL on the power play as well as a threat from the slot offensively, while providing outstanding defense and winning 63.6% of his faceoffs this season. Iafallo has emerged as a solid second-unit contributor for Winnipeg and scored two goals against Minnesota, including one with the extra man that was his 100th career tally, while Kupari recorded an assist. They’ve operated behind the team’s top-five scorers – Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, Nikolaj Ehlers, Josh Morrissey and Neal Pionk – who have combined for 115 points in 22 games. During last season’s only meeting in Los Angeles, Vilardi scored a career-high four points to match the contributions of then-linemate Ehlers as the Jets turned a two-goal deficit into a comfortable win by way of five unanswered goals. That was part of a stretch of 34 straight games in which Winnipeg and its top goalie, Connor Hellebuyck, allowed three goals or fewer. This season, more feats have followed as the Jets have compiled the NHL’s best points total, points percentage, goal differential, power-play conversion rate, goals-against average and save percentage, all while scoring the most goals of any team. They’ve had two winning streaks of seven or more games in just 22 matches. While the Jets soared, the Kings remained in a holding pattern. They appeared to have four winnable games heading into this clash with the league’s top team, but continued their one-step-forward-one-step-back pattern by splitting bouts with Buffalo , Detroit , Seattle and San Jose. They’ve won consecutive games three times this season, but never more than two in a row. Their latest disappointment saw them fall to 0-2-0 in San Jose in 2024-25, losing to the lottery-bound Sharks on Monday in a game that was tied at the second intermission. No. 1 overall pick Macklin Celebrini got the third-period party started with a goal for San Jose and later drew a penalty before scoring a second goal, five-on-three. Kings coach Jim Hiller said that no one should “disrespect” San Jose – which had dropped six of seven decisions entering the contest – but finally deemed an effort, in this case a five-goals-allowed final frame, to be “unacceptable.” “That’s not a team that’s trying to tank, that’s a good hockey team, strong players, real good back end. We played them three times, they beat us twice, we barely beat them in the one at home,” Hiller said. “We completely fell apart in the third period. That’s just unacceptable, what happened in the third.” Anže Kopitar’s hand stayed hot with a goal and an assist to match the two points of linemate Adrian Kempe. Kempe has notched 13 points over his past 12 games while Kopitar has 16 points across those same dozen contests, putting the 37-year-old on track to top his best single-season total of 92 points from the 2017-18 season. Winnipeg at Kings When: 7 p.m. Wednesday Where: Crypto.com Arena How to watch: FDSNWHezbollah attack draws Israeli strikes on Lebanon, killing 11 people and testing ceasefire's limits
The NFL is standing firm in Jay-Z 's corner after he was accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in a new lawsuit ... with commissioner Roger Goodell telling reporters the rap mogul's status with the league remains unchanged. Commish relayed the non-update during a press conference for the upcoming slate of Christmas Day games on Netflix ... and in his response, it's clear the Shield believes Hov's adamant denial of the allegations. "We are aware of the allegations and Jay-Z's really strong response to that," Goodell said minutes ago. "From our standpoint, our relationship's not changing with [Roc Nation,] including our preparations for the next Super Bowl." Jay-Z has a strong relationship with the league -- not only does his Roc Nation help organize the Super Bowl Halftime Show every year, it also works with the NFL on social justice initiatives. Goodell went on to say RN has been a great partner for the NFL ... and the collab continues to grow by the day. After the shocking allegations went public, many questioned whether Goodell's org. would distance itself from the music legend amid the civil litigation ... but based on Wednesday's comments, it was never in jeopardy -- and the league is confident in his denial.
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Los Angeles Rams Sign Former 1st Round Bust
AP News Summary at 4:42 p.m. ESTGenesis Bryant scores 27 and No. 19 Illinois women beat UMES 75-55 in Music City Classic
DALLAS (AP) — More than 60 years after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated , conspiracy theories still swirl and any new glimpse into the fateful day of Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas continues to fascinate . President-elect Donald Trump promised during his reelection campaign that he would declassify all of the remaining government records surrounding the assassination if he returned to office. He made a similar pledge during his first term, but ultimately bended to appeals from the CIA and FBI to keep some documents withheld. At this point, only a few thousand of the millions of governmental records related to the assassination have yet to be fully released, and those who have studied the records released so far say that even if the remaining files are declassified, the public shouldn't anticipate any earth-shattering revelations. “Anybody waiting for a smoking gun that’s going to turn this case upside down will be sorely disappointed,” said Gerald Posner, author of “Case Closed,” which concludes that assassin Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. Friday's 61st anniversary is expected to be marked with a moment of silence at 12:30 p.m. in Dealey Plaza, where Kennedy's motorcade was passing through when he was fatally shot. And throughout this week there have been events marking the anniversary. When Air Force One carrying Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy touched down in Dallas , they were greeted by a clear sky and enthusiastic crowds. With a reelection campaign on the horizon the next year, they had gone to Texas on political fence-mending trip. But as the motorcade was finishing its parade route downtown, shots rang out from the Texas School Book Depository building. Police arrested 24-year-old Oswald and, two days later, nightclub owner Jack Ruby fatally shot Oswald during a jail transfer. A year after the assassination, the Warren Commission, which President Lyndon B. Johnson established to investigate the assassination, concluded that Oswald acted alone and there was no evidence of a conspiracy. But that hasn't quelled a web of alternative theories over the decades. In the early 1990s, the federal government mandated that all assassination-related documents be housed in a single collection in the National Archives and Records Administration. The collection of over 5 million records was required to be opened by 2017, barring any exemptions designated by the president. Trump, who took office for his first term in 2017, had boasted that he'd allow the release of all of the remaining records but ended up holding some back because of what he called the potential harm to national security. And while files have continued to be released during President Joe Biden's administration, some still remain unseen. The documents released over the last few years offer details on the way intelligence services operated at the time, and include CIA cables and memos discussing visits by Oswald to the Soviet and Cuban embassies during a trip to Mexico City just weeks before the assassination. The former Marine had previously defected to the Soviet Union before returning home to Texas. Mark S. Zaid, a national security attorney in Washington, said what's been released so far has contributed to the understanding of the time period, giving “a great picture” of what was happening during the Cold War and the activities of the CIA. Posner estimates that there are still about 3,000 to 4,000 documents in the collection that haven’t yet been fully released. Of those documents, some are still completely redacted while others just have small redactions, like someone's Social Security number. There are about 500 documents where all the information is redacted, Posner said, and those include Oswald's and Ruby’s tax returns. “If you have been following it, as I have and others have, you sort of are zeroed in on the pages you think might provide some additional information for history,” Posner said. Trump's transition team hasn’t responded to questions this week about his plans when he takes office. From the start, there were those who believed there had to be more to the story than just Oswald acting alone, said Stephen Fagin, curator of the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, which tells the story of the assassination from the building where Oswald made his sniper's perch. “People want to make sense of this and they want to find the solution that fits the crime," said Fagin, who said that while there are lingering questions, law enforcement made “a pretty compelling case” against Oswald. Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said his interest in the assassination dates back to the event itself, when he was a child. “It just seemed so fantastical that one very disturbed individual could end up pulling off the crime of the century," Sabato said. “But the more I studied it, the more I realized that is a very possible, maybe even probable in my view, hypothesis.”Gurugram, Nov 24 (IANS): Haryana Chief Secretary Vivek Joshi has said that officers should establish such a system in their departments that the complaints of the general public should be resolved quickly. In this, new technology and expert services should be used, he said. Addressing a meeting of officers from departments like Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), Haryana State Industrial & Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC), NHAI etc., here in Gurugram on Sunday, the Chief Secretary said that if any contractor or private company associated with the government system does not meet the standards of the department, then legal action should be taken against it. "Officials should ensure that people here are not troubled due to basic problems like electricity, water, and road. Also ensure that if any citizen faces such a problem, it should be resolved on the spot. The services of city cleanliness, waste management, MCG or GMDA should be linked to new technology. Officers can also take the services of skilled experts or companies from another state," he said. While discussing the projects of GMDA and MCG, the Chief Secretary said that the residents of Gurugram City should get adequate public facilities. All departments should prepare their plans in coordination with each other. "Soon a high-level meeting of officials of MCG, GMDA and related agencies will be called at Chandigarh headquarters. During this, heads of the concerned departments will be included to find a concrete solution to departmental matters related to drinking water supply, water drainage, garbage management, public lighting, and construction of roads," he added. He also directed to provide a ground report of canal water supply and supply-related problems in the villages around Gurugram. Joshi discussed with the officials of GMDA issues like waterlogging in Gurugram, drinking water system, road system, city transport system, and availability of land for starting various projects. During this, GMDA CEO A. Srinivas informed that GMDA will complete the repair work of the main roads in the district in the next six months. Apart from this, new buses will be added to the bus service of GMDA next year and it will be ensured that the common citizens get better transport service and connectivity facilities. "A study is also being done on a pilot project to deal with the problem of sewerage overflow in the city. He explained in detail the action plan to prevent waterlogging at places like Narsinghpur, Khandsa, Rajiv Chowk, IFFCO Chowk, Ambience Mall, etc.," he said.
There are a lot of things to like about Altria ( MO 1.25% ) , particularly if you are a dividend investor. But there are also a few very important things to be worried about. No company is perfect, so you always have to take some bad with the good. But if you are hoping to retire a millionaire on Altria's dividend, you'll want to think extra hard about the bad here. Altria is an industry leader To give credit where credit is due, Altria owns the most important brand in its category in North America. And it isn't even close when you look at the market share numbers. Altria's market share in cigarettes was a huge 45.7% in the third quarter of 2024. The Marlboro brand alone accounted for 41.7 percentage points of that total. Put simply, Altria's Marlboro brand is a category dominator. The strength of the Marlboro brand has allowed Altria to increase its dividend annually for decades. And given the dividend yield of 7.3% today, it makes sense for income-focused investors to take a close look. Think about that yield for a second. All Altria needs to do is increase the dividend 2.7 percentage points and you would likely be getting the 10% total return investors generally expect from the broader market over time. For investors who are already retired, buying Altria certainly looks like a chance to set up a lifetime of lofty dividend payments. For those not ready to turn on that income stream, dividend reinvesting would allow the payout to compound over time. It isn't unreasonable to think that Altria could help you retire a millionaire. There's just one problem: the product. Altria is facing down a major headwind Cigarettes are increasingly falling out of favor in the North American market that Altria serves. Having the most important high-end cigarette brand in a cigarette market that is, effectively, drying up isn't necessarily a great long-term proposition for shareholders. The numbers are getting worse, too, not better. In 2022, Altria's cigarette volume fell 9.7%. In 2023, the decline was 9.9%. And through the first nine months of 2024, the drop was 10.6%. Sure, that trend could turn around, but are you willing to bet your retirement on it? So far, Altria has been able to offset those declines with price increases. That's great, for now. But at some point, price increases are likely to make the volume declines worse. At that point, the price increases may have to slow down or possibly even stop. Or the company may have to consider other options for conserving cash, such as cutting its dividend. The other big issue here is that Altria knows there's a problem and so far hasn't had much success doing anything about it. It has tried. For example, it bought a stake in vape maker Juul and a marijuana company , but neither worked out, and the company had to take massive write-offs. The recent acquisition of vape maker Njoy appears to be working out better, but the business is too small to have much impact on the company's results (it is still classified in an "other" catchall revenue category). Is it worth betting your retirement on the success of a tiny little business that isn't even big enough to break out on its own yet? Altria is a high-risk, high-yield stock Altria has a storied history, but the future is not going to look like the past given the changes taking shape in the cigarette market. The company is trying to adjust as best it can, but Wall Street is worried that it won't succeed, which is why the dividend yield is so high. Given the failures so far and the small size of the one successful new business that the company hopes will solve its cigarette problems, most dividend investors should tread with extreme caution here. Could Altria help you retire a millionaire? Sure, but it could also leave you broke. The risk/reward balance is probably tilted too far to the risk side right now for all but the most aggressive investors.