Caitlin Clark to miss 4th straight game for Fever with a strained left groin

Caitlin Clark to miss 4th straight game for Fever with a strained left groin

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark will miss her fourth consecutive game with a strained left groin for the Indiana Fever when they host Las Vegas. The Fever announced Clark's status on Wednesday, a day before their game against the Aces. Clark's most recent absence, theWNBACommissioner's Cup victory over the Minnesota Lynxon Tuesday, did not count toward the regular-season standings. "She's making progress," Fever coach Stephanie White said. "Making progress and feeling good are two different things. We want to make sure that she feels good. We want to make sure that she's confident. We want to make sure that we're not putting her in a position to have any setbacks." Clark, the first overall pick in the 2024 draft and one of the twocaptains selected for the WNBA All-Star Gamelater this month, never missed a game in college at Iowa or with the Fever as a rookie. A strained quadriceps earlier this season kept her out for five games. ___ AP WNBA:https://apnews.com/hub/WNBA

byMario Satorik

in

July 02, 2025

Caitlin Clark to miss 4th straight game for Fever with a strained left groin

Caitlin Clark to miss 4th straight game for Fever with a strained left groin INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark will miss her fourth consecut...

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MLB All-Star starters: Cal Raleigh makes the cut; Dodgers, Tigers have 3 players each

MLB All-Star starters: Cal Raleigh makes the cut; Dodgers, Tigers have 3 players each

The Big Dumper is headed to the All-Star Game. Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh was revealed Wednesday alongside the rest of the starters for this year's MLB All-Star Game in Atlanta. The 28-year-old Raleigh is in the midst of a breakout season in which he leads baseball in home runs and RBI. His reward is his first trip to the All-Star Game in his fifth MLB season. He'll be the first Mariners starter since Nelson Cruz in 2015. Raleigh was one of 16 All-Star starters revealed Wednesday for the American League and National League rosters. Starters were determined via a two-phase voting system MLB implemented this year. Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judgewere previously announced as startersafter they were the leading vote-getters in Phase 1 of voting, which ended June 26. Judge led all players with 4,012,983 votes, and Ohtani led NL players with 3,967,668 votes. Wednesday's results are based on Phase 2 of voting, which took place from June 30 through July 2 and determined the rest of the starting position players after the finalists at each spot were previously announced. Finalists were determined via Phase 1 voting. Votes from Phase 1 did not carry over into Phase 2. First-time All-Stars are italicized. 1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays (over Paul Goldschmidt) 2B: Gleyber Torres, Detroit Tigers (over Jackson Holliday) SS:Jacob Wilson, Athletics(over Bobby Witt Jr.) 3B: José Ramírez, Cleveland Guardians (over Alex Bregman) OF: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees OF: Riley Greene, Detroit Tigers (over Steven Kwan) OF: Javier Báez, Detroit Tigers (over Mike Trout) C:Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners(over Alejandro Kirk) DH:Ryan O'Hearn, Baltimore Orioles(over Ben Rice) 1B: Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers (over Pete Alonso) 2B: Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks (over Tommy Edman) SS: Francisco Lindor, New York Mets (over Mookie Betts) 3B: Manny Machado, San Diego Padres (over Max Muncy) OF: Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves (over Juan Soto) OF:Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs(over Andy Pages) OF: Kyle Tucker, Chicago Cubs (over Teoscar Hernández) C: Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers (over Carson Kelly) DH: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers The Dodgers and Detroit Tigers lead their respective leagues in starters, with three each, which isn't much of a surprise considering they're tied for the best record in MLB at 54-32 entering Wednesday. Will Smith and Freddie Freeman joined Ohtani in the lineup, while Gleyber Torres, Riley Greene and Javier Báez made it for the Tigers. There's a decent chance those trios have more company once the rest of the rosters are announced, especially with Cy Young candidates Tarik Skubal and Yoshinobu Yamamoto likely to be in the fold. The Dodgers actually had a shot to claim eight of the nine starting NL spots, but only two of their seven players emerged victorious in Phase 2 of the voting. The lone rookie to make the cut was Jacob Wilson, the Athletics' shortstop who was playing at Grand Canyon University only two years ago and now looks like one of the most exciting young players in the majors. He won the closest one-on-one race of the field, edging out Kansas City Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. 52% to 48%. Wilson will be just the second rookie to start at shortstop in All-Star history, joining Baltimore's Ron Hansen, who started at short in 1960. All-Star pitchers and reserves will be announced July 6 and determined via a combined vote of players and the MLB commissioner's office. As always, at least one player from each team will be represented. The All-Star Game will take place at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 15 (8 p.m. ET on Fox). The Home Run Derby will take place July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN).

byMario Satorik

in

July 02, 2025

MLB All-Star starters: Cal Raleigh makes the cut; Dodgers, Tigers have 3 players each

MLB All-Star starters: Cal Raleigh makes the cut; Dodgers, Tigers have 3 players each The Big Dumper is headed to the All-Star Game. Seattle...

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What happens if there's a tie vote in the House?

What happens if there's a tie vote in the House?

The House began voting July 2, 2025, on whether to open debate for asprawling Trump-backed domestic spending bill, but some GOP holdouts could endanger its passage. With such close margins, a tie vote is possible — here's a look back at what happens when the House ties. An unusual scene occurred on the House floor in February 2024 as the chamber's vote tally came to a tie at 215 to 215 when three House Republicans joined Democrats to oppose an effort to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Although the impasse wasquickly resolved, as a fourth House Republican changed his vote to oppose the bill in a procedural move that allows leadership to bring the legislation up again at a later date, it brought forward an issue that could come up again with a razor-thin Republican majority in the lower chamber — what happens if there's a tie vote in the House? What a tie vote means in the House According to House rules, in the case of a tie vote, a question before the chamber "shall be lost." In the lower chamber, where Republicans hold just a slim majority and often see a handful of defections among their conference, there's no tie-breaker. Unlike in the Senate, where a tie-breaking vote may be cast, no one is brought in to resolve the issue. Breaking a tie vote in the Senate In the upper chamber, which sees tie votes with more regularity, the Vice President is called upon to cast tie-breaking votes. In recent years, with a narrow Democratic majority in the Senate, Vice President Kamala Harris has on more than 30 occasionscast a tie-breaking vote, breaking the record set almost 200 years ago. Seven still missing after fireworks warehouse explosion in California Piece of plane found in North Carolina driveway may belong to Delta flight Puget Sound orca pod threatened by salmon decline

byMario Satorik

in

July 02, 2025

What happens if there's a tie vote in the House?

What happens if there's a tie vote in the House? The House began voting July 2, 2025, on whether to open debate for asprawling Trump-bac...

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Australia says US missile purchase shows commitment to defence spending

Australia says US missile purchase shows commitment to defence spending

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia said its A$2 billion ($1.3 billion) purchase of supersonic missiles from the United States underscores its commitment to defence spending, though Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has resisted U.S. calls to agree to a target of 3.5%. Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy on Thursday confirmed the purchase of AIM-120C-8 and AIM-120D-3 missiles, developed by American defence company Raytheon Technologies. They will be used by Australia's F/A-18 and F-35 fighter jets and a new army brigade focused on striking aerial targets up to 500 kilometres away, he added. Albanese, who is yet to meet President Donald Trump, has rebuffed a U.S. request to agree to lift long-term defence spending to 3.5% of gross domestic product. It's forecast to rise to 2.3% by 2033. Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who met with her U.S. counterpart Marco Rubio on Tuesday in Washington, said Australia took a "capability approach" and had already committed to the largest peacetime increase in defence funding. "I know there will be more capability required, I think we all understand that, and we will fund the capability Australia needs," she said on Thursday in a television interview with Sky News Australia. Albanese's scheduled meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the G7 was cancelled when Trump left the summit early due to tensions between Israel and Iran. Wong said the security allies were working to reschedule a leaders' meeting. Seeking to respond to China's build-up of its military, Albanese pledged A$74 billion ($47 billion) last year to buy missiles from Europe and the U.S., including A$21 billion to establish a Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise in Australia. The sale of 400 missiles to Australia through the U.S. foreign military sales program was notified to the U.S. Congress in April. A further $2 billion proposed sale of U.S. electronic warfare systems and equipment for Australia's F/A-18 Super Hornet and EA-18 Growler fighter jets was notified in June. ($1 = 1.5223 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Kirsty Needham in Sydney; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)

byMario Satorik

in

July 02, 2025

Australia says US missile purchase shows commitment to defence spending

Australia says US missile purchase shows commitment to defence spending SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia said its A$2 billion ($1.3 billion) purc...

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Deandre Ayton will join LeBron, Luka and the Lakers after Portland buyout, AP sources say

Deandre Ayton will join LeBron, Luka and the Lakers after Portland buyout, AP sources say

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Center Deandre Ayton has agreed to join the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent, two people with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal could not yet be announced between the Lakers and Ayton, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft — two spots ahead of Luka Doncic. The Portland Trail Blazers bought out Ayton's contract last weekend, and he has agreed to join Doncic and LeBron James on a deal for the upcoming season with a player option for 2026-27. He will be paid more than $25 million by the Blazers while playing for the Lakers next year. Ayton's arrival fills the Lakers' most glaring offseason need, providing a lob target for James and Doncic. And while Ayton isn't known as a defensive stopper, the 7-footer will provide the size in the middle that the Lakers have missed sincetrading Anthony Davis to Dallas for Doncic. Ayton, who turns 27 this month, spent his first five NBA seasons with Phoenix before joining the Trail Blazers two years ago as part of the three-team trade sendingDamian Lillardto Milwaukee. Ayton struggled at times in Portland while playing for mediocre teams, but he has averaged 16.4 points and 10.5 rebounds during his seven NBA seasons while making 59% of his shots. He played only 40 games for the Blazers last season, getting sidelined for the rest of the year in February by a strained calf. While he has never been an All-Star, Ayton is the only player to average a double-double in points and rebounds in his first seven NBA seasons since former Lakers center Dwight Howard did it over a decade ago. Ayton also knows Southern California after moving from the Bahamas to San Diego to play high school basketball. He went on to the University of Arizona before the Suns drafted him. The Lakers struggled without Davis in the paint last season, with Jaxson Hayes playing poorly enough to get benched by coach JJ Redick in their final two playoff games. Los Angeles was eliminated from the first round of the postseasonby Minnesota in five games, with big man Rudy Gobert racking up 27 points and 24 rebounds in the clinching victory while the Lakers largely played without a center. ___ AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report. ___ AP NBA:https://apnews.com/NBA

byMario Satorik

in

July 02, 2025

Deandre Ayton will join LeBron, Luka and the Lakers after Portland buyout, AP sources say

Deandre Ayton will join LeBron, Luka and the Lakers after Portland buyout, AP sources say EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Center Deandre Ayton has...

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With the Mets in a tailspin, slumping All-Star Francisco Lindor dropped from leadoff spot

With the Mets in a tailspin, slumping All-Star Francisco Lindor dropped from leadoff spot

NEW YORK (AP) — On the same day he got elected to start an All-Star Game for the first time, Francisco Lindor was dropped from the leadoff spot Wednesday night with the New York Mets in a major tailspin. And the move paid off immediately. After making 191 consecutive starts at the top of the lineup, Lindor batted second as the designated hitter in the finale of a day-night doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers and their rookie sensation, right-hander Jacob Misiorowski. Brandon Nimmo returned to the leadoff slot and launched a grand slam off the hard-throwing Misiorowski in the second inning. Lindor followed with his 17th home run to give the Mets a 5-0 lead, then added an RBI single with two outs in the sixth. A slumping Lindor went 0 for 4 as New York mustered only two hits duringa 7-2 loss in the opener,leaving him 2 for 29 with one walk in his past seven games. Before the nightcap he was 8 for 60 (.133) in 15 games since June 15, and his batting average had plummeted from .289 with an .858 OPS on June 7 to .255 with a .766 OPS through Game 1 of the twinbill. Nimmo was bumped up to leadoff, a role he was accustomed to before Mets manager Carlos Mendoza moved Lindor from third in the order to first in May 2024, citing the success the switch-hitter enjoyed atop the lineup earlier in his career with Cleveland. The change led to Lindor breaking out of a prolonged slump and the Mets taking off following a miserable start. The star shortstop finished runner-up to Shohei Ohtani for NL MVP last year, and New York made a surprise playoff run before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. Lindor and the Mets both got out of the gate much better this season, but New York (48-38) had lost four straight and 14 of 17 heading into the second game of the doubleheader. In results announced Wednesday night, Lindor beat out fellow finalist Mookie Betts of the Dodgers in fan balloting to be the starting shortstop for the National League in the July 15 showcase at Truist Park in Atlanta. It marked the first All-Star selection in five seasons with the Mets for Lindor, who signed a $341 million, 10-year contract with New York after being acquired from Cleveland in a January 2021 trade. He made four straight AL All-Star teams with Cleveland from 2016-19 — but never as a fan-elected starter. The previous Mets shortstop to win a starting All-Star assignment was José Reyes in 2011. Nine different players were among the 12 shortstops picked for the NL All-Star squad the past four years over Lindor, often a slow starter since joining the Mets. But he's finished in the top nine in NL MVP voting each of the last three years, and won Silver Slugger awards in 2023 and 2024. ___ AP MLB:https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

byMario Satorik

in

July 02, 2025

With the Mets in a tailspin, slumping All-Star Francisco Lindor dropped from leadoff spot

With the Mets in a tailspin, slumping All-Star Francisco Lindor dropped from leadoff spot NEW YORK (AP) — On the same day he got elected to ...

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Kilmar Abrego Garcia says he was beaten and subjected to psychological torture in El Salvador jail

Kilmar Abrego Garcia says he was beaten and subjected to psychological torture in El Salvador jail

Kilmar Abrego Garciasaid he suffered severe beatings, severe sleep deprivation and psychological torture in the notorious El Salvador prison the Trump administration had deported him to in March, according to court documents filed Wednesday. He said he was kicked and hit so often after arrival that by the following day, he had visible bruises and lumps all over his body. He said he and 20 others were forced to kneel all night long and guards hit anyone who fell. Abrego Garcia was living in Maryland when he was mistakenly deported and became a flashpoint in PresidentDonald Trump'simmigrationcrackdown. The new details of Abrego Garcia's incarceration in El Salvador were added to a lawsuit against the Trump administration that Abrego Garcia's wife filed in Maryland federal court after he was deported. The Trump administration has asked a federal judge in Maryland to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that it is now moot because the government returned him to the United States as ordered by the court. A U.S. immigration judge in 2019 had barred Abrego Garcia from being deported back to his native El Salvador because he likely faced persecution there by local gangs who had terrorized him and his family. The Trump administration deported him there despite the judge's 2019 order and later described it as an "administrative error." Trump and other officials have doubled down on claims Abrego Garcia was in the MS-13 gang. On March 15, Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador and sent to thecountry's mega-prisonknown as the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT. In the new court documents, Abrego Garcia said prison officials told him repeatedly that they would transfer him to cells with people who were gang members who would "tear" him apart. Abrego Garcia said he saw others in nearby cells violently harm each other and heard screams from people throughout the night. His condition deteriorated and he lost more than 30 pounds in his first two weeks there, he said.

byMario Satorik

in

July 02, 2025

Kilmar Abrego Garcia says he was beaten and subjected to psychological torture in El Salvador jail

Kilmar Abrego Garcia says he was beaten and subjected to psychological torture in El Salvador jail Kilmar Abrego Garciasaid he suffered seve...

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