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At a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Monday, Blinken was pressed to offer assurances to the people of Ukraine and Taiwan, after Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) said they were “scared to death” amid doubts about America’s long-term security commitments following the withdrawal from Afghanistan. “Absolutely. We stand by our commitments to both countries,” Blinken said in response to possible acts of aggression by Russia and China. On Taiwan, the U....

The franchise is either way smarter than it ever got credit for being, or it’s the luckiest in the NFL. Probably both. MORE: Week 6 scoreboard | Scenes | Mack sustains broken leg | Stats Mike Pettine, the head coach, was hired by the front-office team that was shoved out the door less than three weeks after it had hired him. Yet he has removed all doubt that he deserved this shot and was ready to make the most of it, despite the circumstances....

OK. Maybe that’s a slight exaggeration. But still, there was much made about how teams would adjust to shooting in a cavernous venue such as Houston’s NRG Stadium, as if the notion is somehow new or foreign. MORE: What’s the hottest topic in Oklahoma’s locker room? In reality, it’s the same discussion brought up at the Final Four every season since Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis initiated the trend of placing a raised basketball court atop a football field in 2003....

The Serie A club have ambitious plans in the transfer market under their owners the Suning Group for the forthcoming close-season and Sky Italia reported they were ready to meet a £25million release clause in Alderweireld’s contract at White Hart Lane. Alderweireld’s current deal runs until 2020 and the 28-year-old has formed an impressive defensive alliance with Belgium colleague Jan Vertonghen, with Spurs enjoying an excellent season and preparing to face Premier League title rivals Chelsea in Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final at Wembley....

VARGAS LLOSA: There is an incredible freedom. The most radical change has been the opening of the press. Six months ago people were still extremely afraid, but now everybody’s talking–as it should be. We have a very long tradition of totalitarian regimes and we know exactly what happens–human-rights abuses, rigged elections and corruption. But I must confess, I never thought that the corruption would reach these dimensions. No. When it was quite obvious that he was implicated in such scandals–corruptions, killings, disappearances–he had no alternative but to escape....

All you have to do is read the daily paper: Texas lawyers win $1 for client, collect $1.5 million in fees . . . Mugger shot by cop, sues cop, collects . . . Little Leaguer misses pop fly, gets hit in eye, parents sue coach . . . Girl Scouts sell 87,000 boxes of cookies just to pay liability insurance . . . Student falls backward out of dorm window while ““mooning’’ friends, sues college....

The World Cup-winning midfielder is among those to have seen their future at Old Trafford called into question in the wake of Alexis Sanchez arriving from Arsenal. Mata, though, has found himself in similar situations before – most notably when Jose Mourinho, who offloaded him at Chelsea, took the managerial reins at United. With there no exit thoughts in his head at present, the 29-year-old insists he is happy to have another top talent alongside him as proven recruits can only be of benefit to the collective cause....

Macy’s has been weighed down by a huge debt burden ever since it went private in a leveraged buyout for $3.7 billion six years ago. Losses mounted in the last six months, and Macy’s was forced to delay payments to vendors. Under his proposal, Tisch would have spent about $1 billion to increase his stake in the company to as much as 90 percent. Vendors were first heartened, then discouraged, by news of the Tisch plan....

The standoff between students and administrators is less a fight over money than a battle over the university’s–and the nation’s–ideological soul. UNAM, which has long embodied the egalitarian principles of the Mexican revolution, is the latest battleground in the government’s attempt to dismantle the welfare state. Charging tuition, government officials say, will help UNAM move into the modern world–and compete with private institutions that have undermined its dominance. To most students, however, social justice must come first....

Twitter reacts to Fellaini red card But there will have been thousands, maybe millions, of neutrals watching Thursday’s Manchester derby bemoaning a lack of quality on show. They may not have known it, but it was Silva they were crying out for. Jose Mourinho said less than an hour before kick-off that a point would be a good result for his side and that was clearly the game plan, with 10 United players usually between City’s forwards and the away team’s goal....

There will be no moment of transcendence for the sport stateside. No stage for Christian Pulisic to shine on. No watch parties from coast to coast, binding diehard and casual fans alike. Then “denial” surfaced in corners of the fan base, with Panama’s ghost goal — used to top Costa Rica and leapfrog the U.S. — generating frivolous notions of an appeal. But before long it was time for “anger” to take center stage....

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft signed with Arizona only minutes before the deadline in July. His professional debut was delayed when he was hit in the face by a pitch in extended spring training. MORE: Managers on the hot seat | #ThrowbackThursday with baseball cards On Wednesday, his 13th inning walk-off single lifted his team, the Hillsboro Hops, to a 6-5 series-clinching win, advancing them to the Class-A Northwest League championship series, OregonLive....

Goff will be inactive for the game as Sean Mannion, a third-round pick from Oregon State last year, will be the backup to starter Case Keenum. Goff won’t even be the emergency quarterback Monday with punter Johnny Hekker tabbed to be the QB should Keenum and Mannion both get hurt against the 49ers. Instead, the top overall pick will be in street clothes without any hope of playing. “Jared’s had a great camp, so has Sean....

New Jersey’s state of emergency began at 8pm ET Monday night, Governor Phil Murphy confirmed, with “severe weather conditions” expected to “impact the state starting tonight through the next several days”. In New York City, officials warned the storm is likely to cause serious flash flooding of up to four inches of rain and winds up to 50 miles per hour. The National Weather Service, which has issued a separate Flash Flood Watch in the force from last night through Tuesday evening, predicts eastern coastal states will suffer heavy rainfall and gale-force winds throughout the next few days as the storm moves slowly northwards....

“Being a parent myself, the power of Santa is pretty strong and being able to share that joy with kids and families around the world is pretty unique,” Canadian Army Major Andrew Hennessy of NORAD’s public affairs told Newsweek. For more than 60 years, NORAD has served as Santa Claus’ official guide as he travels around the globe on Christmas Eve. In 1955, a misprinted phone number in a newspaper caused a child to call NORAD’s predecessor in an effort to get in touch with Santa....

Feldman’s scholarship has long typified the politicization of the academy, especially as it relates to the Arab-Israeli conflict. But her new appointment would allow her pro-Palestinian activism to shape university administration. It is important to note that Feldman was among those who signed a letter calling for the boycott of Israeli academic institutions that was published on the Arab Studies Institute website. The letter endorses the Palestinian so-called “right of return”—and thus, the destruction of Israel....

Truck of the Year was won by the electric Ford F-150 Lightning. Car of the Year went to the Acura Integra and the Utility of the Year was awarded to the Kia EV6. Last year’s winners included the Ford Maverick for truck, the Ford Bronco for sport utility and the Honda Civic for Car of the Year. “This year showed the unprecedented variety of vehicles on sale today, including reborn models of iconic nameplates, numerous electric vehicles, thrilling high performance or off-road vehicles, impressive luxury products and even all-new manufacturers,” said NACTOY President Gary Witzenburg in a press release....

The Republican-led bill would ban women from getting an abortion on the basis of sex, race or prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. It passed by a vote of 27-20. The bill was opposed by state Senate Democrats, including Sarah Crawford, who worked with children and adults with disabilities during her time as the head of the Tammy Lynn Center for Developmental Disabilities. Crawford told AP that the bill would force women to carry out pregnancies they are not prepared for....