deliver

NEW YORK — Fresh off winning New York City’s mayoral election, Zohran Mamdani announced Wednesday that a team including former city and federal officials — all women — would steer his transition to City Hall, and that he would “work every day to honor the trust that I now hold.”

“I and my team will build a City Hall capable of delivering on the promises of this campaign,” the mayor-elect said at a news conference, vowing that his administration would be both compassionate and capable.

He named political strategist Elana Leopold as executive director of the transition team. She will work with United Way of New York City President Grace Bonilla; former Deputy Mayor Melanie Hartzog, who was also a city budget official; former Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan; and former First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer.

With his win over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa, the 34-year-old democratic socialist will soon become the city’s first Muslim mayor, the first of South Asian heritage, the first born in Africa and the youngest mayor in more than a century.

He now faces the task of following through on his ambitious affordability agenda while navigating the bureaucratic challenges of City Hall and a hostile Trump administration.

“I’m confident in delivering these same policies that we ran on for the last year,” he said in an interview earlier Wednesday on cable news channel NY1.

More than 2 million New Yorkers cast ballots in the contest, the largest turnout in a mayoral race in more than 50 years, according to the city’s Board of Elections. With roughly 90% of the votes counted, Mamdani held an approximately 9 percentage point lead over Cuomo.

Mamdani, who was criticized throughout the campaign for his thin resume, will now have to begin staffing his incoming administration and planning how to accomplish the ambitious but polarizing agenda that drove him to victory.

Among the campaign’s promises are free child care, free city bus service, city-run grocery stores and a new Department of Community Safety that would expand on an existing city initiative that sends mental health care workers, rather than police, to handle certain emergency calls. It is unclear how Mamdani will pay for such initiatives, given Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul’s steadfast opposition to his calls to raise taxes on wealthy people.

On Wednesday, he touted his support from Hochul and other state leaders as “endorsements of an agenda of affordability.”

His decisions around the leadership of the New York Police Department will also be closely watched. Mamdani was a fierce critic of the department in 2020, calling for “this rogue agency” to be defunded and slamming it as “racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety.” He has since apologized for those comments and has said he will ask the current NYPD commissioner to stay on the job.

Mamdani has already faced scrutiny from national Republicans, including President Trump, who have eagerly cast him as a threat and the face of a more radical Democratic Party that is out of step with mainstream America. Trump has repeatedly threatened to cut federal funding to the city — and even take it over — if Mamdani won.

”…AND SO IT BEGINS!” the president posted late Tuesday to his Truth Social site.

Mamdani, for his part, said at his news conference that “New Yorkers are facing twin crises in this moment: an authoritarian administration and an affordability crisis,” and that he would tackle both.

While saying he was committed to “Trump-proofing” the city — to protect poor residents against “the man who has the most power in this country,” as he explained — the mayor-elect also reiterated that he was interested in talking to the president about ”ways that we can work together to serve New Yorkers.” That could mean discussing the cost of living or the effect of cuts to the SNAP food aid program amid the federal government shutdown, Mamdani suggested.

“I will not mince my words when it comes to President Trump … and I will also always do so while leaving a door open to have that conversation,” Mamdani added.

Mamdani also said during his news conference and interviews that he had not heard from Cuomo or the city’s outgoing mayor, Eric Adams. He did speak with Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.

A spokesperson for Cuomo, Rich Azzopardi, said he would “let their respective speeches be the measuring stick for grace and leave it at that.”

In his victory speech to supporters, Mamdani wished Cuomo the best in private life, before adding: “Let tonight be the final time I utter his name, as we turn the page on a politics that abandons the many and answers only to the few.”

Asked about the comments Wednesday on NY1, Mamdani said he was “quite disappointed in the nature of the bigotry and the racism we saw in the final weeks.” He noted the millions of dollars in attack ads that were spent against him, some of which played into Islamophobic tropes.

Izaguirre and Colvin write for the Associated Press. AP writers Jake Offenhartz and Jennifer Peltz contributed to this report.

“Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc,” the Japanese anime from Crunchyroll and Sony, claimed the top spot at the domestic box office this weekend, taking in an estimated $17.25 million, according to Comscore.

The R-rated movie, based on Tatsuki Fujimoto’s popular manga series, follows teen demon hunter Denji, who is betrayed by the yakuza and killed as he attempts to pay off the debts he inherited from his parents. His beloved chainsaw-powered dog Pochita makes a deal and sacrifices his life, fusing with Denji who is reborn with the ability to transform parts of his body into chainsaws.

“Chainsaw Man,” already a global hit, delivered a blow to Disney and 20th Century’s biopic “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,” starring Jeremy Allen White, which came in a disappointing fourth place with an estimated $9.1 million.

Based on the 2023 Warren Zanes book of the same name, the film plumbs Springsteen’s life and career through the creative process, during the making of his 1982 acoustic album “Nebraska.”

The Times described the movie as a “thoughtful exploration of the creative process” that runs out of steam by the end, “meandering aimlessly into a depressive period of Springsteen’s, and it never quite regains its footing.”

In its second week out, the horror sequel “Black Phone 2” took the No. 2 slot, earning an estimated $13 million over the weekend, giving the Universal and Blumhouse movie a domestic total of $49.1 million.

Rounding out the third spot is Paramount’s romantic drama “Regretting You,” the latest film adaptation of novelist Colleen Hoover (“It Ends With Us”). Starring Allison Williams and Dave Franco, it opened to an estimated $12.5 million domestically.

The US plan to end Israel’s war on Gaza is designed, supervised and administered “primarily by people who are very staunchly pro-Israel,” and has little chance of delivering peace, argues Stephen Walt, professor of international relations at Harvard University.

“We’ve seen this movie before,” Walt tells host Steve Clemons. According to the terms announced by US President Donald Trump, Israel can argue at any time that the Palestinian side isn’t fulfilling its obligations and thus resume the war.

Increasingly seen as a threat by other countries in the region, Israel “is in for a very troubling future”, Walt says.

At this time last year, the pressure was palpable.

Up until last October, the Dodgers had a reputation as postseason failures.

It wasn’t an unwarranted distinction. In each of the previous two seasons, the team had been upset in the National League Division Series by lesser opponents in the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks. The fall before that, their title defense flamed out against the underdog Atlanta Braves in the NL Championship Series. Yes, they won a World Series in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. But outside of that, it’d been more than three decades since they last triumphed under typical circumstances.

That checkered history weighed on them. Their urgency to change it in last year’s playoffs was fervent.

“That kind of sour taste that you have when you make an early exit from the postseason, our guys are tired of it,” manager Dave Roberts said on the eve of last year’s postseason. “So this is another opportunity. I do sense that edge.”

This week, of course, the Dodgers face a different kind of dynamic.

After their memorable run to a championship last year, the team has gotten the monkey of its full-season title drought off its back. And while expectations are still high, with the Dodgers and their record-setting $400-million roster set to begin the playoffs with a best-of-three wild-card round starting Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds, the questions about past October disappointments have dissipated.

So, does the pressure of this postseason feel different?

“You would think,” veteran third baseman Max Muncy said. “But the pressure’s always going to be there. Especially when you’re this team, when you’re the Los Angeles Dodgers, there’s a lot of expectations around you. There’s a lot of pressure.”

Indeed, after an underwhelming regular season that saw the Dodgers win the NL West for the 12th time in the last 13 years, but fail to secure a first-round bye as one of the NL’s top two playoff seeds, the Dodgers have a new task before them.

Erase the frustrations of their 93-win campaign. Maintain the momentum they built with a 15-5 regular-season finish. And recreate the desperation that carried them to the promised land last fall, as they try to become MLB’s first repeat champion in 25 years.

“For us, the challenge is not letting that pressure get to you and finding our rhythm, finding what’s going to work for us this year,” Muncy said. “Each year the team has to find their identity when they get to this point. You have an identity during the regular season, and you have to find a whole ‘nother identity in the postseason.”

The Dodgers’ preferred identity for this year’s team figures to be the opposite of what worked last October.

Unlike last year, the team has a healthy and star-studded starting rotation entering the playoffs. Also unlike last year, the bullpen is a major question mark despite an encouraging end to the regular season.

For the wild-card series, it means the team will need big innings out of Game 1 starter Blake Snell, Game 2 starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto and (if necessary) Game 3 starter Shohei Ohtani — who is being saved for the potential winner-take-all contest in part to help manage his two-way workload.

Ideally, their production should ease the burden on a relief corps that ranked 21st in the majors in ERA during the regular season, and has no clear-cut hierarchy for its most trusted arms.

“The starting pitching is considerably better” than it was last year, Roberts said Monday. “That’s probably the biggest difference between last year’s team.”

Granted, the Dodgers do feel better about their bullpen right now, thanks to the return of Roki Sasaki, the reallocation (at least for this series) of Emmet Sheehan and Tyler Glasnow from the rotation to relief roles, and recent improvements from Blake Treinen and Tanner Scott.

“[We have] much more confidence than we had a couple weeks ago,” Roberts said of the bullpen. “I think that it’s because those guys have shown the confidence in themselves, where they’re throwing the baseball. I think last week we saw guys more on the attack setting the tone, versus pitching behind or pitching too careful.”

Dodgers reliever Tanner Scott delivers against the San Francisco Giants on Sept. 19.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Still, it’s anyone’s guess as to who will pitch in the ninth inning, or be called upon in the highest-leverage moments.

Close, late contests would be best for the Dodgers to avoid.

To that end, the continuation of the Dodgers’ recent uptick at the plate would also help. During a dismal 22-32 stretch from July 4 to Sept. 6, the Dodgers ranked 27th in scoring, struggling to overcome injuries to several key pieces, slumps from some of their biggest stars, and a general lack of consistent execution in situational opportunities. Over their closing 20 games, however, the lineup averaged an NL-best 5.55 runs per game behind late-season surges from Ohtani and Mookie Betts, plus team-wide improvements while hitting with runners in scoring position.

“The team is starting to fire on all cylinders, finally,” Muncy said. “It’s something that we haven’t really felt all year.”

The Dodgers had good news on the injury front during Monday’s team workout at Dodger Stadium. Muncy, who missed the last four games of the regular season while battling leg bruises and what Roberts has described as other “overall body” issues, is expected to be in the lineup. So too is Tommy Edman, who hasn’t played in the field since last Wednesday because of a lingering ankle injury.

The big question remains catcher Will Smith, who has been out since Sept. 9 with a right hand fracture.

Roberts said Monday the team has been “encouraged” with Smith’s recent progress. The slugger was even able to take live at-bats Monday night.

“If he can get through today and feel good,” Roberts said, “then it’s a viable thought” that he could be on the final 26-man roster the Dodgers will have to submit ahead of Tuesday’s game for the wild-card series.

Either way, the Dodgers’ biggest concern remains on maintaining their recent level of play. Erasing past October failures might no longer be a motivation. But, like Muncy, Roberts said the urgency to win another World Series remains the same.

“I don’t know if it’s easier or harder that we won last year,” Roberts said. “But, honestly, all we care about is winning this year.”

KEIR Starmer is set to announce an “online hospital” that will deliver millions of appointments a year as a “new chapter” for the NHS begins.

The Prime Minister will use his leader’s speech at Labour’s conference to set out plans for NHS Online which will connect patients to specialist clinicians.

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The scheme, which will begin operating in 2027, will deliver up to 8.5 million extra NHS appointments in its first three years, Labour claimed.

In his speech in Liverpool Sir Keir will say “a new world is coming” and “in decades to come, I want people to look back on this moment as the moment we renewed the NHS for a new world”.

The online hospital will be accessible through the NHS app and will allow patients to choose between the digital service and their local hospital.

And those who use the service will be able to access and track prescriptions, be referred for scans and tests, and receive clinical advice on managing their condition.

Patients who require a physical test or a procedure will be able to book them on the app, at a nearby hospital, surgical hub or community diagnostic centre.

Sir Keir will describe it as “a new chapter in the story of our NHS, harnessing the future, patients in control”.

“Waiting times cut for every single person in this country. That’s national renewal, that’s a Britain built for all.”

The Prime Minister will stress the need for continued NHS modernisation, insisting it is Labour’s responsibility to make the health service fit for the years to come.

Sir Keir will say: “I know how hard people work in the NHS – I see it my family – and I celebrate it at every opportunity.

“But the responsibility of this party is not just to celebrate the NHS, it’s to make it better.”

The scheme builds upon ideas already being used in some NHS trusts to reduce waiting times and allow patients to get treatment or advice quicker.

NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey said: “This is a huge step forward for the NHS and will deliver millions more appointments by the end of the decade, offering a real alternative for patients and more control over their own care.

“Patients who choose to receive their treatment through the online hospital will benefit from us industrialising the latest technology and innovations, while the increased capacity will help to cut demand and slash waiting times.

“The NHS can, must and will move forward to match other sectors in offering digital services that make services as personalised, convenient, and flexible as possible for both staff and patients.”

NHS Providers chief executive Daniel Elkeles said: “The online hospital could be a very significant development, transforming the way many patients receive their care.

“The way the NHS provides outpatients services hasn’t changed much for decades, but during Covid we learned a lot about opportunities for new approaches using digital technology.

“It’s sensible they are taking the time to plan this properly because there are a lot of factors to consider.

“These include the handling of patient data and the need to avoid ‘digital exclusion’ of people who can’t access the service.

“It’s important there’s new funding and it will be an NHS organisation with NHS staff.

“This is a bold, exciting initiative, but the benefits should not come at the cost of destabilising vital services patients will continue to rely on.”

In his speech, The PM will also say there is “nothing compassionate or progressive” about letting illegal migrants cross the Channel as he stakes his political life on bringing an end to the small boats crisis.

He is under pressure to give a storming conference speech to silence his growing number of critics in both the party and across the country.

Delivering hard truths to his party faithful, the Labour leader will say beating Reform will require “decisions that are not cost-free or easy — decisions that will not always be comfortable for our party”.

Sir Keir sees stopping the migrant boats, maintaining economic discipline and taking another stab at slashing Britain’s bloated benefits bill as vital to winning re-election.

Channel crossings are at record levels under Labour, while use of asylum hotels has also increased.

It has seen Reform open up a ten-point lead, according to some polls, and become the bookies’ favourite to form the next government.

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Another member of England’s pack, Hannah Botterman, nearly took a very different path before professional rugby arrived.

“I was a painter and decorator, proper van life,” she told the Barely Rugby podcast. “I was an apprentice for one of my mum’s friends. I was working from 7am until 4pm, then I’d do a night shift at the Harvester.

“The plan with the painting and decorating was that I would take the business on while the woman I worked for would have a baby. But then I got a contract from England and sacked it off, just as I was good enough to do it myself.”

Even the young, modern stars of women’s rugby felt the pinch of a working life when the coronavirus pandemic hit. Several players were made redundant during covid – while the RFU kept the XVs squad on furlough, those on sevens contracts were not.

Meg Jones’ speed, strength, industry and ability to be in the right place at the right time have made her arguably the best player at this World Cup.

But during Covid lockdown, she was contemplating a future working for Amazon.

“Toilet breaks are not really a thing. You’re in at 5am and then you probably leave about 4pm without having to wee,” said Jones, who by then had already been to a Rugby World Cup final. She had started the 2017 defeat by New Zealand at outside centre.

“It was scary. I’d never had another job in my life and suddenly my livelihood had gone. I just thought I was going to be an Amazon delivery driver for the rest of my life.”

On Saturday, Jones and co delivered a first World Cup title on home soil for England.

They all know just how hard they had to work for that achievement, on and off the field.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told the UN General Assembly that Palestinians are ready for peace if only Israel would allow it. His address, delivered via video, accused the “extremist Israeli government” of crimes against humanity and made the case for his government’s control of Gaza.

For the uninitiated, the Ryder Cup is not something from which you drink coffee in your rental truck. As a matter of fact, 15 years ago, this golfing classic was proclaimed by the locals to be the biggest sporting event ever in the country of Wales.

The newest edition of the Ryder Cup will find your TV screen Friday through Monday. It will be contested on Long Island on a torture-chamber called Bethpage Black. They played the U.S. Open there in 2009 and it rained so hard and so often that there were rumors Noah was getting another Ark ready. Lucas Glover didn’t win that one. He survived it.

To be clear, this will not be the biggest sporting event in the New York area. Thursday afternoon Mets’ games create more stomach aches and fist pumps.

But it should not be dismissed or greeted by yawns.

U.S. Ryder Cup golf team captain Keegan Bradley, left, and Team Europe captain Luke Donald, right, will face off this week.

(Heather Khalifa / Associated Press)

This every-other-year, alternating-home-course event that matches the best golfers in the United States against the best in Europe, creates as much emotion as you can find in a sport that preaches controlling that.

Recently, British golfer Matt Wallace shed tears on camera after falling just short of qualifying. “I will never give up on the Ryder Cup,” he sobbed.

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, one of the best players ever in the sport, made the mistake years ago of calling the Ryder Cup “mostly an exhibition.” He has been apologizing for that ever since.

Spain’s Sergio Garcia, a former Masters champion and an emotional leader of many past European teams, pulled out of a European tournament immediately after he learned he would not be on this year’s Ryder Cup team. He said he needed to get away for a while.

Keegan Bradley was on U.S. teams that lost both the 2012 and 2014 Cups, and he has spoken of the still-unpacked and logoed Ryder Cup backpack that he brought back after 2012. He has vowed to never unpack it until he is part of a winning Ryder Cup team.

If you think that golf and its top players are the living definition of a sports metronome (tick-tock boring), it is not so with the Ryder Cup.

The event keeps sneaking up on people. McIlroy was right, just not up to date. By 2010, the U.S. had started to lose Ryder Cup matches, and that suddenly made them important. U.S. sports fans like a little agony and drama before celebrating winning moments. Losing is not acceptable. From 1959 through 1983, the U.S. had won every Ryder Cup. Then, in 1985, Europe won and held the cup for eight of the next 11 meetings.

Now, it was game on.

Europe’s Rory McIlroy celebrates after winning his singles match against American Sam Burns at the Ryder Cup played at the Marco Simone Golf Club in Guidonia Montecelio, Italy, on Oct. 1, 2023.

(Gregorio Borgia / Associated Press)

The U.S. won in 2008, but this time, for 2010, the Europeans were ready. They even had a special course built, clearly with one thing in mind. It was in Newport, Wales, the club was named Celtic Manor and the course was called the Twenty Ten.

They held a huge pre-celebration dinner and by the time it started, they had sold out the six-day package (three practice rounds and three competition rounds) to 45,000 people at $660 each. That $29.7 million paid nicely for the big party.

Big profits haven’t seemed to be the driving force yet in the Ryder Cup, but like everything else in sports, that is likely to change. This year’s Ryder Cup will be its most extensively televised one to date in the U.S.

Bradley, the guy with a 13-year-old unpacked suitcase, will be the U.S. captain. He has played on two Ryder Cup teams, both defeats, and lost the deciding match to Jamie Donaldson in 2014 in Scotland. The suitcase remains unpacked.

He is still one of the top players in golf, good enough to be a player on this year’s team, but chose not to choose himself and will be a traditional non-playing captain. He was also high enough in the rankings to be considered for a spot on the ’23 U.S. team that lost in Rome. He later said that, when ’23 U.S. captain Zack Johnson passed him over, “It broke my heart.”

Luke Donald of England, who played his golf at Northwestern, was good enough to be No. 1 on the PGA Tour for 56 weeks and was the first golfer to top season money-winning lists on the PGA and European tours in the same year, will be the European captain. He has played on four Ryder Cup teams, all European victories. He was also the captain in Rome.

Donald was a member of that 2010 team in Wales. The U.S. lost by a point and Donald won three of the Europeans 14½.

Celtic Manor was more than just a European win. It was a rub-your-face-in-it win, a remember-who-invented-this-game moment. It was more than winner-take-all. It was winner-celebrate-all-night and-be-smug-about-it-all-next-year.

The setting helps to understand all this.

American Phil Mickelson plays a shot from the rough during the 2010 Ryder Cup at the Celtic Manor Resort on Oct. 1, 2010, in Newport, Wales.

(Ross Kinnaird / Getty Images)

The Twenty Ten course was surprisingly not a classic European links course. Much was made of that in the run-up. Why give the Americans a golf course type that they were used to — soft, grassy fairways and smooth-rolling greens — when the links courses usually drove them nuts. Then it started to rain and seemed as if it would never stop. Twenty Ten became Twenty Thousand Puddles. It was so bad that the final day of concluding singles match-play was contested on a Monday, a first for a Ryder Cup. The U.S. team was ready, with nicely logoed rain suits. Except they leaked.

Amid one particularly drenching downpour, U.S. star Phil Mickelson spotted a reporter he knew walking the sidelines. He sauntered over, soaked and dripping, eyed the reporter’s rain gear and said, “Wanna trade?”

The next day, the U.S. team got replacement rain gear from the same gift shop that the reporter had purchased his.

Such nuances are the responsibility of team captains. The Europeans, whose rain suits stayed sealed, were led by longtime tour pro Colin Montgomerie, a great player who never won a major and who many feel was the model for the Pillsbury Dough Boy. The U.S. captain was Corey Pavin, who not only won a U.S. Open in 1995 with his famous four-wood to the green on No. 18, but also was a Gutty Little Bruin, a pride of UCLA golf.

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin holds a flag stick during a practice round prior in 2010 at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales.

(Andy Lyons / Getty Images)

The match, eventually won by Europe, came down to the final singles pairing on Monday. Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland, who had won that year’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, was matched by Montgomerie against Pavin’s Hunter Mahan, a Texan who had been the No. 2 Ryder Cup qualifier behind Mickelson.

McDowell took a two-up lead on No. 16, making a sliding, curling 15-foot downhill putt for birdie that left him two up with two holes to play. Then, on the par three 17th — Mahan had to win this hole and the next to keep the U.S. hopes alive — Mahan chunked his second shot, a chip, short of the green. The Euro fans went wild. Mahan walked to McDowell, whose ball rested in easy two-putt, par territory, and shook his hand in concession.

Europe had won, 14½-13½, and the champagne began to flow.

The Celtic Manor clubhouse was on a hill, with a long balcony overlooking the 18th green. Within minutes, the European players were up there, shaking huge bottles of champagne and spraying them all over each other and the thousands of fans below. It went on and on. It was a post-Super Bowl-in- Philadelphia celebration, minus the bent traffic lights; a post-Lakers-win-the-NBA-title-at Staples celebration, minus the burning police cars. It produced photos that dominated every major European newspaper and TV broadcast for the next several days.

Eventually, the U.S. team shuffled into an interview room. There was not a smile to be found. All were there, a unit to the end, sitting at a long table. Quickly, a question went to Mahan about his gagged chip shot. He looked like a man who had just watched his dog get hit by a car. Before he could conjure up much of an answer, two of the three main veterans on the team ran interference. Both Mickelson and Jim Furyk jumped in to answer, saying basically, that none of the people asking the questions could have any idea of the pressure involved in a Ryder Cup situation like that. Of course, none of the people asking the questions had ever aspired to that pressure.

Tiger Woods remained silent.

American Tiger Woods attends a tense news conference after Europe’s 14.5 to 13.5 victory over the U.S. at the 2010 Ryder Cup at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales.

(Sam Greenwood / Getty Images)

At a press gathering before the event, he had fielded a question from a member of the British press. If there was a moment that set a tone of animosity for the event, it was right there.

Reporter: “You don’t win majors any more, you don’t win regular tournaments. Where is the Ryder Cup on your agenda, now that you are an ordinary golfer?”

Woods, the ordinary golfer: “I hope you are having a good week.”

The captains’ comparisons are fun, but probably not meaningful. Bradley has won a major, the 2011 PGA, and was ranked as high as No. 7 in the world. His Ryder Cup playing record is 4-3-0. Donald never won a major, but was World No. 1. His Ryder Cup record is 10-4-1. He was Ryder Cup captain in 2023 in Paris. He has never been on a losing Ryder Cup team, as a player or captain. Bradley’s Ryder team record is 0-2.

The only playing returnee from 2010 at Celtic Manor — Donald was also on the team — is McIlroy, who once called this whole thing an “exhibition.” That was before he stood on a balcony in Wales, 15 years ago, and looked below to a mass of idolizing golf fans, begging to be sprayed with champagne.

In that moment, the Ryder Cup became a huge deal for McIlroy. The rest of the sports world now follows.

Six-time world champions New Zealand were undefeated in the Women’s Rugby World Cup for 11 years – a winning streak that spanned 4,063 days.

None of the matchday 23 in Bristol on Friday had lost a World Cup game.

They had not lost a knockout game in the competition since 1991.

They had only lost twice in 42 World Cup games.

Their record now reads: Played 43, lost three.

Canada, who had to set up a £530,000 (C$1m) fundraising drive – titled Mission: Win Rugby World Cup – to help them reach the tournament, delivered an incredible semi-final performance in Bristol to end New Zealand’s bid for a third straight title.

A sensational first-half performance, including three tries in the opening 25 minutes, saw the number two ranked side in the world gain control of the game right from the opening whistle.

When lock Sophie de Goede knocked over a conversion for her own try after striding clear, the half-time scoreline read 24-7.

A response was always expected by the back-to-back world champions, but Canada cleverly saw out the game to set up a final against France or England at Twickenham next Saturday.

“You see how well-resourced some nations are, and then you have fairytales,” former England captain Katy Daley-Mclean told BBC Two. “Canada are a fairytale.

“You don’t beat New Zealand in World Cups. That was a statement of intent for whoever they play next week.

“They were outstanding. They dismantled New Zealand, they were powerful and brave and absolutely nailed their performance.”

New Zealand World Cup winner Ruby Tui added: “It was tectonic, it was seismic. There was an earthquake here at Ashton Gate.

“They’ve done something very special.”

TELLURIDE, Colo.  — Jeremy Allen White asked all the questions any normal human being would ask when offered the chance to play Bruce Springsteen in “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere.” In theaters Oct. 24, it’s a movie that examines a slice of the rock legend’s career when he was battling depression and creating 1982’s incomparable exploration of alienation “Nebraska,” a record he didn’t know he was making when he recorded the songs on a primitive four-track tape machine in a rented New Jersey home. It turned out to be his favorite of all his albums.

Most of those questions could be boiled down to: Why me? White didn’t know how to play the guitar. He loves to sing but would never call himself a singer. And while he has a relationship with an audience, particularly those who have white-knuckled their way through his Emmy-winning work as Carmy, the talented and troubled chef on “The Bear,” he says it’s a far cry from the bond Springsteen has forged with his fan base for the past 50-plus years.

“The relationship a musician has with fans is so intimate,” White, 34, tells me the morning after the movie had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival. “You listen to him in the car, you go to see him live. He’s there in your ear and it’s just the two of you. You feel like you’re being spoken to. Bruce is so important to so many people. It was daunting. I didn’t want to disappoint.”

By the time we talked, though, White was well past any anxiety about disappointing, if only because he had the approval of the person who mattered the most: Springsteen himself.

“Jeremy tolerated me and I appreciated that,” Springsteen said at a festival Q&A, suggesting that his input on the movie was ongoing and significant — and also welcome. He noted that it was easy to sign off on director Scott Cooper’s vision for the movie, which, with its narrow focus on the deep dive of “Nebraska,” he called an “antibiopic.”

“And I’m old and I don’t give a f— what I do,” Springsteen added, laughing.

White and I are sitting in the sun outside his hotel, basking in the warmth the day after a steady rain. Wearing a battered Yankees cap, jeans, boots and a blue pullover, he’s sporting the casual uniform of the festival, if not the Boss himself. White asks if I mind if he lights an American Spirit. He reaches for his lighter. The premiere is over and his mood is light. We dive right in.

Jeremy Allen White in the movie “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere.”

(Macall Polay / 20th Century Studios)

Was there an immediate point of connection with Springsteen?
The more I talked with him, the more I learned. And at the point in his life we show in the movie, he was feeling so fraudulent. Not in his work, but as a human. He felt like he was being caught in a lie all the time. And I don’t want to speak for all actors, but I’ve certainly dealt with that kind of feeling.

It feels like there’s a line between your Springsteen and Carmy on “The Bear,” two men carrying generational trauma and emotional baggage they have no idea how to deal with. Do you see that?
For sure, you can draw that line. They’re cousins. And they’ve both got their art, something they feel confident about. What Bruce was feeling in his relationship with his father and the environment he grew up in, is he felt incredibly unsafe. And that made it difficult for him to trust people and form real connections. For a long time, the only connection he felt was in that three hours he spent on stage.

But then what do you do the rest of the time?
Absolutely. And I’m familiar with those feelings. But my home life as a child was more loving and supportive, so I had to do some creative work to find that tether to Bruce.

You mentioning Springsteen’s dad just popped a thought into my head. Is Carmy’s dad alive?
[Long exhale] We don’t know. That’s a decision that’s up to [showrunner] Chris [Storer].

It’s above your pay grade.
Well above.

You’re really good at playing men who have trouble articulating their feelings, which puts a lot of weight on your shoulders to convey an interior life through close-ups. Do you like that kind of acting?
I do. You have to have an understanding. The camera knows. If you’re just staring at a wall and you don’t have anything going on, the camera will know. The audience will, too.

You do also get to rock out and sing “Born to Run” and “Born in the U.S.A.” How did your vocal chords feel afterward?
I spent an afternoon singing “Born in the U.S.A.” and I got a migraine and I lost my voice. I saw Bruce afterward and he asked, “What’d you do today.” And I said [affecting a hoarse voice], “Uh, I recorded ‘Born in the U.S.A.’” And he smiles and says, “Sounds about right.”

Most of your singing is the “Nebraska” songs, these delicate acoustic songs about despairing characters who have lost hope. Putting across their stories in these songs feels like its own imposing challenge.
I was so focused on just sounding like Bruce and my coach, Eric [Vetro], asks, “What are you singing about? What’s the story? Where’s Bruce coming from? Is he singing from his perspective? Is about his childhood? Is he playing a character?” All these questions that, for an actor, should be right at the front of mind. Because I was so anxious about sounding like him, I found myself blocked by the real thing, which was: How can I just sing the song as honestly as possible?

What song was the breakthrough?
“Mansion on the Hill.” Bruce listened to it and said, “You do sound like me. But it’s you singing the song.” And that gave me permission, not just in recording the music, but making a film where I could tell his story but not be afraid to bring myself to it.

Did you have a favorite song?
Probably “My Father’s House.” It seemed like a warning for me. There’s regret in it. What I heard is a song about a young man not wanting to regret that he didn’t reach out for his father, who he had a love and connection with earlier. There was an immediacy to it, which you then see with Bruce and his father in the film.

Did it make you want to call your dad?
I called him right after recording that song in Nashville. Like many fathers and sons, we have a loving relationship, but we’ve also gone through periods where things have been difficult and it was hard to communicate. Making this film and singing this song has given me another perspective. It also coincides with getting older and having children of my own.

I’m glad you made the call. You can’t have those conversations after a certain point.
That’s what I mean about the warning of that song.

You told me yesterday that you and Springsteen had a debate about “Reason to Believe.” What was the source of the disagreement?
It’s the last song on the album and Bruce says people confuse it as being hopeful. He says that’s not correct. The song is about a woman whose husband has left her and she stands at the end of the driveway every day, waiting for him to come home. And I hear that, and I think, “Oh, that’s real love. That’s romance. Someone’s gonna drive down that road at some point.”

Either that or this poor woman is just going to be walking up and down her driveway the rest of her life.
And no one’s gonna be there. It depends how your ear is on a song.

But you choose to believe.
I choose to walk to the end of the driveway. Absolutely.

Would you call yourself an optimist?
No. [Laughs] Not really.

“Nebraska” came out in 1982 and was informed by the idea that there was a growing divide between the wealthy and the poor and that what we think of as the American Dream was becoming more elusive. Where do you think the album sits more than four decades later?
People are angry. That’s what seems to define our country right now. Anger. And it doesn’t seem to be going away. The songs on “Nebraska” are still going to be speaking to us four decades from now. They’re timeless.

Jeremy Allen White in the movie “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere.”

(Macall Polay / 20th Century Studios)

Did your early dance background help you with the physicality of the role, the way he carries himself on stage or even just walking around?
For sure. Finding the way he holds his gravity was important. I put little lifts in the boots and that made my posture change, my legs a little longer. Wearing the pants up to here [he points to a spot above his hips], that gets your gravity in your belly button, where I’m crouched over all the time.

There’s a lot of scenes in diners where he’s sitting with one arm over the back of the booth …
… like he’s on his way out almost all the time. One foot in, one foot out.

Musician friends turned you on to “Nebraska” in your early 20s. What music were you listening to then?
My folks are a little older so I grew up listening to a lot of music that Bruce listened to — Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, the Beatles, the Stones, Aretha Franklin.

Your parents had a strong record collection.
Still do. And I grew up in in Brooklyn in the ’90s, so I got really heavy into hip-hop in my teenage years. I discovered Nas and Jay-Z and Big L and Wu-Tang. Tribe. De La Soul. And then I was around for an exciting time in the New York scene. I was young so I couldn’t really experience it, but the Strokes were coming out and LCD Soundsystem. I felt lucky to be close that stuff as it was happening.

The way you’re talking about all this, it feels like music is a fundamental part of your life.
Absolutely. I love that it’s always with you. I’ve taken a couple of cross-country trips, and I love putting on Motown. I go through periods where I listen to the same 20 songs for a couple of weeks. But then I’ve got thousands of “liked” songs. And the nice part about a long drive is you can shuffle that and it’s like you’re traveling in time. I love getting to visit past versions of myself through music.

Springsteen takes an eventful cross-country trip in the film. What’s your most memorable one?
I did one by myself when I was about 24. I thought I was going to give myself about two weeks to go from New York to L.A. The first week was great. I was enjoying my solitude, listening to a lot of music. Then when I hit Utah, I got incredibly lonely.

Did the landscapes get to you?
Maybe. I had a certain amount of anonymity, which I enjoy on a road trip. You don’t know anybody in these towns and that allows you to be whoever you want to be, passing through. I remember getting to Utah and just being desperate to see somebody who knew who I was. And I got a flat in St. George, Utah. It was a disaster. My phone had died. I didn’t have a spare. I was out on the side of the road trying to borrow somebody’s phone. I took that as a sign. After I got it repaired, I raced to have dinner with a friend, because I felt this this crazy loneliness.

Springsteen says everyone has their “genesis moment,” an experience that charts your path. His was watching Elvis Presley perform on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1956. What’s your genesis moment?
I had been dancing on stage but I didn’t act until I was 14 when I got up in front of a group in middle school. I had this great teacher, John McEneny, and he was having us do this improvisational exercise — two characters, one speaking, one quiet. And my friend, Yael, was playing a mother and I was playing her child who didn’t know how to speak yet. So I wasn’t speaking, like so much of my work [Laughs].

It’s Carmy’s genesis moment too.
Yes. And I remember feeling a presence. I had a hard time focusing as a child, a hard time being present. Still do. But I remember even in silence feeling so at ease and present. And of course I remember the eyes. And even without me doing anything or speaking, I felt attention, people waiting to see what I would do next. And I went, “Whoa.” I felt at peace. I felt present and people were interested. And I thought, “Let me follow this a little bit and see where we can go.”

There’s a scene in the movie, taken from real life, where Springsteen is flipping through the channels one night and stumbles upon Terrence Malick’s “Badlands,” a movie that ultimately influences “Nebraska.” With streaming, we don’t really have those serendipitous discoveries any more. Have you ever had a moment like that?
I can’t think of one. But “Badlands” was a favorite of my parents and they showed it to me when I was 13 or 14. Martin Sheen was cool as hell in that role, and I was so impressed with his commitment to that character. And Sissy Spacek conveys so much with so few words.

And like “Nebraska,” “Badlands” was difficult to make. There was a lot of pushback against Malick and what he was trying to do.
There was a lot of confusion going on. They weren’t on the same page. Like with Bruce, it took a lot of diligence on Terrence Malick’s part to realize his vision. It’s so beautiful when you hear about the process of making a film is so difficult, and then something so beautiful and perfect comes out.

Where do you like to see movies in L.A.?
I love the New Beverly. I saw “2001: A Space Odyssey” at the Egyptian not long ago. The Aero, if I’m on the Westside. I miss the Cinerama Dome and the Arclight. New movies, probably the Sunset 5. My favorite thing is go to a movie on a Tuesday at like one in the afternoon. You’re there by yourself. I like seeing movies by myself. Some people get out of a movie and like to start talking about it. I like getting out of a movie and being quiet for awhile.

Did you see “Weapons”? That was my favorite movie theater experience this summer.
I loved “Weapons.” And obviously, it’s a great horror film and funny at times and that ending is just crazy. But also I found myself very emotionally affected. To me the horror of the movie was about, from the child’s perspective, looking at all these adults who were totally incapable, whether it was due to addiction or narcissism.

Bringing this full circle, I’m watching this movie about kids feeling unsafe and I thought of the times in Bruce’s upbringing where he felt a similar way and how that made it so difficult to grow up and be trusting. That he ultimately got to that place is so beautiful. I hope people come away from watching this movie feeling that and, if they’re in a place that’s not so good, maybe thinking that connection can still be possible.

Maybe it’s knowing the beach is a short walk from their high school campus, but the special teams trio of punter Jackson Shevin, long snapper Jackson Reach and kicker Nico Talbott are feeling relaxed, comfortable and confident for Mira Costa High‘s football team.

Early in the season, fans sometimes need to close their eyes and pray when there’s a punt or PAT attempt. The special teams play can be that bad.

At Mira Costa, this coming season should be a good one for the special teams. The two Jacksons, Shevin and Reach, did their roles last season. Shevin is also a holder on field goals. Talbott assumes the No. 1 role for kicking. And Reach rarely leaves the field, because he’s also the team’s standout linebacker.

On any football team, it’s always intriguing to see how the special teams players blend in. Many are soccer players trying to learn the football culture.

The Mira Costa trio work well together, and it helps with their versatility. Mira Costa opens its season Aug. 29 against St. Francis. …

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Republican leaders said Tuesday that they were prepared to end their stalemated special session and immediately begin another standoff with Democrats in the GOP’s efforts to redraw congressional maps as directed by President Trump.

It’s the latest indication that Trump’s push to redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections will become an extended standoff that promises to reach multiple statehouses controlled by both major parties.

Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows confirmed the plans during a brief session Tuesday morning that marked another failure to meet the required attendance standards to conduct official business because dozens of Democrats have left the state to stymie the GOP’s partisan gerrymandering attempts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Burrows said from the House floor that lawmakers will not attempt to reconvene again until Friday. If Democrats are still absent — and they have given no indication that they plan to return — the speaker said Republicans will end the current session and Gov. Greg Abbott will immediately call another.

The governor, a Trump ally, confirmed his intentions in a statement.

“The Special Session #2 agenda will have the exact same agenda, with the potential to add more items critical to Texans,” Abbott wrote. “There will be no reprieve for the derelict Democrats who fled the state and abandoned their duty to the people who elected them. I will continue to call special session after special session until we get this Texas first agenda passed.”

Abbott called the current session with an extensive agenda that included disaster relief for floods that killed more than 130 people. Democrats balked when Abbott added Trump’s redistricting idea to the agenda. Burrows on Tuesday did not mention redistricting but chided Democrats for not showing up for debate on the flood response package.

The redistricting legislation would reshape the state’s congressional districts in a design aimed at sending five more Republicans to Washington.

The scheme is part of Trump’s push to shore up Republicans’ narrow House majority and avoid a repeat of his first presidency, when the 2018 midterms restored Democrats to a House majority that blocked his agenda and twice impeached him. Current maps nationally put Democrats within three seats of retaking the House majority — with only several dozen competitive districts across 435 total seats.

Texas Republicans have issued civil warrants for the absent Democrats. Because they are out of state, those lawmakers are beyond the reach of Texas authorities.

Burrows said Tuesday that absent Democrats would have to pay for all state government costs for law enforcement officials attempting to track them down. Burrows has said state troopers and others have run up “six figures in overtime costs” trying to corral Democratic legislators.

Barrow and Lathan write for the Associated Press. Barrow reported from Atlanta.

LAS VEGAS — It’s easier for everything to go according to script when you have one.

As DeShaun Foster strode across the stage inside a convention center here Thursday afternoon, the UCLA football coach clutched several pages of prepared remarks that helped him navigate a lengthy opening monologue with poise and confidence.

Poking fun at his widely mocked and memed performance from a year ago, when he delivered a short, unrehearsed address filled with awkward pauses and an uneasy smile, Foster indulged reporters in a short recap of the lowlights.

“Last year I stood up here and reminded everyone that UCLA is in L.A., which looking back might have been the most obvious geography lesson in Big Ten history,” Foster said. “But you know what? Important things are worth stating clearly. We are in L.A., and we’re proud to be in L.A. This year we’re ready to show the Big Ten what L.A. football looks like when it’s firing on all cylinders.”

The Bruins can only hope their turnaround on the field is as stunning as their coach’s transformation onstage.

A year ago, as UCLA stumbled to a 1-5 start, “We’re in L.A.” became a catchphrase freely wielded to ridicule a team that often looked as lost as its coach had while delivering his opening remarks inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Rather than run from his troubles, Foster barreled ahead like a running back who found an opening in a wall of defenders. The rookie coach found his footing with a team that won four of its last six games, narrowly missing an opportunity to play in a bowl game.

His offseason was even more impressive. Foster overhauled his staff (only two assistants from last season remain) and redoubled his recruiting efforts, leading to a 2026 high school class ranked No. 21 nationally by 247Sports.com. Landing Nico Iamaleava from the transfer portal after the quarterback’s spring of discontent at Tennessee generated immediate buzz.

“We’re just excited to have a playoff quarterback, somebody that was able to lead his team to the playoffs,” Foster said. “They might not have gotten the outcome that they wanted, but he still was able to play. He showed how tough he was in that game. Just being able to come back home and be comfortable and being in a familiar environment, I think the sky is the limit. We’re excited about this.”

While Iamaleava’s arrival isn’t expected to vault the Bruins into contention for the Big Ten title, much less the College Football Playoff — UCLA was picked to finish 15th in the 18-team conference by a media poll conducted by Cleveland.com — there is recent precedent for teams taking a big leap in their coach’s second season.

Colorado finished 9-4 last season after going 4-8 in Deion Sanders’ debut season and Arizona State went 11-3 and made the CFP one year after going 3-9 in Kenny Dillingham’s first season. Foster said he hopes this season goes as well as his second in the NFL, when he helped the Carolina Panthers reach the Super Bowl.

Questions abound, particularly on a defense that loses every key playmaker, as the Bruins prepare to open training camp in Costa Mesa on Wednesday. The team will practice off campus for the first time since training in San Bernardino in 2016 because of the installation of a grass field outside the Wasserman Football Center.

Some changes around the program feel more than cosmetic. UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond said that Foster’s willingness to make wholesale changes on his coaching staff after just one season and the associated recruiting surge are signs that this is a program on the rise.

“He’s just brought a vibe back, a buzz and energy about UCLA football that we haven’t had since I’ve been here, quite honestly,” Jarmond said. “And that’s what you want to see.”

A few hours before Foster took a few sips of water and dabbed his head with a handkerchief before ascending stairs to the podium inside the Mandalay Bay, his boss predicted that he would have a better showing than he did last year.

“I think he’s just more comfortable,” Jarmond said. “You know, everybody is new at something and you don’t nail the landing every first time. And so, thankfully, you’re not graded on what you say; you’re graded on how you perform and how you lead, and that’s what he’s done exceptionally well. I mean, the last half of the season, we finished 4-2 — the momentum he had going into the second half of the year and then the recruiting, that’s what matters, what you’re doing with the program.

“So I think he’s excited about today. I think he’s going to feel more comfortable because he’s done it before. And that’s just part of the deal. But he’s going to be himself and he’s going to be great.”

Foster said his verbal stumbles from a year ago taught him a valuable lesson.

“Authenticity resonates more deeply than perfection,” he said. “Our players saw me being human, and it brought us closer together. We’ve been joking about it for about a year now. The players know that that same genuine approach is how we coach, recruit and build this program.”

Entering his second season, Foster said he expected significant improvement not just from his team but also from himself.

“Growth is part of the process, and we’re all committed to being better than we were last season,” Foster said. “I know there are questions about our progress, expectations and how well we’re performing in this conference. That’s totally fair. We’re here to earn respect, not demand it. However, I can tell you this: My team is ready. They’re confident. They’re prepared, and they’re hungry to show up and show out and redefine what UCLA football can be. So, yes, we’re still in L.A. We’re proud to be Bruins, and we’re ready to make it happen starting now.”

And with that, Foster announced that he was happy to take any questions, having answered a big one about himself.

They lost a cherished teammate hours before they started training camp. But the Chargers receivers knew just what to do when they heard of Mike Williams’ sudden retirement.

“At this point [we’re] just treating it like the next man up,” receiver Quentin Johnston said. “Him leaving was unexpected, but at the same time, we just gotta fill in the blank and keep moving.”

Williams’ sudden departure has left an already questionable receiver group with even more to prove. The 6-foot-4 receiver was coming off one of the worst seasons of his career but was still expected to add a familiar, trustworthy face for quarterback Justin Herbert. When it came to winning 50-50 balls, Williams was one of the best ever, offensive coordinator Greg Roman said.

And in a group that was led by a standout rookie last year, the 30-year-old Williams was a much-needed veteran presence.

“It’s not easily replaceable,” Roman said. “But we like where everybody’s going. We like the guys we have, we just gotta work, keep getting better.”

Star receiver Ladd McConkey is already leading the way. Despite a record-setting rookie season, McConkey has already tweaked small details that could result in big improvements in his second season, Roman said. The former Georgia star’s work ethic already sets the tone: Roman walked by the receivers room at the Chargers’ practice facility Saturday morning and saw McConkey sitting alone studying Friday’s practice film.

But who will step up after McConkey? After his drop-plagued 2023 rookie season, Johnston improved drastically last year when he caught 55 passes for 711 yards receiving and a team-high eight touchdowns. But even the jump in production hasn’t quieted some critics who remain disappointed in the former first-round pick.

With Williams’ departure, Johnston could take an even bigger leap. Encouraged by the support of his teammates and coaches, he said his confidence is at an all-time high.

“I got what it takes to still be here,” Johnston said. “I just gotta go out there and prove that every day.”

Rookie Tre’ Harris can push Johnston on the outside. The 6-foot-3 Mississippi alumnus delivers some of the same traits as Williams, but Roman has started Harris in a role that more mirrors how former Chargers receiver Joshua Palmer played. Palmer, who signed with the Buffalo Bills in free agency, had 584 yards receiving and one touchdown on 39 catches last season.

Harris, who caught 114 passes for 2,015 yards receiving and 15 touchdowns in two seasons at Mississippi after beginning his career at Louisiana Tech, insists to coaches he can play any position. But Roman is mindful to not overload the second-round pick, especially after he missed several days of training camp because of a contract dispute.

Harris reported to training camp Friday, one day after the whole team, but nearly a week behind quarterbacks and other rookies who reported July 12.

“It was music to my ears when I heard that he signed and he was getting in,” Roman said. “It’s so important for young receivers to be in camp. There’s been so many different adjustments, it’s just a different game. So far he’s been outstanding. A really smart guy. On top of everything. … Attention to detail, technique, really excited for him. So far, so good.”

Harris was a focal point of his first practice Friday, becoming a frequent target in team and seven-on-seven periods. Receiver Jalen Reagor kept a close eye on the rookie as the sixth-year, former first-round pick shouted instructions on which routes to run. They often huddled on the sideline after plays.

Reagor is on his third team after the Philadelphia Eagles drafted him in 2020. Not only is he the Chargers’ most experienced receiver, he remains a reliable option outside with his versatility and speed.

Chargers wide receiver Jalen Reagor celebrates after making a catch against the New Orleans Saints in October.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

“He does everything really well,” Herbert said. “I think he’s one of those guys, whether it’s the quick game, whether it’s the intermediate stuff or the deep balls like that, he’s definitely fast enough to be able to take the top off and he’s such a great route runner. He’s able to beat man coverage and another guy that you feel comfortable going to whether it’s zone or man, just finds a way to get open.”

Rookie KeAndre Lambert-Smith sustained an undisclosed injury during the spring, but is back to full speed for training camp, Roman said.

The Chargers loaded up on offensive firepower during the draft, adding two rookie receivers and tight end Oronde Gadsden, a converted wide receiver who could add more lift to the passing offense. The additions appeared to be a signal from the front office that Johnston had to take another step forward in his career to maintain his place on the team.

But like the leaping touchdown pass he caught over his shoulder during Friday’s practice, Johnston took it all in stride.

“Water off a duck’s back,” wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal said during the spring. “I haven’t seen anything. I told him he’s a starter because he is and he’s operating that way.”

Etc.

Left tackle Rashawn Slater took a rest day during Saturday’s practice, Roman said. With right guard Mekhi Becton still celebrating his Super Bowl ring, right tackle Joe Alt shifted to the left in place of Slater, Trey Pipkins III subbed in at right tackle and Jamaree Salyer stepped in at right guard. Despite starting at right guard last year, Pipkins isn’t a top contender for a starting spot at left guard, where Bradley Bozeman and Zion Johnson have rotated during the offseason. Pipkins instead will be a swing tackle option off the bench, coach Jim Harbaugh said. … Running back Raheim Sanders missed a second consecutive day of practice Saturday.

WASHINGTON — President Trump, with his decision to order U.S. military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, is gambling that direct U.S. involvement can deliver a decisive blow to a weakened Tehran while managing to avoid bringing the U.S. into an expansive regional conflict.

Trump announced the strikes on three Iranian enrichment facilities — Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan — and said that a “full payload of BOMBS was dropped” on Fordo.

“All planes are safely on their way home,” Trump added in his post. “Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!”

It remained to be seen whether the attacks mark the totality of direct American involvement in strikes against Iran or the opening salvo of a larger campaign.

Trump, who said he would address the nation about the strikes at 10 p.m. Eastern time, called it a “very successful military operation.” The president also celebrated the strikes in a call with the news site Axios in which he said, “We had great success tonight” and that “Israel is much safer now.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday had said that Trump would decide whether to move forward with U.S. strikes on Iran within two weeks.

But on Saturday afternoon, commercial flight trackers identified multiple U.S. aerial refueling tankers on a path suggesting that they were accompanying aircraft from the Midwest to the Pacific, raising speculation that something could be afoot.

Still, the flight pattern left many in Washington speculating that an attack might happen soon but would not happen immediately because of the time it would take for the aircraft to make it to the region. But that aircraft may have been a decoy — it was not part of the mission that was carried out early Sunday morning in Iran.

Trump returned from his New Jersey golf club just after 6 p.m. and was to head to a previously scheduled meeting with his national security team. Less than two hours later, the president announced the strikes had been completed.

The decision to directly involve the U.S. comes after more than a week of strikes by Israel on Iran that have moved to systematically eradicate the country’s air defenses and offensive missile capabilities, while damaging its nuclear enrichment facilities.

The strikes are a perilous decision for the U.S., as Iran has pledged to retaliate if it joined the Israeli assault. The stakes are also high for Trump personally — he won the White House on the promise of keeping America out of costly foreign conflicts and scoffed at the value of American interventionism.

U.S. and Israeli officials have said that American stealth bombers and 30,000-pound bunker buster bombs offered the best chance of destroying heavily fortified sites connected to the Iranian nuclear program buried deep underground, including at Fordo.

It was not immediately clear whether the U.S. bombers did in fact drop the bunker busters on the Iranian facilities.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned the United States in advance that strikes targeting the Islamic Republic would “result in irreparable damage for them.” And Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei declared “any American intervention would be a recipe for an all-out war in the region.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the damage inflicted by the bombings.

Trump has vowed that he would not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon and said he had initially hoped that the threat of force would motivate the country’s leaders to give up their nuclear program peacefully.

But Trump appears to have made the calculation — at the prodding of Israeli officials and many Republican lawmakers — that Israel’s operation had softened the ground and presented a perhaps unparalleled opportunity to set back Iran’s nuclear program, perhaps permanently.

The Israelis have said their offensive has already crippled Iran’s air defenses, allowing them to already significantly degrade multiple Iranian nuclear sites.

But to destroy the Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plant, Israel had appealed to Trump for the U.S. bunker-busting bombs, the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, which uses its immense weight and sheer kinetic force to reach deeply buried targets and then explode. The penetrator is currently delivered only by the B-2 stealth bomber, which is found only in the American arsenal.

The bomb carries a conventional warhead and is believed to be able to penetrate about 200 feet below the surface before exploding, and the bombs can be dropped one after another, effectively drilling deeper and deeper with each successive blast.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has confirmed that Iran is producing highly enriched uranium at Fordo, raising the possibility that nuclear material could be released into the area if the GBU-57 A/B were used to hit the facility.

Trump’s decision for direct U.S. military intervention comes after his administration made an unsuccessful two-month push — including with high-level, direct negotiations with the Iranians — aimed at persuading Tehran to curb its nuclear program.

For months, Trump said he was dedicated to a diplomatic push to persuade Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions. And he twice — in April and again in late May — persuaded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold off on military action against Iran and give diplomacy more time.

The U.S. in recent days has been shifting military aircraft and warships into and around the Middle East to protect Israel and U.S. bases from Iranian attacks.

All the while, Trump has gone from publicly expressing hope that the moment could be a “second chance” for Iran to make a deal to delivering explicit threats on Khamenei and making calls for Tehran’s unconditional surrender.

“We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding,” Trump said in a social media posting. “He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.”

The military showdown with Iran comes seven years after Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Obama administration-brokered agreement in 2018, calling it the “worst deal ever.”

The 2015 deal, signed by Iran, the U.S. and other world powers, created a long-term, comprehensive nuclear agreement that limited Tehran’s enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

Trump decried the Obama-era deal for giving Iran too much in return for too little, because the agreement did not cover Iran’s non-nuclear malign behavior.

Trump has bristled at criticism from some of his MAGA faithful, including conservative pundit Tucker Carlson, who have suggested that further U.S. involvement would be a betrayal to supporters who were drawn to his promise to end U.S. involvement in expensive and endless wars.

The action by Trump immediately raised some concerns among U.S. lawmakers that the president had exceeded his authority.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) quickly posted on the social media site X: “This is not Constitutional.” California Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont) said on social media that Trump hit Iran without congressional authorization and that lawmakers should pass a resolution he’s sponsoring with Massie “to prevent America from being dragged into another endless Middle East war.”

Vice President JD Vance in a lengthy posting on X earlier this week defended his boss, while acknowledging that “people are right to be worried about foreign entanglement after the last 25 years of idiotic foreign policy.”

“But I believe the president has earned some trust on this issue,” Vance wrote. He added, “I can assure you that he is only interested in using the American military to accomplish the American people’s goals.”

Madhani and Boak write for the Associated Press. Madhani reported from Morristown, N.J.

SpacePay is building a future where crypto payments are fast, simple, and just as usable as cash or cards. At the heart of it all is the SPY token, and after the presale, this token could see serious upside if the system works as planned.

Unlike meme coins that rise on hype alone, SPY is tied to a working product. Every time someone uses SpacePay, value flows through the network, and that value is designed to feed directly back into the token. This is why many investors are watching SPY closely as it moves into its next phase.

From Presale to Profit: What Happens Next for SPY?

SpacePay’s Transaction Engine: The Core of Future Value

SpacePay makes crypto spending feel as simple as scanning a card. When users pay with crypto, the merchant receives fiat instantly. There is no delay or volatility risk.

Users also get to transact at low fees, as the project charges only 0.5% per transaction. It is also fully decentralized and accepts various types of crypto.

The platform connects with more than 325 wallets and works seamlessly on traditional point-of-sale systems.

Every single transaction goes through the SpacePay engine. That engine creates activity and generates transaction-based revenue. As volume grows, more value circulates through the system, and that is where SPY comes in. The token could even grow in value within a short time after the presale.

The token is used to reward users, power loyalty programs, and fuel the ecosystem. As adoption increases, so does the need for SPY. That is a model with built-in demand.

One of the biggest advantages SpacePay has is how easy it is for merchants to adopt. It does not require new hardware. Instead, it runs on existing Android-based point-of-sale terminals using a simple APK install.

This makes it possible for shops to accept crypto payments without expensive upgrades or retraining staff. With built-in volatility protection and instant settlement, it removes the major pain points that usually come with accepting crypto.

That kind of simplicity opens the door for rapid expansion, especially in markets where mobile-first commerce is already strong.

Revenue Share and Passive Income for Holders

Additional Investor Incentives That Boost SPY’s Value

What Could Drive SPY Price Appreciation After the Presale?

Several key factors could influence SPY’s price once the presale ends. First, as more tokens are locked into loyalty programs and reward systems, the circulating supply decreases. That could apply upward pressure on price if demand stays strong.

Second, as SpacePay signs on new merchants across Europe, Asia, and Latin America, transaction volume increases. That directly boosts the value of SPY through usage-based revenue and ecosystem activity.

Third, SpacePay has committed a significant portion of its resources to marketing. With 18% of the token supply allocated to awareness and community building, more users are likely to discover the project in the months ahead.

Finally, SPY is expected to list on both decentralized and centralized exchanges once the presale is over. These listings will give the token broader access, more visibility, and could unlock new levels of liquidity.

How to Buy SPY Now Before the Presale Ends

The presale is moving fast, and early buyers will get the token at a discounted price. To join in now,visit the official SpacePay presale siteand connect your wallet. You can use MetaMask, Trust Wallet, Coinbase Wallet, or any other Web3-supported wallet.

Once connected, choose how you want to pay. SPY is available for purchase using ETH, USDT, MATIC, BNB, AVAX, BASE, or even a credit or debit card. Confirm the transaction, and the tokens will appear in your wallet.

Once the token is listed, its value will depend on exchange prices and market demand, so getting in early could give you the most leverage.

  JOIN THE SPACEPAY (SPY) PRESALE NOW

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This article is for informational purposes only and does not provide financial advice. Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile, and the market can be unpredictable. Always perform thorough research before making any cryptocurrency-related decisions.

FANS declared “never fails to deliver” after adidas unveiled next season’s Champions League ball with a zodiac sign-twist.

The German manufacturer is taking charge of the ball for next term’s elite competition once again.

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This term’s design features various colours printed over an all-white ball to produce an almost rainbow-like effect.

But adidas’ new version instead takes a leaf from astrology.

According to Footy Headlines, this time the Champions League ball will be white with blue stars patterned all around.

Each star is trimmed with gold, while the middle will bear the image of each of the 12 zodiac signs.

There is a ram for Aries, a cow for Taurus, twins for Gemini and a crab for Cancer.

Continuing on, there is a lion for Leo, a maiden for Virgo, scales for Libra and a scorpion for Scorpio.

Finally, there is a centaur for Sagittarius, a goal for Capricorn, a water-bearer for Aquarius, and two fish for Pisces.

The eye-catching design is sure to look even more impressive when being knocked around at speed on the pitch.

BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS

And fans were certainly loving it as they reacted to the new ball on social media.

One said: “UCL balls never fail to deliver.”

Another declared: “Beautiful.”

One noted: “Nice.”

Another added: “Winning the UCL with this ball will be great.”

MIAMI — Juan Serrano, a 28-year-old Colombian migrant with no criminal record, attended a hearing in immigration court in Miami on Wednesday for what he thought would be a quick check-in.

The musty, glass-paneled courthouse sees hundreds of such hearings every day. Most last less than five minutes and end with a judge ordering those who appear to return in two years’ time to plead their case against deportation.

So it came as a surprise when, rather than set a future court date, government attorneys asked to drop the case. “You’re free to go,” Judge Monica Neumann told Serrano.

Except he really wasn’t.

Waiting for him as he exited the small courtroom were five federal agents who cuffed him against the wall, escorted him to the garage and whisked him away in a van along with a dozen other immigrants detained the same day.

They weren’t the only ones. Across the United States in immigration courts from New York to Seattle this week, Homeland Security officials are ramping up enforcement actions in what appears to be a coordinated dragnet testing out new legal levers deployed by President Trump’s administration to carry out mass arrests.

While Trump campaigned on a pledge of mass removals of what he calls “illegals,” he’s struggled to carry out his plans amid a series of lawsuits, the refusal of some foreign governments to take back their nationals and a lack of detention facilities to house migrants.

Arrests are extremely rare in or immediately near immigration courts, which are run by the Justice Department. When they have occurred, it was usually because the individual was charged with a criminal offense or their asylum claim had been denied.

“All this is to accelerate detentions and expedite removals,” said immigration attorney Wilfredo Allen, who has represented migrants at the Miami court for decades.

Dismissal orders came down this week, officials say

Three U.S. immigration officials said government attorneys were given the order to start dismissing cases when they showed up for work Monday, knowing full well that federal agents would then have a free hand to arrest those same individuals as soon as they stepped out of the courtroom. All spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared losing their jobs.

AP reporters on Wednesday witnessed detentions and arrests or spoke to attorneys whose clients were picked up at immigration courthouses in Los Angeles, Phoenix, New York, Seattle, Chicago and Texas.

The latest effort includes people who have no criminal records, migrants with no legal representation and people who are seeking asylum, according to reports received by the American Immigration Lawyers Assn. While detentions have been happening over the past few months, on Tuesday the number of reports skyrocketed, said Vanessa Dojaquez-Torres, practice and policy counsel at the association.

In the case of Serrano in Miami, the request for dismissal was delivered by a government attorney who spoke without identifying herself on the record. When the AP asked for the woman’s name, she refused and hastily exited the courtroom past one of the groups of plainclothes federal agents stationed throughout the building.

The Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review, which oversees immigration courts, referred questions to the Department of Homeland Security. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is part of Homeland Security, said in a statement that it was detaining people who are subject to fast-track deportation authority.

Outside the Miami courthouse on Wednesday, a Cuban man was waiting for one last glimpse of his 22-year-old son. Initially, when his son’s case was dismissed, his father assumed it was a first, positive step toward legal residency. But the hoped-for reprieve quickly turned into a nightmare.

“My whole world came crashing down,” said the father, breaking down in tears. The man, who asked not to be identified for fear of arrest, described his son as a good kid who rarely left his Miami home except to go to work.

“We thought coming here was a good thing,” he said of his son’s court appearance.

Antonio Ramos, an immigration attorney with an office next to the Miami courthouse, said the government’s new tactics are likely to have a chilling effect in Miami’s large migrant community, discouraging otherwise law-abiding individuals from showing up for their court appearances for fear of arrest.

“People are going to freak out like never before,” he said.

‘He didn’t even have a speeding ticket’

Serrano entered the U.S. in September 2022 after fleeing his homeland due to threats associated with his work as an advisor to a politician in the Colombian capital, Bogota, according to his girlfriend, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being arrested and deported. Last year, he submitted a request for asylum, she said.

She said the couple met working on a cleanup crew to remove debris near Tampa following Hurricane Ian in September 2022.

“He was shy and I’m extroverted,” said the woman, who is from Venezuela.

The couple slept on the streets when they relocated to Miami but eventually scrounged together enough money — she cleaning houses, he working construction — to buy a used car and rent a one-bedroom apartment for $1,400 a month.

The apartment is decorated with photos of the two in better times, standing in front of the Statue of Liberty in New York, visiting a theme park and lounging at the beach. She said the two worked hard, socialized little and lived a law-abiding life.

“He didn’t even have a speeding ticket. We both drive like grandparents,” she said.

The woman was waiting outside the courthouse when she received a call from her boyfriend. “He told me to go, that he had been arrested and there was nothing more to do,” she said.

She was still processing the news and deciding how she would break it to his elderly parents. Meanwhile, she called an attorney recommended by a friend to see if anything could be done to reverse the arrest.

“I’m grateful for any help,” she said as she shuffled through her boyfriend’s passport, migration papers and IRS tax receipts. “Unfortunately, not a lot of Americans want to help us.”

Goodman and Salomon write for the Associated Press. AP reporters Martha Bellisle in Seattle, Sophia Tareen in Chicago, Valerie Gonzalez in McAllen, Texas, and Amy Taxin in Santa Ana, Calif., contributed to this report.