Diretório

Merab Dvalishvili has one of the greatest MMA engines of all-time. You know it. I know it. Heck, his UFC rivals can’t help but recognize it publicly.But this past July, against Henry Cejudo at the RAF Georgia event in Tbilisi, Georgia, we saw Dvalishvili rely on something else: an extraordinary never-say-die attitude that arose at a time in which it would have been far easier to roll over. That’s testicular fortitude and championship mettle. Cejudo was on the cusp of embarrassing Dvalishvili. He was up 8-0 in their wrestling match and threatening to win via tech fall. A single takedown would have sealed it. It was as close to complete and utter domination as anyone could imagine, and it was happening in front of Dvalishvili’s friends, family and fans in his home country.Somehow, though, Cejudo snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. And, yeah … it’s easy to point to how Cejudo lost. But it also came down to how “The Machine” won. Dvalishvili, you see, mounted an unreal comeback — one sparked from his indomitable spirit and a relentless attack that fatigued the Olympic champion the longer the match went on. “I was lucky because it was almost over,” Dvalishvili recalled to Uncrowned ahead of their rematch, an RAF 12 lightweight crossover championship bout this Saturday at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.Dvalishvili said he remembers seeing the near-insurmountable scoreline and thinking, “I don’t want to regret anything. I’ll try my best and take my time, even losing 8-0.”Merab Dvalishvili rematches Henry Cejudo this Saturday at RAF 12.Chris Unger via Getty ImagesWith a desperation single-leg takedown in the second round, and Cejudo then getting put on the shot clock, the momentum swung wildly as Dvalishvili closed the gap to just three points away, 8-5. In the third period, Dvalishvili kept that same momentum going, putting Cejudo on his back to pick up another four of his nine total consecutive points. One last takedown sealed Cejudo’s fate: 11-8. Improbably, Dvalishvili had done it.“I was patient,” Dvalishvili said. “He has a lot of experience. Wrestling is his world, he’s the Olympic champion for a reason, but my cardio is better. I tricked him and it turned into my fight. I got some points back and I was just pressuring him. I was happy, as I can’t lose in front of my people. Great moments and great memories.”Dvalishvili has the chance to create more memories on Saturday. If he wins again at RAF 12, it’ll be his third triumph over Cejudo, having also beaten the former two-division UFC champion by unanimous decision at UFC 298 in Anaheim, California two years ago.Despite his successes, Dvalishvili refuses to count a third win just yet.“Henry realized the mistakes he made, and why he lost. I'm sure he saw some holes in my game and he's going to make some changes,” he said.“I’m nervous. Nervous because Henry is a good wrestler, and even though a loss against him is no big deal, I still don’t want to lose. It’s going to be a very hard match because he’s so dangerous, such a good wrestler. If I fight him, I am happy, but this is wrestling, and even with the wrestling experience, I learned he’s so dangerous and that he can beat me. So I worry even more now after our RAF match.”Dvalishvili said it was Cejudo who called for this rematch, but the reason Dvalishvili accepted was because of the hardware at stake — the RAF crossover belt, something he wants to wrap around his waist before he returns to the Octagon to challenge Petr Yan in another trilogy for the UFC bantamweight title on Oct. 24 at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi.RAF offers elite MMA fighters the chance to remain active, against considerable competition, in a format that Dvalishvili said only enhances his wrestling abilities — from takedown entries to scrambling. They are newfound skills he can use against Yan, whom he lost to in December.“I’m getting better in wrestling, which was not a focus before right now,” Dvalishvili said. “I’m learning all these new details that will only help me against Yan, to take him down or defend takedowns.”Dvalishvili hopes the improvements he’s making are useful enough to pull ahead in his rivalry with Yan.Their sequence of fights began in 2021 at UFC 267, where Dvalishvili won in a rout. He lost the rematch four years later in a stunner, ceding the bantamweight title to Yan, which evened the scoreline to 1-1.If Dvalishvili beats Yan for a second time, it only enhances his claim as MMA’s bantamweight GOAT.Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan will settle their rivalry on Oct. 24 at UFC 333.Cooper Neill via Getty ImagesThat's the prize driving him past Saturday, and past Oct. 24 too — not just the rematch win, but a matching set of championships around his waist."I will be at peace to have both belts — RAF and UFC,” he said. “I want to just win against Yan, then I can take some time off and whoever will be the next contender, I will fight the best of the best guys."That leaves the door open for UFC bantamweight challengers like Mauro Bautista. Like Song Yadong. Maybe even an Umar Nurmagomedov rematch.From there, maybe Dvalishvili finally answers calls to move weight classes. He’s been working with nutritionists at the UFC Performance Institute to determine whether his next weight cut can be easier than his past few. If it is, maybe he stays at bantamweight. If it's not, it perhaps hastens a move to featherweight.But, as Dvalishvili said himself, while he rules out fighting his friends — the UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, or Aljamain Sterling — "featherweight is no problem" for him, especially, he said, if it was for a superfight."The only guy I always wanted to fight was Sean O'Malley, because I saw him as a challenge,” he said. “A superstar. I always wanted to fight that guy. Thank God I fought him for the belt two times, [but] I don't have names like that [anymore]."And so, while he's loath to single anyone out, the fact that he longs for a superfight could pave the way for matchups involving the likes of Max Holloway, at featherweight or lightweight. "I can fight at 155 [pounds], too," Dvalishvili confirmed.Whether the UFC presents a superfight to his liking, or one he'd rather avoid, remains to be seen. But the willingness is there. Two belts, then, might not be the finish line for Dvalishvili. It just sounds like where the next stage of his career really begins.

SOUTH BEND — Notre Dame football continues to wait on Ohio State transfer wide receiver Quincy Porter in his arduous return from offseason surgery on his left patellar tendon.According to Irish coach Marcus Freeman, Porter underwent “a minor procedure” on Friday, Aug. 21 in hopes of speeding his return to play.During an in-house video clip posted on social media, Porter had been spotted on the sidelines Thursday with his helmet in hand and minus the usual compression sleeve he’s been wearing on his left leg.“He’s still a couple weeks out,” Freeman said. “He’s getting better. … He’s still got a little bit of time to be in a position where we feel like he can help this team, but it will happen. It’s going to happen here soon. I just don’t know when it’s going to be.”Friday’s procedure was done “just to try to get him a little bit quicker to hopefully being able to help us,” Freeman said.Now 7½ months removed from early January surgery to repair his left patellar tendon, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Porter seemed to move well enough in drills during the open practice that kicked off fall camp on Aug. 6.However, he worked on the side on Aug. 12 and Aug. 16 in the two most recent sessions that have been partially open to the media.Jordan Faison: Notre Dame wideout shows elusiveness in his playmaking abilityA second-year product of Bergen Catholic High School in New Jersey, Porter recorded just four receptions and 81 snaps last season as a Buckeyes freshman. That included 24 plays on special teams.With Porter still out, third-year wideout Micah Gilbert has tightened his grip on the starting role at boundary receiver. Fifth-ranked Notre Dame opens the season on Sept. 6 against unranked Wisconsin in Green Bay.“Micah’s done a heck of a job,” Freeman said. “He’s stepped up tremendously. Micah is who we thought Micah was going to be, who we expected Micah to be. He’s been having a really good camp (and) has made some big catches.”Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman gives update on WR Quincy Porter

Conor McGregor must be out of his mind, at least according to Max Holloway.Their highly anticipated rematch at UFC 329 turned out to be a dud thanks to McGregor blowing out his knee on an immediate jumping kick, resulting in Holloway winning by injury TKO after just 69 seconds of limited action. In the weeks following the July 11 event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, McGregor did his best to play damage control by calling for the fight to be ruled a no contest as he blamed, in part, the fog used during his entrance for causing him to slip and get injured, while also promising his "generational beating" of Holloway is simply postponed until they run it back.All of which is laughable to Holloway. "For that dude to be talking about how it was slippery because of the dry ice or whatever, I don't know what he's talking about because I didn't fall," Holloway said in a video posted on his YouTube channel Friday. "Him talking about this 'generational beating,' dude is delusional. Because, to me, he felt slow in there. He felt slow. He looked old. If there was going to be a generational beating, it wasn't going to be on his end, I'll tell you that much. It wasn't going to be coming from his side. "At the end of the day, I feel bad for the fans. It was a big event. A lot of people spent a lot of money. Shout out to them for coming to support, but I had the man weak in the knees from the beginning, I guess."What's next for Max Holloway after Conor McGregor flop?Holloway, 34, doesn't have a clear direction on what's next, but he believes he has three clear options. The former featherweight champion said he would like the UFC to give him a lightweight or welterweight title shot, or set up the trilogy with McGregor once he's cleared to come back."If it's a title shot in either weight class, sign ya boy up," Holloway said. "If it's a Conor McGregor fight again, I'll sign the dotted line. UFC, I'm owed the Conor McGregor belt, the money belt, so you guys got to send me that."Holloway (28-9 MMA, 24-9 UFC) fighting for the welterweight title figures to be a long shot given his rematch with McGregor, who hadn't competed in five years, was his first appearance at 170 pounds. Holloway's case for a lightweight title shot is much stronger as he owns an April 2024 knockout win over lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, which served as Gaethje's most recent defeat before going on a three-fight winning streak to claim the 155-pound title.This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Max Holloway rips Conor McGregor for being 'delusional' about UFC 329 dud

The idea for dozens of Premier League forwards is simple, but it is far from easy — score more goals than Erling Haaland.MORE — Premier League all-time goals leadersThe race for the 2026-27 Premier League Golden Boot is on, with Kai Havertz flying out of the starting block to score the season's first goal on August 21.He was only in front for a few minutes as teammate Bukayo Saka joined him. Many more will join their ranks over the course of this 380-match Premier League season.Who won last season’s Golden Boot?Haaland now has three Golden Boots in four seasons.The Manchester City star scored 27 goals last season to win it back from Mohamed Salah.Haaland's two other Golden Boot wins saw him score 27 goals in 2023-24 after his record-devouring 2022-23 campaign.Premier League 2026-27 goalscoring leaders1 goalKai Havertz, ArsenalBukayo Saka, Arsenal

It's a flashback to the turn of the century. The late 1990s/early 2000s saw a tug-of-war for LPGA supremacy between Annika Sorenstam and Karrie Webb.Here in 2026, it's those two LPGA Hall of Famers tied for the lead after 36 holes at the U.S. Senior Women's Open.The eighth rendition of this U.S. Golf Association event is being held at Barton Hills Country Club in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where Annika Sorenstam led by two for much of the day Friday before a double-bogey 7 on the 17th hole. Still, she would shoot 72 one day after opening with a 68 to get to 4 under overall in the championship.More: At U.S. Senior Women's Open, the only question for dropping minimum age is how lowMeanwhile, Karrie Webb was two shots better Friday than she was Thursday (71-69) and she is also at 4 under through two rounds. These two long-time combatants are tied for the lead in a quest to add another USGS trophy to their collection.Another Hall of Famer, Juli Inkster, is competing this week as well, giving this senior field three of the 35 LPGA Hall of Famers. Inkster is in the afternoon wave and was tied for sixth midway through her second round.Sorenstam is a 72-time winner on the LPGA. She has 10 majors, including three U.S. Women's Opens. An eight-time Player of the Year, Sorenstam won the Vare Trophy six times and had two seasons in which she won 10 and 11 times. She was inducted in 2003.Webb reached the 27-point threshold at age 25 with her victory at the 2000 U.S. Women’s Open. At the time, LPGA rules were such that she had to wait until age 30 to reach the now-defunct 10-year requirement. Webb won 41 LPGA titles, including seven majors.This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Back to the future: Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb tied for U.S. Senior Women's Open lead

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) on Thursday signed a robust defense of transgender rights and women’s bodily autonomy, shielding individuals from out-of-state investigations over medical care associated with gender identity and abortion. “If Greg Abbott or Ron DeSantis tries to investigate someone who came to New Jersey to access care, we will protect anyone seeking care that is legal here in New Jersey from investigations in other states,” Sherrill said at a signing ceremony reported by the New Jersey Monitor. Related Court allows Trump administration to access trans patients’ records The jab at the Republican governors of Texas and Florida comes after both have sought the medical records of residents or organizations seeking or providing abortions and gender-affirming care in their own states and others in pursuit of prosecuting them. The expansive bill passed the New Jersey Assembly and Senate in June in party-line votes. It takes effect immediately. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Addressing both abortion and gender-affirming care in the same bill is the rare instance where Democrats have used transgender rights to their political advantage, building a broader indictment against the Trump administration and its enablers. “This isn’t just about abortion. Republicans in Washington are trying to control people’s lives. That’s why the White House has relentlessly attacked our transgender community as well,” Sherrill said. “They’ve pulled tactics straight out of the Red Scare playbook to restrict transgender people’s healthcare.” As well as protecting patients from out-of-state investigations, the law creates a new criminal charge for individuals in New Jersey who block access or intentionally intimidate those seeking gender-affirming or reproductive healthcare at facilities that provide it. Patients and providers may also sue those who do so for damages, attorney fees, and other relief, a tactic employed by red state legislatures targeting transgender people using restrooms that align with their gender identity. New Jersey is “a beacon of hope for everyone who understands democracy,” said state Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D), a chief sponsor of the bill and the Senate’s majority leader. “You can’t tell us what we can read on a library shelf but want to be up in our uterus in an exam room,” she said. The bill’s signing comes as the Trump administration scored a win this week in its effort to subpoena the records of a Washington State-based telehealth clinic that provides gender-affirming care. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Department of Justice administrative subpoena seeking the personal and confidential health records of trans youth who have used the service. The department has issued at least 20 subpoenas to gender-affirming care providers in its anti-trans intimidation campaign. Challenges to the subpoenas have overwhelmingly prevailed, with judges labeling the efforts a “fishing expedition” intended to “harass” and “intimidate,” and to end gender-affirming care through “fear.” Simone Kraus, a transgender woman from Sussex County, called the new law in New Jersey “a profound milestone.” “As a trans woman who has walked this path, who knows the deeply personal and necessary journey of receiving gender-confirmation surgery, this hits home in a way policies and legal briefs rarely can capture,” she said. “New Jersey is making it clear today that what happens in a doctor’s office is strictly between the patients and the doctors. Politicians do not have a say.” Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

The duchess's representatives have had exploratory talks about her joining a third season of “The Gentlemen,” two people said. Netflix has not yet ordered a third season of the show.

Floods from powerful thunderstorms devastated Gary, a city where a third of residents live below the poverty line. Full power restoration isn’t expected until next week.

The GEO Group has profited from the administration’s mass deportation campaign. A subsidiary donated more than $1.4 million to the president’s super PAC last month.

You know when people ask you what you like to do for fun? My response is always, “I like to stroll around IKEA and see the latest and greatest.” (And, of course, enjoy some meatballs too). Usually there’s something that piques my interest, but never have I been as gobsmacked as I was when I spotted the KJUGE storage pouf out of the corner of my eye. READ MORE...

Funeral workers bury migrants who died while trying to cross from Morocco into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Sempere)2026-08-21T19:47:16Z CEUTA, Spain (AP) — Against the murmur of prayers, body bags were lowered into graves marked only with numbers. Gravediggers placed the first four victims in cinderblock plots while a small group of locals watched at a cemetery on the tip of North Africa.The dead, whose identities are unknown, were among the more than 90 migrants who lost their lives during Spain’s deadliest border crisis three weeks ago. Fueled by misinformation, poverty and a lack of opportunities, more than 72,000 people poured into Ceuta, a Spanish territory that neighbors Morocco. At a Muslim cemetery in Ceuta, 18 migrants were laid to rest on Friday. An Islamic cleric read prayers and chants praising God while funeral workers worked quickly to lower the white body bags and cover them with soil. More migrants are expected to be buried soon.The Moroccan Association for Human Rights, a left-leaning nongovernmental organization, called for the burials in Ceuta to be halted until every effort had been made to identify the bodies and repatriate them to Morocco, the country of origin for most of the migrants who made the perilous journey. Many of those who died drowned or were killed in a stampede to cross a breakwater barrier near a border checkpoint.In a statement, the NGO asked Morocco’s foreign ministry to ensure that “the bodies are returned to the families so they can be buried with dignity.” It called the burials in Ceuta a “new human tragedy,” adding to the “disaster of displacement and missing persons.” Read More A spokesperson for Ceuta’s city government said last week the paperwork to repatriate the bodies of the deceased was complete, but that Morocco’s government hadn’t accepted it. Morocco’s foreign ministry didn’t respond to questions from The Associated Press about the burials that started on Friday in Ceuta or suggestions that Morocco is blocking the repatriation of identified migrant bodies.While most of those who crossed into Ceuta in late July returned to Morocco almost immediately, local authorities say that up to 10,000 migrants — including women and children — could still be in the small Spanish city, prolonging a humanitarian crisis as authorities and locals struggle to shelter and attend to them. Spain’s national government cites a lower figure of around 5,000 people. Moroccan and Spanish authorities have blamed social media rumors and human smuggling networks for the deadly event, while migrants cited unemployment and low wages as reasons for why they made the journey. Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. All of those buried on Friday were men, said Said Mohammed, the cemetery’s acting manager. The graves were marked with numbered stones in case families claim the bodies in the future, he said.Under Islamic custom, a body is placed in a grave facing Mecca, as was the case with the migrants buried in Ceuta. Just across the sea lay mainland Europe — their desired destination.___Suman Naishadham reported from Madrid. Akram Oubachir contributed to this report from Casablanca, Morocco. SUMAN NAISHADHAM Naishadham is an Associated Press reporter covering Spain and Portugal. She is based in Madrid. twitter mailto

An Uber logo is displayed at the company's headquarters in San Francisco on Sept. 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)2026-08-21T19:30:24Z Dutch data protection authorities have fined Uber nearly $1 billion, saying the ride-hailing company used automated software to suspend driver accounts, sometimes permanently, with no human review to check for mistakes. The Dutch Data Protection Authority said Friday it is imposing a fine of 825 million euros ($964 million) because Uber violated the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation. The EU’s data privacy rules prohibit fully automated decision-making. The authority also said Uber failed inform drivers about its automatic decision-making. The violations took place from 2018 to 2022, the agency said.Uber said it disagreed with the decision and the fine and will file an appeal. “The (Data Protection Authority) examined historic policies that were discontinued years ago. We take decisions that affect drivers’ ability to earn extremely seriously and we’re fully committed to fair treatment. This includes human reviews, robust safeguards, and the opportunity for drivers to appeal our decisions if they believe we made a mistake,” the company said in a written statement.This is the fourth time the authority has imposed a fine on Uber. The largest was in 2024, when Uber was hit with a 290 million euro ($324 million) fine for allegedly transferring personal details of European drivers to the United States without adequate protection.

Spalletti wants two top players in each role at JuventusLuciano Spalletti is making last-minute changes to his Juventus squad as the manager looks to ensure his team is in top shape when the transfer window closes.The Bianconeri have been one of the top teams in the country in recent months, and they surprised most fans and neutrals when they missed out on Champions League qualification. Juve remain one of the top teams in Italian football, and their fans hope they can compete for the Scudetto this campaign.That is why the club have backed Spalletti as strongly as they have in recent weeks. The manager wants more players, even though he is happy and grateful for those he has been allowed to sign so far. He also wants the squad’s deadwood to be offloaded before the window closes.Spalletti wants squad depthCalciomercato says that, in an ideal world, Spalletti hopes to have at least two quality players in each position in the squad when the transfer window ends, and Juve are currently working towards that objective.The manager wants Juventus to have enough quality and depth to compete throughout the campaign. Strengthening every area of the squad would give him greater flexibility when selecting his team and allow the Bianconeri to cope with the demands of the season.Juve have already made several additions, but Spalletti believes further changes are required. The club must therefore balance incoming transfers with departures as they work to create the squad the manager wants.Juventus ready for more businessThe Bianconeri want to support their manager as much as possible, and they are prepared to allow him to build his ideal squad. That means supporters can expect to see more activity before the transfer window closes.Spalletti will hope the club can complete the necessary deals and provide him with at least two quality options in every position. At the same time, Juventus need to move on players who are no longer part of the manager’s plans.The final days of the window could therefore be busy for the Bianconeri. Juventus have already shown their willingness to strengthen the squad, and they now appear ready to make further changes in an effort to give Spalletti the depth and quality he believes are necessary to compete for the Scudetto.

Official: Como loan Fadera to Cagliari with option to buyComo have officially loaned Alieu Fadera to Cagliari with an option to buy at the end of the season, after the winger had been close to Lecce.The Gambia international turns 25 in November and can play on the left wing, right wing, or in a more central trequartista role.Fadera makes new Serie A moveSASSUOLO, ITALY – OCTOBER 26: Alieu Fadera of Sassuolo controls the ball whilst under pressure from Leon Bailey of AS Roma during the Serie A match between US Sassuolo Calcio and AS Roma at Mapei Stadium Citta del Tricolore on October 26, 2025 in Sassuolo, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)Como purchased him from KRC Genk for €6m in the summer of 2024, but he had some bad luck with injuries.Fadera spent last season out on loan at Sassuolo, where he scored two goals and provided two assists in 30 appearances between Serie A and the Coppa Italia.There was an option to buy there for €10m, but the Neroverdi didn’t take it up.The negotiations had been in progress with Lecce for a while, but Cagliari swooped in yesterday to improve on the proposal and win over the player too.This evening, Como announced that Fadera had joined Cagliari on loan with an option to make it permanent at the end of the current campaign.

Jaylen Brown boasts one of the highest ratings on NBA 2K as a star player in the league. However, the Philadelphia 76ers star expressed shock towards the drop in his rating this year when he compared to NBA 2K26.Brown shines as one of the best players in the league, having garnered ratings in the high 80s to low 90s in past iterations of the NBA 2K video game series. Coming off the best regular season of his career, he thought that an increase to his rating would have been a guarantee.NBA 2K thought differently. Brown had a 93 rating in NBA 2K26, which is why the star wing had shock towards his 91 rating in NBA 2K27 as well as his skill ratings while appearing on Bleacher Report.“The mid-range is probably a little low,” Brown opined. “I’m a mid-range spammer. I feel offended (smiling). I think my passing should be a lot better… 93 {overall rating} last year, so how did I go down?”What Lies Ahead for Jaylen Brown and 76ersAug 6, 2026; Camden, NJ, USA; From left to right Philadelphia 76ers general manager Mike Gansey and guard Jaylen Brown and managing partner Josh Harris pose for a photo during his introductory press conference at the Francis J. Myers Recreation Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)Career seasons would garner an overall rating increase, which explains Jaylen Brown’s surprise to his rating going down instead. Looks like he has doubters to prove wrong once again as the start of the 2026-27 season gets closer.Brown’s final campaign in Boston was remarkable, seeing him land on the All-NBA second team. He averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game throughout 71 appearances. In the playoffs, he produced 25.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per contest.Philadelphia finished with a 45-37 record last season, securing the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference standings. They stunned the Boston Celtics in a 3-1 series comeback before losing in a four-game sweep to the New York Knicks in the East Semifinals.The 76ers are gearing up for a big season with championship aspirations, having landed Brown and LeBron James in the same offseason. With a starting five that can strike fear into opponents when healthy, Philadelphia fans can prepare for the opportunity to compete for their first NBA championship since 1983.— Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories with The Big Lead Newsletter —

There wasn't a lot of drama along the FedEx Cup bubble during last year's BMW Championship or last week's start to the 2026 FedEx Cup playoffs. But the 2026 BMW Championship leaderboard after Round 2 action on Friday, August 21, is setting up for a potential shake up in the race for the final few spots in next week's Tour Championship.Strong performances by Gary Woodland, Patrick Cantlay and Michael Thorbjornsen through the opening two rounds at the second FedEx Cup playoff event have positioned them to possibly move inside the top 30 of the FedEx Cup standings after beginning tournament play Thursday on the outside looking in for qualification at East Lake.Only the top-30 golfers get a spot at the Tour Championship. Last year, only Harry Hall moved from outside the top 30 to qualify for the Tour Championship during the BMW Championship. A Tour Championship berth comes with a two-year PGA Tour exemption. Players in the field this week already locked up spots in 2027 signature events by being inside the top 50.Here's a breakdown of the FedEx Cup bubble for the 2026 Tour Championship, including who's in danger of missing and live projections for the top-30 as Round 2 continues at the BMW Championship: LIV GOLF: Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy weigh in on LIV Golf's uncertain futureWho's in danger of missing Tour Championship after BMW Championship Round 2?Live projected FedEx Cup points ranking in parentheses. Top-30 make Tour Championship.Rickie FowlerPatrick CantlayJustin ThomasAaron RaiTom KimJustin RoseAdam ScottMichael ThorbjornsenRobert MacIntyreRyan FoxBen GriffinJake KnappSungjae ImSepp StrakaAlex NorenSahith TheegalaMaverick McNealyEric ColeMichael BrennanMatt McCartyNicolai HøjgaardBud CauleyNico EchavarriaRyo HisatsuneFedEx Cup bubble watch: Live Tour Championship projectionsAs of 3:30 p.m. ET on Friday, August 2125. Alex Smalley (down 2 spots)26. Justin Rose (down 2 spots)27. Ryan Fox (down 2 spots)28. Tom Kim (down 2 spots)29. Sungjae Im (up 11 spots)30. Michael Thorbjornsen (up 11 spots)31. Patrick Cantlay (up 12 spots)32. Kurt Kitayama 9 (down 4 spots)33. Rickie Fowler (down 3 spots)34. Bud Cauley (down 5 spots)35. J.T. Poston (down 3 spots)FedEx Cup playoffs: Who already qualified for 2026 Tour Championship?There were 22 golfers who had a 100% chance to finish in the top 30 of the FedEx Cup points standings and qualify for the Tour Championship, according to datagolf.com, based on their performance prior to the BMW Championship during the 2026 PGA Tour season.Scottie SchefflerRory McIlroyMatt FitzpatrickXander SchauffeleCameron YoungWyndham ClarkSam BurnsTommy FleetwoodChris GotterupCollin MorikawaLudvig ÅbergJacob BridgemanSi Woo KimViktor HovlandRussell HenleyAkshay BhatiaHideki MatsuyamaRyan GerardMin Woo LeeKristoffer ReitanAlex FitzpatrickJ.J. SpaunThis article originally appeared on USA TODAY: FedEx Cup bubble watch: Who's in danger of missing Tour Championship?

Bayern Munich players celebrate their first goal during the German Women's Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and Bayern Munich, at Stadion An der Alten Foersterei. (is associated with: «Bayern kick off women's Bundesliga season with win over Union Berlin») Elisa Schu/dpaTitle holders Bayern Munich started the new season of the women's Bundesliga with a 4-1 victory at Union Berlin on Friday evening.Klara Bühl's free-kick gave the Bavarians the lead in the 27th minute as they headed to the break with a narrow lead.But Pernille Harder needed only two minutes after half-time to add a second for the defending champions.Captain Glódís Perla Viggósdóttir added one to her name in the 60th, before Union Berlin pulled one back through Nele Bauereisen in the 79th.But the guests didn't panic and Sophie Proost scored her first goal for Bayern to seal the win in stoppage time."We're on the right track, we have a clear way of playing. That was evident today. Now we need to better coordinate our play and create more chances," Bühl said."Overall, we played a good game and enjoyed the atmosphere. It was really fun to play in front of so many fans. It's always something very special here at the Alte Försterei," she added after playing in front of 17,083 fans.Bayern now have a home game against Mainz on August 31, while Union Berlin visit Freiburg on August 29.

MLB analyst urges the Yankees to promote their No. 3 prospect originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The New York Yankees are doing their best to make the AL East a close race. They currently sit in second place, four games behind the Tampa Bay Rays, who hold the top spot. What's impressive is that they have been able to stay within striking distance of the division leaders even without their captain, Aaron Judge. He's been on the IL retroactive to May 31 with a stress fracture in his right first rib and is targeting a September comeback. The team has been able to carry the load, and that will have to continue, especially this weekend when they take on the Toronto Blue Jays. While their season has not gone as they had hoped, they did just beat the Rays in a three-game series earlier in the week. MORE: Yankees sign ex-Guardians, Cubs reliever after DFA from RoyalsMLB analyst urges the Yankees to promote their No. 3 prospectGetting closer to the end of the regular season, front offices are starting to think about calling up some prospects to see what they have in some of their younger guys. That is no different with teams looking to make the postseason. The Yankees have a few players they could call up, but one stands out more than others, and that is the club's No. 3 prospect, RHP Elmer Rodriguez, per the crew over at MLB.com."The Yankees don't have a rotation opening and Rodriguez hasn't stood out in four brief stints in New York this year, but the Triple-A International League ERA leader could provide some useful bulk innings out of the bullpen... He has a good four-pitch mix featuring a mid-90s fastball, a low-80s sweeper, an upper-70s curveball and a fading upper-80s changeup."Rodriguez could provide some useful innings out of the bullpen. In a short burst, he could be quite formidable, playing his sweeper off of his fastball, giving manager Aaron Boone an aggressive multi-inning arm down the stretch. More MLB news:Diamondbacks sign former Blue Jays, Dodgers All-Star infielder with .651 OPSWhy Cubs 'X-factor' for MLB postseason hunt is injured 1.85 ERA righty pitcherRed Sox offense is heating up again at the perfect time for a potential playoff runFormer MLB pitcher critiques Pirates ace Paul Skenes' mechanics amid recent struggles

Baleba joined Brighton from Lille for £23.2m in August 2023 [Getty Images]Manchester United have agreed a fee of up to £70m for Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba.The two clubs reached a breakthrough in negotiations on Friday evening, which left the 22-year-old free to complete his medical with the Old Trafford outfit this weekend.United targeted the Cameroon international this week after deciding to strengthen their midfield further following the earlier arrivals of Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa.They will pay an initial £65m, plus a potential £5m in add-ons, while the Seagulls have also negotiated a sell-on clause.Baleba, who joined Brighton from Lille in 2023, is currently sidelined with an ankle injury he picked up during their pre-season training camp in Austria.Once the deal goes through, it will take United's summer spending up to £153m.However, it is also a huge saving on what Brighton were demanding as the 2025 transfer deadline approached.It remains to be seen whether United will continue to search for a left-back to challenge Luke Shaw, or whether Baleba, a left-footed player who has played in that position on occasion, and regular right-backs Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui - who have both been used on the left - can provide the cover head coach Michael Carrick needs.The transfer ends United's attempts to strengthen their midfield following the departure of veteran Brazilian Casemiro after his contract expired.Manuel Ugarte was also expected to leave this summer, but he suffered a serious knee injury on World Cup duty with Uruguay.In addition to Santos and Tielemans, England international Kobbie Mainoo will be available for the Saturday lunchtime Premier League trip to newly promoted Hull City.Baleba should give Carrick's side additional athleticism and the Cameroon international's eagerness to make the move north helped speed up the transfer.

Switzerland's Audrey Werro celebrates after winning the women's 800m at the Lausanne Diamond League (Fabrice COFFRINI)Switzerland's Audrey Werro clocked a meet best to win the 800m on home soil at the Lausanne Diamond League on Friday, but fell well short of the world record.The newly-crowned European champion, the third fastest ever in the women's two-lap race, is aiming to break the 1min 53.28sec run by Jarmila Kratochvilova of then-Czechoslovakia in 1983.It remains the oldest world record in track and field, albeit one that is highly contested having come during a period when systemic doping of athletes was prevalent. Kratochvilova, however, never failed a doping test.Unlike the European champs, the Diamond League features wavelight technology, trackside lighting that enables runners to see at what pace they are running.Werro also had Myrte van der Schoot as her pacemaker, but depite the Dutchwoman clocking an electric 54.64sec for the opening 400m, the 22-year-old Swiss could not maintain the pace, ultimately winning in a meet record of 1:55.33."I really enjoyed the race, especially with all the fans who came to support me," said Werro."The turnaround after the European championships was very short, so I had to recover quickly, and I felt more tired than usual today. Despite that, I managed to win, so I'm very happy."Femke Broeders-Bol, the former two-time world 400m hurdles champion who won European bronze behind Werro and Britain's Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson in Birmingham, came second in a national record of 1:55.41."The Europeans gave me confidence, and this race gives me even more confidence that I belong with the best," said Broeders-Bol."I need to trust myself, keep pushing after 500 metres, stop protecting myself too much and simply enjoy racing."World and Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi claimed victory in the men's 800m in 1:42.19 ahead of Algeria's Djamel Sedjati, the two-time world silver medallist who won bronze at the Paris Games.It was a first Diamond League 800m win of the season for the Kenyan after two second places and a fourth-placed finish in London last month. He did, however, set a new world best for the non-Olympic distance of 1,000m in Monaco."I had a battle, especially over the final 100 metres, but I felt very strong and I'm happy to have won the race," said Wanyonyi, with Canada's 2023 world champ Marco Arop finishing fourth.- Hunt second in 200 -Britain's Amy Hunt, who won a historic four golds at the recently-concluded European championships, had to be happy with second behind American Kayla White in the 200m.White won in 22.18sec, with Hunt holding off Nigeria's Favour Ofili in a photo-finish at 22.32.Jamaica's Shericka Jackson, the two-time former world champion in the event, pulled up with 70 metres of the race to run.Hunt acknowledged that she had been "tired before the race and my pre-competition felt pretty stiff".Botswana's Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo dominated the men's 200m, winning in 19.87sec in a dominant display.Like Hunt, there was also no joy for Italy's Andy Diaz Fernandez, who went out to the third longest distance ever, of 18.15m, to win gold at the Euros in Birmingham.He finished third in Switzerland with a best of 17.20m, Portugal's Pedro Pichardo winning with 17.44.Pre-empting Werro, there were also meet records for American Masai Russell in the 100m hurdles (12.27sec) and teammate Rai Benjamin, who has been focused on the 400m flat this season, in the 400m hurdles (46.67), beating Edwin Moses' mark of 47.14 from 1981."It was my first 400m hurdles race of the season, so it was rusty as hell, but I'm happy with it," said Benjamin, the reigning Olympic and world hurdles champion."I feel really good, and I have a flat 400m at the Silesia Diamond League in Chorzow on Sunday."I wanted to do things differently this year, have some fun and try some interesting things."cfe-lp/bsp/iwd

Could UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski retire after his next fight? It depends.Volkanovski is set to defend his title against Movsar Evloev in the main event of UFC 333 (Paramount+) on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. With roughly two months until the fight, Volkanovski, who turns 38 on Sept. 29, is open about the fact that retirement is a possibility.“If things go terribly wrong, all right, we’re done," Volkanovski said in an interview with Australia's 10 News. "If things go very well like the last one, no damage, go through, all right, we'll keep it rolling.”Volkanovski (28-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) is in his second reign as 145-pound champion. During his first title run, he defended the belt five time before Ilia Topuria knocked him out with a punch in February 2024, his second consecutive defeat by knockout after Islam Makhachev finished him with a head kick and punches four months earlier in a lightweight title fight. Many observers wondered then if Volkanovski was nearing the end of his career, but after Topuria vacated the featherweight title, Volkanovski regained it by defeating Diego Lopes at UFC 314 and then successfully defended against Lopes in their rematch at UFC 325 this past February. Volkanovski will seek his second title defends when he meets undefeated Evloev, who is 20-0 overally and 10-0 in the UFC."Taking each fight as it goes," Volkanovski said. "I'm just trying to be real with it. But I don't have plans of retiring right now."This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Alexander Volkanovski reveals what it would take to retire after UFC 333

Philadelphia 76ers star Jaylen Brown has been one of the best players in the league for quite some time now as he has career averages of 20.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists and has not averaged less than 20.3 points since the 2019-20 season.He has been named an All-Star five times, been named to the All-NBA Second Team twice, and won the finals MVP award when the Boston Celtics won the title in 2024. He has established himself as an elite player in this league and should be regarded as such.NBA2K27 released their top 100 players in the popular video game and Brown has an overall rating of 91. Not bad, but it's lower than his 93 rating in NBAK26 before he averaged 28.7 points in the 2025-26 season. After learning of his rating, he certainly had some questions.Jaylen Brown reacts to his 2K27 OVR rating. “So how did I go down?”(h/t @BleacherReport on YouTube): pic.twitter.com/WTz1WgLJmp— Jaylen Brown Muse 🔔 (@JBMuse7) August 21, 2026The Sixers may be getting a motivated player in Brown. Things, obviously, didn't end great in Boston and the 10-year veteran will be looking to prove a lot of people wrong while in Philadelphia. He will look to help the Sixers reach the mountaintop and end a long title drought.This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers star Jaylen Brown has questions about his overall rating on 2K

Pop singer and LGBTQ+ ally Ariana Grande successfully got her song “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)” removed from a transphobic August 20 video posted by President Donald Trump’s TikTok account. It’s the second time the Trump administration has used Grande’s music without permission and just the latest instance of his administration using unauthorized music to prop up its propaganda. The barely 8-second video shows Trump walking towards a dais at a rally and features the following overlaid text: “Me and my truth we sit in silence… men can’t have babies and should never compete in women’s sports.” The video’s caption states, “This shouldn’t be controversial! #trump #arianagrande #maga.” Related JK Rowling issues surprising message of support for trans adults In response, Grande left a comment reading, “never use my music again. also, your truth is false.” The comment was either deleted, removed, or somehow hidden by the account, Deadline reported, but Grande’s fans reposted screenshots of it in the video’s comment section. The TikTok video has since had all audio removed from it. @teamtrump This shouldn’t be controversial! #trump #arianagrande #maga ♬ original sound – Amina Kaddachi 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 In a similar fashion, the Trump administration’s Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) used Grande’s song “Bye” last June in a TikTok video promoting Trump’s signing of the so-called Secure America Act, which funded ICE and Border Patrol. At the time, Grande commented on the video, writing, “Please do not ever use my music ⁠in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense.” Trump and his campaign teams habitually use popular music without artist permission in rallies and social media clips, including from LGBTQ+ and allied musicians like ABBA, Adele, Beyoncé, Celine Dion, Elton John, Katy Perry, Kesha, Queen, R.E.M., Rufus Wainwright, Sabrina Carpenter, and Sinéad O’Connor. This misuse often triggers public rebukes from musicians, which keeps Trump’s events and posts in the headlines. This is a deliberate strategy on Trump’s part. When Variety magazine contacted the White House last November for using a Taylor Swift song in a pro-Trump TikTok video, a Trump spokesperson responded, “We made this video because we knew fake news media brands like Variety would breathlessly amplify them. Congrats, you got played.” Trump’s unauthorized use of these songs constitutes a possible violation of federal copyright infringement law. Artists can argue in court that their music’s usage inaccurately conveys their support. Some states also have laws protecting artists from having their likeness misappropriated for commercial or political promotion. However, lawsuits are expensive and take time, and many artists choose public condemnation or fast takedown requests over prolonged litigation. Grande supports the trans community In 2026, Grande launched the Brighter Days Ahead Foundation, which has a fund supporting legal and legislative advocacy for trans youth as well as organizations like Gender Liberation, TransLash, and Transanta, Billboard reported. After Trump’s January 2025 inauguration, when he signed an executive order declaring “there are only two genders,” Grande reposted a statement from Advocates for Trans Equality reading: “Today is a tough day for our community… No matter what comes, we will protect each other.” In 2022, on International Transgender Day of Visibility, Grande launched the Protect & Defend Trans Youth Fund and pledged to personally match up to $1.5 million in donations, calling out the “numerous shameful bills under consideration in state legislatures that specifically target transgender youth and seek to limit their rights.” That same year, she also anonymously funded a holiday gift drive for transgender young people. Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

The Department of Defense seal is seen on the podium in the Press Briefing room at the Pentagon, Oct. 29, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, File)2026-08-21T20:05:39Z WASHINGTON (AP) — More U.S. troops are reporting unwanted sexual contact to authorities, according to a Pentagon report released Friday, even as more service members are willing to come forward, the prevalence of such incidents still went down overall last year.An estimated 33% of active duty personnel who said they experienced unwanted sexual contact in fiscal year 2025 reported it, compared with 25% in fiscal year 2023, the report said. The findings are based on confidential surveys taken every two years as well as sexual assault reports made to authorities.“In other words, about 1 in 3 Service members reported experiencing their sexual assault to a Department authority,” the report said. “This estimate is up from the 1 in 4 Service members estimated to have reported experiencing sexual assault in FY 2023.” The Pentagon releases a report every year on the number of sexual assaults reported by or about troops. Because sexual assault is a highly underreported crime, the department does a confidential online survey every two years to get a clearer picture of the problem. Defense officials have long argued that an increase in reported assaults is a positive trend because so many people are reluctant to report them, both in the military and in society as a whole. Greater reporting, they say, shows there is more confidence in the reporting system and greater comfort with the support for victims.The number of reported sexual assaults dipped last year from the previous year. The Defense Department said it received a total of 7,998 reports of sexual assault in 2025, a decrease of 197 from 8,195 reports received in 2024. The latest confidential survey found that unwanted sexual contact among active duty women decreased from an estimated 6.8% in 2023 to 4.3% last year. For men, the prevalence fell from an estimated 1.3% to 1%. Read More Sexual harassment of active duty women fell from an estimated 24.7% to 17.5% during that time, while it dropped from 5.8% to 4.4% for men, according to the report.

The Department of Defense seal is seen on the podium in the Press Briefing room at the Pentagon, Oct. 29, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, File)2026-08-21T20:20:54Z The head of the state prison system plans to overhaul part of the minimum security Waiawa Correctional Facility in Central Oʻahu to create a new space for prisoners with mental illness who are now being held in the state’s largest prison.The men who would qualify to transfer from Hālawa Correctional Facility to Waiawa would be minimum-security prisoners who are stabilized on their medications and are approaching their parole or release dates, according to Tommy Johnson, director of the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.“We’re looking at clearing out an entire dormitory and converting that to a more therapeutic environment for them,” Johnson said. “It’s a better environment than Hālawa, and it’s outdoors, and it’s considerably less restrictive, so we think that’s better.”Waiawa is an minimum-security work camp in a fairly isolated area of Central Oʻahu about 3 miles from Mililani Memorial Park cemetery. It can accommodate up to 334 men, but as of last week housed only 189. The inmates there all participate in education or substance abuse treatment programs. Johnson’s plan has won praise from some experts who worry about the limited mental health services available inside the prison system, but others are raising concerns.Waiawa prison is in the state House district represented by Rep. Trish La Chica, who wondered what kind of care the inmates will receive at Waiawa that they can’t get at Hālawa. “I’ve been there, it’s a minimum-security facility,” she said. “It was not designed or built to be a specialized mental health treatment facility. Everything is open. There’s no bars.” Read More Johnson said “walkaways” are a possibility at any minimum-security prison, but they are very rare. By the time inmates qualify to be housed in the open environment at Waiawa they are approaching their furlough or parole dates, “so why run? They worked to get there.”To qualify for transfer to Waiawa, the inmates will have to be within 60 months or less of their release, he said. “They’ve earned their way there, and so they don’t want to mess that up and go back to Hālawa.” Praise, But Also ConcernsInmates with mental illnesses have long been a problem for the state correctional system, with hundreds of prisoners diagnosed with conditions ranging from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder to severe depression. Suicides have been an ongoing problem, and last year the state settled a class action lawsuit over the lack of mental health services inside. Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. Two mental health experts inspected Hālawa and the Oʻahu Community Correctional Center as part of that class-action settlement, and the experts found understaffed facilities where mentally ill inmates receive inadequate treatment. Corrections officials then sought millions of dollars in additional state funding from state lawmakers this year to hire dozens of new healthcare workers including psychiatrists and nurses to upgrade mental health servicesThe plan to move inmates to Waiawa is tied to that class action settlement. The outside experts who inspected state facilities under the settlement identified 63 male prisoners with mental health needs that could not be met at the prison, Johnson said, but were not so ill that they needed to be sent to Hawaiʻi State Hospital.Corrections officials are now looking at transferring about 43 of those inmates to Waiawa, starting with about a dozen. The plan is to then continue rotating inmates with mental health conditions from Hālawa to the Waiawa dorm provided they are minimum security and stable on their medications. Some Hālawa prisoners are so ill that they won’t qualify for Waiawa, Johnson said, and in those cases the prison will work with Hawaiʻi State Hospital to try to address their needs. He said some of the inmates with mental health issues who are left at Hālawa might quality for the state hospital or some other type of “step down” facility.Hālawa has been overcrowded recently because inmates have been cleared out of one of the three housing modules at the prison while it undergoes repairs. Crews have been working to fix lighting equipment that was damaged by a leaking roof, Johnson said, but repairs to the lighting are not yet complete.The original plan to ease the overcrowding there was to send some Hālawa inmates with mental health issues to a privately run prison in Mississippi, but the department dropped that idea. The environment at Waiawa is more therapeutic, Johnson said, “and to be perfectly frank, the optics of shipping mental health folks to the mainland is not good optics.”Instead, corrections officials in June transferred about 38 medium-security prisoners from Hālawa to Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility in Tutwiler, Mississippi, to ease the overcrowding in Hālawa, and are now preparing to move the 43 prisoners with mental health needs to Waiawa. Are They Equipped?Johnson told the Hawaiʻi Correctional System Oversight Commission earlier this month that in one sense, the movement of inmates to Waiawa will be nothing new.“We have moved inmates for decades through all of our facilities who were stabilized on medication who are minimum custody,” he said, “so we’re not doing anything differently except in this particular instance we’re trying to address what the experts recommended, to provide them a more conducive environment for their recovery and their care and treatment.”Martha Torney, a longtime state corrections administrator and a member of the oversight commission, praised the department’s plan, telling Johnson at the commission meeting that “I think it’s a good idea get them out of Hālawa.” “If someone is minimum security, they should be in a minimum-security facility,” she said, “and I hope you are able to find the staff to provide the metal health services there, but I really do support that move.”T.J. Cuaresma, vice chair of the Wahiawā-Whitmore Village Neighborhood Board, said in an interview it is critical the department employ qualified and experienced staff to provide the services needed by inmates with behavioral health or mental health challenges. “Because if you can’t provide that, then don’t even move them.”“If this does happen, we want them to go there with the idea that they are going to be successful,” she said. “It really doesn’t make sense for you to take somebody from some place and put them into another location if there’s no wraparound or no supportive services.”The department’s healthcare managers are working on a plan that would include daily 24-hour medical staffing and a psychiatrist for the facility, Johnson said, which needs to be in place before any of the new inmates are moved there.La Chica said she still has questions about the move that she wants the department to answer. She raised concerns about the “safety and well-being” of both the staff and “whether they feel that they’re equipped and prepared to meet this type of special needs population.”Based on her background in public health, La Chica said deliberations about placement need to start with the patient.“You have to determine what level of facility, what level of care, what level of support the person needs,” she said. “And for me, it seems like the decision was made the other way around, where they selected the location first, and they’re kind of figuring out the plan as they as they move.”___This story was originally published by Honolulu Civil Beat and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press. 获取更多RSS：https://feedx.net https://feedx.site

President Donald Trump speaks outside the White House, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, in Washington, near the construction site of the new helicopter landing zone on the South Lawn of the White House. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)2026-08-21T20:19:24Z In his most recent challenge to the results of the 2020 U.S. election, President Donald Trump this week cited a report claiming to show that thousands of noncitizens voted, a practice studies have found to be extremely rare.Trump’s Truth Social post on Tuesday referenced a report published by the U.S. Census Bureau that he said checked “Voter Records from 2020 against their Citizenship Records,” finding 24,000 noncitizens voted illegally in just its initial search. The report is described as a “beginning analysis.”But experts say its methodology is flawed and could have created many false positives.Here’s a closer look at the facts.CLAIM: A Census Bureau report looking at 128 million voters proves that more than 24,000 noncitizens voted in the 2020 election.THE FACTS: This is false. The report says it checked data from a commercial voter file against federal records to identify noncitizens who allegedly voted in the election. According to experts, the methodology described in the report may have created false positives if, for example, an individual’s name was linked to the wrong address or their citizenship status hadn’t been updated in a certain database. Details about error rates and how the report ensured accurate results were not included. “This is the weakest methodology description I’ve ever seen in a Census Bureau publication,” said Mark Lindeman, policy and strategy director at Verified Voting, a nonpartisan group focused on election technology. “This document doesn’t tell us anything about elections. It just shows that the Census Bureau has gone off the rails.”He added that the Census Bureau is not clear about which databases it used in its analysis, which he said “exists essentially as a propaganda offering,” and that it does not explain likely sources of errors. According to the seven-page report, out of nearly 160 million voter records from the 2020 election reviewed so far, more than 24,000 voters “are linked to administrative records that indicate with a high degree of confidence noncitizen status” at the time of the election. More than 32 million voter records are awaiting analysis. Read More Justin Levitt, a professor of law at Loyola Marymount University who served as the senior policy adviser for democracy and voting rights under the Biden administration, wrote of the report in a blog post, “There are three potential sources of error in that analysis: potential errors in the private vendor’s voter file, potential errors in the federal records, and potential errors in the matching process itself, known in the trade as record linkage.” Individuals may have been falsely identified as noncitizen voters due to myriad possible flaws in the data, Lindeman said. For example, there may be people living at the same address who share the same name or birthday. People with similar names could have been assigned the other’s birthday. And a voter’s citizenship status might not have been updated in the data the Census Bureau used to determine that status.Barry Burden, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Elections Research Center and a professor of political science, agreed that the report lacks credibility.“The Census Bureau report does meet the standards of rigor and transparency that historically made the agency a trusted authority,” he said. “Contrary to other Census publications, this report is unsigned, is described merely as a ‘beginning’ analysis, and relies on data from an unfamiliar private company. Necessary methodological details such as exactly how a ‘high-quality’ data match was defined are missing entirely.” Trump also claimed in his Truth Social post, as he has numerous times before, that he won the 2020 election. He urged the passage of the SAVE America Act, which would require people to show documentary proof of citizenship before they register to vote, as well as impose voter ID requirements nationwide. The measure has passed the U.S. House but has not been voted on in the Senate, where even some Republicans oppose it.Even if the number of noncitizen voters the report allegedly identified was correct and all of them voted for a candidate other than Trump, it would have hardly made a dent in the outcome of the 2020 election, which Trump did not win. There were 158,429,631 votes cast for president that year, according to Federal Election Commission records. The 24,000 supposed noncitizen voters identified by the Census Bureau represents .015% of the total vote and .018% of the records the Census Bureau says it has reviewed so far. Former President Joe Biden received 7,059,526 more votes than Trump.“All of the numbers cited in the Census analysis are smaller than the margins of victory in each state and would not have been enough to change the winner of any state in 2020,” said David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research.Asked how the administration knows the Census Bureau’s report is accurate, White House spokesperson Lauren Bis said: “President Trump is right: Non-citizens are voting in our elections. Despite the media and Democrats claiming it never happens, the evidence of non-citizens registering and voting in our elections continues to pile up.” The Census Bureau did not respond to requests for comment.___Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck. MELISSA GOLDIN Goldin debunks, analyzes and tracks misinformation for The Associated Press. She is based in New York. twitter mailto

Turkey’s request for an Interpol ‘red notice’ came at a time of escalating tensions between the two countries.

Derided by architects as serving no purpose, a grand staircase was never approved by a planning commission but appears back in President Trump’s plans.

Smithson Valley head coach Larry Hill (center) poses with offensive line coach Robert Teuton (left) and defensive coordinator Craig Wersterfer (right) during a portrait session on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, at Smithson Valley High School. Wersterfer and Teuton were already on staff when Hill arrived in 1993, and together the trio has helped build Smithson Valley into a Texas high school football powerhouse with two state championships. (Charlie Blalock/For the Express-News) Larry Hill didn't have much time to assemble his first coaching staff at Smithson Valley when he arrived in May 1993. It was a whirlwind process as the job laid dormant for nearly five months after Joe Matulich resigned following the 1992 season and a seven-year stint with the Rangers. Several members of Matulich's staff had moved on. The coaches Hill inherited were hoping for the best. That included Craig Wersterfer and Robert Teuton – whether it was at Smithson Valley or elsewhere."That was all kind of a weird time," said Teuton, who served as Matulich's offensive line coach for four seasons. "From day one, we didn't ask too many questions. We went to work. That was about it."Given the fact the Rangers went 1-9 in 1992, Wersterfer was unsure if he'd retain his spot as a defensive backs coach. He certainly didn't get a good read following his initial meeting with Hill."I was working for Coach Hill doing the best I could but looking for other jobs and trying to create space for Coach Hill to be able to bring in who he would want," Wersterfer said.When Wersterfer was on the verge of accepting a coaching job at Seguin, Hill and his wife Lori visited Wersterfer and his wife, Sheri, and convinced him to stay."I knew we were doing things the way they needed to be done at Smithson Valley," Wersterfer said. "I knew it had a chance to be a really special place if we could do that. And I knew that Coach Hill had a plan and so I decided to stay with him."Those leaps of faith formed the foundation of an iconic Texas high school football brand.Countdown to No. 1:No. 2 Smithson Valley looks to fill gaps on defense"I didn't know anything about their prowess on the field," Hill said. "I hadn't seen them coach, but the vision we were trying to create for the program, it seemed they shared that. They seemed to be like-minded people who could get things done."For the next 33 years, they raised Smithson Valley's profile from practically nothing to one of the state's top football programs as evidenced by the Rangers' back-to-back Class 5A Division I state championships in 2024 and 2025 and their four other state finals appearances.Wersterfer has since been elevated to defensive coordinator at Smithson Valley. Meanwhile, Teuton has remained offensive line coach all along."He was coaching that before I got there, and he'll probably still be coaching that after I'm gone," Hill said of Teuton.They've also helped push Hill to the verge of becoming Greater San Antonio's all-time winningest coach. Counting his two seasons at Jourdanton, Hill has 340 career wins, which is three shy of Jim Streety's record 343 from his 40 seasons at New Braunfels and Madison."I'd be less than truthful if you asked in'93 ‘Did you know you three guys would be still doing this together 33 years from now?" Hill said. "I don't know if that would be fair." Smithson Valley coach Larry Hill, right, celebrates with defensive coordinator Craig Wersterfer at the conclusion of their Class 5A Division I state quarterfinal game with A&M Consolidated at Gupton Stadium in Cedar Park, TX, on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023. Smithson Valley beat the Tigers 31-24. (Marvin Pfeiffer/Staff Photographer) Change of plansCoaching football wasn't originally in the plans for Wersterfer and Teuton in college.After graduating from MacArthur in 1971, Teuton had no college football prospects. So, as someone who loved the outdoors, Teuton enrolled at Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches where he thought about studying forestry. Instead, he landed a job in SFA's athletic department and worked in football coach John Levra's program.That stoked a coaching bug he didn't know existed. Levra left SFA and coached in the CFL and with several NFL teams, including the Saints (and Bum Phillips), the Bears (and Mike Ditka), the Vikings and Bills."He was quite an inspiration," Teuton said of Levra.After SFA, Teuton landed a job at Madison when it opened in 1978 and worked for Matulich, the Mavericks first head football coach. Teuton was at Madison for three years before doing to Nacogdoches High. He was there for 10 seasons under four different head coaches.All along he maintained contact with Matulich, who became Smithson Valley's head coach in 1986. In 1989, Matulich convinced him (on his second try) to become the Rangers' offensive line coach.Meanwhile , Wersterfer harbored a coaching will after he graduated in 1981 from New Braunfels where he played quarterback and defensive back for Streety. But, teachers' paychecks were not great. Influenced by his cousin's husband, who was rolling a six-figure income as a stockbroker, Wersterfer followed suit putting his finance degree from Southwest Texas (now Texas State) to work for Edward Jones.It was a great idea at the time."I wanted to have money and travel and do whatever I wanted to do," Wersterfer said.He soon learned the means he used to earn the good money was not appealing."You spend your whole day talking to older people trying to sell them and trying to convince them what investment is best for them," Wersterfer said. "I was absolutely miserable. I gained a bunch of weight, and I decided life is too short to live like that."After two years, he was done. As Wersterfer obtained his teaching certificate, he began student-teaching at Smithson Valley in the fall of 1991. That led to a football staff position with Matulich in 1992."I realized getting the finance degree and working in that field, if I managed my money, I was going to be just fine financially," Wersterfer said. "I was going to be just fine as a coach and now I have a chance to give back to society and to kids what my coaches poured into me." SPORTS - Assistant coach Robert Teuton shown at practice Thursday Dec. 13, 2001 at Smithson Valley HS. KEVIN GEIL/STAFF (KEVIN GEIL/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) Building momentumThe Rangers stumbled in Hill's first season in 1993 at 1-9. It was hardly alarming, though. In fact, it was probably expected considering the Rangers were 1-9 in 1992. Established in 1976, Smithson Valley had never made the playoffs or had a winning record in 17 seasons before Hill's arrival.That changed in 1994 when the Rangers went 8-3 in Hill's second season. After going 5-5 in 1995, Smithson Valley won its first playoff game in 1996 with a 19-0 victory against Boerne as part of an 8-4 season.Five years later, they went big time, going to the 2001 Class 4A (now 5A) Division I state final that resulted in a heartbreaking 42-35 overtime loss against Denton Ryan at Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco. In 2002, the Rangers moved up a class and advanced to the Class 6A Division II state championship against Southlake Carroll, a 45-14 loss in the Alamodome.Although the Rangers came up empty, they had arrived. And so did head coaching offers for members of Hill's staff, including Wersterfer. But, he wanted to see this good thing through. Smithson Valley head coach Larry Hill (center) poses with offensive line coach Robert Teuton (left) and defensive coordinator Craig Wersterfer (right) during a portrait session on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, at Smithson Valley High School. Wersterfer and Teuton were already on staff when Hill arrived in 1993, and together the trio has helped build Smithson Valley into a Texas high school football powerhouse with two state championships. (Charlie Blalock/For the Express-News) "One thing leads to another and the next thing you know, my kids are dying to be Rangers," Wersterfer said. "It's a great place to raise your family. It's a unique, special community and we obviously did get things turned here."The Rangers clashed with Carroll for the state title again in 2004. Although it was a closer game, it was another heartbreaker with the Dragons pulling out a 27-24 victory on a last-second 41-yard field goal from Kevin Ortega.Smithson Valley's state finals run stayed dry for nearly 20 years before the Rangers reached the 2023 Class 5A Division I championship against 11-time state champion Aledo. The Bearcats posted a humbling 51-8 victory against Smithson Valley to make the Rangers 0 for 4 in the big game.Instead of faltering, the Rangers advanced to the title game again in 2024, playing storied Highland Park coached by Randy Allen, who is chasing Corpus Christi Calallen's Phil Danaher to become the state's all-time winningest coach.All that mystique wasn't enough to top a determined Rangers' squad who pinned a 32-20 victory on the Scots for their first state championship."I can't really explain it, but (the Aledo game) was not our finest hour, and I think our kids knew that," Hill said. "So, here we go 12 months later we're back there playing another good team like you always do in the finals."The Rangers followed it up with another title last December, a defensive masterpiece crafted by Wersterfer and his staff. Smithson Valley's 28-6 victory against high-powered Frisco Lone Star, who had just 230 yards and 11 first downs. Until that game, Lone Star averaged more than 50 points in the playoffs and 550 yards during the regular season. The sophomore quarterback Trey Wright was held to 135 total yards (115 passing). Wright, who recently committed to Southern California, finished the season with 4,042 passing yards and 1,764 rushing yards to lead the state in total offense. "We could play Lone Star 10 times, and the result wouldn't necessarily be that every time by any stretch of the imagination," Wersterfer said. "But our assistant coaches did a great job of preparing the entire defense that whole week and the kids just went out and executed."After capturing elusive back-to-back state championships, did Hill consider hanging them up while on top? Nope. Teuton and Wersterfer are all-in, too."Do we Thelma and Louise off in the convertible?" Hill said. "Is it time for that? … I think we just like what we're doing and we like doing it together and we are not ready not to do it. So, there ain't any more to it than that." Smithson Valley coach Larry Hill center, poses for a photo with the team at the conclusion of their Class 5A Division I state championship football game with Highland Park at AT&T Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024 in Arlington. Smithson Valley beat Highland Park 32-20. (Marvin Pfeiffer/San Antonio Express-News) SubscribeThere’s more to San Antonio with the Express-News. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Larry Hill built his Smithson Valley legacy with help from Wersterfer and Teuton.

Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn ImagesAs September approaches, teams across the league are beginning the process of ramping up for regular-season action. With training camp just weeks away, this is a perfect opportunity for players to come together and get that extra work in before the real action begins.As a team, the Los Angeles Lakers have undergone many changes this summer, and it’s only natural that their leader, Luka Doncic, hosts his own minicamp in Slovenia. They arrived earlier this week and were seen having their first dinner together in public. Today, they were seen hanging out in the town again, complete with a full motorcade and the VIP treatment.Luka and the Lakers moving like royalty through Slovenia, arriving for a meal at Cemopova 😭👑 #LakeShow(Via ekipa_sn) pic.twitter.com/RFCwzPwmNW— SleeperLakers (@SleeperLakers) August 21, 2026With a salary of roughly $55.1 million per year, Luka has virtually endless resources, and he spared no expense in this minicamp. He covered everything for his teammates and seemed to have events planned out to the hour. Of course, even in Slovenia, the Lakers were drawing a crowd, and Doncic was happy to treat them with autographs.Luka Doncic was greeted by loud MVP chants from the fans as he went to sign for them 🔥(Via: JayhzLAL/IG) pic.twitter.com/JCTmyciA8o— LakersMuse (@LALMuse) August 21, 2026Clearly, Doncic wanted this to be more than just a “business” trip. With most of his teammates in attendance (all but rookie Cameron Carr), he took the opportunity to show them around, bringing them to Ljubljana Castle, a popular tourist spot in the area. As usual, they presented a united front as everyone walked in together, fully immersed and focused on the experience.The Lakers are at Ljubljana Castle 🏰video: @24ur_compic.twitter.com/5fDAYKwPev— Luka Updates (@LukaUpdates) August 21, 2026Arguably, the best part of this stretch was their trip to the Ljubljanica River, where they navigated steep canals to a crowd of onlookers. It made for quite a scene as cameras captured the team coming through the water in almost cinematic form.Luka Doncic took the Lakers on a canal trip to the Ljubljanica River as his next gift 🇸🇮(Via: Ekipa_sn/IG) pic.twitter.com/53t0B4zLDo— LakersMuse (@LALMuse) August 21, 2026Clearly, the Lakers are taking full advantage of this excursion. After a summer of turmoil and change, there is a lot of work to be done when it comes to building chemistry and establishing a clear identity in the locker room. By starting now and forming a bond early, Doncic is expediting the transition process and ensuring the maximum chances of success.It’s unclear what else Luka has planned for the trip, but it’s only just begun. Official reports have the minicap running from Thursday through Monday, giving them the rest of the weekend to enjoy the trip. Whether we see them out again or they spend their remaining time in the gym, the important thing is that they have taken the time to get to know each other.Now, when the Lakers begin their official training camp next month, the players will already be somewhat familiar with each other and ready to make the most of the experience. As an added bonus, they will likely be coming into it in much better shape than they otherwise would. Without a doubt, this minicap is a good sign for the Purple and Gold, and it’s a positive reflection of Luka’s leadership.

Seattle Mariners first-round draft pick Kade Anderson speaks during a baseball news conference, Jully 22, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File) Lindsey WassonThe Mariners are officially ready to call up their top prospect for Saturday’s matchup, according to an undisclosed Associated Press (AP) source.According to AP, 22-year-old Kade Anderson will make his debut against current National League wild card leader Chicago Cubs.Anderson is number five on MLB’s top 100 prospects list, after excelling so far in the minor leagues. He currently has a 1.06 ERA in his first year with the Arkansas Travelers, and he has also racked up 135 strikeouts.Anderson’s record is sitting at 10-1 after 18 starts.A whole lot of hard work led to one very special phone call 🥹📞Kade Anderson is headed to Seattle! pic.twitter.com/0UZATYR9Oh— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) August 21, 2026AP’s source did not confirm any roster moves (and the Mariners have yet to fully confirm the promotion), but the addition of another pitcher raises significant questions over who could be demoted or if the Mariners are creating a six-man rotation. That being said, Anderson will not be a reliever. Earlier this month, Mariners General Manager Jerry Dipoto confirmed to the Seattle Times that Anderson will start once called up.“We’re not going to put Kade in the bullpen,” Dipoto said. “He’s the best starting pitcher in the minor leagues.”The Mariners face the Cubs all weekend, starting tonight, Aug. 21 at 7:10 p.m., with Anderson’s possible debut slated for 4:15 p.m. tomorrow, Aug. 22.

The road to the NFL Draft begins well before prospects arrive at the NFL Combine, and the East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 provides one of the first major preseason checkpoints for players hoping to get there.Shriners Children's East-West Shrine Bowl released its 2026 Shrine Bowl 1000, identifying 1,000 college football players its scouting department views as prospects to track this season. The list reaches well beyond the biggest programs, including players from the Power Four, Group of Five, FCS, Division II, Division III and NAIA levels.Being selected for the Shrine Bowl 1000 does not mean a player has received an invitation to the actual East-West Shrine Bowl. Instead, the list serves as an early pool of prospects for the game's scouts to continue evaluating throughout the season. The organization has previously described the 1000 as its initial look at potential Shrine Bowl participants after evaluating thousands of draft-eligible players across college football.That distinction makes inclusion meaningful. Players have already done enough on film to get onto the radar of an all-star event that plays an important role in the NFL Draft process.The East-West Shrine Bowl is the nation's longest-running college football all-star game, dating back to 1925. Participants get to practice, compete, and interact with NFL personnel during a critical stage of the pre-draft process. Scouts and executives from all 32 NFL teams attend, giving prospects another chance to improve their standing before the draft.The game's history includes remarkable names such as Tom Brady, Walter Payton, John Elway, and Lawrence Taylor, as well as current NFL players like Brock Purdy, who have participated in the Shrine Bowl on their paths to the league.The event also serves a purpose far beyond evaluating football players. The game benefits Shriners Children's Hospital and helps support its mission of providing specialty pediatric care regardless of a family's ability to pay or insurance status.For the 1,000 players recognized this summer, making the list is only the beginning. Their performances this fall will determine who turns preseason recognition into a chance to compete in one of the most established showcases on the path to the NFL.This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: A Look at the Shriners Children's East-West Bowl 1000

White Sox Triple-A standout could provide crucial arm for division title run originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.You can't help the division you play in, and the Chicago White Sox are taking full advantage of that. While other teams are leading their division with 75+ wins, the White Sox are leading their division with only 66 wins. They hold a 3.5-game lead over the Minnesota Twins, who recently jumped ahead of the Cleveland Guardians for that No. 2 spot. It's been a team affair for the Sox this season as they have been a scrappy bunch offensively, and the pitching staff has done just enough to mark more wins than losses. MORE: How a new cutter and sharper command transformed this White Sox aceWhite Sox Triple-A standout could provide crucial arm for division title runWhen looking at the roster, pitching is probably where the White Sox lack the most. They have some guys that have stepped up this year, but compared to some other rotations, they lack star power. Now, they did recently acquire Luis Castillo, but he has been a work-in-progress this year. So, if the White Sox want some reinforcements, they are going to have to look at their farm system. Luckily, they have some intriguing arms available, but the crew over at MLB.com argues the club's No. 11 prospect, RHP David Sandlin, deserves another shot down the stretch. "It's all hands on deck when it comes to pitching for the surprising AL Central leaders, and Sandlin should get another shot despite logging a 6.93 in five outings with Chicago. He has delivered two quality starts in three tries in the Majors and has thrived in Triple-A with a 2.14 ERA, .199 opponent average and 42 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings."Sandlin could be a great option down the stretch, especially when his upper-90s fastball and mid-80s sweeper are on point. However, his command has been a bit shaky, and that will need to be cleaned up if he wants to be dominant in the big leagues. More MLB news:MLB analyst urges the Yankees to promote their No. 3 prospectFormer Dodgers pitching prospect with 6.48 ERA released by RoyalsDiamondbacks sign former Blue Jays, Dodgers All-Star infielder with .651 OPSWhy Cubs 'X-factor' for MLB postseason hunt is injured 1.85 ERA righty pitcher

Ed Martin speaks at an event at the Capitol in Washington, June 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades, File)2026-08-21T20:33:44Z WASHINGTON (AP) — Ed Martin, a loyal White House ally who held multiple Justice Department posts despite unconventional tactics that sometimes rankled his superiors, is leaving President Donald Trump’s administration, the Republican president said Friday.Trump said in a social media post that Martin is leaving his role as the Justice Department’s pardon attorney to “fight Legal Battles” surrounding this year’s midterm elections and the 2028 presidential election.“I know he will do an outstanding job, ensure Free, Fair, and Honest Elections, and strongly advance our Constitutional Rights,” Trump wrote.Martin has been a controversial Trump administration figure since his appointment last year as interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, where he oversaw the dismissal of Jan. 6 cases after Trump’s sweeping pardons. Trump later pulled Martin’s nomination for the job over bipartisan concerns about his lack of prosecutorial experience and support for rioters who violently attacked the Capitol. He then moved to Justice Department headquarters as pardon attorney and director of a group tasked with scrutinizing actions by President Joe Biden’s administration that Republicans say unfairly targeted conservatives. Then-Attorney General Pam Bondi also named him a special attorney to help conduct mortgage fraud investigations into Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James.He often raised eyebrows during his tenure. In one instance, while conducting his mortgage fraud investigation into James, he sent her a letter urging her to resign from office “as an act of good faith.” He also posed for photos outside her Brooklyn home. The Justice Department’s case against James was dismissed after the judge found that another prosecutor who brought the charges was illegally appointed. Read More Martin was later sidelined amid clashes with Justice Department leadership and was removed as head of the “Weaponization Working Group,” though he kept his title as pardon attorney. This is our AP Ground Game newsletter. You can subscribe below and we will email it you 3 times per week. Sign up for the Ground Game Newsletter: Your guide to the biggest stories in politics, policy and U.S. elections. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. In a social media post Friday, Attorney General Todd Blanche called Martin a “patriot who loves this nation.” Martin didn’t immediately respond to a message Friday, but on his X account he reposted Trump’s announcement with the message: “Proud to serve. Fight Fight Fight.” Before his nomination as D.C. U.S. attorney, Martin was a leader of Trump’s “Stop the Steal” movement. He spoke at a rally in Washington on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol and later served on the board of a nonprofit that raised money to support Capitol riot defendants and their families.Trump’s post is the latest sign of his obsession with voting in the upcoming midterm elections, which will determine control of the U.S. House and Senate for the final two years of his presidency.His administration has fixated on messaging around noncitizen voting, a rare problem that Trump falsely insists is a widespread source of fraud. His Department of Justice has been trying to gather detailed state voter data to hunt for noncitizens, and he has been pushing Congress to pass a bill that would require documentary proof of citizenship to vote in time for the November elections.The FBI has obtained voting records or election equipment from the most populous counties in the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia and Michigan without saying what it was searching for. Trump also has issued two executive orders seeking to take control of certain election operations, even though the Constitution grants states and Congress the authority to determine election rules. Democratic state officials have been raising alarms about the possibility of the administration deploying federal immigration agents to polling places or ordering the military to voting locations or election offices, although administration officials have said they have no such plans. ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Richer covers the Justice Department and federal courts. She joined The AP in 2013 and is based in Washington. twitter

The Trump administration approved the payment after Liberia said it would consider taking migrants from other countries.

Five of the people flown to Liberia under the Trump administration’s third-country deportation program resisted leaving the plane. They were then flown to Equatorial Guinea.

Work continues on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)2026-08-21T20:52:14Z BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The 250th anniversary of U.S. independence was just months away when National Park Service employees received a surprising directive from Washington: Maintenance projects approved for this year at sites across the nation were being relegated to a new “low priority” list.Work wanted by the White House was taking precedence, including repairs to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press and three officials from the park service and Interior Department who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.The reflecting pool repairs and other projects tied to President Donald Trump’s Freedom 250 initiative landed on a separate list for White House priorities, the documents show. Many of the administration-backed projects have advanced, though the reflecting pool repairs were botched. Meanwhile, almost all of about 1,500 maintenance and other projects on the low priority list as of last month are expected to go undone, the officials said. That will worsen a repair backlog at national parks that doubled over the last decade to more than $24 billion even as visitor numbers surged.The shelved projects, many already approved, span more than 200 sites and range from roof repairs at Golden Gate National Recreation Area, to computer upgrades at Alaska’s Katmai National Park and bulk purchases of toilet paper and garbage bags at Yellowstone National Park. Because of their low priority designation and with the fiscal year ending on Sept. 30, it’s unknown when they will move forward unless park staff can find a workaround, two of the officials said. Read More Park service employees “were told to not expect anything on the low priority list to be contracted,” one of the officials said.“The first priority was White House priorities,” the official said. “Anywhere that is 250th-related they would have been diverting resources, some it probably planned but a lot of it pushed by the administration.”The Interior Department said many entries on the low priority list had been “mis-prioritized and were corrected.” It declined to say how many or which ones, or how much parks are spending on projects outside Washington. Agency officials declined to answer questions about the reflecting pool. Congress has pushed to fix maintenance backlogThe park service has a third list for “high priority” projects that includes more than 2,000 items, many with contracts awarded or in process, the documents show.“In any year, the National Park Service must prioritize projects most in need,” Interior spokesperson Katie Martin wrote in a statement. “The National Park Service has not only been focused on beautifying the district for the 250th celebrations in our nation’s capital but has also been working on many deferred maintenance projects throughout the country.”The 1,500 low priority projects had a combined cost estimate of more than $400 million. Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. Maine Independent Sen. Angus King, the ranking member of the Senate’s National Parks Subcommittee, said the administration’s pursuits around Washington “are more aesthetic than strictly necessary,” even as they siphon resources from sites elsewhere in the U.S.“I don’t object to setting priorities,” King said in an interview. “I object to the White House priority list being tacked onto the top of that pyramid.” He added it could lead to “the deterioration of America’s gems” as things like sanitation upgrades and basic maintenance don’t happen.Congress during both Democratic and Republican presidencies has pushed to address the backlog. The bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act in 2020 included $6.5 billion for maintenance and repairs through 2025. A legislative extension is pending.Testing the park service’s missionThe priority designations came from park service headquarters in Washington, according to documents obtained by AP and one of the unnamed officials. The park service appears to be moving forward on at least $80 million in White House priorities, including $52 million awarded, the documents indicate. Much of that work was championed by Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, such as the reflecting pool repairs and the rehabilitation of other parks in the capital with an eye toward the 250th celebrations.Trump announced his plans to paint the Reflecting Pool blue in April, aiming to address longstanding problems at the site before July 4. But the $16 million initiative faced immediate problems, including peeling sealant and a fierce return of green algae. Not all of the administration’s priorities advanced: A $70 million line item for “turf maintenance” over five years at parks in the Washington, D.C., area is among more than $80 million in work marked as “canceled” in the Interior Department data.The park service’s mission has been tested under Trump as its employees navigate new realities. It lost at least one-quarter of its permanent workforce under Trump.Remaining employees have been ordered to revise exhibits that Trump said advanced “improper ideology,” and demolish the East Wing of the White House, which is under park stewardship, for the creation of a ballroom. Trump also reduced Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah as Republicans reshape public lands management. Contracting officers in short supplyPressure to deliver on administration demands for Freedom 250 was compounded by staffing cuts that made it harder to execute contracts, the unnamed officials said.Prior to Trump’s second term, the parks had 275 contracting officers. They’ve since been consolidated into the Interior Department, which nevertheless saw its contracting workforce drop more than 20%, public records show.About $140 million has been obligated or spent by the park service in Washington, D.C., this year, according to public data. That includes the reflecting pool work and the rehabilitation of fountains across the district.Interior spokesperson Martin said the Trump administration is eyeing different revenue sources for maintenance including endowments and park pass sales.Those sales rose more than $2 million, to $16.7 million, in the first quarter of 2026 compared to a year earlier, she said. MATTHEW BROWN Brown is based in Billings, Montana. He covers breaking news, the environment, politics, energy, crime and more.

Becca Thompson, Ella Marshall and Orion Leslie build a large erosion control structure near the Crystal Spring Trail on Mount Lemmon on Aug. 2, 2026, in Arizona. (Summer Williams/Arizona Luminaria via AP)2026-08-21T21:17:05Z Julius Gorton pushes a rectangle-shaped rock into the ground then shakes it. Still loose. He takes the pick axe next to him and hammers it down. “OK, maybe it just needs to dig out a little bit,” Ella Marshall says. She moves the rock aside and starts digging a gap into the dirt, her hands protected by purple gardening gloves. They wedge the rock back in and hammer it down a few times. Satisfied, they start adding more rocks around it. They play Tetris with the rocks gathered from the mountain, filling gaps and turning each one to see how it fits best. Gorton puts a rock down; Marshall hammers it into place. They’re building a rock rundown, a type of erosion control structure, along a natural drainage on Mount Lemmon. Gorton and Marshall were among 10 volunteers who spent a recent Sunday on Mount Lemmon with Sky Island Alliance, building erosion control structures to help keep soil and water on the mountain. Some of the volunteers arrived Friday night and camped at nearby Spencer Canyon Campground, working Saturday and Sunday. Sky Island Alliance is a 35-year-old nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect and restore the diversity of life and land in Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and northern Sonora, Mexico. Sky Islands refer to isolated mountain ranges separated from other mountains and surrounded by drastically different environments on lower lands, in Arizona’s case, the desert. The erosion control structures are a low-tech restoration technique that creates tiny dams to slow water down as it moves off the mountain, said Emily Burns, Sky Island Alliance’s program director for northern sky islands. The structures also catch soil and debris that would otherwise run down the mountain along streams and into city washes and rivers. Stopping burned debris was a priority for the Coronado National Forest and organizations like Sky Island Alliance after the Bighorn Fire burned almost 120,000 acres of the Santa Catalina Mountains in the summer of 2020. Read More Once the Bighorn Fire was contained, Sky Island Alliance partnered with the Coronado National Forest and started mapping out locations that needed erosion control. Since 2023, Sky Island Alliance and its volunteers have built more than 500 erosion structures near springs on Mount Lemmon, said Bryon Lichtenhan, stewardship manager with Sky Island Alliance. Unemployed rocksOn Aug. 2, the 10 volunteers followed Sky Island Alliance field technicians Becca Thompson and Andres Martinez, up the Crystal Spring trail, sometimes wading through dense deer grass, small branches crunching below their feet. Before starting, Thompson gave the newer volunteers some direction. “There’s a bunch of places up there where I would like to put more in because this whole side of the drainage up there is basically bare soil,” Thompson told the group. “How do we know what rocks to pick up and which ones not to pick up?” someone asked. “Great question. We like to look for unemployed rocks, rocks without jobs,” Thompson said. Lifting a rock that requires some digging to get it out will probably create a new point at risk of erosion, she said. The group scattered on the hill along the drainage joining the seasoned volunteers. Thompson had placed small red flags where a structure should be built. Some volunteers worked in pairs, others alone, finding loose rocks around the mountain to fill in the drainage. “Water!” someone yelled.Others repeated the call.“Water!” It was the group’s way of reminding each other to take a break and stay hydrated. If someone sees a rock rolling downhill, they yell “Rock!” in an alarming tone to warn the others. That only happened once on the trip. Thompson approached Marshall to map the run rock dam she was finishing up. Sky Island maps every structure, collecting data so they can revisit sites and keep track of where they’ve already built. “I’m gonna mark this because you did such a beautiful job on it,” Thompson said. “Thank you, I think it might need some more rocks,” Marshall said. Thompson took a closer look. “I think where it’s gonna fail is right here.” “Yeah, that’s exactly where,” Marshall agrees. “You want me to go find you an unemployed rock?” Thompson offers. “Sure. I need some like chinking rocks too, for underneath,” Marshall says, pointing out an awkward gap under some of the larger rocks. “A large impact on the mountain” Marshall’s first volunteer trip was about a year ago, when she joined Sky Island building erosion control structures on Mount Lemmon. That weekend, in August 2025, the group made about 40 erosion control structures, Marshall said. Seeing how vast the Catalinas were, and how much damage the Bighorn Fire had left in its wake, Marshall left the mountain that weekend wondering whether those 40 structures would make much of a difference on the mountain. Then she thought, “part of me doesn’t really care because I had a lot of fun,” she said. “And so if we even helped this one drainage, then that’s fine.”Marshall has joined about 10 volunteer trips since then. A few months later during another volunteer trip, they revisited some of the work Sky Island volunteers had done, and she was able to see how much of a difference the erosion structures could make. “They’d actually caught a lot of debris,” she said, adding that another structure a Sky Island volunteer had made in the past had a small oak tree growing out of it, already a few feet tall. “I think it’s cool that just putting down some rocks has such a large impact on the mountain,” Marshall said. “And if you scale that up to a few weekend trips a year, you can cover a lot of ground. And it’s very natural. We’re just moving some rocks around. Nothing too crazy is happening.” It only takes one storm for a newly built erosion structure to fill in with sediment, creating a terracing effect of the water, Lichtenhan said.Building a structure starts a natural process. The rock structure holds back sediment which slows down water, creating a microclimate that allows vegetation to start to grow, Lichtenhan said.“The roots from those plants hold the soil together even better than our rock structure ever could, and as that vegetation grows, it helps to shade the soil around, and that cuts down on evaporation, and that cools the soil, and that means more moisture is held in the soil over time,” Lichtenhan said. “These processes compound upon themselves and help to create a more vibrant, a more biodiverse, a more lush, and a more moist ecosystem. So the work we’re doing it’s in response to a fire, but ultimately, when this work is successful, it can decrease the frequency or intensity of burns in the future.”Six years after the fireThe Bighorn Fire started with a lighting strike on June 5, 2020. It had been months since COVID changed the way people worked and experienced everyday life. Masking, social distancing and working from home had become the norm. People were isolated. Mount Lemmon is consistently about 20 degrees cooler than Tucson, making it a popular recreational space where people go to escape the constant triple-digit heat in the summer months. Public health leaders at the time said the outdoors were safe, as long as people practiced social distancing. But when the Bighorn Fire spread across the mountain range, finding reprieve from the heat and the isolation became more difficult for Tucsonans. The forest burned for seven weeks before the fire was contained on July 23. In its wake, it left burned debris, downed trees and bare soil, most of which is still visible on the mountain six years later. Without as many trees and plants on the mountain, there was a high risk for flooding below, especially in the midst of monsoon season in Arizona, which runs from June 15 to September 30. The rain would also likely bring with it the soil and debris.“We’ve all seen those videos after a fire and then floodwaters come down and it’s just black and carrying all this stuff with it,” said Burns, referring to videos that went viral in 2020 of black sludge running through the Cañada del Oro wash – a mix of ash and debris from the mountain. Michelle Ort, a volunteer with Sky Islands who lives on the west side of Tucson, said she remembers seeing the light of the fire and smelling the smoke when she walked her dog. In the spring of 2021, Ort took a woman from El Salvador up to Mt. Lemmon. They went to the Butterfly Trail, one of Ort’s favorites. But the trail looked different, Ort said. There were fallen, burnt trees everywhere.“I was sad that a lot of the trees that had been there for a long time were gone, and that it looked so different,” they said. “But there was also a lot of new growth, like a lot of fern. So I think there was sadness and appreciation for the regrowth at the same time.”Bearing witness to a wildfireOn a summer night in June 2020, Bryon Lichtenhan grabbed his binoculars, got in his Nissan Xterra and drove north to the end of Campbell Avenue. He parked along the street and watched from the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains as the Bighorn Fire ravaged through the forest, engulfing trees in flames. Sometimes his girlfriend joined him. They were rarely alone, as others would also drive to the foothills and watch the fire, he said. Together, they were bearing witness to a wildfire that would change the way they experience Mount Lemmon.“I think it’s that kind of awe-inspiring nature of it, in a way,” Lichtenhan said. “Like, it’s just these forces that are so beyond our natural or our normal experience of the world. And you know that you’re witnessing a big change happening that’s going to affect … in my case, the rest of my life, that forest is going to be different.”As he looked up at the flames, he worried about how big the fire was getting, about what places would burn, about the wildlife that were losing their homes — and about the flooding that would inevitably follow. “At that moment there’s not anything any of us could really do to stop it or to change the fact that it was burning,” he said. “But I think just kind of bearing witness to it was a part of my growing to accept it, and also a part of my grieving process for all that we were losing.”Arizona has been in a sustained drought since the mid- to late-1990s, according to the Arizona Department of Water Resources. Under the arid conditions, the risk of wildfires remains high in the Catalinas. This summer, on Aug. 7, a lightning strike sparked the Finger Ridge Fire. It was 90% contained by Aug. 11, after burning 67 acres of land, a Coronado National Forest update said. The Mule Deer Fire in the Rincon Mountains within the Santa Catalina Ranger District was much smaller, burning 8 acres in one day before it was fully suppressed on Aug. 11, according to the Coronado National Forest. Lichtenhan understands that the work Sky Island does won’t replace what is lost in a wildfire, and it could all be undone by another wildfire. Still, he plans to keep helping forests recover and grow. “There’s nothing else I’d rather be doing. Anything I can do to make anything better for the natural world and for people, that’s what I want to be doing,” he said. “Despite everything, we still have this amazingly beautiful planet. A big way I deal with grief is by spending my time in the world and enjoying what we still have. Connecting with nature, those are the things that help me stay happy. Motivated to keep doing this work.”Four sacred mountainsOrion Leslie’s mother moved their family from the Four Corners region of the Navajo Nation to Tucson when he was a child. In his Diné, Navajo culture, they have four sacred mountains in the Four Corners, he said. “In bringing us to the city of Tucson, she also brought in, kind of interweaved our heritage with that, and explained to us that you know Tucson has its own four sacred mountains that surround this valley,” he said. “We have the Catalinas, the Rincons, the Santa Ritas, and the Tucson Mountains, and those now act as our own boundaries now in kind of rehoming, since we’re not on the reservation anymore, not within our own homelands.”His mom would take them sledding and hiking on Mount Lemmon. Leslie continued those traditions with his own two children when they were younger, taking his family camping in Mount Lemmon, at Spencer Canyon Campground, the same campground where Sky Island stays when they do erosion control work. He also runs some of the trails, and has noticed many of them, like Marshall Gulch to Aspen Trail, or the Butterfly Trail, have far fewer trees and less shade to keep him cool during those runs. He was drawn to volunteer with Sky Island because he enjoys camping and wanted to give back to the environment he has treasured his whole life. “It’s really critical you know as an individual to help sustain the environment and give my time back to the landscape that’s really helped me grow and be the person that I am,” Leslie said.Without the hundreds of volunteers that help Sky Island on all its projects, and those who donate to the organization to keep projects going, none of the restoration work would be possible, Lichtenhan said. “If it was just the 14 or 15 of us doing this work in the region we would be getting nowhere,” he said. “The fact that there are so many hundreds of people in Tucson and in the region that feel the same way and are willing to give their time and energy to these projects is what makes it at all possible.”With only a small area left to cover, the volunteers team up to build two more structures for the day. Gorton carries a heavy rock up the hillside, working with Skyler Elzy on a dam. A few feet downhill, Leslie pushes a rock the size of a large watermelon into a corner. Thompson and Marshall helped him fill in the dam which they were building against the edge of a boulder, where water would otherwise quickly fall off. Below them, Martinez cuts logs and branches and wedges them sideways against the hillside. “Nice beaver work,” Thompson tells her coworker. As the group walks back to the Crystal Springs trail, ready to jump in a swimming hole nearby to cool off, they pass a burned tree trunk a couple feet tall that threatens to fall over and into the drainage. It’s a reminder of what was lost in the Bighorn Fire, and what they’re working to bring back to the forest. ___This story was originally published by Arizona Luminaria and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press. 获取更多RSS：https://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Castle Peak is shown in an aerial view on Feb. 20, 2026, near Soda Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)2026-08-21T21:09:27Z SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California workplace safety officials have fined a guide company that was leading backcountry skiers down a mountain in February when an avalanche was triggered, killing nine members of the group in the deadliest avalanche in the state’s modern history.The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal/OSHA, issued $151,300 in fines against Blackbird Mountain Guides for seven alleged violations it found. The largest fine, $81,000, was for “failing to correct the imminent hazard posed by traveling in avalanche terrain when the avalanche danger was rated high.”The agency issued the fines earlier this month.Blackbird Mountain Guides said it has filed a formal appeal and that it believes it was in “full compliance” with all regulatory requirements. A separate investigation by Cal/OSHA’s Bureau of Investigations, which reviews workplace deaths for possible criminal charges, is ongoing, the agency said in a Friday statement. The Nevada County Sheriff’s Department has forwarded results of its own criminal investigation to the district attorney’s office for review of possible criminal charges, Capital Public Radio reported. The sheriff’s department and the DA’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The nine people who died were part of a group of 15 backcountry skiers headed out on a three-day trek organized by Blackbird Mountain Guides into pristine wilderness near Frog Lake in California’s Sierra Nevada as a powerful winter storm moved into the state. Three of the dead were guides. The skiers made their way to remote huts located at 7,600 feet (2,316 meters) in Tahoe National Forest, carrying their own food and supplies. Two days later, on Feb. 17, the group was attempting to ski down the mountain when an avalanche hit near Castle Peak, trapping them. Six skiers, including one guide, were rescued after sheltering in place for hours as searchers battled blizzard conditions to reach them. Cal/OSHA, which issued the fines on Aug. 12, found the company allegedly failed “to correct the imminent hazard posed by traveling in avalanche terrain when the avalanche danger was rated high.” The other five violations are related to alleged workplace violations, including not providing employees with effective training and failing to report the three employees’ deaths to the agency in a timely manner. Read More “The citations do not reflect the reality of our profession or the safety program we have built,” Blackbird Mountain Guides said in a statement. “Mountain guiding takes place in dynamic wilderness environments where conditions change minute to minute — it’s not a controlled setting such as construction sites. We welcome the opportunity to work with Cal/OSHA to contextualize the unique realities of operating in backcountry environments.” The guides on the trip had years of experience in backcountry skiing and certifications from the American Mountain Guides Association, which offers the highest level of training in the industry, the company said. Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. “Guides pursue knowledge and excellence as a lifelong responsibility and the guides on this trip approached their work with care and professionalism,” said Blackbird Mountain Guides owner Zeb Blais. OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ Rodríguez is an Associated Press reporter and U.S. Desk editor based in San Francisco. She was previously a Mexico and Central America Correspondent for the AP based in Mexico City. twitter mailto

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 20: Ben Rice #22 and Jazz Chisholm Jr. #13 of the New York Yankees celebrate after defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates at Yankee Stadium on July 20, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across Major League Baseball. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Yankees fans and fans across the country.The New York Yankees are the New York Yankees. This statement means that getting into the dance isn’t enough outside extreme circumstances. And if we’re being honest, whatever their circumstances are, the Yankees should have enough firepower to go toe-to-toe with anyone in the American League.The gap to the Rays makes it extremely plausible that the Yankees don’t win the AL East. Still, FanDuel has the Yankees as the likeliest World Series winner on the American League side, with +750 odds. Consequently, the Yankees show up as the favorites to win the American League at +280 odds, just ahead of the Rays and Red Sox, in a trio of AL East clubs leading the packAs the Yankees aim for their second AL pennant in the past three years, we asked, “What concerns you the most in this challenging effort?”Virtually all the voters, 98% to be exact, acknowledged something that raised doubts heading into the playoffs, with the disappointment of last year lingering quite heavily. As much as we can talk about the grass always being greener and several opponents also sharing concerns, it’s important to understand your weaknesses heading into such a crucial period of the season.In a way, this poll has many connecting points and is primarily attempting to assess one’s focal point of frustration. Part of the faltering offense is due to the key injuries (although the pitching staff still has notable absences); one can also connect it to the struggles of deadline acquisitions. Key injuries put a bigger strain on those very same key deadline acquisitions, and so on and so forth.The injury to Max Fried is a heavy blow, but through adversity, this pitching staff has thrived all year long. It makes sense that the majority of voters would focus on the general failing of an offense that has scored three or fewer runs in 12 out of the Yankees’ last 21 games.As contagious as a rolling offense is, a struggling one can carry the same effect. Your hitters who are performing well start to press because they feel they must carry the load all by themselves—we discussed the negative effects of this with a hitter like Ben Rice here, whose second-half struggles might undermine the narrative of his 2026 campaign. And the hitters who have been struggling all season, of whom there are far too many, seem to dig too deep a hole to climb out of.We’d be remiss to write this article and not touch on the elephant in the room that is Aaron Judge and all that he represents to each of those options on the poll. Although this is a speculative theory, perhaps what led to such a discrepancy between votes for a faltering offense and key injuries was the optimism from a recent Judge update. After an unsettling period of silence, Aaron Boone updated the media ahead of the series finale against the Orioles with news that Judge has hit off a tee two days in a row and appears to be slowly progressing toward a return. It makes sense that the Yankees will be conservative, eyeing October above all else with their prized superstar, but the optimism in his availability has increased.Thoughts from Aaron Boone, starting with the latest on Ryan McMahon. #YANKSonYESpic.twitter.com/MsklwfRYzw— YES Network (@YESNetwork) August 20, 2026The Yankees’ offensive struggles run deep enough that even with Judge potentially available in the playoffs, one could still share some concern about this lineup’s ability to deliver when it matters most. That being said, it’s as much of a game changer as one could ever wish for.Speaking of optimism, if we want a bit of that in the near future, a repeat look against a Blue Jays staff in the span of a week—a couple of series against the Astros and Angels, whose pitching is questionable, all present opportunities for this offense to come alive. Or at least, more realistically, produce somewhat consistently, which would already be a plus.

(L-R) Peyton Manning and Marshall Manning in 2024; Marshall Manning on Aug. 20Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images; SportsCenter NEXT/X.comNEED TO KNOWMarshall Manning made his high school debut on Thursday, Aug. 20Channeling his Hall of Fame father Peyton Manning, Marshall threw a completion on his first snapMarshall is the backup quarterback at the Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tenn.The latest iteration of Manning quarterback has entered the chat.Marshall Manning, the 15-year-old son of Peyton, made his high school debut on Thursday, Aug. 20 and resembled his Hall of Famer father.In Marshall’s first appearance with the Baylor School (Chattanooga, Tenn.), he was inserted into the game behind starting quarterback and Ole Miss commit Keegan Croucher in the second quarter against Brentwood Academy (Nashville), which was broadcast nationally on ESPN2.In his first varsity snap, the freshman signal-caller — wearing No. 16, just as his father did at Tennessee — launched a pass to junior receiver Antwaun Adams for eight yards and a first down, according to The Tennessean.2030 QB Marshall Manning, son of Peyton Manning, just made his debut with Baylor School (TN) 😧🔥 pic.twitter.com/9z8katUCgu— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) August 21, 2026Manning’s action was limited to a few snaps in the game, but a recent viral video showed that he was ready for some high school football.In the video from April, Manning looked like he inherited all of the best attributes of his dad plus his uncle Eli Manning and grandfather Archie Manning — and he seems to be following quickly in the footsteps of his cousin, University of Texas star quarterback Arch Manning.(L-R) Marshall Manning with Peyton Manning after the Broncos’ Super Bowl win in 2016Credit: Ezra Shaw/GettyMarshall showed off his speed and accuracy in the montage of reps. At one point, the teenager went long for an impressive touchdown-in-the-making.Peyton and his wife Ashley’s only son — who has a twin sister, Mosley — transferred from Denver, Colo. to the Baylor School last year before the eighth grade, The Tennessean reported at the time.Follow your favorite athletes on and off the field with PEOPLE’s free sports newsletter — sign up now!The youngest of the Manning quarterbacks, Marshall also seemingly shares his father and uncles’ trademark sense of humor.In 2021, when Peyton coached Marshall’s flag football team called the Bills, the younger Manning opted to wear “J. Allen” on his back. “Tell me how to interpret that,” Peyton joked to Bills quarterback on a ManningCast episode that year. “And would you please tell him that’s not a nice way to treat his father?”Read the original article on People

The 2025-26 NBA season proved to be quite disappointing for the Denver Nuggets in a tight Western Conference, and the franchise is aiming to battle back with the addition of DeMar DeRozan.The six-time NBA All-Star reportedly is signing with the Nuggets before the 2026-27 campaign, per ESPN insider Shams Charania. DeRozan joins Nikola Jokic and Denver after spending last year with the Sacramento Kings.Meanwhile, DeRozan now has an opportunity to join a talented roster looking to restore success in the West. This marks the NBA veteran’s fifth stop in the league starting his career with the Toronto Raptors in 2009.DeRozan, a former college basketball star at USC, is entering his 18th NBA season. However, he’s still shown an elite ability to contribute and that’s a major win for the Nuggets heading into next year.MORE: Projecting the 2026 Miami Heat starting lineup after Klay Thompson signingHere’s how Denver will likely send out their starting five for the upcoming 2026 NBA season.Projected Nuggets lineup with DeMar DeRozanSacramento Kings guard DeMar DeRozan dribbles against New Orleans Pelicans guard Micah Peavy. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)The Nuggets have a lot of heavy competition in the Western Conference, and truthfully DeRozan doesn’t put the team above the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs. However, the 37-year-old small forward offers another quality scorer capable of dropping double-digits.MORE: James Harden joins exclusive club in NBA career earningsLast season, the Kings relied heavily on DeRozan despite his age. He still managed to contribute significantly with over 18 points per game while shooting nearly 50 percent from the field.Center: Nikola JokicPower forward: Aaron GordonSmall forward: DeMar DeRozan Shooting guard: Christian BraunPoint guard: Jamal MurraySixth man: Cameron JohnsonHow will DeRozan fit with Denver?Denver needs another quality player to help stretch the floor alongside Jokic and Murray. DeRozan managed to play over 31 minutes per game last season for the Kings, which goes to show he’s still up for an important role in Denver.The Nuggets certainly are tied down to DeRozan based on his one-year, $3.5 million contract. Although, his veteran status is a big bonus for a franchise looking to regain its stature in the West after falling behind the conference’s top teams.Jokic undoubtedly remains the focal point of Denver’s offense heading into next season, but the Serbian star may be running out of time and needs a jolt to the franchise in addition to Gordon returning from injury.— Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories with The Big Lead Newsletter —

The 2026 high school football season already had a marquee event in Princeton's victory over Moeller at Paycor Stadium on Aug. 20, but the first Friday night of high school football in Cincinnati is sure to bring more.The Ohio High School Athletic Association state championships will be from Dec. 3-5 in Canton. To get to Week 16, the success starts now. Top games include the Lakota West and St. Xavier showdown, Middletown visits Elder and La Salle and Colerain meet in other Greater Catholic League-South against Greater Miami Conference games. Hamilton and Badin will meet in the intra-city game and Anderson brings in Kentucky powerhouse Louisville Trinity.Refresh or check back to this story throughout the night for updates on top games and live scores from across Cincinnati.More: Kicking off 2026 Enquirer fall football coverage with previewsThis article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati high school football 2026 Week 1 scores | Live updates

The 2026 high school football season already had a marquee event in Princeton's victory over Moeller at Paycor Stadium on Aug. 20, but the first Friday night of high school football in Cincinnati is sure to bring more.The Ohio High School Athletic Association state championships will be from Dec. 3-5 in Canton. To get to Week 16, the success starts now. Top games include the Lakota West and St. Xavier showdown, Middletown visits Elder and La Salle and Colerain meet in other Greater Catholic League-South against Greater Miami Conference games. Hamilton and Badin will meet in the intra-city game and Anderson brings in Kentucky powerhouse Louisville Trinity.Refresh or check back to this story throughout the night for updates on top games and live scores from across Cincinnati.More: Kicking off 2026 Enquirer fall football coverage with previewsThis article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati high school football 2026 Week 1 scores | Live updates

Actor Rob Lowe admitted yesterday in a conversation with Oprah Winfrey on his podcast Literally! With Rob Lowe that he was repeatedly called a “fa**ot” during his childhood because he was “pretty,” USA Today reported. “I wish that when I was younger I was cute. What I actually was, was pretty,” Lowe said. “And that, as a boy, is not what you want to be.” Related Rosie O’Donnell mocks “Mango Mussolini” in hilarious late-night monologue “I got that 24/7. This is the first time I’ve ever talked about it,” he said, adding that he has long followed a “never complain, never explain” approach to life. “So people talk … about me. So what?” he added. “But the truth of it is, we know today that that stuff affects you…. If it had happened to me in today’s culture, there would have been an audience [for it,]” he said, noting how much has changed culturally since the now-62-year-old’s childhood. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Lowe began acting during his late teen years in iconic films like The Outsiders and St. Elmo’s Fire. During his young adulthood, played the villain in film comedies like Wayne’s World and Tommy Boy. He has since appeared in numerous films and TV shows, including the 2013 Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra. In a 2014 interview, Lowe framed support for gay rights in libertarian terms, telling The Washington Post, “My thing is personal freedoms, freedoms for the individual to love whom they want, do with what they want… I want the government out of almost everything… [including] the right for individuals to love whomever they choose.” Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

The UN flag flies on a stormy day at the United Nations during the United Nations General Assembly, Sept. 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)2026-08-21T21:40:56Z WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government has notified Congress of its plans to pay $850 million of the several billion it owes to the United Nations, the largest payment the Trump administration would make to the world body since it demanded sweeping reforms in exchange for continued support as its largest donor.The State Department laid out its plans to transfer $725 million as part of its dues to the regular U.N. budget and $125 million toward U.N. peacekeeping operations in Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to notifications sent to lawmakers this month and obtained by The Associated Press.The U.S. is behind on about $5 billion in dues related to its U.N. membership, with more than $2 billion owed toward the regular budget and $3 billion for peacekeeping operations, the United Nations says.In February, the Trump administration made a single payment of $160 million shortly after U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the institution was facing “imminent financial collapse” unless its financial rules were overhauled or all 193 member nations paid their dues, a message clearly directed at the United States. President Donald Trump and his allies have spent the past year and a half demanding drastic changes across the U.N., alarming many humanitarian workers and leading to severe reductions in programs and services. Trump has publicly called out the world body for not living up to its potential. His administration did not pay anything to the United Nations in 2025, and it has withdrawn from U.N. organizations, including the World Health Organization and the cultural agency UNESCO, while pulling funding from dozens of others. The notices sent Aug. 4 — first reported by Reuters — received some initial pushback from Republicans on Capitol Hill who argued that the appropriations do not fully address the administration’s concerns about what it claims is bloated U.N. staffing and ideological positions that run counter to Trump’s anti-woke agenda. Read More In particular, a GOP congressional aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity because lawmakers have not yet decided how or if to respond to the notifications, said the notifications did not appear to be strong enough on the withholding of U.S. assistance to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees. This is our AP Ground Game newsletter. You can subscribe below and we will email it you 3 times per week. Sign up for the Ground Game Newsletter: Your guide to the biggest stories in politics, policy and U.S. elections. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The U.S. mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ___Amiri reported from New York. FARNOUSH AMIRI Amiri covers foreign policy and the United Nations as a correspondent for The Associated Press, based in New York. twitter mailto

This photo provided by Jimmy Fee shows Walter Chapman, left, and Damon Sacco, captain of the Castafari, right, posing with an enormous blue marlin that they caught off the coast of Massachusetts, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, in Falmouth, Mass. (Jimmy Fee via AP)2026-08-21T21:45:20Z PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Damon Sacco had never seen anything like the fish he and fellow anglers fought for hours in the waters off Massachusetts. As it rose from the depths, it looked like a glimmering blue spaceship.Sacco, a longtime Massachusetts charter fishing boat captain, saw the giant fin break the surface, and at first he thought he was dealing with an enormous shark.“Then I got a better look at it and thought, dang, that thing’s pointed,” he said. “But that’s too big for a marlin.”He was wrong. Sacco and his client Walter Chapman landed what they and others believe is the largest Atlantic blue marlin ever caught off the U.S. East Coast on Wednesday. The massive billfish, more than 11 feet (335 cm) in length, weighed 1,260 pounds (571.5 kilograms) when they got it back to land in Falmouth, Massachusetts.That was just 142 pounds (64.4 kilograms) shy of the world record for an Atlantic blue marlin, caught off Brazil in 1992, according to records kept by the International Game Fish Association. To catch such a huge fish off New England might be even more remarkable, said Walt Golet, director of the University of Maine Pelagic Fisheries Lab and an associate professor at the university’s marine sciences school. The water is too cold for them in the Northeast most of the year, making the window to catch a big one very narrow.The fish’s head was on its way to the UMaine lab to determine its age, said Golet, who speculated that it could be in the range of 25 to 30 years. “I don’t suspect there will be a whole lot of blue marlin caught in the Atlantic in general that are going to top 1,200 pounds for the next several years,” he said. Read More On the day of the catch, Sacco’s charter boat, Castafari, was fishing Atlantis Canyon, an underwater canyon on the edge of the continental shelf about 100 miles (160 kilometers) off Cape Cod. The highly migratory blue marlin is a seasonal visitor to the area, Golet said.The battle with the marlin took about three hours and was fought on rod and reel by Chapman. Sacco said his role for most of the adventure was to “drive the bus around and yell at people.” He added that the fish left a couple of holes in the boat’s transom with its bill that he considers “war marks.” Chapman, a retiree and lifelong fisherman from Plymouth, said the meat of the fish was divided among about a dozen people, and he’s currently looking up recipes for what to do with it. He said the marlin is unquestionably the biggest fish he’s ever fought on a line, and some of it’s probably destined for fish chowder. Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. “I wasn’t going to eat a 1,200 pound fish all by myself,” Chapman said.When the boat returned to the docks, a crowd was waiting, and weighing the fish became a brief spectacle. Onlooker Katie Curran of Falmouth said it was spectacular.“People fish their entire lives and never come close to a catch like this,” Curran said. “Hats off to Captain Damon Sacco and the crew on the catch of a lifetime.” PATRICK WHITTLE Whittle is an Associated Press reporter based in Portland, Maine. He focuses on the environment and oceans. twitter mailto

FILE -Nigerian President Bola Tinubu speaks to the media ahead of his meeting with Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer inside 10 Downing Street in London, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, Pool, File)2026-08-21T21:31:51Z ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu on Friday ordered an investigation into a man accused of creating and running a fake government agency, the second such agency uncovered in the country in recent weeks.Musa Adamu Aliyu, the head of the country’s corruption watchdog, announced the investigation after briefing the president in the capital, Abuja.The latest bogus agency, called the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, was operating illegally from a government office and was headed by George Buchi Nwabueze, authorities said.The scandal is the latest involving an allegedly fake government agency under Tinubu’s administration. Last month, authorities discovered that another purported agency, the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, had operated for years, with its director meeting government officials and accessing public funds. The man accused of creating the first bogus agency was arrested by police. Aliyu said the investigation into the first agency led to the discovery of the second.Analysts believe the perpetrators are working with senior government officials to use the agencies to siphon money from the national budget.Aliyu did not say whether the accused man had profited from the scheme before it was uncovered.Three senior government officials have been suspended, and authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Nwabueze.____AP’s Africa coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/africa 获取更多RSS：https://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz speaks during a ceremony at the government palace in La Paz, Bolivia, June 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)2026-08-21T21:31:14Z LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — In a sign of how things have been going for Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz lately, being forced to fire his economy minister on Friday was not the worst news of his week.Over seven days, Paz has been besieged on multiple fronts, challenging his capacity and weakening his already fragile political position.His main congressional ally broke with his party, fracturing support for his agenda as he struggles to pull Bolivia away from nearly two decades of one-party socialist rule. An abrupt fuel price hike threatened to reignite public unrest. And his influential adviser was arrested over the shooting of a woman who claims to have evidence of corruption inside his government.“These are not easy times for the country,” Paz said on Thursday. After a dizzying rise to power last year, Paz has spent his nine months in office growing accustomed to hard times. Just six of the 15 ministers he originally appointed remain in their posts after a succession of political ruptures, corruption scandals and street protests. His partnership with Vice President Edman Lara — whose populist appeal helped Paz win last year’s election — has rapidly deteriorated into open hostility. His efforts to shore up Bolivia’s scarce fuel supplies backfired when contaminated gasoline damaged more than 10,000 vehicles and led to the arrest of his ex-hydrocarbons minister. The seat of his government came under siege for almost eight weeks as dynamite-wielding protesters demanded his resignation. Paz weathered it all. But analysts say the latest blows could pose his greatest challenge yet.Here’s a brief review of the week’s damage in Bolivia: Economy minister oustedPaz on Friday dismissed Economy Minister José Gabriel Espinoza, the architect of his government’s pro-market overhaul, days after Congress voted to force Espinoza out.Lawmakers seized on a scandal surrounding Espinoza’s purchase of a luxury car and his failure to attend a congressional hearing about the economy to channel their mounting frustration over Bolivia’s stubborn inflation and chronic shortages of fuel and foreign currency reserves. Read More Prosecutors on Monday opened a criminal investigation into allegations that he falsified documents and misrepresented his income in connection with his purchase of an Audi Q4 for $5,000 — far below market value. He has attributed the discrepancy to a clerical error and denied wrongdoing.Paz initially slammed the congressional vote as unconstitutional and insisted Espinoza would remain in office. But he soon backed down, exposing his weakness in Congress after the center-right National Unity party, a key legislative ally, broke with him last week over his reliance on presidential decrees. “The vote on Espinoza showed the country what had until then been unclear: the true balance of power,” said Veronica Rocha, a Bolivian political analyst. “That balance is unfavorable to the government, which is now dependent on what other parties and lawmakers do.” Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. Espinoza’s dismissal deprives Paz’s economic rescue effort of its chief strategist just as he needs Congress to approve a $1.9 billion deal with the International Monetary Fund, unlock a $200 million World Bank loan and pass legislation to bring dollars into Bolivia as discontent simmers over the pain of his fiscal adjustment. After his government slashed long-standing generous fuel subsidies last year, driving up prices for ordinary Bolivians, it raised the price of diesel for bulk purchases by 84% this week, infuriating farmers and prompting calls for a mass strike.“He’s gotten some victories with the IMF deal, at least in principle, and with other multilateral loans,” said Casey Cagley, a senior adviser at Red Telescope Global, a Seattle-based strategic advisory firm, who studies Bolivia. “But that hasn’t translated into help with affordability or any significant reform.” Informal adviser arrestedThe week’s most explosive development came Tuesday, when Bolivian police arrested Fernando Cerimedo, an Argentine political strategist with close ties to Paz who has run digital strategy for right-wing leaders across the region including Argentine President Javier Milei and former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Prosecutors charged Cerimedo with attempted femicide after two men disguised as delivery workers shot his former romantic partner, Bolivian lawyer Nadia Beller, three times outside a hotel. From her hospital bed, Beller, 33, accused Cerimedo of orchestrating the attack to silence her because she has evidence that she says implicates him and people close to Paz in corruption.Cerimedo denied involvement in the attack.A medical report that Beller shared with The Associated Press documented wounds to her breast, arm, neck and shoulders, including a shattered bone requiring surgery, and said she was four to six weeks pregnant.Prosecutors then raided four properties linked to Cerimedo after Beller posted photos of drawers stuffed with cash. They reported seizing more than 500,000 bolivianos — roughly $44,000 — along with undisclosed amounts of dollars and euros. Investigators also confiscated equipment they described as a “bot farm,” an automated network of fake social media accounts. “This case could shake the government, so they need to respond to these allegations,” Senator José Manuel Ormachea told reporters from Congress on Tuesday. “Otherwise, this chaos will leave them hanging by a thread.” Paz’s government downplayed Cerimedo’s influence, saying he was “a very important adviser during the campaign,” who is now “consulted from time to time.” Paz’s detractors in government, including Vice President Lara, disputed that account, describing the consultant as a powerful, shadowy figure who controlled communications and pushed government appointments.“Paz may survive all of this,” Cagley said of the week’s political setbacks. “But it’s going to be very, very bumpy.”___DeBre reported from Buenos Aires, Argentina. ISABEL DEBRE DeBre writes about Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay for The Associated Press, based in Buenos Aires. Before moving to South America in 2024, she covered the Middle East reporting from Jerusalem, Cairo and Dubai. twitter mailto

Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson handles the ball during an NBA basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks in Dallas, March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)2026-08-21T20:43:04Z DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Mavericks and Klay Thompson have agreed on a contract buyout, ending a two-year tenure that was wrecked by the shocking trade of Luka Doncic.Thompson intends to sign with the Miami Heat once he clears waivers, according to a person familiar with the five-time All-Star’s plans. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday because Thompson has yet to reveal that detail publicly. Assuming he is not claimed by another club, Thompson may be able to sign with the Heat as early as Sunday.The buyout announcement comes after the Mavericks missed the playoffs in both of Thompson’s seasons, which came after Doncic led Dallas to the NBA Finals in 2024.Thompson joined Dallas in a sign-and-trade with Golden State, giving the Mavericks one of the league’s all-time great 3-point shooters to complement Doncic and another high-scoring guard in Kyrie Irving. But the high hopes for that threesome imploded after the Mavericks sent Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for the oft-injured Anthony Davis in a deal before the trade deadline in 2025. Irving tore the ACL in his left knee a month later and hasn’t played since. Davis was traded to the Washington Wizards just before the February trade deadline last season.The Doncic trade ended up derailing the franchise, although Dallas overcame steep odds to win the draft lottery a few months later. With the No. 1 overall pick, the Mavericks selected Duke star freshman Cooper Flagg, who ended up winning Rookie of the Year and giving the franchise new hope. The addition of Flagg helped led to Thompson coming off the bench in most games for the first time since his rookie year with Golden State. Read More The buyout of Thompson is the latest in a major retooling of the Dallas roster. His departure leaves just five players from opening day two years ago, along a new front office in president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri and general manager Mike Schmitz and a new coach in Dusty May, who replaced Jason Kidd. Thompson won four NBA titles alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green with the Warriors. The 36-year-old spent his first 13 seasons with Golden State, although he missed two entire seasons with knee and Achilles injuries. The five-time All-Star averaged 12.9 points and shot 39% from 3-point range in his two years with the Mavericks. His career marks are 19.6 points per game and 41% shooting from beyond the arc.Thompson passed Damian Lillard for fourth place on the career 3-point list in January. He has 2,899 3-pointers, trailing Curry, James Harden and Ray Allen.Thompson missed the playoffs just twice in the 11 seasons he played for the Warriors. He matched that number in his only two seasons with Dallas.“Klay is one of the great players and competitors of his generation, and we are grateful for everything he brought to the Mavericks organization,” Ujiri said. “We have tremendous respect for Klay and all that he has accomplished throughout his career.”___AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this story.___See AP’s full NBA coverage here 获取更多RSS：https://feedx.net https://feedx.site