South Florida Local News

Today is Friday, Nov. 8, the 313th day of 2024. There are 53 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Nov. 8, 2018, tens of thousands of people fled a fast-moving wildfire in Northern California that would become the state’s deadliest ever, killing 86 people and nearly destroying the community of Paradise.

Also on this date:

In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln won reelection as he defeated Democratic challenger George B. McClellan.

Related Articles

• National News | Who is Susie Wiles, Donald Trump’s new White House chief of staff?
• National News | Racist text messages referencing slavery raise alarms in multiple states and prompt investigations
• National News | 43 monkeys escape from a South Carolina medical lab. Police say there is no serious danger
• National News | California wildfire burns out of control but firefighters could get a break when winds diminish
• National News | Today in History: November 7, Magic Johnson announces he has HIV

In 1889, Montana was admitted to the Union as the 41st state.

In 1923, Adolf Hitler launched his first attempt at seizing power in Germany with a failed coup in Munich that came to be known as the “Beer-Hall Putsch.”

In 1942, the Allies launched Operation Torch in World War II as U.S. and British forces landed in French North Africa.

In 1950, during the Korean War, the first jet-plane battle took place as U.S. Air Force Lt. Russell J. Brown shot down a North Korean MiG-15.

In 1960, John F. Kennedy won the U.S. presidential election over Vice President Richard M. Nixon.

In 1974, a federal judge in Cleveland dismissed charges against eight Ohio National Guardsmen accused of violating the civil rights of students who were killed or wounded in the 1970 Kent State shootings.

In 2000, a statewide recount began in Florida, which emerged as critical in deciding the winner of the 2000 presidential election. The recount would officially end on Dec. 12 upon orders from the U.S. Supreme Court, delivering Florida’s electoral votes and the presidency to George W. Bush.

In 2012, Jared Lee Loughner was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the January 2011 shootings in Tucson, Arizona, that killed six people and wounded 13 others, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded, slammed into the central Philippines, leaving more than 7,300 people dead or missing, flattening villages and displacing more than 5 million.

In 2016, Republican Donald Trump was elected America’s 45th president, defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton in an astonishing victory for a celebrity businessman and political novice.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Racing Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero Jr. is 82.
• Singer Bonnie Raitt is 75.
• TV personality Mary Hart is 74.
• Actor Alfre Woodard is 72.
• Singer-songwriter Rickie Lee Jones is 70.
• Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro is 70.
• Filmmaker Richard Curtis is 68.
• Chef and TV personality Gordon Ramsay is 58.
• Actor Courtney Thorne-Smith is 57.
• Actor Parker Posey is 56.
• Actor Gretchen Mol is 52.
• News anchor David Muir is 51.
• Actor Matthew Rhys is 50.
• Actor Tara Reid is 49.
• TV personality Jack Osbourne is 39.
• Actor Jessica Lowndes is 36.
• Baseball player Giancarlo Stanton is 35.
• R&B singer SZA is 35.

GAINESVILLE — Alex Condon scored a career-high 23 points, Alijah Martin added 15 and No. 21 Florida beat Jacksonville 81-60 in its home opener Thursday night.

Will Richard chipped in 11 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals for the Gators (2-0), who hit 21 of their first 30 shots and built a 20-point lead early in the second half. Florida cooled off down the stretch but were still too much for the Dolphins (1-1) on both ends of the floor.

High-scoring No. 21 Gators assume defensive posture to take next step under Todd Golden

With the victory, Florida extended its winning streak in home openers to 34. The program’s last loss in a home opener was against Texas in 1990.

Robert McCray, who averaged a team-leading 18.4 points a game last season, set the pace for Jacksonville with 20 points.

Takeaways

Jacksonville: Coach Jordan Mincy returned to Gainesville for the first time since leaving former Gators coach Mike White’s staff in 2021.

Florida: The Gators have a few legitimate scoring options after Condon’s 23 points on Thursday and Walter Clayton Jr. 29 points in the team’s season opener against USF.

Key moment

The Gators used a 15-4 run midway through the first half to begin their rout. Martin scored 8 points in the run, including hitting two 3s.

Key stat

Clayton finished with 7 assists and 1 turnover, a solid ratio for a shooting guard making the transition to the point.

Up next …

Florida vs. Grambling

When: 7, Monday, O’Connell Center

TV: ESPN+

General Daily Insight for November 08, 2024

Sharing our brainstorms with others could be rewarding for everyone involved at present. The social Aquarius Moon sextiles intellectual Mercury at 7:52 am EST, encouraging us to come together for philosophical discussions. Perhaps we’ve pondered certain issues as long as we productively can on our own. Taking in fresh inspiration is a good way to open ourselves up to options we hadn’t previously considered. The path to any answers we seek still probably won’t be quick, but we might as well enjoy the journey!

Aries

March 21 – April 19

Letting your friends invite you along on a journey could be worth it today. As the impulsive Moon in your social sector aligns with curious Mercury in your 9th House of Adventure, the trip you take will probably be one you wouldn’t have thought of all on your lonesome. Once you get going, though, you may enjoy digging into the experience. Cultural differences might come up in the course of your explorations, but focusing on what everyone has in common should keep you on track.

Taurus

April 20 – May 20

A deep conversation could give you fresh insights regarding your current path forward. While the impressionable Moon in your ambitious 10th house tempers thoughtful Mercury in your intimacy zone, there’s a chance that a trusted advisor sees something you don’t amid the overall picture of your life. It’s possible, though not guaranteed, that they’re bringing this up in the context of wanting to collaborate with you on some project. Either way, their comments are likely to provide a perspective that you’ll find valuable.

Gemini

May 21 – June 20

Talking with a loved one could currently make you think about a viewpoint that you’ve held uncritically for most of your life. You aren’t necessarily required to change your mind just because someone else disagrees with you. Conversely, if whatever you believe at present is having a negative effect on others, you ought to at least hear them out. Maybe there’s no perfect way of doing things that doesn’t hurt anyone, but try to make sure that you’re mitigating harm as well as you can.

Cancer

June 21 – July 22

Figuring out a detailed to-do list could come naturally to you now. However, if you’d like help from someone else, you might need to give them some breathing room as the free-spirited Moon in your sharing sector assists neurotic Mercury in your productive 6th house. Their heart is probably in the right place, but they may not handle every task exactly as you would. Focus on accomplishing the most important priorities together instead of demanding your way or the highway on every single detail.

Leo

July 23 – August 22

You’re ready to have fun while you connect with a loved one today. As the emotional Moon in your relationship zone coordinates with witty Mercury in your 5th House of Pleasure, it’s okay to have a good laugh when you’re together. This doesn’t mean that your bond lacks necessary seriousness. Even if you’re discussing difficult topics, seeing the lighter side now and then is ideal for maintaining a balanced perspective. Learning that you share the same sense of humor should be all the better!

Virgo

August 23 – September 22

Figuring out how to improve your home environment could command your attention throughout the day. You may believe that you need to come up with a detailed strategy for the whole process in advance. It’s true that it’s better to have a plan you change than to not have a plan at all. Still, stay open to the possibility that some of your ideas will shift once you get started. Your intuitive sense of what works in practice and what doesn’t is probably on target.

Libra

September 23 – October 22

Chatting up the people around you could be especially rewarding at the moment. While the vulnerable Moon in your 5th House of Self-Expression stimulates verbal Mercury in your communication zone, you’re potentially hungry for attention. That’s not necessarily a bad thing as long as you’re realistic about the level of connection your audience is equipped to provide. Consider their comfort too — if you can give them a good laugh that they’re in the mood for, everyone should benefit from the exchange!

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21

Strengthening your sense of security may be paramount at the moment. While the anxious Moon in your 4th House of Nourishment reaches out to calculating Mercury in your resource zone, your motivation for this quest could initially stem from emotional issues. In contrast, once you start digging into the facts and figures, having more information is likely to give you a feeling of control over things. Even if what you have at first isn’t perfect, you’ll at least know where you’re starting from!

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21

Defining yourself clearly could currently seem urgent. While the candid Moon in your communication sector supports articulate Mercury in your sign, you might appreciate an opening to bounce some of your thoughts off a companion. You’re probably hoping for validation. They’re mostly likely to give you that, but perhaps they’ll also have a few thoughts that you didn’t think of on your own. You can’t totally control the responses you’ll get once you put yourself out there, so keep that in mind.

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19

A simple strategy could get you some relief from your anxieties at this time. While the nourishing Moon in your materialistic 2nd house reins in frenetic Mercury in your 12th House of Self-Undoing, organizing favorite possessions of yours might calm you down. Although it may seem shallow to focus on that when there are more important issues to worry about, your collectibles are probably physical items anchored in the material world — and that’s what your fears are potentially luring you away from!

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

Putting your best foot forward in a social situation is well within your capabilities. As the passionate Moon in your sign stimulates energetic Mercury in your networking zone, you’ll probably have more opportunities than usual to connect with people, some of whom may be unknown to you. You’re equipped to let your genuine feelings surface in a way that doesn’t push too far into uncomfortably intimate territory. The right amount of disclosure can let fresh acquaintances know that you’re a unique individual worth remembering.

Pisces

February 19 – March 20

Balancing the public and private sides of your life isn’t beyond the realm of the possible. While the intimate Moon in your 12th House of Secrets sextiles broadcaster Mercury in your visible 10th house, the key is probably that you personally know what’s inside and what’s outside. When you have internal clarity, there will be less ambiguity in the messages, spoken or silent, that you communicate to the rest of the world. Those around you are more likely than you expect to follow your lead!

GREENVILLE, N.C. — Katin Houser was 17-of-22 passing for 343 yards and five touchdowns and ran for another score Thursday night to help East Carolina beat Florida Atlantic 49-14.

Houser hit Chase Sowell in stride down the right sideline for a 50-yard touchdown on the game’s second play from scrimmage. FAU went three-and-out and, after Rahjai Harris ran on three consecutive plays for 6, 6 and 19 yards, Houser threw a 47-yard TD pass to Winston Wright Jr. that made it 14-0 with 10:33 left in the first quarter.

Wright caught an 8-yard scoring strike from Houser to make it 21-0 going into the second quarter.

Anthony Smith had three receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown for ECU (5-4, 3-2 American Athletic Conference). Wright finished with 80 yards on three catches.

Florida Atlantic (2-7, 0-5) has lost nine consecutive AAC games, tied with Mississippi State for the second-longest active conference losing streak in the nation. Kent State has lost 13 straight Mid-American Conference games.

Owls starting quarterback Cam Fancher left the game with an apparent shoulder injury in the second quarter and did not return. Backup Kasen Weisman, a transfer from Colorado, was 20-of-35 passing for 188 yards and two touchdowns and added a team-high 41 yards rushing on six carries. Weisman led a 14-play, 91-yard drive that came to an end when Gavin Gibson intercepted a pass in the end zone.

Jabari Smith Jr. caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Weisman with about 6 minutes to go in the second quarter and CJ Campbell Jr. added a 2-yard TD reception that capped the scoring with 1:07 to play.

___ Get alerts on the latest AP Top 25 poll throughout the season. Sign up here ___ AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

By TIM REYNOLDS

SUNRISE — Carter Verhaeghe had two goals and an assist, Aleksander Barkov had three assists for the second time in less than a week and the Florida Panthers beat the Nashville Predators 6-2 on Thursday night for their sixth straight victory.

Sam Reinhart got his 11th of the season and pushed his goals streak to five games for the Panthers, who got a goal and an assist from Matthew Tkachuk and two assists from Uvis Balinskis. Tomas Nosek also scored for Florida.

Sergei Bobrovsky got career win No. 403 to tie Grant Fuhr for 12th on the career list.

Steven Stamkos and Juuso Parssinen scored for Nashville. It was the 83rd official time, including playoffs, that Stamkos played against the Panthers — the first with him wearing something other than a Tampa Bay sweater.

The Predators (4-9-1) have nine points, the fewest through 14 games in franchise history. They had 10 points through 14 games three previous times, most recently last season.

Takeaways

Predators: Including playoffs, Stamkos has 52 goals against the Panthers. That’s the most by any Florida opponent; Alex Ovechkin has 45 goals against Florida. In regular-season games only against Florida, Ovechkin leads Stamkos 44-42.

Panthers: This is Florida’s fourth regular-season winning streak of at least six games since the start of last season. Before that, the Panthers had 10 such streaks — in their first 29 seasons combined.

Key moment

Reinhart and Tkachuk scored 1:41 apart in the first period, staking Florida to a 2-0 lead just 5:14 into the contest.

Key stat

Florida (10-3-1) has 10 wins through 14 games for the fourth time in club history. It also happened in 1995-96 (10-4-0), 2020-21 (10-2-2) and 2021-22 (10-2-2).

Up next

Predators: Host Utah on Saturday night, before going back on the road for a five-game trip.

Panthers: Host Philadelphia on Saturday night, the second of five straight in Sunrise.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

By MEG KINNARD

WASHINGTON (AP) — With her selection as President-elect Donald Trump ‘s incoming White House chief of staff, veteran Florida political strategist Susie Wiles moves from a largely behind-the-scenes role of campaign co-chair to the high-profile position of the president’s closest adviser and counsel.

She’s been in political circles for years. But who is Wiles, the operative set to be the first woman to step into the powerful role of White House chief of staff?

She has decades of experience, most of it in Florida

The daughter of NFL player and sportscaster Pat Summerall, Wiles worked in the Washington office of New York Rep. Jack Kemp in the 1970s. Following that were stints on Ronald Reagan’s campaign and in his White House as a scheduler.

Wiles then headed to Florida, where she advised two Jacksonville mayors and worked for Rep. Tillie Fowler. After that came statewide campaigns in rough and tumble Florida politics, with Wiles being credited with helping businessman Rick Scott win the governor’s office.

After briefly managing Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman’s 2012 presidential campaign, she ran Trump’s 2016 effort in Florida, when his win in the state helped him clinch the White House.

She has a history with Ron DeSantis

Two years later, Wiles helped get Ron DeSantis elected as Florida’s governor. But the two would develop a rift that eventually led to DeSantis to urge Trump’s 2020 campaign to cuts its ties with the strategist, when she was again running the then-president’s state campaign.

Wiles ultimately went on to lead Trump’s primary campaign against DeSantis and trounced the Florida governor. Trump campaign aides and their outside allies gleefully taunted DeSantis throughout the race — mocking his laugh, the way he ate and accusing him of wearing lifts in his boots — as well as using insider knowledge that many suspected had come from Wiles and others on Trump’s campaign staff who had also worked for DeSantis and had had bad experiences.

Wiles had posted just three times on X this year at the time of her announcement. Shortly before DeSantis dropped out of the presidential race in January, Wiles made a rare appearance on social media. She responded to a message that DeSantis had cleared his campaign website of upcoming events with a short but clear message: “Bye, bye.”

She shuns the spotlight — most of the time

Joining up with Trump’s third campaign in its nascent days, Wiles is one of the few top officials to survive an entire Trump campaign and was part of the team that put together a far more professional operation for his third White House bid — even if the former president routinely broke through those guardrails anyway.

She largely avoided the spotlight, even refusing to take the mic to speak as Trump celebrated his victory early Wednesday morning.

But she showed she was not above taking on tasks reserved for volunteers. At one of Trump’s appearances in Iowa in July of last year, as the former president posed for pictures with a long line of voters, Wiles grabbed a clipboard and started approaching people waiting to get them to fill out cards committing to caucus for Trump in the leadoff primary contest.

“If we leave the conference room after a meeting and somebody leaves trash on the table, Susie’s the person to grab the trash and put it in the trash can,” said Chris LaCivita, who served as campaign co-chair along with Wiles.

Another of her three posts on X this year was in the closing days of the campaign, clapping back after billionaire Mark Cuban remarked that Trump didn’t have “strong, intelligent women” in his orbit. After Wiles’ selection as White House chief of staff, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, a Trump backer, quipped on X that the president-elect had chosen a “strong, intelligent woman” as his chief of staff.

She can control some of Trump’s worst impulses

Wiles was able to help control Trump’s worst impulses — not by chiding him or lecturing, but by earning his respect and showing him that he was better off when he followed her advice than flouted it. At one point late in the campaign, when Trump gave a widely criticized speech in Pennsylvania in which he strayed from his talking points and suggested he wouldn’t mind the media being shot, Wiles came out to stare at him silently.

Trump often referenced Wiles on the campaign trail, publicly praising her leadership of what he said he was often told was his “best-run campaign.”

“She’s incredible. Incredible,” he said at a Milwaukee rally earlier this month.

Will she have staying power?

In his first administration, Trump went through four chiefs of staff — including one who served in an acting capacity for a year — in a period of record-setting personnel churn.

A chief of staff serves as the president’s confidant, helping to execute an agenda and balancing competing political and policy priorities. They also tend to serve as a gatekeeper, helping determine whom the president spends their time and to whom they speak — an effort under which Trump chafed inside the White House.

Trump has repeatedly said he believes the biggest mistake of his first term was hiring the wrong people. He was new to Washington then, he has said, and didn’t know any better.

But now, Trump says, he knows the “best people” and those to avoid for jobs.

___

Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price and Zeke Miller in Washington and Jill Colvin in West Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report.

___

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP

A newly released report on Orlando’s deadly Halloween mass shooting indicates that one of the two victims was shot during a confrontation between the alleged shooter and a witness, rather than being targeted during the incident.

The Thursday release of the arrest affidavit for accused gunman Jaylen Edgar offered little indication of what led up to the mayhem that wounded seven people in addition to killing two. But it tells a chilling tale of how the carnage unfolded.

Moments after shooting 25-year-old Tyrek Hill — a tow truck driver who was his first victim — in the face around 1 a.m. Friday, Edgar, 17, and his companions continued their way through the crowd downtown before pushing past another man and confronting one of his friends. The friend, 20-year-old Anthony Berry, stretched out his hand thinking he was next, according to the seven-page affidavit included in Orange County court filings.

The report said that prompted an altercation between Berry and Edgar in front of Sly Fox Bar. An “unknown individual” tried separating the two, but then Edgar pulled out a 9 mm handgun and opened fire, grazing Berry and killing Timothy Schmidt Jr., 19, a UCF student from Weston.

Tim Schmidt Jr. with his father. (Timothy Schmidt Sr./Courtesy)

Edgar is charged as an adult with second-degree murder in the deaths of Hill and Schmidt. At a news conference Friday at Orlando Regional Medical Center hours after the shooting, Berry said the confrontation escalated quickly and he saw a white flash once Edgar pulled the trigger.

“After it happened, the first thing I did was thank God I’m still here. I have another opportunity to achieve my goals in life,” Berry told reporters.

Edgar was arrested by Orlando police officers as he tried to follow the panicked crowd out of the area. Seven people survived injuries from gunfire while an eighth was trampled as partygoers fled the scene — their ages ranging from 19 to 39.

Edgar told police he found the gun “early in the day at another location” and met with a friend downtown before joining another group, according to the affidavit. Though witnesses described Edgar’s confrontation with Berry, the report doesn’t detail what prompted the teen to shoot Hill, who paramedics pronounced dead at the scene.

The suspect, Jaylen Dwayne Edgar, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a firearm and six counts of attempted first degree murder with a firearm. (Orlando Police Department)

Surveillance video released hours after the shooting showed Edgar walking past Hill near the corner of North Orange Avenue and Central Boulevard when he pulled out his gun and shot him in the head at point-blank range. It’s not clear from video if they exchanged words during the brief confrontation.

Edgar then made his way from Orange Avenue toward Washington Street, where he fired more shots into the crowd. According to the affidavit, crime scene investigators found nine bullet casings at the scene.

Nearly half an hour before the shootings, one of the officers at the scene said he grabbed Edgar off an Orlando Fire Department vehicle after finding him lying in a stretcher “while people photographed him,” according to the report.

In an interview with police described in the affidavit, Edgar said he was under stress, “affected by numerous deaths of loved ones he has had to witness in his life.”

A photo of Tyrek Hill, 25, at a vigil for his family and friends in Clermont on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. Hill was one of two men killed in the downtown Orlando shooting on Nov. 1, 2024. (Spectrum News13)

Orlando police Chief Eric Smith said around 100 officers were patrolling downtown the night of the shooting but their presence was beefed up in the days after the shooting.

As for Edgar, he’s additionally charged with one count of attempted murder. Orange-Osceola State Attorney Andrew Bain told reporters Monday he’s leaving additional charges up to a grand jury while charging him with grand theft of a vehicle stemming from an unresolved arrest from last year. No new information was gleaned from court filings detailing accusations against him in that case.

“It’s a blatant execution in the middle of our streets,” Bain said about the shooting. “That’s something that we can’t have in our community.”

By AYANNA ALEXANDER, ALI SWENSON and GARY FIELDS

WASHINGTON (AP) — Racist text messages invoking slavery raised alarm across the country this week after they were sent to Black men, women and students, including middle schoolers, prompting inquiries by the FBI and other agencies.

The messages, sent anonymously, were reported in several states, including New York, Alabama, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. They generally used a similar tone but varied in wording.

Some instructed the recipient to show up at an address at a particular time “with your belongings,” while others didn’t include a location. Some of them mentioned the incoming presidential administration.

It wasn’t yet clear who was behind the messages and there was no comprehensive list of where they were sent, but high school and college students were among the recipients.

The FBI said it was in touch with the Justice Department on the messages, and the Federal Communications Commission said it was investigating the texts “alongside federal and state law enforcement.” The Ohio Attorney General’s office also said it was looking into the matter.

Tasha Dunham of Lodi, California, said her 16-year-old daughter showed her one of the messages Wednesday evening before her basketball practice.

The text not only used her daughter’s name, but it directed her to report to a “plantation” in North Carolina, where Dunham said they’ve never lived. When they looked up the address, it was the location of a museum.

“It was very disturbing,” Dunham said. “Everybody’s just trying to figure out what does this all mean for me? So, I definitely had a lot of fear and concern.”

Her daughter initially thought it was a prank, but emotions are high following Tuesday’s presidential election. Dunham and her family thought it could be more nefarious and reported it to local law enforcement.

“I wasn’t in slavery. My mother wasn’t in slavery. But we’re a couple of generations away. So, when you think about how brutal and awful slavery was for our people, it’s awful and concerning,” Dunham said.

About six middle school students in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, received the messages too, said Megan Shafer, acting superintendent of the Lower Merion School District.

“The racist nature of these text messages is extremely disturbing, made even more so by the fact that children have been targeted,” she wrote in a letter to parents.

Students at some major universities, including Clemson in South Carolina and the University of Alabama, said they received the messages. The Clemson Police Department said in a statement that it been notified of the “deplorable racially motivated text and email messages” and encouraged anyone who received one to report it.

Fisk University, a historically Black university in Nashville, Tennessee, issued a statement calling the messages that targeted some of its students “deeply unsettling.” It urged calm and assured students that the texts likely were from bots or malicious actors with “no real intentions or credibility.”

Nick Ludlum, a senior vice president for the wireless industry trade group CTIA, said “wireless providers are aware of these threatening spam messages and are aggressively working to block them and the numbers that they are coming from.”

Related Articles

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• National News | 43 monkeys escape from a South Carolina medical lab. Police say there is no serious danger
• National News | California wildfire burns out of control but firefighters could get a break when winds diminish
• National News | Today in History: November 7, Magic Johnson announces he has HIV
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David Brody, director of the Digital Justice Initiative at The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said that they aren’t sure who is behind the messages but estimated they had been sent to more than 10 states, including most Southern states, Maryland, Oklahoma and even the District of Columbia. The district’s Metropolitan Police force said in a statement that its intelligence unit was investigating the origins of the message.

Brody said a number of civil rights laws can be applied to hate-related incidents. The leaders of several other civil rights organizations condemned the messages, including Margaret Huang, president and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center, who said, “Hate speech has no place in the South or our nation.”

“The threat — and the mention of slavery in 2024 — is not only deeply disturbing, but perpetuates a legacy of evil that dates back to before the Jim Crow era, and now seeks to prevent Black Americans from enjoying the same freedom to pursue life, liberty, and happiness,” said NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson. “These actions are not normal. And we refuse to let them be normalized.”

A California-based company has appealed after a federal judge last month rejected a request for a preliminary injunction against a new law banning the sale and manufacturing of “cultivated” meat in Florida.

Attorneys for UPSIDE Foods, Inc. filed a notice Tuesday that is a first step in appealing the Oct. 11 decision by Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker. As is common, the notice does not detail arguments the company will make at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

UPSIDE Foods filed the lawsuit in August challenging the constitutionality of the law, which was approved this year by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Legislature.

The law makes it a second-degree misdemeanor to sell or manufacture cultivated meat, often known as lab-grown meat. The manufacturing process includes taking a small number of cultured cells from animals and growing them in controlled settings to make food.

UPSIDE Foods, which is represented by the Institute for Justice legal organization, makes chicken products.

The lawsuit contends, in part, that a federal poultry-products law preempts Florida from imposing the ban.

Walker wrote that the company argues that the “ban imposes an inconsistent ‘ingredient requirement’ by prohibiting the sale or distribution of food products that contain cultivated chicken meat as an ingredient.”

But in denying the company’s request for a preliminary injunction to block the law, the Tallahassee-based judge wrote the company could not identify a law or regulation “that creates a federal ‘ingredient requirement’ with respect to ‘cultivated meat.’”

State officials have pointed to questions about the safety of cultivated meat.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture last year approved UPSIDE to manufacture and sell its products.

By LISA MASCARO

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican leaders projected confidence Thursday that they will keep control of the U.S. House as more races were decided in their favor, while Democrats insisted they still see a path toward the majority and sought assurances every vote will be counted.

The GOP picked up two more hard-fought seats in Pennsylvania, which became a stark battlefield of Democratic losses up and down the ticket. Democrats notched another win in New York, defeating a third Republican incumbent in that state.

Both parties in the House huddled privately on conference calls to assess the political landscape as Congress prepared to return next week to a changed Washington, where a sweep of MAGA-infused GOP power is within reach for President-elect Donald Trump.

“The latest data indicates that we will also hold — and likely grow — our Republican majority in the House,” Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson said in a letter to colleagues, seeking support to remain as House speaker.

But Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said “it has yet to be decided” which party will control the House as several key races remained uncalled.

Seeing their options narrow, Democrats focused on flipping a handful of seats in Arizona, California and possibly Oregon to close the gap.

“We must count every vote,” Jeffries said.

A final tally in the House will almost certainly have to wait until next week, at the soonest, when Congress is back in session and prepares to elect its new leaders, including nominees for House speaker and the senator who will replace outgoing GOP Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The election results were beyond what Republicans had even hoped for, including a majority in the Senate, where two races were still undecided — in Arizona between Democrat Ruben Gallego and Republican Kari Lake and in Nevada between Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen and Republican Sam Brown.

The Associated Press called more races Thursday. In Pennsylvania, Republican Ryan Mackenzie defeated incumbent Democratic Rep. Susan Wild in the Allentown-area district, and Republican Robert Bresnahan dislodged Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright in the Northeast part of the state.

Pennsylvania’s Senate race between Sen. Bob Casey and wealthy businessman Dave McCormick was decided in McCormick’s favor, giving Republicans a 53rd seat in the chamber.

Democrats made up some ground in New York, where Laura Gillen beat incumbent GOP Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, the third flip for Democrats in Jeffries’ home state.

Attention increasingly focused on the West, where Democrats were eyeing what’s left of their path to the majority.

Democrats would need to sweep the most contested races, including two in Arizona and several in California, to win power. But tallies are expected to drag on as California, in particular, counts mail in ballots that are arriving in the week after the election.

Republican Rep. Richard Hudson, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, told lawmakers on a private call that he’s confident the GOP will hold the House majority, according to a Republican who is familiar with the call but spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose details.

Trump is consolidating power in Washington, returning to the White House a much more dominant force than in his first term, when Republicans split over their support for him and some were openly skeptical if not opposed to his rise.

This time, Johnson and Senate GOP leaders have drawn closer to Trump, relying on his power for their own as they drive a common Republican agenda more aligned with his MAGA priorities than what had been a more mainstream conservative GOP approach.

Johnson, in his letter to colleagues, used a football metaphor to say he’s “ready to take the field with all of you” to play “the biggest offense of our lives.”

While Johnson is in line to remain House speaker in the new Congress, if Republicans keep control, the question of who will replace McConnell, who led his party in flipping Senate control, is its own intense contest.

The choices facing Republican senators for a new leader are between the “Johns” — No. 2 Republican Sen. John Thune and Texas Sen. John Cornyn — and a longshot, Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, who is favored by hard-right Senate conservatives who want Trump to weigh in on the race.

Cornyn and Thune, who both campaigned for Trump, are building support among senators in what is expected to be a close race on private ballots.

Thune has worked to mend a rocky relationship with Trump, and the two spoke as recently as Wednesday, according to another Republican familiar with the private conversation who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss it.

The South Dakota senator had been critical of Trump in the aftermath of the 2020 election for stoking claims of fraudulent voting ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Thune and Trump have been in touch throughout the year, the person said.

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Thune has suggested it might be best if Trump stayed out of the leadership race.

“It’s his prerogative to weigh in on that,” Thune said on Fox News. “Frankly, I think if he lets it play out, we’ll get the right person. I’ve had conversations with him and have told him that we want to get his team in place so that he can hit the ground running and get to work on an agenda to make sure that he and our team succeeds.”

The Republicans are eyeing quick action aligned with Trump’s day-one priorities, which revolve around cutting taxes, deporting immigrants who are in the country without certain legal status, and reducing federal regulations and operations.

But after the chaos of the past two years of GOP control of the House, it’s unclear how much Republicans will be able to accomplish, especially if they have another razor-thin majority with few seats to spare for dissent, in the face of resistance from Democrats.

Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Stephen Groves, Farnoush Amiri and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

Today is Thursday, Nov. 7, the 312th day of 2024. There are 54 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Nov. 7, 1991, basketball star Magic Johnson announced that he had tested positive for HIV and was retiring.

Also on this date:

In 1916, Jeannette Rankin of Montana won election to the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the first woman elected to either chamber of Congress.

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In 1917, Russia’s Bolshevik Revolution took place as forces led by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin overthrew the provisional government of Alexander Kerensky.

In 1940, Washington state’s original Tacoma Narrows Bridge, nicknamed “Galloping Gertie,” collapsed into Puget Sound during a windstorm just four months after opening to traffic.

In 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt won an unprecedented fourth term in office, defeating Republican Thomas E. Dewey.

In 1972, President Richard Nixon was reelected in a landslide over Democrat George McGovern.

In 1989, L. Douglas Wilder won the governor’s race in Virginia, becoming the first elected Black governor in U.S. history; David N. Dinkins was elected New York City’s first Black mayor.

In 2011, a jury in Los Angeles convicted Michael Jackson’s doctor, Conrad Murray, of involuntary manslaughter for supplying a powerful anesthetic implicated in the entertainer’s 2009 death. (Murray was sentenced to four years in prison. He served two years and was released in October 2013.)

In 2020, Democrat Joe Biden clinched victory over President Donald Trump as a win in Pennsylvania pushed Biden over the threshold of 270 Electoral College votes. Trump refused to concede.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Kaat is 86.
• Former Singer Johnny Rivers is 82.
• Singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell is 81.
• Retired Army general and former CIA Director David Petraeus is 72.
• Actor Christopher Knight (TV: “The Brady Bunch”) is 67.
• DJ-producer David Guetta is 57.
• Actor Yunjin Kim is 51.
• Rock singer Lorde is 28.

UCF coach Gus Malzahn and Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham are no strangers to each other.

The pair worked together during Malzahn’s time at Auburn after Dillingham was hired as the Tigers’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2019.

Five years and several jobs later, they face off this Saturday when the Knights travel to Arizona for a late Big 12 clash with the Sun Devils.

“He has a dynamic personality,” Malzahn said of the 34-year-old coach. “He’s an extremely hard worker and a smart guy. During the year he was with me, he helped me a lot. He knows football and can relate to players, so it doesn’t surprise me he’s got that thing going like he does.”

“One thing I learned from him is to have an idea for what you want and buy into that,” Dillingham said this week. “That’s something he’s done his entire career. That’s something I’m trying to create here. It may not be the same identity, but that mindset of people will know who we are. I think there is some power to that, which is why he’s been so successful on offense for so long.”

Dillingham is also familiar with defensive coordinator Addison Williams because the two worked together under Malzahn on offense.

UCF’s Tim Harris Jr. seizes moment as Knights new offensive play-caller

“We worked hand-in-hand, partners in crime all the time,” said Dillingham. “He’s been in the quarterback room before. He’s been in my quarterback room before and we worked on game plans together. We were very close and now he works on the defensive side of the ball.

“Addison is a phenomenal football coach and I firmly believe that. He’s a head coach in the making over there and will have some things for us that we’ve got to be ready for.”

Coaches: Malzahn, 4th season at UCF, 28-21 (105-59 overall); Dillingham, 2nd season at Arizona State, 9-11 (9-11 overall).

Quick slant: This is the second meeting between these two programs. UCF suffered a 46-13 road loss at Arizona State on Sept. 7, 2002. The Knights jumped out to a 13-3 lead early in the first half before the Sun Devils stormed back with 43 straight points for the win. … Former UCF co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach David Gibbs (2021-23) serves as a defensive analyst at ASU.

About UCF (4-5, 2-4 Big 12): Redshirt freshman Dylan Rizk is set to make his second career start and his first on the road. Rizk is coming off a stellar performance, passing for 294 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead UCF to a 56-12 win over Arizona last week. … Receiver Jacoby Jones is coming off back-to-back 100-yard games after totaling 106 yards in last week’s win. … Linebacker Ethan Barr leads the Knights in tackles (47) and had a career-high 10-tackle performance against the Wildcats. He also recovered his first career fumble in the first half.

UCF’s Gus Malzahn deserves the chance to fix this mess | Commentary

About Arizona State (6-2, 3-2 Big 12): Quarterback Sam Leavitt returned after a one-game absence due to injury to throw for a season-high 304 yards with 3 touchdowns to lead the Sun Devils to a 42-21 win at Oklahoma State. … Receiver Jordyn Tyson leads ASU in catches (39), receiving yards (558) and receiving touchdowns (5), splitting time between the wideout and slot spots. … Safety Xavion Alford is the top-graded defensive back on the team per Pro Football Focus, with the redshirt junior earning an 80.3 grade. He hasn’t given up a touchdown in five straight games.

3 things to watch

Cam Skattebo’s status. Skattebo is just the third running back in the Big 12 with 1,000 yards rushing this season, along with UCF’s RJ Harvey (1,201 yards) and Texas Tech’s Tahj Boyd (1,047). According to Dillingham, Skattebo’s status for Saturday’s game is “doubtful to questionable” after suffering an undisclosed injury against Oklahoma State. Sophomore Kyson Brown could see an increased workload in Skattebo’s absence.

Get pressure on Leavitt. UCF leads the Big 12 in tackles for loss (60) and has totaled 12 sacks over the past five games, including a season-high 4 in last week’s win over Arizona. According to PFF, Leavitt completes just 57% of his passes under pressure and has thrown three of his four interceptions during that stretch.

Get off to fast start. The Knights have made it a habit of slow starts this season, trailing in the first half of six of their last seven games, resulting in five losses. Last week they jumped to a 28-0 lead over the Wildcats before cruising to a 56-12 win.

Matt Murschel can be reached at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com

UP NEXT

UCF at Arizona State

Where: Mountain America Stadium (Tempe, AZ)

When: 7 p.m.

TV: ESPN2; Radio: AM 740/FM 96.9 The Game, Sirius/XM Ch. 387

Weather: 72 degrees with 0% chance of precipitation

Favorite: ASU by 3 points

Online: orlandosentinel.com/knights; @osmattmurschel on X(Twitter).

General Daily Insight for November 07, 2024

An emotionally intense day could test our patience. The passionate Moon conjoins domineering Pluto in Capricorn and then passes into stubborn Aquarius, opposing violent Mars shortly thereafter. Power struggles will be hard to avoid! When harmonious Venus reaches out to turbulent Uranus at 9:20 pm EST, our attempts to find peaceful solutions might accidentally inflame any conflicts further. Releasing the idea that we’re obligated to make things right immediately can give us room to discover whatever truly needs to happen.

Aries

March 21 – April 19

Feeling controlled and dominated is a present risk. Wherever the main power struggle might be in your life, you may be tempted to vent your tension by coming down hard on some unpopular scapegoat in society at large — even if your problem isn’t really about them. A belief that people should always be nice could be getting in the way of what you need to do to maintain your overall self-worth. Standing up to someone who’s well-liked often isn’t easy, but it is possible!

Taurus

April 20 – May 20

You may currently be obsessed with converting everyone around you to your viewpoint on an important issue. Is the specific content of your belief really the part most crucial to peace, or are you mainly upset that this ongoing difference from others is making it harder for you to connect with them? It’s not easy to be an outlier, and you might be feeling that pain. However, others could potentially be more willing to live and let live than you think.

Gemini

May 21 – June 20

Attempting to share resources with a companion has the potential to go awry at the moment. Although you’re probably tempted to angrily confront the other person, you might need to look at whether your unspoken expectations are in line with whatever was openly agreed upon. As appeasing Venus in your relationship zone conflicts with disruptive Uranus in your 12th House of Secrets, maybe you hoped for something but never got around to actually requesting it. That’s disappointing, but it’s not anyone else’s fault!

Cancer

June 21 – July 22

You may presently feel like someone else is pushing you around. Taking your ball and going home might seem to be the most obvious course of action. If you ask friends outside of the dynamic for advice, they’ll probably agree you should do so. Hold on! As ease-seeking Venus in your 6th House of Habits crosses wires with individualistic Uranus in your social sector, your pals won’t have to personally live with any ensuing disruptions to your life. Weigh their advice with that in mind.

Leo

July 23 – August 22

Your efforts to make progress on your to-do list may be obsessive at the moment. You likely have a lot of raw physical energy, so you might as well burn some of it off this way! Perhaps focusing on tasks that have defined outcomes also seems easier than dealing with a more ambiguous relationship conflict where it’s your will against someone else’s. This power dynamic probably needs to change, but you won’t necessarily be able to look good in the process of making that happen.

Virgo

August 23 – September 22

Improving your living space could stress you out at the moment. Although you may really like the idea of putting your personal creativity on display, actually trying to do it might awaken inhibitions you didn’t know you had. While aesthetic Venus in your domestic zone tangles with independent Uranus in your research sector, you potentially want an authority figure to directly tell you what to do. Remember that most experts put in their share of trial and error at some point too!

Libra

September 23 – October 22

A frustrating home or family situation may currently leave you feeling tied down. It probably also seems as though your peers have no idea what you’re dealing with, which only adds to your despair. When helpful Venus in your communication zone engages with unpredictable Uranus in your 8th House of Intimacy, telling others your side of the story could bring relief. Contrastingly, it also has the potential to change your relationship with them. You can’t necessarily control what a good outcome will look like!

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21

Saying something emotionally manipulative to get your way may seem to be worth the trouble now. Comments of this sort have the potential to fly under the radar, where it wouldn’t necessarily look like you did anything wrong if you were ever confronted. Is this genuinely the kind of power you crave? Maybe you’re struggling to balance your competing desires for material security and freedom in a relationship — then again, maybe you’re not the only person who wants these things. Consider asking openly.

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21

Sticking to the rules could seem like a reasonable way to resolve a present disagreement over money issues. It’s certainly possible to follow the letter of the law without doing the right thing, though, and you know it. While approval-craving Venus in your sign argues with unusual Uranus in your practical 6th house, your desire to be seen as objectively correct might become a stumbling block. Look for a solution that actually works, even if it colors outside the lines a bit.

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19

Feeling threatened on a personal level is possible now. When the vulnerable Moon in your money zone opposes intimidating Mars in your intense 8th house, you might be tempted to use your money to fight back. Unfortunately, the other combatant is likely to have the same idea! They may raise the stakes beyond what you’re able to keep up with. This person probably won’t agree with you no matter what you say or do, but you should know for yourself what really happened.

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

Taking your insecurities out on someone else could presently be tempting. It’s hard to be different from your peers, especially when they likely appear to have easier lives than you do as airbrushed Venus in your 11th House of Community stirs up chaotic Uranus in your domestic sector. You can’t necessarily know anyone else’s whole story, and you need to acknowledge that. Even so, you have every right to be honest about your own pain, so you might as well start there.

Pisces

February 19 – March 20

An organization you belong to might currently seem to be pushing you around. As pleasing Venus in your 10th House of Reputation challenges unshackled Uranus in your verbal 3rd house, you can probably connect the dots that speaking up has the potential to threaten your good standing with the people in charge. Conversely, keeping quiet is likely to fuel festering grievances. Perhaps you can confront the problem in an indirect way — talk to someone with access rather than going straight to the top.

Observations and other notes of interest from Wednesday night’s 115-112 loss to the Phoenix Suns:

– This time, Erik Spoelstra decided it was time.

– So Kel’el Ware got his first rotation minutes of the season.

– No, nothing overwhelming from the 7-footer drafted No. 15 out of Indiana in June.

– But a small step of note.

– Moving ahead of Thomas Bryant in Spoelstra’s rotation.

– How long the opportunity lasts remains to be seen.

– With Kevin Love expected to make his season debut at some point on this six-game trip.

– Again traveling with the team after being away due to a personal reason.

– On a night Bam Adebayo was off with his shot, Spoelstra could have turned to Bryant and his proven NBA offense.

– Instead he turned to Ware.

– And, so, perhaps it begins?

– This time Ware got action in both halves, including a nifty jump hook in the third period.

– And then a 3-pointer in the fourth.

– The first of his NBA career.

– Ware played 13:35, closing with seven points on 3-of-6 shooting and three rebounds.

– The Heat remained for the seventh time in as many games with an opening lineup of Adebayo, Nikola Jovic, Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier.

– Out for the Heat were Love (return to competition conditioning), Jaime Jaquez Jr. (gastroenteritis),  Josh Christopher (G League) and Keshad Johnson (G League).

– That left the Heat with 14 available.

– Pelle Larsson and Haywood Highsmith entered as the Heat’s first two reserves.

– And then the first meaningful minutes of the season for Ware.

– With Duncan Robinson making it nine deep.

– And Alec Burks 10 deep.

– Herro converted a 3-pointer for the 46th consecutive game. His longest career streak is 53 consecutive such games.

– Herro scored in double figures for the 37th consecutive game, one game shy of the longest such streak of his career.

– Spoelstra went in with a healthy appreciation for the Suns’ trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.

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– “It always comes down to who can dictate the game and the tenor of the game. And they do a great job of that,” Spoelstra said.

– “So there’s a reason why they’re 6-1,” Spoelstra said of the Suns’ record entering the night.

– Adebayo said of the Suns’ firepower, “They have people over there that are tough shot makers.” Booker and Durant were Adebayo’s Team USA teammates at the Paris Olympics.

– Spoelstra was an assistant coach on the Team USA roster that won gold.

– Asked what he has seen from Durant, 36, this season, Spoelstra said, “Same thing I saw this summer. He’s as good as anybody that’s ever done it. The fact that he’s timeless at his age, putting up these kind of scoring numbers is really remarkable.”

– Of Booker, Spoelstra said pregame, “I love him, just the fact that even when there’s discussion about the team and before they selected the team, he said, ‘Hey, I’ll play any role.’ And that’s what the USA program is all about, everybody just commit for one common goal. It’s much different than the NBA. It’s a sprint.”

– Adebayo opened defensively on Durant.

– Spoelstra was asked pregame about Larsson, who played down the road at Arizona.

– “Probably a lot of people saw him as only a role player without a lot of potential,” Spoelstra said of the Heat second-round pick. “We saw it as somebody that you could plug and play right away, and he still does have a big upside.”

This time the Miami Heat survived the third quarter.

What they couldn’t handle was the fight to the finish. Not with Kevin Durant on the other side.

And, so, it remains a season still in search of a quality win, Erik Spoelstra’s team falling to 3-4 with a 115-112 loss Wednesday night to the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center.

“We’ve got to figure out ways to control the game, take care of it,” Heat guard Tyler Herro said.

Despite a 28-point performance by Herro, a 15-point lead built in the third quarter, and an unexpected bench boost from Haywood Highsmith, the Heat lacked enough to stop the Suns from moving to 7-1.

While Herro was the lone Heat starter to score 20 or more, the Suns got 32 points from Durant, 22 from Devin Booker and 20 from Jusuf Nurkic.

By contrast, the Heat endured a night when center Bam Adebayo shot 5 of 21 — albeit with a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double — and got just 15 points from Jimmy Butler and seven from Terry Rozier. Those struggles were somewhat offset by 19 points from Highsmith.

“They got some hellified players over there, definitely some hellified scorers. We came up short,” Butler said.

It ultimately came down to the Heat being unable to even get off a potential game-tying 3-pointer off an inbounds play with 4.8 seconds left, just as they could not complete a similar sequence at the end of Monday night’s 111-110 home loss to the Sacramento Kings.

“We’ll be better with that,” Spoelstra said.

The Heat’s six-game trip continues Friday night against the Denver Nuggets.

Five Degrees of Heat from Wednesday Monday night’s game:

1. Closing time: The Suns led 26-25 after the first period, with the Heat then taking a 58-55 lead into the intermission. From there, the Heat moved up 15 in the third quarter and went into the fourth up 87-84.

While the Suns eventually would go up five midway through the final period, the Heat would bounce back to tie it only to see Bradley Beal put the Suns up 106-103 with 3:52 to play. From there, a Durant 12-foot jumper put Phoenix up 108-103.

A Butler dunk drew the Heat within 108-105, only to see Durant score on the other end to keep the Suns’ lead at five.

A pair of Rozier free throws got the Heat within 110-107 with 61 seconds left, only to see Durant get to the line for two free throws of his own with 44.8 seconds to play.

Highsmith followed with a three-point play to get the Heat within 112-110 with 33.2 seconds left.

Durant again countered, this time with a 21-foot jumper with 16.8 seconds left for a 114-110 Suns lead.

A Herro layup moved the Heat within 114-112 with 10 seconds to play.

Off a timeout, Booker got to the line with 4.8 seconds to play, missing the first and making the second for a 115-112 Suns lead.

With a chance to tie with a 3-pointer off their last timeout with those 4.8 seconds to play, the Heat were unable to get a shot off before the expiration of time.

“I should have just pulled back and shot it,” said Butler, who instead attempted a pass to Herro that came as time expired “My turnover, I got to shoot that one.”

2. Alternate reality: In the wake of consistently shaky play in the third quarter of the opening six games, Spoelstra this time shook up his lineup coming out of halftime.

After starting Herro, Butler, Adebayo, Rozier and Nikola Jovic for the seventh time in as many games this season, Spoelstra opened the second half with Highsmith starting in place of Jovic.

Jovic played a single stint in the first half, with four points and five rebounds in 5:16.

Highsmith then came out with five points in the first 2:45 of the third period, with his seventh point of the period putting the Heat up 78-67 and leading to a Suns timeout.

“I wanted to keep Bam on Nurkic, to keep him comfortable under the rim,” Spoelstra said of the switch. “And H had given us good minutes in that first half, and we were looking to do something just to change the energy of these third quarters. It had nothing to do with Niko. It was more about their lineup.”

Still it wasn’t exactly sustained third-quarter success, with Phoenix closing the period with a 15-3 run.

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3. Ware time: Spolestra continued to tinker with his rotation, again necessitated with Jaime Jaquez Jr. out for a second consecutive game with a stomach illness.

This time it was Pelle Larsson and Highsmith first off the Heat bench. Duncan Robinson also entered in the first quarter as part of a nine-deep rotation in the opening period.

But the surprise was first-round pick Kel’el Ware, the center taking No. 15 out of Indiana in June, playing as the first big man off the bench.

After consistently going with Thomas Bryant amid Kevin Love’s absence since the start of the season, Spoelstra this time inserted Ware when Adebayo checked out in the first period.

Prior to Wednesday night, Ware had been limited to two appearances for nine minutes of mop-up duty.

“I’ve been putting in the work, trying to build up my body to build up my skills to be able to go out there and perform,” Ware said. “So it was great to have the opportunity.”

4. Rough start: While it wasn’t exactly a head-to-head matchup, with Adebayo opening defensively on Durant, it was not the best of early outcomes for the Heat in the matchup in the middle.

Nurkic stood with 14 points and 12 rebounds at the intermission, a stage when Adebayo stood at 3 of 15 from the field, albeit with seven rebounds.

Adebayo missed his first seven shots and stood at 4 of 19 from the field through three quarters.

“His shots were great,” Spoelstra said. “Those were all in the wheelhouse, inside the dots. He had a lot of point-blank shots. It’s going to happen, but he still had an incredible impact. He had five steals, 12 on the glass. That’s what it’s about ultimately, it’s competing, regardless of whether you’re making shots or not. He had that mental toughness to be able to do that.”

5. By contrast: And then there was Herro, with yet another solid start.

This time Herro was up to 14 points at halftime, doing it efficiently at 3 of 5 from the field, 3 of 4 on 3-pointers and 5 of 5 on free throws, along with three assists.

Herro’s early play was needed with backcourt partner Rozier limited to two first-half points.

Herro had 24 points going into the fourth quarter.

“Just playing the right way, trying to find my spots, getting to the shot profile that’ll help the offense hopefully continue to get better,” Herro said.

GAINESVILLE — Injured Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is “giving it his best shot,” coach Billy Napier said, to play during the Gators’ visit to the University of Texas in the 19-year-old’s home state.

Lagway practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday, coach Billy Napier said, as the Gators’ true freshman recovers from a left hamstring injury sustained during the second quarter of a 34-20 loss to Georgia Nov. 2 in Jacksonville.

Napier did not sound overly optimistic Lagway would return from the Grade 2 strain in time to face the nation’s top-ranked defense, positioning third-string walk-on quarterback Aidan Warner to make his first college start.

Team personnel, including Florida coach Billy Napier, (left), check on injured quarterback DJ Lagway (center) after he sustained a soft tissue injury to his left leg during a 34-20 loss to Georgia on Saturday in Jacksonville. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

“He’s trying. He’s a competitor,” Napier said of Lagway. “He’s going back to his home state. He wants to try to find a pathway to make this work. It’s touch and go.

“The guy’s giving it his best shot.”

If Warner, a former Winter Park High standout and Yale transfer, gets the nod, he will operate an offense missing some key components. This potentially includes leading receiver Elijhah Badger, who is listed as questionable on the SEC’s first availability report of the week.

Badger’s absence would leave the Gators without a battle-tested receiver other than Wisconsin transfer Chimere Dike, whose 23 catches for 438 yards are second to Badger’s 24 grabs for 560 yards.

Sophomore Tre Wilson, third on the team with 19 receptions for 266 yards, already is out, following season-ending hip surgery this week.

Napier said has a congenital issue that ultimately required surgery after Wilson played four of eight games for the Gators (4-4, 2-3 SEC). Following a Week 2 win against Samford, featuring an 85-yard touchdown, Wilson missed the next three games but returned Oct. 12 at Tennessee and faced Kentucky Oct. 19, catching 6 passes for 75 yards in the two games.

“We exhausted all resources,” Napier said. “We made the best decision for his long-term career.”

Sophomore Aidan Mizell, a former standout at Orlando Boone, gives UF another option after a career-high 66 receiving yards on 4 catches against Georgia.

Florida wide receiver Eugene Wilson III, center, scores an 85-yard touchdown against Samford Sept. 7 in the Swamp. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Meanwhile, leading rusher Montrell Johnson Jr. is listed as questionable and on track to miss his third straight game after he was injured during an Oct. 12 overtime loss at Tennessee, where he rushed for 85 yards on 12 carries. Sophomore backup Treyaun Webb is out for the fifth straight game.

All eyes, though, are on Lagway’s recovery timeline. A return at Texas is unlikely, but Napier said Monday the injury was “less significant” than feared after Lagway was carted off the field against Georgia after he fell to the ground grabbing his left hamstring after a 3-yard run.

UF hosts No. 15 LSU Oct. 16 and No. 16 Ole Miss Nov. 23 before facing Florida State Nov. 30 in Tallahassee.

Asked what Lagway did at Wednesday’s practice, Napier said, “It’s a very controlled environment.”

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

By LISA MASCARO and MARY CLARE JALONICK

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. House majority hung in the balance Wednesday, teetering between Republican control that would usher in a new era of unified GOP governance in Washington or a flip to Democrats as a last line of resistance to a Trump second-term White House agenda.

A few individual seats, or even a single one, will determine the outcome. Final tallies will take a while, likely pushing the decision into next week — or beyond.

After Republicans swept into the majority in the U.S. Senate by picking up seats in West Virginia, Ohio and Montana, House Speaker Mike Johnson predicted his chamber would fall in line next.

“Republicans are poised to have unified government in the White House, Senate and House,” Johnson said Wednesday.

President-elect Donald Trump, who won the Electoral College and the popular vote against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, has consolidated growing power around his MAGA movement, backing newcomers to Washington and setting the stage for his own return to the White House.

Johnson said Republicans in Congress are preparing an “ambitious” 100-day agenda with Trump, who he has said is “thinking big” about his legacy.

Tax cuts, securing the southern border and taking a ”blowtorch” to federal regulations are at the top of the agenda if the GOP sweeps the White House and Congress. Trump himself has promised mass deportations and retribution against his perceived enemies. And Republicans want to push federal agencies out of Washington and to restaff the government workforce with the help of outside think tanks, Johnson has said, to bring the federal government “to heel.”

But Johnson, after just a year on the job, has had difficulty governing the House, and the new Congress would be no different. Hard-liners led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Rep. Matt Gaetz and others have often confronted and upended their own GOP leadership in what has been one of the most chaotic sessions in modern times.

If Johnson’s slim four-seat majority were to shrink any further, governing could come to a standstill.

Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the House “remains very much in play.”

With Democrats having defeated two House Republicans in Jeffries’ home state of New York, he said the path to the majority now runs through pickup opportunities in Arizona, Oregon, Iowa and California that are still too early to call.

“We must count every vote,” Jeffries said.

The House contests remained a tit-for-tat fight to the finish, with no dominant pathway to the majority for either party. Rarely, if ever have the two chambers of Congress flipped in opposite directions.

Each side is gaining and losing a few seats, including through the redistricting process, which is the routine redrawing of House seat boundary lines. The process reset seats in North Carolina, Louisiana and Alabama.

Much of the outcome hinges on the West, particularly in California, where a handful of House seats are being fiercely contested, and mail-in ballots arriving a week after the election will still be counted. Hard-fought races around the “blue dot” in Omaha, Nebraska and in far-flung Alaska are among those being watched.

Trump, speaking early Wednesday at his election night party in Florida, said the results delivered an “unprecedented and powerful mandate” for Republicans.

He called the Senate rout “incredible,” and he praised Johnson, saying he’s “doing a terrific job.”

From the U.S. Capitol, Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, privately a harsh Trump critic, called it a “hell of a good day.”

Senate Republicans marched across the map alongside Trump, flipping the three Democratic-held seats and holding their own against Democratic challengers who failed to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz in Texas and Sen. Rick Scott in Florida.

In West Virginia, Jim Justice, the state’s wealthy governor, flipped the seat held by retiring Sen. Joe Manchin. Republicans toppled Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio with GOP luxury car dealer and blockchain entrepreneur Bernie Moreno. And Republican Tim Sheehy defeated Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in Montana.

Democrats avoided a total wipeout by salvaging seats in the “blue wall” states. Rep. Elissa Slotkin won an open Senate seat in Michigan, and Sen. Tammy Baldwin was reelected in Wisconsin. Pennsylvania’s race between Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican challenger Dave McCormick was still undecided.

In other developments, Democrats made history by sending two Black women, Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland, to the Senate. Just thee Black women, including Harris, have served in the Senate, but never two at the same time.

All told, Senate Republicans have the potential to achieve their most robust majority in years — a testament to McConnell, who made a career charting a path to power, this time aligned with Trump whom he has privately called “despicable” in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

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During a news conference Wednesday, McConnell declined to answer questions about his past stark criticism of Trump and said he viewed the election results as a referendum on the Biden administration.

He told reporters at the Capitol that a Senate under Republican control would “control the guardrails” and prevent changes in Senate rules that would end the filibuster.

“People were just not happy with this administration and the Democratic nominee was a part of it,” McConnell said.

What’s still unclear is who will lead the new Republican Senate, as McConnell prepares to step down from the post.

South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Republican, and Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who previously held that post, are the front-runners to replace McConnell in a secret-ballot election scheduled for when senators arrive in Washington next week.

Associated Press writers Stephen Groves, Kevin Freking and Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report.

Fort Lauderdale’s sometimes nasty election cycle saw political rivals attacking incumbents, railing against overdevelopment, broken sewer pipes and nightmarish gridlock.

They promised change. But on Tuesday, three out of the four incumbents declared victory.

Dean Trantalis, an attorney elected mayor of Fort Lauderdale six years ago, won a third and final term.

Incumbents John Herbst and Steve Glassman won their commission races for the District 1 and 2 seats. And Ben Sorensen, a former commissioner who stepped down in 2022 to run for Congress, easily knocked out incumbent Warren Sturman for the District 4 seat.

What now? The South Florida Sun Sentinel checked in with the winners to see what’s next as they chart the course for the city’s future.

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis celebrates his election victory Tuesday night at Thasos Greek Taverna. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel) Mayor Dean Trantalis

What lies ahead for Fort Lauderdale now that the election has been decided?

The new commission will take office the first meeting in December.

In January, we will come up with our priorities during our annual goal-setting meeting with an open discussion on what voices people heard during the campaign.

Can you name some of the city’s upcoming priorities?

Planning a new City Hall is going to be important.

(Fort Lauderdale’s City Hall building, badly damaged during a record rainstorm in April 2023, was recently demolished.)

I expect in the next few months we will be making a decision on the new City Hall.

It’s a big site. Maybe the new City Hall should be built there (in the same downtown location).

Continuing with our infrastructure program is going to be important (to address flooding and the city’s underground pipes).

We also want to focus more on cleaning up our waterways.

And what measures we’re going to take in order to address our homeless situation.

Those will become topics I would like to address.

We’re going to talk about commuter rail.

Commissioner-Elect Ben Sorensen was a strong proponent for a tunnel to cross the New River as opposed to a bridge. I feel we have a solid majority for the tunnel option. I hope to continue to work with the county on that.

Another project I’ve been working on is trying to bring a retail center downtown to complement Las Olas Boulevard. This would bring in national brands and high-end retail. It would involve repurposing the city’s two downtown parking garages and using that real estate to partner with private investors to keep the parking and build one or more towers on that site for retail shops.

What will happen to the black olive trees planted on the median on Las Olas? Will they stay or go?

It’s not an either/or choice. We can still incorporate planting the trees along the sidewalks and widen the sidewalks. And by the time they mature, the trees in the median will be ready to come down — if they have not already died. We should be prepared when they all die in 10 years to already have new trees planted on the sides of the street.

John McCall/South Florida Sun SentinelIncumbent Steve Glassman, shown in 2022, won election Tuesday in a three-way race for the Fort Lauderdale District 2 commission seat. Vice Mayor Steve Glassman

What lies ahead for Fort Lauderdale?

We will continue to tackle our challenges and move forward as a city.

We need to address infrastructure and flooding and traffic. Those priorities will not change. Those priorities are not going away. We just have to keep going and keep making progress.

We’ve always had homelessness and housing affordability as a priority.

During the campaign, I did hear a lot about the homeless crisis. That is on people’s minds. They want us to address it.

One person told me they didn’t vote for me because they thought I was too aggressive on that. But we don’t want this to be an issue that takes over the whole city. We have to make sure the neighbors’ quality of life is not impacted.

We need a new City Hall. We have to move forward with that discussion.

How might things have been different if one of your two opponents won?

I would just say that each of us brings our very special talents to the issues. When you have a change on the dais, there’s always going to be a change in approach.

Will the trees on Las Olas stay or go?

We have not decided that yet. We have asked for options on that.

Incumbent John Herbst, shown on Sept. 17, won election Tuesday in a two-way race for the Fort Lauderdale District 1 commission seat. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel) Commissioner John Herbst

What lies ahead for Fort Lauderdale?

We’ll have our planning session in January. We need to address the state’s new homeless law. That’s going to be the big thing on our plate.

As far as longer-term projects, we need a new City Hall.

We have to come to some resolution about the (cracks) in the roof of the police station and how we are going to handle that. If the experts think it’s fixable, the engineers who designed the project will pay for (the fix).

We also have to hire a new city manager and a new city attorney.

(Greg Chavarria, the former city manager, resigned in May. Tom Ansbro, the former city attorney, died in October.)

Will the tree-lined median stay or go?

We still haven’t come to a final decision on what we’re doing. That will be another one of those things that’s in the works. It’s time to get that one across the finish line.

Ben Sorensen, a former commissioner shown on Aug. 14, won election Tuesday in a four-way race for the Fort Lauderdale District 4 commission seat. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel) Commissioner-Elect Ben Sorensen

Commissioner-Elect Ben Sorensen will represent the District 4 neighborhoods after being sworn in on Dec. 3.

What lies ahead for Fort Lauderdale? What goals and projects do you have in mind?

My main focus is going to be our infrastructure. Stormwater, drainage, water and sewer is job one. We are ground zero for sea-level rise and weather impacts in Fort Lauderdale. And we have neighborhoods throughout the city that are dramatically impacted by rain and flooding events. We need to increase the bond funding and the pace at which we upgrade our infrastructure so that we meet the needs of all neighborhoods.

Number two is homelessness.

(The homeless population of the city has increased over the last year.) We need to do everything we can in a hands-on approach to identify homeless individuals and create immediate action plans for their rehousing and wrap-around case management support.

We need to act with immediacy, urgency and efficiency to house and get the appropriate services for homeless individuals.

There’s three options for housing homeless individuals. One is a shelter. Two is an existing apartment. And third is building more affordable workforce housing.

The national best practice indicates that putting homeless people into shelters is not the best option. So we have to redouble our efforts to partner with existing landlords to get homeless people into existing units. And we have to with greater urgency identify city-owned land and possibly privately owned land to build more workforce housing.

Are the trees on Las Olas staying or going?

My understanding is the city is preparing an updated design of Las Olas that will include trees in the median. I look forward to seeing that design. And I look forward to having a robust discussion with the neighborhoods to identify the best path going forward.

Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan

BY MELISSA GOLDIN

Less than 24 hours after Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States, social media users began pushing two conflicting narratives to suggest election fraud, one that revived false claims by Trump that the 2020 vote was stolen from him and the other questioning how Vice President Kamala Harris could have received so many fewer votes in 2024 than President Joe Biden in 2020.

Both narratives hinge on a supposed 20 million vote gap between Harris and Biden.

Here’s a closer look at the facts.

CLAIM: President Joe Biden won approximately 20 million more votes in the 2020 election than Vice President Kamala Harris earned in the 2024 race, proving either that Trump has cheated his way to a second term or that there was widespread fraud four years ago.

THE FACTS: The claims are unfounded. Votes from Tuesday’s presidential election are still being counted, so any comparison with previous races would not be accurate. In addition, election officials and agencies monitoring the vote have reported no significant issues with Tuesday’s election. Claims of widespread fraud in 2020 have been debunked countless times.

“As we have said repeatedly, our election infrastructure has never been more secure and the election community never better prepared to deliver safe, secure, free, and fair elections for the American people,” Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly said in a statement. “This is what we saw yesterday in the peaceful and secure exercise of democracy. Importantly, we have no evidence of any malicious activity that had a material impact on the security or integrity of our election infrastructure.”

Multiple Pennsylvania officials, including Gov. Josh Shapiro, said that they had not seen any signs of cheating and called the election secure after Trump said in a Truth Social post Tuesday that there was “a lot of talking about massive CHEATING in Philadelphia.”

And yet, posts circulated online claiming otherwise, receiving hundreds of thousands of likes and shares.

“20 MILLION VOTES WERENT COUNTED,” reads one X post. “I KNEW IT TRUMP CHEATED.”

Another X post, which shared a bar graph of presidential election results from 2012-2024, states: “If these nunbers are accurate, this is indicative of a stolen 2020 election. 20 million votes just disappeared. In other words there were potentially 20 million fraudulent votes last cycle. That’s an insane number.” The Democratic candidates in 2012 and 2016 both won nearly 66 million votes, a bit less than Harris’ current count.

Harris had won about 67 million votes as of Wednesday afternoon, compared to the approximately 81 million Biden garnered in 2020 — a difference of about 14 million. But that gap is decreasing as the vote count continues. No state has counted 100% of its ballots yet.

Trump is so far lagging behind his 2020 total by approximately 2 million votes, but this gap is also decreasing as more votes are counted.

Despite persistent claims that Trump won the 2020 election, including from Trump himself, there is no evidence that this is true.

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Biden won the Electoral College with 306 votes to Trump’s 232, and the popular vote by more than 7 million ballots. Many battleground states conducted recounts or thorough reviews of their results, all of which confirmed Biden’s victory. An exhaustive Associated Press investigation in 2021 found fewer than 475 instances of confirmed voter fraud across six battleground states — nowhere near the magnitude required to sway the outcome of the presidential election.

Trump was repeatedly advised by members of his own administration that there was no evidence of widespread fraud. Numerous legal challenges alleging voter fraud pursued by the Trump campaign and its backers were heard and roundly rejected by dozens of courts at the state and federal level, including by judges whom Trump appointed.

The allegations now spreading about fraud in the 2024 race echo many baseless claims that emerged four years ago.

Vice President Kamala Harris called Trump on Wednesday afternoon to concede the race and congratulate him.

“We must respect the results of this election,” she said in her concession speech.

By Zeke Miller, Will Weissert and Jill Colvin, Associated Press

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Donald Trump spent his first day as president-elect receiving congratulatory phone calls from his defeated opponent, world leaders and President Joe Biden as he began the process of turning his election victory into a government.

Trump was keeping a low profile, staying out of the public eye after addressing supporters in Florida during the wee hours of Wednesday morning.

Vice President Kamala Harris called Trump to concede the race and to congratulate him, while Biden invited the man he ousted from the White House four years ago to an Oval Office meeting to prepare to return the keys. Biden’s chief of of staff later Wednesday nudged the Trump team to sign the required federal agreements necessary to begin an orderly presidential transition, a White House official said.

A source with knowledge of the Trump campaign said transition talks to take over power on Jan. 20, 2025, had not begun in earnest. Instead, the president-elect was busy taking calls from leaders, domestic and international, donors and key supporters. Transition discussions are expected to ramp up later in the week, as attention turns to naming an inaugural committee and a formal transition team.

Biden chief of staff Jeff Zients reached out to Trump transition co-chairs Howard Lutnick and Linda McMahon to reiterate the important role the agreements with the White House and the General Services Administration play in beginning a presidential transition. The White House official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive transition planning.

The delay is holding up the federal government’s ability to begin processing security clearances for potential Trump administration national security appointees, which could limit the number of his staff who could work on sensitive information by Inauguration Day. It also means they can’t yet access federal facilities, documents and personnel to prepare for taking office.

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The agreements are required by the Presidential Transition Act, and require the president-elect’s team to agree to an ethics plan and to limit and disclose private donations. Congress, in the act, set a deadline of Sept. 1 for the GSA agreement and Oct. 1 for the White House agreement, in an effort to ensure that incoming administrations are prepared to govern when they enter office on Jan. 20.

The White House announced that Biden had spoken to the president-elect and expressed his commitment to ensuring a smooth transition, while emphasizing the importance of working to bring the country together.

Biden also called Harris to salute her for her campaign. And Trump and Harris spoke on a call where the president-elect “acknowledged Vice President Harris on her strength, professionalism, and tenacity throughout the campaign, and both leaders agreed on the importance of unifying the country,” according to Trump spokesman Steven Cheung.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ’s office said he called Trump and the pair had a “warm and cordial” conversation while also also discussing the ”Iranian threat.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had an “excellent call” with Trump, who has threatened to cut off the steady flow of U.S. aid and arms to his nation in its fight against Russia’s nearly three-year-old invasion. “I praised his family and team for their great work,” Zelenskyy said. “We agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our cooperation. Strong and unwavering U.S. leadership is vital for the world and for a just peace.”

French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Trump, too, as did Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who spoke to the president-elect to express “the kingdom’s aspiration to strengthen the historical and strategic relations between the two countries, wishing the friendly American people progress and prosperity under his excellency’s leadership,” according to a statement from Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry.

Trump made his first foreign trip as president during his first term to Saudi Arabia. He stood by the kingdom then, even as ties became strained over the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi operatives in Istanbul.

The president-elect has since vowed to bring peace to the Middle East at a time when Israel is at war with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon and has recently traded fire with Iran. Trump, who was a staunch supporter of Israel during his previous term, has not said how he’d accomplish that.

Meanwhile, U.S. markets, banks and bitcoin all stormed higher Wednesday, as did Tesla, owned by outspoken Trump supporter Elon Musk, as investors looked favorably on a smooth election and Trump returning to the White House.

Trump got more potential good news with word that special counsel Jack Smith is evaluating how to wind down the two federal cases against the president-elect before he takes office in light of longstanding Justice Department policy that says sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted, according to a person familiar with Smith’s plans who was not authorized to discuss the matter by name and spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press.

Smith charged Trump last year with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. The latter case had already been dismissed. But Trump’s election victory means that the Justice Department believes he can no longer face prosecution in accordance with decades-old department legal opinions meant to shield presidents from criminal charges while in office.

Miller and Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Eric Tucker, Tom Beamont and Michelle L. Price in Washington contributed to this report.