jiliasia online casino The AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Mike Mitchell Jr. scored 22 points, all in the first half, and Minnesota defeated Morgan State 90-68 on Sunday. Dawson Garcia had 18 points and eight rebounds for the Golden Gophers (8-5). Parker Fox scored 11 points and Frank Mitchell had 10. There were seven lead changes in the first four minutes before Minnesota moved out front with a 10-2 run to lead 22-13 and the Golden Gophers did not let up. They shot 59% in the first half and scored 55 points. Mike Mitchell led the way with 22 points on 8-of-8 overall shooting and 6 for 6 from 3-point distance. He went 0 for 2 in the second half. Minnestoa led 55-37 at the break. Minnesota cooled off in the second half, shooting 43% and scoring 35 points, but the Bears got no closer than 15 points. Minnesota’s largest lead was 27 points on two occasions, the second coming when Caleb Williams hit a 3-pointer for an 86-59 lead with 4 minutes remaining. Kameron Hobbs led Morgan State (6-10) with 25 points. He had six rebounds and four assists. Daniel Akitoby had 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Rob Lawson scored 11 points. There were only 11 turnovers in the game — six by Morgan State and five by Minnesota. Each team scored four points after turnovers. Minnesota, 0-2 in the Big Ten, hosts No. 21 Purdue on Thursday and Ohio State on Jan. 6. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

ATLANTA (AP) — Republicans plan to move quickly in their effort to overhaul the nation’s voting procedures, seeing an opportunity with control of the White House and both chambers of Congress to push through long-sought changes that include voter ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements. They say the measures are needed to restore public confidence in elections, an erosion of trust that Democrats note has been fueled by false claims from President-elect Donald Trump and his allies of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. In the new year, Republicans will be under pressure to address Trump’s desires to change how elections are run in the U.S., something he continues to promote despite his win in November. The main legislation that Republicans expect to push will be versions of the American Confidence in Elections Act and the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, said GOP Rep. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, chair of the Committee on House Administration, which handles election-related legislation. The proposals are known as the ACE and SAVE acts, respectively. “As we look to the new year with unified Republican government, we have a real opportunity to move these pieces of legislation not only out of committee, but across the House floor and into law,” Steil said in an interview. “We need to improve Americans’ confidence in elections.” Republicans are likely to face opposition from Democrats and have little wiggle room with their narrow majorities in both the House and Senate. Steil said he expects there will be “some reforms and tweaks” to the original proposals and hopes Democrats will work with Republicans to refine and ultimately support them. New York Rep. Joe Morelle, the ranking Democrat on the committee, said there was an opportunity for bipartisan agreement on some issues but said the two previous GOP bills go too far. “Our view and the Republicans’ view is very different on this point,” Morelle said. “They have spent most of the time in the last two years and beyond really restricting the rights of people to get to ballots – and that’s at the state level and the federal level. And the SAVE Act and the ACE Act both do that – make it harder for people to vote.” Morelle said he wants to see both parties support dedicated federal funding for election offices. He sees other bipartisan opportunities around limiting foreign money in U.S. elections and possibly imposing a voter ID requirement if certain safeguards are in place to protect voters. Democrats say some state laws are too restrictive in limiting the types of IDs that are acceptable for voting, making it harder for college students or those who lack a permanent address. Morelle said he was disappointed by the GOP’s claims in this year’s campaigns about widespread voting by noncitizens , which is extremely rare, and noted how those claims all but evaporated once Trump won. Voting by noncitizens is already illegal and and can result in felony charges and deportation. “You haven’t heard a word about this since Election Day,” Morelle said. “It’s an Election Day miracle that suddenly the thing that they had spent an inordinate amount of time describing as a rampant problem, epidemic problem, didn’t exist at all.” Before the November election, House Republicans pushed the SAVE Act, which passed the House in July but stalled in the Democrat-controlled Senate. It requires proof of citizenship when registering to vote and includes potential penalties for election officials who fail to confirm eligibility. Republicans say the current process relies on an what they call an honor system with loopholes that have allowed noncitizens to register and vote in past elections. While voting by noncitizens has occurred, research and reviews of state cases have shown it to be rare and typically a mistake rather than an intentional effort to sway an election. Under the current system, those seeking to register are asked to provide either a state driver’s license number or the last four digits of a Social Security number. A few states require a full Social Security number. Republicans say the voter registration process is not tight enough because in many states people can be added to voter rolls even if they do not provide this information and that some noncitizens can receive Social Security numbers and driver’s licenses. They believe the current requirement that anyone completing a voter registration form sign under oath that they are a U.S. citizen is not enough. They want to force states to reject any voter registration application for which proof of citizenship is not provided. Republicans say that could include a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license, a passport or a birth certificate. In Georgia, a perennial presidential battleground state, election officials said they have not encountered any hiccups verifying the citizenship status of its nearly 7.3 million registered voters. They conducted an audit in 2022 that identified 1,634 people who had attempted to register but were not able to be verified as U.S. citizens by a federal database. A second audit this year used local court records to identify people who said they could not serve as a juror because they were not a U.S. citizen. Of the 20 people identified, six were investigated for illegal voting, though one of those cases was closed because the person had since died. “What we’ve done by doing those audits is give voters confidence that we do not have noncitizens voting here in Georgia,” said Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s secretary of state. “And when society is highly polarized, you have to look at building trust. Trust is the gold standard.” Raffensperger, a Republican who supports both voter ID and proof of citizenship requirements, credits the state’s early adoption of REAL ID and use of automatic voter registration for ensuring voter lists are accurate. The latter is something he hopes more Republicans will consider, as he argued it has allowed Georgia election officials to use the motor vehicle agency’s process to verify citizenship and track people moving in and around the state. “You have to get it right because you’re talking about people’s priceless franchise to vote,” Raffensperger said. If Congress does pass any changes, it would fall to election officials across the country to implement them. Raffensperger and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, said it would be a mistake to move the country to a single day of voting, something Trump has said he would like to see happen, because it would eliminate early voting and limit access to mail ballots. Both methods are extremely popular among voters. In Georgia, 71% of voters in November cast their ballots in person before Election Day. Other news outlets have retreated behind paywalls. At HuffPost, we believe journalism should be free for everyone. Would you help us provide essential information to our readers during this critical time? We can't do it without you. Can't afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you. Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you. Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all. Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages. Both said they hoped lawmakers would look to what is working in their states and build off those successes. “We’ve proven time and time again in our states that our elections are secure and are accurate,” Benson said. Related From Our Partner

Headed South for Winter? 5 Tips for Snowbirds About to Take FlightVeteran forward Bruce Brown's return a boost to flagging Toronto Raptors' lineupNEW YORK — Stock indexes closed mixed Dec. 13 to end a rare bumpy week. After three weeks of gains, the S&P 500 ended little changed Friday while the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.2 percent, and the Nasdaq composite edged up 0.1 percent. Broadcom surged about 25 percent after the semiconductor company beat profit targets and gave a glowing forecast, highlighting its artificial intelligence products. Furniture and housewares company RH, formerly known as Restoration Hardware, jumped after raising its revenue forecast. Treasury yields rose in the bond market. Wall Street's rally stalled this week amid mixed economic reports and ahead of the Federal Reserve's last meeting of the year. The central bank is widely expected to cut interest rates Wednesday for a third time since September. NEW YORK — Some financial institutions and their trade groups are suing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau over a finalized rule that limits overdraft fees banks can charge. The rule is part of President Joe Biden administration's campaign to reduce junk fees that hit consumers on everyday purchases, including banking services. But banks argue that without overdraft protection, desperate consumers will instead lean on worse, unregulated services. Under the finalized rule from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that was announced Dec. 12, banks will be able to choose from three options: charge a flat overdraft fee of $5; charge a fee that covers their costs and losses; or charge any fee so long as they disclose the terms in a specfic way. While banks have cut back on overdraft fees, the nation's biggest lenders still take in roughly $8 billion from he charges every year, according to the CFPB and bank public records. Currently, there is no cap on the overdraft fees that banks can legally charge. The finalized rule is set to take effect in October. The incoming Trump administration has yet to tap anyone to lead the CFPB, and has mentioned the idea of eliminating the agency. DETROIT — Elon Musk says the Securities and Exchange Commission wants him to pay a penalty or face charges involving what he disclosed — or failed to disclose — about his purchases of Twitter stock before he bought the social media platform in 2022. In a letter posted by Musk, his lawyer Alex Spiro said to outgoing SEC chairman Gary Gensler that the agency's demand for a monetary payment is a "misguided scheme" that won't intimidate Musk. The letter also alleges that the commission reopened an investigation this week into Neuralink, Musk's computer-to-human brain interface company. The SEC has not released the letter. Nor would it comment on it or confirm whether it has issued such a demand to Musk. Musk bought Twitter in October 2022 for $44 billion.Academy ISD is ready to put a $330,535 Jobs and Education for Texans grant from the Texas Workforce Commission to use. The funding will allow the Health Science program at Academy High School to purchase new equipment, including an Anatomage table, a bariatric nursing mannequin, a blood pressure simulator, microscopes, a mobile charting work station and two SUSIE S2400 patient simulators — a mannequin that allows students to practice NG/OG feeding, heart and lung auscultation and tracheostomy care. Jennifer Chan, one of three Health Science teachers at Academy High School spoke to how these enhancements will prepare more than 100 career and technical education students for a future in the health care industry. “The addition of this equipment will revolutionize how our students learn,” she said. “Being able to use an Anatomage table and high-fidelity patient simulators in high school is a game-changer. It sets our students apart and gives them an incredible head start in their future careers.” Joycelynn Young, a colleague, wholeheartedly agreed. “It’s so exciting to think about how our students will engage with this technology,” the fellow Health Science teacher said. “These tools will allow them to practice skills in a realistic and safe environment, giving them the confidence and competence to excel.” Academy High School was among 35 recipients across the state to earn a JET grant. “This grant opens doors for our program,” Alyssa Williams, the third Health Science teacher at Academy High School, said. “The opportunity to use this level of equipment will inspire our students to dream bigger and work harder. They’re gaining access to resources that many college programs don’t even have.” There will be a check presentation — with representatives from the Texas Workforce Commission present — in early 2025 where officials from Academy ISD will highlight how the funding will help the Health Science program remain a cornerstone in the district. “This award demonstrates the strength of our programs and the dedication of our staff,” Academy ISD Superintendent Darla Nolen said. “Academy ISD is committed to fostering opportunities that prepare students for bright futures, and this grant is a shining example of that mission.”

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