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Colombia on Friday blasted the United States’ “excessive” military presence in the Caribbean as destabilizing for all Latin America, a sharp rebuke from one of Washington’s oldest regional allies.  Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio told AFP that the US deployment of several warships off Venezuela was “disproportionate” and the threat of military intervention was rattling the region.”Venezuela, of course, is concerned, as is the entire region, about the possibility of an intervention,” she said. “Such an excessive military presence in the region is not justified.” Colombia’s top diplomat rejected outright President Donald Trump’s claims that the naval ships, a submarine, and a squadron of F-35 fighter jets were there to tackle the drug trade. This has “nothing to do with the fight against drug trafficking,” she insisted, echoing concerns that the US may be planning to strike Venezuela and even topple President Nicolas Maduro. Trump says US forces have “knocked off” three fast boats allegedly carrying drugs and drug runners. At least 14 people described by him as “narco-terrorists” are believed to have died. Venezuela has accused the United States of waging an “undeclared war” in the Caribbean. Villavicencio said these strikes were likely illegal, and she insisted any suspects should be captured, not killed. This “does not seem to be the legal way to pursue illegal groups,” she said. – Soured ties -The minister’s comments open another front in increasingly difficult relations between Washington and Bogota.This week Washington blacklisted Colombia for what it called flawed anti-drug efforts.Over recent decades, the United States has sent billions of dollars in aid southward to help tackle cartels, guerrillas, and paramilitaries who all profit from the ultra-lucrative drug trade.The blacklisting puts future cooperation in doubt, although immediate cuts have been ruled out.The souring of US-Colombian relations has been fueled by personal and political animosity between Trump and leftist President Gustavo Petro.The two leaders have clashed bitterly on social media, trading threats of sanctions and barbs about immigration policies.Villavicencio alleged that Trump’s blacklisting “was clearly a political decision, to condemn the president (Petro)”.”We are not going to change our policies” she said.US officials say the Colombian cocaine trade has flourished under Petro, who has sought to negotiate with armed groups and avoid confrontation. 

Venezuela on Friday accused the United States of waging an “undeclared war” in the Caribbean, where Washington has deployed warships and blown up alleged drug boats in recent weeks.”It is an undeclared war, and you can already see how people, whether or not they are drug traffickers, have been executed in the Caribbean Sea. Executed without the right to a defense,” Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said as he reported on Venezuelan military exercises in response to the US “military threat.”Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who the United States accuses of running a drug cartel, announced late Thursday that troops will provide residents of low-income neighborhoods with weapons training.Maduro, for whom Washington has issued a $50 million bounty on drug trafficking charges, accuses the Donald Trump administration of planning an invasion in pursuit of regime change.The troops will “teach all those men and women who enlisted (in Venezuela’s civilian militia) how to handle weapons systems,” the leftist strongman said on state television.The biggest US naval deployment in the Caribbean in decades and US strikes on at least two Venezuelan boats allegedly transporting drugs, have stoked fears the United States is planning attacks on Venezuelan territory.The United States also sent F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico to support its Caribbean flotilla composed of seven ships and a nuclear-powered submarine.On Wednesday, Venezuela launched three days of military exercises on its Caribbean island of La Orchila in response to the perceived threat.La Orchila is close to the area where the United States intercepted and held a Venezuelan fishing vessel for eight hours over the weekend.- ‘Imperial plan’ -President Trump says US forces have “knocked off” three boats but Washington has only provided details and video footage of two of the strikes that killed 14 people described as “narco-terrorists” by the US leader.Washington says its operations are part of its war on drug trafficking and dismisses questions over the legality of the strikes in international waters.Trump has also sought to increase pressure on Maduro, whom the United States and much of the international community does not recognize as Venezuela’s rightful president after two disputed re-elections.Maduro accused the United States of hatching “an imperial plan for regime change and to impose a US puppet government… to come and steal our oil.”He has repeatedly vowed Caracas will exercise its “legitimate right to defend itself” against US aggression.

More than 140 world leaders will descend on New York next week for the annual United Nations General Assembly summit, which will be dominated this year by the future of the Palestinians and Gaza.One world leader who will miss the gathering is Mahmud Abbas, the Palestinian president who Washington denied a visa to attend, along with his officials.The humanitarian catastrophe ravaging the small Palestinian territory will top the agenda, two years after the beginning of the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip that was triggered by the unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.In a break with convention, the General Assembly voted Friday to allow Abbas to address the event by video link while he is represented in the chamber by the Palestinian ambassador.Saudi Arabia and France will co-chair meetings from Monday on the Israeli and Palestinian two-state solution, which aims to see both sides existing alongside one another in peace.This meeting is expected to see the formal recognition of a Palestinian state by several countries after the overwhelming adoption last week by the General Assembly of a text supporting a future Palestinian state — albeit without Hamas.The French presidency said Friday that 10 countries would formally recognize Palestinian statehood at the meeting — Andorra, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Portugal, Malta, Britain and San Marino alongside France.International Crisis Group analyst Richard Gowan called it a “symbolic” gesture that could have real significance “if the countries that recognize Palestine follow up with further steps to try and put pressure on Israel to end its campaign in Gaza.”Gowan warned of Israeli reprisals and a risk of “escalation” by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will address the General Assembly and is strongly opposed to a Palestinian state.The United States, Israel’s main ally, has also opposed recognition and had earlier warned it would deny visas to the Palestinian delegation.All eyes will be on President Donald Trump who has initiated massive cuts to US foreign aid since his return to the White House, hammering UN agencies as humanitarian needs grow. The United Nations, engulfed by deep financial crisis and raging wars, quietly celebrated its 80th anniversary this year while fending off criticism of its efficacy.- ‘Existential threat’ – “The multilateral system… is under an existential threat,” said Federico Borello, Interim Executive Director at Human Rights Watch.”Norms are being weakened when powerful states, that include permanent members of the Security Council, either commit or are complicit in serious violations of international humanitarian law, as is happening in Gaza, in Ukraine and elsewhere.”UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for progress on Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and climate change.”People are demanding answers and action, actions that match the gravity of the challenges our world faces, actions that meet the expectations of all those on the outside looking in,” Guterres said.Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa will be a prominent new addition to the gathering, which also includes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.Close attention will be paid to Sharaa nearly a year after his forces overthrew Bashar al-Assad, as he now confronts the challenges of rebuilding after years of civil war.Iran’s nuclear program will also be in focus as sanctions against Tehran lifted 10 years ago are set to be reinstated.Guterres and Brazil’s Lula will organize a climate summit on Wednesday where some states may announce new goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, just weeks ahead of COP30 in Brazil.

A group of west Africans deported from the United States have sued the government of Ghana, alleging they were sent to the country despite having deportation protection orders from US immigration authorities.The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in a Ghanaian court on behalf of 11 deportees from Nigeria, Togo, Gambia, Liberia and Mali, said they have been held without charge since their arrival and without proper access to legal representation.Ghanaian President John Mahama revealed last week his government had struck a deal with the United States to accept deportees from west Africa as the administration of Donald Trump cracks down on immigrants.Trump has overseen an unprecedented expansion of the practice of deporting people to countries other than their nation of origin — notably by sending hundreds to a notorious prison in El Salvador.The deportations to Ghana are believed to have started in early September and more are underway — though Accra has kept details under wraps, including the deportees’ exact whereabouts, believed to be a military facility.The plaintiffs’ lawyer, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, told AFP Friday he is suing for their release, as well as to stop their eventual removal to their home countries.”They are not charged with violations of any Ghanaian law,” Barker-Vormawor said.”All of these people were seeking asylum in the US, and they’ve made clear that they were facing persecution — whether in connection with religious reasons, political, and even on the basis of their sexual orientation.”- Whereabouts disputed -Announcing that an initial group of 14 deportees had arrived in Ghana, officials said that deportees would be allowed to remain in the country temporarily, per regional visa-free travel rules, or return home.Officials initially said that all of the initial 14 had returned home.In fact, three have returned to their country of origin but 11 remain in detention, Barker-Vormawor said.Barker-Vormawor said he has written to the military but has yet to be allowed to visit.Four of the detainees are Nigerian, three are Togolese, two are Malian, one is Liberian and one is Gambian.Ghana’s Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said Wednesday that 40 more deportees were expected in the coming days.Ablakwa said the decision to accept the deportees was based on humanitarian concerns and was not an “endorsement” of US immigration policy.The Ghanaian attorney general’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Barker-Vormawor said an unknown number of deportees had arrived Thursday.According to the lawsuit, the initial 14 deportees arrived sometime around September 6 — a week before the government made the announcement — though Barker-Vormawor said the timeline was unclear.

Donald Trump’s pick to join the US Federal Reserve said Friday that he did not speak to the president about how to vote on interest rates ahead of the central bank’s meeting this week.In an interview with CNBC, Stephen Miran said that “the president called me to say ‘congratulations.’ He didn’t ask me to do any particular actions. I didn’t commit to doing any particular actions.”He said that he would carry out “independent analysis” based on his interpretation of the economy.Miran was the sole dissenter to the Fed’s decision this week to cut interest rates by a quarter point, instead favoring a bigger half-point reduction — more in line with Trump’s frequent demands for slashing rates.He said he would give a “full accounting” for his economic views on Monday.Asked Friday about his decision, he said: “I don’t see any material inflation from tariffs. I see no evidence that it’s occurred.”The Fed typically holds rates at a higher level to rein in inflation, and policymakers had kept rates unchanged for most of the year as they monitored the effects of Trump’s tariffs on prices.Miran’s swift arrival to the Fed came as Trump ramped up pressure on the independent central bank with repeated calls for large rate cuts.Miran had been chairing the White House Council of Economic Advisers prior to joining the bank, and was confirmed by the US Senate on Monday night. He was sworn in just before the rate-setting meeting started early Tuesday.He told CNBC that he hopes to persuade some Fed colleagues of his views.Miran fills a term that ends January 31, replacing another Fed governor who resigned early.But his call to take a leave of absence rather than step down from his White House role drew sharp criticism from Democratic lawmakers amid worries about threats to Fed independence.Miran said the short tenure was his reason for not resigning from the CEA: “If the President told me that I was going to stay in the seat past January I would just resign immediately.”Fed policymakers noted the weakening labor market as they announced their first rate cut of the year Wednesday, penciling in two more cuts this year.All eyes were also on Fed Governor Lisa Cook’s legal challenge against Trump’s move to fire her this week. She has so far managed to remain in place while her lawsuit plays out.

US President Donald Trump and China’s leader Xi Jinping spoke by phone Friday with expectations that they were set to finalize the fate of the hugely popular and influential video app TikTok, as well as discussing trade.Chinese state broadcaster CCTV and the Xinhua news agency said the call had started.Trump previewed his talks on Thursday, telling Fox News that they would be discussing “TikTok and also trade.””And we’re very close to deals on all of it. And my relationship with China is very good,” he said.The call was their second since Trump began his second term in January.On June 5, the US president said Xi had invited him to visit China, and he issued a similar invitation for the Chinese leader to come to the United States. So far, no travel plans have been made, but several analysts expected Xi to repeat his offer Friday, playing on Trump’s enthusiasm for lavish receptions in foreign capitals.- TikTok -“Each leader will aim to signal that he has outmaneuvered the other” in trade talks focused on tariffs, Ali Wyne, an expert on US-China relations at the International Crisis Group, predicted in a note.The pair could settle the TikTok drama, after Trump repeatedly put off a ban under a US law designed to force Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell its US operations for national security reasons.Trump told reporters on Thursday that he hoped to “finalize something on TikTok.”Under the deal, TikTok’s US business would be “owned by all American investors, and very rich people and companies,” Trump said. He said he believes TikTok had boosted his appeal to younger voters and helped him win the 2024 election.The president on Tuesday again pushed back applying a ban on the app, which had been decided under his predecessor president Joe Biden.The Wall Street Journal raised the possibility of a consortium to control TikTok that would include tech giant Oracle and two California investment funds — Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz.- Tariffs -The telephone talks come as the world’s two biggest economies seek to find a compromise on tariffs.Both sides dramatically hiked tariffs against each other during a months-long dispute earlier this year, disrupting global supply chains.Washington and Beijing then reached a deal to reduce levies, which expires in November, with the United States imposing 30 percent duties on imports of Chinese goods and China hitting US products with a 10 percent tariff. The phone meeting also comes after Xi organized a major summit this month with the leaders of Russia and India — and invited North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to observe a major military parade in Beijing.”Please give my warmest regards to (Russian President) Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un as you conspire against the United States of America,” Trump wrote to Xi on his Truth Social platform. The US leader slammed India with punitive tariffs for its oil purchases from Moscow, and has called on European countries to sanction China for buying Russian oil, though Washington has not itself sanctioned Beijing. “If they did that on China, I think the war (in Ukraine) would maybe end,” Trump told Fox News. burs-sms/bgs

Late-night TV comics skewered US President Donald Trump and denounced “blatant censorship” after Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show was pulled off air over his comments on the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.Network ABC’s decision to suspend Kimmel “indefinitely” came after Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Brendan Carr threatened the licenses of ABC affiliates that broadcast his show.Trump, on his way back from a trip to Britain, again condemned evening shows on network television, saying “all they do is hit Trump.””I mean, they’re getting a license. I would think maybe their license should be taken away. It will be up to Brendan Carr,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One.Stephen Colbert — whose own Emmy-winning “Late Show” on CBS will be taken off the air next year — opened his Thursday program by saying “today, we are all Jimmy Kimmel.””After threats from Trump’s FCC Chair, ABC yanked Kimmel off their air indefinitely. That is blatant censorship,” Colbert said.”With an autocrat, you cannot give an inch, and if ABC thinks this is going to satisfy the regime, they are woefully naive,” he said.Colbert’s show was axed shortly after he criticized a decision by CBS’s parent company, Paramount Global, to settle a lawsuit brought by Trump over an interview with former vice president Kamala Harris.CBS said in July that cancelling Colbert’s program was a “purely financial decision.”Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart delivered his own response to Kimmel’s suspension, introduced on Thursday night as “your patriotically obedient host” of the “all-new government-approved Daily Show.””Some naysayers may argue that this administration’s speech concerns are merely a cynical ploy… to obscure an unprecedented consolidation of power and unitary intimidation,” Stewart said.”Some people would say that — not me though, I think it’s great.”Once a staple for American audiences, late-night talk shows on network TV have seen declining viewership and advertising revenue in recent years amid a trend of cord-cutting.Linear ad spending for late-night segments on ABC, CBS and NBC nearly halved between 2018 and 2024, falling from $439 million to $221 million, the New York Times reported in May citing data from advertising data firm Guideline.- ‘Not done yet’ -FCC chief Carr said on Thursday that the media ecosystem was experiencing a “very disruptive moment” and that more changes were to come.”We are in the midst of a massive shift in dynamics in the media ecosystem… including the permission structure that President Trump’s election has provided,” he said on a CNBC program.”I would simply say we’re not done yet with seeing the consequences of that.”Trump earlier urged NBC to remove satirists Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, writing on his Truth Social platform that they were “total losers.”On The Tonight Show, Fallon praised Kimmel as a “decent, funny and loving guy and I hope he comes back.””A lot of people are worried that… we’ll be censored, but I’m going to cover the president’s trip to the UK just like I normally would,” Fallon told his audience.A voiceover was then played calling Trump “incredibly handsome.”Meyers said on Thursday that Trump’s administration is “pursuing a crackdown on free speech” at home.”And completely unrelated, I just want to say… I’ve always admired and respected Mr Trump,” he said.”If you’ve ever seen me say anything negative about him, that’s just AI.”Late-night legend David Letterman also defended Kimmel on Thursday, calling the ABC decision “ridiculous.””You can’t go around firing somebody because you’re fearful or trying to suck up to an authoritarian criminal administration in the Oval Office,” Letterman said at a New York event.Fox News host Greg Gutfeld said on Thursday Kimmel was not being “censored” after earlier calling him a clown.”While some say it’s an attack on free speech, others believe it’s an excuse to unload Jimmy due to his poor ratings and the cost to keep him on,” Gutfeld said.

There is a mixed crowd lining up outside the ICE recruitment fair in Utah, where hundreds of people are eager to join US President Donald Trump’s vast deportation effort.John Wolworth drove eight hours from neighboring Colorado, and was desperate to sign up to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”I’m here to defend my country,” he said.”Our borders are a big deal, our culture is a big deal and we have a right, as a people, to uphold that culture,” the 33-year-old told AFP.An unemployed former soldier, Wolworth had with him his resume, a nursing diploma, army medals, a certificate of proficiency in shooting, and another in jujitsu. “I think I have the right profile,” he said. “As men, it is almost in our DNA to rise to the occasion.”With his “Big, Beautiful Bill,” Trump allocated $170 billion to border protection and the fight against illegal immigration. ICE, the federal agency tasked with carrying out the mass deportations the Republican promised on the election campaign trail, is one of the major beneficiaries of this extra cash, and says it wants to recruit 10,000 additional agents. – ‘We need YOU’ -The Department of Homeland Security, of which ICE is a part, has begun holding recruitment fairs like the one in Provo all across the United States.On ICE’s website, the WWI-era figure of Uncle Sam issues an urgent plea to potential recruits: “America has been invaded by criminals and predators. We need YOU to get them out.”The muscular rhetoric results in a crowd that slants heavily male, but runs across age groups.”We finally have a president who wants to make America great again, so this is why I’m here,” said a man in his 60s, who did not want to give his name.While perhaps the majority of those lining up for the recruitment fair were white men, the crowd also included a significant number of African-American and Hispanic candidates. Allan Marquez is an employee of a private security company who works in a prison where ICE regularly brings detainees. The mass deportations promised by Trump “are necessary,” said the 29-year-old American, who added that his Mexican grandparents immigrated legally to the United States decades earlier.”It’s part of the job of keeping the nation safe,” he said.Eddie — who did not want to give his full name –is also of Mexican descent and acknowledged qualms about the raids carried out by ICE this summer around Los Angeles. Footage showed masked agents bumrushing hardware stores, car washes and farms, in what appeared to be a sweep of anyone Hispanic. ICE officials said they were targeted actions.Official figures show the majority of those arrested by ICE had no criminal record.- Attractive bonus -Eddie said as a former child protective services officer, he hoped to be able to bring some humanity to the role of ICE agent.”I come from a Hispanic background, but it’s a job that has to be done. So I’d rather do it myself, to make sure that they’re treated properly, even though they’re getting deported,” he said.The 33-year-old, who is from Texas, admitted he has some concern about the explosive growth of ICE, which has shortened its mandatory training period by several weeks.But he was also attracted by the idea of “a stable job, with good benefits.”ICE is offering a bonus of $10,000 per year for recruits who work for five years, along with a guaranteed government salary, healthcare and other benefits.”I’d be lying if I said that doesn’t factor in my motivations,” said Walter Campbell, a former Marine. The 26-year-old added that he believed “immigration has been a huge issue in this country for 30 plus years” driving down American wages.He said he was unmoved by the handful of protestors who told him “don’t sell your soul to the Gestapo.”Trump’s electoral win means his deportation campaign has “a mandate from the people,” he tells them.To critics who say the agency is unselectively going after anyone who looks Hispanic, or who is speaking Spanish — including a number of US citizens who have been swept up — Campbell insists these are teething problems.”You’re going to have misfires, especially when you’re doing anything on this scale,” he said. “No one said that this is going to be the cleanest job in the world.”

President Donald Trump, who recently accused Xi Jinping of working to “conspire” against the United States, hopes to finalize the fate of video-sharing app TikTok and make progress on trade talks in a phone call with the Chinese leader on Friday.”I’m speaking with President Xi, as you know, on Friday, having to do with TikTok, and also trade,” Trump said Thursday in an interview with Fox News.”And we’re very close to deals on all of it. And my relationship with China is very good.”The call will be the second between the two men since Trump returned to the White House in January, and the third since the start of the year.On June 5, the US president said Xi had invited him to visit China, and he issued a similar invitation for the Chinese leader to come to the United States. So far, no travel plans have been made, but several analysts expect Xi to repeat his offer, especially knowing that Trump is always keen to be received with diplomatic fanfare. – TikTok -“Each leader will aim to signal that he has outmaneuvered the other” in trade talks focused on tariffs, Ali Wyne, an expert on US-China relations at the International Crisis Group, predicted in a note.The pair could settle the TikTok drama, after Trump repeatedly put off a ban under a law designed to force Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell its US operations for national security reasons.Trump told reporters on Thursday that he hoped to “finalize something on TikTok.”Under the deal, TikTok’s US business would be “owned by all American investors, and very rich people and companies,” Trump said. He said he believes TikTok had boosted his appeal to younger voters and helped him win the 2024 election.The president on Tuesday again pushed back applying a ban on the app, which had been decided under his predecessor Joe Biden.The Wall Street Journal raised the possibility of a consortium to control TikTok that would include tech giant Oracle and two California investment funds — Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz.- Tariffs -The telephone talks come as the world’s two biggest economies seek to find a compromise on tariffs.Both sides dramatically hiked tariffs against each other during a months-long dispute earlier this year, disrupting global supply chains.Washington and Beijing then reached a deal to reduce levies, which expires in November, with the United States imposing 30 percent duties on imports of Chinese goods and China hitting US products with a 10 percent tariff. The phone meeting also comes after Xi organized a major summit this month with the leaders of Russia and India — and invited North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to observe a major military parade in Beijing.”Please give my warmest regards to (Russian President) Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un as you conspire against the United States of America,” Trump wrote to Xi on his Truth Social platform. The US leader slammed India with punitive tariffs for its oil purchases from Moscow, and has called on European countries to sanction China for buying Russian oil, though Washington has not itself sanctioned Beijing. “If they did that on China, I think the war (in Ukraine) would maybe end,” Trump told Fox News. 

Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen threw for three touchdowns and the Bills extended their dominance of the Miami Dolphins with a 31-21 victory on Thursday to remain unbeaten in the young NFL season.Reigning NFL Most Valuable Player Allen threw for 213 yards and three touchdowns and linebacker Terrel Bernard picked off Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with three minutes remaining to help seal a game in which the Dolphins had kept it close.”I thought their offense did a good job of sustaining drives and really limiting our opportunities,” Allen said. “I thought we had opportunities on the offensive side and we didn’t take advantage of some of them, but at the end of the day we got the win.”Buffalo running back James Cook rushed for 108 yards, including a two-yard touchdown as the Bills notched a seventh straight victory over their AFC East division rivals Miami.Tagovailoa had hit Tyreek Hill with a five-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter to knot the score at 21-21.It looked like the Bills would come up empty on their first chance to respond.But Miami’s Zach Sieler was called for roughing the punter and the penalty kept alive a Bills drive that ended with Khalil Shakir’s 15-yard touchdown that pushed the Bills to a 28-21 lead with 7:17 remaining.The Dolphins were within scoring range when Bernard stepped across to grab a pass Tagovailova intended for Jaylen Wade.”I thought I was in rhythm, in timing of the play,” Tagovailoa said, adding: “think that was a really good play by the defender.”Matt Prater added the final dagger with a 48-yard field goal on Buffalo’s next possession.”That was a heck of a game, high-level competition,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said.”The Dolphins played a real good game and our guys made a couple more plays and I thought the grit, the mental toughness of our football team was on display throughout the game, in particular in the fourth quarter there.”The Bills improved to 3-0 while Miami were left in search of a first win of the season.Tagovailoa connected on 23 of 34 passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns.Ollie Gordon had put the Dolphins up 7-0 with a two-yard TD run in the first quarter. But Miami’s late miscues will keep the pressure on Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, despite a livelier performance from his team than they showed in their previous two defeats.”We knew we had to not turn the ball over and we had to play good football and make some plays,” McDaniel said.”We had a turnover in a critical situation, we had a critical penalty on a punt and those types of things, that’s how these types of games are decided,” he added.