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jili886 Police in Suriname Thursday said they had launched a major probe into the death of former president Desi Bouterse, the details surrounding the mysterious emergence of his body at his closely monitored home, where exactly he was hiding and who was protecting him since he fled from justice in mid-January. Stay Connected to the Caribbean Bouterse, 79 was pronounced dead by a doctor at his riverside home on Christmas Day, nearly a year after he had disappeared into hiding hours before he was scheduled to surrender to authorities to begin a 20-year mass murder sentence. The local police, the KPS, said in a social media statement that a criminal investigation is underway and numerous persons are being questioned. The force said it is particularly interested in determining how his body was transported “from an unknown address by unknown persons” to his home in Leonsberg in the capital where relatives, supporters and the leadership of his National Democratic Party (NDP) had gathered to mourn and comfort each other. Police said they were informed before daybreak on Christmas Day that the former military strongman who had staged military coups in 1980 and 1990 and had served two terms as an elected president until 2020, had died and that they were invited to view his remains at his home. How the body got there remains a mystery to frustrated authorities but the police said they then summoned a doctor who pronounced him dead. “According to the doctor, the body showed no signs of foul play and, after consultation with the public prosecution service, was seized for an autopsy to determine the probable cause of death,” the KPS said. “The Suriname police force makes an urgent appeal to society to await the results of the investigation and to refrain from speculation.” His death, five months before general elections are due, came just days after police had stepped up raids at places they believed were linked to Bouterse and as a French newspaper had reported that Bouterse had been hiding out the Commewijne District across the Paramaribo harbor and not in Venezuela as was widely speculated. Bouterse is from that general area. Meanwhile, Waterkant News publication said it had been reliably informed that the death was reported to the Bouterse family “by an unknown indigenous man” but no one can say exactly who the person is. As word spread throughout the country, NDP leaders began arriving at the home before daybreak to view the body, wrapped in a white sheet in a wooden coffin. Viewers were banned from using mobile phones. Police had questioned former first lady Ingrid Bouterse about his hiding place but she maintained ignorance about such details. As the probe continues, a condolence book has been opened from Thursday afternoon for signing at NDP headquarters. As a highly controversial period in local history comes to a close, some regional leaders and political colleagues are reacting to his death. Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley said Bouterse had a strong and dominant persona. “I have met many people since I took office as head of government in May 2018. But some people have a personality that is so powerful that they leave an indelible impression on everyone they come into contact with,” Mottley said of the former military dictator. “Whether you agreed with him or not, you could not ignore the power of his personality. Desi Bouterse, former president of the Republic of Suriname, dominated Surinamese politics for four decades. It was through his eyes and heart that I came to know the rich culture of this melting pot country on the South American continent. That was how my love for Suriname and its people began,” she said.Hafiz Naeem urges PTI founder to denounce Israel

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Oct. 1, 1924: Born James Earl Carter Jr. in Plains, Georgia, eldest of Lillian and James Earl Carter’s four children. 1928: The family moves to a farm in Archery, a largely Black community a few miles from Plains. The shotgun-style house had no running water or electricity when they moved in. June 1941: Jimmy, 16, graduates from Plains High School and briefly attends Georgia Southwestern College and then Georgia Tech, preparing to fulfill his dream of entering the U.S. Naval Academy. June 5, 1946: Graduates from Naval Academy and enters service until 1953. July 7, 1946: Marries Rosalynn Smith. 1953: Returns home to take over the family farming businesses. 1955: First political election victory: chairman of Sumter County Board of Education. 1962: Wins a seat in the state Senate and holds it through 1966. Nov. 3, 1970: Wins Georgia gubernatorial election. Dec. 12, 1974: Announces presidential bid, prompting the response, “Jimmy Who?” Nov. 2, 1976: Defeats Gerald Ford for presidency. Jan. 20, 1977: Sets the tone of his administration by walking from the Capitol to the White House after swearing-in. June 16, 1978: Signs Panama Canal treaties to transfer control of the canal to Panama. Aug. 15, 1978: Signs legislation designating the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. Sept. 17, 1978: Brings Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat together to sign the Camp David Accords. Nov. 4, 1979: Iranians take 66 Americans hostage at U.S. Embassy in Tehran. January 1980: Following the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in late December 1979, Carter decides U.S. athletes will not attend the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. April 17, 1980: Carter announces that an economic recession has begun. April 25, 1980: Helicopter mission to rescue Iranian hostages fails. Nov. 4, 1980: Loses presidential election to Ronald Reagan. Jan. 20, 1981: Minutes after Reagan becomes president, hostages are released from Iranian soil. September 1984: The Carters donate a week of their time to build Habitat for Humanity houses. It turns into the annual Jimmy Carter Work Project. October 1984: Groundbreaking for the Carter Center in Atlanta. It opens two years later. 1987: Carter Center’s Global 2000 project joins the fight against Guinea worm disease, a parasitic affliction attacking millions of people a year in developing countries. May 7, 1989: Carter through the Carter Center monitors fairness of Panama’s elections, a role he would repeat in Nicaragua (February 1990), Haiti (December 1990), Guyana (1992, 2001), Paraguay (1993), Venezuela (1998), Peru (2001) and more than 100 other countries. Oct. 25, 1991: Announces the Atlanta Project to tackle inner-city problems. June 1994: Plays key role in nuclear disarmament talks in North Korea. Sept. 17, 1994: Heads delegation to Haiti that arranges terms to avoid U.S. invasion and return President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power. Oct. 1, 1996: National Park Service opens Carter museum in the former Plains High School on his 72nd birthday. April 3, 1998: At the seventh and final African Conference on Guinea Worm Eradication, Carter is knighted by Mali for his successful efforts to drastically reduce the number of cases worldwide. August 1999: The Carter Center turns the Atlanta Project program over to Georgia State University’s Neighborhood Partnership Resource Collaborative. Aug. 9, 1999: Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom along with Rosalynn. Oct. 19, 2000: Announces that he and Rosalynn no longer will be members of the Southern Baptist Convention, which he believes has grown too “rigid.” May 12-17, 2002: Visits Cuba with Rosalynn and Carter Center members. Makes a speech on Cuban television in which he calls for democratic reforms in Cuba and an end to the U.S. trade embargo. Oct. 11, 2002: Wins the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize. He later donates $370,000 of his $1 million award to the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Human Development at Georgia Southwestern State University. May 2003: Works behind the scenes on the Georgia state flag change to stave off a statewide referendum on the Rebel battle emblem. Jan. 25, 2004: Travels to Venezuela to meet with President Hugo Chavez, opposition leaders and others in the politically divided nation of 24 million. June 5, 2004: Christens the USS Jimmy Carter, the Navy’s latest nuclear vessel, a $3.3 billion submarine. July 26, 2004: Delivers a stinging condemnation of the Bush administration addressing the Democratic National Convention, saying the “nation’s soul” is at stake in the November election. August 2004: Leads the team monitoring the vote to recall Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Sept. 7, 2004: Blasts fellow Georgian and former Gov. Zell Miller in a two-page letter for his “rabid and mean-spirited speech” to the Republican National Convention in New York. Sept. 27, 2004: Harshly accuses Florida officials of not doing enough to fix their election system following the 2000 presidential election. October 2004: Along with 2,000 volunteers, travels to Puebla, Mexico, as part of the Jimmy Carter Work Project to build 75 houses in one week through Habitat for Humanity. January 2005: Along with the National Democratic Institute, observes election of the new president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas. June 6, 2005: Declares that the United States should close its prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and that the Bush administration was wrong to say parts of the Geneva Conventions do not apply to at least 520 “enemy combatants” from about 40 countries held there. Oct. 10, 2005: Heads a team of election observers from his center and the National Democratic Institute, another U.S. group, to monitor Liberia’s first presidential election since a 14-year civil war ended. November 2005: His book “Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis” becomes the quickest-selling of his 20 books to date. In it, he takes aim at fundamentalism, environmental decay, the Iraq War and the Bush administration’s record on human rights. March 22, 2006: Along with co-leader of a bipartisan Commission on Federal Election Reform and former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, announces that states should require voters to show photo IDs and to let them see paper ballots at electronic polling places. May 24, 2006: Praises the Bush administration’s immigration policies but remains sharply critical of its human rights record in the war on terror. June 1, 2006: Toasts Jane Fonda at her celebrity roast at the Georgia Aquarium. November 2006: His book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid” draws criticism upon its release. Critics contend he unfairly compared Israeli treatment of Arabs in the West Bank and Gaza to legalized racial oppression that once existed in South Africa. January 2007: 14 Carter Center advisers resign because of the book. August 2007: Jonathan Demme’s documentary “Jimmy Carter Man From Plains” premieres, chronicling Carter’s book tour and the controversy. 2007: Carter joins The Elders, a group of former world political leaders such as Nelson Mandela, who work on promoting peace and human rights. April 18, 2008: Defies U.S. and Israeli warnings to meet with the exiled leader of Hamas and his deputy, two men the U.S. government had labeled terrorists. U.S. officials were critical. Carter said he failed to convince the top Hamas boss to stop rocket attacks on Israel, adding, “I did the best I could.” Oct. 10, 2008: During a stop in Brussels, Carter blames the “atrocious” economic policies of President George W. Bush for the beginning of the Great Recession. Jan. 7, 2009: Joins President-elect Barack Obama, President George W. Bush and former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush at the White House for a historic meeting. Some said the body language during photo ops suggested chilly relations between Carter and the others. June 2009: Carter and a team of observers monitor parliamentary elections in Lebanon, the 76th election monitored by the Carter Center. June 13, 2009: The Palestinian government honors Carter during his visit to the region, and he pledges his “assistance, as long as I live, to win your freedom, your independence, your sovereignty and a good life.” Sept. 14, 2009: Jody Powell dies, a year after Hamilton Jordan succumbed to cancer. The two Georgians were Carter’s closest political advisers. “Jody Powell knows me better than anyone except my wife,” Carter once said. Oct. 1, 2009: Carter Center reopens after an extensive, $10 million renovation. August 2010: Travels to North Korea to secure release of Aijalon Gomes, an American who was accused of crossing the border the previous winter. September 2010: His latest book, “White House Diary,” is based on edited journal entries from his time in the White House. While promoting the book, Carter stirs controversy by saying his post-presidential career was “probably superior” to that of other ex-presidents. He later said he only meant he has had more opportunities to do good works. Jan. 14, 2013: Carter visits Colombia at the request of the country’s president to brief on the peace talks with rebels and other issues. 2013: The Carters’ grandson, Atlanta attorney Jason Carter, decides to leave his state Senate seat to run unsuccessfully for governor in 2014. Jimmy Carter helps campaign. July 31, 2013: Carter visits Colombia, the first Western country to be certified as free from river blindness, for which the Carter Center provided support. August 2014: Carter was joined by another “Elder,” Mary Robinson, during the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict, with the pair pressing for the inclusion of Hamas as an actor in peace talks with Israel, recognition of the group as a legitimate political entity and the lifting of the siege of Gaza. May 15, 2015: Carter visits Guyana for election monitoring. Aug. 12, 2015: Carter undergoes surgery to remove a mass from his liver and discovers he had cancer. It had spread to his brain. December 2015: Carter announces he is cancer free. July 13, 2017: Carter is admitted to a hospital in Winnipeg, Manitoba, after becoming dehydrated while working outdoors for Habitat for Humanity. He is released the following day. June 2019: Carter calls President Donald Trump “a disaster,” during one of his public addresses in Atlanta, and in Virginia he questioned the legitimacy of Trump’s election because of Russian interference. August 2020: The Carter Center launches a program to strengthen and build confidence in the U.S. election system prior to the presidential election. February 2023: Jimmy Carter enters home hospice care in Plains. Nov. 19, 2023: Rosalynn Carter, his wife of 77 years, dies in Plains. She was 96 years old. Oct. 1, 2024: Jimmy Carter turns 100. Dec. 29, 2024: Carter dies at age 100. ©2024 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Visit at ajc.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Former President Jimmy Carter , about a year after his wife and former first lady Rosalynn Carter died on Nov. 19, 2023 at 96 years old. The couple wed in 1946 and celebrated their 77th wedding anniversary months before Rosalynn Carter's death, making them . Jimmy Carter and his wife shared four children: sons John (also known as Jack), 77; James (aka Chip), 74; and Donnel (aka Jeff), 72; as well as daughter Amy, 57. The Carter family tree also includes nearly a dozen grandchildren and more great-grandchildren. Shortly after Rosalynn Carter's death, the Carter family came together in November 2023 to honor her legacy at her tribute service. The 39th president also attended the service, which was held at held at Glenn Memorial Church on the campus of Emory University in Atlanta, marking one of his final public appearances before his death. Jimmy Carter had been in hospice care at home ever since February 2023 and remained so until he died. The couple's four children Born on Oct. 1, 1924, Jimmy Carter ventured far and high from his roots in the small, dusty town of Plains, Georgia. Throughout his political career, Carter set his focus on energy conservation, education and the expansion of human rights. All the while, he held tightly onto his regard for family, and he notoriously relied on the support of his wife to propel and sustain his efforts. As a result, Carter's marriage and family life have been a point of admiration, especially for the younger members of his family. Read on to learn about Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's children and grandchildren. The Carters, who , married in 1946 shortly after the future president graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. The military couple's early years together were spent on Navy bases in Norfolk, Virginia; Honolulu; and San Diego. They welcomed three sons, Jack, Chip and Jeff, from 1947 to 1952, and their only daughter, Amy, in 1967. Jimmy Carter entered into politics in the early 1960s, first serving as a Georgia state senator from 1963 until 1967 and later as governor of Georgia from 1971 until 1975. He served as president from 1977 until 1981. Here's a look at the family they created. Born in 1947, the Carters' oldest child, Jack Carter, followed his father into politics. He , but lost in the general election. He had son Jason and daughter Sarah with his first wife, Judy Langford. The couple divorced and Carter went on to marry Elizabeth Brasfield, the mother of John and Sarah Chuldenko. James Earl “Chip” Carter III was born in 1950 in Honolulu. According to a 2008 interview with Chip Carter compiled in the " ," the president's son spoke about being involved in his father's political career at the age of 16. "I had a congressional district they assign me and I would stop in every single store I saw and give out a brochure and tell them to vote for my father and I got $22.00 a week for expenses, plus a gas credit card," he recalled. Chip Carter mourned the death of his mother following news of her passing. “Besides being a loving mother and extraordinary First Lady, my mother was a great humanitarian in her own right,” he through the Carter Center. “Her life of service and compassion was an example for all Americans. She will be sorely missed not only by our family but by the many people who have better mental health care and access to resources for caregiving today.” At his mother's service, Chip Carter was photographed giving his father a tender kiss on the head. Donnel Jeffrey “Jeff” Carter was born in 1952. He would go on to create a company called Computer Mapping Consultants and marry wife Annette Davis, with whom he had three kids, one of whom died in 2015. Annette Davis died in 2021. The couple met on the first day of school at Georgia Southwestern State University in the early 1970s. “Jeff saw her across the student center while he was playing spades, and he told his friends to turn around and look at that pretty girl that just walked in. He told them he was going to marry her, and four years later he did,” their son Josh Carter said in an for his mom. Born in 1967, Amy Carter is the Carters' youngest child and lone daughter. She was a familiar face in the White House while her father was president. Amy Carter also gained notoriety for her political activism, getting arrested in 1986 for protesting CIA recruitment at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She would later be of trespassing and disorderly conduct. She was also arrested in 1985 during an anti-apartheid demonstration at the South African embassy. "I’m proud to be my father’s daughter," she told reporters before she was placed in a police car, at the time. "When I decided to do it this morning, I called home and they said it was OK," she also said. She would later go on to illustrate her father's 1995 book, "The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer." During her mother's service, Amy Carter read a letter her dad wrote 75 years ago to his wife, which included the lines, “When I see you, I fall in love with you all over again. Does that seem strange to you? It doesn’t to me.” The couple's four children have gone on to have children — and stepchildren — of their own. The Carters' oldest grandchild, Jason Carter, is the son of Jack Carter and his first wife, Judy Langford, the daughter of Georgia state Sen. James Beverly Langford. Keeping up a family tradition on both sides, Jason Carter, who earned his law degree from the University of Georgia law school in 2004, entered politics to serve as Georgia state senator from 2010 until 2015. In 2014, the father of two was the Democratic nominee for governor of Georgia, but lost in the general election. He also sits on the board of trustees for the Carter Center. The daughter of Jack Carter and Judy Langford, Sarah Carter was born in 1978 and has her handprints in the . She is married to Brendan Keith Murphy, with whom she has a daughter, "As a strong and principled woman in her public life, she has been a role model for millions of women," she told the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer in 2004 about her grandmother Rosalynn Carter. "But I have the advantage of knowing her in her private life. While my grandfather may be better known as a statesman, my grandmother is the diplomat and peacemaker within our family. She ... tries to make sure that everyone has what they need, but gets embarrassed if she gets the credit she deserves. She is someone who is delighted when everyone is having a good time. She is also someone who will say so if something is not right. She may say it quietly and in private, but there will be no mistaking it. I like to think that I’m a little bit like her.” James Carter is the son of Chip Carter and Chip's ex-wife Caron Carter. In February 2023, shortly after it was announced his grandfather would be placed in hospice care, he shared a clip of him and his wife, Sally, appearing to entertain him and his grandmother. "We are all juggling a lot lately," he on Twitter. "But yesterday my wife and I got to juggle for my grandparents. They loved it." In August, Josh Carter that the younger Carter family members had been visiting the ailing former president and his wife at their Plains home. "My grandparents have always been the entertainers,” said the doting grandson. “But now we’re kind of the ones having to entertain. It’s different, it’s just a different era.” “We used to get together every year for New Year’s,” he recalled of a tradition the tightknit family followed for decades until the COVID-19 pandemic began. “Every year we got together our entire family and would go somewhere amazing. ... And those family trips are one of my most cherished memories.” Jeremy Carter was born in 1987 and suddenly in 2015 at 28, just two weeks after Jimmy Carter announced his was gone. He was the son of Annette and Jeff Carter. The former president, who was 91 at the time, made headlines after he l only hours after Jeremy Carter had died. Margaret Carter, who was born in 1987, is the daughter of Chip Carter and his second wife, Ginger Hodges. She keeps a low profile and is married with a daughter, James Carter is the son of Jeff and Annette Carter. He was born in 1991 and reportedly married wife Anna in 2021 after they had a daughter named Rayna in 2019. The son of Amy Carter and James Wentzel, Hugo Wentzel was born in 1999. Earlier this year, he appeared on the ABC reality show "Claim to Fame." “He’s an amazing grandpa, honestly. I love him so much. I call him Papa,” . “He led America and my family very well. I stand for everything he stands for. He believes in equality for everyone, regardless of race, class, gender, anything. He’s an amazing person. I aspire to be like him one day.” He also referenced his grandfather being in hospice care while on the show. "You are amazing and I will do everything I can to keep your legacy alive," he added. Errol Kelly is Amy Carter's son with husband Jay Kelly. Not much is known about Errol, although he did attend the Plains Peanut Festival when he was 5 in 2015, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where his grandfather was greeting visitors. In 2022, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter joined Errol and his Boy Scout troop during a walk at Jimmy Carter National Historic Park in Plains. "Errol spent a good portion of the walk making sure his grandmother was able to walk steadily down the paved trail," . Errol offered a Scripture reading at Rosalynn Carter's tribute service. Following his divorce from first wife Judy Langford, Jack Carter married Elizabeth Brasfield, which made him the stepfather of her two children, John Chuldenko and Sarah Chuldenko Reynolds. John Chuldenko is a screenwriter and director. He is the creator of the television series "Backseat Drivers" and wrote the 2002 TV movie "M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs of Fear." In 2022, Chuldenko he was working with the Recording Industry Association of America on a project to update the White House’s secret collection of music records. He explained he learned of the collection from his uncle Jeff Carter while on a family vacation. Chuldenko is married and has two children with his wife, Sarah Chuldenko Reynolds is an artist who received an MFA in painting from the New York Academy of Art and lives and works in Los Angeles, . She collaborated with her stepgrandfather Jimmy Carter to illustrate his 1990s volume of his poetry "Always a Reckoning and Other Poems." She shares two children with her husband, fellow artist Stephen Reynolds, per her website. Gina Vivinetto is a writer for TODAY.com. Drew Weisholtz is a reporter for TODAY Digital, focusing on pop culture, nostalgia and trending stories. He has seen every episode of “Saved by the Bell” at least 50 times, longs to perfect the crane kick from “The Karate Kid” and performs stand-up comedy, while also cheering on the New York Yankees and New York Giants. A graduate of Rutgers University, he is the married father of two kids who believe he is ridiculous.

Darnold gives Vikings another gem with career-high 377 yards in 27-25 win over Packers MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Sam Darnold added another exploit to his career-altering season, passing for a personal-best 377 yards and three touchdowns as the Minnesota Vikings hung on to beat the Green Bay Packers 27-25 for their ninth consecutive victory. The Vikings are 14-2. They set up a final-week showdown in Detroit for both the division title and the No. 1 seed for the playoffs in the NFC. Jordan Love’s only touchdown pass for the Packers came with 2:18 left to pull the Packers within two points. Darnold responded with two completions for first downs to seal the game. Saquon Barkley tops 2,000 yards rushing and moves within 100 of Dickerson's record PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley became the ninth running back in NFL history to top 2,000 yards rushing in a season, reaching the milestone with a 23-yard run in the fourth quarter against the Dallas Cowboys. That rush gave Barkley 2,005 yards with one game left and left him exactly 100 yards from Eric Dickerson’s record of 2,105, set in 1984 for the Los Angeles Rams. Barkley could potentially top the record in next week’s finale against the New York Giants. However, that game will be mostly meaningless for the Eagles, who could opt to rest Barkley to protect him from injury ahead of the playoffs. Moment of silence for former President Jimmy Carter held before the Falcons-Commanders game LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — A moment of silence was held for former President Jimmy Carter before the Atlanta Falcons' game at the Washington Commanders. The Georgia native served as the 39th president of the United States at the White House less than 10 miles away from 1977-81. Falcons owner Arthur Blank in a statement called Carter an inspirational global humanitarian. Carter died earlier Sunday at the age of 100 in Plains, Georgia. He also has a connection to the NFL as the first president to host the Super Bowl champions at the White House when he welcomed the Pittsburgh Steelers there in 1980. NFC's No. 1 seed comes down to Vikings-Lions showdown at Detroit in Week 18 The NFC’s No. 1 seed will come down to the final week when the Detroit Lions host the Minnesota Vikings. The winner takes the NFC North and gets a first-round playoff bye and home-field advantage until the Super Bowl. The loser gets the No. 5 seed and must play on the road in the wild-card round. The Vikings held on for a 27-25 victory over the Green Bay Packers to set up the high-stakes showdown in Week 18. The Lions visit the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night. Win, lose or tie, they have to beat the Vikings for a second time this season. Bills clinch the AFC's No. 2 seed with a 40-14 rout of the undisciplined Jets ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score and the Buffalo Bills clinched the AFC’s No. 2 seed with a 40-14 rout of the New York Jets. The Bills put the game away by capitalizing on two Jets turnovers and scoring three touchdowns over a 5:01 span in the closing minutes of the third quarter. Buffalo’s defense forced three takeaways overall and sacked Aaron Rodgers four times, including a 2-yard loss for a safety in the second quarter. The five-time defending AFC East champion Bills improved to 13-3 to match a franchise single-season record. Saquon Barkley tops 2,000 yards rushing as Eagles beat Cowboys 41-7 to clinch NFC East PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley rushed for 167 yards to top 2,000 on the season, backup quarterback Kenny Pickett ran and threw for scores before departing with injured ribs, and the Philadelphia Eagles clinched the NFC East title by routing the Dallas Cowboys 41-7. Barkley has 2,005 yards and needs 101 in next week’s mostly meaningless regular-season finale to top Eric Dickerson and his 2,105 yards for the Los Angeles Rams in 1984. The Eagles led 24-7 in the third quarter when Pickett was drilled by defensive end Micah Parsons, ending his first start in place of the concussed Jalen Hurts. Penn State coach James Franklin says Nick Saban should be college football's commissioner SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Penn State coach James Franklin believes college football needs a commissioner and he even has a candidate in mind: former Alabama coach Nick Saban. Franklin made the suggestion Sunday at Penn State’s College Football Playoff quarterfinals media day ahead of the Fiesta Bowl. The sixth-seeded Nittany Lions are preparing for their game against No. 3 seed Boise State on Tuesday. The veteran coach was responding to a question about Penn State’s backup quarterback situation after Beau Pribula transferred to Missouri before the playoff. Pribula’s decision highlighted some of the frustrating aspects of a new college football world in the Name, Image and Likeness era and the transfer portal, forcing players to make tough decisions at inopportune times. LeBron James at 40: A milestone birthday arrives Monday for the NBA's all-time scoring leader When LeBron James broke another NBA record earlier this month, the one for most regular-season minutes played in a career, his Los Angeles Lakers teammates handled the moment in typical locker room fashion. They made fun of him. Dubbed The Kid from Akron, with a limitless future, James is now the 40-year-old from Los Angeles with wisps of gray in his beard, his milestone birthday coming Monday, one that will make him the first player in NBA history to play in his teens, 20s, 30s and 40s. He has stood and excelled in the spotlight his entire career. Rising Sun Devils: Arizona State looks to pull off another big surprise at the Peach Bowl ATLANTA (AP) — As they prepare for Arizona State’s biggest game in nearly three decades, the guys who made it happen aren’t the least bit surprised to be rated a nearly two-touchdown underdog in the College Football Playoff. That’s a familiar position for the Sun Devils. They've been an underdog most of the season. Of the eight teams still vying for a national championship, there’s no bigger surprise than 11-2 Arizona State. The Sun Devils went 3-9 a year ago and were picked to finish dead last in their first season in the Big 12 Conference. Now, they're getting ready to face Texas in the Peach Bowl quarterfinal game on New Year’s Day. Lakers send D'Angelo Russell to Nets in trade for Dorian Finney-Smith, Shake Milton LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers have traded guard D’Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets for forward Dorian Finney-Smith and guard Shake Milton. The Lakers also sent forward Maxwell Lewis and three second-round draft picks to Brooklyn. Russell averaged a career-low 12.4 points per game for the Lakers this season in a diminished role under new coach JJ Redick. Finney-Smith is a steady 3-and-D wing who fills an obvious need for the Lakers. Russell is being traded by the Lakers to the Nets for the second time in his career. He also made the move in 2017.Ikea India's losses swell, sales growth falls to 6-year lowJapanese automakers are renowned for their durable, reliable cars, and select engines are often described as bulletproof or unkillable. In many cases, straightforward engineering choices end up delivering quality machines, while common-sense manufacturing techniques prevail for others. After all, in the 1980s, Toyota built a California factory together with GM and taught it how to build a quality vehicle by implementing Toyota manufacturing practices. But among the numerous bog-standard Japanese four-cylinder and V6 engines, there are a few that stand out. Within a multinational manufacturing corporation delivering automobiles to all parts of the globe, there are going to be some product developments that stray from the norm. Good engineering requires a degree of cleverness and creativity. For every time an automaker delivers a robust and predictable engine for a mainstream sedan, there are going to be a few experiments that never make it to development. However, occasionally, experiments make it well past the testing phase and into a production vehicle or onto the racing circuit. Many clever and unusual products can be attributed to Japanese ingenuity, and here are 12 engines to include among them. Many Japanese motorcycles produced in the years after World War II used two-stroke engines. Although two-stroke engines are simple and cheap to make, and they can provide excellent power with good reliability, Soichiro Honda, founder of the eponymous manufacturer, hated them and worked to create competitive four-stroke machines instead. Between 1979 and 1981, Honda fielded its NR500 Grand Prix race bike powered by a V4 engine with eight valves-per-cylinder facilitated by using oval pistons. However, it failed to achieve any big wins, forcing Honda to switch to two-stroke machines in 1982. Still wanting to build a competitive four-stroke bike, Honda revisited the oval piston idea and created the NR750, a V4 motorcycle with a total of 32 valves, eight spark plugs, twin throttle bodies, and an "8-into-4-into-2-into-1-into-2 exhaust system," according to Cycle World . With a short stroke, the V4 built power immediately, continuing seamlessly to its impressive 15,000-rpm redline. Oval pistons are the anomaly of engine anomalies. This setup made it possible to create an engine with the components of a V8 in a rule-abiding V4 configuration. It never made for a race-winning bike, but it did demonstrate Honda's engineering superiority. Furthermore, Honda only built 300 copies of the NR750 and sold them for $50,000 in 1992 , the most expensive Honda motorcycle to that date. Although the clever rotary engine was invented by an enthusiastic supporter of the Nazi party, Felix Wankel, that didn't stop Mazda from acquiring the rights to use the design. Mazda developed it further than any other company has to date. The iconic rotary engine found its way into a series of Mazda cars, including the RX-2 through RX-5, the Japanese-market-only Cosmo, and the American-market-only REPU pickup, but it was the RX-7 that stuck and proved the triangle-powered engine's staying power. Unlike conventional engines, the Wankel engine uses a triangle-shaped rotor with few moving parts to complete the Otto cycle via intake and exhaust ports, moving the combustion chamber in an oblong path. This motion turns the eccentric shaft in the center of the rotor, transferring motion back to the transmission. There are no valves, camshafts, lifters, rockers, timing chains, or dozens of other parts that cost efficiency and present opportunities for engine failure. It is an unusual engine indeed. Since a Wankel engine has fewer parts, it is easier to manufacture and lighter than conventional engines. But if you are wondering why Mazda is the only company that has ever used it extensively, it has flaws. Even when a Wankel produces a lot of horsepower, its torque output is abysmal. Furthermore, the surfaces on the sides and tips of the rotors are difficult to seal, and its fuel efficiency is terrible, which is why most companies abandoned the technology in the '70s. When Toyota wanted to go upscale, it introduced Lexus to the American market in 1989. And even though the Lexus LS400 proved Toyota knew how to do luxury, many in Japanese society had already recognized this fact. Back in 1968, Toyota began selling a car made for the most discerning of the traditional Japanese business class with the kind of refinement expected by royalty. Furthermore, it became the only production car from Japan powered by a V12 . Despite being in production since 1968, the Century has only seen two complete overhauls. The first generation, powered by a sophisticated V8, lasted 30 years before being replaced in 1997 with a new generation featuring an all-new V12 engine up front. The latest generation arrived in 2017. Featuring 48 valves, four camshafts, a counterweighted crankshaft, and five liters of displacement, the 1GZ-FE V12 was not developed for making high horsepower while spinning up to maximum redline like an Italian bull. This engine received 12 cylinders for the sake of smoothness and refinement, providing plentiful momentum in obscurity. The luxury propulsion provided by this V12 matches the opulence of the rest of the car. Each one is hand-built by Toyota's best craftsmen, with such detail that even the body-forming tools are custom-fitted to each worker's hands. When complete, it is perfection in motion, draped in reserved opulence, powered by the most unusual engine from Japan, a V12. Although never one of Japan's largest automakers, Mazda has a long history of creating innovative cars with engaging driving experiences and stylish designs. Given its dedication to the Wankel rotary engine, the automaker is not afraid to take risks and introduce unorthodox designs. In the early '90s, Mazda produced one of the smallest V6 engines ever sold. In 1991, Mazda introduced the fun and sporty MX-3 as a small but lively car suitable for younger buyers without requiring the extra space needed for a family. It was an affordable sporty coupe with good styling at a time when there was demand for such cars – few cars like this exist today. As a front-wheel-drive car, you might assume it to have an engine similar to other cars of the day — a four-cylinder in the range of 1.5 to 2.0 liters. Instead, Mazda split the difference and added two cylinders. The 1.8-liter K8-DE V6 is an unbelievably small V6 with a respectable output of 130 hp, although equivalent four-cylinders offered more. Mazda created this engine primarily for the MX-3 but also used it in the Japanese-market Eunos 500 and select other models. This was part of its failed experiment with creating separate brands targeting different market segments. Japan's car taxes increase with engine displacement, so keeping it under 2.0 liters provided savings for domestic buyers at the time. In the end, no other car received this unusually small V6, and it's unlikely any ever will. During the 1960s, drastic changes took place in the motorcycle industry as British marques like BSA and Triumph began losing their dominance to Japanese bikes. It seems that almost overnight, riders abandoned their British twins as Japanese bikes grew in size and displacement. Kawasaki initially built a BSA copy but saw limited sales with it. Going back to the drawing board, engineers saw that they had a great 350cc twin already on the market and decided to add a cylinder. Kawasaki launched a new model in 1969 called the Mach III, aka H1. It featured a new 500cc two-stroke triple that left anyone following in a cloud of blue smoke with their ears ringing from the cacophony of angry bees emanating from the tailpipes. For a hair under $1,000, buyers received a simple but slick lightweight bike packed with power that could clear a 1⁄4-mile in 12.96 seconds and hit 125 mph. Oil injection, CDI ignition, and a lack of valve adjustments made ownership hassle-free, leaving time to terrorize the streets with impromptu street races. The H1's success led Kawasaki to up the ante with a new 750cc Mach IV H2 triple in 1972. With 74 horsepower, this light-as-a-feather street bike was a lot to handle. The Kawasaki triples gained a reputation, earning them the nickname "Widowmaker." While those stories may have been overblown, the reign of the two-stroke triple ended as four-stroke four-cylinders took over the market. Among engine design choices, the five-cylinder is a rarity . Four, six, and eight-cylinder engines dominate the industry and have done so for well over a century. The first five-cylinder engine came in 1974 with the Mercedes-Benz 3.0-liter diesel for its 300D sedan. Audi followed with its own gasoline version a few years later, and Volvo eventually joined the trend. Five-cylinder engines are only possible with fuel injection. They were never created for use with carburetors due to uneven fuel delivery and the challenge of designing an intake manifold for the odd number of cylinders. Even if these issues were resolved, the firing order, due to several engineering and physics-related reasons, made it impractical. But with fuel injectors at each cylinder, these problems are eliminated. This engine design is an odd duck from the start, but millions of cars prove it can work. What you may not know is that a Japanese automaker joined the fray in the 1990s. Honda made a 2.5-liter five-cylinder for the Vigor, sold as the Acura Vigor in the States. The longitudinally-mounted inline-five, with the transmission positioned behind it, still drove the front wheels. It also made its way into the Acura TL but disappeared in 1998, remaining the only inline-five to power a Japanese car model to date. Mazda bet that its often unconventional approach to building cars could pay off in the luxury market of the 1990s, as its peers had successfully launched Acura, Lexus, and Infiniti. Playing catch-up, Mazda planned to launch a new luxury brand called Amati. Its timing could not have been worse, as Japan's economy went into a tailspin, forcing Mazda to scrap its luxury project entirely. Mazda salvaged its failed project by releasing one of its Amati models as the Millenia, offering the top trim with an engine featuring an unusual operating cycle. In the Millenia S model, buyers could opt for a supercharged 2.3-liter V6. The supercharger was necessary as the V6 operated on the Miller Cycle instead of the Otto Cycle of almost all other engines. Essentially, this cycle keeps the intake valve open longer and increases efficiency through complex physics that are difficult to explain briefly. More importantly, this necessitates the inclusion of a supercharger to prevent the compressed fuel/air mixture from escaping through the intake manifold. Therefore, the supercharger is not a high-performance accessory, but a high-efficiency requirement. The Millenia turned out to be a competent but unexciting car, fitted with upscale trim competitive with a Lexus or Acura. Regardless, sales did not pan out, and Mazda's experiment with luxury stalled. The clever and unusual Miller Cycle V6 also disappeared when Millenia production ended, as it failed to bring significant benefits to justify its complexity and added manufacturing expense. Although the five-cylinder engine featured in select Honda automobiles remains relatively obscure, its motorcycle division once made one with a more significant impact. Honda created a sensation with its 1958 Super Cub, which went on to be a worldwide success. And as its diminutive commuter bike sales skyrocketed, Honda set its sights on the track, entering the 1959 Isle of Man TT and gaining its first all-out win at the 1961 Spanish Grand Prix. Development of first-class racing bikes tuned to win continues to be an integral part of Honda's DNA. While Honda had reluctantly used 500cc two-stroke machines as the rules permitted, a MotoGP rule change allowing four-stroke bikes up to 990cc spurred it to develop a new power plant. The new MotoGP bike then had an engine with a highly unusual setup: a V5. With three cylinders up front and two in the rear, one might think this engine would be inherently unbalanced. The opposite is true, as engineers changed the 90-degree V-angle of a V4 engine to a 75.5-degree V-angle and used the additional piston to resolve balancing issues. This resulted in an engine more compact than a V4 with the same displacement while eliminating the weight of a balance shaft. The V5 produced up to 260 horsepower, pushing the Honda team to multiple victories and establishing four-stroke dominance. While Yamaha Motor Company often receives praise for its excellent dirt bikes, quads, and watercraft, most people likely know little of its work with automobiles. However, the motorcycle manufacturer occasionally lends its expertise to automakers, such as when Toyota hired Yamaha to help develop the 1965 Toyota 2000GT , one of the best Toyotas ever designed . Saddled with a lineup of unstylish and aging cars in the early '80s, Ford set out to turn things around with a new sedan. Taking cues from Europe and Japan, it launched the Taurus in 1985 — a car that turned things around for Ford and became a sensation. To create what would become the Taurus SHO, Ford collaborated with Yamaha to design an entirely new 3.0-liter DOHC V6 engine, engineered specifically for high-performance applications. Yamaha created new aluminum cylinder heads, each carrying a pair of camshafts to control a total of 24 valves, raising its redline to 7300 rpm and adding 80 horsepower. What made this engine truly unusual was that Yamaha not only designed but also manufactured it for Ford, transforming the Taurus into an iconic 220-horsepower sleeper. Although it has not yet been released, Honda's newest engine is making waves for several unusual engineering choices. While details are still scant following its unveiling at EICMA 2024, it does present us with what looks like highly clever and unique engine packaging. Triples may not be the most common engine layout for motorcycles, but they are far from unusual. However, the triples we are most accustomed to align the cylinders in a row, either longitudinally or transversely mounted. This new Honda block sports a V3 arrangement with two forward cylinders and a middle cylinder canted toward the rear. This arrangement is not completely novel as Honda once raced a two-stroke 500cc V3 with two cylinders up and one down, all forward facing. Yet, this new engine will be worlds apart in many ways, most significantly because it looks poised to go into production. Honda releasing a new V3 is not necessarily groundbreaking, but adding a supercharger — more specifically, an electric supercharger — certainly is. Currently, only electrically assisted turbochargers are found in production vehicles , as the power required for a fully electric one makes the concept infeasible. While Honda has not yet released technical specifications about this new engine, it seems to be leveraging the relatively small displacement with battery power alone for forced induction. It looks promising, but time will tell whether or not it works in the real world. Like its counterparts, Suzuki's success is rooted in reliable machines built with proven technology and traditional layouts. When an inline-4 engine is powerful, reliable, and efficient engine, sticking with it makes sense. Yet, in racing, experimenting with unorthodox designs can pay off. Back in the '70s, Suzuki sought to enter Grand Prix racing in the 500cc class, where MV Agusta's powerful four-stroke triple dominated. At the time, Suzuki only made small two-stroke bikes back then, making it a highly unlikely competitor. Determined to make its mark, the Suzuki development team for the project, consisting of two people for the engine and two for the chassis, got to work on a new two-stroke, mostly since it was what they knew. It was a choice that had them branded as crazy. The team used an engine layout previously used for smaller engines, upsizing it to fit the Grand Prix 500cc class. This was a square-four configuration, with a pair of cylinders up front and another in the rear — joined by gearing on their individual crankshafts. It is a bulky design, but without camshafts and valves, it wouldn't suffer from being overweight. The unusual engine design resulted in multiple championship titles and established two-stroke engines as viable in competition. Success on the track translated into sales success, and the RG500 street bike copied most of what customers saw on the track, making it a valuable machine today. For many years since its introduction, Lexus followed its mantra, "The relentless pursuit of perfection." For more than a decade, this meant building the finest luxury cars possible, and Toyota largely achieved its goals. Lexus quickly became recognized for its focus on offering luxury with Toyota's legendary reliability. While Toyota did well offering supremely comfortable cars, few might say they were exciting. That was meant to change in 2010 with the release of the LFA. The culmination of a decade of development, the Lexus LFA stunned everyone upon introduction . It represented Toyota's uncompromising commitment to creating the finest high-performance luxury car — no expenses spared. Early in its development, chief engineer Tanahashi Haruhiko turned to Yamaha for help in creating the perfect engine. Yamaha agreed but emphasized that Toyota's careful and conservative approach to building cars needed to be set aside to push the envelope. Fortunately, he listened, and Yamaha built a masterpiece. Aside from racing or heavy-duty diesel engines, the Lexus LFA's V10 is one of the few production V10 engines developed by a Japanese company. The naturally aspirated V10 produced peak horsepower at an incredible 8,700 rpm, just short of its 9,000 rpm redline. Yamaha Motor and Yamaha Corporation collaborated to design the acoustic properties of the Lexus LFA's engine, creating a sound that enhances the driving experience. No other engine by Toyota has since matched the perfection of the Lexus LFA V10, and few engines by others even come close.

Darnold gives Vikings another gem with career-high 377 yards in 27-25 win over PackersNew Delhi: Reeling under election losses, the Congress party will devote 2025 for a major organisational revamp that will see more young leaders in key posts, examination of “capabilities of leaders” and fulfilment of the key tasks set at the party’s Udaipur Chintan Shivir in 2022. In his inaugural speech at the Congress Working Committee meeting at Belagavi on Thursday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that 2025 will be “the year of our organisation’s empowerment.” “We will fill all the vacant posts in the organisation. We will fully implement the Udaipur Declaration. We will equip our organisation with the necessary skills to win elections from AICC to Mandal and booth. We will have to find such people who are ideologically committed, who are ready to fight to protect the Constitution, who believe in the Congress Party’s Idea of India. Such people have to be connected to the party and brought into the mainstream,” he said. Of the seven tasks set at the Udaipur conclave, the Congress has implemented four suggestions including the expansion of the CWC to include 50% youth, women, SC, ST and OBC members. However, one person one post, restriction of tickets to families and the setting up of an election management cell remain pending. “Only hard work is not enough, time-bound solid strategy and direction is necessary. There is a need to give a chance to new power and bring up local and new leadership. We have the power of ideas, the legacy of Gandhi-Nehru and the heritage of great heroes. We will return from Belgaum with a new message and new resolution,” Kharge added. A section of the Congress feels that the party will push for more young leaders in crucial roles and put a premium on ideological commitment. “The emphasis on fulfilling the Udaipur declaration is important as many key tasks, including creating a dedicated election management cell, is pending,” said a Congress leader, asking not to be named. “There are major decisions. More than 50 leaders participated in the discussions. Kharge and Rahul Gandhi both spoke in depth. We have decided that 2025 is going to see organisation revamp programme at every level, booth to top examination of capability,” said KC Venugopal. In its resolution on Gandhi, the Congress said, “The Congress Working Committee reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the values that defined Mahatma Gandhi’s entire life, to the causes he championed relentlessly and the ideals he upheld. It recalls that Mahatma Gandhi’s life was anchored in truth, non-violence, fearlessness and simplicity.” “It was dedicated to the gaining of political freedom along with profound societal transformation. India has achieved a great deal since independence. But even as our country has progressed impressively, his relevance has only become more significant. In our continued quest for deeper social and economic justice and growth with ecological balance he continues to be a guide and a moral compass. In our continued pursuit of communal harmony and amity, without which economic advancement will have little meaning, he remains the exemplar.”Trump has pressed for voting changes. GOP majorities in Congress will try to make that happen ATLANTA (AP) — Republicans in Congress plan to move quickly in their effort to overhaul the nation’s voting procedures, seeing an opportunity with control of the White House and both chambers of Congress. They want to push through long-sought changes such as voter ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements. They say the measures are needed to restore public confidence in elections. That's after an erosion of trust that Democrats note has been fueled by false claims from Donald Trump and his allies of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Democrats say they are willing to work with the GOP but want any changes to make it easier, not harder, to vote. Americans are exhausted by political news. TV ratings and a new AP-NORC poll show they're tuning out NEW YORK (AP) — A lot of Americans, after an intense presidential election campaign, are looking for a break in political news. That's evident in cable television news ratings and a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The poll found nearly two-thirds of Americans saying they've found the need recently to cut down on their consumption of political and government news. That's particularly true among Democrats following President-elect Donald Trump's victory, although a significant number of Republicans and independents feel the same way. Cable networks MSNBC and CNN are really seeing a slump. That's also happened in years past for networks that particularly appeal to supporters of one candidate. Israel strikes Houthi rebels in Yemen's capital while the WHO chief says he was meters away JERUSALEM (AP) — A new round of Israeli airstrikes in Yemen have targeted the Houthi rebel-held capital of Sanaa and multiple ports. The World Health Organization’s director-general said the bombardment on Thursday took place just “meters away” as he was about to board a flight in Sanaa. He says a crew member was hurt. The strikes followed several days of Houthi attacks and launches setting off sirens in Israel. Israel's military says it attacked infrastructure used by the Houthis at the international airport in Sanaa, power stations and ports. The Israeli military didn't immediate respond to questions about the WHO chief's statement. The US says it pushed retraction of a famine warning for north Gaza. Aid groups express concern. WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say they asked for — and got — the retraction of an independent monitor's warning of imminent famine in north Gaza. The internationally Famine Early Warning System Network issued the warning this week. The new report had warned that starvation deaths in north Gaza could reach famine levels as soon as next month. It cited what it called Israel's “near-total blockade” of food and water. The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Jacob Lew, criticized the finding as inaccurate and irresponsible. The U.S. Agency for International Development, which funds the famine-monitoring group, told the AP it had asked for and gotten the report's retraction. USAID officials tell The Associated Press that it had asked the group for greater review of discrepancies in some of the data. India's former prime minister Manmohan Singh, architect of economic reforms, dies aged 92 NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, widely regarded as the architect of India’s economic reform program and a landmark nuclear deal with the United States, has died. He was 92. The hospital said Singh was admitted to New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences late Thursday after his health deteriorated due to “sudden loss of consciousness at home.". He was “being treated for age-related medical conditions,” the statement added. A mild-mannered technocrat, Singh became one of India’s longest-serving prime ministers for 10 years and earned a reputation as a man of great personal integrity. But his sterling image was tainted by allegations of corruption against his ministers. What is known about a plane crash in Kazakhstan that killed 38 of 67 people on board The crash of an Azerbaijani airliner in Kazakhstan has killed 38 of 67 people on board. Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer 190 was en route from Azerbaijani capital Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus on Wednesday when it was diverted for reasons that aren’t fully clear yet. It crashed while making an attempt to land in Aktau in Kazakhstan after flying east across the Caspian Sea. Officials in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia haven't commented on a possible cause of the crash pending an official investigation. Some commentators pointed out holes in the plane's tail section pictured after the crash as a sign that it could have been fired upon by air defense systems. Ukraine's military intelligence says North Korean troops are suffering heavy battlefield losses KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's military intelligence says North Korean troops are suffering heavy losses in Russia's Kursk region and face logistical difficulties as a result of Ukrainian attacks. The intelligence agency said Thursday that Ukrainian strikes near Novoivanovka inflicted heavy casualties on North Korean units. Ukraine's president said earlier this week that 3,000 North Korean troops have been killed and wounded in the fighting in the Kursk region. It marked the first significant estimate by Ukraine of North Korean casualties several weeks after Kyiv announced that North Korea had sent 10,000 to 12,000 troops to Russia to help it in the almost 3-year war. How the stock market defied expectations again this year, by the numbers NEW YORK (AP) — What a wonderful year 2024 has been for investors. U.S. stocks ripped higher and carried the S&P 500 to records as the economy kept growing and the Federal Reserve began cutting interest rates. The benchmark index posted its first back-to-back annual gains of more than 20% since 1998. The year featured many familiar winners, such as Big Tech, which got even bigger as their stock prices kept growing. But it wasn’t just Apple, Nvidia and the like. Bitcoin and gold surged and “Roaring Kitty” reappeared to briefly reignite the meme stock craze. Holiday shoppers increased spending by 3.8% despite higher prices New data shows holiday sales rose this year even as Americans wrestled with still high prices in many grocery necessities and other financial worries. According to Mastercard SpendingPulse, holiday sales from the beginning of November through Christmas Eve climbed 3.8%, a faster pace than the 3.1% increase from a year earlier. The measure tracks all kinds of payments including cash and debit cards. This year, retailers were even more under the gun to get shoppers in to buy early and in bulk since there were five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Mastercard SpendingPulse says the last five days of the season accounted for 10% of the spending. Sales of clothing, electronics and Jewelry rose. Why this Mexican American woman played a vital role in the US sacramental peyote trade MIRANDO CITY, Texas (AP) — Amada Cardenas, a Mexican American woman who lived in the tiny border town of Mirando City in South Texas, played an important role in the history of the peyote trade. She and her husband were the first federally licensed peyote dealers who harvested and sold the sacramental plant to followers of the Native American Church in the 1930s. After her husband's death in 1967, Cardenas continued to welcome generations of Native American Church members to her home until her death in 2005, just before her 101st birthday.