Newsweek reporter fired for ‘inaccurate’ story about Trump’s Thanksgiving plans

So, how was President Donald Trump planning to spend his Thanksgiving?

Well, according to Newsweek’s initial account, he was going to be busy “tweeting, golfing and more” — but no mention of the president’s unannounced trip to Afghanistan. As you can see, Trump’s son wasn’t too pleased with the story:

And the omission reportedly cost one reporter her job.

“Newsweek investigated the failures that led to the publication of the inaccurate report that President Trump spent Thanksgiving tweeting and golfing rather than visiting troops in Afghanistan,” the publication told the New York Post. “The story has been corrected and the journalist responsible has been terminated. We will continue to review our processes and, if required, take further action.”

The reporter, Jessica Kwong, explained her side on Twitter:

As for Trump’s overseas visit, he arrived at Bagram Air Field shortly after 8:30 p.m. local time on Thursday and served turkey to the troops.

“There is nowhere I’d rather celebrate this Thanksgiving than right here with the toughest, strongest, best and bravest warriors on the face of the earth,” the president said, before leaving just after midnight.

Trump also met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and announced that peace talks between the U.S. and Taliban, which broke off in September, are back on — this was reportedly news to the Taliban and the Afghan government.

Jaguars bench Nick Foles, return to Gardner Minshew vs. Buccaneers

Minshew Mania may be back. And it may mean trouble for Nick Foles.

Foles was benched by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday and replaced by rookie sixth-round pick Gardner Minshew after a poor first half that led to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers taking a commanding 25-0 lead.

In the first half, Foles completed seven of 14 passes for 93 yards with no touchdowns and one interception for a quarterback rating of 41.7. Foles has also lost two fumbles.

Foles signed a four-year, $88 million contract with Jacksonville this offseason and instantly became the team’s starter. He broke his collarbone in the first game of the season, however, and didn’t return until Week 11. Since he came back, though, Foles hasn’t been able to settle into a rhythm and has thrown only two touchdown passes in two and a half games.

While Foles was out, Minshew led the Jaguars to some mixed results. In eight starts, He completed 61.2% of his passes for 2,285 yards and posted 13 touchdowns with four interceptions. He also flashed an ability to extend plays with his athleticism, though he did fumble the ball 11 times, losing seven of them.

The Jaguars went 4-4 in games Minshew started and have not won a game this year in which Foles was the starter.

Follow Lorenzo Reyes on Twitter @LorenzoGReyes.

South Florida coach Charlie Strong is fired after Bulls finish 4-8

South Florida has fired coach Charlie Strong, two people with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports.

Those people spoke on the condition of anonymity because the university had not yet announced the move. 

Strong was hired by South Florida in 2017. He had won 17 of his first 19 games at the school but lost six in a row to end the 2018 season and followed that up with a 4-8 record in 2019. That included a 34-7 loss to rival Central Florida on Friday.

Strong had previously coached four seasons at Louisville and three seasons at Texas.

Redskins LB Ryan Anderson ejected for helmet-to-helmet hit on Panthers TE Greg Olsen

Washington Redskins linebacker Ryan Anderson was ejected in the third quarter of his team's 29-21 win Sunday after leveling a helmet-to-helmet hit on Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen.

Anderson lowered his head while trying to stop Olsen, who took a short pass from quarterback Kyle Allen and turned upfield. Olsen fumbled on the play, but the Redskins' recovery was wiped out by the personal foul on Anderson.

Olsen went to the medical tent and then the locker room to be evaluated after the play.

Anderson left the field to boos from the Carolina crowd. He had five tackles before exiting.

The Panthers scored touchdowns on their first two series but managed just seven more points afterward. Washington also held Panthers running back and NFL leading rusher Christian McCaffrey to 44 yards on 14 carries.

Follow Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz on Twitter @MikeMSchwartz.

Boston College fires football coach Steve Addazio after seven seasons

Boston College fired football coach Steve Addazio on Sunday after seven seasons, a person with knowledge of the decision told USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the school had not yet announced the move. 

Addazio got Boston College to bowl eligibility in six of those seven years, including Saturday when the Eagles beat Pitt 26-19 to reach 6-6. But the program hadn't been able to get over the hump of six- and seven-win seasons and advance up the ACC standings.

Addazio finishes his tenure 44-44 overall and 22-34 in the ACC. 

CHARLIE STRONG OUT: South Florida coach is fired after Bulls finish 4-8

China ‘insists’ on tariff rollbacks as part of ‘phase one’ trade deal: report

China is insisting that U.S. tariffs be rolled back as part of any "phase one" trade deal, China’s state-run Global Times said Sunday. "Sources in Beijing informed the Global Times that China insists the tariffs must be rolled back as part of the first-phase trade deal. A US pledge to scrap tariffs scheduled for December 15 cannot replace the rollbacks of tariffs," the newspaper said in a tweet. An accompanying article written by China’s former vice minister of commerce, Wei Jianguo, said lifting tariffs is the "essential problem" for the phase-one deal. "The phase one agreement is unlikely to include too much substance, instead, it should solve the most pressing issues," he wrote. While both sides have said an agreement is close, it is uncertain if a deal will actually get done.