Marc

Oct. 18 (UPI) — Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has apologized for backing President Donald Trump possibly sending the National Guard to San Francisco, where the tech company is based.

Benioff had complained about crime problems outside the company’s annual Dreamforce conference in downtown San Francisco from Tuesday through Thursday, which drew about 45,000 attendees.

“We don’t have enough cops, so if they can be cops, I’m all for it,” Benioff told The New York Times on Tuesday, noting he had the pay for several hundred off-duty law enforcement to help patrol the Moscone Center.

On Friday, he changed his stance.

“Having listened closely to my fellow San Franciscans and our local officials, and after the largest and safest Dreamforce in our history, I do not believe the National Guard is needed to address safety in San Francisco,” Benioff wrote in a post on X in a post on X.

“My earlier comment came from an abundance of caution around the event, and I sincerely apologize for the concern it caused. It’s my firm belief that our city makes the most progress when we all work together in a spirit of partnership. I remain deeply grateful to Mayor [Daniel] Lurie, SFPD, and all our partners, and am fully committed to a safer, stronger San Francisco.”

The Trump administration already has deployed the National Guard to Portland, Ore.; Memphis, Tenn., and Chicago in a crackdown on illegal immigration and crime. Lower courts blocked the deployments of the troops.

On Tuesday, Trump told in the Oval Office that “we have great support in San Francisco” for sending troops to the city, apparently a reference to Benioff. He urged FBI Director Kash Patel to make San Francisco “next” for deployment.

Benioff’s suggestion was condemned by politicians, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, investors and those associated with the company.

Newsom, who was mayor of San Francisco, is a friend of Benioff and appeared at last year’s company convention.

More than 180 Salesforce workers, alumni and community members wrote an open letter on Friday that was published online. They said his comments have “revealed a troubling hypocrisy.”

“Salesforce was built on empowering communities — not deploying the National Guard into them,” they wrote. “Last week, that’s exactly what you endorsed.’

The letter added: “Walking back your words doesn’t undo the damage.”

Startup investor Ron Conway resigned from the board of the Salesforce Foundation on Thursday. Conway told Benioff in an email that their “values were no longer aligned,” according to the New York Times.

Conway donated around $500,000 to at least two funds tied to Kamala Harris’ unsuccessful 2024 presidential election campaign.

Benioff has donated to both political parties but has supported Harris, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for president. He attended a state dinner by King Charles for Trump at Windsor Castle in England on Sept. 15.

His family and Salesforce have given more than $1 billion to Bay Area causes, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Benioff, who acquired Time magazine in 2018, has a net worth of $8.8 billion, ranking 381st in the world, according to Forbes.

Laurene Powell Jobs, a pre-eminent philanthropist, criticized Benioff for his remarks.

“When wealth becomes a substitute for participation, giving is reduced to performance art — proof of virtue, a way to appear magnanimous while still demanding ownership,” she wrote in the Wall Street Journal. “That’s the quiet corruption corroding modern philanthropy: the ability to give as a license to impose one’s will. It’s a kind of moral laundering, where so-called benevolence masks self-interest.”

Conservatives have rallied behind the Salesforce CEO.

Venture capitalist David Sacks, who is now Trump’s artificial intelligence and crypto czar, wrote on X : “Dear Marc @Benioff, if the Democrats don’t want you, we would be happy for you to join our team. “Cancel culture is over, and we are the inclusive party.”

Benioff has previously complained about crime in the city. In 2023, he threatened to relocate Dreamforce to Las Vegas over concerns about drug use, crime and homelessness.

Salesforce has attempted to get on the good side of the Trump administration as the company seeks regulatory approval for its proposed $8 billion acquisition of Informatica, an AI-powered cloud data management company.

Salesforce a few weeks ago announced a new line of business, Missionforce, for more revenue from defense, intelligence and aerospace agencies.

The New York Times also reported that Salesforce has offered its services to increase Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s capabilities.

Salesforce is a cloud-based software company founded in 1999 by Benioff, a former Oracle executive.

The company has a market capitalization of $238 billion with $38 billion in revenue in 2025 and 76,453 employees. The public company is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Marc Benioff has become the latest Silicon Valley tech leader to signal his approval of President Trump, saying that the president is doing a great job and ought to deploy the National Guard to deal with crime in San Francisco.

The Salesforce chief executive’s comments came as he headed to San Francisco to host his annual Dreamforce conference — an event for which he said he had to hire hundreds of off-duty police to provide security.

“We don’t have enough cops, so if they [National Guard] can be cops, I’m all for it,” he told The New York Times from aboard his private plane.

The National Guard is generally not allowed to perform domestic law enforcement duties when federalized by the president.

Last month, a federal judge ruled that Trump’s use of National Guard soldiers in Los Angeles violated the Posse Comitatus Act — which restricts use of the military for domestic law enforcement — and ordered that the troops not be used in law enforcement operations within California.

Trump has also ordered the National Guard to deploy to cities such as Portland, Ore., and Chicago, citing the need to protect federal officers and assets in the face of ongoing immigration protests. Those efforts have been met with criticism from local leaders and are the subject of ongoing legal battles.

President Trump has yet to direct troops to Northern California, but suggested in September that San Francisco could be a target for deployment. He has said that cities with Democratic political leadership such as San Francisco, Chicago and Los Angeles “are very unsafe places and we are going to straighten them out.”

“I told [Defense Secretary] Pete [Hegseth] we should use some of these dangerous cities as training for our military, our national guard,” Trump said.

Benioff’s call to send National Guard troops to San Francisco drew sharp rebukes from several of the region’s elected Democratic leaders.

San Francisco Dist. Atty. Brooke Jenkins said she “can’t be silent any longer” and threatened to prosecute any leaders or troops who harass residents in a fiery statement on X.

“I am responsible for holding criminals accountable, and that includes holding government and law enforcement officials too, when they cross the bounds of the law,” she said. “If you come to San Francisco and illegally harass our residents, use excessive force or cross any other boundaries that the law prescribes, I will not hesitate to do my job and hold you accountable just like I do other violators of the law every single day.”

State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) also took to X to express indignation, saying “we neither need nor want an illegal military occupation in San Francisco.”

“Salesforce is a great San Francisco company that does so much good for our city,” he said. “Inviting Trump to send the National Guard here is not one of those good things. Quite the opposite.”

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office offered a more muted response, touting the mayor’s efforts to boost public safety in general, but declining to directly address Benioff’s remarks.

Charles Lutvak, a spokesperson for the mayor, noted that the city is seeing net gains in both police officers and sheriff’s deputies for the first time in a decade. He also highlighted Lurie’s efforts to bring police staffing up to 2,000 officers.

“Crime is down nearly 30% citywide and at its lowest point in decades,” Lutvak said. “We are moving in the right direction and will continue to prioritize safety and hiring while San Francisco law enforcement works every single day to keep our city safe.”

When contacted by The Times Friday night, the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who vociferously opposed the deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles, did not issue a comment in response to Benioff.

Benioff and Newsom have long been considered friends, with a relationship dating back to when Newsom served as San Francisco’s mayor. Newsom even named Benioff as godfather to one of his children, according to the San Francisco Standard.

Benioff has often referred to himself as an independent. He has donated to several liberal causes, including a $30-million donation to UC San Francisco to study homelessness, and has contributed to prior political campaigns of former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Kamala Harris, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Hillary Clinton.

However, he has also donated to the campaigns of former House Speaker Paul Ryan and Sen. John McCain, both Republicans, and supported tougher-on-crime policies and reducing government spending.

Earlier this year, Benioff also praised the Elon Musk-led federal cost-cutting effort known as the Department of Government Efficiency.

“I fully support the president,” Benioff told the New York Times this week. “I think he’s doing a great job.”

MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez suffered a right collarbone injury following a high speed crash at the Indonesian Grand Prix.

The Spaniard, who won his seventh world title in the last round in Japan, was seen clutching his right shoulder after an opening lap incident with Marco Bezzecchi.

Bezzecchi had dropped from pole to seventh place behind Marquez and, as the Italian tried to overtake the 2025 champion, he instead went into the back of him and both went off into the gravel.

Marquez, who has failed to finish a grand prix in four attempts at the Mandalika International Circuit, was later seen with his arm in a sling.

“As a result of today’s crash in Mandalika, Marc Marquez has suffered an injury to his right collarbone,” said a statement from his Ducati team.

“The Spanish rider will travel tonight to Madrid (Spain) for further medical tests and to decide on the treatment to follow.”

The injury is to the shoulder of the arm Marquez broke in 2020, which required a number of operations.

The race in Indonesia was won by Spain’s Fermin Aldeguer as he claimed his first MotoGP victory.

“I don’t believe it. I am super happy,” he said. “To be a rookie, we are doing incredible work. We have to continue like this, thank you everyone.”

Fans of the seminal, long-running podcast “WTF With Marc Maron” — and I count myself among them — have been treated to thousands of deep-dive interviews with a starry array of actors, musicians, comics and even some politicians (Barack Obama was a guest in 2015). It’s also been an intimate window into the conflicted inner life of the show’s eponymous host. Maron has seemingly pulled few if any punches in his podcast’s opening monologues as he’s held forth on everything from his fraught emotional state and his two-decade struggle with drug and alcohol addiction (he’s been sober since 1999) to the untimely 2020 death of his romantic partner, the well-regarded indie filmmaker Lynn Shelton (“Humpday,” “Your Sister’s Sister”).

Much of this personal territory and more is revisited in the absorbing, fly-on-the-wall-style documentary “Are We Good?” (named after Maron’s “WTF” sign-off phrase), produced and directed by Steven Feinartz.

Feinartz, who also directed Maron’s last two HBO stand-up specials, began filming his subject in 2021. He trailed Maron as he performed in comedy clubs from Los Angeles to Montreal, recorded his podcast from the garage studio of his Glendale home, visited with his elderly father and, most pivotally, worked through the soul-crushing loss of Shelton. That loss becomes the driving force of the doc, with Maron’s grief informing his daily life and thought process, while also providing cathartic, darkly humorous fodder for his stand-up gigs.

It’s a tricky balancing act that Feinartz depicts with candor, grace and patience, never letting the film’s provocative pathos turn overly grim or sentimental. A stand-up bit in which Maron recalls his ghoulish urge to snap a hospital selfie after bidding goodbye to the deceased Shelton (don’t worry, he decided against it) provides a gulp-worthy example of the comic’s brazen yet reflective approach to the world around him.

That Shelton died at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic made for an additionally cruel and difficult time for Maron, who was unable to share his pain with many others as social distancing took over. He eventually found the funny in that conundrum as well, incorporating the memory into his routine with satiric glee.

Anyone familiar with Maron’s grumpy, F-bomb-tossing persona will likely savor these 90 or so minutes in his swirlingly neurotic company. He unabashedly leans into that vibe here, even while wrangling his pair of self-possessed cats. While Maron sometimes kvetches about Feinartz’s hovering cameras, he seems to have given him a kind of all-access pass to his daily life in a way that belies his trademark crankiness. He may be a reluctant showman, but he’s a showman nonetheless.

The uninitiated, however, might find Maron somewhat less engaging. He readily self-identifies as “selfish, anxious and panicky” and for some, a little of that may go a long way. Still, it’s not hard to relate to his many cogent musings (“How do you love somebody else if you really can’t love yourself?”) as well as to respect he clearly had for Shelton, who’s seen here in an array of luminous, heartbreaking clips.

Other comic talents such as Nate Bargatze, David Cross, Caroline Rhea, Michaela Watkins and John Mulaney also weigh in, bringing a mix of the sincere and the droll to their frank and friendly observations about Maron. On his podcasts and elsewhere, Maron has spoken at length about growing up with narcissistic, emotionally detached parents and how that dynamic likely laid the groundwork for his problematic sense of self. Although that’s not discussed in great detail here, the scenes between Maron and his dad, Barry, now in his mid-80s and living with dementia, have a subtle poignance that shows a kinder, more accepting side of the comedian than perhaps even he might have expected.

Meanwhile, a bit more could have been made of Maron’s acting work, a sideline that’s gained momentum over the last decade or so with worthy roles on TV’s “Glow” and “Stick,” and in films including “Joker” and the upcoming “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere.” Maron’s oft-stated uncertainty about his acting ability and the push-pull he has admitted to feeling might have dovetailed nicely with his other qualms.

That said, the profile, which features vivid archival and personal footage and photos of Maron throughout the years, is by no means comprehensive, nor does it try to be. At heart, it’s about a vulnerable man at a unique moment in time and how his past has prepared him — or perhaps not. And we are definitely good for experiencing this singular artist up close.

Spain’s Marc Marquez completed his incredible comeback story as he won his seventh MotoGP World Championship to move level with Italian great Valentino Rossi.

Marquez, 32, finished second at the Japan Grand Prix behind Italian team-mate Francesco Bagnaia to give himself an unassailable lead in the championship standings with five races to go as he secured his first title since 2019.

He held his head in his hands and sobbed on his bike as he crossed the line, before being congratulated by his brother Alex, who was his nearest challenger in the title race this season but finished sixth in Motegi.

“It’s impossible even to speak, I just want to enjoy the moment, but it’s true that it was difficult, it was super difficult, but now I’m at peace with myself,” a tearful Marquez said.

Marquez’s achievement comes after a “nightmare” that started in 2020.

After winning four consecutive championships from 2016 to 2019 he suffered a string of injuries, including breaking his arm in 2020, which needed four operations over two years.

The years that followed were filled with serious injuries and major crashes, and in 2023 he left Honda after 11 years to join Ducati.

“I did a big mistake in my career, to come back too early [from surgery]. And then I fight, fight, fight – and I won again! So I’m at peace,” he added.

Marquez has 11 wins this season and stretched his championship lead to 201 points over his brother in second place.

Marc Guehi tempted by Real Madrid move, Barcelona keep tabs on Erling Haaland and Liverpool interested in Carlos Baleba.

Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, 25, has informed his advisors he would prefer to join Real Madrid after his summer move to Liverpool collapsed. (Mirror), external

Barcelona have identified Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, 25, as a long-term replacement for forward Robert Lewandowski. (Football Insider), external

Premier League champions Liverpool are monitoring Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba. The 21-year-old Cameroon international also remains a target for Manchester United. (Teamtalk), external

Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal are among a number of Premier League sides keeping tabs on Athletic Club and Spain midfielder Oihan Sancet, 25. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external

Manchester United are ready to offer England midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, 20, plus cash in order to sign Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde. However, Real see the Uruguayan midfielder, 27, as not for sale. (Goal), external

Bayern Munich and Manchester United are interested in signing Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, 28, with the Netherlands international’s contract set to expire next summer. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external

Marcus Rashford’s hopes of a transfer to Barcelona have been dented by La Liga’s wage constraints. The Manchester United and England forward, 27, is currently on loan at the Spanish club but financial rules could impact any permanent deal. (Daily Mail), external

Senne Lammens turned down a move to Aston Villa in the summer in favour of joining Manchester United. The 23-year-old Belgian goalkeeper was identified as a potential replacement for Emiliano Martinez if he had left the club. (Birmingham Live), external

The agent of Spurs midfielder Xavi Simons says the 22-year-old Dutch international has “no regrets” following the collapse of his move to Chelsea over the summer. (Metro), external

Marquez’s latest victory means he can clinch a seventh MotoGP world title at the next race in Japan in a fortnight.

Ducati’s Marc Marquez resisted a spirited challenge from Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi to win the San Marino Grand Prix on Sunday, taking his revenge after crashing out of the lead in Saturday’s sprint, and inching closer to the MotoGP title.

Bezzecchi had inherited victory in the sprint when Marquez crashed out. This time, however, the determined Spaniard overtook the Aprilia rider on lap 12, having started on the second row of the grid, and never looked back.

Marquez’s 11th race victory of the season takes him to 512 points – a record tally for a MotoGP rider in a single season – and he celebrated his victory by unzipping his leathers and holding his red suit up on the podium like a matador.

Gresini Racing’s Alex Marquez finished a distant third, and brother Marc, with a 182-point lead, can clinch his seventh title at the Japanese Grand Prix this month.

“Today I gave everything I had. It’s true that the mistake from yesterday gave me extra concentration, extra power, extra energy,” an exhausted Marc Marquez said.

“I was just there following him [Bezzecchi], trying to push him always super close, because it’s impossible to do 27 laps without any mistake. And in the end, he did a small mistake on turn eight, and then I led the race.

“Super important for Ducati; I felt the pressure this weekend.”

Six more rounds remain, but Marc Marquez can now win his first title since 2019 if he outscores brother Alex by just three points in Japan.

Superb launch

At the start, Marc had a superb launch off the line and he veered to the outside to quickly move up to second behind polesitter Bezzecchi while Alex was pushed down to third.

As the top three streaked away, Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo found it difficult to maintain that pace, and he was soon battling with KTM’s Pedro Acosta, who eventually found his way past the former champion to chase the leading pack.

But Acosta’s hopes of fighting for the podium went up in smoke when he retired with a broken chain, with the young Spaniard furiously wagging his finger at the bike after he stopped on the side of the track.

Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia had another race to forget in a nightmare season for the twice champion, who crashed out of seventh place, his third place in the championship now seriously under threat from Bezzecchi.

Up front, Marc continued piling the pressure on Bezzecchi, and the Aprilia rider finally buckled on lap 12 when he was a breath late on the brakes and went wide, opening the door for the red Ducati to ease past him and into the lead.

Unrelenting Bezzecchi

Bezzecchi gave chase, unrelenting and eager to reclaim the lead. But Marc remained calm and the Spaniard was in no mood to crash out of the lead twice in one weekend.

Bezzecchi shook his head in frustration with six laps left as Marc set the fastest lap of the race.

Marc tried his best to shake off the younger Italian, who found an extraordinary late race pace to challenge for the lead. But the Ducati rider responded once again as they traded fastest laps and left third-placed Alex more than six seconds behind.

“Besides [missing out on] the victory, this is maybe the best race of my life, because I was super competitive all weekend – pole position, sprint win, second place,” Bezzecchi said.

“I was close to Marc, who is at the moment the strongest on the grid. I’m very happy, I gave my all, I’m destroyed!”

VR46 Racing riders Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Di Giannantonio finished fourth and fifth, respectively, while Gresini’s Fermin Aldeguer was sixth.

Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart and striker Chris Sutton discuss Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi’s “respectful” approach to the transfer window, after a proposed move to Liverpool collapsed on deadline day.

Watch the Monday Night Club on BBC iPlayer, and listen on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds.

Liverpool have agreed a deal to sign England centre-back Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace.

The 25-year-old will complete the formalities of his move, including a medical, in London on Monday before signing a long-term contract with the Premier League champions.

The deal was agreed after the clubs reached a compromise on the fee for Guehi, with Liverpool having originally tabled an offer of £35m, plus a 10 percent sell-on clause.

Guehi captained Palace to a 3-0 win at Aston Villa in on Monday night in the last of his 162 games for the London club, scoring a spectacular second goal.

Speaking after the match he did not discuss his future.

“All I know is when you score goals like that it is always down to team performance,” he said. “People will try to single out the goal but that was a clear team performance tonight.”

MARC Guehi struck a blow for the good guys as he left Eagles’ boss Oliver Glasner with something to remember him by.

The Palace captain may be moving to pastures new inside the next 24 hours if his proposed move to Liverpool gets the green light.

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But his farewell present was a curling shot that underlined the star quality the Reds are paying for as Unai Emery’s chaotic summer imploded at Villa Park.

Guehi struck Palace’s second goal, building on Jean-Philippe Mateta’s first-half penalty on a night to forget for Villa’s boss.

And Ismaila Sarr rubbed salt into very open wounds by adding a third 12 minutes from time, nodding home after the hosts’ defence had followed the example of keeper Emi Martinez – and gone AWOL.

The Argentinian was left out because his mind was “elsewhere”.

The two-time winner of the world’s best keeper award was nowhere to be seen – apparently his mind was unable to cope with the prospect of a potential move away from Villa Park with Manchester United mulling over an offer.

He was declared unfit to play. And that went too for Emery’s side who spent a large chunk of this going around in circles.

Not so Guehi who may have a money-spinning switch to the champs in the offing.

His name was sung loud and proud by the visiting supporters who were appreciative of his professionalism.

And he had the benefit of celebrating in front of them as Villa’s proud unbeaten record was shattered.

Before tonight, Emery’s side were unbeaten on their own patch in the Premier League over the past 12 months.

But Palace are Villa’s bogey side – and they had a field day.

Glasner’s men have held the upper hand against Villa recently, winning four and drawing one of their last five encounters, including in the FA Cup semi-final four months ago.

As if to hammer home the point, the visiting contingent reminded the hosts of that 3-0 defeat, taunting them with “Did you cry at Wembley?” within seconds of the game getting underway.

By that stage, Villa’s stadium announcer had put a red line through his usual pre-match script which involved introducing the “world’s best” keeper Martinez to the home crowd.

Emery also mumbled his way through a pre-match television interview in which, when quizzed about the Argentinian’s absence, merely repeated the name of the Argentinian’s replacement, saying: “Marco Bizot, Marco Bizot.”

It was a bizarre reply to a fair question. Villa’s boss confirmed last Friday that he “didn’t expect” any of his main stars to leave the club.

It was almost as if any late interest had completely thrown the Spaniard – knocked him out of his stride. Palace then did the same to his team out on the green stuff.

Despite the excitement of a trip to Norway to face Fredrikstad in the Conference League on Thursday evening, Palace came with a game plan that stifled Villa at every turn.

The Eagles looked polished and took a 21st-minute lead when Mateta pulled away from Villa’s two centre-backs to receive a ball from Tyrick Mitchell on the left flank.

The Frenchman spotted Daichi Kamada making a run and threaded a pass into him.

The Japan international pushed the ball past Bizot whose outstretched leg clipped him. Stuart Attwell pointed to the spot.

The Dutch keeper couldn’t stop himself moving as Mateta dithered during his run-up and the Frenchman rolled the ball into the net.

Emery chose to blood Evann Guessand, a £26million signing from Nice, from the start. He showed some nice touches but it was the evergreen Ollie Watkins who posed the greatest threat.

The England international made something out of nothing when John McGinn simply booted the ball down the middle of the pitch, Dean Henderson standing up well to the striker’s shot.

Emery chose to shake it up at the interval. By that stage, Villa were yet to find the net and it was to another Argentinian – a forgotten one – that he turned.

Emi Buendia sparked a response – but it was all huff, puff and no end product.

Guehi then showed them how to do it as Villa failed to clear a Mitchell cross.

Palace moved forward on the left and Guehi took aim with a stunning effort that left Bizot grasping at thin air.

Sarr then sealed the points with a close-range header following a long throw allowing the visiting skipper to leave on a high.

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The six-time MotoGP world champion is undefeated since June and is rapidly closing in on another riders title.

Ducati’s Marc Marquez has delivered a masterclass at the Balaton Park Circuit, winning the first Hungarian Grand Prix in 33 years to secure his seventh straight sprint and main race double and stretching his championship lead to a commanding 175 points.

KTM’s Pedro Acosta and Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi joined Marquez on the podium on Sunday as reigning champion Jorge Martin came fourth – his best finish on the Aprilia since his return from injuries.

Gresini Racing’s Alex Marquez, second in the championship behind his brother, could manage only 14th place after an early fall on the opening lap.

Against the picturesque backdrop of the largest lake in Central Europe, pole-sitter Marc Marquez lost the lead on lap one to drop out of the podium positions, but his tyre strategy proved decisive.

Having clinched his 13th sprint victory of the season on Saturday, Marquez had another good launch to lead into turn one.

But Bezzecchi took the lead on the next turn, as Marquez made contact with the Aprilia and lost speed to drop to fourth.

“Luckily for both of us, I was able to save the crash, and he just continued his way. But from that point, the race changed a bit,” Marquez said.

Bezzecchi and then-second-placed Franco Morbidelli were on soft rear tyres while Marquez was on the medium compound with the Spaniard easily climbing to second once his tyres were fully warmed up.

Acosta also made a smooth overtake on Morbidelli to move up to third, but he had a gap of nearly two seconds with Marquez, who had virtually erased Bezzecchi’s lead as they continually exchanged overtakes.

Marquez pounces

Marquez patiently bided his time, staying on Bezzecchi’s rear wheel. The inevitable moment came on lap 11 when he pounced, using the Aprilia’s slipstream to reclaim the lead before streaking away.

“When I saw that the soft rear tyres started to drop – I was with the medium – I started to attack,” he said. “I had a super nice rhythm. I was flowing on the track.”

Five laps later, Acosta attacked Bezzecchi on the same straight heading into turn one, guiding his KTM past the Aprilia on the inside and carrying that momentum into the next turn to take second.

“I needed the extra grip from the soft [tyre] in braking, so I risked it with the soft. But for us, maybe it was better [to use] the medium,” Bezzecchi said.

Although Acosta had Marquez in his sights, the six-time champion found another gear towards the end of the race and extended his lead to more than three seconds to secure the victory.

However, the second-year MotoGP rider was happy with second place after destroying his bike in a qualifying crash.

“I just want to thank every one of them because yesterday they were working until 2am in the morning to just bring two completely new bikes for this [race],” Acosta said.

The Aprilia garage was all smiles when Martin, who started 16th on the grid, set a fastest lap before finishing fourth – suggesting that injury struggles are now behind him.

Marquez continues his dominance of the 2025 season with a first Austrian GP crown as he closes in on the riders title.

Six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez has marked the 1,000th premier class race in history by winning the Austrian Grand Prix for the first time in his career to take a mammoth 142-point lead over his brother Alex in the championship.

Having won Saturday’s sprint from the second row, Marquez claimed the sprint-race double on Sunday for the sixth Grand Prix in a row. The Spaniard has been unbeaten since the British Grand Prix in May.

Not since 2014 had Marquez claimed six consecutive Grand Prix wins as he moves closer to a seventh MotoGP crown with nine rounds remaining in the 2025 season.

Gresini Racing rookie Fermin Aldeguer found late race pace to finish second while Aprilia’s pole sitter Marco Bezzecchi, who kept Marquez at bay for as long as he could, finished third. Alex Marquez finished 10th after serving a long-lap penalty.

“Super, super happy to finally take the first victory here in Austria,” Marc Marquez said.

“I’m happy with six victories in a row, but [I need to] keep focus. Next week, we have another race.”

Bezzecchi had claimed his first pole with Aprilia on Saturday, and despite finishing fourth in the sprint, this time he had the perfect launch to lead Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez into turn one.

The two Ducatis went side by side on lap one when Marc Marquez briefly overtook his teammate, but Bagnaia did not relent and took the place back to stay in second.

However, Marc Marquez made the same move on the next lap to take second and set his sights on Bezzecchi, waiting for the right opportunity to pounce.

“In the first part he [Bezzecchi] was super strong, but then I just waited. I tried in the beginning, but it was too risky. Then I preferred to wait and attack in the end,” the winner added.

Alex Marquez had a poor start, and with a long-lap penalty to serve for causing a crash at the Czech Grand Prix, the younger Marquez sibling fell out of the top 10 when he rejoined the field.

Marquez pressure

Bezzecchi soaked up the pressure, but the Aprilia rider was unable to shake off the red Ducati hunting him down.

Bagnaia was struggling with his bike, and he eventually faded, giving way to KTM’s Pedro Acosta and Aldeguer as the two youngsters fought for third.

Bagnaia had been undefeated in Austria for three years, but he was a shadow of the ringmaster who had dominated at the Red Bull Ring since 2022 as he was bumped down to eighth.

Marquez finally attacked on lap 19 and squeezed past the Aprilia, but Bezzecchi put his head down and took first place back from the Spaniard, eager to deny him a first victory at the Red Bull Ring.

But Marquez was on the ascendancy, and he finally broke Bezzecchi’s resistance on the next lap, using the Aprilia’s slipstream to dive into turn one and take the lead.

As Bezzecchi made a futile attempt to reel Marquez in, Aldeguer made a play for second place, and the Gresini rookie made his move with five laps to go on turn one to slot in behind Marquez.

Marquez responded to the challenge and kept Aldeguer at bay to take the chequered flag, but the rookie was over the moon with his best result in MotoGP.

“I’m super happy because at the end, Austria is not one of my favourite tracks like Le Mans,” he said. “Making two podiums on bad tracks for me is incredible.”

The 14th round of the MotoGP world championship will be held at Balaton Park in Hungary next weekend.

Liverpool have agreed a deal to sign 18-year-old defender Giovanni Leoni from Parma, Reds manager Arne Slot has revealed.

The centre-half has been a key target for Slot and is now set to move to Anfield in a deal worth in the region of £26m.

The Italy Under-19s international began his career at Padova and had a short spell at Sampdoria before joining Parma last summer.

He enjoyed a breakthrough Serie A campaign last season, making 17 appearances as Parma finished 16th, five points above the relegation zone.

“The clubs have agreed a deal but he has not signed for us yet. The moment he does, I can go into more detail,” Slot said.

The Reds boss refused to comment when asked about a potential move for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.

“He’s not our player. Unfortunately, he was the captain of the team who we lost to last Sunday. If you want to have any talks about him you should go to Palace and [manager Oliver] Glasner and ask him about it,” Slot said.

FA Cup winners Palace are believed to want £40m for their captain, who only has 12 months left on his contract, but Liverpool want to pay less than that.

Eagles chairman Steve Parish said earlier this week Guehi might be sold to avoid him moving on a free transfer next summer.

If the clubs do agree a deal, the level of playing time he would be afforded at Liverpool will be a crucial consideration for Guehi in a World Cup year.

The Reds have already spent about £270m this summer, though they have recouped about £170m through player sales.

They have also had a £110m bid for Alexander Isak rejected by Newcastle, though sources have told BBC Sport the Swede remains determined to move to the Premier League champions.

Signing Leoni, Guehi and Isak would take Liverpool’s summer spending past £400m.

Defending champions Liverpool begin their 2025-26 Premier League campaign in Friday’s curtain-raiser against Bournemouth at Anfield.

Marc Maron is not interested in being just another podcaster in a sea of mediocrity.

In a new interview, the comic — who recently announced the end of his popular and long-lived podcast “WTF” — criticized the current podcast landscape as awash in meh.

“Things were better before everyone had a voice,” Maron told the Hollywood Reporter in an interview published Wednesday. “Now there’s just hundreds of groups of two or three white guys, sitting behind mics, talking about the last time they s— their pants as adults. We live in a world of mediocre afternoon drive-time radio.”

“A lot of yammering in makeshift studios. It’s lowering the bar for everything,” he added.

Maron started “WTF” in 2009 out of his garage, where he interviews guests. Through the years, he has talked to comedians, actors, musicians and even a sitting president. During an episode with comedian John Mulaney in June, he announced the show will come to an end “sometime in the fall.”

Distaste for mediocrity has been a theme for the comic in recent weeks. “The world has changed a bit and, you know, the sort of uniqueness of whatever the hell’s happening,” Maron said during his appearance last week on the “Howie Mandel Does Stuff” podcast. “There’s enough people yammering in the world.”

In his latest comedy special, Maron pokes fun at how certain podcast hosts are, in his eyes, pandering to the far right.

“If Hitler were alive today, I think he’d probably appear on Theo Von’s podcast,” the comedian jokes in “Panicked,” which premiered Aug. 1 on HBO.

In his podcast, Von explores various topics, including his struggles with drug abuse and mental health, with different guests — who include politicians as well as comedians.

Maron continues by playing out a scene in which the comedian host of “This Past Weekend With Theo Von” questions Hitler about the amount of meth the Nazis consumed. At one point, Maron impersonates Von blaming the hate Hitler had on the amount of drugs he did.

“WTF” continues with episodes coming out Mondays and Thursdays until it ends in the fall. Maron did not respond to a request for a comment before publication.

Six-time MotoGP world champ continues his supreme 2025 season, becoming first Ducati rider to win five consecutive GPs.

Marc Marquez has won the Czech MotoGP for his eighth victory in 12 races this season and his fifth in a row, extending his commanding lead in the world championship.

The factory Ducati rider beat Marco Bezzecchi on an Aprilia by almost two seconds on Sunday while Pedro Acosta on a KTM came in third in his first podium finish of the season.

Marquez had a fifth straight perfect weekend, winning both the sprint on Saturday and Sunday’s race.

The 32-year-old Spaniard now leads the world championship with 381 points, 120 ahead of his younger brother, Alex, who crashed, and 168 ahead of Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia.

“It has been a super first part of the season and especially these last races,” Marc Marquez said.

“I feel better and better, and I’m riding super good,” he added.

Marquez outpaces his rivals

Bagnaia started from pole on a sunny Sunday at Brno but retained the lead only until the second lap when Bezzecchi eased past him, and Marc Marquez followed suit soon afterwards.

Acosta did the same to settle down in third after getting a boost from a third-place finish in Saturday’s sprint.

Marquez glided past Bezzecchi on lap eight as the runaway trio kept building up their lead and, as so often this season, kept widening the gap comfortably.

The three stayed put until the finish line although fourth-placed Bagnaia gave Acosta a hard time, pressing from behind.

“The first lap was unbelievable,” Bezzecchi said.

“I had so much fun in the first half of the race, but unfortunately, when Marc passed me, I immediately saw that he had something more.”

“I tried to attack, but he was strong. Anyway, I made a fantastic performance. I’m very, very happy,” the Italian added.

Reigning world champion Jorge Martin collected his first points after finishing seventh in the first race he has completed this year.

Martin sat out the first three races after two preseason crashes, and when he returned at Qatar in April, he crashed heavily again and missed the next seven events.

Brno returns faster than ever

Marc Marquez took 40 minutes 04.628 seconds to complete the 21 laps on the resurfaced 5.4km (3.4-mile) Brno circuit, which returned to the MotoGP calendar after a five-year break due to financial woes.

The enhanced on-track results of the Brno resurfacing were evident with lap times this year several seconds under the previous lap record.

Bezzecchi crossed the line 1.753 seconds adrift of Marquez, while Acosta trailed the six-time MotoGP champion by 3.366 seconds.

Almost 220,000 fans were in the stands for the weekend as Marquez recorded his fourth MotoGP win at Brno after victories in 2013, 2017 and 2019.

Alex Marquez retired after crashing on lap two to leave Brno without a point after a disappointing 17th spot in the sprint race.

He took out Joan Mir, who also walked away from the gravel safety area, just like Enea Bastianini a lap later.

Japan’s Takaaki Nakagami was ruled out of the race after suffering a knee injury in a crash in Saturday’s sprint.

The MotoGP circus will now take a break and resume with the Austrian GP on August 15-17.

“Now it’s the summer break but still 10 races to go. Time to relax, but in Austria I [will] keep the same mentality with the same intensity,” Marc Marquez said.

He is eyeing his seventh MotoGP world title – and first since 2019 – which would put him level with Valentino Rossi and one behind the legendary Giacomo Agostini.

Marc Marquez stages a lights-to-flag victory to record his ninth German MotoGP victory as podium contenders crash out.

Marc Marquez proved once again why he is known as the “King of Sachsenring” when the Ducati rider marked his 200th MotoGP start by winning the German Grand Prix in a race that became a test of survival after only 10 of 18 riders finished.

Marquez’s ninth MotoGP victory at the Sachsenring stretched his championship lead over brother Alex, who finished second, to 83 points while Marc’s teammate Francesco Bagnaia finished third to sit 147 points behind.

Alex Marquez had started fifth on the grid and took second in his 100th MotoGP start despite still recovering from a fractured hand he suffered at the Dutch Grand Prix two weeks ago, which required surgery.

Several riders crashed over the course of the race, especially at turn one – including VR46 Racing’s Fabio Di Giannantonio and Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi when they were in second place.

But the day belonged to Marc Marquez as he marked his latest triumph at his favourite hunting ground by standing on his bike and doing a jig as he passed the chequered flag – a fourth straight weekend where he had won both the sprint and the race.

“One more [win at the Sachsenring] was super special. From the beginning, I felt good, the confidence when I started the weekend was super high because we were coming from three victories in a row,” he said.

“We are in an incredible moment. Now we can say that half the season is done. Now [the second] half we still need to be super concentrated.”

More riders fall in the challenging conditions

Pedro Acosta became the third rider to crash early on after Lorenzo Savadori and Miguel Oliveira, with the young Spaniard gesturing at his fallen machine in frustration.

Di Giannantonio had broken the lap record in Friday’s practice and given Marc Marquez a tough time early in the sprint race on Saturday.

But the Italian was unable to push any harder to catch up to Marquez, who found a comfortable rhythm and pace to surge more than two seconds ahead despite easing off the throttle on two laps to conserve his tyres.

As Marquez’s lead stretched to more than three seconds, Di Giannantonio’s challenge came to an end on the downhill braking zone on turn one when he lost control and crashed, with his bike tumbling across the gravel while he escaped unhurt.

LCR Honda’s Johann Zarco, who started second on the grid before getting pushed down the order, crashed at the same turn seconds later.

Bezzecchi had moved up to second, but the Aprilia rider also bit the dust on the very next lap at turn one, moving Alex Marquez up to second while Bagnaia suddenly found himself in the podium positions.

The crashes did not end there as Trackhouse Racing’s Ai Ogura lost his balance on turn one and ended up taking out Honda’s Joan Mir in the process, leaving only 10 of the 18 starters.

Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo finished fourth ahead of Alex Marquez’s Gresini Racing teammate Fermin Aldeguer.

Marc Marquez extended his lead in the MotoGP world championship standings with victory in the Dutch MotoGP despite starting on the second row in Assen.

The Spaniard, 32, who also won Saturday’s sprint race after recovering from two crashes in practice, finished clear of Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi.

His Ducati team-mate Francesco Bagnaia, who had been chasing a fourth consecutive win at the Dutch track, was third.

Marquez’s younger brother Alex, who is his closest rival in the standings, fractured his hand in a crash with Pedro Acosta.

The 29-year-old, who is now 68 points behind his older brother, jumped back to his feet but was gingerly holding his wrist as he was biked back to the pit lane and was taken to the medical centre for a check-up.

“I am sorry for Alex, my father says he injured a finger, but racing is like this,” said Marc.

“Of course I am super happy with the job the team did on Friday [after the crashes] and all weekend, amazing weekend.

“Assen is not one of my best tracks.”

Although it was Bagnaia who made the best start, Marquez moved into second on the second lap and passed his team-mate on the fifth lap.

He set the fastest race lap at the halfway mark of the 26-lap race and went on to claim his sixth victory of the season to move him level with the legendary Giacomo Agostini on 68 elite wins, but still 21 adrift of Valentino Rossi.

The next race weekend is in Germany on 12-13 July and will mark the mid-point of the 22-race season.

Marc Marquez beats Marco Bezzecchi in a drama-filled race that claimed his brother Alex, who crashed out of the contest.

Marc Marquez delivered a clinical masterclass at MotoGP’s Cathedral of Speed to claim victory at the Dutch Grand Prix while his brother and closest contender Alex suffered a race-ending crash that left him with a fractured hand.

As Assen celebrated its centenary of motorcycle racing, the elder Marquez seized control on the second lap on Sunday and did not look back as he extended his championship advantage to a commanding 68 points over Alex as he seeks a seventh title.

Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi finished second while Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia came third, with the two-times champion now staring at a daunting 126-point gap to his teammate after 10 rounds.

Bagnaia had won the last three races in Assen but despite taking the lead early on, he was pushed down to fourth place before he recovered to finish on the podium ahead of KTM’s Pedro Acosta.

Marc, who crashed hard twice on Friday, also equalled motorcycling great Giacomo Agostini with 68 premier class victories and now sets his sights on his former rival Valentino Rossi who finished his career with 89 wins.

Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo had claimed pole position but crashed in Saturday’s sprint – where Marc claimed his ninth victory
of the season – and the Frenchman was slow off the line while Bagnaia made the perfect start.

Gresini Racing’s Alex was in second place but on turn one of the next lap, Marc made his move to overtake his brother and slot in behind his teammate, waiting patiently to pounce with 24 laps left in the race.

Alex briefly lost his concentration and Bezzecchi, sporting a new aero package on his Aprilia, squeezed his way past the Gresini rider while Acosta also made an overtake stick to push the younger Marquez down to fifth.

Alex Marquez crashes out

Up front, Marc found a gap before the final chicane on lap five to overtake Bagnaia and take the lead while his brother Alex crashed heavily when he leaned into Acosta and lost his balance when they made contact in a battle for fourth.

Alex appeared to lock his front tyre in the incident, which gave a puff of smoke as the bike tipped its rider straight onto the ground.

He was immediately taken to the medical centre where a left hand fracture was confirmed, with Gresini saying the 29-year-old would fly to Madrid for surgery later on Sunday. More information about Alex’s expected recovery timeline is expected to emerge on Monday.

Bagnaia seemed to be losing pace as both Bezzecchi and Acosta moved into podium positions. But the Italian Ducati rider snatched third place back from Acosta at the end of lap 14 to set his sights on Bezzecchi.

But whatever Bezzecchi did to put pressure on Marc, the six-times MotoGP champion did not budge as he managed his tyres and maintained his pace until he took the chequered flag.

The MotoGP calendar has a weekend off before they reunite for the German Grand Prix in a fortnight.

Six-time MotoGP world champ beat brother Alex and Fabio Di Giannantonio to sweep podium for local manufacturer Ducati.

Ducati’s Marc Marquez won the Italian Grand Prix after a dogfight for podium places at the Mugello Circuit, taking the chequered flag ahead of his brother Alex to maintain his iron grip on the MotoGP riders’ championship.

Gresini Racing’s Alex Marquez briefly led the race early on Sunday before Marc took control, while Fabio Di Giannantonio of VR46 Racing claimed third place after snatching the final podium spot from his Italian compatriot Francesco Bagnaia.

Home favourite Bagnaia also led the race in the initial stages, but the factory Ducati rider, who had won the last three races at Mugello, was overshadowed by the Marquez brothers and could only finish fourth in front of his home fans.

Marc Marquez’s victory was also the 93rd win of his career across all classes, matching his motorcycle number, and the Spaniard celebrated by planting a Ducati flag in front of the home fans who once saw him as a rival when he was with Honda.

“Amazing feeling … three Ducatis on the podium, to win here [at Mugello] in the red,” said Marc, who now leads Alex by 40 points while Bagnaia is 110 points back in third.

“I already understood this morning that was super special for them, even for me, because I feel part of them. Super happy.

“We managed the race … I was calm and then when the tyres dropped a bit, I started to give everything. Happy to take the 37 points in this amazing weekend.”

Fresh from claiming his historic 100th career pole with a blistering lap record and Saturday’s unlikely sprint victory, Marc found himself locked in a fraternal battle with Alex – a running theme this season.

The opening laps unfolded as a masterclass in close-quarter racing between the two factory Ducati machines – their special Italian Renaissance livery flashing through Mugello’s sweeping turns – while Alex stayed on their tails.

Bagnaia denied victory at home race

The crowd erupted when Bagnaia briefly snatched the lead from Marc after turn one, but what followed was high-speed drama as they traded positions, occasionally making heart-stopping contact with each other.

Disaster nearly struck when Bagnaia, pushing his bike to the limit, touched Marc’s rear tyre as he was forced to brake hard and surrender his position to Alex.

Fans in the grandstand witnessed a spectacular moment when all three riders thundered into turn one abreast, a three-wide gamble that saw Alex briefly seize control, drop to third on the brakes and then reclaim the lead moments later on the exit.

But Marc eventually broke free, leaving brother Alex to doggedly defend second position against a relentless Bagnaia.

However, the Italian did not have the late-race pace to catch up, and he was soon forced to defend the final podium place, with Di Giannantonio looking to upstage his compatriot.

With two laps to go, Di Giannantonio made his move on turn seven as he squeezed past the two-time champion and raced away to claim his first podium finish at Mugello.

“I knew that I had to risk a lot to take him, but at the end, the last lap, I said, ‘OK, let’s go for it,’ and we’ve done it,” Di Giannantonio said.

“My first podium in MotoGP Mugello, in front of this fantastic group of fans.”

Birmingham City have expressed an interest in signing £7.5m-rated ex-Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi, 30, from French Ligue 1 side Rennes. (Sponichi Annex – via Scottish Sun), external

Turkish club Trabzonspor have agreed a fee in the region of £6.8m (€8m) with Southampton for striker Paul Onuachu, 31, and negotiations over personal terms are ongoing. (Fabrizio Romano), external

The Saints have rejected a £10m (€12m) bid for winger Kamaldeen Sulemana, 23, from Italian Serie A side Atalanta, who are managed by former Southampton boss Ivan Juric. (Sky Sports), external

Southampton and Sheffield United face stiff competition from Leeds, Wolves and four German Bundesliga clubs to sign French striker Willem Geubbels, 23, from Swiss Super League side St Gallen after he netted 14 goals in 31 games last season. (L’Equipe – in French), external

Watford are set to sign Udinese defender James Abankwah, 21, and Chelsea left-back Caleb Wiley, 20, on loan again for the 2025-26 campaign after they both spent the second half of last season with the Hornets. (Sky Sports), external

Wrexham are targeting a move for former England duo Danny Ings, 32, and Aaron Cresswell, 35, from Premier League side West Ham United. (Mirror), external

Middlesbrough have shown interest in signing Chelsea defender Alfie Gilchrist, 21, who spent last season on loan at Championship rivals Sheffield United. (Yorkshire Post), external

Blackburn Rovers winger Tyrhys Dolan has drawn interest from Norwich City and Scottish giants Celtic and Rangers with the 23-year-old’s contract at Ewood Park set to expire this summer. (Football League World), external

Blackpool are interested in signing Millwall midfielder George Honeyman, 30, and Birmingham City midfielder Brandon Khela, 20, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Bradford City. (Blackpool Gazette), external