Díaz escapes in 9th inning as Mets hang on to beat Reds 5-4

Díaz escapes in 9th inning as Mets hang on to beat Reds 5-4

CINCINNATI (AP) — Mark Vientos homered and Edwin Díaz escaped a major jam in the ninth inning as the New York Mets held off the Cincinnati Reds 5-4 on Friday night in the opener of a pivotal three-game series. Cincinnati (70-71) fell six games behind the Mets for the last National League wild card. New York began the night leading San Francisco by four games for the final playoff spot. Vientos drove in two runs and scored two more to help the Mets win for the seventh time in 11 games. Francisco Lindor drew three walks in the leadoff spot and also scored twice. Díaz entered in the ninth and allowed a single to Ke'Bryan Hayes before walking the next two batters to load the bases with nobody out. But the All-Star closer struck out Noelvi Marte and Elly De La Cruz, then got Gavin Lux to ground out to second for his 26th save.

byMario Satorik

in

September 05, 2025

Díaz escapes in 9th inning as Mets hang on to beat Reds 5-4

Díaz escapes in 9th inning as Mets hang on to beat Reds 5-4 CINCINNATI (AP) — Mark Vientos homered and Edwin Díaz escaped a major jam in the...

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Why New York Mets sent Kodai Senga to minor leagues

Why New York Mets sent Kodai Senga to minor leagues

With the Mets choosing to go with three young pitchers to fill out their starting rotation, including Brandon Sproat who will debut on Sunday, something had to give with the regular contributors. On Friday afternoon, the Mets made the call, getting the approval and optioning the struggling Kodai Senga to Triple-A Syracuse, the team announced. In a subsequent move, the Mets also activated Francisco Alvarez, who has been working back from a UCL sprain in his right hand and a broken left pinky. This season, Senga is 7-6 with a 3.02 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 109 strikeouts in 113⅓ innings, but those stats don't tell the whole story. Since the 32-year-old right-hander returned from the injured list after a month on the injured list with a right hamstring strain, he is 0-3 with a 5.90 ERA and a 1.69 WHIP. With several members of the Mets starting rotation tormented by an inability to get deep into games, Senga has been one of the chief culprits. Since the calendar turned to June, Senga has tossed five innings or more three times in nine starts. Before landing on the IL, Senga boasted a National League-best 1.47 ERA while 12 of his 13 starts were at least five innings. His strikeout-to-walk ratio was 2.35, compared to 1.85 since his return. The Mets have also had to be cautious with Senga's workload since he debuted since coming over from Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball in 2023. He has pitched on regular rest just once this season. The decision to send down Senga, which needed to be approved by the right-hander, will allow him to work on his mechanics to produce a little more power behind his pitches and more swing-and-miss stuff. The velocity is down on all of Senga's pitches since he returned from missing nearly all of the 2024 season with a shoulder capsule and calf strains. This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com:Kodai Senga demoted: Mets send struggling pitcher to AAA

byMario Satorik

in

September 05, 2025

Why New York Mets sent Kodai Senga to minor leagues

Why New York Mets sent Kodai Senga to minor leagues With the Mets choosing to go with three young pitchers to fill out their starting rotati...

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Trump's push to change Department of Defense to 'War Department' would turn back the clock to WWII

Trump's push to change Department of Defense to 'War Department' would turn back the clock to WWII

ATLANTA (AP) — PresidentDonald Trump'spush to renamethe Department of Defense goes beyond subjective word choices about whether to change a name that's been in place since 1949. On one hand is Trump's argument that the historical name – War Department – more plainly reflects the bottom-line mission. Yet the idea, which still requires action by Congress, also would continue Trump'sflouting of the international orderestablished after World War II. And, besides highlighting the president's branding proclivities, the issue exposes tensions between Trump's and many of his predecessors' platitudes about peace even as the U.S. has spent much of its existence on battlefields. "Military tasks are directed not toward war—not toward conquest—but toward peace," President Harry Truman insisted in 1947, when Congress first jettisoned the "War Department" label. Here is a look at the history of the U.S. military's Cabinet structure and names. Colonial military branches were the 'War Department' foundation The Continental Congresscreated the Armyon June 14, 1775, as hostilities built against the British. The Navy and Marine Corps quickly followed. After the Constitution's ratification, Congress established a single Cabinet agency called the War Department in 1789, led by a secretary of war. The Navy broke away in 1798, separating the War Department and Navy Department. Secretaries of war were top presidential advisers from the War of 1812 through World Wars I and II. Some Navy secretaries also wielded strong influence. World wars force changes U.S. politics leaned toward isolationism before World War I. Isolationist attitudes returned after fighting ended in 1918. During the Great Depression, the government's ample spending centered on domestic jobs and aid programs of theNew Deal. Yet the U.S. military footprint grew quietly. As war in Europe intensified before American involvement in World War II, Congress authorized construction of the Pentagon in 1941. Ground broke on Sept. 11. Japan bombedPearl Harbormonths later, prompting the U.S. to join the war. Henry Stimson served as President Franklin D. Roosevelt's war secretary after having been secretary of state under Herbert Hoover. Stimson spent endless hours with FDR in a makeshift White House war room and presided over the secret Manhattan Project to develop atomic bombs. Stimson's status as both a State and War Department chief previewed the sometimes blurred lines between the top diplomatic and military agencies and their roles in U.S. foreign policy across many administrations since World War II. 20th century conflicts changed global politics Roosevelt's top military advisers mulled Pentagon reorganization during the war but FDR died before fighting concluded. Truman, who had virtually no part in war planning or execution as vice president, asked Congress after the war ended to create a "Department of National Defense" and bring military operations under one Cabinet officer. Congress debated for two years before passing the 1947 National Security Act. The sweeping law created a single Pentagon department called "the National Military Establishment." It also created the National Security Council to advise the president and established the Central Intelligence Agency. The new name – NME – unintentionally read as "Enemy," prompting Congress in 1949 to rename "the Department of Defense." Congress has occasionally modified and built on the act, but it still underpins the nation's military and intelligence structure. Post-war rhetoric shifted to an emphasis on 'peace' The overhaul played out as the U.S. and its allies worked to establishNATOand theUnited Nations, the latter inspired by the League of Nations that failed after World War I. The post-war organizations were framed as ways to prevent future conflicts. Truman was the president who authorized dropping two atomicbombs on Japanin August 1945. Explaining his post-war approach in 1947, he noted the U.S. had ratcheted down its wartime mobilization. He promised that a robust, war-ready military would remain. He nodded to NATO and the U.N., saying the U.S. would "support a lasting peace, by force if necessary." But he argued that even for the military, the priority was to avoid fighting. "We seek to use our military strength solely to preserve the peace of the world," Truman declared on Navy Day. "That is the basis of the foreign policy of the people of the United States." It was the original "peace through strength" argument that U.S. administrations — Republican and Democratic — carried through the Cold War nuclear buildup and that Trump himself has used as a presidential candidate and commander in chief. Within years of Truman's speech, the U.S. was at war in Korea, then Vietnam. A brief war in Iraq followed in 1991. After the Sept. 11 attacks, the U.S. invaded Iraq and began an Afghanistan military occupation that became the longest war in American history. Trump and Vice President JD Vance have assailed military engagements abroad as wasteful, though Trump has, in his second presidency,bombed Iran, backed shipments ofweapons to Israeland approved astrike on a Venezuelan boat. The "Department of War," he says, "just sounded better." ___

byMario Satorik

in

September 05, 2025

Trump's push to change Department of Defense to 'War Department' would turn back the clock to WWII

Trump's push to change Department of Defense to 'War Department' would turn back the clock to WWII ATLANTA (AP) — PresidentDonal...

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US Attorney Jeanine Pirro in war of words with judge over Trump's DC crackdown

US Attorney Jeanine Pirro in war of words with judge over Trump's DC crackdown

Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor for Washington, D.C., is embroiled in an ongoing war of words with a magistrate judge who has recently leveled biting criticism against prosecutors for bringing cases he says lack evidence in their attempt to support President Donald Trump's aggressivecrime crackdownin the district. Pirro took aim during a Friday news conference at Judge Zia Faruqui for comments Faruqui made during a Thursday hearing lambasting prosecutors for a recent spate of cases the U.S. attorney's office has been forced to drop due to grand juries refusing to indict defendants charged with offenses ranging from weapons possession to purported threats against President Trump. "Judge Faruqui has never really met someone with an illegal gun that he hasn't found some compassion for, OK?" Pirro said. "I'm not going into grand juries and telling him what to do and what not to do. That is their prerogative. We are advisers to grand juries. We tell them what the law is. We present cases that are clearly based on the evidence, OK?" Trump puts DC police department under federal control, deploys National Guard It's extremely rare for grand juries to refuse to hand up indictments in the federal system, but it has happened in at least seven separate instances across five cases since Trump ordered his surge of federal resources to Washington roughly a month ago, according to a tally by theAssociated Press. In a hearing Thursday, Faruqui, according to the AP, accused prosecutors of "playing cops and robbers" on the streets of D.C. while the "rule of law" was "bring flushed down the toilet" in order to puff up numbers for the Justice Department and FBI to claim theirfederal interventionin the district has proved effective. The comments led Pirro to issue an usual statement taking aim at Faruqui, one of several magistrate judges in D.C. who directly oversee prosecutors' activities -- including signing off on search warrants and arrests of suspects. Pirro issued a similar statement earlier in the week taking direct aim at a grand jury which had refused to bring an indictment against a suspect her office had charged with leveling threats against President Trump. Pirro again echoed her criticisms Friday in response to a question from a reporter who asked whether her office plans to change its approach to avoid such setbacks in the future. "As far as I'm concerned, our job, my job as a prosecutor, is to bring criminals into court and to try to prove my case beyond a reasonable doubt. I'm not into going back and forth with judges," Pirro said. "I was a judge, OK? That's not what I did as a judge. So we need to leave politics out of it." "I'll do my job. He should do his job as a judge and leave his politics out of it," Pirro said.

byMario Satorik

in

September 05, 2025

US Attorney Jeanine Pirro in war of words with judge over Trump's DC crackdown

US Attorney Jeanine Pirro in war of words with judge over Trump's DC crackdown Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor for Washington,...

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Jessica Pegula Drowns Her Sorrows in a Honey Deuce After Losing US Open Semifinal

Jessica Pegula Drowns Her Sorrows in a Honey Deuce After Losing US Open Semifinal

Jessie Pegula/X; Clive Brunskill/Getty Jessica Pegula treated herself to the US Open's signature cocktail, the Honey Deuce, after losing to Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinal Pegula posted a selfie with the drink on X After the loss, Pegula told reporters Sabalenka hit some "ridiculous" shots and said, "That's tennis" Jessica Pegulahad an all-too-relatable reaction to losing toAryna Sabalenkain the US Open semifinals. The 31-year-old American tennis player fell short to world No. 1 Sabalenka on Thursday, Sept. 4, but Pegula won over fans with her charming post on X after the loss. "When you lost 4 points on serve in the 3rd but you lost the match," Pegulawrotein a post on X, adding a selfie showing her holding up a Honey Deuce, the popular cocktail that has become a staple at the tournament. Ingredients of the cocktail include Grey Goose vodka, fresh lemonade and raspberry liqueur, and it is garnished with a skewer of three frozen honeydew melon balls that resemble tennis balls. When you lost 4 points on serve in the 3rd but you lost the matchpic.twitter.com/KYHqfNBeJR — Jessie Pegula (@JPegula)September 5, 2025 Pegula's post was a hit with her fans, who told her she still made them proud despite the loss. One userwrote, "You're so real for this," and added, "you'll be back." Anotherwrote, "You played really well. Sabalenka had one of those nights unfortunately. Keep that head and enjoy that Honey Deuce !!!" The official Adidas X account replied too: "When you're still incredible and inspire thousands." After the loss, Pegulasaidshe thought Sabalenka "upped her points" in the second set. Even though it felt "pretty even" in the third, Sabalenka "came up with some ridiculous" answers on the court, she told reporters. "I didn't feel like I did much wrong," she said. "It seemed like the level was really high and we were pushing each other every single game." "When you play her, you have to serve well because she returns well and puts a lot of pressure on you," Pegula added of Sabalenka. "I'm happy to put in the effort that I was able to put in tonight against the best player in the world right now." Ultimately, Pegula told reporters of the loss, "That's tennis." Read the original article onPeople

byMario Satorik

in

September 05, 2025

Jessica Pegula Drowns Her Sorrows in a Honey Deuce After Losing US Open Semifinal

Jessica Pegula Drowns Her Sorrows in a Honey Deuce After Losing US Open Semifinal Jessie Pegula/X; Clive Brunskill/Getty Jessica Pegula trea...

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Is Taylor Swift at the Chiefs game tonight? Latest ahead of Chiefs-Chargers in Brazil

Is Taylor Swift at the Chiefs game tonight? Latest ahead of Chiefs-Chargers in Brazil

Friday night's game between theKansas City ChiefsandLos Angeles Chargershas a little extra intrigue this time around. Fans across the globe are patiently waiting to see if a global superstar makes an appearance tonight – no, notTravis Kelce. While Kelce is certainly eager to be putting a disappointing 2024 campaign behind him, all eyes are instead fixated on his other half –Taylor Swift. The pop star has become afixture at Chiefs gamessince her relationship began with Kelce two seasons ago. Her presence and the emphasis on it has drawn mixed reactions, but there's no doubt that Swift will be a talking point on Friday night in Sao Paulo. Swift traveled for multiple games during her first season with Kelce, but only attended home games in 2024 before making the trip toSuper Bowl 59in New Orleans. With the pair havingrecently announced their engagement, it begs the question – will Swift attend the NFL's Brazil game? Here's what to know. Pop star Taylor Swift and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelceannounced their engagement on Aug. 26, 2025. The couple began dating in the summer of 2023. Look back at their time together, including here, at the game between Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers during the Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on June 12, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. Swift's attendance for the Chiefs game against the Chargers has not been confirmed for Friday night. It may not seem like a big deal, but Kelce's fiancée's attendance seems to indicate a trend in his performance over the last two seasons. The star tight end seems to get a boost when Swift is around, but it is notably that she missed both games against the rival Chargers in 2024. During the 2023 season, Kelce recorded 12 catches and 179 yards in Week 7, both season-highs. He also added a touchdown in what has been, statistically, one of the best games of Kelce's career and certainly his best since this relationship began. Here's a breakdown of his stats with and without her in attendance. Week 3 vs.Bears: Seven catches for 69 yards and one touchdown Week 4 at Jets: Six catches for 60 yards Week 6 vs.Broncos: Nine catches for 124 yards Week 7 vs. Chargers: 12 catches (season-high) for 179 yards (season-high) and a touchdown Week 13 at Packers: Four catches for 81 yards Week 14 vs. Bills: Six catches for 83 yards Week 15 at Patriots: Five catches for 28 yards Week 16 vs.Raiders: Five catches for 44 yards Week 17 vs. Bengals: Three catches for 16 yards Wild-card round vs. Dolphins: Seven catches for 71 yards Divisional round vs. Bills: Five catches, 75 yards, two touchdowns AFC championship game vs.Ravens: 11 catches, 116 yards, touchdown Super Bowl 58 vs. 49ers: Nine catches, 93 yards The Chiefs finished with a 10-3 record with Swift around in 2023, including a Super Bowl victory against the San Francisco 49ers. Week 1 vs. Ravens: three catches, 34 yards Week 2 vs. Bengals: one catch, 5 yards Week 5 vs. Saints: nine catches, 70 yards Week 9 vs. Buccaneers: 14 catches, 100 yards Week 10 vs. Broncos: eight catches, 64 yards and one touchdown Week 13 vs. Raiders: seven catches, 68 yards Week 16 vs. Texans: five catches, 30 yards Divisional round vs. Texans: seven catches, 117 yards and one touchdown AFC championship vs. Bills: two catches, 19 yards Super Bowl 59 vs. Eagles: four catches, 39 yards The Chiefs were 9-1 during the 2024 season with Swift in the building, with the only loss coming in Super Bowl 59 to thePhiladelphia Eagles. Kansas City owns a 19-4 record all-time when she's in the crowd. Week 5 at Vikings: 10 catches, 67 yards and one touchdown Week 8 at Broncos: six catches, 58 yards Week 9 vs. Dolphins: three catches, 14 yards Week 11 vs. Eagles: seven catches, 44 yards and one touchdown Week 12 at Raiders: six catches, 91 yards Swift didn't begin attending Chiefs games until Week 3 of the 2023 NFL season, going 3-2 without the music star in attendance. Kelce was inactive during the Chiefs' Week 1 and 18 contests, joining the Week 2 game as the three that didn't make the cut Week 3 vs. Falcons: four catches, 30 yards Week 4 vs. Chargers: seven catches, 89 yards Week 7 vs. 49ers: four catches, 17 yards Week 8 vs. Raiders: 10 catches, 90 yards and one touchdown Week 11 vs. Bills: two catches, 8 yards Week 12 vs. Panthers: six catches, 62 yards Week 14 vs. Chargers: five catches, 45 yards Week 15 vs. Browns: four catches, 27 yards Week 17 vs. Steelers: eight catches, 84 yards and one touchdown Kansas City was 8-1 when Swift wasn't around and Kelce played in 2024. The Chiefs are 12-3 in that situation dating back to the 2023 season. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Will Taylor Swift be in attendance for Chiefs-Chargers in Brazil?

byMario Satorik

in

September 05, 2025

Is Taylor Swift at the Chiefs game tonight? Latest ahead of Chiefs-Chargers in Brazil

Is Taylor Swift at the Chiefs game tonight? Latest ahead of Chiefs-Chargers in Brazil Friday night's game between theKansas City Chiefsa...

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Republicans Say Gmail Is Blocking Their Fundraising Emails. We Recreated Their Test To See If That's True.

Republicans Say Gmail Is Blocking Their Fundraising Emails. We Recreated Their Test To See If That's True.

Despitea defeat in federal court on Tuesday, the Trump administration's antitrust enforcers are still going after Google. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Andrew Ferguson sent Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google's parent company, Alphabet, an email last week notifying him that "Alphabet may be engaging in unfair or deceptive acts or practices," which would violate theFTC Actand justify federal antitrust enforcement. In hisemailto Pichai, Ferguson says it's his "understanding from recent reporting" that Gmail is "routinely block[ing] messages…from Republican senders but fail[ing] to block similar messages sent by Democrats." He specifies that "Alphabet's alleged partisan treatment of comparable messages or messengers in Gmail to achieve political objectives may violate" Section 5(a) of the FTC Act, which prohibits unfair and deceptive practices. But the "recent reporting" that Ferguson cites does not support his missive. The chairman's primary citation is a recentNew York Postarticle, which claims Google was caught "flagging Republican fundraising emails as 'dangerous' spam—keeping them from hitting Gmail users' inboxes—while leaving similar solicitations from Democrats untouched" (emphasis added). ThePostarticle is based on a memo obtained from Targeted Victory, a Republican digital strategy firm. From this memo, thePostshared Targeted Victory'sunlisted YouTube video, which shows one of two nearly identical emails being flagged. ThePostimprecisely reports that "the only difference being that one contained a WinRed donation link and the other contained an ActBlue link." If you watch the video closely, you will notice that the emails' hyperlinks do not direct to the WinRed or the ActBlue campaigns. Instead, the "WR Hyperlink Test" email includes a link to aGoogle Docthat itself has a link toa WinRed website. Likewise, the "AB Hyperlink Test" email includes a link to a different Google Doc that links toan ActBlue website. The video shows only the "WR Hyperlink Test" email being accompanied by a warning banner that, upon opening, reads, "This message seems dangerous." The banner prompts the recipient to choose between "Report spam" and "Looks safe." Still,neithermessage was prevented "from hitting Gmail users' inboxes," like Ferguson says, and thePostreported. Though Targeted Victory claims "many cases" of Gmail sending emails containing WinRed links "directly to spam," the video fails to furnish a single example. Moreover, whenReasonrecreated Targeted Victory's video exactly, neither email was flagged. WhenReasonsent emails actually including WinRed and ActBlue links—instead of Google Doc links—the result was the same: Neither email was flagged.The Tennesseanalsoreportsthat "no warning labels were present" when it attempted to replicate the video's example. Perhaps Targeted Victory's memo, which was acquired exclusively by thePost, includes damning evidence of Gmail discriminating against Republican campaign emails. But that's not what the video shows, and that's not what Ferguson saw. (ThePostdid not respond toReason'srequest for the memo.) A Google spokesperson offered an alternative explanation toThe Tennessean: Gmail's "filters are applied equally to everyone, regardless of their political views." As the spokesperson explained to the paper, "a third-party vendor placed WinRed on its blocklist…after campaigns sent emails with links to WinRed to Gmail users who hadn't opted in to receiving emails. Email servers like Google regularly receive lists from third-party services of potentially harmful or unwanted links and emails." Ferguson also cites acommentjointly filed on behalf of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) to the FTC'srequest for public comments regarding technology platform censorship, which claims that "a mere 30 percent…of NRSC emails were successfully delivered to the primary inboxes of Gmail users." The letter does not provide a source, nor does it specify what percentage of analogous Democratic emails reached Gmail users' inboxes. Ferguson's last piece of evidence is the notice of oral argument inRepublican National Committee (RNC) v. Google Inc.(2025). In the case, which wasfirst dismissedin 2023 andagain with prejudicein 2024, the RNCallegesthat Google deliberately diverted its emails to users' spam folders. The chairman invokes the ongoing litigation as evidence of "similar concerns" to his own. Daniel J. Gilman, a senior antitrust scholar at the International Center for Law and Economics,remindsthe good chairman that the RNC's appeal "substantiates only the fact of the appeal, not the facts alleged, much less a finding of illegality under any federal or state law." Extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence. Evidence that Ferguson does not appear to have. The postDonald Trump's Antitrust Enforcers Continue Their Harassment Campaign Against Googleappeared first onReason.com.

byMario Satorik

in

September 05, 2025

Republicans Say Gmail Is Blocking Their Fundraising Emails. We Recreated Their Test To See If That's True.

Republicans Say Gmail Is Blocking Their Fundraising Emails. We Recreated Their Test To See If That's True. Despitea defeat in federal co...

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