slot machine real money The Miami Heat have become notorious for finding “diamond in the rough” players to play important roles in their rotation. These players went undrafted, yet find their find their way to playing meaningful minutes for Miami teams that reach the postseason. It certainly seems that they are the best at finding these kinds of players. On Sunday, the Heat defeated the team with the best record in the NBA, the Cleveland Cavaliers , by the score of 122-113. Another undrafted player, Dru Smith , played a large role in ensuring Miami left with the win. Have The Heat Found Another Undrafted Diamond In The Rough? Dru Smith Yet Another Undrafted Find By Heat The Heat’s victory at home improved their record to 12-10 on the season. That places them with the fifth-best record in the Eastern Conference. They have now won three straight after falling under .500. The 26-year-old Smith, now in his third season, played a large role in Sunday’s victory. The 6-foot-3 guard scored 11 points in the fourth quarter alone which helped to secure the win for the Heat. It was the fourth-straight game in which the undrafted Smith saw plenty of action for Miami. In the last two games, Smith has seen 55 minutes of game time. In the previous two, he saw 33. That has easily been the most sustained playing time for Smith as he had just 29 prior appearances in the NBA before those four games. He has mostly been on two-way deals with Miami, but he was waived by the team in late December of 2022. He signed a two-way deal with the Brooklyn Nets soon after and played 10 games for them in the 2022-23 season. Smith re-joined the Heat last season and was converted to a standard deal days before the regular season tipped off. Unfortunately, he played just nine games before a season-ending injury. Playing against the same Cavaliers team he played on Sunday, he slipped on a raised part of the floor in Cleveland in late November of 2023. It caused a torn ACL which ended his season very prematurely. Now in the last four outings, Smith has posted averages of 7.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 steals. He has shot 11-22 (50%) from the field and an impressive 7-12 (58.3%) from beyond the arc in that time. For now, he has seemingly surpassed 14-year veteran Alec Burks in the rotation. Dru Smith Joins These Other Undrafted Key Players For Miami As mentioned, Smith was not an NBA draft pick. He went undrafted in 2021 and didn’t play in the NBA in 2021-22, only spending time with the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Smith is far from the only recent player to become a rotational piece for the Heat after going undrafted. Who are some other players to play key roles for Miami after going undrafted? Some of those players include Duncan Robinson , Max Strus , Gabe Vincent , and Kendrick Nunn . All four played large roles despite going undrafted on the last two Heat teams to reach the NBA Finals in 2020 and 2023 (Robinson in both, Nunn in 2020, Strus and Vincent in 2023). If you go further back, Udonis Haslem is the most iconic undrafted Heat player in team history. With such an extensive list of undrafted “diamonds in the rough”, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if Dru Smith becomes the next one. This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

(All times Eastern) Schedule subject to change and/or blackouts Monday, Dec. 9 COLLEGE BASKETBALL (MEN’S) 6:30 p.m. BTN — Minnesota at Indiana 8 p.m. CBSSN — Abilene Christian at Baylor COLLEGE SOCCER (WOMEN’S) 7 p.m. ESPNU — NCAA Tournament: Wake Forest vs. North Carolina, Championship NBA BASKETBALL 7:30 p.m. NBATV — New York at Toronto NFL FOOTBALL 8:15 p.m. ABC — Cincinnati at Dallas ESPN — Cincinnati at Dallas ESPN2 — Cincinnati at Dallas (MNF with Peyton and Eli) NHL HOCKEY 7 p.m. NHLN — Chicago at N.Y. Rangers SOCCER (MEN’S) 3 p.m. USA — Premier League: Wolverhampton at West Ham United The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive TV listings provided by LiveSportsOnTV . Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Reforms should be implemented through an elected parliament, who, once in power, could swiftly address the economic, social, political and foreign challenges the country is currently facing, BNP standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said yesterday. Stressing the need for polls at the earliest, he also said the reports by the reform commissions formed by the interim government should be discussed in parliament. The BNP leader made the remarks while speaking to reporters after a meeting with some other political parties at the party chairperson's Gulshan office. At the meeting, leaders of Gono Odhikar Parishad (Rashed); Gono Forum, Bam Gonotantrik Oikya; Bangladesh Sadharon Chhatra Odhikar Songrokkhon Parishad; Peoples Party; and National Awami Party (Bhashani) – parties that previously organised joint movements with BNP against the former Awami League government – expressed their dissatisfaction with the interim government's performance so far. They urged the interim government to hold discussions with political parties and announce an election date, adding that reforms should be carried out through an elected parliament after the polls. They also called for initiatives to bridge the gap among the parties. The leaders criticised the formation of a new political party and vowed to continue opposing the government until their demands are met, meeting sources said. Speaking anonymously, one of the leaders at the meeting said the interim government is likely to take time to form a new party, raising concerns for BNP and others. After the meeting, Gono Adhikar Parishad General Secretary Rashed Khan accused the interim government of avoiding the banning of AL by putting the blame on BNP. "Our clear statement is that we'll build a mass resistance against those who rehabilitate the Awami League." He too blamed the government of "wasting time to form a party". Mostafa Mohsin Montu, president of a faction of Gono Forum, called for unity based on the spirit of the 1971 Liberation War. "There is no alternative to unity in the current political situation. For the last 15 years, people have been deprived of their voting rights. After August 5, the opportunity for change has come." Montu also said that reform proposals must be discussed in parliament, adding, "We want to solve the problems through an elected government." Shamsul Alam, coordinator of Bam Gonotantrik Oikya, said, "The government will be requested to hold elections as soon as possible," while Ismail Samrat, convener of Bangladesh Sadharon Chhatra Odhikar Songrokkhon Parishad, demanded that the election be held by next June or July. "Awami League loyalists are still in the administration. Prices of goods are rising, and the law-and-order situation is worsening," Samrat added. Meanwhile at a separate event yesterday, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said there was no place in his party for those who were involved in killings, corruption and terror activities. He made the comment at the Thakurgaon Public Library during a blanket distribution programme. About removing autocracy, corruption and fascism from the country, he said, "The only way to overcome corruption and fascism is by establishing the people's rule. In other words, there is no alternative to governing the country through a parliament elected by the people." Reforms should be implemented through an elected parliament, who, once in power, could swiftly address the economic, social, political and foreign challenges the country is currently facing, BNP standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said yesterday. Stressing the need for polls at the earliest, he also said the reports by the reform commissions formed by the interim government should be discussed in parliament. The BNP leader made the remarks while speaking to reporters after a meeting with some other political parties at the party chairperson's Gulshan office. At the meeting, leaders of Gono Odhikar Parishad (Rashed); Gono Forum, Bam Gonotantrik Oikya; Bangladesh Sadharon Chhatra Odhikar Songrokkhon Parishad; Peoples Party; and National Awami Party (Bhashani) – parties that previously organised joint movements with BNP against the former Awami League government – expressed their dissatisfaction with the interim government's performance so far. They urged the interim government to hold discussions with political parties and announce an election date, adding that reforms should be carried out through an elected parliament after the polls. They also called for initiatives to bridge the gap among the parties. The leaders criticised the formation of a new political party and vowed to continue opposing the government until their demands are met, meeting sources said. Speaking anonymously, one of the leaders at the meeting said the interim government is likely to take time to form a new party, raising concerns for BNP and others. After the meeting, Gono Adhikar Parishad General Secretary Rashed Khan accused the interim government of avoiding the banning of AL by putting the blame on BNP. "Our clear statement is that we'll build a mass resistance against those who rehabilitate the Awami League." He too blamed the government of "wasting time to form a party". Mostafa Mohsin Montu, president of a faction of Gono Forum, called for unity based on the spirit of the 1971 Liberation War. "There is no alternative to unity in the current political situation. For the last 15 years, people have been deprived of their voting rights. After August 5, the opportunity for change has come." Montu also said that reform proposals must be discussed in parliament, adding, "We want to solve the problems through an elected government." Shamsul Alam, coordinator of Bam Gonotantrik Oikya, said, "The government will be requested to hold elections as soon as possible," while Ismail Samrat, convener of Bangladesh Sadharon Chhatra Odhikar Songrokkhon Parishad, demanded that the election be held by next June or July. "Awami League loyalists are still in the administration. Prices of goods are rising, and the law-and-order situation is worsening," Samrat added. Meanwhile at a separate event yesterday, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said there was no place in his party for those who were involved in killings, corruption and terror activities. He made the comment at the Thakurgaon Public Library during a blanket distribution programme. About removing autocracy, corruption and fascism from the country, he said, "The only way to overcome corruption and fascism is by establishing the people's rule. In other words, there is no alternative to governing the country through a parliament elected by the people."

President-elect Donald Trump has filled the key posts for his second term in office, prioritizing loyalty to him after he felt bruised and hampered by internal squabbling during his first term. Some of his choices could face difficult confirmation fights in the Senate, even with Republicans in control, and one candidate has already withdrawn from consideration. Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz was Trump's initial pick for attorney general, but he ultimately withdrew following scrutiny over a federal sex trafficking investigation he was embroiled in. Here's a look at Trump's choices: Trump would turn a former critic into an ally as the nation's top diplomat. Rubio , 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate before the slot went to JD Vance. Rubio is vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. His selection punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator once called a “con man" during his own unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. Hegseth , 44, was a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox and Friends Weekend” and had been a contributor with the network since 2014. He developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. Hegseth served in the Army National Guard from 2002 to 2021, deploying to Iraq in 2005 and Afghanistan in 2011 and earning two Bronze Stars. He lacks senior military and national security experience and would oversee global crises ranging from Europe to the Middle East. A woman told police that she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Hegseth after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave, according to a detailed investigative report recently made public. Hegseth told police at the time that the encounter had been consensual and has denied any wrongdoing. Bessent , 62, is a former money manager for George Soros , a big Democratic donor, and an advocate for deficit reduction . He founded the hedge fund Key Square Capital Management after having worked on and off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, Bessent would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary. He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump’s campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending. Gabbard, 43, is a former Democratic House member from Hawaii who has been accused of echoing Russian propaganda. She unsuccessfully sought the party’s 2020 presidential nomination and left the party in 2022. Gabbard endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him. Gabbard has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades and deployed to Iraq and Kuwait. If confirmed she would come to the role as an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, spent several years in top national security and intelligence positions. Bondi , 59, was Florida's first female attorney general, serving between 2011 and 2019. She was on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020. Considered a loyalist , Bondi also has served with the America First Policy Institute, a Trump-allied group that has helped lay the groundwork for his future administration. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush-money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appeared on Fox News and has been critical of the criminal cases against him. The Republican U.S. House member narrowly lost her reelection bid on Nov. 5 but had received strong backing from union members in her district. As a potential labor secretary, Chavez-DeRemer would oversee the department's workforce and budget and put forth priorities that affect workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer’s rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. Chavez-DeRemer is one of a few House Republicans to endorse the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act that would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and penalize companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws in more than half the states. Lutnick heads the brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and is a cryptocurrency enthusiast. He is co-chair of Trump's transition operation, charged along with Linda McMahon, a former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration, with helping the president-elect fill key jobs in his second administration. As secretary, Lutnick would play a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. He would oversee a sprawling Cabinet department whose oversight ranges from funding new computer chip factories and imposing trade restrictions to releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. Noem is a well-known conservative who used her two terms as South Dakota's governor to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions like other states, instead declaring South Dakota “open for business.” More recently, Noem faced sharp criticism for writing in her memoir about shooting and killing her dog. She is set to lead a department crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda as well as other missions. Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports. Ratcliffe , a former U.S. House member from Texas, was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump’s first term. He led U.S. government’s spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. If confirmed, Ratcliffe will have held the highest intelligence positions in the U.S. Kennedy , 70, ran for president as a Democrat, then as an independent before he dropped out and then endorsed Trump . He's the son of Democratic icon Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968 during his own presidential campaign. Kennedy's nomination alarmed people who are concerned about his record of spreading unfounded fears about vaccines . For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Rollins , 52, is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for Trump's second administration. She is a Texas attorney who was Trump's domestic policy adviser and director of his office of American innovation during his first term. Rollins previously was an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry , who also served in Trump's first term. Rollins also ran the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years , sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children. Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential campaign, but was acquitted by the Senate. Collins also served in the armed forces himself. He is a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command. The North Dakota governor , 68, is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump after he dropped out of the running. Burgum then became a serious contender to be Trump’s vice presidential choice in part because of his executive experience and business savvy. He also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs. Trump said Burgum would chair a new National Energy Council and have a seat on the National Security Council, which would be a first for the Interior secretary. A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Wright is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. He also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. Wright said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.” The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States. McMahon, a billionaire professional wrestling mogul , would make a return appearance in a second Trump administration. She led the Small Business Administration from 2017 to 2019 in Trump’s first term and twice ran unsuccessfully in Connecticut as a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University. She has expressed support for charter schools and school choice. Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on X , “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI" and "we will do so while protecting access to clean air and water.” Trump often attacked the Biden administration’s promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referred to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often said his administration would “drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration. Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” Greer is a partner at King & Spalding, a Washington law firm. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be responsible for negotiating directly with foreign governments on trade deals and disputes, as well as memberships in international trade bodies such as the World Trade Organization. He previously was chief of staff to Robert Lighthizer, who was the trade representative in Trump's first term. Wiles , 67, was a senior adviser to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. She has a background in Florida politics , helping Ron DeSantis win his first race for Florida governor. Six years later, she was key to Trump’s defeat of him in the 2024 Republican primary. Wiles’ hire was Trump’s first major decision as president-elect and one that could be a defining test of his incoming administration considering her close relationship with him. Wiles is said to have earned Trump’s trust in part by guiding what was the most disciplined of Trump’s three presidential campaigns. Waltz is a three-term Republican congressman from east-central Florida. A former Army Green Beret , he served multiple tours in Afghanistan and worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population. Hassett, 62, is a major advocate of tax cuts who was chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers in the first Trump term. In the new role as chairman of the National Economic Council, Trump said Hassett will play an important role in helping American families recover from inflation as well as in renewing and improving tax cuts Trump enacted in 2017, many of which are set to expire after 2025. Homan, 62, has been tasked with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history. He led the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Trump's first administration. Democrats have criticized Homan for defending Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings in the first term, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border. Vought, 48, held the position during Trump’s first presidency. He the founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as “renew a consensus of America as a nation under God.” Vought also was closely involved with Project 2025 , a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that Trump tried to distance himself from during the campaign. Miller, an immigration hardliner , was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump’s priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump’s first term. Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump’s policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation’s economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people living illegally in the U.S. Scavino was an adviser in all three of the president-elect's campaigns and was described by the transition team as one of “Trump’s longest serving and most trusted aides." He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president. Scavino previously ran Trump’s social media profile in the White House. Blair was political director for Trump’s 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and an assistant to the president. Blair was key to Trump’s economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign. Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump’s 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president. Leavitt , 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. McGinley was Cabinet secretary during Trump's first administration and was outside legal counsel for the Republican National Committee's election integrity effort during the 2024 campaign. The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and they were golfing at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination. Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee. Kellogg , 80, is a highly decorated retired three-star general and one of the architects of a staunchly conservative policy book that lays out an “America First” national security agenda for Trump's second term. He has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues and served as national security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence . Kellogg also was chief of staff of the National Security Council under Trump and stepped in as an acting national security adviser for Trump after Michael Flynn resigned the post. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests. Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Huckabee has rejected a Palestinian homeland in territory occupied by Israel. His daughter, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, served as White House press secretary in Trump's first term. Stefanik, 40, is a U.S. representative from New York and one of Trump's staunchest defenders dating to his first impeachment trial. She was elected chair of the House Republican Conference in 2021, the third-highest position in House leadership, after then-Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after she publicly criticized Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile. A former acting attorney general during Trump's first administration and tight end on the University of Iowa football team, Whitaker , 55, has a background in law enforcement but not in foreign policy. A fierce Trump localist, Whitaker, is also a former U.S. attorney in Iowa and served as acting attorney general between November 2018 and February 2019 without Senate confirmation, until William Barr was confirmed for the role. That was when special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference was drawing to a close. Whitaker also faced questions about his past business dealings, including his ties to an invention-promotion company that was accused of misleading consumers. A Republican congressman from Michigan who served from 1993 to 2011, Hoekstra was ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump's first term. Oz , 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show,” a long-running daytime TV talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Trump, who endorsed Oz’s bid for elected office. Makary is a Johns Hopkins surgeon and author who argued against pandemic lockdowns. He routinely appeared on Fox News during the COVID-19 pandemic and wrote opinion articles questioning masks for children. He cast doubt on vaccine mandates but supported vaccines generally. Makary also cast doubt on whether booster shots worked, which was against federal recommendations on the vaccine. Nesheiwat is a general practitioner who serves as medical director for CityMD, a network of urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey. She has been a contributor on Fox News. Weldon is a former Florida congressman who recently ran for a Florida state legislative seat and lost; Trump backed Weldon’s opponent. In Congress, Weldon weighed in on one of the nation’s most heated debates of the 1990s over quality of life and a right-to-die and whether Terri Schiavo, who was in a persistent vegetative after cardiac arrest, state should have been allowed to have her feeding tube removed. He sided with the parents who did not want it removed. Bhattacharya , 56, is a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates. As head of the NIH, the leading medical research agency in the United States, Trump said Bhattacharya would work with Kennedy Jr. to direct U.S. medical research and make important discoveries that will improve health and save lives. Bhattacharya is professor at Stanford University School of Medicine and was one of three authors of the Great Barrington Declaration, an October 2020 open letter maintaining that lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic were causing irreparable harm. Gaetz, 42, withdrew from consideration to become the top law enforcement officer of the United States amid fallout over a federal sex trafficking investigation that cast doubt on his ability to be confirmed by the Senate. In choosing Gaetz, Trump had passed over more established lawyers whose names had been floated as possible contenders for the job. Gaetz resigned from Congress after Trump announced him on Nov. 13. The House Ethics Committee has been investigating an allegation that he paid for sex with a 17-year-old. Gaetz has denied wrongdoing. Associated Press writers Colleen Long, Zeke Miller, Farnoush Amiri, Lolita C. Baldor, Jill Colvin, Matthew Daly, Edith M. Lederer, Adriana Gomez Licon, Lisa Mascaro, Chris Megerian, Michelle L. Price, Will Weissert and Darlene Superville contributed to this report.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! I know every family has at least one legendary Thanksgiving Drama Debacle. So, I decided to ask members of the BuzzFeed Community what happened at their family's Infamous Thanksgiving Incident. Here are their best answers: 1. "My aunt and uncle who don't believe COVID exists tried to have everyone over for Thanksgiving in 2020 after their trip to Boca Raton. No one wanted to go because they are pretty rude in general and it was 2020 and they'd just been to Boca Raton." "Long story short, they started a fight with my parents (and my other uncle) about politics and it turns out they have a whoooooole HOST of crazy opinions! We did not go to Thanksgiving at their house that year (or any of the last four years), but Grandma did. And guess what? She caught COVID, because they had just caught it in Boca Raton." —Anonymous 2. "The FBI came to my door as we were having sushi. ([Yes, sushi] on Thanksgiving, I have no idea why.)" — sbuzzfeed7 3. "The stomach bug started to hit the children first, and two of them vomited on the Thanksgiving dinner table minutes apart. Half of the family was puking by the next morning." — lizney 4. "So my aunt and uncle are swingers, and apparently, I was the only one who didn’t know." "So it’s the day before Thanksgiving and I’m sitting next to my grandma and my cousin's at-the-time girlfriend... We always had a huge feast the night before, with snow crab legs and blue crabs from the East Coast. I remember sitting there helping the new girlfriend out with the crab (she was very inexperienced compared to everyone else). My uncle was at the head of the table far away from me. We were all talking and playing 'games,' some stupid word game that my cousins had made up. Somehow it became a question about favorites, like 'What’s your favorite book?' So here I am, youngest at the table, across from my dad and stepmom, and right next to my grandma. My uncle looks dead at me and says to everyone, 'What’s your favorite sexual position?" Mind you the other adults there are his kids, his mom, his wife, my dad and stepmom, his son’s very serious girlfriend, and myself. Deadass eye contact with me and no one knew what to say. I don’t remember how I got saved from answering that one." — edgywalrus305 5. "The week before Thanksgiving, my mother overdosed on pills and alcohol. They almost didn't save her in time. She was released a few days before turkey day." "My sister and her new husband were visiting from Atlanta, I was on a break from California, and my baby brother was home from college. We were so stressed; at that time, Mom's drug addiction and mental illness were coming through hardcore. Sis stuck close to her husband, but bro and I decided that we should remove all the alcohol from the house and the opiates from her purse. HOO boy – when she found out what we did, she screamed, 'That's MY property and you have NO RIGHT!' Dad is her evil-minded enabler, so he was of no help. Suddenly, quiet sister pipes up and yells, 'F— YOU, MOM." We were so proud of her—even thankful—and that, my friends, became known as 'F-Bomb Thanksgiving 2004.'" — clumsybunny8556 6. "My family decided to be fancy and use Sterno-powered chafing dishes to keep everything warm...in another room, unattended. We almost burned the house down and had no leftovers that year." — lobster_lemon_lime 7. "My mother’s birthday is on or around Thanksgiving, and every year I purchase or make a cake to honor her memory. A few years ago, my sister hosted dinner at her house, and the night before, we set up tableware and desserts plus other things buffet style." "I crashed on the couch and during the night, I heard her dogs moving around and playing with something. I went back to sleep and later ran a few errands only to come back and find out the dogs had helped themselves to a thing or two on the table (bread, crackers, etc). After dinner, I asked my sister to bring out the cake and she said we'd eaten it the night before. Our other sister agreed with her and insisted we ate it. Turns out the dogs had eaten the cake and they did a terrible job lying about it." —Anonymous 8. "I almost killed my entire family, quite literally." "We'd had a heavy snow, and trees were falling, taking out power lines. We had no power, and the home heater was electric as well. I fired up the portable generator in our basement and carefully ran the end of the exhaust pipe outside. We enjoyed a nice dinner in a house with lights and heat. After dinner, the kids complained of having headaches. I found their complaints to be mildly irritating but went about the business of cleaning up after dinner. While doing so, for no reason whatsoever, I simply fell down... I hit the floor." "Somehow, I still had enough sense to realize that something had gone wrong with the generator, and we were getting poisoned with carbon monoxide." "Everyone in the house—all eight of us—were groggy by this time, but I summoned my brother to assist me. It was a struggle to walk, but we made our way to the basement and shut off the generator. It turned out to be that the exhaust hose had fallen off of the generator, and the machine had filled the house with the deadly gas. We opened the doors and windows for the next several hours and cleared the house in spite of the 25-degree temperature. Phones were down, so we could not even summon emergency help. For the next several weeks, most of those present had headaches, body aches, and great difficulty thinking and performing even simple tasks. What I have read since then about carbon monoxide poisoning is that we had experienced a very severe case of it, and had only very narrowly escaped death. That was the Thanksgiving that I ALMOST killed my entire family." —Anonymous 9. "I came out as a lesbian and my homophobic little sister smacked me in the face. :)" "She was like 13 and she has grown since then. Now she's my biggest supporter. I don't ever bring it up but I still laugh to myself about it whenever we go over to my grandparents' for holiday dinners." —Anonymous 10. "One year my brother wanted to roast a suckling pig to go with my turkey, but he couldn't use my kitchen... I had a whole day of cooking ahead of me, especially in the oven! Everyone was coming from out of town, so ours was the only kitchen." "[On Wednesday evening my dad, husband, and brother constructed an outdoor oven. They started the cooking process early Thursday morning and were in and out checking the pig every 10 to15 minutes. Please note: It was VERY WINDY that Thanksgiving. About two hours into the process, several grandkids and the outside chefs ran through the kitchen and out the back door. All I heard was, 'The pig's on fire!' I flew outside to find smoke billowing from their 'outdoor oven...' a 3'x3'x3' cinderblock cube in which a groove was chiseled to allow a spit to rest that held the pig. The inside was lined with foil and a foil-covered piece of plywood served as the lid. So... yes, they had created a KILN. With the wind continuously blowing through the little spit holes, that poor charred, black, raw, baby pig never stood a chance." —Anonymous 11. "My brother decided I was too stressed cooking dinner so he insisted I have a marijuana gummy. Not something I normally do, but something he regularly does. I eat a whole delicious fruit punch gummy bear and go on cooking." "During dinner, I start feeling off. I think, 'it’s clearly kicking in,' and continue eating, thinking let the fun begin! God, was I wrong. I look across the table and my twin uncles start merging together. Starting to panic, I think, 'I’ll go to the bathroom, splash some water on my face, and be fine.' Spoiler: I was not fine. My husband had to carry me to a bedroom to lie down. I start hallucinating some seriously crazy stuff. My husband decides he’ll sober me up with a shower, but has to carry me to the shower because I can’t walk on my own and proceed to violently throw up in the shower. My mom, brother, and husband have to help me clean up and get dressed. The rest of the family is oblivious to what’s going on and thinks dinner simply did not sit well. I keep throwing up while my aunt assures me that dinner was great! My parents finally put everything together and yell at my brother for getting me too high and ruining the evening. If anyone even mentions Thanksgiving my family tells this story and laughs uncontrollably. Apparently, I cannot handle my gummies and haven’t had one since. My daughter has no idea any of this happened and likes to tell me how great gummy bears are and that I’m missing out!" —Anonymous 12. "Unbeknownst to me, my family invited the uncle who molested me. Before he could even sit down my brother went and beat him to shit with a baseball bat." —Anonymous 13. "We learned that my brother was having an affair with a married man. We hadn't known he was gay, but we'd suspected. (Yes, the affair guy was married to another man.)" "My sister tried to announce to the family that she had an unhealthy dependence on alcohol and wanted to be sober by Christmas, but this was upstaged by the gay brother affair. By the end of the night she, my aunt, and I were the last stragglers in the gleaming kitchen splitting a bottle of wine." —Anonymous 14. "My grandma decided we were all on a diet and tried not to use any butter. For anything. That would've just been kind of a fail, except it started a fight between my mom and my uncle about diet culture that they still haven't stopped beefing about. It's been two years." —Anonymous 15. "My sister's abusive piece of shit husband got shot while dealing drugs on Thanksgiving morning." "He was admitted to the hospital at like 5 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day and my sister didn't tell us until she came over for dinner without him and we were like, 'Where's Jeff?' Turns out he had been dealing drugs to teenagers! Now we don't have to worry about him because he is in jail. I always hated him. Now I am free ❤️" —Anonymous 16. And finally: "When I was in eighth grade my parents (who I thought were in a very loving relationship!) decided to announce to our very large, very Catholic extended family that they were getting a 🎵Divoooorce!🎶 😃" "My grandma cried. My other grandma (dad's mom) was there too, and she and my crying grandma put on a rare united front to yell at my parents. My two aunts and my uncle were texting each other under the table. My parents honestly had each other's backs in this one instance and were NOT gonna be pressured out of a divorce. Turns out my dad had been lowkey cheating (talking to a woman from CHURCH! but no actual sex), and when we found that out, my aunt (his sister) smacked him with a full glass of wine in her hand and it broke against his face. Screaming ensued and my cousins and I went upstairs to play Mario Kart. I slept at my aunt's that night." —Anonymous So, what do you think? Let me know in the comments down below. Hopefully, our Thanksgivings are not as eventful as some of these.

Fantasy football is a passion for many. Sometimes that passion pushes fantasy managers to make emotional decisions even when the data suggest otherwise. Each week during the 2024 NFL season, Liz Loza will attempt to strike a balance between what the data states and what the heart wants. This is called Facts vs. Feelings. I'm writing this week's column on Christmas Eve, feeling as though I should incorporate a Yuletide theme. The fact is, however, you're probably going to read this after December 25th. In which case, I hope that your holiday was merry and bright. Whether Santa slid down your chimney, the glow of Hanukkah is lighting up your evenings, or the bemusement of Festivus tickled your counter-culture soul, may the ritual of your choosing have brought you a comfortable sufficiency of your favorite things and people. If it didn't ... well, then notes for next year. Because we're already thinking about next year, aren't we? These final few days of 2024 are guaranteed to be stuffed with "spin it forward" takes and headlines selling us the "hottest new resolutions" for 2025. Many of us will pen mental manifestos about counting macros (because cutting carbs faded away with the flip phone and trucker hats) and prioritizing probiotics. Others will make public proclamations regarding intentional self-care while committing to grabbing those long overdue drinks with that friend who lives across town. It's all just wheel-spinning, really. Not that creating healthful change is frivolous. Or that I would ever doubt the authenticity of anyone's personal promises. Not at all. Rather, this specific space of time exists in such a liminal way that we can't help but feel disoriented. I don't want to dodder around in a fugue-like state but straddling the end of one year while not beginning the next invites a discomforting amount of confusion. Ripping off robust resolutions and organizing tool sheds offers us agency. Sitting still is tough. Distractions often provide us with deep delight. I'm not advocating for either. Though, I am planning to give "staying present" a valiant try. The concept is not novel. I've hinted at it throughout the season. Aiming to live in the now when the now is muddy, however, requires an accented amount of discipline. And who wants to talk about discipline on Dec. 27? Instead, why don't we just allow events to unfold? Maybe change things up when new data is discovered or different feelings bubble to the surface? Even if the calendar and the coordinating fantasy football season don't imply an expanse of hours or minutes with which to cull updated information. Who cares? We still have one, maybe two more weeks. And besides, if we can't control our circumstances, let's at least focus on how we react to them. So, don't let the purgatory of this period mess with your mentals. Ponder what it is you really want and then do that thing, taking full responsibility for any potential consequences. Trust your gut in late December as much as you did in early October and as much as you will in mid-January. Purge your garage with as much enthusiasm as a De'Von Achane Stan starting him at Cleveland. Or languish in cozies on the sofa with satisfaction similar to that of Bijan Robinson managers coming off of a third multi-TD effort. The stakes may be high and the time may be muted, but you remain the captain of your destiny in fantasy ... and life. Now, get out there and enjoy all of it. It's not too late to play for free There's still time to join or create a league in the No. 1 Fantasy basketball game. Your league starts fresh on the first scoring period following your draft. Create or join a fantasy basketball league on ESPN. Your championship run starts today! Sign up today! Brock Purdy , QB, San Francisco 49ers : Few players have seized an unexpected moment with as much vigor as Purdy. From being under center at the Super Bowl to being unceremoniously eliminated from the postseason 10 months later, the 49ers' QB has moved through an impressive number of obstacles. And, yet, he's battled through all of the disappointment and continued to produce. Purdy is currently fantasy's QB12 in terms of points per game, registering nearly 17 per contest. That's down just 1.5 points from his 2023 average. Certainly, not bad given the number of offensive stars that made early exits from San Fran's season. Moreover, Purdy has posted 20 or more fantasy points in four of his past seven games. There were two single-digit outliers (most notably the 'snow game' versus Buffalo) during that span and he tossed an ugly INT at Miami in Week 16, but his performances have been of starting caliber more times than not. Part of Purdy's appeal sneakily exists in his legs. The 24-year-old is QB8 in rushing fantasy points behind Jalen Hurts , Josh Allen , Jayden Daniels , Lamar Jackson , Anthony Richardson , Kyler Murray and Bo Nix . More specifically, Purdy is in the second tier of mobile QBs, averaging 3.9 fantasy points per game from rushing alone. That sets up nicely versus Detroit, as the Lions' defense has given up the third-most rushing yards per game (28.3) to opposing QBs. Speaking of the Lions' defense, it is banged up to say the least. As the injuries have mounted, so has the opposing offenses' production; all three signal-callers that have reached 22 fantasy points against the Lions this season have come over the team's most recent four games. The unit allowed seven passing scores from Weeks 1-12. That number jumped to eight over the most-recent four games. With Purdy playing for pride in what's expected to be a relatively close (+3.5) and high-scoring affair (51.5) , Mr. Irrelevant is in a position to make fantasy squads anything but. Alexander Mattison , RB, Las Vegas Raiders : The Raiders' backfield has been giving EOY energy since Josh Jacobs left town. Make no mistake; the team cast Mattison in an understudy role, but with Zamir White (quadriceps) and Sincere McCormick (ankle) both on the IR, the former Viking figures to receive top billing over the next pair of weeks. Even with Ameer Abdullah stumbling into a resurgence, Mattison found the spotlight in the passing game, converting four of seven looks in Week 16. The 26-year-old has handled lead back duties on five occasions this season, registering at least 16 touches and averaging 19.5 opportunities over the collection of games. His output in those efforts has been of the RB2 variety, as he's managed a solid 13.6 fantasy points per contest. He figures to post similar stats in a plus matchup at New Orleans. The Saints have allowed 17 rushing TDs to RBs, including a whopping three (to three different Packers running backs) this past Monday night. Mattison may not have been on early-season bingo cards but could be a perfectly-timed Band-Aid for facile managers seeking positional depth. Introducing the ESPN Smack Talk Fantasy Football Greeting Cards This 3-card pack offers the perfect blend of humor and humiliation, making sure your league's biggest underachievers get the recognition they deserve. Use code FOCUS10 for 10% off your order. Shop Now Terry McLaurin , WR, Washington Commanders : Talk about delayed gratification! The unlocking of Scary Terry has been a journey six years in the making. No matter the stumbling blocks or setbacks, McLaurin efforted towards ascent. That dedication exists not only on a macro level, but also from a micro POV. The chemistry between McLaurin and Jayden Daniels didn't happen overnight. At no point, however, did the duo stop massaging it into existence. Take, for example, their splits facing Philadelphia. McLaurin converted just one of two balls for 10 yards in Week 11. That number improved to a 5-60-1 stat line (worth 17 fantasy points) in Week 16. The evolution has been equal parts constant and consistent. Currently the virtual game's WR5 overall, McLaurin has posted 15 or more fantasy points in nine of his past 10 outings and in 11 total contests over the course of 2024. For context, those 11 games of 15-plus fantasy points ranks second-most in the NFL among non-QBs. Only Justin Jefferson has more (12), while Ja'Marr Chase and Jahmyr Gibbs are tied with the same number. The climb figures to continue in a game with major postseason implications on Sunday night. Washington will host a Falcons' squad miraculously still in the hunt for the NFC South crown and, with it, a playoff berth. With both offenses firing on all cylinders and Atlanta's defense allowing the highest completion percentage in the NFL (69.8%), McLaurin should put forth a commanding display. Additionally working in the wideout's favor is the fact that the Falcons have allowed a league-high (tied with the Texans) 20 receiving scores to wide receivers. That's got to make McLaurin investors feel pretty good about their chances of victory in Week 17. Alec Pierce , WR, Indianapolis Colts : No better way to close out the year than with a little YOLO. Pierce has brought the boom (and the bust) throughout 2024. Assuming he clears the leagues' concussion protocol (from a head injury suffered in Week 15), the explosive wideout figures to deliver more of the former, especially facing an ultra-generous Giants' secondary. Ranking first at the position in deep targets (29), Pierce is averaging an astounding 22.2 yards per reception (WR2). He's listed second among Colts' pass-catchers in routes run (353) and receiving yards registered (645) while leading the corps in air yards per target (21.41) and receiving scores hauled in (tied with Josh Downs for five). Pierce's downfield ability figures to be healthily exploited given the matchup. New York's defense has given up an absurd 62% completion rate on deep passes, which is by far the worst in the NFL, registering a full five points behind of the down-and-out Jaguars (57%). Interestingly, three of the six receivers who, like Pierce (21.5 yards, WR1), rank inside the top 20 in terms of aDOT have each logged season-high fantasy point totals when facing the G-Men: Calvin Austin III (20.4 FPTS, which included a kick return), Amari Cooper (27.6 FPTS), and Rashod Bateman (23.0 FPTS). The timing for Pierce and his managers could not be better. Editor's Picks The Playbook: Your fantasy football guide for Christmas Day games 2h Mike Clay Shadow Report: Your weekly guide to WR/CB matchups 1h Mike Clay Matchup rankings: Bucky Irving, Jayden Reed set up well 56m Tristan H. Cockcroft Chig Okonkwo , TE, Tennessee Titans : I am but a humble fantasy analyst, standing before you, and asking you to, once again, consider the underutilized talents of the Titans' second-most targeted pass-catcher. To be fair, it appears as though Mason Rudolph and I share an affinity for the tight end's receiving potential. Okonkwo -- who has drawn double-digit looks in back-to-back efforts -- has logged a healthy target share of 19% with Rudolph under center as opposed to 11% with Will Levis at the helm. Coincidentally, the Maryland product has also experienced an increase in snap share, up from 54% in Weeks 1-8 to 70% since Week 9. While Rudolph has not been perfect, he has provided the offense with an undeniable spark. So much so that the Titans are favored (-1) at Jacksonville in Week 17. Of course, much of that has to do with the state of the Jaguars' (briefly aforementioned) defense. Jacksonville has given up the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing TEs, including 20.9 to Brock Bowers last Sunday. Chig may not be Brock, but his Week 16 effort (19.1) ranked second-most at the position, behind only the Raiders rookie. He has a solid shot to flirt with those numbers again this go-around, reminding managers that late is better than never. Yes, I just gave you two entire paragraphs of Mason Rudolph-adjacent analysis without a single on-the-nose reference. Happy New Year. Follow Liz on social @LizLoza_FF