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It’s QB day at the NFL combine, and all eyes are on Caleb Williams

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It’s QB day at the NFL combine, and all eyes are on Caleb Williams


INDIANAPOLIS — More than a dozen questions into his Friday morning news conference, Caleb Williams finally fielded one that sparked a smile.

The D.C. native and former star quarterback at Gonzaga College High was asked about the possibility of playing for his hometown team, the Washington Commanders, who have the No. 2 pick in the upcoming draft.

“It’d be really cool to be back there and experience that,” Williams said. “The meeting [with the Commanders] went really well, and everybody was in the room. So, being around everybody … [I got] a taste of how they are, who they are, because everything is new there.”

Intrigue about the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner’s chances of returning home to star for the Commanders grew when the team hired Kliff Kingsbury as its offensive coordinator last month. Last year, Kingsbury was a senior offensive assistant at Southern California, where Williams played two seasons of college ball.

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“Kliff and I haven’t talked too much specifically on [Williams],” Commanders General Manager Adam Peters said Tuesday. “We really just talked about quarterback play in general and what he looks for in quarterbacks and how we can find that right fit for him, if that’s what we’re going to do. And certainly that hasn’t been decided yet, by any stretch of the imagination.”

The Commanders’ ability to land Williams, the presumptive No. 1 pick, depends on the Chicago Bears, who hold the draft’s top pick and would probably expect a haul to even consider trading down.

Williams was one of six quarterbacks the Commanders held formal meetings with at the NFL combine this week, along with Jayden Daniels (LSU), Drake Maye (North Carolina), J.J. McCarthy (Michigan), Bo Nix (Oregon) and Michael Penix (Washington). Many, if not all, of them are likely to meet with the Commanders again on top-30 visits this spring to the team’s facility for more in-depth interviews.

Those visits are why Williams opted out of throwing or undergoing medical tests at the combine.

“I played 30-something games, I believe,” he said. “Go ahead and watch real, live ball of me and see how I am as a competitor. … I’ll be doing the medical stuff — just not here in Indy. I’ll be doing it at the team interviews. Not 32 teams can draft me. There’s only one of me. So the teams that I go to for my visit, those teams will have the medical [information], and that’ll be it.”

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So what are the Commanders looking for in their next quarterback? “You’re looking for the face of your franchise,” Peters said. “… He doesn’t need to be a big rah-rah guy, doesn’t need to be a big colorful guy. But just be a leader and carry yourself the right way. Obviously, all the talent you want, and especially now, if you have a mobile quarterback, that certainly helps, but you have to be able to play the position first.”

Coach Dan Quinn cited mental toughness as a must-have quality, along with the ability to improvise and be able to get out of bad plays.

“There’s not a metric for that,” Quinn said. He added that quarterbacks need to be accurate on deep throws because they key explosive plays.

Throwing downfield will probably be a big part of Kingsbury’s offense. During his four seasons as the Arizona Cardinals’ coach, 12.5 percent of the team’s throws traveled for 20-plus air yards downfield, the 10th-highest rate in the NFL.

Over the past two years, Daniels, the former LSU quarterback, had the most efficient deep ball in the nation. He completed 53 percent of his downfield attempts for 27 touchdowns and no interceptions, according to TruMedia.

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Daniels said what stood out about his interview with the Commanders was “just how cool the whole staff was.” He name-checked Quinn and Kingsbury.

Maye doesn’t think it would be weird to play with Sam Howell. Maye sat behind Howell at North Carolina in 2021 and considers him a mentor and good friend. They play the board game Catan and the video game PGA Tour together. But Maye brushed off the idea that it’d strain their relationship if Washington were to draft him to replace Howell.

“There’s a lot bigger problems out there in the world than being with one of your best friends in the quarterback room,” he said. “It’s not awkward for us; it’s just business.”

Maye said he has “a lot of connections” to the Commanders. Quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard recruited him in high school, and Kingsbury knows Phil Longo, Maye’s offensive coordinator in 2021 and 2022.

McCarthy’s first interview was with the Commanders. “So I was super nervous, I’m not going to lie,” the former Michigan quarterback said. “Sweating a little bit. Coach Quinn was just awesome. I got to talk to Mr. Peters right before the meeting. Just a great vibe.”

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Commanders managing partner Josh Harris sat in on all six quarterback interviews. He was there to observe rather than ask questions. When asked what stood out about their interviews with Washington, no quarterback mentioned Harris.



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Iran warns Washington it will retaliate against any attack

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Iran warns Washington it will retaliate against any attack


DUBAI, Jan 11 (Reuters) – Iran warned President Donald Trump on Sunday that any U.S. attack would lead to Tehran striking back against Israel and regional U.S. military bases as “legitimate targets”, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf told parliament.

Israel is on high alert for the possibility of a U.S. intervention to support a nationwide protest movement in Iran, sources said.

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Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by William Mallard

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Washington National Opera cuts ties with the Kennedy Center after longstanding partnership | CNN Politics

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Washington National Opera cuts ties with the Kennedy Center after longstanding partnership | CNN Politics


The Washington National Opera on Friday announced it is parting ways with the Kennedy Center after more than a decade with the arts institution.

“Today, the Washington National Opera announced its decision to seek an amicable early termination of its affiliation agreement with the Kennedy Center and resume operations as a fully independent nonprofit entity,” the opera said in a statement.

The decoupling marks another high-profile withdrawal since President Donald Trump and his newly installed board of trustees instituted broad thematic and cosmetic changes to the building, including renaming the facility “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”

The opera said it plans to “reduce its spring season and relocate performances to new venues.”

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A source familiar with the dynamic told CNN the decision to part ways was made by the opera’s board and its leadership, and that the decision was not mutual.

A spokesperson for the Kennedy Center said in a statement, “After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to part ways with the WNO due to a financially challenging relationship. We believe this represents the best path forward for both organizations and enables us to make responsible choices that support the financial stability and long-term future of the Trump Kennedy Center.”

Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell, who was appointed by Trump’s hand-picked board, said on X, “Having an exclusive relationship has been extremely expensive and limiting in choice and variety.”

Grenell added, “Having an exclusive Opera was just not financially smart. And our patrons clearly wanted a refresh.”

Since taking the reins at the center, Grenell has cut existing staff, hired political allies and mandated a “break-even policy” for every performance.

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The opera said the new policy was a factor in its decision to leave the center.

“The Center’s new business model requires productions to be fully funded in advance—a requirement incompatible with opera operations,” the opera said.

Francesca Zambello, the opera’s artistic director, said she is “deeply saddened to leave The Kennedy Center.”

“In the coming years, as we explore new venues and new ways of performing, WNO remains committed to its mission and artistic vision,” she said.

The New York Times first reported the opera’s departure.

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Founded in 1956 as the “Opera Society of Washington,” the group has performed across the district, taking permanent residency in the Kennedy Center in 2011.

The performing arts center has been hit with a string of abrupt cancellations from artists in recent weeks including the jazz group The Cookers and New York City-based dance company Doug Varone and Dancers who canceled their performances after Trump’s name was added to the center – a living memorial for assassinated President John F. Kennedy.

The American College Theater Festival voted to suspend its relationship with the Kennedy Center, calling the affiliation “no longer viable” and citing concerns over a misalignment of the group’s values.

American banjo player Béla Fleck withdrew his upcoming performance with the National Symphony Orchestra, saying that performing at the center has become “charged and political.”

The Brentano String Quartet, who canceled their February 1 performance at the Kennedy Center, said they will “regretfully forego performing there.”

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CNN has reached out to the Kennedy Center on the additional cancellations.

The opera said, “The Board and management of the company wish the Center well in its own future endeavors.”

CNN’s Betsy Klein and Nicky Robertson contributed to this report.



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Andre Washington’s 20 points help Eastern Illinois take down Tennessee Tech 71-61

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Andre Washington’s 20 points help Eastern Illinois take down Tennessee Tech 71-61


CHARLESTON, Ill. (AP) — Andre Washington had 20 points in Eastern Illinois’ 71-61 victory over Tennessee Tech on Thursday.

Washington shot 8 for 13, including 4 for 6 from beyond the arc for the Panthers (5-10, 2-3 Ohio Valley Conference). Meechie White added 13 points and four steals. Kooper Jacobi finished with 11 points and added seven rebounds.

The Golden Eagles (6-10, 1-4) were led in scoring by Jah’Kim Payne, who finished with 11 points. Tennessee Tech also got 10 points from Mekhi Turner.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.



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