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Pitino: NCAA enforcement arm `a joke' that's `of no value anymore' and `should be disbanded'

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Pitino: NCAA enforcement arm `a joke' that's `of no value anymore' and `should be disbanded'

NEW YORK (AP) — With legal disputes escalating over the use of name, image and likeness compensation in the recruitment of college athletes, Hall of Fame basketball coach Rick Pitino believes it’s time for the NCAA to stand down when it comes to policing member schools.

“It’s a very difficult time in college basketball, because it’s free agency. And now I think what’s going to happen is, they’re going to say everybody can transfer, and then if they don’t like it, they’re going to take ‘em to court,” the first-year St. John’s coach said Saturday.

“So, I think the NCAA enforcement staff just should be disbanded. It’s a joke. Not because I dislike them. But, they’re of no value anymore. Because just, Tennessee now will take ‘em to court, Virginia will take ’em to court …”

The attorneys general of Tennessee and Virginia filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA on Wednesday that challenged its ban on the use of NIL compensation in recruiting, and in response to the association’s investigation of the University of Tennessee.

A judge will hear their request on Feb. 13 for a preliminary injunction that would put on hold NCAA rules banning recruiting inducements and pay-for-play, the court posted Friday.

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The 71-year-old Pitino volunteered his thoughts on the NCAA following his team’s 77-64 loss to top-ranked UConn at Madison Square Garden. His comments came at the postgame news conference in response to a reporter’s question about stoking a renewed rivalry with the powerhouse Huskies, the defending national champions, as he rebuilds the St. John’s program.

“The enforcement staff needs to go away,” Pitino continued. “We need to stop all the hypocrisy of NIL. We need to stop it. Because they can’t stop it. Whether I’m for it or against it doesn’t matter.

“They are professional athletes. Get professionally paid. It’s not going away. You can’t try to get loopholes, because they take you to court. That’s why I say — so I‘m not knocking the enforcement staff — they’re going to get taken to court every time they try to make a rule. So it’s a tough time in college basketball right now. And for us, you can’t really build programs and a culture because everybody leaves.”

Pitino, who won national championships at Kentucky in 1996 and Louisville in 2013, has had his own history of run-ins with the NCAA.

The title at Louisville was vacated for NCAA violations, and another NCAA case related to the FBI’s investigation into corruption in college basketball recruiting led to him being fired by Louisville in 2017.

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The final ruling from the NCAA’s outside enforcement arm on the FBI case came down in November 2022 and exonerated Pitino.

After leaving Iona last March to take the St. John’s job, Pitino brought in 12 new players for this season — including 10 transfers. But he said the current college landscape involving NIL and the transfer portal makes it “very tough” to build a consistent culture at a high-level program.

“I think so many football coaches are getting out, so many basketball coaches are getting out, because of this culture,” Pitino said. “It’s tough to build a program. You’ve got to really innovate, get creative and understand these rules right now — or lack of rules.”

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

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Trump backs Cuomo, threatens to cut funds for New York City if Mamdani wins mayoral race

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Trump backs Cuomo, threatens to cut funds for New York City if Mamdani wins mayoral race
  • Trump further injects himself into New York City mayoral race
  • Tuesday’s election could shape the image of the Democrats
  • Mamdani leads polls ahead of Cuomo and a Republican candidate
  • U.S. provides $7.4 billion a year to NYC, or 6.4% of its budget
WASHINGTON, Nov 3 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for mayor of New York City on Monday and threatened to hold back federal funds to the city if Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the mayoral election on Tuesday.

Trump, a Republican who has offered frequent commentary on the New York mayoral election, injected himself further into the race by crossing party lines to support Cuomo over Mamdani and the Republican candidate, Curtis Sliwa, who trails badly in public opinion polls in the heavily Democratic city.

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Cuomo, a longtime stalwart in the Democratic Party, is running as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic primary.

Tuesday’s New York City election has been closely watched nationally as one that could help shape the image of the Democratic Party as it seeks its identity in opposition to Trump. Mamdani, 34, a self-described democratic socialist who is leading Cuomo in the polls, has energized younger and more progressive voters, but he has also alarmed more moderate Democrats who fear a shift too far to the left may backfire.

Republicans have attacked Mamdani’s candidacy throughout the campaign, with Trump casting him as a communist.

“Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Trump said a vote for Sliwa would only help Mamdani.

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“If Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the Election for Mayor of New York City, it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home,” said Trump, a native New Yorker.

Item 1 of 4 Democratic candidate for New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, looks on as he holds a campaign rally on the eve of election day, in the Queens borough of New York City, U.S., November 3, 2025. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

The U.S. federal government is providing $7.4 billion to New York City in fiscal year 2026, or about 6.4% of the city’s total spending, according to a report from the New York State Comptroller.

Trump has threatened federal funding cuts throughout his second term in office over climate initiatives, transgender policies, pro-Palestinian protests against Israel’s war in Gaza and diversity, equity and inclusion practices.

Mamdani, a Uganda-born state assembly member, shocked political observers on June 24 with a convincing victory in the primary.

Mamdani has used his campaign to rally New Yorkers against establishment candidates like Cuomo, who was elected governor of New York three times but resigned in 2021 following a report from the New York Attorney General that concluded he had sexually harassed 11 women, including state employees. A U.S. Justice Department investigation later concluded Cuomo subjected at least 13 female state employees to a “sexually hostile work environment.”

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“The MAGA movement’s embrace of Andrew Cuomo is reflective of Donald Trump’s understanding that this would be the best mayor for him,” Mamdani said at a campaign event following Trump’s endorsement of Cuomo.

“They (Trump and Cuomo) share the same donors, they share the same small vision, they share the same sense of impunity,” Mamdani said.

Mamdani’s policies include hiking taxes on New York City’s wealthiest, raising the corporation tax rate, freezing stabilized apartment rental rates and increasing publicly subsidized housing.

His rise presents both risks and rewards for the national Democratic Party, which acknowledges the need to appeal to young voters but is wary of Republican attacks over Mamdani’s criticism of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and his democratic socialism, which has concerned New York’s finance community.

Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington and Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, California; Editing by Costas Pitas, Caitlin Webber and Stephen Coates

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Avalanche in Nepal kills 7 climbers on Mount Yalung Ri

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Avalanche in Nepal kills 7 climbers on Mount Yalung Ri

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An avalanche on Monday swept through a camp in Nepal, killing five foreign climbers and two Nepali guides, officials said.

Five foreigners were injured at the base camp on Mount Yalung Ri, located at 16,070 feet. Their nationalities and identities have not been disclosed.

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the agency was aware of the avalanche and was working to gather information. 

“The U.S. Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens,” the spokesperson said. “We are closely monitoring the situation and stand ready to provide consular assistance.”

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DAREDEVIL MOUNTAINEER MAKES HISTORY SKIING DOWN MOUNT EVEREST THROUGH DEATH ZONE WITHOUT OXYGEN

Mount Everest is shown in Nepal. On Monday, seven people died at the base camp on Mount Yalung Ri, also in Nepal.  (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

Rescue crews were reaching the site on foot. A rescue helicopter attempted to reach the site, but bad weather forced it to turn back. Nepal’s Armed Police Force spokesperson Shailendra Thapa said it will try again Tuesday at dawn.

BLIZZARD TRAPS HUNDREDS ON MOUNT EVEREST AS RESCUE TEAMS RACE TO SAVE LIVES

Mount Yalung Ri is an 18,370-foot peak. It’s considered suitable for beginners with no previous experience climbing high mountains.

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Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 14 tallest mountains, including Mount Everest.

Earlier this month, a South Korean climber died after getting caught in a powerful storm while attempting to summit a Himalayan peak just south of Mount Everest.

Villagers with their oxen and horses ascend mountain in snowy conditions.

Villagers ascend the mountain during rescue efforts to reach hundreds of hikers trapped by heavy snow at tourist campsites on a slope of Mount Everest.  (Lingsuiye via AP)

In the autumn months, climbers often scale smaller peaks before the rainy season and winter months.

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Two dead as Typhoon Kalmaegi brings massive flooding in central Philippines

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Two dead as Typhoon Kalmaegi brings massive flooding in central Philippines

Residents seek refuge on rooftops, and cars float through flooded streets on the island of Cebu.

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Rain-soaked residents sought refuge on rooftops, and cars floated through flooded streets as Typhoon Kalmaegi battered central Philippines, killing at least two people, according to the national disaster agency and media reports.

Hundreds of thousands have been displaced by the powerful storm across the Visayas region as well as parts of southern Luzon and northern Mindanao, as Kalmaegi made landfall shortly before midnight.

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By noon local time (04:00 GMT) on Tuesday, Kalmaegi was moving westwards across the islands of Cebu, Negros and Panay with winds of 150km/h (93mph) and gusts of 185km/h, toppling trees and downing power lines.

A video published by DZRH radio’s Facebook page showed homes in Talisay City in Cebu completely submerged, with only rooftops visible.

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Similar scenes in other parts of Cebu City, where vehicles and streets were underwater, circulated on social media. In some of the videos, people were heard pleading to be rescued.

A road in the town of Tabuelan, also in Cebu province, was rendered impassable following a landslide.

On the island of Bohol, one person was reported killed after he was pinned down by a fallen tree, according to radio station DYMA.

An elderly person drowned after being trapped in his residence on the island of Leyte, according to radio station DZMM.

State weather agency PAGASA said the combination of Kalmaegi and a shear line had brought heavy rain and strong winds across the Visayas and nearby areas.

“Due to interaction with the terrain, Tino may slightly weaken while crossing Visayas. However, it is expected to remain at typhoon intensity throughout its passage over the country,” PAGASA said in a morning bulletin.

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More than 160 flights to and from affected areas have been cancelled, while those at sea were advised to head to the nearest safe harbour immediately and to stay in port.

PAGASA warned of a high risk of “life-threatening and damaging storm surges” that could reach more than 3-metre (10-foot) height along coastal and low-lying communities in the central Philippines, including parts of Mindanao.

On Monday, the country’s Office of Civil Defense reported that some 156,000 individuals had been preemptively evacuated.

Kalmaegi comes as the Philippines, which is hit by an average of 20 tropical storms each year, is recovering from a run of disasters, including earthquakes and severe weather events, in recent months.

In September, Super Typhoon Ragasa swept across northern Luzon, killing at least 10 people and forcing government work and classes to shut down as it brought fierce winds and torrential rain.

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State weather service specialist Charmagne Varilla told the AFP news agency that at least “three to five more” storms were expected by December’s end.

Scientists warn that storms are becoming more frequent and more powerful due to human-driven climate change.

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