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DEAR MISS MANNERS: How do you gently decline Christmas invitations from a friend when the people they invite are all couples, and the women don’t really like you? We are all seniors.

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GENTLE READER: Why don’t they like you?

Never mind; that is none of Miss Manners’ business. Nor need it be mentioned when you simply express gratitude for the invitation and regret that you cannot accept.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Sometimes when I receive an invitation to an event, the sender writes “By Hand” in the lower right-hand corner of the envelope. Obviously, this means that they delivered the invitation to my house themselves, without using the postal service.

Is this a true form of etiquette? I cannot find a single reference to it in any etiquette book. It seems a bit pretentious to me, and I have always wondered if, in fact, it is really correct to use the term.

GENTLE READER: Pretentious? Miss Manners would think the opposite, as it tells you that the sender made an extra effort. And also perhaps that the sender does not trust the postal service.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: How do you set the table when the salad is served at the same time as the rest of the meal?

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• Asking Eric: How do I tell them I don’t want to exchange Christmas gifts any more?
• Miss Manners: This guest commandeers my kitchen to prepare the simplest potluck item

I went to a friend’s house and she put the salad fork to the left of the regular fork. We used two forks during the meal: one for salad and one for the rest of the food.

Was this correct, or is a regular fork used for both the salad and the main course if served at the same time?

GENTLE READER: Please do not encourage the libel that etiquette is a conspiracy to humiliate innocent people by providing confusing forks. One fork to a course, Miss Manners assures you.

Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, gentlereader@missmanners.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Here are the top stories for Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. Get the weather forecast for today here.

SUBSCRIBE NOW: Get our free Morning Update email. Sign up here.

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Trump slams pardoned Democratic congressman as ‘disloyal’ for not switching parties

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Hegseth defends strikes on alleged cartel boats, says Trump can order use of force ‘as he sees fit’

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Today is Monday, Dec. 8, the 342nd day of 2025. There are 23 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Dec. 8, 1980, rock star and former Beatle John Lennon was shot to death outside his New York City apartment building by Mark David Chapman.

Also on this date:

In 1941, the United States entered World War II as Congress declared war against Imperial Japan a day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

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In 1987, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev signed a treaty at the White House calling for the destruction of intermediate-range missiles.

In 2012, Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy.

In 2014, the U.S. and NATO ceremonially ended their combat mission in Afghanistan, 13 years after the Sept. 11 terror attacks sparked their invasion of the country to topple the Taliban-led government.

In 2016, John Glenn, whose 1962 flight as the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth made him an American hero and propelled him to a long career in the U.S. Senate, died in Columbus, Ohio, at 95.

In 2017, Japanese pitching and hitting star Shohei Ohtani announced that he would sign with the Los Angeles Angels.

In 2022, Russia freed WNBA star Brittney Griner in a high-profile prisoner exchange with the U.S. that released Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Griner had been detained for nearly 10 months.

In 2024, insurgents completed their occupation of the Syrian capital of Damascus as a half-century of Assad family rule swiftly crumbled. Russian state media reported that President Bashar Assad was in Moscow after fleeing the rebel advance.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Flutist James Galway is 86.
• Author Bill Bryson is 74.
• Actor Kim Basinger (BAY’-sing-ur) is 72.
• Commentator and columnist Ann Coulter is 64.
• Actor Wendell Pierce is 63.
• Actor Teri Hatcher is 61.
• Basketball Hall of Famer Teresa Weatherspoon is 60.
• Baseball Hall of Famer Mike Mussina is 57.
• Actor Dominic Monaghan is 49.
• NASCAR driver Ryan Newman is 48.
• Singer Nicki Minaj is 43.
• Country singer Sam Hunt is 41.
• Actor AnnaSophia Robb is 32.

By TIM REYNOLDS

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Carter Verhaeghe stayed red-hot with his sixth goal in his last six games, Seth Jones scored for the second consecutive game and the Florida Panthers closed a homestand by topping the New York Islanders 4-1 on Sunday.

Uvis Balinskis got a rare goal for the Panthers, who finished off a three-game, four-day stint with five points — going 2-0-1. Florida wrapped up a stretch where it played 11 out of 12 games at home, going 5-5-1 in those home contests.

Sam Reinhart added an empty-netter for Florida.

Mathew Barzal got his ninth goal for the Islanders, who had won three straight and were 7-1-0 in games when he had scored this season. No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer had an assist on that goal, giving him 21 points through 30 games of his rookie season.

Balinskis sent the puck toward the net from the left point and it sailed past screened Islanders goalie David Rittich for a 1-0 lead. It was the first goal of the season for Balinskis and just the seventh of his career — including playoffs — in 126 NHL games.

Verhaeghe made it 2-0 at 7:05 of the second period off an assist from Jeff Petry. Verhaeghe — who got his 146th goal as a member of the Panthers, breaking a tie with Stephen Weiss for seventh on the team’s all-time list — has six goals and five assists in his last six games, by far his most productive stretch of the season.

Jones made it 3-1 with 6 minutes left, scoring for the second straight game — the first time he’s done that as a Panther.

The Islanders fell to 3-10-0 in games where they score two goals or fewer this season.

Up next

Islanders: Host Vegas on Tuesday.

Panthers: Visit Utah on Wednesday.

___

AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — It was a very businesslike Miami Dolphins locker room after Sunday’s dominant 34-10 victory over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. 

That’s because no one was surprised by what happened on the field. The resurgent Dolphins, a team with a four-game winning streak, an emerging physical presence, a consistent running game and a big-play defense, expect to win nowadays. That type of confidence is huge, and it stems from one thing.

“Belief, man,” linebacker Jordyn Brooks said.

Their steadfast belief is now being rewarded. The The Dolphins (6-7), who remain playoff longshots despite their winning streak, seem on the verge of shocking the world.

One big key to that is that the Dolphins, after starting the season 0-3, then 1-6, and then 2-7, now believe they should win. And that type of bedrock belief has become part of the Dolphins’ newfound identity. 

“I really love this team because they’ve made the choice, the hard choice, to not only believe in themselves, but put in the work,” coach Mike McDaniel said, later adding, “they were well aware they were the only people that really believed in themselves.”

It was easy to discount the Dolphins at the start of the season. There were injuries, ugly losses, bone-headed mistakes and lots and lots of frustration. All of that is vanishing. The Dolphins are now getting healthier and playing better. It shows.

You could contend the Dolphins, due to flaws in their game, should have lost either the Washington or New Orleans games recently. You can’t say that about the Jets game. It was a complete victory.

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The Dolphins rushed for a season-best 239 yards led by Jaylen Wright’s career-best 107 yards and De’Von Achane’s 92 yards before he went out with a rib injury in the second quarter.

Defensively, the Dolphins, who were 29th in the league in run defense entering the game, held the Jets, who were No. 7 in rushing offense, to 65 yards rushing. Defensive tackle Zach Sieler had 2.5 sacks. The back end of the defense produced three interceptions.

There were few signs of slippage Sunday save for the punt team, which surrendered a 78-yard punt return touchdown and allowed a first down on a fake punt.

Believing is paying dividends.

Now, it should be noted that the Dolphins are trying not to get too caught up in the hoopla of being one of the NFL’s hottest teams. They’re trying to stay level-headed and look at the big picture.

“We’re just playing ball, man,” said cornerback Rasul Douglas, who had one of Miami’s three interceptions against the Jets. “We’re all playing together, that’s all.”

And they’re getting used to winning. They’re expecting to win.

When the Dolphins defeated Buffalo a few weeks ago to start their current four-game winning streak the locker room featured a wild celebration with players racing each other in laundry carts and 60-year-old wide receivers coach Robert Prince break dancing. 

Dolphins Deep Dive: ‘This is what you want to see’ . . . breaking down win over Jets | VIDEO

There was none of that Sunday. There was music, a few jokes here and there, lots of smiles and even more good vibrations. But there was no carnival atmosphere.

This is very different from a few weeks ago when the Dolphins were struggling with a 2-7 record and trying to figure out how to win games. 

This Dolphins team, with its fringe status as an AFC wild-card contender, is confident. It’s aggressive. It’s ascending.

The Dolphins’ new identity as a run-first team has fostered lots of belief that they can finish the season as the team they’ve developed into the past few weeks, the team that has won five of its past six games.

The Dolphins probably aren’t headed for the playoffs. In fact, it would be a miracle if they made the postseason. But you never know what can happen if you believe.

“It’s just the mental battle, keep doing details,” right tackle Austin Jackson said. “Keep doing the right things, the little things.”

In other words, keep believing.

General Daily Insight for December 08, 2025

When action meets limits, patience is our greatest power. The emotional Moon opposing transformative Pluto may surface control issues or power struggles, yet it also reveals truth that helps us decide what matters. Later on, warmth returns and conversations smooth out, which helps us shape one realistic plan from the friction we faced earlier. With combative Mars squaring restrictive Saturn at 7:16 pm EST, our drive meets firm walls, so we need to pace ourselves and choose strategy over speed. Restraint multiplies our successes.

Aries

March 21 – April 19

Aries, your courage wants a clear path. Fiery Mars challenges disciplined Saturn in a square, focusing your 9th House of Travel and Learning on real timelines and workable resources. You may want to book a trip on a whim, but plans like that require patience, so your move needs to become a phased plan that respects your limits. Even as Saturn in your 12th House of Solitude and Closure introduces pressure, you can turn reflection into guidance that steadies bold choices.

Taurus

April 20 – May 20

Steady ground helps you pace your steps. Your 8th House of Shared Resources takes the spotlight as ambitious Mars squares responsible Saturn, pressing you to handle debts, shared bills, or promises to loved ones. A calm budget talk with the key person works best when you present a clear plan and a realistic timeline. Even as Saturn in your 11th House of Social Networks adds group obligations, your steady tone invites support instead of resistance. Steady plans invite trust and cut down on stress.

Gemini

May 21 – June 20

It’s time to negotiate, Gemini. Partnership dynamics ask for clear agreements as warrior Mars squares authoritative Saturn, activating your 7th House of One-on-One Relationships with boundaries and fair expectations. A colleague may ask for help, but bandwidth and time limits are real considerations. What can you give without resentment? Even as Saturn touches your 10th House of Career and Status, your quick mind frames a plan that supports respect on both sides. Clear terms save goodwill and prevent mixed assumptions.

Cancer

June 21 – July 22

Progress appears after you honor your feelings. Aggressive Mars clashes with structured Saturn in a square that targets your 6th House of Work and Health today, so daily routines deserve attention. If a boss piles on tasks or you feel a little overwhelmed, you can revise the schedule and include breaks that support your sensitive rhythms. Even as Saturn activates your 9th House of Travel and Learning, you can follow the rulebook without ignoring your body’s messages. Gentle pacing helps you heal while staying productive.

Leo

July 23 – August 22

Today starts out bold (and slightly dramatic). Your 5th House of Creativity and Joy lights up as action-oriented Mars squares limiting Saturn, asking you to shape creative sparks into a plan that respects commitments. If a date night or rehearsal clashes with a promise, you can set a playful boundary and keep the moment fun without overextending. As Saturn touches your 8th House of Shared Resources, make sure to honor budget realities while still offering warm attention. Structure supports fun, if you do it right.

Virgo

August 23 – September 22

A push meets a pause today. Logistics on the home front require great care as passionate Mars squares karmic Saturn, directing your 4th House of Home and Family toward careful repairs. Don’t rush the process. A calm talk with the person sharing your space works when you show clear steps and make a point of respecting everyone’s space. Even as Saturn charges your 7th House of One-on-One Relationships, your precise tone and thoughtful check-ins can invite teamwork rather than friction.

Libra

September 23 – October 22

Harmony grows through honest boundaries, Libra — you know that better than most. Combative Mars squares disciplined Saturn today, activating your 3rd House of Communication, so the day works better with clear lanes and fair timing. If someone nearby requests a favor, you can agree but also let them know about other obligations you need to handle. This kind of forthrightness helps them respect your time. As Saturn highlights your 6th House of Work and Health, keep conversations kind. Balanced wording invites cooperation.

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21

Intense focus finds a worthy target. Your 2nd House of Money and Self-Worth centers the day as fiery Mars squares responsible Saturn, asking you to treat every purchase with sober intention. A client may press for a discount, or a friend may ask for a loan — you can respond with info about fair market value or get more details on what the money’s for. As Saturn weighs on your 5th House of Creativity, meaningful fun doesn’t require expensive plans.

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21

Now’s the time to turn momentum into mastery. Ambition meets reality as go-getter Mars squares authoritative Saturn, centering your identity and the way you direct energy toward one clear aim. Choose the priority you care about most right now and give it steady attention without chasing side quests that scatter your win. Saturn in your 4th House of Family might prompt you to get into a petty argument, but that’s just another needless distraction. Focused effort is the way to measurable progress.

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19

Your ambition might need guardrails today, Capricorn. Warrior Mars locks horns with structured Saturn in a square that steers you toward your 12th House of Solitude and Closure, where inner work guides your choices. Step back from the chatter for a bit and name the fear underneath your current hurry, then think about ways you can answer that fear directly instead of tangentially. Saturn stifles your 3rd House of Communication, so think about quality over quantity in texts or conversations.

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

This day calls for thoughtful collaboration. Your 11th House of Social Networks gains emphasis as aggressive Mars squares karmic Saturn, asking you to lead groups with firm agendas and realistic pacing. If a meeting starts to sprawl or spiral out of control, you can shorten the agenda and focus on one outcome, protecting attention and keeping contributions focused. Your 2nd House of Money and Self-Worth is grounded today, thanks to Saturn. Clear goals keep projects healthy and people energized.

Pisces

February 19 – March 20

Effort meets structure, and dreams find form. As action-oriented Mars squares limiting Saturn, your 10th House of Career and Status gets some focused attention. Credible goals and clear boundaries take precedence. A decision-maker in your life may ask for more from you — present a realistic timeline and one concrete deliverable that shows commitment without risking burnout. Even as Saturn emphasizes self-respect in your home sign, firm posture reads as competent leadership. Set fair limits, Pisces, to safeguard your reputation.

McCOOK, Neb. — The inmates housed at the minimum-security state prison in McCook, Nebraska, could often be seen around town, working on road paving, weeding cemeteries, taking down Christmas lights and mowing the high school football field before games. They took classes at the local community college, and an art gallery displayed work from 13 prisoners this summer.

For more than two decades, the prison, known as the Work Ethic Camp, was Nebraska’s only state prison geared solely toward rehabilitation. The facility held nonviolent felony offenders who were nearing the end of their sentences and prepared them, with counseling, schooling and job training, to return to the outside world.

That changed this fall, after state officials announced that the Work Ethic Camp would be replaced with a 300-bed, high security Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center to support President Donald Trump’s national crackdown on illegal immigration.

And so a place that had been devoted to second chances now had a very different mission, and a new name to go with it: “The Cornhusker Clink.”

In McCook, a conservative town of about 7,500 that voted overwhelmingly for Trump, some residents have objected. Many said they support Trump’s stance on illegal immigration but also liked what they had before: A prison that didn’t feel like a prison. With its close ties to the community, it was a place that helped Nebraskans get back on their feet.

Other residents said they were in favor of the new ICE facility, viewing McCook as doing its part for the president’s agenda and potentially benefiting from 50 to 60 added jobs. But opponents said they were frustrated by Gov. Jim Pillen’s unilateral decision to change the facility and turn it into a place to detain immigrants. City officials are also worried about the potential strain on resources if hundreds of detainees are transported in and out through the town’s small airport, which has one full-time employee.

“Now when people think of McCook, this is all it is — it’s ICE detention,” said Nate Schneider, the city manager and a registered Republican who said he has voted for both parties over the years. “But for us, it’s a lot more than that. McCook is home. McCook is a place that I want my kids to think is a good place to live. We’ve been working so hard to make McCook a draw, and now this.”

The Trump administration, aiming to deliver on a campaign promise of deporting 1 million people this year, has sought to expand its detention capacity. Federal authorities took the rare step of seeking detention space in state prisons, signing agreements with Indiana, Louisiana, Florida and Nebraska, all states where Republican governors have agreed to assist.

McCook officials said they were given no advance notice of the state’s decision to repurpose the Work Ethic Camp, nor have they been told that the city can expect any revenue from the ICE agreement with the state, which Pillen has said will bring in about $14 million annually, after expenses to run the facility.

Thirteen McCook residents and a former state legislator sued the governor, arguing that the facility was designated and funded by the Nebraska Legislature for the purposes of rehabilitating state inmates, and that Pillen did not have authority to change that. In October, a judge declined to grant the residents an injunction but also declined the governor’s request to dismiss the case, which is proceeding.

“I have no problem with prosecuting immigrants who commit crimes,” said Bruce McDowell, a retired telecommunications technician and a plaintiff in the suit. McDowell, a Democrat, said he viewed Pillen’s decision to turn the facility over to federal authorities as a political calculation. “He’s trying to curry favor with Donald Trump, and that carries a lot more weight than a few of us down here,” he said.

Pillen’s office did not respond to requests for comment, but the governor has previously said that the facility would benefit the state, calling it “good for Nebraska’s taxpayers” and a way to ensure that Nebraska is “doing all that we can to keep criminal, illegal aliens off our streets.”

Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, said that the department’s leadership was “grateful for Gov. Pillen’s partnership to help remove the worst of the worst out of our country.” The ICE facility began housing detainees in early November and has only held about 28 men, on average, each day.

‘A wake-up call’

In 1997, the Nebraska Legislature approved the Work Ethic Camp, so named to reflect the facility’s stated philosophy that “positive work ethics can be learned and transferred to other areas of an individual’s life.” Its purpose was to prepare low-level offenders to return to the community and to reduce a perpetual overcrowding problem in Nebraska prisons. The state’s prison system regularly ranks among the nation’s most overcrowded.

The Work Ethic Camp housed fewer than 200 people at a time and cost the state around $10 million annually. Its programming included vocational and educational courses, as well as classes to contend with substance abuse and domestic violence. McCook did not receive any direct revenue from the work camp but many residents were employed there, and the inmates worked low-paying jobs around town.

Over the years, a few prisoners escaped, but in many ways, the camp was seen as accomplishing its stated goals. A 2024 corrections department report touted that of 369 people held there last year, more than 90% successfully completed requirements that allowed them to be released from the camp.

Over 48-cent coffee at Arby’s, where a group of men gathers most mornings, residents were divided over whether McCook should have had a say in the decision to convert the facility into an ICE detention center.

“Who are we to say, ‘No, you can’t bring them here, you’ve got to go somewhere else,’” asked Brad Gillen, who owns a carpet cleaning business in McCook and voted for Trump. “If this is our part we have to do, that’s fine.”

But others took issue with Pillen for choosing to partner with federal authorities without seeking input from the community most affected, McCook.

“He did it to us, not with us,” said Dale Dueland, a semiretired farmer and rancher, who is one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit against Pillen and describes himself as nonpartisan.

“If you’d come before this all happened, most people here would say that what happens in Washington is so far away, it doesn’t affect us,” Dueland added. “All of a sudden it’s like a wake-up call that what happens in those faraway places can directly affect us here.”

From Washington to McCook

In mid-March, Pillen and his staff members traveled to the White House to attend one of Trump’s executive order signing ceremonies. The following week, David Lopez, Pillen’s chief of staff, exchanged emails with DHS officials, thanking them for meeting with him. He also inquired about how Nebraska might assist in immigration enforcement.

It is not clear exactly how Pillen and the corrections department landed on offering up the Work Ethic Camp, one of nine state correctional facilities, in the months that followed. But in August, in a joint statement with DHS, the governor announced the plan. That was the first time most people in McCook learned that the camp would be repurposed.

“I am pleased that our facility and team in McCook can be tasked with helping our federal partners protect our homeland,” Pillen said in the announcement. In addition to a new detention facility, Pillen announced that the Nebraska State Patrol and 20 Nebraska Army National Guard soldiers would assist ICE officials.

Pillen later announced the state’s new contract with the federal government: ICE would pay Nebraska a one-time fee of $5.9 million for renovations, and monthly payments of $2.5 million over a contract period of two years.

In its final months, about 186 men were held at the Work Ethic Camp. As the camp was closing, about 100 of them were moved to even less restrictive correctional facilities that allow inmates to leave daily and seek full-time employment. Ten others were released altogether, some on parole and others on supervision.

Still, 76 inmates were moved to more secure facilities, most to the Nebraska State Penitentiary, the state’s oldest prison, in Lincoln.

One of them was Jeff Smith, who is now serving his seven-year sentence for felony drug possession and other charges at the Nebraska State Penitentiary after being moved from the Work Ethic Camp.

“There’s no outside jobs here, no self help classes here, no chance to go out every day and work in the garden,” Smith said in an exchange over a messaging system that prisoners can access.

“Consider us collateral damage,” he said.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Since online genealogy services began operating, millions of people have sent them saliva samples in hopes of learning about their family roots and discovering far-flung relatives.

These services also appeal to law enforcement authorities, who have used them to solve cold case murders and to investigate such crimes as the 2022 killing of four University of Idaho students. Crime-scene DNA submitted to genealogy sites has helped investigators identify suspects and human remains by first identifying relatives.

The use of public records and family-tree building is crucial to this technique, and its main tool has been the genealogy site Ancestry, which has vast amounts of individual DNA profiles and public records.

More than 1,400 cases have been solved with the help of so-called genetic genealogy investigations, most of them with help from Ancestry. But a recent step taken by the site is now deterring many police agencies from employing this crime-solving technique.

In August, Ancestry revised the terms and conditions on its site to make it clear that its services were off-limits “for law enforcement purposes” without a legal order or warrant, which can be hard to get, because of privacy concerns. This followed the addition last year to the terms and conditions that the services could not be used for “judicial proceedings.”

Investigators say the implications are dire and will result in crucial criminal cases slowing or stalling entirely, denying answers to grieving families.

“Everyone who does this work has depended on the records database that Ancestry controls,” said David Gurney, who runs Ramapo College’s Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center in New Jersey. “Without it, casework is going to be a lot slower, and there will be some cases that can’t be resolved at all.”

Before the August revision, Gurney said, the terms and conditions language remained vague enough that law enforcement officials, medical examiners and investigators believed Ancestry did not object to their use of the site’s collaborative platform, which allows family-tree building and easy access to public records.

For the Ramapo center, those records have helped solve dozens of cases, including the exonerations of two men last year, Gurney said. But the center got an email last month saying its account had been canceled for violating the company’s terms and conditions.

In its letter to Ramapo, Ancestry said it had recently “become aware that your account is soliciting DNA samples to be used for cold cases.”

Without that one-stop clearinghouse for public records, investigators’ work will slow drastically, Gurney said, adding that law enforcement authorities were now avoiding Ancestry because of the revised terms.

In a statement, Ancestry spokesperson Gina Spatafore said the company had merely clarified a long-standing policy.

“Ancestry is intended solely for family history research, not law enforcement,” Spatafore said. The company, she added, has long prohibited “law enforcement, or those acting on its behalf, from using Ancestry to investigate crimes except through due process.” She did not elaborate on why the clarification had been issued this summer.

The development highlights a tension between privacy concerns and the push to solve crimes when it comes to genetic material, said Natalie Ram, a professor at the University of Maryland’s Francis King Carey School of Law and a genetic-privacy expert.

Millions of people willingly enter their DNA into consumer databases. But exposing an identity’s basic code also exposes its secrets. Some people are leery of giving others, including those with badges, free access.

Years ago, DNA found at a crime scene was useful as evidence if it could be directly matched in a law enforcement database to a specific suspect or close relative. Now, investigators can upload that DNA to direct-to-consumer sites with vast troves of genetic information that has been voluntarily shared.

The use of public genealogy sites to solve cold cases had a breakthrough moment in 2018, when authorities used GEDmatch to identify Joseph James DeAngelo as the Golden State Killer. Personal genetic testing was taking off, and millions of Americans were buying inexpensive DNA kits to learn more about their backgrounds.

Ancestry, already hugely popular, offered customers the ability to augment their genetic results with access to the site’s huge public records database and tools for building family trees and finding links to other users.

A private, for-profit company, Ancestry has more than $1 billion in annual revenue and more than 3 million paying subscribers, according to its website. It is owned by private equity behemoth Blackstone, which bought it in a $4.7 billion deal in 2020.

“Ancestry has made part of its pitch to consumers that it doesn’t cooperate with law enforcement,” Ram said. “If it’s getting calls from users saying, ‘You said you don’t cooperate with law enforcement, so why am I getting an email from someone claiming to be an investigator?’ — that could be a problem for business.”

Suggesting a possible explanation for Ancestry’s clarification of its terms, she added: “We’ve seen some people in law enforcement playing fast and loose with following terms of service for consumer genetics platforms, or outright flouting them.”

Law enforcement authorities’ use of genetic material came under scrutiny this year when court records revealed that FBI investigators had compared a crime-scene DNA profile with GEDmatch and another consumer database, MyHeritage, to identify Bryan Kohberger as the killer of the University of Idaho students. Kohberger’s defense team argued the access to the site without a warrant violated his client’s constitutional rights, but the judge in the case rejected the argument.

Some officials have proposed laws to curtail the use of DNA databases for law enforcement purposes, but it has been largely left to the companies themselves to regulate investigative genetic genealogy.

Like some other companies, including 23andMe, Ancestry bars authorities from accessing its DNA database without a court order, which can be difficult to obtain because of judges’ privacy and evidentiary concerns, and because the searches can seem overly broad.

CeCe Moore, a prominent genetic genealogist who serves as a researcher for the television series “Finding Your Roots” with Henry Louis Gates Jr., said it would be “impossible for anyone to quickly re-create” Ancestry’s invaluable stockpile of information.

“Over 99% of all genetic genealogy investigations have used public records from Ancestry,” said Moore, who has, with the assistance of genetic genealogy, also helped authorities identify suspects in hundreds of criminal cases.

Lauren Robilliard, a staff genealogist with the Toronto Police Service’s investigative genetic genealogy unit, said Ancestry’s database, which includes census, death and cemetery records from 88 countries and more than 140 million family trees, has been critical in the more than 50 cases the unit has solved in the past five years.

“It’s like a huge library across the world, and we can’t physically go to all these places to access the records,” she said.

At the Ramapo center, where staff members, volunteers and trainees must now rely on smaller databases, Gurney said his investigators had never sought to search Ancestry’s genetic database. It would not be useful in any case because genetic profiles from crime scenes or human remains cannot be uploaded to the site.

It was Ancestry’s wealth of public records, he said, that had helped investigators solve 38 cases since the center opened three years ago.

Family trees and genealogy records found on Ancestry by Ramapo investigators helped lead to the arrest last year of the killer in a 1974 cold case in Wisconsin. Ancestry’s newspaper archives and census records helped lead the Ramapo team to the real killer in a 1987 murder for which two brothers were wrongly imprisoned for nearly 25 years.

Barring access to that kind of information, the professor said, would thwart efforts to “catch dangerous criminals and bring justice” to crime victims and families of the missing.

Gurney said that, for help with family tree analysis, members of his team had sometimes contacted Ancestry users through the site’s messaging service to ask if they might agree to genetic genealogical searching to help an investigation by transferring their genetic profiles to another site, GEDmatch Pro, that offers users the ability to opt in to such searches.

Ramapo team members, he said, always told those they contacted “exactly who we were and why we were asking.”

The New Jersey State Police have used Ancestry to help solve 15 cold cases since 2023, according to Lt. Rick Kuhrt, the cold case unit’s commander.

Ancestry information helped the unit identify, from a foot inside a shoe found in the Delaware River, the remains of a Pennsylvania woman who disappeared in 2014, he said. The unit also determined that bones that washed up on South Jersey beaches belonged to the captain of a schooner that sank in 1844.

“Most of these cases, honestly, would never have been solved without Ancestry,” he said.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

In this Dolphins Deep Dive video, the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Chris Perkins and David Furones discuss Miami winning its fourth game in a row on Sunday by beating the Jets in New York and this late-season push. They also touch on the Dolphins’ run game, business-like approach and the improved defense.

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Palm Beach County’s sole bowl game will host a pair of teams from up north.

Louisville (8-4) and Toledo (8-4) will face off in the Dec. 23 bowl game at FAU’s Flagler Credit Union Stadium in Boca Raton on Dec. 23, the bowl organizers announced Sunday.

The Cardinals, an ACC team, were last in South Florida in October when they upset then-No. 2 Miami at Hard Rock Stadium. Louisville dropped three consecutive games as it dealt with injuries at the end of the year, but the Cardinals concluded their season on a high note with a blowout win against rival Kentucky.

The Cardinals, who are making their first-ever appearance in the Boca Raton Bowl, are led by talented running backs Isaac Brown (a Homestead native who led the team with 782 rushing yards despite playing eight games) and Keyjuan Brown (592 yards, six touchdowns).

Louisville has seven players from South Florida on its team: Brown (Homestead High), Stanquan Clark (Miami Central High), T.J Capers (Miami Columbus High), JoJo Evans Jr. (Riviera Beach, Dwyer High), Shai Kochav (Fort Lauderdale, TRU Prep), Jimmy Williams III (Miami Gardens, American Heritage), Bobby Golden (Miami Palmetto)

Toledo has played in the Boca Raton Bowl twice previously: once in 2015 and again in 2022. The Rockets won both games.

Toledo went 8-4 this season and finished tied for third in the Mid-American Conference. The Rockets are currently on a four-game winning streak and feature quarterback Tucker Gleason (2,515 yards, 21 touchdowns, nine interceptions) and running back Chip Trayanum (950 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns).

However, Toledo coach Jason Candle just left the Rockets to take the UConn head coaching job. Co-Offensive Coordinator and quarterbacks coach Robert Weiner will lead the team in the bowl game, according to the Toledo Blade.

Toledo has four players on its roster from South Florida: Andre Fuller (Loxahatchee, Seminole Ridge High), Hyajah Miller (North Lauderdale, Coconut Creek High), Wayne Peart II (Pembroke Pines, Chaminade-Madonna Prep) and Jeremiah Peters (Miami, Booker T. Washington High).

University of Louisville and University of Toledo are BUSH’S BOCA RATON BOWL OF BEANS BOUND!

Today is Sunday, Dec. 7, the 341st day of 2025. There are 24 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Dec. 7,1972, America’s last crewed moon mission to date was launched as Apollo 17 blasted off from Cape Canaveral.

Also on this date:

In 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

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In 1941, the Empire of Japan launched an air raid on the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, killing more than 2,300 Americans. The United States declared war against Japan the following day.

In 1982, convicted murderer Charlie Brooks Jr. became the first U.S. prisoner to be executed by lethal injection, at a prison in Huntsville, Texas.

In 1988, a major earthquake in the Soviet Union devastated northern Armenia, killing at least 25,000 people.

In 1993, six people were killed and 19 wounded in a mass shooting aboard a Long Island Rail Road train in New York.

In 2004, Hamid Karzai (HAH’-mihd KAHR’-zeye) was sworn in as Afghanistan’s first popularly elected president.

In 2018, James Alex Fields Jr., who drove his car into a crowd of counterdemonstrators at a 2017 white nationalist rally in Virginia, was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Heather Heyer, an anti-racism activist. He was later sentenced on that and other convictions to life in prison plus 419 years.

In 2024, the newly-restored Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was reopened to the public after a devastating blaze nearly destroyed the beloved Gothic masterpiece in 2019. World leaders attended the reopening ceremony amid great fanfare and celebration.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Linguist and political philosopher Noam Chomsky is 97.
• Actor Ellen Burstyn is 93.
• Baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Bench is 78.
• Singer-songwriter Tom Waits is 76.
• Republican Sen. Susan M. Collins of Maine is 73.
• Basketball Hall of Famer Larry Bird is 69.
• Actor Jeffrey Wright is 60.
• Actor C. Thomas Howell is 59.
• Football Hall of Famer Terrell Owens is 52.
• Football Hall of Famer Alan Faneca is 49.
• Actor Shiri Appleby is 47.
• Singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles (bah-REHL’-es) is 46.
• Actor Nicholas Hoult is 36.
• MLB All-Star Pete Alonso is 31.
• Olympic swimming gold medalist Torri Huske is 23.

MIAMI — Observations and other notes of interest from Saturday night’s 127-111 loss to the Sacramento Kings:

– There are many ways to address what the Heat power rotation is and what it isn’t.

– Two came at Saturday night’s intermission.

– First, there was Sacramento’s Precious Achiuwa closing the first half with seven rebounds in his 11 minutes over the opening two periods, while Heat center Kel’el Ware had two over his 13 first-half minutes.

– Second, was Erik Spoelstra then opting to open the second half with Ware on the bench, with Jaime Jaquez Jr. in his place.

– As Spoelstra noted after Friday night’s loss in Orlando, the opening lineups with Ware and Bam Adebayo have not been working, especially on the defensive end.

– Such again was the case at Saturday’s outset.

– The problem is the options in the power rotation, since Achiuwa was waived by the Heat at the end of the preseason, are limited.

– Because until being forced back into action Saturday by injuries elsewhere, Nikola Jovic played himself out of the rotation.

– Hardly an answer to the power mix.

– This doesn’t mean it doesn’t work with Adebayo.

– And it doesn’t mean it doesn’t work with Ware.

– But it hasn’t been working with the two in tandem.

– Not that Spoelstra has many other options in his power rotation (with all due respect to undersized Keshad Johnson).

– In less than a week, the Heat will have the option of adding another player to the standard roster while still remaining below the luxury tax.

– The fact that the power rotation still needs to be addressed makes it all the more confounding that it wasn’t addressed already.

– And in this case, with even Jovic inserted in the second half before Ware.

– Big things clearly at play.

– Big things clearly needing to be addressed.

– With Tyler Herro, Davion Mitchell and Pelle Larsson out, the Heat opened with a lineup of Ware, Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins, Norman Powell and Dru Smith.

–It was the Heat’s 10th lineup in their 24 games.

– And the third career start for Smith, who started one game for the Heat in 2022-23 and one last season.

–  It was the first absence of the season for Mitchell.

– With depth limited, Jovic, after being held out of two of the previous three games, entered first off the bench along with Jaime Jaquez Jr.

– Simone Fontecchio followed.

– And then Jahmir Young with his first rotation minutes of the season.

– Little of it worked.

– The bench overly decimated by injuries.

– Spoelstra said the expectation was still of quality play at point guard even without Mitchell.

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– “And that’s not to take away from anything that he’s done,” Spoelstra said. “He’s been playing great basketball at both ends of the court. We still want to get to our identity, regardless.”

– Didn’t happen.

– Spoelstra said the team’s supporting players have been working to be ready for such moments.

– “The guys work extremely hard behind the scenes,” he said. “They prepare for these kind of moments. And we try to give them an environment where they can grow and surprise us and continue to get better as the season goes on.”

– He added, “It’s exciting. You don’t want guys to get hurt, but it’s exciting when guys get opportunities.”

– Or, in this case, not.

– As for Herro, Saturday’s MRI showed nothing more than a contusion of his right big toe.

– Herro is listed as day to day.

– So a sigh of relief?

– “I just was going to wait until we found out what the deal was,” Spoelstra said. “I try not to stress out about things you don’t know about or can’t control.”

MIAMI — Several sobering realities hit home for the Miami Heat in Saturday night’s 127-111 loss to the Sacramento Kings at Kaseya Center.

They didn’t have enough healthy bodies to compete.

They didn’t have enough on the defensive end to deter.

And they might not be who they thought they were just a scant week ago.

Shorthanded and seemingly gassed in playing their third game in four nights after a two-game trip, the Heat proved no match for a team that entered 5-17.

So make it four losses in the last five games for Erik Spoelstra’s team and now a 14-10 record.

“We didn’t have a lot of juice on either end of the floor,” Spoelstra said. “It was not one of our finer games.”

Lacking sidelined Tyler Herro, Davion Mitchell and Pelle Larsson, who all sat because of ailments, the Heat lacked a counter to the offensive explosion of Kings guard Zach LaVine, who closed with 42 points.

LaVine shot 12 of 24 from the field, including 8 of 13 on 3-pointers.

“He was in a great flow,” Spoelstra said, “and we weren’t doing a lot to disrupt him.”

For the Heat, Norman Powell scored 18 before sitting out the fourth quarter, with Bam Adebayo limited to seven points and nine rebounds in his 25 minutes, on a night Kel’el Ware was benched at the start of the second half.

“We got to get stops,” Adebayo said. “That’s the biggest thing. And then also, we’ve just got to move the ball.”

With ample time for the bench to take care of mop-up duty, the Heat also got 27 points from Jaime Jaquez Jr. and 20 from Simone Fontecchio.

Of the skid, Powell said, “I don’t think we’re too concerned right now. Just got to get back to who we are, offensively, defensively, our identity.”

Five Degrees of Heat from Saturday night’s game:

1. Game flow: The Kings led 34-31 at the end of the first period, with LaVine up to 18 points at that stage. LaVine then was up to 29 points by halftime, when the Kings led 72-55.

It got worse from there, with the Heat falling behind by 27 in the third period and trailing 101-78 going into the fourth.

LaVine had 37 points entering the fourth quarter, with the Kings’ lead cresting at 28.

“We’ll work on it,” Spoelstra said. “We’re going to work on getting more consistent to how we want to play.”

2. And another one: With Herro, Larsson and Mitchell out, the Heat went with their 10th lineup.

That not only had Dru Smith with his first start of the season and third of his career, but Nikola Jovic back in the rotation and two-way player Jahmir Young with first-quarter minutes.

Of all the available Heat players, second-year forward Keshad Johnson was the lone one not to see action in the opening period.

Johnson eventually entered for the first time with 2:25 to play in the third period.

Smith struggled as a starter, shooting 1 of 6 from the field.

Of Mitchell’s absence, Powell said, “We just miss his energy. We know how important D-Mitch is to what we do offensively and defensively.”

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3. Ware benched: After starting alongside Adebayo for a second consecutive night, Ware was benched at the start of the second half in favor of Jaquez.

Ware did not enter in the second half until 4:10 remained in the third period, when the Heat trailed by 23.

Ware was coming off an uneven Friday night in Orlando, when he did not play in the decisive fourth quarter, with Spoelstra instead opting for smaller lineups.

Ware closed with five points and six rebounds in 30 minutes against the Kings.

“Just looking for some juice, something to just kick-start for some energy,” Spoelstra said of the second-half lineup switch. “It wasn’t an indictment on Kel’el.”

4. The three thing: Limited in their 3-point attempts in Friday night’s loss in Orlando, who they closed 7 of 19 from beyond the arc, the Heat this time struggled with their accuracy from distance.

At halftime LaVine stood 6 of 7 from beyond the arc, when the Heat were 5 of 21.

The Heat closed 9 of 31 on 3-pointers, the Kings 14 of 33.

“Honestly, I think we’re passing up a lot of shots that we weren’t passing up earlier,” Powell said of the Heat’s recent 3-point regression. “We’re missing those moments right now.”

5. What next?: With an NBA Cup victory Tuesday night in Orlando, the Heat will not be home again until Dec 23.

Even with a loss Tuesday, that also could be the case, depending on Tuesday’s other Eastern Conference NBA Cup game, between the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors.

The only chance for a home game before the Raptors’ Dec. 23 visit would be if the Heat lose Tuesday to the Magic and the Raptors lose at home Tuesday to the Knicks. In that case, the Heat would host the Raptors on Dec. 15 at Kaseya Center.

For now, a two-day break in the midst of a three-game losing streak.

“I want our guys to get as much rest as possible,” Spoelstra said.

SUNRISE — Sam Bennett scored 4:56 into overtime, lifting the Florida Panthers to a wild 7-6 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.

Bennett and Brad Marchand each had a goal and three assists for Florida, which trailed 4-1 midway through the second period. Carter Verhaeghe had two goals and an assist, and defenseman Seth Jones had a goal and an assist.

A streaking Bennett got a slick pass from Marchand and beat Elvis Merzlikins on the goaltender’s stick side. It was Bennett’s seventh goal of the season.

Cole Sillinger, Isac Lundestrom, Dmitri Voronkov and Miles Wood each had a goal and an assist for Columbus in the opener of a three-game trip. Damon Severson and Kirill Marchenko also scored.

Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 25 shots for Florida, and Merzlikins finished with 33 saves.

Voronkov, Marchenko and Wood scored in the second to help Columbus open a 4-1 lead. It was No. 10 on the season for Voronkov and Marchenko.

Verhaeghe responded with back-to-back goals less than two minutes apart, and Jones made it 4-4 with a power-play goal with 3:48 left in the second.

Columbus regained the lead on Sillinger’s third goal with 1:34 remaining in the period, and Lundestrom’s first goal of the season made it 6-4 at 2:27 of the third.

But Marchand answered with his 16th goal at 4:21, and Anton Lundell tied it at 6 with 5:42 remaining. It was Lundell’s seventh on the season.

Up next

Panthers: Host the New York Islanders on Sunday.

General Daily Insight for December 07, 2025

Steady thoughts bring calm choices and clarity. Early hours may bring misreads as fiery Mars forms a quincunx to expansive Jupiter, asking us to adjust big aims to match resources in daily life. With clever Mercury trining disciplined Saturn at 11:48 AM EST, our plans tighten gently, conversations become grounded, and commitments feel easier to honor. By evening, the emotional Moon warms confidence, so we speak up with heart and keep moves simple. Small, steady choices guide us toward reliable progress.

Aries

March 21 – April 19

Deep talks lead to practical steps now. Shared truth feels safe as cerebral Mercury harmonizes with responsible Saturn to activate your 8th House of Resources, helping you talk money that maps a goal. You may initiate a clear conversation with a trusted person, and private worries soften as karmic Saturn steadies your oceanic 12th house and brings perspective. If tempers rise, breathe, make a list, then propose one doable next step that works for now. Choose transparency — clarity is key for teamwork.

Taurus

April 20 – May 20

What will it take to strengthen your closest bonds? Your 7th House of Partnerships finds support as chatty Mercury works with structured Saturn, making agreements easier and helping you set expectations with someone important to you. You may calmly propose a timeline for something you share, then state what you need while responsible Saturn grounds your 11th House of Social Networks. If someone hesitates, offer a small promise — and make sure to keep it. Reliability repairs doubts. Trust in the power of patience.

Gemini

May 21 – June 20

When energies clash, small adjustments open better paths. Your 7th House of Partnerships stirs under ambitious Mars, while auspicious Jupiter highlights your 2nd House of Money, so you may tweak an agreement for real fairness. If someone wants more than you can give, ease the mood with a few options, then gently offer one workable compromise and ask for feedback. Quick humor helps, yet the aim is true balance, not winning. Edit contracts now — clear terms save time and protect your energy.

Cancer

June 21 – July 22

This morning favors heartfelt play and learning. Mischievous Mercury trines authoritative Saturn through your 5th House of Creativity and Romance, helping you plan fun activities and set boundaries that make play easier. You may pick one simple plan, then protect a window of time for devoted practice as authoritative Saturn brings focus to your curious 9th house. Let your tender side lead the conversation, and choose clear start and stop times. Structure creates safety, so joy can bloom brightly and linger.

Leo

July 23 – August 22

Leo, you naturally light up every room. The intuitive Moon brings focus to your identity and first impressions today, so you may refresh your look and lead with generous warmth that others quickly reflect. If nerves flicker before the spotlight, pause to breathe and choose a statement that sets the tone and shows your heart. Your charisma grows when you keep it real. Share credit freely, and let light playfulness guide introductions to new folks. If you lead with sincerity, connection follows with ease.

Virgo

August 23 – September 22

Quiet changes at home need your attention, Virgo. Harmony benefits from small edits as action-oriented Mars stirs your domestic 4th house and jovial Jupiter energizes your idealistic 11th house. Plans may need some minor tweaks. You could reorganize the house, then text your friends about your progress and extend a warm invitation to hang out. If expectations feel fuzzy, ask clear questions and wait patiently. Your eye for detail has a way of smoothing edges, as long as you keep relationships at the center.

Libra

September 23 – October 22

What truly supports your sense of self-worth? Intellectual Mercury harmonizes with boundary-setting Saturn today to focus your 2nd House of Money, which helps you price your work well and choose spending that matches your goals and values. You might calmly approach a client about a clearer contract or figure out your grocery budget, helped by structured Saturn in your 6th House of Habits. A graceful boundary with yourself keeps finances balanced and respectful of your deepest desires, regardless of your momentary wishes.

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21

Clear intentions reshape how others see you — for the better. Thoughtful messaging on your part earns respect as information-gathering Mercury harmonizes with discipline-minded Saturn today. State your needs in conversation, and invite honest feedback. Thanks to responsible Saturn in your 5th House of Creativity, receiving a warm compliment gives depth without drama and shows your willingness to connect. Drop the mystery, Scorpio! Clarity of desire will open the right door for you in a hurry. Speak plainly with the people you trust.

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21

When ambitious drive conflicts with promises you’ve made, it’s time to adjust. Warrior Mars charges your 1st House of Initiative today while lucky Jupiter spotlights your 8th House of Intimacy, so your goal may need a tweak now to respect limits and previous commitments. You might see about changing a professional deadline so you can show up for existing plans with a close friend or family member. Your open optimism still shines when you play fair and keep your priorities straight.

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19

Today favors strategic outreach with friends. Your 11th House of Friends and Allies gains traction as mental Mercury harmonizes with authoritative Saturn, making it easier to advance a project that’s been sitting on the back burner. Draft a concise message, then confirm responsibilities and assignments while rules-focused Saturn in your informative 3rd house sets a confident tone. Make sure everyone knows the next step. Your professionalism lands well in situations like this — folks need someone to boss up and be a leader.

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

Steady effort earns quiet (but meaningful) recognition. Your 10th House of Career and Status lights up as messenger Mercury trines ambitious Saturn, helping your ideas land with authority in any setting. You may polish a proposal and speak succinctly in a meeting while steady Saturn supports your grounded 2nd house and encourages realistic pricing and promises. Quiet confidence does more than extra words right now. Innovative touches still shine when the structure frames them clearly. Share your value plainly, and watch as doors start opening.

Pisces

February 19 – March 20

What’s the secret to balancing work and play? You’re figuring it out as passionate Mars activates your 10th House of Career and tussles with joyous Jupiter in your 5th House of Pleasure. Plans may clash between duty and freedom. You might propose a new deadline, then reserve an afternoon for creative time that lifts your heart. If guilt whispers, remember that real rest improves results later. Your infamous empathy helps everyone feel seen, lending extra strength to your example of self-care. Joy sustains your energy.

FORT LAUDERDALE — The final act, the one everyone came to see, had Lionel Messi carrying the trophy over to his Inter Miami teammates late Saturday afternoon. This is how he’s done it everywhere he’s been, the captain and a trophy, and now he did at Chase Stadium.

“Mes-si!” the crowd chanted.

The trophy looked nearly as big as Messi as he walked on the makeshift stage amid his teammates. But there, in that moment, as he held the Major League Soccer championship trophy aloft, as confetti dropped and fireworks flew, Messi didn’t look like the league’s marketing machine or the world’s most recognizable athlete.

He just looked like a star happy to win again. His smile said that much, as did his hugs with teammates and that laugh he carried all over the field for the next hour as family and friends joined in the celebration.

“This is the moment I had been waiting for, and that we, as a team, were waiting for,” Messi said after the 3-1 win against Vancouver. “It’s very beautiful for all of us. They deserved it.”

It didn’t matter if this wasn’t anything close to the biggest of his career. It mattered that he’d won again — that he wanted to win like this here. It mattered more to Inter Miami, sure, because this was the team’s first title and it confirmed all the attention of the past couple of years.

This was a MLS dream matchup, Messi against Vancouver’s Tomas Müller, the German star coming to North America for his final chapter just as Messi has to South Florida.

“They said soccer would never make it in America,’’ MLS commissioner Don Garber said during the trophy ceremony. “Inter Miami fans, has soccer made it?”

Messi’s toeprints were all over this game. He got the opening goal started at midfield by passing to a breaking Tadeo Allende, whose crossing pass was deflected into the net by Vancouver’s Edier Ocampo.

After Vancouver tied it, Messi had a takeaway, then threaded a pass to send Rodrigo DePaul in alone on goal to make it 2-1 in the 72nd minute. DePaul was another Inter Miami special, an Atletico Madrid star who fit under the MLS salary-cap rules in midseason by saying he was just coming for this pro-rated season.

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Finally, there was the coupe de Messi on this title game. He played a ball off his chest, and to his left foot, which popped a pass over the Vancouver defense in stoppage time. It was Allende sent in alone on goal this time. His goal in the 96th minute started the celebration.

Messi ran over and hugged him. Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano ran on the field and hugged Jordi Alba until they toppled to the grass.

“These games, they’re decided in a few moments,’’ Vancouver coach Jesper Sorensen said. “And when you play Miami they have players who can take them in those few moments.”

You can pick when this celebration started. Maybe it was when David Beckham picked Miami as his ownership destination in 2018. Maybe it was when baseball passed on Jorge Mas for Derek Jeter in 2017 and Mas and brother Jose bought into Inter Miami and then became full owners with Beckham in 2021.

Maybe it was the summer of 2023 when Beckham was awoken at 5 a.m. in Japan, saying the five-year recruitment of Messi was completed. It was a marketing venture as much as a sporting adventure, and it’s been a success by whatever metric you use.

The league’s social media footprint went from two million to 50 million followers with Messi aboard. Apple TV announced more than 300,000 new subscribers after Messi signed.

Inter Miami has sold out games at Chase Stadium even while raising ticket prices about four-fold. This was the final scheduled game here as the new stadium awaits in Miami. Another assist from Messi, who signed on for three more seasons.

Some of his friends are going. Alba and Sergio Busquets, 37, announced their impending retirement earlier this season and played their final game Saturday. Luis Suarez, 36, was benched during the first-round series against Nashville and might be done.

The exit of big names is part of the MLS story. But Messi isn’t leaving. He didn’t need a MLS title. But his smile in the aftermath showed, as Mascherano said, “He came here to win this cup.”

 

FORT LAUDERDALE — Lionel Messi’s legacy was long secured when he came to Inter Miami and joined Major League Soccer. He’d won a World Cup, won dozens of trophies, was generally considered the greatest player in the sport’s history.

He didn’t need an MLS Cup.

But he wanted one — and got it.

Messi and Inter Miami have completed their ascent, beating the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 on Saturday in the MLS Cup final for the franchise’s first championship. It came 2 1/2 years after the legend arrived in South Florida, a move that stunned plenty of onlookers at the time.

He set up the title-clinching goal with a 72nd-minute assist to Rodrigo De Paul, a play where Messi stole the ball and threaded a pass through a tiny gap in a wall of Vancouver defenders. De Paul got it in stride, pushed it into the far corner of the net — and Messi went airborne to hop into his arms a few seconds later, all smiles.

And as the final minutes ticked away, Inter Miami’s pink-clad fans — most wearing Messi’s No. 10 on their backs — stood and stomped and cheered. South Florida has seen NFL and NBA and Major League Baseball and NHL titles in the past.

It’s a soccer town now, too. Messi made that happen. Tadeo Allende scored in the sixth minute of stoppage time — off another Messi assist, of course — to make it 3-1.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 06: Tadeo Allende #21 of Inter Miami CF celebrates after scoring the team's third goal during the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Final match between Inter Miami CF and Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Chase Stadium on December 06, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)

Inter Miami became the 16th franchise in the league’s 30-year history to win an MLS title. And this extends a run of parity for MLS, which has seen five different franchises win championships in the last five years and eight franchises claim a title in the last nine seasons — only Columbus has won twice in that span.

It was also the culmination of a 12-year odyssey for David Beckham, part of Inter Miami’s ownership group.

He retired as a player in 2013 and his MLS contract said he could start a franchise at a discounted rate when his career ended. Beckham chose Miami and it took him years to finally make it happen; it wasn’t until January 2018 when the franchise was formally born, after he partnered with Miami businessmen Jorge Mas and Jose Mas, and even then the team didn’t have a stadium plan.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 06: David Beckham, co-owner of Inter Miami CF, with his family Victoria Beckham, Romeo Beckham and Cruz Beckham watch the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Final match between Inter Miami CF and Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Chase Stadium on December 06, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

The team started play in 2020, and Messi arrived halfway through the 2023 season. Inter Miami was in last place in MLS at the time.

And then Messi arrived. The last-place team then now runs the league.

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• Hyde: Messi’s career didn’t need this title — but he showed how much it meant to him

“It’s been an incredible journey,” Beckham said.

The trophy is Messi’s 47th for club and country, extending his global men’s soccer record. He’s now won at least 21 titles in one-match final situations, many of them with the core of this team — Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Luis Suarez and Javier Mascherano, his longtime Barcelona teammates.

MESSI LIFTS YET ANOTHER TROPHY

By any rational measure, Scott Frost didn’t say anything controversial at his National Signing Day media  conference earlier this week. He didn’t rant. He didn’t deflect blame. He didn’t offer excuses.

He simply told the truth — the truth every coach whispers privately, the truth every administrator tiptoes around, the truth every fan of a non-superpower program already knows:

College football is broken. And the people breaking it are the very ones who wish Frost would just keep his opinions to himself.

Frost dared to say aloud what the sport’s gatekeepers prefer to bury under the blanket slogan of “the new era of college football.” That phrase sounds modern and exciting, but it’s simply a smoke screen for a system that has devolved into a financial free-for-all — one where rules are optional, oversight is toothless, spending is endless and integrity is a luxury only the underfunded can afford.

Frost punctured that illusion with a single line:

“It’s broken. College football’s broken.”

He’s right.

And his critics know he’s right. That’s why the legions of the miserable on social media are attacking him.

The NCAA’s new era of name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation was supposed to give athletes more control, more opportunity and more transparency. No reasonable person opposes players earning money in a system that generates billions.

But that’s not the problem Frost called out.

The problem is that schools are publicly and brazenly offering guaranteed NIL money that violates the very participation agreements that the sport’s new governing body — the College Sports Commission — has asked them to voluntarily sign. LSU’s massive NIL guarantees for Lane Kiffin and BYU’s booster-backed windfall to keep coach Kalani Sitake from taking the Penn State job are just the recent examples that made headlines. For every one of those stories, a dozen more slip quietly beneath the surface.

The CSC was meant to be the sport’s stabilizing force. Instead, it’s become the football equivalent of a speed-limit sign on a highway where every luxury car is going 120 miles per hour — and the drivers all know the cops won’t pull them over.

Frost didn’t invent this reality. He is merely trying to expose it.

Critics, including some UCF fans, say Frost is “complaining,” “making excuses,” or “being naïve.” But the outrage has nothing to do with his tone and everything to do with what his honesty threatens.

When Frost suggests that wealthier programs can simply buy their way around regulations, he isn’t whining — he’s describing the system as it actually functions. You see, when the House vs. NCAA court settlement came to fruition, all schools supposedly agreed to a $20.5 million revenue-sharing salary cap to pay its athletes while the farcical NIL deals — aka boosters and collectives paying athletes directly — were supposed to be banned.

Now you have schools like LSU and BYU essentially promising their coaches that they will supplement the $20.5 million revenue-sharing with millions more in additional cash to pay players.

“That’s baffling to me,” Frost said. “We’re going to sign participation agreements saying we’re not going to do any of that, and then you have newspaper articles come out about how much [some schools] are guaranteed to spend over revshare. … You know, any sport where whoever has the richest boosters wins — that’s not a good model for a sport. So we’re rooting for it to get curtailed. In the meantime, we’ve got to try to do the best we can.”

People who benefit from a broken system have one natural enemy: the person willing to name it as broken.

That’s Frost.

And that’s why his truth-telling has become inconvenient.

Frost also put his finger on the human cost of the current chaos — the cost almost no one wants to acknowledge.

Player development is evaporating. Loyalty is vanishing. The idea of a four-year college career; of relationships, mentorship, maturation, becoming a man and — don’t laugh — getting a college degree is slipping away in a cloud of one-year rentals and transfer roulette.

Some athletes will bounce among three, four or five schools, never anchoring to a community or a fan base or a friend group, never experiencing a homecoming, never forming bonds that outlast the season.

Coaches used to shape young men over several years. Now they’re lucky to get several months.

“The days of going to a school and being loyal to the school and being able to go back to homecomings and support a school that you were at for four or five years … some kids will never have that because they’ve been at three or four schools,” Frost said. “One of the things that I think a lot of coaches love about coaching is the mentoring side of it. That’s getting harder and harder to do.”

Frost recalls an incident right after his introductory news conference when he returned as UCF’s head coach last December

“I laugh about it now, but I did my press conference last year and had a couple players and their agents waiting outside my office five minutes after I did my press conference to start telling me how much money I needed to pay them, and I didn’t even know who the kids were,” Frost said.

Can you imagine the thoughts that must have been going through Frost’s mind at the time? … “Who are you? What’s your name? What position do you play? And you want HOW MUCH money?!”

Why has Frost saying this out loud somehow become controversial?

It shouldn’t be.

He’s simply being honest.

Ironically, Frost isn’t speaking from a place of weakness. UCF is in a stronger financial and structural position than it was a year ago. The Knights can compete in this era — but Frost is asking deeper questions:

Should the richest boosters win?

Should rules be optional?

Should participation agreements be ceremonial?

Should the sport’s soul be sold to the highest bidder?

Frost says no.

More people should say no.

More coaches should speak out. More administrators should speak out. More ESPN commentators should speak out.  And, yes, more local media outlets should speak out and challenge the very programs that drive their traffic.

And the thing is, Frost isn’t criticizing the sport.

He’s defending it.

He’s defending a model where culture, development and relationships matter as much as bank accounts.

For that, he deserves praise — not backlash.

In a landscape full of silent cynics and loud salesmen, Scott Frost did something rare:

He told the truth.

Sadly, at this point, telling the truth may be the most revolutionary act left in the broken sport of college football.

Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on social media @BianchiWrites and listen to my new radio show “Game On” every weekday from 3 to 6 p.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen

 

CORAL GABLES — Malik Reneau scored 21 points, Miami exploded for 54 points in the second half, and the Hurricanes defeated Southern Miss 88-64 on Saturday.

Miami shot 57% in the second half and had only six turnovers. The Hurricanes had a 30-12 advantage in points in the paint after halftime.

Miami (8-2) led by four points with 13 1/2 minutes left in the second half before a 14-0 run put the Hurricanes in charge, 64-46 with 10 minutes remaining. Timotej Malovec hit two 3-pointers and two free throws in the run.

The Golden Eagles made only three shots in the final 7 1/2 minutes and Miami’s biggest lead was 27 points at 86-59 with a little under two minutes to go.

Malovec, a freshman from Slovakia, finished with 16 points off the bench, his career high. Tru Washington scored 14, and Shelton Henderson and Tre Donaldson each scored 12 for the Hurricanes. Donaldson had 11 assists.

Reneau’s 21 points came in only 18 minutes on the court before he fouled out with 2 1/2 minutes left in the game.

Tylik Weeks and Djahi Binet led Southern Miss (5-4) with 12 points each.

Miami led for only 2:12 in the first half and that was within the first 8 1/2 minutes of play. Southern Miss’ largest lead was 24-19 with 7 minutes left and there would be four more ties, the last when Miami’s Henderson made two free throws in the final second for a 34-34 halftime score.

Miami improved to 6-0 at home.

Up next
Southern Miss hosts Grambling on Monday.

Miami hosts Louisiana Monroe on Saturday.

• Al Walkington and Greyson Kilgore compete in the DEKA mile World Championship (1-mile total running combined with 10 functional fitness zones) at the Broward County Convention Center on Saturday, December 6, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
• Athletes compete in the DEKA mile World Championship (1-mile total running combined with 10 functional fitness zones) at the Broward County Convention Center on Saturday, December 6, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
• Athletes at the start of the DEKA mile World Championship (1-mile total running combined with 10 functional fitness zones) at the Broward County Convention Center on Saturday, December 6, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
• Athletes compete in the DEKA mile World Championship (1-mile total running combined with 10 functional fitness zones) at the Broward County Convention Center on Saturday, December 6, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
• Athletes compete in the DEKA mile World Championship (1-mile total running combined with 10 functional fitness zones) at the Broward County Convention Center on Saturday, December 6, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
• Brooklyn Nichols finished first in the DEKA mile World Championship (1-mile total running combined with 10 functional fitness zones) at the Broward County Convention Center on Saturday, December 6, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
• Athletes compete in the DEKA mile World Championship (1-mile total running combined with 10 functional fitness zones) at the Broward County Convention Center on Saturday, December 6, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
• Athletes are cheered on and encouraged in the DEKA mile World Championship (1-mile total running combined with 10 functional fitness zones) at the Broward County Convention Center on Saturday, December 6, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
• Greyson Kilgore collapses after finishing first in the DEKA mile World Championship (1-mile total running combined with 10 functional fitness zones) at the Broward County Convention Center on Saturday, December 6, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
• Al Walkington competes in the DEKA mile World Championship (1-mile total running combined with 10 functional fitness zones) at the Broward County Convention Center on Saturday, December 6, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
• Janelle Teal competes in the DEKA mile World Championship (1-mile total running combined with 10 functional fitness zones) at the Broward County Convention Center on Saturday, December 6, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
• Athletes collapse at the finish line in the DEKA mile World Championship (1-mile total running combined with 10 functional fitness zones) at the Broward County Convention Center on Saturday, December 6, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Show Caption1 of 12Al Walkington and Greyson Kilgore compete in the DEKA mile World Championship (1-mile total running combined with 10 functional fitness zones) at the Broward County Convention Center on Saturday, December 6, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)Expand