Comment on U.S. report card: Scores up, but not all news good

MIAMI GARDENS — The Miami Dolphins, mired in a three-game losing streak and desperately searching for something positive amid their disappointing 2-6 start, venture to Los Angeles in hopes of a revival, a spark. Players say their spirits remain high heading into their nationally-televised Monday night game against the Rams (4-4). But their playoff hopes remain low. And that’s what this is about at this point, igniting playoff hopes, breathing life, optimism and excitement into a season on life support. The Dolphins, who started 8-3 and 9-3 the previous two seasons and had Super Bowl hopes for this season, would, for all practical purposes, be out of the playoff race with a loss Monday. Granted, they’re probably not really out of the race until they get their ninth loss, which would ensure a losing record. But to think the Dolphins could absorb a loss Monday and then win seven of their last eight games, finishing with nine wins, is pure folly. The Dolphins badly need a victory against the Rams. “I think we have that urgency, like we understand the situation,” left tackle Terron Armstead said. Right tackle Austin Jackson will miss the game with a knee injury.

DOLPHINS (2-6) at RAMS (4-4) Kickoff: 8:15 p.m., Monday, SoFi Stadium TV: ESPN, CBS4 in Miami Dade and Broward counties; RADIO: Westwood One, WBGG (105.9-FM), WINZ (940-AM), WTZU (94.9-FM, Spanish), Sirius XM Ch. 119 or 381; Palm Beach: ESPN (106.3 FM); WEFL (760-AM, Spanish) Coaches: The Dolphins’ Mike McDaniel is 22-22, including playoffs, in his third season as a head coach; the Rams’ Sean McVay is 81-53, including playoffs, in his eighth season. Series: The Dolphins lead the all-time series with the Rams, 12-2.

ATLANTA — The Miami Hurricanes lost their first game of the season on Saturday, and they paid for it in the weekly polls. Miami fell from No. 4 to No. 12 in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 Poll after losing to Georgia Tech. The Hurricanes also fell to No. 12 in both the USA Today Coaches Poll and in the FWAA-NFF Super 16. Miami is still the highest-ranked ACC team, ahead of potential ACC title-game opponent SMU, which is ranked 14th. UM has a bye week this week, followed by two unranked opponents — Wake Forest and Syracuse — to close out the season. Here is the complete AP poll top 25: 1.

By ANDREA RODRÍGUEZ HAVANA (AP) — An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 shook eastern Cuba on Sunday, after weeks of hurricanes and blackouts that have left many on the island reeling. The epicenter of the quake was located about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Bartolome Maso, Cuba, according to a report by the U.

By MAE ANDERSON NEW YORK (AP) — Many veterans who’ve started small businesses tell a similar story: Their military service prepared them mentally for the task, but they were at a disadvantage when it came to the financial part. “Vetrepreneurs” – veterans that start small businesses or startups — own nearly 2 million small businesses that employ 5.5 million people in the U.

Besides the Harris campaign and its affiliated political action committees, few economic or political sectors placed larger bets than organized labor on Vice President Kamala Harris winning the presidency. And few might reap more consequences from the incoming Trump administration. For public-sector unions that represent government workers, the threat is institutional and existential: Top advisers to President-elect Donald Trump want to eliminate them outright. For service industry unions that represent hotel and restaurant workers, the threats may be to the members themselves: vulnerable and low-paid workers, often immigrants, who could be swept up in Trump’s promised mass deportations. And for the leadership of the old-line industrial unions, the threat is from their members, many of whom ignored the pleadings of their leadership and voted for Trump. “We do understand we have issues that are confronting us, major issues,” said Lee Saunders, chair of the AFL-CIO’s political committee and president of the 1.6-million-strong American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.