Akron Public Schools Athletics Hall of FamerFrank Williams will welcome a Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer to a longstanding charity golf outing this week.Julius Erving, otherwise known as Dr. J, is scheduled to participate in the Williams Challenge Golf Tournament on Friday, June 5, at Good Park in Akron. A former track and field and basketball star at East High School who also competed in both sports at the University of Akron, Williams, in 2000, launched the Williams Challenge, which provides APS students with scholarships in honor of his late wife, Kay, who died in 1983 of Lupus. An annual golf outing, which will celebrate its 26th year this week, aids the nonprofit organization's mission.In 2006, Williams started his Man 2 Man Fatherhood Initiative.“We teach guys how to be fathers,” Williams, a retired skilled tradesman with Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., told the Beacon Journal last year. “We teach them the blessings of being a father, that you can really raise a child and mold that child into a real good person and how important it is to be in a child’s life.”More Akron sports: Frank Williams champions late friend Virgil Brown's HOF inductionAkron Public Schools Athletics HOF: APS welcomes Class of 2025 to Athletics Hall of FameSince its inception, the Williams Challenge has distributed more than $100,000, including $10,000 this year, in scholarships.The golf tournament is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. It will include 18 holes of golf, cart access, lunch, prizes, raffles and additional activities. Proceeds from the golf outing directly support students pursuing higher education.For sponsorship opportunities, registration or donations, visit williamschallenge.org or email williamschallenge1999@gmail.com.Williams Challenge Golf Tournament informationDate: Friday, June 5Time: 8 a.m. shotgun startLocation: J. Edward Good Park Golf Course, 530 Nome Ave., Akron, 44320Dr. J meet and greet: 7:15-7:45 a.m. (limited availability)Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Julius Erving heads to Akron for Williams Challenge Golf Tournament

If a star player is on the trade block, the Los Angeles Rams are always one of the first teams to come up. There’s no trade too bold for Les Snead and Sean McVay, which leads us to the latest rumors surrounding Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett.The Browns don’t appear intent on trading Garrett but they restructured his contract earlier this offseason to make a trade more feasible. And now that it’s June 1, Cleveland is able to split up his dead cap charges over the next two years in the event that he is traded.With June 1 being a key date for players like Garrett and A.J. Brown, it’s unsurprising that rumors have begun to swirl, linking the Rams to the two-time Defensive Player of the Year.These aren’t substantiated or confirmed reports from insiders with proven track records, but we can’t ignore the fact that Los Angeles could be a team to watch with Garrett. It started with Packers insider Easton Butler of 24/7 Sports, who shared on social media Sunday night that the Rams have reportedly “called the Cleveland Browns” about Garrett, and that the Browns are “listening to all the calls.”The LA Rams have called the Cleveland Browns about star EDGE Myles Garrett, per a source. The Rams have reportedly offered a "Rickey Williams-esque" type trade for Garrett. The Philadelphia Eagles are also making a strong push, offering WR AJ Brown and more for the star. Craziest… pic.twitter.com/5MpRPyU73f— Easton Butler (@Easton__Butler) June 1, 2026Then Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot wrote on Monday that "some of the teams rumored to have interest in Garrett are the Rams, Eagles and Cowboys, but nothing has been substantiated."She added that it seems "as though there might be some fire where the smoke is coming from in regards to the possibility of Garrett being moved." What previously sounded unrealistic now seems possible.On top of that, ESPN Cleveland's Tony Rizzo said, "the Rams are the team I've heard is interested." Myles Garrett trade speculation is RUNNING WILD. Rizz saw a CRAZY text 😯😯😯 https://t.co/ibOKDhUXAOpic.twitter.com/BGDjVdPJI0— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) June 1, 2026Where there's smoke, there's often fire. But is that the case with these rumors? The Rams check a few of the boxes needed to make a trade for someone like Garrett.They have the draft capital with all of their future first-round picks still available. They also have the Super Bowl-caliber roster to go all-in for Garrett, similar to the way they did with Von Miller in 2021. And in terms of cap space, they're flush with it; Over The Cap projects the Rams to have over $25 million in cap room this year and $94 million in 2027.Some might say they don't have a need at edge rusher with Jared Verse and Byron Young, but if the Rams were to acquire Garrett, Young would be a logical piece of that trade. He's in the final year of his contract and would help Cleveland replace Garrett on the edge.Snead openly stated that by drafting Ty Simpson this year and keeping their 2027 first-round pick in their pocket, they have the assets to bolster the roster this year. Might they use their future firsts for a player like Garrett? It would certainly fit the mold of how Los Angeles has operated in the past.These are all just rumors right now, but the Rams can't be ruled out if Cleveland does decide to move Garrett. It would align perfectly with Los Angeles' all-in approach.This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Myles Garrett trade rumors: Could Rams trade for Browns star?

Whether it’s under the Friday night lights, on the baseball diamond or in championship competitions across the state, Trinity Presbyterian student-athletes have spent years building a winning tradition.That tradition recently received national attention when Trinity Presbyterian School was ranked Alabama’s top high school for athletes in a Niche roundup of the best athletic high schools in every state, a distinction highlighted by USA TODAY Sports.The designation places the Montgomery private school at the top of Alabama’s athletic rankings, recognizing both the student-athlete experience and the success of its sports programs.According to Niche, the rankings are based on a combination of student and parent surveys, athletic participation data and information from the U.S. Department of Education.What makes Trinity Presbyterian one of Alabama’s top athletic programs?Few schools can match Trinity’s combination of opportunity, facilities and athletic success.The Montgomery school offers 36 teams across sports, ranging from football and basketball to swimming, track, girls' flag football and fishing. In 2025 alone, Trinity celebrated a Class 4A girls’ basketball state championship, area titles in baseball and boys’ soccer, a football playoff appearance, a Sweet 16 boys’ basketball run and an individual state champion in track and field.Combined with a philosophy centered on leadership, character and teamwork, the results have helped establish Trinity as one of Alabama’s premier destinations for student-athletes.Top 10 high schools for athletes in the U.S. While Trinity Presbyterian earned the top spot in Alabama, the school’s athletic reputation extends beyond state lines.In Niche’s rankings, Trinity was ranked No. 73 among high schools for athletes in the United States. According to Niche, the nation’s highest-ranked schools for athletes are:St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Fort Lauderdale, FloridaSt. John’s Prep, Danvers, MassachusettsChristopher Columbus High School, Miami, FloridaBishop Hendricken High School, Warwick, Rhode IslandXavier College Preparatory Roman Catholic High School, Phoenix, ArizonaGonzaga College High School, Washington, D.C.McCallie School, Knoxville, TennesseeCathedral Catholic High School, San Diego, CaliforniaDelbarton School, Morristown, New JerseySt. Edward High School, Lakewood, OhioJennifer Lindahl is a Breaking and Trending Reporter in Alabama for USA TODAY’s Deep South Connect Team. Connect with her on X @jenn_lindahl and email at jlindahl@usatodayco.com.This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Best high school for Alabama athletes? Trinity Presbyterian High School

He was the quarterback Johnny Unitas’s secret weapon with flypaper hands, who rose — leaped, actually — to big occasions.

The authorities did not say why they had barred Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker, who have popular social media channels, but said their presence “may not be conducive to the public good.”

Tom Aspinall (centre) signed a deal with Eddie Hearn (right) in February 2026 [Getty Images]Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has called on UFC president Dana White to release Tom Aspinall from his contract and says the heavyweight champion is not being paid his worth.Manchester-based Aspinall, 33, signed a "commercial and advisory" deal with Hearn's new talent agency in March.Aspinall has been the standout performer in the UFC's heavyweight division in recent years, with seven of his eight wins ending in the first round.Hearn is prepared to offer Aspinall higher earnings if the UFC allowed him to leave, as tensions continue to grow between himself and White, though it is unclear whether that would be in boxing or MMA.Matchroom chairman Hearn is also willing to drop planned legal action over Conor Benn's decision to leave his stable for White's Zuffa Boxing promotional company if they release Aspinall.Hearn, 46, previously described 29-year-old Benn's departure as a "dagger in the heart"."I'll walk away from all their problems they've got on the Conor Benn legal situation if they release Tom Aspinall," Hearn said."And I will, in writing, it will be five or six times more money he'll be making, but I will put in writing that Tom Aspinall will make a minimum of three times more than he will under his current contract."Aspinall remains under contract with the UFC and is one of its biggest stars.Hearn has previously criticised the UFC's pay structure and suggested leading fighters could earn considerably more elsewhere.There is no indication the UFC would consider releasing Aspinall, but Hearn's remarks have increased debate around fighter pay in mixed martial arts (MMA)."I would like to propose that Dana White should be happy for Tom Aspinall, who is extremely unhappy, and he should release him of his obligations with the UFC," Hearn added."And he should allow him to go out and make considerably more for himself and his family because that's what Dana White's all about, isn't it? He'd be happy for Tom. So that's what I would like."Aspinall has been dealing with eye problems since his title fight with Ciryl Gane last October had to be stopped because of repeated eye pokes.He had double eye surgery in February and it is not yet certain when he will be able to return to action.Hearn has been publicly feuding with UFC president White since the launch of Zuffa Boxing.Aspinall became part of that war of words when Hearn suggested White "humiliated" him by not backing the fighter after the eye controversy.MMA schedule and results 2026Watch every Born to Brawl episode More MMA from the BBC Notifications, social media and more with BBC Sport

Serena Williams is back. After stepping away from tennis in 2022, Williams will make her triumphant return to the sport at the HSBC Championships in June. It was a shocking announcement. Williams, now 44, hasn’t played a professional tennis match in four years. But given her excellence in the sport and her long layoff, Williams received plenty of support from her fellow athletes after announcing her return to action.Retired tennis veteran Caroline Wozniacki and Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn — who knows a thing or two about late-career comebacks — were among the early athletes to send their support to Williams.Both Wozniacki and Vonn responded to an Instagram teaser posted by Williams. In the teaser, Williams’ phone keeps buzzing and ringing. When she walks across the court to grab it, the screen fades to black and the text “guess everybody heard the news” pops up on screen.View this post on InstagramWozniacki responded to the clip with a fire emoji and a clapping emoji. Vonn summed up her thoughts with a “LFG!!” and two flexed biceps emojis. Track star Allyson Fenix, who recently announced her own comeback, also responded positively to Williams’ news. Nike, which helped make the teaser Williams posted Monday, joked that Williams might need to change her phone number following the announcement. A number of tennis Grand Slam social-media accounts took notice of the news. The French Open tweeted out a Williams return post despite the event taking place right now. Wimbledon also acknowledged Williams’ return. Some believe Williams could use the HSBC Championships as a tune-up for a possible return to play in Wimbledon later in June. Both Williams and Wimbledon have not commented on whether the 23-time Grand Slam winner would take part in the event one more time. This story will be updated.

Sure, we’re over 300 days from the next Masters, but the beloved major technically starts in June the preceding year. That’s because the Masters ticket application lottery is officially open for you … and everyone else in the world. The application period for 2027 Masters tickets opened on Monday, June 1 and will run through June 20.Often called “the toughest ticket in sports,” there are millions of entries for a finite number of spots. And yet, someone has to win. Why not you? Or me? Rory McIlroy will have an opportunity to go back-to-back-to-back. Anything is possible.The "lottery" is the only authorized way to buy Masters tickets—and unless you’re Harry Styles or Wayne Gretzky, you’re going to need to win this to get through the Augusta National gates. Here’s what you need to know if you’re going to try your hand at the lottery of all lotteries.When is the 2027 Masters?The 2027 Masters will run from April 5-11. Practice rounds will be from Monday-Wednesday, April 5-7, with the Par-3 Contest on Wednesday. And then, tournament rounds will be played from Thursday-Sunday, April 8-11.How much are tickets?Despite demand, tickets are relatively inexpensive. Monday and Tuesday are $125 apiece, and Wednesday will be $150. Daily tournament tickets are $160 each.How will you know if you’ve won?Once the random selection process is done, you’ll receive an email (even if you didn’t get tickets). Daily tournament tickets are handed out first, according to Augusta National. And then those who didn’t win those will have a chance at the practice rounds. The emails will be sent out in late July, along with payment details, if you’re lucky enough to win.Augusta NationalRELATED: Inside the sprawling Masters merchandise operationWhat are Masters Series Badges?Okay, now we’re getting a bit big for our britches, aren’t we? Masters Series Badges are lifetime access tickets for all four tournament days. They’re the most sought-after of tickets and cover entry over the course of the competition’s four days. There’s a Masters Series Badge waiting list, and you’re not allowed to transfer the Badge down to your family.OK, so how do I enter to get tickets?All you have to do is go to this link right here and sign up. You can apply for up to four tickets for any or all days, but you can win only one day.Also, if you want to expand your Augusta National/Masters reach, you might want to sign up for Drive, Chip & Putt tickets and/or the Augusta National Women's Amateur. Tickets for the Drive, Chip & Putt are $35 each. The first two ANWA rounds, played at Champions Retreat Golf Club, are free. The final Saturday round, played at Augusta National, is $150.Best of luck out there. Maybe it’s time to get into religion or even hire an Etsy witch. Every bit counts. And to be fair, the odds are 50-50 you get into Augusta National. You either win tickets or you don’t. That sounds like flipping a coin. (There’s a reason I’m a journalist and not a statistician.) More From Golf Digest masters history How a $470k 1934 Masters badge ended up across the street from Augusta National News Masters 2026: Man arrested after trying to sneak into Augusta National From the archive They went to the Masters for $60

Amari Morgan-Smith scored 77 times for Harriers [Getty Images]Kidderminster Harriers captain Amari Morgan-Smith is among 11 players set to leave the newly-promoted club this summer.The 37-year-old forward made more than 300 appearances in two spells with the club, including 46 as skipper last season as he led the Harriers to promotion to the National League.Goalkeeper Christian Dibble will also leave at the end of his contract after 163 appearances, as will Joe Foulkes and Alex Penny, who both played more than 140 times for the side.Other players on the released list are Josh Palmer, Tom Robinson, Kam Kandola, Jack Clarke, Pierce Bird, Rhys Lovett and Tobi Sho-Silva, while Leyton Love and David Davis have signed new contracts.Follow your club with BBC SportListen to the latest Football Daily podcastGet football news sent straight to your phone

Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona encouraged being hopeful. Outfielder JJ Bleday suggested prayer.There's reason for optimism, but these are the kinds of reactions that resulted from the injury scare for Reds shortstop and offensive catalyst Elly De La Cruz on May 31 at Great American Ball Park.De La Cruz plays every day, and he plays fast. That made it an immediate concern in the fifth inning of the Reds' series finale against the Atlanta Braves when he pulled out of his sprint through first base on what would have likely been an extra-base hit for the lanky speedster. On a ball hit in the right-center field gap, De La Cruz rounded first base slowly and looked uncomfortable as he returned to first base. "He feels like he caught it before it did anything worse," Francona said. "Saying that, we're gonna get him scanned at nine in the morning and we'll know more. ... Let's kind of hope. He's a pretty miraculous kid. Let's wait and see what happens."Here's an overview of what happened and what's next for the Reds and De La Cruz: Why the play in question was concerningLike many great ballplayers, De La Cruz takes great pride in being available to his club on a daily basis. In fact, his consecutive games played streak of 276 is still intact but is now in jeopardy. The streak is the third-longest by a Reds player since 1970 and the third-longest active streak in MLB today.For De La Cruz, that streak includes playing while grieving the death of his sister last season, as well as playing through a quad injury for a large part of 2025. The point is that for De La Cruz to show visible signs of injury and leave a game (although Francona said he didn't give the player a say in that matter), the situation is worth being concerned about. What happens next for Elly De La Cruz, Reds? De La Cruz was scheduled to receive an MRI at 9 a.m. on June 1. Once the Reds have more information about the hamstring in question, they'll have a decision to make. Speaking through a team interpreter on May 31, De La Cruz said he wasn't in pain after the game and didn't think he was dealing with a serious injury. Still, a day of rest for De La Cruz might be in order, even if that would mean the end of his consecutive games streak. Cincinnati hosts the Kansas City Royals at Great American Ball Park (7:10 p.m.) on June 1. Even if the hamstring isn't seriously damaged, there's no reason to risk further injury if De La Cruz knows it's tight.If the hamstring is damaged to some degree, it could necessitate a longer absence for De La Cruz, such as several days off his feet or possibly a stint on the injured-list. That could also necessitate some personnel juggling and maybe even a call-up for Edwin Arroyo, the Reds' most MLB-ready prospect.Some have called for Arroyo's call-up for weeks, citing his hitting skills at a time when the Reds have several key players struggling at the plate. Arroyo is a natural shortstop and was getting more experience at other positions. The the hope was that Arroyo would play alongside De La Cruz, not in place of him. Defensively, though, Arroyo is most prepared at shortstop, so standing in for a longer-term De La Cruz absence would make sense if it came to that.When will we know more about De La Cruz's injury? Francona typically discusses all injury matters, as well as other subjects, during his pregame meeting with reporters. On June 1, that's scheduled to take place around 3 p.m. In the meantime, it's worth considering Francona's hopefulness, as well as De La Cruz's optimism."When I start running and when I was making the turn for first, I felt tightness in my hamstring and immediately I decide to stop because I felt like if I keep going, this can get worse," De La Cruz said through team interpreter and athletic trainer Tomas Vera. "I don't believe it's something bad, I really don't. Obviously, we're going to see what the MRI says tomorrow, but I don't think it's something really bad at this moment."Cincinnati.com will have live updates on De La Cruz on June 1 from Great American Ball Park. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Everything you need to know about Elly De La Cruz's injury scare

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer looks on during a visit to Acorn Nursery, in Brighton, England, Tuesday May 26, 2026. (Gareth Fuller/Pool Photo via AP)2026-06-01T09:44:05Z LONDON (AP) — Peter Mandelson assured the British government it would “never regret” appointing him as ambassador to the United States, according to documents released on Monday, a pledge that was dramatically proven wrong within months.More than 1,500 pages of files relating to the appointment of Mandelson, a friend of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as envoy to Washington at the start of U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term, were released by the government to comply with a demand by lawmakersThey shed new light on the contentious decision and heap more embarrassment on beleaguered Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Mandelson was fired after nine months, and fallout from the misjudged appointment has left Starmer fighting for his job.Among the documents is a note from Mandelson to then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy, before his appointment, pledging that the government would “never regret” giving him the job.“I fear that navigating Britain’s interests through the Trump administration will require super-human skills and luck and a massive team effort,” Mandelson said in the November 2024 note. His appointment was announced the following month. Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein poses ‘reputational risk’A first trove of files published in March revealed ministers had been warned that Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein exposed the government to “reputational risk.”It was later disclosed that Mandelson had been approved for the ambassador’s job despite failing security checks, a revelation that sparked bitter blame-trading between Starmer and senior civil servants who oversaw the security vetting.The files released Monday shed some light on discussions within government about the appointment, but key details remain a mystery. Some documents have been redacted on national security grounds, and others have been withheld at the request of police investigating Mandelson for alleged misconduct in public office. It remains unclear why Mandelson failed security checks. The summary of his vetting process wasn’t among the documents released, as it is part of the police investigation. Officials have said it is not because of his ties to Epstein. A background report drawn up by officials before Mandelson was appointed, released by the government in March, flagged business ties to Russia and China as a concern, and noted his resignations from two previous Labour governments because of scandals over money and ethics. Read More Also missing is any record of what measures, if any, were taken to mitigate the risk of giving Mandelson the job. Mandelson refused to hand over information from his personal phone to officials, and the government “has no further recourse to search the personal devices of Peter Mandelson,” the documents released on Monday say.Mandelson, 72, was briefly arrested in February by detectives investigating allegations he passed sensitive government information to Epstein when he was a minister in the British government a decade and a half ago.He has been released without bail conditions as the police investigation continues. Starmer fired Mandelson in September 2025 after an earlier release of documents showed he had maintained contact with Epstein after the financier’s 2008 conviction for sexual offenses involving a minor.Critics say Starmer’s decision to appoint Mandelson is evidence of bad judgment by a prime minister who has made repeated missteps since he led the center-left Labour Party to a landslide election victory in July 2024.Details about Mandelson’s ties to Epstein, revealed in a huge trove of files published by the U.S. Department of Justice in January, raised new questions about Starmer’s judgment, driving opponents and some Labour lawmakers to call for the prime minister’s resignation. Those calls intensified after Labour suffered big losses in local elections in May. A senior Cabinet minister, Wes Streeting, resigned with the intention of challenging Starmer for the Labour leadership. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is running for a seat in Parliament in a June 18 special election and is also expected to challenge Starmer if he wins. The documents expose some unflattering comments about StarmerThe documents include emails and text messages between Mandelson and government ministers and advisers, some discussing weighty affairs of state, others sharing gossip or unusual details.At one point, Mandelson and other officials discussed commissioning a red dispatch box like those used by U.K. government ministers, inscribed “President of the United States” as a gift for Trump during his September 2025 state visit to the U.K. But the box was delayed by political concerns and issues at the manufacturer. Mandelson expressed his frustration with the holdup, saying officials had known about the request for months.“And nobody had the wit to say anything,’’ Mandelson wrote to Morgan McSweeney, then Starmer’s chief of staff, on Aug. 27. “What incompetence.” Behind closed doors, Peter Mandelson didn’t always give Starmer his full-throated support. In May 2025, Mandelson told Cabinet Minister Pat McFadden on WhatsApp that “Keir lacks verve.”“The mantra is Plan for Change. But what is the Plan?” he wrote.In a WhatsApp exchange with Pensions Minister Torsten Bell, Mandelson said the big picture was “messy” because the government didn’t do a good job formulating policy.“Well, that is definitely true - everyone seems to think it’s someone else’s job to get the policy right … which is very odd,’’ Bell wrote on July 20. 2025.“As the saying goes, rubbish in, rubbish out …,’’ Mandelson responded.___Associated Press writers Brian Melley and Sylvia Hui in London contributed to this report. JILL LAWLESS Lawless is based in London, covering British politics, diplomacy and culture and top stories from the UK and beyond. She has reported for the AP from two dozen countries on four continents. twitter mailto 获取更多RSS：https://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt during a campaign event Sunday, May 31, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jill Connelly)2026-06-01T04:31:02Z LOS ANGELES (AP) — California spiraled toward a primary election Tuesday with its two marquee races defined by uncertainty and with a pair of outsider candidates looking to crack open the state’s durable Democratic hierarchy.In the governor’s race, former Fox News TV host and British political adviser Steve Hilton is urging Republicans to unite behind him as he fights for one of two spots in the November election alongside two Democrats, billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer and former state attorney general Xavier Becerra. In the Los Angeles race for mayor, reality TV personality Spencer Pratt is hoping to turn his insurgent campaign into a surprise upset of Democratic Mayor Karen Bass. The two are tightly clustered with Nithya Raman, a progressive city council member running to Bass’ political left.“We can’t give up on LA,” Pratt told applauding supporters at a block party Sunday. “We’ve got to fight.” Democrats once feared that the party’s large field of gubernatorial candidates could open a path for two Republicans to advance to November. But now, in the campaign’s closing days, Hilton is warning the opposite could happen — what he called a “doomsday scenario” in which only Democrats advance. Hilton is pleading with his chief Republican rival, county Sheriff Chad Bianco, to pull out of the contest, fearing an all-Democratic ticket would dampen GOP turnout across the state and reorder races for Congress and the Legislature. Read More Becerra and Steyer locking out a Republican from the November ballot would be “a disaster for California, it means no change. It’s a disaster for everyone who’s running as a Republican up and down the ballot,” Hilton said on the social platform X.Mail voting began in early May, but just 15% of voters had returned their ballots as of Sunday. That’s left the candidates seeing room for a last-minute shake-up in the race’s closing days. A vulnerable mayor looks for second term in LAIn heavily Democratic Los Angeles, Bass’ shaky first term has left her vulnerable. She points to a drop in homelessness, though encampments and rows of rusting RVs remain a common sight in many neighborhoods. Meanwhile, she’s still trying to overcome lingering fallout from the 2025 Palisades Fire, the most destructive in Los Angeles history. Bass was in Ghana as part of a presidential delegation when the flames ignited. Pratt lost his home in the blaze and has made the fire and the city’s recovery a foundation of his campaign.At Pratt’s block party, Vivian Escalante, a historian who lives in the heavily Hispanic Boyle Heights neighborhood adjacent to downtown, said the quality of life has been sliding for years — dirtier streets, more homeless encampments and a lack of pride in the neighborhood she’s called home all her life.“It’s gotten completely worse,” Escalante said, with a Pratt cap perched on her head. The Democratic Party, she said, has “completely abandoned us.”The LA race is officially nonpartisan, but Bass is a Democrat, as is Raman, who made a last-minute decision to challenge her one-time ally and is among the top group of contenders. Pratt, who rose to fame alongside his wife, Heidi Montag, on “The Hills,” is a registered Republican who has received a nod of approval — if not an outright formal endorsement — from President Donald Trump. He has sought to distance himself from national politics, saying his concerns are strictly within city limits.A University of California, Berkeley, Institute of Governmental Studies poll, co-sponsored by The Los Angeles Times, found Bass tightly clustered with Raman and Pratt, with other candidates trailing. The poll of 1,351 likely voters conducted between May 19 and May 24 gave no candidate a statistically significant edge.The city is at a difficult juncture.Hollywood jobs have been decamping for years for cheaper filming locations. A downtown renaissance was crushed by extended pandemic closures and many office buildings remain desperate for tenants. The city has long struggled to provide basic services, whether paving buckled streets and fixing sidewalks or keeping streetlights on. A crowded governor’s race with no clear leaderThe governor’s race has been the most wide open in a generation. More than 50 names are on the ballot.Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is banned by law from seeking a third term. Other candidates seeking to replace him include former Democratic U.S. Rep. Katie Porter,Democrat Matt Mahan, the mayor of San Jose, and Bianco, the Riverside County sheriff.Rebecca Katz, a strategist with Steyer’s campaign, said Sunday that they are “feeling pretty good” but emphasized how close the race was with a sporting reference, “It’s three candidates for two spots, every possession counts.”Steyer, a former hedge fund manager turned liberal activist, has set spending records hoping to advance to the November contest. Hilton, a former Fox News host who has been endorsed by Trump, has promised to bring down costs in a state with some of the nation’s highest gas prices, utility costs and taxes. Becerra has been stressing his experience in arguing he’s best prepared to lead the nation’s second most populous state, having served as the Biden administration’s health secretary, a former U.S. House member and state attorney general. Broadly, Republicans in the race are promising drastic change after years of Democratic governance — Democrats haven’t lost a statewide race in two decades and Republicans last elected a Los Angeles mayor in 1997. Democrats, though in charge for years, are promising to bring down costs and continue to fend off the Trump administration in its numerous conflicts with Democratic California. ___Associated Press writer Jesse Bedayn in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report. MICHAEL R. BLOOD Blood is a political writer for The AP. Over the years he has filed stories under datelines from Wasilla, Alaska, to Tel Aviv, but he has spent most of his career anchored in AP bureaus in Washington, D.C., New York City and - for the last two decades - Los Angeles. twitter mailto

Specialists Philip Finale, left, and Meric Greenbaum work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)2026-06-01T04:35:21Z NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices are rising Monday following the latest fighting to threaten the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, but Wall Street isn’t very worried, and U.S. stocks are hanging near their records.The S&P 500 was virtually unchanged from its all-time high set on Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 102 points, or 0.2%, as of 10:15 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was flat. Both are also coming off records.Some of the sharpest losses hit companies with big fuel bills hurt by the rise in oil prices. United Airlines lost 2.9%, and cruise-operator Carnival fell 2.7% after the price for a barrel of Brent crude oil climbed 6.7% to $97.22. That clawed back a chunk of its loss from last week and means it’s still well above its price of roughly $70 from before the war.Expensive oil has already sent inflation around the world higher, which not only increases bills for households but also pushes up bond yields. High yields worldwide recently have threatened to slow economies and undercut prices for stocks and all kinds of other investments. Some of the hardest hit by high interest rates are smaller companies, which have a tougher time borrowing to grow when loans are more expensive to repay. The Russell 2000 index of the smallest U.S. stocks sank 1%, much more than the rest of the market. But hope seems to be remaining on Wall Street that the United States and Iran will ultimately reach an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, allow deliveries of oil to resume from the Persian Gulf and ease the upward pressure on inflation. Read More Strength from several market heavyweights also helped to overshadow such fears.Nvidia was the strongest force pushing upward the market and rose 4.8% after CEO Jensen Huang announced several product updates at a conference. Among them, he said the company’s next-generation artificial-intelligence platform, Vera Rubin, is ramping into full production. That helped calm some investor concerns about potential delays, analysts said. What Nvidia does matters immensely for the U.S. stock market because it’s the biggest in terms of overall market value. That means the movements for its stock carry more weight on the S&P 500 than any other’s.And Wall Street’s biggest companies have been growing so much that they’re dominating the market. The top 10 stocks control nearly half the S&P 500’s total market value, a 40-year high, according to Thomas Carroll, equity market strategist at Stifel.That worked well as those Big Tech companies shot higher thanks to exuberance around AI. But it could also weigh on the index if the market’s leadership broadens, Carroll warns. Even if most stocks end up rising in such a rotation, stagnation or declines for Big Tech heavyweights could drag on S&P 500 index funds.And a key indicator Carroll follows about market breadth “is signaling a rotation is coming,” he wrote in a report.Elsewhere on Wall Street, Science Applications International Corp. jumped 12.8% after becoming the latest U.S. company to report bigger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. SAIC also raised forecasts for upcoming financial results after winning several contracts from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, army and other agencies. A cavalcade of such profit reports has helped the U.S. stock market push to records despite the war with Iran.Berkshire Hathaway slipped 0.4% after it said it would buy Taylor Morrison Home for $6.8 billion. It’s one of the first big acquisitions announced by the company under Greg Abel’s leadership following famed investor Warren Buffett. Taylor Morrison Home jumped 22.5%.In the bond market, Treasury yields rose with oil prices and after a report said growth in U.S. manufacturing accelerated by more last month than economists expected. The yield for the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.50% from 4.45% late Friday.High yields have already forced the average long-term U.S. mortgage rate to its most expensive level in nine months, and they could curtail companies’ borrowing to build the AI data centers that have supported the U.S. economy’s growth recently. In stock markets abroad, indexes fell in Europe following a stronger finish in Asia.Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.9%, and South Korea’s Kospi jumped 3.7% to hit records led by technology-related stocks, as investors continued to see growth in AI and other advanced technologies.In South Korea, the Kospi index jumped 3.7% to a record. Samsung Electronics, its biggest company, soared 10.1%. Official data on Monday showed that South Korea’s exports surged 53% year-on-year in May, buoyed by global demand for semiconductors.___AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him and Matt Ott contributed. 获取更多RSS：https://feedx.net https://feedx.site

In this Sept. 30, 1962, file photo, Baltimore Colts end Raymond Berry snags a pass from quarterback John Unitas for 5-yard gain against the Detroit Lions in a football game in Baltimore. Lions' Dick LeBeau (44) makes the tackle. (AP Photo/File)2026-06-01T14:19:44Z NEW YORK (AP) — Raymond Berry, the Hall of Fame wide receiver who teamed with Baltimore quarterback Johnny Unitas for one of the NFL’s greatest passing combinations and helped lead the Colts to victory over the New York Giants in the storied 1958 championship game, has died. He was 93.Berry, who later coached the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX, died May 25, the Pro Football Hall of Fame said Monday.His family said in a statement that Berry died peacefully at home in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, surrounded by family, including his wife of 65 years, Sally.“In NFL history, there are only a handful of players who we can say truly changed the sport. Raymond Berry is one of the few names on that list,” Indianapolis Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon said. “As a player during a historic era of Colts football, Raymond redefined the standard for what a wide receiver could and should be. ... Simply put, not only was Raymond Berry one the greatest players in the history of the Colts, but he was one of the most influential and foundational players of the modern NFL.” A 20th-round draft pick out of SMU in 1954, the Texas native became a model for the virtues of hard work and determination. He had average speed, legs of different length, a bad back, imperfect eyesight and oversized feet that in high school gave him the nickname “Skis.” But he willed himself into a superstar through exhaustive preparation and study, whether using Silly Putty to strengthen his fingers or simulating entire games on the practice field. He was among the most reliable receivers in league history, rarely dropping a pass and fumbling only twice, according to the Pro Football Reference website. By his own count, he developed 88 separate routes to get open, his discipline so unyielding that even his coach, Weeb Ewbank, tried to intervene. Read More “One of his drills was to throw nothing but bad balls to him,” Ewbank told the Los Angeles Times in 1986. “I used to have to run John (Unitas) off — ‘John, you’ve had enough throwing today’ — and he’d say, ‘Yeah, talk to that guy out there.’” Over 13 seasons, Berry caught a then-record 631 passes (Jerry Rice is now the all-time leader, with 1,549) for 68 touchdowns, led the NFL in receptions three times and played in six Pro Bowls. A mainstay of one of the league’s top offenses, featuring Unitas, running back Lenny Moore and offensive lineman Jim Parker, Berry played on championship teams in 1958 and 1959 and a runner-up in 1964.Berry was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1973, and was voted on to the league’s 50th anniversary and 75th anniversary teams. The Colts retired his uniform number, 82. SMU retired his number from college, 87.A performance for the agesBerry was at his peak during a signature day in NFL history: the 1958 finale against the Giants at Yankee Stadium, an overtime classic known by many as “The Greatest Game Ever Played.” It was nationally televised and often cited as the starting point for the league’s rise over the following decades.Playing against the NFL’s toughest defense, Berry caught 12 passes for 178 yards and one touchdown, including three consecutive receptions during the 86-yard drive that tied the game 17-17 in regulation, and two crucial grabs during the 80-yard drive that gave the Colts a 23-17 win. The league’s first championship to finish in overtime helped make Unitas a hero and Berry his ideal target.“We worked and got to know each other and developed timing you just can’t get any other way,” Berry later told the radio program Sports & Torts. “He (Unitas) knew I was going to be there when I was supposed to be there and he knew I was going to catch it.” A fight for drug testingAfter retiring in 1967, Berry was a wide receivers coach for the Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots, and head coach of the Pats from 1984-89. He finished 48-39 with New England, including an 11-5 season in 1985 and a trip to Super Bowl XX. The Patriots were crushed 46-10 by the Chicago Bears in that game.“Raymond Berry holds a special place in Patriots history,” team owner Robert Kraft said. “He led our franchise to its first Super Bowl appearance following a remarkable playoff run, a milestone that was the greatest achievement in team history at the time.”Kraft said Raymond left a lasting impact on the Patriots and the NFL. Soon after the Super Bowl against the Bears, the Boston Globe revealed that several New England players had drug problems. Berry had been a source for the Globe story and his push for the team to agree to drug testing was forcefully opposed by the NFL players union.Berry, a deeply religious man who didn’t drink or smoke, had personal reasons for supporting drug treatment. His former Colts teammate, All-Pro defensive tackle Gene “Big Daddy” Lipscomb, had struggled with addiction.“They didn’t help him, they just cut him,” Berry told The Patriot Ledger in 1986. “Three years later, he was dead.” His Texas rootsBerry married fellow Texan Sally Crook in 1960. They had three children.He was born in Corpus Christi in 1933 and would credit some of his success to his high school coach, his father, Mark Raymond Berry, who taught his son the basics of football even if he didn’t play him much. He attended Schreiner College in Kerrville for a year before transferring to SMU, where during one crucial game he fumbled twice, mistakes he vowed not to commit in the pros.With the Colts, he caught only 13 passes in his rookie season, but the following year the team signed a free agent quarterback cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers — Unitas. The two soon began practicing together.“I didn’t know my butt from first base about how to run pass routes,” Berry told Sports & Torts. “If you saw both of us in training camp in 1956, you may have gone away sobbing. We were two pitiful football players, good grief.”___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl HILLEL ITALIE Italie has covered the publishing industry since 1998. He writes about notable books, industry trends and ongoing issues such as book bans, AI, consolidation and copyright. twitter instagram mailto

Tech industry layoffs are accelerating, and executives have been quick to say it’s because their companies are doing more with artificial intelligence, even when there may be more to it.

Box, a Silicon Valley software maker, expects to have more employees, not fewer, as it hires A.I. architects, A.I. solutions managers and other new A.I.-related positions.

Joana Avillez took six years to illustrate a new edition of Joseph Mitchell’s “The Bottom of the Harbor,” which captures the salty New York neighborhood of her youth.

Magomed Ankalaev captured light heavyweight gold with a win over Alex Pereira in March 2025. | Getty/UFCMagomed Ankalaev is set to get back to work for the first time since losing the light heavyweight crown this past October. Ankalaev will face former title challenger Khalil Rountree in the UFC Abu Dhabi main event, while Umar Nurmagomedov will lock horns with David Martinez in the evening’s bantamweight co-headliner. The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the bouts on Monday. UFC Abu Dhabi — also known as UFC Fight Night 282 — takes place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and airs in its entirety on Paramount+. Ankalaev last appeared at UFC 320, where he suffered an 80-second technical knockout loss to Alex Pereira in a light heavyweight championship rematch this past October. Prior to that, “Big Ank” authored a 14-bout promotional unbeaten streak that saw him claim 205-pound gold with a five-round verdict over “Poatan” at UFC 313. The 33-year-old Dagestani also owns victories over the likes of Aleksandar Rakic, Johnny Walker, Anthony Smith, Thiago Santos and Volkan Oezdemir. Rountree, meanwhile, is coming off a 1-1 campaign in 2025. The 36-year-old Syndicate MMA product outdueled Jamahal Hill in the UFC Baku main event last June before suffering a third-round knockout loss to Jiri Prochazka at UFC 320. A five-bout winning streak from 2021 to 2023 propelled “The War Horse” to a light heavyweight title shot at UFC 307, where he suffered a fourth-round stoppage defeat against Pereira.Title Contender vs. Surging Prospect Nurmagomedov won his first 18 professional outings — including six in the Octagon — before dropping a unanimous decision to Merab Dvalishvili in a bantamweight title tilt at UFC 311. The Eagles MMA standout has since rebounded to post back-to-back triumphs over Mario Bautista and Deiveson Figueiredo. Mexico City’s Martinez has emerged as one of the bantamweight division’s rising stars during a 10-bout professional winning streak that began in May 2021. The Dana White's Contender Series alum is 3-0 in the UFC, posting successive triumphs over Samon Oliveira, Rob Font and Marlon Vera.HEADLINERS ARE SET 👊@AnkalaevM vs Khalil Rountree Jr@UNmgdv vs David Martinez#UFCAbuDhabi LIVE JULY 25 on @ParamountPlus! [ @VisitAbuDhabi | #InAbuDhabi | #VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/bwT2y3PqRv— UFC (@ufc) June 1, 2026

Liam Coen has been quite happy with what he's seen from Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. this offseason.After recording nearly 1,300 yards in 2024 as a rookie, Thomas Jr. totaled only 707 yards this past season. This included dealing with dropped passes and catching just 49% of the passes thrown his way.So one of the points of emphasis this offseason has been Thomas Jr. and Trevor Lawrence continuing to build their chemistry within the Coen offense.While it's still early, the two are off to a strong start in offseason programs and OTAs in that regard."I've been very pleased with the way that he's attacked the offseason," Coen said of Thomas Jr. on Monday "The way that he takes the meeting room to practice and how that's looked. We're being a little bit more intentional about usage and chemistry with him this spring and trying to get a true connection that we didn't quite have last spring or last training camp, if you will."I've been very pleased with how he's taking the things that we asked him to do to get better at and to be intentional about those reps. I know everybody's 'it's a down year, and fantasy, and this, that, and a third,' but we were on a good team. I think that typically matters a bit more.""I've been very pleased with the way that he's attacked this offseason."Coach Coen on BTJ. pic.twitter.com/QI5qNSLlQP— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) June 1, 2026As Coen has discussed previously, the way his offense operates is that it doesn't depend solely on having a true WR1. Instead, the ball is often spread around with the matchups, coverages, and in-game situations dictating where Lawrence goes with the ball.Along with building that rapport with Lawrence, Coen added that taking care of the football, attacking the ball, and situational aspects of the position are other areas of focus for Thomas Jr.Lawrence and Thomas Jr's connection continuing to grow should create more deep-ball opportunities for the offense. That not only leads to explosive pass plays, but the attention that Thomas Jr. draws can open up opportunities for others.This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars' Liam Coen 'very pleased" with Brian Thomas' performance

College wrestling can be an expensive sport across many universities. So, we’ve compiled the top 25 teams in terms of their operating expenses, per the Extra Points Library.For simplicity, the financial figures were rounded to the nearest hundredth. Some of these teams have certainly seen a return on investment with their on-mat success, more so than others.$19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverageSo let’s look at some financial figures in the college wrestling world. We’ll start with the team that spent the most in 2025 and they’re also the best.1. Penn State: $7.87 millionThe number one program in college wrestling is also the top spending program in terms of their expenses. Penn State has good reason for their spending considering Cael Sanderson‘s run of national championships for the team and individuals since his arrival in State College.The Nittany Lions had four individual champs back in March. They also set a new scoring record at the tournament and haven’t lost a dual meet since 2020.2. Oklahoma State: $5.06 millionThe David Taylor era is paying off with the financial investment. You could argue that Oklahoma State is college wrestling’s second best program right now. The Cowboys were runner ups at NCAA‘s in 2026 and have five individual national champions under Taylor over the last two years. That includes three true freshmen back in March.3. Iowa: $4.02 millionThe Hawkeyes may have underperformed based on fan expectations, but this is still one of the premier programs in college wrestling. Iowa brought another NCAA team trophy back to campus in March and had another NCAA finalist in Mikey Caliendo (165), keeping their streak alive.With young prospects on the roster next season and in the coming years (particularly from New Jersey), Iowa is in a good position to challenge higher next season and the one after that. Will they or Oklahoma State finally upend Penn State’s run?4. Ohio State: $3.18 millionOhio State has a great mix of young and veteran talent going into next year once again. The investment in this college wrestling program has certainly paid off in Columbus. Along with Oklahoma State and Iowa this century, the Buckeyes are the only team to win a national title other than Penn State. Tom Ryan had two NCAA finalists last year and one of them, Ben Davino (133) is back next season.5. Nebraska: $3.06 millionNebraska’s rise over the last two years amongst the college wrestling elite has been fascinating to watch. The Huskers have developed really well under Mark Manning, but also attacked the transfer portal when necessary.Nebraska had two finalists in Christopher Minto (174) and Antrell Taylor (157), who won a title in 2025, back in March. This offseason, their big transfer addition was 2025 NCAA champion Vince RObinson (125) from NC State.6. Rutgers: $3.02 millionNew Jersey’s premier college wrestling program went from the verge of being cut nearly 20 years ago, to a must-see attraction during dual meet season. The NCAA Tournament hasn’t been kind two of the last three years, as Rutgers missed out on putting a wrestler on the All-American podium.Still, the return of 2019 NCAA champion and program legend Anthony Ashnault to the coaching staff should help matters in the Garden State. Top incoming recruits Anthony Knox (125) and Brandt Harer (149) should bring a lot of buzz back to Piscataway as well.7. Virginia Tech: $3.01 millionIf you want to talk about a team that has generated a lot of buzz in college wrestling, it’s Virginia Tech. The on-mat efforts have been there for impressive NCAA finishes.But the young and talented lineup this coming season is insane. With 2025 NCAA champion Caleb Henson (157) back in the middle, along with 3rd place finisher Aaron Seidel (133) coming off a great freshman season, Virginia Tech welcomes in Bo Bassett, the nation’s top pound for pound recruit in 2026.8. Michigan: $2.98 millionThe Wolverines are the highest spending college wrestling team under the $3 million threshold. Michigan’s tournament was highlighted by heavyweight Taye Ghadiali finishing his third in his final season.Going into next year, Michigan features studs in the lineup such as Sergio Lemley (149), Daniel Zepeda (157), Cam Catrabone (165), Beau Mantanona (175) and Brock Mantanona (184). Sleeper trophy team?9. Iowa State: $2.69 millionIowa State’s college wrestling program underwent some major changes this offseason. Head coach Kevin Dresser is now the director of all of wrestling at the school, which includes the new women’s program.Brent Metcalf takes over as head coach and there’s a lot of Iowa Hawkeye influence on the staff, including recent grad Drake Ayala. The Cyclones still have the Frost brothers at 141 and 149, brought in Rutgers NCAA qualifier Ayden Smith at 125, have 174 veteran MJ Gaitan, Oklahoma State transfer Brayden Thompson (184) and star gresham Coby Merrill (285). 10. Arizona State: $2.66 millionArizona State rounds out the top 10 of college wrestling programs that had the most operating expenses over the course of 2025. The Sun Devils had two All-Americans last year in Nicco Ruiz (165) and David Szuba (285). Going into next year, Arizona State wants more after some down seasons. The Larkin brothers (149 and 174 projected) are the stars of the show. ASU also landed North Dakota State transfer Aidan Brenot (184). College Wrestling: Top 25 teams in operating expenses11. Minnesota: $2.24 million12. Oklahoma: $2.24 million13. Oregon State: $2.17 million14. NC State: $2.10 million15. Illinois: $2.08 million16. North Carolina: $2.02 million17. Maryland: $1.95 million18. Wisconsin: $1.90 million19. Purdue: $1.86 million20. Indiana: $1.81 million21. Virginia: $1.75 million22. Michigan State: $1.68 million23. West Virginia: $1.56 million24. Appalachian State: $1.46 million25. Wyoming: $1.35 million

Welcome to the seventh installment of the 2026 spring season for the Delta Dental Vermont Varsity Insider Athletes of the Week voting by high school sports fans.This week, and every week during the sports seasons, members of the public may vote for a top girls athlete and a top boys athlete. And since last year, we added to the list of weekly nominees: There are now two stories, one for girls and one for boys, with more athletes on each ballot.How do I cast my vote?All voting is through the ballots at burlingtonfreepress.com. We will not accept votes through email or through social media.Voting began Monday, June 1, and continues through 9 p.m. Thursday, June 4.How do we learn who wins?The winners will be announced in a story published at burlingtonfreepress.com on Friday, June 5.May I nominate a deserving athlete for a future ballot?Yes. Please nominate a Vermont high school athlete by sending an email to sports@burlingtonfreepress.com (Subject Line: Athletes of the Week nomination). Additionally, please include the athlete's school, sport and any relevant details from that week's games in the email.Boys Athlete of the Week nominees

The upcoming White House UFC fight will feature some manly mixed-martial-arts men and man-o-sphere macho maniacs who, in a world of beta men, fear nothing. Well, almost nothing. Turns out they’re a little afraid of bugs.Dana White, noted tough guy and head of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, recently said he’s concerned about the event, which falls on Trump’s June 14 birthday. (Maybe the president will have a bouncy house there as well!)White isn’t worried about strong men clobbering the snot out of each other in an octagonal cage. No, he said, a recent visit to the Rose Garden with the president showed him something truly scary: “He invited me to dinner there. The amount of gnats that are flying around, I'm like, 'Holy (expletive).' As soon as I got on the plane, I got on the phone with my head of production and said, 'Yeah, let me tell you about the gnat situation tonight.’”Trump's White House UFC event has tough guys worried about bugsThat’s right, folks. Gnats. Trump’s White House lawn display of violence and machismo has one major problem. The organizers and associated man-dudes are worried about bugs.I would’ve thought they might be worried about being forever associated with a wildly unpopular president whose cruelty and recklessness have torn the country apart and tanked the economy. But no. It’s just the gnats and skeeters and whatnot.Opinion: America celebrated together at 200. We won't at 250.Bro-dude podcaster Joe Rogan said on his show recently: “The bugs are a big one. Gnats. What are you going to do about that? How are they going to f-----g do anything about the bugs, because I know that Dana was talking about that recently, they were talking about maybe using fans. Is that enough? Got bug strips everywhere? What are you going to do? How are you going to stop the bugs, there’s a lot of bugs.”BUGS! SO MANY BUGS!I didn't expect UFC-loving alpha men would be so frightened of gnatsI didn’t expect that UFC fighters, fans and organizers would be so flummoxed by a situation routinely navigated by picnickers."In your mouth, in your nose while you're trying to fight," White said May 18 on the sports network Boardroom. “I was telling Craig, my head of production, I was like, 'Maybe we put fans in, because gnats have a hard time in the wind.’ I don't know. These are all the little details that we have to think about. That's why I don't like fighting outside. Ever.”Here’s a thought. If people who get their faces bashed in for a living draw the line at “bug up the nose,” maybe White should have reconsidered holding an mixed martial arts fight in Washington, DC, in June. That’s bug season, baby. You’re stepping onto the gnats’ turf, and I’m not at all convinced your fighters are up to the task.The White House UFC setup is basically a bug magnetMaking matters worse, the UFC has made the White House lawn look like an under-construction amusement park, erecting massive intersecting arches ‒ known as “The Claw” ‒ that will hold lights and television screens. Under the arches will be the famed octagon ring where the fighters brawl and, apparently, live in mortal fear of insects.Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store.“When you're a fighter, think about that lighting grid, The Claw, that we're going to have (and) the amount of power in the lights," White said. "Moths, gnats, and God knows what else, fighters trying to deal with that.”Moths. Gnats. Dragonflies. Maybe dragons. Who knows?'How the hell are they going to combat this?'As a general rule, if you don't want to attract bugs in summer, don't put up a massive array of bright lights in your yard. What White and the UFC have done is effectively build a giant bug zapper, minus the zapper.Canadian-American sports journalist Ariel Helwani recently addressed the UFC bug crisis on his podcast: "How the hell are they going to combat this?"And Rogan said of the event: “The White House thing is odd. I don’t like it. I don’t like the idea of fighting outside at all. June and it’s DC, and we looked it up, the last time, like last year, same day, was 100 degrees. That’s hot as f--k."Have none of these people ever been outside in the summer? They're basically describing conditions that older adults who garden manage to survive just fine. They're making riverside anglers sound superhuman.I'm not afraid of gnats. Does that make me tougher than Dana White?Time magazine recently ran a piece on White and the UFC that included this line: "Strange as it may sound, White talks about insects several times in our conversations. The UFC has had only one outdoor fight in its history, in Abu Dhabi in 2010, and it was humid and apparently buggy. 'Imagine fighting and you got bugs flying in your mouth or in your nose,' says White." Or, alternately, imagine being in a cage with someone who proceeds to kick you in the stomach so hard your intestines explode. I don't think you're going to lie on the mat yelling, "HELP! A BUG WENT UP NOSE! GROSS!"For the sake of the fighters, I hope insect repellent isn't a banned substance in the UFC. And as they are beaten and bloodied for President Tough-Guy's entertainment, I certainly hope the gnats don't get the better of them.Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @rexhuppke.bsky.social and on Facebook at facebook.com/RexIsAJerk.You can read diverse opinions from our USA TODAY columnists and other writers on the Opinion front page, on X, formerly Twitter, @usatodayopinion and in our Opinion newsletter.This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UFC's Dana White scared of gnats at White House fight. LOL! | Opinion

The artificial intelligence company has seen explosive growth over the last year thanks largely to new technology that can automatically write computer code.

Ceramic artist Tamara Alissa's former factory space is colorful, busy, full, and surprisingly comfortable — it has skyline views, 1920s factory floor holes, and a ceramic kiln in the middle of the living room. READ MORE...

After 14 seasons in the NFL, 37-year-old quarterback Russell Wilson has made a decision on his next career move. Wilson will join CBS Sports as an analyst, according to a report from Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports. Last month, The Athletic's Andrew Marchand previously reported that Wilson was a candidate to replace Matt Ryan on "The NFL Today." Ryan left the show to join the Atlanta Falcons' front office earlier this year. Wilson apparently had an offer to join an NFL team as a backup, but he has opted to join CBS. Wilson's decision to transition to television presumably means his NFL career is over, but NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweeted that Wilson "may not be retiring." At the very least, Wilson is putting "a pause" on his playing career, according to Rapoport. ESPN's Adam Schefter is tweeting as if Wilson's career is now over.Wilson, a 10-time Pro Bowler and one-time Super Bowl champion, spent the majority of his career with the Seattle Seahawks, where he went 104-53-1 as a starter before being traded to the Denver Broncos. Wilson went 11-19 as a starter with the Broncos before being benched by coach Sean Payton, who drafted Bo Nix after cutting Wilson in 2024.Wilson threw for 46,966 passing yards and 353 passing touchdowns while adding 5,568 rushing yards and 31 scores on the ground while playing with four NFL teams from 2012-2025. Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: NFL news: Russell Wilson makes career decision after 14th season

The NFL Season is 100 days away! Yahoo analyst Joel Smyth shares 10 things to get excited about for fantasy football before the 2026 NFL season.Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2026 NFL seasonAshton Jeanty on a new and improved RaidersIn 2025, rookie Ashton Jeanty had the second-lowest yards before contact on average, largely due to the offensive line. Injuries didn’t help, with star left tackle Kolton Miller out for the majority of the season and Jackson Powers-Johnson on IR. Not only will Las Vegas have both return healthy in 2026, but the Raiders added All-Pro center Tyler Linderbaum, a dominant force in the run game, as well as multiple guards via free agency and the NFL Draft. There was no room to run for the explosive rookie, but help has arrived.​Justin Jefferson with a new QBJustin Jefferson doesn’t need Tom Brady at quarterback; he just needs serviceable. Carson Wentz is not the ideal option for your star fantasy WR, and yet, Jefferson averaged 95 receiving YPG in his five starts, which would have ranked third among wideouts. Kyler Murray may not be everyone’s favorite, but he is no doubt an upgrade from Jefferson’s 2025 QB play as a proven option for fantasy weapons. DeAndre Hopkins is the best receiver Murray has had in his career, with the former Cardinals QB helping him finish as the WR10 over their three seasons together.​New age of tight endsFrom 2019-2023, the tight end position was dominated by three stars: Travis Kelce, George Kittle and Mark Andrews. We’ve seen them begin to fade over the last couple of seasons, but we’ve also begun to see the rise of the next wave. This season, we should see the future stars at the tight end position fully take over and start a new era. Of the first eight tight ends in the early 2026 ADP, the oldest is 26 years old! Trey McBride, Brock Bowers, Colston Loveland, Tyler Warren, Harold Fannin Jr., Tucker Kraft, Kyle Pitts and Sam LaPorta are all under 27 years old and ready to fight it out to finish as a top-three fantasy TE.DeVonta Smith resurgenceWith A.J. Brown traded to New England, WR1 DeVonta Smith's time is finally here. He has the capability but hasn’t always had the full opportunity in a run-first offense. Last season, when A.J. Brown was off the field, Smith was targeted on 29% of his routes versus less than 21% with Brown on. Smith had 75+ receiving yards in all three games without Brown since he was traded to Philly, with 9+ targets in all of them. Makai Lemon was added, but Smith gets his best shot of finishing as a WR1 in PPG for the first time in his career.A healthy Jonathon Brooks?After coming back from an ACL tear he suffered in college, Panthers RB and 2024 second-round pick Jonathon Brooks re-tore his right ACL in Week 14 of 2024. After missing the entire 2025 season, Brooks looks ready to go for this season with a real opportunity at making an impact. With Rico Dowdle gone in free agency and Chuba Hubbard coming off a career-worst season, Carolina chose to only sign free agent A.J. Dillon as its projected RB4. The Panthers are a surprisingly valuable fantasy RB spot with Dave Canales calling plays the last two seasons, giving Brooks a shot at making a major impact as a late-round pick. Play 2026 Soccer Pick 'Em with FOX One and make your picks for the world's biggest soccer tournamentWeek 17 championship matchups ranksYou can play great for 16 weeks, but if you don’t succeed in Week 17, none of it matters. Here are the top-five games for fantasy football championship weekend to get excited about.​Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals on TNFDetroit Lions at Chicago BearsPhiladelphia Eagles at San Francisco 49ers on SNFKansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles ChargersDenver Broncos at New England PatriotsCam Ward’s second shotThe No. 1 overall pick from a year ago, Cam Ward entered an impossible situation in 2025. No weapons to work with, the head coach fired mid-season and the hardest fantasy QB schedule in the NFL. Sometimes we need to wipe the slate clean and start over. It’s worked recently for first overall picks with similar history, as the last three to score under 12 PPG all rebounded the following season. Trevor Lawrence and Jared Goff went from outside the top-25 to the QB11, and Bryce Young improved by five PPG. With a strong final month, a new, promising coaching staff and Carnell Tate in the building, it should be fun to see Ward have a true shot to show why he was the first selection out of Miami in 2025.Late round rushing QBs availableEvery year, the best fantasy pick you can make is a late-round rushing QB. The issue is, they come few and far between. Last season it was Drake Maye (and waiver-wire addition Jaxson Dart), and the year prior was Jayden Daniels. This season, we have options. Kyler Murray, a six-time QB1, is going at QB17 while the most run-heavy QB in 2025 when starting, Malik Willis, is being taken at QB21. You can grab Dart at QB12 or Bo Nix at QB14 as well. The hit rate on rushing quarterbacks and the upside in the later rounds makes it a best bet, as they don’t even have to be a good NFL QB necessarily to succeed in fantasy football.DJ Moore domino effectDJ Moore heading to Buffalo not only revives his chances of being fantasy relevant, but boost the Bears young trio in the process. The former fantasy WR1 reunites with Joe Brady, who gave his star receiver the sixth-highest target share in the NFL while the two were in Carolina. The competition is minimal with a top quarterback who provided Stefon Diggs with 100+ receptions, 8+ touchdowns and 13+ fantasy PPG in all four seasons in Buffalo. Meanwhile, his vacated targets and role give Bears receivers Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III and Colston Loveland a valuable bump. Moore led the team with 13 end zone targets in 2025 and in routes from the slot. The Chicago offense can support multiple weapons, and with Moore out of the way, the talented young receivers can thrive.Justin Herbert with pass protectionLast year was an impressive — but not easy — season for Justin Herbert. He dealt with the worst pass protection in football after losing both of his starting offensive tackles (and for part of the time, their backups along with it). His two starting OTs are elite, ranking top-10 in pressure rate, but without them, Los Angeles put Herbert under pressure more than any QB. In his four games with LT Joe Alt, Herbert scored 21.7 PPG compared to 16.7 the rest of the season. With a completely replaced interior and a dominant tackle duo back healthy, Herbert could find himself in the exact opposite situation in 2026.

Lakers three-team Austin Reaves trade pitch lands $195 million Pelicans trio originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Even if the Los Angeles Lakers re-sign Austin Reaves this summer (assuming he opts out of his $14.9 million player option), there’s no guarantee he’ll continue his career with Los Angeles. If an ideal sign-and-trade scenario presents itself, the Lakers could find themselves swapping Reaves for assets that would help fill the franchise’s notable needs. According to Lakers insider Jovan Buha, there’s a world where Los Angeles could use Reaves to help them acquire the Pelicans’ talented $195 million via a three-team trade.“You’d essentially be trading Austin and five first-round picks if the Lakers are trading the 2026 25 pick as well,” Buhasaid Friday. “So Austin and five first-round picks forOnyeka Okongwu (Atlanta Hawks),Trey Murphy (Pelicans), Herb Jones (Pelicans),Yves Missi (Pelicans). That’s a lot of picks.”“I would consider it. “It’s a lot of draft capital, but you are also getting four players, and then you are turning one player into four… I would rather have those four guys than Austin … But it’s coming out of a massive cost with your five first-round draft picks.”Murphy is the obvious headliner in Buha’s hypothetical trade idea, as the 25-year-old is an emerging two-way star who’s on track to earn his first All-Star nod in 2026-27 (he averaged 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game this season, which likely put him in All-Star consideration). While not as well-rounded, Jones is a solidified defensive stud who frequently forces opponents out of their comfort zone and takes advantage of telegraphed moves/passes (1.6 steals per game).Missi is still a work in progress, but he’s proven he can be a durable big man who can protect the rim better than most (1.5 blocks per game), and be effective as a hard roller in ball-screen situations. It also wouldn’t hurt to have Okongwu, a 15.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game Hawks contributor who’s starting to come into his own, as another viable frontcourt option to turn to.As Buha noted, surrendering five first-round picks would be challenging for the Lakers, but the hefty return could make it worth their while.More NBA news:Lakers named best fit for record-setting $53.8 million starJazz, Hawks, Bulls, Nets named top landing spots for $53 million Lakers superstarLakers predicted to cut ties with Dalton Knecht, acquire $175 million two-time MVP

Seattle Seahawks star Nick Emmanwori has proven himself to be one of the most versatile safeties in the NFL.The Seahawks selected Emmanwori with the No. 35 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and got exactly what they hoped for from the South Carolina product last season — an impact defensive player, not only among his fellow rookies, but in the league.According to the NFL’s Bucky Brooks in his ranking of the top five “star” defenders in the league, classified as a versatile safety/cornerback/linebacker in three-safety defenses, Emmanwori was listed at No. 4 overall.“The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder is routinely positioned at the line of scrimmage but possesses the athleticism to chase the quarterback or slam the door shut on a back running an option route,” Brooks said. “As Macdonald crafts plans to counter the 13 personnel (1 RB, 3 TEs, 1 WR) craze that's spreading across the league, Emmanwori will undoubtedly see his role expand in 2026 as one of the NFL's most dynamic defensive weapons.”Emmanwori recorded an interception, 2.5 sacks, and 11 passes defended last season, playing all throughout the Seahawks’ defense. The North Carolina native finished as the runner-up for the 2025 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award as a result of his play on the year.With the help of the Seahawks’ outstanding secondary and pass rush next season, Emmanwori will once again have pressure taken off of him to make plays in all three phases of the field in attempts to help Seattle win another Super Bowl at the end of the season.This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks S Nick Emmanwori No. 4 defender overall on latest ranking

LEBANON, Tenn. (AP) — His father called wanting to know why Alex Bowman didn't race at the NASCAR's O'Reilly series stop at Nashville Superspeedway as previously scheduled. Making sure his son was OK was paramount considering Bowman's latest injury in a battle with vertigo that had the driver wondering if he'd ever drive again. “I would say I’m as close to 100% as I’m going to get,” Bowman said before the Cracker Barrel 400 Cup Series race Sunday night.Vertigo forced Bowman out of his No. 48 Chevrolet during the Cup race at Circuit of the Americas in Texas three months ago. He missed races at Phoenix and Las Vegas, and the decision not to drive for JR Motorsports at Darlington or Nashville in NASCAR's second-tier series was made in advance when Bowman was busy trying to figure out what caused his vertigo. “Honestly, I forgot about it, and then I saw everybody confused this week," Bowman said. "My dad called me, he’s like, ‘Why aren’t you running that race?’ I’m like, ‘What are you talking about?’ So, yeah, I totally forgot about it.”Bowman, who has more than 360 career Cup Series starts, has been driving for Hendrick Motorsports full time since the 2018 season and made the playoffs in all but one season. He missed five races in 2022 with a concussion and missed three races the next season with a broken back. Now 33, Bowman wound up missing four Cup races after vertigo hit him hard March 1 with dizziness, a spinning sensation and nausea. That last part was the messiest inside the tight confines of a driver's seat. "I was dizzy in the car and throwing up on myself in the car, spinning and kind of all that stuff,” Bowman said. It was so bad Bowman got out of the car with about 20 laps left, replaced by Myatt Snider who had to scramble into a race suit after working as a pit spotter for the Fox broadcast. Anthony Alfredo drove Bowman's Cup car at Phoenix Raceway. Justin Allgaier took the seat in Las Vegas, Darlington and Martinsville. Bowman's deal with JR Motorsports had him driving at Darlington and Nashville in a deal that splits the O'Reilly series schedule among five drivers. Kyle Larson finished eighth Saturday night with his turn behind the wheel. Figuring out what caused Bowman's vertigo took priority in his latest injury. Vertigo usually results from inner ear issues. For Bowman, the spinning happened when he was in the car. “It wasn’t like I was sitting at home spinning the whole time," Bowman said. "I was pretty fortunate that I felt OK in that sense. But yeah, it took a while to kind of figure out the causes and kind of be able to fix everything and get back feeling good enough to get back in a race car.”It was frustrating because everything Bowman did to feel better left him feeling worse and worse wondering if his career might be at an end.Bowman's spine with the back he broke in 2023 needed what he called "a tiny little operation" to help get his balance issues under control. He also continues with physical therapy to keep vertigo from returning.Finally, it was like a light switched for Bowman suddenly feeling like himself again. Now Bowman is focused on racing as NASCAR heads to Michigan this weekend. Bowman moved up one spot to 32nd in the points race after finishing 33rd at Nashville with his car in the garage. He was running well when Bubba Wallace's No. 23 Toyota slid down the track into the right rear of his Chevrolet on lap 204. Bowman has eight career wins with his best season finish sixth in the Cup standings in 2020. He has missed the playoffs only once, but his last win was in 2024 at the Chicago street course. He has 12 races left to climb into the playoff chase mix. It's been a different year with Bowman driving well at tracks he struggled at in past years helping him post a pair of top five finishes. He's already managed his biggest win by getting his vertigo under control. “I’m glad to be on the right side of it,” Bowman said. ___AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

A new policy proposed by the Trump administration will force organizations receiving federal financial assistance to stop acknowledging that trans people exist or risk losing federal funding. In the new policy proposal, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) claims to be targeting “wasteful spending,” and that includes “ending government sponsorship of gender ideology and other radical doctrines the previous administration sought to impose across the country through Federal funding programs.” They later claim that “ending government-sponsored promotion of divisive gender ideology is critical to scientific inquiry, public safety, and trust in government.” Related HIV activists shout down Project 2025 author for freezing key HIV/AIDS funding OMB’s proposed policy is building on the work of Donald Trump’s executive orders that have targeted diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, “gender ideology” (the term they use for trans identities as a way to dismiss it as a political viewpoint rather than a part of natural existence), and more. Those executive orders carried little legal weight and have been challenged in court when used to justify limiting federal funding to organizations. However, this new policy, as a written and eventually enacted plan from a major government office, will give Trump’s administration more control over federal grants to ensure they “demonstrably advance the President’s policy priorities.” Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today OMB’s director is Russell Vought, an author of Project 2025, who wrote the section on consolidating power within the Executive Branch. Under the new proposal, organizations would have to remove any references to trans, nonbinary, or gender-diverse people. Under the proposed policy, federal funds could not be used to “fund, promote, encourage, subsidize, or facilitate” many things, including “Gender ideology [which] includes theories or ideologies that deny the biological reality of sex or the sex binary in humans, or endorse or advocate for the notion that sex is a chosen or mutable characteristic.” In a separate section, the rule says that funds cannot be used for anything to do with “the so-called ‘transition’ of a child under 19 years of age from one sex to another, including the chemical and surgical mutilation of children.” The section notes that “chemical and surgical mutilation” has been defined in one of Trump’s executive orders, but is ultimately a misleading term used to imply that gender-affirming care for minors is much more extensive than it really is. This new policy will have a huge impact on the trans community, but will also damage all marginalized groups for years to come, even if it is reversed. Because the Trump administration has tried to redefine any efforts to uplift marginalized communities through DEI programs as discrimination against people who aren’t part of those marginalized communities, this policy works to strip funding for anyone doing specific work to support or research those communities. This is an extension of the thousands of NIH and NSF science grants that were already canceled or denied last year. Those lost grants have led researchers to leave their fields or drop ongoing projects that would have to start from scratch if funding were allocated again. The policy says that it only affects discretionary grants, which are awards of funding where a federal agency can use some judgment in determining the recipients. It excludes entitlement programs and other similar funding grants. The real impact of this policy will be devastating because federal funding reaches every level of government across the United States and is subject to approval by political appointees in the Trump administration. To prevent groups from simply refusing to comply with the new policy, should it go into effect, OMB has included language stating that “the government’s rights to recover misused funds or terminate awards based on noncompliance will be further strengthened.” The policy is currently only a proposal and is open to public comment until July 13, 2026. After that, OMB will be able to implement it as the current policy. Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

An 18-year-old man has been charged with four misdemeanors after allegedly pulling down a trans woman’s skirt and underwear in the middle of Ohio’s Cedar Point amusement park on Tuesday evening. The suspect, identified as Marquez D. Williams, allegedly walked up to the woman from behind, ripped down the garments, and turned and ran out of the park, the Sandusky Register reports. The victim’s friend chased him to the gate and told a security officer what happened. Officers then ran after him, warning him they would stun him if he continued to flee. Related Unhinged rightwing podcaster says gay people having families is the same as slavery Ultimately, an officer did use a stun gun to stop him. The suspect is also accused of acting aggressively with police while waiting for an ambulance (protocol after a stun gun is used). The victim reportedly told police she thinks she was targeted due to being trans. Williams has been released from Erie County Jail. He has been charged with public indecency, persistent disorderly conduct, obstructing official business, and resisting arrest. Ohio’s hate crime statute does not include gender identity and sexual orientation, so a hate crime charge has not been added. However, Sandusky, Ohio, where Cedar Point is located, does have its own nondiscrimination ordinance that includes gender identity. The Movement Advancement Project (MAP) gives Ohio an LGBTQ+ Policy Score of only 1.75 out of 49. Its gender identity policy score is an abysmal -3 out of 26.

Cumaná was once an economic hub, producing Toyota Land Cruisers and exporting food across South America. Now it’s on the brink of disaster as public services collapse.

Modern fans don't tend to lend his name the same weight that Jerry Rice and Randy Moss and Calvin Johnson are afforded, but when ranking the all-time greatest receivers in football history, the list simply isn't valid without Raymond Berry.Berry, who went to six Pro Bowls, led the league in receptions three times, and won two championships, passed away last week at the age of 93. And while the Hall of Famer is best remembered for his 13-year playing career with the Baltimore Colts and another six seasons as head coach of the New England Patriots, the Corpus Christi native and SMU alum had a handful of Cowboys connections, too, that helped mark an extraordinary football life.Berry, a 20th-round draft pick by the Colts in 1954, was considered an extreme long shot to even make the team's roster. But the 1956 arrival of quarterback Johnny Unitas gave birth to one of the best QB-WR tandems the sport has ever seen. By 1958, Berry had been named a first-team All-Pro and was among the game's top receivers.But it was his performance in 1958's NFL Championship Game that launched him into another stratosphere. Catching a then-record 12 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown, Berry was instrumental in the Colts' dramatic 23-17 overtime win over the New York Giants.Unitas and Berry hooked up on three straight pass plays for 62 yards in a game-tying drive in regulation, and then connected on two more plays for another 33 yards in overtime to set up the winning touchdown run and secure the Colts franchise's first-ever championship.The contest, the first sudden-death game in NFL history, was watched by an estimated 45 million television viewers across the country and is credited with not only kickstarting America's love affair with the NFL but also inspiring the creation of an entire second league, the AFL.With a whopping 17 players, coaches, and execs on the field that day who ended up in the Hall of Fame, the 1958 championship is still referred to as "The Greatest Game Ever Played." And it gave Berry a key connection that helped him embark on his post-player career.Berry retired following the 1967 season as the NFL's career leader in both receptions and receiving yards. But 1968 saw him wearing Cowboys blue, as the team's new wide receiver coach. How did that happen? Cowboys head coach Tom Landry had been the Giants' defensive coordinator during Berry's rise as a player and remembered well the damage he had done to his unit during that 1958 title game.In this first year on Landry's staff in Dallas, Berry helped Lance Rentzel surpass 1,000 yards and Bob Hayes top 900 yards as the high-octane Cowboys, with the top-ranked passing offense in the league, finished with a division crown and a 12-2 record. An 11-2-1 mark and a second straight division title followed the next season.Berry left the Cowboys in 1970 to go back to the college ranks, but he would return to the NFL in 1973. In 1984, Berry was named head coach of the Patriots, and the next year, his club appeared in Super Bowl XX to face the legendary Chicago Bears. The coach on the opposite sideline that day? Mike Ditka, who had been a Cowboys tight end in 1969, Berry's second season in Dallas.Despite earning a Super Bowl berth, Berry's head coaching tenure did not bring him the same success he had enjoyed as a player. After six years and a 48-39 record, he was out in New England.Berry's final coaching gig found him in Denver in 1992, under yet another one of his Cowboys connections. Dan Reeves had played running back during Berry's two seasons on staff in Dallas; over 20 years later, Reeves hired Berry to be his quarterbacks coach for what turned out to be his final year as Broncos head coach and Berry's last season working in the NFL.Berry was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973, shortly after leaving the Cowboys staff; it would still be another 10 years before he led the Patriots to their first-ever Super Bowl. He remains in the NFL's top 70 all-time receiving leaders and was named to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team in 2019.Berry passed away May 25 at his home in Tennessee at the age of 93.Todd is on X at @ToddBrock24f7. Also, follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys connections punctuated career of Hall of Famer Raymond Berry

After a 2025 season filled with injuries, players switching from their natural positions and a nearly winless slate in Southeastern Conference play, Missouri Baseball was looking for a year to show just about any signs of improvement. They got that in 2026. While a 12-2 loss in the SEC Tournament might have brought an unceremonious end to the season for the Tigers, they didn’t leave Hoover in shame. Before the Tigers’ opening SEC Tournament win over Ole Miss a day earlier, Mizzou had not won its first game in the tournament since defeating Texas A&M in 2017. A pair of series wins over Kentucky and Vanderbilt, while picking up a win against Arkansas for the first time since 2022, gave the Tigers a doubled win tally in conference play. Mizzou closed the season at 24-31 overall and 6-24 in SEC games. The question is, how much have the signs of forward progress shown and what do they mean for the future of the program? Jackson continuing with the programLet’s start with the present. Those steps forward, paired with the increased competitiveness of the Tigers this season led to the decision by Missouri to retain Jackson as their head coach for the fourth straight season. (Editor’s Note: I’d also add that a 1.1 million buyout probably didn’t help, either.) A report on Friday evening from Kendall Rogers from D1 Baseball stated that the Tigers plan to retain their current head coach Kerrick Jackson. SOURCES: @MizzouBaseball head coach Kerrick Jackson is expected to return for his fourth season as head coach of the program, I'm told. Jackson's Tigers had a tough 2025 campaign, but showed clear improvement in 2026. I am expecting Missouri to very much ramp up internal support… pic.twitter.com/oZs9VB5Dl3— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) May 23, 2026Ultimately, the broader picture for Missouri baseball, despite all of the aforementioned improvements, is the obvious. They fall behind in the investment aspect compared to other SEC programs — a conference in which the No. 9 seeded team in the SEC tournament is the No. 17 ranked team in the country and where 10 of the nation’s top-25 teams hold a spot.Ultimately, as Joe Healy pointed out in his analysis of the program for D1 Baseball ($$), the Tigers finished well below .500 and were an absent non-factor in the postseason. They have a stadium infrastructure that is, in comparison to the other teams in the conference, lower in quality. He wrote, “Everyone associated with Mizzou baseball has been sent into a gun fight with a Super Soaker.” That’s why the second part of the post is almost more notable than the decision to keep Jackson onboard. What would a program with more investment and internal support under Jackson look like? More interesting — because it not only gives a chance for him to yield his vision of what his team can look like — but if the program’s downhill slide since joining the SEC continues, the naysayers of Jackson could also be proven right. Ultimately, what is true investment needed to be seen for Tigers fans that not said?What’s happening on the inside of the program is more important to Kerrick Jackson than hearing all of the noise on the outside, as he described in detail after the Tigers’ historic home series win over Vanderbilt. I’ve never listened to it,” Jackson said. “Growing up, it didn’t matter what other people thought except for the people in your circle. You never let anybody else establish your self‑value and self‑worth. There are only certain people whose opinions really matter, because those are the people who support you whether you’re at the top or the bottom. When you look at social media, a lot of people want to see someone fail. So we tell our guys: don’t worry about what other people outside your circle think. Stay focused on what we’re doing and what we’re about.”Throughout the season, Jackson has remained consistent in his stance on the longterm building process. It will take time, and while earning the historic wins was nice, it isn’t as important as Mizzou playing good consistent baseball. “If you take away the wins and losses and you see the progress the team has made,” Jackson said. “We want to be in regionals… as we’re continuing to grow and develop, we’re going to put ourselves in a position to be able to make those things happen.”Breaking down the Tigers’ remaining stars With seven seniors honored in the team’s final home game: Peyton Basler, Cameron Benson, Gehrig Goldbeck, Jamal George, Keegan Knutson, Juan Villarreal and Jase Woita, Mizzou now enters an important transition period. Here is where the roster stands heading into the post-graduation offseason. The bats were alive this season, and a few star players will hopefully return for more. Junior Kam Durnin led the way with a .329 batting average while also posting the team’s highest slugging percentage at .570 and adding a high of 11 stolen bases. After transferring from Wichita State in June 2025 with two years of eligibility left, Durnin quickly became a key piece of Mizzou’s lineup. Retaining Durnin for his senior season would be a major boost for Mizzou, and a vital offensive threat on the basepath. Another key contributor, freshman Blaize Ward, ranked second on the team with a .296 batting average. Ward was especially dominant in SEC play, hitting .667 during the series win over Kentucky and .462 during the series against Vanderbilt. He also earned SEC Co-Freshman twice this year, and his emerging young talent will be a key necessity for the Tigers. As for the Tigers’ pitching staff, junior Josh McDevitt is exactly who they need on the mound during his senior year. McDevitt posted a 4.42 ERA with a 3-5 record this season, including a career-high 11 strikeouts against Arkansas in a 5-4 tough loss. After his 2025 year of just seven appearances on the mound, he has proven to be the kind of arm Mizzou put at the top of its rotation. McDevitt took the ball as the starter a total of 15 times this season, and will be just as crucial in the upcoming one. UPDATES: May 24: The roster will continue to evolve this offseason, and the first two moves came when infielder Chris Patterson and right-hander Keagen Kohlhoff both entered the transfer portal. Patterson missed nearly two months with an injury from March 14 through May 9 before returning for the final three SEC regular‑season games and both SEC Tournament contests.Patterson started all 24 games he played in this season and hit .237 in the 2026 season with two doubles, a triple, two home runs and 14 RBI. As a freshman in 2025, he appeared in 35 games with 30 starts and hit .232 with eight doubles and 18 RBI. Across two seasons, he hit .234 in 59 games with 32 RBI and posted a .955 fielding percentage.Here are some clips from my two seasons in the SEC and summer at the Appalachian League. pic.twitter.com/s2UiT9Fb1V— Chris Patterson (@Chris_patty24) May 24, 2026Kohlhoff appeared more scarcely for Missouri in the 2026 season, pitching 4.1 innings total in three relief appearances. He gave up three earned runs and struck out seven batters while walking nine batters and hitting one. Thus marks the first Mizzou pitcher to enter the portal after the conclusion of the 2026 season. Rising sophomore with 3 years of eligibility entering the transfer portal. 3.33GPA. FB-92-95 T97 CT- 85-88 T90CB- 80-83 T84 CH – 84-86 T88 4.1 IP. 2H. 3R. 3ER. 6.23ERA. pic.twitter.com/lbInNgkkkq— Keagen kohlhoff (@KeagenKohlhoff) May 25, 2026May 26: Former Missouri baseball hitting coach Bryson LeBlanc, who joined the Tigers staff in June 2023 after previously playing for the program from 2005-06, will not return for the 2027 season. LeBlanc played two seasons for Mizzou, and was welcomed into Kerrick Jackson’s hitting staff. He has spent the past several years working with the Tigers offense. Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball was first to report the news.SOURCES: There’s an assistant opening in the #SEC as @MizzouBaseball hitting coach Bryson LeBlanc, who has spent the last three seasons in Columbia, will not return to the program, I’m told. Missouri’s search for a new hitting coach is wide open. #Mizzou— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) May 26, 2026May 27: Missouri pitcher Kadin Muckley has officially entered the NCAA transfer portal as a graduate student with one year of eligibility remaining. Muckley’s collegiate journey began at Golden West College in 2023, after undergoing hip surgery in 2022, where he made his debut at the junior college level. He missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery before making his return to the mound on April 22, 2025. Following his comeback season, the 6-foot, 200-pound right-hander transferred to Mizzou for the 2026 season, and will now look for the next opportunity. The information was reported by Muckley himself.I am officially entering the transfer portal from the University of Missouri as a grad student with 1 more year of eligibility. I’d like to thank coach Jackson and all the Mizzou coaches/staff for the experience and opportunity.6’5 200LBS RHPFastball: 90-93 T94 Slider: 81-83… pic.twitter.com/lVss0gWduI— Kadin Muckley (@kadin_muckley) May 27, 2026Missouri’s right-handed pitcher PJ Green has officially entered the NCAA transfer portal after spending the past two seasons with the Tigers. Green is coming off his sophomore year, where he appeared in multiple outings for Mizzou, having pitched 13.2 innings with 12 strikeouts. His notable moments this year included scoreless innings against North Dakota State, Illinois, Georgia and Texas. During his freshman season, Green pitched 26.1 innings with 15 strikeouts while also recording a save against Evansville, and his first collegiate win over Missouri State for the Tigers. The information was reported by Green himself. View this post on InstagramMay 28: Joining the wave of departures from the Tigers’ roster is shortstop Gehrig Goldbeck, who has officially entered the NCAA transfer portal after spending the last two seasons with Mizzou. Goldbeck is coming off his senior year, where he appeared in four games to open up the 2026 season, reaching base at a solid .533 clip and scoring four runs. He was slated to return to live action this summer with the Battle Creek Battle Jacks of the Northwoods League in July. During his junior season in 2025, Goldbeck started 35 games in his first year for Mizzou, hitting .248 with eight RBIs. Prior to his time in Columbia, Goldbeck was the 2023 NJCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year at Kansas City Kansas CC. The information was reported by Golbeck himself. Grad Transfer SS | LHH2x ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Winner2023 NJCAA DI Defensive Player of the Year1 year of eligibility Returning this summer with Battle Creek in the Northwoods League in July pic.twitter.com/bgFDlLRY45— Gehrig Goldbeck (@GehrigGoldbeck) May 28, 2026May 31: The roster overhaul continues as Missouri’s right-handed pitcher Keyler Gonzalez becomes the fourth pitcher to enter the NCAA transfer portal. Gonzalez has two years of eligibility left after spending one season in Columbia. The Nova Southeastern transfer proved to be a key piece for the Tigers this past spring, striking out 36 batters in 28.2 innings across 11 appearances. He leaves Mizzou with a 5.02 ERA, and a rather tough blow to the Tigers pitching staff. The information was announced by Gonzalez himself. Entering the transfer portal with with 2 years of eligibility College stats ( 162 IP ) 4.00 ERA 159K 54 BB 1.179 WHIP Contact info : 786-557-6561 pic.twitter.com/2QXhdVTcxq— Keyler Gonzalez (@KeylerGonzalez4) May 31, 2026Jun 1: The official opening of the portal for non-graduate players saw the portal entries for Missouri baseball increase by four (so far). Two standout offensive contributors, Blaize Ward and Kaden Peer, will leave significant voids. Ward won SEC Co-Freshman of the Week two times and ranked second in batting average on the team, hitting .296.Mizzou Baseball OF Kaden Peer is showing up on the Transfer Portal this morning. The portal officially opens today for non graduate players. pic.twitter.com/SMX9KcOc5A— TR Robertson (@trripleplay) June 1, 2026Ward hit four homers and accumulated 33 RBI with a .421 slugging percentage and appeared in 44 games this season even with not making an appearance in the lineup from Feb. 28—Mar. 10. At second base, Ward consistently dazzled in the field, while in SEC play his hitting continued to elevate, ranking second on the team in batting average in conference play and second in OPS.Peer leaves the Tigers program after three years in Columbia. Coming into the 2026 season, Peer was one of the team’s top hitters in a season marred with difficulty, hitting a .299 batting average and second on the team in hits.Mizzou Baseball 2B Blaize Ward has entered the Transfer Portal. Blaize has without a doubt been one of the most talented and promising true freshman on Kerrick Jackson’s roster this season. This one is going to hurt. pic.twitter.com/FyJI3PtZ6l— TR Robertson (@trripleplay) June 1, 2026Peer continued to be a consistent figure in the Tigers’ lineup in 2026, starting in 42 games and hitting .266 with two homers, 14 RBI and 41 hits. His grand slam against Ole Miss in the opening round of the SEC tournament helped Missouri secure its first win in the tourney since 2017.To a lesser extent on significance, Peyton Basler and Todd Feurtado III also entered the portal. Basler played 35 games for Mizzou in 2025 but only appeared in three this past season due to injury, starting in one and collecting one hit in two at-bats.After careful thought and consideration, I have decided to enter the transfer portal.LHP | 4 Years of Eligibility Remaining6’1” | 190 lbsFB: 91–92 mph (T93)Sinker: 92–93 mph (T94)Slider: 78–83 mphCH: 82–84 mphI will be playing this summer for the Bluefield Ridge Runners… pic.twitter.com/qKkIStGrYe— Todd Feurtado (@T3_III_) June 1, 2026The left-handed pitcher Feurtado joined the Tigers out of St. Mary’s High School in New York and didn’t make any appearances in the 2026 season. He still has four years of eligibility remaining.

The 2026 World Cup is the tournament of more. The biggest soccer tournament ever begins June 11 in North America and will look a lot different than its predecessors for a whole host of reasons. But is bigger actually better? We’re about to find out.More host countriesThe World Cup will be played across three countries for the first time in history.Since its inception in 1930, the tournament has traditionally been held within one country, though two countries have shared hosting duties once before. In 2002, both South Korea and Japan hosted World Cup games.Though the United States has plenty of infrastructure to host the entire tournament itself like it did in 1994, CONCACAF submitted a joint bid with Canada and Mexico in 2016.There wasn’t much competition to host the tournament, either. Since the 2018 World Cup was held in Russia and the 2022 tournament was in Qatar, Europe and Asia were ineligible to host the 2026 event. That left Morocco as the lone competing bid against North America’s.Play 2026 Soccer Pick 'Em with FOX One and make your picks for the world's biggest soccer tournamentIt was a resounding win for CONCACAF when voting was held. The joint bid received twice as many votes as Morocco’s at the 2018 FIFA Congress.When Mexico’s game against South Africa in Mexico City kicks off the tournament on June 11, the country will officially become the first to host three World Cups. Mexico first hosted the event in 1970 and then was the host nation 16 years later. While it’s the second World Cup for the United States, Canada’s game against Bosnia-Herzegovina on June 12 in Toronto will be the first World Cup game ever played in Canada.More teamsA big reason why the tournament is so spread out? The 2026 World Cup has grown a lot since 2022 and is twice as large as it was when the U.S. hosted in 1994.The 32-team tournament is now 48, as many more countries got the opportunity to qualify for the event. Teams like Jordan, Uzbekistan, Curacao and Cape Verde are making their first World Cup appearances, while Scotland and Norway are back in the World Cup for the first time since 1998 and Haiti is making its first appearance since 1974.The World Cup has steadily grown since 13 teams took part in the first tournament in Uruguay in 1930. It expanded to 16 teams in 1934, though the 1938 tournament featured just 15 teams as Austria had become part of Germany and the 1950 tournament had just 13 teams after three backed out.In 1982, the World Cup expanded to 24 teams and was that size for the 1994 World Cup in the United States. It expanded to 32 teams four years later.More teams means more games and more money for FIFA, so the 48-team World Cup is here to stay. It’s not going to go back to 32 teams for 2030 or 2034. And don’t rule out the tournament getting bigger in the distant future, either.More knockout round gamesIn the 32-team World Cup format, the process to make the knockout rounds was pretty simple. Group play featured eight groups of four teams and the top two teams in each group made the 16-team knockout stage.But as the tournament has grown by 16 teams, the size of the knockout round has doubled to 32. Overall, the tournament will feature 104 games. In 2022, there were 64 World Cup games.There are now 12 groups of four teams and each team will continue to play at least three games. The top two teams from each group will still advance, but the final eight spots in the Round of 32 will be filled out by the top eight third-place teams among the 12 groups.That means it’ll be harder for a team like Germany to miss the knockout rounds like it did in 2022. The Germans finished third to Japan and Spain in Group E, but had four points and a positive goal differential. That type of performance should be more than enough to get through to the knockout rounds in 2026.With third-place teams getting into the knockout stages and goal differential being a key tiebreaker for those final eight spots in the Round of 32, expect goal prevention to be even more of a priority for teams in group play, especially among smaller nations. While the talent gap between the best and worst teams at this year’s World Cup is considerably larger, more teams having a shot at qualifying for the knockout rounds may lead to more conservative game plans.More breaksIt’s likely going to be very hot and humid at many World Cup host stadiums. After all, the tournament is being played during the summer.But even though five stadiums have full or retractable roofs over their fields, every World Cup game will feature multiple scheduled hydration breaks for players.It’s an unprecedented move for a sport that prides itself on continuous action in each half. In December, FIFA announced that each half would have a three-minute break to “prioritize player welfare.” Each break will come 22 minutes into the half.Hydration breaks aren’t a new thing; they’ve been regularly used in games played in extreme heat. But the move to schedule the breaks for games that could be played in cooler weather or are being played indoors is unprecedented.And it also gives Fox and other broadcast partners around the world the opportunity to play more commercials. In March, FIFA said that networks would be able to go to commercial during the stoppages as long as they begin 20 seconds after the break is called and end 30 seconds before the break is over. That gives networks approximately two minutes for ads and the opportunity for additional eight 30-second commercials during each game.More VARThe hydration breaks will be far from the only stoppages during World Cup games, either. While the 2026 World Cup isn’t the first for Video Assisted Replay, officials will have the ability to replay review even more aspects of games than they did four years ago.In addition to plays like potential handballs along with possible red cards and penalty kicks, replay officials will now be able to check if a call for a corner or goal kick is correct provided that the mistake is “clear and obvious.” Of course, what “clear and obvious” is in the soccer world is a contentious debate and something with a fluid definition. You’re going to hear that phrase a lot during the World Cup and by the end of the tournament you may even find yourself questioning what it actually means.Match officials can also now be called to the monitor to assess the validity of a second yellow card given to a player. Remember, two yellow cards in the same game leads to an automatic ejection and a team playing with 10 players for the rest of the game.

New York Knicks fans have infiltrated opposing arenas throughout their team’s storybook playoff run. With ticket prices at Madison Square Garden out of reach for many Knicks lifers, several have hit the road to get their postseason fix.Perhaps that will happen again in the NBA Finals, especially now that, according to Gametime data from Monday morning, the get-in cost for Games 1 and 2 in San Antonio is dropping while seats in MSG are increasingly expensive.Just two days ago, on Saturday evening, the get-in price for Wednesday’s series opener between the Spurs and Knicks was sitting at $1,905. Friday’s Game 2? Even higher: $2,044. But, as of Monday morning, the get-in cost for the second game of the series was down a more manageable $1,280. Plus, more notably, fans get can now buy their way into Game 1 for under $1K, as the get-in cost for that highly anticipated showdown at Frost Bank Center has plummeted all the way to $992.The median-priced tickets being sold, however, are still remarkably high for those games in San Antonio: $3,144 for Game 1 and $3,583 for Game 2. But it’s worth noting that those figures are still significantly smaller than the ones in that category two days ago, and that they’re dwarfed by the median-priced tickets at MSG, which are $9,807 for Game 3 and $8,388 for Game 4.The get-in costs for Games 3 and 4 in New York are $4,160 and $3,761, respectively. They were $4,112 and $3,722 on Saturday evening.The series is right around the corner. It’s a rematch of the 2025 NBA Cup, and it’s a clash between one of the best bigs (San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama) and one of the best guards (New York’s Jalen Brunson) in the NBA. The Spurs are back in the Finals for the first time since 2014. Meanwhile, the Knicks haven’t been on this stage in 27 years. It’s no surprise tickets are in high demand, particularly in the Big Apple.

Nov 17, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) throws a pass beside Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley (4) in the first quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images If you have been up to date on the Giannis Antetokounmpo summer sweepstakes, you would know that the Cleveland Cavaliers are one of the teams being floated as a destination for the Milwaukee Bucks’ superstar.In an article by Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor, he describes where the Cavaliers’ ‘brain trust’ lands on a potential trade centered around Evan Mobley for Antetokounmpo.“The Cavs love Mobley, they believe in him and there are multiple members of the Cleveland brain trust that would be vehemently against a Giannis-Mobley swap…(Mobley) is viewed as not only a future star but also a proverbial safety net when it comes to another rebuild.” There has been a lot of discourse around Mobley as the player to be moved if the Cavaliers want to reshuffle the deck. It would make sense if the Cavaliers were angling for a win-now mentality. With a soon to be 37-year-old James Harden and a will be 30-year-old Donovan Mitchell, you can’t have this two-timeline sort of mentality. Everyone wants to point to the Golden State Warriors’ 2022 title and how they were able to navigate this, almost impossible feat. However, when you look at that championship from a 3,000-foot view, you would notice that in 2026, no one considered as a young building block really panned out. It was the old guard that made that title team who they were, Golden State would soon offload all those players (Jordan Poole, James Weisman, Jonathan Kuminga, etc.) to try and keep their core (Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green) relevant.If the Cavaliers brass reportedly already is thinking about “safety net(s),” they may be setting themselves up to blow up this nucleus sooner rather than later. A half-in, half-out mentality will hamstring whichever direction the franchise would prefer to go.To achieve either a rebuild or trying to improve their title odds, the Cavaliers need to go all in. By acquiring a veteran Harden at last deadline, there was a clear signal of going for the title now. If they decide not to move Mobley because they are thinking about the future, they’re likely not maximizing their current title window.

The defense secretary’s decision to block the officers’ promotions appears driven by his anti-diversity stance rather than based on merit.

As soon as 4:01 p.m. ET on Monday, the deal can be made. As soon as Tuesday, it can become official.So what will the Eagles get from the Patriots for the balance of the A.J. Brown contract?Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the Eagles will get New England’s first-round pick in 2028.The Eagles lacked significant leverage. The relationship had already run its course. The cap consequences after 2026 would have become more challenging. And no other team ever materialized as an option.As McLane notes, the trade also allows the Eagles to avoid $133.1 million in cash obligations under the contract.It feels like a matter of "when" not "if," and the "when" is likely coming soon. If/when the Eagles emerge with the Patriots' first-round pick in 2028, Philly will have a direct hand in pushing that pick higher in the pecking order — the two teams will play each other during the 2027 regular season.

Texas vs. Tennessee softball box score: Live stats from Women's College Series semifinal originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Tennessee Volunteers softball team faces the Texas Longhorns in the 2026 Women’s College World Series Semifinals on Monday. One win and the Vols will advance, while the Horns need to Hook em' twice for a trip to the final.First pitch will be at Noon ET from Oklahoma City.2026 NCAA Softball Championship 1234567RHETexas (48-12)000022Tennessee (48-10)00001Texas vs. Tennessee softball box score: Live stats from NCAA Women's College World SeriesTexas LonghornsBatterPOSABRHRBIBBSOAVGOBP21Kayden HenryCF100000.409.48920Katie Stewart1B101000.427.55423Viviana MartinezSS101000.378.44414Reese AtwoodC100000.328.41943Leighann Goode2B100000.338.44213Hannah WellsDP100000.277.33844Kaiah AltmeyerLF100000.284.4037Ashton MaloneyRF100000.297.38324Jaycie Nichols3B100000.328.400Total902000PitcherPOSIPHRERBBSOBFERA77Citlaly GutierrezP2.00000272.3Total2.0000027Gutierrez 23 (14 strikes)Tennessee VolunteersBatterPOSABRHRBIBBSOAVGOBP2Sophia KnightCF100000.402.45210Alannah LeachDP100000.309.41513Emma Clarke2B100001.272.36322Elsa MorrisonC100000.264.33325Ella Dodge3B100000.292.41755Gabby LeachRF100001.287.39598Makenzie Butt1B100000.287.42912Bella FawSS000000.210.29427Taelyn HolleyLF000000.293.43211Zoie ShulerPR000000.250.250Total700002PitcherPOSIPHRERBBSOBFERA33Erin NuwerP2.02000091.0Total2.0200009Nuwer 31 (18 strikes)How to watch: Texas vs. Tennessee 2026 NCAA Softball Championship GameDate: Monday, June 1Time: Noon ETTV: ESPNMore NCAA NewsSaint Mary's vs. UCLA baseball box score: Final stats from NCAA Baseball Championship Game 1Milwaukee vs. Auburn baseball box score: Final stats from NCAA Baseball Championship Game 1Arkansas vs. Georgia box score: Final stats from 2026 SEC Baseball ChampionshipBill Belichick, Jordon Hudson at Kentucky Derby leaves everyone saying the same thingDemond Williams bombshell could have resulted in Lane Kiffin fired by LSU

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State baseball has played Georgia four times during the 2026 season and lost all four of those games to the SEC regular season and tournament champions.That's who MSU must get through to reach the College World Series.No. 14 Mississippi State (43-17) is matched up with No. 3 Georgia (49-12) in the Athens Super Regional. The best-of-three series at Foley Field will start on either June 5 or 6.Both teams went undefeated in their regional. Mississippi State will be playing in its first super regional since winning the 2021 national championship."We may or may not win," MSU coach Brian O'Connor said May 31. "I don't know. I believe we will, but the mentality will be right. I can assure you that we won't back down because, again, that's one of the foundations of what we're about."I have zero concern about this team settling for just winning a regional. I know their goals are much higher than that."Here is our prediction for the Athens Super Regional.Mississippi State's advantage is in starting pitchingMississippi State got swept by Georgia at Dudy Noble Field in April, but MSU starting pitcher Ryan McPherson was injured and did not play. McPherson is back now from his forearm strain, completing MSU's trio of starting pitchers that should have an edge over Georgia.Mississippi State's starters — McPherson, Tomas Valincius and Duke Stone — were spectacular in the Starkville Regional, combining to allow just five runs in 18⅓ innings.Mississippi State's offense will be facing Georgia's starters for a second time, or even a third time if Joey Volchko starts. That can be beneficial.MORE: How Mississippi State's Ryan McPherson plan worked perfectly in dominant regionalCan Mississippi State take advantage of suspended Georgia star?All-SEC first-team third baseman Tre Phelps is suspended for Game 1 of the super regional after getting ejected against Liberty on May 31. He is hitting .370 with 19 home runs and 57 RBIs, taking a really good batter out of Georgia's lineup.Georgia still has a stacked lineup even without Phelps though. Daniel Jackson was the SEC Player of the Year with a .396 batting average, 29 home runs and 83 RBIs. Three other Georgia players, Brennan Hudson, Michael O'Shaughnessy and Kolby Branch, have more than 16 home runs. Seven of Georgia's starters in the regional final are batting over .300.Georgia has one of the best offenses in the country, but all four of its wins against Mississippi State were by three or less runs, including one game in extra innings.What Brian O'Connor said needs to be better after regionalMississippi State outscored its opponents 39-11 in the Starkville Regional, but O'Connor pointed to some areas that still need improvement."We need to tighten up some things in our bullpen, and our base running can get a little bit better," he said. "I still feel like our two-strike approach can get better, even though I think 12 or 13 of our hits tonight were with two strikes."Mississippi State's relief pitching was not super sharp in the regional, and that could be problematic if the starters struggle against Georgia.Mississippi State baseball vs Georgia prediction for Athens Super RegionalGeorgia will win the super regional, 2-1.Mississippi State's starting pitching should lead to one win, but the bullpen concerns are legitimate, especially against Georgia's potent offense. MSU has also struggled to beat elite teams this season.However, O'Connor has won seven of the nine super regionals he's coached in his career, so expect a super competitive series. Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State baseball vs Georgia prediction in NCAA super regional

Why Odell Beckham Jr. is returning to Giants after one-year NFL hiatus originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.One of the most recognizable figures in the NFL over the last decade is making a return to roots of his stardom. Odell Beckham Jr., a three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver and 2014 Offensive Rookie of the Year with the New York Giants, is headed back to the franchise for the 2026 season, per Adam Schefter.Seven years following his trade from the Giants, Beckham is set to return to the Giants as a veteran weapon for Jaxson Dart.Here's what to know about Beckham's return to New York after not playing in the NFL last season.MORE: Full 2026 NFL schedule featuring dates, times and networks for every gameOdell Beckham Jr. contract detailsYears: TBDAmount: TBDFor now, the details of Beckham's new Giants contract remain unclear.However, he's heavily expected to land a one-year deal at 33 years old, two years removed from the last time he stepped onto the gridiron. Beckham worked out for the Giants earlier in the offseason, and at that time, no deal was struck.Now, after working out a second time for his former team on Monday, Beckham is officially making his return to the Giants as one of the team's more notable offensive depth options.Why are Giants signing Odell Beckham Jr.?Both on the field and in the locker room, the Beckham signing has the potential to add some juice to the Giants' 2026 season. For a team that hasn't made the playoffs in three years, after hiring John Harbaugh as head coach and adding two top-10 NFL Draft selections, expectations are higher in New York for the coming fall — and one area the Giants still had room for an addition was wide receiver.With Malik Nabers recovering from his torn ACL, Wan'Dale Robinson departing in free agency and the recent news of one depth option, Gunner Olszewski, rupturing his Achilles, New York had the potential to make an addition to its weapons for Dart. Monday's workouts of Beckham, Braxton Berrios and more were the latest signs that the team was willing to make an addition, and both Beckham and Berrios wound up with deals.Beckham isn't going to be anything more than a depth option for the Giants, but if he's in good shape still, he can fill that role well. As recently as 2023, Beckham posted 565 yards and three touchdowns for the Ravens — where he was also coached by Harbaugh.Off the field, Beckham can also be a veteran presence for a team loaded with young talent. Between Dart, Nabers, Cam Skattebo, Abdul Carter, Sonny Styles and more, the Giants have loaded up on potential young stars — and if there's someone who knows about being a young star in New York, it's Beckham, who now can be a mentor to Nabers.Between his prior connection to Harbaugh and the franchise, and the Giants' need for receiver depth, Beckham should fit well into the team's 2026 plans. He may not play a significant role on the field, but as one of the more exciting players in team history, he'll be welcomed back by fans with open arms.The Giants released a video announcing the return of Odell Beckham Jr. 🔥(via @Giants)pic.twitter.com/eyxLzrxUym— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) June 1, 2026MORE: What are the best QB matchups on the 2026 NFL schedule?

Florida State vs. St. John's baseball box score: Live stats from NCAA Baseball Championship Game originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Florida State baseball team is two wins away from an NCAA Super Regional appearance. Getting through St. John's will have to happen in back-to-back fashion to keep the Seminoles season alive. FSU is going for a third-straight Super Regional after escaping the loser's bracket with a win over Coastal Carolina and an extra innings thriller over Northern Illinois.Florida State will have Peyton Manca on the mound to face St. John’s Evan Hoeckele. Expect this one to be wild. There's a 4 p.m. ET battle coming right after a Noon ET first pitch in the first affair. All FSU has to do is win. 2026 NCAA Baseball Championship 123456789RHEFlorida State (40-18)00020St. John's (35-24)00010Florida State vs. St. John's baseball box score: Live stats from NCAA ChampionshipFlorida StateBatterPOSABRHRBIBBSOAVGOBP9John StuetzerLF100000.275.33916Brayden DowdCF100000.297.44423Brody DeLamielleureRF101000.338.35925Hunter CarnsDH100000.308.41021Nathan CmeylaC100001.308.33333Ben Barrett1B101000.366.4095Gabe FraserSS100000.302.3972Carter McCulley2B100000.236.2994Cal Fisher3B000000.239.305Total195125241636421512B: Barrett 1 (4)PitcherPOSIPHRERBBSOBFERA55Payton MancaP1.21001174.8Total1.2100117Manca 31 (17 strikes)St. John's BatterPOSABRHRBIBBSOAVGOBP9Jon LeGrandeCF000010.329.39514Jayder Raifstanger3B101000.337.40727Shaun McMillan1B100001.316.3888Adam AgrestiC100000.286.4102Will CowanDH100000.220.32443Ayden Frey2B100000.234.3124Cristian BernardiniLF000000.290.33321Rob MansourSS000000.255.31715Dylan FitzsimmonsRF000000.283.371Total20273365393452371PitcherPOSIPHRERBBSOBFERA45Evan HoeckeleP2.02000183.0Total2.0200018Hoeckele 22 (17 strikes)How to watch: Florida State vs. St. John's 2026 NCAA Baseball Championship GameDate: Monday, June 1Time: Noon ETTV: ESPN+More NCAA NewsSaint Mary's vs. UCLA baseball box score: Final stats from NCAA Baseball Championship Game 1Milwaukee vs. Auburn baseball box score: Final stats from NCAA Baseball Championship Game 1Arkansas vs. Georgia box score: Final stats from 2026 SEC Baseball ChampionshipBill Belichick, Jordon Hudson at Kentucky Derby leaves everyone saying the same thingDemond Williams bombshell could have resulted in Lane Kiffin fired by LSU

As the country begins to celebrate Pride Month, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) has declared this June “Fidelity Month” in her state. The declaration explains that June will be a time to “encourage renewed dedication” to “virtue, commitment, responsibility, and shared moral foundations.” Related Right mounts anti-LGBTQ+ attacks on Talarico while Maine kills anti-trans ballot question “Cultivating fidelity to God, family, community, and country contributes to human flourishing and supports a healthy, stable, well-ordered society,” Huckabee adds, quoting George Washington, who said that “virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government.” Sanders also shared a Daily Wire article describing Fidelity Month as “Counter-Programming Pride Month.” “Another red state is kicking Pride Month to the curb,” the article opens, followed by a quote from Sanders, who told the publication, “Here in Arkansas, June is Fidelity Month: fidelity to family, fidelity to country, fidelity to God.” Sanders has signed multiple anti-LGBTQ+ bills into law, including an anti-trans bathroom bill, a bill reclassifying drag performances as adult-oriented entertainment, and another prohibiting classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation before fifth grade.

In the end, a show defined by its excesses seemed to be straining for a redemption that it didn’t need.

The state became the first to sue the ChatGPT maker over claims that its technology posed a risk to children and that the company had failed to warn the public of dangers.

The post Graham Platner: ‘I Didn’t Know Extramarital Sexting Was A Symbol For Cheating’ appeared first on The Onion.

The Chicago Bears' offense made massive strides in Ben Johnson's first season as head coach, going from one of the league's worst to a top-four offense and top-10 scoring offense. While quarterback Caleb Williams played a huge role in that jump, the run game also was a key factor in the offense's success.Chicago's 1-2 punch at running back with D'Andre Swift and seventh-round rookie Kyle Monangai led to a top-three rushing attack, averaging over 140 yards per game. It was also a resurgence for Swift, who had a career year with 1,087 rushing yards (his second ever 1,000-yard season) and nine touchdowns. Monangai, in a complementary role, totaled 783 yards and five touchdowns.Heading into Year 2 together, Swift believes he and Monangai haven't missed a beat and are primed to build on their success in 2026."There's no drop-off at all," Swift said. "He's able to do everything. I'm able to do everything. It's tough on defenses when I make something happen, his number gets called, he makes something happen, like what are you going to do? Especially with the O-line we have and how those guys are coached and the way Ben's system is, it's a lot for a defense to account for four quarters."Swift explained that him and Monangai are always communicating throughout the season."We always talk," Swift said. "Anything he sees or I see, we always go to each other. I asked him today on a little route I had, 'Did you see that? Was there something inside of me? Was there something outside of me?' We just talk ball."The Bears offense is primed to take another step under Ben Johnson in Year 2, and the run game will once again play a key role in their success. The duo of Swift and Monangai might not be super flashy, but if they can find similar success in 2026, good things will happen for this Chicago offense.Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and InstagramThis article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears' D'Andre Swift loves what he and Kyle Monangai bring to offense

Beau Webster fell three runs short of his maiden T20 century against Northants [Getty Images]Warwickshire Bears all-rounder Beau Webster believes his side can reach the T20 Blast knockout stages despite losing their first four matches.Webster hit his highest T20 Blast score of 97 as Warwickshire posted a season-high 207-8 at Edgbaston on Sunday, but Northamptonshire chased it down with four wickets in hand.The Bears also failed to defend 189 in their previous home match as Somerset eased home by seven wickets.However, on the road, it is the batters who have struggled. They were bowled out for 79 chasing just 122 against Gloucestershire on opening night and were then skittled for 141 in Friday's derby defeat by Worcestershire."It just feels that we can't put a full game together whether we're good with the bat and then poor with the ball or vice versa," Webster told BBC WM."At the moment it just feels that we're chasing that complete game."T20 Blast round-up: Lynn stars in Northants victoryThe 2014 winners are bottom of the Central and West Group with eight games remaining and face a battle to reach the knockout stages for a sixth successive season.But the Australia international hopes the return of bowlers Dan Mousley and Richard Gleeson from the Indian Premier League will bring an upturn in fortunes."We've got a good side and a lot of talent in that dressing room," Webster added."We haven't put it together but once we put it all together, hopefully we will go on a big momentum roll and we'll be hard to stop."We've got a few very good players coming back. There's still belief in the group that we can turn it around. It's a long competition."

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 02: BJ Penn attends the UFC 276 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 02, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Former UFC two-division champion, BJ Penn, was ordered by Third Circuit Family Court to undergo a mental health evaluation before answering for multiple charges, including a pair of temporary restraining order (TRO) violations. The licensed psychologist responsible for administering the exam, Barbara Higa Rogers, found “The Prodigy” is mentally fit to stand trial.She did however, diagnose him with “Cannabis Use Disorder.”“I got examined by the top person over here, that’s what they really wanted me to do,” said the 47-year-old Penn. “No one can call me crazy now. It is what it is, I said what I said. This is still me — if I’m talking like that, this is still me. How do you know? Because the media and the news still talks bad about me. They only talk good about dead people. I gotta understand, this is just their job. It’s what they do. It’s not personal, it’s business. This is the worst nightmare of my life but it’s not personal, it’s just business.”Penn was arrested for the sixth time within a six-month period back in November 2025.“My TRO ends up 12:01 tonight and I came home, the back door was broken in, so I left the property,” Penn added. “I don’t know, I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know nothing but, just wanna say I’m not suicidal, not anything. Just waiting. I know these guys can do whatever they want. So, you know, hopefully, the conversation can be had amongst themselves. Put yourself in my shoes. Whatever happened, happened. With my family, with the properties, with my money from fighting. Probably 50, 60, you know, how much is involved with, you know, financially, but it’s not what it’s about, it’s about staying alive. And that’s it. Thank you.”Penn is scheduled to return to court on July 8.The troubled UFC star stands accused of assaulting his mother, who according to “The Prodigy,” was murdered by the government and replaced by an imposter. Attorneys for Penn are expected to file a motion to dismiss all charges, unrelated to his separate assault case from last December in Hilo.Here are excerpts from his court evaluation:Penn (16-14-2) has not competed since losing to Clay Guida at UFC 237 back in early 2019.