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Swiatek eases past Blinkova to reach her first grass semifinal ahead of Wimbledon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:52 GMT

BAD HOMBURG, Germany (AP) — Top-ranked Iga Swiatek seems to be finding her groove on grass ahead of Wimbledon.Three times a French Open winner on clay and once a U.S. Open winner on the New York hard courts, Swiatek played her first tour-level, grass-court quarterfinal on Thursday against Anna Blinkova at the Bad Homburg Open.The Polish player looked like she belonged there in a straightforward 6-3, 6-2 win that showcased her abilities on the return as Swiatek broke Blinkova’s serve to love three times.Standing between Swiatek and a first grass final is Lucia Bronzetti after the Italian won her quarterfinal match, 6-4, 6-3, against Varvara Gracheva, the Russia-born player who was playing her first tournament since switching allegiance to France.The Bad Homburg Open is a warm-up for Wimbledon, where Swiatek’s best result in three appearances was a fourth-round appearance in 2021. She was the junior Wimbledon champion in 2018. American player Emma Navarro faces either Liud...

J.J. Watt signs 3-year deal to be a studio analyst for CBS Sports

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:52 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — J.J. Watt has signed a multi-year deal with CBS Sports to serve as a studio analyst. The announcement was made Thursday by CBS Sports President David Berson.Watt’s first appearance will be on “The NFL Today” during Week 1 on Sept. 9. He’ll also be an analyst for NFL shows on CBS Sports Network and online.“I love the game too much to be away from it entirely. I’m very excited to be joining CBS Sports to contribute across all their NFL shows and platforms, including working alongside and learning from JB, Coach, Boomer, Phil and Nate this fall,” Watt said in a statement. “Hopefully fans will enjoy the insights and knowledge I’ve gained over my 12 years in the NFL and if we’re lucky, we’ll share a few laughs along the way as well.”Watt was a three-time AP Defensive Player of the Year and retired last season after a 12-year career in which he had 114 1/2 sacks. He was the 11th overall pick in the 2011 draft by Houston and spent 10 seasons with the Texans befo...

Pirates-Padres game delayed 45 minutes due to poor air quality from wildfires

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:52 GMT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres was delayed 45 minutes Thursday due to poor air conditions caused by lingering smoke from wildfires in Canada.Moments before the scheduled start time at 12:35 p.m., the game was pushed to a 1:20 p.m. start. During the delay, the Pirates issued a statement stating they would continue to consider weather conditions and air quality index.The game began with the lights turned on at hazy PNC Park, and Pirates star Andrew McCutchen put on a face mask to run the bases after hitting a single in the first inning. Several thousand fans, including many children, were in attendance for the afternoon game.“After collaborative discussions between Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association, our team of expert medical providers at Allegheny Health Network, our players and staff, we have made the decision to move forward with our game today,” the Pirates’ statement read. “We will continue to ...

Special counsel office still investigating Trump’s handling of documents, sources say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:52 GMT

Washington (CNN) — The special counsel’s office is continuing to investigate around Donald Trump’s handling of documents after his presidency ended, multiple sources tell CNN.That includes continued grand jury activity in Florida and inquiries of witnesses, though it is not yet clear what aspects of the investigation the prosecutors are still pushing toward.The historic indictment last month of Trump and his aide Walt Nauta already tells a thorough story with photos, text messages and witness accounts about how Trump allegedly held onto national defense records after his presidency.Prosecutors also accuse both men of lying to investigators and trying to conceal the records from being repossessed by the federal government by moving them throughout his Mar-a-Lago club.Trump has pleaded not guilty, and Nauta is expected to enter a plea of not guilty next week. The two men are expected to head to trial as early as this year.It’s not unheard of for investigators working a case to continu...

Former NFL quarterback Ryan Mallett, 35, dies in apparent drowning in Florida

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:52 GMT

(CNN) — Former NFL quarterback Ryan Mallett died Tuesday in an apparent drowning off a Florida Panhandle beach, a county sheriff’s office said.First responders were called to a beach in Destin around 2:12 p.m. amid reports people in the water near a sandbar were struggling to make it to shore, the Okaloosa County agency said in a news release. Mallett, 35, went underwater and was not breathing when lifeguards pulled him out, the sheriff’s office said. He died at a hospital, it added.Authorities have been warning beachgoers as rip currents have claimed at least 11 lives in two weeks along the Gulf Coast. An alert early Tuesday predicted: “Southwest to west winds today will create a high risk of rip currents along Panhandle beaches,” according to the National Weather Service office in Tallahassee’s forecast update.Yellow flags indicating “a medium hazard, moderate surf and/or currents” flew Tuesday along Destin beaches, though “there were no rip curr...

End of an era as Knicks longtime equipment manager Mike Martinez not returning next season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:52 GMT

For the first time in over 30 years, the Knicks will start a season without Mike Martinez.The longtime equipment manager, a staple of the Knicks locker room since Pat Riley coached, won’t return for the 2023-24 campaign, the Daily News has learned.It’s unclear why Martinez is leaving.Martinez, a Long Island native and son of a Bronx detective, first joined the organization as a ballboy as a senior in high school during the 1989-90 season. He was elevated to equipment manager a couple years later and held the position for 31 consecutive seasons.“Each and every day, 24-7, 365 days a year, gave it my all,” Martinez said in a 2018 interview produced by the Knicks. “I feel like my blood isn’t red, it’s definitely orange and blue.”In 2014, Martinez was honored with the Dick McGuire Legacy Award for longtime service to the franchise. Other honorees include Walt Frazier, Herb Williams, John Andariese and longtime trainer Mike Saunders.“I...

The Supreme Court made big decisions this week and more are coming. Here’s what you need to know

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:52 GMT

By JESSICA GRESKO and MARK SHERMAN (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is expected to announce major decisions Friday on President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness program and a case that impacts gay rights. It’s the court’s final day before the justices go on their summer break.Already this week the justices have released important decisions on other issues including affirmative action, voting rights and religious rights. The court’s final opinions tend to be on some of the most contentious issues because writing those decisions often takes the longest.Here’s a look at the decisions the justices issued this week and those left to come:The justices have yet to decide the fate of President Joe Biden’s plan to wipe away or reduce student loans held by millions of Americans. When the court heard arguments in the case in February, the plan didn’t seem likely to survive, though it’s possible the justices could de...

Health care’s AI revolution is well under way

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:52 GMT

Discussions about artificial intelligence have proliferated recently as more people have access to programs that can make art or answer questions.In the health care industry, the move to using AI already is well underway.Dr. Jose Morey, an Eastern Virginia Medical School radiologist, has been an AI consultant for the White House Office of Science and Technology and the United Nations and has been involved with NASA initiatives. For example, NASA iTech evaluated a fully autonomous surgical robot being developed to perform appendix removals and similar types of surgeries.Public health predictions, streamlining administration and new drug discovery are among some of the ways for AI already is in use, he said.“It’s just data and mathematics,” Morey said. “That’s it. It’s data and fancy math and it spits out a solution at the end.”He said that’s why it’s important to have the engineers and mathematicians to build algorithms, and to have subject matter experts to know what kind of data to...

Divided Supreme Court outlaws affirmative action in college admissions, says race can’t be used

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:52 GMT

By MARK SHERMAN (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Supreme Court on Thursday struck down affirmative action in college admissions, declaring race cannot be a factor and forcing institutions of higher education to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies.The court’s conservative majority effectively overturned cases reaching back 45 years in invalidating admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, the nation’s oldest private and public colleges, respectively. The decision, like last year’s momentous abortion ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, marked the realization of a long-sought conservative legal goal in finding that race-conscious admissions plans violate the Constitution and a law that applies to recipients of federal funding, as almost all colleges and universities are.Those schools will be forced to reshape their admissions practices, especially top schools that are more likely to consider the race of applic...

Kansas governor says state will keep allowing gender identities on documents like birth certificates despite a new law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:52 GMT

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas governor says state will keep allowing gender identities on documents like birth certificates despite a new law.