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Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Grades: Who Won Blockbuster Deal Between Heat, Bucks? originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The writing has been on the wall for over a year now, and it finally happened. The Bucks decided to move on from their franchise player and two-time MVP, shipping Giannis Antetokounmpo off to the Heat.This trade will shake up the landscape of the NBA. Antetokounmpo made his 10th All-Star game last season, and at age 31, he still has a lot of gas left in the tank. He's a consensus top-five player in the league as far as talent is concerned. The Heat clearly got better with this move.Did they pay too big of a price, though? And did the Bucks get enough back in their return? Here's how each team did in the biggest trade of the offseason.NBA MOCK DRAFT 2026: Final projections for first roundGiannis Antetokounmpo trade detailsHeat receive:Giannis AntetokounmpoBobby PortisBucks receive:Tyler HerroKel'el WareJaime Jaquez Jr.Kasparas JakucionisNo. 13 pick in 2026Pick swap in 2030Unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033Second-round pick in 2033Heat trade gradeGrade: C+The Heat have been stuck in mediocrity for a while now. Antetokounmpo will undoubtedly get them out of the middle.When you look at the surrounding cast that he had to work with in Milwaukee, the Heat have more stuff even after trading away so much depth. Keeping Bam Adebayo in this deal gives Miami two All-Defensive caliber players in the starting lineup.Antetokounmpo is also still more than capable of spearheading an offense. He averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists while shooting a career-high 62.4 percent from the field in 36 games last season. He's developed a killer midrange game over the past few seasons to go along with his unstoppable driving ability, and he's an underrated passer.Portis isn't the guy he was during the Bucks' championship run, but he can still provide some stretch shooting and scoring off the bench, replacing some of the depth that Miami lost.The Heat are going to be a very good team in the East with a starting five of Antetokounmpo, Adebayo, Davion Mitchell, Andrew Wiggins (who will likely accept his $30.2 million player option) and potentially Norman Powell if the team can re-sign him in free agency. They're still behind New York and Boston, but they should be in the hunt for home-court advantage in the playoffs.Is that outcome worth giving up so many of their young prospects and picks that have a chance to be excellent in 2030 and beyond? If I were in charge of the Heat, I'd say probably not. For 81-year-old team president Pat Riley and 76-year-old owner Micky Arison, the answer was a resounding yes. Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images Bucks trade gradeGrade: B+The Bucks should have made this trade a year ago. Instead, they held onto Antetokounmpo for a miserable 2025-26 season, impacted their books through 2030 by waiving Damian Lillard in a desperation move to stay afloat and lost value by moving Giannis when he was a year older and had one less guaranteed season on his contract.Putting those mistakes aside, this is not a bad haul for them. Herro is a good regular season player who will help keep them at least somewhat competitive. That is important because they don't control their own picks through 2030 and have no reason to try and bottom out. Herro has looked worse in playoff settings where he has gotten attacked relentlessly defensively, but that won't be as much of an issue for a Bucks team that is now far from contention.The Bucks also added some nice blue chip prospects, and they can get a great player at No. 13. One of the Michigan three of Aday Mara, Yaxel Lendeborg or Morez Johnson Jr. should be available at that spot.Ware is an intriguing two-way center with plus athleticism who has had focus issues in Miami. Jaquez is a talented scorer who was runner-up in Sixth Man of the Year voting last season. Jakucionis was selected with the No. 20 pick in last year's draft and shot the ball well as a rookie guard. Ware (22 years old), Jaquez (25) and Jakucionis (20) give the Bucks a solid young core alongside Ryan Rollins (23), that No. 13 pick and Herro (26).Milwaukee is going to take a step back with this trade. The Bucks were 15-31 in games that Antetokounmpo missed last season. Better chemistry, a new coach in Taylor Jenkins and the addition of Herro and others should boost that mark some. But they're not replacing a top-five player in the league, and the Bucks are going to tread water until those potentially awesome future picks start conveying in 2030.Once Antetokounmpo was at real risk of leaving in free agency next summer, the Bucks had to pull the trigger on a deal. Given that pressure, this was about as good of a return as they could have hoped for.A Jaylen Brown-centered package, which was reportedly also on the table, would have provided a stronger team in the short term. But this is the package that gives them a brighter overall future.

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — For thousands in the gallery on the final day of the U.S. Open, he was a most unpopular champion.One media account noted that he “defeated par, pressure and a hostile gallery Sunday" and that he “stalked poker-faced through the heat and caustic comments of the gallery.” The local columnist wrote “except for a few strays from his hometown,” nobody rooted for him.That was Jack Nicklaus in 1962 at Oakmont.Nicklaus certainly can relate to the toughness Wyndham Clark showed Sunday at Shinnecock Hills to become a U.S. Open champion for the second time. If hearing the crowd cheer his bad shots wasn't enough of a challenge, Clark's six-shot lead was nearly gone in five holes. But he showed his moxie by not letting Sam Burns or anyone else catch him.“He had some stones down the stretch,” said Scottie Scheffler, high praise from golf's best player.But could Nicklaus relate to the “hostile gallery” and “caustic comments” Clark endured? Hostile and caustic had a different meaning in 1962.Society has changed mightily over the past 64 years, and it's getting worse by the year. The Long Island fans — no one would refer to them as “patrons” — had no filter and no restraint. But this isn't a Long Island problem. It's largely an American problem everywhere but Augusta National.Clark is not the first person to be a major champion hardly anyone wanted. Nicklaus was never going to be celebrated in 1962, not in an 18-hole playoff against Arnold Palmer in the King's backyard at Oakmont, especially with Palmer having won the Masters that year.It felt as though all of New York was ready to crown Phil Mickelson at Shinnecock Hills in 2004 until he three-putted from 5 feet for double bogey on the 17th hole. The air came out of the place in a New York minute. Retief Goosen was appreciated — but not adored — as the U.S. Open champion.This was different. This was ugly. It was relentless.“Hit it in the fescue!” was nothing like Nicklaus ever heard. Nor did Oakmont in 1962 have a fan like the idiot who shouted, “Don't choke, Wyndham!” when it was Clark's turn to tee off on the fourth hole. The fan was quickly approached and evicted. The rousing and sudden cheer on the par-3 seventh sounded as though Clark had just hit it close. Instead, it was because his ball went into the bunker.It might have been different had Clark played in the final group with Tom Kim instead of Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world who had a chance to give fans something to remember forever by winning the U.S. Open on his 30th birthday to complete the career Grand Slam.But the crowd shifted quickly from being pro-Scottie to anti-Wyndham. Clark no doubt is difficult to embrace, particularly after his behavior last year when he flung a driver that made a marshal flinch at the PGA Championship, and a month later smashed a locker at Oakmont when he missed the cut at the U.S. Open.“New York didn’t really like me. I love you guys,” Clark said during the trophy presentation. “But I get it. Some of it’s self-deserved. I did some unfortunate things last year that I really regret, and I’ve been sorry multiple times and I’m still sorry. So hopefully, I can win you guys over eventually."His signature moment came on the par-5 16th when he atoned for a bad tee shot into gnarly grass by making a 30-foot birdie putt. The applause was muted, and don't get the idea it sounded that way because too many fans had phones in their hands. They didn't like him.Clark played right through it, with some level of experience. He played with popular Rickie Fowler in the final round of his U.S. Open victory at Los Angeles Country Club in 2023, when he held off popular Rory McIlroy by one shot. But no one cheered against him that day.The Long Island gallery was at another level, and ultimately Clark took his place among other Shinnecock Hills champions notes for their toughness — Brooks Koepka, Goosen, Corey Pavin and Raymond Floyd.Scheffler has seen this act before. He played McIlroy in singles at Bethpage Black in the Ryder Cup last September, when the taunts became personal and left a stain on the matches.He also got a relatively muted response in McIlroy's home country when Scheffler won the British Open at Royal Portrush last summer. There was no heckling, certainly not any bad behavior. But it was quiet for a world-class performance by the No. 1 player.“The crowd was tough today. I mean, New Yorkers, they are tough people,” Scheffler said Sunday. "You like seeing the fans cheer for you. I think sometimes it can get a little too much when balls are going off greens and you start hearing cheers. That felt a bit much to me.“Being in the arena is not for everybody, and I think it shows a lot about Wyndham, how he handled not only this golf course but I think the crowd today as well and is a well-deserving champion.”Clark took the high road in the closing ceremony, his news conference and other interviews in the hours after his victory. He posted on social media Monday night, "This game can be incredibly humbling. It doesn’t owe you anything, and sometimes the only thing you can do is keep showing up and trust that the work will eventually pay off.”Keep showing up and maybe the fans might cheer for him. ___On The Fringe analyzes the biggest topics in golf during the season. AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Transfer expert gives verdict on Vlahovic’s Juventus future as deal ‘practically impossible’Transfer expert Matteo Moretto feels that it is ‘practically impossible’ to see Dusan Vlahovic remain at Juventus beyond June 30, as the striker hasn’t lowered his demands to sign a new deal.Juventus striker Vlahovic is expected to leave the Allianz Stadium as a free agent at the end of the month as his contract with the Old Lady runs out on June 30.Vlahovic transfer latest: Juventus and Besiktas offersThe Serbian international already rejected a contract proposal from Juventus’ ex-CEO Damien Comolli, and, according to some Italian sources, including Gazzetta, Comolli’s replacement, Giovanni Carnevali, has made a final proposal to the Juventus star.Transfer expert Matteo Moretto has given his verdict on the negotiation, claiming that an agreement between the two parties is a remote possibility.LECCE, ITALY – MAY 09: Dusan Vlahovic of Juventus FC celebrates the opening goal during the Serie A match between US Lecce and Juventus FC at Stadio Via del Mare on May 09, 2026 in Lecce, Italy. (Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images)“Right now, Dusan Vlahovic’s focus is on the economic aspect; this is why I believe that the chance of reopening talks with Juventus is practically impossible,” Moretto said on YouTube.“As of today, he hasn’t changed his demands, even though there are currently no clubs ready to pay that sum for salary, bonus and signing bonus.”Moretto confirmed Besiktas have approached Vlahovic in recent hours, yet the Turkish giants have not met the striker’s demands.MILAN, ITALY – APRIL 26: Dusan Vlahovic of Juventus warms up prior to the Serie A match between AC Milan and Juventus FC at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on April 26, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)It remains to be seen whether any team will manage to reach an agreement with the Juventus star before the end of the month; otherwise, Vlahovic will officially be without a club on July 1.

Real Madrid make Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez top targetReal Madrid are unlikely to sign Bayern Munich forward Michael Olise this summer.Madrid had made Olise their primary target and were willing to offer as much as €220 million for the winger. However, Bayern are not ready to sell the France international.Madrid have now shifted their attention towards Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez, according to AS.They have made Fernandez a top midfield target over Ayyoub Bouaddi, Felix Nmecha and Mateus Fernandes. They believe he has more top-level experience than other options and is therefore better suited for the club.Manager Jose Mourinho is said to be a big admirer of the Chelsea star due to his defensive and leadership attributes.Fernandez is open to joining Madrid. He previously made comments suggesting he wants to join the Spanish giants, which led to a two-game suspension last season.Chelsea want to keep the former Benfica star, with manager Xabi Alonso keen to work with him. However, they could listen to offers in excess of €100 million for him.The west London side are in a very strong position, with Fernandez having six years left on his contract.Madrid want to make a high-profile sale in midfield before stepping up their interest in Fernandez.They are willing to listen to offers for Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga — both of whom have already been linked with Manchester United.Madrid are expected to sell just one of the two French midfielders to fund a move for Fernandez.The 25-year-old would form a part of Los Blancos’ new-look midfield alongside Bernardo Silva, who is set to join as a free agent from Manchester City at the end of the month.

When Cadillac actually pulled off the ultimate motorsport heist and parked an 11th team on the F1 grid for the 2026 season, nobody expected them to come out swinging for wins right out of the gate. General Motors clearly played the long, calculated game by bringing in extremely experienced veterans like Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, while leaning on supplied Ferrari power units until they can cook up their own engines for 2029. Their initial vibe was basically just trying to keep pace and survive their highly scrutinized rookie year.But apparently, the American squad is already absolutely tired of just making up the numbers at the back of the pack.According to a paddock scoop from F1 commentator Nachez, which cites the Italian outlet AutoRacer, Cadillac is pulling up to the Red Bull Ring with some serious aerodynamic firepower.Cadillac’s Underfloor OverhaulIf you follow the technical side of the sport, you know that the floor is where the absolute magic happens. Ground-effect aerodynamics dictate almost everything about how these modern cars perform, so hearing that a rookie team is already tearing up their initial launch concepts is a massive deal.The update on X confirms that Cadillac arrives in Austria with what is being called “another substantial package of upgrades”. The two main focal points of this massive technical drop are brand-new sidepods and a completely redesigned floor.For a brand-new constructor to completely overhaul the floor and sidepods this early into their debut season proves that the data coming out of their Fishers and Silverstone facilities is actually validating their wind tunnel work. They aren’t just sitting on their hands, hoping for a lucky safety car; they are actively aggressive in the relentless development war. Nachez’s update explicitly states that the entire goal of these improvements is to “progressively close in” on the established midfield group.Testing the Limits at the Red Bull RingDropping a brand-new aerodynamic package in Austria is a wonderfully chaotic, high-stakes move. The Red Bull Ring is a beautifully brutal, compact circuit that absolutely punishes bad traction and aerodynamic instability. The lap is entirely defined by heavy uphill braking zones and massive acceleration demands, meaning rear grip is basically worth its weight in gold around there.If Cadillac’s new floor and sidepods can successfully glue the rear of the car to the tarmac out of those slow uphill corners, Perez and Bottas are going to have a significantly better time fighting down those massive straights.May 2, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Cadillac driver Valtteri Bottas (77) during qualifying for the F1 Miami Grand Prix at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn ImagesWe already know this is shaping up to be a completely unhinged, development-heavy weekend. Red Bull is bringing their own desperate weight-saving upgrades, and Honda is trying to fix Aston Martin’s violent engine vibrations. Now, with Cadillac throwing a completely new aerodynamic philosophy onto their cars to try and crash the midfield party, the lower half of the points-paying positions is going to be an absolute dogfight. Let’s see if the American squad’s massive gamble pays off on the timing sheets.

The administration backed down after the news organizations, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, fought them in sealed filings.

Tehran and Washington face myriad negotiating pitfalls. But both sides are exhausted and running out of options. They may finally need a deal.

Amorim ready to start new Milan job on July 6New Milan coach Ruben Amorim is expected to arrive in Italy on July 6 to begin work, with the first training session of pre-season on July 13.The 41-year-old tactician was formally appointed last week with a contract to June 2028, his first experience since he was sacked as manager of Manchester United on January 5.Amorim reboots career at MilanRuben Amorim appointed Milan head coach (Source: acmilan.com)Precisely seven months on from that date is when he will formally start work in his new club, as La Gazzetta dello Sport and MilanNews claim that the schedule is set for him to arrive at Milanello on July 6.It will be an opportunity to inspect the facilities at the training camp and meet the directors in person, although he is expected to return to Portugal for a few days to finalise the paperwork for this big move.Players are due to arrive at the ground for pre-season tests on July 12, followed by the first training session a day later.The transfer strategy is seemingly in no rush, because it’s reported that Amorim wants to fully evaluate all the players in the squad before making any decisions.That includes those returning from loan spells, such as Yunus Musah, Francesco Camarda, Kevin Zeroli, and Samuel Chukwueze.

The Detroit Lions will open five training camp practices to the general public and four more to season-ticket holders this summer.The Lions open training camp Thursday, July 29, at the team's Allen Park practice facility and will hold all nine of their public practices in August.They do not have joint practices scheduled this year, but will open practices to the general public on Aug. 3, 4, 6, 10 and 19. For season-ticket holders, practices will be open Aug. 2, 7, 16, and 17.The Lions also will welcome community partners to practice Aug. 11, and host their annual pet adoption day Aug. 4.They host their lone home exhibition game Aug. 22 against the Washington Commanders.SAFETY DANCE: Chuck Clark oozes leadership. Lions counting on him to make plays, tooAs in past years, fans must claim free tickets to attend open practices, with a maximum of four tickets per person. Tickets will be available starting at 10 a.m. July 21, on the Lions' website.Season-ticket holders will receive an email with separate information on how to claim tickets beginning July 14 for club members and July 15 for reserve members.The Lions are coming off a 9-8 season in which they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2022 but are expected to contend for the NFC North title this fall.Asked about his optimism level for the season after the final minicamp practice of spring last week, Lions coach Dan Campbell said, "I’m excited.""I feel really good about where we're at right now, knowing what we're getting into six weeks from now," he said. "I feel really good. I feel great about the staff, and I feel like we have the right type of players that we're going to need to rely on. And the surrounding spots, positions, we've got some really good competition." I mean, some of the best we've had since I've been here in different areas. That's exciting, cause there is no greater motivator than the guy who's pushing you. He's trying to get what you think is yours. There's nothing better.”Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions announce training camp schedule: 5 practices open to public

Brython Thunder and Gwalia Lightning are the two Welsh sides in the Celtic Challenge [Huw Evans Picture Agency]The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) is keen for two Welsh teams to join Premiership Women's Rugby (PWR) from the 2027-28 season.PWR is considering expanding the nine-team league to clubs outside England.Nadine Griffiths, the WRU's director of women's rugby, says Wales, Scotland and Ireland are each keen to enter two teams into a new cross-border competition."We have put an expression of interest for two Welsh teams to go into the PWR," Griffiths told the Scrum V podcast."In total it's the Celtic Challenge as a whole, so six teams, two from each of the nations."We can't deny that that's a better competition for us to play in, but we also can't rely on us getting into that."In March, PWR opened an 'expressions of interest' process in a bid to explore more clubs joining the league, with the WRU formally lodging its interest in May. There are currently nine teams in the PWR, which launched in 2023 following the rebrand of the Premier 15s.Griffiths says the PWR could potentially accommodate more teams by becoming a competition expanding to include two conferences.Former Wales international Nadine Griffiths was named director of women's rugby at the Welsh Rugby Union in April [WRU]At present, two sides apiece from Wales, Scotland and Ireland compete in the Celtic Challenge.Griffiths feels the involvement of teams from all the home nations would add to the PWR's appeal."It's a more commercially viable product if it's a UK league, isn't it?" she added."In terms of it being completely national, I think that really does open the doors commercially. That's my opinion on it."Griffiths appointed WRU director of women’s rugbyWelsh rugby aims to halt player-drain to EnglandWales currently has two women's sides, Brython Thunder and Gwalia Lightning, competing in the Celtic Challenge, which was launched in 2023.But joining the most lucrative and competitive domestic league in Europe has long been an ambition, with 28 of Wales' 38-strong Six Nations squad playing in the PWR in 2025-26.Griffiths says that even if two Welsh sides are given places in PWR, there would still be a need for a separate competition in Wales."We need to have a robust domestic league, based within Wales, that will give the playing opportunities to our [players] who are just coming out of 18s and to our under-21s to develop," she added."So the plan is to have a Celtic Challenge-type competition that would sit underneath that pro league."

On June 17th, former Clemson Baseball Coach Jack Leggett was elected to Clemson’s ring of honor. His induction will be held at Clemson’s baseball stadium in the spring of 2027. In his 22 years coaching, Leggett led Clemson baseball to the NCAA tournament 21 times. He made six trips to the college world series, and made three to the final four. He was a two time ACC coach of the year with Clemson, was the 7th winningest coach in Division I history at the end of 2015, and is the second winningest baseball coach in Clemson’s history. When asked about the award, Legget commented that "It is a true reflection of the support of my family, the many hard working and competitive players, loyal assistant coaches, passionate fans, the many supportive administrators, staff and friends and great coaches in the department that I was lucky enough to work alongside during my years at Clemson. I’m honored to be representing the Clemson Athletic Department and our storied baseball program. This is one more of the many great moments and memories that we’ve shared together."Clemson lands in final three for 4-star linebacker, announces decision day📸 Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina, Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images https://t.co/ib2AJeQ9Wupic.twitter.com/4TM2toOsQC— Clemson Wire (@Clemson_Wire) June 22, 2026A well earned honor after a historic career, Leggett will be immortalized at Clemson. The Tigers ring of honor adds a deserving name to the group. Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson to induct new member into ring of honor, baseball legend

Jun. 23—SIOUX FALLS — My favorite line from 'The Great Burns', Stu Whitney's new biography of legendary football coach and war hero Bob Burns comes on page 64.Burns liked to say that the first time he rode in an airplane, he jumped out of it.Whether Bob Burns is a complete unknown to you, or whether you're a South Dakota sports junkie well familiar with Burns' story, that line sums up well what you're in for in Whitney's meticulously researched and cinematically written300-page book.Burns built the O'Gorman football dynasty, yes. He coached the last Augustana Vikings team to win the North Central Conference, yes. He founded the Dakota Bowl, brought the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys to Sioux Falls for an exhibition game, yes.But much of that feels ancillary to who Burns was as a man, as an American, and the line about Burns jumping out of the first plane he ever rode in not only sheds light on Burns' heroic (and I'm not using that word lightly, here) military career, but also the gruff edge and masculine sense of humor that characterized a truly larger-than-life figure.Burns died a quarter century ago, in 2000, at the age of 80. Whitney, who spent more than 30 years as a lightning-rod sports reporter and columnist at the Argus Leader back when it was a thriving newspaper, spent a good chunk of that time covering the Knights closely, and one of his most memorable pieces was a (very) long 1996 feature on Burns that served as something of a mini-biography.After reading it, Burns (half) jokingly suggested that Stu write a book about his life, and, after Whitney completed his first book, the fast-paced and entertaining novel 'The Covid Chronicles' in 2021, he turned his attention to Burns.Now, full disclosure, Stu was my colleague for 20 years, my boss for more than 10 and one of my sportswriting idols before I ever met him, so I guess I can't say my review of 'The Great Burns' is entirely objective.That said, one thing that made Stu and I something of kindred spirits when we worked together was our shared admiration and penchant for brutal honesty, even with people we care about.It was with that in mind that when Stu and I had lunch together last week to discuss the book, and I was only about 20 pages into it, I admitted to him that I found the first couple chapters a little slow."OK, so Joseph Burns (Bob's father) was good at checkers," I chided. "Can we get to the war and football stuff?"Fortunately, prospective reader, Stu gets to the war and football stuff soon enough, and 'The Great Burns' quickly unfolds into an almost hard to believe, yes-this-really-happened account of an extraordinary life.As the late John Simko, himself a Hall-of-Fame athlete turned US Magistrate Judge said: "A guy like Bob Burns comes around once in a lifetime. Or maybe more rarely than that."Indeed, just a quick sketch of Burns' highlights reads like a checklist of many men's lofty life goals, of which they'd be thrilled to accomplish half.Married the prettiest girl in school (photos can attest).Boxing champion.Star quarterback.Jumped out of airplanes.Endured bloody combat in the Army.Literally coined the 'Screaming Eagles' nickname of the 101st Airborne Division of the US Army, which was founded in 1918, for which Burns served in World War II and which is still active today.Fought on D-Day and in the Battle of the Bulge.Killed Nazis.Returned home as a hero.Became a high school football coaching legend.Successful college football coach.Came out of retirement to add to coaching legend.Buried at Arlington National Cemetery.Whitney interviewed more than 80 subjects for the book, and leaned on support and access to family documents from the Burns family, particularly Bob's grandson, Patrick Burns, who accompanied Stu on a trip to Europe to visit the sites of some of Bob Burns' dramatic encounters.Whitney's retelling of the battles in which Burns fought are the highlight of the book. He writes them with a dramatic flair similar to his best work as a sportswriter, putting the reader in the trenches with Burns and his companymen.Burns found himself in harrowing scenarios where men died by the dozens right next to him. Whitney doesn't shy away from the terror that must have accompanied these missions, but he doesn't overdo it, either, and skillfully conveys the bravery with which the men of that era faced their fates.In a letter home to his mother midway through the war, Burns claims to have personally killed 15 Germans, including one whom he dispatched with a knife in hand-to-hand combat, fulfilling a promise to his father and growling 'This one's for the old man!' as he plunged his blade into the enemy.Whitney doesn't linger on these details too long or speculate on their authenticity, but what's known is that Burns was nothing short of a hero (earning the Purple Heart and the Silver Star) in one of the most important and consequential conflicts in human history, so if he did embellish some of the details who's to deny him the right?But 'The Great Burns' isn't just a war book. Sports were always close to Burns' heart and on his mind even when he was fighting overseas (he organized boxing matches and football and basketball games with the Army), and Whitney successfully weaves those nuggets into the war stories. Then, when Burns returns home for good and begins his post-military career, the book transitions seamlessly into an illuminating look at South Dakota's football history — from the NCC to the Coyotes and Vikings, to the Washington Warriors dynasty to the dawn of the high school football playoffs to O'Gorman's rise from struggling program to 'parochial powerhouse'.The stakes were obviously nowhere near what they were when Burns was serving his country, but he approached his second career with the same brute force, and the stories are nearly as compelling.I asked Stu if he thought there was an audience for a book about Bob Burns in 2026. After all, I'm one of the few people from my own generation who remember him, and now I'm old. Who reads books anymore, anyway?But as we mulled over the state of journalism and the dwindling number of folks in this state who even remember the NCC, we came to a realization.The last living veterans of World War II won't be with us much longer. And while films like 'Saving Private Ryan', 'The Thin Red Line', and 'Patton' will surely endure for decades, the further into the past they fade the less real they'll seem.Telling stories about people like Bob Burns puts a local, human face on the war, and brings world history home to South Dakota.I can only imagine how 'The Great Burns' might read to someone who's 24 years old today, who never met and never will meet someone who fought in a World War; who only knows the Nazis as Hollywood monsters, not real people who almost took over the world, and who met their match on the battlefield in an undersized but determined football fanatic from South Dakota.Would it seem far-fetched? Terrifying? Sad? Heroic?Maybe Bob Burns' story is a little bit of all of those things. That's why it's so important that it be told.While available on Amazon, 'The Great Burns' official book launch is set for Thursday at the Belbas Theater in the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls, where Whitney will be selling and signing copies.The program begins at 6:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception at 5:30.

Lesbian political pundit Rachel Maddow celebrated Donald Trump’s numerous recent legal defeats on her show Monday night. The MS NOW host noted that on Monday, a Republican-appointed federal judge threw out six grand-jury subpoenas that Trump’s Justice Department had issued against Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D), Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D), and other officials. The judge said the subpoenas were issued to unlawfully harass Democratic officials in the state while providing no investigatory justification. Related “That’s it? That’s the joke?”: Dem schools GOP group that tried to insult her with anti-trans barb Another federal judge stopped Trump’s attempt to use the Social Security Administration to remove people from state voter rolls, saying that the attempt “trampled on the privacy rights of American citizens that threatened the sacred right to vote.” Maddow also noted that the Florida immigrant detainment facility, Alligator Alcatraz, was shut down. “That performatively cruel moral and practical disaster, they have now had to close it, and as of today, it’s gone,” Maddow said. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today She also shared that the Trump administration is selling seven warehouses that it had purchased to turn into anti-immigrant prison camps. Protestors opposed their opening in Arizona, Georgia, New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah. The Trump Administration also backed off from its expensive plan to dismantle ocean-monitoring equipment after a bipartisan Senate bill blocked it. She then noted that the ABC network is publicly fighting an attempt by Trump’s FCC to control who appears as a guest on the daytime news discussion program The View. The network has asked its viewers to join in the fight by publicly commenting to the FCC. Maddow then noted that Black voters in Georgia celebrated after state Republicans abandoned their plan to eliminate Black-majority voting districts. She also noted that Democratic voters are showing up in record numbers in midterm elections nationwide and that several of Trump’s endorsed gubernatorial candidates have lost. “It is a good sign, and it is good news, because if there’s one thing we know about fighting for your democracy, it’s that you will lose every fight you choose not to wage, and when you do choose to fight, sometimes you do win,” Maddow said. While she acknowledged the serious damage the president has done, she added, “In the case of Donald Trump, what we are experiencing right now is his compounding failures, his blustering incompetence and his illiteracy kind of paying off for us as a country. In his failure and incompetence, he is right now lessening his own power, his own sway even over his own party, and therefore he is lessening his ability to effectuate more harm to our country.” Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

This story was reported with support from the MuckRock foundation. Around this time last year, Rachel Rodman was happily employed as a library clerk and program assistant with the Crawford County Library District in the east-central part of Missouri. Rodman didn’t think anything of the display she curated for Pride month last June, highlighting LGBTQ+ books from the district’s collection in the one room library within a community center. Rodman says she was given free reign to create displays and had no reason to suspect that her actions would lead to her firing. The display was up for five days before Rodman says her branch manager left her a handwritten note telling her to remove it. Rodman refused, posting to Facebook on June 5, 2025 that she wouldn’t deny a marginalized group’s right to visibility because the district feared community backlash. “I take my job very seriously,” Rodman wrote, adding, “I will not yield, and I’m not sorry about it.” The next day, she was fired. Public records obtained by 404 Media offer insight into Rodman’s dismissal and how the decision reflected poorly on the library. It represents one of hundreds of public records requests filed in jurisdictions in which we’ve received a tip or followed up on incidents of censorship and self-censorship related to LGBTQ+ focused or Pride-related book displays. Records from a handful of public libraries show a willingness from library leadership to tolerate acts of self-censorship in anticipation of unwanted attention from certain community members, and in some cases, religious leaders. This tends to show up in hesitancy to organize cultural heritage programming and LGBTQ+ book displays. In a statement to 404 Media, Rodman says that because public libraries are funded through taxpayer dollars, reducing visibility of a marginalized group constitutes a refusal to openly support all patrons. “It’s never enough to just carry the books as available material,” Rodman told 404 Media. “Everyone deserves and should be able to find themselves publicly represented, but especially in communities where censorship is already such a huge issue. It’s in those communities that minorities of any kind already feel repressed and underrepresented.”In one email exchange from libraries in east-central Missouri, Crawford County Library District’s director told other area library directors that the firing “was not discrimination,” but rather, to “protect” employees and patrons. The situation “does look bad,” she wrote, before making it worse by accusing the employee of playing “victim.” The issue, according to Rodman and the records, was that in 2022, the library tried to host a “Rainbow Storytime” event, but canceled it because the library had received death threats. “Regardless of whether the library actually instructed the employee to remove the display, we’re in rural Missouri,” Steven Campbell, director of the Scenic Regional Library in Union, Missouri, wrote. “It’s an extremely challenging political and social environment. We all need to make our own decisions. Not everyone has a Board or appointing authority that will back them on LGBT issues. If someone thinks losing their job or receiving deaths over a display is worth it, that’s great. I admire them. Not everyone is willing to make those sacrifices, and that shouldn’t be judged.” Censorship experts and professional associations disagree, but they acknowledge that small and rural libraries have different challenges than their metro-area counterparts. A lot of these systems are very small, with very few salaried staff and limited acquisition budgets. Nor are they discounting the fact that it’s hard to be a librarian right now, thanks in large part to the work of some very well-funded astroturfers. The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom found that in 2025, over 90 percent of all book challenges could be linked to pressure groups or key decision-makers like public officials and government employees or library boards or library administrators. “When a library chooses to engage in censorship-lite out of fear, by just trying to keep the peace and but still do the good work of the library, it’s the patrons who pay the price, no matter what” Kate Laughlin, executive director of the National Association for Rural and Small Libraries, told 404 Media. “It is the community who is the victim, not the library and the librarians.”In public records obtained by 404 Media, librarians regularly discussed the challenges they face with their leadership. Some of the things we've read include:"I am not calling attention to Pride Month online, but I don't call attention to other recognized holidays unless it is part of a program... each time that I promote this piece of the collection I have push back from a parent.""If it is in the children's area, maybe a good compromise would be to move it to another area.""I have made a compromise by taking the time and trouble of changing the wording on the sign that she disapproved... I want to keep the Pride Month display up where it is for 10 more business days. Pride Month ends on June 30 and then it will be taken down."“Everyone knows the stuff we’re dealing with regarding LGBT issues. It’s no cakewalk for anyone.”“As a library director in a small town I have had apprehensions about doing outward pride displays in my community.”“My assumption is that we will get more complaints as Pride month gets underway.”The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom is seeing fewer public Pride displays in libraries this year compared to recent years, citing the chilling effect of censorship.“There is no obligation to have any display about anything,” Sarah Lamdan, executive director of the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom told 404 Media. “It’s all about what a community is interested in. But if somebody thinks that a Pride display might be something that would be appreciated by any member of their community, or they want to put up a Pride display, that shouldn’t be a source of fear or incrimination.” Lamdan says there’s a difference between being a library that doesn’t do displays of any kind, and libraries that have done displays in the past who choose not to do them due to external pressure. One underexplored throughline here involves religious influence in local politics. CatholicVote, a political action committee that coordinates “Hide the Pride” campaigns since 2022, has donated to library defunding campaigns. Over the years, there have been a number of pastors challenging LGBTQ+ collections and displays. Take for instance, an incident that happened in June 2024 in which a local pastor checked out dozens of books from those collections and posted on social media for his congregants to do the same. Emails obtained by 404 Media from the time of the incident show library workers from neighboring systems who had LGBTQ+ titles wrapped up in the “Hide the Pride”-style incident wishing the library hadn’t drawn further attention to the issue through its Facebook channel. “Personally, I think Wichita’s decision to call attention to this on Facebook was a bad idea,” Tom Taylor, director of the Andover Public Library, said in one email to other cc’d library workers. “It just gives more people the idea.” When asked for clarification as to what he meant by “bad idea,” Taylor told 404 Media that states like Kansas have patron privacy laws that protect everyone—including religious leaders—from public borrowing disclosure. He also said that the Andover Public Library doesn’t have any Pride-specific events planned this year, but the library has signs that help users locate frequently challenged books. Taylor said that he believes challenged books should still be available to check out, even if they aren’t promoted within the library.“If you don’t order [the book] because you don’t want to have a controversy, that’s what we call censorship by omission,” he added. “To avoid buying them because you’re afraid there might be a controversy, that’s not how professional libraries work, in my opinion.” Ashley Stewart, a campaign strategist with EveryLibrary Institute, says she can relate to some of the pressure from religious leaders that administrators may be going through. As a former library director for a system in southwestern Illinois, she was on the receiving end of death threats from local ministerial alliances because the library hosted a Drag Queen Story Hour event in 2022 for Pride month.“No matter where you go in the community, you’re getting—I don’t know if it’s harassment—but people are absolutely letting their feelings be heard that they think that you should not be doing a certain program or not having a certain display,” Stewart told 404 Media.

The U.S. Supreme Court is photographed, June 8, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)2026-06-23T14:20:30Z WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that ExxonMobil can sue Cuban state-owned companies in American courts over property on the island nation that was seized after Fidel Castro took power.The 6-3 decision was the second in as many months in favor of U.S. owners of Cuban property that was confiscated by the Communist government more than 65 years ago.The outcome in the two cases could be an additional lever for the Trump administration to exert pressure on Cuba, which is already being squeezed by a U.S. oil embargo. At issue was whether the 1996 law known as Helms-Burton removes the shield from lawsuits in U.S. courts that typically cover foreign countries and state-owned businesses. The justices reversed a lower-court ruling that found that the Cuban state-owned companies are immune from lawsuits in U.S. courts.ExxonMobil is seeking compensation for the confiscation of assets owned by subsidiaries of Standard Oil, Exxon Mobil’s predecessor, including more than 100 service stations and an oil refinery. Last month, the court ruled in another case involving confiscated property in Cuba, reviving claims by the U.S. company that operated docks in Havana against four cruise lines that brought tourists to Cuba during the brief thaw in relations during the Obama administration. That case turned on the same section of Helms-Burton allowing lawsuits over seized property. Congress passed the law in response to the 1996 downing of civilian planes flown by Miami-based exiles. Read More Title III of the law allows Americans to sue almost any company that engages in commercial activity or benefits from property confiscated by Cuba’s government.Before the first Trump administration, every president had suspended the provision because of objections from U.S. allies doing business in Cuba and the effect on future negotiated settlements between the U.S. and Cuba. But Trump lifted the suspension in 2019, and ExxonMobil filed its lawsuit the same day.The U.S. Foreign Claims Settlement Commission, an arm of the Justice Department, said in 1969 that the value of ExxonMobil’s property in Cuba is $71.6 million, plus 6% annual interest beginning in 1960. That would be worth around $3 billion today, plus treble damages.In addition, the commission found that nearly 6,000 individuals and businesses held claims worth $1.9 billion, before adding in interest or damages. MARK SHERMAN Sherman has covered the Supreme Court for The Associated Press since 2006. His journalism career spans five decades. He is based in Washington, D.C., and previously lived in New York, Paris and Atlanta. twitter mailto

The U.S. Supreme Court is seen, June 5, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)2026-06-23T14:17:20Z WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday barred a former Louisiana inmate from suing prison officials who cut off his dreadlocks in violation of his Rastafari religious beliefs.The justices condemned what happened to the former inmate, Damon Landor. But they ruled that a federal law designed to protect the religious rights of inmates does not permit lawsuits for money damages even when rights are violated.The high court agreed with lower courts that without exception had ruled that the law, the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, can’t be used to hold those who violate inmates’ rights financially responsible. The justices refused to apply the rationale from their decision in 2020 that allowed Muslim men to sue over their inclusion on the FBI’s no-fly list under a sister statute, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The Justice Department, which argued against the plaintiffs in the no-fly list case in President Donald Trump’s first Republican administration, had sided with Landor.No one defended what happened to Landor during his five-month prison term in 2020. When he entered the prison system, he carried a copy of an appeals court ruling in another inmate’s case holding that cutting religious prisoners’ dreadlocks violated the federal law. At his first two stops, officials respected his beliefs. But things changed when he got to the Raymond Laborde Correctional Center in Cottonport, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northwest of Baton Rouge, for the final three weeks of his term. Read More A prison guard took the copy of the ruling Landor carried and tossed it in the trash, according to court records. Then the warden ordered guards to cut his dreadlocks. While two guards restrained him, a third shaved his head to the scalp, the records show. Your browser does not support the iframe HTML tag. Try viewing this in a modern browser like Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Internet Explorer 9 or later. Landor sued after his release, but lower courts dismissed the case. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lamented Landor’s treatment but said the law doesn’t allow him to hold prison officials liable for damages. Louisiana wrote that “the state has amended its prison grooming policy to ensure that nothing like petitioner’s alleged experience can occur.”The Rastafari faith is rooted in 1930s Jamaica, growing as a response by Black people to white colonial oppression. Its beliefs are a melding of Old Testament teachings and a desire to return to Africa. Its message was spread across the world in the 1970s by Jamaican music icons Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, two of the faith’s most famous exponents.___Follow the AP’s coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court. MARK SHERMAN Sherman has covered the Supreme Court for The Associated Press since 2006. His journalism career spans five decades. He is based in Washington, D.C., and previously lived in New York, Paris and Atlanta. twitter mailto

A reopening of the Strait of Hormuz would do little to swiftly ease the pain inflicted by higher prices for fertilizer, food and fuel in Ivory Coast.

Damon Landor, a Rastafarian, tried to sue Louisiana prison officials for violating his religious rights.

Images circulated by an activist group reveal bare marble where President Trump’s name once resided. The Kennedy Center previously told a federal judge it had been removed.

The Justice Department is taking aim at pricey “skin substitutes,” an overused wound care treatment that cost the government $10 billion in 2024.

The court’s decision could have broader implications for whether companies can be held liable for aiding in international human rights abuses.

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — The Edmonton Oilers named Mike Babcock as their coach on Tuesday, hiring the polarizing taskmaster after the NHL cleared him last week following an investigation into his ill-fated 2023 stint in Columbus that ended without him working a game.Babcock is now in charge of trying to get Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl the Stanley Cup a decade into two of the best hockey players on the planet falling short of that elusive goal. The 63-year-old has championship experience from coaching Detroit to the Cup in 2008. He also has made two other trips to the final, with Anaheim in ‘03 and when the Red Wings went again in ’09 and lost to Pittsburgh, and guided Canada to back-to-back Olympic goal medals in 2010 and '14.Babcock also brings baggage.He stepped down from the Blue Jackets job before training camp in September 2023 after taking the job on July 1. At the time, Babcock’s requests for personal photos from players in an attempt to get to know them drew criticism as an invasion of privacy.When word emerged that Edmonton was interested in hiring Babcock, the NHL Players' Association asked the league to review what happened three years ago. After conducting it, the NHL in a statement said it found nothing to prevent him from being employed by a team.Babcock has not coached a game in the league since being fired by Toronto 23 games into the 2019-20 season.Once considered one of the best in the profession, former players have spoken out about his old-school tendencies that some say can be considered bullying.A report surfaced after the Maple Leafs fired Babcock that he had asked Mitch Marner to share his ranking of teammates from hardest- to least-hardest working and then shared that with the rest of the group. Former Red Wings player Johan Franzen told a Swedish outlet that Babcock was the worst person he had ever met and said at one point he was terrified to go to the rink.This spring, retired player and vocal critic Mike Commodore renewed his opposition to Babcock getting a job.“I don’t want to hear another word about how important mental health is for us when you literally just paved the way, cleared the way for Mike Babcock to get another opportunity in the NHL and put him in another position of power where he can abuse people,” Commodore said on the “Clearing the Crease” podcast.Daniel Winnik, who played for Babcock in 2015-16 with the Leafs, last week called him “the only guy that's ever made me hate hockey.”“I just hated coming to the rink,” Winnik said on TSN 1050 radio in Toronto on Thursday. "He's just a bully."The Oilers turned to Babcock after being denied permission by division-rival Vegas to interview 2023 Stanley Cup-winning coach Bruce Cassidy, whom the Golden Knights fired on March 30 with eight games left in the regular season, for their vacancy because he remains under contract for one more year. That leaked while Kris Knoblauch, who coached Edmonton to consecutive trips to the Cup final in 2024 and '25, was still employed, and he was dismissed a few days later.That sequence of events led to choosing Babcock, whose 700 regular season and 90 playoff victories rank 12th and 10th, respectively, in NHL history.___AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

Barcelona interim president reacts to Julian Alvarez statement: ‘It’s everyone’s dream’After a few weeks of silence, the Julian Alvarez-to-Barcelona story has burst into life following the player’s public stance asking to be transfer-listed.The Argentine claimed that he was keen on chasing his “dream” and believed that parting ways with Atletico Madrid this summer was the best solution for everyone.Acting club president Rafa Yuste was asked about the situation and Alvarez, and he answered in a single line, as captured by El Chiringuito TV.He said: “Going to Barça, it’s everyone’s dream.”Desire can shape the negotiationFrom a Barcelona perspective, this matters because a player’s will is often the only way to move an operation of this size.Atletico Madrid do not want to lose Alvarez easily, and they have no reason to make life comfortable for Barcelona.Alvarez wants to move to Barcelona. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)If the player is clear on what he wants, the situation becomes more difficult for Atletico to control. A club can reject offers, point to a release clause and insist publicly that nothing will happen.What it cannot easily ignore is a star forward saying he wants a new step.Barça still need to find a financial structure that works, and any fee would be enormous. The club are said to be planning an offer in the range of around €120 million to €130 million.A signing that fits Flick’s ideaAlvarez makes a lot of sense from a sporting perspective. Hansi Flick wants a Barcelona side that press with intensity, attack space and never stop working without the ball.Alvarez fits Flick’s idea. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)Alvarez is not just a finisher. He can lead the press, combine between the lines, drift wide, attack the box and play with the aggression required in Europe. That is exactly why the Catalans see him as more than a famous name.As much as Barça would love to sign him and add him to the squad, they need to be careful not to overpay and should let the negotiations take their natural course.If they go all in, it must be because Alvarez is the right player for the next five years, not just because it is a player’s dream.Still, this is why Barcelona are Barcelona. Even after difficult financial years, the pull of the shirt remains powerful.If Alvarez truly sees the Camp Nou as his dream, Barcelona have something money alone cannot buy. Now they must see whether that desire can be turned into a deal.

Why Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards is suddenly in NBA trade rumors originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Less than 24 hours after the NBA landscape was shaken by the blockbuster trade sending Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami, another superstar's name is suddenly generating league-wide buzz. That player is Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards.No, Edwards hasn't requested a trade. No, the Timberwolves aren't actively shopping him. But comments made by ESPN insiders Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon on Tuesday offered the strongest indication yet that rival executives are beginning to wonder whether Edwards could eventually become the next superstar available. And that's where the rumors start.The comments that got the NBA talkingAppearing on The Hoop Collective podcast, MacMahon delivered a quote that immediately caught the attention of NBA fans across the league."The NBA vultures are swirling around Ant in anticipation of him potentially becoming the next superstar who's available in the trade market."That statement alone was enough to ignite speculation, but Windhorst added another layer to the discussion. According to Windhorst, Edwards has been frustrated for quite some time, dating back to Minnesota's decision to trade Karl-Anthony Towns in 2024."Ant was really frustrated throughout — really just been frustrated since Towns got traded at how he gets double-teamed."Those comments paint a picture of a franchise player carrying a massive offensive burden while watching key pieces around him continue to change.The Julius Randle trade added fuel to the fireThe timing of these comments is not accidental. Minnesota's decision to trade Julius Randle to Brooklyn in a three-team deal raised eyebrows around the league because the move appeared to be motivated largely by financial flexibility rather than basketball value.The deal helped create room for the Timberwolves to retain Ayo Dosunmu on a reported five-year, $112 million contract, but it also removed the team's second-leading scorer from last season. Windhorst even suggested there was a disconnect between Edwards and Randle, saying Edwards wasn't necessarily Randle's biggest supporter.Still, the bigger question may be what Minnesota got back. If a franchise cornerstone sees productive teammates leaving primarily for salary reasons, it's fair to wonder whether he views the organization as moving forward or standing still.“The NBA vultures are swirling around Ant in anticipation of him potentially becoming the next superstar who's available in the trade market” - @BannedMacMahon“Ant was really frustrated throughout — really just been frustrated since Towns got traded at how he gets… pic.twitter.com/FPdrBXJtmX— NBA Base (@TheNBABase) June 23, 2026The frustration isn't about losingThat's what makes this situation fascinating. The Timberwolves haven't been a losing team.In fact, they've been one of the Western Conference's most consistent playoff teams over the last several seasons. Minnesota reached consecutive Western Conference Finals and advanced to the second round again this year before losing to San Antonio. The issue appears to be ceiling rather than floor.Edwards just completed the best season of his career, averaging 28.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and shooting nearly 40 percent from three-point range. He earned his fourth consecutive All-Star selection and captured All-Star Game MVP honors. Yet despite Edwards' growth into one of the league's premier stars, the Timberwolves finished only 49-33 and entered the playoffs as the No. 6 seed.For a player who has established himself among the NBA's elite, simply making the playoffs may no longer be enough.MORE: How Darryn Peterson went from Ohio phenom to NBA Draft lottery lockWhy rival teams are paying attentionThis is where the "vultures" comment becomes important. Every NBA front office understands that superstar movement often starts long before an actual trade request surfaces.League executives monitor situations. Agents talk. Rival teams position themselves. Edwards is exactly the type of player every organization dreams about acquiring. The former No. 1 overall pick is only 24 years old, already a four-time All-Star, an Olympic gold medalist and one of the NBA's most electrifying scorers.If there is even the slightest possibility that Edwards could become available down the road, teams will be preparing now.Should Timberwolves fans be worried?Not yet. There is a massive difference between league speculation and an actual trade request.Edwards remains under contract, remains the face of the franchise and remains the centerpiece of everything Minnesota is trying to build. There have been no reports suggesting he wants out. But the comments from Windhorst and MacMahon reveal something important: rival executives are watching closely.After the Towns trade, after the Randle trade and after another season that ended short of championship contention, the pressure is mounting on the Timberwolves to prove they can build a title contender around one of the NBA's brightest stars. If they can't, the whispers surrounding Edwards are only going to get louder.More NBA news:The same man who built Shaquille O'Neal's empire is helping shape AJ Dybantsa's futureWho is Yaxel Lendeborg's girlfriend? Meet Tacarra Shyann and her relationship timeline with NBA Draft prospectWhy nobody can agree if Heat or Bucks actually won blockbuster Giannis Antetokounmpo tradeESPN picks a clear winner in Giannis Antetokounmpo trade between Bucks, HeatBucks' Giannis era ends as Heat make massive championship swing

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 09: Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith #6 is shown during the Philadelphia Eagles off season minicamp on June 9th, 2026 at the Jefferson Health Training Complex in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links …Philadelphia Eagles’ DeVonta Smith Is Married! Inside His ‘Sophisticated’ Black-and-White Wedding to Mya Danielle (Exclusive) – PeopleDeVonta Smith has another ring to add to his collection — a wedding band! The Super Bowl LIX champion celebrated his marriage to Mya Danielle with a “timeless” and “intimate” black-tie wedding on Saturday, June 13, at the Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. “We make an annual trip to Disney every year, so getting married there felt like a natural extension of a tradition that already holds so many special memories for us,” the couple, who share 2-year-old daughter Kyse and 1-year-old daughter Kali, tells PEOPLE. “Ultimately, choosing this destination allows us to return to a place we already love year after year and be reminded of one of the most important moments of our lives. It felt like the perfect way to honor our family traditions while celebrating our wedding in a truly beautiful setting.” […] Guests included NFL stars like Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown, and the luxe reception featured a 7-foot-tall wedding cake.Eagles training camp start date announced – BGNThe vast majority of Eagles training camp practices in Philly are expected to be closed to fan access, though the team does invite a relatively small number of season ticket holders and other guests each year. The Eagles also tend to host one open practice at Lincoln Financial Field each summer but it’s not yet clear if they’ll do that once again this year. Based on historical precedent, details on that much and single-game ticket sales information should be revealed sometime before this month is over.Eagles Notebook – Iggles BlitzOne of the big questions in the Eagles world right now is when will the team sign DT Jalen Carter to an extension. Carter is a special talent and was a big part of them winning the Super Bowl in 2024. The new deal would seem to be a no-brainer from that perspective. But Carter didn’t have a great 2025 season. There was the spitting incident that cost him the entire season opener. Do you want to hand that guy $30m a year? He had shoulder injuries that cost him several games last year and affected his performance when he did play. As good as he is, he needs to mature and be more professional on a consistent basis. So do you pay this guy? Heck yes. In just 11 starts last year Carter still had 3 sacks, 5 TFLs, 12 QB hits and 7 PDs. He is a difference-maker. And he plays a key position. Interior pressure is critical in today’s game. QBs can often deal with edge pressure, but they hate when guys get free up the middle.Biggest Eagles questions by position in 2026: Defense – NBCSPDefensive tackle: Will Jalen Carter return to dominance? We have seen glimpses from Jalen Carter that make you think he can be one of the most dominant defensive players in the NFL. Heck, he has already been named a Pro Bowler in two of his first three seasons. He’s really good either way. But it’s time to see if Carter can go from really good to the type of Defensive Player of the Year candidate many think he’s capable of becoming. Last season, Carter dealt with shoulder injuries that required injections during the season. Those injuries clearly sapped his strength and rendered him much less effective. But Carter still had a good season. In 11 games, he had 3 sacks, 7 batted passes, 5 TFLs and 12 QB hits. Carter is eligible for an extension this offseason and it isn’t going to be cheap. The highest paid defensive tackle in the NFL was Chris Jones, who is making around $31 million per season. But then Jeffrey Simmons just got paid on a new deal that’s worth over $35 million per season. Carter’s next contract is going to be huge, which is tricky considering he hasn’t put together a full and truly dominant season just yet.As the NFL offense evolves, so does Dallas Goedert – PhiladelphiaEagles.comHe has experienced change, as is the nature of the National Football League, and in the context of how it impacts performance, Dallas Goedert understands that being taken out of a comfort zone can often be a winning challenge. New offensive coordinators bring new passing games and within that new concepts to master and new ways to attack coverages. That is what Goedert looks to master when Training Camp begins in late July. “You can’t do the same thing and expect different results,” Goedert said. “We’ve had success in many different systems with the Eagles and anytime you can get a fresh set of eyes on what we’ve run in the past, what we did well, what we want to do different moving forward, I think you can just blend it all together and keep evolving.”49ers 90-in-90: What position will Brett Toth play? – Niners NationThe good news is Toth’s competitive spirit and strength allow him to either strain long enough for his 1-on-1 to end in a draw or recover and win. There isn’t a true backup center to Jake Brendel outside of Toth. That could end up being Carver Willis, but you’d think Willis gets a shot at left guard, too. There are so many moving parts along the offensive line that no outcome would be surprising. We know Toth will make the roster. But it’s a guessing game as far as where he ends up on the depth chart. So let’s guess. Toth is the emergency backup for Brendel and whoever starts at left guard. He’ll fill in when needed, but he doesn’t end up starting. If he does, that says more about the rest of the options at left guard.The recent trend that could dampen expectations for Cowboys in 2026 – Blogging The BoysRight now, after mandatory mini-camp have come to an end, expectations surrounding the Dallas Cowboys are high. This is a team who is not only returning all of their starting offense this year, but one who is expected to improve by leaps and bounds defensively from a season ago. Because of that, the Cowboys are a team with Super Bowl aspirations. While it’s true expectations are high in 2026 for the Cowboys, it’s also true there’s still plenty concerns surrounding this team that could dampen things just a bit. The new-look defense still needs to prove themselves under new defensive coordinator Christian Parker, but that’s not even the biggest concern. No, that would be Dak Prescott’s troublesome injury history dating back to 2020.2026 NFL offseason: Judging biggest overreactions to moves – ESPNFirst of all, the Cowboys could absolutely franchise George Pickens again in 2027. It would cost them $32.8 million, but there are already six NFL wide receivers averaging more than that per year, and there likely will be more by next March. The fact that CeeDee Lamb, Pickens’ Dallas teammate, is one of those six is part of the issue. The Cowboys might not feel they can afford to pay two receivers top-of-market money and still manage their salary cap. But the fact is, there’s no way to know how this season will go or how the Cowboys will feel about it when it’s over. Is there a world in which Lamb, who has missed games due to injury each of the past two years and has just $7 million in guarantees on his contract beyond 2026, is the one they move on from, allowing them to keep Pickens? Sure. I’m not saying that’s the way I’d predict this to go, but it’s not out of the question, right? Pickens showed the Cowboys a lot last season after they traded a third-round pick to get him in the offseason. They’ve made it clear they’d like to see more before making any long-term decisions about him. He now has the opportunity to give them a difficult decision next offseason if he does everything they’re asking him to do.Which player would you steal from the Philadelphia Eagles roster? – Hogs HavenMore recently, DeSean Jackson, after being cast aside by Eagles then-head coach Chip Kelly for being a thug, came to Washington where he averaged a career-best 69.3 yards per game (which would be 1,178 yards in a 17-game season) playing opposite Pierre Garcon from 2014 to 2016. Jackson eventually returned to play two more seasons in Philly, and is remembered primarily as an Eagle, but he was a star receiver in his 3 seasons in a Redskins uniform. At the start of June, of course, AJ Brown was traded to the Patriots in a long-telegraphed transaction that seems to have been a ‘win’ for every party involved. I wouldn’t have minded acquiring Brown, but Howie Roseman would never have traded him inside the division. But it makes me wonder who else from the Eagles roster could make a big positive impact on the Commanders roster.Brandon Aiyuk says “go Commanders” in latest Instagram video – PFT49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk is back at it on social media. His current Instagram story includes a video in which Aiyuk says “go Commanders” multiple times. The video comes roughly two weeks after Aiyuk posted multiple videos critical of the 49ers, nine days after he deleted the videos, and one week after he posted a video with the caption “coming to a end zone near [you].” It’s believed by many tha he’ll eventually land with the Commanders, after the 49ers release him. That hasn’t happened yet.Is there one remaining free agent the NY Giants should sign? – Big Blue ViewThe Giants added two wide receivers — Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin III — early in free agency. They added three more — Odell Beckham Jr., JuJu Smith-Schuster, Braxton Berrios — at the beginning of June. Stefon Diggs, who turns 33 in November, is clearly better than any of them. Whatever you think of Diggs’ legal issues, he has been cleared and is eligible to sign. The rash of signings a few weeks ago suggests the Giants are concerned they might not have enough at wide receiver. Diggs caught 85 passes for 1,013 yards for the New England Patriots a year ago. The only time Diggs has not surpassed 1,000 receiving yards was 2024, when he played in just eight games. He would be WR2 for the Giants behind Nabers no matter who else is on the roster. No player on this list would help Jaxson Dart more than Diggs. How likely is it that the Giants would sign Diggs? Not very, to be honest. The Giants are likely on the upswing, but at this point in his career Diggs is a mercenary looking for the team that gives him the best shot at a Super Bowl ring. In 2026, that is probably not the Giants.10 reasons the Giants will be a dumpster fire this season – PhillyVoice1) John Harbaugh is overrated […] The Giants could win more regular season games than we are used to seeing. Maybe. But also, in a weird way, this feels a lot like a hire geared toward “base competency.” And certainly, the Giants’ impulse to raise their floor after a decade of awful football is understandable. But this older iteration of Harbaugh probably has a limited ceiling, given his teams’ shortcomings in their most meaningful games over the last decade. Since his Super Bowl win, despite employing a clear-cut, top five-type quarterback in Lamar Jackson for eight seasons and usually having a contending roster otherwise, Harbaugh somehow only won four playoff games in 13 seasons, and never more than one in a season. He was 4-7 in playoff games during that span. There have been 14 teams since 2013 that have won at least that many, and 12 that have won more.Can you guess this NFL safety in today’s in-5 trivia game? – SB NationHello football fans! Welcome to the SB Nation NFL in-5 daily trivia game. Click on “Instructions” to learn how to play the game. Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in this Google Form.…Social Media Information:BGN Facebook Page: Click here to like our pageBGN Twitter: Follow @BleedingGreenBGN BlueSky: Follow @bleedgreennation.bsky.socialBGN Instagram: Follow @BleedingGreenInstaBGN Manager: Follow Brandon Lee Gowton on Twitter | BlueSky | ThreadsBGN Radio Twitter: Follow @BGN_RadioThe Feed post of the dayEach day, we highlight a BGN community post here in this space. Head over to The Feed to submit your entry and have a chance to be featured in The Linc!

Aaron Rodgers is planning for the 2026 season to be his final one as an NFL player, but the Steelers could continue to benefit from his experience after he officially hangs up the cleats. The Steelers drafted wide receiver Germie Bernard in the second round of this year's draft and the rookie said at his youth football camp that the quarterback has taken him under his wing since Rodgers decided to return to Pittsburgh. "Coming in as a rookie and him being an NFL vet, man, he’s just teaching me the game," Bernard said, via Fox54 in Huntsville, Alabama. "He’s helping me catch up because he thinks I have the potential to play. He's just pouring into me as much as he can. I just ask questions and I try to learn, be a sponge as much as I can. Receive what they’re telling me because they know the best, they’ve been played the game for a long time."Learning from a quarterback like Rodgers should benefit Bernard's transition to the professional ranks and the rookie's presence could help Rodgers go out with a strong season. Adding Bernard and Michael Pittman Jr. to DK Metcalf gives the Steelers more offensive firepower than they had last season and provides reason to think the quarterback's last stand can be a more successful one.

Pro-LGBTQ+ heavy metal band GWAR has staged fake on-stage executions of each of the last four U.S. presidents. But it never received visits from the Secret Service about it until Donald Trump became president, Consequence of Sound reported. “We [fictitiously] killed President Obama. We didn’t hear from the Secret Service. But you [fictitiously] kill Trump, and you better believe that there’s gonna be some s**t going on,” GWAR’s Mike “Blöthar The Berserker” Bishop said in a recent interview with Rocking With Jam Man. “And that happened to us. It happened to us not too long ago.” Related Art collectors are offering big bucks for the photo of Kathy Griffin holding Trump’s head GWAR’s members dress in grotesque costumes that make them look like barbaric, mythological, intergalactic demons. Their live performances often include hyper-violent, cartoonish, and satirical humor that involves fake body parts and fluids. “For years, GWAR would do whatever the f**k we wanted. We would kill politicians from both sides of the aisle. We would kill famous people. We never had any backlash,” Bishop said. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Bishop noted that numerous comedians have recently accused college students of censoring political speech and added, “Being uptight about identity politics is absurd.” But, he continued, “We still never got any heat from that segment. It’s not like feminists or the politically correct squad, they didn’t really come after GWAR. Who came after GWAR was fu**ing Trump fans. That’s who came after GWAR.” He said the Secret Service contacted the group after its numerous onstage mock executions of someone wearing a grotesque Trump costume. One recent execution saw a long-haired blonde woman in a leather bikini slapping and kicking a Trump effigy (dressed in a suit, tie, and blue MAGA cap) before ripping his button-down shirt open and tearing off his torso, revealing his rib cage and guts while a huge stream of fake blood sprayed from his heart. The woman then tore out some of the effigy’s intestines and swung them around her head before using them to whip Trump’s exposed body cavity. Gwar killed Trump again at Warped Tour and people in the comments who don't understand what Gwar does (they are monster alien warriors, scumdogs of the universe) are once again having a meltdown.They kill every president (foreign and domestic, also the queen) and celebrity. No… pic.twitter.com/7c713ymySO— Cassandra MacDonald (@CassandraRules) June 19, 2026 Bishop also noted that the government can pressure large companies to stop doing business with political artists, using financial pressure as a means of censorship. He said such pressure has been used against GWAR. Nevertheless, he said the band has no intentions of changing its onstage performances. In an August 2025 interview, Bishop noted that none of the band’s rotating members currently identifies as gay, but said, “Our characters certainly are omnisexual.” “Our past lead singer Oderus Urungus had a brother named Andrew Brockie, who passed away from AIDS and was a huge influence on our band,” Bishop added. “When no one was talking about AIDS in the mid-80s, GWAR was talking about it, and we threw it in people’s faces to demand attention. We have a song called ‘Have You Seen Me?’ and Oderus would get the crowd chanting the lyrics, ‘I’m gay and I’m proud.'” “The LGBT community was always huge for us,” Bishop said. “Many people don’t understand that gay culture and punk culture have always been hand in hand, especially in the ‘80s.” Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Medicare spending on “skin substitutes” made of dried placenta has soared as doctors pocket lucrative discounts from sellers.

Former death row prisoner Richard Glossip, left, speaks to media after exiting a detention facility after being granted bond while awaiting retrial, May 14, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nick Oxford, File)2026-06-23T04:00:23Z OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A former Oklahoma death row inmate who was released from incarceration after nearly three decades is scheduled to be back in court as his case proceeds to a retrial for a 1997 killing that put him on the brink of execution three times.Richard Glossip’s initial conviction was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court last year, and he was released on bond by a state judge last month. Tuesday’s hearing will determine whether his case goes straight to retrial or if he will be given a new hearing to determine whether there is enough evidence to proceed.Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has said the state would seek to retry him on a murder charge but would not pursue the death penalty again.Glossip had been sentenced to death over the 1997 killing in Oklahoma City of his former boss, motel owner Barry Van Treese, who was beaten with a baseball bat in what prosecutors have alleged was a murder-for-hire scheme. The Supreme Court ruled last year that prosecutors’ decision to allow a key witness to give testimony they knew to be false violated Glossip’s constitutional right to a fair trial. Glossip has maintained his innocence and has drawn support from Kim Kardashian and other prominent figures. Van Treese’s family had asked the Supreme Court to leave Glossip’s conviction and sentence intact.During Glossip’s time on death row, Oklahoma courts set nine different execution dates for him. He came so close to being put to death that he ate three separate last meals. In 2015, he was even held in a cell next to Oklahoma’s execution chamber, waiting to be strapped to a gurney and die by lethal injection.

The Rev. Al Sharpton welcomes people to the new National Action Network (NAN) House of Justice on Tuesday, June 16, 2026 in New York. (AP Photo/Anna Connors)2026-06-23T13:43:40Z NEW YORK (AP) — The Rev. Al Sharpton’s staff and advisers stood around him just outside the doors of a cozy theater, where some of his most fervent supporters waited to greet him in the newly renovated headquarters of the National Action Network.When doors flung open, Sharpton entered to a standing ovation that continued until he was perched behind a lectern, on a stage decorated with a floor-to-ceiling video screen.The audience was not anticipating a call for justice. Instead, the rabble-rousing youth minister turned go-to national advocate was there to declare his organization was officially an owner, no longer a renter, in the historically Black Harlem neighborhood it has called home for more than two decades.“I want to make something permanent,” Sharpton said recently to the gathered crowd of NAN board members, local clergy and other allies. “When people see that you’ve bought a building, they say, ‘Wait a minute, they’re not going nowhere.’” NAN’s new permanent home is the former Faison Firehouse Theater on Hancock Place, near the intersection of 124th Street and Manhattan Avenue. George Faison, a Tony Award-winning choreographer known for his work in the original 1970s Broadway staging of “The Wiz,” had bought the firehouse in 1999 and converted it into a community theater. When Faison had a choice between selling the former firehouse in the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood to a large developer or selling it to NAN, he chose the latter, according to Sharpton. Read More “I’m 71 years old — if I was just trying to do it as an Al Sharpton personal fan club, I could just keep renting,” Sharpton told The Associated Press during an interview in his new private office, with large windows overlooking central Harlem.“I’m buying it to show I want this to be an institution. I want it to last beyond me.”Although the renovation is structurally complete and its rooms are functional, Sharpton said he expects his weekly Saturday rallies to resume in the new headquarters this summer. From renting to owningFounded in 1991, NAN began meeting at P.S. 175, a Manhattan elementary school, during the tenure of the late David Dinkins, New York City’s first Black mayor. Next, NAN rented a space at 125th Street and Madison Avenue. In 2006, Sharpton moved NAN into a rented space at 145th Street and Malcolm X Boulevard, where it operated until January.NAN’s headquarters had been named the “House of Justice” by his late mentor, the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr.Often organizing from his Harlem headquarters, Sharpton became known staging direct-action protests on behalf of Black men killed, brutalized or persecuted by police in New York City: Abner Louima, Amadou Diallo, the exonerated men formerly known as the Central Park Five, and Eric Garner, among others.“Harlem means home,” Sharpton told the AP.The new NAN headquarters now carries the name “House of Justice Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Workshop,” following the multimillion dollar purchase and renovation of its five floors. Sharpton said he will invite artists to hold salons, poetry readings and jazz nights, as a callback to the Black cultural and intellectual movement of the Harlem Renaissance. Looking out at his supporters during the invite-only reception for the new space, Sharpton reflected not just on the NAN’s past, but on the current cultural and political environment.“We are in trouble,” he said in reference to redistricting fights set off by a recent Supreme Court decision on the Voting Rights Act and the rolling back of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.“We don’t have, in my opinion, the luxury of not nailing down and working together,” Sharpton said. Building on decades of local and national activismOver the years, the NAN headquarters has become a “can’t skip” campaign stop for Democratic candidates seeking everything from the presidency and Congress to state and local offices. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the House of Justice is typically standing room only for the dignitaries who show up.After the death of his childhood hero James Brown in 2006, the horse drawn carriage carrying the Godfather of Soul’s golden casket stopped outside NAN’s 145th Street headquarters.The organization’s weekly Saturday rallies have also been a venue for families grieving loss through police violence, or for celebrities to speak out and unfairness in the entertainment industry.Ashley Sharpton, the youngest of the reverend’s two daughters, grew up around the House of Justice. She and her older sister, Dominique Sharpton-Bright, were there on the day the late pop icon Michael Jackson visited and spoke at the invitation of their dad.“The magic was palpable,” Ashley recalled.Now, as founder and director of NAN’s youth initiatives, Ashley feels deeper stake in the organization’s future.“It’s time for us to step in and take ownership, literally, of what is needed to maintain the legacy, and to continue the fight,” she told the AP.___Morrison is AP’s race and ethnicity news editor. AARON MORRISON Morrison runs the Associated Press team covering race and ethnicity in the U.S. and around the world. He previously was a national writer on the AP’s race and ethnicity news team. twitter mailto 获取更多RSS：https://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo walks off the court after an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps, File)2026-06-23T14:42:15Z MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo brought the Milwaukee Bucks back to relevance and delivered the franchise its first title in half a century as the most impactful player in team history.Now the Bucks face the onerous challenge of retooling without the player who carried the team on his broad shoulders for over a decade.The Bucks agreed on the eve of Tuesday’s draft to send Antetokounmpo along with forward Bobby Portis to the Miami Heat in exchange for Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware and Kasparas Jakucionis, according to a person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the move had yet to receive the required league approval.Milwaukee also gets the No. 13 selection in Tuesday’s draft along with a first-round pick swap in 2030, first-round picks in 2031 and 2033 and a second-rounder in 2033, the person said. The move leaves the Bucks without one of the most beloved figures in Wisconsin sports. Milwaukee fans watched in awe as Antetokounmpo spent the last 13 seasons maturing from a skinny teenager into one of the top players on the planet.Bucks coach Taylor Jenkins understood this was a possibility when he accepted the job in April following the departure of Doc Rivers. “Naturally, we did talk about Giannis, the entire roster, developmental pathways for everyone you know, moving forward,” Jenkins said during his introductory news conference last month. “Because from the coaching lens, I’ve got to start formulating that, what we’re going to do, not just this offseason, but when we hit the ground running, you know, at the start of training camp. So naturally, (we) talked about that. Had great dialogue, full transparency.” Read More Replacing a beloved superstarAntetokounmpo had spent his entire career with the Bucks, who selected the 18-year-old from Greece with the 15th pick in the 2013 draft. The nine-time all-NBA forward leads the Bucks in virtually every career statistical category, including points, rebounds, assists, blocks, games and minutes.He won MVP awards in 2019 and 2020. Antetokounmpo came back from a knee hyperextension in the 2021 playoffs to earn NBA Finals MVP honors while scoring 50 points in the title-clinching Game 6 victory over the Phoenix Suns.Antetokounmpo, 31, had signed multiple contract extensions to stay in Milwaukee and play in one of the NBA’s smallest markets. He was so appreciated for his loyalty that a mural of him — 53½ feet high and 56½ feet wide — appears on the side of a three-story building in downtown Milwaukee. The Bucks made plenty of high-risk, high-reward moves in an attempt to keep Antetokounmpo happy and remain among the league’s top contenders. But the Bucks never got beyond the second round of the playoffs after winning that 2021 title due in part to injuries to Antetokounmpo and other key players. They’re coming off a 32-50 season that snapped a string of nine straight playoff appearances.Those big swings they took to remain competitive with Antetokounmpo will make it that much tougher for them to rebuild without him. Facing possibility of a long rebuildEven after making this blockbuster deal to recoup some draft capital, Milwaukee doesn’t have any first-round picks in 2027 or 2029. The Bucks gave up multiple first-round picks in the 2020 trade that brought Jrue Holiday to Milwaukee and the 2023 deal in which they acquired Damian Lillard. Holiday played a key role in the Bucks’ 2021 title before leaving Milwaukee in the Lillard trade. Lillard was waived after tearing his Achilles in a 2025 first-round playoff loss to Indiana, a move that enabled the Bucks to sign former Pacers center Myles Turner.That makes it imperative that the Bucks find major assets with their two lottery picks Tuesday, as they now pick 10th and 13th. That No. 10 pick represents their earliest selection since 2016, when they also went 10th and took Thon Maker.The Bucks have one potential building block in guard Ryan Rollins, who turns 24 next month. Perhaps a new staff gets more from Turner, whose production dipped his first year in Milwaukee.This trade gives Milwaukee an infusion of youth as it begins a new chapter. Herro is a Milwaukee-area native and 2025 All-Star who has scored at least 20 points per game each of the last four seasons, though injuries limited the 26-year-old to 33 games in 2025-26. Jaquez, 25, scored 15.4 points per game in a bench role this season. Ware is a 22-year-old, 7-footer. Jakucionis, 20, was the 20th pick in last year’s draft.But this still represents a major transition for a team that had considered itself a legitimate contender as long as it had a healthy Antetokounmpo, who finished fourth or higher in the MVP balloting every year from 2019-25 before injuries limited him to a career-low 36 games this season.This franchise has been through lean years before. The Bucks reached the Eastern Conference finals in 2001 but didn’t win another playoff series until returning to the East finals in 2019. Longtime Bucks fans know the challenges that come after a superstar’s departure. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the Bucks to a 1971 title when he was known as Lew Alcindor and got them another conference championship in 1974 before requesting a trade. The Bucks sent Abdul-Jabbar to the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 1975, and they wouldn’t get back to the NBA Finals until that 2021 championship season.Now the guy most responsible for that 2021 celebration also is leaving town.___AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.___AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba STEVE MEGARGEE Megargee is a Wisconsin-based sportswriter whose assignments include the NFL’s Green Bay Packers, NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and MLB’s Milwaukee Brewers along with the University of Wisconsin and Marquette. twitter mailto

FIFA President Gianni Infantino revealed on Tuesday that President Donald Trump will attend at least one World Cup 2026 match — the final. Infantino told Fox & Friends that he and Trump would be present during the tournament's final match to hand out the World Cup trophy to the victors. "We will be together with the president enjoying the final and handing the trophy to the winner of course," Infantino said. Trump has been noticeably absent from the World Cup tournament thus far, including snubbing both the U.S. Men’s National Team’s opening match with Paraguay and subsequent showdown with Australia. While obviously a busy man, Trump has managed to carve out time to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals in New York — the only game the New York Knicks lost — and to watch UFC 250, which took place on the White House lawn.President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino will reportedly hand out the World Cup trophy together at the conclusion of the 2026 tournament (Getty)Trump reportedly called the team earlier this week to tell them “I think you’ve got a really good chance of going all the way," according to The Athletic.Perhaps his reception at the Knicks game has persuaded him to avoid venues filled with likely hostile crowds. During his visit to Madison Square Garden to watch the Knicks, Trump was met with boos from the crowd. After the Knicks lost, fans filmed themselves burning sage outside the arena ahead of Game 4 to purge what they said was the bad energy the president had brought.Even if some fans may not like Trump, it’s clear the president can count on the doting adoration of FIFA’s president, Infantino. The Swiss-born World Cup chief has been fairly open in his efforts to win Trump over, even going so far as to create a FIFA World Peace prize just to give to the president after he was denied the Nobel Peace Prize earlier this year.Infantino’s Fox News appearance comes just a day after The Telegraph published a story looking at Trump’s absence at the tournament. The paper talked with Trump’s World Cup task force chief Andrew Giuliani, who essentially said that the president hasn’t made an appearance yet because he wants to keep people guessing. “I know he’s got a couple of international trips that he has planned as well as Independence Day, so the only thing I’ll tell you about my boss—and I’ve known him for, heck, 30 years, and he’s kind of like an uncle figure to me—he likes a good cliffhanger, right?” he told the paper.He said Trump “likes to leave people watching, so all I can tell you is ‘keep tuned in’, and I’m excited to see what the next steps are.”This is a developing story.

The Montreal Canadiens remain one of several NHL teams monitoring Dallas Stars restricted free agent Jason Robertson, but they may face significant competition if contract talks continue to stall.NHL analyst Marco D’Amico recently shed light on the situation, revealing that multiple clubs are tracking Robertson’s status ahead of the July 1 offer-sheet window.“There are a few teams monitoring the Jason Robertson situation in Dallas like Ottawa, Montreal, etc.,” D’Amico wrote on X. “An offer over $12M was refused to stay in Dallas and things are coming to a head with a threat of offer sheet looming.”He then mentioned, “That price point outside of Dallas will be bonkers, though.”Robertson is coming off another elite season, posting 45 goals and 96 points in 82 games. This was his third 40-goal season with the Stars. Yet Dallas faces a difficult financial puzzle. The Stars reportedly have just over $10 million in projected cap space, while Robertson’s camp is believed to be seeking a deal approaching $14 million annually.MORE: Canadiens among teams ‘pushing hard’ for $46.5M Maple Leafs starD’Amico cautioned Canadiens fans against assuming a move is imminent.“I don’t believe that there is as much to this as other reports have made it out to be,” D’Amico wrote. “The Canadiens are monitoring a few players at this time, and keeping tabs doesn’t equate to aggressively pursuing.”Canadiens are up against ‘sneaky’ teams in a potential Jason Robertson bidding warDallas Stars left wing Jason Robertson (21) skates with the puck at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn ImagesThe larger issue for Montreal may not be Dallas. It could be the number of rivals preparing to enter the conversation, and they are the Utah Mammoth, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, and Columbus Blue Jackets.“Teams I think could be real sneaky in here are Utah, Chicago, NYR, Columbus, etc,” D’Amico added, before writing, “I also wonder how this impacts the potential of Dallas in the Dylan Larkin running.”From a roster-building perspective, those teams make sense. Chicago and Utah possess cap flexibility and need more star power. Columbus has aggressively explored major additions, while the Rangers are always linked to elite talent.Montreal also faces a difficult cost-benefit calculation. Robertson would fit perfectly alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. His scoring consistency and size would address key needs on a young contender that reached the Eastern Conference Final this season.However, paying Robertson $13-14 million annually could reshape the Canadiens’ salary structure. Any successful offer sheet would also require significant draft-pick compensation.D’Amico believes the market could become increasingly aggressive.“Things, however, can change pretty quickly with a deadline like July 1st coming with offer sheets,” D’Amico said. “…it could create a bidding war, even for an RFA.”MORE: Canadiens Rumors: Montreal targeting a $42M Ducks center for 2C roleFor now, Montreal remains interested. The challenge is that several other teams appear ready to make Dallas’ offseason problem even more complicated.

2025 was another lost season in Cincinnati, with turf toe limiting franchise player Joe Burrow to only eight starts. Five of Cincy’s six wins came with Burrow in the lineup, telling you all you need to know about the rest of the roster. Fill-in QB Joe Flacco put up fantasy points, but the “defense,” which surrendered a franchise-record 492 tallies, killed any chance of a Cinderella playoff run.▶ 2025 Stats (Rank)Points per game: 24.4 (12th)Total yards per game: 329.2 (17th)Plays per game: 62.2 (11th)Dropbacks per game: 43.1 (4th)Dropback EPA per play: 0.01 (24th)Designed rush attempts per game: 22.4 (28th)Rush EPA per play: 0.01 (5th)Can Joe Burrow stay healthy enough to keep the fantasy money printer operating?The Bengals have been limited to nine, nine and six victories as they have missed the postseason each of the past three years, with Burrow’s injury woes and a nonexistent defense being the primary culprits. Burrow, of course, is currently healthy after finishing last season under center, while former Giant Dexter Lawrence was added for the cool price of the No. 10 overall pick to shore up the defense. The "philosophy," as it were, still mostly amounts to: Pray Burrow stays on the field, and hope the other side of the ball doesn’t ruin everything.▶ Passing GameQB: Joe Burrow, Joe FlaccoWR: Ja’Marr Chase, Colbie YoungWR: Tee Higgins, Mitchell TinsleyWR: Andrei Iosivas, Charlie JonesTE: Mike Gesicki, Drew Sample, Erick AllJoe Burrow remains a fantasy money printer whenever he manages to play, which hasn’t been all that often over the past three years. He started all 17 games in 2024 but was limited to 10 appearances in 2023 and eight in 2025. In between, his rate stats remained those of an elite pick. Although 2023 featured sub-par output, Burrow was the QB2 by average points in 2024. His 2025 marks were depressed by a slow start and injury-shortened outing in Week 2, but he was the QB3 overall for Weeks 14-18. That’s winning time in fantasy, not to mention winter weather time in America. Burrow posting those numbers without the benefit of a dome is genuinely impressive. Burrow has still “got it,” but now headed into his age-30 campaign, staying on the field figures to get even more difficult as the gunslinger ages.Not that we are worried about that for Week 1. Burrow still possesses the pound-for-pound best wideout in football, Ja’Marr Chase, as his primary weapon in the passing game. Unlike Burrow or his wide receiver running mate Tee Higgins, Chase rarely misses time. He’s been sidelined for two total games over the past three years and is coming off back-to-back 1,400-yard campaigns. His 185 targets led the NFL last season even though he was suspended for Week 12 after spitting on Steelers CB Jalen Ramsey. Unlike some seasons, Chase’s stats were not further inflated by marathon Higgins absences, as Tee was sidelined for “just” two contests. Still somehow only 26 years old, Chase remains fantasy football’s safest bet at wideout.“Safe” is never a word we will ascribe to Tee Higgins, but he continues to offer as much upside as any WR2 in football, save for George Pickens. Higgins has missed 12 games over the past three years but has 21 scores over his past 27 appearances. Elite stuff, and a formula that should remain for 2026. With Chase petrifying opposing defenses inside the 20-yard line, Higgins should continue to see premium looks in the red zone. Not that Higgins only scores from close distance. In fact, seven of his 2025 touchdowns came from outside the 20.In addition to the scores, Higgins was also one of the league’s most effective down-field wideouts, with only seven players drawing more targets of 20-plus yards. Although Higgins will never be amongst the league’s most targeted pass catchers, his big-play skill-set creates a reliable WR2 floor that also offers weekly WR1 ceiling.Unlike some of the league, the Bengals still regularly used “11” personnel last season. In fact, Andrei Iosivas actually played more snaps than Higgins. Of course, he was mostly getting in cardio, with his 851 plays resulting in just 33 grabs for 435 yards and two touchdowns. All three totals were down from his 2024 marks. Already headed into his age-27 season and behind the league’s best receiver duo, Iosivas remains a player who would need injury ahead of him to come into fantasy viability. And in this case, “fantasy viability” would probably amount to temporary WR4 status in PPR leagues.There’s no one else of note in the Bengals’ receiver corps. Charlie Jones has maxed out as a special teamer, and rookie fourth-rounder Colbie Young is an outside specialist coming off 2025 injury. Something will have gone majorly wrong for the 2026 Bengals if Young is seeing regular looks.This being the pass-happy Bengals, we can’t leave without talking about the tight ends. Neither Mike Gesicki nor Noah Fant managed to provide more than matchup-based streamer appeal in 2025, though Gesicki now has the room to himself after Fant left for the Saints in free agency. Had Gesicki and Fant been one player last season, they would have posted a 62/595/5 line, putting them in low-end TE1 territory. 31-year-old Gesicki isn’t about to take another step forward this season, but perhaps he will be a more stable streamer with Fant no longer in the picture.▶ Running GameRB: Chase Brown, Samaje Perine, Tahj BrooksOL (L-R): Orlando Brown, Dylan Fairchild, Ted Karras, Dalton Risner, Amarius MimsSometimes a player is just better in fantasy football. That’s 26-year-old Chase Brown, who posts replacement-level efficiency marks but has now finished as a top-14 PPR running back each of the past two seasons. The RB14 in 2024, he rose to RB8 status in 2025. That will happen when you rush for 1,000-plus yards, catch 50-plus passes and mix in for 10-plus scores. There is every reason to believe that will remain Brown’s baseline for 2026 in this explosive attack. Of course, there is scant difference between Brown’s floor and ceiling, but they should both remain intact considering the lack of credible touch competition behind him.Which brings us to Samaje Perine and Tahj Brooks. Long since established as one of the NFL’s least inspiring backs to regularly touch the football, Perine is always in the mix to be a final-cuts casualty, but his mastery of the “little things” means he will probably hang on yet another season in Cincinnati. Last year, sixth-round rookie Brooks managed all of 17 touches across 16 games. As far as we know, Brooks is all but assured of RB3 status in the Queen City, but it’s possible the Bengals make an outside addition if Brooks fails to take a step forward in training camp. If the status quo holds, Perine and Brooks would form a wheezing committee in the event of a Brown injury, with Perine handling the money plays and Brooks attempting to set up third-and-shorts on first and second down. Neither are worth a contingency pick in summer fantasy drafts.▶ 2026 Cincinnati Bengals Win Total DraftKings Over/Under: 10.5Pick: Under (-140)10.5 is a skyscaping total for a team that’s averaged eight victories over the past three seasons. That’s especially true since even during Burrow’s three largely healthy campaigns — 2021, 2022 and 2024 — this team has still averaged just 10 wins. That’s usually enough to make the playoffs and qualify as a “dangerous out,” but this is a flawed roster whose ceiling isn’t quite what you think it is. Throw in a perennially tough division and a predictably brutal schedule — the league’s third toughest, per Warren Sharp — and the under seems like the best play even if you think the Bengals could make some noise in the AFC playoff tournament.

Journalist: Liverpool set €40m asking price for ‘at crossroads’ midfield aceCurtis Jones Facing Defining Liverpool Decision as Inter CircleLiverpool supporters often speak about pathways, identity and local heroes. Curtis Jones sits at the intersection of all three, which is why speculation surrounding his future carries more emotional weight than most transfer stories.According to The Athletic, Jones remains Liverpool’s most likely high profile departure despite the club rejecting a second Inter bid worth around €25million.Photo: IMAGOLiverpool are holding firm. Their valuation stands at around €40m, a figure that reflects both his quality and his homegrown status.Career Crossroads ApproachingThere is a sense that Jones has reached an important juncture.He is no longer an emerging talent being granted patience because of his age. At 24, he is entering years that should define his career.Liverpool clearly value him, but one year remaining on his contract changes the conversation significantly.Jones has often looked like a player caught between roles. Too technically gifted to be dismissed as a squad player, too inconsistent with opportunities to fully cement himself as an automatic starter.Photo: IMAGOInter’s interest suggests there remains enormous respect for his ability across Europe.Perhaps that should not be surprising.Few Liverpool midfielders possess his composure under pressure or his ability to carry possession through congested areas.Our View – Anfield Index AnalysisThere will be fans who believe selling Curtis Jones would be a mistake. Others will argue that football is ultimately about timing.Both viewpoints have merit.Jones embodies something increasingly rare in elite football, a genuine local success story who understands the weight of the badge because he grew up dreaming of wearing it.That matters.At the same time, supporters want to see players fulfil their potential, whether that happens at Liverpool or elsewhere.The frustration surrounding Jones has never been about talent. It has always been about continuity.Every time he strings together a run of impressive performances, something interrupts the momentum.A different tactical system, injuries or fierce competition for places have all contributed.Under Andoni Iraola, there could still be an opportunity for reinvention. His energetic style may suit Jones perfectly.Selling him for €25m would feel underwhelming. Liverpool are right to demand €40m because replacing a homegrown midfielder with Premier League experience is never straightforward.Deep down, many supporters will still hope he stays.There is unfinished business here.Sometimes football moves faster than sentiment allows, but Liverpool should be careful before allowing one of their own to walk away without fully exploring what he could become in this new era.

Bengals might've found a new cornerback option in 2024 Draft pick originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Cincinnati Bengals made a lot of changes to the defensive side of the ball this offseason, bringing in a lot of new faces, both with veterans and draft picks.Dexter Lawrence II, Boye Mafe, Jonathan Allen, Bryan Cook, and Cashius Howell are the big-name additions this offseason. But the linebacker and cornerback rooms didn't get such a big-name addition this offseason.Fortunately, as ESPN's Ben Baby highlighted, the Bengals might've found a new cornerback option in a 2024 draft pick who impressed during offseason workouts thanks to an interception of Joe Burrow.Bengals might've found a new CB option in 2024 draft pick Josh Newton"There weren't many team reps during offseason workouts, but Newton made the most of his chances," Baby writes. "The third-year cornerback filled in as an outside corner and had an interception in a 7-on-7 period, Joe Burrow's lone offseason blemish."Josh Newton, the Bengals' 2024 fifth-round draft pick with the No. 149 overall selection, is a 25-year-old former TCU cornerback who's made a few starts and seen some playing time the last few years for Cincinnati.This past season, he made just two starts in 14 games, recording three passes defended with 15 total tackles while allowing a 99.9 passer rating.Back in 2024, his rookie season, he allowed a 94.7 passer rating in 17 games, with six starts, while having one interception and seven passes defended.MORE: Bengals urged to sign ex-Giants, Colts LB Bobby OkerekeNewton isn't a huge piece of the Bengals' defense right now, but after an impressive showing during offseason workouts, there's a chance he's climbing up the depth chart and could challenge Dax Hill and DJ Turner for playing time.Neither current starter is likely to lose his job to Newton, but if the 2024 draft pick can at least start to challenge for playing time, it would be a nice boon for the Bengals to find a quality depth CB option without making any additions.At the very least, Newton might now be more in line to be the primary outside cornerback backup. It's not just about the starters; the Bengals need better depth, and Newton might be just that in the CB room for Cincinnati this upcoming season.More NFL news:Dolphins’ Greg Dulcich is a rising offensive star and a fantasy football sleeperBrowns QB competition between Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson might last into preseasonSeahawks’ Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s 2025 breakout called for real: ‘He’s perfect’Bears urged to sign ex-Bills, Chargers edge rusher Joey BosaCowboys linked to trade battle with Bengals for All-Pro Dolphins LB Jordyn Brooks

With CBS News rocked by controversy, some viewers have turned to the network ombudsman for a public response. So far, they haven’t gotten one.

The database of federal global warming research recreates a website that was closed amid the administration’s broad retreat from climate science.

Larry Sanger, one of Wikipedia’s cofounders, was banned from editing the site indefinitely after other editors determined he was canvassing, or in other words, calling on his followers off platform in order to influence Wikipedia’s content. Sanger has spent more than a decade criticizing Wikipedia for what he claims is an ideological, left-wing bias on a variety of topics, and on X has framed this recent ban as further proof of everything that’s wrong with Wikipedia. The New York Post took that bait and last night published an article with the headline “Left-leaning Wikipedia blocked founder from editing site—after he campaigned to make it more balanced.” Wikipedia editors obviously reject that framing and say that Sanger was banned for wielding his followers to sway discussion and decision making on Wikipedia. The discussion that led to the decision to ban Sanger concluded with what an editor called a “clear consensus” to ban Sanger.“There is general agreement among participants that he has engaged in off-wiki canvassing and is not here to constructively build the encyclopedia,” the editor said in a note closing the discussion. “There is also a significant concern shared by many editors that his actions constitute calls for outing.”While Sanger has been railing about bias on Wikipedia for years, the specific issue here is around his WikiProject Intellectual Diversity. WikiProjects are group efforts among Wikipedia volunteers to deal with certain issues on the site. For example, in 2024 I wrote about WikiProject AI Cleanup, a group of volunteers who focus on removing AI-generated content from the online encyclopedia. Sanger’s WikiProject Intellectual Diversity, as its name implies, aims to bring more intellectual diversity to the site, mostly meaning more right-leaning perspectives. Sanger’s WikiProject Intellectual Diversity and its goals alone do not merit a ban according to Wikipedia’s policies. The problem, according to Wikipedia editors, is that during the discussion about whether to allow WikiProject Intellectual Diversity to become an official WikiProject, Sanger invited his 91,000 followers on X to influence that discussion. “Wikipedians are now debating whether my proposed WikiProject Intellectual Diversity should be permitted to become an official WikiProject (club/group of editors),” Sanger said on X on Friday and linked to the Wikipedia talk page about the issue. “Lots opposed. Also lots in favor.”“Can I still join the movement?” one person replied to Sanger on X. “Let's just say that if I answer that question one way or another, the playground moms who rule Wikipedia might block me,” Sanger responded. As one volunteer wrote in the discussion page about whether to ban Sanger:“Since the return from his self-imposed exile pretty much all he has done is try to start a right-wing/conservative pressure group within Wikipedia not to improve articles on topics that may be under-represented or highlight high-quality sources that could be utilised more, but to instead attempt to rewrite policies and guidelines to his political bent while throwing baseless aspersions about the conduct of many users (mostly those in privileged positions such as admins) and alleging they're being funded by shadow money. Frankly if this was anyone else claiming all this with the way he is, we'd have shown them the door long ago.”Ilyas Lebleu, another Wikipedia volunteer and admin, told me that they had warned Sanger about similar behavior two months ago, but that Sanger ignored them. “Larry tried to frame the community discussion as a pseudo-legalistic process, bringing a list of ‘charges’ and ‘counts’ from ‘prosecutors,’ instead of an open community discussion,” Lebleu said. Discussions about potential bans are supposed to remain open for at least 72 hours. While consensus that Sanger had violated Wikipedia policies was clear, Sanger was banned at some point before that deadline. He was then briefly unbanned, and then again indefinitely banned once 72 hours had elapsed and the discussion about the ban closed. “Wikipedia has become more of a mob-rule anarchy than ever,” Sanger said in a statement sent to me by a spokesperson. “In the kangaroo court in which a mob ousted me, Wikipedia’s administrators showed that they don’t appear to value details like formal charges, a designated prosecutor, basic decorum, distinction between prosecution and judge, dispassionate adjudication, and so forth. They have no proper system other than triggering a mob to selectively enforce their hodgepodge of vague rules.”“Now that same mob has blocked me for trying to bring an intellectually diverse group of thinkers and editors to the site,” Sanger continued. “Subscribing to their groupthink is now an official requirement of being a member in good standing. Something must change, and now. I only wonder if the system as it currently stands can even allow the discourse necessary to fix the system.”Sanger’s claim that Wikipedia has a left-leaning bias isn’t unique or new. Elon Musk has railed against the site for years as well, an effort that culminated with the launch of his highly flawed, AI-generated Grokipedia. But the stakes for Wikipedia as a reliable source of information are higher than ever as every corner of the internet is struggling to deal with a flood of AI-generated, error-filled slop.

For years, offseason optimism around the New York Jets felt temporary. A splash signing here. An exciting draft pick there. Maybe a promising training camp performance would generate headlines before reality eventually arrived during the regular season.Something feels different this time around.That doesn't mean the Jets are suddenly Super Bowl contenders. It doesn't mean every move will work. What it does mean is that for the first time in a long time, there appears to be a consistent vision guiding the organization. The national media has noticed. Some predict an immediate bleak future. Others share praise that began in the spring figures to carry a loyal fan base into another summer.Following rookie minicamp, CBS Sports identified one reason for optimism for every NFL franchise. When discussing the Jets, the focus wasn't on a single player or isolated transaction. Instead, the praise centered on New York's overall approach to roster construction.CBS Sports pointed to the work of general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn:"Second-year general manager Darren Mougey and coach Aaron Glenn oversaw significant roster turnover this offseason, starting in free agency. Specifically, the Jets added a ton of new faces to their defense during free agency, which included former ageless linebacker Demario Davis and former All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. The Jets also found their new starting quarterback in free agency in former Pro Bowler Geno Smith."That alone would have generated excitement. The praise didn't stop there. Much of the offseason buzz surrounding the Jets stems from what many believe was one of the stronger draft classes in the NFL.CBS Sports specifically highlighted first-round selections David Bailey, Kenyon Sadiq, and Omar Cooper Jr. as reasons for excitement. The additions of Sadiq and Cooper should provide valuable support for Geno Smith while simultaneously giving the offense additional playmakers for the future. The positive reviews have become almost routine.Whether the source is national analysts, local observers, or former players, the conversation frequently returns to the same conclusion: the Jets appear to have added both talent and depth throughout the roster. That's exactly what rebuilding organizations hope to accomplish.OTAs and minicamp have added more Jets fuel to a fire that should burn all summerThe optimism generated by free agency and the draft didn't disappear once players arrived for offseason workouts. If anything, it intensified. Reports from organized team activities and mandatory minicamp consistently highlighted positive energy around the building. Veterans have embraced Aaron Glenn's leadership style. Younger players appear eager to compete for opportunities. The overall atmosphere feels noticeably different than it did during previous offseasons. Of course, positive June practices don't guarantee September victories. The Jets understand that as well as anyone. Still, building confidence and establishing culture are important steps in the process.Excitement will continue growing for the JetsNobody should confuse optimism with certainty. The Jets still have questions to answer. They must prove they can consistently win games. They need young players to develop. Geno Smith must show he can stabilize the quarterback position while helping the organization move forward. Those challenges remain.However, it's becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the momentum that has formed around this team. Mougey and Glenn inherited a roster that needed significant work. Since arriving, they've aggressively reshaped it through free agency, the draft, and player development. National outlets continue praising the strategy, and the feedback from offseason practices has largely reinforced those opinions.Whether that translates into immediate success remains to be seen. What seems clear is that the Jets have finally given their fan base something it hasn't consistently enjoyed in recent years: a reason to believe the organization is moving in the right direction. Training camp can't arrive soon enough.This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: Jets' offseason buzz is praised, showing no signs of slowing down

The Portland Trail Blazers are hiring Minnesota Timberwolves lead assistant Micah Nori as their next head coach, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Tuesday. Just in: The Portland Trail Blazers are hiring Minnesota Timberwolves lead assistant Micah Nori as the franchise's next head coach, sources tell ESPN. Nori -- widely regarded as one of the league's top assistants -- has been in the NBA coaching ranks since 2009 and now takes over… pic.twitter.com/j5PDc5KlFF— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 23, 2026This story is being updated.

England speedster Jofra Archer has revealed the batter who gave him the most trouble in the Indian Premier League, and his answer may surprise many fans. Despite having bowled to some of the biggest names in world cricket, including several modern greats, Archer picked KL Rahul as the most difficult opponent he has faced in the tournament.Over the years, Archer has established himself as one of the IPL's premier fast bowlers, regularly taking on elite batters from around the globe. Yet it was Rahul's dominance during his peak years in the competition that left the strongest impression on the Rajasthan Royals pacer.Speaking on The Super Over Show with Carlos Brathwaite, Archer was asked to identify the hardest batter he has bowled to in his career. The England quick did not take long to respond, immediately naming Rahul and highlighting the Indian batter's ability to score freely all around the ground."Probably KL Rahul in the first few years of the IPL. He was in his prime then, and it felt like he could hit any ball anywhere. He was really hard to bowl to."— cricsam02 (@cricsam02) Archer's comments underline the regard in which Rahul's batting is held by some of the world's leading bowlers. Known for his elegant strokeplay, sharp timing and ability to adapt to different situations, Rahul has consistently been one of the most versatile batters in franchise cricket.The wicketkeeper-batter once again enjoyed an impressive IPL campaign in 2026 while representing Delhi Capitals. Rahul accumulated 593 runs from 14 matches at an average of 45.61 and a strike rate of 174.41. His season included one century and five half-centuries, making him one of the standout performers of the tournament.Archer also enjoyed an excellent IPL 2026 season with Rajasthan Royals. The fast bowler finished as the competition's third-highest wicket-taker, claiming 25 wickets in 16 matches and playing a key role in his side's campaign.Even after facing some of cricket's most destructive hitters, Archer's choice of Rahul as his toughest IPL challenge speaks volumes about the Indian batter's impact during his prime years in the league.

This article originally appeared onPittsburgh Sports NOW.Former Pitt running back Desmond Reid‘s early NFL career has gotten off to an unfortunate start.Reid signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent but has been waived with an injury designation.The 5’6″, 174-pound light, quick running back battled injuries throughout his Pitt career, but when he was on the field, Reid was extremely effective.After transferring to Pitt in 2024 from Western Carolina, Reid was the top playmaker on the Pitt offense accumulating 962 rushing yards, 579 receiving yards and scoring 10 touchdowns. His 154.9 all-purpose yards per game ranked fifth in the nation. Reid was named a second-team All-American by six different outlets. Click here to learn more about the event from Pittsburgh Sports NOWDownload the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

Official: Zimmerman pens new deal ahead of ninth season with DüsseldorfFortuna Düsseldorf have officially announced that long-serving player Matthias Zimmermann will remain at the club next season.The 34-year-old has extended his expiring contract by one year and will play for the Red and Whites ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.Following his professional career, "Zimbo" is slated to be a key part for the U-23 team, thus ensuring his long-term commitment to Fortuna.Zimmermann moved from VfB Stuttgart to Fortuna Düsseldorf in the summer of 2018 and has since made 250 competitive appearances.Alongside his 15 goals and 22 assists, the 34-year-old is now ranked 20th on Fortuna's all-time appearance list.“'Zimbo' has been highly valued within the team and the entire club for years. His commitment to Fortuna is a strong statement.With his sporting quality, his experience, and his strong mentality, he is an important component of our squad," said sporting director Samir Arabi.

Sean M. O’Brien, re-elected to a second term leading the union, has used a relationship with President Trump to end court-ordered corruption monitoring.

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The Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes finally came to an end late on Monday night, as the Milwaukee Bucks reached a deal to send him and Bobby Portis to the Miami Heat for a bevy of young players and draft capital, including three first-round picks.Tyler Herro, center Kel'el Ware, forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. and second-year guard Kasparas Jakučionis are headed to Milwaukee, along with three first-round draft picks (including the No. 13 selection in the tonight’s 2026 NBA Draft), one pick swap (2030) and a 2033 second-round selection.The trade moved Miami into the upper tier of contenders by the odds, but oddsmakers have questions on the team’s true contender status.The Heat had 30-1 odds to win the 2026-27 NBA championship at multiple sportsbooks, and moved up to 18-1 after the deal. That moves them squarely into the fifth-best odds to win the title, behind favorites San Antonio and Oklahoma City (+260), Boston (+650) and the New York Knicks (+750). The Detroit Pistons, Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers are behind them at 25-1.“I think the Heat have some more moves to do,” Halvor Egeland, BetMGM risk manager, told Yahoo Sports. “The spacing will be tough on Bam [Adebayo] and Giannis. They’ve certainly become contenders in the East, but they’ll need to figure out that roster ahead of the season if they want to be a legitimate title contender.”Miami moved to third-best odds (+650) to win the East, behind the Celtics (+240) and Knicks (+275). Boston’s title odds were already high at sportsbooks, so the Celtics not landing Antetokounmpo only moved them back slightly from +550 to +650.“I think it was a good deal for both the Heat and Bucks,” Thomas Gable, sportsbook director at The Borgata in New Jersey, told Yahoo Sports on Tuesday morning. “The Heat have a formidable starting five now. Bucks have to rebuild and received plenty of picks and could always move Herro as well.”

CROMWELL, Conn. — Tiger Woods made his first public appearance since his car accident and subsequent DUI arrest in March.The 15-time major champ was at TPC River Highlands on the Tuesday of the Travelers Championship to introduce PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp ahead of his press conference to detail strategic changes coming to the PGA Tour in 2028. After some brief remarks from Woods, Rolapp took the podium and began his speech and Q&A in the course's clubhouse with the following message."Thank you, Tiger," Rolapp said. "I think I speak for all of us, glad to see you back."Dressed in a navy suit, Woods watched from the side of the room with outgoing PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan as Rolapp detailed the extensive planned changes to the PGA Tour's structure.RELATED: 15 things to know about the PGA Tour's new world orderWoods also wore a serious expression for most of the proceedings. However, he did crack a smile and shook his head when reporter Bob Harig asked Rolapp about eligibility questions and whether "would it be fair to assume that you're going to consider one such as having won 80 PGA Tour events or more to be considered among those career achievements to be eligible for those tournaments?"The question was referencing Woods' record-tying 82 PGA Tour titles. "I think all those eligibility questions we're in the middle of answering," Rolapp responded. "I think it would be premature to speculate or to give you part of the answer."Woods did not take any questions from the media. His remarks focused specifically on his involvement with the Future Competitions Committee, has which he has been the chair of since its creation last August."Over the past eight months, the Future Competition Committee has spent a lot of time on a very important and fundamental question: How do we build the strongest possible version of the PGA Tour? This work was never about any one player or person. It was about bringing together different perspectives, having honest, hard conversations, and thinking boldly about what is best for the game that we all love."It has been a privilege to work with all the committee members and especially my fellow player directors. I'm proud of the work we've done and am grateful to everyone who's contributed along the way. We have to look forward and beyond today and over the horizon to set up the PGA TOUR and our sport for the future generations of players and fans."Woods briefly came back on the podium with Monahan when PGA Tour Enterprise chairman Joe Gorder announced Rolapp would be succeeding him as commissioner. Woods flashed a big grin and patted Monahan on the back as he took the microphone.Golf fans hadn't seen much of Woods since his March 27 car crash in Jupiter Island, Fla., which led to him being charged for suspicion of driving under the influence. Four days later, Woods announced on social media he was "stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on my health."Woods hasn't played in an official PGA Tour event since the 2024 British Open, but has been involved in the PGA Tour's planned changes. The 50-year-old has chaired the PGA Tour Future Competition Committee since it was formed last August."It's great to see him back," Rolapp told reporters on Tuesday after his presentation. "Tiger's been involved throughout the process and is contributing meaningfully. It's awesome to see him back in great form. So we're really excited."RELATED: An open letter to Tiger Woods

Mumbai: In a heartening development, former India and Mumbai fast bowler and ex-national selector Salil Ankola has overcome severe depression, for which he had been undergoing treatment at a rehab centre near Pune for the past month-and-a-half, and is keen to resume work now."I'd love to resume work again. I'm really open to any cricketing assignment-coaching or anything related to the sport. I'm going out now. I've got a couple of meetings. I'm starting some coaching work here (in Trinity Academy in Pune). I'll be discharged (from the rehab centre) in 10-15 days. I've been staying with Ria (his wife). It's good to be back in the game again. I'm feeling great now. I've become much fitter now- I've lost about 10 kgs, as I was working out in a good gym there (in the rehab centre). I'm absolutely fighting fit. Most importantly, I am in a good frame of mind as well," Ankola told TOI from Pune on Tuesday.Talking about his tough period, Ankola said, "(Getting admitted to the rehab centre for severe clinical depression) was one of the best decisions I took. I needed that time for myself. I wasn't feeling good, which is the most important thing. I spoke about it with my wife, who suggested that I should (check into a rehab centre for treatment). I had to do this in the middle of my IPL commentary stint. In these kinds of things, you've to leave everything and (undergo treatment).Salil's wife Ria Ankola said, "Salil is doing much better. I met him yesterday in Pune. The doctors are very happy with his progress. He is fit to resume work now. They are saying that he will be discharged and be back home very soon. I must thank all his friends and well-wishers for being there for him and being so supportive and helping us throughout.”“Basically the whole thing is that he has battled depression very nicely and has been declared fit to work and take up new cricket assignments with immediate effect. He's starting with coaching assignments in Pune from today. For now, since the assignment will be in Pune, and he was already in Pune, he will stay back here until he completes his assignments. Salil is very happy and excited to start working again and is looking forward to more coaching assignments in India and abroad," she added.On May 6 2026, TOI had reported first that Ankola had been suffering from severe depression and was admitted to a rehab centre near Pune.Ankola was appointed as the national selector on January 7, 2023, and was in the post till Aug 2024. He was also Mumbai's chief selector from 2021-23.The 58-year-old has been commentating in domestic cricket and in the IPL for the past few years.Ankola played a solitary Test for India against Pakistan at Karachi in 1989, and was the other debutant in the match besides legends Sachin Tendulkar and Waqar Younis. He took two wickets in that match. He had also played 20 ODIs, capturing 13 wickets. A key pacer for Mumbai in the 90s, Ankola featured in 54 first-class matches in which he took 181 wickets, with best figures of 6-47.