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Brad Treliving's Biggest Home Run is Paying Significant Dividends for the Toronto Maple LeafsBOSTON — Jim Montgomery found a new job just five days after the Boston Bruins fired him when the St. Louis Blues brought him in to be their next coach. It was a quick turnaround for the 55-year-old, and Charlie Coyle was happy to see his former coach land on his feet. “You always want the best for someone you worked with, who we got along with, who was part of us for two-and-a-half years,” Coyle said Monday. “That’s the best-case scenario is to see a guy who’s kind of down and out because, not him, it’s all of us, right? He’s out, he leaves the team. So to see a guy get right back on his feet, five-year deal, that’s awesome. I’m so happy for him. We want him to be here, but things work out a certain way and that’s the best-case scenario for him. “I’m sure there’s still some feelings. But I’m sure he’s pumped to get right back in it and get a long-term deal like that for him and his family. That’s huge. I’m so happy for him.” Several players, including David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy, expressed guilt over Montgomery losing his job after a poor start. General manager Don Sweeney said the decision to fire Montgomery was due to the Bruins not performing up to their expectations. Montgomery told reporters on Monday in his first press conference as the Blues coach that he had heard from those in the Bruins’ organization when the news became official. Interim coach Joe Sacco was one who reached out to wish his former co-worker well. “I texted Monty yesterday and wished him congratulations,” Sacco said. “I think I said the other day he’s gonna land on his feet and obviously he did very quickly. So I’m very happy for him and his family, especially the fact that that’s basically their home. It’s a great opportunity.” Montgomery is in his second stint with St. Louis after being an assistant for the organization from 2020-22. He revealed his family is still in Boston but they’ll wait until summer to move move so his children’s school year and extracurricular activities don’t get interrupted. The Blues were 9-12-1 through their first 22 games of the season. Because Montgomery has worked with several players during his first stint in St. Louis, he believes it gives him a “tremendous head start” in getting the team back on track. “Crazy. Crazy,” Montgomery told reporters of his emotions returning to St. Louis days after losing his job. “There’s no other word for it. A lot of emotions. I’m a firm believer that when one door closes, another one opens if you do the right thing.” When Montgomery saw Blues GM Doug Armstrong was calling him, he thought it was a call to just catch up, not a business one. “It was very exciting. But I was in the mindset, I thought this was a social call of like, ‘Hey, I’ve been there, keep your head up, take a breath, enjoy the family,’” Montgomery said. “Once it turned to business, the engine and my blood starting pumping.” Armstrong, Montgomery said, was “very persuasive.” “The best line that put his hooks into me was, ‘When something delicious falls on my plate, I eat,’” he said. “So, I don’t know, I guess I was a T-bone that day.” Montgomery takes over for Drew Bannister, who was in the midst of his first full season as coach after being named the interim in December 2023. Armstrong said Montgomery is the “full package” and has “all the attributes” to be in St. Louis long-term.

The NFL is once again offering a heaping helping of Thanksgiving Day games for 2024. Week 13 kicks off on Thursday with a tripleheader with three of the four NFC North teams in action. Between the Bears-Lions (12:30 p.m. ET, CBS), Giants-Cowboys (4:30 p.m. ET Fox), and Dolphins-Packers (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC), there are also plenty of fantasy football considerations, whether you're looking for the best advice for seasonal leagues or top tips for DFS contests. Here's a complete breakdown of the slate to help you know which players have the most and least favorable matchups and assist with those tougher lineup decisions. WEEK 13 FANTASY FOOTBALL RANKINGS QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/ST | Kickers Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions Start 'em, Sit 'em Chicago Bears starts and sits Start: WR D.J. Moore, RB D'Andre Swift Sit: QB Caleb Williams, WR Keenan Allen, WR Rome Odunze, TE Cole Kmet, Bears D/ST, K Cairo Santos Sleeper: RB Roschon Johnson Moore has gotten going with interim OC Thomas Brown and has the best chance to produce as the No. 1 option in the passing game with the Lions' pass defense improving each week and rough on the slot (Allen) and tight end (Kmet). Swift won't find much room to sled on his former team, but he'll be motivated and can come through as a checkdown receiver in a negative game script. Williams is coming off a big game against the Vikings' defense at home, but you can't trust him on the road. WEEK 13 FANTASY ROSTER MANAGEMENT ADVICE Stock Watch | Start 'Em, Sit 'Em | Sleepers | Busts | Usage Report | Flex Finder | Weather Detroit Lions starts and sits Start: RB Jahmyr Gibbs, RB David Montgomery, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, QB Jared Goff, Lions defense/special teams Sit: TE Sam LaPorta, WR Jameson Williams Sleeper: K Jake Bates Gibbs has been red-hot and Monty should run with extra juice in a backfield revenge game of his own. They both should score again, but this time, leave some fun for Goff. The Bears' secondary is tricky outside and can contain the big plays (see Williams), but they can be eaten in the slot (St. Brown). LaPorta is just out of TE1 range for the season, and you can't trust him too much in a minus matchup. Detroit's defense also has been hot, and that doesn't change at home. New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys Start 'em, Sit 'em New York Giants starts and sits Start: WR Malik Nabers, RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. Sit: QB Tommy DeVito/Drew Lock, RB Devin Singletary, K Graham Gano, WR Wan'Dale Robinson Sleepers: TE Theo Johnson, Giants D/ST, WR Darius Slayton Nabers and Slayton can benefit from a big downfield production pivot from a banged-up DeVito to a big-armed gunslinger in Lock. Tracy is getting too much work over Singletary to sit. The Giants' D has a good pass rush and won't need to worry as much about deep action. Johnson can keep up the recent pace Dallas Cowboys starts and sits Start: WR CeeDee Lamb, K Brandon Aubrey, Cowboys D/ST Sit: QB Cooper Rush Sleepers: RB Rico Dowdle, TE Luke Schoonmaker Lamb and Aubrey have been every-weekers for a while, but Dallas' defense finally can be used again at home against an uncertain and shaky Giants QB situation. Rush had a solid floor game last week, but this is a bad downfield matchup. He has his best shot throwing to Schoonmaker along with Lamb on short-to-intermediate inside routes. Dowdle would be a volume-based play in a plus spot if needed during a no-bye week. Miami Dolphins vs. Green Bay Packers Start 'em, Sit 'em Miami Dolphins starts and sits Start: RB De'Von Achane, WR Tyreek Hill (if he plays), TE Jonnu Smith Sit: QB Tua Tagovailoa, WR Jaylen Waddle, RB Raheem Mostert, K Jason Sanders, Dolphins D/ST Achane needs to be a big part of the game plan in the outdoor elements for the Dolphins to keep winning. Check Hill and the wrist injury, but you should stick with him if he is healthy enough to go. Smith has been too involved in high-leverage situations through the red zone to sit. Tagovailoa has a tough matchup away in the cold, and Waddle is still difficult to trust, despite last week's needed slump breakout. Green Bay Packers starts and sits Start: RB Josh Jacobs, WR Jayden Reed Sit: QB Jordan Love, WR Christian Watson, WR Romeo Doubs, WR Dontayvion Wicks, TE Tucker Kraft Sleeper: Packers D/ST The weather in Green Bay for Thursday night is expected to be in the high 20s with a chance of snow. That's perfect late November/early December weather for Lambeau Field. The Packers got the power-running Jacobs to churn in the frozen tundra, and he'll explode again against a middling Dolphins run defense. Getting the ball out to Reed quickly should be the passing gameplan for Love, who has limited upside in a bad spot. The defense should make some big plays, too, in a correlated play to Jacobs. It's tough to feel any of the other pass-catchers or Love with lowered attempts for a second straight week. WEEK 13 DFS STRATEGY: Sleepers and Values FanDuel NFL Thanksgiving cash game lineup picks QB: Tommy DeVito or Drew Lock, Giants $6700/$6,400 RB: Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions $8,400 RB: Josh Jacobs, Packers $7,800 WR: D.J. Moore, Bears $6,700 WR: Jayden Reed, Packers $6,900 WR: Darius Slayton, Giants $5,400 TE: Luke Schoonmaker, Cowboys $4,000 FLEX: De'Von Achane, Dolphins $9,000 D/ST: Packers $4,200 DraftKings NFL Thanksgiving tournament lineup picks QB: Tommy DeVito or Drew Lock, Giants $4,500 RB: Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions $7,500 RB: Josh Jacobs, Packers $7,000 WR: D.J. Moore, Bears, $5,600 WR: Jayden Reed, Packers $5,700 WR: Rome Odunze, Bears $5,000 TE: Luke Schoonmaker, Cowboys $3,400 FLEX: De'Von Achane, Dolphins $7,700 D/ST: Packers $3,000 The whole premise of these lineups was to get Gibbs, Jacobs, and Achane all together. To do that, it required going the cheapest at quarterback and tight end. The Packers' D is in the best spot at home related to Jacobs and Reed. Odunze and Slayton are the garbage time dart throws as downfield targets for QBs who might be trailing for much of their games. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Learn more >By ZEKE MILLER, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday reached a required agreement with President Joe Biden’s White House to allow his transition staff to coordinate with the existing federal workforce before taking office on Jan. 20. The congressionally mandated agreement allows transition aides to work with federal agencies and access non-public information and gives a green light to government workers to talk to the transition team. But Trump has declined to sign a separate agreement with the General Services Administration that would have given his team access to secure government offices and email accounts, in part because it would require that the president-elect limit contributions to $5,000 and reveal who is donating to his transition effort. The White House agreement was supposed to have been signed by Oct. 1, according to the Presidential Transition Act, and the Biden White House had issued both public and private appeals for Trump’s team to sign on. The agreement is a critical step in ensuring an orderly transfer of power at noon on Inauguration Day, and lays the groundwork for the White House and government agencies to begin to share details on ongoing programs, operations and threats. It limits the risk that the Trump team could find itself taking control of the massive federal government without briefings and documents from the outgoing administration. As part of the agreement with the White House, Trump’s team will have to publicly disclose its ethics plan for the transition operation and make a commitment to uphold it, the White House said. Transition aides must sign statements that they have no financial positions that could pose a conflict of interest before they receive access to non-public federal information. Biden himself raised the agreement with Trump when they met in the Oval Office on Nov. 13, according to the White House, and Trump indicated that his team was working to get it signed. Trump chief of staff-designate Susie Wiles met with Biden’s chief of staff Jeff Zients at the White House on Nov. 19 and other senior officials in part to discuss remaining holdups, while lawyers for the two sides have spoken more than a half-dozen times in recent days to finalize the agreement. “Like President Biden said to the American people from the Rose Garden and directly to President-elect Trump, he is committed to an orderly transition,” said White House spokesperson Saloni Sharma. “President-elect Trump and his team will be in seat on January 20 at 12 pm – and they will immediately be responsible for a range of domestic and global challenges, foreseen and unforeseen. A smooth transition is critical to the safety and security of the American people who are counting on their leaders to be responsible and prepared.” Without the signed agreement, Biden administration officials were restricted in what they could share with the incoming team. Trump national security adviser-designate Rep. Mike Waltz met recently with Biden national security adviser Jake Sullivan, but the outgoing team was limited in what it could discuss. “We are doing everything that we can to effect a professional and an orderly transition,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Monday. “And we continue to urge the incoming team to take the steps that are necessary to be able to facilitate that on their end as well.” “This engagement allows our intended Cabinet nominees to begin critical preparations, including the deployment of landing teams to every department and agency, and complete the orderly transition of power,” said Wiles in a statement. The Trump transition team says it would disclose its donors to the public and would not take foreign donations. A separate agreement with the Department of Justice to coordinate background checks for vetting and security clearances is still being actively worked on and could be signed quickly now that the White House agreement is signed. The agency has teams of investigators standing by to process clearances for Trump aides and advisers once that document is signed. That would clear the way for transition aides and future administration appointees and nominees to begin accessing classified information before Trump takes office. Some Trump aides may hold active clearances from his first term in office or other government roles, but others will need new clearances to access classified data. Trump’s team on Friday formally told the GSA that they would not utilize the government office space blocks from the White House reserved for their use, or government email accounts, phones and computers during the transition. The White House said it does not agree with Trump’s decision to forgo support from the GSA, but is working on alternate ways to get Trump appointees the information they need without jeopardizing national security. Federal agencies are receiving guidance on Tuesday on how to share sensitive information with the Trump team without jeopardizing national security or non-public information. For instance, agencies may require in-person meetings and document reviews since the Trump team has declined to shift to using secure phones and computers. For unclassified information, agencies may ask Trump transition staff to attest that they are taking basic safeguards, like using two-factor authentication on their accounts.Thousands of Syrians gathered in Damascus’ main square and a historic mosque for the first Muslim Friday prayers since former President Bashar Assad was overthrown , a major symbolic moment for the country’s dramatic change of power. The rebels are now working to establish security and start a political transition after seizing the capital on Sunday. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Friday, pressing ahead with efforts to unify Middle East nations in support of a peaceful political transition in Syria. It’s part of Blinken’s 12th trip to the Mideast since the Israel-Hamas war erupted last year in Gaza but his first after Assad was ousted. The U.S. is also making a renewed push for an ceasefire in Gaza, where the war has plunged more than 2 million Palestinians into a severe humanitarian crisis. Israel’s war against Hamas has killed over 44,800 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The October 2023 Hamas attack that sparked the war killed some 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and around 250 others were taken hostage. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Here's the latest: ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Friday that eliminating a U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish militia is his country’s “strategic goal,” and called on members of the group to leave Syria or lay down arms. In an interview with Turkey’s NTV television, Fidan also suggested that Syria’s new rulers — the rebels who swept into Damascus and who are backed by Ankara — would not recognize the militia, known as the People’s Protection Units, or YPG. The group is allied with the United States in the fight against the Islamic State group but Turkey views it as a terrorist organization and a security threat. “The non-Syrian YPG members must leave the country as soon as possible. The entire command level of the YPG must also leave the country,” Fidan said. “After that, those who remain must put down their weapons and continue with their lives.” Fidan said that as the Syrian insurgents advanced toward Damascus and Syria's Bashar Assad was toppled, Turkey in talks that were underway in Qatar at the time asked Iran and Russia not to intervene militarily. “At some point they (Russians and Iranians) made phone calls. That evening, Assad left,” Fidan said. UNITED NATIONS —– The situation in Gaza is rapidly deteriorating with scores of reported fatalities from multiple Israeli airstrikes in recent days and insecurity hampering aid deliveries, the United Nations said Friday. U.N. humanitarian coordinator Muhannad Hadi urged respect for the principles of “distinction, proportionality and precautions” and called on the parties to ensure the protection of civilians and safe and unimpeded passage of humanitarian aid. Hadi cited the looting of a 70-truck convoy that was traveling at the Kerem Shalom crossing on Wednesday and the looting of four out of five trucks leaving the Kissufim crossing that same day. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs known as OCHA reported that Israel denied more than 90% of the 137 missions the U.N. and its partners wanted to send to besieged northern Gaza since Oct. 6. BEIRUT — Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes on Friday against sites in several cities in Syria, an opposition war monitor reported. Associated Press journalists heard loud explosions throughout the Syrian capital Damascus. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The strikes hit the summit of Mount Qasioun in Damascus, Khalkhala Airport in the countryside of Sweida and the Defense and Research Laboratories in Masyaf, located in the western countryside of Hama, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Earlier on Friday, Israeli strikes targeted six military sites in the countryside of Damascus and Sweida, the observatory said. Israel has conducted hundreds of airstrikes since the toppling of the Syrian regime, saying it seeks to neutralize potential threats following the ouster of Bashar Assad. The strikes have targeted weapons production sites, anti-aircraft batteries and airfields. Israel has also moved troops to occupy a buffer zone in the Golan Heights on its border with Syria. DAMASCUS, Syria — Russian forces and military vehicles were seen withdrawing from southern Syria on Friday toward their primary base in in the coastal city of Latakia. The Russian troop movement comes amid questions about whether Moscow will still be able to project power in the Middle East after the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad. His rule was supported by Russia and he received asylum in Russia after being toppled Sunday. There are also questions about what a Russian pullback in Syria could mean for the war in Ukraine. Significant Russian military convoys were seen on the Damascus-Homs highway near Shinshar village heading north. The military vehicles, bearing Russian flags, included tanks and armored personnel carriers. The military equipment had been previously stationed in southern regions such as Daraa and Damascus. On Thursday, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Russian forces were leaving bases in Ain Issa and Tel Al-Samn in the Al-Raqqah countryside. Satellite images released by Maxar Technologies on Friday show what appear to be cargo planes at a Russian military airfield in Syria with their nose cones opened to receive heavy equipment, along with helicopters being dismantled and prepared for transport. Earlier this week, all Russian naval ships departed the Syrian port of Tartus, according to a U.S. official. ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey's embassy in the Syrian capital of Damascus will reopen on Saturday for the first time since 2012, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Friday. In an interview with Turkey’s NTV television Fidan said a newly appointed interim charge d’affaires had left for Damascus on Friday together with his delegation. “It will be operational as of tomorrow,” he said. The embassy in Damascus had suspended operations in 2012 due to the escalating security conditions during the Syrian civil war. All embassy staff and their families were recalled to Turkey. The Syrian insurgents who overthrew Syrian President Bashar Assad on Sunday did so with vital help from Turkey. WASHINGTON — The U.S. military has transported out of Syria an American who disappeared seven months ago into former President Bashar Assad’s notorious prison system and was among the thousands released this week by rebels, a U.S. official said Friday. Travis Timmerman was flown out of Syria on a U.S. military helicopter, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing operation. Timmerman, 29, told The Associated Press he had gone to Syria on a Christian pilgrimage and was not ill-treated while in Palestine Branch, a notorious detention facility operated by Syrian intelligence. He said he was freed by “the liberators who came into the prison and knocked the door down (of his cell) with a hammer.” Timmerman said he was released Monday morning alongside a young Syrian man and 70 female prisoners, some of whom had their children with them. He had been held separately from Syrian and other Arab prisoners and said he didn’t know of any other Americans held in the facility. — By Lolita C. Baldor THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A Dutch court on Friday rejected a bid from human rights groups to block weapons exports to Israel and trading with the occupied territories, after finding there were sufficient checks already in place to comply with international law. The ten organizations told The Hague District Court last month that they thought the Netherlands was in violation of the 1948 Genocide Convention, drawn up following World War II, by continuing to sell weapons to Israel more than a year into the conflict in Gaza. “The government uses my own tax money, that I pay, to kill my own family. I’ve lost 18 members of my own family,” Ahmed Abofoul, a legal adviser for the pro-Palestinian organization Al-Haq, one of the groups involved in the lawsuit, told the court during a hearing in November . The court ruling said that “it is not up to the interim relief judge to order the state to reconsider government policy. That is primarily a political responsibility.” Lawyers for the government argued it wasn’t up to a judge to decide foreign policy for the Netherlands. The activist groups pointed to several emergency orders from another court, the International Court of Justice, as confirming the obligation to stop weapons sales. In January, the top U.N. court said it was plausible Palestinians were being deprived of some rights protected under the Genocide Convention. The coalition said it will review the court’s ruling and is considering an appeal. CAIRO — Israeli attacks in and around a hospital in northern Gaza wounded three medical staff overnight into Friday and caused damage to the isolated medical facility, according to its director. Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya said Israeli quadcopter drones carrying explosives deliberately targeted the emergency and reception area of Kamal Adwan Hospital, where one doctor was wounded for a third time. Abu Safiya said “relentless” drone and artillery strikes throughout the night exploded “alarmingly close” to the hospital, heavily damaging nearby buildings and destroying most of the water tanks on the hospital’s roof and blowing out doors and windows. Kamal Adwan Hospital in the town of Beit Lahiya has been hit multiple times over the past two months since Israel launched a fierce military operation against Hamas in northern Gaza. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the strikes. “We demand international protection for the hospital and its staff,” Abu Safiya said in a statement released via the U.K.-based aid group Medical Aid for Palestinians, “as well as the entry of delegations with surgical expertise, medical supplies, and essential medications to ensure we can adequately serve the people we are treating.” Abu Safiya said there were 72 wounded patients at the hospital, one of the few medical facilities left in northern Gaza. He said he expected Israeli forces would allow a World Health Organization aid convoy to bring supplies to the hospital on Friday or Saturday, as well as a team of doctors from Indonesia. Israel has allowed almost no humanitarian or medical aid to enter the three besieged communities in northern Gaza — Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun and the urban Jabaliya refugee camp — and ordered tens of thousands to flee to nearby Gaza City. Israeli officials have said the three communities are mostly deserted, but the United Nations humanitarian office said Tuesday it believes around 65,000 to 75,000 people are still there, with little access to food, water, electricity or health care. Experts have warned that the north may be experiencing famine . BAGHDAD — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced stop in Iraq on Friday on his latest visit to the Middle East aimed at stabilizing the situation in Syria to prevent further regional turmoil. Blinken met in Baghdad with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani as part of the hastily arranged trip, his 12th to the region since the Israel-Hamas war erupted last year but his first since the weekend ouster of Syrian strongman Bashar Assad. Blinken has already been to Jordan and Turkey on his current tour and will return to the Jordanian city of Aqaba for meetings on Saturday with Arab foreign ministers, Turkey’s foreign minister and the United Nations special envoy for Syria, the U.N. said. Blinken will try to unify support for an inclusive post-Assad transition that does not allow the Islamic State group to take advantage of the political vacuum in Syria and secures suspected chemical weapons stocks. In Baghdad, Blinken underscored “U.S. commitment to the U.S.-Iraq strategic partnership and to Iraq’s security, stability, and sovereignty,” the State Department said. “He will also discuss regional security opportunities and challenges, as well as enduring U.S. support for engagement with all communities in Syria to establish an inclusive transition,” it said in a statement. His trip comes as the Biden administration winds down with just over a month left before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Trump has been highly critical of Biden’s approach to the Middle East and skeptical of the U.S. military presence in both Iraq and Syria. The U.S. and Iraq agreed in September to wrap up U.S.-led military operations against the Islamic State group in Iraq next year, although Assad’s ouster and the potential for the group taking advantage of a political vacuum in Syria could complicate the timing of the withdrawal, according to American officials. DAMASCUS — The kingdom of Bahrain sent a message Friday to Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of the insurgency that toppled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. It said Bahrain is “fully prepared to consult with you continuously and to provide support in regional and international organizations to achieve what is in the interest of the brotherly Syrian people.” It added, “We look forward to Syria regaining its authentic role in the Arab League.” Bahrain is the current head of the Arab summit. Syria was readmitted to the Arab League last year after 12 years of ostracization. It is still unclear how the international community will deal officially with the new interim government in Syria. JERUSALEM - Israel’s defense minister told troops to prepare to remain through the winter months on the peak of Mount Hermon, Syria’s highest point, located in a swath of southern Syria that Israeli troops moved into after the fall of Damascus to insurgents. The comments by Defense Minister Israel Katz signaled that the military will extend its occupation of the zone along the border, which Israel says it seized to create a buffer zone. In a statement Friday, Katz said that holding the peak was of major importance for Israel’s security and that it would be necessary to build facilities there to sustain troops through the winter. The summit of Mount Hermon, the highest peak on the eastern Mediterranean coast at 2,814 meters (9,232 feet), gives a commanding view over the plains of southern Syria. It also positions Israeli troops about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the center of Damascus. The mount is divided between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Lebanon and Syria. Only the United States recognizes Israel’s control of the Golan Heights. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israeli troops would remain in the zone until another force across the border in Syria could guarantee security. Israeli troops moved into the zone -– set as a demilitarized area inside Syrian territory under truce deals that ended the 1973 Mideast war -- after the regime of Bashar al-Assad fell last weekend. ANKARA, Turkey -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday there was “broad agreement” between Turkey and the United States on what they would like to see in Syria following the ouster of President Bashar Assad. “There’s broad agreement on what we would like to see going forward, starting with the interim government in Syria, one that is inclusive and non-sectarian and one that protects the rights of minorities and women” and does not “pose any kind of threat to any of Syria’s neighbors,” Blinken said in joint statements with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. The insurgent groups that toppled Assad in Syria have not made clear their policy or stance on Israel, whose military in recent days has bombed sites all over the country, saying it is trying to prevent weapons from falling into extremist hands. Blinken also said it was crucial to keep the Islamic State group under control. “We also discussed the imperative of continuing the efforts to keep ISIS down. Our countries worked very hard and gave a lot over many years to ensure the elimination of the territorial caliphate of ISIS to ensure that that threat doesn’t rear its head again,” Blinken said. The Turkish foreign minister said the two discussed ways of establishing prosperity in Syria and ending terrorism in the country. “Our priority is establishing stability in Syria as soon as possible, preventing terrorism from gaining ground, and ensuring that IS and the PKK aren’t dominant,” Fidan said, in a reference to the banned Kurdistan Workers Party. Blinken said: “We’re very focused on Syria, very focused on the opportunity that now is before us and before the Syrian people to move from out from under the shackles of Bashar al-Assad to a different and better future for the Syrian people, one that the Syrian people decide for themselves.” Blinken and Fidan said they had also discussed a ceasefire for Gaza. “We’ve seen in the last couple of weeks more encouraging signs that (a ceasefire) is possible,” Blinken said. Blinken, who is making his 12th trip to the Mideast since the Israel-Hamas war erupted last year but first since the weekend ouster of Assad, met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan late Thursday. The outgoing Biden administration is particularly concerned that a power vacuum in Syria could exacerbate already heightened tensions in the region, which is already wracked by multiple conflicts, and create conditions for the Islamic State group to regain territory and influence. Later Friday, Blinken is to return to Jordan for meetings on Saturday with Arab foreign ministers and senior officials from the European Union, the Arab League and the United Nations. ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkey has appointed a temporary charge d’affaires to reopen its embassy in Syria, Turkey’s state-run news agency reported. The Turkish Embassy in Damascus had suspended operations in 2012 due to the escalating security problems during the Syrian civil war and embassy staff and their families were recalled to Turkey. The Anadolu Agency said late Thursday that Turkey appointed Burhan Koroglu, its ambassador in Mauritania, to the post.

STILLWATER — Less than one week after Cowboys Football appeared poised to make changes at the top, Oklahoma State officially has both coordinators in place, including new offensive coordinator Doug Meacham. “We are very excited and fortunate to bring Doug Meacham back as our offensive coordinator,” coach Mike Gundy said in a release. “He brings years of experience on the offensive side of the football and experience as a coordinator with play-calling duties to our team. Doug is very well-respected by his peers in our profession. He will put together an offensive staff that will provide firepower and be fun to watch for the Oklahoma State fans.” Meacham coached on Gundy’s staff previously, working with tight ends and inside receivers from 2005-12. He also worked as a grad assistant from 1989-91, following his four-year career as a Cowboy offensive lineman from 1983-87. People are also reading... Berry Tramel: Will Mike Gundy now learn to get along with his bosses? Meet the 2024 Tulsans of the Year: These people worked hard to make Tulsa better Four-day school week discussion: BA school officials release feasibility study findings Bill Haisten: There still is no resolution, but a Gundy-OSU divorce seems imminent OSSAA board votes unanimously to deny hardship waiver of East Central basketball player Bill Haisten: Union's search heats up, and Owasso’s Antonio Graham has Union ties Antonio Graham leaves Owasso for a ‘dream come true’ situation at Union Berry Tramel: Jackson Arnold shows OU should save its high-end shopping for the portal Broken Arrow Public Schools releases calendar options for four-day week Final OU football bowl projections before Sooners' postseason destination is revealed Cooper Parker secures Bixby's seventh consecutive state title in OT thriller versus Owasso Assessing OU football's top transfer portal needs: Heavy on offense, but a little defense, too POLL CLOSED: Vote for the Bill Knight Automotive high school football player of the week for Week 14 Court 'bulldozes' tribal law in Tulsa case over jurisdiction, attorney says Berry Tramel: OU's victory over Alabama comes at quite the cost, courtesy of the playoff Meacham comes from TCU where he coached inside receivers from 2022-24, after serving as the Horned Frogs offensive coordinator in 2021. Meacham has served as an offensive coordinator at six programs that are currently FBS members, although he’s only coordinated current FBS offenses seven seasons (four at TCU, two at Kansas and one at Houston). Those offenses average 32 points, 440 total yards and 270 passing yards per game. Those numbers would rank 39th, 23rd, and 21st, respectively, this season. For further comparison, Oklahoma State averaged 27 points, 374 yards and 262 passing yards per game.