James Franklin mirroring Ryan Day's soulcrushing path. Will it lead to a championship? Matt Hayes, USA TODAY NETWORKOctober 1, 2025 at 5:47 AM 0 The same lonely, desperate look. Saw it on the face of Ryan Day last season, saw it on James Franklin last weekend.

- - James Franklin mirroring Ryan Day's soul-crushing path. Will it lead to a championship?

Matt Hayes, USA TODAY NETWORKOctober 1, 2025 at 5:47 AM

The same lonely, desperate look. Saw it on the face of Ryan Day last season, saw it on James Franklin last weekend.

But there's a road back for Penn State, no matter what Franklin feels gnawing at his insides. From the lowest of lows, to maybe — just maybe — the highest of highs.

"At some point, and quickly, you make a decision to move on with a plan of how to make it right," Day said in January, days before his Ohio State team rebounded from the worst loss of his coaching career by winning the national title.

If there's one takeaway following Penn State's gut-punch of an overtime loss to Oregon, it's this: at least it wasn't to a bitter rival for the fourth consecutive season.

1 / 20See the best photos from No. 5 Oregon's double OT win over No. 2 Penn StateSep 27, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning reacts after defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images

Because other than that, Franklin is mirroring Day in some sort of sick symphony of the unexplainable. Day found a way out of the crushing reality last season, rallying from another loss to Michigan to win the College Football Playoff as a No. 8 seed.

Franklin will begin down that road this week, days removed from yet another loss to a Top 10 team despite a talented, loaded roster and a three-year starter at quarterback.

High Tide: Oregon, Alabama surge as Coaches Poll Top 25 get makeover after Week 5

But how do you respond to an irrecoverable loss? How do you move forward when unrelenting noise from the outside begins to creep inside and infect everything?

How do you convince a group of 18-22-year-olds, as consumed with NIL deals and social media standing as their place in a championship race, that all isn't lost?

How do you convince a coaching staff that spent all offseason preparing for this moment — after three gimme putts to begin the season against vastly inferior opponents — the goals haven't changed?

This was the opportunity to make a statement early, and ride it all the way to Columbus, Ohio in early November and slay that dragon, too.

And now what?

Penn State is 4-21 vs. Top 10 teams under Franklin, and early in the fourth quarter of the Oregon game — after the Ducks had taken a 17-3 lead — Lions fans began chanting "Fire Franklin" for the coach with a 37-9 record since 2022. Those chants from fans in Happy Valley at the end of their rope with a coach who has won at least 11 games five times since 2016.

Meanwhile, back in last November, as Michigan celebrated its fourth straight win over Ohio State and the teams fought at midfield after the game, fans in Columbus began chanting "Fire Ryan Day." For a coach that has won at least 11 games five times since 2019.

Day and Ohio State rallied behind a senior-laden team, and an experienced quarterback who got hot at the right time. They beat a surging SEC team (Tennessee) to begin the CFP, then beat No. 1 Oregon, SEC runner-up Texas and a Notre Dame team that had won 13 straight games.

SEC domination: Alabama, Mississippi join playoff predictions

They did it by doubling down on what they did best: run the ball and throw off play action. It was no longer about proving toughness, it was about getting the ball into the hands of the most-talented players on the team.

It was also about continuing to play tough, punishing defense behind coordinator Jim Knowles, who spent three years tweaking and perfecting his system before moving to Penn State at the end of last season.

Hours after the soul-stealing loss to Oregon, Franklin started talking to Knowles about how Ohio State found a way back from the abyss. Then Franklin had Knowles address the players and staff.

You can listen to words, but can you hear it? In this highly visual society, it's advantageous to have someone who can paint the picture of success for all to clearly see.

It's easy to yammer on about not letting one loss turn into two, or how great teams don't get beat twice by the same game. Or how the CFP has given teams a longer runway to find a way to the big prize.

All of that is philosophical mind games. Teams and players today need to see it, feel it and more important, follow a step-by-step path.

Ohio State star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith caught five passes for 35 yards against Michigan. In four CFP games after Ohio State decided to double down on what it does best — Smith had 19 catches for 381 yards and five touchdowns.

There's nothing magical to it. Do what you do best, and do it without hesitation or disruption.

Running backs Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton, the strength of the Penn State offense for three seasons, combined for just 96 yards and one touchdown on 26 carries against Oregon. That will drastically change over the next two months of the season.

Because if you're James Franklin and your career is mirroring Ryan Day's, keep doing what he did. Get back to the basics, and do them better than you ever have to find a way out.

"There's a ton of football left to be played," Franklin said.

And a road back to the highest of highs.

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: James Franklin, Penn State mirroring Ryan Day, Ohio State from 2024

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James Franklin mirroring Ryan Day's soul-crushing path. Will it lead to a championship?

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Greatness in the Middle East? Don't hold your breath Analysis by Ben Wedeman, CNNOctober 1, 2025 at 2:00 AM 1 US President Donald Trump looks on as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers remarks during a joint news conference in the State Dining Room at the White House on September 29, 2...

- - Greatness in the Middle East? Don't hold your breath

Analysis by Ben Wedeman, CNNOctober 1, 2025 at 2:00 AM

US President Donald Trump looks on as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers remarks during a joint news conference in the State Dining Room at the White House on September 29, 2025. - Win McNamee/Getty Images

The hype was classic Trump.

"We have a real chance for GREATNESS IN THE MIDDLE EAST," the US president posted in all caps on his Truth Social account Sunday. "ALL ARE ON BOARD FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL, FIRST TIME EVER. WE WILL GET IT DONE!!!"

The next day, he announced that Israel had agreed to a 20-point American proposal to end the war in Gaza, arrange an exchange of Israeli hostages (living and dead) for Palestinian prisoners (living and dead), establish an internationally supervised administration for the battered enclave, and bring about a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and, eventually, vague notions of "a sovereign Palestinian state alongside Israel, with secure, recognized borders."

Going back decades, American leaders have rolled out grand schemes to the conflict, only to see them either collapse in catastrophe or fizzle out in disappointment and recriminations.

Following Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon, President Ronald Reagan announced a "fresh start," calling for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon, a freeze on Israeli settlements, and Palestinian self-government in the West Bank and Gaza.

None of that happened.

Eleven years later, on a sunny September day in what was the White House Rose Garden, Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin oversaw the signing of the so-called Oslo Accords, designed to set in motion an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. An emotional President Bill Clinton solemnly declared "For too long, the children of Abraham have turned swords against each other. Today, at last, that changes."

American President Bill Clinton watches as the Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin shakes hands with the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in the garden of the White House after the signing of the Oslo Accords on September 13, 1993. - MPI/Archive Photos/Getty Images

No, "that" didn't change.

World leaders have rushed to applaud President Donald Trump's complex Gaza plan. After two years of this brutal war that has been livestreamed instantaneously around the globe, hard would be the heart of whoever does not greet the chance to end the bloodshed with anything but relief.

No doubt Trump is basking in the glow of success.

Not so fast.

Hours after the Israeli delegation left the White House the Israeli daily Ha'aretz reported that when asked if he and Trump had "agreed to the establishment of a Palestinian state, Netanyahu stated unequivocally, "Absolutely not, that is not even written in the agreement.""

Already his coalition partners are snapping at Netanyahu's heels for publicly accepting the plan. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich described the prime minister's acceptance of the plan as "a resounding diplomatic failure, a willful blindness and a betrayal of all the lessons of the October 7 attack. In my view, it will all end in tears."

Netanyahu may have been the image of confidence while on the grounds of the White House. Promises made in Washington, however, may be hard to keep when he returns to the boxing ring that is Israeli politics.

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leave the State Dining Room of the White House after a press conference in Washington, DC on September 29, 2025. - Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

Hamas has yet to agree to the Trump plan. Israel hasn't officially accepted it either, despite Netanyahu's beaming smile standing next to Trump.

And above and beyond all that, the Trump plan ignores the elephant in the room, which beyond Gaza's fate, is Israel's settlement and occupation of east Jerusalem and the West Bank. Though Trump said on September 25 that Israel will not annex the West Bank, there is nary a mention of the other Palestinian territory in the latest proposal.

Every US administration since 1967 has shied away from pressuring Israel to stop – or reverse – its process of establishing settlements in occupied territory.

For decades, successive administrations have described these settlements as an "obstacle to peace." It was a constant refrain from White House and State Department spokespeople that rang hollow as Israel charged ahead, creating settlements across the West Bank and east Jerusalem. The settler population in those areas has grown from just around 20,000 in the early 1970s to more than 750,000 today.

Trump recently vowed he will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank – something Israeli officials threatened to do after several countries recently recognized Palestinian statehood. Yet apart from the legal niceties, Israel has already, for all intents and purposes, taken over the territory. It controls movement within and into the West Bank, operates its own two-tier legal system (one for Israelis, the other for Palestinians) and is the ultimate authority there.

Trump is certainly not going to act to change these facts on the ground.

But it is these very facts that fuel the conflict. Anyone who has been to the West Bank and seen how Israeli security forces and settlers operate and often abuse the Palestinian population will quickly understand why Palestinians are so opposed (and often violently so) to Israel's presence there.

Perhaps Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza will bring an end to the war in Gaza. Perhaps it will signal the demise of Hamas. Perhaps it will enable the Palestinians of Gaza to rebuild their shattered lives. Perhaps it will reunite the Israeli hostages held by Hamas with their loved ones.

Greatness in the Middle East? Don't hold your breath. The best one can cautiously hope for is a pause in the killing in Gaza.

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Greatness in the Middle East? Don't hold your breath Analysis by Ben Wedeman, CNNOctober 1, 2025 at 2:00 AM 1 US...

Japan is arming a warship with US missiles that can hit targets up to 1,000 miles away as Pacific arms race heats up Brad Lendon, CNNOctober 1, 2025 at 2:51 AM 0 Crews in Japan practice loading a dummy Tomahawk munition aboard the Japan Maritime SelfDefense Force destroyer JS Chokai at Yokosuka Nava...

- - Japan is arming a warship with US missiles that can hit targets up to 1,000 miles away as Pacific arms race heats up

Brad Lendon, CNNOctober 1, 2025 at 2:51 AM

Crews in Japan practice loading a dummy Tomahawk munition aboard the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer JS Chokai at Yokosuka Naval Base near Tokyo last week. - JMSDF

A Japanese warship is on the way to the United States to be fitted with Tomahawk cruise missiles, the latest move by Washington and its Asian allies to beef up firepower as adversaries like China and North Korea expand theirs.

The JS Chokai, an Aegis-equipped guided-missile destroyer, is steaming to the US for a year-long deployment during which the ship will undergo modifications – and crew training – to enable it to launch the Tomahawks, maneuverable cruise missiles with a range of about 1,000 miles.

That would put targets deep inside China or North Korea well within range of the Japanese warship.

Japan in early 2024 signed a deal with the US to acquire 400 Tomahawks as part of Tokyo's plans to increase defense spending to counter regional threats in what Defense Minister Gen Nakatani has called the "most severe and complex security environment" since World War II.

China's military activities present "the greatest strategic challenge" to Japan, the Defense Ministry's annual white paper, released in July, said.

A Tomahawk cruise missile conducts a controlled flight test over off Southern California in this file photo. - US Navy/AFP/Getty Images

Beijing is "rapidly enhancing its military capability" while "intensifying" activities around the region, Nakatani said in introducing that white paper, specifically mentioning the Senkaku Islands, a chain in the East China Sea that Tokyo controls but which is also claimed by Beijing, which calls them the Diaoyus.

China showed off some of that new capability – including powerful anti-ship missiles, during a military parade in Beijing on September 3.

On the viewing stand with Chinese leader Xi Jinping that day was Kim Jong Un, who days later was inspecting new North Korean missile engines, and Russia's Vladimir Putin, who recently signed a defense treaty with Kim.

In announcing the dispatch of the destroyer to the US, the Defense Ministry said Japan's Self-Defense Forces are "strengthening their stand-off defense capabilities in order to intercept and eliminate invading forces against Japan at a rapid pace and at long range."

Though Tokyo cites the Tomahawk's "defense capabilities," the missiles are regarded as offensive weapons.

In fact, a US Navy fact sheet on the missiles says they are "used for deep land-attack warfare" and the full name of the weapon is the "Tomahawk Land Attack Missile," or TLAM.

When Japan asked to buy the Tomahawks in 2023, China bristled at the move, calling out Tokyo for breaching its post-World War II "pacifist constitution," which restricted the Japanese military – the Japan Self-Defense Forces – to a strictly defensive role.

"The moves by the US and Japan exacerbate the momentum of an arms race, affect peace and stability in the region, seriously disrupt global strategic balance and stability and undermine the international order," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at the time.

Tomahawks are one of the most proven weapons in the US arsenal.

According to manufacturer Raytheon, the cruise missiles "can strike targets precisely from 1,000 miles away, even in heavily defended airspace."

Besides naval surface ships, the Tomahawks can also be fired from submarines and land platforms.

They've been used in combat well over 2,000 times, according to Raytheon, including in June when submarine-launched Tomahawks were used in the US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities.

In a statement, the Japanese Defense Ministry said it planned to have the Chokai ready for "actual missions" by next summer through a process that would include live-fire testing.

First steps in that process occurred last week, when the Chokai practiced loading dummy Tomahawk munitions into its vertical launch cells.

The 528-foot-long, 9,500-ton Chokai has 90 of the vertical launch cells, which it can also use to launch surface-to-air missiles, anti-ballistic missiles, air defense missiles and anti-submarine rockets.

It's similar in size and armament to the US Navy's Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.

Beside the US Navy, Britain's Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy have demonstrated Tomahawk launch capability.

Australia joined that group last December, with the successful firing of a Tomahawk by the destroyer HMAS Brisbane off the US West Coast.

Canberra plans to buy 200 Tomahawks, which the Australian Defense Ministry said will allow its naval vessels to "perform long-range precision strike against land targets."

CNN's Simone McCarthy contributed to this report.

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Japan is arming a warship with US missiles that can hit targets up to 1,000 miles away as Pacific arms race heats up

Japan is arming a warship with US missiles that can hit targets up to 1,000 miles away as Pacific arms race heats up...

Activists from Sudan, Myanmar, Pacific Islands, and Taiwan receive human rights award October 1, 2025 at 3:57 AM 0 1 / 2SwedenRight Livelihood AwardFILE Taiwan's Digital Minister Audrey Tang speaks during an interview with The in Taipei, Taiwan, Dec. 10, 2020.

- - Activists from Sudan, Myanmar, Pacific Islands, and Taiwan receive human rights award

October 1, 2025 at 3:57 AM

1 / 2Sweden-Right Livelihood AwardFILE -Taiwan's Digital Minister Audrey Tang speaks during an interview with The in Taipei, Taiwan, Dec. 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying, File)

STOCKHOLM (AP) — The Right Livelihood Award was awarded Wednesday to activists from Sudan and Myanmar, where military and political violence devastates communities, to the Pacific Islands, where climate disaster threatens entire nations, and to Taiwan, which is the frequent target of threats and disinformation.

"As authoritarianism and division rise globally, the 2025 Right Livelihood Laureates are charting a different course: one rooted in collective action, resilience and democracy to create a livable future for all," the Stockholm-based foundation said about the winners. It considered 159 nominees from 67 countries this year.

The youth-led organization Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change and Julian Aguon were awarded the prize "for carrying the call for climate justice to the world's highest court, turning survival into a matter of rights and climate action into a legal responsibility."

Justice for Myanmar was awarded "for their courage and their pioneering investigative methods in exposing and eroding the international support to Myanmar's corrupt military." The covert group of activists is working to expose the financial architecture and global corporate complicity sustaining the military government, Right Livelihood said.

Audrey Tang from Taiwan won the prize "for advancing the social use of digital technology to empower citizens, renew democracy and heal divides." Tang is a "civic hacker and technologist who rewires systems for the public good," the organization said.

In Sudan, the Emergency Response Rooms network was awarded for "for building a resilient model of mutual aid amid war and state collapse that sustains millions of people with dignity." The Sudanese community-led network has become the backbone of the country's humanitarian response amid war, displacement and state collapse. They helps includes health care, food assistance, and education, where many international aid organizations cannot reach, according to the foundation.

Created in 1980, the annual Right Livelihood Award honors efforts that the prize founder, Swedish-German philanthropist Jakob von Uexkull, felt were being ignored by the Nobel Prizes.

"At a time when violence, polarization and climate disasters are tearing communities apart, the 2025 Right Livelihood Laureates remind us that joining hands in collective action is humanity's most powerful response," said Ole von Uexkull, the nephew of the prize founder and the organization's executive director.

"Their courage and vision create a tapestry of hope and show that a more just and livable future is possible," he added.

Previous winners include Ukrainian human rights defender Oleksandra Matviichuk, Congolese surgeon Denis Mukwege and Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. Matviichuk and Mukwege received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 and 2018, respectively.

The Right Livelihood Award comes just a week before the Nobel Prizes. The 2025 laureates will be given their awards on Dec. 2 in Stockholm. The size of the prize amount was not announced.

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Activists from Sudan, Myanmar, Pacific Islands, and Taiwan receive human rights award

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Ohtani and Hernández power Dodgers past Reds 105 with 2 homers each in Wild Card Series opener BETH HARRIS October 1, 2025 at 1:29 AM 0 1 / 5Reds Dodgers BaseballLos Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani watches his solo home run off Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene (21) during the first inni...

- - Ohtani and Hernández power Dodgers past Reds 10-5 with 2 homers each in Wild Card Series opener

BETH HARRIS October 1, 2025 at 1:29 AM

1 / 5Reds Dodgers BaseballLos Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani watches his solo home run off Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene (21) during the first inning in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card baseball playoff series Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández hit two home runs apiece, Blake Snell struck out nine over seven strong innings and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Cincinnati Reds 10-5 in their NL Wild Card Series opener Tuesday night.

Tommy Edman also went deep for the Dodgers, who tied a franchise postseason record with five homers and pounded out 15 hits as they opened their bid to become the first back-to-back World Series winners in 25 years.

Ohtani, who had a career-high 55 homers in the regular season, homered leading off the first. His 117.7 mph drive off a 100.4 mph fastball from Reds ace Hunter Greene was the fastest pitch Ohtani has homered on in his major league career.

"It was a really hard pitch to hit, but I felt like I reacted pretty well," Ohtani said through a translator. "I was happy I was able to help the team score early."

The two-way superstar from Japan added a 454-foot, two-run shot off Connor Phillips with two outs in the sixth. Ohtani also struck out three times.

The only hit Snell allowed through six innings was Matt McClain's double down the third base line that eluded a diving Max Muncy with two outs in the third. The Reds scored two runs in the seventh on Elly De La Cruz's groundout and Tyler Stephenson's double.

Snell retired his initial eight batters in his first playoff start since 2022, when the two-time Cy Young Award winner was with the San Diego Padres. He matched his postseason high for strikeouts in the longest postseason start of his career.

"I felt really in control, could read swings and just kind of navigate through the lineup the way I wanted to," Snell said.

The cheers turned to boos for a shaky Dodgers bullpen in the eighth when Cincinnati batted around. Los Angeles relievers Alex Vesia, Edgardo Henriquez and Jack Dreyer combined to issue four walks as the Reds scored three runs and pulled to 10-5. The trio needed 59 pitches to get three outs.

"When you're on the attack, those guys are on their heels with the lead we have," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "When you start being too fine and getting behind, you start giving them free bases. That's how you can build innings and get momentum, so that's what I saw in that inning there, for sure."

Game 2 in the best-of-three series is Wednesday night. The winner advances to a best-of-five Division Series against Philadelphia.

Greene was knocked out after just three innings, a disappointing postseason debut in his hometown. He gave up five runs, including three homers, and six hits on 65 pitches. The right-hander, whose favorite team growing up was the Dodgers, struck out four and walked three.

"He didn't locate," Reds manager Terry Francona said, "and when he didn't locate he really paid a price for that."

Greene walked Freddie Freeman and Muncy back-to-back in the third. They moved up on a wild pitch before Hernández's three-run homer to the left-field pavilion. Edman followed with a solo shot, extending the lead to 5-0.

"From the outset we had a really good game plan against Hunter," Roberts said, "and we just didn't miss pitches when he made mistakes."

Hernández greeted Phillips with a two-strike homer that made it 6-0 in the fifth.

Up next

Reds RHP Zack Littell (10-8, 3.81 ERA) starts Wednesday against Dodgers RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-8, 2.49).

___

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Ohtani and Hernández power Dodgers past Reds 10-5 with 2 homers each in Wild Card Series opener

Ohtani and Hernández power Dodgers past Reds 105 with 2 homers each in Wild Card Series opener BETH HARRIS October 1...

Highpowered offenses clash as No. 21 Notre Dame faces Boise State Field Level MediaOctober 1, 2025 at 3:12 AM 0 Sep 20, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman and quarterback CJ Carr (13) sing the alma mater after beating the Purdue Boilermakers at Notre ...

- - High-powered offenses clash as No. 21 Notre Dame faces Boise State

Field Level MediaOctober 1, 2025 at 3:12 AM

Sep 20, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman and quarterback CJ Carr (13) sing the alma mater after beating the Purdue Boilermakers at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images (Michael Caterina-Imagn Images)

Boise State coach Spencer Danielson knows his team might need some time to absorb its first trip to Notre Dame Stadium.

Danielson feels the same way as his players. That is why he is going to lead a tour of the stadium one day before Boise State (3-1) kicks off against No. 21 Notre Dame (2-2) on Saturday afternoon in South Bend, Ind.

"As a football fan, which we all are, and even me growing up in Southern California, Notre Dame's a team that you watch consistently year in and year out," Danielson said. "I mean, from 'Rudy' to South Bend to Touchdown Jesus, there's so much amazing history tied to Notre Dame. And I've never been there. I'm fired up as a coach. ...

"And so, we're going to be able to see the stadium the day before and go through it. Because I want, by the time we get to kickoff, it's time to go play football. They've got really good players. I believe in our players, too."

The Broncos will look for the upset win after tallying three wins in a row against Eastern Washington, Air Force and Appalachian State. Boise State's lone loss so far this season was on Aug. 28 at South Florida.

Notre Dame is seeking its third win in a row after knocking off Purdue and Arkansas in back-to-back weeks. The Fighting Irish scored 56 points in each of the past two games.

A big reason for the offensive surge is the performance of redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Carr. He has passed for 1,091 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions through his first four starts.

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman praised Carr for playing so well so early in his career.

"It's rare to be a second-year college football player playing in your fifth (career) game and performing at a level he's performing at," Freeman said. "It's rare. But I think CJ Carr is rare.

"He has this unique trait that very few people have. He is ... a competitive, selfless individual. It's not about CJ Carr. He's not so competitive that, 'I want to be able to throw for this amount.' It's like, 'Whatever we've got to do to win.'"

Carr is helped by the potent one-two rushing attack of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. Love has rushed for 341 yards and five touchdowns, and Price has produced 273 yards and six TDs on the ground.

Boise State also has thrived on offense, as it has scored 47-plus points in its last three games.

Broncos quarterback Maddux Madsen has passed for 1,129 yards, nine touchdowns and one interception. His top receiver, Latrell Caples, has 240 receiving yards and two scores.

Boise State also leans heavily on the run. Three players have figured prominently into the rushing attack, including Dylan Riley (360 yards, 5 TDs), Sire Gaines (245 yards, 1 TD) and Malik Sherrod (198 yards, 2 TDs).

Freeman acknowledged it will be a challenge to slow Boise State's ground game.

"They're going to keep fresh guys in there and make you stop the run," he said. "We have to understand that. ... We've got to be aggressive, and we've got to tackle well because those running backs, if you miss them, they'll go the distance."

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High-powered offenses clash as No. 21 Notre Dame faces Boise State

Highpowered offenses clash as No. 21 Notre Dame faces Boise State Field Level MediaOctober 1, 2025 at 3:12 AM 0 Sep ...

South Korea's president calls for more selfreliant military as questions arise about US commitment HYUNGJIN KIM and KIM TONGHYUNG October 1, 2025 at 1:07 PM 0 South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, bottom center, salutes to the national flag during a celebration to mark 77th Armed Forces Day in Gyery...

- - South Korea's president calls for more self-reliant military as questions arise about US commitment

HYUNG-JIN KIM and KIM TONG-HYUNG October 1, 2025 at 1:07 PM

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, bottom center, salutes to the national flag during a celebration to mark 77th Armed Forces Day in Gyeryong, South Korea Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. (Kim Hong-Ji/Pool Photo via AP)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea's president vowed Wednesday to sharply increase defense spending to introduce a variety of high-tech weapons as part of efforts to build a more self-reliant military, as U.S. President Donald Trump's America-first agenda raises questions about the U.S. security commitment to its Asian ally.

A tariff war instigated by Trump's administration and his transactional approach to security threaten to erode many South Koreans' trust in the U.S. There are concerns that he may demand much higher South Korean payments for the U.S. military presence in the country or possibly downsize America's military footprint to focus more on China.

In an Armed Forces Day ceremony Wednesday, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung described the South Korea-U.S. military alliance as "solid" and didn't mention any concerns about Trump's policies. But he repeatedly stressed an intention to build a more independent military that can independently defend the country from external threats.

"We should move toward a strong, self-reliant defense, based on our pride and confidence in our military power," Lee said. "To ensure peace and prosperity for the Republic of Korea, we must not depend on anyone else but strengthen our own power."

To boost a self-reliant defense posture, Lee said his government would increase next year's defense spending by 8.2% to introduce advanced weapons systems like AI combat robots, autonomous drones and precision attack and defense missile systems.

The government will also actively foster defense industry and improve soldiers' welfare by upgrading their service conditions and compensation systems, he said.

Lee, a liberal who espouses greater peace on the Korean Peninsula, didn't mention rival North Korea, a likely effort not to provoke the country. But bolstering South Korea's military readiness would clearly be aimed at more effectively deterring potential aggressions from North Korea, which has nuclear weapons.

The North recently has repeatedly rejected Lee's overtures, though it signaled interests in restoring diplomacy with Trump.

A weakening of the U.S. security commitment could seriously shake South Korea's security as it has no nuclear weapons and is under the protection of a U.S. "nuclear umbrella," which has long promised a devastating American response in the event of an attack on its ally. The U.S. also deploys about 28,500 U.S. troops in South Korea.

A potentially sensitive issue for the alliance is an implementation of a previous agreement to transfer wartime operational control of the allied forces to a binational command led by a South Korean general with a U.S. deputy. The commander of the U.S. forces in South Korea currently has wartime operational control of South Korea's military.

Many South Koreans view reclaiming their own military's wartime operational control as a matter of national sovereignty but others worry that would result in loosening of the alliance. Some observers say the Trump administration would use the transfer as a way to reduce spending and concentrate on China but it would still want to maintain influence on the Korean Peninsula.

Elbridge Colby, who was confirmed as Trump's under secretary of defense for policy, said at his Senate confirmation hearings in March that he would carefully review the "delicate issue" of transferring wartime operational control.

"I support efforts to bolster South Korea's role in the alliance," he said.

Colby provided more detailed comments in a 2024 interview with Yonhap news agency.

"South Korea is going to have to take primary, essentially overwhelming responsibility for its own self-defense against North Korea because we don't have a military that can fight North Korea and then be ready to fight China," he said.

Lee reaffirmed his support of the transfer Wednesday.

"The Republic of Korea will lead a joint defense posture with Washington by regaining the operational control based on firm ROK-U.S. alliance," Lee said. "Solid combined defense capability and posture will not only bring peace and stability to the Korean Peninsula but also contribute to the region's stability and shared prosperity."

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South Korea's president calls for more self-reliant military as questions arise about US commitment

South Korea's president calls for more selfreliant military as questions arise about US commitment HYUNGJIN KIM ...

New Photo - BenDeLaCreme talked Jinkx Monsoon out of doing a Mario Kart runway on Drag Race All Stars 7

&34;I was like, if you do that, we're over. That is it. I'm breaking up with you. So, I made her a porcupine idea!&34; DeLa tells EW of helping Jinkx with her A

"I was like, if you do that, we're over. That is it. I'm breaking up with you. So, I made her a porcupine idea!" DeLa tells EW of helping Jinkx with her AS7 Spikes on the Runway gown.

BenDeLaCreme talked Jinkx Monsoon out of doing a Mario Kart runway on Drag Race All Stars 7

"I was like, if you do that, we're over. That is it. I'm breaking up with you. So, I made her a porcupine idea!" DeLa tells EW of helping Jinkx with her AS7 Spikes on the Runway gown.

Joey Nolfi, senior writer at

Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at *. *Since 2016, his work at EW includes *RuPaul's Drag Race* video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more.

EW's editorial guidelines

July 20, 2022 4:43 p.m. ET

BenDeLaCreme threw a (loving) banana peel under Jinkx Monsoon's tires as she prepared to compete on *RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 7*.

The season 6 and *All Stars 3* alum exclusively tells EW's BINGE podcast (below) that she helped shape elements of her longtime friend and collaborator's *AS7* runway collection, particularly her porcupine gown for the Spikes on the Runway theme which, according to DeLa, almost looked very, *very* different.

"I actually designed that porcupine outfit, I just drew out a picture for her because I was like, Jinkx, you cannot do the thing you're planning on, which is that she she was going to dress like the spiky tortoise shell from *Mario Kart*. I was like, if you do that, we're over, that is it. I'm breaking up with you. So, I made her a porcupine idea!" DeLa says. "It's like a thing you throw in *Mario Kart*. I was like, Jinkx, this is such an arbitrary reference and also just the worst color combination."

DeLa says that she and Jinkx worked on other looks she debuted on *All Stars 7* as well, mostly chatting through ideas and concepts.

"I'm so glad that we spent the time brainstorming, because we talked about doing multiple seasons like Jaida did. She wanted to do an *Into the Woods* witch and I was like, I think someone else is going to do it," DeLa recalls. "I'm so glad that we talked through those ideas and she didn't wind up doing the same thing."

Jinkx Monsoon models her AS7 Spikes on the Runway outfit designed by BenDeLaCreme. World of Wonder/Paramount+

Since competing on separate seasons of *Drag Race*, Jinkx and DeLa have worked together to successfully snatch the Christmas crown from Santa across multiple projects, including their traveling *To Jesus, Thanks for Everything* and *All I Want for Christmas Is Attention* tours, guest roles in Clea DuVall's Kristen Stewart-starring Christmas rom-com *Happiest Season*, and a film version of *The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show*, which streamed on Hulu through Christmas in 2020. They return to the stage for *The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show* 2022 tour later this year.

Their work outside of *Drag Race* speaks for itself, but they're also not entirely opposed to competing again — as long as they do it together.

"The answer is, I guess, like, sure, I don't know!" DeLa says when asked about the ongoing fan fantasy involving a "Best Friends" edition of *Drag Race*. "It's not something that either of us are campaigning for. I do think it could be fun, but I would need a contractual guarantee that the same [non-elimination] rules as* All Stars 7 *apply."

JINKX AND DELA, Super Mario Bros. Shell

BenDeLaCreme talked Jinkx Monsoon out of wearing a 'Super Mario Bros.' outfit for Spikes on the Runway. Courtesy of BenDeLaCreme Presents and Randy Phillips; Inset: Nintendo

*RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 7* continues Friday on Paramount+. Listen to BenDeLaCreme's full podcast episode above, tune in to the @EW account's *Quick Drag* Twitter Spaces recaps every Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT, and listen to past episodes in our *EW's BINGE* podcast feed below.

***Subscribe to*****EW's BINGE* podcast****** for full recaps of *RuPaul's Drag Race*, including weekly *All Stars 7 *recaps and reactions with the cast, special guests, and more.***

**Related content:**

- Yvie Oddly reveals who she would've blocked on *RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 7*

- Monét X Change reveals how she and Trinity The Tuck bonded after 'air of savagery' on *All Stars 4*

- Raja explains her *All Stars 7* season 3 tribute and why this might be her last time on *Drag Race*

- EW's Binge Podcast Episodes

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BenDeLaCreme talked Jinkx Monsoon out of doing a Mario Kart runway on Drag Race All Stars 7

&34;I was like, if you do that, we're over. That is it. I'm breaking up with you. So, I made her a porcu...

European leaders gather to discuss security and Ukraine war following drone incidents LORNE COOKOctober 1, 2025 at 7:09 AM 0 1 / 4Denmark DronesA view of a drone flying prohibited sign at Halsskov, West Zealand, Denmark, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025.

- - European leaders gather to discuss security and Ukraine war following drone incidents

LORNE COOKOctober 1, 2025 at 7:09 AM

1 / 4Denmark DronesA view of a drone flying prohibited sign at Halsskov, West Zealand, Denmark, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — European leaders are converging on Copenhagen on Wednesday for two summits focused on security, defense and the war in Ukraine, following a spate of troubling drone incidents at Danish airports and military bases over the last week.

Denmark's defense ministry said that a precision radar system has been set up at Copenhagen airport to help keep watch. Unidentified drones forced the closure of the airfield a week ago, causing major disruptions to air traffic.

France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the U.K. also sent aircraft, ships and air defense systems to Denmark ahead of the summits. Ukraine's armed forces have dispatched a mission to the Nordic country for joint exercises, sharing its expertise on combating Russian drones.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Monday on social media that while authorities can't conclude who is behind the hybrid attacks, "we can find that there is primarily one country that poses a threat to Europe's security – and that's Russia."

Russia is the focus of Wednesday's European Union leaders meeting, where discussions are expected to center on how to prepare Europe to fend off Russian aggression by 2030, especially as the United States turns its focus on security concerns in Asia and elsewhere.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to address the EU leaders by videolink.

Leaders and intelligence services believe that Russia could mount an assault elsewhere in Europe in 3 to 5 years, and that President Vladimir Putin is intent on testing NATO as doubts swirl about U.S. President Donald Trump's commitment to the organization.

On Sept. 10, when several Russian drones breached Poland's airspace, NATO aircraft were scrambled to intercept and shoot down some of the devices. It was the first direct encounter between NATO and Moscow since Russia launched its war on Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

The incident jolted leaders across Europe, raising questions about how prepared the alliance is against Russia. Days later, NATO jets escorted three Russian warplanes out of Estonia's airspace.

The EU talks on Ukraine will focus on continued military and financial support for the conflict-ravaged country, as funds, weapons and ammunition once provided by the United States dry up.

A new proposal to use frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine will be discussed.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other leaders from across Europe will join their EU partners for a dinner of the European Political Community (EPC) on Wednesday evening. Around 40 heads of state or government are due to take part.

The EPC leaders will gather on Thursday for talks also focused on security, as well as trafficking and migration. Critics say the forum — which draws together EU members, aspiring partners in the Balkans and Eastern Europe, as well as Britain and Turkey — is a political 'talking shop' that produces few tangible results.

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European leaders gather to discuss security and Ukraine war following drone incidents

European leaders gather to discuss security and Ukraine war following drone incidents LORNE COOKOctober 1, 2025 at 7...

Trump calls for using US cities as a 'training ground' for military in unusual speech to generals BEN FINLEY, KONSTANTIN TOROPIN and EVAN VUCCI September 30, 2025 at 12:09 PM 7.2k U.S. military senior leadership listen as President Donald Trump speaks at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Tuesday, Sept.

- - Trump calls for using US cities as a 'training ground' for military in unusual speech to generals

BEN FINLEY, KONSTANTIN TOROPIN and EVAN VUCCI September 30, 2025 at 12:09 PM

7.2k

U.S. military senior leadership listen as President Donald Trump speaks at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025 in Quantico, Va. (Andrew Harnik/Pool via AP)

QUANTICO, Va. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday proposed using American cities as training grounds for the armed forces and spoke of needing U.S. military might to combat what he called the "invasion from within."

Addressing an audience of military brass abruptly summoned to Virginia, Donald Trump outlined a muscular and at times norm-shattering view of the military's role in domestic affairs. He was joined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who declared an end to "woke" culture and announced new directives for troops that include "gender-neutral" or "male-level" standards for physical fitness.

The dual messages underscored the Trump administration's efforts not only to reshape contemporary Pentagon culture but to enlist military resources for the president's priorities and for decidedly domestic purposes, including quelling unrest and violent crime.

"We should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military," Trump said. He noted at another point: "We're under invasion from within. No different than a foreign enemy but more difficult in many ways because they don't wear uniforms."

After calling hundreds of military leaders and their top advisers from around the world to the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Hegseth largely focused on long-used talking points that painted a picture of a military hamstrung by "woke" policies. He said military leaders should "do the honorable thing and resign" if they don't like his new approach.

Though meetings between military brass and civilian leaders are nothing new, this gathering had fueled intense speculation about its purpose given the haste with which it was called and the mystery surrounding it. The fact that admirals and generals from conflict zones were summoned for a lecture on race and gender in the military showed the extent to which the country's culture wars have become a front-and-center agenda item for Hegseth's Pentagon, even at a time of broad national security concerns across the globe.

'We will not be politically correct'

Trump is accustomed to boisterous crowds of supporters who laugh at his jokes and applaud his boasting. But he wasn't getting that kind of soundtrack from the military leaders in attendance.

In keeping with the nonpartisan tradition of the armed services, the military leaders sat mostly stone-faced through Trump's politicized remarks, a contrast from when rank-and-file soldiers cheered during Trump's speech at Fort Bragg this summer.

Trump encouraged the audience at the outset of his speech to applaud as they wished. He then added, "If you don't like what I'm saying, you can leave the room — of course, there goes your rank, there goes your future." Some laughed.

Before Trump took the stage, Hegseth said in his nearly hourlong speech that the military has promoted too many leaders for the wrong reasons, based on race, gender quotas and "historic firsts."

"The era of politically correct, overly sensitive don't-hurt-anyone's-feelings leadership ends right now at every level," Hegseth said.

That was echoed by Trump: "The purposes of America military is not to protect anyone's feelings. It's to protect our republic.″

″We will not be politically correct when it comes to defending American freedom," Trump said.

Several military officials and rank-and-file troops, who all spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid retaliation, said they were unsure how the remarks from Trump and Hegseth would affect their daily lives in the service. Some expressed concerns over the framing of domestic unrest as a war, while some also said they found Hegseth's message appealing about more closely adhering to fitness standards and cutting out unnecessary training.

Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the meeting "an expensive, dangerous dereliction of leadership."

"Even more troubling was Mr. Hegseth's ultimatum to America's senior officers: conform to his political worldview or step aside," Reed said in a statement, calling it a "profoundly dangerous" demand.

Trump's u se of the military on American soil

Trump has already tested the limits of a nearly 150-year-old federal law, the Posse Comitatus Act, that restricts the military's role in law enforcement.

He has sent National Guard and active duty Marines to Los Angeles, threatened to do the same to combat crime and illegal immigration in other Democratic-led cities, and surged troops to the U.S.-Mexico border.

National Guard members are generally exempt from the law because they're under state control. But the law does apply when they're "federalized" and put under the president's control, as happened in LA over the Democratic governor's objections.

Trump said the armed forces also should focus on the Western Hemisphere, boasting about carrying out military strikes on boats in the Caribbean that he says targeted drug traffickers.

Loosening disciplinary rules

Hegseth said he's easing disciplinary rules and weakening hazing protections, focusing on removing many of the guardrails the military put in place after numerous scandals and investigations.

He also said he was ordering a review of "the department's definitions of so-called toxic leadership, bullying and hazing to empower leaders to enforce standards without fear of retribution or second guessing."

He called for changes to "allow leaders with forgivable, earnest or minor infractions to not be encumbered by those infractions in perpetuity."

"People make honest mistakes, and our mistakes should not define an entire career," Hegseth said.

Bullying and toxic leadership have been the suspected and confirmed causes behind numerous military suicides over the past several years, including of Brandon Caserta, a young sailor who was bullied into killing himself in 2018.

Gender-neutral physical standards

Hegseth used the platform to slam environmental policies and transgender troops. The Pentagon has been told from previous administrations that "our diversity is our strength," Hegseth said, calling that an "insane fallacy."

Hegseth said the military would ensure "every designated combat arms position returns to the highest male standard." He's previously issued directives for gender-neutral physical standards, even though specific combat, special operations, infantry, armor, pararescue and other jobs already require the same standards regardless of age or gender. The military services were trying to determine next steps and what, if anything, may need to change.

Hegseth said it is not about preventing women from serving.

"If women can make it, excellent; if not, it is what it is. If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it," he said. "That is not the intent, but it could be the result."

Sen. Joni Ernst, an Iowa Republican who served in the Iraq War, said Hegseth was "appropriate" in suggesting that women should be expected to meet certain standards.

"I'm not worried about that," Ernst said. "There should be a same set of standards for combat arms."

Janessa Goldbeck, who served in the Marines and is now CEO of the Vet Voice Foundation, said Hegseth's speech was more about "stoking grievance than strengthening the force."

Hegseth "has a cartoonish, 1980s, comic-book idea of toughness he's never outgrown," she said. "Instead of focusing on what actually improves force readiness, he continues to waste time and taxpayer dollars on He-Man culture-war theatrics."

Hegseth's speech came as the country faces a potential government shutdown this week and as he has taken several unusual and unexplained actions, including ordering cuts to the number of general officers and firings of other top military leaders.

___

Finley and Toropin reported from Washington. writers Eric Tucker, Chris Megerian, Adriana Gomez Licon, Ali Swenson and Stephen Groves contributed to this report.

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Trump calls for using US cities as a 'training ground' for military in unusual speech to generals

Trump calls for using US cities as a 'training ground' for military in unusual speech to generals BEN FINLE...

Hegseth wants 'male standard' for combat roles. Many female veterans say that's already the case ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON and THOMAS BEAUMONT October 1, 2025 at 8:34 AM 9 Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks to senior military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Tuesday, Sept.

- - Hegseth wants 'male standard' for combat roles. Many female veterans say that's already the case

ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON and THOMAS BEAUMONT October 1, 2025 at 8:34 AM

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks to senior military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025 in Quantico, Va. (Andrew Harnik/Pool via AP)

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in an address Tuesday to the military's top leaders waded back into a topic that nearly derailed his confirmation early this year and helped elevate his voice as a Fox News commentator — the fitness of women to serve in combat.

Hegseth told hundreds of military commanders at a hastily called gathering in Virginia that there would be new directives to ensure that the requirement for every position in combat "returns to the highest male standard."

He said that "if that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it," while stressing that the military will continue to welcome women into its ranks.

"I don't want my son serving alongside troops who are out of shape, or in combat units with females who can't meet the same combat arms physical standards as men," he said. "This job is life and death. Standards must be met."

The remarks rekindled criticism of the defense secretary that arose after President Donald Trump nominated him to the post last year and renewed concerns about his approach to women in leadership and front-line roles. Hegseth's house-cleaning at the top ranks of the military has included a disproportionate number of women, including an admiral and vice admiral in the Navy and the commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Several prominent women who are combat veterans pushed back on Hegseth's remarks to emphasize that women who serve in combat roles already are subjected to the same standards as men. Those standards apply to specific combat special operations, infantry, armor, pararescue and other jobs regardless of age or gender.

Female veterans call out Hegseth

Elisa Cardnell, president of the Service Women's Action Network, said the standards have not been lowered for women serving in combat roles. She said the requirements for serving in the infantry, for example, are the same for men and women, whether it's carrying a certain amount of equipment or marching a certain distance.

Capt. Lory Manning, who served for more than 25 years in the Navy and at times commanded units of over 400 people, said skepticism about women's capabilities is nothing new. During her time in the Navy, the military expanded opportunities for women to serve in air, sea and some ground combat.

"Women have had to prove they were capable before positions became officially open," said Manning, whose responsibilities at one point also included oversight and evaluation of the Navy's physical fitness standards.

Manning said "there would have been some sort of uproar" if women consistently failed to perform or compromised military standards throughout that time. She said the secretary seemed to conflate physical requirements with requirements for specific military roles.

"He hasn't changed anything basic with regards to women," she said of Hegseth. "He's just got it in his head that women are somehow cheating."

Amy McGrath, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel who was the first woman to fly an F-18 fighter jet in combat and lost a Democratic challenge to Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell in 2020, said Hegseth continues to lie about women in the military.

"He claimed the military needs to 'return to the male standard' in combat jobs (of 1990!), but here's the truth: there has never been a separate male and female standard," she posted on X. "When women entered combat roles, one standard was set, and we've been meeting it ever since."

U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic nominee for New Jersey governor who served as a Navy helicopter pilot, said Tuesday that what she had heard about the speech "comports with everything I've seen from the most incompetent secretary of defense we've ever had."

She questioned the decision to call generals and admirals from around the world for what she said amounts to a meeting "just to kind of show his tough guy creds."

Many Republican women show support

Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, a Republican and Iraq War combat veteran who grilled Hegseth during his nomination hearing in January before providing a crucial confirmation vote, said his comments Tuesday were "appropriate."

"I'm not worried about that," she said. "So there should be the same set of standards for combat arms. I think that's what he probably was referring to, combat arms."

Ernst noted, however, that women who go through Ranger School or into the infantry are already subjected to the same standards as men.

Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, the first woman to graduate from The Citadel, said she likes Hegseth's approach, specifically his promises to get rid of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the military.

"President Trump and Secretary Hegseth are right: the U.S. military isn't a playground for Left-Wing gender bending ideology. Our military is a fighting force that must return to mission-first readiness," the Republican told AP in a statement.

U.S. Rep. Sheri Biggs of South Carolina, a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, said she also supported Hegseth's efforts to change military culture.

Hegseth focused much of his address on eliminating what he has called "woke" policies from the military, saying too many leaders have been promoted based on race, gender quotas and "historic firsts" rather than qualifications. Any leader who disagrees with his approach should resign, he said.

"Returning to standards that prioritize excellence and accountability puts America's security and our servicemembers where they belong — first," Biggs said in a statement.

___ writers Safiyah Riddle in Montgomery, Alabama, Meg Kinnard in Houston, and Joey Cappelletti, Stephen Groves and Ben Finley in Washington contributed to this report.

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