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December 23, 2025.

Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., speaks during an event on prescription drug prices in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

More than a third of states sue HHS over a move that could curtail youth gender-affirming care

December 23, 2025

Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, its Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and its inspector general over a declaration that could complicate access to gender-affirming care for young people. The lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Eugene, Oregon, alleges that the declaration is inaccurate and unlawful and asks the court to block its enforcement. Last week’s declaration called treatments like puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgeries unsafe and ineffective for children and adolescents whose gender expression doesn’t match their sex assigned at birth. An HHS spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit.

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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs seeks immediate release from prison in appeals argument

December 23, 2025

Lawyers for hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs are asking a federal appeals court in New York to order his immediate release from prison. The lawyers filed late Tuesday with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan. They also want the court to reverse his conviction or direct his trial judge to lighten his four-year sentence on prostitution-related charges. The lawyers say Combs was treated harshly at sentencing by a judge. They say the judge let evidence surrounding charges he was acquitted of unjustly influence him. Combs is incarcerated at a federal prison in New Jersey. He was acquitted of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking at a trial that ended in July.

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Miami Heat's Terry Rozier leaves Brooklyn federal court, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Miami Heat’s Terry Rozier asks judge to throw out betting charges

December 23, 2025

Lawyers for Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier are asking a judge to throw out sports gambling charges that have kept him off the court this season, arguing that the government overreached by turning a private dispute over bettors’ use of non-public information into a federal case. In a motion to dismiss made public on Tuesday, Rozier’s lawyers argue that the government’s theory of the case — that he prevented sportsbooks from making informed decisions about accepting certain bets — runs afoul of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that narrowed the federal wire fraud statute. Rozier was released on $3 million bond after pleading not guilty in federal court in Brooklyn on Dec. 8 to wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy charges.

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With the Supreme Court Building under renovations, the justices hear oral arguments on President Donald Trump's push to expand control over independent federal agencies, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Supreme Court keeps Trump’s National Guard deployment blocked in the Chicago area, for now

December 23, 2025

The Supreme Court has refused to allow the Trump administration to deploy National Guard troops in the Chicago area to support its immigration crackdown. The justices Tuesday declined the Republican administration’s emergency request to overturn a ruling by a U.S. district judge that had blocked the deployment of troops. Three justices publicly dissented. The high court order is not a final ruling but could affect other lawsuits challenging President Donald Trump’s attempts to deploy the military in other Democratic-led cities. The outcome is a rare Supreme Court setback for Trump, who’d won repeated victories in emergency appeals since taking office in January.

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FILE - Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry speaks to reporters at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, La., Sept. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

Trump’s newly appointed envoy to Greenland says US not looking to ‘conquer’ the Danish territory

December 23, 2025

President Donald Trump’s newly appointed envoy to Greenland says the Republican administration is looking to begin a conversation with residents of the semi-autonomous Danish territory about the best way forward for the strategically important island. The special envoy, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, said in an appearance Tuesday on Fox News that the administration isn’t going to “go in there trying to conquer anybody” or “take over anybody’s country.” The governor’s comments seemed somewhat at odds with Trump, who has repeatedly said the U.S. needs to take over the Arctic territory for the sake of U.S. security and has not ruled out military force to take control of the mineral-rich Arctic island.

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FILE - The Department of Homeland Security logo is seen during a news conference in Washington, Feb. 25, 2015. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

Trump administration moves to overhaul how H-1B visas are granted, ending lottery system

December 23, 2025

The Department of Homeland Security is replacing its lottery system for H-1B visas with a new approach prioritizing skilled, higher-paid foreign workers. The change follows actions by the Trump administration to reshape the visa program. Critics say it has been a pipeline for overseas workers willing to work for lower pay. A press release Tuesday says the new system will increase the probability that visas go to higher-skilled workers. It will go into effect February 27, 2026. Supporters say the program drives innovation and growth, while critics argue it often fills entry-level positions.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio listens as President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago club, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

US bars five Europeans it says pressured tech firms to censor American viewpoints online

December 23, 2025

The State Department is barring five Europeans it accuses of leading efforts to pressure U.S. tech firms to censor or suppress American viewpoints. Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not name them, identifying them only as “radical” activists and “weaponized” nongovernmental organizations. The five Europeans were later identified by Sarah Rogers, the under secretary of state for public diplomacy, in a series of posts on social media. They include a former EU commissioner and the leaders of organizations that address digital hate. Rubio’s statement said they advanced foreign government censorship campaigns against Americans and U.S. companies, which he said created “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences” for the U.S.

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FILE - Washington Spirit's forward Trinity Rodman runs for a ball during the first half of a NWSL soccer match against Bay FC on Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Benjamin Fanjoy, File)

NWSL creates rule allowing clubs to sign stars such as Trinity Rodman over the salary cap

December 23, 2025

The National Women’s Soccer League has created a rule to give clubs flexibility to sign star players to contracts over the salary cap. Hours The NWSL Players Association announced later Tuesday it opposes the rule. The issue has attracted attention as the Washington Spirit have attempted to re-sign Trinity Rodman, one of the league’s biggest stars. The Spirit and Rodman struck a multiyear deal that was vetoed by the league. The NWSLPA filed a grievance in response, maintaining that the denial violated Rodman’s free agency rights.

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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) leaves the field after an injury against the Cleveland Browns during the first half of an NFL football game in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Bills coach McDermott says QB Josh Allen will not practice on Tuesday because of sore right foot

December 23, 2025

Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott said quarterback Josh Allen will not practice on Tuesday because of a sore right foot. McDermott said Allen experienced no setbacks since being hurt in a 23-20 win at Cleveland and previously said he anticipates the quarterback playing on Sunday, when the Bills host the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. The Bills were already scheduled to hold a walk-through session on Tuesday. The determination for a walk-through was made before Buffalo clinched its seventh straight playoff berth with the Indianapolis Colts’ loss to San Francisco on Monday night.

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Wind turbine bases, generators and blades are positioned along with support ships at The Portsmouth Marine terminal at the staging area for Dominion Energy's wind turbine project Monday Dec. 22, 2025, in Portsmouth, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Trump order halts offshore wind projects for at least 90 days

December 23, 2025

A stop-work order by the Trump administration directs offshore wind developers to “suspend all ongoing activities” related to five large-scale projects under construction along the East Coast “for the next 90 days for reasons of national security.” During the pause, the Interior Department said it will coordinate with project developers “to determine whether the national security threats posed by this project can be adequately mitigated.” The 90-day period can be extended if necessary. The letters, obtained by The Associated Press, provide additional details after the Trump administration on Monday suspended leases for five large-scale wind projects off the Atlantic coast from Virginia to Massachusetts. Governors of four affected states vowed to fight the order.

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Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) reacts during the second quarter of an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Vikings will start Brosmer at QB vs. Lions with hairline fracture found on McCarthy’s throwing hand

December 23, 2025

J.J. McCarthy has a hairline fracture in his throwing hand that will keep him out of Minnesota’s upcoming game against Detroit and make Max Brosmer the starting quarterback this week. Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said further examination of McCarthy’s right hand revealed the small fracture. Initial X-rays at the stadium were negative for broken bones after McCarthy was injured late in the second quarter against the New York Giants and unable to properly grip the ball. Brosmer started for McCarthy on Nov. 30 at Seattle and threw four interceptions in a 26-0 loss. The Vikings host the Lions on Thursday.

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Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green (10) is sacked by Missouri defensive end Damon Wilson II, center, during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)

Missouri linebacker Damon Wilson II accuses Georgia of illegal punishment in transfer portal lawsuit

December 23, 2025

Missouri pass rusher Damon Wilson II claims Georgia’s athletic department is trying to illegally punish him for entering the transfer portal. He filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Boone County, Missouri. Wilson transferred to the Tigers last January after signing a 14-month deal with Georgia’s booster collective. He received $30,000 on a $500,000 deal before entering the portal. Georgia filed a lawsuit last month claiming Wilson owes $390,000 in damages for leaving. Wilson’s countersuit claims the damages are meant to punish him. Georgia spokesman Steve Drummond said the school had no comment due to pending litigation.

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FILE - San Diego Padres' Ryan O'Hearn celebrates after hitting a grand slam during the first inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Sept. 23, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

The Pirates have signed All-Star first baseman Ryan O’Hearn to a 2-year deal, AP source says

December 23, 2025

The Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to a two-year deal with All-Star Ryan O’Hearn to boost their struggling offense. A person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the deal is worth $29 million. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because it was not yet official. O’Hearn’s signing is the first multiple-year free agent deal the Pirates have put together since 2016. O’Hearn is coming off the best season of his career. He hit .281 with 17 home runs and 63 RBIs in 2025 and made the All-Star team for the first time while playing for Kansas City and San Diego.

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Miami head coach Mario Cristobal reacts to a play against Texas A&M during the first quarter in the first round of the NCAA College Football Playoff, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

Ohio State and Miami set for a nostalgic CFP clash, with the focus on now, not a flag from long ago

December 23, 2025

Ohio State and Miami are set to meet in the Cotton Bowl, a College Football Playoff quarterfinal, on New Year’s Eve. The Buckeyes aim for back-to-back national titles, echoing their dramatic 2002 Fiesta Bowl win over Miami. That game ended in controversy when a late pass interference call allowed Ohio State to tie and eventually win in double overtime. Miami quarterback Carson Beck acknowledges the challenge ahead, noting Ohio State’s talent. Miami coach Mario Cristobal emphasizes focusing on the present, despite the historical rivalry adding intrigue to the matchup.

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Student loan borrowers in default may see wages garnished in 2026

December 23, 2025

The Trump administration says it will begin garnishing the wages of student loan borrowers who are in default early next year. The department said on Tuesday it will send notices to approximately 1,000 borrowers the week of January 7, with more notices to come at an increasing scale each month. Millions of borrowers are considered in default, meaning they are 270 days past due on their payments. The department must give borrowers 30 days notice before their wages can be garnished.

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President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Voluminous new Epstein document release includes multiple Trump mentions, but little revelatory news

December 23, 2025

The U.S. Justice Department has released tens of thousands more documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, a tranche that included multiple mentions of President Donald Trump but added little new revelatory information to the long-anticipated public file on the disgraced late financier. The documents also contain apparent correspondence between an Epstein co-conspirator and the U.K.’s former Prince Andrew. Many of the mentions of Trump come from news clippings. There is also an email from a prosecutor pointing out flights Trump took on Epstein’s private jet. The two men were friends for years before a falling out. The Justice Department said the release contained “unfounded and false” claims made about Trump before the 2020 election.

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Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce waves to fans as he walks off the field after an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)

Travis Kelce’s possible final home game for the Chiefs: A bittersweet Christmas showdown

December 23, 2025

Travis Kelce has played 96 regular-season home games for the Kansas City Chiefs. The next one might be his last. The 36-year-old Kelce, chosen for the Pro Bowl for the 11th time, will be at Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday for a game against the Denver Broncos. With the Chiefs out of playoff contention, it could be his final appearance there. Kelce has not announced his retirement but plans to decide quickly after the season. He’s had a standout year, joining Jerry Rice as the only players with 800 yards receiving in 12 consecutive seasons.

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FILE - U.S. tennis player Venus Williams poses for a photo during the 2026 Pirelli calendar launch in Prague, Czech Republic, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, File)

Venus Williams weds Andrea Preti in Florida as part of a 5-day celebration of their union

December 23, 2025

Venus Williams and Andrea Preti are married. The tennis great announced the union Tuesday on social media. Williams and Preti became wife and husband over the weekend in Florida as part of a five-day celebration. After becoming the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match in July, the 45-year-old Williams gave thanks to her fiance, who was in the stands at the DC Open. Preti is a Danish-born Italian model and actor, according to the website IMDB. The seven-time Grand Slams singles champion plans to play in a 33rd straight season on the WTA Tour, starting in Auckland in January.

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Pittsburgh Steelers' DK Metcalf wipes his face on the bench during the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Rey Del Rio)

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says he supports suspended wide receiver DK Metcalf after fan incident

December 23, 2025

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has thrown his support behind wide receiver D.K. Metcalf during Metcalf’s appeal of a two-game suspension. The NFL suspended Metcalf after an altercation with a Detroit Lions fan during a game. Tomlin said Metcalf shared his side of the story but declined to discuss details. Former NFL player Chad Johnson claimed Metcalf told him the fan used a racial slur, which the fan denied. Tomlin acknowledged the interaction is part of what he called a rise in “volatile rhetoric” in sports. Metcalf’s suspension leaves the Steelers without their top pass catcher as they aim for the AFC North title.

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A daring scene on Broadway this season has audiences talking, in more ways than one

December 23, 2025

Before the lights go down at “Liberation” on Broadway, the audience is talking. No, we mean really talking. That’s largely because they’ve surrendered their phones to be locked in pouches as a condition of entry. The reason: one of the most daring and impactful live-theater scenes of this or any season, performed by six actors in the nude. Bess Wohl, who wrote the play that examines a feminist consciousness-raising group in 1970, says the scene reflects how those groups sought to learn about their bodies. The scene took careful work with an intimacy coordinator, including sensitivity training for security staff.

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Jenny Poole pushes a shopping cart at Kohl's on Black Friday, Jenny has shopped at this Kohls on Black Friday every year for the last 10 years, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, in Woodstock, Ga. (AP Photo/Megan Varner)

Cautious shoppers step up spending to start holiday season

December 23, 2025

Consumers stepped up gift giving during the first seven weeks of the holiday shopping season, yet uncertainty about the economy is making them more targeted in their buying. From Nov. 1 through Sunday, cash and credit card sales rose 4.2%, which is less than the 4.8% increase during the same period a year ago, according to Visa’s Consulting & Analytics division. When adjusted for inflation, retail sales rose a more modest 2.2% for the first seven weeks of the holiday period, according to Visa’s U.S. principal economist Michael Brown. That compares with the inflation-adjusted 3% last year.

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Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, right, addresses attendees while Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, left, looks on during an event Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Topeka, Kan., announcing the team will leave Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. for a new stadium that will be built across the Kansas-Missouri state line and be ready for the start of the 2031 season. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Royals face tough stadium decision of their own as Chiefs move to Kansas

December 23, 2025

The Chiefs are moving to a new $3 billion stadium in Kansas, leaving their Missouri home. Now, attention is on the Royals, who face a similar decision. Their lease at Kauffman Stadium ends in January 2031. Royals owner John Sherman prefers a downtown ballpark, but plans have faced political and community hurdles. Last year, Jackson County voters rejected a sales tax extension to fund the new stadium. Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe wants to keep the Royals in Missouri. However, Kansas offers a bond package covering up to 70% of construction costs. The Royals are considering multiple sites, including Overland Park, Kansas.

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Timothée Chalamet wants to be great. ‘Marty Supreme’ might get him there

December 23, 2025

Since his breakthrough performance in 2017’s “Call Me By Your Name,” Timothée Chalamet has been on an ever-ascending path that seemed to reach a culmination when he declared that he’s “in pursuit of greatness” while accepting the best actor award from the Screen Actors Guild for his performance as Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown. “But “Marty Supreme” is yet another new level for Chalamet. His Marty is far from a period-piece study. He’s a blur of forward motion. He’s a quintessentially American hustler, and it’s probably the defining performance of Chalamet’s young career. A year after he come so close, it may win him his first Academy Award.

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President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago club, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trump says he’s inviting Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to next year’s G20 summit in Miami

December 23, 2025

President Donald Trump says he will be extending invitations to next year’s Group of 20 summit to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The summit is slated to be held at Trump’s Miami-area golf club next December. The Republican administration is looking to deepen its relationship with the Central Asian nations. The region holds deep reserves of rare earth metals used in high-tech devices. Trump announced the plan on Tuesday after holding separate phone calls with Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Neither country is a member of the G20, but the host country of the annual leaders’ gathering often invites non-members to attend the summit.

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Kilmar Abrego Garcia and his wife Jennifer Vasquez Sura leave the United States District Court District of Maryland, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Greenbelt, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported, can spend Christmas with family

December 23, 2025

Kilmar Abrego Garcia can spend Christmas with his family after spending much of the year in custody. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, in Maryland, issued an order late on Monday requiring government attorneys to file a brief by Dec. 26 on whether they plan to take him back into immigration custody, and under what legal authority they would do so. His attorneys have until Dec. 30 to respond. A temporary restraining order that bars Immigration and Customs Enforcement from detaining him remains in place in the meantime. The Salvadoran citizen’s case has become a lightning rod for both sides of the immigration debate as he fights to remain in the U.S. with his American wife and child.

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FILE - Shoppers wait in line to enter Macy's flagship store on Nov. 28, 2025 in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis, File)

Consumer confidence slides in December to lowest level since US tariffs rolled out in April

December 23, 2025

U.S. consumers were less confident in the economy in December as Americans remain anxious about still-high prices and the impact of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs. The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index fell 3.8 points to 89.1 in December from November’s upwardly revised reading of 92.9. That reading was 85.7 in April, when Trump rolled out his import taxes on U.S. trading partners. A measure of Americans’ short-term expectations for their income, business conditions and the job market remained stable at 70.7, but remains well below 80, the marker that can signal a recession ahead. It was the 11th straight month that reading has come in under 80.

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FILE - Attorney George Conway outside the New York City courthouse, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)

Trump critic George Conway takes steps to run for New York City congressional seat

December 23, 2025

George Conway has filed paperwork to run for a congressional seat in New York City. The seat belonged to longtime Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler, who is retiring. Conway was once a supporter of President Donald Trump but became one of his fiercest critics, and helped found the Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump group. Conway is the ex-husband of Kellyanne Conway, who was a senior presidential adviser in Trump’s first term in the White House. If Conway enters the race, he will face competition. John F. Kennedy’s grandson Jack Schlossberg announced in November that he was seeking to succeed Nadler.

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FILE - Rioters storm the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

EXCERPT: In ‘Storm at the Capitol,’ police officers detail a brutal assault on Jan. 6, 2021

December 23, 2025

In the 4 p.m. hour on Jan. 6, 2021, at the height of the fighting that day outside the U.S. Capitol, hundreds of rioters loyal to President Donald Trump had already breached several entrances and forced lawmakers to flee both the House and Senate, stopping the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory. But an even larger group of people had broken through a long police line and were now aiming at the central golden doors that sit at the center of the Capitol’s West Front. Separately, not far from the tunnel, Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick had been sprayed directly in the face by a rioter.

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FILE - Containers with Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation, a Taiwanese container shipping company, are stacked up at the Port of Los Angeles with the the Long Beach International Gateway Bridge seen in the background on Wednesday, April 9, 2025 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

A look at the experts racing to decode Trump’s tariff rules

December 23, 2025

In a breathless year of tariffs unleashed by the administration of President Donald Trump, perhaps no one has had to live the reality of every fluctuation of trade policy than customs brokers. Each arrival of foreign products imported to the U.S. requires filings with the government, a bureaucratic hurdle that many importers turn to customs brokers for help. With a spate of new trade rules unleashed by the Trump administration, brokers have seen their demand grow alongside their workloads. They have had to race to keep up as duties have been imposed and taken away with little notice, and have struggled to interpret the unclear language in orders.

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FILE - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services building is seen, April 5, 2009, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Medicaid paid more than $207 million for dead people. A new law could help fix that

December 23, 2025

A new Department of Health and Human Services report reveals Medicaid programs made over $200 million in improper payments to health care providers between 2021 and 2022 for people who had already died. The inspector general report, released Tuesday, suggests that a new mandate in Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill could help reduce these kind of payments. The bill requires states to audit Medicaid beneficiary lists against the Social Security Administration’s Death Master File. Privacy laws currently restrict access to this file. The report recommends states comply with the new mandate to conduct quarterly death checks to prevent further improper payments.

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FILE - Specialist Anthony Matesic works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

US stocks rose again in 2025 after overcoming turbulence from tariffs and Trump’s fight with the Fed

December 23, 2025

This was a scary good year for investors. It was scary because the U.S. stock market plunged to several historic drops on worries about everything from President Donald Trump’s tariffs to interest rates to a possible bubble in artificial-intelligence technology. In the end, though, it was a great year for anyone with the stomach to stick through the swings. As of Monday’s close the S&P 500 was on track for its third consecutive double-digit gain. Outside of stocks, bitcoin soared and then swooned and the “queasy” bond market got Trump’s attention. As the year ends, fears of an AI bubble appear ready to carry over into 2026.

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Sydney Galley pets a dog on a plane before passing it off to other volunteers, Nov. 23, 2025, at Culpeper Regional Airport in Brandy Station, Va. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

How Seuk Kim’s tragic plane crash built a volunteer army of pet rescuers

December 23, 2025

A group of volunteer pilots and animal lovers, known as Seuk’s Army, has been conducting weekly airlifts to rescue pets from overwhelmed Southern shelters. On a recent Sunday, they transported 117 animals, about twice the usual number, to mark the anniversary of member Seuk Kim’s tragic crash. Kim, who was passionate about flying and animal rescue, died when his plane went down last year. His legacy has inspired the group to expand its efforts. Seuk’s Army now transports two to three times as many animals as before, helping to save pets’ lives and open new foster possibilities.

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Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen, left, and Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton, right, shake hands after an NFL football game in Denver, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

How the Jaguars used a ‘small market’ comment as a catalyst to end the Broncos’ 11-game win streak

December 23, 2025

Jacksonville’s coach, Liam Coen, used a comment from Broncos coach Sean Payton as motivation for his team. The Jaguars beat Denver 34-20 on Sunday, ending the Broncos’ 11-game winning streak. Payton had referred to Jacksonville as a “smaller market” team, which Coen turned into a rallying cry. The Jaguars have now won six straight games and are in the mix with Denver for the AFC’s top playoff seed. Payton said Monday that his comment was meant to highlight Jacksonville’s strong performance, not to disrespect them. But he said he admired Coen’s use of his comments as a rallying cry.

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