slot machine gif Huskies dominate pre-Belichick Tar Heels to win Fenway BowlIs Enron back? If it's a joke, some former employees aren't laughingBy LISA MASCARO and FARNOUSH AMIRI WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard faced fresh scrutiny Monday on Capitol Hill about her proximity to Russian-ally Syria amid the sudden collapse of that country’s hardline Assad rule. Gabbard ignored shouted questions about her 2017 visit to war-torn Syria as she ducked into one of several private meetings with senators who are being asked to confirm Trump’s unusual nominees . Related Articles National Politics | Trump promises to end birthright citizenship: What is it and could he do it? National Politics | Trump has flip-flopped on abortion policy. His appointees may offer clues to what happens next National Politics | ‘Polarization’ is Merriam-Webster’s 2024 word of the year National Politics | In promising to shake up Washington, Trump is in a class of his own National Politics | Election Day has long passed. In some states, legislatures are working to undermine the results But the Democrat-turned-Republican Army National Reserve lieutenant colonel delivered a statement in which she reiterated her support for Trump’s America First approach to national security and a more limited U.S. military footprint overseas. “I want to address the issue that’s in the headlines right now: I stand in full support and wholeheartedly agree with the statements that President Trump has made over these last few days with regards to the developments in Syria,” Gabbard said exiting a Senate meeting. The incoming president’s Cabinet and top administrative choices are dividing his Republican allies and drawing concern , if not full opposition, from Democrats and others. Not just Gabbard, but other Trump nominees including Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth, were back at the Capitol ahead of what is expected to be volatile confirmation hearings next year. The incoming president is working to put his team in place for an ambitious agenda of mass immigrant deportations, firing federal workers and rollbacks of U.S. support for Ukraine and NATO allies. “We’re going to sit down and visit, that’s what this is all about,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., as he welcomed Gabbard into his office. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary pick Hegseth appeared to be picking up support from once-skeptical senators, the former Army National Guard major denying sexual misconduct allegations and pledging not to drink alcohol if he is confirmed. The president-elect’s choice to lead the FBI, Kash Patel , who has written extensively about locking up Trump’s foes and proposed dismantling the Federal Bureau of Investigation, launched his first visits with senators Monday. “I expect our Republican Senate is going to confirm all of President Trump’s nominees,” said Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., on social media. Despite widespread concern about the nominees’ qualifications and demeanors for the jobs that are among the highest positions in the U.S. government, Trump’s team is portraying the criticism against them as nothing more than political smears and innuendo. Showing that concern, nearly 100 former senior U.S. diplomats and intelligence and national security officials have urged Senate leaders to schedule closed-door hearings to allow for a full review of the government’s files on Gabbard. Trump’s allies have described the criticisms of Hegseth in particular as similar to those lodged against Brett Kavanaugh, the former president’s Supreme Court nominee who denied a sexual assault allegation and went on to be confirmed during Trump’s first term in office. Said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., about Hegseth: “Anonymous accusations are trying to destroy reputations again. We saw this with Kavanaugh. I won’t stand for it.” One widely watched Republican, Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, herself a former Army National Guard lieutenant colonel and sexual assault survivor who had been criticized by Trump allies for her cool reception to Hegseth, appeared more open to him after their follow-up meeting Monday. “I appreciate Pete Hegseth’s responsiveness and respect for the process,” Ernst said in a statement. Ernst said that following “encouraging conversations,” he had committed to selecting a senior official who will “prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks. As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.” Ernst also had praise for Patel — “He shares my passion for shaking up federal agencies” — and for Gabbard. Once a rising Democratic star, Gabbard, who represented Hawaii in Congress, arrived a decade ago in Washington, her surfboard in tow, a new generation of potential leaders. She ran unsuccessfully for president in 2020. But Gabbard abruptly left the party and briefly became an independent before joining with Trump’s 2024 campaign as one of his enthusiasts, in large part over his disdain for U.S. involvement overseas and opposition to helping Ukraine battle Russia. Her visit to Syria to meet with then-President Bashar Assad around the time of Trump’s first inauguration during the country’s bloody civil war stunned her former colleagues and the Washington national security establishment. The U.S. had severed diplomatic relations with Syria. Her visit was seen by some as legitimizing a brutal leader who was accused of war crimes. Gabbard has defended the trip, saying it’s important to open dialogue, but critics hear in her commentary echoes of Russia-fueled talking points. Assad fled to Moscow over the weekend after Islamist rebels overtook Syria in a surprise attack, ending his family’s five decades of rule. She said her own views have been shaped by “my multiple deployments and seeing firsthand the cost of war and the threat of Islamist terrorism.” Gabbard said, “It’s one of the many reasons why I appreciate President Trump’s leadership and his election, where he is fully committed, as he has said over and over, to bring about an end to wars.” Last week, the nearly 100 former officials, who served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, said in the letter to Senate leaders they were “alarmed” by the choice of Gabbard to oversee all 18 U.S. intelligence agencies. They said her past actions “call into question her ability to deliver unbiased intelligence briefings to the President, Congress, and to the entire national security apparatus.” The Office of the Director of National Intelligence was created after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to coordinate the nation’s intelligence agencies and act as the president’s main intelligence adviser. Associated Press writer Stephen Groves contributed to this report.Women-Led Games: The Game Awards Edition Join us on December 11th at 4pm PT to find out what's new and exciting in the world of gaming. Women-Led Games brings recognition to the hard-working women in the games industry with a yearly showcase featuring innovative games coming from women-led and majority-women studios.

Lara Trump stepping down as RNC co-chair and addressing speculation about Florida Senate seatStock indexes closed mixed on Wall Street at the end of a rare bumpy week. The S&P 500 ended little changed Friday. The benchmark index reached its latest in a string of records a week ago. It lost ground for the week following three weeks of gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.2%. The Nasdaq composite edged up 0.1%. Broadcom surged after the semiconductor company beat Wall Street’s profit targets and gave a glowing forecast, highlighting its artificial intelligence products. RH, formerly known as Restoration Hardware, surged after raising its revenue forecast. Treasury yields rose in the bond market. On Friday: The S&P 500 fell 0.16 points, or less than 0.1%, to 6,051.09. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 86.06 points, or 0.2%, to 43,828.06. The Nasdaq composite rose 23.88 points, or 0.1%, to 19,926.72. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 14.19 points, or 0.6%, to 2,346.90. For the week: The S&P 500 is down 39.18 points, or 0.6%. The Dow is down 814.46 points, or 1.8%. The Nasdaq is up 66.95 points, or 0.3%. The Russell 2000 is down 62.10 points, or 2.6%. For the year: The S&P 500 is up 1,281.26 points, or 26.9%. The Dow is up 6,138.52 points, or 16.3%. The Nasdaq is up 4,951.37 points, or 32.7%. The Russell 2000 is up 319.82 points, or 15.8%.

A number of prominent pundits, including former City defender and club ambassador Micah Richards, have questioned why the Belgium international has not been starting games amid the champions’ dramatic slump. City have not won in seven outings in all competitions – their worst run since 2008 – with De Bruyne featuring only as a substitute in the last five of those matches after recovering from a pelvic injury. The latest came with a 12-minute run-out in Sunday’s demoralising 2-0 defeat at Premier League leaders Liverpool, a result which left City 11 points off the pace and fifth in the table. Richards said on The Rest is Football podcast it appeared “there’s some sort of rift going on” between De Bruyne and Guardiola while former England striker Gary Lineker added: “It seems like all’s not well.” Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said he felt “something isn’t right” and fellow Sky Sports analyst Gary Neville, the ex-Manchester United right-back, described the situation as “unusual, bizarre, strange”. Guardiola, speaking at a press conference to preview his side’s clash with Nottingham Forest, responded on Tuesday. The Spaniard said: “People say I’ve got a problem with Kevin. Do you think I like to not play with Kevin? No, I don’t want Kevin to play? “The guy who has the most talent in the final third, I don’t want it? I have a personal problem with him after nine years together? “He’s delivered to me the biggest success to this club, but he’s been five months injured (last season) and two months injured (this year). “He’s 33 years old. He needs time to find his best, like last season, step by step. He’ll try to do it and feel better. I’m desperate to have his best.” De Bruyne has not started since being forced off at half-time of City’s Champions League clash with Inter Milan on September 18, having picked up an injury in the previous game. Both the player and manager have spoken since of the pain he was in and the need to ease back into action, but his spell on the bench has been unexpectedly long. The resulting speculation has then been exacerbated because De Bruyne is in the final year of his contract but Guardiola maintains nothing untoward has occurred. He said: “I’d love to have the Kevin in his prime, 26 or 27. He would love it to – but he is not 26 or 27 any more. “He had injuries in the past, important and long ones. He is a guy who needs to be physically fit for his space and energy. You think I’m complaining? It’s normal, it’s nature. “He’s played in 10 or 11 seasons a lot of games and I know he is desperate to help us. He gives glimpses of brilliance that only he can have. “But, always I said, he himself will not solve our problems, like Erling (Haaland) won’t solve it himself. We attack and defend together. “We want the best players back. Hopefully step by step the confidence will come back and we’ll get the best of all of us.”RJ Installations & Design welcomed to Dracut

Costco to stop selling books at most US locations starting next yearDemocratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday that he is prepared to sit down with incoming border czar Tom Homan to discuss deporting illegal immigrants who have committed crimes. Adams, who has been grappling with the soaring migrant crisis in New York City, said he is prepared to work alongside President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration to tackle the rising crime rates committed by illegal immigrants. He brushed off any concerns regarding the political left’s outrage at his willingness to deport dangerous individuals residing in his city. “Those who are here committing crimes, robberies, shooting at police officers, raping innocent people, have been a harm to our country, I want to sit down and hear the plan on how we’re going to address them,” Adams said. “Those are the people I am talking about and I would love to sit down with the border czar and hear his thoughts on how we’re going to address those who harm our citizens. You know what’s interesting, and I was talking to the team the other day, I want you to go back and google Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Google what they said about those who commit crime in our city and what they said in our country. They said ‘those who commit crimes need to get out right away.’ That was their position, so this is not a new position.” “Because in the era of cancel culture, no one’s afraid to be honest about the truth. Well, cancel me, because I’m going to protect the people of this city. And if you come into this country and this city and think you’re going to harm innocent New Yorkers and innocent migrants and asylum seekers, this is not the mayor you want to be in the city under,” the mayor continued. Homan, who served as the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director in 2017 and 2018, intends to carry out Trump’s mass deportation plan in a “humane manner” and vowed to run “the biggest deportation operation” in U.S. history. He said in recent interviews that his deportation efforts will initially target those who pose a risk to public safety. (RELATED: Eric Adams Claims Biden-Harris Admin Targeted Him After He Spoke Out About ‘Broken Immigration Policies’) New York City has faced a massive surge of illegal migrants that have led to increasing concerns about safety risks and crime. There are reportedly over 58,000 illegal migrants who are convicted felons or are facing pending criminal charges currently located in New York City, according to ICE data first reported by the New York Post. Adams warned in September 2023 that the migrant crisis “will destroy” the city and criticized the Biden-Harris administration for allegedly having given him “no support.” At a committee hearing in April, New York City officials called on President Joe Biden and Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to increase their efforts to handle the migrant crisis. Homan suggested during a Nov. 26 interview on Fox News that Democratic governors and mayors obstructing the upcoming administration’s deportation efforts could face jail time. Democratic Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and California Gov. Gavin Newsom have threatened to use their authority to block the Trump administration’s efforts to deport illegal immigrants residing in their cities and states. All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org .NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 13, 2024-- JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) (“JPMorganChase” or the “Firm”) has declared dividends on the outstanding shares of the Firm’s Series CC and HH preferred stock. Information can be found on the Firm’s Investor Relations website at https://www.jpmorganchase.com/ir/news . JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is a leading financial services firm based in the United States of America (“U.S.”), with operations worldwide. JPMorganChase had $4.2 trillion in assets and $346 billion in stockholders’ equity as of September 30, 2024. The Firm is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing and asset management. Under the J.P. Morgan and Chase brands, the Firm serves millions of customers in the U.S., and many of the world’s most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients globally. Information about JPMorgan Chase & Co. is available at www.jpmorganchase.com . View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241213856749/en/ CONTACT: Investor Contact: Mikael Grubb 212-270-2479 Media Contact: Joseph Evangelisti 212-270-7438 KEYWORD: NEW YORK UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: BANKING ASSET MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FINANCE SOURCE: JPMorgan Chase & Co. Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/13/2024 04:21 PM/DISC: 12/13/2024 04:22 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241213856749/en

Work and pensions minister Sir Stephen Timms said the move aims to drive “real improvements” for disabled people, whom the ministers will be encouraged to engage with on a regular basis. He told the Commons: “I am very pleased to be able to announce today the appointment of new lead ministers for disability in each Government department, they will represent the interests of disabled people, champion disability inclusion and accessibility within their departments. “I’m going to chair regular meetings with them and will encourage them to engage directly with disabled people and their representative organisations, as they take forward their departmental priorities. “And I look forward to this new group of lead ministers for disability together driving real improvements across Government for disabled people.” This came during an adjournment debate on International Day of Persons with Disabilities, where Liberal Democrat MP Steve Darling raised concerns about “floating bus stops”, which have a cycle lane between the stop and the pavement. Intervening, the MP for Torbay, who is registered blind, said: “The Government needs to ban floating bus stops.” Sir Stephen said: “I do think this issue about floating bus stops is an important issue which we need to work across Government to reflect on.” Labour MP Debbie Abrahams, who led the debate, had earlier criticised the lack of accessibility for disabled people on trains. The Oldham East and Saddleworth MP said: “Our train network does not have level access, and we heard Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson from the other place make this plea back in the summer, absolutely outrageous what she was put through. “But I was absolutely shocked to find, when I had a presentation of the TransPennine route upgrade, that the rolling stock yet to be commissioned is not going to provide that level access. “It’s absolute nonsense, it’s not even in the design of that procurement, so we must do better than this.”

Support for President-elect Donald Trump has grown in nearly every city and town in the Bay Area since 2016, including significant inroads in some of the Bay Area’s most Democratic strongholds. In 67 of the region’s 69 cities and towns, the number of votes Trump received in 2024 was higher than in 2016, and a new analysis of election data by the Bay Area News Group found one particularly significant factor: income. The places with the lowest incomes — San Pablo, Richmond, Antioch, Oakland, San Leandro, Pittsburg and East Palo Alto — all tallied at least 50% more Trump votes in 2024, while the highest-income cities and towns showed the least change overall. “Overwhelmingly, this is an affordability issue,” said Mike Madrid, a Republican political strategist and author of a new book about Latino voters, “The Latino Century.” “It’s not a jobs issue, it’s not a taxes issue, it’s not your standard Republican perspective on the economy.” “This is entirely consistent with what we have been seeing nationally,” Madrid said. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;rBOSTON , Dec. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Below is the November 2024 Monthly Update for the Liberty All-Star Equity Fund USA . Liberty All-Star Equity Fund Ticker: USA Monthly Update, November 2024 Investment Approach: Fund Style: Large-Cap Core Fund Strategy: Combines three value-style and two growth-style investment managers. Those selected demonstrate a consistent investment philosophy, decision making process, continuity of key people and above-average long-term results compared to managers with similar styles. Investment Managers: Value Managers: Aristotle Capital Management, LLC Fiduciary Management, Inc. Pzena Investment Management, LLC Growth Managers: Sustainable Growth Advisers, LP TCW Investment Management Company Top 20 Holdings at Month-End: (34.5% of equity portfolio) 1 Microsoft Corp. 4.0 % 2 NVIDIA Corp. 3.7 % 3 Amazon.com, Inc. 2.7 % 4 Alphabet, Inc. 2.6 % 5 UnitedHealth Group, Inc. 2.3 % 6 Visa, Inc. 1.9 % 7 ServiceNow, Inc. 1.9 % 8 Meta Platforms, Inc. 1.7 % 9 Capital One Financial Corp. 1.5 % 10 S&P Global, Inc. 1.4 % 11 Charles Schwab Corp. 1.3 % 12 Fresenius Medical Care AG 1.2 % 13 Booking Holdings, Inc. 1.1 % 14 Sony Group Corp. 1.1 % 15 Ecolab, Inc. 1.1 % 16 Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. 1.0 % 17 Ferguson Enterprises, Inc. 1.0 % 18 Danaher Corp. 1.0 % 19 O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. 1.0 % 20 Wells Fargo & Co. 1.0 % Holdings are subject to change. Monthly Performance: Performance NAV Market Price Discount Beginning of month value $7.07 $7.03 -0.6 % Distributions (Ex-Date November 15 th ) $0.18 $0.18 End of month value $7.34 $7.30 -0.5 % Performance for month 6.38 % 6.40 % Performance year-to-date 20.39 % 26.68 % Net Assets at Month-End ($millions): Total $2,096.4 Equities $2,088.6 Percent Invested 99.6 % Sector Breakdown* (% of equity portfolio): Information Technology 22.5 % Financials 21.3 % Health Care 14.5 % Consumer Discretionary 12.5 % Industrials 9.2 % Communication Services 7.1 % Consumer Staples 4.6 % Materials 4.4 % Energy 1.8 % Utilities 1.5 % Real Estate 0.6 % Total Market Value 100.0 % *Based on Standard & Poor's and MSCI Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS). New Holdings None Holdings Liquidated: Arch Capital Group, Ltd. The net asset value (NAV) of a closed-end fund is the market value of the underlying investments (i.e., stocks and bonds) in the Fund's portfolio, minus liabilities, divided by the total number of Fund shares outstanding. However, the Fund also has a market price; the value at which it trades on an exchange. If the market price is above the NAV the Fund is trading at a premium. If the market price is below the NAV the Fund is trading at a discount. Performance returns for the Fund are total returns, which includes dividends, and are net of management fees and other Fund expenses. Returns are calculated assuming that a shareholder reinvested all distributions. Past performance cannot predict future investment results. Performance will fluctuate with changes in market conditions. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data shown. Performance information shown does not reflect the deduction of taxes that shareholders would pay on Fund distributions or the sale of Fund shares. Shareholders must be willing to tolerate significant fluctuations in the value of their investment. An investment in the Fund involves risk, including loss of principal. Sources of distributions to shareholders may include ordinary dividends, long-term capital gains and return of capital. The final determination of the source of all distributions in 2024 for tax reporting purposes will be made after year end. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund's investment experience during its fiscal year and may be subject to changes based on tax regulations. Based on current estimates a portion of the distributions consist of a return of capital. These estimates may not match the final tax characterization (for the full year's distributions) contained in shareholder 1099-DIV forms after the end of the year. All data is as of November 30, 2024 unless otherwise noted. Liberty All-Star® Equity Fund 1-800-241-1850 www.all-starfunds.com libinfo@alpsinc.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/liberty-all-star-equity-fund-november-2024-monthly-update-302331691.html SOURCE Liberty All-Star Equity Fund © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

The US Department of Defense on Wednesday stepped in to bust a theory about mysterious drone spottings in New Jersey. The Pentagon denied claims that an Iran 'mothership' was responsible for launching the drones. The statement came after Rep Jeff Van Drew said he has evidence to prove that an Iranian ship putting out the drones. Deputy Defense Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said that 'no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States. There is no so-called mothership launching drones towards the United States'. The Pentagon further added that there was 'no evidence that these activities are coming from a foreign entity or the work of an adversary'. Read More: Donald Trump Is Time's 2024 'Person Of The Year', Will Celebrate At NYSE: Report Earlier in the day Congressman Van Drew, during a Fox News appearance, said: "Iran launched a mothership probably about a month ago, that contains these drones.... It's off the east coast of the United States of America. They've launched drones into everything that we can see or hear. And again, these are from high sources. I don't say this lightly." He further said that there was no 'glorified hobbyist' behind the drones, further adding that the federal government was not behind the sightings either. Read More: First Video Of Trump Tower In Jeddah Is Out - 47 Floors, 350 Apartments Planned "The third possibility was somebody, an adversarial country, doing this. Know that Iran made a deal with China to purchase drones, motherships and technology in order to go forward," said Van Drew. Earlier this week, several social media users speculated that the objects in the sky were actually UFOs. "A Ring doorbell camera captured a mysterious UFO in New Jersey on 12/8/2024. The footage shows something strange in the sky, leaving viewers puzzled. Could this be a UAP or just a trick of the light? " one person tweeted. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from US News, World and around the world.

EQT completes public offering of common stock of Kodiak Gas Services

NoneFBI director Christopher Wray has said he plans to resign at the end of President Joe Biden’s term in January, an announcement that came a week and a half after President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate loyalist Kash Patel for the job. At a town hall meeting with the bureau workforce, Mr Wray said he would be stepping down “after weeks of careful thought”. Mr Wray’s intended resignation is not unexpected considering that Mr Trump had picked Mr Patel for the role in his new administration. Mr Wray had previously been named by Mr Trump and began the 10-year term — a length meant to insulate the agency from the political influence of changing administrations — in 2017, after Mr Trump fired then-FBI director James Comey. Mr Trump had demonstrated his anger with Mr Wray on multiple occasions, including after Mr Wray’s congressional testimony in September. “My goal is to keep the focus on our mission — the indispensable work you’re doing on behalf of the American people every day,” Mr Wray told agency employees. “In my view, this is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work.” Mr Wray continued: “It should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway — this is not easy for me. I love this place, I love our mission, and I love our people — but my focus is, and always has been, on us and doing what’s right for the FBI.” Mr Wray received a standing ovation following his remarks before a standing-room-only crowd at FBI headquarters and some in the audience cried, according to an FBI official who was not authorised to discuss the private gathering and spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press. Mr Trump applauded the news on social media, calling it “a great day for America as it will end the weaponisation of what has become known as the United States Department of Injustice” and saying that Mr Patel’s confirmation will begin “the process of Making the FBI Great Again”. If confirmed by the Senate, Mr Patel would herald a radical leadership transformation at the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency. He has advocated shutting down the FBI’s Washington headquarters and called for ridding the federal government of “conspirators”, raising alarm that he might seek to wield the FBI’s significant investigative powers as an instrument of retribution against Mr Trump’s perceived enemies. Mr Patel said in a statement Wednesday that he was looking forward to “a smooth transition. I will be ready to serve the American people on day one”.

Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's pick for intel chief, faces questions on Capitol Hill amid Syria falloutCONWAY, S.C. (AP) — Jestin Porter had 26 points in Middle Tennessee's 95-88 win over South Florida on Friday. Porter shot 9 for 12 (4 for 6 from 3-point range) and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line for the Blue Raiders (5-1). Essam Mostafa scored 20 points and added 10 rebounds. Kamari Lands shot 6 for 12, including 4 for 8 from beyond the arc to finish with 17 points. The Bulls (3-3) were led in scoring by Jayden Reid, who finished with 18 points, four assists and three steals. Jamille Reynolds added 17 points and nine rebounds for South Florida. Kasen Jennings finished with 13 points. Middle Tennessee led 51-33 at halftime, with Porter racking up 14 points. Mostafa led the way with a team-high 14 second-half points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .