Rubio and Witkoff are meeting with Ukraine’s negotiators in Florida as Trump pushes to broker a deal | Ap

Suspect in National Guard attack struggled with ‘periods of dark isolation,’ community member says

Thousands of demonstrators including from the dominant Roman Catholic church clergy are protesting in the Philippines, calling for the swift prosecution of top legislators and officials implicated in a corruption scandal that has buffeted the Asian democracy. Left-wing groups led a separate protest on Sunday in Manila’s main park with a bolder demand for all government officials linked to the financial anomalies to immediately resign. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has been scrambling to quell public outrage over the massive corruption blamed for substandard, defective or non-existent flood control projects across an archipelago long prone to deadly floodings and extreme weather in tropical Asia.

The Afghan man accused of gunning down two National Guard members blocks from the White House last week had been unraveling for years. He couldn’t hold down a job and flipped between long, lightless stretches of isolation and sudden weeks-long cross-country drives. Emails obtained by The Associated Press reveal mounting warnings about the suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal. His behavior deteriorated so sharply that a community advocate who works with Afghan families in Washington state reached out to a refugee organization for help, fearing he was becoming suicidal. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to share undisclosed details while cooperating with the FBI in its investigation.

Pope Leo XIV plans to pray at an Armenian Apostolic cathedral in Istanbul in a gesture supporting Christian unity and Christian minorities in Turkey. Observers say the visit Sunday also may quietly back efforts to mend relations between Turkey and Armenia. An estimated 1.5 million Armenians died in events starting in 1915, which historians widely view as genocide. Turkey denies there was a genocide and says the deaths were due to civil war. Pope Francis previously referred to the killings as genocide, angering Turkey. Leo’s visit comes as Turkey and Armenia have appointed special envoys and are working toward normalizing ties.

US halts all asylum decisions after shooting of National Guard members

Hondurans are set to elect a new president following U.S. Donald Trump’s unexpected involvement in the race. Five candidates are on the ballot, with polls showing three in close competition. Rixi Moncada, Salvador Nasralla, and Nasry “Tito” Asfura are the front-runners. Trump endorsed Asfura and announced a pardon for ex-President Juan Orlando Hernández, who is serving a U.S. prison sentence. Hondurans are focused on security and jobs, despite economic improvements under President Xiomara Castro. Voters are also choosing a new Congress and local officials.

President Donald Trump’s top officials are meeting with a team of Ukrainian negotiators. Trump has been trying to broker an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine since he took office. On the U.S. side, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be at the table — along with Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner. Witkoff had worked on a 28-point plan criticized as being too favorable to Russia. The talks come after the weekend resignation of Andrii Yermak — the powerful chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Witkoff is expected to meet this week in Moscow with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

A devastating fire in a Hong Kong apartment complex has killed at least 128 people. The blaze started Wednesday and took until Friday to extinguish. Thousands have visited the site to pay tribute and donate supplies. Authorities are investigating possible fire code violations. The complex was undergoing renovations, and scaffolding and foam panels may have contributed to the fire’s spread. Hong Kong officials have suspended work on 28 projects by the same contractor. Several arrests have been made, including company directors and subcontractors. Many residents are now in emergency shelters, and authorities are working on long-term solutions.

Sheriff’s officials say 4 dead and 10 wounded in shooting during gathering at banquet hall in Stockton, California.

Pope Leo XIV is wrapping up his visit to Turkey before heading to Lebanon. Leo had two key appointments in Istanbul on Sunday before flying to Beirut: a prayer at the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral and divine liturgy with the ecumenical patriarch. This is a precarious moment for Lebanon after years of successive crises. Leo is seeking to bring a message of hope to its long-suffering people and bolster a critical Christian community in the Middle East.

MINNEAPOLIS — “Let’s do the ball toss,” a young woman excitedly said to the young man with her as they walked into the St. Paul RiverCentre auditorium Saturday for the 45th annual Minnesota Hmong New Year celebration.

Authorities say several people have been injured in a shooting in Stockton, California. The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office says deputies are investigating. Several victims have been taken to hospitals. Officials have not provided further details or information about the victims’ conditions. They say the area remains an active scene, and investigators are working to gather additional information.

Alonza Barnett III threw three touchdown passes, Jobi Malary ran for 154 yards a score and No. 20 James Madison completed a perfect Sun Belt regular season with a 59-10 victory over Coastal Carolina on Saturday. James Madison (11-1, 8-0) will host Troy in the Sun Belt title game Friday night. The Dukes have won 10 straight. James Madison had a 525-170 yards advantage, holding Coastal to minus-5 yards rushing. Coastal Carolina (6-6, 5-3) failed to gain a rushing yard for the first time in school history.

It wasn’t Lionel Messi who got Inter Miami on the scoresheet for the club’s first conference final. It was Tadeo Allende, the 26-year-old Argentine only at Inter Miami for one year, on a loan from Spanish club Celta de Vigo, who scored the hat trick in the 5-1 win over New York City FC to send Inter to their first ever MLS Cup Final.

NEW YORK — The NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau has been interviewing Manhattan North commanders in connection with a pro-Palestinian protest at Park East Synagogue last week that sparked outrage and questions about the department’s response, The New York Daily News has learned.

Drake Lindsey threw a touchdown pass to Jameson Geers for the only second-half score in snow-globe conditions, and John Nestor had two interceptions and a fumble recovery for Minnesota in a 17-7 victory over Wisconsin to keep Paul Bunyan’s Axe. Darius Taylor had a 49-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to get the Gophers going in the 135th edition of the most-played series in major college football history. The Badgers finished 4-8 for their most losses since 1990. Minnesota has won five of eight matchups with Wisconsin after a 14-game losing streak that was the longest for either side.

Pablo Tamba scored 14 points to lead seven LSU players in double figures and the Tigers beat DePaul 96-63 to win the Emerald Coast Classic. Max Mackinnon, Michael Nwoko and Jalen Reece scored 13 points apiece for LSU (7-0). Dedan Thomas Jr. and Robert Miller III each added 12 points and Rashad King scored 11. LSU led by double figures for the final 32-plus minutes. Kruz McClure led DePaul (5-3) with 22 points on 6-of-11 shooting, 3 of 6 from 3-point range, and made 7 of 8 from the free-throw line. DePaul’s Brandon Maclin left almost eight minutes into the game and did not return due to an apparent right shoulder injury.

Josh Hoover threw four touchdown passes, Jeremy Payne ran for 174 yards and two scores and TCU beat Cincinnati 45-23 in a regular-season finale delayed about 90 minutes in the first quarter by lightning and rain. The Bearcats finished the regular season on a four-game losing streak that started when they were ranked 17th and poised for a run to the Big 12 championship game and a spot in the College Football Playoff. Hoover answered the first of Brendan Sorsby’s three TD tosses with a 69-yard scoring pass to Jordan Dwyer that gave the Horned Frogs a 21-7 lead late in the first quarter.

Jadan Baugh ran for a career-high 266 yards and two touchdowns — the second-most rushing yards in school history — and Florida denied rival Florida State a chance to become bowl eligible with a 40-21 victory in the Swamp. Baugh punished the Seminoles all night and finished with the program’s most yards on the ground since Emmitt Smith tallied 316 against New Mexico in 1989. The Gators (4-8) ended a four-game losing streak and won for the first time since firing coach Billy Napier in mid-October. Thomas Castellanos accounted for three touchdowns for the Seminoles (5-7).

Darian Mensah reached a record-setting passing touchdown total for Duke as the Blue Devils stayed alive for a chance at an Atlantic Coast Conference championship by defeating Wake Forest 49-32. Duke can reach next week’s ACC title game if a couple of results in the conference fall its way later in the night. Anderson Castle and Nate Sheppard each had two touchdown runs and the Blue Devils never trailed in defeating Wake Forest for the fourth year in a row. Robby Ashford threw for two touchdowns and 342 yards and ran for a touchdown and a two-point conversion for Wake Forest.

China’s factory activity contracted for the eighth straight month in November, according to an official survey on Sunday, underscoring challenges for the country’s economy despite the U.S.-China trade truce. The official manufacturing purchasing managers index rose slightly to 49.2 in November from 49 in October, China’s National Bureau of Statistics said, in line with analyst expectations. The PMI is measured on a scale between 0 and 100, with a reading below 50 indicating contraction. A U.S. tariff cut earlier this month likely would mean that Chinese exports could gain competitiveness in the U.S. market, but it may be too early to say whether exports have regained momentum following the trade truce.

U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls says he will retire from Congress after his term ends in 2026 to focus on family. The Texas Republican is a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump. He said on the social platform X that he called Trump to inform him of his plans. Nehls added that he was endorsing his twin brother to succeed him in Congress. Trever Nehls said on Facebook that he would run for the seat and “stand shoulder-to-shoulder with President Trump.” Troy Nehls entered Congress in 2021 after about three decades in law enforcement and more than two decades in the Army Reserve.

MIAMI — The Miami Hurricanes did all they could on Saturday, stated their case with clarity, and forcefully declared they deserved to be in the 12-team College Football Playoff.

John Mateer threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Sategna with 4:16 left to overcome three interceptions, and No. 8 Oklahoma beat LSU 17-13 on Saturday night to likely wrap up a College Football Playoff spot. The Sooners (10-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference, No. 8 CFP) are in position to host a first-round game after winning four straight. Mateer was 23 of 38 for 318 yards and two touchdowns, and Sategna caught nine passes for 121 yards. Oklahoma held the Tigers (7-5, 3-5) to 198 total yards and came up with a late stop to hold on. LSU played through rumors about its coaching situation. Brian Kelly was fired earlier and Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin has been rumored to be his replacement.

A member of three Warriors championship teams, Kevon Looney embraced any role for coach Steve Kerr — starting, coming off the bench, even playing minimal or no minutes at times if that was best for the team. He returned to face his former Golden State team for the first time since the veteran center signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the New Orleans Pelicans during the offseason. This is his 11th NBA season after winning three championships over 10 years with Golden State, playing 289 straight games including playoffs.

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Top administrators across the California State University system will receive more than a half-million dollars in pay raises in what trustees said is an effort to improve recruiting for executive-level candidates — but the policy change sparked outrage from faculty and sta…

LONDON — Keir Starmer has six months to prove his mettle to his party amid swirling doubts within the governing Labour Party that he can reverse plunging public confidence in his U.K. administration.

AI country hit ‘Walk My Walk’ built on Blanco Brown’s sound sparks questions of attribution, ethics

Ex-military officers who served in Argentina’s brutal dictatorship and their families have staged a rare rally to push for the release of fellow officers imprisoned for human rights abuses committed during the junta’s 1976-1983 rule. Saturday’s demonstration was seen as a provocation in the country of Nunca Más, the slogan that represents Argentina’s commitment to “never again” return to authoritarianism. To critics, including dozens of counter-protesters, the officers’ brazen rally marked a worrying sign that cracks were starting to appear in Argentina’s consensus about the legacy of the dictatorship. In a dramatic shift, right-wing President Javier Milei has often justified the dictatorship’s state terrorism as a war against leftist guerrillas.

Led bRyan Sabol scored 24 points and Daniel Freitag added 21 as the Buffalo Bulls defeated the Canisius Golden Griffins 71-53. Michael Evbagharu led Canisius with 13 points and Bryan Ndjonga added 10. The Bulls are now 8-0 on the season, while the Golden Griffins dropped to 4-4.

Turbo Richard ran for two second-half touchdowns, the first breaking a 6-6 tie, Jordan McDonald added two more, Boston College scored 31 unanswered points, and the Eagles snapped a 10-game losing streak, defeating Syracuse 34-12 Saturday. Syracuse (3-9, 1-7 Atlantic Coast Conference) ended its season with eight consecutive losses. The Orange went 10-3 a year ago in coach Fran Brown’s first season.

Penn State has cruised past Sacred Heart with a 90-59 victory on Saturday night. Ivan Juric scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Kayden Mingo added 13 points and five assists. The Nittany Lions took control about seven minutes into the game and ended the first half with a 22-5 run. They shot 63% from the field and forced 15 turnovers in the first half. Dashon Gittens scored 15 points for Sacred Heart. Penn State is now 18-1 in nonconference home games under coach Mike Rhoades. Penn State hosts Campbell on Tuesday. Sacred Heart plays at Mount St. Mary’s on Wednesday.

Ahmad Hardy ran for 157 yards and a touchdown while Jamal Roberts added 100 more and a score to help Missouri put away Arkansas 31-17 in both teams’ regular-season finale. Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula passed for just 25 yards while going 4-of-7, but he ran for another 78 yards and a touchdown. The Tigers’ 322 yards rushing as a team was their highest total against a Southeastern Conference opponent this season. Arkansas managed just 246 yards of total offense, a season low. The Tigers have won four straight in the series and are 10-2 against Arkansas since joining the Southeastern Conference. Arkansas finished winless in SEC play for the third time since 2018.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Julian Sayin threw three touchdown passes, including a 35-yarder to Jeremiah Smith on a fourth down in the second quarter, and No. 1 Ohio State beat No. 15 Michigan 27-9 in a dominant performance on Saturday.

Anthony Edwards scored 39 points, including a 3-point heave with the shot clock winding down that sealed the game, and the Minnesota Timberwolves held off the Boston Celtics for a 119-115 victory. Julius Randle had 16 points and Donte DiVincenzo added 15 for the Timberwolves, who beat a team with a .500 or better record for the first time in eight tries this season. Jaylen Brown tied a season high with 41 points for Boston, which lost for just the second time in seven games. Neemias Queta tied a career best with 19 points and grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds. Derrick White scored 16.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Westfield Valley Fair reopened at noon Saturday after a shooting Friday night sent three people to the hospital and hundreds running for their lives on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

WASHINGTON — Democrat Bridget Brink’s campaign in Lansing got $93,500 last quarter from Utah donors ― an odd infusion for someone running to be the next member of Congress from mid-Michigan.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — If Kentucky football is to make a coaching change, it will not be because Mark Stoops elects to walk away.

Cale Hellums threw the first touchdown pass to an Army tight end since 2008 for the go-ahead score in a 27-24 victory over UTSA on Saturday. Hellums completed two fourth-down passes during a 13-play, 75-yard drive that took over six minutes and ended with his 4-yard toss to Parker Poloskey with 2:49 to go. UTSA’s final drive ended on downs. Owen McCown threw a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes to rally UTSA (6-6, 4-4), taking a 24-20 lead on his 7-yard pass to Jamel Hardy.

Kaytron Allen ran for a career-high 226 yards and a touchdown as Penn State beat Rutgers 40-36 for the 18th straight time to become bowl eligible after a tumultuous season. The Nittany Lions (6-6, 3-6 Big Ten) retook the lead for good when linebacker Amare Campbell raced 61 yards with a fumble with 7:27 to play. Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis lost the ball without being touched. Rutgers (5-7, 2-7 Big Ten) had moved ahead 36-33 early in the fourth quarter on a 46-yard TD pass from Kaliakmanis to Antwan Raymond. There were four lead changes in the second half.