ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — The United States and Ivory Coast signed a health deal Tuesday requiring the U.S. to commit $480 million to the West African nation’s health sector as part of “America First” global health funding pacts that mirror the Trump administration’s foreign policy.

The signing in Ivory Coast’s capital of Abidjan covers areas such as HIV, malaria, maternal and child health, and global health security. It is the latest agreement the U.S. has entered with more than a dozen African countries, most of them hit by U.S. aid cuts, including Ivory Coast.

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U.S. aid cuts have crippled health systems across the developing world, including in Africa, where many countries relied on the funding for crucial programs, including those responding to outbreaks of disease.

The new health pact is based on the principle of shared responsibility with Ivory Coast committing to provide up to $292 million by 2030, representing 60% of the overall commitment, according to Ivorian Prime Minister Robert Beugré Mambé.

U.S. Ambassador to Ivory Coast Jessica Davis Ba said the U.S. government is moving “beyond the traditional aid approach toward a model focused on trade, innovation, and shared prosperity.”

“Today, our bilateral cooperation is entering a new phase. We are implementing the America First global health strategy,” the ambassador said.

The Trump administration says the new “America First” global health funding agreements are meant to increase self-sufficiency and eliminate what it says are ideology and waste from international assistance. The deals replace a patchwork of previous health agreements under the now-dismantled United States Agency for International Development.

In Ivory Coast, USAID had invested $115 million to support sectors such as health, education and aid for refugees mostly fleeing violence in neighboring Sahel states.

Analysts say the new approach to global health aligns with President Donald Trump’s pattern of dealing with other nations transactionally, using direct talks with foreign governments to promote his agenda abroad.

Maybe it’s fitting that the man whose defense is predicated on keeping everybody guessing wouldn’t tip his hand about the potential next step in his career.

Asked a number of different questions about his future on Tuesday afternoon at TCO Performance Center, defensive coordinator Brian Flores was intent on keeping his cards as close to the vest as humanly possible.

It appeared his goal was to avoid making any headlines. Mission accomplished.

“I really would like to put the focus on the players,” Flores said. “It’s never about me and my personal situation.”

This has become a topic of discussions largely because Flores won’t be under contract with the Vikings after this season. That means he could theoretically shop around as a free agent looking for a new destination.

Though he would certainly jump at the opportunity to become a head coach in the NFL once again, he has recently been connected to rumors about potential lateral moves, where he becomes a defensive coordinator for another team.

Asked about the possibility of Flores being a defensive coordinator elsewhere, head coach Kevin O’Connell expressed his adoration for the working relationship the two coaches have built, while emphasizing that the Vikings already have had some very good dialogue about keeping Flores around long term.

“We are in a really positive place,” O’Connell said. “I absolutely want Brian Flores to be the defensive coordinator of the Vikings as long as we can have him.”

In that same breath, O’Connell acknowledged Flores should be a prime candidate to become a head coach, especially considering the way the Vikings have performed on defense for much of this season.

As of right now, the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans will be in the market for a head coach, and there are sure to be more vacancies once this season comes to an end.

“He has earned everything,” O’Connell said. “That doesn’t take away from the route we want to go to make sure he’s our defensive coordinator here for the foreseeable future.”

Since being hired by the Vikings to replace former defensive coordinator Ed Donatell, Flores has steadily rebuilt his image, becoming synonymous with a defensive scheme that presents exotic looks before and after the snap.

The Vikings’ defensive dominance in a 23-10 win over the Detroit Lions on Christmas helped Flores further bolster his résumé on a national stage.

The game plan Flores put together was brilliant in making life miserable on veteran quarterback Jared Goff. There was seemingly constant pressure in Goff’s face every time he dropped back to pass as the Vikings forced the Lions into a half dozen turnovers.

“It was one of the more inspired performances I’ve ever seen,” offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said. “Those guys played out of their minds.”

It remains to be seen if Flores has done enough to earn himself a job as a head coach. He will have a chance to leave a lasting impression Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium when the Vikings host the Green Bay Packers in the finale.

That’s where Flores is channeling all of his attention at the moment. He’s not letting himself think about his future.

“The players are everything to me,” Flores said. “It would be a disservice to them to be thinking about my personal situation when we’ve got a big game coming up.”

As soon as the final seconds tick off the clock, however, he will no longer be able to deflect. It will then be on Flores to decide whether he wants to stay with the Vikings, or see if the grass is greener on the other side.

“Look, I’ve said this many times, I’ve loved my time here in Minnesota,” Flores said. “Now we’ll kind of let the club and my representation handle the rest.”

Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores in the second quarter of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

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Nickeil Alexander-Walker is averaging north of 20 points per game for Atlanta, a career high by a significant margin and far more offensive production than he delivered in two full seasons with the Timberwolves.

Which will, of course, raise questions as to why such an offensive explosion didn’t occur in Minnesota —though the answers seem obvious.

Alexander-Walker was the seventh man in Minnesota, while he has started the bulk of Atlanta’s contests this season due to injuries to Hawks guard Trae Young.

The 27-year-old is averaging 32.8 minutes per game this season, seven more than he did a year ago with the Wolves.

Yet the biggest reason for the uptick in scoring is freedom of role. Alexander-Walker is second on the Hawks in both points (20.6) and field-goal attempts (15.7) per game. That volume of shooting was never going to be achieved on a roster already featuring the likes of Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle (or Karl-Anthony Towns before him), Donte DiVincenzo and Naz Reid, among others.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker #9 of the Minnesota Timberwolves celebrates his 3-point basket against the Golden State Warriors in the second quarter of Game Two of the Western Conference Second Round NBA Playoffs at Target Center on May 8, 2025 in Minneapolis. (David Berding/Getty Images)

Your circumstances often determine your production. Basketball remains a role-driven sport. Your job is to do what is asked of you to help your specific team succeed. Minnesota didn’t need high-volume scoring. Atlanta does.

Kudos to Alexander-Walker – who landed a well-earned, four-year, $60 million free-agent deal with Atlanta via sign and trade this offseason that the cap-strapped Wolves had no chance to compete with – for stepping into either role when asked to do so. But just because he’s scoring more doesn’t mean this is the maximized version of the two-way standout.

Alexander-Walker’s perimeter defense and energy has been sorely missed for much of the first half of this season in Minnesota. Every time he was inserted into the game, Alexander-Walker set a standard of a high compete level.

His defensive tenacity is what initially earned Alexander-Walker a spot in Minnesota’s rotation, with his role only growing over time as he continued to execute his responsibilities. The Timberwolves frequently appear to be one on-ball defender short. And their effort on that end of the floor has been inconsistent at times. Minnesota has had difficulty replacing his production off the pine.

Plug Alexander-Walker into the same spot in the rotation he occupied a year ago in Minnesota, and the Wolves would instantly improve as a team.

Atlanta isn’t getting that same defensive prowess from Alexander-Walker. The Hawks are 19th in defensive rating this season, compared to 18th a year ago. Individually, opponents are shooting 53.8% this season while being guarded by Alexander-Walker, who held opponents under 50% in each of the previous two seasons.

The basketball analytics website Dunks and Threes measures a player’s impact on offense and defense with “estimated plus-minus.” While Alexander-Walker’s offensive impact puts him in the 86th percentile, his defensive impact has dropped to the 71st percentile, a steep fall off from the 88th and 95th percentile spaces he occupied the previous two seasons in Minnesota.

Other advanced metrics all tell the same story. Alexander-Walker’s value over a replacement player, wins above replacement per 48 minutes. and box plus-minus are all significantly lower than they were during his time in Minnesota.

And Alexander Walker’s offensive production isn’t necessarily leading to wins. He has scored 20-plus points eight times this month. The Hawks are 0-8 in those contests.

Inevitably, that additional offensive responsibility leads to slippage in the guard’s defensive performance. And if you’re leaning heavily on Alexander-Walker to lead the charge offensively on a night-to-night basis, you’re probably not winning many games.

While his offensive skillset is growing with each passing year, Alexander-Walker’s elite NBA traits will always rest on the defensive end of the floor.

Atlanta enters Wednesday’s New Year’s Eve matinee against the Wolves with a 15-19 record.

Minnesota at its best with Alexander-Walker. It’s quite possible the inverse was true, as well.

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Wolves beat Bulls

Naz Reid scored a season-high 33 points off the bench, Anthony Edwards added 23, and the Minnesota Timberwolves routed the Bulls 136-101 on Monday night in Chicago after the Bulls lost top scorers Coby White and Josh Giddey mid-game to injuries.

Julius Randle had 17 points as Minnesota pulled away in the third quarter in the opener of a four-game trip. Donte DiVincenzo and Bones Hyland scored 12 each as Minnesota shot 53.7% after a cold start.

Nikola Vucevic led Chicago with 23 points, but the depleted Bulls couldn’t keep pace and lost a second straight following a five-game winning streak that had lifted them back to .500. Chicago shot just 40.9%, and committed 16 turnovers compared to three by Minnesota.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Bitcoin Depot operates the largest network of Bitcoin ATMs in the world, and it guards its territories zealously. Case in point: a new lawsuit filed against the city of St. Paul for banning all crypto-currency ATMs within the city limits.

The 11-page lawsuit, filed Dec. 22 in Ramsey County District Court, seeks a declaratory judgment and permanent injunction against the city, with the goal of upending the ordinance approved by the St. Paul City Council in November. Pointing to state licensing regulations that it claims trump local ordinances, Bitcoin Depot filed a similar lawsuit against the city of Stillwater in Washington County District Court last September. It amended that complaint last Friday.

The industry-specific ATMs allow users to deposit cash into cryptocurrency accounts and convert their money to Bitcoin, a kind of virtual non-government currency, using a serial number. Crypto-currency ATMs have been linked to at least 51 scam reports statewide, amounting to $700,000 in losses in Minnesota alone, prompting a new statewide investigation by the Minnesota Attorney General’s office.

Bitcoin, the world’s first crypto-currency, was created in 2009, but municipal officials allege the ATMs charge such high mark-ups on conversions — as much as 20% to 30% or more — that they’re mostly used by fraudsters preying on seniors and other vulnerable customers unfamiliar with the industry.

State licensing trumps local bans?

Leading up to the St. Paul City Council’s November vote to ban the machines outright, St. Paul Police found at least 32 crypto-currency ATMS within the city limits, mostly in convenience stores and small grocers.

In its lawsuit, Bitcoin Depot notes it operates approximately 8,400 virtual currency kiosks and ATMs nationwide, including 111 in Minnesota, and offers a cashier-based check-out service called “BDCheckout” at 589 partner retailers throughout the state.

The company said it possesses a Minnesota money transmission license issued by the state Department of Commerce, which it claims should overrule any local ordinances created by individual municipalities. The state Legislature repealed and re-enacted the Minnesota Money Transmission Act in 2023, rewriting regulations around the storage and transmission of money based on a “uniform model act” developed by a trade association of money transmitters known as the Conference of State Bank Supervisors.

The new state regulations streamline licensure of money transmitters at the state level, while establishing that a person may not engage in a virtual-currency business unless licensed by the Minnesota Department of Commerce. The state Legislature added additional regulations specific to crypto-currency ATMS in 2024, requiring on-screen disclosures about risks and responsibilities, a refund of any transaction involving a new customer within 72 hours, and a maximum daily transaction limit of $2,000 for each customer.

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The lawsuit states: “Department of Commerce guidance reflects the viewpoint that the operator of a virtual currency kiosk must obtain a license from the Department, but, upon qualifying for and obtaining its license, the operator is entitled to conduct business in Minnesota.”

St. Paul has yet to file a response to the lawsuit. Stillwater, which banned crypto-currency ATMs in April, filed a proposed order in early December indicating it would respond to the Bitcoin Depot lawsuit within 10 days of the updated and amended complaint, which was filed Dec. 26.