JQJO — Your world, one story at a time · Page 1146

Alabama flipped a tight game late at the Garden, closing with a 14-1 burst to beat No. 5 St. John’s, 103-96, handing the Johnnies their first loss. Guards Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway combined for 46 points as the 15th-ranked Crimson Tide pounded the paint 54-40, dominated the glass for 14 offensive rebounds and 19 second-chance points, and outscored St. John’s by 15 from deep. Zuby Ejiofor had 27 points and 10 boards for St. John’s (21 before halftime) and Bryce Hopkins added 19. A 19-7 surge briefly put St. John’s ahead before the offense stalled.

Rivian scrapped CEO RJ Scaringe’s 2021 pay plan and approved a performance-heavy package, lifting salary to $2 million and granting options for up to 36.5 million shares, an SEC filing shows. Worth up to $4.6 billion if the stock hits $140 (vs $15.23 Friday), the award vests in price, profit, and cash-flow tranches through 2032, with a first hurdle at $40. The move comes as Rivian posted 78% Q3 revenue growth alongside a $1.1 billion loss, October layoffs, and the coming R2 SUV launch.

Elena Rybakina overpowered World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3 7-6 (7-0) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to win the WTA Finals singles title, sealing her biggest triumph since Wimbledon 2022 and the record $5,235,000 champion prize. Both arrived unbeaten from round-robin play. Rybakina’s serving and destructive groundstrokes carried her through two saved set points before she reeled off seven straight in the tiebreak. A distraught Sabalenka smashed her racket and wept, yet her finalist payout lifted her season earnings past $15m, a WTA record. The event is in year two of Saudi Arabia’s three-year hosting deal.

With Black Friday set for Friday, November 28, 2025, MacRumors is tracking early discounts, largely on Amazon, with some of the lowest prices to date on Apple gear. Notable deals include an AirTag 4-Pack for $64.99, Apple Watch Ultra 3 $99 off, Apple Watch SE 3 from $199.99, the 13-inch M4 MacBook Air at $749.99, and the 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro from $1,487.07 at Expercom, where savings reach up to $234. iPad, iPad mini 7, M5 iPad Pro, Apple Pencil Pro, cases, and M4 Mac mini also see cuts. Safari users may need to open links in new tabs.

In a marathon postseason capped by a 5-4, 11-inning Game 7 over the Blue Jays, the Dodgers became the first repeat World Series champion in 25 years, securing the franchise’s ninth title and third in six seasons. Their path featured two extra-inning Series wins — including an 18-inning epic. Defining moments ranged from Mookie Betts’ wheel play in the NLDS and Shohei Ohtani’s three-homer, 10-strikeout NLCS show to Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s consecutive complete games, Clayton Kershaw’s bases-loaded escape, Will Klein’s four scoreless, Kiké Hernández’s Game 6 rescue, Miguel Rojas’ Game 7 heroics, and Will Smith’s go-ahead blast.

In Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo powered the Bucks past the Bulls 126-110 with 41 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, eclipsing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most 40-point games in franchise history at 56. Teammates Myles Turner and Ryan Rollins marveled at his nightly dominance, while Doc Rivers and Kyle Kuzma voiced frustration over the physical defense he faces. Antetokounmpo is averaging 33.4 points on 64.2% shooting, leading the league in rebounds and points in the paint, and shooting 77.9% in the restricted area.

A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration violated Education Department employees' First Amendment rights by overwriting their furlough out-of-office emails with a partisan message blaming Senate Democrats for the shutdown. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ordered the agency to restore union members' personalized notices immediately or strip the partisan language from all accounts. The lawsuit was brought by the American Federation of Government Employees. Cooper criticized the department for turning staff into political spokespeople. The department did not respond to NPR's request for comment.

New Zealand survived three yellow cards and a ferocious second-half surge to keep their unbeaten run against Scotland intact, edging a breathless contest at Murrayfield. Tries from Cameron Roigard and Will Jordan and a Beauden Barrett penalty built a 17-0 halftime lead. Scotland roared back as Ewan Ashman and Kyle Steyn scored, with Finn Russell levelling from the tee while Ardie Savea sat in the bin and Wallace Sititi later followed. Replacement Damian McKenzie then wriggled over late and added a long-range penalty to break Scottish resistance.

Palantir CEO Alex Karp used interviews with Axios and CNBC to cast his company as central to US economic growth, saying Palantir is growing the GDP and that most GDP gains now come from AI. He touted Palantir as a baller enterprise and argued America must lead in AI, invoking Yeats in an investor letter and rejecting cultural equivalence. Pressed on AI risks, he urged absorbing risk to outpace China, named social instability as the chief danger, and addressed surveillance worries with personal anecdotes while criticizing ideas such as government run grocery stores.

Former Cowboys player and 2024 assistant defensive line coach Greg Ellis spoke candidly about his regret over not staying in touch with defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, who died this week in an apparent suicide. Ellis, who advocated drafting Kneeland and saw himself in the player, recalled noticing him withdraw but accepting reassurances he was fine. After leaving the team following the 2024 season, Ellis wishes he had kept texting and reaching out. The article frames his openness as a reminder to check on others, listen, and encourage them to seek help.