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  • Judge blocks White House’s attempt to defund the CFPB, ensuring employees get paid

    Judge blocks White House’s attempt to defund the CFPB, ensuring employees get paid

    NEW YORK — The White House cannot lapse in its funding of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a federal district court judge ruled on Tuesday, only days before funds at the bureau would have likely run out and the consumer finance agency would have no money to pay its employees.

    Judge Amy Berman ruled that the CFPB should continue to get its funds from the Federal Reserve, despite the Fed operating at a loss, and that the White House’s new legal argument about how the CFPB gets its funds is not valid.

    At the heart of this case is whether Russell Vought, President Donald Trump’s budget director and the acting director of the CFPB, can effectively shut down the agency and lay off all of the bureau’s employees. The CFPB has largely been inoperable since Trump has sworn into office nearly a year ago. Its employees are mostly forbidden from doing any work, and most of the bureau’s operations this year have been to unwind the work it did under President Joe Biden and even under Trump’s first term.

    Vought himself has made comments where he has made it clear that his intention is to effectively shut down the CFPB. The White House earlier this year issued a “reduction in force” for the CFPB, which would have furloughed or laid off much of the bureau.

    The National Treasury Employees Union, which represents the workers at the CFPB, has been mostly successful in court to stop the mass layoffs and furloughs. The union sued Vought earlier this year and won a preliminary injunction stopping the layoffs while the union’s case continues through the legal process.

    In recent weeks, the White House has used a new line of argument to potentially get around the court’s injunction. The argument is that the Federal Reserve has no “combined earnings” at the moment to fund the CFPB’s operations. The CFPB gets its funding from the Fed through expected quarterly payments.

    The Federal Reserve has been operating at a paper loss since 2022 as a result of the central bank trying to combat inflation, the first time in the Fed’s entire history it has been operating at a loss. The Fed holds bonds on its balance sheet from a period of low interest rates during the COVID-19 pandemic, but currently has to pay out higher interest rates to banks who hold their deposits at the central bank. The Fed has been recording a “deferred asset” on its balance sheet, which it expects will be paid down in the next few years as the low-interest bonds mature.

    Because of this loss on paper, the White House has argued there are no “combined earnings” for the CFPB to draw on. The CFPB has operated since 2011, including under Trump’s first term, drawing on the Fed’s operating budget.

    White House lawyers sent a notice to the court in early November in which they argued, using the “combined earnings” argument, that the CFPB would run out of appropriations in early 2026 and does not expect to get any additional appropriations from Congress.

    This combined earnings legal argument is not entirely new. It has floated in conservative legal circles going back to when the Federal Reserve started operating at a loss. The Office of Legal Counsel, which acts as the government’s legal advisers, adopted this legal theory in a memo on November 7. However, this idea has never been tested in court.

    In her opinion, Berman said the OLC and Vought were using this legal theory to get around the court’s injunction instead of allowing the case to be decided on merits. A trial on whether the CFPB employees’ union can sue Vought over the layoffs is scheduled for February.

    “It appears that defendants’ new understanding of ‘combined earnings’ is an unsupported and transparent attempt to starve the CPFB of funding and yet another attempt to achieve the very end the Court’s injunction was put in place to prevent,” Berman wrote in an opinion.

    “We’re very pleased that the court made clear what should have been obvious: Vought can’t justify abandoning the agency’s obligations or violating a court order by manufacturing a lack of funding,” said Jennifer Bennett of Gupta Wessler LLP, who is representing the CFPB employees in the case.

    A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Berman’s opinion.

  • Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs faces strangulation charges, denies allegations

    Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs faces strangulation charges, denies allegations

    BOSTON — New England Patriots star wide receiver Stefon Diggs is facing strangulation and other criminal charges in connection with an incident that happened earlier this month, police said.

    News of the charges emerged after a court hearing Tuesday in Dedham, Mass. It is unclear what led to the charges, which include felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery.

    Diggs’ lawyer, David Meier, said in an emailed statement that Diggs “categorically denies these allegations.”

    Meier said the allegations never occurred, describing them as unsubstantiated and uncorroborated.

    “The timing and motivation for making the allegations is crystal clear: they are the direct result of an employee-employer financial dispute that was not resolved to the employee’s satisfaction,” Meier wrote.

    In a statement, the Patriots said they were also standing by Diggs: “We support Stefon,” the team said.

    Diggs, 32, established himself as one of the NFL’s best wide receivers during a run with Minnesota and Buffalo from 2018 to 2023, when he had six consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons and was selected to the Pro Bowl four times.

    After a lackluster stint in Houston last year, Diggs ended up in New England, signing a three-year, $69 million deal in free agency that guaranteed him $26 million.

    Diggs has been a reliable target for second-year quarterback Drake Maye and is a big reason the team has once again clinched the AFC East title.

    Off the field, though, his tenure with the Patriots got off to a rocky start when a video surfaced on social media in May showing Diggs passing what appeared to be a bag of pink crystals to women on a boat.

    It wasn’t clear what the substance was, and an NFL spokesperson said the league would not comment. Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said the team would handle that matter internally.

  • Khaleda Zia, former Bangladeshi prime minister and archrival of a previous premier, dies at 80

    Khaleda Zia, former Bangladeshi prime minister and archrival of a previous premier, dies at 80

    DHAKA, Bangladesh — Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, 80, whose archrivalry with another former premier defined the country’s politics for a generation, has died, her Bangladesh Nationalist Party said in a statement Tuesday.

    Ms. Zia was the first woman elected prime minister of Bangladesh.

    Bangladesh’s interim government announced a three-day mourning period. A general holiday also was announced for Wednesday, when Ms. Zia’s funeral prayers are scheduled be held in front of the country’s national Parliament building in Dhaka.

    Bangladesh’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, issued a statement Tuesday citing Ms. Zia’s contributions to the country.

    “Her role in the struggle to establish democracy, a multi-party political culture, and the rights of the people in Bangladesh will be remembered forever,” Yunus said.

    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences in a statement Tuesday, noting that “as the first woman Prime Minister of Bangladesh, her important contributions toward the development of Bangladesh, as well as India-Bangladesh relations, will always be remembered.”

    Sajeeb Wazed, son of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said in a statement Tuesday that Ms. Zia’s demise “will leave a deep impact on the country’s [democratic] transition.”

    “She will be remembered for her contributions in nation building but her death is a blow to stabilize Bangladesh,” said Wazed, whose mother was Ms. Zia’s greatest political rival.

    Hasina issued a statement from exile in India saying Ms. Zia’s death was “an irreparable loss” for politics in Bangladesh and recalling her contributions in establishing the nation’s democracy.

    Ms. Zia had faced corruption cases she said were politically motivated, but in January 2025 the Supreme Court acquitted Ms. Zia in the last corruption case against her, which would have let her run in February’s general election.

    The BNP said that after she was released from prison due to illness in 2020, her family sought permission for treatment abroad at least 18 times from Hasina’s administration, but the requests were rejected.

    Following Hasina’s ouster in 2024, the Yunus-led interim government finally allowed her to go. She went to London in January and returned to Bangladesh in May.

    Fighting military dictatorship

    Bangladesh’s early years of independence, gained in a bloody 1971 war against Pakistan, were marked by assassinations, coups, and countercoups as military figures and secular and Islamic leaders jockeyed for power.

    Ms. Zia’s husband, President Ziaur Rahman, had grabbed power as a military chief in 1977 and a year later formed the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. He was credited with opening democracy in the country but was killed in a 1981 military coup. Ms. Zia’s uncompromising stance against the military dictatorship helped build a mass movement against it, culminating with the ousting of dictator and former army chief H.M. Ershad in 1990.

    Ms. Zia’s opponent when she won her first term in 1991 and in several elections after that was Hasina, the daughter of independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was assassinated in a 1975 coup.

    Ms. Zia was criticized over an early 1996 election in which her party won 278 of the 300 parliamentary seats during a wide boycott by other leading parties, including Hasina’s Awami League, which demanded an election-time caretaker government. Ms. Zia’s government lasted only 12 days before a nonpartisan caretaker government was installed, and the new election was held that June.

    Ms. Zia returned to power in 2001 in a government shared with the country’s main Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, which had a dark past involving Bangladesh’s independence war.

    Ms. Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party was previously closely allied with the party and her government maintained the confidence of the business community by following pro-investment, open-market policies. Ms. Zia was known to have a soft spot for Pakistan and used to deliver anti-Indian political speeches. India alleged insurgents were allowed to use Bangladesh’s soil to destabilize India’s northeastern states under Ms. Zia, especially during her term from 2001 to 2006.

    During that term, Ms. Zia also was tainted by allegations that her elder son, Tarique Rahman, was running a parallel government and was involved in widespread corruption.

    A rivalry with Hasina

    In 2004, Hasina blamed Ms. Zia’s government and Rahman for grenade attacks in Dhaka that killed 24 members of her Awami League party and wounded hundreds of people. Hasina narrowly escaped the attack, which she characterized as an assassination attempt, and subsequently won the 2008 general election.

    Ms. Zia’s party and its partners boycotted the 2014 election in a dispute over a caretaker government, giving a one-sided victory to the increasingly authoritarian regime of Hasina. Her party joined the national elections in 2018 but boycotted again in 2024, allowing Hasina to return to power for a fourth consecutive time through controversial elections.

    Ms. Zia was sentenced to 17 years in jail in two separate corruption cases for misuse of power in embezzling funds meant for a charity named after her late husband. Her party said the charges were politically motivated to weaken the opposition, but the Hasina government said it did not interfere and the case was a matter for the courts.

    Hasina was bitterly criticized by both her opponents and independent critics for sending Ms. Zia to jail.

    Health concerns placed over politics

    Ms. Zia was released from jail by Hasina’s government in 2020 and was moved to a rented home, from which she regularly visited a private hospital. Her family repeatedly requested that Hasina’s administration allow Ms. Zia to travel abroad for medical treatment, but was refused.

    After 15 years in power, Hasina was ousted in a mass uprising in August 2024 and fled the country. Ms. Zia was given permission to travel abroad by an interim government led by Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

    Ms. Zia was silent about politics for years and did not attend political rallies, but she remained the BNP chairperson until her death. Rahman has been the party’s acting chair since 2018.

    She was last seen at an annual function of the Bangladesh military in Dhaka Cantonment on Nov. 21, when Yunus and other political leaders met her. She was in a wheelchair and appeared pale and tired.

    She is survived by Rahman, her elder son and heir apparent in the political dynasty. Her younger son, Arafat, died in 2015.

  • Is red wine better for you than white? The answer may surprise you.

    Is red wine better for you than white? The answer may surprise you.

    The question: Is red wine healthier than white wine?

    The science: Many people think red wine is better for you than white wine or other types of alcohol.

    The notion was partly born from studies — some of which have been disputed — that suggested that certain compounds found in red wine could improve cardiovascular health.

    Now the evidence suggests that any type of alcohol — including red wine — is unlikely to make you any healthier than drinking no alcohol at all.

    “There’s no isolated health benefit of red wine over white wine over any other beverage containing alcohol,” said George Koob, the director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. And, he added, “There’s no physical health benefits of which we can attribute to alcohol.”

    While it’s long been known that heavy alcohol consumption can cause serious health problems, the potential benefits and risks of moderate drinking — defined as up to two drinks per day for men and one for women — have been murkier. In the past, some research suggested that people who drank small amounts of alcohol in general might have a health advantage compared with those who didn’t drink at all.

    But as research has evolved over the years, we now know that even modest drinking is linked to a higher risk of developing certain cancers such as breast, colorectal and esophageal cancers, as well as brain changes and dementia, heart problems and sleep problems.

    Dietary guidance has also changed. Current guidelines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture state that “emerging evidence suggests that even drinking within the recommended limits may increase the overall risk of death from various causes.” The American Heart Association recommends limiting or abstaining from alcohol, even though the association published a scientific review in 2025 that concluded that light drinking poses no risk for coronary artery disease, stroke, sudden death and possibly heart failure, and may even reduce the risk of developing such conditions — though not all experts agreed with that conclusion.

    The argument in favor of red wine used to focus on certain compounds.

    Red wine contains more polyphenols — plant compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties — because the grape juice is fermented with the grape skins, where these compounds are concentrated. (White wine grapes are pressed, and the skins removed, before the fermentation process.)

    These polyphenols include procyanidins, flavonoids and resveratrol, which is often mentioned in cancer research. Another type, anthocyanins, helps give red wine its rich color and has been studied for potential cardiovascular benefits.

    Most of the health benefits associated with these polyphenols have been observed in studies at much higher doses than what you would get from a couple glasses of wine, so there’s no real advantage, experts said.

    “The concentrations are sufficiently low that you would have to drink more than moderate amounts to truly get that much more benefit from the polyphenols in red wine,” which could lead to health issues, said Eric Rimm, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who has studied the health effects of alcohol.

    Instead, you could add stronger sources of anthocyanins into your diet, including darker berries such as blueberries, apples, onions, black or green tea, and dark chocolate, Rimm said.

    As for other risks and benefits, some people may avoid red wine because it can stain teeth and cause headaches and even allergy-like symptoms. While red wine headaches are not fully understood, some people may be especially sensitive to the tannins in the grapes, histamines or sulfites produced through fermentation, or the additional sulfites added to preserve wine. Some research suggests quercetin, an antioxidant found in grapes, may be responsible.

    In one study, people who had a wine intolerance were more likely to report allergy-like symptoms such as nasal congestion, itching, flushed skin and stomach upset more often after drinking red wine than white wine.

    What else you should know

    While drinking alcohol probably won’t lead to any positive health effects, you may be able to reduce potential negative effects by how you drink it.

    First, speak with your health care provider about whether drinking alcohol is safe for you. People who are pregnant, have certain medical conditions, take medications that interact with alcohol, or have or are recovering from an alcohol-use disorder should not drink, according to USDA. Also, teetotalers, people who don’t already drink, should not start drinking for any health reasons, health officials said.

    Assuming you’re of legal drinking age — 21 years or older in the United States — here are some tips from experts:

    1. Eat first: Food, particularly foods with some protein, fats and carbohydrates, slows the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream, reducing potential ill effects.
    2. Understand drink sizes: A standard alcoholic drink has 0.6 ounces of pure alcohol. That’s equal to 5 ounces of wine with 12 percent alcohol, 12 ounces of beer with 5 percent alcohol, or a shot — 1.5 ounces — of an 80-proof liquor. When buying alcohol at a store, check the alcohol content. “Beer used to be 4 or 5 percent alcohol. There are a lot of beers now that are 8 to 10 percent. So you may want to drink a little bit less if you have a higher alcohol-containing beer or a higher alcohol-containing spirit,” Rimm said.
    3. Keep in mind that men and women may process alcohol differently: Women generally don’t produce as much of an alcohol-metabolizing enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase, which means they break down alcohol more slowly and are at a higher risk of alcohol-related health problems.
    4. Drink in moderation: Moderation is defined as up to two drinks per day for men and one for women. Also, space out drinks throughout the week — meaning don’t drink all 7 or 14 drinks in one weekend.
    5. The bottom line: While red wine has more polyphenols, which are associated with cardiovascular benefits, than white wine, they aren’t in a high enough concentration to provide a health advantage. In addition, red wine may be more likely than white wine to cause headaches and allergy-like symptoms in people who are susceptible.
  • The very worst sports decisions of 2025

    The very worst sports decisions of 2025

    The past year in sports was full of choices that worked out swimmingly, such as Anthony Joshua taking a fight on relatively short notice. The fight, of course, was against Jake Paul, it earned Joshua a massive payday, and he finished it with a knockout of someone a lot of people wanted to see get knocked out.

    Other choices didn’t work out quite so well, and a few were unfortunate enough to make this roundup of 2025’s thoroughly regrettable sports decisions. It’s a non-comprehensive list (and by all means, make some additions in the comments), but it should be enough to have us all looking to ring in a less misguided new year.

    The Mavericks trade Luka Doncic for … not much

    Never mind that, in the wake of the Luka Doncic trade, the Dallas Mavericks wound up with Cooper Flagg. They don’t get credit for seeing a piece of outrageous good fortune fall into their collective lap.

    On the other hand, the Mavericks deserved all the criticism they received — a Texas—size mass that didn’t subside for months — and not just because they dealt a massively popular, 25-year-old superstar who already had led them to the NBA Finals. The return for Doncic and a couple of ancillary pieces to make the trade work included an aging and injury-prone Anthony Davis, Max Christie, a first-round draft pick and … actually, that was it.

    The worst part? Well, that’s a tough question, given that the trade came as an out-of-nowhere jolt of shocking news, left the franchise bereft of a long-term centerpiece (again, the subsequent, utterly fluky landing of Flagg doesn’t count) and allowed the Los Angeles Lakers to retain some assets that the Mavericks should have demanded as part of the package. Maybe the most galling aspect was that Nico Harrison, the Mavericks’ general manager, didn’t shop Doncic around the league, a process that almost certainly would have yielded more substantial offers. Instead, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka appeared to use his long-standing friendship with Harrison to pull off a clandestine swindle. Plus, did it have to be the Lakers? You know, the franchise that has lorded over the Western Conference for huge chunks of the past 45 years and whose fans have come to expect the regular arrival of elite players as their birthright?

    None of that sat at all well with Mavericks fans, and ultimately their fury and the team’s lack of success after the trade cost Harrison his job. He’s no longer around, but the frustration of the Doncic trade figures to linger in Dallas for years to come.

    Orion Kerkering throws home

    It might be unfair to say he panicked, but Orion Kerkering was hardly the picture of composure when a ball was hit back to the Philadelphia Phillies’ 24-year-old pitcher in the bottom of the 11th inning of Game 4 of the National League Division Series. Kerkering had trouble fielding the ball, but after he did eventually pick it up, he appeared to have time to turn and throw to first base. Given that there were two outs, a successful throw to the first baseman would have ended the inning, kept the score tied and kept the Phillies alive in their series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

    The Phillies will give Orion Kerkering ‘the best support system’ to help him get past NLDS blunder

    Certainly, that was what Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto wanted. As Kerkering picked up the ball, Realmuto was pointing toward first base. Alas, the pitcher opted to throw home — the bases were loaded, so an inning-ending out also could have been made at the plate — but he had only a split second to beat the runner, and Kerkering’s rushed effort sailed wide of Realmuto. The runner was safe at home, the Dodgers spilled out of their dugout with joy, and the Phillies were forced to contemplate a brutal end to their season. Kerkering defended his decision, saying he thought he could get the ball to home plate faster than if he turned and threw to first, but he acknowledged, “It was just a horses— throw.”

    The Clippers bring back Chris Paul

    When the Los Angeles Clippers signed Chris Paul in July to a one-year contract, it seemed like a solid move, potentially even a heartwarming one — after all, Paul is a franchise icon, and he was poised to help his team return to the playoffs in what could be his final NBA season. Instead, the relationship between Paul — never one to refrain from offering strong opinions on team-related matters — and the Clippers’ coaching staff reportedly curdled almost immediately. Then, barely a quarter of the way through this season, the 40-year-old point guard was banished altogether.

    Paul remains under contract, though, meaning that after getting the heave-ho, he is still essentially getting paid handsomely by the Clippers not to work. Wait, why does that sound familiar? Oh, right — their season began under a cloud of suspicion that they may have circumvented NBA salary cap rules by arranging for Kawhi Leonard to receive a lucrative, no-show job from a team sponsor. At least Leonard is performing his job for the Clippers by putting up good numbers, but he already has missed a chunk of the season with his latest injury and, more ominously, has proved unable to help the Clippers avoid an early-season free fall that has them near the bottom of the Western Conference.

    A guy gets caught stealing a hat from a kid

    Here’s the thing: If you’re going to swipe a cap clearly meant for a kid, don’t do it where loads of cameras are present. Wait, sorry, here’s the thing: Don’t do it at all. Alas, Polish businessman Piotr Szczerek found it as easy in the moment as stealing candy from a baby, only to discover that his misdeed went viral.

    Caught red-handed at the U.S. Open (tennis version), Szczerek subsequently issued an apology, but not before online sleuths found his business and subjected it to damagingly poor reviews. Even in his apology, Szczerek claimed it was “never my intent to steal away a prized memento from the young fan,” leading to another round of criticism.

    Picking upsets in your NCAA bracket

    Everyone knows that if you actually want to win your NCAA tournament pool, you can’t go chalk. While you may not be able to predict which upsets will occur, you know they’re coming, so your best bet is to pick a few and hope you get some hits.

    Unless, that is, you were filling out a bracket for the 2025 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, which turned out to be a chalk show. The top 16 seeds won their first-round games, the only No. 12 seeds to get to the second round promptly lost, the only double-digit seed in the Sweet 16 was a John Calipari-coached SEC squad (No. 10 Arkansas, which promptly lost), and the Final Four was composed solely of No. 1 seeds. At least, at that point, Duke haters got to see the Blue Devils get upset by Houston, but even that unexpected result deprived hoops fans of seeing Flagg in the national title game.

    Tom Brady clones his dog

    In thanking a biosciences company for giving him and his family “a second chance with a clone of our beloved dog,” Tom Brady raised a question of what kind of “second chance” he thought he was getting. Obviously, the first go-round went so well that he decided to have the dog duplicated, so it wasn’t a question of making amends. At the same time, the personality that so endeared the original pooch to the Bradys wouldn’t necessarily be replicated in the clone.

    What Brady could count on, if he cared to get some feedback, was disapproval from animal rights activists and others who happen to be well aware that tons of terrific pups are just waiting at shelters for a loving human to come along. That act of compassion could be accomplished for a fraction of the price of cloning — and without the possibility that several attempts might be discarded before an acceptable look-alike was produced.

    Chauncey Billups plays in shady poker games

    Chauncey Billups, the Portland Trail Blazers coach who was placed on unpaid leave one game into the season after being arrested on money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy charges, pleaded not guilty. Perhaps he did nothing wrong and is guilty only of poor judgment — but, hoo boy, did he display some poor judgment in getting involved in an allegedly Mafia-backed scheme to use his celebrity to attract other poker players to illegal games so they could be defrauded with techniques such as rigged card-shuffling machines. In addition, Billups was accused by federal authorities of passing along information about the Trail Blazers’ plans to tank a March game by benching players, which allegedly resulted in big-money bets being placed on the contest.

    If Billups plays his cards right (ahem) with the not-guilty plea and avoids what could be decades in prison, he still might be banned for life by the NBA, particularly if there is compelling evidence that he did indeed share Portland’s tanking plans. At a minimum, he probably can kiss his coaching career goodbye, and his recent Hall of Fame induction could be in jeopardy.

    A marathoner tries to help her maid

    After Ruth Chepngetich eventually provided an explanation for how she came to have a banned substance in her system, the Athletics Integrity Unit described her tale as “hardly credible.” Even if you take her explanation at face value, though, it doesn’t exactly do her any favors.

    Chepngetich, who smashed the women’s marathon world record in October 2024 only to test positive for hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) several months later, was said to have told investigators that she fell ill with similar symptoms to those experienced shortly before by her housemaid. According to the AIU, an agency established by track and field’s international governing body to ensure athletes adhere to anti-doping protocols, the 31-year-old Kenyan asked what medication her maid had taken and then promptly ingested it herself. Chepngetich even provided a photo of the medication, which clearly stated “Hydrochlorothiazide” on its packaging, and she was said to have claimed she didn’t know it was on the prohibited list.

    The AIU noted that Chepngetich had multiple opportunities to give her account of events before she provided the explanation and that it still didn’t account for the trace amounts of HCTZ found in a test she took before the episode in question. She accepted a three-year suspension, although her record has been allowed to stand, at least for the time being.

    Bill Belichick agrees to go on camera

    Infamously taciturn during his two-decade run as the New England Patriots’ coach, Bill Belichick invariably gave the impression that he would much rather be left alone to work on game plans in a darkened film room. After taking the North Carolina job, though, he was much more willing to go on camera. By doing so, the 73-year-old Belichick also happened to shine more of a spotlight on his girlfriend, 24-year-old Jordon Hudson. That may have been the plan all along (for at least one of them), but it didn’t always go the way they would have liked.

    Most notably, Hudson’s commandeering of a “CBS Sunday Morning” interview of Belichick in April raised widespread questions about how much of a managerial role she seemed to have taken. When the season started, she became a very visible presence on the Tar Heels’ sidelines, and cameras also caught Belichick conferring with her there shortly before games kicked off. In October, video emerged from an aborted docuseries on Belichick by NFL Films that showed Hudson displaying a high degree of involvement and, at times, casting aspersions on the work of production team members.

    As for the on-field product Belichick produced, he probably wishes that wasn’t filmed, either. In his first season at UNC, he oversaw a 4-8 season that began with an embarrassing blowout loss and included four other defeats by at least 16 points.

    Mississippi fans hope for Lane Kiffin to stay

    Sure, Lane Kiffin’s bolting for LSU just after guiding the Rebels to their best regular season since 1962 made for a messy ending in Oxford, but what did Mississippi fans expect? Kiffin departed almost all of his coaching gigs with a trail of ill will in his wake, and the LSU job has been a generally more coveted position for decades.

    Nonetheless, a lot of Mississippi fans apparently expected Kiffin to stay, and many of them didn’t appreciate getting jilted. Maybe now that he’s with the Tigers, some of those fans will learn that a leopard can’t change his spots.

    FIFA creates a peace prize for Trump

    Maybe, just maybe, if President Donald Trump hadn’t been openly pining for a Nobel Peace Prize, and if FIFA head Gianni Infantino hadn’t been acting so openly obsequious toward Trump, the fact that FIFA’s newly created peace prize just happened to go to Trump wouldn’t seem like such a blatant case of currying favor. Of course, soccer’s international governing body could reasonably have some major concerns about the smooth staging of its 2026 World Cup — much of which will be in the United States, which hasn’t exactly rolled out the welcome mat for foreign visitors this year — that FIFA wants very much to allay.

    We’ll see how it goes next year with the world’s most-watched tournament, just as we’ll see who gets picked by FIFA as the next recipient of what it promises will be an annual honor. Presumably, the pool of candidates will be composed solely of world figures Infantino reckons will actually want to accept an award of such dubious origin.

    FIFA asks Wayne Gretzky to pronounce names of countries

    At the same World Cup draw this month where Infantino handed Trump his hardware, Wayne Gretzky was asked to help read names of countries as they were slotted into pods for group play. While it wasn’t ideal that he pronounced Curaçao as “Cuh-rocco” and North Macedonia as “Mack-a-donia,” in fairness, those probably aren’t places he hears dropped into conversation very often.

    But Jordan? Or as Gretzky put it, “Jor-DAN”? Again, that’s a country not likely to be bandied about frequently in Gretzky’s presence, but you would think he has heard more than enough comparisons to Michael Jordan to just go with that as the default pronunciation.

    NASCAR thinking it could win a court battle against Michael Jordan

    Speaking of Jordan, his latest showdown was in a federal courtroom, not on an NBA court, but the outcome would have been familiar to any number of Jordan’s opponents in hoops: NASCAR was put on the proverbial poster. Jordan and his 23XI racing team, along with co-plaintiff Front Row Motorsports, came away with a settlement of their antitrust lawsuit that pretty much gave them what they wanted. In turn, that amounted to a huge win for all the other Cup Series teams, who also will benefit from the reported settlement terms of permanent charters, greater revenue sharing and more say in how the overall business operates.

    The Charlotte-based judge who presided over the nine-day trial, which began approximately 14 months after Jordan and his partners filed suit, said he wished the settlement could have been reached “a few months ago.” Some NASCAR officials probably felt the same way, given some of the damaging details that emerged during discovery. They reportedly included text messages from NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps to a colleague that called team owner Richard Childress a “stupid redneck” who should be “taken out back and flogged.”

    It remains to be seen whether Phelps is able to keep his job, but there is little doubt that the organization he works for got dunked on by His Airness.

    The choice of Keegan Bradley for Ryder Cup captain

    Normally, active PGA Tour players are not chosen for the Ryder Cup captaincy. Keegan Bradley was not only very much still on the tour but, in fact, played so well this year that he might have been a captain’s pick — had he not been the captain himself. Technically, Bradley could have selected himself, but he chose to focus solely on his duties as captain.

    The result of the Ryder Cup — a 15-13 win for Europe on American soil — made it fair to wonder whether it would have been better to pick a captain who could have used the whole PGA Tour season to focus on the event instead of finding time between tournaments to give it thought. Bradley was criticized for his pairings — particularly the duo of Harris English and Collin Morikawa, whose possible partnership ranked dead last out of 132 optimal pairings in a widely cited statistical model — as well as his course setup and other tactics.

    It seems safe to assume that, come 2027, the Ryder Cup captaincy will revert to an accomplished player who has aged out of the PGA Tour. Hmmm … Tiger Woods, anyone?

    Mark Sanchez picks a fight over parking

    Allegedly, anyway. At Mark Sanchez’s trial, which was moved to March, he might be able to present a convincing case that he was the victim in an October incident that left him in a hospital with stab wounds. The bizarre episode resulted in a felony charge being brought against the former quarterback, who can now also be called a former Fox Sports analyst after the network parted ways with him.

    In Indianapolis for an upcoming Colts game, Sanchez was said by prosecutors to have been in a state of public intoxication when he approached a 69-year-old man and allegedly took issue with where the latter had parked his truck. The man was described as an employee of a cooking oil recycling company who had brought his truck to a hotel loading dock to perform his job duties before ending up in a physical confrontation, during which the man allegedly produced a knife to defend himself from further attack.

    Authorities cited surveillance video from a hotel in bringing charges, which indicates Sanchez’s legal team will have some work to do. If he can’t adequately explain his side of things, Sanchez could get prison time.

  • Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald lead Pro Football Hall of Fame modern era finalists

    Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald lead Pro Football Hall of Fame modern era finalists

    Quarterback Drew Brees and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald headlined a group of four modern era finalists in their first year of eligibility for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

    Tight end Jason Witten and running back Frank Gore were the two other first-year eligible players who were also announced Tuesday among the 15 finalists.

    Willie Anderson, Torry Holt, Luke Kuechly and Adam Vinatieri were guaranteed spots after advancing to the final seven in voting for the 2025 class. There are six other returning finalists with Eli Manning, Reggie Wayne, Jahri Evans, Marshall Yanda, Terrell Suggs and Darren Woodson all making it back to this stage.

    Defensive tackle Kevin Williams made it to the finalist stage for the first time in his sixth year of eligibility.

    The Eagles are going to keep driving you crazy with their passive offense. Get used to it.

    The 50-person selection committee will vote on the 15 finalists next month with the results announced Feb. 5 at “NFL Honors.” Between three and five of the finalists will be inducted in the second year of this current format.

    In addition to the modern era finalists, the selection committee will also consider seniors candidates Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and L.C. Greenwood, coaching candidate Bill Belichick and contributor Robert Kraft. Between one and three of those finalists will make it into the Hall.

    Only four people got in last year for the smallest class in 20 years.

    Brees and Fitzgerald are the top new candidates this year.

    Brees is second all time to Tom Brady with 80,358 yards passing and 571 touchdown passes. He spent the first five seasons of his career with the San Diego Chargers before signing as a free agent with the Saints in 2006, where his career took off as he helped lift a city still recovering from Hurricane Katrina.

    Brees delivered to New Orleans its first Super Bowl title following the 2009 season, when he won MVP of the game after beating Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. Brees made the Pro Bowl 13 times in his career, won AP Offensive Player of the Year in 2008 and 2011, was an All-Pro in 2006 and was a second-team All-Pro four times.

    Fitzgerald spent his entire career with the Arizona Cardinals after being drafted third overall in 2004. His 1,432 catches and 17,492 yards receiving in 17 seasons rank second all time to Jerry Rice.

    Fitzgerald topped 1,000 yards receiving nine times — tied for the fourth most ever — and helped the Cardinals reach their only Super Bowl following the 2008 season. Fitzgerald set single-season records that postseason with 546 yards receiving and seven TD catches, including a go-ahead 64-yard score with 2:37 to play in the Super Bowl before Pittsburgh rallied for a 27-23 win over Arizona.

    Witten was one of the most prolific tight ends with his 1,228 catches and 13,046 yards ranking second best all time. Witten was a two-time All-Pro for Dallas and was a second-team All-Pro two other times.

    Gore ranks third all time with 16,000 yards rushing with nine 1,000-yard seasons and five Pro Bowl honors.

    The Eagles wouldn’t be foolish to rest their starters in Week 18. But they’d better be right.

    Kuechly’s career was brief but impactful. The first-round pick by Carolina in 2012 was an All-Pro five times, with seven Pro Bowl nods and a Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

    Over his eight-year career, Kuechly led all linebackers in the NFL in tackles (1,090), takeaways (26), interceptions (18) and passes defensed (66).

    Vinatieri was one of the most clutch kickers in NFL history, making the game-winning field goals in the first two Super Bowl victories during New England’s dynasty.

    He helped launch the run with one of the game’s greatest kicks — a 45-yarder in the snow to force overtime in the “Tuck Rule” game against the Raiders in the 2001 divisional round. He made the game-winning kick in OT to win that game and then hit a 48-yarder on the final play of a 20-17 win in the Super Bowl against the Rams.

    Vinatieri is the NFL’s career leader in points (2,673) and made field goals (599) over a 24-year career with New England and Indianapolis. He also leads all players with 56 field goals and 238 points in the postseason.

    Holt was a key part of the Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf,” helping the team win the Super Bowl in his rookie season in 1999 and getting back there two years later. Holt led the NFL in yards receiving in 2000 and in catches and yards in 2003 when he made his only All-Pro team.

    Holt finished his career with 920 catches for 13,382 yards and 74 TDs.

    Anderson was considered one of the top right tackles in his era after being a first-round pick by Cincinnati in 1996. He spent nearly his entire career with the Bengals and made three straight All-Pro teams from 2004-06.

    Among the candidates who didn’t advance from the 26 semifinalists were quarterback Philip Rivers, who was taken off the ballot when he came out of retirement, and offensive lineman Steve Wisniewski, who was in his final year of eligibility as a modern era candidate.

    Two finalists from last year also didn’t advance with running back Fred Taylor and receiver Steve Smith Sr. falling short.

  • Israel says it will halt operations of several humanitarian organizations in Gaza starting in 2026

    Israel says it will halt operations of several humanitarian organizations in Gaza starting in 2026

    JERUSALEM — Israel said Tuesday it will suspend over two dozen humanitarian organizations, including Doctors Without Borders, for failing to meet its new rules to vet international organizations working in Gaza.

    The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs said the nongovernmental organizations that will be banned on Jan. 1 did not meet new requirements for sharing staff, funding, and operations information. It accused Doctors Without Borders, one of the largest health organizations operating in Gaza, of failing to clarify the roles of some staff that Israel accused of cooperation with Hamas and other insurgent groups.

    International organizations have said Israel’s rules are arbitrary and could endanger staff. The ministry said around 25 organizations, or 15% of the NGOs working in Gaza, did not have their permits renewed.

    Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French acronym MSF, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israel previously accused its staff of involvement in military activities in Gaza in 2024. At the time, the group said it was “deeply concerned by these allegations” and “taking them very seriously.” The group said it would never knowingly employ people engaged in military activity.

    Israel and international organizations have been at odds over the amount of aid going into Gaza. Israel claims it is upholding the aid commitments laid out in the latest ceasefire in the two-year war, which took effect Oct. 10, but humanitarian organizations dispute Israel’s numbers and say more aid is desperately needed in the devastated Palestinian territory of more than 2 million people.

  • Here’s what Dry January does to your body

    Here’s what Dry January does to your body

    The booze-free month known as Dry January has surged in popularity, from just 4,000 participants when it launched in 2013 to millions of (at least short-term) teetotalers today. If you are considering giving up alcohol this January, you’ll be happy to hear that new research suggests it may bring you health benefits, including better mood and sleep, as well as lower blood sugar and blood pressure.

    A review of 16 studies on Dry January recently published in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism found that even a short pause in alcohol use is linked to improvements in physical and psychological health.

    Dry January participants reported better mood, improved sleep, and weight loss, and had healthier blood pressure, blood sugar, and liver function. And several of the studies found participants experienced some benefits from simply reducing their drinking, also known as “Damp January,” rather than abstaining entirely.

    Health effects of giving up alcohol

    The tradition of abstaining from alcohol in January began in 2013 as a challenge by a charity, Alcohol Change UK, to reduce “alcohol harm.” In 2025, 21% of U.S. adults said they planned to participate in Dry January, a YouGov poll found.

    Fewer people in the United States are drinking in general. About 54% of U.S. adults say they drink alcohol, according to a 2025 Gallup poll, the lowest that number has been since Gallup started tracking drinking behavior in 1939.

    Alcohol use has been increasingly linked to health problems. In January, the U.S. surgeon general published an advisory report warning that alcohol can cause seven types of cancer, including breast and colorectal cancers.

    And a 2025 study in the journal BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine suggested that no amount of alcohol is safe in terms of dementia risk.

    “Alcohol affects far more aspects of our physical health beyond the commonly cited liver damage,” said Megan Strowger, a postdoctoral research associate at the University at Buffalo and lead author of the new review. (Strowger conducted this research during a postdoctoral fellowship at Brown University’s Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies.) Strowger and her colleagues were surprised by the wide-ranging health effects of just a month without alcohol, including changes in blood pressure, insulin resistance, blood glucose, liver function, and even cancer-related growth factors.

    Even those who didn’t abstain for the full month reported health benefits such as better mental well-being a month later. They also had “decreased drinking frequency, reduced drunkenness, and lower alcohol consumption” six months later, two studies cited in the review found.

    “Given that there weren’t huge reductions in drinking … I thought it was impressive that they found some of those physical health benefits around lowered blood pressure and liver abnormalities,” said Daniel Blalock, a medical associate professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University School of Medicine, who was not involved in the review.

    How to reduce your alcohol consumption

    Strowger sees Dry January as a helpful opportunity. “What really makes Dry January successful is its massive reach and unique, non-stigmatizing approach; it focuses on the positive, accessible health outcomes of taking a break, rather than dwelling on participants’ prior drinking habits or issues of addiction,” she said.

    Here are some ways you can limit your alcohol consumption:

    • Try Damp January: If you’re not quite ready to give up alcohol entirely this January (or for Dry July or Sober October), you might consider Damp January, “where the goal is to reduce consumption rather than attempt full abstinence, making the shift feel more manageable,” Strowger said.

    “It helps prevent what we call the ‘abstinence violation effect,’ where if you fall off the wagon, you say, ‘Forget it, I might as well just get really drunk since I haven’t met my goal of complete abstinence,’” said Blalock, also a clinical research psychologist at Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

    • Track your progress: Write down when you drink and how it makes you feel in a notebook, said George F. Koob, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, or the Notes app on your phone. There are also digital tools such as the Try Dry app that make tracking your alcohol use simple, Strowger said.
    • Create an environment to drink less: Try creating a social environment that supports your goal to drink less, Blalock said. For example, if you join a running club for a Saturday morning run, you might be less inclined to drink the night before so you can wake up feeling fresh.

    And while you certainly don’t have to join a running club, exercise is one of Koob’s go-to recommendations for drinking less. It can help you cope with stress, rather than relying on alcohol to take the edge off. “Taking a walk clears your brain, and you come back and you don’t need that drink in order to relax,” he said.

    The researchers noted there’s also little harm in trying Dry January if you’re at all sober-curious — it may even be easier than trying to cut back on drinking at other times of the year.

    Saying you’re participating in Dry January often reduces some of the stigma associated with wanting to drink less alcohol, because so many people do it and can relate to the desire to start the year off a little bit healthier, Blalock said.

    “Dry January really helps you evaluate your relationship with alcohol,” Koob said. It may prompt you to pay more attention to how much and when you’re drinking, and how you feel the next day. “If you feel better when you’re not drinking, you should listen to your body, because it’s telling you something,” he said.

  • Nvidia, Lenovo, and Samsung to test consumer appetite for AI at CES

    Nvidia, Lenovo, and Samsung to test consumer appetite for AI at CES

    At CES, the annual consumer technology conference happening in Las Vegas next week, the biggest names in tech, including Nvidia Corp., Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. and Lenovo Group Ltd., will make the case for artificial intelligence. Their target audience those few days: investors, corporate clients, and — perhaps just as importantly — ordinary shoppers who have yet to be fully sold on the idea of AI-infused gadgets.

    CES, which runs from Jan. 6-9, is where many tech companies unveil their wares for the year. That includes a mix of products that are imminently available for purchase, and concept devices that may or may not go to market — and could be half-baked if they do. While Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is likely to be the most charismatic showman in Vegas hyping AI’s underlying technologies, he’ll be surrounded by a slew of players that are testing consumers’ appetite for gadgets where AI isn’t just a nice-to-have feature, but the main selling point.

    The show floor this year will be particularly populated with AI-powered hardware, including the sort of smart glasses popularized by Meta Platforms Inc. and that Snap Inc. and Apple Inc. are planning to launch by the end of 2026. While Meta and Snap will both have a presence at CES, the bulk of the news in this space is likely to come from smaller brands, such as Xreal Inc., Vuzix Corp., Halliday Global Ltd., Rokid, and Even Realities.

    Meta isn’t expected to unveil new hardware at this time, having recently debuted its first smart glasses with a built-in screen. It is possible, however, that the social media giant is ready to show off some new or improved software features. It’s a similar story for Snap, which isn’t likely to choose this venue to announce pricing and availability for its forthcoming “Specs” glasses. The Specs will be on display for attendees who haven’t had a chance to see them in person, which has so far mostly included select media outlets.

    In addition to eyewear, such as glasses and goggles, some of these gadgets will take the form of a ring or something else entirely — underscoring that start-ups and Big Tech alike remain bullish on AI-first hardware that lets people tap into intelligent assistants without necessarily taking out their smartphone. Previous offerings, including the Humane AI Pin and the Rabbit R1, were commercial failures after being panned by tech reviewers.

    Robots everywhere

    Many companies will also be testing consumers’ readiness to accept AI-powered humanoid robots. There will be so many players, in fact, that the Consumer Technology Association, or CTA, which organizes CES, has set aside an entire hall of the convention space for robotics. While some of these robots are intended for the home, many of the models on display will be designed for enterprise uses such as manufacturing, logistics, and food service. Firms such as Artly Coffee and VenHub Global will show off technology for AI-powered robotic cafes and convenience stores.

    Companion robots will be a common sight as well, including products such as the Jennie robot dog from Tombot Inc., a California-based start-up focused on developing products for aging adults and people living with dementia.

    If 2026 is similar to previous shows, there’s likely to be a sizable gap between what many of these human-inspired bots are capable of in controlled demos vs. what their makers promise they’ll eventually be able to do.

    Still, there are signs of progress. Many humanoid makers this year are shifting from single-task demonstrations to more complex, multistep tricks, such as both sorting and folding laundry. Larger players, including LG, are expected to tease their own humanoid concepts, but the companies will need to convince attendees that these machines are commercially viable amid ongoing challenges around battery life, mobility, cost, and safety.

    Everything else

    Above all other categories, televisions have traditionally been the centerpiece of CES, with Samsung, LG, and ascendant Chinese competitors TCL and Hisense showing off their brightest, biggest sets for the new year. Sony Group Corp., once a cornerstone of the convention show floor, has moved its TV product announcements to spring in recent years and pared back its booth as a result.

    In 2026, with high-end TVs now delivering more than enough brightness and resolution for most consumers, manufacturers are likely to focus on wider color reproduction and other improvements that result in a more vivid, lifelike picture. Aesthetically pleasing models like Samsung’s The Frame line have inspired a wave of clones from other TV makers, a trend that’s likely to continue in Vegas.

    CES typically isn’t a venue for major smartphone news, but Motorola could be an exception this year. Its parent company, Lenovo, is headlining one of the show’s evening keynotes for the first time, and Motorola mailed a teaser package to media that strongly hints at a book-style foldable. Such a device would be its first of that form factor after years of releasing Razr-branded folding handsets.

    Meanwhile, wearables will continue to evolve beyond basic fitness tracking, blurring the lines with medical-grade devices. The show will feature products such as a smart night guard that not only protects against teeth grinding but also claims to monitor sleep apnea events, heart rate, respiration, and sleep cycles. Wearables in general are expected to offer a greater focus on women’s health, continuous glucose monitoring, advanced cardiovascular tracking, longevity, and chronic-condition management.

  • Trump says he might sue Fed Chair Jerome Powell for ‘gross incompetence’

    Trump says he might sue Fed Chair Jerome Powell for ‘gross incompetence’

    President Donald Trump on Monday said he might sue Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell for what the president called “gross incompetence,” injecting new tension into the already strained relationship between the White House and the independent central bank.

    Speaking at a news conference beside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, Trump said, “The guy is just incompetent.” Trump first brought up the Fed’s multibillion-dollar renovation project, which at times has become a stand-in for Trump’s ongoing attacks on the Fed system.

    “It’s gross incompetence against Powell,” Trump said, adding: “We’re going to probably bring a lawsuit against him.”

    Trump threatened a “major lawsuit” against Powell over the summer, but he never followed through. It wasn’t clear what specific claims Trump was referring to Monday, or how or when a suit could be brought. The White House did not respond to a request for more information.

    The Fed declined to comment.

    The Fed’s renovation project isn’t the only way Trump has put pressure on the bank. White House officials and their allies routinely call for lower interest rates, even though monetary policy is supposed to be siloed off from politics. Trump has threatened to oust Powell and has tried to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, setting up an ongoing legal battle over a president’s ability to remove central bankers.

    Trump administration officials have alleged Powell either lied to Congress about the renovation or grossly mismanaged the project. Over the summer, when Trump’s criticism was most acute, the price tag for the project had swelled to nearly $2.5 billion, up from an estimate of $1.9 billion before the pandemic. The health crisis and ensuing economic upheaval caused materials such as steel and cement to go up in price, the Fed has said.

    Trump toured the renovations over the summer. But the visit proved surprisingly cordial, with Trump saying he wouldn’t fire Powell and wanted the project to continue. At one point, Powell held his ground and fact-checked Trump’s comments that the renovation had cost more than $3 billion.