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The White House is ushering in a new era with the election of a second Trump presidency with Usha Vance set to become the first Indian American second lady in the White House.

Vance, who is the daughter of Indian immigrants, will also be the first Hindu second lady.

Vice President-elect JD Vance credited his ‘beautiful wife for making it possible to do this’ after the big win.

‘THANK YOU! To my beautiful wife for making it possible to do this,’ he wrote on X. ‘To President Donald J. Trump, for giving me such an opportunity to serve our country at this level. And to the American people, for their trust. I will never stop fighting for ALL of you.’

The attorney has been married to JD since 2014 and they have three children together: sons, Ewan, 6, and Vivek, 4, and a daughter, Mirabel, 2.

Before law school, Vance received a bachelor’s degree in history from Yale and a master’s in philosophy from the University of Cambridge.

She completed multiple clerkships after her graduation from Yale, according to an Axios report, including for Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh when he was serving on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Vance made headlines during the Republican National Committee in July.

‘My background is very different from JD’s. I grew up in San Diego, in a middle-class community, with two loving parents, both immigrants from India, and a wonderful sister,’ she said. ‘That JD and I could meet at all, let alone fall in love and marry, is a testament to this great country.’

Fox News’ Yael Horan contributed to this report.

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Bryce Young is slated to start his third consecutive game for the Carolina Panthers.

Panthers head coach Dave Canales told reporters Wednesday that Young would start the team’s Week 10 game against the New York Giants in Germany.

“Bryce will be starting this week. This is about the progress from one week to the next. And then, I preach finish. I talk about finish all the time. Finish everything,” Canales said. “Finish plays, drives, quarters, halves, and finish games. He did a fantastic job of finishing that game the right way.”

Young is coming off a Week 9 performance in which he led a game-winning touchdown drive to cap off a 23-22 victory over the New Orleans Saints. It was the first game-winning touchdown drive of Young’s career.  

The second-year quarterback went 16-of-26 passing for 171 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

“Finding throws down the field. A lot of it is chemistry with the guys he’s been working with and finding completions and some really cool explosive plays that showed up in the game,” Canales said of Young. “Just the steps forward, the progress, and then the finish. That’s what we look for. We look for that finish.”

Why didn’t Panthers trade Bryce Young before trade deadline?

The Panthers said all along that they have a plan for the former No. 1 overall pick, Young.

Young, who was benched following the Panthers Week 2 loss and returned to the starting lineup in Week 8 after veteran quarterback Andy Dalton sprained his right thumb in a car accident, maybe didn’t have a prototypical repromotion. But he’s made positive strides as a signal-caller.

The Alabama product improved his decision-making and accuracy during his last two starts. His quarterback ratings in Week 8 (76.9) and Week 9 (77.6) were his best two marks of the year as a starter.

Despite Young’s positive steps forward, Canales didn’t commit to Young for the remainder of the season. The Panthers have a bye in Week 11. Canales and his staff will reassess the quarterback room during the bye week.

“Took all the information and wanted to give him another opportunity to get out there and face the Giants this week in Germany,” Canales said. “Because of the progress he showed, I want to just focus on this week. I want him to play again. This gives us an opportunity with the bye week to take all the information and make another decision after that.”

Should Bryce Young start remainder of season?

The 2-7 Panthers are slated to have a premium pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft.

It will behoove the Panthers to start Young for the remainder of the regular season. The Panthers should want to evaluate as much of Young’s game film as possible so they can decide whether he is their quarterback of the future.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa has no regrets about flashing his ‘Make America Great Again” hat.

Following the 49ers’ 30-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys last week on ‘Sunday Night Football,’ Bosa crashed reporter Melissa Stark’s on-field interview with his teammates Brock Purdy, George Kittle and Isaac Guerendo. Bosa pointed to his white “MAGA” hat, the slogan of President-elect Donald Trump, before running off the field.

Bosa declined to go into detail about the move later that night, saying only “I’m not gonna talk too much about it, but I think it’s an important time.’ But the four-time Pro Bowler opened up about his political statement on Wednesday, one day after Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris to become the 47th U.S. President.

‘Clearly, the nation spoke,’ Bosa told reporters Wednesday.

All things 49ers: Latest San Francisco 49ers news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

Bosa’s political statement violated the league’s rule against ‘wearing, displaying, or otherwise conveying personal messages… which relate to political activities.’ Bosa won’t be suspended for his ploy, a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports under the condition of anonymity. The person did not want to be identified because the case is still under review.

However, Bosa’s actions will likely result in a fine, which Bosa said will be ‘well worth it.’

‘I haven’t got (fined) yet, but if it comes, it comes,’ said Bosa, who acknowledged that he knew his actions would possibly lead to some form of discipline from the league. ‘I don’t think my position on speaking about it is going to change.’

When asked about election night Tuesday, Bosa said: ‘It was fun. It was a good time. I stayed up.’

Bosa was selected by the 49ers with the second overall pick of the 2019 NFL draft. Ahead of the draft, Bosa faced criticism over his controversial social media posts, including one that called former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick a ‘clown,’ in addition to his liking posts with racist and homophobic language. Bosa deleted the tweets in question and apologized.

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Alex Ovechkin’s 2024-25 season is full of milestones.

He’s playing in his 20th season in the NHL and the Washington Capitals are celebrating their 50th anniversary.

And if things continue to go well this season, Ovechkin can reach a milestone once thought unreachable.

Ovechkin, 39, entered this season needing 42 goals to break Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 894 career goals, which has stood since 1999. The Capitals star, who had 42 goals two seasons ago, has scored eight times this season, including six goals in his current five-game goal streak.

“It’s not a question of if he’s going to break the record,’ Gretzky, now a TV analyst, said on TNT. ‘It’s a question of when is he going to break the record, which is great for the game. It’s positive and he’s been a classy player for our sport for so many years.’

If Ovechkin falls short this season — he scored 31 goals last season — he has one more season left on his contract.

Here’s where Ovechkin stands in his chase of Gretzky’s goal record:

How many goals does Alex Ovechkin have?

Ovechkin has 861 career goals.

How close is Alex Ovechkin to Wayne Gretzky’s goal record?

Ovechkin needs 34 goals to break Gretzky’s record.

How many goals does Alex Ovechkin have this season?

Ovechkin has eight goals and eight assists in 12 games. He didn’t hit eight goals until his 35th game last season. He’s on pace for 55 goals this season.

What did Alex Ovechkin do in his last game?

Ovechkin had a goal, an assist and four shots in Wednesday’s 3-2 win against the Nashville Predators. He scored in the third period on a snap shot from the right faceoff circle, beating goalie Juuse Saros.

When is Alex Ovechkin’s next game?

Ovechkin plays Friday, Nov. 8, at home against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has 42 goals in 75 career games against the Penguins.

Alex Ovechkin career goal breakdown

Even strength: 543, third overall

Power play: 313, a record

Short-handed: 5

Game winners: 130, second overall

Empty net: 58, a record

How did Alex Ovechkin fare last season?

He had an uncharacteristically slow start, including a 14-game goal drought. But he started picking up after the All-Star Game, scoring in six of seven games with another stretch of eight goals in five games and finished with 31. By picking up his 18th 30-goal season, he broke the record he shared with Hall of Famer Mike Gartner. Ovechkin broke Gretzky’s record for empty-net goals and moved into second place all-time with 19 consecutive 20-goal seasons. He also improved to 129 game-winning goals, leaving him six behind record-holder Jaromir Jagr.

Who are the NHL’s top all-time goal scorers?

The top 20 NHL all-time goal scorers have all topped 600 goals and Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby can join them this season. All of the players are in the Hockey Hall of Fame, except Ovechkin, Crosby and Jagr, who is still playing in Czechia.

1. Wayne Gretzky,  894 goals in 1,487 games

2. Alex Ovechkin, 861 goals in 1,438 games

3. Gordie Howe, 801 goals in 1,767 games

4. Jaromir Jagr, 766 goals in 1,733 games

5. Brett Hull, 741 goals in 1,269 games

6. Marcel Dionne, 731 in 1,348 games

7. Phil Esposito, 717 goals in 1,282 games

8. Mike Gartner, 708 goals in 1,432 games

9. Mark Messier, 694 goals in 1,756 games

10. Steve Yzerman, 692 goals in 1,514 games

11. Mario Lemieux, 690 goals in 915 games

12. Teemu Selanne, 684 goals in 1,451 games

13. Luc Robitaille, 668 goals in 1,431 games

14. Brendan Shanahan, 656 goals in 1,524 games

15. Dave Andreychuk, 640 goals in 1,639 games

16. Jarome Iginla, 625 goals in 1,554 games

17. Joe Sakic, 625 goals in 1,378 games

18. Bobby Hull, 610 goals in 1,063 games

19. Dino Ciccarelli, 608 goals in 1,232 games

20. Jari Kurri, 601 goals in 1,251 games

21. Sidney Crosby, 598 goals in 1,286 games

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As schools like Duke and North Carolina soldier on after losing their institutional coaches, Villanova is finding it harder to recover from the loss of Jay Wright.

In Kyle Neptune’s third season, the Wildcats — who have been ousted in the first round of the NIT in Neptune’s first two seasons after nine straight NCAA tournament appearances (this excludes 2020, in which no tournament was held) under Wright — might have hit rock bottom with a 90-80 loss in The Pavilion to Columbia of the Ivy League.

Villanova, which didn’t allow 90-plus points in a game in either of Neptune’s first two seasons, put Columbia to the line 26 times. The Lions made 24 of those free throws. They also made 8 of 24 3-point attempts, and shot 29 of 54 (53.7%) from the field.

The last time Villanova allowed 90 or more points in a game was Jan. 6, 2018, when the Wildcats defeated Marquette, 100-90.

Villanova is now 36-34 under Neptune, and 1-1 in the fledgling 2024-25 season.

Here’s what college basketball social media had to say about another devastating loss during Neptune’s tenure.

Social media reactions to Villanova losing to Columbia

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BEREA, Ohio — The questions came at Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry from multiple angles. Every one of them, however, came from one starting point.

Deshaun Watson, the once-again-done-for-the-season Browns starting quarterback. Or, as the questions posed to Berry on Wednesday during his annual bye-week media availability tried to answer, will he ever be the Browns starting quarterback again?

“Yeah, I’d say this, our focus again, organizationally, is on making sure that he gets healthy,’ Berry said. ‘Just the reality of it is, with any season-ending injury, there is some uncertainty in terms of the recovery, and so our focus is on making sure that he gets healthy and then we can move from there.”

The Achilles tear, which Watson suffered Oct. 20 against the Cincinnati Bengals and had surgery to correct on Oct. 25, typically takes a minimum of nine months from which to fully recover. Berry said of a potential timeline for that, ‘It’s still very, very early, so it would really be irresponsible for me to speculate or kind of lay out a timeline to be honest.”

Asked directly if Berry thought Watson could come back and play quarterback again for the Browns, he said, ‘Yeah, I think that’s always possible.’

All things Browns: Latest Cleveland Browns news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

That was the general vibe to most of Berry’s answers regarding where the Browns go with Watson, the player to which the franchise has handcuffed itself since making the ill-fated 2022 trade to acquire him from the Houston Texans. The trade, which cost three first-round draft picks along with a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract, has fast reached the level of one of, if not the, worst trade in league history because of the lack of any major sustained success from Watson.

That contract, and the fully guaranteed nature of it, has become the albatross hanging around the franchise’s neck. Watson’s a nearly $73 million cap hit each of the next two seasons, then nearly $27 million in a cap hit in the first year after the contract expires in 2027.

The Browns sitting at 2-7 at the bye only makes all of the questions about Watson’s long-term viability more glaring due to the other questions around the roster, questions Berry sidestepped as well. There was also the relitigation of who was directly responsible for the trade coming to pass: Berry, coach Kevin Stefanski or owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam?

“I’d say this — like we’ve always said — all of us were on board,’ Berry said. ‘Everyone was on board and, obviously with a big commitment in that regard, that’s always going to be the case.’

Watson’s Achilles tear was just the latest roadblock thrown up preventing the Browns from getting anything close to a full season out of the quarterback. There was an 11-game suspension in 2022 for personal conduct policy violations connected to more than two dozen lawsuits alleging sexual assault and sexual misconduct during massage appointments, 11 games lost last year to shoulder injuries, including a season-ending broken glenoid, and now the rest of this season lost to the Achilles tear.

That’s left 19 games total for the Browns to actually assess Watson the quarterback. It’s been 19 games that have run the gamut between stellar performances, such as the second half of last year’s Week 10 win at the Baltimore Ravens, to most of the seven games he played this season before the injury.

“It is certainly less than ideal,’ Berry said. ‘Availability’s a big part of it for any player but, again, it’s also the NFL. You at times are not going to have all your starters in every phase, and our job is still to produce despite that and at least through the first nine games of the season we have not done that.’

Watson and the Browns offense were linked hand-in-hand to the struggles which made both among the worst in the league before the injury. His own personal struggles — which included a 31st-ranked passer rating (79.0), a 26th-ranked passing yards output (1,148) and a 27th-ranked completion percentage (63.4%) — coincided with an offense that was among the worst and has remained there, even after backup Jameis Winston’s 334-yard performance a week after Watson’s injury.

Winston, who came back down to earth a bit in Sunday’s 27-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers with three interceptions, gave the offense a momentary boost with his performance against the Ravens. That only made the questions louder about why a change at the most important position on the field wasn’t made sooner while the Browns were in a season-defining five-game losing streak.

‘When you’re 2-7 entering the bye, you understand the fans’ frustration, and we have not played consistently on offense and it’s shared ownership,’ Berry said. ‘It really is shared ownership. We’re capable of playing better, we should play better and, like I said, we’re going to make the adjustments necessary to improve our performance throughout the next eight games and then obviously make the adjustments to make sure we’re not feeling this way the first nine games of the year moving forward.’

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ

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As part of the club’s “Purple Rising” theme, the Ravens will debut a new matte purple helmet adorned with a gold facemask and “talon stripes” down the centerline plus an alternate logo featuring a forward-facing raven. It’s only the third helmet the franchise has used in its 29-season history and first that isn’t primarily black.

‘I think it’s a good thing for the fans,’ said All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton.

‘Hopefully we can get a win so we can wear them again.” 

Baltimore is just the latest team to take advantage of the NFL’s relaxed rules on additional alternate helmets, a policy the Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans and New York Jets, among other squads, have newly taken advantage of during the 2024 season.

All things Ravens: Latest Baltimore Ravens news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

POWER RANKINGS: How high do the Ravens fly?

‘I can’t wait to put them on,’ cornerback Arthur Maulet told the team’s website.

‘I’m a purple guy. I’m from New Orleans. So one of my favorite colors. Purple is for royalty and loyalty. That’s king color right there. I can’t wait to put (on) the purple and gold, man.’

The Ravens will also wear their Color Rush uniforms, which feature purple pants and jerseys with gold numbers, on Thursday night.

***

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.

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Now that Week 9 is over, the 2024 NFL season has reached its midway point. The favorites for each division and playoff spot have become increasingly clear in the past few weeks. According to the latest NFL MVP odds, the favorites for the league’s most prestigious award have also become clear.

Only one team, the Baltimore Ravens, features two candidates for that top honor on the same squad.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson, already a two-time MVP winner, is the current favorite according to both BetMGM’s and DraftKings’ latest NFL MVP odds. In addition, 2020 Offensive Player of the Year Derrick Henry ranks in the top 10 in DraftKings’ odds, the only non-quarterback on that list.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Ravens – second in the AFC North with a 6-3 record – are among Super Bowl favorites.

Other NFL MVP odds leaders include quarterbacks for teams leading their respective divisions: Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

NFL MVP odds: Week 10

Here’s which players are the favorites for the NFL MVP award after nine weeks of action, according to DraftKings on Wednesday:

1. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens: +280

Despite ranking 15th in the NFL in pass attempts (255), Jackson is third in the league with 2,379 passing yards. He trails only the Seahawks’ Geno Smith (2,560) and the Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield (2,389), both of whom rank in the top three in pass attempts.

The Ravens’ starter is also tied for second with the Bengals’ Joe Burrow with his 20 passing touchdowns this season. Thanks to Jackson’s relatively low pass attempt total and high passing touchdown total, he leads the NFL in TD percentage at 7.8%. He’s also thrown just two interceptions all season, both of which hit his intended receiver in the hands before ending up in a defender’s.

That’s also all without mentioning Jackson’s prowess as a rusher. The two-time MVP rushed for 122 yards in a season-opening loss to the Chiefs and has tallied at least 40 rushing yards in every game besides his most recent: a 41-10 win over the Denver Broncos in Week 9.

2. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills: +300

Allen has finished in the top five in MVP voting in three of his last four seasons, but he has never won.

His season numbers don’t quite stack up to Jackson’s, but his team’s performance with Allen under center speaks for itself. The Bills are running away with the AFC East division title with their 7-2 record, Allen is tied for fourth in the NFL with 17 passing touchdowns and he has thrown multiple touchdown passes in six out of nine games so far this year.

Like Jackson, Allen also has just two interceptions on the year, and he’s on pace for the fewest in a season in his career.

3. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs: +400

The two-time NFL MVP winner and reigning, back-to-back Super Bowl MVP is on pace for the worst statistical season of his career. He’s on pace for his fewest passing touchdowns in a single season (23), his most interceptions in a season (19), his lowest passing-yard total since 2019 – a season in which he played just 14 games – and the worst passer rating of his career (90.1).

And yet, the Chiefs are the only undefeated team remaining in the NFL through nine weeks. Kansas City keeps finding ways to win. Mahomes is also coming off his best game of the year: a 34-for-44 night (season-high 77.3% completion rate) with 291 passing yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

4. Jared Goff, QB, Detroit Lions: +700

Goff is leading the NFL with an impossibly high 74.9% completion rate through nine weeks. He’s helped, in part, by having 30 consecutive targets to wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown end in completions. If he manages to keep up his completion percentage (or improve it), it would be the most accurate season by a passer in NFL history, topping Drew Brees’ 74.4% mark in the 2018 season.

What’s more, Goff has helped lead Detroit to an NFC-best 7-1 record that’ is the best in the NFC that’s second-best in the NFL. The Lions look like a legitimate Super Bowl contender with the former No. 1 overall pick under center.

T-5. Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders: +1200

The Washington Commanders’ rookie quarterback is the second No. 2 overall pick in the last two years to receive MVP buzz as a first-year starter, following in the footsteps of the Texans’ C.J. Stroud. Given how Washington has looked this year, that buzz appears to be warranted.

Daniels has led the Commanders to a 7-2 record and first place in the NFC East in the first half of his first season as a pro. Just last year, Washington finished 4-13 and last in the division.

With the help of offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, Daniels has made a nearly seamless transition to the NFL. He ranks third in the league in completion rate and has started more games than the two quarterbacks he trails (Goff, 8; Tua Tagovailoa, 4).

Daniels is also an elite rushing quarterback who has tallied four games with at least 50 rushing yards, and he has four rushing scores this year to go with his nine passing touchdowns. The rookie’s total of two interceptions indicate he’s doing a good job of protecting the football as well, and he’s the heavy, odds-on favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year.

T-5. Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles: +1200

Hurts had a shaky first four weeks in 2024, but he’s settled down in a major way since the Eagles’ Week 5 bye.

In his first four games, the quarterback had a 68.2% completion rate with 930 passing yards as well as four touchdowns to four interceptions. In his latest four games, Hurts boasted a 72.3% completion rate with 844 passing yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions.

The Eagles’ quarterback has also continued to prove his ability to contribute in the ground game. Hurts has 322 rushing yards (fourth among quarterbacks) and eight rushing touchdowns (most among quarterbacks). Philadelphia’s 6-2 record and second-place spot in the NFC East doesn’t hurt Hurts’ MVP odds either.

7. Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals: +1800

In many ways, Burrow’s MVP case is the mirror opposite of the argument for Mahomes.

The Bengals’ quarterback is having a very solid season statistically. He’s tied for second in the NFL with 20 passing touchdowns, second with a 53.1% passing success rate (per Pro Football Reference), second in ESPN’s QBR metric with a 76.3 mark and fifth in the NFL with 2,244 passing yards.

However, Cincinnati is 4-5 and sitting in third place in the AFC North after a 1-4 start. O.J. Simpson was the last player to win an MVP despite his team missing the playoffs, and that was in 1973. Burrow and the Bengals will need to keep stringing together wins to improve the quarterback’s odds.

T-8. Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens: +2000

Henry is the odds-on favorite to win the Offensive Player of the Year award, which would be his second (2020). In 2020, Henry became the first player to surpass 2,000 rushing yards in a single season since Adrian Peterson. This year, he has a chance to do something even more impressive, which could make him the first non-quarterback since Peterson to win an MVP award.

During Week 8, the Ravens’ leading back became the first player since Jim Brown in 1963 to lead the league in four major rushing categories: rush attempts, rushing yards, yards per carry and rushing touchdowns. The Lions’ Jahmyr Gibbs has since passed Henry in yards per carry, but Henry trails Gibbs by only 0.1 yards per attempt.

In an era of NFL football in which running backs have become increasingly devalued, Henry stands alone.

T-8. Sam Darnold, QB, Minnesota Vikings: +2000

Darnold, who is on his third team in as many years, has been one of the biggest surprises of the 2024 season. The seventh-year quarterback has helped lead the Vikings to a 6-2 record in what many expected to be a transition year in preparation of rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy. When McCarthy needed season-ending surgery at the end of training camp, Darnold stepped up and pulled Minnesota into playoff contention one year after a 7-10 finish.

Through eight games, he has the highest completion rate (69.5%) and passer rating (107.8) of his career and is also on pace for career highs in passing yards (4,038) and touchdowns (36).

T-8. Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals: +2000

The sixth-year starter is the offensive leader of the only NFC West team with a winning record (5-4) through nine weeks. Murray is a big part why Arizona leads the division. He has led three fourth-quarter comebacks and three game-winning drives, both of which lead the NFL.

Two years after Murray tore his ACL, he doesn’t appear to have lost any mobility. The 27-year-old is still scrambling around in the pocket to keep plays alive and picking up rushing yards when he can. Murray’s 350 rushing yards are third most by a quarterback this year behind only Jackson and Daniels.

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Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy issued an apology on social media Tuesday night for comments he made earlier this week speaking to reporters in which he suggested many of the fans expressing negativity about the Cowboys, who are in the midst of a six-game losing streak, ‘are the same ones that can’t pay their own bills.’

‘I apologize to those who my comments during Monday’s media call offended,’ Gundy wrote in a post on X. ‘My intent was not to offend any of our fans who have supported us and this program through the years.’

Oklahoma State (3-6) is one loss away from clinching its first losing season since 2005 – Gundy’s first season as coach at his alma mater – after being ranked No. 18 in the US LBM Coaches Poll this preseason. He bristled at criticism surrounding this year’s team during a lengthy response two days after the Cowboys suffered a 42-21 loss at home to Arizona State.

‘[I]n most cases, the people that are negative and voicing their opinion are the same ones that can’t pay their own bills,’ Gundy said, in part. ‘They’re not taking care of themselves. They’re not taking care of their own family. They’re not taking care of their own job. But they have an obligation to speak out and complain about others because it makes them feel better. But then, in the end, when they go to bed at night, they’re the same failure that they were before they said anything negative about anybody else.’

Gundy is the winningest coach in Oklahoma State football history, with 18-straight bowl appearances and 169 career wins. But the Cowboys are 0-6 in Big 12 play heading into Saturday’s game against TCU and in danger of enduring Gundy’s worst season as coach. He finished with a 4-7 record in 2005.

This is the longest losing streak of Gundy’s career. This is not the first time he has had to walk back something he said in public.

Gundy has in the past apologized for calling COVID-19 the ‘Chinese virus’ and for wearing a t-shirt for One America News Network that offended former Oklahoma State star running back Chuba Hubbard. In July, Gundy also had to clarify remarks he made about the DUI arrest of current Cowboys running back Ollie Gordon II, in which he initially said, “Well I thought, ‘I’ve probably did that 1,000 times in my life.’ Which is fine. I got lucky, people get lucky.’

On Monday, Gundy directed frustration at some of his own fans.

‘Kind of the synopsis of all of this is that this place has had tremendous success for 18½ years or 19 – I can’t do the math real good,’ Gundy said to reporters. ‘Unfortunately, in life, most people are weak and as soon as things start to not go as good as what they thought, they fall apart and they panic.

‘And then they want to point the finger and blame other people. You see it happen in everyday life. People do it all the time. That’s why I refuse to watch the TV and watch the news because I get tired of people complaining and (whining) about this and that versus just doing something about it and trying to figure out a way to make it better.’

By the next day, those comments had created enough controversy at Oklahoma State that Gundy had to say sorry or else risk the situation getting worse.

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A Democratic congressman from New York recently blamed progressives for President-elect Trump’s victory this week, arguing that far-left causes actually disenchant certain voters.

Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., claimed that his party has ‘alienated historic numbers’ of minority voters in an X (former Twitter)  post on Wednesday. Torres, a vocal supporter of Israel, pointed fingers at pro-Palestinian protests as one of the causes – as well as the movement to defund police.

‘Donald Trump has no greater friend than the far left, which has managed to alienate historic numbers of Latinos, Blacks, Asians, and Jews from the Democratic Party with absurdities like ‘Defund the Police’ or ‘From the River to the Sea’ or ‘Latinx,’ Torres wrote.

‘There is more to lose than there is to gain politically from pandering to a far left that is more representative of Twitter, Twitch, and TikTok than it is of the real world,’ the Democrat added. ‘The working class is not buying the ivory-towered nonsense that the far left is selling.’

Torres’ comments came in the aftermath of the initial 2024 election results, which found that Vice President Harris had less favorability among Latino and Hispanic voters than President Biden did in 2020.

According to a Fox News Voter Analysis, Biden garnered 63% of Latino support in 2020 while Harris only had 54% this year.

Another Fox News Voter Analysis found that support for Trump among Latino and Hispanic voters jumped from 35% in 2020 to 41% in 2024.

The shift came days after the Trump campaign was criticized for hosting comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at a high-profile Oct. 27 rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The comedian made an inflammatory joke about Puerto Rico being a ‘floating island of garbage,’ prompting an outcry.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., attempted to use Hinchliffe’s joke as an opportunity to sway the Latino community shortly after he uttered the remark.

‘That’s just what they think about you,’ the congresswoman said during a Twitch stream. ‘It’s what they think about anyone who makes less money than them. It’s what they think about the people who serve them food in a restaurant. It’s what they think about the people who, who fold their clothes in a store.’

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