Pete Hegseth's mother says The New York Times made 'threats' by asking her to comment on a storyTaylor Lorenz FLIPS OUT in Back and Forth When Nate Silver Dares Point Out She NEVER Lists an Age and LOL

TORONTO, Nov. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- POET Technologies Inc. (" POET " or the " Corporation ") (TSXV: PTK; NASDAQ: POET), the designer and developer of the POET Optical InterposerTM, Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) and light sources for the data center, tele-communication and artificial intelligence markets, today announces its intention to complete a registered direct offering pursuant to which the Corporation expects to issue 5,555,556 common shares (the " Common Shares ") and warrants exercisable for 2,777,778 Common Shares (the " Warrant " and, together with the Common Shares, the " Offered Securities "). The combined price of one Common Share and the accompanying Warrant in respect of one-half Common Share will be US$4.50 (or approximately C$6.29), to raise aggregate gross proceeds to the Corporation of US$25,000,002 (the " Offering "). The Warrant will be exercisable at an exercise price of US$6.00 (or approximately C$8.39) per Common Share for a period of five years from the date of issuance. The Corporation anticipates using the net proceeds of the Offering for working capital related to its recently announced intention to expand assembly operations into Malaysia and for other corporate purposes. It is anticipated that the Offering will close on or about December 3, 2024. The Offering will be made by way of a prospectus supplement to the short form base shelf prospectus of the Corporation dated September 6, 2024 (the " Base Shelf Prospectus ") which will be prepared and filed by the Corporation with the securities regulatory authorities in each of the provinces and territories of Canada prior to the closing of the Offering, and will be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the Corporation's U.S. registration statement on Form F-10 (Registration No. 333-28055, which includes the Base Shelf Prospectus and was declared effective by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on September 10, 2024. The Offering is expected to be made to a single institutional investor that qualifies as an "accredited investor" under National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions of the Canadian Securities Administrators. The consummation of the Offering remains subject to the receipt of regulatory approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the " Exchange "), and other customary closing conditions. No commission or finder's fee will be paid in connection with the Offering. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. About POET Technologies Inc. POET is a design and development company offering high-speed optical engines, light source products and custom optical modules to the artificial intelligence systems market and to hyperscale data centers. POET's photonic integration solutions are based on the POET Optical InterposerTM, a novel, patented platform that allows the seamless integration of electronic and photonic devices into a single chip using advanced wafer-level semiconductor manufacturing techniques. POET's Optical Interposer-based products are lower cost, consume less power than comparable products, are smaller in size and are readily scalable to high production volumes. In addition to providing high-speed (800G, 1.6T and above) optical engines and optical modules for AI clusters and hyperscale data centers, POET has designed and produced novel light source products for chip-to-chip data communication within and between AI servers, the next frontier for solving bandwidth and latency problems in AI systems. POET's Optical Interposer platform also solves device integration challenges across a broad range of communication, computing and sensing applications. POET is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with operations in Allentown, PA, Shenzhen, China, and Singapore. More information about POET is available on our website at www.poet-technologies.com . Adrian Brijbassi [email protected] Thomas R. Mika, EVP & CFO [email protected] This news release contains "forward-looking information" (within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws) and "forward-looking statements" (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Such statements or information are identified with words such as "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "plan", "intend", "potential", "estimate", "propose", "project", "outlook", "foresee" or similar words suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding any potential outcome. Such statements include, without limitation, the Corporation's expectations with respect to consummation of the Offering, its products, the scalability of the POET Optical Interposer and the success of the Corporation's products, the Corporation's ability satisfy all closing conditions and close the Offering within the announced timeline, the Corporation's use of proceeds for the Offering and the Corporation's ability to obtain the final approval of the Exchange. Such forward-looking information or statements are based on a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions which may cause actual results or other expectations to differ materially from those anticipated and which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, management's expectations regarding the size of the market for its products, the capability of its joint venture to produce products on time and at the expected costs, the performance and availability of certain components, and the success of its customers in achieving market penetration for their products. Actual results could differ materially due to a number of factors, including, without limitation, the attractiveness of the Corporation's product offerings, performance of its technology, the performance of key components, and ability of its customers to sell their products into the market. For further information concerning these and other risks and uncertainties, refer to the Corporation's filings on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and on the website of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov. Although the Corporation believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information or statements are reasonable, prospective investors in the Corporation's securities should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because the Corporation can provide no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking information and statements contained in this news release are as of the date of this news release and the Corporation assumes no obligation to update or revise this forward-looking information and statements except as required by applicable securities laws. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. 120 Eglinton Avenue, East, Suite 1107, Toronto, ON, M4P 1E2- Tel: 416-368-9411 - Fax: 416-322-5075One of the striking things about how furiously many people reacted to the news last week that MSNBC “Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski met with President-Elect Donald Trump was how quaint their defenders sounded. “It is insane for critics to NOT think all of us in the media need to know more so we can share/report more,” Jim VandeHei, co-founder of Axios and Politico, said on social media. It would be journalistic malpractice for the hosts of a morning television news program not to take a meeting with a president-elect, right? But “Morning Joe” isn’t traditional journalism, and last week’s incident is a telling illustration of the broader trend of impartial fact-finding being crowded out in the marketplace by opinionated news and the expectations that creates. Scarborough, a former congressman, and his wife, veteran newswoman Brzezinski, didn’t just talk about the presidential campaign from their four-hour weekday perch. They tirelessly and emotionally advocated for Democrat Kamala Harris, likening Trump to a fascist-in-waiting. “They have portrayed themselves as bastions of integrity standing up to a would-be dictator,” says Frank Sesno, a former CNN Washington bureau chief now professor at George Washington University’s school of media and public affairs. “What the followers see is the daily procession of people on the show constantly talking about the evils of Donald Trump and then Joe and Mika show up and have high tea with the guy.” The social media blowback was instant and intense. “You do not need to talk to Hitler to cover him effectively,” was one of the nicer messages. More telling is the people who have responded with action. “Morning Joe” had 770,000 viewers last Monday, its audience — like many shows on MSNBC — down from its yearly average of 1.09 million because some of the network’s liberal-leaning viewers have tuned away after what they regard as depressing election results. That’s the day Scarborough and Brzezinski announced they had met with Trump the previous Friday. By Tuesday, the “Morning Joe” audience had slipped to 680,000, according to the Nielsen company, and Wednesday’s viewership was 647,000. Thursday rebounded to 707,000. It’s only three days of data, but those are the kind of statistics about which television executives brood. “The audience for the polarized news-industrial complex has become unforgiving,” says Kate O’Brian, outgoing head of news of the E.W. Scripps Co. The Washington Post learned this last month when it lost a reported 250,000 subscribers — presumably the bulk of them non-Trump supporters — after announcing it would not endorse a candidate for president. A draft of an editorial endorsing Harris had already been in the works. Mixing news and opinion isn’t new; many U.S. newspapers in the 1800s were unabashedly partisan. But for most of the past century, there was a vigorous effort to separate the two. Broadcast television, licensed to serve the public interest, built up fact-based news divisions. What began to change things was the success of Fox News in building a conservative audience that believed it was underserved and undervalued. Now there’s a vigorous industry catering to people who want to see their points of view reflected — and are less interested in reporting or any content that contradicts them. The most notable trend in 2024 campaign coverage was the diminishing influence of so-called legacy news brands in favor of outlets like podcasts that offered publicity-hungry politicians a friendly, if not supportive, home. Trump, for example, visited several podcasters, including the influential Joe Rogan, who awarded Trump with an endorsement. “I won’t even call it journalism,” Sesno says. “It’s storytelling.” The past decade’s journey of Megyn Kelly is one illustration of how opinion can pay off in today’s climate. Once one of the more aggressive reporters at Fox News, she angered Trump in a 2015 debate with a pointed question about his treatment of women. She moved to the legacy outlet NBC News, but that didn’t work for her. She has since started a flourishing podcast with conservative, and Trump-friendly, opinion. Among cable TV-based news brands, CNN has tried hardest to present an image of impartiality, even if many conservatives disagree. So the collapse in its ratings has been noteworthy: the network’s audience of 4.7 million people for its election night coverage was essentially half the 9.1 million people it had for the same night in 2020. O’Brian is leaving Scripps at the end of the year because it is ending its 24-hour television news network after finding impartiality was a tough business. Scripps is continuing a streaming news product. That’s the environment Scarborough and Brzezinski work in on “Morning Joe.” “They are very talented show hosts,” Sesno says. “But they are not out on the front lines doing journalism, seeking truth in the way that a professional journalist does.” Hours after the hosts’ announcement that they had met with Trump, an MSNBC colleague, legal contributor and correspondent Katie Phang, said on X that “normalizing Trump is a bad idea.” Scarborough had made a point of saying that was not what he was attempting to do. “It’s not up to you or your corrupt industry to ‘normalize’ or not ‘normalize’ any politician who wins an election fair & square,” Christina Pushaw, the pugnacious aide to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, replied to Phang. “Americans had their say; Trump will be your president come January whether you ‘normalize’ it or not. I would suggests journos should accept reality.” Quaintness alert: Sesno is among those who believe the “Morning Joe” hosts did the right thing. Whatever the motivations — and there are some who believe that worries that a Trump administration could make life difficult very difficult for them was on the hosts’ minds — opening a line of communication to ensure that a show based on politics is not completely cut off from the thinking of a presidential administration makes business sense, he says. A little humility doesn’t hurt. Even if her own job has proven that it’s not a great business now, Scripps’ O’Brian has seen enough focus groups of people who yearn for a more traditional journalism-based approach to believe in its importance. “I think that there is still a need for nonpartisan news,” says the former longtime ABC News producer, “and maybe what brings it back to where it used to be will be an exhaustion from the hyper-polarized climate that we currently live in.”

Jannik Sinner is locked in on the Davis Cup Finals in many ways with the World No.1 refusing to answer questions surrounding the new link-up between Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray . Murray will join up with his former rival as of next year and he will coach him at the Australian Open in what is a pretty big seismic shock for the tennis world. But despite this big news being the main topic of conversation, Sinner declined to comment. The 37-year-old will coach Djokovic until at least the end of the Australian Open. Sinner is the reigning champion of the first major of the year which Djokovic has won 10 times. He beat Murray in four of those finals in Melbourne. The announcement was made just as Sinner was leading Italy into battle at the Davis Cup with victory over Australia. As of time of writing, they are facing Netherlands in the final. He had not yet been informed about the superstar partnership. But insisted that he didn't want to speak about it anyway instead wanting to focus on questioning on the Davis Cup. Djokovic announcing this move is perhaps a signal of intent towards Sinner and Alcaraz that he isn't yet done or it could be seen as giving one of his friends and former rivals help in getting into the tennis world. Either way it creates both some big publicity ahead of a big year for Djokovic as well as Sinner. "I am excited to have one of my greatest rivals on the same side of the net, as my coach," Djokovic said in their joint-announcement which had a dramatic video on social media accompanying it. "Looking forward to start of the season and competing in Australia alongside Andy with whom I have shared many exceptional moments on the Australian soil." He never liked retirement anyway. pic.twitter.com/Ga4UlV2kQW This article first appeared on TennisUpToDate.com and was syndicated with permission.

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Jillian Kestler-D’Amours Jude Chery has heard talk of armed gangs for most of his life. The 30-year-old Haitian activist remembers that he started to learn the names of powerful gang leaders even as a child in primary school. In the decades since, new gangs have formed, and new gang leaders — including some with international profiles — have taken over, as Haiti experienced multiple waves of political upheaval and uncertainty. Now, the Caribbean nation is in the grips of a period of deadly gang violence and instability that many Haitians say is the worst they have ever seen. Yet for Haiti’s children — the millions caught in the crossfire, no longer able to attend school, or pushed to join the armed gangs amid crippling poverty — the situation is especially dire. The United Nations child rights agency UNICEF estimates that between 30 and 50 percent of the country’s gang members are now children. “Our youth should be worrying about how to study, how to innovate, how to do research, how to contribute to society,” Chery told Al Jazeera in a phone interview from the capital Port-au-Prince. “But us in Haiti, we have other worries as youth: It’s about what to eat. Can I go outside today? We live each day, 24 hours a day, hoping to see tomorrow.” ‘Institutional limbo’ For decades, armed gangs with connections to Haiti’s political and business elites have used violence to gain control of territory and exert pressure on their rivals. With funding from wealthy backers, as well as money gathered through drug trafficking, kidnappings and other illicit activities, Haiti’s gangs filled a void caused by years of political instability and accrued power. But it was the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise that created an opening for the gangs to strengthen their authority. No federal elections have been held in years, and faith in the state has plummeted. Haiti continues to undergo a shaky political transition, as it seeks to fill the power vacuum created by Moise’s killing. But experts say the gangs — now believed to control at least 80 percent of Port-au-Prince — have become even more emboldened. The gangs are “probably stronger than ever”, said Romain Le Cour, a senior expert at the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, a research group in Geneva. They have maintained their firepower as well as territorial and economic strength even as a United Nations-backed, multinational police force led by Kenya was deployed earlier this year to try to restore stability, he explained. This month, the gangs again captured global attention after passenger planes were hit by gunfire at the airport in Port-au-Prince, prompting international airlines to suspend flights into the city and isolating the country further. The incidents came amid an internal power struggle. On November 11, Haiti’s transitional presidential council, which is tasked with rebuilding Haitian democracy, abruptly dismissed the country’s interim prime minister and appointed a replacement, highlighting ongoing political dysfunction. Against that backdrop, Le Cour told Al Jazeera that the gangs’ propaganda has been especially effective. Haitian political leaders as well as international bodies have so far failed to stem the violence, which has paralysed large swaths of Port-au-Prince. Hundreds of thousands of people are displaced, and the country faces a humanitarian crisis. The gangs are able “to capitalise on their discourse”, Le Cour said, “that the government, the state, the international community, everybody is unwilling, unable, incapable of ... doing anything to take Haiti forward. “Their argument resonates so deeply right now because, in front of them, there is no one left.” Out of school, out of options That stark reality has pushed some Haitian children and youth, particularly from impoverished areas of Port-au-Prince and communities under gang control, to join the armed groups. Some enlist under threats of violence against them and their families, while others hope to get money, food or a means of protection. Often, they join simply because they have no alternatives. Children carry out a variety of tasks within the gangs, from acting as lookouts to taking part in attacks or transporting drugs, weapons and ammunition. Girls are also recruited to clean and cook for gang members. Many are subjected to rape and sexual violence as a means of control. Robert Fatton, a professor at the University of Virginia and an expert on Haiti, said for youth in the country’s slums, “there is a certain appeal to [becoming] a big man with a weapon”. “It gives you a sense, to put it crudely, of ‘manhood’ and a sense that you can do something with your life — however violent that might be,” he told Al Jazeera. But Fatton said socioeconomic hardships are a large part of the reason children and youth end up participating in armed groups. “There are no jobs. They are stuck in poverty. They live in horrible conditions, so the gangs are the alternative.” Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. In 2021, the UN Development Programme estimated (PDF) that more than six million Haitians lived below the poverty line and survived on less than $2.41 a day. The recent surge in violence has made a dire situation worse. More than 700,000 people have been displaced from their homes, while access to healthcare, food and other basic services is severely limited. Half of those who have been displaced in recent months are children, according to the UN. In late September, the World Food Programme also said that about 5.4 million Haitians faced acute hunger, with children particularly hard hit. One in six Haitian kids now lives “one step away from famine”, the humanitarian nonprofit Save the Children said. Meanwhile, more than 900 schools have been forced to close, leaving hundreds of thousands of children out of the classroom. The UN’s humanitarian agency said these kids face a heightened risk of gang recruitment and could “experience ‘lost years’, growing up without the skills needed for their future and survival”. “I’ve never seen a deeper crisis in Haiti in my life,” Fatton said of the overall situation befalling the country. Noting that he grew up during the rule of Haitian dictators Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier and his son Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier, he added: “I don’t think the situation even in those dark days is as bad as now.” Challenge of reintegration Yet despite these challenges, Haitian rights advocates are trying to support children in need. Emmanuel Camille heads KPTSL, a group that defends the rights of Haitian children. He painted a dire picture of daily life for all children in the country, from a lack of access to education, food and healthcare, to a general absence of safety and security. “In terms of education, health, nutrition, social justice,” he told Al Jazeera, “I can say that we’re dragging children into hell.” Camille said trying to get children out of armed groups is especially challenging. The first step, he explained, is to get them and their families out of their physical environment — the neighbourhood, town or city, for instance, where they fell in with armed groups. “We need to sever the link between the child and their previous environment to hopefully give them a better life,” he said. But relocation alone will not solve the problem. The children also need a re-education plan tailored to their specific needs, as well as psychological support and economic assistance for their families, Camille said. In 2019, Chery himself founded a volunteer group called AVRED-Haiti to help support the reintegration of people who spent time in prison, including youth who had served in gangs. He also said reintegration is difficult when children go back to their homes in gang-controlled areas: Most end up going back to stealing or rejoining an armed group. “There’s nothing we can do about it because they have other concerns that we can’t address,” he told Al Jazeera. Chery added that “the best way to fight insecurity or banditry in Haiti” is for the state to address the basic needs of its citizens: food, housing, employment and poverty. “That would bring many more solutions in the long term.” Urgency grows The need to address those root causes appears more urgent than ever as Haiti plunges deeper into catastrophe. The UN warned on Wednesday that at least 150 people were killed, 92 were injured and about 20,000 others were forcibly displaced in a single week amid violent confrontations between armed gang members and Haitian police. In one particularly violent episode, gang members launched a coordinated attack on the Port-au-Prince suburb of Petion-Ville. Police fought back alongside armed residents — some part of a vigilante movement known as Bwa Kale — and more than two dozen suspected gang members were killed. Camille said two child gang members who attended activities organised by KPTSL were among the casualties. They were aged eight and 17. “At all levels, there needs to be justice — very strong justice — to change this situation,” he said of the crisis Haiti faces. “All we want is to offer children a chance,” Camille added. “Right now, children are living like adults. They don’t have a life. They aren’t treated like human beings.” Courtesy: aljazeeraFugitive dog gains fame in New Orleans eluding dart guns and netsMeta to build $10 billion AI data center in Louisiana

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WASHINGTON — Millions of Americans with obesity would be eligible to have popular weight-loss drugs like Wegovy or Zepbound covered by Medicare or Medicaid under a new rule the Biden administration proposed Tuesday morning. The costly proposal from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services immediately sets the stage for a showdown between the powerful pharmaceutical industry and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an outspoken opponent of the weight-loss drugs who, as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the agency, could block the measure. While the rule would give millions of people access to weekly injectables that have helped people shed pounds so quickly that some have labeled them miracle drugs, it would cost taxpayers as much as $35 billion over the next decade. “It’s a good day for anyone who suffers from obesity,” U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told The Associated Press in an interview. “It’s a game changer for Americans who can’t afford these drugs otherwise.” The rule would not be finalized until January, days after Trump takes office. A bipartisan coalition of congressional members has lobbied for the drugs to be covered by Medicare, saying it could save the government from spending billions of dollars on treating chronic ailments that stem from obesity. While it’s unclear where Trump himself stands on coverage of the weight-loss drugs, his allies and Cabinet picks who have vowed to cut government spending could balk at the upfront price tag. Under the proposal, only those who are considered obese – someone who has a body mass index of 30 or higher – would qualify for coverage. Some people may already get coverage of the drugs through Medicare or Medicaid, if they have diabetes or are at risk for stroke or heart disease. Becerra estimated that an additional 3.5 million people on Medicare and 4 million on Medicaid could qualify for coverage of the drugs. But research suggests far more people might qualify, with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimating roughly 28 million people on Medicaid are considered obese. Medicare has been barred from offering the drugs under a decades-old law that prohibits the government-backed insurance program from covering weight-loss products. The rule proposed by the Biden administration, however, would recognize obesity as a disease that can be treated with the help of the drugs. The anti-obesity drug market has expanded significantly in recent years, with the Food and Drug Administration approvingb a new class of weekly injectables like Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound to treat obesity. People can lose as much as 15% to 25% of their body weight on the drugs, which imitate the hormones that regulate appetites by communicating fullness between the gut and brain when people eat. The cost of the drugs has largely limited them to the wealthy, including celebrities who boast of their benefits. A monthly supply of Wegovy rings up at $1,300 and Zepbound will put you out $1,000. Shortages of the drugs have also limited the supplies. Kennedy, who as Trump’s nominee for HHS secretary is subject to Senate confirmation, has railed against the drugs’ popularity. In speeches and on social media, he’s said the U.S. should not cover the drugs through Medicaid or Medicare. Instead, he supports a broad expansion of coverage for healthier foods and gym memberships. “For half the price of Ozempic, we could purchase regeneratively raised, organic food for every American, three meals a day and a gym membership, for every obese American,” Kennedy said to a group of federal lawmakers during a roundtable earlier this year. Ozempic is a diabetes drug that can stimulate weight loss. Comments are not available on this story. Send questions/comments to the editors. « PreviousFirst downs and second guesses: It feels like the last time I went to a bowl game, Bob Devaney and Bear Bryant were flipping a coin to see who would go to the Orange and Sugar Bowls. All signs point to the Nebraska-Iowa winner on Friday heading to the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Fla. That’s the bowl speculation. Man, I’ve missed it. The ReliaQuest is the former Outback Bowl, which has never had Nebraska. I always heard that the Outback Bowl served steaks in the press box. These guys will make sure your laptop doesn’t get hacked. It’s a good matchup, with the Big Ten going against the SEC. Which is why Music City would be my preference for a spot if NU doesn’t win on Friday. Some of the potential SEC teams I’ve seen in Nashville are LSU, Oklahoma, Missouri, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. The Huskers against any of them would be a dream matchup. Of course, the last bowl game Nebraska played in was the Music City Bowl, losing to Tennessee in 2016. My memory of that week was hitting the music honky-tonks on Broadway Street and realizing that none of them had TV’s. You were there to listen to music. What a concept. I’ll be happy with any bowl. First-time-in-a-long time bowlers can’t be choosers. Nebraska’s name pops up in several different bowl projections. There’s the Pinstripe Bowl (USA Today) vs. Pitt and vs. Georgia Tech (ESPN), the Duke’s Bowl in Charlotte vs. Syracuse (Action Network) and vs. Georgia Tech (ESPN), Nebraska vs. Texas Tech in the Rate (Phoenix) Bowl and in the Music City Bowl vs. LSU (247Sports). The Huskers will be happy to play in any of them. A good thing about the Duke’s is a Jan. 3 date. But that might be an awkward fit with coach Matt Rhule heading back to the city and stadium where he was fired two years ago. That storyline would dominate the week. Whatever happens, perfect. It’s just nice to be speculating again. I have to admit, the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl looks intriguing. Is there a trophy? One day, someone very smart will come up with an NIL Bowl, which will pay the players involved. That’s sort of what Creighton is doing this week, participating in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. The tourney will put $1 million into the CU Bird Club collective. Meanwhile, Coach Greg McDermott will earn his money this week and beyond, until point guard Steven Ashworth recovers fully from an ankle injury suffered against Nebraska. Wonder if Mac will have a committee approach to running the offense, including Pop Isaacs and freshman Ty Davis. Fred Hoiberg said on Monday that he has used “tough coaching” with his team twice in the last week — the day after the loss to St. Mary’s and again on Sunday to make sure his Huskers have come down from their win over Creighton. When a coach gets on his team like that, he knows they can handle it. That’s interesting because a good portion of this year’s NU team is new. Hoiberg is obviously going after an older, tougher-mindset kind of player in the portal. It works. Wow, how cool will it be to have Lindsay Krause, Kendra Wait and Ally Batenhorst all on the Omaha Supernovas this season? And Merritt Beason, the No. 1 overall pick to Atlanta in the Pro Volleyball Federation Draft, and Norah Sis, the overall No. 3 pick to Orlando, coming back to Omaha to play. I wonder how John Cook and Kirsten Bernthal Booth feel about having a pro draft in the middle of the season, with the NCAA tournament next week? I’m guessing the players will be focused. But what if the NFL Draft was now? And the NBA Draft was in February? All the talk this season about Nebraska Class A football being in trouble, and yet I couldn’t wait for the Westside-Millard South game on Monday night. It seems to me that there have always been two or three teams better than everyone else. When I arrived here in 1991, it was Omaha Creighton Prep and Lincoln Southeast. Then it was Prep and Millard North. And Millard West. And Omaha North. Westside. Gretna. The difference is the disparity between the top and the middle of Class A is now widening. You see more blowout games. You didn’t used to see those. The transfer issue is a factor, sure. So is OPS shutting down in 2020. And some new schools in districts where the population (and talent) in the district split into different schools. Based on conversations with several coaches, I would add specialization to the list. A lot of football programs have lost kids to playing other sports, like baseball and basketball, full-time. I still love the Friday Night lights, the marching bands, the student sections, all that. And, marquee matchups at state. There’s still a lot of good things going on. Should there be a Nebraska-Creighton basketball traveling trophy? I can’t think of one. But the teams should wear blue and red every year. Get local news delivered to your inbox!