‘They are erasing streets’: Russian attacks bring war nearer Kharkiv
KHARKIV, Ukraine — As fighting continued to flare along the Russia-Ukraine border Saturday, civilians fleeing for their lives stepped out of evacuation vans one by one, some on unsteady legs.
Trump may owe $100 million from double-dip tax breaks, audit shows
Former President Donald Trump used a dubious accounting maneuver to claim improper tax breaks from his troubled Chicago tower, according to an IRS inquiry uncovered by The New York Times and ProPublica. Losing a yearslong audit battle over the claim could mean a tax bill of more than $100 million.
Alito warns of threats to freedom of speech and religion
Justice Samuel Alito Jr. warned Saturday that freedom of speech was under threat at universities and that freedom of religion was in peril in society at large.
Braves backup gets unexpected lesson in the politics of a number change
LOS ANGELES — Throughout Chadwick Tromp’s baseball career, he’s heard the fans shouting his name, perhaps more than other players of his stature receive. The Atlanta Braves backup catcher has long understood that comes with having the name “Tromp” resting across the back of his jersey. Just one tantalizing vowel away from the name of the polarizing former president of the United States.
Caitlin Clark hype will test the WNBA’s television limits
The decision-makers for the docuseries “Full Court Press” chose wisely when selecting which women’s college basketball players they would follow for an entire season.
Sean Burroughs, Padres’ first-round pick in 1998 MLB Draft, dies at 43
Sean Burroughs, a first-round pick in the 1998 MLB Draft who played seven major-league seasons, died while coaching his son’s Little League game Thursday, Little League International announced Friday. He was 43.
A solar storm is hitting Earth’s atmosphere, making northern lights visible
A dramatic blast from the sun set off a geomagnetic storm in Earth’s atmosphere Friday that is expected to make the northern lights visible as far south as Alabama and Northern California and could interfere with power grids, communications and navigations system.
Trump trial judge cracks down on Cohen’s taunting of ex-president
NEW YORK — In a startling precursor to what could be the most explosive testimony in Donald Trump’s criminal trial, the judge Friday told prosecutors that he was personally asking that a key witness stop speaking out against the former president.
U.S. builds web of arms, ships and bases in the Pacific to deter China
TAIPEI, Taiwan — U.S. officials have long seen their country as a Pacific power, with troops and arsenals at a handful of bases in the region since just after World War II.
Breach grows between Biden and Israel’s leaders over Rafah invasion
JERUSALEM — Israeli leaders declared Thursday that they would not be deterred by President Joe Biden’s threat to withhold more arms shipments if the military launched a major assault on densely populated areas of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
As Gaza talks falter, negotiators look for a deal or a scapegoat
The prospects for an agreement appeared increasingly distant Thursday as William J. Burns, the CIA director who has been Biden’s main negotiator, left Cairo without a deal. Delegations from Israel and Hamas also departed, although midlevel officials from the United States and its fellow intermediaries, Egypt and Qatar, remained in Cairo to continue discussions in hopes of salvaging the process.
Stormy Daniels, echoing Trump’s style, pushes back at lawyer’s attacks
NEW YORK — Donald Trump, the onetime president, and Stormy Daniels, the longtime porn actor, despise one another. But when Daniels returned to the witness stand at Trump’s criminal trial Thursday, his lawyers made them sound a lot alike.
Healing the American soul
In 2020, Joe Biden ran on the theme of saving the soul of America. Once he was president, he used the power of his office to help direct hundreds of billions of dollars through the infrastructure law and the CHIPS Act to the people and places that had been left behind. At the time, I hoped that these programs would not only create jobs and give people a sense of financial security but also be seen as a sign of respect, a sign to the unseen and the alienated that America had their back.
49ers great, Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson dies at age of 86
Former San Francisco 49ers great Jimmy Johnson, known as “the lonesome cornerback” because opponents rarely threw in his direction, died at age 86. The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced his death Thursday.
Suns fire coach Frank Vogel after 1 season, first-round playoff exit
The Suns have fired coach Frank Vogel after one season, the team announced Thursday.
House Republicans clash with leaders of public schools over antisemitism claims
WASHINGTON (NYT) – A Republican-led House committee turned its attention to three of the most politically liberal school districts in the country Wednesday, accusing them of tolerating antisemitism, but the district leaders pushed back forcefully, defending their schools.
Johnson survives Greene’s ouster attempt as Democrats join GOP to kill it
WASHINGTON — Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday easily batted down an attempt by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia to oust him from his post, after Democrats linked arms with most Republicans to fend off a second attempt by GOP hard-liners to strip the gavel from their party leader.
If the Giants wanted to make a change and fix their lineup, what could they do?
You will not be surprised to learn that the San Francisco Giants have more games scoring five runs or fewer than any team in baseball. You will not be surprised to learn that they have fewer games scoring six runs or more than any team in baseball. Even when the Giants have an outstanding all-around game, like they did in Tuesday’s 5-0 win against the Colorado Rockies, it’s hard to ignore that the bulk of those runs wouldn’t have scored without back-to-back swinging bunts. Hitting the ball three feet in front of the plate at a minus-45-degree angle isn’t a typical path to success.
Biden pressures Israel to reach a cease-fire in Gaza, straining ties
TEL AVIV, Israel — The Biden administration dispatched the head of the CIA to meet Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, part of an effort to limit Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip city of Rafah and push for a cease-fire deal with Hamas.
Lawrence Frank expresses cautious optimism about Clippers’ future: ‘The window is still open’
LOS ANGELES — In the recent past, Lawrence Frank’s end-of-season addresses have been rather emotional.
