The NBA has suspended Milwaukee forward Bobby Portis Jr. for 25 games without pay because he tested positive for the painkiller Tramadol, a violation of the league's anti-drug program. Portis cannot play again until April 8 — the 79th game of Milwaukee's 82-game regular-season schedule — at the earliest. His...
Verlander Eyes 300 Wins at 42, Joins Giants for 20th MLB Season
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Three-time American League Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander turned 42 years old on Thursday, and is still hopeful of reaching 300 wins in his big league career. The right-hander is at 262 career wins, the most among active pitchers, while preparing for his 20th big league...
Robot Umpires Are Getting Their First MLB Test During Spring Training
TAMPA, Fla. — A computerized system that calls balls and strikes is being tested during Major League Baseball spring training exhibition games starting Thursday after four years of experiments in the minor leagues. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred is an advocate of the Automated Ball-Strike System, which potentially as early as...
Spurs’ Wembanyama Is Out for Season with Blood Clot
SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama is not expected to play again this season after a blood clot condition was found in his right shoulder, a massive blow to the league and the second major health-related hit for the Spurs this season. Wembanyama's condition — deep vein thrombosis...
Trump Loyalist Kash Patel Is Confirmed as FBI Director by the Senate
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday narrowly voted to confirm Kash Patel as director of the FBI, moving to place him atop the nation's premier federal law enforcement agency despite doubts from Democrats about his qualifications and concerns he will do Donald Trump's bidding and go after the Republican president's...
Trump Backs Idea to Send Some DOGE Savings to American Citizens
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said that he likes the idea of giving some of the savings from Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency back to U.S. citizens as a kind of dividend. He said at an investment conference in Miami on Wednesday that the administration is considering a concept...
Humphrey’s Executor: A Look at the 90-Year-Old Ruling Trump is Targeting
WASHINGTON — A month into President Donald Trump's second term, lawyers for the Republican administration seem intent on provoking a legal fight to overturn a 90-year-old Supreme Court decision known as Humphrey's Executor that has been critical to the development of the modern U.S. government. Humphrey's Executor ushered in an...
30-Year Mortgage Rate Dips to 6.85%, Signaling Hope for Housing Market
The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. eased for the fifth week in a row to its lowest level since late December, a welcome boost for prospective homebuyers in what's traditionally the busiest time of the year for home sales. The average rate fell to 6.85% from...
Buttigieg at Crossroads: Senate Run or Presidential Bid?
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Some believe the Democratic Party's next savior is living here, huddled with family, in the relative obscurity of a small city on the shores of Lake Michigan. Pete Buttigieg has yet to decide if that's a responsibility he wants. For now, Buttigieg, the 43-year-old former U.S....
Israel Mourns as Hamas Returns Remains of Mother and Young Children
JERUSALEM — Ariel and Kfir Bibas — two of the youngest hostages held in Gaza — became a symbol for Israelis of the brutality of Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack. The return of what are presumed to be their bodies on Thursday dashed hopes they had survived captivity and struck...