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Mr Potato Head was the first toy to be advertised on TV. James

California voters reject measure to tax the wealth of billionaires SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California voters have rejected a first-in-the-nation tax on the net worth of billionaires following a contentious ballot fight that generated huge spending by some prominent tech leaders eager to stop their taxes from going up. https://apnews.com/article/california-billionaire-tax-4ae8cbdc057b99579818016f02ac9d9e?

🍁 Parting shot: Autumn in New York Photo: Natalie Daher/Axios I snapped this photo yesterday while visiting Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City, Queens, after spending the afternoon at MoMA PS1. 🎨 MoMA PS1 is now free to visit through 2028, thanks to a gift from philanthropist Sonya Yu marking the museum's 50th anniversary. My subway take: Make all museums free!

Your next micro AI experiment Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios Your AI chatbot can do a lot more than draft emails or summarize articles. New features can turn ChatGPT, Claude and other AI tools into even better personal researchers, problem-solvers and amateur app developers. Why it matters: You don't need to be a tech expert to get more out of AI. Sometimes, you just need a few practical ideas for putting it to work. Inspired by The Washington Post's new guide to AI "power-ups," here are five ways to put your chatbot to work: 🔧 Fix something around the house: Snap a photo of a confusing error message on your dishwasher, thermostat or washing machine. Upload it with the model number, and ask AI to identify possible causes and suggest safe troubleshooting steps. I recently used AI to help authenticate a Herman Miller chair I bought secondhand on Facebook Marketplace, comparing its design details with changes in the chair's production over the years. 🗂️ Turn a pile of documents into a personal assistant: Upload vacation itineraries, travel confirmations and reservations into a ChatGPT Project or Google's NotebookLM. Ask it to build a day-by-day schedule, flag conflicts and answer questions about your trip. My color-coded honeymoon itinerary for Argentina and Chile next month is courtesy of Claude, not my spreadsheet skills. It was right on the suggestion to book a rental car in Bariloche; brushing up on my Spanish is on me. 🔎 Research a big purchase: Use a chatbot's Deep Research feature to compare refrigerators, mattresses or cars. Give it your budget and must-haves, and request a side-by-side breakdown of reliability, long-term costs and independent reviews. You can do the same for local services: AI helped me compare dog walkers and led me to Parkside Pups, which now walks my sweet poodle-beagle a few times a week. 🛠️ Build something just for you: Want a family trivia game, holiday gift tracker or personal website? Describe it in plain English and ask AI to build a working version — no coding experience required. It's called "vibe coding," and if you've checked out a journalist friend's portfolio lately, you may have seen it in action. 📑 Decode the fine print: That confusing clause buried in your 50-page homeowners insurance policy or warranty? Ask AI to explain exclusions, deductibles and coverage limits in plain English — and point you to the exact passages supporting its answers. Between the lines: AI can be confidently wrong. Double-check important advice and research, and run consequential decisions by a human you trust. Security is essential: Remove sensitive personal information before uploading documents, and check your chatbot's privacy settings. Gift link. Have you had an experience with a chatbot lately that saved you time or taught you something? Write us at finishline@axios.com.

The Joke’s on Him View in browser When President Trump posted on Saturday that he’d asked Dana White, the head of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, to be the new White House press secretary, it felt like a callback to the freewheeling first-term Trump. “I am pleased to announce that the Great Dana White, a violent Fighter and Warrior, has been offered the job of Press Secretary of the United States,” the president wrote on Truth Social, adding that he needed White and his band of mixed-martial-arts fighters “to defend us against the Lunatic Left. Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other. Dana, please take the job!” By weekend’s end, the possibility of the appointment had dissolved, though not without a subplot of speculation that Trump was confusing the impresario with another Dana White who had actually served as a Pentagon spokesperson during his first term. CNN reported that White had declined, and last night, Trump told reporters he never meant it anyway. “I was only kidding, but Dana loves the idea,” he said. Perhaps. Trump has a long record of launching outlandish ideas and then playing them off as jokes when they don’t work out. If it was all a jape, then the weak stab at humor seems to underestimate the electorate’s frustration with his antics. If he was serious and got rejected, it’s even worse. An old maxim goes that when the president of the United States asks you to do something, you do it. But Trump no longer has the juice he did in the early days of this administration, when billionaire tech CEOs were showering him with attention and the odd bauble. Last Tuesday evening, as election results rolled in, my colleague Jonathan Lemire wrote that “Donald J. Trump is now officially, thoroughly a lame duck.” Now we’re getting a glimpse of what that looks like in practice. Start with the cool reception that Trump’s elevation of Stephen Miller to White House chief of staff received among Republicans. Representative Marlin Stutzman called it a “horrible decision.” Another legislator told Fox News that his reaction was “utter disbelief.” When a Politico reporter informed one member of the choice, they replied, “Please tell me you’re lying to me right now, just to get a reaction.” Take these statements with a grain of salt—Republicans have often been happy to talk trash about Trump anonymously while going along with him publicly—but whether or not they acquiesce with the president matters less now that the GOP is so outnumbered in Congress. One test of where House Republicans actually stand will come this week. Thomas Massie, a renegade GOP member who Trump helped defeat in a primary earlier this year, refiled articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth today. Although Speaker Mike Johnson (speaking of lame ducks) had temporarily stymied Massie’s impeachment efforts in September by sending members home until after the midterms, the House is now back in session. Rounding up enough Republican votes to move the articles forward will be difficult but not impossible; a significant number of GOP members lost their seats last week, including many of the more moderate representatives, which means they are less in Trump’s thrall. Assuming that Hegseth is not impeached this month, it seems all but inevitable once Democrats take over. This weekend, presumptive Speaker Hakeem Jeffries said he’s a “hard yes” on impeachment. Republicans’ losses have produced infighting elsewhere in the party too. As Miller moves to take over, fallout from his predecessor Susie Wiles’s tenure continues. Calley Means, a former aide to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast, where he accused Wiles and James Blair, a top Trump political adviser, of selling the MAHA movement out to corporate interests. The Wall Street Journal reports that, ahead of their public social-media fight, Blair texted Means, “If you are gonna try to knife me, I’m happy to return the favor.” Meanwhile Senator Ron Johnson, a hard-right figure from Wisconsin, has picked up on Means’s comments to accuse the Trump administration of “corruption.” One person in particular left somewhat unmoored by the results is Vice President Vance, who built his entire profile on closeness to a politician whose toxicity is now made plain. In a long post-election X post, Vance pinned the midterm defeat on the Iran war. This was widely seen as a swipe at the president and an attempt to position himself for 2028, but as The New Yorker’s Jason Zengerle observed, Vance “didn’t so much throw Trump under the bus as try to bring him on board his bandwagon by essentially putting words in Trump’s mouth.” But Trump does not seem inclined to cooperate. For one thing, he continues to defend the war. On 60 Minutes last night, he acknowledged the political fallout but said, “I think, historically, this will be a very good decision. Is it a good decision for today and tomorrow? Maybe not.” Speaking with reporters last night, he once again declared victory in the unresolved war with Iran and then claimed, falsely and callously, that “we haven’t lost anybody. No soldiers.” At other times, though, Trump has sounded unusually chastened since Election Day. He told The New York Times that he looks forward to working with the Democrats. He also acknowledged on 60 Minutes that his deportation policy, which “might be too tough,” could explain the GOP’s shellacking. “I think I got an A-plus for closing up the border,” he said, “but I get hurt because we also took people that had good jobs, that created one violation, or breaking of the law, and that was that they came into the country illegally.” A deescalation on immigration enforcement seems unlikely with Miller as chief of staff, given his role in implementing that policy, but the fact that Trump was willing to offer conciliatory remarks suggests that he is beginning to recognize the challenges of life as a lame duck. Related: Repudiation ICE after the blowout

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony is this weekend. Who's getting in, and who's honoring them? Billy Idol, Oasis, Wu-Tang Clan, Phil Collins, Sade, Queen Latifah, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order and the late Luther Vandross will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday. Read More.

Senate weighs sweeping energy legislation in first major action since midterm elections The Senate on Monday is set to take up bipartisan legislation aimed at speeding up permitting reviews for data centers and other infrastructure projects, in the first major action since last week’s election that soundly repudiated President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans. Read More.

Nvidia's investigation into CEO Huang's affair puts a spotlight on chip billionaire's personal life Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has been one of the poster boys for the artificial intelligence revolution because his company's chips are essential for the technology. Now his personal life is in the spotlight after revelations of an affair with a purported Chinese spy that triggered an investigation by the board. Read More. Internal probe into CEO Jensen Huang and 'foreign intelligence' weighs on high-flying Nvidia shares Shares of Nvidia tumbled more than 5% Monday after the computer chip maker, central to the artificial intelligence race, opened an investigation into reports that CEO Jensen Huang was the “target of a foreign intelligence effort.” Read More.

Japan to provide coastal radar and drones to the Philippines under $27M deal Japan said it will provide a coastal surveillance radar system and unmanned aircraft to the Philippines under a security deal signed Monday, as the two defense partners face growing tensions with China. Read More.

Diamond-rich Botswana says it will increase its stake in De Beers to 30% under proposed sale Botswana's president said Monday that the diamond-rich southern African country will double its stake in De Beers to 30% under a proposed deal by a consortium of investors to buy Anglo American's shares in the company. Read More.

FBI is looking at Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s affair with an alleged Chinese agent, Trump says WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Monday that the FBI is investigating Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s affair with an alleged Chinese government agent, but said he doesn’t think the executive who has helped to develop artificial intelligence has a reason to worry. https://apnews.com/article/china-denies-spy-jensen-huang-nvidia-3345b9f05c54d58909e88f6dcb9c1cd8?

What every church worker needs to hear, but few people are willing to say. The post When the Church Hurts: A Survival Guide for Those Called to Serve <label class="rltv-edition-check-wrap" onclick="event.stopPropagation();" title="Add to 5-Story Mini-Newspaper"><input type="checkbox" class="rltv-story-checkbox" data-id="170511860" data-title="When the Church Hurts: A Survival Guide for Those Called to Serve" /><span>+ Edition</span></label> appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

Cold case solved Two young women were sexually assaulted and strangled outside of Pittsburgh nearly 50 years ago. For decades, the answer to who did it remained a mystery. Now police say a serial killer was responsible.

Supreme Court clears the way for border wall construction in Texas’s Big Bend to resume WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court cleared the way Monday for the Trump administration to resume border wall construction in the Big Bend region of Texas, a blow to bipartisan opponents who had argued the project is a waste of money that threatens the unique landscape. https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-trump-border-wall-cd5697e9502b4ae32e1c14300de02985?

👩‍🚀 1 for the road: Astronauts wanted Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios NASA is now accepting applications for new astronauts for its Artemis lunar program. Aspiring candidates have until Dec. 3 to submit their applications. Final selections are expected by late 2027. 🚀 With only 32 active astronauts, the space agency needs more recruits as it looks to expand humanity's presence beyond low-Earth orbit. Artemis III commander Randy Bresnik tells AP: "We have far more work than we have astronauts." Go deeper ... How to apply.

🧑‍💻 Job worries persist Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios Americans are getting more worried about rising unemployment, but they're also more confident that they could find another job if they needed to, Axios' Neil Irwin and Courtenay Brown write from a new report. 📈 By the numbers: The perceived probability that unemployment will rise over the next year climbed to 45.3% in October, according to the New York Fed's Survey of Consumer Expectations. That's the highest since April 2020. Yes, but: People's perceived probability of finding another job if they lost their current position rose to 46.5%, the highest in about a year. 🤔 The mixed sentiment underscores the weirdness in today's labor market: Hiring is picking up and unemployment remains low, but it can be tough to find work. Explore the data ... Go deeper.

Investors split on Huang's future Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images Nvidia investors are rushing to CEO Jensen Huang's defense publicly, while privately expressing disappointment, after he admitted to having an affair with a purported Chinese spy, Axios' Madison Mills reports. The company's stock was down about 5.5% as of midafternoon. 🤳 Pershing Square CEO Bill Ackman wrote on X that Huang (pronounced wong) "is an incredible human. ... We should all support him and his family." Elon Musk, replying to a post which suggested that Huang had "no bad intention," wrote: "I agree." Gavin Baker, managing partner and CIO of Atreides Management, said on X: "I simply do not believe he would ever knowingly do anything to disadvantage either America or Nvidia." One Nvidia investor told Axios that the situation is "profoundly disappointing," but added that they think Huang will keep his job. Dan Ives, senior managing director at Yorkville Ives, wrote in a note to clients: "Nvidia and its AI success and ambitions are heavily tied to [Huang] staying on as CEO." 🏛️ Between the lines: A newly blue Congress is looking to investigate tech execs who work closely with the Trump administration. One investor told Axios they're concerned about how much time Huang will have to spend in Washington as investigations unfold. 🔎 What's next: Nvidia's board has launched an independent probe, which investors worry could result in pressure for Huang to leave his post. Go deeper.

Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky launches bid to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Thomas Massie moved Monday to force a vote to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, pressing his fellow Republicans to remove one of the Trump administration’s most prominent figures following sweeping election losses blamed in part on fallout from the war in Iran. https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-pentagon-briefing-congress-impeachment-f5303cfb626ae2ef7a4a3f660f5519df?

Citizenship in the Hebrew Bible When thinking of the origins of democracy, as many are doing after election day, most point to ancient Greece. Greece indeed formalized processes and ideals that continue to inspire governance today. The Hebrew Bible, though not focused on democracy, takes a different approach. It cultivates civic life within a covenantal system, managed by various kinds of leaders—prophets, elders, judges, priests, and kings—but also, essentially, by everyday people. Bearing in mind that the Bible weaves many sources and traditions together, I nonetheless discuss here a few important themes it explores about the formation of the civic self vis-à-vis the conscience, public discourse, and community. https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/citizenship-in-the-hebrew-bible/? The Tel Dan Inscription: The First Historical Evidence of King David from the Bible Few modern Biblical archaeology discoveries have caused as much excitement as the Tel Dan inscription—writing on a ninth-century B.C. stone slab (or stela) that furnished the first historical evidence of King David from the Bible. https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/the-tel-dan-inscription-the-first-historical-evidence-of-the-king-david-bible-story/?

Republicans Are Desperate to Pretend They Never Supported the War With Iran To say that Americans were pissed off is an understatement. https://theintercept.com/2026/11/06/jd-vance-midterms-republicans-iran-war/? Pentagon Officials Float Names of Hegseth’s Replacement Replacements for embattled War Secretary Pete Hegseth are increasingly being discussed at the Pentagon, according to current and former defense officials. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is at the top of many lists. Mike Waltz, the disgraced former national security adviser at the center of the 2025 Signalgate messaging scandal and currently U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has also been mentioned. https://theintercept.com/2026/11/06/pentagon-hegseth-replacement-desantis-waltz/? Tons of “Bunker-Buster” Bomb Parts for Israel Go Through JFK Airport An Israeli airline shipped thousands of pounds worth of parts for controversial “bunker-buster” bombs through John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York during the height of the Israeli–U.S. war against Iran, according to a new investigation by a left-wing research group. https://theintercept.com/2026/11/09/israel-weapons-bombs-jfk-airport/? How a Socialist Can Govern a City Under the Thumb of the Trump Administration Socialists will soon govern three of the United States’ most influential cities: Los Angeles, New York City, and the District of Columbia. https://theintercept.com/2026/11/07/janeese-lewis-george-dsa-dc-mayor/? Defeating Zionism to Free Palestine Earlier this week, Abdul El-Sayed defeated Mike Rogers in the U.S. Senate race in Michigan after months of Islamophobic abuse, most notably from President Donald Trump, who referred to El-Sayed as “Mohammed.” https://theintercept.com/2026/11/06/defeating-zionism-to-free-palestine/? The Pressure on LA’s First Self-Proclaimed Socialist Mayor On paper, the second-largest city in the country has its first democratic socialist mayor. https://theintercept.com/2026/11/08/nithya-raman-la-mayor-socialist-progressive/?

Russell Brand is sentenced to 10 1/2 years in British prison for rape and sexual assault LONDON (AP) — Russell Brand was sentenced Monday to 10½ years in prison for raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others during a time when his bawdy behavior was indulged and celebrated during his rise to stardom. https://apnews.com/article/russell-brand-sentenced-convicted-rape-sexual-assault-b1a4d27cbe73ed8b447947fdf9f05d59?

👋 Good morning! Welcome back. In today's edition: NFL Sunday rewind, Alcaraz wins in Paris, Nashville makes MLS history, the cost of CFP expansion, Larson repeats as NASCAR champ, Highlight Zone, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy, with contributions from Neil Paine and Dylan Dittrich. Let's sports...   🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🎾 Alcaraz wins in Paris: Carlos Alcaraz defeated Ben Shelton to win the Paris Masters, putting him two 1000-level titles shy (Canada, Shanghai) of winning all nine. It was also his fifth win of the year despite missing over four months with an injury. ⚽️ Last four standing: Three favorites (No. 1 Gotham, No. 3 Washington, No. 4 Kansas City) and one big underdog (No. 7 Utah, which hadn't scored in over a month) won their postseason openers to advance to the NWSL semifinals. ⛳️ Brown makes history: Blades Brown, 19, beat Ben James in a playoff on Sunday to win the World Wide Technology Championship, making him the youngest PGA Tour winner in nearly a century (since 1931) and the fourth-youngest ever. 🏈 College coaching news: NC State is finalizing a deal to hire Philip Rivers as its next head coach 23 years after he became the Wolfpack's all-time passing leader; Michigan fired OC Jason Beck following an ugly 15-6 loss to Michigan State. He's set to be owed up to $10 million. ⚾️ Baseball's best fielders: Cubs CF Pete Crow-Armstrong and Yankees LF Cody Bellinger won MLB's Platinum Glove awards as each league's top overall defender, while the Cubs and Blue Jays won the seventh annual Team Gold Gloves.     💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS The Bears took down the Buccaneers on "Sunday Night Football." (Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images) 25-8 The Bears (7-2), Lions (6-2) and Packers (6-3) were all victorious on Sunday as the mighty NFC North improved to 25-8 on the season — and 20-3 against teams outside the division. The Vikings (6-1) will look to add to the win column tonight. Wild stat: The 0-8 Chargers have the same number of losses as the entire NFC North. +230 Joe Burrow joined Josh Allen atop the MVP race (+230 at DraftKings) after putting on another masterclass (24/29, 271 yards, 4 total TD) in the Bengals' 34-17 win over the Falcons in Madrid. Allen could pull ahead with another big game tonight, while Brock Purdy (+450), Jordan Love (+650) and Trevor Lawrence (+900) aren't far behind. Exclusive club: Burrow is just the fifth player in NFL history with at least four touchdowns (passing and rushing) in four consecutive games. The others? Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Dan Marino. (Stephanie Scarbrough/AP Photo) 3 sacks Myles Garrett showed no signs of rust in his first game back since Week 1, sacking Jayden Daniels three times (and forcing one fumble) in the Rams' 20-13 win over the Commanders. Dynamic duo: This was Garrett's first time lining up alongside fellow future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald. The results? In the 30 plays they shared the field, the Rams had four sacks and a 44% pressure rate. 16 straight The Broncos beat the Panthers, 26-21, to win their 16th straight one-score game in the regular season dating back to last year. That breaks a tie with the 2008-09 Colts for the longest such streak in NFL history. Nothing easy: The Broncos beat the Cardinals by 14 points last month, which is their version of a blowout. Their other six wins have come by 7 points, 6 points, 5 points, 4 points (twice) and 3 points. (Michael Owens/Getty Images) 45 points The Packers torched the Patriots, 45-27, for their fifth win in six games. It's the most points New England has allowed in a regular-season contest since 1993, and the most points they've allowed at home since 1970. (Another) dynamic duo: Jordan Love connected with Christian Watson and Matthew Golden 17 times for 335 yards and a pair of scores. Watson (879 yards) and Golden (783) rank third and fourth in the NFL in receiving yards. 13 years The Giants held on to beat the Eagles, 19-11, for their first win in Philadelphia in 13 years. New York (5-2-1) is in first place, while the last-place Birds (2-7) have dropped seven straight games. Helping hand: J.J. McCarthy won his sixth straight game as a starter (longest active NFL streak), but it was Jameis Winston who led New York's only touchdown drive when McCarthy briefly exited with an injury. Sunday recap: Scoreboard Notable plays Winners and losers   ⚽️ MLS CUP PLAYOFFS THE CURSE OF BEING FIRST (Tanner Pearson/Getty Images) Nashville SC wrapped up a record-breaking regular season on Saturday, finishing with 77 points (23-3-8) to break the MLS mark set by Inter Miami two years ago (74 points). Now comes the hard part: turning a historic campaign into a championship. The field is set: Nashville — which also set the record for best winning percentage (.794) and fewest goals allowed (25) — leads the 18-team field for the MLS Cup Playoffs, which kick off next week. East: Nashville, Miami, New England, Chicago, Charlotte, Philadelphia and Columbus qualified for Round One (best-of-three), while Orlando and Cincinnati will face off in the Wild Card Round (single-elimination). West: Vancouver, Dallas, St. Louis, San Jose, Houston, LAFC and Portland qualified for Round One, while Seattle and Salt Lake are the wild cards. Into the record books, out of the playoffs? Nashville's pursuit of its first title comes with a warning: Teams that have posted the best regular season in their league's history (most wins) have rarely seen that dominance carry over to the playoffs. ⚽️ MLS: 2024 Inter Miami (22-4-8) lost to Atlanta in the first round. 🏒 NHL: The 2022-23 Bruins* (65-12-5) lost to the Panthers in the first round. ⚽️ NWSL: 2025 KC Current (21-3-2) lost to Gotham FC in the first round. ⚾️ MLB: The 1906 Cubs (116-36) lost to the White Sox in the World Series, and the 2001 Mariners (116-46) lost to the Yankees in the ALCS. 🏈 NFL: The 2007 Patriots (16-0) lost to the Giants in the Super Bowl. 🏀 NBA: The 2015-16 Warriors (73-9) lost to the Cavaliers in the Finals. The outlier: The WNBA's best regular-season teams have been crowned champs. The 1998 Comets (27-3) won the title with the best winning percentage in league history, and the 2023 Aces (34-6) won the title after setting the record for most wins. *The 2022-23 Bruins, unlike the other teams listed above, do not also hold their league's record for best winning percentage. In the NHL, that mark belongs to the 1929-30… Bruins (38-5-1), who lost the Stanley Cup Final to the Canadiens.   🏈 PLAYOFF EXPANSION WHAT HAPPENS WHEN LOSING MATTERS LESS? Notre Dame stormed the field in South Bend. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images) Saturday's college football slate featured seven matchups between ranked teams, offering a fascinating glimpse at how much the sport's regular season could change under an expanded College Football Playoff. Big picture: The current 12-team format raised Saturday's stakes for several top programs. But what if there were 24 playoff spots up for grabs instead? Let's revisit all seven games through both lenses. Notre Dame 31, Miami 24: This was a potentially season-saving victory for the Fighting Irish, who entered Saturday on the playoff bubble. In a 24-team format? This game would have been largely about seeding. Alabama 31, LSU 13: The Tide may have ended the Tigers' playoff hopes with a convincing win in Baton Rouge. Under a 24-team format, LSU would still be in the mix and Lane Kiffin wouldn't be feeling quite as much heat. Utah 28, BYU 20: The undefeated Utes delivered a "Holy War" haymaker, ensuring a very anxious rest of the season for their rivals. With a 24-team field? BYU would be just fine. Oregon 41, Ohio State 28: The Buckeyes are now firmly on the outside looking in, while the Ducks were already cooked. In a 24-team race, both three-loss teams would still be contending. Georgia 42, Ole Miss 7: The Bulldogs moved up to No. 1 while dealing a potentially fatal blow to the Rebels' playoff hopes. No such drama if the playoff field was double the size. Tennessee 34, Kentucky 6: The Volunteers thrust themselves back into the 12-team mix, while the Wildcats are now in a precarious position. With a 24-team field, both would have been just fine no matter happened. No. 7 Texas 34, No. 18 Missouri 20: The Longhorns won a game they couldn't afford to lose, while Missouri lost a game they desperately needed to win. Another case where the 24-team playoff neuters a meaningful matchup. Utah fans as far as the eye can see. (Chris Gardner/Getty Images) The cost of expansion: Would Notre Dame students have stormed the field with quite as much gusto if Saturday's win had merely improved their playoff seeding? Would Alabama have celebrated as proudly if they hadn't killed LSU's playoff hopes in Death Valley? Would Utah's triumph have felt quite as sweet if there was a chance they'd meet BYU again in the CFP? Maybe. Rivalries are rivalries, after all. But there's something uniquely thrilling about a regular season when every Saturday can make or break a team's championship dreams. Bottom line: Expanding the playoff will create more meaningful games in December. The question is how many meaningful games we'll lose in September, October and November.   🏁 BACK-TO-BACK LARSON REPEATS AS NASCAR CHAMP (Chris Graythen/Getty Images) Kyle Larson clinched his third NASCAR Cup Series title (2021, 2025, 2026) on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, becoming the first driver to win back-to-back championships since Jimmie Johnson capped his historic five-year run in 2010. On track: The back-to-back titles keep Larson, 33, on a strong pace to contend with the winningest champions in NASCAR history by the time his career is over. Consider the sport's three 7-time champs: Johnson was 32 when he won his third title, "King" Richard Petty was 33 and Dale Earnhardt Sr. was 36. Aging with grace: Unlike in other sports — such as, say, the NBA — an elite NASCAR driver peaks later, with about half of their career wins coming from age 34 onward. So Larson's three titles (and 35 career wins) through age 33 actually have him ahead of schedule to assail some big names on the all-time list. (Even if nobody is catching Petty's 200 Cup Series victories.) The agony of defeat… on repeat: Three titles for Larson. Still zero for Denny Hamlin, whose third-place finish extended his unfortunate reign as the Greatest Driver Never to Win a Championship. In 22 Cup seasons, Hamlin has now finished second or third in the title standings six times — but never first.   📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: MONDAY, NOV. 9 U.S. Bank Stadium before the Vikings' home opener. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) 🏈 Bills at Vikings Minnesota hosts Buffalo on "Monday Night Football" (8:15pm ET, ABC/ESPN) in a game between 6-1 Super Bowl hopefuls with very different strengths. Offense vs. defense: Buffalo scores an NFL-best 33.3 points per game, but its porous defense allows 25.9 (bottom 10); Minnesota allows an NFL-best 13.3 points per game, but its woeful offense scores just 20.0 (bottom 10). 🎾 WTA Finals, Day 2 The season-ending championship is underway at Indian Wells, where the top eight women — well, eight of the top nine, after No. 1 Elena Rybakina withdrew for medical reasons — are competing for an $8 million purse. Today's slate: No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka vs. No. 7 Karolína Muchová (3pm, Tennis) and No. 3 Mirra Andreeva vs. No. 6 Elina Svitolina (4:10pm) in their opening round-robin matches. More to watch: 🏀 NBA: Wizards at Pistons (7pm, NBCSN); Pelicans at Warriors (10pm, NBA) … Steph Curry (31.3 ppg) ranks second in scoring… at age 38. 🏒 NHL: Rangers at Oilers (8pm, ESPN+) … Connor McDavid has 47 points… in 18 games. 🏒 Women's World Championships: USA vs. Austria (1pm, NHL) … Group stage in Denmark. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city.   🏈 LET'S PLAY NFL TRIVIA Bills WR James Lofton after losing to the Cowboys in Super Bowl XXVII. (Focus on Sport/Getty Images) The Bills and Vikings, who square off tonight, are tied for the most Super Bowl appearances without a win (4). Question: Which team is next on that list, with three winless appearances? Hint: One appearance this century. Answer at the bottom.   🍿 TOP PLAYS HIGHLIGHT ZONE (ESPN+) Bang!!! Brandon Stores Jr. hit a buzzer beater from half court on Sunday to lift NJIT past Saint Peter's, 54-52. More highlights: Did you see Harold Fannin Jr. go "Beast Mode" in overtime? Or how about this 86-yard punt from Philadelphia's Braden Mann? Carlos Alcaraz may have hit the drop shot of the year, and Hulk smashed a free kick from 40 yards out.   Trivia answer: Bengals (1982, 1989, 2022)

Trump’s gerrymandering push flops as Democrats win redrawn seats Alabama Republicans had hoped Rep. Shomari Figures would deliver a concession speech on Tuesday night after the state legislature redrew his district to be more GOP-friendly. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/11/06/repub/trumps-gerrymandering-push-flops-as-democrats-win-redrawn-seats/?

Florida’s statewide seats remain red. How? Republicans mostly staved off what Gov. Ron DeSantis called a “meteor strike” of national Democratic success last week. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/11/09/floridas-statewide-seats-remain-red-how/? Florida bucked the trend toward sanity Americans launched an almighty middle finger at the Mob Boss of Mar-a-Lago, repudiating him and his congressional Flying Monkey squad. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/11/09/florida-bucked-the-trend-toward-sanity/?