In November and December, specialized units assigned to the Olympic Games, including Utah SWAT teams, quietly trained at a government-funded counter terrorism boot camp in the Nevada desert. They faced every imaginable terrorist scenario–tractor-trailers crashing into power lines, hostage-taking, live biohazards, an exploding nuclear facility. No expense is being spared in the interest of protecting 2,600 athletes, 175,000 daily spectators and the 1.8 million wary residents of metro Salt Lake City, who–despite a security budget of $310 million–still see the Games as the next logical target....

““Sammy the Snot Who Lives in Your Nose'' ““Try Not to Stare at the Giants, Honey'' ““The Little Train That Could But Chose Not To'' ““Who’s That Peeking in My Window?'' ““Gloria, the Sperm Bank Kid'' ““Mommy Swings'' ““My Peg Leg Grandpa'' ““Hey Kids, Say No to Mr. Drugs'' ““I Can’t Wait Until I’m Old Enough to Hunt With My Dad'' Source: Publishers Weekly

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney are the semi-estranged siblings Jon and Wendy Savage, whose father (Philip Bosco)—a difficult, irascible dad to begin with—is descending into dementia. He’d been living with his partner in Sun City, but when she dies his kids have to figure out what to do with him. They are not well equipped for the job, having enough trouble navigating their own floundering, self-absorbed lives. Wendy is a failed playwright in New York, surviving on temp jobs and unhappily conducting an affair with a married man (Peter Friedman)....

It was supposed to be a “short and shallow” recession. But as the nation’s economic downturn heads into its llth month the Bush administration increasingly fears that the worst is yet to come. Last week the administration finally succeeded in getting the Federal Reserve and commercial banks to lower interest rates. Yet Washington’s warnings of a contagious global slump are angering U.S. trading partners-and increasing the suspicion that the administration is playing politics with the economy....

But when the XFL debuts Feb. 3 on NBC, here’s what fans will actually see: a real football game. For skeptics, Las Vegas–the ultimate arbiter of such matters–is taking book on XFL contests, just as on the Super Bowl. But any other resemblance to Sunday’s NFL showdown will be slim. Despite major-league menace in the teams’ names–Memphis Maniax, L.A. Xtreme–XFL players are largely minor leaguers, NFL wannabes and has-beens. Talent isn’t the lure; action is....

No. 21 Temple is 7-0 and has already eclipsed its win total of six. Notre Dame fell just short at Clemson, but has no other losses and is squarely in the College Football Playoff picture. Line: Notre Dame -10.5, Total: 49.5 Line movement: The Wynn opened Notre Dame -10 on Sunday, moved to -9.5 two days later, but since jumped back to -10.5. Check our odds page for updated college football point spreads and totals from Las Vegas....

Colson will have surgery Thursday to repair the injury, which he suffered in practice this week. MORE: Former four-star prospect transferring from Duke “We are all feeling for Bonzie right now, who was performing as well as any player in the country,” coach Mike Brey said in a prepared statement. “We need to embrace this challenge. This program has lost key guys before and we figured out a way to earn an NCAA bid....

Butler, a senior, was arrested in the early morning hours of Aug. 20 after an altercation with police outside a bar called the Linebacker near the Notre Dame campus. According to a probable cause affidavit, officers broke up a fight inside the bar, but the conflict spilled outside, where police say Butler shoved one of two women involved in their own skirmish. When police tried to halt Butler’s involvement, the football player tackled one of the officers to the ground before punching him repeatedly to the body, police say....

Notre Dame enters Week 6 after its bye week, but before that, it notched a 45-32 road win over North Carolina. In the win, the Fighting Irish shredded a lackluster Tar Heel defense to the tune of 576 total yards (289 passing, 287 rushing). Backup QB Drew Pyne, who’s filling in for the injured Tyler Buchner, completed 24-of-34 passes for 289 yards and three TDs in a confidence-boosting performance....

Djokovic will enter the ATP World Tour Finals, which being Nov. 15, on a 22-match winning streak. His latest victory saw Djokovic achieve two notable landmarks. MORE: Coming Nov. 14: Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm In addition to becoming the first man to win six Masters 1000 tournaments in a season since the events were linked in 1990, Djokovic has four titles at Paris. His coach, Boris Becker, and Marat Safin had won three times....

Symptoms Many symptoms and side effects, due to allergic and non-allergic causes, can occur as a result of local anesthetic use. These may include: Anxiety Flushing Hyperventilation Trembling or shaking Fast heart rate or palpitations Swelling, itching, or hives, both at the site of injection and elsewhere on the body Contact dermatitis at the site of injection or application A true allergic reaction to a novocaine injection or another local anesthetic may cause symptoms like swelling at the site of the injection or symptoms of anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction....

Last week the trend hit U.S. steelmakers broadside. On Tuesday, a federal ruling found that parts of the U.S. industry had been injured by cheap imports, clearing the way for stiff anti-dumping duties on selected steel products from 16 countries, including Canada. But on Thursday, the U.S. industry’s crusade against foreign unfairness skidded to an embarrassed halt. A Canadian tribunal declared that LTV, Worthington Steel and other U.S. companies are dumping their steel north of the border....

The National Organization for Women says the NFL has “a violence-against-women problem” and “the only way to restore honor and integrity to the country’s most lucrative and popular pastime” is for Goodell to step down. MORE: Lawmakers seek review of Ray Rice case | Goodell’s stance NOW says the league should appoint an independent investigator to look into violence against women, sexual assault and stalking. The NFL has been criticized for its handling of the domestic violence case involving Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens....

The former Nebraska head coach will take over at Youngstown State, according to Youngstown Vindicator’s Joe Scalzo. Scalzo cited multiple sources in his report. University officials would not confirm or deny his report. MORE: What bowl gifts players receive | 2014 memorable moments | Reasons to bowl watch It was reported last week that Pelini was headed to Youngstown State, but there hasn’t been a comment from the university or Pelini....

We must reinvest in public higher education. The benefits of higher education are well documented. Higher levels of education lead to better jobs, healthier lives, a stronger economy, and a more civically-engaged society. But we are poised to miss out on many of these benefits, both individually and collectively. In the last few years, we have seen precipitous drops in college enrollment. These declines are especially pronounced at community colleges, which mostly serve low-income students....

Donald Trump rode to victory against Hillary Clinton in 2016 with significant help from white, Protestant evangelicals, who make up about one-fifth of the electorate. Around 77 percent of them backed the former president, according to Pew Research. But evangelicals ages 18-25 — representing about 13 percent of Gen Z — are not nearly as likely as their parents and grandparents to be influenced by Republicans, according to a new poll from Neighborly Faith, which bills itself a student movement that introduces Christians to young people of other religions....

There is, of course, much to say about how the successful detonation put President Truman on the path to using the horrendous new weapon, twice, against Japan. Much less attention has been directed at how the aftermath of the test lay the groundwork for the age that would follow: the cover-up of radiation effects on Americans (workers and average citizens) and government obsession with secrecy, soon extending to all military and foreign affairs in the Cold War era....

The defending SEC champions beat the Bulldogs 24-20 last season when Nick Marshall threw a 11-yard TD pass to C.J. Uzomah with 10 seconds left. There’s just as much — if not more — on the line this time around. Will Auburn continue its run to another SEC championship? Or will the Bulldogs win their third straight game against a top-10 team and stake a claim as the top team in the country....

The incident took place at Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) early on Monday morning when the suspect, a male contracted nurse, entered the room and allegedly attacked a female worker. “The team member was in a break room when the contracted agency nurse entered and allegedly set the team member on fire. There were no witnesses to the incident and police have no motive for the attack at this time,” Mary McGeever, a public relations manager for HUMC, told Newsweek....

The National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) officially announced the addition of a new franchise in Toronto on Wednesday morning. It will be the league’s sixth team and its first in Canada, joining the NWHL’s existing franchises in Monmouth Junction, N.J., Danbury, Conn., Buffalo, N.Y., Boston and Saint Paul, Minn. “Launching our first team in Canada is a pivotal and proud moment for the NWHL,” commissioner Dani Rylan said in a statement on the league’s website....