“Today I signed new emergency and disaster declarations using independent sources of statutory authority to make sure our health care workers and first responders have the tools they need to save lives and protect Michiganders,” said Whitmer. “We’re all in this together. Defeating COVID-19 is an all hands on deck moment for our state, and I remain hopeful that Republicans in the legislature will stop the partisan games and start working with me to re-engage our economy safely and responsibly....

“I feel like I’m the only person who had a worse 2019 than 2020,” Presser told Newsweek recently. With more time on their hands because of the pandemic, Presser and his family have staved off quarantine boredom by recreating classic movie scenes in videos that have not only drawn a noteworthy following, but have also managed to raise money for Feeding America. Together, Presser, a producer for the ACC Network, and his wife, Beth, have filmed their kids, 4-year-old Maddie and 2-year-old Barton, recreating scenes from nearly 50 films over the past year under “Quarantine 2020 Productions,” a YouTube channel that Presser created....

With results still to be finalized, Labour had won 49 percent of the vote, which was well clear of the opposition center-right National Party led by Judith Collins, who received 27 percent of the vote, Radio New Zealand reported. “Tonight New Zealand has shown the Labour Party its greatest support in at least 50 years,” Ardern told her party faithful at Auckland Town Hall on Saturday. “Thank you to the many people who gave us their vote, who trusted us with leading New Zealand’s recovery....

Financial estimates are wide-ranging depending on how they are projected and thoughts on what exactly will, or even can be paid for are also divided. “Reparations is not a check in the mail,” Raymond Winbush, author of Should America Pay? Slavery and The Raging Debate on Reparations and Belinda’s Petition: A Concise History of Reparations For The Transatlantic Slave Trade, told Newsweek. “We’ve got to look at the difference between changing symbols and changing systems....

Until the arrival of the gentlemen from Daiwa Bank, in fact, the Park Lane had known only one whiff of scandal, when its owner Leona Helmsley, the “Queen of Mean” of tabloid fame, was jailed for tax fraud. Her tarnished throne room provided just the right ambience, perhaps, for these guests. For in brazen defiance of U.S. banking authorities, they were perpetrating what is widely considered to be the worst case of international financial fraud since the infamous 1991 scandal involving the Bank of Credit and Commerce International....

This is the true litmus test for the new, rush-first Minnesota offense that running back Dalvin Cook calls “old school.” Chicago, which had the NFL’s top rushing defense last season at 80 yards allowed per game, has been even better in 2019 with just 69 yards per game given up on the ground. Something’s gotta give. VIKINGS-BEARS PICKS:Against the spread | Straight-up prediction The Bears dethroned the Vikings as NFC North champs last season as their front seven overwhelmed Minnesota’s offensive line, shutting down the run and pressuring quarterback Kirk Cousins into costly mistakes....

What is AGDQ 2021? Awesome Games Done Quick, or AGDQ, is an annual charity event that generally happens in the winter, and it’s based around a niche hobby called speedrunning. Simply put, speedrunning is the act of playing through a full video game as fast as possible from beginning to end. Those leading runs in AGDQ 2021 can clear classic games like Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong Country and Mega Man much faster than you likely thought possible....

Texas against California; SEC vs. Pac-12. Two teams with power potential decide it's time to build a rivalry. UCLA also plans to take on a West Coast challenger in the seasons ahead. It meets San Diego State home-and-home this decade. However, the Bruins' plans forced a postponement of a series against Rutgers. It all starts in the 2016 college football season. "We are very pleased this series was able to come together and provides our program with an exciting, premier non-conference matchup against UCLA," Texas A&M athletic director Eric Hyman said in a statement....

Man City 5/1 to win the UCL The Argentina star struck City’s third in a 4-2 Champions League win over Napoli on Wednesday to surpass Eric Brook’s 78-year record of 177 goals for City. Aguero’s achievement cemented his position as a club icon and his landmark was recognised ahead of kick-off against the Gunners, the 29-year-old presented with a replica blue football boot. The former Atletico Madrid striker was also donning snazzy gold footwear to mark his record-breaking goal....

Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis all put on ugly Christmas sweaters and sang a slow, beat poetry-style rendition with Rashad in a video posted to NBA TV’s Facebook page. MORE: Sports history gallery | When did things go wrong for Josh Smith? | Brad Stevens happy in Boston That’s one way to go. If you’re going to sing a holiday song why not do it like Mike Myers in So I Married An Axe Murderer?...

Amber McCann currently serves as Shirkey’s deputy chief of staff and press secretary but has accepted a role as special projects director at the attorney general’s Office of Public Information and Education. She will begin the new job on March 8. Shirkey, who is Michigan’s Senate majority leader, has faced strong criticism from state Democrats for comments claiming the events of the deadly Capitol riot on January 6 were staged and had nothing to do with supporters of former President Donald Trump....

The Chilean’s magic helped guide the Gunners to fifth place last season and they are perhaps fortunate in a sense that the forward is so determined on joining Manchester City next summer that he’s unlikely to leave the club in January. Arsenal were underwhelming against West Brom on New Year’s Eve, but they looked to have snatched all three points late on as Sanchez saw his deflected free-kick whistle in the net via James McClean....

The European Union has urged airlines to avoid using the airspace over Russia’s ally Belarus following Sunday’s forced landing of a plane to arrest journalist Roman Pratasevich. Austrian Airlines thus tried to avoid Belarusian airspace for Flight OS601 from Vienna to Moscow, but its proposed route change was refused by Russia, and Austrian Airlines canceled the flight. “The Russian reaction is absolutely incomprehensible to us,” Austria’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on the matter, according to Reuters....

The announcement was made by the airline’s union, Reuters reported, and the period of double pay will last through January 4. At a time when the industry has experienced some 8,000 flight cancellations, the move could put Spirit in a position to secure a stable level of staffing as other airlines deal with worker shortages. “All flight attendants, regardless of how you have obtained your pairing, will be receiving 200% pay for any pairing that touches Dec....

The man, who was named “Nick” for anonymity purposes by the BBC, was also threatened by the plane’s pilot to be taken off the flight. Nick printed an official exemption card from the government’s website before flying to the island of Jersey to see his family, and this was accepted on the outbound flight in August, but not on his return flight. In the end, Nick wore a mask for the one-hour long journey, but this caused him to hyperventilate for the duration of the flight....

The otherwise quiet player in Nigeria’s oil sector suddenly became a household name in a football-mad country that has seen its image battered by a shortage of funds in recent years. Many of Nigeria’s coaches had been owed several months of salary arrears and this deal was supposed to bring an end to the incessant stories that found their way into the press tainting the NFF’s image. The deal was expanded in June when both entities reached an agreement that saw AITEO become naming rights sponsor for the country’s oldest football competition, the Federation Cup in a five-year $850,000 deal....

It got it when underdogs AJ Allmendinger and Marcos Ambrose put on a thrilling show at the end of the Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen International. MORE: Allmendinger’s thrilling win | Ambrose disappointed, gracious | Stewart investigation update | Big crash at The Glen Allmendinger’s surprise win is one of the feel-good stories of the season, and the sport needed it after Tony Stewart was involved in the fatal crash of another sprint-car driver late Saturday night....

At the end, it wasn’t the result that Malaysia would have wanted. A 2-2 draw at home against a side many would consider to be a lower level opposition than that of Malaysia, but it is what it is. There’s no momentum in the senior national team at the moment and the deficiencies were laid bare for all to see at Bukit Jalil National Stadium on Thursday night. Yet, despite the apparent gloominess, one positive that stood out like a shining beacon was the cameo produced by one Akhyar Rashid during the match....

The World Cup-winning defender has become public enemy number one in the eyes of Reds supporters following his antics during and after a continental clash in Kiev. It was after tangling with Ramos that Salah was forced from the field in tears in the Ukrainian capital, with a shoulder injury robbing Jurgen Klopp of the services of a 44-goal talisman. The Blancos captain also caught Loris Karius on the head during an eventful first-half, with it since revealed that the German goalkeeper suffered a concussion as a result of that coming together....

Akron squares off against PIttsburgh on Saturday, and in an effort to get hyped up against an ACC opponent on the road, it has decided to go all gold everything. The new kit is reminiscent of the gold domes Baylor rolled out in 2013, which capitalized on the “HydroChrome” helmets worn by Oregon in the 2012 Rose Bowl. Akron is a heavy road underdog against the Panthers. It will need all the help it can get, even if it means blinding its opponent into submission....