Elena Rybakina beat Jessica Pegula for a fifth straight time to move into the Miami Open semi-finals, winning 2-6 6-3 6-4.
Australian Open champion Rybakina was the losing finalist in Miami in both 2023 and 2024, while her American opponent was runner-up in last year’s competition.
Pegula, 32, took a 4-0 lead on her way to the first set, but Rybakina rallied and hit 15 aces and saved eight of 10 break points to come through.
She will face either world number one Aryna Sabalenka in a rematch of the Australian Open final, or the unseeded American Hailey Baptiste in the last four.
“It’s always very difficult playing Jessica,” said Rybakina, 26.
“She started playing well, and I was rushing and frustrated, but I’m happy that I managed to bounce back and turn it around in the second set.”
American fourth seed Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic play in the other semi-final on Thursday.
If Gauff reaches the final, she will overtake former world number one Iga Swiatek to move third in the WTA rankings next week.
Sinner made it 28 sets in a row by beating Michelsen but did not have it all his own way. Having taken the first set, he fell 5-2 down in the second before coming back to win on a tie-break.
The four-time Grand Slam winner has triumphed at the past two Masters 1,000 tournaments – at Indian Wells earlier this month and Paris in November – without losing a set.
In the women’s draw, Coco Gauff takes on Belinda Bencic in a quarter-final later on Tuesday, while Karolina Muchova was the first to power into the semis with a 7-5 7-6 (7-5) win against Canada’s Victoria Mboko.
Third seed Elena Rybakina ended Talia Gibson’s run late on Monday with a comprehensive 6-2 6-2 win to move into the last eight.
The 21-year-old Australian had won 11 of her past 12 matches but was outclassed by two-time Grand Slam champion Rybakina, who will face fifth seed Jessica Pegula on Wednesday.
MIAMI — Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified in court that he had no knowledge that former Florida congressman David Rivera was lobbying on behalf of Venezuela’s government — as prosecutors later alleged — when he met with his longtime friend to discuss U.S. policy toward the South American country several times at the start of the first Trump administration.
“I would’ve been shocked” had I known, Rubio said in almost three hours of testimony Tuesday at Rivera’s federal trial in Miami.
Rivera and an associate were charged in 2022 with money laundering and failing to register as a foreign agent after being awarded a $50-million lobbying contract by Nicolás Maduro’s government.
Prosecutors allege that the goal of the lobbying effort was to persuade the White House to normalize relations with Venezuela, while Rivera’s attorneys argue that the three-month contract, which ended before Rivera met with Rubio, was focused exclusively on luring Exxon Mobil back to Venezuela — commercial work that is generally exempt from the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
As part of his work, Rivera and his co-defendant are accused of trying to arrange meetings for then-Foreign Minister Delcy Rodríguez — now Venezuela’s acting president — in Dallas, New York, Washington and Caracas, Venezuela, with White House officials, members of Congress and the chief executive of Exxon.
Rubio testifies, an unusual move
In sometimes deeply personal testimony Tuesday, Rubio discussed at length friendships that date back to the start of his political career as an aide to Bob Dole’s 1996 presidential campaign and a West Miami council member.
Testifying in a packed courtroom with heightened security, Rubio said he and Rivera became “very close” when they overlapped as members of the Florida Legislature. The two Cuban American Republicans co-owned a house in Tallahassee, celebrated family events together and ardently opposed Venezuela’s socialist government when both went to Washington at the same time — Rubio elected to the Senate, Rivera to the House.
So when Rivera texted Rubio in July 2017 that he needed to see him urgently to discuss Venezuela, they agreed to meet the next day, a Sunday, at a friend’s home in Washington where the then-senator was staying with his family, Rubio said.
At the meeting, Rivera informed Rubio that he was working with Raul Gorrín, a media magnate in Venezuela, on what he described as a plan for Maduro to step aside.
“I was skeptical,” said Rubio, adding that the Maduro government was full of “double dealers” constantly pitching unrealistic plans to unseat Maduro. “But if there was a 1% chance it was real, and I had a role to play alerting the White House, I was open to doing that.”
Rubio said he had no knowledge Rivera was himself working for Maduro, as prosecutors would later allege. Rubio said he doubted Gorrín would betray Maduro even when the former congressman opened his laptop and showed millions of dollars in a Chase bank account that he was told were payments from the businessman to Venezuela’s opposition.
“It was an impressive amount,” Rubio said. “He didn’t tell me whose account it was. He said it was to support the opposition.”
Two days later, borrowing talking points provided by Rivera, Rubio wrote and delivered a speech on the Senate floor signaling the U.S. would not retaliate against Venezuelan insiders who worked to push Maduro from power.
“He provided me with insight into some of the key phrases that regime insiders would’ve wanted to hear to know this was serious,” Rubio testified. “No vengeance, no retribution.”
Rubio also spoke to Trump, alerting the president in his first term that there may be something “brewing” with Venezuela.
‘A total waste of my time’
But the peacemaking effort collapsed almost immediately. At a second meeting at a Washington hotel, Gorrín failed to produce a promised letter from Maduro to Trump that he wanted Rubio to hand-deliver to the president.
“It was a total waste of my time,” Rubio testified.
Shortly afterward, Trump imposed heavy sanctions on Maduro and members of his inner circle for their decision to go forward with what Rubio called a “fake election” to empower a constituent assembly that undercut the opposition-controlled legislature.
By that time, the senator hewed closely to the Trump administration’s hard line. He taped a rare 10-minute address to the Venezuelan people in July 2017, a day after the divisive election, that was broadcast exclusively on Gorrín’s Globovision network.
“For Nicolás Maduro, who I am sure is watching, the current path you are on will not end well for you,” Rubio said in the televised address.
On the stand, Rubio said that had he known Rivera was working with Gorrín on behalf of Maduro, he never would have agreed to deliver the address on the network.
But Rivera said Rubio’s testimony backed his defense that as a lifelong opponent of communism he never worked to strengthen Maduro’s grip on power.
“Marco Rubio made it abundantly clear today that everything we worked on together in 2017 was meant to remove Maduro from power in Venezuela,” he said in a statement.
Throughout his testimony Rubio, a lawyer, spoke calmly and in command of granular details of U.S. policy toward Venezuela over the past decade, even as he struggled to recall the specifics of his text exchanges with Rivera on Venezuela matters.
His testimony was highly unusual. Not since Labor Secretary Raymond Donovan testified at a Mafia trial in 1983 has a sitting member of the president’s Cabinet taken the stand in a criminal trial.
As if to underscore the uniqueness of his appearance in federal court, Rivera’s attorney, Ed Shohat, asked Rubio to sign a copy of his 2012 autobiography, “An American Son,” at the conclusion of his testimony.
Rivera and his co-defendant, political consultant Esther Nuhfer, are among a small number of friends and family Rubio thanks in the acknowledgment section of his memoir.
Zheng beat American 15th seed Madison Keys to claim her firstwin over a top-20 player since having elbow surgery in July.
Sabelenka has won seven of her eight meetings with Olympic champion Zheng.
Third seed Elena Rybakina cruised into the last 16 with a 6-3 6-4 victory over Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.
Kazakhstan’s Rybakina will play Australian qualifier Talia Gibson, who knocked out another seeded player courtesy of a 6-2 6-2 win over 18th seed Iva Jovic.
Gibson, who reached the Indian Wells quarter-finals, beat former world number one Naomi Osaka in the second round in Miami.
Fifth-seeded American Jessica Pegula, runner-up to Sabalenka last year, needed only an hour and six minutes to beat Canada’s Leylah Fernandez 6-2 6-2.
Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, runner-up in Miami in 2018, fought back to claim a 5-7 6-2 7-5 win over seventh seed Jasmine Paolini of Italy.
Ostapenko will next play American world number 45 Hailey Baptiste, who beat Ukrainian ninth seed Elina Svitolina 6-3 7-5.
The Argentinian star forward records his 901st career goal as Inter Miami beat New York City FC at Yankee Stadium.
Published On 23 Mar 202623 Mar 2026
Micael dos Santos Silva’s go-ahead goal in the 74th minute lifted Inter Miami to a 3-2 comeback victory over hosts New York City FC on Sunday.
Dos Santos headed home a beautiful ball from fellow defender Noah Allen, which found its way past NYCFC keeper Matt Freese and gave Inter Miami (3-1-1, 10 points) their first Major League Soccer (MLS) win since March 7.
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Lionel Messi scored his 901st career goal, and Gonzalo Lujan scored his first career MLS goal for Inter Miami, which bounced back after being eliminated from the CONCACAF Champions Cup on Wednesday following a pair of draws against Nashville, with that side advancing on the away goals tiebreaker.
NYCFC (3-1-1, 10 points) suffered their first defeat of the season and snapped a three-game winning streak despite goals from Nicolas Fernandez Mercau and Agustin Ojeda.
Inter Miami’s Micael dos Santos Silva (#16) scored the match-winner in the 74th minute [Seth Wenig/AP Photo]
Maxi Moralez delivered a stellar assist to Ojeda in the 59th minute to put NYCFC briefly ahead 2-1.
Moralez sent a great ball through traffic down the middle of the field to Ojeda, who was uncontested, and flipped the ball past Inter Miami goalkeeper Dayne St Clair.
But two minutes later, Inter Miami earned a free kick, and Messi delivered. His shot deflected off NYCFC’s Hannes Wolf and redirected past Freese (five saves) to tie the game at 2.
Messi nearly had a multi-goal match as he came close on several chances. He hit the post in the 31st minute and the crossbar in the 42nd minute. He also had a late opportunity to pad Miami’s lead but missed wide.
German Berterame appeared to extend Miami’s lead in the 79th minute, but what would have been his first goal with his new club was nullified after he was ruled offside.
After Lujan scored in the fourth minute, NYCFC levelled the match with a fantastic free kick goal by Fernandez Mercau, who lifted a high shot that bounced just under the crossbar and in, freezing St Clair in place in the 17th minute.
NYCFC used Moralez as a decoy, having him approach as if he would take the shot, and then Fernandez Mercau ran up and booted it.
St Clair (three saves) made a huge save late in stoppage time to preserve Inter Miami’s win.
Muchova broke 29-year-old Boulter’s serve twice in the first set and only needed one more in the second set to go 6-5 ahead before she wrapped up the victory.
Elsewhere, British number four Fran Jones also exited the tournament, retiring in the second set of her match with American Jessica Pegula through illness.
Jones, 25, had knocked out Venus Williams in the first round despite feeling under the weather but struggled against Pegula.
Pegula had won the first set 6-1 and despite a medical timeout Jones, who was seen coughing several times during the match, decided at 3-0 down in the second set she was not well enough to continue.
“I didn’t want to lose the opportunity to play Venus, but it’s a whole different ball game playing Jess,” Jones said.
“You need to be 10 out of 10 to compete against her and I’m probably a four out of 10 today. If I’m not able to give my everything out there, I don’t see the point when I’m already battling my general fitness as it is.”
Sure, it’s a quarterback’s league, but a major focus of the upcoming NFL draft will be about getting to the quarterback. This class is loaded with talented pass rushers, and teams figure to take advantage of that early and often. This mock draft has edge rushers off the board with the second, third and fourth selections.
How appropriate that the April 23-25 draft will be held for the first time in Pittsburgh, birthplace of the Steel Curtain.
The Steelers, incidentally, take a receiver in this mock — and there are lots of talented prospects at that spot, too. This contemplates the Rams selecting USC receiver Makai Lemon, although it’s entirely possible that the sure-handed Trojans star will already be gone by the time the 13th pick rolls around.
The Chargers, meanwhile, take an offensive lineman to address the need that haunted them all last season after they were ravaged by injuries up front.
One look at how the draft could unfold:
1. Las Vegas Raiders: QB Fernando Mendoza (Indiana) — Tom Brady loves him. The Raiders are trying to build something, and this Heisman winner figures to be a cornerstone.
2. New York Jets: Edge Arvell Reese (Ohio State) — Jets had zero interceptions and four takeaways last season, both NFL records, and think Reese has some Micah Parsons qualities.
3. Arizona Cardinals: Edge David Bailey (Texas Tech) — As pass rushers go, the Cardinals have Josh Sweat, who isn’t particularly happy, and a bunch of young guys who have struggled to stay healthy.
4. Tennessee Titans: Edge Rueben Bain Jr. (Miami) — Although they have been collecting defensive linemen, the Titans still need help at the edge. Also could use a supporting cast for Cam Ward.
Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love carries the ball against Pittsburgh in November.
(Gene J. Puskar / Associated Press)
5. New York Giants: RB Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame) — John Harbaugh doesn’t always draft for need, and he loves to pound defenses with a running game. Love is the best in this class.
6. Cleveland Browns: OT Monroe Freeling (Georgia) — The Browns are completely rebooting their offensive line and had hoped to sign Packers free agent tackle Rasheed Walker, instead nabbed by Carolina.
7. Washington Commanders: S Caleb Downs (Ohio State) — The Commanders could use help at virtually every position — everything but QB — and a game-changing defensive back would get a warm welcome.
8. New Orleans Saints: LB Sonny Styles (Ohio State) — Saints might go receiver here, but Saints need a defensive stalwart too. If Love and Downs are gone — as they are in this mock — Styles would be a fit.
9. Kansas City Chiefs: WR Carnell Tate (Ohio State) — The cupboard is bare at receiver with just Xavier Worthy and Jalen Royals, so the Chiefs are desperate for some help there. Not the first time.
10. Cincinnati Bengals: CB Mansoor Delane (Louisiana State) — The Bengals are bringing back virtually their entire offense and have spent the offseason coming up with ways to improve their historically bad defense.
11. Miami Dolphins: WR Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State) — The Dolphins are trading Jaylen Waddle to Denver for another pick, so they immediately address their need for another playmaking receiver.
12. Dallas Cowboys: CB Jermod McCoy (Tennessee) — The Cowboys traded for Rashan Gary, which addressed their need at edge. Here’s a chance to upgrade at corner.
Wide receiver Makai Lemon runs with the ball during USC’s pro day on March 12.
(Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)
13. Rams: WR Makai Lemon (USC) — Having raided Kansas City’s defensive backfield, the Rams can stay put and take a receiver, or maybe trade up for a long-term bookend to Puka Nacua.
14. Baltimore Ravens: G Olaivavega Ioane (Penn State) — The Ravens have an opening at both guard and center, so they turn their attention to the interior of their offensive line.
15. Tampa Bay: Edge Keldric Faulk (Auburn) — The Buccaneers are sorely lacking when it comes to generating pressure off the edge, and Haason Reddick hasn’t been the answer.
16. New York Jets: WR Omar Cooper Jr. (Indiana) — The Jets need a No. 2 receiver to line up opposite Garrett Wilson and command some attention on the outside.
17. Detroit Lions: Edge Akheem Mesidor (Miami) — The Lions need someone they can pair with Aidan Hutchinson to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and Mesidor has a lot of potential.
18. Minnesota Vikings: S Dillon Thieneman (Oregon) — Harrison Smith is 37 and the Vikings need to start planning for the future at that position; they need another defensive back.
19. Carolina Panthers: OL Spencer Fano (Utah) — Fano can play all five positions on the offensive line, and that’s awfully enticing for a franchise with an injured left tackle and in need of a center.
20. Dallas Cowboys: LB Jacob Rodriguez (Texas Tech) — Micah Parsons is gone, and the Cowboys allowed 6.1 yards per play last season, second worst in the league. They need help all over.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers: CB Avieon Terrell (Clemson) — A receiver would be nice, but the Steelers can get one later. Terrell gives the Steelers depth and potentially a long-term bookend to Joey Porter Jr.
Miami offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa prepares for a snap against Louisville in October.
(Doug Murray / Associated Press)
22. Chargers: OL Francis Mauigoa (Miami) — With all the problems the Chargers have had cobbling together an offensive line, they need to focus on protecting Justin Herbert.
23. Philadelphia Eagles: S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (Toledo) — Reed Blankenship, a fixture in Philadelphia’s defense and a QB in the secondary, signed with Houston as a free agent.
24. Cleveland Browns: CB Colton Hood (Tennessee) — The Browns addressed their offense with the sixth pick and now can focus on a defensive position of need. Corner is key.
25. Chicago Bears: CB Chris Johnson (San Diego State) — Tyrique Stevenson is the fourth-most-targeted corner in the league. The Bears need to upgrade at that spot opposite Jaylon Johnson.
26. Buffalo Bills OL Kadyn Proctor (Alabama) — Buffalo wants to run the ball, and Proctor is an outstanding downhill run blocker. He can also move inside and benefit a team that needs interior help.
27. San Francisco 49ers: OT Blake Miller (Clemson) — The 49ers have to plan for their future at both tackle spots. Miller is durable and a particularly adept pass blocker.
28. Houston Texans: OT Caleb Lomu (Utah) — Houston’s offensive line has been a problem for years and that’s not going away. Lomu is young but terrific in pass protection. Good news for C.J. Stroud.
29. Kansas City Chiefs: Edge Cashius Howell (Texas A&M) — Kansas City’s pass rush has declined two years in a row. The Chiefs need help in a lot of areas, but getting to passer is vital.
30. Miami Dolphins: Edge T.J. Parker (Clemson) — The Dolphins have an underwhelming cluster of pass rushers, led by Chop Robinson. They need help pressuring the quarterback so they will be looking for an edge rusher.
31. New England Patriots: TE Kenyon Sadiq (Oregon) — Mike Vrabel has already tipped his hand about his interest in this class of tight ends. Give Drake Maye another weapon at the position.
32. Seattle Seahawks: RB Jadarian Price (Notre Dame) — Two ball carriers from the same college backfield in the opening round? The defending Super Bowl champions need to start reconstructing a backfield.
Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from this week’s Miami Open as she continues her recovery from a recent illness.
The British number one became unwell while playing in the Middle East last month, and is still suffering with post-viral symptoms.
Raducanu decided to play last week’s event in Indian Wells, and reached the third round before losing in just 52 minutes to the world number six Amanda Anisimova.
The 23-year-old has 215 ranking points to defend from reaching the quarter-finals in Miami last year, but has decided it would be best to take a break to recover fully.
Raducanu beat both Anisimova and the then top 10 player Emma Navarro before losing to Jessica Pegula in three sets in last year’s quarter-finals.
This year she had a first-round bye, and could have played British childhood rival Sonay Kartal in the second round.
Raducanu had already decided not to play in Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup tie in Melbourne next month, but is currently scheduled to return to the tour in three weeks’ time.
She has entered the WTA event in Linz, which would be her first clay-court tournament of the season.
Earlier this month, however, he witnessed something new.
On March 7, hours after Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies hit the first walk-off home run in World Baseball Classic history to power Team Netherlands past Nicaragua in Miami, Athletics prospect Darell Hernaiz delivered a game-winning blast of his own to lift Team Puerto Rico over Panama in extra innings in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Hernández stormed out of the dugout at Hiram Bithorn Stadium alongside his teammates to greet Hernaiz at home plate and celebrate the monumental moon shot.
“There had never been a walk-off homer in the history of the WBC, and we [got] to see two in the same day, which was pretty cool,” Hernández said at his clubhouse stall at Camelback Ranch. “For me personally, I was running to home plate, conscious that I wasn’t necessarily part of the team so I couldn’t run laps around home plate, like I did on Freddie [Freeman’s] walk-off homers [in the World Series], but it’s still up there as one of those really cool moments that I’ll always remember.”
Unable to participate in this year’s WBC as he recovers from offseason left elbow surgery, Hernández left Dodgers camp to spend the first leg of the tournament with Team Puerto Rico.
“I got to experience it in a different way this year,” said Hernández, who has played twice in the WBC. “I was just kind of there as a fan, almost in like a coaching role. I get a lot more nervous when I’m not playing, because I really don’t have any power over it. I don’t have any control over what’s going on, so it was pretty nerve-wracking.”
He added: “Obviously, seeing that stadium packed out was pretty special. And of course, I’m still bummed that I don’t get to be a part of it, but I still support my people, and I’m still hoping they can win.”
During a Team Puerto Rico news conference last week, Hernández told reporters in Spanish that the WBC rates above the World Series. Hernández, who’s played in five World Series, elaborated on his statement.
“I said it feels bigger,” Hernández said. “I didn’t say it’s bigger. Atmosphere, crowd, you’re representing your country. You’re not representing a city. You don’t always choose who you play for. Sometimes that’s out of your control and you know, when you’re representing your country, you’re playing along with your homies. Sometimes you’re playing along with people that you grew up with. Your people back home are rooting for you, at times.
“You’re playing in the United States, you’re playing for different teams, and sometimes they’re rooting against you. And for us, coming from our little island, the things that we can do for our island while the tournament is going on, it becomes a lot bigger than baseball, to where, it does not always feel that way when you’re playing for an organization in Major League Baseball.”
Hernández will be in Houston for Puerto Rico’s quarterfinal game against Italy on Saturday, and he said he doesn’t know if he would go to Miami if Puerto Rico reached the semifinals.
“I haven’t had the conversation yet with Andrew,” Hernández said, referring to Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. “I only asked permission to go to Houston. We win in Houston, he might get another text message if I can go along for the ride, but haven’t decided yet.”
As for his rehab from surgery, Hernández said he’s progressing rapidly and hopes to return in late May, when his 60-day IL stint expires.
“I’m not surprised that it’s going well,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “End of May, beginning of June is probably a safe bet. Something like that.”
The 28-year-old described it as a “special moment” and said he “really got emotional” when he realised the scale of his achievement.
“I wish I could relive it twice,” Adebayo said.
Paying tribute to his family and trainers, he said: “They’ve seen me at the lowest, at the bottom of the bottom, trying to figure out how to really pick myself up.
“To have this moment and share it with all them, it’s a pretty emotional moment.”
The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 120-106 at home thanks to Luka Doncic’s 31 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
The Lakers climbed to fourth in the Western Conference, ahead of the Timberwolves on a tie-breaker as they both have 40-25 records.
Eastern Conference leaders the Detroit Pistons moved to 46-18 with a 138-100 win at the Brooklyn Nets as Jalen Duren scored 26 points.
The pet did a neat trick: Before a room filled with heads of state from across Latin America, Little Marco spoke Spanish.
His owner — well, his soul’s owner at least— grinned and joked, “I think he’s better in Spanish” than in English. Following President Trump, it was Pentagon Pete’s turn to tease Little Marco.
“I only speak American,” Secretary of Defense Hegseth cracked. The auditorium stayed quiet save for Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who meekly protested, “I only speak Cuban.”
Trump gave him a pat on the back. Good boy, Marco.
The exchange, which happened over a weekend dominated by the war with Iran, was brief yet said so much about the times Latinos live in. Rubio, the most powerful Latino politician in U.S. history, might as well have been to Trump and Hegseth the Chihuahua that says “Yo quiero Taco Bell.” The man who has played an oversized role in pushing a president who campaigned against costly foreign wars and chaotic regime changes to do both was brought back down to an undignified size.
Little Marco indeed.
Here’s a reminder that no matter how high and mighty you get in Trump’s White House, a Latino is still an exotic “other.”
Tokenizing someone is always an ugly thing — yet Rubio deserves no tears. He has made a career out of wearing his latinidad like a shiny guayabera when convenient, long casting himself as the boy-faced exception to the corrupt, ineffectual Latino politician archetype. That stance has fueled a 27-year career — Florida speaker of the House, U.S. senator, former presidential candidate, secretary of State and national security advisor. That has made many conservatives and more than a few Latinos feel he’s not just capable of a strong White House run but that he could even win were he to do so.
All it cost Rubio was his morals and backbone. All he had to do was roll over.
We Latinos deserve better — and yet we kind of don’t.
The story liberals and conservatives have always told about America’s largest minority is that we would irrevocably change the United States — the former group maintained it would be for the better, the latter insisted we would cause this country’s downfall. Rubio proves that at our worst, Latinos show that in our rush to assimilate and be embraced, we often become the worst kind of Americans.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks as President Trump during a NATO summit in June in the Hague.
(Brendan Smialowski / Pool Photo)
We’re the ones whom the American psyche sees as perpetual invaders, yet we sign up by the thousands for the Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies in Trump’s deportation Leviathan. Even as Trump slimed Latinos during his first term and his years out of office, an increasing number of us warmed up to him — surely, he was referring to other Latinos — until Trump captured more of our votes in 2024 than any Republican presidential candidate ever.
It takes a certain type of person to go from child of Cuban immigrants — the favorite son of an exile community that transformed Miami from a retiree haven into one of the capitals of Latin America — to tell European leaders last month that they and the United States “opened our doors to an unprecedented wave of mass migration that threatens the cohesion of our societies, the continuity of our culture, and the future of our people.”
It takes the worst kind of Latino.
I called Rubio a vendido in a previous columna after he cheered on the extrajudicial capture of Venezuelan despot Nicolás Maduro. He’s definitely still a sellout — what else to call someone who once fiercely opposed Trump but now sidles up to him like a cockapoo? But the most pathetic part about Rubio’s rise is that his followers see him as the culmination of the long-held dreams of Latinos that things would become better for our ancestral Latin American countries and ourselves once one of us was charge.
Alas, no. He’s living up to a realpolitik maxim attributed to various Latin American caudillos: For my friends, everything; for my enemies, the law.
Strongmen like El Salvador and Argentina presidents Nayib Bukele and Javier Milei get coddled and receive foreign aid; college students on study visas who criticize the Trump administration get nabbed by la migra. Rubio is overseeing a foreign policy that currently has the U.S. dictating how Venezuela will be governed, is bombing Iran like the country was a game of Pachinko and is slowly choking Cuba into collapse. He’s the unholy child of Bush-era neoconservativism and MAGA — and Rubio is just getting started.
That’s how he set himself up to be used as Latino punch line by Trump and Hegseth. The setting: the inaugural meeting at a Trump golf course near Miami of the Shield of the Americas, a coalition of Western Hemisphere countries ostensibly assembled to fight drug cartels. It resembled one of those lesser super-groups in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — you got Costa Rica instead of Mexico, Bolivia instead of Brazil. The group even has a crappy logo. You know how unserious the confab was when Trump’s point person for this is Kristi Noem, whom he literally had just fired as Homeland Security secretary.
After Trump rambled through a short speech, it was Rubio’s time to offer remarks. Here was a chance for the secretary of State, the man the Atlantic recently called “bright and well spoken,” to channel his inner Simón Bolivar or José Martí. The secretary of State thanked everyone present in English, but not before praising Trump for his “bold leadership” and bragging that the president is “one of the most historic figures in American history.”
Then Rubio looked back at his beaming master.
President Trump signs a proclamation committing to countering cartel criminal activity at the Shield of the Americas Summit on Saturday at Trump National Doral Miami in Doral, Fla.
(Rebecca Blackwell / Associated Press)
“You all right if I — “ he began before Trump cut him off with a magnanimous, “Sure. Please.”
That’s when Little Marco spoke in flawless Spanish. Rubio’s comments weren’t much different from what he said in English, save his remark that what they all planned to do by following Trump “will make future generations grateful for the work we are doing today.”
That last statement sums up Rubio. For centuries, Latin America has yearned for prosperity and peace free from American interference. This hope has fueled revolutions, music, film, culture and all the best things the region has produced only to have U.S.-backed tyrants crush those movements.
That’s the torch Rubio now proudly carries.
“All my life I’ve been in a hurry to get to my future,” he wrote in his 2013 memoir, “American Son.” Rubio’s future is now. And our present — not just Latinos, but all Americans — is worse because of it.
The Chargers bolstered their efforts to protect quarterback Justin Herbert all while diversifying their offense by agreeing to terms with veteran fullback Alec Ingold on Sunday, according to multiple reports.
Ingold’s deal with the Chargers reportedly is for two years and $7.5 million.
Ingold will be no stranger to the Chargers’ plans on offense. He played the last four seasons in Miami under coach Mike McDaniel, the Chargers’ new offensive coordinator. Last year he caught eight passes for 52 yards and ran the ball twice in 17 games.
Ingold caught 47 passes for 372 yards and rushed for 34 yards in 20 carries in four seasons with the Dolphins. He also had two rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown.
Before his time in Miami, Ingold played three seasons with the Raiders.
The deal comes two days after the Chargers signed veteran center Tyler Biadasz to take over over for the retiring Bradley Bozeman. They agreed to terms on a one-year deal with edge rusher Khalil Mack on Saturday.
With the free agency negotiation period set to begin Monday at 9 a.m. PDT, the Chargers remain in strong position to be significant players in the free-agent market. They rank among the top-five teams in salary cap space, per Overthecap.com.
Former Virginia coach Tony Bennett, who led the Cavaliers to the 2019 national title, has been hired by the Lakers as an NBA draft advisor to Rob Pelinka, the team’s president of basketball operations and general manager. Bennett’s record was 364-136 from 2009-24.
“As we refine and build out our NBA draft and scouting processes, we could think of no better basketball mind than Tony Bennett to have as a resource,” Pelinka said in a statement. “Tony’s track record of forming culture, with high-character, high-skill and high-IQ players is revered and respected across all basketball circles. Tony will be an incredible asset to our basketball leadership, to our scouts and to our draft department as a whole. We are truly excited.”
Virginia honored Bennett in a ceremony before Saturday’s 86-83 win over Miami, naming the court at John Paul Jones Arena after him.
Bennett was the AP national coach of the year in 2007 and 2018. He led Virginia to six ACC regular-season championships. He previously coached at Washington State from 2006-09.
“When Rob and I began talking, what stood out to me was the chance to help out such a storied organization,” Bennett said in a statement. “The Lakers carry a tradition that speaks for itself, so to be connected to it and assist Rob and the Lakers in any way I can is exciting.”
Bennett played under his father, Dick Bennett, at Wisconsin-Green Bay before playing four years in the NBA, including three for Charlotte from 1992-95.
