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Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI dies

December 31, 2022 Published by CNN

Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican in 2012. (Pier Paolo Cito/AP)

Global leaders are paying homage to Benedict XVI, the Pope Emeritus, who died Saturday in Vatican City at the age of 95.

Benedict, who was the first pontiff in almost 600 years to resign his position, rather than hold office for life, passed away on Saturday, according to a statement from the Vatican.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Saturday that the former pope “sent a strong signal through his resignation.”

“Pope Benedict’s passing saddens me. My sympathy goes out to all Catholics,” von der Leyen said in a tweet, adding, “He had set a strong signal through his resignation. He saw himself first as a servant for God and his Church.”

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also paid tribute. “I am saddened to learn of the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI,” Sunak tweeted Saturday.

“My thoughts are with Catholic people in the UK and around the world today,” Sunak added.

Britain’s King Charles III sent a message of condolence to Pope Francis after Benedict’s death. “His visit to the United Kingdom in 2010 was important in strengthening the relations between the Holy See and the United Kingdom,” the king said in the message published on the Royal Family’s official website.

“I also recall his constant efforts to promote peace and goodwill to all people, and to strengthen the relationship between the global Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church,” he said.

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni voiced her admiration for the former pope.

“Benedict XVI was a giant of faith and reason. He put his life at the service of the universal Church and spoke, and will continue to speak, to the hearts and minds of men with the spiritual, cultural and intellectual depth of his Magisterium,” she tweeted Saturday.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella described Pope Benedict XVI as an “unforgettable figure for the Italian people,” saying that Italy is in “bereavement” over his death.

His gentleness and wisdom were a blessing “for our community and the entire international community,” Mattarella said Saturday in a statement.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the former pope “was a special church leader for many.”

“As a ‘German’ Pope, Benedict XVI was a special church leader for many, not only in this country. The world loses a formative figure of the Catholic Church, an argumentative personality and a clever theologian. My thoughts are with Pope Francis,” Scholz tweeted.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer tweeted: “Together we Catholics mourn the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

“He was a remarkable historical figure, a great scholar even at a young age. Benedict XVI was one of the few German-speaking heads of the Church and the first Pope of modern times, who resigned from office of his own accord.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday said his “thoughts” were with Catholics around the world after the former pope’s death.

“My thoughts are with the Catholics of France and the world, mourning the departure of His Holiness Benedict XVI, who worked with soul and intelligence for a more fraternal world,” Macron tweeted.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky paid tribute to the pope emeritus in a message on Twitter.

“I express my sincere condolences to Pope Francis, the hierarchy and the faithful of the Catholic Church all over the world on the death of Pope Benedict XVI – an outstanding theologian, intellectual and promoter of universal values,” Zelensky wrote.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the former Pope will be remembered for his “rich service to society.”

“Saddened by the passing away of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who devoted his entire life to the Church and the teachings of Lord Christ. He will be remembered for his rich service to society. My thoughts are with the millions around the world who grieve his passing,” Modi said in a tweet.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was “saddened” by the former pope’s death.

“Saddened to hear of the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, this evening. May he rest in eternal peace,” Albanese tweeted.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is leading Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, called the former pope “a staunch defender of traditional Christian values.”

“I had the opportunity to communicate with this outstanding person, and I will forever keep the brightest memories of him. I would like to convey to you the words of sincere sympathy in this mournful hour,” he added.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres honored the former pope as “a humble man of prayer and study” who was “principled in his faith, tireless in his pursuit of peace, and determined in his defence of human rights.”

CNN’s Stephanie Halasz and Richard Roth and Sharon Braithwaite contributed reporting.

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California couple killed in Yosemite National Park rockslide identified by park officials

December 31, 2022 Published by

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News

Officials have identified the two people who were killed by a rock slide in Yosemite National Park on Tuesday morning.

According to a statement released by the National Park Service, the victims have been identified as 51-year-old Georgios Theocharous and 35-year-old Ming Yan, a married couple from San Jose, California.

The incident took place on El Portal Road, near Big Oak Flat Road at approximately 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 27.

OREGON, WASHINGTON HIT WITH DEADLY STORMS, FLOODING

The section of Highway 140 hugs the Merced River on one side and large, rocky hills on the other side. The road leads to Yosemite Valley to the east and one of the park’s three western entrances to the west.

The couple’s Dodge Ram was hit by Rocks that fell from 1,000 feet above El Portal Road. The force of the rockfall pushed their rented truck off the road and onto the embankment of the Merced River.

HEAVY RAIN SLAMS CENTRAL AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, LEADING TO WIDESPREAD ROAD CLOSURES AND EVACUATION ORDERS

Park officials said about 185 tons of rock, in total, were involved in the rock slide, which affected 500 feet of the road. The cause of the rockfall remains under investigation by the National Park Service.

The rock slide closed a portion of El Portal Road for several hours, the National Park Service said in a tweet. The road reopened the following day after the unexpected tragedy.

On Friday evening, the park announced another closure at Big Oak Flat Road, east of Foresta, due to another rock fall incident. On Saturday afternoon, the park reopened the road.

GOP sounds alarm over struggles with Gen Z voters

December 31, 2022 Published by Caroline Vakil

Just In | The Hill

Republicans are urging the party to do a better job engaging with young voters after the GOP saw Generation Z voters cast ballots by large margins for Democrats in the November midterms, making the difference in key congressional and gubernatorial races.

While the party has long struggled with attracting younger voters, the 2022 midterm election underscored the extent to which those struggles are a liability for it. Now, Republicans are calling on the party to step up its outreach, including by finding more Gen Z surrogates, engaging with young voters on social media platforms and speaking to issues those voters care about.

“When you ignore people’s bread-and-butter concerns and their more cultural concerns, you can’t expect to win their votes. And we’re having a series of close elections and the Republicans are just throwing away an entire demographic, and it’s costing them elections,” said veteran GOP strategist Keith Naughton.

An analysis by Tufts University’s Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) using day-after estimates suggests that voter turnout among 18- to 29-year-olds in 2022 was at the second highest of the last 30 years for a midterm election. In House races alone, the demographic favored Democratic candidates to Republicans 63 percent to 35 percent, remaining mostly consistent since 2020 but a slight drop from 2018 when the margin was 67 percent to 32 percent.

Overall, more than a quarter of voters between the ages of 18 and 29 are estimated to have cast a ballot during the November midterms, according to an analysis of Edison Research’s National Election Poll Survey by CIRCLE, often playing a critical role in battleground races.

David Morgan, a senior at Pennsylvania State University and the political director of Penn State College Republicans, believes the GOP is facing challenges with young voters because they’re not speaking to social policies and issues.

“Better health care, LGBTQ rights, reproductive rights, stuff like that, … climate change, those issues are huge for Gen Z. And because the party kind of is a little bit slow on the uptake initially with kind of some of these issues, so I think it kind of automatically slanted our generation to go more towards Democrat,” he noted.

Other Republicans say the problem lies not only with the substance of their messaging, but also with the method of communication.

“We have a tendency to do a lot of things wrong talking to younger voters. One is we don’t go to where they are,” said veteran GOP strategist John Brabender, noting how young voters are increasingly on TikTok.

“Yet, and our party says we can’t be on TikTok for privacy and security reasons,” he added. “Well, that’s great, but you better come up with an alternative really quickly then because we have a whole generation growing up with that being their number one news source yet we’re not talking to them there.”

But CIRCLE’s analysis of AP VoteCast data and election results from other news outlets suggests that Gen Z voters and millennials were pivotal in deciding the most competitive elections. In the Arizona gubernatorial race, CIRCLE found 18-to-29-year-olds offered Democrat Katie Hobbs a net of 60,000 votes at a time when Hobbs was projected to win her race by just a third of that.

And in the Georgia Senate race, CIRCLE’s analysis found that Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) received a net of 116,000 votes from that demographic in the general election. Warnock placed first over Republican Herschel Walker during the November election by about 37,000 votes. The race later went to a runoff, which Warnock won.

“It’s a very secular cohort and it’s a very progressive cohort on social issues. Very tolerant, firmly believe in LGBTQ rights, firmly believe that gender is not binary, very concerned about climate change … very concerned about gun violence, [which] they see as their generations’ issue, so the issues have really favored the Democrats,” said Democratic pollster Celinda Lake, who worked on President Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign.

Lake suggested that voters between the ages of 18 and 29 years old are at odds with former President Trump and his ideology while noting that “they’re not necessarily that happy with the Democrats. They think the Democrats are often not producing, but two-thirds strongly believe in a role for government.”

Former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R), who serves as president for Young America’s Foundation (YAF), argues that “liberal indoctrination” — the idea that young voters are not often introduced to multiple schools of thought on issues, including views considered right of center — is at least partly responsible for the party’s challenges.

“Any of the consultant class in Washington who thinks just more clever digital ads or some sort of student coalition is going to make the difference, I think don’t realize what they’re up against,” Walker said.

Some Republicans see an opportunity in the latest election results. Andrew Kolvet, a spokesperson for the conservative Turning Point Action, noted in exit polling published by CNN that 61 percent of those aged 18 to 24 years old voted for Democrats, slightly fewer than the 65 percent of 25-to-29-year-olds who voted for the party.

Meanwhile, 63 percent of voters aged 18 to 29 voted Democrat in 2022, compared to 35 percent who voted for the GOP. That suggests a slight dip for both those demographics compared to 2018, when 67 percent of that same demographic voted Democratic compared to 32 percent voting for the GOP.

Of course, those figures still underscore the difficulties the GOP faces with young people. And while members see this as an issue that stretches back some time, Republicans say it’s one that requires devoted infrastructure toward tackling that age gap.

“Not trying to throw the RNC under the bus here, but there’s so much focus on fundraising I think within the Republican Party because we do not effectively raise and we do not effectively spend that there is an unhealthy imbalance on one specific type of voter, and that those are the people who meet that cross-section of the ones that we need to turn out and also the ones that have money to do it,” said Tyler Bowyer, the COO of Turning Point Action who also serves as RNC National Committeeman in Arizona.

He explained that the GOP has a “wide ocean gap” between Baby Boomers and the millennial/Gen Z camp.

“You have the old guard trying to raise money for Baby Boomers, and you have millennial/Gen Z, which is like this massive bucket, now the biggest part of the electorate that we have to focus on and we don’t have enough people, we don’t have enough money in that group to make it worth it to the old guard. And we don’t have enough know-how and experience in how to message those people,” Bowyer, who is a millennial, continued.

“So it’s an opportunity for us moving forward, but it’s gonna take some real innovative leadership to look at this and say, ‘Hey, we need to do more work in the influencer space and we need to do more work in the social media space. We need to do more work in how we message and who’s delivering the message.’”

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'Determined to have her story told': Retrospective casts new light on Yayoi Kusama's seven-decade career

December 31, 2022 Published by CNN

Written by Stephy ChungKristie Lu StoutHong Kong

CNN International will air an inside look at the Yayoi Kusama show as part of its New Year’s Eve Live special on December 31.

Advanced age and the pandemic have done little to deter Japan’s Yayoi Kusama. At 93, the world’s best-selling living female artist is still painting daily at the psychiatric hospital she voluntarily checked into and has lived in since the 1970s.

Some of her latest creations feature alongside early drawings in a new exhibition at Hong Kong’s M+ museum. Bringing together more than 200 works, “Yayoi Kusama: 1945 to now” spans seven decades as the largest retrospective of her art in Asia outside her home country.

Best known for her signature pumpkin sculptures and polka-dot paintings, which can command millions of dollars at auction, Kusama’s success has skyrocketed in the past decade. The most photogenic parts of her oeuvre — including her immersive “Infinity Mirror Room” installations, tickets for which sell out at museums the world over — have achieved mainstream appeal in the era of social media.

Needless to say, her new Hong Kong exhibition is filled with Instagram-friendly moments. But the museum’s deputy director Doryun Chong, who co-curated the show, says he hopes visitors take the opportunity to dive deeper.

“Kusama is so much more than pumpkin sculptures and polka-dot patterns,” he explained. “She is a thinker of deep philosophy — a ground-breaking figure who has really revealed so much about herself, her vulnerability (and) her struggles as the source of inspiration for her art.”

The artist’s self-portraits on show. Credit: Noemi Cassanelli/CNN

Infinity and beyond

Arranged chronologically and thematically, the show explores concepts that Kusama has revisited across multiple mediums over the course of her career. The notion of infinity, for example, appears in the form of repetitious motifs inspired by the vivid hallucinations experienced in childhood, when she would see everything around her consumed by seemingly endless patterns.

Visitors are given a sense of how these forms have evolved, beginning in a room filled with her “Infinity Net” paintings — including a breakthrough work she created after seeing the Pacific Ocean for the very first time from a plane window when she moved to the US from Japan in 1957.

These nets appear again in “Self-Obliteration,” an installation created between 1966 and 1974, a period after Kusama established herself in New York’s male-dominated art world despite the discrimination she faced as a woman, and a Japanese one at that. (She believed male peers like Andy Warhol copied her ideas without credit). Comprised of six mannequins stood around a dinner table, every inch of the sculpture — from the human figures down to the furniture and cutlery — is covered with little looping brushstrokes.

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“Self-Obliteration” is part of the M+ collection. Scroll through to see more works on show at the new retrospective “Yayoi Kusama: 1945 to Now.” Credit: Noemi Cassanelli/CNN

The motif later re-emerges to bold, vibrant effect, filling the bodies of amoeba-like forms in selected works from “My Eternal Soul,” a hundreds-strong series of acrylic paintings that she began in 2009 and completed last year. They appear in the retrospective’s colorful “Force of Life” section, which immediately follows one titled “Death,” a contrast that speaks both to the dichotomies of Kusama’s work and the internal struggles underpinning it.

“Nowadays we’re very used to (people) talking about their mental health challenges, but this was 60 to 70 years ago that she started doing this,” said Chong. “It really runs throughout her life and career, but it never really stays in a dark place. She always proves that, by talking about death and even her suicidal thoughts and illness, she reaffirms and regenerates her will to live.”

Elsewhere, the exhibition features lesser-known pieces from the artist’s repertoire, shining a light on what she created mid-career, when she returned to Japan depressed and disillusioned. Among them is a black and white stuffed fabric sculpture from 1976 called “Death of a Nerve.”

While lesser known, the exhibition’s curators consider “Death of a Nerve” to be a key piece. It was made in 1976, the year before she voluntarily checked herself into a psychiatric hospital. Credit: Noemi Cassanelli/CNN

A 2022 version of the artwork, created for M+ and slightly renamed “Death of Nerves,” is also on display. Realized to a much grander scale and rendered in color, it embodies a sense of resilience and even optimism in contrast to the original. An accompanying poem acknowledges that, after a suicide attempt, her nerves were left “dead and shredded.” After some time, however, a “universal love” began “coursing through my entire body,” she wrote; the revived nerves “burst into beautifully vibrant colors… stretching to the infinitude of eternity.”

“Death of Nerves” can been seen from multiple levels of the museum. Credit: Noemi Cassanelli/CNN

“It’s an unusual piece for Kusama because most people associate her with the pumpkins, or the mirror rooms, or with more Pop forms, but this is a very soft sculpture that she has always been working on, since the beginning,” explained Mika Yoshitake, an independent curator who worked on the M+ show with Chong, as well as previous Kusama shows at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C. and the New York Botanical Garden.

“I think she’s incredible to be able to sustain her strength through art,” added Yoshitake, who last saw Kusama in 2018, before the pandemic. “She’s determined to have her story told.”

Small by comparison is a group of 11 paintings the artist began in 2021 and completed this summer, called “Every Day I Pray for Love.”

“She has always said ‘love forever,’ said Yoshitake. She wants people to be at peace, and have this warmth and to care for each other. There’s so much strife and war, terrorism, a lot of things she sees in the world, especially through this pandemic.”

An image of Kusama wearing a signature red wig, featured in exhibition materials. Credit: Noemi Cassanelli/CNN

In a short email interview with CNN, Kusama explained her dedication to her art.

“I paint every day,” she said. “I am going to continue creating a world in awe of life, embracing all the messages of love, peace and universe.”

Since her teens, Kusama has read Chinese poems and literature “with deep respect,” she said. As such, she added, she is “happy” to have her work on show in Hong Kong.

According to M+, the exhibition has now been described as “the most comprehensive retrospective of the artist’s work to date,” by curator and critic Akira Tatehata, who serves as director of the Yayoi Kusama Museum in Tokyo. Tatehata, who visited the museum in November, has long supported the artist, and was the commissioner of her solo representation of Japan at the Venice Biennale in 1993.

Art’s healing power

The retrospective also carries special meaning for M+, which used the show to mark its one-year anniversary.

Since its conception over a decade ago, the museum has been touted as Asia’s answer to the London’s Tate Modern or New York’s Museum of Modern Art. When it finally opened last year, it faced unique challenges, from Hong Kong’s changing political environment, which continues to raise censorship concerns across sectors including the arts, to pandemic restrictions that closed the museum for three months and, until recently, barred most international visitors from the city. But Chong sees the latter, at least, as “a blessing in disguise.”

“For a global museum to have opened and be embraced by our local audiences, first and foremost, in its first year couldn’t have been a better way to start the museum,” he said.

Polka dot pumpkins located at the museum entrance. Credit: Noemi Cassanelli/CNN

Recently welcoming its 2-millionth visitor, M+ hopes that eased Covid restrictions will allow more people from abroad to see its vast collection, which includes the largest trove of Chinese contemporary art, and the Kusama exhibition, which runs through May.

“(Kusama is) living proof that art is indeed therapy and has a powerful healing power,” said Chong. “And that’s such an important lesson, especially for us during this period of post-pandemic.”

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Idaho college student slaying suspect Bryan Kohberger to waive extradition hearing: Attorney

December 31, 2022 Published by

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News

The man suspected of being responsible for the murder of four Idaho college students plans to waive his extradition hearing in Pennsylvania, allowing him to be brought back to Idaho to face charges.

Bryan Kohberger’s attorney, chief public defender Jason LaBar, said Kohberger plans to tell a judge in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday that he will waive his extradition hearing so he can be quickly brought to Idaho to face the charges and is eager to be exonerated.

LaBar also cautioned people against passing judgment on the case until a fair trial is held. The case has generated massive amounts of speculation on social media, with would-be sleuths frequently trying to pin the blame for the deaths on various friends and acquaintances of the victims.

“Mr. Kohberger has been accused of very serious crimes, but the American justice system cloaks him in a veil of innocence,” LaBar wrote in a prepared statement. “He should be presumed innocent until proven otherwise — not tried in the court of public opinion.”

MOSCOW, IDAHO POLICE BELIEVE SUSPECT KOHBERGER ACTED ALONE, CHIEF SAYS

Kohberger, 28, was arrested early Friday morning in eastern Pennsylvania on a warrant charging him with four counts of murder and burglary for the deaths of Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Madison Mogen, 21.

Kohberger is being held without bond in Pennsylvania and will be held without bond in Idaho once he is returned, Idaho prosecutor Bill Thompson said. The affidavit for four charges of first-degree murder in Idaho will remain sealed until he is returned, the prosecutor said.

MOSCOW, IDAHO POLICE STILL SEARCHING FOR FIXED-BLADE KNIFE AFTER SUSPECT KOHBERGER’S ARREST

Kohberger is a graduate student at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, which is just a 15-minute drive from the rental home where the four students were stabbed to death in November.

The four students were each stabbed multiple times in the torso and were likely ambushed in their sleep with a large fix-bladed knife between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Nov. 13.

Fox News confirmed through a police source that investigators have only been focused on Kohberger as their suspect “the last few days,” and genetic genealogy work on DNA left at the scene of the crime was instrumental in leading them to Kohberger.

Police officials said during a Friday press conference that Idaho state law prevents them from disclosing further details on what led them to Kohberger until he is extradited and appears in Idaho court.

Fox News’ Rebecca Rosenberg and The Associated Press contributed to this report

Defending champ Georgia vs. Cinderella TCU for CFP title

December 31, 2022 Published by RALPH D. RUSSO

Top News: US & International Top News Stories Today | AP News

Georgia running back Andrew Paul (3) celebrates a win after the Peach Bowl NCAA college football semifinal playoff game between Georgia and Ohio State, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023, in Atlanta. Georgia won 42-41. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

After the best semifinal day in the nine-year history of the College Football Playoff, the title game will match the defending national champion against the closest thing the sport has had in years to a Cinderella team.

It will be No. 1 Georgia (14-0) looking for its second straight championship against upstart and No. 3 TCU on Jan. 9 at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

The four-team playoff has been littered with lopsided semifinal games, but Saturday — and into early Sunday and the new year — delivered two thrillers and a combined 179 points.

The Bulldogs came from 14 points down in the second half to beat No. 4 Ohio State 42-41 in the Peach Bowl and advance to the CFP championship game for the third time under coach Kirby Smart.

“If we want any chance of winning a national championship we have to play a lot better football than we played tonight but we have to keep the resiliency and composure along with us,” Smart said.

The Bulldogs and Buckeyes played a classic that came down to a missed field goal by Ohio State with three seconds left. Amazingly, it was even better than the wild opener of the semifinal doubleheader between No. 3 TCU and No. 2 Michigan.

The Horned Frogs (13-1) upset the Wolverines 51-45 in the Fiesta Bowl, the second-highest scoring CFP game ever.

Hub peek embed (Collegefootball) – Compressed layout (automatic embed)

“We’re going to celebrate it,” TCU quarterback Max Duggan said. “Obviously, we’re excited, but we know we got a big one coming up.”

TCU, the first Big 12 to win a playoff game, will be looking for its first national title since 1938. Under coach Dutch Meyer, the Horned Frogs beat Carnegie Tech 15-7 in the Sugar Bowl to complete a 10-0 season.

The Southeastern Conference champion Bulldogs opened as a 13 1/2-point favorites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, in what will be the fifth meeting between the schools.

Georgia has won them all, including the last in the 2016 Liberty Bowl.

Coming off a 5-7 season in 2021 and picked to finish seventh in their conference before the season, the Horned Frogs have embraced the underdog role and thrived on the being doubted.

“We know we’re going to hear it again. It’s not going to stop now,” first-year coach Sonny Dykes said. “We got to do what we did this game (against Michigan). We’ve got to answer that criticism and show up and do what we’re supposed to do.

“If we think that’s going away, I think you guys all know that’s not. That’s just the way it is.”

TCU would be the first team to win a national championship the year after having a losing season since Michigan State in 1965.

Georgia, No. 1 for most of the season, is looking for its third national title, trying to become the first back-to-back champions in the CFP era and the first since Alabama won the BCS in 2011 and ’12.

It will be a matchup Heisman Trophy finalist quarterbacks, with Duggan and Georgia’s Stetson Bennett.

Neither is a future first-rounder, and both had ups and down in the semifinal but came through in the biggest spots.

Duggan ran for two scores and threw two TD passes as the Frogs held back a surging Michigan in the second half.

Bennett threw for 398 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including the game-winner with 54 seconds left.

These Bulldogs rely more on Bennett and their offense than last year’s championship team, which fielded one of the best defenses college football has had in recent history. Georgia ranked fifth in the nation in yards per play (6.97) coming into the playoff.

The Frogs have have a powerful offense, too, with Duggan and star receiver Quentin Johnston, who had 163 yards on six catches against the Wolverines.

This is the penultimate season of the four-team version of the playoff before it expands to 12 teams in the 2024 season.

Before Saturday, only three of 16 semifinals had been decided by single-digits, and all those blowouts helped fuel a desire to grow the field in the hope of creating some more interesting postseason games.

This New Year’s Eve, the four-team playoff turned out to be an eight-hour college football party.

After losing to TCU, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh summed up his team’s game, and as it turns out, the day.

“The winner,” he said, “was football.”

Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.appodcasts.com

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap_top25

Zelensky addresses Russians after New Year's Eve strikes: 'No one will ever forgive you'

December 31, 2022 Published by The Hill

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Russia that “no one will ever forgive you” for spreading terror following a series of missile attacks on New Year’s Eve.

Zelensky said in an address on Saturday that the missile attacks will not mark the end of the year but the outcome of Russia’s fate in that it will not be forgiven. He mentioned that Russia launched missile attacks during the war at other holidays such as Easter and Christmas.

“They call themselves Christians. They are very proud of their orthodoxy. But they are following the devil. They support him and are together with him,” he said.

Zelensky said Russia is not at war with NATO, as Russian “propagandists” lie about, but for Russian President Vladimir Putin to remain in power for life.

“And what will be with all of you, citizens of Russia, does not concern him,” he said. “Your leader wants to show that he has the troops behind him and that he is ahead. But he is just hiding. He hides behind the troops, behind missiles, behind the walls of his residences and palaces.”

Zelensky said the missile strikes caused casualties but Ukrainian officials will aid those affected. He said Ukrainian air defenses intercepted most missiles, saving lives, which demonstrates that the world must provide more help to Ukraine.

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Bryce Young throws 5 touchdowns as No. 5 Alabama blows out No. 11 Kansas State in Sugar Bowl

December 31, 2022 Published by

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News

Bryce Young passed for 321 yards and five touchdowns in a game that other top NFL prospects might have skipped, and No. 5 Alabama responded to an early two-score deficit with 35 straight points to defeat 11th-ranked Kansas State 45-20 in the Sugar Bowl on Saturday.

While a number of pro-bound college stars sat out bowl games that were not part of the College Football Playoff, the Crimson Tide and Wildcats had their best prospects on the field and making a number of memorable plays — from Young’s pivotal passes, to Kansas State running back Deuce Vaughn’s 88-yard touchdown run to interceptions by Alabama’s Jordan Battle and Brian Branch.

Young was substituted out during a series in the fourth quarter, raising his right hand to Alabama fans who loudly rose to their feet as the former Heisman Trophy winner trotted to the sideline.

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Jermaine Burton caught three passes for 87 yards and a touchdown for Alabama (11-2). Tide running back Jahmyr Gibbs had 142 yards from scrimmage — 76 rushing and 66 receiving. Young’s other touchdowns went to Isaiah Bond (6 yards), Cameron Latu (1 yard), Ja’Corey Brooks (32 yards) and Kobe Prentice (47 yards). Jase McClelland added a 17-yard scoring run.

Kansas State (10-4) entered its first Sugar Bowl on a four-game winning streak and was riding high after knocking off No. 3 TCU — a CFP team — in the Big 12 title game.

While Battle’s leaping interception of Will Howard ended K-State’s opening drive on the Alabama 21, the Wildcats scored the Sugar Bowl’s first 10 points, surging in front on Ty Zentner’s 41-yard field goal and Vaughn’s long run.

Alabama was on the brink of punting a third time when Young, on third and 10, stepped up in a collapsing pocket and flicked a short pass to Gibbs, who was cutting across the middle and turned up field for a 60-yard gain. Young stepped up similarly to avoid pressure on his touchdown pass to Bond shortly after.

Young threw over the top to Burton for 47 yards to set up his 1-yard scoring pass to Latu that put Alabama in front for good.

Late in the first half, Kansas State drove to the Alabama 2 — converting two fourth-downs along the way — only to fail on fourth-and-goal when Howard threw out of the reach of tight end Ben Sinnott, who was breaking open after Will Anderson fell while trying to cover him.

That missed chance proved costly.

FORMER GEORGIA QUARTERBACK TALKS STETSON BENNETT, BULLDOGS CFP MATCHUP WITH OHIO STATE

Young needed just 51 seconds to produce another touchdown, completing passes of 12, 28 and 22 yards before hitting Burton from 12 yards out to make it 21-10 at halftime.

Kansas State paid for taking another risk when its onside kick to open the second half was recovered by Alabama, which scored shortly after on Young’s 32-yard strike to Ja’Corey Brooks in the corner of the end zone.

THE TAKEAWAY

Kansas State: The missed chance from the Alabama 2, the failed onside kick and a minus-2 turnover differential would have been tough to overcome in any game, never mind against the first team left out of the CFP. Howard finished 18-of-35 passing for 210 yards. Vaughn rushed for 133 yards on 22 carries. Jordan Schippers had a late 1-yard TD run.

Alabama: After saying all week that they were treating the Sugar Bowl like a championship game, the Crimson Tide backed it up. The narrative coming in was that Alabama doesn’t get up for low-stakes bowl games, having lost by two touchdowns each in its previous two Sugar Bowl appearances that were not part of the BCS or CFP. Alabama has now won 10 Sugar Bowls in 17 appearances.

UP NEXT

Kansas State: Opens its 2023 campaign at home against Southeast Missouri on Sept. 2.

Alabama: Hosts Middle Tennessee on Sept. 2 to begin its 2023 season.

Heavy rain slams Central and Northern California, leading to widespread road closures and evacuation orders

December 31, 2022 Published by

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Extreme rainfall led to areas of over saturation throughout Northern and Central California, prompting officials to evacuate parts of the state as well as closing major roads due to flooding.

On Saturday afternoon, Santa Cruz County issued evacuation orders in the mountains due to rising flood water. According to the county, zones FEL-E008 and CRZ-E081 are under the evacuation order.

“As of 11:30 AM river levels are continuing to rise, and we are expecting another few hours of rain. Therefore, we are issuing an evacuation order for folks in Felton Grove and Paradise Park to evacuate,” the county told residents.

This morning, the California Highway Patrol tweeted that all southbound and northbound lanes would be closed indefinitely in South San Francisco due to major flooding and urged travelers to avoid the area and use I-280 as an alternative route.

The National Weather Service issued several flood and wind advisories for the region, including San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin counties.

An Areal Flood Advisory for San Francisco and San Mateo counties is in effect until noon, with “urban and small stream flooding” expected in San Francisco, Daly City, San Mateo, Palo Alto, South San Francisco, East Palo Alto, Pacifica and other areas nearby.

OREGON, WASHINGTON HIT WITH DEADLY STORMS, FLOODING

Throughout Central and Northern California, police are warning residents of closed roads due to flooding and encouraging residents to stay indoors on New Year’s Eve.

In Pacifica, flooding closed the northbound lanes of SR-35 at Sharp Park Rd. Sections of Highway 92 are flooded from Skyline Boulevard to Main Street in Half Moon Bay, Cal Fire reported Saturday morning.

WET WEATHER IN CALIFORNIA FLOODS ROADS, LEADS TO LANDSLIDES AND OUTAGES

There also have been reports of flooding along Highway 101 from Interstate 380 E to northbound 101 and near San Francisco International Airport.

According to the National Weather Service, 4.22 inches of rain have fallen within San Francisco, 3.07 inches in Mill Valley and almost 3 inches in Oakland over the last 24 hours.

The National Weather Service expects the worst of the storm to hit by Saturday. The storm brings with it the possibility of gusting winds, downed power lines, falling trees and landslides.

Lula set for inauguration to preside over polarized Brazil

December 31, 2022 Published by DIANE JEANTET and CARLA BRIDI

Top News: US & International Top News Stories Today | AP News

FILE – Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva smiles during his election certification ceremony at the Supreme Electoral Court in Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, Dec. 12, 2022. Lula will be sworn on Jan. 1, 2023 in the capital of Brasilia and assume office for the third time. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazil’s President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will be sworn in Sunday in the capital of Brasilia and assume office for the third time, marking the culmination of a political comeback sure to thrill supporters and enrage opponents in a fiercely polarized nation.

But Lula’s presidency is unlikely to be like his previous two mandates, coming after the tightest presidential race in more than three decades in Brazil and resistance to his taking office by some of his opponents, political analysts say.

The leftist defeated far-right President Jair Bolsonaro in the Oct. 30 vote by less than 2 percentage points. For months, Bolsonaro had sown doubts about the reliability of Brazil’s electronic vote and his loyal supporters were loath to accept the loss.

Many have gathered outside military barracks since, questioning results and pleading with the armed forces to prevent Lula from taking office.

His most die-hard backers resorted to what some authorities and incoming members of Lula’s administration labeled acts of “terrorism” – something the country had not seen since the early 1980s, and which have prompted growing security concerns about inauguration day events.

“In 2003, the ceremony was very beautiful. There wasn’t this bad, heavy climate,” said Carlos Melo, a political science professor at Insper University in Sao Paulo, referring to the year Lula first took office. “Today, it’s a climate of terror.”

Hub peek embed (JairBolsonaro) – Compressed layout (automatic embed)

Tanya Albuquerque, a student, flew from Sao Paulo to Brasilia and had tears in her eyes as she heard local leftists celebrating incoming visitors at Brasilia’s airport. She decided to attend after seeing pictures of Lula’s first inauguration.

“Maybe we won’t have 300,000 people tomorrow like then; these are different and more divisive times. But I knew I wouldn’t be happy in front of a TV,” Albuquerque, 23, said on Saturday.

Lula has made it his mission to heal the divided nation. But he will have to do so while navigating more challenging economic conditions than he enjoyed in his first two terms, when the global commodities boom proved a windfall for Brazil.

At the time, his administration’s flagship welfare program helped lift tens of millions of impoverished people into the middle class. Many Brazilians traveled abroad for the first time. He left office with a personal approval rating of 83%.

In the intervening years, Brazil’s economy plunged into two deep recessions — first, during the tenure of his handpicked successor, and then during the pandemic — and ordinary Brazilians suffered greatly.

Lula has said his priorities are fighting poverty, and investing in education and health. He has also said he will bring illegal deforestation of the Amazon to a halt. He sought support from political moderates to form a broad front and defeat Bolsonaro, then tapped some of them to serve in his Cabinet.

Given the nation’s political fault lines, however, it is highly unlikely Lula ever reattains the popularity he once enjoyed, or even sees his approval rating rise above 50%, said Maurício Santoro, a political science professor at Rio de Janeiro’s State University.

Furthermore, Santoro said, the credibility of Lula and his Workers’ Party were assailed by a sprawling corruption investigation. Party officials were jailed, including Lula — until his convictions were annulled on procedural grounds. The Supreme Court then ruled that the judge presiding over the case had colluded with prosecutors to secure a conviction.

Lula and his supporters have maintained he was railroaded. Others were willing to look past possible malfeasance as a means to unseat Bolsonaro and bring the nation back together.

But Bolsonaro’s backers refuse to accept someone they view as a criminal returning to the highest office. And with tensions running hot, a series of events has prompted fear that violence could erupt on inauguration day.

On Dec. 12, dozens of people tried to invade a federal police building in Brasilia, and burned cars and buses in other areas of the city. Then on Christmas Eve, police arrested a 54-year-old man who admitted to making a bomb that was found on a fuel truck headed to Brasilia’s airport.

He had been camped outside Brasilia’s army headquarters with hundreds of other Bolsonaro supporters since Nov. 12. He told police he was ready for war against communism, and planned the attack with people he had met at the protests, according to excerpts of his deposition released by local media. The next day, police found explosive devices and several bulletproof vests in a forested area on the federal district’s outskirts.

Lula’s incoming Justice Minister, Flávio Dino, this week called for federal authorities to put an end to the “antidemocratic” protests, calling them “incubators of terrorists.”

In response to a request from Lula’s team, the current justice minister authorized deployment of the national guard until Jan. 2, and Supreme Court justice Alexandre de Moraes banned people from carrying firearms in Brasilia during these days.

“This is the fruit of political polarization, of political extremism,” said Nara Pavão, who teaches political science at the Federal University of Pernambuco. Pavão stressed that Bolsonaro, who mostly vanished from the political scene since he lost his reelection bid, was slow to disavow recent incidents.

“His silence is strategic: Bolsonaro needs to keep Bolsonarismo alive,” Pavão said.

Bolsonaro finally condemned the bomb plot in a Dec. 30 farewell address on social media, hours before flying to the U.S.. His absence on inauguration day will mark a break with tradition and it remains unclear who, instead of him, will hand over the presidential sash to Lula at the presidential palace.

Lawyer Eduardo Coutinho will be there. He bought a flight to Brasilia as a Christmas present to himself.

“I wish I were here when Bolsonaro’s plane took off, that is the only thing that makes me almost as happy as tomorrow’s event,” Coutinho, 28, said after singing Lula campaign jingles on the plane. “I’m not usually so over-the-top, but we need to let it out and I came here just to that. Brazil needs this to move on.”

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Jeantet reported from Rio de Janeiro. AP writer Mauricio Savarese contributed from Brasilia.