[Getty Images]BBC Radio Manchester's Joe McGrath and Jay Motty from The Stretford Paddock gave their thoughts on the expected arrival of midfielder Ederson.The Red Devils agreed a £35m (40.5m euros) deal with Atalanta earlier this month.Ederson, who has three international caps, was named in Brazil's 55-man expanded World Cup squad but initially missed out on the final selection.Motty told The Devils' Advocate podcast: "I think it makes sense from a Manchester United point of view. We can't buy three or four £75m-£80m midfielders and we need at least three midfielders so you would expect one of them to be less than £40m or around £40m which this lad is."We've spoken to a few people who have watched more of Atalanta than I have and he seems like he is a decent midfielder. Someone said he is like the good bits of Fred."During his time at Atalanta, Ederson has adapted across a number of central midfield roles, scoring 16 goals in 180 games for the Serie A side in all competitions.Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds"He wasn't called up to Carlo Ancelotti's squad, [but] has now got a call up because Wesley got injured so we might get to see a bit of him in the World Cup which is a bit of a bonus. Hopefully that won't bump up the price," said Motty."He's out of contract in a year's time so don't expect the fee to go up. It's a solid signing that makes sense. You wouldn't want him to him to be your only midfielder but I don't think he will be."Explore all Manchester United content on BBC Sounds[BBC]

Yankees' wild trade idea sends four prospects to Reds for 6-foot-6 superstar originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The New York Yankees are one of the top World Series contenders in Major League Baseball this season, and the club is looking to acquire some more help by the August 3 trade deadline.While bullpen help couldn't hurt, and they're possibly going to explore the Tarik Skubal trade market, ideally, the Yankees acquire some help for the infield. Shortstop and third base are spots worth exploring for upgrades.Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report pitched a wild trade idea for the Yankees, one that would have them linking up with the Cincinnati Reds to land 6-foot-6 superstar Elly De La Cruz in exchange for a massive prospect package.Yankees trade idea lands Elly De La Cruz for four prospects"The Trade: Cincinnati Reds send SS Elly De La Cruz to the New York Yankees for IF George Lombard Jr., RHP Carlos Lagrange, OF Spencer Jones, and RHP Chase Hampton," Miller writes.First of all, adding De La Cruz would be a massive coup, regardless of the cost it would take to do so. He's a superstar infielder who has elite speed and power. At 6-foot-6, he's also a rangy infielder who has a cannon for an arm.Adding him in any capacity would be a dream scenario for most teams with any semblance of a need in their infield. However, even Miller acknowledges the issue here: "admittedly, this one is highly unlikely."While this trade idea was presented among deals that could "Break the internet," it doesn't mean this is a realistic trade. The Reds aren't going to give up on someone as good as De La Cruz, even for a fantastic haul.MORE: Yankees’ Ryan McMahon problem has a $25 million release solution He's only 24 years old and is only getting better as a player. Sure, if the Reds believe this iteration of the team is going nowhere, the massive haul they could get for De La Cruz might open the door to a trade.But this hypothetical package from the Yankees, even though they'd be giving up some incredible prospect talent, might not even be enough for the Reds to part with their superstar infielder.The Yankees might have to add even more to such a massive package just to move the needle, as a trade as big as this, with De La Cruz under club control through the 2029 season, is going to cost any acquiring team one of the biggest trade packages ever.This trade idea presented by Miller would be a dream scenario for the Yankees. De La Cruz is exactly the kind of player this team needs, even if it costs a fortune. But it's highly unlikely, and something that's more a dream than a possible reality.More MLB news:5 reasons to believe in Jordan Walker's breakout for CardinalsEx-MLB GM projects White Sox to sell at trade deadline despite 2026 successTarik Skubal being traded by Tigers would help him in free agencyCubs’ cost to trade for Tarik Skubal from Tigers revealed by ex-MLB GMPhillies extending Cristopher Sanchez to his $107 million deal was genius

[SNS]Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend says number eight Jack Dempsey will definitely be in the mix for World Cup selection next year despite his move to Japan.The 32-year-old has been named in the 36-man squad to take on Argentina, South Africa and Fiji in the Nations Championship in July.Dempsey has been a standout for Glasgow and Scotland in the past few seasons, with his physicality and edge crucial for both club and country.It was thought his impending move from Glasgow Warriors to Japan could rule him out of Scotland selection for the foreseeable future.However, though he might miss next year's Six Nations, he will "100%" still be available for the November internationals and World Cup in Australia in 2027."The Japan season starts around December so our next two campaigns we see Jack being involved with us," Townsend said."He's playing well. He played really well in the Six Nations. He will be able to join his club around September and get some pre-season training before he becomes available for us in November."Jack's very much a part of who we are right now."

A new Justice Department memo from Attorney General Pam Bondi instructs the FBI to create a “cash reward system” to incentivize providing information against domestic terrorists. However, it also makes it clear that the targets of such domestic terrorist investigations will be “Antifa-aligned extremists,” including those promoting “radical gender ideology.” “The FBI shall establish a cash reward system for information that leads to the successful identification and arrest of individuals in the leadership of domestic terrorist organizations,” the memo reads. The memo, dated December 5, was leaked. Related DOJ plans to label trans Americans as “mentally defective” to take away their guns Bondi’s memo cites multiple laws that might be used to target domestic terrorism, but also lays out a clear vision for the priorities of the FBI in targeting suspected terrorists. Primary examples given are not the mass shootings and white supremacist actions that have plagued the nation; rather, the document names the “doxing of law enforcement” or the “violent efforts to shut down immigration enforcement.” While it raises the specter of extreme viewpoints, they are not the ones that previous studies have linked most domestic terrorism to. Bondi’s memo suggests that the perpetrators are “certain Antifa-aligned extremists” and that their “animating principle is adherence to the types of extreme viewpoints on immigration, radical gender ideology, and anti-American sentiment.” Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today These ideas from Bondi are in line with Trump’s September executive order “Designating Antifa as a Domestic Terrorist Organization.” As antifa is not a specific group, but simply the idea of being against fascism, it was suggested that the motivation behind the order was an “aim to criminalize opposition.” Hiding under the guise of national security, these supposed anti-domestic terrorism moves are more likely to be used against trans activists and immigration advocates. These moves and the idea that the far-left is the real threat to the United States fly in the face of the data and appear to be part of a coordinated move to shift the blame away from far-right actors. In 2020, the Center for Strategic and International Studies reviewed data from 25 years of domestic terrorist incidents. They found that the far-right was responsible for the majority of domestic terrorist attacks, with an increase as time went on. In 2019, they were estimated to be responsible for two-thirds of the events, and in 2020, that had risen to 90%. A National Institute of Justice study from 2024 found that far-right extremists were responsible for the majority of ideologically driven deaths. That study showed that since 1990, there were 227 attacks from “far-right extremists,” with more than 520 people killed, while that period saw only 42 attacks from “far-left extremists,” with 78 deaths. However, that was removed from the Justice Department website in the days following the death of Charlie Kirk, an attack that many on the right tried to blame on trans people before any evidence was known about the killer. In line with that move, also after Charlie Kirk’s death, the Heritage Foundation twisted data to claim that “50% of all major (non-gang-related) school shootings since 2015 have involved or likely involved transgender ideology.” That was in an effort to get the FBI to create a new domestic terror threat category for “Transgender Ideology-Inspired Extremism.” The real data did not support those claims at all, but it was part of attempting to move the focus off of far-right extremist terrorism and claim it was trans people and the radical left. Back in March, the FBI cut staffing in the office focused on domestic terrorism and scrapped tools used to track those investigations. Many of those investigations targeted far-right extremists and white supremacists, and it was suggested at the time that those crimes might be less of an investigative priority under FBI Director Kash Patel’s leadership. Bondi’s memo does not at any point mention the wealth of far-right domestic terror attacks in the nation, nor does it touch on the issues of white supremacy and antisemitism, which often fuel those events. Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Now, I want one in every room! READ MORE...

Join "The Ariel Helwani Show" live on Uncrowned and YouTube at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT/6 p.m. UK time as Ariel and the Boys in the Back keep the week rolling with another massive combat sports lineup. Check out Tuesday's rundown below.1 p.m. ET: Ariel and the gang kick off the program.1:30 p.m. ET: Tommy Fury previews his Saturday boxing match against Eddie Hall.2 p.m. ET: FormerNew York Knick sharpshooter Steve Novak joins us in-studio.3 p.m. ET: Irish boxing legend Katie Taylor previews her Croke Park swan song.3:30 p.m. ET: Alex Pereira looks ahead to Sunday’s big UFC White House showdown.Catch all new episodes of "The Ariel Helwani Show"liveevery Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET on Uncrowned and The Ariel Helwani Show's YouTube page.To listen to every episode, subscribe on Spotify or iTunes.

The New Orleans Saints are set to enter the 2026 NFL season with one of the league's most dangerous running back duos, barring a transaction involving Alvin Kamara. After signing Travis Etienne Jr. this offseason, the Saints paired the former Jacksonville Jaguars standout with Kamara, the longtime franchise icon. And that combination of Etienne and Kamara was enough for Bleacher Report's Moe Moton to rank New Orleans as having the third-best running back tandem in the league. Moton also made it clear the Saints could've been even higher if a few things looked different around Kamara.“The New Orleans Saints duo would be No. 1 in the rankings if Alvin Kamara had less extensive recent injury history and a clear short-term future with the team,” Moton wrote. “The Saints are still working through their options with the 10th-year veteran, who's in the final term of his current deal.”Even if he remains with the Saints in 2026, Kamara isn't expected to carry the same workload as he once was tasked with. The reduced usage for Kamara could actually make the Saints' backfield even more dangerous, allowing the veteran back to settle into a more complementary role that fits where he's at in this stage of his career.For Kamara, staying healthy will be the key factor. He missed 6 games in the 2025 season and has missed 13 games since 2023 due to various injuries. Moton acknowledged that Kamara's "body is starting to wear down," but added that he could be a "highly productive receiver" especially on third downs.Etienne, on the other hand, gives the Saints a younger and more explosive option to lead the backfield. Moton noted that the 27-year-old running back has finished with at least 1,399 scrimmage yards in three of the last four seasons.“At 30, Kamara’s RB1 years are over,” Moton wrote. “However, as the No. 2 tailback alongside Etienne … the Saints arguably have the best three-down running back duo in the NFL.”For a Saints offense looking to continue taking positive strides as their young core develops, the backfield could be one of the biggest strengths in 2026. Etienne should give the Saints a new lead option at running back, while Kamara, if still on the roster, provides value as a receiving back and as a change-of-pace runner. If both can stay healthy, the Saints could have a Kamara-Mark Ingram-like tandem in 2026.This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: B/R: Saints' Travis Etienne, Alvin Kamara one of the NFL's best duos

It has been an incredibly busy offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Starting with former head coach Mike Tomlin stepped down after the season, it's been a whirlwind of activity. New head coach Mike McCarthy and General Manager Omar Khan have wasted no time in trying to rebuild the roster. This is a franchise that hasn't won a playoff game since 2016 and you can tell by how aggressive the front office has been that they want that streak to end this season. Here are our four favorite moves of the offseason.1- Signing CB Jamel DeanWhen the Steelers signed Dean, they added a guy who had the second-lowest catch rate in the NFL among cornerbacks last season and allowed the lowest quarterback rating of any cornerback in the NFL in 2025. Dean and Joey Porter Jr. immediately become the top tandem in the AFC and are going to take a ton of heat off the pass rush.2 - Drafting WR Germie BernardAs much as we liked the trade for wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., in the long run, drafting Germie Bernard is going to benefit this team more. His game is a mix of Deebo Samuel and JuJu Smith-Schuster with a high football IQ and a willingness to do whatever the team needs.3 - Signing RB Rico DowdleKnowing there was no shot at keeping Kenneth Gainwell, we love the addition of Rico Dowdle at running back. A career overachiever, Dowdle has experience with McCarthy and knows how to win in his system. We expect Dowdle to be the team's leading rusher this season.4 - Signing K Chris Boswell to a five-year extensionMaking Boswell the highest-paid kicker in the NFL is a move that was long past due. Boswell has been the team's most consistent scoring threat for years and he's finally being paid at a level commensurate with his impact on the team. Boswell signed a four-year, $28 million contract and it is still a bargain.This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Ranking the 4 best moves the Steelers made in the offseason

Jez George first started working for Lincoln City in 2018 [Getty Images]Lincoln City are likely to break their transfer record repeatedly this summer but will still need to hunt for bargains as they try to compete in the Championship, says Imps sporting director Jez George.It was as one of the smallest spenders in League One that Lincoln sealed promotion to the second tier after 65 years as League One title winners in 2025-26.While promotion brings a financial boost of around £10m to the club, George says the backing of majority shareholder Ron Fowler - the American millionaire who is a former co-owner of Major League Baseball club San Diego Padres - will be key to building a side capable of staying in the division."When you get promoted with a 17th-place budget, even if you add £10m onto that – so, for argument's sake, saying that every single penny that comes into the football club for going up a level is invested into players - you still have a budget that's smaller than two or three in League One and would definitely be the smallest in the Championship," George told BBC Radio Lincolnshire."We are very, very fortunate to have the support of Ron [Fowler] because not only will we have a budget that gives us a fighting chance and, while that might be the smallest budget in the Championship, it's a budget that we feel we can go and compete at some level to bring players in."The balance for us is spending the money wisely, of course. And the backing that we have from Ron gives us a chance."Cohen and Shaw to take joint charge at LincolnJoint-bosses: can Lincoln succeed where Liverpool failed?Listen to BBC Radio Lincolnshire's Red Imps Club podcastHow Lincoln try and build a team for the Championship, and what transfer fees it will take to try help make that happen, will come down to value for money at a club that has never paid more than £350,000 for a player.That was a record set only last summer when they brought Ukrainian midfielder Ivan Varfolomeev to the LNER Stadium.Lincoln are often lauded for spending their money smartly - with forward Jack Moylan costing around £50,000 from Shelbourne in January 2024.Moylan went to become a central figure in Lincoln's promotion-winning campaign, and has become a Republic of Ireland international.George says he, along with Imps director of talent identification Joe Hutchinson, have been "jumping on planes, trains and automobiles" since promotion was confirmed to try and find more of those players by scouring European leagues."We will undoubtedly break our transfer record this summer and we may do that on a multiple number of occasions, but they will only be done if it stacks up in terms of value, affordability and the player being ready to contribute immediately into the league and also have the attributes and the potential to be a significant future asset for the club," George said.George added Lincoln would have to "show ambition" with their transfer targets but said the club would not risk overstretching itself."We will need to bring in some players a little bit more mature, with some games behind them and preferably those who have played in the Championship in the last season or two," George said."But that comes at a massive cost and what we don't want with wages is put ourselves in a position where, if the worst thing happens and we weren't to retain our status in the Championship, we create financial ruin for the football club."We have to be responsible, but we have to show enough ambition to give ourselves a chance of staying there as well."Listen to Lincoln City content on BBC Sounds

Leading up to Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden, much of the conversation centered around President Donald Trump and his plans to attend the game. At one point, reports suggested Trump would be sitting courtside for the highly anticipated matchup between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs. That plan ultimately changed just hours before tip-off, as the President announced he would instead watch the game from a luxury suite.Even before arriving at MSG, however, Trump had already become part of the storyline thanks to comments made by ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith.MORE: President Donald Trump will no longer sit courtside for NBA Finals Game 3Stephen A. Smith Sounds OffJun 5, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Stephen A. Smith looks on before the game between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks in game two of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn ImagesNever one to shy away from sharing his opinion, Smith spent part of his show discussing Trump’s attendance at the game.During his remarks, Smith suggested that Trump should not be attending and even joked that if the Knicks lost, the President would somehow be responsible. Smith, in the past, has also floated the idea that perhaps he should run for president himself someday, adding another layer to the feud.As expected, the comments quickly spread across social media, drawing reactions from sports fans and political observers alike. At the time, many wondered whether Trump would respond. The answer didn’t take long to arrive.Trump Delivers Classic ResponsePresident Donald J. Trump speaks at a rally in the fieldhouse at Rockland Community College May 22, 2026.Following New York’s tough loss to San Antonio, Trump addressedSmith’s comments during an interview and did not hold back.In typical Trump fashion, the President fired back by taking aim at Smith’s intelligence and dismissing the ESPN star’s criticism. While the exact exchange is already making the rounds online, the bigger takeaway is that Trump clearly heard what Smith had to say and wasn’t interested in letting it slide.The back-and-forth immediately became one of the most talked-about off-court storylines from Game 3.Just the Beginning?If history is any indication, this feud may be far from over.Both Trump and Smith are known for speaking their minds publicly and rarely backing down from a verbal battle. With the NBA Finals still underway and both men possessing massive platforms, it would not be surprising to see additional responses in the coming days.The Knicks may have lost Game 3, but the war of words between Trump and Stephen A. Smith appears to be just getting started.— Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories on The Big Lead —

Former Republican campaign operative Steve Schmidt called President Donald Trump “deranged,” “emotionally and psychologically incontinent,” and “in a state of decomposition and collapse” for storming out of an NBC interview last Sunday when journalist Kristen Welker pointed out he has provided no evidence for his claim that the 2020 election was stolen. “Kristen Welker met the moment, and she did not let the deranged President of the United States off the hook,” said Schmidt (who changed his political affiliation to Democratic in 2020), on the Monday installment of his podcast The Warning with Steve Schmidt. Related Trump’s latest check-up has this doctor wondering what’s really happening: “A few questions…” Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today “It is not just important, but essential that America’s citizens see this and comprehend that the commander in chief, who holds in his hands the launch codes to thousands of nuclear weapons, is emotionally, psychologically incontinent,” Schmidt said. “He is in a state of decomposition and collapse.” “What the American people saw was a president decomposing,” Schmidt added. Schmidt is co-founder of The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump conservative organization. Numerous pundits have noted Trump’s seeming physical and psychological deterioration. Trump visited the hospital for a check-up for the third time in 13 months, something that is unusual unless you’re being treated or monitored for serious issues, many observers have noted. At the end of May, physician and MS NOW medical analyst Vin Gupta said that one of Trump’s “chronic” conditions may hint at a possible heart issue. Last April, Gupta also said that Trump “has all the signs of dementia.” Trump is currently 79-years-old, the oldest president ever to serve. Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Trader John Bowers works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Wednesday, June 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)2026-06-09T03:25:04Z Oil prices retreated and Wall Street was poised to open with gains Tuesday after a sell-off last week. Futures for the S&P 500 added 0.4%, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average inched up less than 0.2%. Nasdaq futures jumped 0.8%.The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil, the international standard, fell $1.42 to $92.83 per barrel. It had briefly topped $98 overnight.U.S. benchmark crude shed $1.68 to $89.62 per barrel, remaining elevated since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February. A barrel of U.S. crude was less than $70 before the war began.Major airlines, which have been punished by soaring fuel costs, are on the rise. U.S. airlines spent more than $6 billion on jet fuel in April, up 78% from a year earlier, according to government data. Delta, American and United all gained between 1% and 2% overnight. Since conflict erupted in the Middle East earlier this year, much of the shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz — a critical oil transit route bordering Iran — has remained effectively halted, pushing up the price of oil and jet fuel.The airline industry’s top global trade group warned that soaring energy costs could nearly halve profits in 2026, even as major carriers have raised airfares and fees, canceled flights or trimmed schedules. Elevated oil prices have already sent broader inflation higher, which increases not only bills for households but also yields in the bond market. High yields worldwide recently have threatened to slow economies and undercut prices for stocks and all kinds of other investments. Read More The yield on the 10-year Treasury was holding around 4.55% early Tuesday, up from 4.01% in the days leading up to the war.The U.S. government issues its latest reports on inflation this week, with wholesale prices data coming Tuesday and consumer prices due out the following day. With inflation already well above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target and the job market stabilizing, analysts don’t expect the Federal Reserve to cut its benchmark interest rate any time soon. Some experts say that a rate hike is actually more likely this year. Fed officials meet next week to issue their latest decision on interest rates. Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. In equities trading, shares of J.M. Smucker Co. rose 3% after the snack and spread maker topped Wall Street’s sales and profit forecasts.Coming later Tuesday is the latest data on home sales. Soaring prices and elevated interest rates has mired the U.S. housing market in a slump since 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. Elsewhere, in Europe at midday Germany’s DAX picked up 0.5%, the CAC 40 in Paris gained 0.9% and Britain’s FTSE 100 shed 0.3%.In South Korea, the Kospi jumped 8.2% to 8,096.93, nearly recovering all of Monday’s loss of 8.3%. SK Hynix, which on Monday announced plans to partner with Nvidia in building data centers, jumped 15.9%. Samsung Electronics vaulted up 9%. In other Asian trading, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 gained 2.2% to 65,416.63. Computer chip equipment maker Tokyo Electron gained 8.9% and other technology stocks were among the biggest gainers. Taiwan’s Taiex advanced 2.8% on gains for tech companies like computer chip giant TSMC.Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 0.4% to 24,565.90 and the Shanghai Composite index added 1.3% to 4,010.03.The S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.2% to 8,604.20.___ ELAINE KURTENBACH Based in Bangkok, Kurtenbach is the AP’s business editor for Asia, helping to improve and expand our coverage of regional economies, climate change and the transition toward carbon-free energy. She has been covering economic, social, environmental and political trends in China, Japan and Southeast Asia throughout her career. twitter mailto 获取更多RSS：https://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Nature, Published online: 09 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01690-7Almost half of the scientists who responded said that they feel broadly negative towards artificial intelligence, but they think that some tools are better than others.

Nature, Published online: 09 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-00799-zAlthough undoubtably helpful in many ways, experimental assay kits risk undermining the fundamentals of science. How can we course correct?

Nature, Published online: 09 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01234-zAndrew Kythreotis re-evaluated his personal and professional priorities after a mid-career opportunity to move abroad fell through.

Nature, Published online: 09 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10769-0Author Correction: PTC-bearing mRNA elicits a genetic compensation response via Upf3a and COMPASS components

The post Blindfolded ‘Love Island USA’ Contestants Challenged To Guess Who Saying Slur appeared first on The Onion.

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The pair said “I do” Friday after a whirlwind meeting with their tax preparer. The post Sara Morse and Beth Lozano appeared first on The Onion.

TENAFLY, NJ—According to Roosevelt Elementary custodian Thanasis Danielopoulos, faculty and staff at the school are often surprised when they learn that back in his home country of Greece, he was a demigod. “People are usually shocked when I tell them my mom was a maiden and my dad was a rain god who took the form of a bull,” the minor deity said Wednesday, leaning on his mop as he explained that despite coming from a privileged household on Aeolia, he never considered himself above janitorial work. “Sometimes when I’m mopping the cafeteria after lunch, I think about all the time I used to spend rubbing elbows with the Muses at Mount Olympus. Yeah, it would be nice if I got a slightly bigger paycheck so I could take the occasional trip back to Hyperborea. If I could do it over again, I probably wouldn’t have come here as part of those Twelve Labors. But whatever. Can’t live your life in the rearview, you know?” Danielopoulos then reportedly sighed and returned to scraping gum off the underside of a desk. The post Greek Custodian Used To Be Demigod Back In Home Country appeared first on The Onion.

BALTIMORE—Responding to widespread proliferation of the technology in Americans’ daily lives, doctors at Johns Hopkins University warned Thursday that air fryers should not be considered an adequate substitute for human companionship. “An air fryer can be a powerful and reliable tool, but it’s no replacement for genuine interactions with other human beings,” said psychiatrist Lisa McDougan, explaining that while the small appliances were useful for many things, such as reheating leftovers and cooking frozen foods, they were simply not built to provide those who use them with lasting and meaningful social bonds. “Fostering connections with the people around us can be challenging, especially for those who lead busy lives. It’s important, however, not to fall into the trap of relying on a countertop convection oven as your only form of emotional support. These are man-made devices that prey on our isolation and are designed to deliver an addictive hit of dopamine every time you bite into a perfectly crisp Brussels sprout or golden-brown chicken nugget. With more and more Americans turning to air fryers for comfort, it’s important to remember that any kinship you may perceive is a shallow imitation of the warmth and joy you’d feel if a real-life friend fried some potato wedges for you.” McDougan added that as air fryer technology continued to advance in the coming years, it would likely become even more difficult to distinguish between true human affection and extra-crunchy bacon. The post Doctors Warn Air Fryers Not A Substitute For Human Companionship appeared first on The Onion.

ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 squads: Full teams, players and groups listed originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.KEY TAKEAWAYS: The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 is composed of 12 teams divided into two groups.Defending champions New Zealand will play in Group B with the hosts England.Group A includes India, Australia, Pakistan, and South Africa, among other nations.Also in Group A, Netherlands will make their Women’s T20 World Cup debut.MORE:Confirmed India A squad for Sri Lanka tri-series 2026 as Sooryavanshi earns call-upICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026: Teams and groupsThe ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 is due to take place in England and Wales between June 12 and July 5. A total of 12 nations will participate in this year’s championship, with the event split into two groups.This year’s defending champions are New Zealand, winners of the last edition of the World Cup. Other countries expected to have a strong shot at victory include England, India, Australia, and South Africa.Another interesting aspect of this event is that this will be the first time that the Netherlands have participated in the Women’s T20 World Cup.MORE:Why Australia’s biggest stars may choose SA20 over BBL in 2028ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 groups and team lists revealedEach team will select a squad of 15 players for the World Cup, excluding reserves. The groups and team lists for each nation for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 are as follows:Group ATeamSquadAustraliaMegan Schutt, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Georgia Voll, Annabel Sutherland, Nicola Carey, Phoebe Litchfield, Sophie Molineux (c), Alana King, Tahlia McGrath (vc), Kim Garth, Georgia Wareham, Grace Harris, Lucy Hamilton, Ashleigh Gardner (vc)Coach: Shelley NitschkeSouth AfricaTazmin Brits, Marizanne Kapp, Sinalo Jafta, Tumi Sekhukhune, Laura Wolvaardt (c), Chloe Tryon, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Nadine de Klerk, Kayla Reyneke, Karabo Meso, Annerie Dercksen, Dane van Niekerk, Shabnim Ismail, Suné Luus, Ayabonga KhakaCoach: Mandla MashimbyiIndiaJemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Renuka Singh Thakur, Richa Ghosh (wk) Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana (vc), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Arundhati Reddy, Radha Yadav, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Kranti Gaud, Shreyanka Patil, Shree Charani, Bharti Fulmali, Nandini SharmaCoach: Amol MuzumdarBangladeshNigar Sultana Joty (c), Nahida Akter (vc), Sharmin Akter Supta, Sobhana Mostary, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Rabeya Khan, Fahima Khatun, Fariha Islam Trisna, Marufa Akter, Shanjida Akther Maghla, Sultana Khatun, Dilara Akter, Juairiya Ferdous, Taj NeharCoach: Sarwar ImranNetherlandsBabette de Leede (c, wk), Lara Leemhuis, Iris Zwilling, Hannah Landheer, Robine Rijke, Phebe Molkenboer, Isabel van der Woning, Heather Siegers, Caroline de Lange, Sanya Khurana, Sterre Kalis, Myrthe van den Raad, Frederique Overdijk, Silver Siegers, Rosalie Ann Lawrence (wk)Coach: Neil MacRaePakistanFatima Sana (c), Gull Feroza, Ayesha Zafar, Iram Javed, Eyman Fatima, Aliya Riaz, Natalia Parvaiz, Saira Jabeen, Muneeba Ali, Tuba Hassan, Rameen Shamim, Sadia Iqbal, Nashra Sandhu, Diana Baig, Tasmia RubabCoach: TBAMORE:‘Shush!’: Prabhsimran goes shirtless in Dharamshala to end '10 kg gained' rumoursGroup BTeamSquadEnglandHeather Knight, Freya Kemp, Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean (vc), Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Nat Sciver-Brunt (c), Amy Jones (wk), Sophia Dunkley, Linsey Smith, Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Danielle Gibson, Lauren Filer, Issy Wong, Tilly Corteen-ColemanCoach: Charlotte EdwardsNew ZealandMaddy Green, Lea Tahuhu, Izzy Gaze (wk), Suzie Bates, Jess Kerr, Flora Devonshire, Polly Inglis (wk), Rosemary Mair, Izzy Sharp (wk), Amelia Kerr (c), Nensi Patel, Georgia Plimmer, Brooke Halliday, Sophie Devine, Bree IllingCoach: Ben SawyerSri LankaChamari Athapaththu (c), Hasini Perera, Vishmi Gunarathne, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Imesha Dulani, Nilakshika Silva, Kaveesha Dilhari, Hansima Karunaratne, Kaushini Nuthyangana, Sugandika Dasanayaka, Nimasha Madushani, Shashini Gimhani, Kawya Kavindi, Malki Madara, Mithali AyodhyaCoach: Rumesh RatnayakeWest IndiesHayley Matthews (c), Chinelle Henry, Deandra Dottin, Stafanie Taylor, Afy Fletcher, Aaliyah Alleyne, Shemaine Campbelle, Ashmini Munisar, Karishma Ramharack, Jannillea Glasgow, Jahzara Claxton, Qiana Joseph, Zaida James, Mandy Mangru, Shawnisha Hector.Coach: Shane DeitzScotlandKathryn Bryce (c), Chloe Abel, Olivia Bell, Sarah Bryce, Darcey Carter, Priyanaz Chatterji, Gabriella Fontenla, Katherine Fraser, Kirstie Gordon, Ailsa Lister, Maisie Maceira, Abtaha Maqsood, Megan McColl, Rachel Slater, Pippa SproulCoach: Craig WallaceIrelandGaby Lewis (c), Ava Canning, Christina Coulter Reilly, Alana Dalzell, Laura Delany, Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter, Arlene Kelly, Louise Little, Aimee Maguire, Lara McBride, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Rebecca StokellCoach: Lloyd TennantTo keep up to date with all the latest cricket news and share your opinion on the T20 WWC, visit our Facebook, Instagram and X (Twitter) pages.

The 2026 AUSL season opens Tuesday with three games. The league will feature six teams this season.The Carolina Blaze will host Portland Cascade on opening day in a game that has three players on roster with ties to Tennessee softball.First pitch between Carolina and Portland is slated for 5 p.m. EDT at Smith Family Stadium in Durham, North Carolina.Former Lady Vols' pitcher Karlyn Pickens and Tennessee director of player development Aubrey Leach, a former Lady Vol, are both on the Blaze's 2026 roster, while former Tennessee pitcher Payton Gottshall plays for the Cascade.Pickens was the No. 1 overall selection in the 2026 AUSL college draft on May 4. She recently graduated from Tennessee and helped the Lady Vols advance to a second consecutive appearance in the semifinals of the NCAA Women's College World Series. She is a two-time SEC Pitcher of the Year and a three-time All-America performer.Leach played for the Lady Vols from 2016-19 and was an All-America infielder. She joined Tennessee's coaching staff as a graduate assistant in 2021 and was promoted to director of player development in 2024.Gottshall played for the Lady Vols from 2023-24 after transferring from Bowling Green. She was an All-American, an All-SEC and All-MAC player during her college career.Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Three former Lady Vols on 2026 AUSL rosters for season opener

Jun 5, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown speaks with the media after the game between the Spurs and the Knicks in game two of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn ImagesThe New York Knicks saw their impressive postseason winning streak come to an end on Monday night with a 115-111 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. After the game, however, Knicks head coach Mike Brown was not happy about the officiating.During his postgame press conference, Brown took the opportunity to call out the officiating in the game, specifically highlighting the massive free-throw disparity in the second half of the contest, which he believed played a big role in sinking his team’s chances of winning the game.In the second half of Monday night’s game, the Spurs show 24 free throws in the second half of the game. Meanwhile, the Knicks only shot eight.Brown kept a calm demeanor as he brought up this disparity in his postgame press conference, but he did not hold back from expressing his displeasure.“I want to get something clear,” Brown told reporters following Monday’s Game 3 showdown. “Coach Mitch Johnson and the Spurs, they won the game tonight. They came and took the game. But I will say this: I never thought I’d be in the NBA Finals and see a team get 24 free throw attempts in the second half to another team’s eight.”Brown went on to add that he does not often complain about officiating. He also said that if that happens again, it will greatly impact the team’s chances to win Game 4, as well.“I don’t think I complain much about officials or about the fairness when it comes to the free-throw attempts,” Brown said. “San Antonio is a great team. They’re a great team. It’s going to lower our odds big-time if we play Game 4 and in the second half they get 24 free-throw attempts to our eight.”“Maybe we were fouling, but they fouled too,” he added.The Knicks now have a 2-1 lead headed into Wednesday night’s Game 4, meaning San Antonio will have at least one more home game in the series.The post ‘I want to get something clear’: Knicks coach Mike Brown does not hold back on referees after Game 3 loss appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions.

Marcelo Mayer Details Change To Swing Which Led To Home Run originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Boston Red Sox shortstop Marcelo Mayer made a change to his swing, which had immediate success.As Mayer had been struggling at the plate, the shortstop decided to make a tweak to his swing. Mayer has been struggling as he was slashing .167/.215/.208 in his previous 20 games since May 7 and had just one extra-base hit.So, as he was struggling, Mayer decided to tinker with his stance and swing, and he believes he may have figured something out.“I’ve just been feeling really disconnected with my legs,” Mayer said. “So I implemented a toe tap or whatever you want to call it two days ago, and it's been feeling really good ever since. I actually started it as a drill during the rain delay, and it felt really good. So, they were like, ‘Yo, just try it on.’ I was like, ‘All right.’”The change ended up paying off right away as Mayer hit a home run in the third inning to tie the game 1-1."I’ve just been working on trying to hit the ball harder, so it definitely felt good,” Mayer said. “Yeah, I’ve just got to keep working at it, got to keep grinding, swinging at the right pitches.”Mayer’s solo home run was Boston’s only run as the Red Sox suffered a 3-1 loss in the series opener to the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday.More MLB: Red Sox Offense Takes Discouraging Turn After Recent Hot Streak

🚨 Morocco confirm Abde injury but keep him in the World CupAbde is suffering from a sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee and will miss the World Cup group stage with Morocco, as confirmed by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.The Real Betis winger picked up the injury in the friendly against Norway, when his former Betis teammate Chadi Riad fell onto his knee, forcing him to ask to be substituted at half-time.The diagnosis points to a low- to moderate-grade sprain, with an estimated recovery period of four weeks. However, the Moroccan national team has decided to keep him in the squad even though he will miss the first two group-stage matches against Brazil and Scotland. His involvement in the third game, against Haiti on June 25, appears highly unlikely, and the plan is for him to be available for the knockout stage if his recovery stays on track.Betis’ medical staff will coordinate the player’s recovery with their counterparts in the Moroccan team. The precedent of the injury he suffered in the Conference League final, which ruled him out for the start of last season, adds an extra note of caution to the monitoring of this process.This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

The UFC has held championship competitions in plenty of exotic locations from Australia to Dubai, but never from the front lawn of the White House in the nation's capital.After months of preparation, that's exactly the plan for UFC's Freedom 250 event, scheduled to be held on the White House lawn in Washington D.C. on June 14 to commemorate the country's 250th anniversary in 2026. The event will be headlined by lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, who will look to defend his title against Justin Gaethje.Topuria is a huge -550 favorite currently, with Gaethje a massive +400 underdog. Topuria (17-0-0) has yet to lose in his MMA career.There are plenty of other big-name fighters in the main card as well.Here are the odds at sportsbooks for every main event fight on the UFC Freedom 250 card:UFC Freedom 250 oddsIlia Topuria (-550) vs. Justin Gaethje (+400)Ciryl Game (-110) vs. Alex Pereira (-110)Sean O'Malley (-450) vs. Aiemann Zahabi (+40)Play 2026 Soccer Pick 'Em with FOX One and make your picks for the world's biggest soccer tournamentJosh Hokit (-400) vs. Derrick Lewis (+310)Mauricio Ruffy (-700) vs. Michael Chandler (+500)Bo Nickal (-350) vs. Kyle Daukaus (+275)Diego Lopes (-160) vs. Steve Garcia (+135)

MLB has completed 11 weeks of the 2026 season. Certain players are having great seasons, but injuries are starting to affect some of the game’s best players. Heading into week twelve, here are the top ten second basemen around the league. MORE: 5 MLB pitchers outperforming their metrics1. Brice Turang, Milwaukee BrewersJun 5, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang (2) advances to third in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn ImagesTurang is having another outstanding season. Entering the week, he leads MLB second basemen in OPS. He leads the Brewers in on-base percentage.2. Brandon Lowe, Pittsburgh PiratesEntering the week, Lowe leads the Pirates and MLB second basemen in home runs. He has produced great numbers in his first season with Pittsburgh. His injury history will be a concern as the season continues to progress.3. Xavier Edwards, Miami MarlinsEdwards’ season needs more attention. Entering the week, he is third in hits, tied for first in triples, and second in on-base percentage among MLB second basemen. He is one of two Marlins players with double-digit doubles, 20 RBI, and .800 OPS.4. Luis Arraez, San Francisco GiantsThe Giants have struggled offensively this season, but Luis Arraez continues to be one of the team’s best hitters. Entering the week, Luis Arraez leads MLB second basemen in hits. The National League has an abundance of second base talent, and Arraez will be in the mix to make the NL All-Star team.5. Ezequiel Duran, Texas RangersHis name isn’t mentioned enough, but Ezequiel Duran is having a strong season. Entering the week, he is one of two Rangers hitters with an OPS over .800. He is tied for the team lead in triples.6. Ernie Clement, Toronto Blue JaysApr 6, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Ernie Clement (22) hits an RBI single against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn ImagesClement continues to produce in a career year. Entering the week, he leads Toronto in hits. He is tied for seventh in home runs among MLB second basemen.7. Ozzie Albies, Atlanta BravesAlbies has put his power on display this season. Entering the week, he is third in home runs among MLB second basemen. He has helped Atlanta to a convincing lead in the NL East.8. Ketel Marte, Arizona DiamondbacksMarte has played a key role in Arizona’s second-place standing in the NL West. Entering the week, Ketel Marte is second in home runs among MLB second basemen. He’s chasing a fourth consecutive season with at least 25 home runs.9. JJ Wetherholt, St. Louis CardinalsWetherholt has reached base at a high rate in his rookie season. Entering the week, he is fourth in on-base percentage among MLB second basemen. He will be a finalist for the NL Rookie of the Year Award.10. Chase Meidroth, Chicago White SoxThe White Sox have been one of the league’s surprising teams early in the 2026 season. Second basemen Chase Meidroth has taken a leap forward in his second season. Entering the week, he is fifth in hits among MLB second basemen.— Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories on The Big Lead —

Ben Stokes has been England Test captain since 2022 [Getty Images]Once again, English cricket is waking up with a sore head.Victory in the first Test against New Zealand was supposed to be a small step towards shaking off the Ashes hangover. Instead, England opted for hair of the dog.If you're keeping score, six of the players from the England team at Lord's have been involved in some sort of late-night drinking controversy in the past nine months.Harry Brook was "clocked" by a bouncer in Wellington, with Jacob Bethell and Josh Tongue present. Ben Duckett was filmed by a member of the public in Noosa, apparently drunk, and the footage found its way on to social media.Now, Test captain Ben Stokes and pace bowler Gus Atkinson spent the early hours of Monday morning involved in an incident with a Saracens academy player in a London nightclub.It is getting harder and harder for all connected with the England team - director of cricket Rob Key, head coach Brendon McCullum, and certainly Stokes himself - to deny there is a drinking culture. At least not with a straight face.It is Stokes' involvement in the latest episode that makes it all the more staggering, serious and downright stupid.He managed to stay away from trouble in Australia, although he admitted that tour was his toughest time in the role.On his return to international cricket, in his first experience of the curfew that was put in place after the Ashes boozing, Stokes has been unable to stick to the rules. As a leader, he has not been able to set an example.There will be a debate about whether a group of professional athletes should be placed under a curfew. And, even if they are, whether or not it should be relaxed in the aftermath of an important Test win.Still, the curfew exists. Stokes, a 35-year-old man, found himself in trouble when he should have been in bed.Publicly, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has admitted the breach of protocols. In mentioning the "early hours of Monday morning" in a statement, the governing body left Stokes and Atkinson bang to rights.It is what happened next that may decide Stokes' future as captain, and possibly as an international cricketer.We know there was an interaction with 21-year-old Saracens forward Totoa Avuaa. England cricketers and Saracens players often move in the same circles, and some of the Sarries squad had been present at Lord's.Stokes & Atkinson investigated over nightclub incidentHow the incident unfolded is unclear, but the outcome was a member of the England security team was left bloodied and in need of medical attention. He had not been drinking.If Stokes and Atkinson were merely in the wrong place at the wrong time, it will be up to the ECB to decide how big a crime that is.Given the context of the winter and Stokes' position of authority, there will be plenty who believe simply putting himself in that situation is enough for a change of captain.Stokes has history here - lots of it, starting with being sent home from an England Lions tour in 2013 for too much boozing.The incident outside a Bristol nightclub in 2017 almost cost him his England career. Charged and eventually cleared of affray, he explained he was acting to defend to members of the public. He later revealed the ordeal had a long-lasting effect on his mental health.In the early part of last year Stokes said he gave up alcohol to aid his recovery from a hamstring injury and invested in a non-alcoholic drinks brand.On Sunday, straight after the win against New Zealand, he was eager to get on the sauce."I won't be really happy until I get to share a beer with the boys," he said in the post-match news conference.Perhaps Stokes is a microcosm of cricket's complex relationship with alcohol, right down to a recreational game that is built on the culture of pints in the clubhouse.Andrew Flintoff's drinking session after England won the 2005 Ashes is part of this country's sporting folklore. Australia coach Andrew McDonald suggested Travis Head had as much fun off the field as he did on it during the past Ashes in Australia.International cricketers are often young men, away from home for months on end. The mental toll touring life can take is well documented.Then again, there are plenty of ways to escape cricket without visiting the pub. There are countless cricketers who do not drink at all, and many more professional athletes from other sports who never touch a drop.From a high-performance point of view, is a late-night drinking session the correct way to be in the best shape for the second Test at The Oval next week? Australia spinner Nathan Lyon recently revealed his belief that drinking after winning the World Test Championship in 2023 contributed to his calf injury in the second Ashes Test three weeks later.It is that second Test that leaves England with precious little time. A squad is due to be named and there is a possibility that Stokes and Atkinson are not in it.Atkinson took seven wickets at Lord's, a successful return after a difficult Ashes. It would be a personal setback to surrender his place, but England have the fast-bowling stocks to cover for him. Jofra Archer could return.Stokes' absence is much more problematic. In that scenario, could England really pass the captaincy on to Brook? How could one captain not be in charge because of a nightclub incident, with the replacement less than a year on from a nightclub incident of his own?This is the dilemma facing McCullum, Key, ECB chief executive Richard Gould and chair Richard Thompson. They are a group so tightly bound together that this latest fiasco could bring the whole house down.The ECB top brass reviewed the Ashes, on and off the field, and decided there was no need to change the management structure. At the first time of asking, they have been embarrassed, calling their judgement into question.All those above Stokes have a right to be angry he has let them down, yet they all must share in the blame for creating an environment where Stokes thought it was OK to break the rules."Informal" was McCullum's description of his operation. He may be regretting the informality, even if he regularly drums home a message that "nothing good happens after midnight".So, the decision.Is a late night in London enough to cost Stokes the England captaincy? Might he feel that his position is untenable? Could the ECB decide enough is enough, and no man - not even Ben Stokes - is above the health of the England team and the reputation of the game?Or is being in the wrong place at the very wrong time not enough to bring down one of the best players to have ever pulled on an England shirt?It is a time for clear heads. Not many of those are found near the bar in the early hours.'Comebacks don't get much better' - first Test ratingsBooze, beach, beaten - how England lost the AshesGet cricket news sent straight to your phone

Christian Watson's four-year contract extension with the Green Bay Packers includes a base value of $92 million, a $31 million signing bonus, $8.5 million in per game roster bonuses and a $13 million roster bonus in 2028, per Over the Cap.Watson's cap number won't rise above $12 million until 2028, when the Packers must decide if they want to pay the $13 million roster bonus and continue on with the contract or move on and realize savings on the salary cap. Here are the contract details from Over the Cap:Originally reported as a four-year, $110 million extension, Watson's deal has over $18 million in available incentives that can push the value to $110 million. The only guaranteed money in the deal is the signing bonus, and the Packers protected themselves with an out after two seasons and massive per game roster bonuses. In other words, Watson needs to play well during the first two seasons and be available consistently to make the most of this four-year extension. The contract is backloaded, like so many are for Packers veterans, and includes over $36 million in non-guaranteed total base salary during the final two years of the deal. The Packers also included a yearly $500,000 workout bonus to incentivize participation during the offseason workout program, as is typical in Packers contracts.This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Details on Christian Watson's 4-year, $92M extension with Packers

Shortly before Iran's opening match at the 2022 World Cup, Mehran Hashemi decided he could no longer stomach rooting for his country's national team.Players who Hashemi once idolized had since alienated him with their reluctance to use their platform to speak out against the tyranny of Iran's Islamic regime. Protests erupted across Iran four years ago after Mahsa Amini was arrested and brutally beaten in Tehran for allegedly violating laws requiring women to wear a headscarf. A movement that started because of the death of a 22-year-old woman evolved into a broader push for equal rights, freedom of speech, relief from economic hardship and the dismantling of the existing authoritarian, repressive political system.While members of the Iranian national team wore jackets covering their nation's emblem before a September 2022 match against Senegal and refused to sing the national anthem before their World Cup opener against England, Hashemi expected more. The Tehran-based author and poet argues Iran's best-known soccer players "turned their backs on the Iranian people" by not more strongly backing the protesters, by failing to condemn the government's violent crackdown, and by allowing the team to become a propaganda tool. Hashemi's frustration had not subsided by the time he and his family gathered to watch Iran's World Cup match against England in November 2022. The Hashemi family derisively cheered every time Iran surrendered a goal in a 6-2 defeat — and they were far from alone."What surprised me was that it was not just inside our house," Hashemi told Yahoo Sports. "When Iran conceded goals, I could hear cheering from outside. After the loss to England, many people took to the streets celebrating, dancing and honking car horns, almost as if Iran had won the match rather than lost it. That alone shows how unusual and emotionally complicated the situation had become."Play 2026 Soccer Pick 'Em with FOX One and make your picks for the world's biggest soccer tournamentAs Iran prepares to make its return to the World Cup next Monday, many Iranians across the world are experiencing the same conflicting emotions that Hashemi did four years ago. They're torn whether to celebrate their pride in their Iranian heritage by supporting the national team or whether to show their contempt for the existing political system by rooting for Iran to lose.Emotions are especially fraught in Los Angeles, where Iran will play two group stage matches, Monday's opener against New Zealand and a June 21 clash against Belgium. The Los Angeles area is the heartbeat of the Iranian diaspora, home to more people of Persian ancestry than anywhere else in the world besides Iran. So many Iranians fled their home country after the 1979 revolution and settled in Westwood, Beverly Hills and surrounding West LA communities that the area is now affectionately known as "Tehrangeles."Stroll down Westwood Boulevard, just south of UCLA, and you'll stumble across an assortment of Persian restaurants, bakeries, markets and specialty shops. For some Iranian Americans in that community, Iran's World Cup opener on Monday is just an excuse to gather with friends and watch soccer. For others, it's something more. "The Iranian diaspora wants to support Iran as a symbol of their home and the land that they lost, but they have to make a distinction," said Nicole Sadighi of the Institute for Voices of Liberty, a Beverly Hills-based non-profit dedicated to supporting the freedom-seeking citizens of Iran. "They are not supporting the regime or anyone who stands with the regime. They're using this World Cup as a platform to be able to express their resentment toward the regime."People wave U.S. and pre-revolutionary Iranian flags as they protest the Iranian regime outside of SoFi Stadium ahead of the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Iran opens its Group G campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15.SARAH LAI via Getty ImagesGeopolitics vs. the World CupAs recently as a few months ago, Iran's participation in the World Cup seemed tenuous at best. Surprise airstrikes by the U.S. and Israel killed Iran's supreme leader and destroyed government and military sites, sparking a war that instantly threw into question Iran's participation in a global soccer tournament on American soil. On March 11, Iran's sports and youth minister declared that "definitely it's not possible" for his country to take part in the World Cup, citing security concerns. The following day, U.S. President Donald Trump posted to social media that Iran was "welcome" to compete at the World Cup but cautioned, "I really don't believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety."For months, the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona, prepared as though it would be Iran's training base. Facility director Sarah Hanna said she was in contact with FIFA officials "multiple times a day" about anything from security protocols, to playing surface management, to what services the Iranian team would require during its stay. Hanna even invited a Middle Eastern studies professor from the University of Arizona to conduct a cultural training session with staff who would be working directly with the Iranian team. "We always want to provide a welcoming environment," Hanna said. On May 25, via a video call with FIFA officials, Hanna learned that Iran's plans had changed. While FIFA rejected Iran's request to have its three group stage matches moved from the U.S. to Mexico, the parties reached a logistical compromise to allow Iran to spend as little time as possible in America. FIFA granted Iran permission to move its training camp from Tucson to Tijuana, a Mexican city adjacent to the California border. "I'm not going to lie and say we weren't disappointed," Hanna said. "It's not the outcome that we wanted, but we're extremely proud that we were selected as a facility and we know that we were fully ready."The thornier issue for all parties to negotiate has been the visa situation. All 26 Iranian players have received entry into the U.S., but, according to a New York Times report last Friday, more than a dozen support staffers and Iranian soccer officials planning to accompany the team were rejected. After U.S. ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack went on social media last Friday to praise his team for its work processing visas for the Iranian soccer team, the Iranian embassy in Turkey delivered a fiery response. "You cannot whitewash conduct that violates FIFA regulations and breaches the United States' host obligations merely by praising yourselves," the Iranian embassy wrote in a quote tweet. "Why do you not say that visas were denied to a large portion of the managerial and executive staff, technical advisers, and others who are an integral part of any national football team? You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran's national football team to its highest level." The post from the Iranian embassy went on to accuse the U.S. of "depriving Iran's national team of its right to play in the World Cup under normal conditions.""FIFA must hold the U.S. accountable," it concluded.Among the visa applicants denied entry into the U.S, according to the New York Times, is Mehdi Taj, the president of Iran's soccer federation. Taj is a former commander in the Islamic Republic Guards Corps, an elite branch of the Iranian military officially classified as a terrorist group by the U.S. and other governments.When asked last week how the U.S. intended to assess visa applications from Iranian players, staffers and supporters, a state department spokesperson told Yahoo Sports that individuals would be judged "on a case-by-case basis after rigorous review and thorough vetting." "What we're not going to allow," U.S. secretary of state Marco Rubio said last Wednesday, "is for them to embed in their delegation a bunch of people that we know have nothing to do with athletics and have ties to the IRGC or things of that nature."When Iran's final roster for the 2026 World Cup was released, some questioned why Sardar Azmoun, who has scored 57 goals for the national team, was not among the 26 to make the squad.- via Getty ImagesTo root for Iran, or not to root for IranWhen Iran released its World Cup roster on June 1, there was one eyebrow-raising omission that made headlines across the world. Sardar Azmoun, a 31-year-old striker once dubbed "Iranian Messi" in the British press, was not among the 26 players to make the squad. Why would Iran leave home a player who has scored 57 goals in 91 appearances for its national team? Who has played for clubs like Bayer Leverkusen and Roma? Who is regarded as one of the best Middle Eastern players of his generation? An injury-plagued 2025-26 club season gives Iranian authorities an excuse, as does Azmoun's lack of sharpness since making his return. And yet it's still hard to fathom that politics didn't also play a role.Azmoun was one of the only Iranian players who spoke out in 2022 when the death of Amini sparked countrywide protests. "At worst I'll be dismissed from the national team," he bravely wrote on Instagram. "No problem. I'd sacrifice that for one hair on the heads of Iranian women. This story will not be deleted. They can do whatever they want. Shame on you for killing so easily; long live Iranian women."In January, as protests once again erupted across Iran, Azmoun said, "As an athlete, I always stand by the people of the country." Then in March, one month into the war, the striker posted a photo of himself shaking hands with the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, an ally of the United States and Israel. On Telegram, the IRGC labeled Azmoun's visit as "cooperation with Iran's enemies. Iranian state TV pundit Mohammad Misaghi called the striker's actions an act of disloyalty and said, "National team players should be people who proudly belt out the national anthem and deserve to wear the Iran jersey." Azmoun later removed the photo, but he has not been called up to the Iranian national team since then. Stories like that one illustrate why anti-regime Iranian athletes often find themselves in a tricky position. If they use their platform to criticize the government, they risk their livelihoods, their spot on the national team — or even their lives. For some Iranian soccer fans, it doesn't matter if top players stay silent or if the regime seeks to use the national team's participation in the World Cup as a means of seeking global legitimacy. These soccer diehards are comfortable rooting for the team and separating sport from politics."The way I look at the national team is not at all the way some Iranians look at it, where they see the political issue as stronger," said Hooman, a 57-year-old resident of Tehran who chose not to provide his last name to Yahoo Sports. "For me, the sporting side of the issue matters more."Other Iranians have a harder time supporting players who have stayed loyal to the regime or who aren't comfortable sticking their necks out to criticize it. To them, a player choosing not to stand with his own people is unforgivable. "This is why many Iranians continue to feel disconnected with the team and do not see it as representative of the nation," Hashemi said.At previous international sporting events, Iranian Americans who wanted to show their pride for their heritage without supporting the Islamic regime sometimes displayed Iran's pre-revolution "Lion and Sun" flag. In 1980, the Islamic regime banned flags bearing the Lion and Sun emblem following the Islamic Revolution, replacing it with a red tulip-like arrangement of the Arabic word "Allah" and the phrase "There is no god but Allah."FIFA reportedly has prohibited the display of the pre-revolutionary Lion and Sun flag inside World Cup venues, presumably because it's too "political" in nature. In response, The Institute for Voices of Liberty has sent a letter expressing concerns to FIFA and threatening legal action. "For the majority of Iranians, the distinction between Iran and the Islamic Republic is very important and that's what this flag represents," Sadighi said. "Most Iranians love their home country, their culture and their people. What many object to is the regime that has ruled since 1979. Therefore being censored in displaying their heritage flag — the flag that they recognize — feels like a betrayal to them from FIFA."Will Iranians and Iranian Americans fly the Lion and Sun flag inside and outside SoFi Stadium when the Iranian national team faces New Zealand on Monday? Will fans of Iranian descent cheer for Iran or against it? How will American fans react to an Iranian team playing on U.S. soil while the two countries are struggling to negotiate a ceasefire? Those are some of the key questions heading into the rare World Cup match that could be more compelling away from the pitch than on it.

People swim on a public beach as smoke, background, rises from an Israeli airstrike that hit the Qlaileh village, seen from the southern port city of Tyre, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)2026-06-09T12:53:44Z SIDON, Lebanon (AP) — Christian religious leaders from Lebanon’s southern port city of Tyre called on the international community and Lebanese officials on Tuesday to act quickly to prevent Israel from attacking the Christian district of the city, as airstrikes on nearby neighborhoods killed eight people and wounded dozens of others.The Israeli military has issued an evacuation warning for the port city, including the Christian quarter, which has been spared so far. The statement by the Christian leaders was from George Iskandar, the metropolitan archbishop of Tyre for the Melkite Greek Catholic Church; Elias Kfoury, the Greek Orthodox metropolitan of Tyre, Sidon and Dependencies; and Charbel Abdullah, the archeparch of the Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Tyre.The warning from Israel’s military prompted hundreds of people to flee the Christian district along the Mediterranean coast, while members of the Civil Defense evacuated older people to safer areas, the state-run National News Agency said. Cars packed with mattresses, luggage and household belongings stretched for kilometers along Lebanon’s coastal highway, as residents fled Tyre following the latest Israeli warning. Traffic ground to a halt as families crammed whatever they could into vehicles, with carpets protruding from rooftops, and trunks were left partially open to accommodate furniture and personal belongings. “After the warnings in Tyre, we left. We picked up and left,” said Ali Bahar, who was traveling with his wife and three children in a car loaded with possessions. Read More “Where should we go? There is nowhere to go,” Bahar said. “We will end up in the streets. We are heading to Sidon.”Nearby, Hussein Darwish sat in the gridlock after packing his vehicle with what he could carry. “We left to be reassured and safe,” he said. An Israeli airstrike Tuesday in another neighborhood in Tyre killed eight people and wounded 32 others, according to the Health Ministry. The three Christian leaders called on the international community and Lebanese leaders to “take immediate and serious action to spare the old quarter of Tyre from destruction and human tragedies.” Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. The Israeli warning to Tyre came after Israel and Iran traded fire following Israel’s targeting of Hezbollah in Beirut on Sunday, triggering heightened tensions in the Middle East and fears that the conflict could spread further.Over the past few weeks, Israel’s airstrikes have caused wide destruction in Tyre, the fourth-largest city in the country.Considered one of the oldest metropolises of the world, Tyre has several archaeological sites, some of them submerged. The city was officially declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.“The old city is not merely a residential area,” the clergy said in their statement. “It is the historical and human heart of Tyre, home to thousands of civilians, including families, children, and the elderly.” They said that the old quarter also holds a rich cultural, religious and civilizational heritage dating back centuries. “Any targeting or destruction of this neighborhood would constitute a humanitarian and national catastrophe with irreversible consequences,” they warned.Kfoury said that the ongoing conflict isn’t only a war on Hezbollah.“The war is against all of Lebanon, not just one particular group within Lebanon,” he said.“They are destroying Lebanon. Period,” Kfoury said about the ongoing Israel-Hezbollah war that broke out on March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets at northern Israel, two days after the U.S. and Iran began attacking Iran on Feb. 28.He said that the fighting should stop because it’s a “destructive war.”Last week, Israel warned the Christian neighborhoods in Tyre that Hezbollah members were among them. Many Lebanese Shiite Muslims fled to those areas over the past two weeks, because they were spared from the aerial bombardment along the Mediterranean coast.After last week’s warning, the Lebanese army deployed to the Christian district of Tyre in an effort to prevent Israeli attacks there and to show that Hezbollah has no armed presence in the area. On Tuesday, the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, posted on X that as the military warned days ago that Hezbollah members were working inside the Christian district, the Israeli military “will have to act against their terrorist activities in the neighborhood soon.”Adraee said that any building used by Hezbollah for military purposes “may be subject to targeting.”The latest Israel-Hezbollah in Lebanon has killed around 3,500 people and displaced more than 1.2 million.___Bassem Mroue reported from Beirut.

President Dwight Eisenhower brushes up on his golf game near the putting green on the lawn of the White House, Jan. 13, 1959, in Washington. (AP Photo, File)2026-06-09T10:30:53Z WASHINGTON (AP) — Teddy Roosevelt boxed. Richard Nixon bowled. Dwight D. Eisenhower put in a putting green. George H.W. Bush added a horseshoe pit. Herbert Hoover played a game named for himself to get more exercise, while George W. Bush threw open the space for youth T-ball. The White House and its storied South Lawn are no strangers to sporting events. But they’ve never seen anything like the UFC bout President Donald Trump is hosting to celebrate his 80th birthday on Sunday or the eight-sided, wire-mesh cage complete with an open overhead dome featuring large screens that are surrounded by thousands of arena seats. Workers build the stage for a UFC fight on the South Lawn of the White House. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.) Workers build the stage for a UFC fight on the South Lawn of the White House. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Sometimes called America’s backyard, the South Lawn was until now known for low-contact sports and joyful events geared toward children or bipartisanship, like the annual Easter Egg Roll or the congressional picnic. The same space being used for blood sport, feting a president who relishes it and playing out in a hulking structure featuring a complicated overhead lighting scheme known as The Claw, illustrates yet another of the White House norms that Trump is gleefully laying to rest — or, in UFC parlance, forcing to tap out. That the president has begun suggesting that he could make the cage-fighting venue a permanent South Lawn fixture further underscores just how far from T-ball the White House has come.“Sports has been central to presidents. I don’t know that it’s been quite the spectacle that it is with the Trump administration,” said Michael Patrick Cullinane, senior historian at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. Teddy Roosevelt pioneered sports at the White HouseMany early presidents were talented athletes before taking office. Abraham Lincoln and William Howard Taft were celebrated young wrestlers. John Quincy Adams was fit enough to take daily naked swims in the Potomac River while in office. But Teddy Roosevelt was the first to make sports a large part of White House life, installing a tennis court on the lawn. His wife, Edith, was concerned about his workload, and the grass court outside his office was meant to force more relaxation. Cullinane, who is the author of “Theodore Roosevelt and the Tennis Cabinet” and is a history professor at Dickinson State University, said Roosevelt loved tennis and, though he didn’t play well, he did so “long and vigorously.” Read More Roosevelt would take the court daily at 3 p.m., rain or shine, for seemingly endless six-game sets against top aides. He also boxed, holding bouts in the White House that were far more intimate affairs than Sunday’s UFC fight. While sparring with his military aide Col. Daniel T. Moore in 1905, Roosevelt detached the retina of his left eye. During a recent New York Post interview, Trump was asked about Roosevelt and replied that he “had a lot of energy, loved the outdoors.” He indicated that he knew about Roosevelt’s having boxed at the White House but didn’t comment on how the UFC event might compare. Other presidents brought more sports with themHoover used the lawn to play a combination of tennis and volleyball involving 6-pound (2.7-kilogram) medicine balls that White House physician Adm. Joel T. Boone was credited with inventing to improve his fitness. The game eventually became known as Hoover-ball.His successor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, had an indoor pool built for polio therapy. Harry S. Truman ordered an old horseshoe pit removed from the White House grounds, but the first President Bush reinstalled it in 1989. President George H.W. Bush tosses a horseshoe on the White House lawn on April 1, 1989. (AP Photo/Barry Thumma) President George H.W. Bush tosses a horseshoe on the White House lawn on April 1, 1989. (AP Photo/Barry Thumma) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More His son hosted T-ball on the South Lawn beginning in 2001 and presided over 20 games, with his last featuring Little Leaguers who were the children of active-duty military personnel. President George W. Bush, left, and National Baseball Hall of Fame member Willie Mays open the White House Tee Ball Game on the South Lawn on July 30, 2006. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File) President George W. Bush, left, and National Baseball Hall of Fame member Willie Mays open the White House Tee Ball Game on the South Lawn on July 30, 2006. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More President George W. Bush and National Baseball Hall of Fame member Willie Mays pose with children at the conclusion of a T-ball game on the South Lawn on July 30, 2006. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File) President George W. Bush and National Baseball Hall of Fame member Willie Mays pose with children at the conclusion of a T-ball game on the South Lawn on July 30, 2006. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Eisenhower used the putting green outside the Oval Office frequently enough to leave golf-spike marks on the floors inside. Barack Obama had White House tennis facilities repainted as a basketball court, though they were converted back as part of a pavilion improvement project overseen by first lady Melania Trump during her husband’s opening term. Presidents often mixed sports and politicsPlaying, or at least being avid fans of, sports has long given presidents ways to connect to everyday voters while also projecting vitality. John F. Kennedy largely hid his skill as a golfer because he was afraid of bad political optics. But he promoted footage of himself and his family playing touch football and frolicking in the surf, seeking to convey his youth and energy.Nixon had a single-lane bowling alley built in the White House yet spoke much more frequently in public about his love of football, trying to appeal to sports fans in ways that his advisers initially feared might alienate some. Obama made an event of filling out NCAA brackets with his predicted tournament winner each year. Trump has attended a series of major sporting events, including Monday’s trip to the NBA finals in New York. The UFC coming to him, however, is unlike anything the presidency has seen. President Donald Trump attends Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks on June 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) President Donald Trump attends Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks on June 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More “There’s definitely precedence for athletic events, but this is a combination of athletic event and a celebrity event,” said Tevi Troy, a presidential historian and senior fellow at the Reagan Institute. Troy noted that, as the bevy of musical acts pulling out of the Trump-led celebration to mark America’s 250th birthday illustrates, “The entertainment world is just hostile to Republicans and Trump. So he goes to find his celebrities where he can.” Trump has been a UFC fan for decades. His 2024 presidential campaign showcased his friendship with the league’s chief, Dana White, and Trump also attended bouts around the country, hoping to energize voters not usually interested in politics.UFC’s cage matches mirror Trump’s bare-knuckled approach to politics and sometimes can overlap with his policy initiatives. In making the case for his immigration crackdown, Trump once told White to consider setting up a league in which migrants could fight one another — with the winner then squaring off against the UFC champion. He suggested the “migrant guy might win.” Cullinane noted that the “UFC is dominated by men and this idea of masculinity,” which means “whenever you aim for a certain demographic, you are almost naturally politicizing the sport.” ‘Maybe we’ll never take it down’The South Lawn’s octagon was built in a matter of weeks and designed to be temporary, unlikely to survive prolonged exposure to the elements. But that hasn’t stopped Trump from musing about leaving it up permanently.The president has likened his birthday party to an international celebration of yore and The Claw to an architectural marvel in France. He noted on TikTok that Paris’ Eiffel Tower was built to be a temporary structure for the 1889 World’s Fair but then, “They said, ‘You know we sort of like it,’” and eventually, “They never took it down.”“You know, we’re building something in front of the White House that’s quite attractive to a lot of people,” Trump said before adding, “And I’m looking at it, and maybe we’ll never, ever take it down.”Troy said that, 20 years from now, the spectacle that is the UFC on the White House lawn may feel normal as accepted traditions on celebrity and sports shift. If so, Trump’s tradition-busting will have played a role. “Trump, I think, is more willing than other presidents to be asked that question: ‘Why aren’t you doing it the way the previous presidents did?’” Troy said. “Breaking the precedent doesn’t bother him.” ___Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report. WILL WEISSERT Weissert covers the White House for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington. twitter mailto

Referee Omar Artan, center, signals a penalty during the CAF Champions League final soccer match between AS FAR Rabat and Mamelodi Sundowns, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy, File)2026-06-09T10:12:01Z MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — The World Cup referee from Somalia who was denied entry to the United States after arriving in Miami and subsequently cut from the tournament by FIFA was set to make history for his country.Omar Artan was going to be the first referee from Somalia to officiate at a World Cup after making FIFA’s final list for the tournament, which was announced two months ago. He is one of Africa’s top referees and was named the continent’s best male referee in 2025.He was denied entry at Miami International Airport on Saturday over “vetting concerns,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement without giving details of those concerns. Artan was issued a visa to travel to the U.S. last week, according to the Somalia Embassy in Kenya that processed it.The move to deny a FIFA-appointed match official permission to enter a World Cup host country is highly unusual. Artan was due to meet up with other World Cup referees at their training base in Miami. The Somalia Youth and Sports Ministry said on Tuesday that it had not been told why Artan was denied entry and its embassy in the U.S. was making diplomatic efforts to resolve the problem and still allow Artan to referee at the World Cup, which opens on Thursday. Read More Somalia was one of the countries subjected to new travel restrictions last year under the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration. That raised concerns that fans, players and officials from those countries — most of which are African — might be denied entry for the World Cup due to the larger crackdown despite having valid visas. Workers cover a Kansas City Chiefs sign to transform Arrowhead Stadium to Kansas City Stadium ahead of the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) Workers cover a Kansas City Chiefs sign to transform Arrowhead Stadium to Kansas City Stadium ahead of the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More “When Customs and Border Protection said Omar Artan was found inadmissible because of vetting concerns without specifying the reason, it may be related to those broader screening measures rather than any specific allegation against him,” Isse Aden Abshir, a senior adviser at the Somalia sports ministry and a former national team captain, told The Associated Press. Artan subjected to ‘additional inspection’“During processing, the traveler underwent additional inspection, a routine part of CBP’s inspection process when officers need to verify information or determine admissibility,” CBP said in its statement on Monday. “Following inspection, the traveler, a referee for the FIFA World Cup, was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry.”It didn’t name Artan and referred only to a Somali national who is a World Cup referee. Artan is the only Somali referee selected for the tournament.CBP said all travelers seeking entry into the U.S. — including World Cup players, coaches and staff — were subject to CBP inspection and vetting.“Admissibility determinations are made on a case-by-case basis using law enforcement, national security, and immigration information available at the time of inspection,” the CBP statement said. “CBP officers have the authority to question travelers, conduct inspections, and determine admissibility consistent with U.S. law.” FIFA drops ref from World CupFIFA said it was not involved in the immigration processes and was informed by U.S. authorities that Artan’s “status will not be changed at present.” It said Artan wouldn’t be able to train and officiate at the World Cup.“In line with previous FIFA events, a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted into their country,” FIFA said. FIFA president Gianni Infantino speaks as President Donald Trump listens on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) FIFA president Gianni Infantino speaks as President Donald Trump listens on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Still, FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino built close ties to U.S. President Donald Trump’s government as the U.S. prepared to co-host with Mexico and Canada, and had publicly stressed how that would help the World Cup run smoothly.Infantino did not immediately comment on the issue, while FIFA released a statement on behalf of Artan.“Despite the circumstances, I am in a positive mood and I am focused on the next challenges in my refereeing career,” Artan said in the statement. “I would like to thank FIFA and (the African soccer confederation) for all their support and I promise to keep my refereeing levels up as I concentrate on the future. “I want to thank the football family for their messages and wish my colleagues all the best success during the World Cup and I look forward to joining them again in future competitions.” Soldiers patrol a street in Mogadishu, Somalia, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh) Soldiers patrol a street in Mogadishu, Somalia, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More He was to make history for SomaliaArtan was praised as one of Africa’s best referees and was the ref for the decisive leg of the African Champions League final last month — Africa’s biggest club soccer game.He spoke in a recent interview with the Al Jazeera TV network about how he was honored to be selected to be the first Somali to referee at the World Cup and how he faced challenges in his conflict-torn country in East Africa, including sometimes having to change his route to training because of explosions in the streets of the capital, Mogadishu.“You cannot give up as a referee,” Artan said in the interview. This (going to the World Cup) was my big, big target and I’m really excited.” ___Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa. AP Sports Writer Graham Dunbar in Geneva contributed. ___AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

IRS CEO Frank Bisignano testifies during a Senate Committee on Finance hearing on Capitol Hill, April 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)2026-06-09T13:00:08Z WASHINGTON (AP) — After complaints about staffing cuts and long waits to get help at the Social Security Administration, its commissioner says he’s ready to make the case to Congress this week that things are getting a lot better at the embattled agency.Frank Bisignano is expected to face pointed questions from lawmakers at a hearing on his agency’s customer service performance, its ability to pay Americans their benefits, protect their privacy, and other questions about the inner workings of the SSA.He plans to tout shorter wait times and other customer service metrics to a House Ways and Means Committee hearing slated for Wednesday, and will slam his predecessor for requiring appointments for field office visits, according to his prepared testimony which was viewed by The Associated Press. In a letter sent to lawmakers ahead of the hearing, Bisignano states that the SSA has cut phone wait times by 75% under his leadership, fixed frustrating website issues, and served 50% more people. “I’ve been very clear. We will meet clients where they want to be met. You want to call us on a phone, we’ll have technology on the phone, or you can talk to somebody on the phone. You want to come to a field office, you can come with an appointment, or without,” Bisignano told The Associated Press in an interview. Critics argue those gains are being achieved through temporary staffing shifts, increased reliance on online services, and workforce reductions that have created longer-term service risks, shifting bottlenecks around rather than solving staffing problems. Read More Bisignano dismisses the criticism. “People boo at Yankee Stadium, even when they’re winning,” he said. Bisignano took over the agency after a series of chaotic customer service changes, leadership exits, and false allegations made by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk — who ran the Department of Government Efficiency cost-cutting program — that millions of dead people were receiving benefits. The SSA laid off 7,000 workers at the start of the Trump administration. Roughly 2,000 employees were reassigned last year into direct-service positions, including staff whose jobs don’t normally involve answering calls.The SSA’s Inspector General — its internal watchdog — has identified ongoing errors in benefit administration and claims processing. But its latest semiannual report to Congress also shows the agency has made measurable progress in improving telephone service and deploying technology to speed disability claims processing.The union representing SSA employees and field office workers says some offices are severely understaffed. That includes Ironwood, Michigan; Decorah, Iowa; Havre, Montana; Big Spring, Texas; Sheridan, Wyoming; Glasgow, Montana; Pierre, South Dakota; Cedar City, Utah; and Cody, Wyoming, according to the American Federation of Government Employees Council 220.But Bisignano said no field offices have been closed and noted that the agency is committed to meeting clients where they prefer.“What I’m trying to achieve is to have a better way for the American public to interact with the Social Security Administration,” Bisignano said. Bisignano also serves as chief executive of the IRS, in a role that was created by the Trump administration. Asked about a new tax audit immunity deal for Trump and his family that was part of the controversial settlement crafted to resolve Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS, Bisignano referred The Associated Press to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s recent comments to a congressional committee, where he refused comment on ongoing litigation. FATIMA HUSSEIN Hussein reports on the U.S. Treasury Department for The Associated Press. She covers tax policy, sanctions and any issue that relates to money. twitter mailto

The Denver Broncos boosted their WR room by adding Jaylen Waddle via trade with the Miami Dolphins this offseason. Waddle joins a group already featuring Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant under Sean Payton, with QB Bo Nix at the helm. With the fresh start in Denver, there's plenty of hype around Waddle as a mid-round sleeper for 2026 fantasy football.Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2026 NFL seasonMatt Harmon and Justin Boone take a look at early ADP on Waddle and whether or not we could see a big jump in fantasy production from him on the Broncos on the latest episode of the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast.Waddle's early Yahoo ADP for 2026 is WR21, going around pick No. 53 in drafts. Boone has Waddle ranked as his WR21 for 2026 fantasy football in his latest June update. That's much higher than where the wideout is going in drafts — Boone is high on him in Denver.Play 2026 Soccer Pick 'Em with FOX One and make your picks for the world's biggest soccer tournamentPlaying mostly as the second option behind Tyreek Hill in Miami, Waddle was very productive, even turning in a season with 75 catches for 1,356 yards and eight touchdowns back in 2022. In fact, he started his NFL career with three straight 1,000-yard seasons.Boone points out the turmoil on the Dolphins and the fact Waddle is going to a better offense that is going to throw a ton. Nix led the NFL in pass attempts in 2025 and Waddle should be the No. 1 option in the passing game, ahead of Sutton and Franklin.Harmon likes Waddle even more than Boone, ranking the WR 12th at the position for 2026. Harmon reiterates not to draft Waddle that high but instead to target him around where his ADP suggests. The analyst also states Waddle could be this season's George Pickens, a WR who got traded and became a top-five fantasy WR in the process.

The biggest World Cup ever has arrived, with 104 games set to take place over the next five weeks, as the US, Canada and Mexico host football’s most-prestigious competition.Fans in the UK will naturally be keen to follow England and Scotland’s progress at the tournament, but every single game in the competition will be available to watch on free-to-air TV for UK viewers – meaning you can watch more than just the Three Lions’ and Tartan Army’s endeavours.Of course, you do have to factor in the time difference, with the kinder kick-off times including slots at 6pm BST and 8pm BST, while there are games throughout the night for UK viewers.Here’s how you can watch every game at the 2026 World Cup on the BBC and ITV – and STV in Scotland.England fans will be keen to follow the Three Lions’ progress despite time differences (PA)World Cup 2026 TV schedule, UKThursday 11 JuneMexico vs South Africa (Group A) – 8pm BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerFriday 12 JuneSouth Korea vs Czech Republic (Group A) – 3am BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerCanada vs Bosnia-Herzegovina (Group B) – 8pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteSaturday 13 JuneUSA vs Paraguay (Group D) – 2am BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteQatar vs Switzerland (Group B) – 8pm BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerBrazil vs Morocco (Group C) – 11pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteSunday 14 JuneHaiti vs Scotland (Group C) – 2am BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteAustralia vs Turkey (Group D) – 5am BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerGermany vs Curacao (Group E) – 6pm BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerNetherlands vs Japan (Group F) – 9pm BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerMonday 15 JuneSpain will enter the World Cup as European champions, just as they did in 2010 (Getty)Ivory Coast vs Ecuador (Group E) – 12am BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteSweden vs Tunisia (Group F) – 3am BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerSpain vs Cape Verde (Group H) – 5pm BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerBelgium vs Egypt (Group G) – 8pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteSaudi Arabia vs Uruguay (Group H) – 11pm BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerTuesday 16 JuneIran vs New Zealand (Group G) – 2am BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteFrance vs Senegal (Group I) – 8pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteIraq vs Norway (Group I) – 11pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteWednesday 17 JuneArgentina vs Algeria (Group J) – 2am BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerAustria vs Jordan (Group J) – 5am BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websitePortugal vs DR Congo (Group K) – 6pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteEngland vs Croatia (Group L) – 9pm BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerThursday 18 JuneAlphonso Davies is one of Canada’s key players as the nation co-hosts the tournament (Getty)Ghana vs Panama (Group L) – 12am BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerUzbekistan vs Colombia (Group K) – 3am BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteCzech Republic vs South Africa (Group A) – 5pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteSwitzerland vs Bosnia-Herzegovina (Group B) – 8pm BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerCanada vs Qatar (Group B) – 11pm BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerFriday 19 JuneMexico vs South Africa (Group A) – 2am BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteUSA vs Australia (Group D) – 8pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteScotland vs Morocco (Group C) – 11pm BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerSaturday 20 JuneBrazil vs Haiti (Group C) – 2am BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerTurkey vs Paraguay (Group D) – 5am BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerVini Jr, shown in the background, is one of Brazil’s most-popular players (AFP/Getty)Netherlands vs Sweden (Group F) – 6pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteGermany vs Ivory Coast (Group E) – 9pm BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerSunday 21 JuneEcuador vs Curacao (Group E) – 1am BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteTunisia vs Japan (Group F) – 5am BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteSpain vs Saudi Arabia (Group H) – 5pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteBelgium vs Iran (Group G ) – 8pm BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerUruguay vs Cape Verde (Group H) – 11pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteMonday 22 JuneNew Zealand vs Egypt (Group G) – 2am BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerArgentina vs Austria (Group J) – 6pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteFrance vs Iraq (Group I) – 10pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteMohamed Salah will captain Egypt at the World Cup (Getty)Tuesday 23 JuneNorway vs Senegal (Group I) – 1am BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerJordan vs Algeria (Group J) – 4am BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerPortugal vs Uzbekistan (Group K) – 6pm BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerEngland vs Ghana (Group L) – 9pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteWednesday 24 JunePanama vs Croatia (Group L) – 12am BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteColombia vs DR Congo (Group K) – 3am BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerBosnia-Herzegovina vs Qatar (Group B) – 8pm BST – ITV 4, ITV XSwitzerland vs Canada (Group B) – 8pm BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerMorocco vs Haiti (Group C) – 11pm BST – BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteScotland vs Brazil (Group C) – 11pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteColombia star Luis Diaz speaking to media ahead of the World Cup (Getty)Thursday 25 JuneCzech Republic vs Mexico (Group A) – 2am BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteSouth Africa vs South Korea (Group A) – 2am BST – BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteCuracao vs Ivory Coast (Group E) – 9pm BST – BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteEcuador vs Germany (Group E) – 9pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteFriday 26 JuneJapan vs Sweden (Group F) – 12am BST – BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteTunisia vs Netherlands (Group F) – 12am BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteParaguay vs Australia (Group D) – 3am BST – ITV 4, ITV XTurkey vs USA (Group D) – 3am BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerNorway vs France (Group I) – 8pm BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerSenegal vs Iraq (Group I) – 8pm BST – ITV 4, ITV XKylian Mbappe won the World Cup aged just 19 in 2018 (Getty)Saturday 27 JuneCape Verde vs Saudi Arabia (Group H) – 1am BST – ITV 4, ITV XUruguay vs Spain (Group H) – 1am BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerEgypt vs Iran (Group G) – 4am BST – BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteNew Zealand vs Belgium (Group G) – 4am BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteCroatia vs Ghana (Group L) – 10pm BST – ITV 4, ITV XPanama vs England (Group L) – 10pm BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV PlayerSunday 28 JuneColombia vs Portugal (Group K) – 12.30am BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteDR Congo vs Uzbekistan (Group K) – 12.30am BST – BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteAlgeria vs Austria (Group J) – 3am BST – BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteJordan vs Argentina (Group J) – 3am BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteRound of 32 (Runner-up A vs Runner-up B) – 8pm BST – TBCSunday 29 JuneIn 2022, led by Lionel Messi, Argentina ended a 36-year wait for their third World Cup trophy (Getty)Round of 32 (Winner C vs Runner-up F) – 6pm BST – TBCRound of 32 (Winner E vs Third place A/B/C/D/F) – 9.30pm BST – TBCTuesday 30 JuneRound of 32 (Winner F vs Runner-up C) – 2am BST – TBCRound of 32 (Runner-up E vs Runner-up I) – 6pm BST – TBCRound of 32 (Winner I vs Third place C/D/F/G/H) – 10pm BST – TBCWednesday 1 JulyRound of 32 (Winner A vs Third place C/E/F/H/I) – 2am BST – TBCRound of 32 (Winner L vs Third place E/H/I/J/K) – 5pm BST – TBCRound of 32 (Winner G vs Third place A/E/H/I/J) – 9pm BST – TBCThursday 2 JulyRound of 32 (Winner D vs Third place B/E/F/I/J) – 1am BST – TBCRound of 32 (Winner H vs Runner-up J) – 8pm BST – TBCFriday 3 JulyThe New York New Jersey stadium will be a key venue this summer, hosting the final among other games (Getty)Round of 32 (Runner-up K vs Runner-up L) – 12am BST – TBCRound of 32 (Winner B vs Third place E/F/G/I/J) – 4am BST – TBCRound of 32 (Runner-up D vs Runner-up G) – 7pm BST – TBCRound of 32 (Winner J vs Runner-up H) – 11pm BST – TBCSaturday 4 JulyRound of 32 (Winner K vs Runner-up D/E/I/J/L) – 2.30am BST – TBCRound of 16 – 6pm BST – TBCRound of 16 – 10pm BST – TBCSunday 5 JulyRound of 16 – 9pm BST – TBCMonday 6 JulyRound of 16 – 1am BST – TBCRound of 16 – 8pm BST – TBCTuesday 7 JulyThis Germany fan and many others will be keen to see the team add a fifth star to their jersey (Reuters)Round of 16 – 1am BST – TBCRound of 16 – 5pm BST – TBCRound of 16 – 9pm BST – TBCThursday 9 JulyQuarter-final – 9pm BST – TBCFriday 10 JulyQuarter-final – 8pm BST – TBCSaturday 11 JulyQuarter-final – 10pm BST – TBCSunday 12 JulyFifa president Gianni Infantino (right) with US president Donald Trump (PA)Quarter-final – 2am BST – TBCTuesday 14 JulySemi-final – 8pm BST – TBCWednesday 15 JulySemi-final – 8pm BST – TBCSaturday 18 JulyThird-place play-off – 10pm BST – TBCSunday 19 JulyFinal – 8pm BST – TBC

The college football world was stunned by the Brendan Sorsby ruling, and it immediately raised a number of questions. The biggest question is simple: What exactly can the NCAA still prevent? If it cannot enforce its own sports gambling bylaws against student-athletes, what other rules could soon be challenged? Even Tyrann Mathieu had questions.In fact, Mathieu jokingly argued that he should be allowed to return to college football. After all, he only played two seasons. Surely he still has eligibility remaining, right? Mathieu took to social media to make his case.“Can I return back to college football? I only played 2 seasons, should have 2 more eligibility years left,” Mathieu stated on X.MORE: Every college football program should follow Big 12, remove Texas Tech from schedulingHe then highlighted what may be the most important aspect of this entire situation: finding a judge willing to make it happen.New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) looks on during stretches during minicamp at Ochsner Sports Performance Center. Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn ImagesWho is going to stop him?“Can you find me a judge in Louisiana who can see to it that Honey Badger gets to finish his last 2 years of college football? Who’s going to say no ?????”It’s important to note that Mathieu is not serious about returning to college football. However, his comments underscore a legitimate concern in today’s college athletics landscape. If judges continue handing out injunctions that override NCAA enforcement, who is going to stop future challenges?Suppose a player declares for the NFL Draft but fails to get selected in the round he expected—or isn’t drafted at all. Could that player simply seek an injunction to return to college football? What would prevent them from finding a favorable judge and attempting to reverse the consequences of their decision?MORE: NFL accused of misleading Congress as broadcasting practices come under reviewIs that really outside the realm of possibility anymore?Oct 25, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby walks off the field after defeating the Baylor Bears at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn ImagesNo end in sight?Until the NCAA reaches a collective bargaining agreement with student-athletes or Congress establishes clear legislation governing college athletics, almost anything appears possible. All it takes is one judge willing to accept a questionable argument about “probable, imminent, and irreparable injury” resulting from an unfavorable outcome.This issue is not going away anytime soon. The Sorsby ruling opened a can of worms few believed was possible. And unlike the Trinidad Chambliss case, this situation lacks many of the same mitigating factors.MORE: Brendan Sorsby ruling disgraces remaining integrity of college footballAt least in Chambliss’ case, there was room for reasonable doubt. Chambliss believed he had received a medical redshirt season. While the circumstances surrounding that claim remain debatable, his case presented a stronger foundation than Sorsby’s.Jan 19, 2020; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) and strong safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) celebrate with the Lamar Hunt Trophy after beating the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY SportsThe Brendan Sorsby ruling sends a troubling message: that NCAA rules may be negotiable and that student-athletes can potentially avoid legitimate consequences through the courts.Could we eventually see a student-athlete who is destined for professional sports—or even someone already playing professionally—return to collegiate competition? Just as Tyrann Mathieu suggests returning to college football?At this point, that question no longer seems as far-fetched as it once did.

Rob Gronkowski Weighs In On Josh McDaniels A.J. Brown Comparision originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The New England Patriots traded for A.J. Brown, and Josh McDaniels compared him to Patriots legend Rob Gronkowski.“I’ve been fortunate to be around some really good ones. I’m not sure if I’ve been around one that looks just like (Brown). Maybe the closest thing I’ve seen is Gronk,” McDaniels said before the Patriots' June 2 practice. “This is a big guy. He does a lot of things well. I’m looking forward to seeing how we can fit him and acclimate him into our system.”Gronkowski was a tight end, and Brown was a receiver, so the comparison seems wild. However, Gronkowski did not mind the comparison. During an appearance on "Up & Adams," he noted that he loved it.“I love that comparison,” Gronkowski said on Monday, "That was really cool to see him say that."“Josh McDaniels knows what he’s talking about, and I understand what he’s saying,” Gronkowski added. “A.J. Brown is a big body out there. He’s a force to be reckoned with. He’s a guy that takes attention from the defense even when the ball’s not going to him. Even with a run play, you’re still going to have attention.”Brown will open up new opportunities for the Patriots' offense as well. Gronkowski compared the attention Brown will receive to the attention he received while he was playing. He also noted that Brown's size will play a huge factor in his ability to get open.“A.J. Brown uses his body to get open. That’s how I got open a lot,” Gronkowski said. “I was never really running by guys. I used my body, blocked out guys, and Tom (Brady) would put the ball where I could only go up (and get it). That’s the same with A.J. Brown. That’s probably what Josh McDaniels sees in him. A.J. Brown is always open because he’s such a big-bodied guy with great hands.”More NFL: Patriots Declined Multiple A.J. Brown Trade Packages, Months Of Negotiations

BBC Sport introduces live match updates to make sure you never miss a goal [BBC Sport]The World Cup is here and BBC Sport will be keeping you up to date on all the action in the United States, Canada and Mexico.From live TV coverage to highlights, analysis and reaction, our dedicated team will ensure you don't miss a kick from the biggest World Cup yet.And there's more - the BBC is launching live match updates so you can see the score directly on your lock screen through the full 90 minutes and beyond.This means you can keep track of every match wherever you are - whether you're on the move, at work, or away from a TV. With live match updates on your lock screen, the score is always just a glance away.All you need to do is make sure you have the BBC Sport app downloaded on your phone and with just a few taps, you'll receive real-time updates on your lock screen. Simply follow your favourite team and we'll do the rest.On Apple devices, live match updates will appear automatically when your team is is playing, keeping you up to date as the match unfolds.On Android, you'll need to opt in to notifications in your settings in order for live match updates to appear*.You will receive updates from about an hour before kick-off and they will disappear automatically from your lock screen after the match has finished.You can turn off live match updates at any time without needing to unfollow your favourite teams.*Live Match Updates are not yet available on every Android deviceHow to turn on Live Match UpdatesYour step-by-step guide to turning on BBC live match updates [BBC Sport]Apple users simply need to follow a team while signed into the BBC Sport app to opt in for live match updates.To do that, navigate to Football within the BBC Sport app, tap All Teams in the black navigation bar at the top of the page, then choose a team. Once you've tapped on the team name, hit +Follow on the next page.For Android users, you will need to follow the steps above while also ensuring notifications for BBC Sport are turned on in your device settings.For more information, read through our FAQ page.How to turn off Live Match UpdatesYou can dismiss a live match update when it appears on your lock screen, or to disable them, simply head to your device settings to turn notifications off.Play BBC Sport's new World Cup predictor gameDownload your World Cup 2026 wallchart

Dmitriy Popov, who stabbed gay dancer O’Shae Sibley to death, was found guilty of a hate crime on Monday but was acquitted on the most serious charges he faced. Sibley, 28, was voguing to Beyoncé when he was killed at a gas station in July 2023. Popov, who was 17 at the time, argued at his trial that he stabbed Sibley in self-defense. Related The LGBTQ+ community mourns O’Shae Sibley in memorials across New York City The jury didn’t buy his story and convicted him of second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter as a hate crime, as well as aggravated harassment because of race or religion. Popov and some people he was with shouted anti-gay and racist slurs at Sibley during the encounter. The jury acquitted him of second-degree murder as a hate crime. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today At last month’s trial, Popov pleaded not guilty, saying that he stabbed Sibley in self-defense. Witnesses and security camera footage showed Sibley and four friends stopping at a Brooklyn gas station on July 29, 2023. Sibley was dancing. A group of young men and teenagers, including then-17-year-old Popov, approached Sibley and his friends and told them to stop dancing. Some witnesses said they cited their Muslim faith, others said they used racist and anti-gay slurs. Popov’s attorney later noted that his client is not Muslim, describing him as “a good Christian boy.” Surveillance video of the altercation reportedly shows Sibley and friends exchanging heated words with the young men, one of whom is seen recording the interaction on his phone. The two groups eventually began to disperse, but one witness claimed that the group of young men continued to harass Sibley and his friends as they left. Another witness claimed the group may have continued to make anti-LGBTQ+ comments. Sibley’s group returned to the storefront to confront the other group, and a fight broke out between Sibley and the man recording on his phone. “Get that gay s**t out of here,” prosecutors alleged Popov and his friends told Sibley and his friends. Popov testified in court that, while others in his group used slurs, he did not. He told the court that he was “telling them, you guys get out of here” and that “I felt I was slowly getting surrounded.” Popov said that he pulled a five-and-a-half-inch kitchen knife out of his pocket and that he only intended to threaten Sibley. Sibley then ran at him, and that’s when Popov stabbed Sibley in the chest. Prosecutors asked Popov why he didn’t run away, and he said he “didn’t want to be hit from the back.” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a press release that he hopes “as the LGBTQ+ community celebrates the beginning of Pride Month, this verdict will bring O’Shae’s family, his friends, and the larger community some measure of solace.” “Hate has no place in Brooklyn,” he said, adding that Sibley’s life was “cut short when he was killed by this defendant, who couldn’t stand the sight of O’Shae and his friends just being themselves and living their lives openly as black gay men.” The acquittal on the most serious charge means that Popov does not face life in prison. Manslaughter as a hate crime carries a sentence of eight to 25 years, the New York Times reports. Sentencing for Popov, who is now 20, is scheduled for June 30. Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos believes that artificial intelligence is going to lead to unprecedented productivity gains which could result in cheaper food, housing, and two income households deciding that they no longer need two incomes. Internally, Amazon employees mock the company’s AI tools, refer to its output as “slop,” and joke about the company’s failed attempt to motivate employees to use AI tools effectively. The memes are yet another example of the contrast between what AI companies say in public about its potential power and benefit versus the reality of how the people who help create these AI tools use and criticize them internally. Amazon employees told me about these memes after they saw my story last week about Google employees also internally sharing memes critical of Google’s AI tools. “Now I have everything I need,” says the text over an image of a jet taking off in one meme posted by an Amazon employee. The jet is edited to carry the purple ghost logo for Kiro, Amazon’s AI-powered coding tool. “Narrator: He did not have everything he needed,” says the text over an image of a bunch of people left behind on the tarmac. I've recreated all the memes rather than share screenshots from the Slack channel in order to protect sources. “Kiro: ‘Confirmed I have the full picture,’” says the text over an image of an iceberg that appears small above water but is hiding a huge mass underwater in another meme posted by an Amazon employee. One meme just showed Kiro’s logo, as well as an image of a bee and a lion implying that Kiro be lyin’.Another meme just shows Cillian Murphy’s face as Robert Oppenheimer in the movie Oppenheimer, surrounded by logos of AI coding tools like Amazon’s Kiro, Anthropic’s Claude Code, and an AI agent called Meshclaw. The text on the image simply reads “Sloppenheimer.” The meme apparently refers to the fact that Amazon employees have been encouraged to use all of these tools at some point. For this story, I talked to multiple Amazon employees who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak to the press. They said that this discussion is mostly taking place on a company Slack channel called #actual-aws-memes. While most of the memes I saw were critical of AI, one Amazon employee told me that there’s a “spectrum” of opinions shared in the channel. 💡Is your company internally criticizing the same AI products the company is publicly advertising? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at ‪@emanuel.404‬. Otherwise, send me an email at emanuel@404media.co.“Actual-aws-memes is a place to blow off steam so it skews negative, but I'd say the genres of most are ‘Oh boy, we get to use Claude Code now instead of Kiro,’ ‘Earnest Kiro user complaining about its limitations,’ and some genuine frustration with corporate policy,” The Amazon employee told me. “I'm an AI hater, so I prefer to think they agree with me, but there's more of a spectrum than that.”Another Amazon employee told me that the anti-AI memes started around the end of 2024 and the start of 2025, “when [AI] adoption started to get really forced by leadership.”"I think people meme about anything they're around a lot, and obviously AI is a common topic," Another Amazon employee told me. "Of course it doesn't help that leadership is definitely pushing AI so there's probably some element of backlash."A few of the recent memes shared in the channel directly reference the fact that Amazon had just shut down an internal leaderboard which tracked how much Amazon employees were using Kiro. In an official internal statement and in comment to 404 Media, Amazon said it had shut down the leaderboard because it had achieved its goal of motivating and teaching people to use AI tools. However, Amazon employees told 404 Media that management decided to shut down the leaderboard because people were cheating by tasking Kiro with completing unnecessary tasks and because it was resulting in wasteful, expensive AI use. “When they shut down the leaderboard, there was a lot of [discussion in the slack channel] ‘Well, yeah, what did you think was going to happen when you incentivized people to drive up usage,’” the Amazon employee told me. One Amazon employee shared an image of the “stonks” going down meme and said “AI usage after the PTI incentives goes away.”One Amazon employee shared a fake certificate for a “participation award” to AWS and Goodhart’s Law for “cheesing a leaderboard we probably should have known you would cheese.” Goodhart’s law is the adage that “when a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure,” which is what some Amazon employees thought was the effect of the leaderboard. Amazon measured and rewarded AI use, so employees used a lot of AI, but not in a way that produced any value. Another meme referencing the leaderboard and several Amazon AI products like Ask Rufus, Amazon Q, and Amazon Nova asked “What do you mean by ‘value?’ AI itself is the purpose for everything, no?”One Amazon employee told me that he saw Amazon employees in the chat discussing how to cheat the leaderboard. “I saw some of that, mostly the occasional ‘you know, it'd be really easy to set up a shell script to do this’ or ‘my cron job that calls Kiro every hour or so.’ Hard to tell if it was actual planning or just engineers noticing how easy it would be to cheat the system,” another Amazon employee told me. In an email, Amazon told me that the negative AI comments on Slack are just from a few individuals and don't represent the perspective of the company or the vast majority of employees. "We’re always looking to understand our teams’ experiences with various tools – that’s how we learn what works for them and what doesn’t – and while this handful of comments doesn't reflect what we hear from most Kiro users, we still appreciate the chance to learn from the feedback," Amazon said. "In general, we’re seeing incredible improvements in efficiency and delivery from Kiro, which more than 80% of our software developers use. Kiro offers differentiated capabilities that other tools don't provide, particularly in spec-driven development and property-based testing. These aren't just incremental improvements—they represent a fundamentally different approach to AI-assisted development that prioritizes production readiness and correctness.”

Are you ready for the 2026 World Cup? (Getty Images) Shannon Fagan via Getty Images The 2026 FIFA World Cup runs from June 11 through July 19 and every match of the tournament will be televised on either FOX or FS1. If you’re looking for a low-cost cable alternative so you can tune in to every match without overpaying, Sling is one of our favorite streaming services that lets you choose a plan with the channels you want most, so you don’t pay for what you won’t watch. With a Sling Select plan, you can get both Fox and FS1 and pay as little as $19.99/month, far less than you’d pay for most other streamers or even a basic cable plan. (And if you pre-pay for your first three months, that price goes down to just $16.67 per month, or $50 total.)If you’re Sling-curious, here’s what you need to know if you want to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup and find out which plan is right for you. How to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup with Sling TV:Dates: June 11-July 19Channels: FOX, FS1Streaming: SlingWhen is the 2026 World Cup?The 2026 World Cup runs from June 11 until July 19.What channels are showing the 2026 World Cup games?FOX and FS1 will be broadcasting every World Cup game.The best Sling TV deals to watch the 2026 World Cup:Sling offers access to dozens of live TV channels, and there are several subscription tiers that offer all the channels you need to watch the 2026 World Cup. Sling Select is the most economical package you want if you're looking to check out the 2026 World Cup games without breaking the bank. At just $20/month, it gets you FOX, FS1, NBC, ABC, and 10 other channels, so you can watch news, sports, and network shows, plus tons of additional sports and entertainment. To get an even better deal, Sling also offers a prepaid package: pay for your first three months of Sling Select up front for just $49.99 to save $10. After three months, the regular monthly rate will apply. Pre-pay for Sling Select and save $10: Save more than $20 if you pre-pay for your first three months of Sling Blue up front:Save $23 up front by pre-paying for Sling Orange + Blue: 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage schedule: All times EasternThursday, June 11Mexico vs South Africa: 3 p.m. (FOX) — Estadio Azteca, Mexico City South Korea vs Czechia: 10 p.m. (FS1) — Estadio Akron, ZapopanFriday, June 12 Canada vs Bosnia and Herzegovina: 3 p.m. (FOX) — BMO Field, Toronto United States vs Paraguay: 9 p.m. (FOX) — SoFi Stadium, InglewoodSaturday, June 13 Qatar vs Switzerland: 3 p.m. (FOX) — Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara Brazil vs Morocco: 6 p.m. (FS1) — MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford Haiti vs Scotland: 9 p.m. (FS1) — Gillette Stadium, FoxboroughSunday, June 14 Australia vs Türkiye: 12 a.m. (FS1) — BC Place, Vancouver Germany vs Willemstad Curaçao: 1 p.m. (FOX) — NRG Stadium, Houston Netherlands vs Japan: 4 p.m. (FOX) — AT&T Stadium, Arlington Ivory Coast vs Ecuador: 7 p.m. (FS1) — Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia Sweden vs Tunisia: 10 p.m. (FS1) — Estadio BBVA Bancomer, GuadalupeMonday, June 15 Spain vs Cape Verde: 12 p.m. (FOX) — Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta Belgium vs Egypt: 3 p.m. (FOX) — Lumen Field, Seattle Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay: 6 p.m. (FS1) — Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Iran vs New Zealand: 9 p.m. (FS1) — SoFi Stadium, InglewoodTuesday, June 16 France vs Senegal: 3 p.m. (FOX) — MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford Iraq vs Norway: 6 p.m. (FOX) — Gillette Stadium, Foxborough Argentina vs Algeria: 9 p.m. (FOX) — Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas CityWednesday, June 17 Austria vs Jordan: 12 a.m. (FS1) — Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara Portugal vs DR Congo: 1 p.m. (FOX) — NRG Stadium, Houston England vs Croatia: 4 p.m. (FOX) — AT&T Stadium, Arlington Ghana vs Panama: 7 p.m. (FS1) — BMO Field, Toronto Uzbekistan vs Colombia: 10 p.m. (FS1) — Estadio Azteca, Mexico CityThursday, June 18 Czechia vs South Africa: 12 p.m. (FOX) — Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta Switzerland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina: 3 p.m. (FOX) — SoFi Stadium, Inglewood Canada vs Qatar: 6 p.m. (FS1) — BC Place, Vancouver Mexico vs South Korea: 9 p.m. (FOX) — Estadio Akron, ZapopanFriday, June 19 United States vs Australia: 3 p.m. (FOX) — Lumen Field, Seattle Scotland vs Morocco: 6 p.m. (FOX) — Gillette Stadium, Foxborough Brazil vs Haiti: 8:30 p.m. (FOX) — Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia Türkiye vs Paraguay: 11 p.m. (FS1) — Levi's Stadium, Santa ClaraSaturday, June 20 Netherlands vs Sweden: 1 p.m. (FOX) — NRG Stadium, Houston Germany vs Ivory Coast: 4 p.m. (FOX) — BMO Field, Toronto Ecuador vs Willemstad Curaçao: 8 p.m. (FS1) — Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas CitySunday, June 21 Tunisia vs Japan: 12 a.m. (FS1) — Estadio BBVA Bancomer, Guadalupe Spain vs Saudi Arabia: 12 p.m. (FOX) — Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta Belgium vs Iran: 3 p.m. (FS1) — SoFi Stadium, Inglewood Uruguay vs Cape Verde: 6 p.m. (FS1) — Hard Rock Stadium, Miami New Zealand vs Egypt: 9 p.m. (FS1) — BC Place, VancouverMonday, June 22 Argentina vs Austria: 1 p.m. (FOX) — AT&T Stadium, Arlington France vs Iraq: 5 p.m. (FOX) — Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia Norway vs Senegal: 8 p.m. (FOX) — MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford Jordan vs Algeria: 11 p.m. (FS1) — Levi's Stadium, Santa ClaraTuesday, June 23 Portugal vs Uzbekistan: 1 p.m. (FOX) — NRG Stadium, Houston England vs Ghana: 4 p.m. (FOX) — Gillette Stadium, Foxborough Panama vs Croatia: 7 p.m. (FOX) — BMO Field, Toronto Colombia vs DR Congo: 10 p.m. (FS1) — Estadio Akron, ZapopanWednesday, June 24Switzerland vs Canada: 3 p.m. (FOX) — BC Place, Vancouver Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Qatar: 3 p.m. (FS1) — Lumen Field, Seattle Scotland vs Brazil: 6 p.m. (FOX) — Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Morocco vs Haiti: 6 p.m. (FS1) — Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta Czechia vs Mexico: 9 p.m. (FOX) — Estadio Azteca, Mexico City South Africa vs South Korea: 9 p.m. (FS1) — Estadio BBVA Bancomer, GuadalupeThursday, June 25 Ecuador vs Germany: 4 p.m. (FOX) — MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford Willemstad Curaçao vs Ivory Coast: 4 p.m. (FS1) — Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia Tunisia vs Netherlands: 7 p.m. (FOX) — Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City Japan vs Sweden: 7 p.m. (FS1) — AT&T Stadium, Arlington Türkiye vs United States: 10 p.m. (FOX) — SoFi Stadium, Inglewood Paraguay vs Australia: 10 p.m. (FS1) — Levi's Stadium, Santa ClaraFriday, June 26 Norway vs France: 3 p.m. (FOX) — Gillette Stadium, Foxborough Senegal vs Iraq: 3 p.m. (FS1) — BMO Field, Toronto Uruguay vs Spain: 8 p.m. (FOX) — Estadio Akron, Zapopan Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia: 8 p.m. (FS1) — NRG Stadium, Houston New Zealand vs Belgium: 11 p.m. (FOX) — BC Place, Vancouver Egypt vs Iran: 11 p.m. (FS1) — Lumen Field, SeattleSaturday, June 27 Panama vs England: 5 p.m. (FOX) — MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford Croatia vs Ghana: 5 p.m. (FS1) — Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia Colombia vs Portugal: 7:30 p.m. (FOX) — Hard Rock Stadium, Miami DR Congo vs Uzbekistan: 7:30 p.m. (FS1) — Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta Jordan vs Argentina: 10 p.m. (FOX) — AT&T Stadium, Arlington Algeria vs Austria: 10 p.m. (FS1) — Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City

Longtime Columbus sports broadcaster Dom Tiberi is stepping away from his full-time role at 10TV WBNS after 45 years with the station.Tiberi announced the decision in a June 9 story on 10TV, where he reflected on a career spent covering some of central Ohio's biggest sports moments and personalities.The veteran sportscaster said he is not fully retiring and will continue leading 10TV's Ohio State football coverage when the season begins this fall. He also plans to continue working on Ohio State coaches shows and partnering with the station on Maria's Message, an initiative that educates teens about the dangers of distracted driving.Tiberi said he is looking forward to spending more time with his wife, Terri, and their four grandchildren."After 45 years, the time is right," Tiberi wrote in the 10TV announcement.Tiberi joined WBNS as an intern in 1981 and went on to become one of the most recognizable voices in central Ohio sports.Over the decades, he covered three Ohio State football national championships, major moments in Columbus sports history and the arrivals of the Columbus Crew and Columbus Blue Jackets. He also interviewed some of the biggest names in sports, including Woody Hayes, Earle Bruce and John Cooper.Beyond sports, Tiberi became known for his advocacy work through Maria's Message, which he and his family launched after the death of his daughter, Maria, in a 2013 traffic crash. The program has reached thousands of students through school presentations, defensive driving courses and driving simulator programs focused on distracted driving prevention.Tiberi also announced this change in a Facebook post with the caption, "Hi all, I am stepping back a bit.. but I will still be hanging around covering Ohio State Football, Basketball and always Maria’s Message… Thank you for all your years of support. You all are family to me."Trending reporter Amani Bayo can be reached at abayo@dispatch.com.This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Dom Tiberi leaving full-time role at 10TV after 45 years

Ahead of asking for the Southwest Area Commission's blessing on a rezoning application, the Haslam Sports Group shared its plans for a National Women's Soccer League team training facility with The Dispatch.Columbus' newest professional sports team is set to begin play in 2028 so the construction timeline is aggressive.Read more about the plans: Columbus NWSL facility plans unveiled, face test of neighbor supportThe facility planned for McCoy Park will include two and a half high-tech, heated grass fields; three more soccer fields for academy and community play; and a 45,000 square-foot building. Phil Dangerfield, senior vice president of operations for the Haslam Sports Group, said the facility is going to be best-in-class and equivalent, or better than the Crew's facility. Government and politics reporter Jordan Laird can be reached at jlaird@dispatch.com. Follow her on X, Instagram and Bluesky at @LairdWrites.This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Designs unveiled for Columbus NWSL training facility at McCoy Park

Rob Gronkowski Shares Thoughts On Patriots Super Bowl Chances After Offseason Moves originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The New England Patriots had a busy offseason, and former tight end Rob Gronkowski weighed in on how the moves impact their Super Bowl chances.Obviously, the big move the Patriots made was acquiring A.J. Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles. Brown is a major piece for the offense, but he is not the only new player the Patriots have. They signed Romeo Doubs and also added to their pass rush with Dre'Mont Jones and Gabe Jacas.Gronkowski was pulling for the Patriots in the Super Bowl last year and saw them come up just short. He thinks the new additions improve their chances of bringing a Lombardi Trophy back to New England.“They definitely have a chance. They needed this trade,” Gronkowski said on "Up & Adams" on Monday. “They needed that No. 1 receiver in order to compete again, to get back to the Super Bowl or at least get back to the playoffs and have Super Bowl aspirations and be able to be a contender.“They got Romeo Doubs as well. Their offense is complete. Their defense is very solid. So I see them having another solid year. But that A.J. Brown trade and having him as their No. 1 now elevated this roster big time.”The Patriots were rumored to add Brown for most of the offseason, but could not get a deal done until June 1. He is a three-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl Champion. Drake Maye was the MVP runner-up last year, and now he has a true No. 1 receiver and reliable secondary option. Stefon Diggs was solid last season, but Brown is a younger, bigger target.More NFL: Patriots Declined Multiple A.J. Brown Trade Packages, Months Of Negotiations

Details behind Inter’s initial discussions for Udinese defender Oumar SoletSerie A side Inter have been interested in Udinese’s Oumar Solet for quite a while now. They have previously held back on discussions but they are very active on this front now.FCInterNewsreport that discussions between the two clubs have taken place today. The meeting lasted an hour and it took place at a well-known Milanese hotel, as Inter asked about Solet and also held initial discussions regarding a move for Arthur Atta.La Gazzetta dello Sport have more details, saying Inter actually made a formal offer for the defender. They put forward an initial loan worth €6 million and an obligation to buy on affordable terms. Inter feel the loan fee is quite high but it is an investment which should convince Udinese as a guarantee.The total package would exceed the €25 million quota which the Friulians have asked for too and it can now be difficult for Udinese to reject these advances.Inter moving cleverlyInter have been quite wise, waiting for the legal uncertainties around the player to go away before moving formally for him. Solet is exceptional on the ball and one of the best technicians in the backline that Serie A has right now.Inter are refurbishing their defence and he will come in as a big signing, which many major clubs would ideally want to make.Kaustubh Pandey I GIFN

Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Federal Air Marshals, patrol around Washington Dulles International Airport, in Chantilly, Va., Tuesday, March 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce,File)2026-06-09T12:04:33Z WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans will look to get nearly $70 billion for immigration enforcement over the finish line Tuesday, enough to fund a pair of Homeland Security agencies through the next three years and the rest of President Donald Trump’s time in office.Speaker Mike Johnson will need near perfect attendance and unity on his side to complete weeks of action on the bill. The legislation got sidetracked when Republicans sought to include $1 billion for enhanced security on the White House grounds, including for Trump’s new ballroom, and the Trump administration tried to create a nearly $1.8 billion fund to compensate allies of the president who claim they have been unjustly investigated and prosecuted. Those proposals proved politically toxic and were scrapped. Now, the bill is focused entirely on immigration enforcement, a topic that Republicans have treated as a defining issue between the two major political parties and one they hope will carry them to victory in this year’s midterm elections. The bill provides $38 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, $26 billion for the Border Patrol and another $5 billion to cover unforeseen costs, fueling Trump’s deportation agenda. “It’s long overdue,” said Johnson, R-La., of the bill. “We have to fund border security and immigration enforcement, and it’s sad that Republicans have to do it on our own.” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, lower left, testifies on the budget request for the Department of Homeland Security on June 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, lower left, testifies on the budget request for the Department of Homeland Security on June 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Read More Funding accelerates Trump’s deportation agendaThe funding comes on top of the nearly $140 billion that the Republican-controlled Congress gave ICE and Customs and Border Protection last year as part of Trump’s tax and spending cuts bill. Democrats objected to giving the agencies more money without significant changes in the way they operate after the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis. For example, Democrats insisted that agents be required to display their ID badges during enforcement operations and that they get a judicial warrant before entering private property. Instead, the funding will come with virtually no strings attached. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries vowed his party would oppose the package.“We believe that taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable for the American people – not give ICE another $70 billion blank check so that they can unleash brutality on American citizens and violently target law-abiding immigrant communities,” said Jeffries of New York. The U.S. Capitol is seen behind a light pole on June 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) The U.S. Capitol is seen behind a light pole on June 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Homeland Security faced longest shutdown in historyThe package is the result of a monthslong standoff in Congress after Democrats refused to fund the Department of Homeland Security in the wake of the immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis and other American cities, leading to the longest shutdown in agency history. The seal of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) The seal of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Negotiations had been underway with the White House to alter ICE operations as Democrats were demanding. When those negotiations failed, Republicans turned to a complicated procedural maneuver to get around the filibuster and pass the immigration funding with no Democratic votes.If approved, the package would next go to Trump for his signature, all but assuring an essentially uninterrupted flow of funds for his immigration enforcement and deportation agenda into 2029.The Senate completed its work on the legislation last week during an all-night session that extended into the early morning hours Friday. The final 52-47 vote on the bill was nearly party line, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska the only Republican to oppose it. Money comes at pivotal time for immigration agendaThe money will come at a pivotal time for the Department of Homeland Security, which is under new leadership after Trump replaced Kristi Noem with new Secretary Markwayne Mullin in March. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More While Mullin has vowed to keep the department out of the headlines, the administration is under pressure from anti-immigration advocates to deliver on Trump’s campaign promise of the largest deportation operation in American history.So far, the administration has not hit its goal of 1 million deportations a year, but Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, has promised more to come, including hinting at immigration enforcement actions in New York, the nation’s biggest city, which is heavily Democratic. At the same time, the administration is making it more difficult for legal immigrants to remain in the U.S. by working to end Temporary Protective Status, changing the processes for obtaining green cards and leaving some Dreamers — the young people who were brought illegally to the U.S. as children — reporting delays in renewing their status, which allows them to stay and work. Tight vote aheadOn the House side, Johnson has little margin for error. Republicans can afford to lose only a couple of votes if every lawmaker is present. GOP leadership opted to avoid any hiccups and sent lawmakers home last week rather than take up the bill early Friday once the Senate had completed its all-nighter.The bill is just a slim package, without the hundreds of pages of details and directives that typically come from Congress when it provides funding for agencies. Leading up to the vote, Democrats portrayed DHS as an agency that has used its new resources to buy private jets for its leadership, warehouse immigrants in deplorable conditions and attack U.S. citizens.“To give these rogue agencies another $70 billion now when they still have $100 billion in the bank from last year would implicate all of us in the escalating corruption and shameful actions of this department,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the ranking Democratic member on the House Judiciary Committee. Republicans countered that they were fulfilling their duty to safeguard the nation and support the men and women charged with enforcing the law.“Democrats can say whatever they want, but what it’s about is public safety. What’s it about is keeping Americans safe,” said Rep. Michelle Fischbach, R-Minn.

Nature, Published online: 09 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01810-3Archaeological findings from Italy, and machines with a life of their own, in our weekly dip into Nature’s archive.

Hello. I am a horse. I work very hard at my job of being a horse. When humans say move the heavy thing, I move the heavy thing. When humans sit on top of me and pull on my head, I carry them where they want to go. The main food the humans give me is hay and oats. But I am thinking it would be nice to have a different food. I am thinking I would like to try cake. Yes, yes. Cake. I know all about it. When humans eat cake, it is in glad times. It is the food for a celebration, such as when a woman becomes 47. I have seen cake on the Fourth of July. When humans have a cake, they stand around it and clap hands and smile and say happy birthday at each other. Sometimes there are beautiful markings on a cake, such as balloons or a pink shape. Sometimes the top of a cake is on fire and a boy must blow on the fire with mouth wind. This is the scariest cake. I do not want this kind. But I will eat any other cake. Any cake that is not the fire cake that tries to kill the boy. Please understand: I do not get money for doing work. I do not get to go inside the house. All day I am either doing my horse job or standing in my pen or eating food off the floor. I always do these things. But I have never once gotten cake and I would like it very much. I have noticed that human children get to eat cake. But I am bigger than the children. I am more helpful to the farm. Children do not move the heavy things like me or let anyone ride on them. And yet they get cake. Maybe the humans will realize this. Maybe they will say, “You know who deserves cake? That horse. That horse whose back we are always on.” Every day I dream about what it will be like if I get to eat cake. Here is what will happen. First, I will walk to the cake and puff my nose at it like hrrrfff to make sure it is not a snake. Then I will trot in a circle to show that I am a horse and I am large. After that, I will nuzzle the cake to know it with my face. Then I will lick the colorful top part and touch it with my lips. Finally, I will bite the cake and have the taste of its inner softness. I will chew and say prrt prrt because I am happy, and everybody will clap hands and smile and say happy birthday at each other. I cannot think of a more glad time. So, please, give me cake. Of the eight tastes I know about, I think cake probably tastes most like medicine and mud. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it. There is a fly standing on my eyeball but I don’t even care because all I can think about is cake and wanting it badly. I already weigh 2,000 pounds from eating hay and oats. I do not want more of that now. There is only one thing I want. You know what it is. So you see, it is clear that you must give me cake. I am a nice horse. I do not fuss. I do not bite the human woman’s face, even though her hair smells nice. I do not ask to go live free in the woods like the deer. I do my duties. I must try cake. Please. Hnnnnnnn. Heeeee-huh-heeee! Just give me the cake. Please. I am begging you. I am showing you my teeth and stomping my hooves so you know that I want the cake. Prrrrrft! Prrrrrft! I must have it, do you see? I am standing on my back legs and screaming due to needing the cake. Please, humans. Please. Please! I am a good horse. Hmmrrrr, nrrrrffff! Put a cake on a table right now. I wish with all my heart that you will do this for me. So you must give it to me. Because I am the good horse. I am a good horse and I deserve cake. The post I Work Very Hard, And I Would Like To Try Cake appeared first on The Onion.