Immigrant with family ties to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is detained by ICE

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A Massachusetts woman who was once engaged to the brother of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt remains in ICE custody two weeks after being arrested on her way to pick up the son she shares with her former fiancé.

Bruna Ferreira, 33, was driving to her son's school in New Hampshire on Nov. 12 when she was pulled over in Revere, Massachusetts, her attorney, Todd Pomerleau, said Wednesday.

"She wasn't told why she was detained," he said. "She was bounced from Massachusetts, to New Hampshire, to Vermont, to Louisiana on this unconstitutional merry-go-round."

Pomerleau said Ferreira's 11-year-old son lives with her former fiancé, Michael Leavitt, in New Hampshire, but they have shared custody and maintained a co-parenting relationship for many years since their engagement broke off.

"She was detained for no reason at all. She's not dangerous. She's not a flight risk. She's not a criminal illegal alien," he said. "She's a business owner who pays taxes and has a child who was wondering where mommy was after school two weeks ago."

Michael Leavitt did not respond to a message sent to his workplace. The White House press secretary declined comment. Karoline Leavitt grew up in New Hampshire, and made an unsuccessfulrun for Congressfrom the state in 2022 before becoming Trump's spokesperson for his 2024 campaign and later joining him at the White House.

Pomerleau said his client was 2 or 3 when she and her family came to the U.S. from Brazil, and she later enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, the Obama-era policy that shields immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children. He said she was in the process of applying for a green card.

The Department of Homeland Security said Ferreira entered the U.S. on a tourist visa that required her to leave in 1999. A department spokesperson said Ferreira had a previous arrest for battery, an allegation her attorney denied.

An online search of court cases in several Massachusetts locations where she has lived found no record of such a charge.

"They're claiming she has some type of criminal record we've seen nowhere. Show us the proof," Pomerleau said. "She would've been deported years ago if that was true. And yet, here she is in the middle of this immigration imbroglio."

A DHS spokesperson confirmed Ferreira is being held in Louisiana.

President Donald Trump's efforts to broadly reshape immigration policy have includedchanging the approach to DACA recipients.Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin recently issued a statement saying that people "who claim to be recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) are not automatically protected from deportations. DACA does not confer any form of legal status in this country."

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November 26, 2025

Immigrant with family ties to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is detained by ICE

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A Massachusetts woman who was once engaged to the brother of White House press secretary Karoline Le...

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Tiger Woods' longtime caddie returns to help young Aussie

Anthony Quayle won't be the most famous person in his group when the 31-year-old opens his first season as a DP World Tour member at this week's Australian PGA at Royal Queensland.

Quayle has enlisted the help of Steve Williams, who was on the bag for 13 of Tiger Woods' 15 major championships as well as for Adam Scott's 2013 win at the Masters.

Williams, 62, will take a brief hiatus from his retirement to caddie for Quayle this week in Brisbane as well as at next week's Australian Open at Royal Melbourne.

Over a four-decade career, Williams has also looped for Greg Norman, Ian Baker-Finch and Raymond Floyd.

"Anthony's had a lot of experience and he's got the great opportunity this year of playing on the DP World Tour," Williams told Australian Golf Digest. "It's a first time experience for him and he's got the talent and ability. If I can pass on any information that might assist him in his journey, it's worth it. I don't look at it from the results standpoint these two weeks, it's about what he can get out of me and to encourage him to fulfill his potential."

Quayle is currently No. 664 in the Official World Golf Ranking, but has been as high as 180th.

He decided to give up his status on the Japan Tour to compete on the 2024-25 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and seek one of the three DP World Tour cards available based on order of merit. Quayle closed with eight consecutive top-10 finishes on the Challenger circuit, and a birdie on his final hole of the season secured the final DP World Tour card available.

Quayle won the Queensland Open in 2020 and the Queensland PGA Championship in 2022, and is hoping these two weeks with Williams on his bag propels him to a strong season on the DP World Tour.

"I'm just incredibly fortunate that Steve was willing to come and help me out," Quayle told Australian Golf Digest. "It's just a really cool experience. I think having somebody like Steve on your bag, you can't help but feel you've maybe got a 15th club in the bag. There's a fair bit of experience and golf IQ that comes along with his career. Just really excited about the next couple weeks."

The winner of the Australian Open will also receive an invitation to the 2026 Masters at Augusta National, where Williams has been part of some of the event's most dramatic moments. He said that Quayle's "got the game to play at Augusta."

"Now that the Augusta is inviting the (Australian Open) winner to play the Masters, it just gives an added edge a bit more importance to it," Williams said. "So there'll be a lot of on the line next Sunday afternoon."

--Field Level Media

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November 26, 2025

Tiger Woods' longtime caddie returns to help young Aussie

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Report: Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy (concussion) likely out vs. Seattle

Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy likely will not play Sunday when Minnesota visits the Seattle Seahawks, a week after reporting concussion-like symptoms, The Athletic reported Wednesday.

He has not yet been ruled out officially. With veteran backup Carson Wentz out for the season with a shoulder injury, undrafted rookie Max Brosmer would get the start if McCarthy remains sidelined.

The Vikings fell to 4-7 for the season with their third straight loss Sunday at Green Bay, 23-6. McCarthy threw for a season-low 87 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions and was sacked five times.

It's been a nightmarish career start for McCarthy, 22, who was the 10th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.

After missing his entire rookie season with a torn meniscus and sitting out five games this season with a high ankle sprain, McCarthy has six touchdown passes to 10 interceptions in six starts this year (2-4 record).

So confident were the Vikings that McCarthy would recover from the injury and become the long-term solution at the position, they let starter Sam Darnold depart in free agency. They will see him on Sunday in Seattle, where he has led the Seahawks to an 8-3 record.

Darnold was 14-3 with the Vikings in 2024. Minnesota is in last place in the NFC North.

--Field Level Media

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November 26, 2025

Report: Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy (concussion) likely out vs. Seattle

Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy likely will not play Sunday when Minnesota visits the Seattle Seahawks, a week after...

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Joe Burrow on critics saying he shouldn't risk injury for 3-8 Bengals: 'That doesn't make a lot of sense to me'

If he's healthy, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is going to play. It doesn't matter if the Bengals are 3-8 and heavy underdogs to make the playoffs, Burrow wants to be out there.

Burrow expressed as much Tuesday, responding to critics questioning whether he should risk another injury to return to a Bengals team with little-to-no postseason hopes.

He shut down that thought, saying it "doesn't make a lot of sense," per ESPN.

"I'm not ever going to go to somebody and say, 'Yeah, I'm healthy, but I don't think I should go out there and play,'" Burrow said Tuesday, ahead of his anticipated return against the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving. "That doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I'm not going to live my life and play this game scared of something happening."

Burrow, 28, is set toreturn to the fieldto take on the division-rival Baltimore Ravens on Thursday. The two-time Pro Bowler missed the team's last nine games afterdealing with turf toe. He was originally expected to miss three months due to the injury, but recovered faster than expected.

After starting the season 2-0, the Bengals went into a free fall following Burrow's injury. The team lost its next four games, eventually trading for veteran quarterback Joe Flacco when Jake Browning faltered in the starting role. Flacco managed to lead the team to a win over the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 7, but the Bengals couldn't keep up that momentum. The team finds itself on another four-game losing streak ahead of Burrow's return.

At 3-8, the Bengals haven't been eliminated from the playoffs just yet, but their chances of making the postseason are slim. Cincinnati enters Week 13 with justa .31 percent chanceto get in, per NFL.com.

While a win over Baltimore in Week 13 wouldn't drastically alter the Bengals' chances, it could pay off down the road. The Ravens currently lead the AFC North with a 6-5 record. The team has yet to play the Bengals this season, meaning Cincinnati could pick up two games on the division leader if it can sweep the series. Following Week 13's game, the two teams will meet again in Week 15. If the Bengals can win both games, the team could actually wind up playing for something down the stretch.

In order to do that, though, Burrow likely needs to stay on the field. For all his excellence, Burrow has dealt with a number of injuries during his career. He's missed at least six games in three of his six NFL seasons due to different issues. When healthy for a full season, though, Burrow has dazzled, never throwing fewer than 34 touchdowns in a year in which he played at least 16 games.

Burrow is well aware of those injuries as he returns to the field in Week 13, but said it's not something he can worry about moving forward, per ESPN.

"Yeah, I've had injuries," Burrow said. "There's not a lot I can do about that. I worked really hard to have that not happen."

Despite facing massive odds, the Bengals have hope thanks to Burrow. While the team still faces a tough road ahead, anything is possible when Burrow is healthy.

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November 26, 2025

Joe Burrow on critics saying he shouldn't risk injury for 3-8 Bengals: 'That doesn't make a lot of sense to me'

If he's healthy, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is going to play. It doesn't matter if the Bengals ...

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Telescope in Chile captures stunning new picture of a cosmic butterfly

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A telescope in Chile has captured a stunning new picture of a grand and graceful cosmic butterfly.

The National Science Foundation's NoirLab released the picture Wednesday.

Snapped last month by the Gemini South telescope, the aptly named Butterfly Nebula is 2,500 to 3,800 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius. A single light-year is 6 trillion miles.

At the heart of this bipolar nebula is a white dwarf star that cast aside its outer layers of gas long ago. The discarded gas forms the butterflylike wings billowing from the aging star, whose heat causes the gas to glow.

Schoolchildren in Chile chose this astronomical target to celebrate 25 years of operation by the International Gemini Observatory.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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November 26, 2025

Telescope in Chile captures stunning new picture of a cosmic butterfly

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A telescope in Chile has captured a stunning new picture of a grand and graceful cosmic butte...

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Russian nationals among 4 people arrested in France over espionage probe

PARIS (AP) — French authorities have detained members of a pro-Russia support group and accused them of intelligence-gathering for a foreign power.

The SOS Donbass group was set up in France in 2022. Its founder, a dual French-Russian national, was among four people taken into custody.

The General Directorate of Internal Security, or DGSI, France's domestic secret service that specializes in counter-espionage, had for months been investigating her activities, the Paris prosecutor's office said.

Three men were also taken into custody, one of them a Russian national.

The break-up of the alleged intelligence operation comes amid fresh warnings from French PresidentEmmanuel Macronabout Russiandestabilization effortstargeting France, a key backer ofUkraine.

The Paris prosecutor's office identified the detained founder of SOS Donbass only as Anna N. It said the 40-year-old was born in Russia.

Also arrested was a 40-year-old Russian identified as Vyacheslav P., as well as two French nationals referred to as Vincent P., 63, and Bernard F., 58.

Anna N. has been in the DGSI's crosshairs for months and is "suspected of having approached executives from various French companies in order to obtain information related to French economic interests," the prosecutor's office said in a statement to The Associated Press.

It said she was also in contact with Vyacheslav P., who is alleged to have fixed pro-Russia posters onto the Arc de Triomphe in September. The posters showed a Russian soldier and the words "say thank you to the victorious soviet soldier."

The prosecutor's office said Vyacheslav P., who remains in detention, was identified in video footage as the poster-sticker on the Paris landmark.

The prosecutor's office said Anna N. and Vincent P. face preliminary charges of criminal conspiracy, intelligence contacts with a foreign power and gathering information for a foreign power — crimes each punishable by up to 10 years in prison as well as large fines. They remain in detention.

Preliminary charges of criminal conspiracy and intelligence contacts with a foreign power have been filed against Bernard F., who is not in detention but is barred from leaving France and must report weekly to authorities.

Vyacheslav P. faces preliminary charges of criminal conspiracy and property damage to serve a foreign power.

The SOS Donbass website says it was founded by Anna Novikova after she visitedthe Donbas,the name that Russians use for the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine that Russian forces have largely occupied. On social media, SOS Donbass has previously identified its president as someone named Vincent Perfetti.

The organization describes itself as a humanitarian NGO that collects funds and distributes aid to Donbas residents "who have been bombarded by the Ukrainian army with NATO weapons." It also says that it wants to "build a bridge of peace between Europe and Russia."

Posters on the group's website show a handshake in the Russian colors and the words, "Russia is not my enemy."

French government, intelligence and military officials say Russia has increasingly been targeting France with cyberattacks, disinformation and other destabilization efforts — tactics also employed against other countries backing Ukraine.

Mappingby the AP of thedisruption campaignhas documented dozens of incidents across Europe since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

Macron said this week that Russia is waging "hybrid wars" against Europe, including by employing proxies.

"It pays people, mercenaries. It has pushed people to carry out destabilization activities in our countries," he said.

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November 26, 2025

Russian nationals among 4 people arrested in France over espionage probe

PARIS (AP) — French authorities have detained members of a pro-Russia support group and accused them of intelligence-gath...

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Woman with family ties to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt arrested by ICE

A woman with family relations to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is in ICE custody after being arrested earlier this month near Boston.

Bruna Caroline Ferreira, a Brazilian native and the mother of Leavitt's nephew, was arrested near Boston on November 12, her attorney, Todd Pomerleau, told CNN.

Leavitt's nephew has lived full-time in New Hampshire with his father, Leavitt's brother Michael, since he was born, a source familiar with the situation told CNN. Ferreira and the White House press secretary have not spoken in many years, the source said.

A spokesperson with the Department of Homeland Security told CNN Ferreira was in the US illegally after overstaying a tourist visa that required her to leave the country in June 1999. Ferreira is "a criminal illegal alien from Brazil" with "a previous arrest for battery" and is currently in removal proceedings, the spokesperson said.

Pomerleau said the DHS statement is inaccurate. "We dispute that she has any criminal record. She is not a 'criminal illegal alien,'" he told CNN Wednesday.

Ferreira's attorney said she was a former recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which grants temporary protection from deportation for those brought to the US as children.

She was unable to renew her status a few years ago during President Donald Trump'sefforts to end the programduring his first administration, but is currently in the middle of a "lawful immigration process" for US citizenship, Pomerleau said.

Ferreira was arrested while driving to pick up her son from New Hampshire, Pomerleau told CNN. Ferreira and Michael Leavitt were previously engaged and have joint custody over their 11-year-old son, Pomerleau said.

Ferreira is being detained at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile, said Pomerleau. Thefacilityis about 80 miles from Baton Rouge and more than 1,500 miles from where Ferreira was arrested.

Michael Leavitt toldCNN affiliate WMURFerreira has maintained a relationship with their son, but the boy has not spoken to her since her detention. He described the situation as difficult and said he just wants the best for his son.

AGoFundMe page,verified by Ferreira's lawyer, has been created by her sister, Graziela Dos Santos Rodrigues, for legal fees and expenses. As of Wednesday morning, more than $15,000 has been raised.

"Bruna was brought to the United States by our parents in December of 1998, when she was just a child … Since then, she has done everything in her power to build a stable, honest life here," Ferreira's sister wrote in the GoFundMe campaign. She said Ferreira has "maintained her legal status through DACA."

Trump tried to end DACA during his first term, but the Supreme Court ruled his administration had not taken the proper steps to do so. Some DACA recipients have beenamong those arrestedin the administration's current sweeping immigration enforcement.

In a recent statement to theAssociated Press, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said those with status under the Obama-era program "are not automatically protected from deportations," adding, "DACA does not confer any form of legal status in this country."

CNN's Aaron Eggleston contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

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November 26, 2025

Woman with family ties to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt arrested by ICE

A woman with family relations to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is in ICE custody after being arrested earlier this month nea...

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Oklahoma junior college basketball player dies following head injury

A junior college basketball player died on Tuesday after suffering a head injury during a weekend game in Texas, his school in eastern Oklahoma said.

Ethan Dietz, a 6-foot-8 forward for the Connors State College Cowboys, "was injured during a men's basketball game on Saturday" before passing away three days later, according to a school statement.

"The Cowboy family has suffered an unimaginable loss,"the school said. "Ethan exemplified what it means to be a Cowboy, to value hard work and being part of a team. While the team and the Cowboy community are processing our own grief, our hearts go out to his family and friends."

That initial statement posted on Tuesday didn't elaborate on the nature of Dietz's injury or his cause of death.

But Connors State spokesperson Shannon Rigsby on Wednesday disclosed that "initial reports indicate it was a head injury."

"We have requested the tape of the game to look into that," Rigsby said.

TheConway, Arkansas native Dietzwas injured in the second half of the Cowboys' 69-64 loss atGrayson College in Denison, Texas.

In the wake of Dietz's passing, Connors State canceled its next two men's basketball games and following pair of women's hoops contests.

"Ethan's loss reminds us all how precious life is and how much those around us impact our lives," the school said. "As we move through this loss together as a community, let's be inspired by Ethan's spirit, friendship and love."

In eight games this season, Dietz averaged 11 points and 9.4 rebounds per contest.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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November 26, 2025

Oklahoma junior college basketball player dies following head injury

A junior college basketball player died on Tuesday after suffering a head injury during a weekend game in Texas, his school in eastern Okla...

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NFL Playoff Projection: Chiefs at Cowboys could have playoff implications

A Thanksgiving game between a team that just needed an overtime win to get to 6-5 and another that is 5-5-1 after a two-game winning streak shouldn't impact playoff discussion too much.

We all know better.

TheKansas City Chiefsand Dallas Cowboys are among the NFL's marquee teams, and a Thanksgiving matchup between the two as they struggle to get into the bracket should be one of the highest-rated regular season games in many years.

Though the teams have similar records, their playoff odds are much different. The 6-5 Chiefs have a 65.7% chance to make the playoffs,via DVOA, while the 5-5-1 Cowboys are down at 7.3%. But a win by the Cowboys would give everyone in Dallas hope that the team, with new addition defensive tackle Quinnen Williams transforming the defense, is ready to get hot and make a run to the postseason.

The Chiefs' playoff outlook is tenuous too. A loss knocks them back to .500. The Chiefs need to go 4-2 the rest of the way to get to 10 wins, which is probably the minimum needed in the AFC wild-card race, and a loss when they're favored at Dallas would be a big blow.

The urgency on both sides will make the second Thanksgiving game feel like a playoff game. And it will get television ratings like a playoff game too.

Here are the other Week 13 games that will have the biggest impact on the playoff picture:

Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions

We're getting four good games on Thursday and Friday and the rest of the NFL week is ... yeah. Enjoy the start to the week, as the Packers look to sweep the Lions. The 7-4 Lions are in reasonable shape in the NFC North race but that changes if they lose at home to start Thanksgiving. They might be in danger of missing the playoffs altogether with a loss. The Packers have been up and down but are 7-3-1 and a win over the Lions would be massive for their chances of winning the division.

Detroit has always treated its Thanksgiving game like a playoff game, and this season the matchup itself will live up to that energy.

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens

The Bengals probably aren't going to make a run to the playoff field. They're just 1.6% to make the playoffs via DVOA. But don't tell Cincinnati that. Joe Burrow is back and that will provide some hope of running the table and stealing the AFC North. Realistically they're just spoilers, which makes them interesting too. The Ravens have won five in a row and are back in a first-place tie in the AFC North, but they have not been dominant lately. They've just caught a soft spot in the schedule. The Steelers will be rooting hard for the Bengals in this Thanksgiving prime-time matchup.

Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Eagles

Give the NFL credit for scheduling on Thursday and Friday. There are four interesting games. The Bears are 8-3, in first place of the NFC North, but do we think they can keep this up? Their resume is short on quality wins, but that can change on Black Friday. The Eagles are going to win the NFC East barring a historic collapse, but they're still in the mix for the No. 1 seed. But they can't afford to lose a game like Friday at home.

Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts

The best game on Sunday and Monday, in terms of playoff implications for both teams, might be this one. The Colts have regressed a bit after a 7-1 start, and now get a Texans team coming off an impressive win over the Bills last Thursday night. That means Houston has some extra rest as well. The door is still open for the Texans to steal the division. They're 3-1 in divisional games with two games left against Indianapolis, including a Week 18 showdown. If the Texans win at Indianapolis on Sunday, they're very much in the mix for a division title.

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November 26, 2025

NFL Playoff Projection: Chiefs at Cowboys could have playoff implications

A Thanksgiving game between a team that just needed an overtime win to get to 6-5 and another that is 5-5-1 after a tw...

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USA Hockey reveals jerseys for 2026 Olympics, Paralympics

USA Hockey is looking to the pastwith the jerseysthe men's and women's Olympic and Paralympic teams will wear this winter in Milan as revealed by Paralympic gold medalist Jack Wallace on NBC's "Today" show on Wednesday.

The jerseys, designed by Nike, were inspired by the ones worn by the 1960 men's team that won its first-ever Olympic gold medal in hockey. Among the features include the words "land of the free, home of the brave" inside the collar.

Simply timeless.#MilanoCortina2026pic.twitter.com/hPszMrken7

— USA Hockey (@usahockey)November 26, 2025

As part of a joint agreement between the NHL, NHL Players Association, the International Ice Hockey Federation and the International Olympic Committeeannounced last February, the league will return to the Olympics for first time since the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia.

Players will also take part in the 2030 Olympics in France.

NHL players participated in five straight Winter Olympics from 1998 to 2014, but concerns about marketing, insurance, travel costs and player injuries prevented the league, the NHLPA, the IIHF and the IOC fromfinalizing an agreement to continuefor 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Finland and the Olympic Athletes from Russia won the two men's hockey gold medals in the competitions that didn't feature NHL players. Since the league allowed players to take part beginning in 1998, Canada has won three times.

The U.S. will begin their tournament on Feb. 12 against Latvia. The Americans will then face Denmark and Germany during group play.

USA Hockeyannounced in Junethe first six players who will be on the men's roster for Milan: Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, Quinn Hughes, Charlie McAvoy and Brady and Matthew Tkachuk. The rest of the team, along with full women's and sled hockey teams, is expected to be revealed in late December or early January.

On the women's side, it's been Canadian dominance since the women's tournament became part of the Olympics in 1998. The U.S. won the first competition, but the Canadians have taken five out of the past six gold medals.

The American women begin their journey to reclaim gold on Feb. 5 against Czechia. They will also face Finland, Switzerland and Canada in group play.

It's been a different story on the sled hockey side as the U.S. has won the last four gold medals and five out of the past six. Sweden and Norway won the first two competitions in 1994 and 1998, respectively, while Canada's lone gold medal came in 2006.

The U.S. Paralympic team begins play on March 7 against Italy and will then face Germany and China before the knockout stage.

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November 26, 2025

USA Hockey reveals jerseys for 2026 Olympics, Paralympics

USA Hockey is looking to the pastwith the jerseysthe men's and women's Olympic and Paralympic teams will wear this winter in Milan ...

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Trump administration says lower prices for 15 Medicare drugs will save taxpayers billions

NEW YORK (AP) — Pharmaceutical companies have agreed to slash the Medicareprices for 15 prescription drugsafter months of negotiations, reductions that are expected to produce billions in savings for taxpayers and older adults, the Trump administration said.

But the net prices it unveiled for a 30-day supply of each drug are not what Medicare recipients will pay at their pharmacy counters, since those final amounts will depend on each individual's plan and how much they spend on prescriptions in a given year.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. touted the deals as part of the administration'sefforts to address affordability concernsamong Americans. The Medicare drug negotiation program that made them possible is mandated by law and began under President Joe Biden's administration.

"President Trump directed us to stop at nothing to lower health care costs for the American people," Kennedy said in a statement Tuesday evening. "As we work to Make America Healthy Again, we will use every tool at our disposal to deliver affordable health care to seniors."

The announcement marks the completion of asecond round of negotiationsunder a 2022 law that allows Medicare to haggle over the price it pays on the most popular and expensive prescription drugs used by older Americans, bringing the total number of negotiated drug prices to 25. The new round of negotiated prices will go into effect in 2027. Reduced prices forthe inaugural roundof10 drugsnegotiated by the Biden administration last year will go into effect in January.

Price negotiations apply to drugs treating diabetes, asthma, cancers and more

The latest negotiated prices apply to some of the prescription medications on which Medicare spends the most money, including themassively popular GLP-1 weight-loss and diabetes drugsOzempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy. Some of the other drugs involved in the negotiations include Trelegy Ellipta, which treats asthma; Otezla, a psoriatic arthritis drug; and various drugs that treat diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome and different forms of cancer.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator, said the administration delivered "substantially better outcomes for taxpayers and seniors in the Medicare Part D program" than the previous year's deals.

Under the first round of Medicare price negotiations, the Biden administration said the program would have saved about $6 billion on net covered prescription drug costs, or about 22%, if it had been in effect the previous year. The Trump administration said its latest round would have saved the government about $8.5 billion in net spending, or 36%, if it had been in effect last year.

It's unclear exactly how much money the newly announced deals could save Medicare beneficiaries when they are buying prescription drugs at the pharmacy because those costs are determined by various individual factors.

A new rule that kicked off this year also caps out-of-pocket drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries at $2,000, giving some relief to older adults affected by high-cost prescriptions. The administration said estimated out-of-pocket savings for Medicare beneficiaries with drug plans is about $685 million.

Spencer Perlman, director of health care research at Veda Partners, said the Trump administration's improved outcomes probably resulted from the mix of drugs being negotiated and lessons learned from the first year of negotiations.

Net drug prices are proprietary, he said, but "if we take the administration at their word, I think it demonstrates that they have secured meaningful price concessions for seniors, meaning the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program is working as intended."

Medicare recipients can't get GLP-1 drugs for obesity, but the administration is making changes

The GLP-1 weight-loss drugs that were part of the negotiations have been especially scrutinized for their high out-of-pocket costs. Yet it's still unclear to what extent Medicare beneficiaries who want to use the drugs to treat obesity will be able to do so.

Medicare has long been prohibited from paying for weight-loss treatments, but a separate deal recently announced between the Trump administration and two pharmaceutical companies included plans for a pilot program that willexpand coverage for the drugsto additional high-risk obese and overweight people.

The Trump administration this year has also negotiated several unrelated deals with drug companies to lower the cost of their products for the wider population.

Pharmaceutical companies, meanwhile, have sued over the Medicare drug negotiations enabled by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act and remain opposed to them.

"Whether it is the IRA or MFN, government price setting for medicines is the wrong policy for America," Alex Schriver, senior vice president of public affairs at the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA, said in a statement. "These flawed policies also threaten future medical innovation by siphoning $300 billion from biopharmaceutical research, undermining the American economy and our ability to compete globally."

Next year, Medicare will negotiate prices for another round of 15 drugs, including physician-administered drugs for the first time.

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November 26, 2025

Trump administration says lower prices for 15 Medicare drugs will save taxpayers billions

NEW YORK (AP) — Pharmaceutical companies have agreed to slash the Medicareprices for 15 prescription drugsafter months of...

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Football coach Travis Turner is just latest staffer at small Virginia high school charged with child sex crimes

The tight-knit Virginia high schoolwhere head football coach Travis Turner workedwas rocked by a similar sex scandal involving another coach two years ago.

Timothy Lee Meador, a teacher and coach at Union High School, pleaded guilty in 2023 to child solicitation and indecent liberties charges,ABC 7 reported.

Meador, then 28, was barred from the school, which teaches about 600 kids in Big Stone Gap, and spent just a year and three months in prison.

It is unclear what sport Meador coached, but he worked at Union High at the same time that Turner was head football coach there.

And the circumstances surrounding the latest allegations against a school stafferare shockingly similar.

Turner, 46, is wanted for five counts of soliciting a minor using a computer and with five counts of child pornography, Virginia State Police announced Tuesday.

Just days ago, amember of the Union High staffwas also placed on leave — but the school has not confirmed whether it was Turner.

But while Meador was caught, Turner remains in the wind.

He vanished Thursday as police were headed to his home in nearby Appalachia to question him over the allegations, and he hasn't been seen since.

A search has been underway across the mountainous countryside since, but so far no leads have turned up as to his whereabouts.

Turner was not initially charged with any crimes and police insisted they were only trying to question him — but on Tuesday they declared he was a fugitive and would be charged if caught.

His family has denied the charges against him.

"None of that is true. He's a good dad and a good husband," his wife, Leslie, told the Daily Mail after police confirmed the charges.

"We want him home. That's it," she added. "We are all just hanging in there until we get news."

byNeo

in

November 26, 2025

Football coach Travis Turner is just latest staffer at small Virginia high school charged with child sex crimes

The tight-knit Virginia high schoolwhere head football coach Travis Turner workedwas rocked by a similar sex scandal involving another coac...

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At least 13 dead after fire engulfs Hong Kong high-rise residential buildings

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong's deadliest fire in years blazed late into the night on Wednesday as authorities confirmed at least 13 people, including a firefighter, had died and others remained trapped.

Hundreds of residents were evacuated as the blaze spread across seven high-rise apartment buildings in a housing complex in Tai Po district, in the New Territories. At least 33 others were injured.

Fire chiefs said high temperatures at the scene made it difficult for crews to mount rescue operations. It was not immediately known how the fire started.

The fire sent up a column of flames and thick smoke as it spread quickly on bamboo scaffolding and construction netting that had been set up around the exterior of the housing complex. About 700 people were evacuated to temporary shelters.

Records show the housing complex consisted of eight buildings with almost 2,000 apartments housing about 4,800 residents, including many elderly people.

Multiple buildings close to each other were set ablaze, with bright flames and smoke shooting out of windows as night fell. Authorities said that hundreds of firefighters, police officers and paramedics were deployed. Firefighters aimed water at the intense flames from high up on ladder trucks.

Nine people were declared dead at the scene and four others were later confirmed dead at the hospital, authorities said.

The blaze, which started mid-afternoon, was upgraded a level 5 alarm — the highest level of severity — as night fell. Authorities said that conditions remained very challenging for firefighters.

"Debris and scaffolding of the affected buildings (is) falling down," said Derek Armstrong Chan, deputy director of Fire Service operations. "The temperature inside the buildings concerned is very high. It's difficult for us to enter the building and go upstairs to conduct firefighting and rescue operations."

Officials said the fire started at the external scaffolding of one of the buildings, a 32-storey tower, and later spread to inside the building and also to nearby buildings, likely aided by windy conditions.

The fire department said that it received "numerous" calls requesting assistance. It said some residents remained trapped as of Wednesday night, but police declined to provide details about how many were missing or in danger.

Firefighters deployed 128 fire trucks and 57 ambulances to the scene.

The dead included a 37-year-old firefighter, while another received treatment for heat exhaustion, Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung said.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday expressed condolences to the firefighter who died and extended sympathies to the families of the victims, according to state broadcaster CCTV. He also urged efforts to minimize casualties and losses.

District officials in Tai Po have opened temporary shelters for people left homeless by the fire.

"I've given up thinking about my property," a resident who only provided her surname, Wu, told local TV station TVB. "Watching it burn like that was really frustrating."

Tai Po is a suburban area in the New Territories, in the northern part of Hong Kong and near the border with the mainland Chinese city of Shenzhen.

Bamboo scaffolding is a common sight in Hong Kong at building construction and renovation projects, though the government said earlier this year that it would start phasing it out for public projects because of safety concerns.

The fire is the most deadly in Hong Kong in years. In November 1996, 41 people died in a commercial building in Kowloon in a level 5 fire that lasted for around 20 hours.

Moritsugu reported from Beijing. Researcher Chen Shihuan contributed to this report.

byNeo

in

November 26, 2025

At least 13 dead after fire engulfs Hong Kong high-rise residential buildings

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong's deadliest fire in years blazed late into the night on Wednesday as authorities confirmed...

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What to watch: Week 14 college football viewer's guide

Where has the season gone?

We're already in Week 14 and there are multiple teams across college football who have already played their final game. Four MAC teams —Akron, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan and UMass — have already completed their seasons. Pour one out for UMass. The Minutemen went 0-12 and are the only winless team at the top level of college football.

The final week of the regular season has a lot at stake. No team has officially clinched a spot in a power conference championship game and multiple teams in the American still have a chance to earn a playoff berth. Here's what you need to know as the regular season wraps up.

No. 3 Texas A&M at No. 16 Texas

All that stands between Texas A&M and the school's first undefeated regular season since 1994 is a trip to its hated rival who started the season at No. 1 in the AP Top 25. No big deal, right?

College football is better when A&M and Texas are playing each other and we get another game with massive stakes now that the rivalry has been renewed. A year ago, as the two played each other for the first time in 2011, the winner went to the SEC title game.

This season, the Longhorns are out of the conference race. But they still have the slightest of playoff hopes even if they need a ton of chaos to envelop the teams ahead of them.

A&M is in the SEC title game with a win and could miss out with a loss. QB Marcel Reed is also in position to be a Heisman finalist — and could become a serious contender with big games against the Longhorns and in the SEC championship.

Texas QB Arch Manning had six total touchdowns in Week 13 against a hapless Arkansas defense. It was the best game of Manning's career; he had four passing TDs to go along with a rushing TD and a receiving TD.

Can he keep it going against an Aggie defense that's been one of the best in the country against the pass? Opposing QBs are completing just 57% of their passes for 183 yards a game against the Aggies.

No. 1 Ohio State at No. 15 Michigan

Yes, there is a scenario that results in Ohio State and Michigan playing each other in back-to-back weeks. That would be fun, but it would require Indiana losing as a four-touchdown favorite to Purdue. So it's not really worth thinking about.

Ohio State enters this game as a virtual playoff lock but a team that also has all of the pressure. The Buckeyes have famously lost the last four games in the series dating back to 2019. Last year's 13-10 road win by Michigan was the first time an unranked team had won this game over a ranked opponent since Ohio State beat Michigan in 2004.

The Buckeyes didn't have WRs Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate against Rutgers in Week 13. Coach Ryan Day has only offered general updates about his receivers but Smith has said he should be good to go. If Tate can play too, the Ohio State passing attack should be back to full strength. But even if OSU only has one of them back it changes the dynamic for the Michigan defense.

Michigan QB Bryce Underwood was 16-of-23 passing for 215 yards and two touchdowns in the Wolverines' Week 13 win over Maryland. He's been a much better passer at home, too. Underwood has completed 68% of his passes at Michigan Stadium for 1,131 yards on 133 attempts. On the road, Underwood is 81-of-142 passing for 1,035 yards. He also averages 6.3 yards a carry at home compared to 3.5 yards a rush on the road.

His splits are even more extreme across Michigan's wins and its two losses. In road losses at Oklahoma and USC, Underwood was just 24-of-48 passing for 349 yards over those two games and he's rushed for minus-5 yards (remember, college stats take sacks into account). If Ohio State's stellar defense can keep Underwood in the pocket, the Wolverines could be hamstrung without RB Justice Haynes.

No. 6 Oregon at Washington

It's simple for Oregon. Beat Washington and host a first-round College Football Playoff game.

The Ducks' 49-21 win a season ago snapped a three-game win streak for Washington in the series. The Huskies won those three games over 2022 and 2023 by a combined nine points; every victory was by a field goal.

Since losing 13-10 in the rain at Wisconsin, Washington has won its last two games by a combined score of 97-27, though the two opponents were Purdue and UCLA. Even though Washington is 8-3, QB Demond Williams Jr. is still under the radar for many college football fans. Williams has completed 72% of his passes for 2,721 yards and 19 TDs and has rushed for 568 yards and six scores.

The Ducks held USC in check a week ago. The Trojans averaged a season-low 5.3 yards per play as they had their worst rushing performance of 2025. USC had just 52 rushing yards even though QB Jayden Maiava was only sacked once.

As Dante Moore has been one of the better QBs in the country, Oregon has learned to rely on an explosive run game that wasn't explosive but extremely efficient against USC. Oregon rushed 41 times for 179 yards as Noah Whittington led the way with 19 carries for 104 yards. The sixth-year senior is averaging a career-high 7.7 yards per carry in 2025 and has a chance to eclipse 1,000 yards for the first time if Oregon makes the College Football Playoff.

No. 14 Vanderbilt at No. 19 Tennessee

Saturday's game is the first time Vanderbilt and Tennessee will play as ranked opponents. It's the 119th time they've played each other.

It's a stat that seems too wild to be true, but you have to go back to 1958 to find the last time that Vanderbilt was ranked when it played Tennessee. The Commodores are looking to snap a six-game losing streak to the Volunteers; Vandy hasn't won since a 38-13 victory over the Vols in 2018.

A win will keep Vanderbilt in the mix for the College Football Playoff and could even propel the Commodores into the playoff if a couple of teams ahead of them lose in Week 14. Diego Pavia's Heisman odds improved dramatically in Week 13 as he set a school single-game passing record with 484 yards in a 45-17 win over Kentucky. A win will also mark the first 10-win season in school history for Vanderbilt.

Tennessee exorcised some Gainesville demons in Week 13 with a very easy 31-11 win over Florida. It was the first time Tennessee had beaten Florida on the road since 2003 and just the fourth win overall for the Volunteers over Florida since that last road win. Can the Tennessee defense clamp down on Pavia? After getting torched by Arkansas, Alabama and even Kentucky, which averaged 6.5 yards per play, Tennessee's defense has played better over its last three games.

No. 10 Alabama at Auburn

Despite a Week 12 loss to Oklahoma, Alabama's SEC title game scenario is very straightforward. An Iron Bowl win sends the Crimson Tide to Atlanta. And remember the last time Alabama needed a win in Auburn to keep its playoff hopes alive?

Two years ago, Jalen Milroe found Isaiah Bond for a touchdown on fourth-and-31 with 32 seconds left for a 27-24 win. A week later, the Tide took down Georgia to make the final four-team College Football Playoff.

That loss dropped Auburn to 6-6 in Hugh Freeze's first season. Now, Freeze is already out as Auburn's coach after his firing earlier this season and the Tigers need a win to get to a bowl game.

QB Ashton Daniels is expected to start on Saturday night after sitting out the Tigers' Week 13 win over Mercer. The Iron Bowl will be Daniels' fourth appearance of the season. Had he played against Mercer, a snap against Alabama would have prevented him from redshirting for 2025.

Freshman Deuce Knight started in Daniels' place and threw for 239 yards while rushing for 162 yards and four scores. It was an impressive performance with the obvious caveat that it came against an FCS school. How much playing time will Knight see against Alabama? He's only appeared in two games, so the Tigers don't have to worry about his redshirt status.

As Alabama cruised to a 56-0 win over FCS team Eastern Illinois in Week 13, Ty Simpson threw two interceptions on 16 pass attempts. He did, however, break a five-game fumble streak. If Simpson can avoid turnovers — he had just one interception through Alabama's first nine games of the season — the Tide should be OK.

Others to watch

Navy at Memphis (-5.5), 7:30 p.m. ET, Thursday, ESPN:The only Thanksgiving college football game is an important one in the American Conference. Navy needs a win over Memphis and a loss by either Tulane or North Texas to have a shot at the title game. The Green Wave will host the American title game with a win thanks to their spot in the CFP rankings and North Texas beat Navy earlier in the season.

No. 7 Ole Miss (-7.5) at Mississippi State, Noon ET Friday, ABC:The betting line reflects the unpredictability of the Egg Bowl in normal years. And this has become no normal year for Ole Miss. The Rebels are on track to host a College Football Playoff game with a win and thefuture of coach Lane Kiffin could have clarity at some point immediately after the game. Will he stay or go?

No. 12 Miami (-6.5) at Pitt, Noon ET, ABC:Pitt needs to upset the Hurricanes and get some help to make the ACC title game. Miami needs a win and, well, a lot more help than Pitt needs. Eight results have to go Miami's way over the weekend for Miami to make the ACC championship game. And there are eight ACC games in Week 14.

LSU at No. 8 Oklahoma (-10.5), 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC:Can the Tigers keep it competitive? We wouldn't rule it out, even if Garrett Nussmeier is still sidelined with his abdominal injury. It's an important game for Oklahoma's offense. If the Sooners still look rocky they could lose out on a home playoff game.

Virginia Tech at No. 18 Virginia (-9.5), 7 p.m. ET, ESPN:The Cavaliers are in the ACC title game with a win over their rivals. Virginia's likely opponent in the ACC title game would be SMU, assuming the Mustangs take care of business against Cal. If you had Virginia and SMU playing for a spot in the playoff in August, you should go buy a lottery ticket.

byNeo

in

November 26, 2025

What to watch: Week 14 college football viewer's guide

Where has the season gone? We're already in Week 14 and there are multiple teams across college football who...

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CFP rankings grades: Why Michigan gets an F

It's the final week of the regular season, and the pressure is rising on theCollege Football Playoffselection committee.

It was a relatively quiet past week as the top 11 teams in theUS LBM Coaches Polleither won or had the week off. However, there is sure to be changes with huge games coming before the field is set on Dec. 7. Is the selection committee getting the latest rankings right? Or are some teams undeservingly getting boosts or put down with not much time left?

PATH TO PLAYOFF:Sign up for our college football newsletter

The weekend is the final chance for every team to make its case before only a few advance to conference championship games. Here are the grades for every spot in the College Football Playoff ranking heading into Week 14.

Golden Egg, few axes and a bucket. See college football's longest running FBS rivalries

1. Ohio State: A+

Pretty sure theBuckeyesare solely focused on beating Michigan before thinking about anything else.

2. Indiana: A+

Beat Big Ten cellar-dweller Purdue and a first-round bye is nearly wrapped up forIndiana.

3. Texas A&M: A+

The SEC title game is far from clinched with theAggieshaving to play at Texas. The could get there with a loss if other results fall right.

4. Georgia: A+

Even thoughGeorgia Techlost last week,Georgiawould earn a quality win by beating the Yellow Jackets that could help it secure a first-round bye.

5. Texas Tech: B+

TheRed Raidersare positioned to be in the playoff as long as they beat West Virginia, but it was a tad bit surprising to see them not get jumped by Oregon.

6. Oregon: A-

With that much-needed signature win against Southern California,Oregongets a more secure spot. It could have moved up into the top five.

7. Mississippi: A

TheRebelsshould have given up a spot to Oregon, and now a spot in the playoff doesn't seem as secured without a win at Mississippi State.

8. Oklahoma: B+

Beat LSU and theSoonerscan feel good about their chances to make the field.

9. Notre Dame: A-

WhileNotre Dameputting up 70 points is cool, scoring that much against Syracuse isn't much to brag about.

10. Alabama: B-

The playoff is still in the Crimson Tide's hands, butAlabamafans are probably nervous heading into the Iron Bowl.

11. Brigham Young: C

It looks like it'll be Big 12 title or bust forBYUto get in. A defeat of Central Florida puts the Cougars one win away.

12. Miami: A

Boasting one of the best resumes, movingMiamieven one spot is a notable jump. Now what could a win against Pittsburgh do?

The latest College Football Playoff rankings provided more clarity for how the bracket (pictured below) may shake out ahead of a huge set of showdowns in Week 14.🔗:https://t.co/YWhQNyfMQU#collegefootball#NCAAFootball#CFBPlayoffpic.twitter.com/8VYwrjwrz4

— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports)November 26, 2025

13. Utah: A+

Utah'sspot always felt confusing, but there seems to be clarity theUteshave reached their ceiling and need a lot of help.

14. Vanderbilt: B

Would a win over Tennessee do anything forVanderbiltto get into the field? It doesn't feel likely.

15. Michigan: F

Certainly interesting to moveMichiganup so much considering it doesn't have a ranked win. It feels like beating Ohio State gets the Wolverines in.

16. Texas: D-

Even moving up a spot,Texasgot jumped past Michigan, which should enrage the Longhorns. They've got a chance against Texas A&M to make their case but that's a lot of ground to make up.

17. Southern California: C-

The committee was gracious in not droppingUSCdown too many spots when it was justified to do so.

18. Virginia: B

The win over Duke in Week 12 was notable, but the ACC title is the only viable way for theCavaliersto get in.

19. Tennessee: C-

Still without a signature win, theVolunteerscontinue to make other teams look good by being ranked in the top 20.

20.Arizona State: B-

The only team to beat Texas Tech has played well recently, andArizona Statecan add another key win in the battle for the Territorial Cup.

21. Southern Methodist: A-

Being ranked helped with seeding shouldSMUfind its way back into the field. However, the earlier losses turned out to be worse than when they happened.

22. Pittsburgh: A+

It was a complete performance in the win over Georgia Tech, and it kept thePanthersalive in the ACC race.

23. Georgia Tech: D+

It's a big drop for theYellow Jackets, and even without any notable wins, it's hard to justify.

24. Tulane: C+

Tulanewas likely hoping to move up to create some distance from any other Group of Five candidates, but it looks like they still have a healthy margin to win and get in.

25. Arizona: B-

This one feels pretty random over some worthy Group of Five teams, but theWildcatshave played well in this four-game win streak.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:College Football Playoff rankings grades: Michigan an F, Oregon an A

byNeo

in

November 26, 2025

CFP rankings grades: Why Michigan gets an F

It's the final week of the regular season, and the pressure is rising on theCollege Football Playoffselection committ...

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Happy Thanksgiving! Here's a guide to all the best sports on TV this weekend

Yahoo Sports AMis our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports.Sign up hereto get it every weekday morning.

🚨 Headlines

⚾️Boston lands Gray:The Red Sox have acquired three-time All-Star Sonny Grayin a trade with the Cardinals, sending two young pitchers to St. Louis for the 36-year-old right-hander with a career 3.58 ERA.

🏈OK State hires Morris:Oklahoma Stateis hiring North Texas' Eric Morrisas its next head coach. Morris, who's led the Mean Green (10-1) to a potential CFP berth, will be tasked with reviving a program that has gone 4-19 over the past two seasons.

⚽️Final sets viewership record:The NWSL Championship between Gotham FC and the Washington Spiritdrew 1.184 million viewerson CBS, making it the most-watched match in league history.

🏈Canton semifinalists:Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald and Frank Gore are among the first-year eligible playersmoving on to the semifinal roundof voting for the NFL Hall of Fame's Class of 2026. That group of 26 will next be cut to 15 finalists.

⚽️ Estêvão joins elite club:Chelsea's Estêvão, 18, scored in the Blues'3-0 win over Barcelona, making him the third teenager ever to score in each of his first three Champions League starts. The other two? Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland.

📺 Thanksgiving Weekend Watchlist

🏈 NFL, Week 13

The action begins with tomorrow's Thanksgiving Day tripleheader, followed by the third annual Black Friday game ahead of Sunday's slate.

Thanksgiving:The Lions host the Packers(1pm ET, Fox)in an NFC North clash, the Cowboys host the Chiefs(4:30pm, CBS)in a matchup of playoff hopefuls, and the Ravens host the Bengals(8:20pm, NBC)in Joe Burrow's return.

Black Friday:The 8-3 Eagles, who should probablyreexamine how they're using Saquon Barkley, host the 8-3 Bears(3pm, Prime), who have already matched their best win total since 2018.

Sunday:49ers at Browns(1pm, CBS); Jaguars at Titans(1pm, CBS); Texans at Colts(1pm, CBS); Saints at Dolphins(1pm, Fox); Falcons at Jets(1pm, Fox); Cardinals at Buccaneers(1pm, Fox); Rams at Panthers(1pm, Fox); Vikings at Seahawks (4pm, Fox); Bills at Steelers(4:25pm, CBS); Raiders at Chargers(4:25pm, CBS); Broncos at Commanders(8:20pm, NBC)

🏈 Rivalry Week

Some of the best college football games of the year are, appropriately, saved for the final week of the regular season as bitter rivals take the field with conference championship and playoff spots on the line.

Ranked matchups:No. 4 Georgia at No. 23 Georgia Tech*(Fri. 3:30pm, ABC); No. 3 Texas A&M at No. 16 Texas(Fri. 7:30pm, ABC); No. 25 Arizona at No. 20 Arizona State(Fri. 9pm, Fox); No. 1 Ohio State at No. 15 Michigan*(Sat. 12pm, Fox); No. 12 Miami at No. 22 Pitt(Sat. 12pm, ABC); No. 14 Vanderbilt at No. 19 Tennessee(Sat. 3:30pm, ESPN)

Best of the rest:No. 7 Ole Miss at Mississippi State(Fri. 12pm, ABC); No. 10 Alabama at Auburn*(Sat. 7:30pm, ABC); No. 6 Oregon at Washington(Sat. 3:30pm, CBS); LSU at No. 8 Oklahoma(Sat. 3:30pm, ABC)

*Going streaking: Georgia has won seven straight against Georgia Tech in their "Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate" rivalry; Michigan has beaten Ohio State in four straight editions of "The Game"; Alabama has beaten Auburn in five straight Iron Bowls.

⚽️ MLS Conference Finals

The Final Four kicks off on Saturday evening, with third-seeded Inter Miami hosting fifth-seeded NYC FC(6pm,Apple)and top-seeded San Diego hosting second-seeded Vancouver(9pm, Apple).

🏀 Feast Week

College basketball's answer to Rivalry Week is loaded with neutral-site tournaments in Las Vegas, Maui, the Bahamas and other locations. Here are the week's best games:

Men:No. 14 St. John's vs. No. 21 Auburn(Wed. 8pm, truTV); No. 7 Michigan vs. No. 12 Gonzaga(Wed. 9:30pm, TNT); No. 10 Florida vs. TCU(Thu. 3pm, FS1); No. 11 Michigan State vs. No. 16 UNC(Thu. 4:30pm, Fox); No. 9 BYU vs. Miami(Thu. 5pm, ESPN); No. 4 Duke vs. No. 22 Arkansas(Thu. 8pm, CBS); No. 5 UConn vs. No. 13 Illinois(Fri. 12:30pm, Fox)

Women:No. 3 UCLA vs. No. 4 Texas(Wed. 2pm, truTV); No. 2 South Carolina vs. Duke(Wed. 4pm, truTV); No. 7 Maryland vs. No. 16 Kentucky(Wed. 5:30pm, FloHoops); No. 1 UConn at Xavier(Sun. 2:30pm, FS1); No. 14 Tennessee at No. 3 UCLA(Sun. 4:30pm, FS1)

⚽️ NCAA Championships

The NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament has reached theSweet 16and the women's tourney has reached theElite Eight, with all games streaming on ESPN+.

Men:No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 13 UConn(Sat. 1pm); No. 7 Georgetown vs. No. 10 High Point(Sat. 5pm); No. 8 Portland vs. Grand Canyon(Sat. 10pm); No. 16 Furman vs. Hofstra(Sun. 1pm); No. 14 Akron vs. Duke(Sun. 4pm); No. 11 Bryant vs. Saint Louis(Sun. 6pm); No. 15 NC State vs. UNCG(Sun. 6pm); No. 12 Stanford vs. Washington(Sun. 8pm)

Women:No. 2 Duke vs. No. 4 Washington(Fri. 4pm); No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 2 Michigan State(Fri. 5pm); No. 3 FSU vs. Ohio State(Fri. 5pm); No. 1 Vanderbilt vs. No. 2 TCU(Sat. 7:30pm)

🏀 NBA Cup

The in-season tournament's group stage action concludes this week, withnine games todayand11 on Friday. That includes a tripleheader tonight on ESPN: Pistons at Celtics(5pm), Timberwolves at Thunder(7:30pm)and Rockets at Warriors(10pm).

More to watch:

• ⚽️ Premier League: Chelsea vs. Arsenal (Sun. 11:30am, USA) … The first-place Gunners visit the second-place Blues.

• 🏒 NHL: Lightning at Rangers (Sat. 2pm, NHL); Capitals at Islanders (Sun. 1pm, NHL) … Tampa Bay has won four straight games to climb to the top of the Atlantic.

• 🏎️ F1: Qatar Grand Prix (Sun. 11am, ESPN2) … The penultimate race of the season.

• ⚽️ Friendly: USWNT vs. Italy (Fri. 7pm, TNT) … In Orlando.

• ⚽️ Champions League: PSG vs. Tottenham (Wed. 3pm, Paramount+); Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich (Wed. 3pm, Paramount+) … Two of nine games to close out Matchday 5.

• 🏒 PWHL: Minnesota at Seattle (Fri. 4pm, YouTube); Vancouver at New York (Sat. 12pm, YouTube); Boston at Toronto (Sat. 2pm, YouTube)

Full weekend slate.

🏈 Why the CFP format feels broken

The current College Football Playoff model was designed before the last round of realignment, which has created some problems in the new "Power 4" world. One big one to emerge this season? The 12-team playoff is really a 10-team playoff.

From Yahoo Sports' Dan Wolken:

When this format was first publicized as a concept in the spring of 2021, there were still five somewhat balanced power conferences.

Texas and Oklahoma hadn't announced their departure for the SEC. The Pac-12 still existed (in a respectable form). UCF, Houston, SMU and Cincinnati were in the American. The ACC had won three of the previous eight national championships. It was a completely different world.

As a result, it made sense to incentivize conference championships. But the original idea of giving automatic bids to the six highest-ranked conference champions (five now, after the Pac-12 exodus) has revealed an unintended consequence.

This year, the Group of Five representative will probably be a team ranked in the 20s — whether it's Tulane, North Texas, Navy or perhaps James Madison out of the Sun Belt. Meanwhile, the ACC champion is likely to emerge from Virginia, Pittsburgh or SMU — none of which are going to finish in the top 12 of the rankings.

That means two spots out of 12 will go to teams that wouldn't qualify if the playoff was simply chosen by ranking. That's too many. It weakens the first-round matchups and inherently excludes teams ranked Nos. 11 and 12 whose résumés look nearly identical to Nos. 8, 9 and 10.

Again, just consider that 6-5 Duke is still technically alive for the ACC title. Imagine a world where the 8-5 ACC champion Blue Devils get into the playoff while 10-2 Miami — the highest-ranked ACC team — gets left out. Not to mention bubble teams like BYU, Utah and Vanderbilt, all of which had much better seasons and would be more likely to compete in a playoff game.

Yes, in that scenario Duke would be the champion of a power conference, but only because unbalanced schedules and quirky tiebreakers got it to the ACC title game in the first place.

Keep reading:The CFP has several problems (especially this season), but there's no quick fix

🏀 NBA power rankings

The Thunder sit atop ourNBA power rankingsone month into the season, which is hardly a surprising place for the red-hot defending champs to land. But the rest of the top 10, courtesy of Ben Rohrbach, is peppered with unexpected entrants.

1. Thunder (17-1): Last year, OKC broke the single-season record for point differential (+12.87) en route to the title. This year, they're at +16.94.

2. Pistons (15-2): Detroit has won a franchise record-tying 13 straight games and already eclipsed their win total from just two seasons ago (14-68).

3. Nuggets (13-4): Another year, another masterpiece from three-time MVP Nikola Jokić, who is again averaging a 30-point triple-double on a league-high 72.9% true shooting percentage.

4. Rockets (11-4): Their +11.2 scoring differential trails only the Thunder as Alperen Şengün continues his ascent to stardom and Kevin Durant continues being, well, Kevin Durant.

5. Lakers (13-4): The good: They started 10-4 with Luka Dončić playing like an MVP and Austin Reaves leveling up in a big way. The better: They've since added literally LeBron James to the mix and are 3-0 since his return.

6. Cavaliers (12-7): Donovan Mitchell leads the way, but it may be time to learn the name Nae'Qwan Tomlin. "I can't take him off the floor," head coach Kenny Atkinson said of the undrafted sparkplug who's playing on a two-way contract.

7. Suns (11-7): How has Phoenix moved past its misbegotten "Big Three" era? By embracing a new identity fueled by full-court pressure and a roster that's better than the sum of its parts, rather than vice versa.

8. Spurs (11-5): Victor Wembanyama's supernova start was halted due to injury, but San Antonio is holding down the Alamo in his absence, jelling quickly despite "playing lineups that we hadn't even gone through training camp with."

9. Raptors (13-5): Something special is happening in the Six, where Toronto has won eight straight games and 12 of 13 after finishing well under .500 in each of the last two seasons.

10. Heat (12-6): In a season where teams are playing at their fastest pace since the 1980's, no team is playing faster than the Heat.

Dive in:Full rankings

🏈 The Patriots are very much back

Be afraid, America. After a brief hiatus, the Patriots are right back in the Super Bowl conversation.

From Yahoo Sports' Jay Busbee:

In "The Usual Suspects," the stone-cold-classic 1995 crime thriller, the bad guys seem pretty obvious — blindingly so, really, loud and in your face and claiming all of your attention every time they're onscreen. But the real villain is lurking right there in plain sight, an apparently broken wretch who's been pulling the strings all along without anyone noticing.

Why do I lead an NFL column with a reference to a 30-year-old movie about a villain hiding in plain sight? Oh, I don't know … have you checked the AFC East standings lately?

The New England Patriots are back, friends. Winners of nine straight, led by an old-school lead-with-the-forehead head coach, quarterbacked by the best signal-caller to join the NFL since the pandemic, held together by one of the top scoring defenses in the league, the Patriots are now officially a legitimate capital-P Problem for the rest of the league. Again.

You can understand why the NFL universe might be troubled by this development. After Tom Brady left the Greater Boston area for Florida and Bill Belichick decided to go re-enact the plot of Old School, the NFL thought it was done with the Pats for a decade or so. The Chiefs took up the "new dynasty" mantle, and everyone safely relegated the Pats to the six-win bin along with the Jets and Titans.

Nightmares are never as scary in the daylight, and the Patriots' two-decade run through the NFL faded into memory. Until this season.

Keep reading.

🏒 NHL trivia

108 years ago today (Nov. 26, 1917), theNHL was officially formed in Montrealand began play later that year with four teams.

Question:Which of the following teams was NOT among those four?

• Montreal Canadiens

• Montreal Wanderers

• Ottawa Senators

• Toronto Hockey Club

• Vancouver Maroons

Answer at the bottom.

⚽️ Who will U.S. face in '26 opener?

The USMNT will not learn its 2026 World Cup opponents until next Friday's draw in Washington, D.C. But on Tuesday, the Americans (No. 14 in the world)found out their June 12 opener at SoFi Stadiumwill be against one of the following countries:

• 🇳🇴 Norway (29)

• 🇪🇬 Egypt (34)

• 🇩🇿 Algeria (35)

• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland (36)

• 🇵🇾 Paraguay (39)

• 🇹🇳 Tunisia (40)

• 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast (42)

• 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan (50)

• 🇶🇦 Qatar (51)

• 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia (60)

• 🇿🇦 South Africa (61)

That opening match is just 198 days away. Start the countdown clock!

Trivia answer:Vancouver Maroons

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November 26, 2025

Happy Thanksgiving! Here's a guide to all the best sports on TV this weekend

Yahoo Sports AMis our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports.Sign up hereto get it every weekday...

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Nigerian parents say they are kept in the dark over abducted schoolchildren

PAPIRI, Nigeria (AP) — Several parents of the over 300 schoolchildren seized by armed men in thelatest mass abduction in Nigeriatell The Associated Press the government has told them nothing about rescue efforts — and the stress has been so high that one parent has died of a heart attack.

"Nobody from the government has briefed us about the abduction," said Emmanuel Ejeh, whose 12-year-old son was taken from the Catholic school in Niger state.

No armed group has claimed responsibility for Friday's abduction of 303 children from the remote community of Papiri, the latest in a series of high-profile seizures in search of ransom. Fifty of the students have since escaped.

The rise in mass abductions from schools comes as theTrump administration pressures Nigeria to actagainst what it calls the persecution of Christians there — a claim Nigeria's government denies. Such abductions had decreased in the past two years.

Experts sayMuslims suffer just as much or morefrom the attacks by bandits and militants linked to al-Qaida or the Islamic State group.

Nigeria's government has few answers

Parents have gathered at the dusty school compound in Papiri, attempting to comfort each other. Ejeh said his wife fainted after hearing their son was taken.

"It is painful," Ejeh said. "Mathew is a very kind boy who dreams of becoming a football player. He is after football day and night."

Two parents of abducted children have died, one of a heart attack, said the bishop of Kontagora diocese, Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, who also runs the school.

A spokesperson for Nigeria's presidency, Bayo Onanuga, did not directly address parents' allegations of being left in the dark. Onanuga told the AP on Wednesday that the military is mounting pressure on the gunmen to release the children.

Nigerian authorities have said helicopters and ground troops have been deployed. Military personnel mingled with anxious parents this week.

The attack came days after gunmen seized 25 students in nearby Kebbi state. All have been rescued, Nigerian authorities said on Tuesday. On Wednesday, police said the students had been reunited with their families.

AnAP tallyshows that at least 1,799 students have been abducted in a dozen of the largest attacks in Nigeria starting with the seizure of 276 schoolgirls in the village of Chibok by Boko Haram militants, an attack that sparked global outrage.

Some students escape. Others are rescued. Some are never seen again.

Some abducted students have health issues

When Yohanna Yakubu, a church pastor, heard his daughter Mercy was among the 12 teachers also taken in the Papiri attack, he ran to the school. Other agonized parents were already there.

"I went straight to her room (at the dormitory) and saw that the window was broken," Yakubu said. He called the lack of information from authorities frustrating.

These days he sits in silence, worry creasing his face.

Danteni Mathew's three children were abducted, but one escaped. He worries about the health of his youngest, who remains missing.

"Yahaya was not healthy before his abduction from the school as he is still battling with hepatitis C," Mathew said.

School safety training had been promised

Under international scrutiny after the Chibok mass abduction, Nigeria's government initiated a Safe School Initiative with plans to involve military assets and train staff to improve safety at schools. Soldiers in some cases are stationed at schools considered vulnerable.

It was not immediately clear whether the Papiri school had received that training.

Activists and others assert that little has been done.

UNICEF last year said just 37% of schools across 10 states in Nigeria's volatile north have early-warning systems to detect threats.

"The fact is that Nigerian lives do not matter to the Nigerian government, and what matters to the Nigerian government is how good they look, so they are more focused on propaganda," said Aisha Yesufu, who helped found the Bring Back Our Girls movement after the Chibok abduction.

Analysts say armed gangs are spreading

Analysts say armed gangs often target schools for abductions because of the pressure they put on the government to negotiate ransoms.

The West African nation is battling dozens of armed groups operating in remote communities with limited government and security presence.

The crisis has become more complex as groups from other parts of the vast Sahel region have joined Boko Haram factions in trying to establish their presence in northern Nigeria, said James Barnett, a research fellow with the U.S.-based Hudson Institute.

"Both bandits and jihadists can have similar interests in conducting these sorts of mass abductions," he said.

Adetayo reported from Lagos, Nigeria.

byNeo

in

November 26, 2025

Nigerian parents say they are kept in the dark over abducted schoolchildren

PAPIRI, Nigeria (AP) — Several parents of the over 300 schoolchildren seized by armed men in thelatest mass abduction in ...

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Frustrated by missing mail, one American took the Postal Service to court

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — As a general rule, it's difficult to sue theU.S. Postal Servicefor lost, delayed or mishandled mail.

But a case before the U.S. Supreme Court involving aTexaslandlord who alleges her mail was deliberately withheld for two years is looking to challenge that, in a proceeding the cash-strappedPostal Servicesays could prompt a deluge of lawsuits over the very common, if frustrating, phenomenon of missing mail. That concern takes on particular resonance during the holiday season, when the volume of mail — billions of sentimental items from Christmas cards to Black Friday purchases — ramps up.

The case focuses on whether the special postal exemption to the Federal Tort Claims Act applies when postal employees intentionally fail to deliver letters and packages.

"We're going to be faced with, I think, a ton of suits about mail," Frederick Liu, assistant to the Solicitor General for the Department of Justice, warned the justices during oral arguments last month. He predicted that if the landlord wins the case, people will infer their mail didn't arrive "because of a rude comment that they heard, or what have you."

The federal tort law allows a private individual to sue the federal government for monetary damages if a federal employee hurts them or damages their property by acting negligently.

But Congress created multiple exceptions to the law, including one for the Postal Service, shielding it from lawsuits over missing or late mail. The exception says the post office can't be sued for "loss, miscarriage or negligent transmission of letters or postal matter." Definitions of those words have become the crux of the case before the Supreme Court.

Last month, some justices appeared to question the government's claim that USPS is shielded from such lawsuits. But concern was expressed about opening the doors to frivolous litigation. Justice Samuel Alito suggested people might believe carriers intentionally didn't deliver mail because they didn't receive a tip at Christmas or they were scared by a "big dog that ran up to the door."

"What will the consequences be if all these suits are filed and they have to be litigated?" Alito asked. "Is the cost of a first-class letter going to be $3 now?"

A two-year battle over missing mail

Easha Anand, a lawyer for the landlord, has accused the government of "fearmongering about endless litigation." She argued it's unusual for someone to experience the level of mistreatment Lebene Konan did and contends the USPS would still retain immunity for most postal matter-related harms even if the court rules in the landlord's favor.

"These sorts of allegations, I think, will be rare," she said in court.

Konan, a landlord, real estate agent and insurance agent, claims two employees at a post office in Euless, Texas, part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, deliberately didn't deliver mail belonging to her and her tenants because she alleges they didn't like that she is Black and owns multiple properties.

According to court documents, the dispute began when Konan discovered the mailbox key for one of her rental properties had been changed without her knowledge, preventing her from collecting and distributing tenants' mail from the box. When she contacted the local post office, she was told she wouldn't receive a new key or regular delivery until she proved she owned the property. She did so, the documents say, but the mail problems continued, despite the USPS Inspector General instructing the mail to be delivered.

Konan alleges the employees marked some of the mail as undeliverable or return to sender. Konan and her tenants failed to receive important mail such as bills, medications and car titles, according to the lawsuit. Konan also claims she lost rental income because some tenants moved out due to the situation.

After filing dozens of complaints with postal officials, Konan finally filed a lawsuit under the 1946 Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), which has now made its way to the nation's highest court. A decision in the case is expected to be issued next year.

Konan, reached by email, declined to comment while the case was still pending, on advice of her lawyer.

Does the postal exemption apply or not?

While a federal district court in Texas dismissed Konan's FTCA claims, arguing they fell under the postal exemption, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed part of that decision last year.

The judges disagreed with the lower court's determination that Konan's claims were precluded because they arose out of a "loss" or a "miscarriage." Rather, the judges said Konan's case doesn't fall into one of those "limited situations" because it involved the intentional act of not delivering the mail.

"Because the conduct alleged in this case does not fall squarely within the exceptions for 'loss, miscarriage, or negligent transmission,' sovereign immunity does not bar Konan's FTCA claims," the judges wrote.

The appellate court sided with the lower court's decision to dismiss Konan's separate claim against the individual postal workers.

The USPS, which declined to comment, appealed the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Kevin Kosar, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a public policy think tank, who studies postal matters, said he believes it's incorrect for the government to argue the postal exemption covers the intentional failure to deliver mail.

Kosar said he also doubts there will be a deluge of lawsuits if the court rules narrowly in the case, questioning whether aggrieved postal customers could even find an attorney willing to sue the USPS.

He asked: "What lawyer, for example, wants to file a suit and spends years in the courts because someone spent 78 cents on a first-class stamp and their letter got lost?"

byNeo

in

November 26, 2025

Frustrated by missing mail, one American took the Postal Service to court

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — As a general rule, it's difficult to sue theU.S. Postal Servicefor lost, delayed or mishandled...

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Israel identifies deceased hostage returned by Hamas as Dror Or. Two more hostage bodies remain in Gaza

Israeli forensic examiners have identified the remains of a deceased Israeli hostage returned from Gaza as those of Dror Or, the prime minister's office said on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, Hamas transferred the remains to Israel through the Red Cross. The handover leaves two deceased hostages – an Israeli and a Thai national – still in Gaza from Hamas' October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.

Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement in October, ending two years of war that killed more than 69,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, and reduced much of the enclave to rubble.

As part of the deal, Hamas agreed to release the remainder of the 251 hostages – dead and alive – that it kidnapped on October 7. The last 20 living hostages were released in mid-October.

Or, 48, was killed in Kibbutz Be'eri during the attacks. He was initially believed to have been abducted, but in May 2024 his family was informed that he had been killed in the attack alongside his wife, Yonat. His body was taken to Gaza.

The parents left behind three children, two of whom were also abducted and taken into Gaza but were released in November 2023.

In Hebrew, Dror means "freedom" and Or means "light." Or's family said his name described him perfectly: "a free spirit spreading strong light around the world," according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

Or was described by the forum as a devoted father. He was the chief cheesemaker at the Be'eri dairy, and a yoga teacher.

The release of his remains comes after a series of such transfers in recent weeks as Hamas has handed over the deceased hostages still in Gaza.

Israeli intelligence has assessedthat Hamas may not be able to find and return all the remaining dead hostages in Gaza. But Hamas has continued to search for remains in different parts of the enclave.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has continued to organize rallies in Tel Aviv and elsewhere across Israel calling for the release of the remaining deceased hostages.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

byNeo

in

November 26, 2025

Israel identifies deceased hostage returned by Hamas as Dror Or. Two more hostage bodies remain in Gaza

Israeli forensic examiners have identified the remains of a deceased Israeli hostage returned from Gaza as those of Dror Or, the prime mini...

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