Journalist: Liverpool have set their sights on move for forward with ‘ridiculous’ numbersLiverpool Transfer News: Yan Diomande, Bradley Barcola and a Summer Built Around WingersOn Anfield Index’s Media Matters podcast, Dave Davis and David Lynch moved from the emotion of Liverpool’s final day into the business that now defines the summer, and the conversation quickly narrowed around one question, where does Liverpool find the winger it needs?Davis framed it as “the business end of the season” giving way to “the summer business”, before pointing to Yan Diomande as a name that had gathered force. His summary was direct, “RB Leipzig winger Yande remains a priority when he’s talking about Salah’s replacement.” From there, Lynch made clear that Liverpool’s interest is not casual. “I think he’s going to be the number one winger target out of anyone who’s available on the market.”Liverpool need wide attacking certaintyThe Diomande discussion came after a broader assessment of Liverpool’s attack. Lynch had already warned that “they’ve got to make some more signings there this summer” and described the need for “a reliable source of 20 odd Premier League goals and, you know, 10 assists.” In that context, Liverpool’s winger search is not decorative. It is structural.Lynch’s point was not that Diomande guarantees that output. In fact, he was careful to stress risk. “That’s not a guarantee of success,” he said, adding that Diomande “looks like the best available player out there to kind of help try and solve that problem.”That is the heart of Liverpool’s dilemma. The club need immediate impact, but the market may be offering elite potential rather than finished certainty.Yan Diomande as priority targetLynch’s admiration for Yan Diomande was unmistakable. “He’s been the one who’s most concretely linked, the one that they seem to like the most,” he said. He also emphasised the data profile, “his numbers are just ridiculous.”The concern is timing. Lynch called him “a teenager coming to a new league” and “the hardest league of all”, with “no space to operate in” and “all the physicality that goes on.” That matters because Liverpool, as Lynch put it, need someone who can “hit the ground running.”Still, when asked whether Liverpool would push if they could, Davis put it plainly, “you do get the serious impression that if Liverpool can get this done, they’re just going to try and get it done.” Lynch later added, “he would definitely be a good signing.”Photo: IMAGOBradley Barcola remains part of the equationDavis then put the hierarchy simply, “it kind of feels like Diamande one, Barcola two at the moment.” Lynch agreed, “Yeah, definitely.”Bradley Barcola enters the picture because PSG’s interest in Diomande could change the shape of the market. Lynch explained, “if they get him then Barcola is available.” He also said Barcola is “a player Liverpool have watched a lot and like for a while.”There is a caveat. Lynch’s worry was positional, “he does kind of prefer that left hand side” and there is “not a lot of data on him playing on the right.” His conclusion was clear, “Liverpool definitely needs someone who’s capable of playing there.”PSG factor sharpens Liverpool decisionThe biggest obstacle may be PSG. Lynch said their interest is “a massive factor” and added, “you wouldn’t lean towards Liverpool being favourites at this moment.” Yet he also described a convincing Liverpool pitch, “you are going to start the majority of the games here” and “we need someone on that right hand side.”For Liverpool, Yan Diomande looks like the priority, Bradley Barcola the logical alternative, and the need for a winger unavoidable. Lynch’s final assessment captured it best, “he really would be a perfect signing in so so many ways.”

Saints rookie WR not named Jordyn Tyson predicted to have 'massive impact' in 2026 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The New Orleans Saints came into the NFL offseason with a clear need for wide receiver help. While they didn't add anyone of note in free agency, they did splurge in the NFL Draft.Jordyn Tyson was their first-round pick at No. 8 overall, and along with Chris Olave, that new WR duo should be just what Tyler Shough needs to make the next step as a quarterback.However, Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski is predicting that a different rookie WR than Tyson will have a "massive impact" on the Saints offense in2 026. That rookie is the brother of Trey Lance and fourth-round pick Bryce Lance.Saints' Bryce Lance predicted to have 'massive impact' on 2026 offense"Bryce Lance has the physical ability and potential opportunity to become a significant contributor sooner rather than later," Sobleski writes.If the Saints were able to get great production from Lance, their fourth-round pick at No. 136 overall, it would be a great sign for not just the offense and Shough but especially for Lance.However, in predicting that Lance would be a positive contributor for the Saints in 2026, Sobleski paired it with a negative: "The odds are Lance is going to be on the field filling in for one of the Saints' top targets at some point, and he can then be highlighted."Even though the Saints getting a productive rookie year from Lance would be a good thing, if it coincided with Olave and Tyson getting hurt, it would be far from ideal.MORE: Bears need Luther Burden III and Colston Loveland to step up with DJ Moore tradedBoth top receivers for the Saints have some injury question marks, so it wouldn't be a total surprise if they missed a game or two in 2026.However, to predict that Lance will break out as a rookie, thanks in part to an injury to Tyson or Olave, would not be an ideal way for the North Dakota State rookie to break out.Ideally, Tyson and Olave are an elite one-two punch, while Lance could factor in as a downfield threat who could take on a similar role to what Rashid Shaheed had for the Saints the last few years.Lance making a "massive impact" as a rookie, as Sobleski predicts, would be incredible for the Saints, but only as long as it doesn't come at the expense of Olave or Tyson.More NFL news:Stefon Diggs linked to Rams, Chiefs, Commanders after Patriots release49ers and Chiefs rumored as Eagles trade partner for AJ BrownHarold Fannin Jr. will need to prove his worth in Todd Monken’s Browns offenseBengals fans should worry about second-year linebackers in 2026Seahawks’ Nick Emmanwori can be an All-Pro if he plays better in pass coverage

Quiet Aliyah Boston happy to stack up numbers for Fever as Caitlin Clark gets headlines originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Is Aliyah Boston actually the Indiana Fever's best player?While explosive scoring guards Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell continue to generate the most attention, it is Boston who remains the Fever's fulcrum, the steady heartbeat of a team with WNBA championship ambitions this season.MORE: Caitlin Clark, Raven Johnson silence old controversy with viral Fever momentAfter signing the richest contract in WNBA history by total value, Boston is eyeing her fourth All-Star appearance in as many professional seasons. Though she started a little slowly -- and missed the first game of her pro career with a lower leg injury -- Boston has roared into gear over the Fever's past two games.Boston scored 24 points and added eight rebounds in the Fever's 90-73 win over the Portland Fire without Clark, who missed the game with a back injury. In Friday's 90-82 win against the Golden State Valkyries, Boston recorded a 20-point, 16-rebound double-double. In the two games, Boston showed off her expanding range as she hit on three 3-pointers.After back-to-back games scoring fewer than 10 points, Aliyah Boston bounced back in a big way last week, helping guide Indiana to a (2-0) week.She posted consecutive 20-point performances, averaging (22.0) points, (12.0) rebounds, (3.0) assists, and (2.0) steals across the two… pic.twitter.com/aXQ8IbudQk— I talk hoops 🏀 (@trendyhoopstars) May 25, 2026Boston had scored a combined 13 points in the previous two games against the Los Angeles Sparks and the Washington Mystics, and her bounce back has put her season averages in line with what had become the expectation for her.Now averaging 16.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.4 stocks per game, Boston is thriving while the spotlight shines elsewhere in Indiana. That suits her just fine.More WNBA news:Storm's Awa Fam made history in her delayed WNBA debutFever's Caitlin Clark once again makes basketball history never done before in WNBAIndiana Fever announce Caitlin Clark’s arrival at Indy 500 in viral momentIt's time for Wings' Azzi Fudd to get her chance as a starter

🚨Italy squad list: the generational shift beginsItaly have announced their squad for the pre-World Cup friendlies, which, as is already known, they will not be playing in.However, Silvio Baldini has begun the transition until the Federation announces its new coach, naming a squad packed with youngsters.As can clearly be seen, the 'big stars' have been left at home to make way for gems such as Samuele Inacio, Luca Reggiani, Fini, Venturino, among others.This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

Notre Dame vs. Princeton box score: Live stats from NCAA men's lacrosse national championship originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.No. 1 Princeton and No. 2 Notre Dame meet to crown a new national champion in NCAA Men’s Lacrosse. This will be one of the best games this season and it comes on the perfect stage.Notre Dame seeks a third national championship in the last four seasons. Another title will put them further in the dynasty conversation behind one of the biggest transfers Josh Yago.Princeton will try for its first national championship since 2001. But they're also the No. 1 overall seed and carry momentum after a convincing win over Duke in the semifinal. The National Championship Game goes down at University of Virginia's Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia at 1 p.m. ET on Monday. 1st Quarter- 8:312026 NCAA Men's Lacrosse National Championship1234TotalNo. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (13-2)3No. 1 Princeton Tigers (16-2)0Notre Dame vs. Princeton live box score NCAA men's lacrosse national championship Notre Dame Fighting IrishNONamePOSGASHSOGGB77LUKE MILLER0100012JOSH YAGO101101THOMAS RICCIARDELLI000014MATT JEFFERY1021010WILL ANGRICK0100016WILL MAHERAS1011090SHAWN LYGHT0000021BROCK BEHRMAN0010027NATE SCHWITZENBERG0000047WILL GALLAGHER000009AIDAN DIAZ-MATOS0000023MAX BUSENKELL0010025TYLER SPANO0011155CHRISTOPHER IULIANO0000044KYLE BERGEN00000Total32742GoaliesPOSMINSAVESGATotal0420Princeton TigersNONamePOSGASHSOGGB15HUNTER SPIESS0000019TUCKER WADE0031017FINN FOX0000010CHAD PALUMBO0011026RYAN CRODDICK0000028JACK STAHL000008PARKER REYNOLDS0000048JOHN DUNPHEY000002NATE KABIRI00001COLIN BURNS0000077AIDAN MCDONALD0000136JAKE VANA0000132ANDREW MCMEEKIN00001Total00424GoaliesPOSMINSAVESGATotal0413How to watch Notre Dame vs. Princeton: 2026 NCAA women's lacrosse national championshipDate: Monday, May 25Time: 1 p.m. ETTV: ESPNMore NCAA NewsDeion Sanders buyout, contract details as Colorado Buffaloes coachDiego Pavia makes terrible mistake ahead of 2026 NFL DraftTodd McShay said the uncomfortable thing out loud about Diego PaviaShedeur Sanders is all over social media after Colorado GPA surfacesBill Belichick, Jordon Hudson at Kentucky Derby leaves everyone saying the same thing

Pope Leo XIV, left, greets Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah during the presentation of the Pope's first encyclical, "Magnifica humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence," at the Vatican, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)2026-05-25T09:31:58Z VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV called Monday for robust regulation of artificial intelligence and for its developers to work for the common good rather than profit, issuing a sweeping manifesto on safeguarding humankind as the technology impacts everything from work to war.“Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity), Leo’s first encyclical, has been eagerly awaited ever since history’s first U.S.-born pope announced days after his election that he considered AI to be the biggest challenge facing humanity today.In the text, Leo denounced the “culture of power” driving the AI race, especially in developing ever more sophisticated methods of remote warfare. He declared that it was “not permissible” to entrust irreversible, lethal decisions to AI systems, setting up another flash point between the American pope and the Trump administration, which has worked aggressively to deregulate AI development. “Artificial Intelligence now demands to be disarmed, freed from logics that turn it into an instrument of domination, exclusion and death,″ the pope told a special Vatican presentation of the encyclical, one of the most authoritative types of teaching documents a pope can issue. Experts in the tech industry, academia and Catholic morality said the document will likely become a benchmark in the debate over AI, a point of reference for policymakers, researchers and ordinary folk alike. It comes as the near-daily developments in the technology trigger concerns over AI replacing human jobs and even human intelligence. Read More Taylor Black, a Microsoft AI executive and director of Catholic University of America’s AI institute, said the document would prompt people “at the forefront of these tools” to ask questions such as “What does it mean to be human?” Pope Leo XIV attends the presentation of his first encyclical, “Magnifica humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence,” at the Vatican, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Pope Leo XIV attends the presentation of his first encyclical, “Magnifica humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence,” at the Vatican, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Pope calls out AI companies even as he hosts AnthropicThe Vatican launch also included remarks by the co-founder of Anthropic, which is currently locked in a legal battle with the Trump administration over access to its AI technology. The Vatican decided to involve Anthropic as part of its decade-long effort to engage Silicon Valley in dialogue over the human cost of AI.And yet in his text, Leo repeatedly blasted the concentration of power and data in the hands of so few people in the private sector as a danger, especially to children and the most vulnerable, and called for external regulation of their work.“It is not enough to invoke ethics in the abstract; robust legal frameworks, independent oversight, informed users and a political system that does not abdicate its responsibility are required,” he wrote. “A more moral AI is not enough if that morality is determined by a few.” Leo appealed to AI developers and political leaders responsible for regulating them to slow down and reflect on what they are doing. He urged them to use ethical and spiritual guidelines to make the choice to work not for their own profit or power, but the betterment of humanity. Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah speaks during the presentation of Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, “Magnifica humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence,” at the Vatican, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah speaks during the presentation of Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, “Magnifica humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence,” at the Vatican, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More AI competitors OpenAI and Anthropic are the second- and third-most valuable U.S. private companies, each valued at hundreds of billions of dollars, more than the GDP of many nations. Both companies are heading toward near-trillion dollar IPOs. Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah welcomed Leo’s criticism and concern. He said such external checks were fundamental to the technology “going well” for humankind since there is so much at stake — “a real possibility that AI will displace human labor at a very large scale.” “We need more of the world — religious communities, civil society, scholars, governments — to do what His Holiness has done here: to take this seriously, to look closely, and to push events in a better direction,” Olah said. “We need moral voices that the incentives cannot bend.” Experts say the text will become a benchmarkIn a methodical text, the math major pope traced the history of the Catholic Church’s social teaching and applied its core concepts — justice, solidarity, the dignity of work and the universal destination of resources — to the digital revolution.“I am convinced that this will prove to be a defining document for our era, a profound and prophetic document,” said Paolo Carozza, law professor at Notre Dame Law School and chair of the Meta Oversight Board.“Pope Leo is offering a clear, comprehensive, and coherent voice urging us to take responsibility for constructing a world in which technology will serve humans rather than degrade them,” he said. Pope Leo XIV, left, attends the presentation of his first encyclical, “Magnifica humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence,” at the Vatican, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Pope Leo XIV, left, attends the presentation of his first encyclical, “Magnifica humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence,” at the Vatican, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More In its strongest chapters, Leo denounced how AI had helped accelerate the “normalization of war” by desensitizing people to its cost. He didn’t name specific conflicts, but cited “opposing imperialisms, between powers that wish to preserve their supremacy, and those that aspire to seize that supremacy.”He demanded transparency and accountability by AI developers so that the chain of decision-making command in ordering strikes with AI weaponry is always known. He declared that the Catholic Church’s “just war” theory, which provides specific criteria for when force can be justified, was now “outdated” given the technological advances of warfare. A text in the church’s social justice traditionLeo signed the text May 15, the 135th anniversary of the publication of “Rerum Novarum” (Of New Things), the most important teaching document of Leo’s hero and namesake, Pope Leo XIII. That document addressed workers’ rights, the limits of capitalism, and the obligations that states and employers owed workers as the Industrial Revolution was underway.It became the foundation of modern Catholic social thought, and the current pope cited it at the start of his pontificate in relation to the AI revolution, which he believes poses the same existential questions that the Industrial Revolution posed over a century ago. “Magnifica Humanitas” thus becomes the latest chapter in a century-long history of popes adapting “Rerum Novarum” to the social questions of their times, often dwelling on the dignity of work for human flourishing.AI is evoking both existential fears and utopian vision amid an intensifying debate on whether it will become a catalyst that enriches humanity or a technological toxin that dulls human intelligence while wiping out millions of high-paying jobs.“The pursuit of greater profits cannot justify choices that systematically sacrifice jobs, because the human person is an end, not a means, and the economic order must remain subordinate to human dignity and the common good,” Leo wrote.Leo extended his concern for upholding human dignity in labor to issue the first-ever papal apology for the Holy See’s own role in legitimizing slavery by giving European sovereigns explicit authority to subjugate and enslave “infidels.” Pope Leo XIV, left, attends the presentation of his first encyclical, “Magnifica humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence,” at the Vatican, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Pope Leo XIV, left, attends the presentation of his first encyclical, “Magnifica humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence,” at the Vatican, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More A decade-long dialogue with Silicon ValleyVatican officials declined to say who contributed to Leo’s encyclical. But Vatican and church officials have been engaged in a dialogue with Silicon Valley tech firms for a decade. The decision to include Anthropic at the Vatican launch was criticized by some who considered it a papal stamp of approval of the AI firm, which is currently suing the Trump administration after it ordered all U.S. agencies to stop using Anthropic’s technology for its refusal to allow the U.S. military unrestricted use of it. Brian Boyd, U.S. faith liaison for the nonprofit Future of Life Institute, read the inclusion of Anthropic’s co-founder Olah as a recognition of its prominence in the field and as similar to a papal audience with a head of state: not an endorsement. Anthropic is an “enormous corporation that is taking onto itself an enormous risk and responsibility,” Boyd said, adding that the company has “demonstrated genuine goodwill and integrity and interest in dialogue.”___Winfield reported from Middletown, Connecticut, and Huamani reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writers Kelvin Chan in London and Colleen Barry in Milan contributed to this report.___Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. NICOLE WINFIELD Winfield has been on the Vatican beat since 2001, covering the papacies of St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and the Francis pontificate and traveling the world with them. KAITLYN HUAMANI Huamani covers social media and internet culture for The Associated Press. mailto PAOLO SANTALUCIA Santalucia covers events throughout Southern Europe, Italy, the Mediterranean sea and the Vatican for The Associated Press based in Rome. instagram mailto

A board above the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange displays the closing number for the Dow Jones industrial average, April 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)2026-05-25T12:03:23Z DALLAS (AP) — After three terms in the U.S. House and two unsuccessful campaigns for the U.S. Senate, Colin Allred said he’s heard plenty about voters’ suspicions that politicians are just trying to make a buck in Washington. “‘What about the stock trading in Congress? What about people getting rich in Congress?’” Allred said they ask him regularly. “And I have to say to them, you’re absolutely right about that, too. We need to be better.”He’s challenging Rep. Julie Johnson in the Democratic runoff for a Dallas-area House seat on Tuesday, and he’s one of several candidates trying to harness populist anger over congressional stock trading. Allred has denounced Johnson for trades involving companies like Palantir, a data analytics firm with ties to President Donald Trump’s administration.Johnson said her trades were handled by a financial manager, and she accused Allred of being “only out for himself.” She pointed to financial disclosures that showed Allred’s wealth nearly doubling during his own time in Congress, although Allred said his assets were in a blind trust and the money came from his wife’s income as a partner at a law firm. “To be clear, the sum total I made on that trade was only $90,” Johnson said of her Palantir stock. “My opponent is trying to make it seem like it was hundreds or thousands.” The bitter campaign is emblematic of broader debates within the Democratic Party over the role of money in politics. Long a refrain of strident progressives and good-government reformers, accusations that political rivals are self-dealing or bought by special interests have become a mainstay of Democratic primaries. The heightened criticism of lawmakers’ personal wealth comes as the party looks to sharpen its anti-corruption message against Trump and to develop a platform for overhauling Washington if Democrats take power in the midterms. Read More Some are tracking congressional stock tradingTrump campaigned on a promise to “drain the swamp,” capitalizing on Americans’ disdain for the Washington establishment. Now that his family is profiting while he’s back in the White House, Democrats are eager to regain the upper hand on an issue that could prove potent with voters.“The difficulty is that right now, no party has the mantle on anti-corruption,” said Daniel Lobo-Lewis, a political consultant in Washington. “Many voters outside of the beltway see both parties as corrupt, because they see all politicians as bought by the donors or by their own self-interest.”Lobo-Lewis and Nico Agosto founded the Political Integrity Project last year to track stock trading and corporate donations involving members of Congress. The organization asks candidates to sign an “integrity pledge” to refrain from trading stocks or accepting corporate donations while in Congress and vow not to work as a lobbyist after they leave office. So far, about 90 challengers and seven sitting lawmakers have taken the pledge, all of whom are Democrats.“If we want to, in any way, start rebuilding trust in our political institutions, it starts with no-brainer changes like this that have an approval rating above and beyond any other issue you could imagine,” Lobo-Lewis said. Congress has yet to enact a stock trading ban for its members, though insider trading is already illegal. for members just like it is for anyone else. There are multiple proposals on Capitol Hill but none have gained traction.A bipartisan bill to ban congressional stock trading stalled this year despite receiving Trump’s blessing during his State of the Union. And Democrats remain divided over the number of alleged loopholes in their competing proposals. Anti-corruption messages spread in Democratic primariesA crowded race in a Democratic-leaning Utah congressional seat has featured attacks over candidates’ personal wealth. State Sen. Nate Blouin criticized his main rival, former Rep. Ben McAdams, for having equity in a Utah data center firm, and excoriated others in the race for past investments and jobs. McAdams said the equity of several thousand dollars was payment for a past contract completed by his government consulting firm while he was a private citizen. His campaign defended the data center project by saying it would use no water and run on clean energy.A spokesperson for McAdams also claimed Blouin “is currently hiding his corporate donations” by removing them from campaign disclosure reports, which McAdams’ campaign claims “is not only deceitful, it breaks campaign finance law.”In an interview, Blouin rejected the claim that he broke the law, and said that he removed the donations because he returned the money to each donor. “It was actually quite uncomfortable to return some of those,” said Blouin, because some of the firms included local firms and clean energy companies. “But there is a perception that campaign contributions from lobbyists and companies influence votes, and I think there is some truth to that.” In a New York City congressional district that includes both Wall Street and the Democratic Socialists of America’s headquarters, the city’s former comptroller, Brad Lander, has accused Rep. Dan Goldman of trying to buy another term by using his own wealth to match campaign contributions. Goldman, an heir to the Levi Strauss family fortune, says he entered all of his assets into a blind trust after taking office in 2023.A spokesperson for Goldman said Lander is “running a deceitful campaign based on absurd lies that Dan is beholden to special interests” and that Goldman has raised more campaign funds than Lander “without taking a dime of corporate PAC money.” Goldman has spent his own money on the race, the spokesperson said, “to ensure that the NY-10 voters can be sure that he is beholden only to them and his principles.”Lander said Goldman’s spending is “not illegal, but it is certainly anti-democratic when a quarter-billionaire like Dan Goldman not only dumps millions of his own inherited wealth into his elections but also solicits money from the same forces who are rigging the economy and worsening the affordability crisis.”More candidates are fighting over stocks in CaliforniaEven representatives who support a ban on congressional stock trading are feeling the heat.Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman of California is facing multiple primary challengers who have criticized the congressman for holding stocks while serving in Congress. Sherman does not trade individual stocks and supports a ban on stock trading.“I only own three individual stocks which I inherited from my mother when she passed away, which were originally acquired by my grandmother,” Sherman said. “I have never sold them because I made a promise to my constituents that I would not buy and sell individual stocks.”One of Sherman’s primary challengers is Jake Levine, a former climate adviser to President Joe Biden, who signed the pledge from the Political Integrity Project. But Sherman said Levine “refuses to disclose key elements of his $18 million stock portfolio, and actively bought and sold stocks while serving on the National Security Council.” Levine has said he cannot disclose the portfolio because it is managed by his family and he has no oversight.In the race to succeed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California State Sen. Scott Wiener has critiqued his progressive opponent, Saikat Chakrabarti, over his personal wealth. Chakrabarti is a former software engineer who earned millions as an early employee at the tech firm Stripe. He later served as the first chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.Wiener said that Chakrabarti “has enormous investments” and “is trying to buy this seat” while “spreading bogus conspiracy theories” with his own wealth. He criticized Chakrabarti for not disclosing the last decade of his stock trades.“If you’re making a ban on stock trades a central part of your campaign — as Saikat is doing, running around saying that everyone under the sun is corrupt — how about you tell the voters about your own stock trading history,” Wiener said.Chakrabarti retorted that his wealth as a private citizen is not relevant to his future time in office and that he would put all of his assets into a blind trust should he be elected. He critiqued Wiener for being supported by super PACs funded by the AI firm Anthropic and other major corporations.“This is all part of a larger problem, which is just the whole idea of corruption in our politics,” Chakrabarti said. “If you’re in Congress, you sit on committees that oversee a lot of these industries, and it’s unethical to be using that insider information, that knowledge to make stock trades. But that doesn’t apply to a private citizen.” MATT BROWN Brown covers national politics, federal policy and democracy issues for The Associated Press. twitter instagram mailto

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, smiles at a campaign event in McKinney, Texas, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)2026-05-25T12:47:15Z PLANO, Texas (AP) — Voters in Texas will see little of the Republican candidates for U.S. Senate on Monday. But that’s only if they stay away from screens.There were no public campaign events scheduled for Sen. John Cornyn nor state Attorney General Ken Paxton on the final day of their more than yearlong quest for the GOP nomination. Instead, their fight for Tuesday’s runoff continues as it has for months — intense and unabated — through advertising that has topped $109 million, heavily from Cornyn’s side. Cornyn is scheduled to host an annual, non-campaign event in San Antonio to recognize high school graduates attending the nation’s service academies. The senator seeking a fifth term held his last public campaign event in Corpus Christi on Friday, ahead of Tuesday’s voting.Paxton headlined his last events Thursday in the Austin area and in San Antonio, content to let his campaign and a super PAC carry his primary message: that President Donald Trump endorsed him on May 19. Trump’s announcement and accompanying dismissal of Cornyn, who has had an awkward public relationship with the president, came on the second day of early voting, which ended Friday. Though the candidates were quiet over the weekend, Trump reaffirmed his support for Paxton on Sunday, and disparaged Cornyn as insufficiently loyal to him. Paxton, Trump posted on social media, “was also very loyal to your favorite President, ME,” while calling Cornyn “VERY disloyal to me.” It was Trump’s strongest rebuke of Cornyn, who had dismissed his 2024 comeback chances, and echoed the president’s reproach of Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy before he lost in the May 15 GOP Senate primary. Read More Following Trump’s call for retribution, Republican voters in Indiana and Kentucky have also chosen GOP primary challengers over incumbent GOP officeholders who have crossed the president or opposed his agenda. For a contest that is expected to draw a fraction of Texas’ 18.7 million voters, the two candidates’ campaigns and supporting groups were continuing to bombard all Texans with advertising, though more by Cornyn’s backers than Paxton’s. “It’s just a slug fest, with the campaigns and third-party groups slugging it out,” said Wayne Hamilton, a former executive director of the Texas Republican Party.The combination of Cornyn’s campaign and supporting super PACs have far outspent pro-Paxton groups over the past year, by almost nine-to-one. But the gap has shrunk as the runoff has approached. In the final week of the campaign, the combination of pro-Cornyn ad spending was less than twice Paxton’s group. Cornyn’s network continued to air spots attacking Paxton over ethical and personal questions that have shadowed him with little effect throughout the campaign. Cornyn’s campaign also had reprised an ad noting his tendency to vote in the Senate for Trump’s priorities.Paxton’s campaign and groups supporting him transitioned midweek to all ads noting Trump’s endorsement, though Paxton’s primary super PAC, Lone Star Liberty Fund, began airing one over the weekend aimed at raising questions about state Rep. James Talarico, the Texas Democratic Senate nominee. THOMAS BEAUMONT Beaumont covers national politics for The Associated Press. He is based in Des Moines, Iowa. twitter mailto

Vanny Birungi, a Red Cross volunteer, speaks to people during a public sensitisation campaign amid the Ebola outbreak in Bunia, Congo, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)2026-05-25T16:59:46Z BUNIA, Congo (AP) — Every time Vanny Birungi, a volunteer with the Red Cross in eastern Congo, goes out to raise awareness about the latest Ebola outbreak as suspected cases near 1,000, she faces a double threat.One is the rare Bundibugyo type of Ebola, with no vaccine or treatment. The other is the anger and suspicion of residents who have pelted her with stones and verbal abuse in Bunia, a city at the heart of the outbreak.“We continue to tell them that the disease is out there. Some accept, and others don’t,” Birungi told The Associated Press on Monday as she and colleagues spoke with groups of people in a working-class neighborhood under the scorching sun.Aid workers are especially at risk in this volatile region where residents, like Birungi, have long been under threat of armed groups that have killed thousands of people and displaced many more in recent years. Trust is hard to find among the traumatized population that is wary of outsiders, even those trying desperately to contain the rapidly spreading outbreak that experts say was discovered weeks late. Surveillance for such diseases has been weakened by U.S. and other aid cuts.“These people should stop bothering us. They just want to get rich. Let’s not forget that Ebola is a white man’s invention,” declared Pierre Basola, a 56-year-old resident of Bunia, who added: “Stop talking to me anyway.” Cases are nearing 1,000 but health centers are burnedThree times in the past week, healthcare facilities have been attacked. On Sunday, angry young men stormed a hospital treating Ebola patients, forcing medical staff to evacuate them as gunfire rang out.On Saturday, a group of residents set fire to a tent for suspected and confirmed Ebola cases run by Doctors Without Borders in Mongbwalu, and more than a dozen people suspected to have the virus fled. On Thursday, a center in Rwampara was burned after relatives were barred from retrieving the body of a man suspected to have Ebola. Read More Anger is amplified as virus prevention practices keep loved ones from handling bodies in final rites following an illness some have described as sudden and dramatic, with vomiting and bleeding. The Ebola virus is spread through close contact with sick or deceased patients’ bodily fluids, such as sweat, blood, feces or vomit. Experts say healthcare workers and family members caring for patients face the highest risk.“Trust is almost as important as the health response, because if you get this massive distrust in the communities, they’re not going to go to the health centers,” said Heather Kerr, country director for the International Rescue Committee in Congo.Armed conflict in the region poses another challenge. To travel from Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, to Mongbwalu, aid groups risk potential attacks in a region more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from Congo’s capital, Kinshasa.Meanwhile, the outbreak now has over 900 suspected cases and more than 220 suspected deaths, the director general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said Monday.“We are now playing catch-up with a very fast-moving epidemic,” he said. ‘We leave everything to God’Mado Nditamba, a 70-year-old Bunia resident, said she has seen students running away from aid workers.“The last time Ebola came, it was not on the scale that we see today,” Nditamba said. “But this epidemic today is worse. We go to the doctors in the hospitals, but they also die. That’s what worries us. We don’t know what to do and we leave everything to God.”Congo has had 17 Ebola outbreaks, and the WHO says the country is equipped to respond. But early tests in this outbreak were conducted for a more common type of Ebola, losing valuable time. Experts are still trying to determine when this outbreak began.There are few places to test for this Bundibugyo type in a region where clinics can run on generators and a major airport serving as a humanitarian hub has been in the hands of rebels for over a year.Health workers on the ground have told the AP they are underprepared and underprotected. Now an unknown number of responders have been infected, and some have died. A Congolese doctor was reported dead on Sunday in Rwampara, Rubens Dhedgia, coordinator of the Ebola response in the region, told the AP. In neighboring Uganda, where a far smaller number of cases has begun to spread after Congolese traveled there, at least three health workers have been infected.And perhaps most worryingly, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies says three volunteers died in Mongbwalu after it believes they handled bodies on March 27 during work unrelated to Ebola.If confirmed, that would significantly push back the timeline of the outbreak from the first confirmed death in late April in Bunia. Some residents still believe Ebola is a mythEven as at least one funeral home manager dusted off coffins for sale alongside a road in Bunia, experts reported a lack of trust among some residents of the region who do not believe the virus exists.Action Aid, another of the international humanitarian groups responding, said a high level of skepticism and lack of understanding remains, citing residents it questioned in mid-May in Ituri province just after the outbreak was announced.“The only way to go, as far as this particular virus is concerned, is community engagement,” said Yakubu Mohammed Saani, country director for Action Aid in Congo.How that will be improved, and quickly, is still not clear. Meanwhile, both the WHO and Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believe the outbreak is larger than the cases reported so far.___Adetayo reported from Abuja, Nigeria. Associated Press writer Jean-Yves Kamale in Kinshasa, Congo, contributed. OPE ADETAYO Adetayo is a West and Central Africa reporter for The Associated Press. He covers news and regional development across West and Central Africa. twitter facebook mailto

Sixers could look internally for front office vacancy originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Philadelphia 76ers have found themselves having to tackle a few things in the early days of the NBA offseason: what to do with the 22nd pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, and who will fill in the shoes of Daryl Morey. Morey was let go by Philadelphia earlier in the month, ending what was a six-season stint in the City of Brotherly Love.While their decision on what to do with the first-round pick has a set time attached to it, the same can’t be said for their front office search, which, according to a recent report, is slated to go to another level in the coming days.According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, the Sixers’ search has landed them with three external candidates: Mike Gansey, Matt Lloyd, and Nick U’Ren. The names were boiled down after several others, including Onsi Saleh and Bryson Graham, were put out of the running.The Sixers’ internal candidateYet Stein reports that there is yet another name being included in Philadelphia’s search, one that is already a part of their organization: Jameer Nelson, who is an assistant general manager at the moment.“There are presently four main candidates in contention to be the 76ers' next president of basketball operations: Cleveland's Mike Gansey, Minnesota's Matt Lloyd, Phoenix Mercury GM Nick U'Ren and Sixers assistant general manager Jameer Nelson,” writes Stein.While Philadelphia is reportedly looking into the three aforementioned external candidates, Nelson appears to be a backup plan for Bob Myers, according to Stein.“...it is increasingly expected that Nelson will be promoted to general manager at worst even if an external candidate is hired over him,” states Stein. “He is the only internal candidate in Philly being considered for the top spot by search leader Bob Myers and has been all but assured a significant role going forward no matter how the Sixers proceed.”Apart from being a part of the Sixers’ front office, Nelson has been a part of the organization’s G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, in the past. The 44-year-old served as the Blue Coats’ Assistant General Manager and General Manager from 2020 to 2025.More NBA news: Warriors' Steph Curry details difficult return from nagging knee injuryKristaps Porzingis gets brutally honest regarding his future with WarriorsHow Luka Doncic could still win NBA MVP award despite season-ending injuryCollin Gillespie breaks Phoenix Suns' 3-point record for a single seasonZion Williamson gets brutally honest regarding his future with New Orleans Pelicans

The Oklahoma Sooners are continuing to do their due diligence in their search for their quarterback in the 2028 recruiting class. Head coach Brent Venables, general manager Jim Nagy, offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, and quarterbacks coach John Kuceyeski are focused on building a strong present and future under center in Norman.OU's latest QB offer went out to three-star passer Trey Wright, who hails from Frisco Lone Star High School in Frisco, Texas. Wright is a dual-threat quarterback who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 180 pounds. He has two years of high school remaining for the Rangers, and he also holds offers from Oregon and Michigan, among others.#AGTG✝️ After a great conversation with @arbuckle_ben I am beyond blessed to say that I’ve received an ⭕️ffer from the University of Oklahoma 🙏🏽 @OU_Football@CoachJRayburn@Coach_Bacc@drkharp@LSHS_FBRecruits@CoachKyleMoss@CoachHoneyBear1@MikeRoach247@samspiegs… pic.twitter.com/4RaqWJTBUB— Trey Wright (@itsTreyW3) May 23, 2026The offer to Wright is now OU's fifth quarterback offer to go out in the 2028 class. The Sooners have also offered Graham Simpson, Trey Tagliaferri, Brady Quinn, and Gavin Strang in this cycle. Additionally, Oklahoma has shown some interest in Nash Henry, a local product from Norman North High School, but has not offered him yet. OU has also already offered QB Logan Lucero out of the 2029 class, and has yet to send out a QB offer in the 2030 class.With a quarterback room that currently consists of redshirt-senior starter John Mateer, freshman heir-apparent Bowe Bentley, and backups in redshirt-sophomore Whitt Newbauer and redshirt-freshman Jett Niu, the Sooners also have a commitment from Jamison Roberts to be their QB in the 2027 recruiting class. Oklahoma is continuing to find the next signal-caller in the pipeline behind Mateer, Bentley, and Roberts, and there's still a long way to go until the Sooners will be able to sign their class of '28 passer.Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X@Aaron_Gelvin.This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma Sooners offering another class of 2028 signal-caller

Confirmed lineups: SC Paderborn 07 vs. VfL WolfsburgSC Paderborn 07 (18-8-8, 3rd 2. Bundesliga) play host to VfL Wolfsburg (7-8-19, 16th Bundesliga) at Home Deluxe Arena in Paderborn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, in the second leg of the promotion-relegation playoff. The winning team will play in the Bundesliga for the 2026/27 season, while the losing side will be playing in 2. Bundesliga when the new campaign begins in August.VfL Wolfsburg have never been relegated to 2. Bundesliga in their history, promoting to the top-tier for the first time in the 1997/98 season and staying there since. SC Paderborn 07 have promoted twice to the Bundesliga, in 2014/15 and 2020/21, but both ended in last-place finishes and relegations back to the second division.The two sides played to a scoreless draw in the first leg at Volkswagen Arena this past Thursday. Wolfsburg outshot Paderborn 17-2, 6-1 on target while holding 63% possession. If this match also ends in a draw, it will go to an extra half-hour, with penalties needed if the score remains level through 120 minutes of play.Here are the confirmed lineups for the final match of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season.CONFIRMED PADERBORN VS. WOLFSBURG LINEUPSSC Paderborn 07 (3-4-2-1): Seimen - Brackelmann, Scheller, Hansen - Klaas, Castañeda, Baur, Curda - Bilbija, Müller - Marino.VfL Wolfsburg (3-3-2-2): Grabara - Koulierakis, Vavro, Belocian - Mæhle, Souza, Kumbedi - Eriksen, Svanberg - Pejčinović, Daghim.

Head coach Charlotte Edwards says that England's batters are giving her "a few headaches" for T20 World Cup selection after their dominant 2-1 series win over New Zealand. Edwards has named a squad of 15 for the tournament, which starts on 12 June, but they have been without captain Nat Sciver-Brunt and regular opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge so far this summer.Sciver-Brunt is recovering from a calf injury, while Wyatt-Hodge missed both the ODI and T20 series against the White Ferns for the birth of her first child, but the latter is available for the three T20s against India starting at Chelmsford on Thursday. "I absolutely don't know my best XI at the moment," Edwards told BBC Sport after England thrashed New Zealand by seven wickets in the final T20 at Hove."But what players are doing is putting their hand up all the time. There's certainly different combinations that we want to look at. "I'm probably more sure of the bowling, but I guess the batters are giving us a few headaches, which you want - you want people wanting to put their hands up." Though New Zealand are defending world champions in the T20 format, they did not provide England with a particularly high-quality series, which makes the three encounters against India absolutely crucial for Edwards' side to test themselves under pressure before the real challenge of a home World Cup begins.England's bowling is in fine order - seamer Lauren Bell and spinner Linsey Smith make a formidable powerplay duo which allows spin duo Sophie Ecclestone and Charlie Dean to bowl in tandem during the middle overs, but the batting line-up and the all-rounders are less secure.Wyatt-Hodge, with all her experience and early season form for Surrey before the international summer began, is likely to slot straight back in at the top of the order but there are question marks over who should join her.Alice Capsey was promoted to open in Wyatt-Hodge's absence against New Zealand and the 21-year-old immediately made her mark with an unbeaten 74 in the series opener at Derby before scores of 18 and three in the subsequent two. Wyatt-Hodge's regular partner, Sophia Dunkley, made scores of eight, 26 and 22 as a frustrating trend of making good starts but failing to kick on has continued. Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight have been mainstays for England's middle order for years and it feels very unlikely that will be tinkered with before such an important tournament on home soil, even if Knight's strike-rate of 100 has at times allowed pressure to build in this series. Still, the balance of the side largely depends on Sciver-Brunt's ability to bowl with the management of her injury.All-rounders Dani Gibson and Freya Kemp are valuable assets for Edwards. Both are power-hitters who can bowl in all phases, they are electric in the field and Kemp provides a precious left-hand option with bat and ball - but with the two stalwarts returning, it feels like one of those two or Capsey is most vulnerable.But Edwards insisted that she is not concerned about Sciver-Brunt - who has only played two games of competitive cricket since February - and praised England's depth for giving her a selection dilemma."If there's any person in world cricket you don't mind having the lack of cricket she's had, it's Nat," Edwards said."We played without two of them and Lauren Bell, who was rested [for the third game in Hove]. That's been the most pleasing thing - we've got this depth in our squad now and we've just beaten the world champions, so we are really really chuffed."Get cricket news sent straight to your phone

Sabres' Jordan Greenway gets clear update on trade rumors originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Jordan Greenway had some great moments for the Buffalo Sabres during their long-awaited return to the playoffs.That doesn't mean the big forward will be around for another season in Western New York, though. A trade of Greenway would make a lot of sense.It's all going to come down to cap space.Greenway has a $4 million cap hit. That's despite being just a fourth-liner who has had injury trouble and not scored much at all.If another team wants him, Greenway is a logical guy to trade as a cap casualty, writes Daily Faceoff's Matt Larkin in a new article."The Sabres will likely clear at least one goaltender from their logjam, but GM Jarmo Kekalainen must do more than that if he wants to re-sign Alex Tuch and extend Zach Benson and Peyton Krebs with only $12.9 million in cap space," Larkin writes. "Greenway brings great size and has been an effective checker in the past, but, sheesh, $4 million is far too much for a fourth-liner with four goals across his past two regular seasons combined."MORE: Jets' trade cost of Connor Hellebuyck to Sabres revealedIf Buffalo ended up not bringing back Tuch, that would potentially leave the space to keep Greenway around. On the flip side, if Tuch leaves, the Sabres might look to give out some serious cash to a higher-end forward to replace him.The Sabres generally have a high-quality group of young players who should grow up together and keep the hockey good in Buffalo for the long haul. The key for the Sabres will be surrounding the youth with the right experience.Greenway isn't a bad guy to have, in a vacuum, but at his cost, it simply might not make sense for the Sabres.If they look to move him, the cost won't be high for a receiving team, but Buffalo would be doing it to clear cap. They'd just have to find a team with more flexibility that could help them out.More NHL news:Henrik Sedin's son is excelling in a different sportElias Petersson trade plans may be missing a key pointWould the Maple Leafs trade Easton Cowan?Alex Ovechkin doesn't have Evgeni Malkin's problemPenguins have $42.5 million lack of excuse for letting Evgeni Malkin leave

Evacuation orders remained in place for more than 40,000 residents around Garden Grove, Calif., the location of an industrial site containing an unstable tank of toxic chemical.

Fernando Alonso’s terrible 2026 season just reached a new low point. He had to retire from the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday, but it wasn’t because of a blown engine or a bad crash. He parked his car simply because he was in too much physical pain to keep driving.Aston Martin’s aggressive car design is literally hurting their star driver. Now, after weeks of complaints, the team might finally be forced to undo some of their extreme cockpit changes.The Extreme Lying PositionFormula 1 teams constantly push the limits to lower the car’s center of gravity and improve aerodynamics. To do this, designers are forcing drivers to sit lower and lower inside the chassis. Alonso explained that the current seating arrangement is essentially a “lying position”.But for the veteran driver, this extreme posture went way too far. The two-time world champion revealed he was feeling severe discomfort during the race in Montreal. A specific pressure point in the seat just kept getting worse as the laps ticked by.Jun 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Aston martin driver Fernando Alonso (14) during the F1 Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images“We had this seat issue where I feel more and more uncomfortable,” Alonso told Crash.net. He noted that with no chance of scoring points, he decided to just park the AMR26 after 23 laps. “We were obviously out of the points… So we decided to stop the pain”.Aston Martin ConcedesThis wasn’t just a sudden issue that popped up in Canada. Aston Martin’s chief trackside officer Mike Krack admitted the seating position has been a lingering problem.“He has been uncomfortable for a while,” Krack confirmed to the media (via The Race). He explained that while it wasn’t an immediate showstopper right off the starting line, the pressure point slowly builds up to an unbearable level.Now, the team is finally ready to admit they made a mistake with the aggressive layout. Alonso suggested that the designers took things “a step too far”. Both the driver and the team boss agreed they need to reconsider the cockpit geometry and likely bring the seating position back to a more traditional, upright angle.The Silverstone garage is currently scrambling to build a brand new, modified seat in time for the next race in Monaco. Fixing the seat might cure Alonso’s back pain, but it won’t fix the car’s terrible straight-line speed. He will still be driving an uncompetitive car, but at least he won’t be agonizing while doing it.

Cat parents, you and your feline companions no longer have to watch baseball from home as the Louisville Bats will be hosting both humans and cats.For the first time, the Louisville Bats will be hosting "Purr at the Park" May 26 at Louisville Slugger Field.Advance human tickets are $10 — $13 if purchased on the day of — while cat tickets are $3, with the proceeds benefitting the Kentucky Humane Society.Both cats and humans are required to have a ticket. However, children ages 2 and younger are not required to have a ticket if they will not be utilizing a seat.Owners will be required to sign a waiver stating that their cat's vaccinations are up to date. Also, cats must either be on a leash, in a carrier or in a stroller at all times while at the park.The Bats will face off against St. Paul Saints at 6:35 p.m. Tickets for the game can be found on the league's site here.For more questions about Purr at the Park? Attendees are encouraged to call the Box Office at (502) 212-2287 or email info@batsbaseball.com.This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville Bats host cat-friendly game at Slugger Field May 26

We are diving into some fantasy football content this offseason as we look to bring in all sorts of football fans to Bucs Wire. It is arguably the most popular game that is around football, so not dipping our toes into the proverbial pool wouldn't make sense.What we will start with is some rookie profiles, and where they fit into the landscape of the team they were drafted by. Next up, Cleveland Browns wide receiver Denzel Boston.Depth Chart SituationJerry JeudyKC ConcepcionDenzel BostonCedric TillmanSkill Players Around HimJerry Jeudy, Wide ReceiverDenzel Boston, Wide ReceiverHarold Fannin Jr., Tight EndQuinshon Judkins, Running Back2026 Stat ProjectionsStat projections are done by ESPN's Mike Clay 55 Receptions684 Receiving Yards3 Touchdowns141 Fantasy PointsReason to Believe in Denzel Boston in 2026: Redzone AbilityDenzel Boston is one of the bigger players in the Browns' passing game and could become a popular redzone target for the Browns as a rookie. Getting some extra targets in the redzone could allow him to produce more touchdowns and make up for what is likely to be a hard time getting targets. 2026 OutlookDenzel Boston is a really fun wide receiver prospect that the Browns are going to enjoy having. He is a good complement to both Jerry Jeudy and KC Concepcion and will be a primary target for them on the outside. The only issue they will have is quarterback play holding them back, preventing him from making a bigger impact than he could in other spots. Boston to me is worth a flex play in deeper leagues, or a WR3, but can be a fun bench stash otherwise if his target share expands. This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Fantasy Rookie Profile: Denzel Boston projections for 2026

The 2026 regular season did not go as planned for the Kentucky Wildcats. They started hot, but struggled in SEC play, going just 13-17 and winning just two of the ten conference series they played. They also lost their opening round matchup to Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament, placing them squarely on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament.After being forced to sweat it out for the past week, Kentucky has learned that they will be a part of the postseason. They've made it into the field for the fourth straight year, as announced on Monday.Kentucky was one of the last four teams to make the tournament, and will play in the Morgantown Regional. They'll open up against Wake Forest, with the game taking place on Friday, Mar. 29 at 12:00 P.M. ET.The Wildcats have a talented roster, and are capable of winning games in the postseason. The offense has proven they can score runs. However, the pitching has been inconsistent, and has resulted in too many blown leads this season. If they can limit the runs given up, they are good enough to make it out of the regional.Kentucky joins Wake Forest, West Virginia, and Binghamton in the region.This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Kentucky baseball makes 2026 NCAA Tournament as at-large team

Sebastian Salazar on the Magic of Broadcasting and Concerns for the World CupA veteran in the industry, we sit down with Sebastian Salazar to discuss his journey in sports media, his Mexican-American background, and his thoughts about the upcoming 2026 World Cup. It was December 2016, and Herculez Gomez was preparing for the final match of his career, an MLS Cup Final between his Seattle Sounders and Toronto FC.The veteran striker made over 370 appearances over his 16-year professional career, but he wouldn’t record one on that night in Toronto, as he was an unused sub in Seattle’s penalty shootout victory.Also on the sideline during the match was Sebastian Salazar, who was on his first assignment with ESPN. Little did they know it, but the duo would cross paths sooner rather than later. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vamos Network (@vamosmib)Born and raised in Bethesda, Maryland by an American father and a Mexican mother, Salazar supported the U.S. and Mexican national teams and also enjoyed following his club team DC United, who ruled the embryonic stages of Major League Soccer with an iron fist. After graduating from Walter Johnson High School, Salazar headed to rural Pennsylvania for college, balancing academics and athletics as a member of the Westminster College soccer team. His college career featured a Presidents’ Athletic Conference title in 2002, and individually, he was a two-time all-conference award winner for the Titans.However, Salazar knew that his future wasn’t on the playing field, but in the broadcast booth. After polishing his skills with Westminster’s TV and radio stations, Salazar cut his teeth in the industry in markets like Dalton, Georgia and Winchester, Virginia, and then he landed a job with the top regional sports broadcaster in his hometown, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic.He’d go on to work with DC United in 2012 and cover the U.S. women’s national team at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, before eventually making the move to ESPN later that year.Salazar emerged as a regular on ESPN FC as well as one of the worldwide leader’s go-to sideline reporters. It was here where he’d link up with Gomez, co-hosting the biweekly “Fútbol Americas” show in addition to the women’s spinoff of the show, “Fútbol W,” alongside former USWNT player Ali Krieger.During his time at ESPN, Salazar covered a multitude of sports in English and Spanish from the FIFA World Cup to the Little League World Series, before departing at the end of 2025. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vamos Network (@vamosmib) He’s spent the past few months balancing his time between raising his 3-year-old son in Bethesda and covering the NWSL as the host of ION’s “Saturday Night Soccer,” while also continuing his relationship with Gomez as the co-host of the “Duel Nats” Podcast in the Men In Blazers Network. On top of it all, he’s helped build Defiance FC, a non-profit semi-professional soccer team in Maryland that aims to create an accessible pathway for players of all backgrounds.We sat down with Salazar to discuss his broadcasting career, the experience at ESPN, and his thoughts on the upcoming World Cup.Urban Pitch: When did you realize that sports broadcasting was going to be your true calling?Sebastian Salazar: I was born in 1983, so I’m really a child of the ’90s, which is the beginning of the cable television era. The fact that there was a channel fully dedicated to sports in my living room from the time I was 6 to 7 years old — I remember us getting cable was pretty significant. That was something that was always of interest to me, even just as a consumer as a kid, I loved it.As I got into adolescence, around middle school, as I started to play sports, I realized I might be a good soccer player or basketball player, or whatever it is, but I’m not gonna go pro. What’s the closest thing to it?I don’t know if this was the right answer, but to me at the time it was sports broadcasting, the general idea of being a sports broadcaster. I think very early on in my youth, I thought that this was something that I wanted to do, and I pursued it a little bit through high school. The idea of it was definitely behind my college choices and all that. From a young age, I think the idea of being a sports broadcaster and obviously as somebody who loves soccer but most of all the sports, eventually becoming a soccer broadcaster was something I always strived for, even if I didn’t really say it out loud or put it as a goal. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sebastian Salazar (@sebisalazar)Talk to me a little bit about growing up in a Mexican-American household. You must have had some split feelings whenever there was the U.S.-Mexico games going on. Did you kind of get a sense that you were half American, half Mexican?I think the experience of being, in my case, Mexican-American, but for a lot of people, just anything-American — wherever you might be born, or wherever one of your parents might be from just really opens your eyes to other things, to a different part of the world. And for me, a huge part of that was soccer. My dad grew up in Western New York. He was born in 1949 and had really no access to soccer as a consumer until he met my mom, which was in his late 20s. She started talking about it to him and what it had meant to her and her teams, and all that. For me as a kid, that was my entryway to soccer.Had it not been for my mom and her being Mexican, I think I still would have been addicted to a sport, I just don’t know that it would have been necessarily soccer. She’s the one that had it on the TV all the time. The great luck of being Mexican in the United States in the ’80s and ’90s is that while if you were Italian, or German, or English, or French, or anywhere, it was tough to watch your teams play. But Univision has been a powerhouse in this country for a long time, and you could watch Club América almost every weekend. That attachment to the game was very easy for me at a time when I think it maybe wasn’t for a lot of people, because my mom was from Mexico.When you talk about the rivalry, as my dad started to become a big fan of the game, he started to coach my teams, he becomes a big U.S. men’s national team fan. My mom is a huge Mexico fan, and of course, I learned the game through my mom. Mexico was always my favorite team, and for a while, I really viewed the U.S. as the ultimate rival. There was a turning point for me in my late teen years when a buddy of mine from my club team went and played on the USA’s U-17 World Cup team, and I was really excited to root for him, and the U.S., and I was following them in that tournament.The 2002 World Cup was a really tough one for me, because I’m a die-hard Mexico fan, and going to high school at Walter Johnson High School, in a sea of U.S. fans. I’m not quiet about being a Mexico fan, so I had to eat that one for a long time, and probably still am in some ways as a follower of El Tri. I was back home for the summer. Even to this day, all my buddies are still my buddies from WJ, and middle school and beyond that. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing or what that says about me, but it is what it is.My boys were ruthless with me, because Mexico had been playing great in that World Cup. The U.S. had not played great in the group phase, other than the shock win against Portugal. I really believed in that Mexico team, and so I was really confident leading up to it. I had to actually face it from two ends. When I got back to college as well, my college teammates were of course willing and ready to remind me of the result. I think, maybe that’s an insight into my personality. I’ve always been hearing it from U.S. fans ever since 2002. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sebastian Salazar (@sebisalazar)What do you feel was your first, ‘Welcome to the big leagues’ moment at ESPN? Was there any real shock to the system during your time there?It was immediate: ESPN is huge. It’s massive with its impact and platform. I got there in late 2016, and my first assignment was the 2016 MLS Cup. My first day, I’m doing taped hits, I do a couple in English, I do one in Spanish. The English one is on SportsCenter, it runs very quickly, but they give MLS Cup its little minute. I get a bunch of texts from my buddies in the soccer space, and I also get a text from a buddy who’s got his cousin in Argentina who saw me pop up down there and sent him a picture. He’s like, “Yo, this is your boy!” My uncle in Mexico is at a bar, and says, “That’s my nephew!” He texts me a picture, and so I remember that first assignment being like, Oh my God, this is everywhere.It wasn’t even a social media sense, which of course, blows up too many times over and over again. But that first assignment was crazy. That summer, I did two things: The Little League World Series, which I’ve done every year since, and just absolutely enjoy and love. It’s the greatest assignment there possibly could be, and I’m not a baseball guy by nature, but my God, it’s just wonderful. Even if you don’t like baseball, if you live in the Mid-Atlantic area, or even if you don’t, go spend a couple days in Williamsport during the Little League World Series, it’s absolute magic.In 2017, Barcelona and Real Madrid played in Miami, their first Clásico outside of Spain since the ’80s, and ESPN rolled out SportsCenter and their entire wheel to the Hard Rock Stadium. As a broadcaster who had, in Dalton, Georgia, humbly carried his big bag and his tripod and his camera to a high school football shoot to try to get it on the evening news, to see that in Miami was amazing.And then to see it at the Little League World Series, because it’s even more impressive there, they build it in Williamsport for that event, this huge television compound, and then execute this incredible broadcast. To see the broadcast machine at that scale at work, as a broadcast junkie, as a nerd of the industry. Wow, man, right away, it was like, Oh my God, I’m a minnow, and this is the Pacific Ocean.Photo by Stephen Dunn/Allsport/Getty ImagesLastly, after covering the World Cup from Russia and Qatar, what are your expectations for this World Cup? What do you expect your role to be?I have some events lined up, we’re gonna continue the podcast for Men in Blazers. I’m doing the NWSL package, and they break for the first month of the World Cup, but not the back end of it, so I’ll be working on Saturday NWSL coverage for ION throughout the back end of the World Cup. The show that I have with Herc that we’ll be doing through the World Cup is part of Vamos and Men in Blazers, and they’ll be doing coverage throughout the World Cup as well, so I’m sure I’ll be helping out with that in some regard. I’m doing some watch party work for different corporate sponsors of the World Cup, so I’ll be in and around it, but I don’t have tickets yet.I think that’s one area where I haven’t really made plans yet as I’ve waited to see what exactly I’m going to be doing for the entirety of the World Cup. But as far as my expectations go, I have to say I’m worried. I’m a product of the ’94 World Cup: what I do for a living, who I am as a person, and so much of my identity springs from the ’94 World Cup. My parents were super middle class and could afford to get me into all the games at RFK, and it changed my life.Every day, I start to doubt and worry for those middle class parents and others who are not going to get to do that this summer. It was such a formative experience for me, it was such an amazing experience, it truly changed my life. It made me the soccer fan that I am. I just feel like a lot of American kids are about to miss out on that because of the way that the tickets are being priced, and the access to them. I think a lot of times, when we talk about World Cup ticket prices, we focus on who to blame, and rightfully so. But what’s important is the impact of it.Photo by Shaun Botterill/Allsport/Getty ImagesThere’s a huge percentage of this generation of American kids that won’t have the same experience that I had in 1994 that changed my life, and I’m devastated by that. At a time when we should be so excited about what’s coming, everybody should have their tickets in hand, waving excitedly. It pains me that, knowing that the sport is in a place where so many more kids love it now than they did in ’94, that so many more of those kids are not gonna have access to it. It’s just a shame.

Forecasters warned that temperatures could climb to the highest level ever recorded in the month of May, reaching 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas of England.

The San Antonio Spurs went into Sunday night down 2-1 in the Western Conference finals, needing a big win to even the series before the action shifted back to Oklahoma City. While the Spurs put plenty of work into their practices, they may have had a higher power on their side in Game 4. For the first time this season, four nuns known as the Salesian Sisters sat courtside in San Antonio jerseys. The Salesian Sisters may be the Spurs' new good luck charm 👀 Luke Kornet received a blessing by the nuns before the Spurs' Game 4 win over OKC 🙏 pic.twitter.com/sgac4HWfz6— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 25, 2026Before tip-off of the game between the Spurs and Thunder, the sisters were shown on the Jumbotron giving a pregame blessing to San Antonio center Luke Kornet. Luke Kornet getting blessed by nuns pic.twitter.com/ctFzBkqA9E— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) May 24, 2026The Spurs went on to win 103-82, tying the series at two games apiece, with Game 5 set for Oklahoma City on Tuesday night. Play 2026 Soccer Pick 'Em with FOX One and make your picks for the world's biggest soccer tournamentKornet finished the game with six points and seven rebounds off the bench, but afterward, he was all about maintaining the momentum.“One-0, pretty good results. That’s not what it’s about, but we’ll take it. We’re gonna fly them to OKC. I don’t know, we got to get ’em on the plane.”The four nuns are part of the San Antonio chapter of the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco. Several members are Spurs fans and have been known to attend games over the last couple of decades, per The Athletic. The Salesian Sisters began following the Spurs in the late 1990s. They wanted “to better understand what interested their young charges at St. John Bosco School,” according to an article by the San Antonio Express-News. One of the nuns, Sister Bernadette Mota, talked about basketball as a way to connect with young people and kids. “Our ministry is with young people, and we need to be able to converse with them and talk to them. I can talk basketball with the kids, and it’s something that I’ve really enjoyed watching.”The Spurs appreciate the support. In 2007, former head coach Gregg Popovich and some players visited the nuns after winning the NBA Championship, per an ESPN interview with Sister Angelita Guzman. Kornet received a blessing pre-game because he is a devout Catholic. Mota told the website Sojourners in an interview that Kornet was her favorite player because “I just really look up to the way he’s not afraid to share his faith on the public scene.”Now that the series is tied, San Antonio has two days to figure out whether they can get the Salesian Sisters to Oklahoma City for Game 5. If not, they can be expected to be in attendance for a huge Game 6 back in San Antonio on Thursday. Salesian Sisters are in the building tonight 👋 pic.twitter.com/WF0uOZpcZ9— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 24, 2026

Kansas baseball is hosting a NCAA regional this week in Lawrence, and will be doing so as the No. 15 team in the top 25 of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.The Jayhawks (42-16) rose up one spot in the latest update of the top 25 on Monday. They did so after winning the Big 12 Conference tournament title this past weekend in Surprise, Arizona. With that championship, KU swept both the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles.RELATED: Who does Kansas baseball play in NCAA Tournament Lawrence Regional?Elsewhere in the Big 12 are No. 11 West Virginia, No. 21 Oklahoma State and No. 22 Arizona State. West Virginia is the team that KU beat in the finals of the Big 12 tournament, and Oklahoma State the team KU beat in the semifinals. That run the Jayhawks went on in the Big 12 tournament certainly helped solidify the team’s place as a regional host.KU’s first NCAA regional game will be Friday, May 29 at noon (CT) against Northeastern. Also in the regional are Arkansas and Missouri State. The Jayhawks’ alterations to Hoglund Ballpark to maximize capacity and enhance fan experience will get their first test in the days to come.Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas baseball rank in final USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll top 25

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Daniel Suarez's surprising win Sunday night at the Coca-Cola 600 gave Spire Motorsports its second victory of the season, matching the total of racing giant Hendrick Motorsports.For a team with three full-time Cup drivers and only 175 employees, that's saying something.But that doesn't mean the team is satisfied.“Yes, we’re seeing results. Yes, we are being competitive," Suarez said. “But we’re not even close to our full potential.”Suarez, the first Mexican-born driver to win the Coca-Cola 600, said when he arrived at Spire last October that it didn't take long to recognize just how hard everyone worked, which he said is a credit to team owner Jeff Dickerson and crew chief Ryan Sparks.The organization's structure, he said, is well organized.“When you have a good foundation, the house is going to be strong," Suarez said. "Spire Motorsports has an amazing foundation.”Spire has long been considered a small Cup Series team, and any wins it has had were largely considered upsets or one-offs.That notion may be changing under Dickerson, who admits he can be difficult to deal with on race day but refuses to apologize for setting the bar high.“I just don’t think we’ve hit our ceiling," Dickerson said. "I don’t think we’re hitting on all cylinders. I think we’ve still got a long ways to go to.”Carson Hocevar won earlier this season at Talladega, giving Spire its first win and the entire organization a shot in the arm. There was a sudden realization it could compete with bigger race teams like Joe Gibbs Racing, Team Penske, RFK Racing, 23XI Racing and Hendrick.Suarez's win at a crown jewel event like the Coca-Cola 600 was another huge step in the right direction.Dickerson said the goal this season is simple: Put two cars in the playoffs and win three races.Things are looking good right now.With 24 races left, Hocevar is ninth in the Cup Series points standings, while Suarez moved up to 10th after his third career win and first since joining Spire. The top 16 drivers in points qualify for the Chase.“Still a long ways to go,” Dickerson said. “I don’t want to fumble it. But, man, it would be good to meet those goals.”Sparks was the unsung hero Sunday night.With rain on the radar, he trusted his instincts and made the call to pit and go with two new tires late in the race. It paid off big time.Suarez was able to go from the middle of the pack to the top spot.Shortly after the race was red-flagged for lightning, it looked like the move might backfire on Sparks after cars were sent back on the track.But Suarez held off JGR's Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin — who had dominated most of the race, along with pole sitter Tylor Reddick — on two restarts to stay out front.On the final restart, Suarez exploded off the line with a little push from behind from Hendrick's Kyle Larson. From there he blocked Bell and Hamlin as the JGR teammates frantically tried to pass. Just when it appeared they might catch Suarez, the sky opened up and rain poured down on the mile-and-a-half track.With the scheduled 400-lap race already more than four hours old and the clock approaching midnight, NASCAR quickly called the race with 27 laps, declaring Suarez the winner.He later honored his mentor, the late Kyle Busch, by imitating the NASCAR great's postrace bow in victory lane.Suarez led only 17 laps, several of those coming with the race under caution.“Something in the back of my mind told me to just go ahead and put two (tires) on,” Sparks said. “I kind of looked and saw what everybody had for tires on in front of me, and I figured there was going to be a good opportunity for us to be first or second. Just wanted to get that clean air and give ourselves an opportunity."With two-thirds of the season remaining, Spire has plenty of time to build on its early success and have a record-setting season.And continue to shock the big race teams.“I’m just extremely happy to be part of Spire Motorsports because I believe that we haven’t even seen the full potential of this organization,” Saurez added. “And I can’t wait to continue this journey.”___AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Is Arjun Kapoor taking legal action against Rajasthan Royals? RR take down 'X' post involving Bollywood actor to mock PBKS originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.KEY TAKEAWAYS:Rajasthan Royals took a social media jibe at Punjab Kings after their exit from IPL 2026 league stage. RR took down the social media post, involving Bollywood actor Arjun Kapoor. Arjun Kapoor has not taken legal action against RR yet.RR take down 'X' post involving Arjun Kapoor to mock PBKSPunjab Kings kept their hopes alive of qualifying for the IPL 2026 playoffs after beating Lucknow Super Giants in the final league game on Saturday.However, their hopes of progressing to the playoffs solely depended on whether Rajasthan Royals would lose to Mumbai Indians on Sunday afternoon.PBKS were surely hooked to their televisions on May 24 to watch the MI vs RR clash at the Wankhede Stadium, but at the end, it was RR who won the tie and became the fourth team to reach the IPL playoffs this season.Earlier in the season, PBKS and RR shared a series of social media banter, but after RR's progress to the next round, the frachise from Jaipur made a final jibe with social media post mocking PBKS.Although, within less than 24 hours, RR were forced to deleted the 'X' post which involved Bollywood actor Arjun Kapoor. The video, RR shared, was somewhat derogatory towards the actor.MORE: 'Panga na lo': RR's brutal reply after knocking PBKS out of IPL 2026 playoffsIs Arjun Kapoor taking legal action against Rajasthan Royals?After RR's removal of their X post, an unnamed social media handle, shared a news that Arjun Kapoor has filed a legal defamation case against the IPL franchise for using his image in their social media post. The X post read: "Arjun Kapoor has filed a defamation case against Rajasthan Royals for using his video. He stated that the video harmed his reputation and was defamatory. In response, That's why Rajasthan Royals had to delete it."🚨Arjun Kapoor has filed a defamation case against Rajasthan Royals for using his video.He stated that the video harmed his reputation and was defamatory. In response,That's why Rajasthan Royals had to delete it. pic.twitter.com/naA5jhkPaQ— 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐢𝐢⁴⁵ (@rushiii_12) May 25, 2026As of now, there is no formal confirmation, though, whether the Bollwood actor has taken or is planning to take a legal action against the IPL side.MORE: '200 in T20s': Vaibhav Sooryavanshi aims to achieve herculean dreamWhy did RR take down X post involving Arjun Kapoor?Earlier in 2026, the Delhi High Court had passed an order protecting Hindi film actor Arjun Kapoor’s personality and publicity rights. The order restricted the unauthorised use of the actor’s name, image, voice and likeness, especially in cases involving AI-generated deepfakes, manipulated content, fake endorsements and misleading digital material.The Delhi court also observed that while celebrities have the right to protect their identity from defamatory or commercial misuse, ordinary satire and public commentary cannot be completely restricted.Due to the court's order, RR did not want to take any chance and therefore got rid off the post before getting dragged into legal complexities. To keep up to date with all the latest cricket news and share your opinion on the biggest topics visit our Facebook, Instagram and X (Twitter) pages.

Salford have improved their position in each of Karl Robinson's three seasons in charge, but missed out at Wembley [Getty Images]Salford City boss Karl Robinson has apologised to the club's supporters for "letting them down" in the League Two play-off final defeat to Notts County.The Ammies, who finished the season a point and a place outside the automatic promotion places, had done the league double over the Magpies during the season and had won the previous five meetings between the sides.But they were well beaten at Wembley, going down 3-0 and mustering just two attempts on target."I feel that we've let people down today," he told BBC Manchester."I don't think we've let people down for the last 10 months, we've been nothing short of magnificent, but today we had too many who didn't turn up."You can use so many excuses, but we were beaten by the better team."Notts County thrash Salford to win promotion to League OneRobinson was appointed Salford head coach in January 2024 and helped them avoid relegation before improving to eighth in his first full season in charge."I'm absolutely on the floor, the players are on the floor," he added. "We know we've underachieved today, but we've overachieved for the course of the season."Unfortunately, in football moments matter and this big moment today, we just weren't here."Every part of the game we were second best. I apologise to all Salford fans from the bottom of my heart. The club will be back better, stronger next year."Follow your club with BBC SportListen to the latest Football Daily podcastGet football news sent straight to your phone

The Canadian Grand Prix delivered one of the most chaotic and entertaining weekends of the 2026 Formula 1 season, and by the time the checkered flag fell in Montreal, Kimi Antonelli had tightened his grip on the championship.The Mercedes rookie survived a tense intra-team battle, changing weather, and relentless pressure to claim his fourth straight Grand Prix victory at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.While Antonelli extended his lead in the standings, the same race may have marked a turning point in the title fight for teammate George Russell - and not in a good way.Russell arrived in Canada already trailing Antonelli by 20 points, though the Brit downplayed suggestions that pressure was mounting inside the Mercedes garage. Early on, it looked like he might finally halt Antonelli's momentum after securing pole position for both the Sprint and the Grand Prix itself.But things quickly got messy.The Sprint race featured the first flashpoint between the two Mercedes drivers when Antonelli and Russell made contact while battling for the lead. Antonelli ran through the grass and vented frustration over team radio before Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, intervened.Sunday's main event then turned into a straight fight between the teammates at the front. The pair swapped positions multiple times during an aggressive early battle before Russell's race unraveled on Lap 30 with a power unit failure that forced him to retire.Antonelli capitalized fully, driving away to another victory and extending his championship lead to 43 points.If Mercedes had reason to celebrate, McLaren left Montreal wondering how a promising weekend collapsed so quickly.After showing strong pace in both Sprint Qualifying and the Sprint race itself, McLaren gambled on intermediate tires at the start of Sunday's race despite rapidly improving conditions. The decision immediately backfired.Lando Norris actually launched into the lead at Turn 1, but both McLarens were forced to pit almost immediately for slicks, dropping them deep into traffic. From there, things only worsened.Oscar Piastri later locked up and collided with Alex Albon at the hairpin, earning a 10-second penalty while forcing the Williams driver out of the race. Norris then suffered a reliability issue after an off-track excursion before eventually retiring with a suspected gearbox problem.Piastri finished outside the points in 11th, capping a disastrous Sunday for the team.Ferrari, meanwhile, finally showed signs of momentum.Lewis Hamilton delivered arguably his strongest weekend since joining the Scuderia, finishing second after overtaking Max Verstappen late in the race. The seven-time world champion called it his "happiest day" so far with Ferrari.Hamilton looked comfortable throughout the weekend and secured another podium finish while Ferrari continued closing ground on McLaren in the constructors' standings.On the opposite side of the Ferrari garage, Charles Leclerc endured another frustrating weekend despite recovering to fourth place. The Monegasque driver described it as the "worst weekend" of his career after struggling badly with setup and balance throughout the event.Red Bull also emerged from Canada with cautious optimism.Max Verstappen claimed his first podium of the 2026 season by finishing third after Russell's retirement opened the door. While the reigning champion still lacked the outright pace to challenge Antonelli, Red Bull appeared significantly more competitive than earlier in the year.Teammate Isack Hadjar added a strong fifth-place finish, giving the team one of its best collective results of the season so far.Elsewhere in the midfield, Franco Colapinto continued his breakout campaign with Alpine. After scoring his best career result in Miami, the Argentine immediately topped it in Montreal with a sixth-place finish despite clipping the wall and damaging his front wing midway through the race.Pierre Gasly added more points in eighth, helping Alpine strengthen its position over Racing Bulls in the constructors' standings.But the biggest story leaving Montreal remains Antonelli.At just 19 years old, the Italian now has four consecutive Grand Prix victories, a rapidly growing championship lead, and increasing control over the 2026 Formula 1 title fight. Become an AutoGuide insider. Get the latest from the automotive world first by subscribing to our newsletterhere.

Subscribe to The Kevin O'Connor ShowApple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeKevin O’Connor shares 10 thoughts on the NBA from this weekend of Conference Finals games. Have the San Antonio Spurs figured out Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? Is Chet Holmgren nervous to play against Victor Wembanyama? What’s next for this pathetic Cleveland Cavaliers team?Then, KOC discusses the Washington Wizards’ interest in Giannis Antetokounmpo and exposes a massive oversight regarding the NBA’s proposed 3-2-1 lottery system.Later, potential top-10 NBA draft pick Kingston Flemings joins the show. Kingston shares how his game mirrors stars like Tyrese Maxey and De'Aaron Fox, updates on the evolution of his floater, explains why defense is non-negotiable in today’s NBA and more.(0:32) Spurs even series vs. Thunder(14:32) Knicks one win from NBA Finals(23:18) Would Wizards trade for Giannis?(25:42) NBA’s oversight with 3-2-1 lottery proposal(34:31) Kingston Flemings joins the showSAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - MAY 24: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder is defended by Stephon Castle #5 of the San Antonio Spurs during the second quarter in Game Four of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Frost Bank Center on May 24, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)Alex Slitz🖥️ Watch this full episode on the Yahoo Sports NBA YouTube channelCheck out all episodes of The Kevin O’Connor Show and the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv

NEW DELHI: Known for giving batters a tough time, rattling stumps and troubling them with toe-crushing yorkers, Jasprit Bumrah did not have the best of campaigns with the ball in Indian Premier League 2026 as he managed to claim just four wickets in the tournament.However, former South Africa pacer Dale Steyn backed Bumrah despite his disappointing season and said the Indian speedster would return strongly next year and could even win the Purple Cap.Steyn also reminded critics that Bumrah had played a crucial role in India’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup triumph just a couple of months earlier."He won a World Cup just a month and a half, two months ago, and he was probably one of the bowlers of the tournament. So you can't focus on him primarily. He had a bad tournament (IPL). There have been good batters at this IPL that haven't hit the ground running. Okay. So it shows that he's human," Steyn said on AB de Villiers' YouTube channel."He'll come back strong and next season he'll probably win the Purple Cap next season," Steyn said.Bumrah also missed Mumbai Indians' last league match, which the five-time champions lost by 30 runs.Mumbai Indians ended their IPL 2026 campaign in ninth place on the points table. They managed just four wins and suffered 10 defeats in 14 matches.Bumrah has also been rested for India’s upcoming home series against the Afghanistan national cricket team, with the team management aiming to ensure he returns fully fit ahead of a demanding international calendar later this year.Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026Matches: 14Wins: 4Losses: 10Points: 8Net Run Rate: -0.584Final Position: 9th (Eliminated)OppositionDateResultKolkata Knight RidersMar 29Won by 6 wicketsDelhi CapitalsApr 04Lost by 6 wicketsRajasthan RoyalsApr 07Lost by 27 runsRoyal Challengers BengaluruApr 12Lost by 18 runsPunjab KingsApr 16Lost by 7 wicketsGujarat TitansApr 20Won by 99 runsChennai Super KingsApr 23Lost by 103 runsSunrisers HyderabadApr 29Lost by 6 wicketsChennai Super KingsMay 02Lost by 8 wicketsLucknow Super GiantsMay 04Won by 6 wicketsRoyal Challengers BengaluruMay 10Lost by 2 wicketsPunjab KingsMay 14Won by 6 wicketsKolkata Knight RidersMay 20Lost by 4 wicketsRajasthan RoyalsMay 24Lost by 30 runs 131311012

The NFL has been slicing games away from Sunday afternoon in an effort to create more standalone windows. That trend has prompted concerns that, at some point, it will go too far.There's a delicate balance to strike. It's nice to have more occasions to watch one game, and only one game. It's also nice to have a robust slate of Sunday afternoon games.On some weekends, the balance will be out of whack. Week 17, for example, has eight standalone contests — Christmas Eve, three on Christmas Day, two the next day, Sunday night, and Monday night. That leaves only eight games for the entirety of Sunday afternoon.The real question is how many Sunday games are enough for Sunday to still feel like Sunday?Jason Kelce recently addressed the issue on the New Heights podcast.“Sunday is the day of football, right?" Kelce said, via Sam Neumann of Awful Announcing. "Outside of going to church in the morning, if you’re still religious and you do that, Sunday is like where so many games happen, and that’s what you grow up, and you gear your entire week around watching football on Sunday."It’s an institution at this point, the NFL playing games on Sunday. With every day that we keep adding in there, we’re getting away from that just a little bit. And I worry that the game got big — one of the reasons it got so popular and big was because . . . it was an event. Sunday is the NFL and everybody sets their week apart to tune in to their games that are happening on Sunday, and you’re watching kind of all of them now take place across. I worry that we’re getting away from that just a little bit by building too many of this."There's a certain irony to that comment, given that Kelce's work with ESPN puts him on the pregame show for one of the games that's been peeled away from the Sunday slate. And his podcast is distributed by Amazon, which has one of the other games that used to be played on Sundays.Kelce's relationships with ESPN and Amazon open the door for the league to gripe, if it so chooses, to his bosses about his opinions regarding the dilution of Sunday football. Not that he should care about that. Because the observation is an obvious one. Sunday is the traditional day for pro football.But the NFL is now big enough to overcome traditions. The NFL is big enough to make new traditions. And the evolving tradition is this — during football season, any day is Sunday. Every day is Sunday. The audience will be there, whenever and wherever NFL games are played. Sunday. Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday. Thursday. And, when the limitations of the Sports Broadcasting Act don't apply, Friday night and Saturday.But for the provision in the 55-year-old law that allows the NFL to sell its broadcast rights collectively, there would be Friday night games and Saturday games on a regular basis. And high-school and college football would have to deal with it.Before the NFL started playing games on Thursday nights, college football owned the window. Every week, big games landed on ESPN. Nowadays, there's a midlevel (at best) college game up against the NFL's Thursday night game.The NFL grew up on Sundays. Now that it's grown to the point that it transcends the weekly calendar, the NFL is no longer bound by that tradition.Yes, at some point Sunday Ticket and RedZone could go the way of leather helmets. If that happens, the NFL will keep on going.As Jerry Jones said in March, "When the duck quack, feed ‘em." The ducks currently prefer getting their meals more often than to having an all-you-can-eat brunch on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET. With no real competition from network TV on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night, why not keep the ducks fat and happy from Labor Day through Week 18?

Eddie Hearn understands Rico Verhoeven's frustration with how things unfolded vs. Oleksandr Usyk.Verhoeven was finished by Usyk with officially one second remaining in Round 11 of their boxing match this past Saturday at the Pyramids of Giza in Cairo, Egypt. The finish came moments after Usyk dropped Verhoeven with an uppercut, but Verhoeven was able to survive. Usyk poured the pressure on – which eventually led to the referee stoppage, but the former Glory Kickboxing champion immediately protested. Matchroom Boxing CEO Hearn says the referee shouldn't have stopped the fight."My thoughts.. just firstly confirming I am not a ref or a judge 😂 I thought @ricoverhoeven was incredible last night. I gave him hardly any chance in this fight. His concentration, belief and IQ unbelievable for basically a debutant. Shout out @peterfury for the game plan! @usykaa struggled with the rhythm but stayed with it and somehow found a way, when the greatest upset in boxing history was looming. I had Rico a couple of rounds up going into the 11th. Usyk did what Champions do but for me the stoppage was early. The bell had basically gone and Rico was defending and knew exactly where he was. I do think Usyk would have got a clearer stoppage in the 12th or edged out a decision but us and definitely Rico deserved the chance to let it unfold. That was fascinating well done men. Two really great guys and the work ethic, mindset and desire is inspiring."View this post on Instagram

Of all the incoming recruits brought in by Jon Scheyer this summer, Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje may be the most intriguing. A son of former NBA player Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje, Joaquim currently plays overseas as a member of Barcelona's U18 team.Although Boumtje-Boumtje didn't play high school basketball in America, he's dominated his age group in many ways overseas, leading his team to an 8-0 record in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament. Last week, Boumtje-Boumtje put together his strongest game of the competition, scoring 24 points in 22 minutes to go along with six rebounds and four assists. He also impressed from 3-point range, knocking down five of his six attempts from beyond the arc. He followed that performance with a 22-point, 11-rebound double-double the next day before posting 17 points and six rebounds yesterday in a close win against rivals Real Madrid.Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje is going OFF! Just dropped 20 points in 13 minutes in the first half including 5 threesSheesh 🔥 pic.twitter.com/UoeeMHyMmm— Zion O. (@DukeNBA) May 22, 2026Overall, in those eight contests, Boumtje-Boumtje averaged 18.9 points, eight rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game. If these numbers are any indication of Boumtje-Boumtje's future output with the Blue Devils, Jon Scheyer may have just nabbed one of the most underrated recruits of the summer.This article originally appeared on Duke Wire: Five-star Duke commit dominates for Barcelona's U18 team

Milan considering Antonio Conte as replacement for Max AllegriSerie A side Milan have made a host of changes across the board and Max Allegri’s second stint at the club has now ended in just a season. The failure to qualify for the Champions League has led to these decisions and a replacement is being sought for the Italian.Antonio Conte is among the candidates for that, with MilanNewsreporting this.The Italian has left Napoli, who confirmed the exit today. Roberto Mancini is closing in on the Italy national team job, which rules Conte out of contention for that. But he is among the names being considered by the Rossoneri, as things stand.Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the man who will be tasked with making this call, having played a big role in the sackings of Allegri, Giorgio Furlani and Igli Tare.Milan should seek project managerOne can’t really figure out what Milan’s plan is. They have tried project managers and have tried someone who can bring instant impact. But none of it has worked. That is a big red flag, when it comes to questions about the ownership.While Conte could be another quick-fix manager, he would be another one who will hide the real issues at the club. Milan need a long-term plan under a manager of Vincenzo Italiano’s ilk, as they will build for the future, progress in a sustained way, develop younger players and then win silverware.Kaustubh Pandey I GIFN

The Pittsburgh Steelers underwent a massive face lift following the departure of Mike Tomlin and the arrival of Mike McCarthy — which leads one insider to believe major offensive shifts are already underway.According to Steelers insider Mark Kaboly, McCarthy's offensive-minded mentality was evident at OTAs, compared to how Tomlin ran his offenses.“You could tell the difference offensively just through OTAs and just some of the scheme that they’re installing right now," Kaboly said via 93.7 The Fan. “And they’re still early in the process. He pretty much knows what he’s doing, offensively.”In his 18 years of head coaching experience, McCarthy has been responsible for some near-historic offenses, such as the Dallas Cowboys in 2021, who ranked No. 1 in total yards and scoring.Expectations for McCarthy are sky-high heading into his first year as head coach of the Steelers, but the odds are in his favor as he trusts in an Aaron Rodgers-led offense with a completely overhauled roster.For up-to-date Steelers coverage, including any offseason moves, follow us on X @TheSteelersWire and give our Facebook page a like.This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers' Mike McCarthy is already making impact on offense, per Kaboly

When Link Jarrett returned to Tallahassee to take over FSU baseball in June of 2022 to take over his alma mater, he inherited one of the sport's most tradition-rich brands, but also one searching for consistency after the end of the Mike Martin Jr. era. What followed was not an overnight transformation.FSU has gone from missing the NCAA Tournament entirely to returning to Omaha and reestablishing itself as one of college baseball's national contenders. Now, with the Seminoles earning the No. 10 overall seed and preparing to host another Tallahassee Regional, Jarrett's tenure has reached another pivotal postseason moment. Before Florida State begins its latest tournament run, here's a year-by-year look at how the Seminoles arrived here and how quickly the program climbed back toward college baseball's elite tier.2023: Rock bottom before the turnaroundJarrett's first season in Tallahassee became one of the most difficult years in program history. Florida State finished 23-31 overall and 9-21 in ACC play, recording the program's first losing season and ending the Seminoles' NCAA Tournament streak at 44 consecutive appearances — one of the longest streaks in college athletics history.The season was painful by Florida State standards, but internally, it laid the groundwork for a reshaped roster and cultural reset.2024: Immediate resurgence and a return to OmahaFSU surged from 23 wins to 49 victories, producing one of the biggest year-over-year turnarounds in the country. The Seminoles returned to the NCAA Tournament, hosted postseason baseball again, and ultimately advanced all the way to the College World Series — Florida State's first trip to Omaha since 2019.The run represented far more than a postseason appearance. It signaled that Jarrett's vision had accelerated much faster than many anticipated. Florida State again looked like a national power, combining elite starting pitching with a deeper lineup and the style of aggressive baseball Jarrett had implemented throughout his coaching career.2025: Sustaining the momentumFlorida State followed its College World Series appearance with another strong season, winning 42 games and reaching a second consecutive Super Regional under Jarrett. Maintaining that level of success in the transfer portal era became arguably as impressive as the initial turnaround itself.Programs across college baseball increasingly struggle with roster continuity, but Jarrett's staff successfully blended development, recruiting, and portal additions to keep the Seminoles among the nation's top teams.2026: The next step begins as the No. 10 national seedNow, FSU enters another postseason opportunity with expectations that have shifted entirely. The Seminoles earned the No. 10 overall national seed after posting a 38-17 regular-season record and will host the Tallahassee Regional for a third consecutive year under Jarrett.Three seasons ago, Florida State was coming off the worst season in program history. Today, the conversation has changed from whether the Seminoles belong in the postseason to how far they can go once they get there. For Jarrett, the progression has been clear: first came rebuilding the foundation, then restoring the standard.The next step will be finishing the job in Omaha.Follow us @FSUWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida State news, notes, and opinions.This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: FSU baseball: a look at Link Jarrett's postseason runs

TCU baseball has failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament this season. The NCAA Selection Show was aired on Monday, when the Horned Frogs learned they would not compete in the postseason. It’s the second time in the last three years that TCU has missed out on the regional action. The Horned Frogs, who went 33-21 when they missed the postseason in 2024, also finished with a 33-21 record and a 17-13 Big 12 record in 2026. Last 4 in. First 4 out. pic.twitter.com/UobZmowRvP— 11Point7 College Baseball (@11point7) May 25, 2026TCU, which lost its one and only game of the Big 12 tournament on Wednesday, was a top-10 ranked team in the preseason. Since reaching the College World Series in 2023, the Horned Frogs haven’t hosted a single regional and have not advanced beyond the regional level. The program is now 154-87 under Kirk Saarloos, who took it over from Jim Schlossnagle in late 2021. TCU will have multiple draft-eligible players, including outfielders Sawyer Strosnider, Chase Brunson and infielder Cole Cramer, who could declare for the MLB Draft this year.

👀 Enrique Riquelme promises: we've signed two starsThe electoral race for the Real Madrid presidency keeps adding chapters of high tension. After the validity of his candidacy was confirmed, Alicante businessman Enrique Riquelme opened his campaign headquarters and gave a revealing interview to Diario ABC. In it, the president of Grupo Cox dropped what promises to be the bombshell of the transfer market and harshly attacked Florentino Pérez’s management.Transfer market bombshell: Two stars securedRiquelme’s most striking announcement focused on squad planning for next season, a strategy designed to win over Real Madrid voters with world-class names."We have signed two international stars. If we win the election, two major figures will play for Real Madrid," he stated categorically.The candidate said he will "probably" reveal the identities of both footballers in the coming weeks. He also insisted on the need to bring in a sporting director and was highly critical of the latest decisions regarding the bench: he called Xabi Alonso’s departure a "mistake" and described Álvaro Arbeloa’s interim spell as an unacceptable "experiment." Although he did not confirm his ideal coach, he expressed deep admiration for Jürgen Klopp, praising his management skills.Stopping privatization as a red lineBeyond individual names, Riquelme placed the survival of the current ownership model at the heart of his campaign. The candidate warned that these "could be the last elections" if a statutory reform is allowed that gives the green light to outside capital.For this reason, he publicly challenged Florentino Pérez to debate: "Let him bring his privatization project and the club members will be able to decide." On that basis, he insisted that his candidacy represents the only independent path, recalling that the costly bank guarantee was backed entirely by his own assets: "I don’t have any big fish behind me."Financial criticism and the neglect of club membersFinally, the businessman focused on the club’s social debts. He questioned how Real Madrid "loses 80 million euros a year" covered by extraordinary income, pointing to Real Madrid TV’s high budget compared with its low audience.On the social side, he denounced the lack of transparency in ticket resales and the moving of long-time season-ticket holders to the upper sections of the Bernabéu to prioritize VIP boxes: "Why are the club members always put last?" he concluded.This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown has never been one to rest on his laurels. So, following what might've been the best season of his 10-year NBA career, the five-time All-Star announced on his Twitch stream on Sunday night that he intends to get even better."I'm still looking to continue to improve," he said while livestreaming to over 2,000 viewers. "I feel like I'm coming into my prime. My mind, my body, my athleticism are all coming together. So I'm excited to see what I can do and where I can go with it. I don't think I've reached my limit yet."Jaylen Brown named multiple players he wants to get in the gym with this summer and learn from:- Steve Nash- James Harden- Hakeem Olajuwon- Kevin Garnett pic.twitter.com/1vuv9ZRNmV— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) May 24, 2026But how does Brown plan on reaching a new peak? He said that he plans on improving his efficiency and getting in the gym with some NBA greats, including 11-time All-Star and current Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden, two-time MVP Steve Nash, 1994 MVP and two-time NBA champion Hakeem Olajuwon, and 2004 MVP and Celtics legend Kevin Garnett.While Brown didn't specify what he'll take from each player, he could get some ball-handling help from Nash and Harden. Moreover, Olajuwon and Garnett could offer advice on how to best work in the post."We got to put in the work," Brown stated.Shortly after name-dropping these basketball greats, Brown learned that he was selected to the All-NBA Second Team for the 2025-26 season. The five-time All-Star received the sixth-most First Team votes of any player, coinciding with his sixth-place finish in MVP voting.Jaylen Brown in Year 10:- Became 10th all-time scorer in Celtics history- Became 7th all-time playoff scorer in Celtics history- Became 14th Celtic ever to make multiple All-NBA Teams- Scored the 15th-most points in a single season in Celtics historyAn all-time Celtic. pic.twitter.com/acUWocYaWJ— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) May 25, 2026Brown was honored by this All-NBA achievement, which was a testament to his strong season that, despite an unceremonious exit from the 2026 NBA Playoffs in the first round, was one for the history books."I'm grateful," he said. "It's a blessing."Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on:Blue Wire: https://tiny.ee/CdKp iTunes: https://tiny.ee/RK47 YouTube: https://tiny.ee/cOW3This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Jaylen Brown hopes to get in gym this summer with current, former NBA stars

Royals get very concerning Cole Ragans injury update after rehab start originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Kansas City Royals are having a rough 2026 season, and things seemingly aren't getting much better as the year progresses.One of the big concerns with the team right now is the starting rotation, and specifically the injury recovery of lefty ace Cole Ragans.According to Anne Rogers of MLB.com, the Royals got a very concerning update on Ragans after his rehab start. Unfortunately, it appears Ragans is going to be out for a while longer.Royals get concerning Cole Ragans injury update"Cole Ragans did not bounce back well from his rehab start, manager Matt Quatraro said," Rogers reports. "Felt similar symptoms with his elbow as before, even though he didn't feel it while pitching. He'll be shut down for 2-3 days before being reevaluated."The Royals' All-Star left-hander, who landed on the injured list earlier this season due to an elbow issue, did not have a good reaction to his rehab outing.Despite pitching well during this rehab outing, going 4.1 innings, allowing one run and three hits with three strikeouts, Ragans is not at 100% a few days later.MORE: Ex-MLB GM projects White Sox to sell at trade deadline despite 2026 successHe was trending in the right direction lately, but now he's had a setback that could cause him to miss a while longer, depending on how his reevaluation in a few days goes.Ragans has a 4.84 ERA this season in eight starts, as he's once again struggling after his 4.67 ERA in 13 starts during his 2025 season.While there's no concrete injury update for Ragans just yet, this update from Quatraro is not a good one at all.Ragans' injury update is a worrying one, as he might have to miss a while longer if this elbow injury doesn't get any better in the next few days for his reevaluation.More MLB news:5 reasons to believe in Jordan Walker's breakout for CardinalsRoman Anthony might’ve been overhyped for Red SoxDodgers still have a Roki Sasaki problemChase Burns becomes first Reds pitcher with elite stat line since 1922Yankees’ Aaron Judge on track to become first player in MLB history with five 50+ homer seasons

Liverpool Are Keeping A Keen Eye On This Bundesliga Talent: Should Slot Move In For Him?In a recent report, Fichajes revealed that Liverpool are keeping a keen eye on Red Bull Leipzig talent Yan Diomande. It is believed that the Reds are facing competition from Paris Saint-Germain in the race to land the Ivory Coast wide player this summer.Diomande’s Impressive Season In German FootballDiomande has enjoyed a decent campaign at the German club after he put in a string of eye-catching displays for them in the Bundesliga. The 19-year-old has scored 13 goals and secured ten assists in 36 matches for Leipzig this season on all fronts.The Ivory Coast sensation is currently among the most talented young wingers in Germany. There, it is no surprise that Liverpool are monitoring his progress ahead of a potential move for him this off-season.Diomande’s current contract at the Red Bull Arena will expire in the summer of 2030, which could make it tough for the Reds to land him on a cut-price deal in this transfer window.FREIBURG IM BREISGAU, GERMANY – MAY 16: Yan Diomande of RB Leipzig looks on during the Bundesliga match between SC Freiburg and RB Leipzig at Europa-Park Stadion on May 16, 2026 in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. (Photo by Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images)Should Liverpool Boss Arne Slot Move In For Diomande?Diomande is a great dribbler with the ball at his feet and can make a few dangerous runs with it out in the wide areas. He has got the eye to create the odd chance for his teammates in the final third and can strike the ball with venom from long range.The Ivory Coast prospect can chip in by scoring and creating a lot of important goals for his team. Diomande is primarily a left-winger but can also operate as a right-sided wide player if told to do so. However, he might struggle to adjust to the physicality and high intensity of the Premier League if the Reds manage to snap him up later this year.We can expect Diomande to add more quality and depth to Liverpool head coach Arne Slot’s frontline. He is already good enough to fight for a regular starting spot at Anfield and could serve as an ideal successor to Mohamed Salah at the Merseyside club in the coming years.At 19, Diomande has got a bright future ahead of him as long as he continues to improve with each year. He might even help Liverpool compete for some major trophies over the next decade. Therefore, it is only logical for Slot to move in for him in this summer transfer period.

Munster fly-half Jack Crowley has been ruled out of Saturday's United Rugby Championship quarter-final against the Bulls in Pretoria (12:00 BST).The Ireland number 10 was named in the Irish province's starting line-up for their final regular URC game against the Lions nine days ago but withdrew soon before kick-off as Clayton McMillan's side went on to win 24-17 and secure their place in the play-offs.Crowley had previously missed the loss to Connacht while he also pulled out just before Munster's game against Ulster at the end of April.On a more positive note, Fineen Wycherley and Alex Nankivell have both returned to training after withdrawing from the matchday squad to face Lions.The Munster squad will depart for South Africa on Tuesday and will arrive in Pretoria on Wednesday.

Iga Swiatek of Poland returns to Emerson Jones of Australia during their first round women's singles tennis match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)2026-05-25T12:02:07Z PARIS (AP) — Two-time reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz is out injured. Promising 21-year-old French player Arthur Fils also pulled out with a physical issue. Jack Draper has been bothered for months by a right knee problem.The list of candidates capable of challenging top-ranked Jannik Sinner, who enters the French Open on a three-month-long 29-match winning streak, has been dwindling.Enter Rafael Jodar, the 19-year-old Spaniard who has been making waves on the ATP Tour.Jodar continued to impress in his Roland Garros debut, dropping just five games in a 6-1, 6-0, 6-4 rout of American opponent Aleksandar Kovacevic on Monday despite boiling heat at the clay-court Grand Slam. The last man to concede fewer games in a French Open debut was Novak Djokovic, who allowed three to Robby Ginepri in 2005.“I did the things very well from the start,” Jodar said. “It’s just my first year (on tour) and I’m experiencing a lot of things in these past few months.” Mostly, Jodar has been experiencing victories: He’s won 16 of his last 19 matches, raised a trophy on clay in Morocco, reached the semifinals in Barcelona and had a run to the quarterfinals in Madrid ended by Sinner. A year ago, Jodar was ranked No. 707 and playing challengers — tennis’ minor leagues — in the U.S. after he competed at the University of Virginia. Now he’s No. 29 and is seeded 27th in Paris.“It was obviously another chapter of my life but I think that chapter also helped me to develop a lot and to be a better player now,” Jodar said. Read More Going to college also helped.“Living there alone, it was great to develop and to do things by myself,” Jodar said. “It was a new chapter, new culture for me, actually a new life.”Jodar appears destined to become a top-10 player and a serious contender for the biggest trophies.And Jodar is in the bottom half of the draw in Paris — meaning he could meet Sinner only in the final. Swiatek making no assumptionsFour-time champion Iga Swiatek eliminated 136th-ranked debutant Emerson Jones 6-1, 6-2 in her opener.The only real issue for the third-ranked Swiatek came when she needed a trainer to re-tape the middle finger on her tennis-playing right hand for an apparent blister after the first set.Swiatek has not won a title on clay this season and recently made a coaching change. She hired Francisco Roig, who previously worked with 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal.“Nothing comes easy,” Swiatek said. “With more titles it’s even a bit harder because everyone expects you to be ready always and play perfectly. So you need to stay humble and not take anything for granted and work your way from the beginning of the tournament.”She improved to 28-1 in first-round matches at Grand Slams.Also advancing were Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina, who beat Veronika Erjavec 6-2, 6-2; and recent Italian Open winner Elina Svitolina, who rallied past Anna Bondar 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (3).In men’s action, 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka was beaten by Dutch qualifier Jesper de Jong 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to end his 21st and last French Open.Eighth-seeded Alex De Minaur defeated Toby Samuel 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.___AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis ANDREW DAMPF Dampf has been a Rome-based sports writer at The AP for over 20 years, covering soccer, tennis, Alpine skiing and many other events in Italy and beyond, including five soccer World Cups. The Milan-Cortina Games will mark the 10th Olympics that he has reported from. twitter

The police say that celebrations outside of Madison Square Garden have gotten out of control. Fans and insiders say the chaos has been driven by social media influencers.

Arsenal Are Among The Clubs Monitoring The Progress Of This Atletico Madrid Star: Should Arteta Go For Him?In a recent report, Fichajes revealed that Arsenal are among the clubs monitoring the progress of Atletico Madrid star Julian Alvarez. It has been stated that the Gunners are facing stiff competition from Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain in the race to land the Argentine talent this summer.Alvarez’s Impressive Form In La LigaAlvarez has enjoyed a good run of form at the Madrid club this season as he has been responsible for producing a series of impressive displays for them in the final third. The 26-year-old has banged in 20 goals and grabbed nine assists in 49 matches for Atletico Madrid in this campaign across multiple competitions.The Argentine talent is currently one of the best strikers in La Liga. Therefore, it is no surprise that the Gunners are in the running to sign him this off-season.Alvarez is under contract at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium until the summer of 2030, which could make it tough for Arsenal to sign him on the cheap later this year.LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 05: Julian Alvarez of Atletico de Madrid warms up prior to the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Semi Final Second Leg match between Arsenal FC and Atletico de Madrid at Arsenal Stadium on May 05, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)Should Arsenal Boss Mikel Arteta Go For Alvarez?Alvarez is proficient at finding a yard of space for himself to get some strikes in at goal. He has got the vision to create some decent chances for his teammates in the final third and is a good dribbler with the ball at his feet.The Argentina international can contribute by scoring and creating a handful of important goals for his team up top. Alvarez is primarily a centre-forward but can also fill in as a winger on either flank if required. He already knows the Premier League well from his time at Man City and won’t take much time to adjust to life at the North London club.Alvarez would bring more pace and goals to Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta’s frontline. He has what it takes to fight for a regular first-team spot at the Emirates Stadium next season.At 26, Alvarez has his best years ahead of him, which makes him a worthy target for the Gunners to pursue at the end of this campaign. He might even help the London outfit compete for some major honours in the coming years. Therefore, Arsenal should focus on going for a player of Alvarez’s quality this summer.

Johnny Manziel has a lot of accomplishments to his name, including being a former Heisman Trophy winner and a first-round NFL Draft pick. Now, he can also add a win in an MMA fight to his resume.Manziel made his mixed martial arts debut on Saturday night at the UFC Apex Center in Las Vegas at 33 years old, more than a decade after his last NFL appearance, as he battled against 38-year-old social media influencer Bob Menery – and won quite dominantly, landing multiple strikes before the official waved off the match just over two minutes into the action.Johnny Manziel dominated in his MMA debut 👏 pic.twitter.com/O7aokZMnyK— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) May 24, 2026The match was a part of a card promoted by streamer Adin Ross' Brand Risk Promotions, which is known for pairing celebrities and content creators in boxing matches. After winning the fight, Manziel said he likely would not step into the ring for another fighting the future, protecting his now-undefeated MMA record and making this fight a rare one-off side quest in Manziel's athletic career.Manziel was selected in the 2014 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns with the 22nd overall pick, but played only two seasons in the league before being cut by the organization in 2016. He threw 1,675 yards and seven touchdowns in his NFL career before playing professionally in multiple other leagues.This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Former star QB Johnny Manziel impresses in MMA debut

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Guardians (32-23) return home to begin a three-game series with the Washington Nationals (27-27) on Monday, May 25.The Guardians won six of seven games during a May 18-24 road trip, with a four-gamesweep of the Detroit Tigers before winning two of three games against the PhiladelphiaPhillies.The Guardians are in first place in the American League Central Division and the Nationals are second in the National League East Division behind the Atlanta Braves (36-18).Follow along for live updates from Progressive Field.More MLB coverage: Jose Ramirez still impacting Guardians as hitter, infielder, leaderWhen do the Guardians play today?First pitch is 6:10 p.m. ET.Where to watch Guardians game tonight?The Guardians-Nationals game is on Guardians TV.More MLB coverage: Guardians embrace warm weather with impromptu home run derby, Ohio Cup routGuardians lineup today vs. NationalsWe'll have these when they are announced.Nationals lineup today vs. GuardiansWe'll have these when they are announced.Guardians vs. Nationals starting pitchers todayRight-handed pitcher Tanner Bibee (0-6, 3.75 ERA) will take the mound for the Guardians and the Nationals will counter with right-handed pitcher Zack Littell (3-4, 5.83 ERA).American League Central Division standingsCleveland Guardians 32-23 .582 --Chicago White Sox 26-26 .500 4.5Minnesota Twins 26-27 .491 5Kansas City Royals 22-31 .415 9Detroit Tigers 21-33 .389 10.5Guardians record in May features 7-game winning streakThe Guardians have won 11 of their last 13 games and enter Monday 16-7 in May.The Guardians posted a season-high seven-game win streak, May 16-22:Reds 7-4 May 16Reds 10-3 May 17Tigers 8-2 May 18Tigers 4-3 May 19Tigers 3-2 May 20Tigers 3-1 May 21Philles 1-0 May 22.The Phillies beat the Guardians 3-0 May 23 to snap the streak before the the Guardians were 3-1 winners May 24 in the series finale.Cleveland allowed 12 runs in during the seven-game road trip, posting an MLB-best 1.43 ERA on the trip (10 ER/63.0 IP). The Guardians allowed five runs in 35 innings over the final four games of the trip, and limited the Phillies to four runs in three games.The Guardians are 15-10 at home and 17-13 on the road.The Nationals are 17-11 on the road and 10-16 at home.Guardians vs. Nationals pitching probablesThe Guardians are scheduled to play the Nationals in a three-game series. Here's the pitching matchups for the rest of the series:May 26 at 6:10 p.m. - Guardians LHP Joey Cantillo (4-1, 3.05) vs. Nationals RHP Cade Cavalli (2-3, 3.86).May 27 at 1:10 p.m. - Guardians RHP Gavin Williams (7-3, 3.25) vs. RHP Miles Mikolas (1-3, 6.17).Akron Beacon Journal sports writer Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians lineup today, score, live updates vs. Nationals

Khadija Shaw has committed her future to Manchester City by signing a new four-year contract with the Women’s Super League champions.The WSL Golden Boot winner’s contract was due to expire this summer and it was expected she could leave the club with Chelsea making a contract offer worth at least £1million per year for the 29-year-old.But during the club’s joint parade with the men’s team on Monday in Manchester, it was confirmed the Jamaica forward, who scored 21 WSL goals this season, would be staying.It all seemed to happen in slow motion during the celebrations. Shaw’s future was mentioned, there was some confusion, an awkward glance or two and then the confirmation from Shaw herself.“I’m still here, I’m still hungry and there’s no place I’d rather be,” she told the crowdThere were huge cheers in the arena, which was packed and full of emotion and energy.WSL Golden Boot winner Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw has signed a new four-year contract at Manchester City 🚨✍️ pic.twitter.com/Kn57wRXjYF— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 25, 2026Of the new deal, Shaw said: “I’m so happy to be at this incredible Club for another four years. I’ve always said that Manchester City feels like home – I’ve developed so much as a player and grown so much as a person during my first five years here.“I’ve always said that Manchester City feels like home – I’ve developed so much as a player and grown so much as a person during my first five years here. “Helping the girls win the WSL title is one of the proudest moments of my career, and I’m so excited to see what we can do next season and beyond – although there’s one more huge game to come against Brighton! “To the City fans – thank you for always supporting us all. I’m so happy to be on this memorable journey with you all and can’t wait to see what we can achieve in the future.”Director of football Therese Sjogran said: “It’s a huge statement from City that we’ve secured the services of one of the best centre-forwards in the world, but also from Bunny that she believes we’re the best place for her to succeed. I’d like to thank her for that continued faith in what we’re hoping to achieve.”More to come…‘Man City want a dynasty … keeping Bunny is integral to success’Analysis from Megan Feringa Fair plays are in order for Therese Sjogran and managing director Charlotte O’Neill. For months having to bat back accusations from all side of incompetence to pull off a signing that is no doubt one of the most pivotal in the upcoming transfer window.Where to begin? City want to be a dynasty. They said as much. Best way to do that? Retain the world’s best striker, the one who is now a three-time Golden Boot winner and your go-to record breaker. Don’t let her go to the very club you’ve just dethroned.But City have arguably done this with the most grace and finesse possible in a game of agent leaks and media speculation that increasingly lacks those values. O’Neill and Sjogran kept to themselves, unencumbered by the heat and noise. And they’ve got their striker to stay. For City on the pitch, keeping Bunny is integral to success. She has become the total striker she has always promised to become. But arguably off the pitch this is even bigger: City are the club to be at. The best striker in the world just said as much.This article originally appeared in The Athletic.Manchester City, Women's Soccer2026 The Athletic Media Company

Vote below for the Messenger/Herald athlete of the week.The poll is for performances from May 18 to May 23. The poll runs from 3 p.m. Monday to 3 p.m. Wednesday, May 27.High school baseball Drastic changes for Lakota's Hunter Sweeney in 13 monthsCandidatesEthan Grahl won the pole vault and finished fourth in the 100 for St. Joseph Central Catholic boys track at the Division V district meet at Gibsonburg.Lucy Edwards hit a walk-off two run home run in the 10th inning as Margaretta softball topped Wynford for a district championship.Lily Kiser won the 1,600 and 3,200, and was part of the first-place 4x800 relay for Fremont Ross girls track at the Division II district meet at Tiffin Columbian.This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Vote for Messenger/Herald athlete of week

The Canadian prime minister, who was the governor of the Bank of England when Britain voted to leave the European Union, said the Alberta referendum on separating from Canada could backfire.

Gov. Mikie Sherrill joined protesters at an immigration jail in New Jersey, the latest standoff between her and President Trump over his immigration policies.