The New York Rangers are set to make goaltender Igor Shesterkin the highest-paid player at his position in NHL history. The Rangers and Shesterkin have agreed to an eight-year contract extension with an average annual value of $11.5 million, reports ESPN’s Kevin Weekes and Emily Kaplan.

With that annual salary, Shesterkin will overtake left wing (and leading scorer) Artemi Panarin as the Rangers’ highest-paid player. Panarin makes $11.6 million per season as part of a seven-year, $81.5 million deal he agreed to in 2019.

Carey Price was previously the highest-paid goalie in league history, with an average annual salary of $10.5 million as part of his eight-year, $84 million contract with the Montreal Canadiens, signed in 2018.

Shesterkin, 28, is in his sixth season with the Rangers and the last year of a four-year contract that pays him $5.66 million per year. He and the team have been negotiating since the offseason, attempting to work out a new deal before Shesterkin became a free agent.

He was the team’s fourth-round selection (No. 118 overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft from SKA St. Petersburg in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League.

This season, Shesterkin has an 8-9-1 record in 18 games with a 3.05 goals-against average and .908 save percentage. For his career, he’s compiled a 143-68-18 record with a 2.48 GAA and .920 save percentage.

Shesterkin had his best season during the 2021-22 campaign in which he finished with a 36-13-4 record and led the NHL with a 2.07 GAA and .935 save percentage. He was awarded the Vezina Trophy, given to the league’s best goaltender.

The Rangers are currently fourth in the Metropolitan Division with a 13-10-1 record and 27 points. They hold the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference by percentage points over the Philadelphia Flyers and one point ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

New York just traded defenseman and team captain Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks. Clearing Trouba’s $8 million salary off the payroll may have helped get the deal with Shesterkin done.

San Antonio Spurs forward Zach Collins can expect to be lighter in the wallet soon.

Collins was ejected from Friday night’s 140-113 loss to the Sacramento Kings after picking up his second technical foul, but it’s what he did afterward that might catch the ire of NBA disciplinarians.

Collins, who played nine minutes and scored two points starting for injured star Victor Wembanyama, was tossed with 9:07 left in the second quarter when he protested a foul call, his third of the game, on Kings All-Star forward Domantas Sabonis.

Collins was then checked out of the game and continued to bark his objections to the officials on his way to the bench, leading to two quick technicals and an automatic ejection.

After being ejected, Collins didn’t immediately leave the court, instead flipping off Michael Smith, who has spent more than three decades as an NBA referee.

All things Spurs: Latest San Antonio Spurs news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

Collins, a seven-year veteran, is averaging six points and 3.3 rebounds in 23 games this season.

For years, a hallmark of Arizona State’s contracts with its highest profile athletics coaches has been to provide basic annual pay that is healthy but not near the top of its conference’s market — and to offer incentive-bonus packages that are among the most lucrative in college sports.

No one has come close to taking advantage the way football coach Kenny Dillingham has this season. And on Saturday, he likely added just over $1.5 million to his total as the Sun Devils defeated Iowa State 45-19 in the Big 12 Conference championship game in Arlington, Texas.

Dillingham — who has multiple bonuses based on a percentage of his basic annual pay from the school for the given season — will get $395,000 (10% of his $3.95 million in basic pay) for winning the Big 12 championship. And because that all but assures Arizona State a place in the 12-team College Football Playoff, he’ll get another $1.135 million for that achievement. (That’s 30% of his basic pay, less the $50,000 he already had secured for the Sun Devils being assured of an appearance in a non-playoff bowl game.)

While it builds on a season’s work, the $1.53 million total is the largest same-season bonus payout for winning a game since USA TODAY Sports began tracking these amounts on a weekly basis in 2019, working from documents it obtains from schools through open-records requests. It surpasses the $1.5 million that Jim Harbaugh reached in 2021, 2022 and 2023 when he led Michigan to Big Ten championship game victories that led to appearances in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

Altogether for this season, Dillingham now has accumulated $2.525 million in on-field bonuses, although he has chosen to divide $200,000 among 20 off-the-field staff members. There are at least 63 Bowl Subdivision head coaches who were set to make less than that amount this season in basic annual pay from their schools, according to USA TODAY Sports’ annual compensation survey.

Dillingham is assured of additional money for Arizona State’s final ranking, as he gets a payment if the team appears in the final top 25 of the CFP rankings, or of the US LBM Coaches Poll or AP media poll. The Sun Devils entered Saturday’s game at No. 15 in the CFP rankings, the final version of which will be announced Sunday. They also are in the poll rankings, but the final versions of those won’t be decided until postseason play is complete. The amount of the final-rankings bonus depends on whether the team is No. 25 through No. 11, No. 10 through No. 6 or among the top five.

Dillingham began his current contract year with a possible bonus maximum of nearly $5.4 million, a figure that includes $945,000 based on team academics. That’s the largest possible maximum for a Bowl Subdivision coach at a public school by nearly $1.6 million. (Texas A&M’s Mike Elko could have totaled $3.8 million.)

Since 2013, not adjusting for inflation, Arizona State’s head football coach has never had single-year bonus maximum of less than $3.1 million. Herm Edwards began the 2022 season with a maximum of nearly $5.6 million. The most he ever actually received in a year was $662,500.

Arizona State men’s basketball coach Bobby Hurley last season had a bonus maximum of $2.055 million, the third-highest among coaches at Power Five public schools. He has been eligible for at least $1.9 million in bonuses in each of the past seven seasons.

Dillingham’s total so far for this season also includes amounts for the team’s ninth regular season win ($200,000), 10^th regular season win ($300,000), reaching the Big 12 title game ($395,000) and being voted Big 12 coach of the year ($50,000).

He would pick up an additional amount if the Sun Devils play in the playoff semifinals and other amounts if they kept winning.

In addition, he will be getting $100,000 based on the team’s recently published NCAA Graduation Success Rate, and his contract includes bonus provisions for other team academic achievements that could give him several hundred thousand dollars more.

Revealed: the technology executives who invested $394.1 million into the US election – and how they stack up against Elon Musk.
FEC records provide a glimpse into the financial influence of tech on Washington as it seeks to shape government policy.

Silicon Valley contributed over $394.1 million to this year’s US presidential election, as reported by a Guardian analysis, with a significant portion stemming from an enormous gift of around $243 million that Elon Musk made to Donald Trump’s campaign.

The assessment of updated election data from the US Federal Election Commission (FEC) highlights the growing power of the tech sector in US politics. Supporters of cryptocurrency were particularly active in this election cycle as they pushed back against potential regulations, funneling funds into presidential bids and vital congressional contests.

The financial backers hailed from the leading firms in technology: Google, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, and Netflix. Other contributions came from notable venture capitalists who accrued vast fortunes from tech investments.

In total, Trump garnered $273.2 million in contributions from some of the biggest names in the tech industry, which included:

$242.6 million from Elon Musk, the owner of Tesla, SpaceX, and X (previously Twitter), whose estimated net worth stands at $350 billion.

$5.5 million from Marc Andreessen, billionaire founder of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, commonly referred to as a16z. Andreessen’s business partner, Ben Horowitz, initially backed Trump but later supported Harris.

$5.1 million from Jan Koum, co-founder of WhatsApp, who earned the majority of his wealth when Facebook purchased the messaging platform in 2014 for $19 billion.

Kamala Harris received a total of $120.9 million, broken down as follows:

$51.1 million from Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, who left the social media giant in 2008 to launch workflow software company Asana.

$17 million from Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn.

$11.7 million from Chris Larsen, billionaire chair of Ripple, a cryptocurrency firm.

The FEC records merely hint at the extensive financial resources tech is channeling into Washington to sway government and regulatory processes. The landscape of political donations in the US is intricate and not easily understood, and contributors can often find methods to give without public disclosure.

There are several avenues for individuals to donate to political campaigns in the US. One method is a direct contribution to a candidate’s campaign, which is limited to $3,300 per individual. Another option is contributing to a political action committee (Pac) that directly supports a political campaign, funding staffing, outreach, events, and advertising.

The 2010 groundbreaking Supreme Court case Citizens United v. FEC significantly simplified the process for industries and affluent individuals to financially support political campaigns, often through mechanisms that are challenging to trace but completely legal.

That ruling led to a third, less transparent method of donating: Super Pacs. Businesses and wealthy individuals can contribute unlimited sums to a Super Pac. The only restriction is that Super Pacs cannot directly donate to a campaign—however, they can spend freely on political advertisements for their preferred candidates.

Consequently, individual and corporate spending on campaigns is virtually unbounded. This is how Elon Musk was able to allocate his $242.6 million to Trump’s campaign and how numerous others managed to spend millions supporting their chosen candidates.

For many of Trump’s richest backers, the former president’s rhetoric was eclipsed by his 2017 tax reductions, which are set to lapse at the close of 2025. These tax cuts significantly lowered taxes for the wealthy and corporations.

However, Musk is not the only wealthy individual who has shifted his endorsement toward Trump after years of criticism. Andreessen, who was a prominent supporter of Hillary Clinton in 2016, previously condemned Trump’s stances on immigration. Doug Leone from Sequoia, who labeled the January 6 insurrection as “horrific” and attributed the blame to Trump, ultimately contributed $3.5 million to his campaign this year.

This trend of shifting support reflects a broader ideological change occurring in Silicon Valley. The tech industry, which has traditionally distanced itself from Washington, has become more politically engaged as it rallies around emerging technologies like crypto and AI, both of which have not yet faced significant governmental oversight or regulation.

A person lifts their arms, holding a microphone, with the US flag behind him, while two panels on the right encourage early voting.
The right-leaning faction of Silicon Valley scores wins both nationally and locally.
Read more.
Support for Trump has proven beneficial for sectors aiming to prevent regulatory scrutiny. Executives in the oil and gas industry contributed millions to Trump’s campaign, with him vowing to promote oil drilling.

The crypto sector’s donations, along with Trump’s evolving perspectives, have seemingly started to yield results. Recently, Trump appointed Paul Atkins, CEO of Patomak Global Partners, to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission, the primary regulatory agency overseeing financial markets. Atkins is regarded as supportive of crypto and would take over from Gary Gensler, whose regulations governing the $3.5 trillion crypto market have led to conflicts with the cryptocurrency community.

While fossil fuel companies are usually the largest corporate contributors during elections, the cryptocurrency sector is rapidly becoming the top political donor in the United States. A report by the progressive think tank Public Citizen indicated that the crypto industry was the highest corporate contributor in the 2024 election cycle.

Much of the crypto industry’s influence was visible during congressional elections, where the crypto lobby spent $40 million to undermine Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown’s campaign in Ohio, but it also played a role in presidential races.

Although Trump once referred to cryptocurrencies as a “scam,” he has warmed to the industry as its proponents have joined his circle. Trump himself has also ventured into cryptocurrency by launching his own digital currency.

In May, Trump became the first presidential candidate to receive donations in bitcoin. Shortly thereafter, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the billionaire founders of the cryptocurrency exchange Gemini, contributed a total of $2.5 million to Trump’s campaign, much of which was in actual bitcoin. Tyler Winklevoss has labeled Gensler as “evil,” and both twins have actively campaigned for lenient regulation of the crypto sector.

The twins received some of their bitcoin contributions refunded by Trump’s campaign committee after surpassing the allowable donation limit.

During the summer, Trump complimented the Winklevoss twins, describing them as “male models with a big, beautiful brain.”

John Collins tallied 20 points, Keyonte George contributed 17, and the Utah Jazz put an end to their five-game losing streak with a commanding 141-99 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday evening.

Walker Kessler recorded 13 points, 17 rebounds, and five blocks for the Jazz in what marked only their fifth win of the season.

Jerami Grant scored 19 points for the Trail Blazers, who have now lost three consecutive games. The Blazers fell behind by 46 points, prompting boos from the fanbase at home.

The Jazz quickly jumped out to a 38-20 advantage. Portland suffered an early blow when Toumani Camara left the game limping due to a right foot injury and did not return.

By halftime, the Jazz were ahead 67-44 and extended their lead to 30 points at 76-46 in the third quarter. All of Utah’s starting players had reached double figures by that point.

Takeaways
Jazz: Forward Lauri Markkanen was unexpectedly sidelined due to lower back injury management. He had previously missed three games in the season due to the same concern. Svi Mykhailiuk took his spot in the starting lineup.
Trail Blazers: Portland played without Scoot Henderson for the fifth consecutive game due to a left quad contusion. Rookie Donovan Clingan is dealing with a sprained left knee.

Key Moment
Collin Sexton assisted Collins for a dunk that increased the Jazz’s lead to 90-59 in the third quarter, energizing the bench. Shaedon Sharpe executed a spectacular dunk in the first half as the Blazers attempted to close the gap.

Key Stat
Blazers guard Anfernee Simons became the fourth player in franchise history to achieve over 800 three-pointers, joining the ranks of Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and Wesley Matthews. Overall, the Trail Blazers struggled with their shooting from beyond the arc, hitting only 14 of 47 attempts.

Up Next
Both teams will compete again on Sunday night. The Jazz will face the Kings, while the Trail Blazers will take on the Los Angeles Lakers.

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information that leads to the apprehension and conviction of the shooter who murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4.

This increases the cumulative reward offered by law enforcement agencies to $60,000, following the New York City Police Department’s (NYPD) previous statement of a $10,000 reward for leads regarding the suspect’s identification.

In a recent statement, the FBI announced on Friday that it is working alongside the NYPD in “requesting the public’s help in locating the unknown individual” responsible for the death of the 50-year-old.

Thompson was shot fatally by an attacker wearing a mask in what authorities suspect was a targeted shooting. The motive behind the murder remains undisclosed.

The shooting incident took place outside 1335 Avenue of the Americas in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, at approximately 6:40 a.m. on December 4, according to the FBI’s report.

Anyone with information regarding the shooting is encouraged to reach out to the FBI’s tipline at 1-800-225-5324 or contact the NYPD’s tipline at 1-800-577-8477.

Authorities believe that the shooter arrived in New York City on November 24 via a bus service from Atlanta and allegedly shot the victim ten days later.

On Friday, police stated they discovered a backpack in Central Park, which is believed to be associated with the shooter. The suspect is thought to have left New York City after the incident.

Footage from video cameras captured the assailant fleeing the scene on an e-bike to Central Park in Manhattan, and then leaving the park near 77th Street. He subsequently walked to another location before flagging down a taxi that took him to the Port Authority bus terminal close to 178th Street and Broadway, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny informed CNN on Friday.

“Those buses are interstate buses. That’s why we suspect he may have exited New York City,” he noted, adding that authorities are investigating which bus the individual might have taken.

Kenny later indicated that the NYPD has secured video footage of the man entering the Port Authority Bus Terminal but mentioned that no footage exists of him leaving, leading them to “think he may have boarded a bus.”

The Atlanta Police Department announced on December 6 that it is providing support to the NYPD “as required” in the investigation.

UnitedHealthcare is widely regarded as one of the largest health insurance providers in the United States, and its parent company, UnitedHealth Group Inc., ranks among the largest corporations in America.

President-elect Donald Trump held a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at The Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on Saturday evening.

Macron was observed giving a thumbs-up as Trump and Zelenskyy stood beside him for a photo at the presidential palace.

Though Macron had initially intended to meet with Zelenskyy, his office announced that he suggested the trilateral meeting just before Trump’s arrival.

This meeting occurs as Trump has indicated a desire to swiftly negotiate a resolution to the ongoing Russia–Ukraine conflict, although there are still uncertainties about how he plans to put an end to the hostilities.

If a cease-fire merely solidifies the fronts as they are, Russia could keep a substantial portion of Ukraine’s territory it controlled before the war.

Zelenskyy has indicated a willingness to discuss a cease-fire if NATO extends its alliance to encompass areas of Ukraine that are not currently under Russian control.

In a November 29 interview, the Ukrainian president stated, “To halt the active phase of the war, we need to place the territory of Ukraine that we control under the NATO umbrella.”

Zelenskyy also mentioned that Ukraine might eventually recover the territory occupied by Russia through some form of diplomatic negotiations.

It remains unclear whether Trump will consider Zelenskyy’s proposals as a basis for discussions on a cease-fire.

To foster trust with the new U.S. administration, Zelenskyy’s senior aide Andriy Yermak engaged with key members of Trump’s team during a two-day visit earlier this week.

Elon Musk, who is the richest individual in the world, gave over $250 million to campaign committees that back President-elect Donald Trump, with the majority of this amount contributed in the closing weeks of the 2024 presidential race, according to recent federal disclosures.

Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX and owner of the social media platform X, donated $238.5 million to America PAC, a prominent political action committee supporting Trump’s campaign, as reported in a Thursday filing to the Federal Election Commission. His donations included three consecutive $25 million contributions made each week in October.

The donations from Musk also included $40.5 million in contentious daily payments of $1 million to Trump supporters across seven key swing states. He described these payments as a kind of lottery for individuals who signed a petition endorsing the Constitution.

Federal regulations prohibit the buying of votes. However, a judge in Pennsylvania dismissed Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s effort to stop Musk’s daily $1 million giveaways.

Elon Musk, along with Vivek Ramaswamy, who is set to co-lead Trump’s proposed new Department of Government Efficiency, walked through Capitol Hill with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., the day they met with Congress members, as Musk carried his son on his shoulders in Washington on December 5, 2024.
Lisa Gilbert, co-president of the watchdog organization Public Citizen, criticized Musk’s financial support for Trump as “obscene.”

“We found out that Elon Musk contributed an astonishing $250 million to place Donald Trump in the presidency,” Gilbert stated on Friday. “We witnessed wealthy billionaires and corporate funds dominate the 2024 election. They highlighted the urgent need for robust campaign finance reforms to cleanse our political system of big money.”

Since taking office, Trump has appointed Musk as an advisor for reducing government expenditures, making him co-leader of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency. Musk has been engaging with lawmakers on Capitol Hill in Washington this week in preparation for Trump’s inauguration on January 20, aiming to eliminate $2 trillion from a federal budget of $6.75 trillion.

“I believe it’s essential to ensure that we wisely allocate the public’s funds,” Musk told reporters on Thursday, though he stopped short of providing any specifics.

Forget the random statistics and data points, along with the subjective analysis of the College Football Playoff selection committee.

Boise State has excelled in all aspects.

The No. 10 Broncos made a compelling case for the committee with their 21-7 win over No. 19 UNLV in the Mountain West Conference championship on Friday night. They left no question.

The Broncos have secured 12 victories. They claimed a conference title. Their two victories against the Rebels account for more wins against College Football Playoff top 25 teams than any of the four teams competing in the Big 12 and ACC championship games.

They’ve met every shifting criterion set by the committee – including possessing the best loss of anyone in contention – and have made it clear: they merit one of the four first-round byes designated for the top-ranked conference champions.

Make the right decision, College Football selection committee. Award the Broncos a first-round bye.

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty makes a run against UNLV during the first half of the Mountain West Championship at Albertsons Stadium on December 6, 2024, in Boise, Idaho.

This isn’t solely about the outstanding season of star tailback Ashton Jeanty, who is deserving of Heisman Trophy consideration. Nor is it just about the biggest victory in the school’s history.

This pertains to a program that has been striving for the BCS and CFP postseason for the past two decades, yet for various reasons, has never made it. Now that the Broncos have met every evolving CFP standard, there’s no escaping their deserving position.

Two Indianapolis police officers were acquitted of manslaughter and other charges Friday in the death of a man after officers shocked him with a Taser and restrained him face down while handcuffing him.

Jurors began deliberating Friday morning and took less than three hours to come up with a verdict following five days of testimony in the trial over the 2022 death of Herman Whitfield III, local news outlets reported.

Officers Adam Ahmad and Steven Sanchez were tried together. The jury acquitted them on all charges: one felony count each of involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide, battery resulting in serious bodily injury and battery resulting in moderate injury, and one misdemeanor battery charge.

Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement after the verdicts were handed down that he was “heartbroken” for Whitfield’s family.

John Kautzman, one of the officers’ attorneys, told The Associated Press that the defense team was “very, very pleased with the outcome of the case” and police officers shouldn’t go to prison for doing their jobs.

“We felt that they acted appropriately under very difficult circumstances and we’re really happy they were exonerated,” Kautzman said.

Ahmad, 32, and Sanchez, 35, were indicted by a grand jury in April 2023 after Whitfield’s family spent nearly a year demanding that authorities release full body camera videos of his encounter with police and called for the firing of up to six officers.

The videos, which were released in January 2023, document Whitfield’s final moments.

Both officers have remained on administrative duty with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department during the case. Chief Chris Bailey posted on X that both officers will resume their normal duties after completing refresher training.

Bailey also extended his sympathies to Whitfield’s family and commended, Ahmad, Sanchez and other officers and detectives who testified during the trial for their “professionalism and resilience.”

“Cases like this are deeply difficult, and there are no true winners,” Bailey wrote.

Whitfield’s parents, Herman Whitfield Jr. and Gladys Whitfield, called 911 on April 25, 2022, and reported that their 39-year-old son, a gifted pianist, was in the throes of a mental health crisis at the family’s Indianapolis home.

Whitfield was pronounced dead at a hospital after Sanchez shocked him with a Taser and he and Ahmad held Whitfield face down on the floor of his parents’ dining room as he was being handcuffed.

The Marion County Coroner’s Office ruled Whitfield’s death a homicide, caused by heart failure as he was being restrained and shocked.

According to the report, Whitfield weighed 389 pounds. The coroner’s office listed “morbid obesity” and “hypertensive cardiovascular disease” as contributing factors in his death.

Daniel Cicchini, the chief trial deputy for the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, said in his opening statement on Dec. 2 that the two officers acted “recklessly” by restraining Whitfield face down longer than necessary.

“Essentially, his heart and lungs could no longer function properly,” Cicchini told the jury. “When they kept him in that position, they did so recklessly.”

He said the officers’ actions left Whitfield “unable to breathe.”

“In April 2022, Herman Jr. and Gladys Whitfield reached out for help, hoping that the police would protect their son in a moment of desperate need and the result of what ensued was a tragedy,” Mears, the prosecutor, said in his statement Friday.

Ahmad and Sanchez’s attorneys argued that the officers did nothing illegal.

One of their attorneys, Mason Riley, said during his opening statement that Whitfield suffered from an enlarged heart. He said Whitfield, according to his autopsy, died “before the handcuffing concluded.”

“Neither of them have committed a single criminal act,” Riley said of the co-defendants.

He also said neither officer, nor other officers who responded to the family’s home, heard Whitfield say that he couldn’t breathe.

The officers’ attorneys had sought to have the charges dismissed against both men, arguing in part that the grand jury proceedings were “defective” and that “the facts stated do not constitute an offense.”

The court dismissed a second count of involuntary manslaughter that Sanchez had faced, but it allowed the remaining charges against the officers to proceed to trial.

A lawsuit filed by Whitfield’s family against the city of Indianapolis and six police officers, including Ahmad, Sanchez and Clark, states that Whitfield “died because of the force used against him” and calls the force used against him “unreasonable and excessive.”

“Mr. Whitfield needed professional mental health care, not the use of excessive force,” the lawsuit contends.

The family is seeking unspecified damages. That civil case is set for trial in July 2025 in federal court in Indianapolis.