So what's Ellen DeGeneres been up to lately? "I decided to take up gardening. I got chickens. Oh yeah, I got kicked out of show business," the comedian jokes in the new trailer for what's being billed as her final stand-up special, Ellen DeGeneres: For You Approval, coming to Netflix Sept. 24. "The 'be kind' girl wasn't kind, that was the headline," she added. Here's the problem: I am comedian who got a talk show and I ended the show every day by saying, 'Be kind to one another.' Had I ended my show by saying 'go f*** yourselves,' people would've been pleasantly surprised to find out I'm kind." After a bombshell 2020 expose of a "toxic" work environment behind the scenes at her eponymous talk show, where "be kind" was the mantra" ...
Saturday Night Live vets Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney and Beck Bennett have landed recurring roles in season 2 of the Apple TV+ comedy series Platonic, according to Deadline. Platonic stars Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne as "a platonic pair of former best friends approaching midlife who reconnect after a long rift," per the streaming service. "The duoâs friendship becomes all consuming â and destabilizes their lives in a hilarious way." A premiere date for season 2 has yet to be announced ...
The trailer for Small Things Like These, Cillian Murphy's first film since winning an Oscar for Oppenheimer, has just been released. The movie, based on Claire Keegan's bestselling novel, stars Cillian as a devoted father who, while working as a coal merchant to support his family, "discovers disturbing secrets kept by the local convent â and uncovers truths of his own â forcing him to confront his past and the complicit silence of a small Irish town controlled by the Catholic Church," according to the film's official synopsis. Cillian also serves as a producer, along with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck ...
In this Aug. 14, 2024, file photo, broken electricity lines above homes damaged are seen after Tropical Storm Ernesto hit Fajardo, Puerto Rico. (Jaydee Lee Serrano/AFP via Getty Images, FILE)
(NEW YORK) -- Puerto Rico is still recovering from Hurricane Maria -- nearly seven years after the powerful Category 4 storm caused extensive damage to the island's already delicate infrastructure.
September marks National Preparedness Month and the start of Hispanic Heritage Month -- stark reminders of the work that remains to be done on the island, especially as climate change could lead to more rapidly intensifying hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin.
Getting Puerto Rico to the necessary storm preparedness is about "justice and fairness" in protecting a unique culture and heritage that belongs to the United States, Jorge Gonzalez-Cruz, professor at the University of Albany's Atmospheric Sciences Research Center who has researched urban energy sustainability in Puerto Rico, told ABC News.
"We are U.S. citizens and deserve the best possible opportunity to develop and grow and have a sense of well-being and prosperity," said Gonzalez-Cruz, who was born and raised on the island.
Hurricane Maria brought 155 mph winds as it made landfall near the city of Yabucoa, on the southeast portion of the island, on Sept. 20, 2017. The storm knocked out 95% of cell towers, leaving residents without the ability to communicate. Power, already scarce due to Hurricane Irma just weeks before, was knocked out on the entire island. Flooding on the island was rampant, with 13 locations reaching record flood stage, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Structural damage to buildings was widespread, and nearly all road signs and traffic lights were destroyed, officials said.
Some communities were without power for up to a year, according to Gonzalez-Cruz.
Out of the nearly 3,000 deaths attributed to Maria, only dozens were as a result of the actual storm, Kyle Siler-Evans, senior engineer of RAND, a nonprofit research institute and public sector consulting firm, told ABC News. The rest of the fatalities were caused by lack of access to clean water, food and power for an extended period of time, he added.
The frequency of strong storms that impacted the U.S. in 2017 likely contributed to delays in response to Puerto Rico, Sally Ray, director of domestic funds for the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, told ABC News. Hurricane Harvey brought widespread flooding to the Houston area in August 2017. Hurricane Irma caused extensive damage in Florida after striking the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico, in early September 2017.
"By the time you got to Maria, you know, everybody had given all their attention and money to Harvey and not as much to the subsequent storms of that season," Ray said.
The COVID-19 pandemic, subsequent storms that followed and the rise of inflation delayed the reconstruction even more, Siler-Evans said.
Puerto Rico was awarded $34 billion from the federal government for Hurricane Maria recovery efforts, $28.6 billion of which was allocated for permanent work and management costs, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
As of September 2023, 86% of FEMA's Projects for Puerto Rico, including hazard mitigation and management costs had been completed, according to FEMA.
Gonzalez-Cruz described recovery efforts as being at a "good pace," despite the setbacks. Improvements continue to be made to the power system, new flooding zones are regularly identified and reconstruction is moving steadily across the island, he said.
Thousands of smaller projects, such as the building of baseball fields and repairs to roads and bridges, are currently in the works as well, Siler-Evans told ABC News.
"But, [there's] still a lot of work to be done," Gonzalez-Cruz said.
Puerto Rico is often in the bullseye of storm systems that generate in the Atlantic Basin, the experts said. Every extreme weather event to impact the island since 2017 has been a litmus test of what still needs to be done to modernize its aging infrastructure, much of which was built during the mid-20th century.
More than 30,000 homes still had damaged roofs -- covered in blue tarp -- in 2019 as Hurricane Dorian neared the island, but a direct hit was avoided due to a late shift in track. In 2020, one million customers were without power following back-to-back earthquakes. An explosion and subsequent fire at a substation left 900,000 customers on the island without power in June 2021. Another massive fire at a major power plant caused a massive outage for about 1.3 million customers in April 2022, followed by Hurricane Fiona in September of that year.
Fiona was considered the first big test of the improvements made on the infrastructure since Maria, Gonzalez-Cruz said. The entire island lost power following the impact of the Category 1 storm.
The most recent named storm, Hurricane Ernesto, caused significant flooding on the island and left 730,000 customers without power -- about half the island -- after striking the island last month, officials said.
"There's this whole cycle of problems that happens after a storm like Ernesto that [doesn't] get the attention," Ray said.
The toll from the aftermath of Hurricane Maria took on the collective psyches of Puerto Ricans cannot be understated, Gonzalez-Cruz said.
"It also shocked the makeup of the Puerto Rican people," he said. "It revealed a lot of challenges that the island has been dealing with over [the] years."
FEMA, its federal partners and the Government of Puerto Rico continue working closely on the island's unprecedented recovery mission, a FEMA spokesperson said in an emailed statement to ABC News.
"FEMA is committed to the work that lies ahead and to ensuring that this historic recovery will have a lasting, positive impact on future generations," the spokesperson said. "As National Hispanic Heritage Month begins, FEMA is proud to mention that its Hispanic and Latino Employee Resource Group is one of the largest in the agency with nearly 1,000 members across the country, many of whom are Puerto Rican and are leading the island's long-term recovery efforts.
A request for comment from the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority was not immediately answered.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem on September 2, 2024. (OHAD ZWIGENBERG/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
(LONDON) -- Israeli police and intelligence services said they foiled an Iranian plot to assassinate top leaders including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Moti Maman, a 73-year-old Israeli businessman from the city of Ashkelon, is accused of twice smuggling himself into Iran via Turkey to meet with intelligence officials directing would-be plots from Tehran.
The discussions allegedly included potential plans to attack Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Shin Bet intelligence chief Ronen Bar and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, among others.
Police and Shin Bet said the alleged plots were intended as retaliation for the killing of Hamas chief Ismail Hanieyh in Tehran in July, which Iran blamed on Israel.
A joint police and Shin Bet statement also accused Maman of discussing the possibility of acting as a money courier for others in Israel, locating Russian and American elements for the elimination of Tehran's opponents in Europe and the U.S. and recruiting a Mossad "double agent."
Maman's purported contacts were an Iranian businessman named only as Eddie, a man named Hajjah who was presented as an Iranian intelligence agent and other unnamed intelligence personnel.
The 73-year-old is alleged to have traveled to Iran twice -- in May and August 2024 -- following preparatory meetings with representatives of Eddie in Turkey, the first of which took place in the southern city of Samandag in April 2024, police said.
Maman was smuggled through the Turkey-Iran border twice, the second time "hidden inside a truck cabin," the statement said.
"The Israeli citizen demanded an advance payment of $1 million dollars before performing any action," police and Shin Bet said. "Iranian agents refused his request and informed him they would contact him in the future."
Maman allegedly received the equivalent of about $558,000 in euros for attending the meetings with Iranian intelligence personnel.
Authorities indicted Maman on Sept. 19.
A senior Shin Bet official described the case as "very serious," adding that security assessments "suggest that Iranians will continue their efforts to recruit operatives in Israel for intelligence gathering and carrying out terrorist missions in Israel, including approaching individuals with criminal backgrounds to fulfill these tasks."
(NEW YORK) -- Instagram this week unveiled mandatory accounts for teens that bolster privacy protections, enable parental supervision, and restrict notifications during overnight hours.
New and existing users under the age of 18 will be automatically enrolled in what Instagram is calling "Teen Accounts," the company said.
The move comes 16 months after U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warned in an advisory that excessive social media could pose a âprofound riskâ to the mental health of children. Instagram also has faced pressure from some federal and state lawmakers seeking to regulate social media use among children and teens.
Experts who spoke to ABC News differed about whether Meta's new restrictions for teen users would effectively mitigate the risks that young Instagram users face.
Some experts applauded the guardrails as a meaningful, though insufficient, step toward preventing teen harm. Others said the absence of robust age verification account measures would allow young users to circumvent the rules, rendering the new settings largely pointless.
In response to an ABC News request for comment, Meta said the company is expanding its efforts to verify the age of teen users.
"Weâre requiring teens to verify their age in new ways. For example, if they attempt to create a new account with an adult birthday, we will require them to verify their age in order to use the account," Meta spokesperson Dani Lever told ABC News.
"We also want to do more to proactively find accounts belonging to teens, even if the account lists an adult birthday. We're building technology to proactively find these teens and place them in the same protections offered by Teen Account settings," Lever added.
One expert said the restrictions also risk going too far, potentially limiting the free expression of teens and subjecting them to the control of parents with whom they may disagree about fundamental aspects of their identity.
âWe need to be conscientious about the content that platforms are showing kids and how that can shape offline attitudes and behaviors,â Jon-Patrick Allem, a professor of public health at Rutgers University, told ABC News.
Allem added that he is reserving judgment until the changes receive further examination.
The new Teen Accounts were announced by Instagram head Adam Mosseri in a live interview Tuesday on ABC News' Good Morning America.
"They're an automatic set of protections for teens that try to proactively address the top concerns that we've heard from parents about teens online," Mosseri told GMA. "Things like who can contact them, what content they see and how much time they spend on their device ... all without requiring any involvement from the parent."
New teen users will automatically be enrolled in Teen Accounts, while existing teen users will see their accounts switch to the new model within 60 days, Mosseri said on GMA.
The new accounts will place users under 18 years old into a private account by default, the company said, while users under age 16 will require parental permission to switch over to a public account. Under the private account setting, teens will need to specifically accept new followers, and only those followers will be able to see their content and interact with them.
With the new accounts, teens also will have the power to choose the age-appropriate topics they want to see more of on Instagram, like sports or art, and parents will also be able to see the topics their teens choose, according to Instagram.
Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist at New York University and author of The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, offered lukewarm praise for the restrictions in a post on X on Tuesday.
âI am cautiously optimistic about Metaâs new teen accounts,â Haidt said. âMost of the problems with social media will still plague teens on Instagram. But this is a good start, and I hope it is just the first of many steps from Meta.â
Paul Barrett, a professor at New York University Law School and deputy director of the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, acknowledged that some of the Instagram changes would alleviate harm endured by teens on the platform. However, he added that the move would likely have little impact in the absence of better age verification measures to ensure that teens enroll in the Teen Accounts.
âThis points in the right direction,â Barrett told ABC News. But, he added: âNone of this is very meaningful until the company does something about age and identity verification. All of the other requirements become ineffective if kids just pretend that theyâre adults.â
At least one expert said the changes risk causing some harm by putting too many restrictions on teen Instagram users. For instance, a childâs parents may have different views about fundamental questions of identity, such as whether one should believe in god, Eric Goldman, a professor at Santa Clara University School of Law who studies content moderation, told ABC News. The increased parental supervision in the new accounts could enable such parents to limit their childâs personal growth, he added.
âParents might have norms about certain behavior for their children,â Goldman said. âThis might take away self-expression and self-exploration.â
In general, some children would likely benefit from the changes, while others would suffer harm, he added.
âGroups of children have different needs,â Goldman said. âIf itâs a one-size-fits-all solution, some children are likely to benefit and others are likely to be harmed," though he added that Instagram has the right to make changes that it deems appropriate.
In response to such criticism, Meta said the company worked with relevant stakeholders to strike a balance between user experience and parental involvement.
"We consulted with parents, teens, and experts throughout the process of building Teen Accounts. With these changes, parents decide if teens under 16 can change the built-in settings," said Lever, of Meta. "This allows teens to use social media to connect with friends, explore and discover, while giving parents peace of mind that their teens have the right protections in place."
âIf Instagram is adopting this because they think itâs the best for users, I support their freedom to set the policies and approach that is right for them,â Goldman said.
(NEW YORK) -- Newer three-dimensional imaging is more effective at detecting breast cancer and may improve long-term outcomes, according to a new study led by researchers at the Yale School of Medicine.
The study, which analyzed more than 272,000 breast cancer screenings over 13 years, showed that 3D mammography, known as digital breast tomosynthesis, or DBT, identified breast cancer at higher rates and earlier stages when compared to traditional 2D mammograms.
3D mammography also reduced the number of false positive results, leading to fewer unnecessary tests after initial screening, according to the study, published Tuesday in the medical journal Radiology.
The study builds on a growing body of research suggesting 3D mammography could offer benefits over 2D imaging.
According to lead co-author Dr. Liane Philpotts, this is the first study on 3D mammography of its scale, with 10 years' worth of 3D screening data.
"It confirms some of what we knew from earlier ... and shows the sustainability of these benefits," Philpotts told ABC News. "But the big take-home point is that the advanced cancer rate was less [with 3D mammography]. That is the most significant finding from this."
While 2D mammography is still accepted as a gold standard for breast cancer screening, an increasing number of health centers are incorporating this 3D technology.
Here are five questions answered about 3D mammography:
1. What is 3D mammography?
While traditional mammography involves a two-dimensional X-ray image, three-dimensional mammograms use a rotating "X-ray arc" that takes X-rays from multiple angles to create a detailed 3D representation of breast tissue.
This allows radiologists to scroll through 1-millimeter slices to obtain a more comprehensive view of the tissue.
2. Practically speaking, what are the benefits of 3D mammograms compared to 2D, according to the latest research?
3D mammograms may be able to detect breast cancers more frequently and at earlier stages. Earlier detection means earlier treatment and a higher chance of a cure.
In addition, 3D mammograms were associated with fewer false positive results, reducing the burden of unnecessary follow up testing. This could mean less time, money and stress for patients.
"It gives us ... a better chance of finding things, and also a reduced chance of having to call people back unnecessarily," Philpotts said. "So, it's kind of a win-win from that point of view."
3. What do current guidelines say about 2D vs. 3D mammograms?
According to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force guidelines -- an influential group of experts whose guidelines help determine government insurance coverage -- 2D and 3D mammography are both effective forms of breast cancer screening.
Right now, one is not recommended over the other.
4. Is it covered by insurance?
Many insurance providers, including Medicare, cover 3D mammography.
However, coverage varies depending on insurance company and state of residence, as 3D mammograms are more expensive than 2D.
In some cases, only a portion is covered, or patients must meet a deductible first. Patients may need to call their insurance provider to understand what their individual plan covers.
5. Can I request it during my next screening?
More than likely, if you are due for breast cancer screening, you could receive a 3D mammogram.
3D breast mammography is offered at 90% of certified breast imaging centers. However, 3D imaging may not be necessary for everyone. It is a good idea to speak with your provider about whether it's right for you.
People attending a funeral for victims of Tuesday's pager attacks in Lebanon react after an explosion in a store, in southern Beirut, Sept. 18, 2024. (ABC News)
(LONDON) -- The threat of a wider war is looming over the Israel-Lebanon border after two consecutive days of explosions across Lebanon and in Syria, confirmed to have killed at least 32 people.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu restated his intention of returning tens of thousands of displaced Israelis to their homes in the north of the country, parts of which have been emptied by the threat of Hezbollah attacks.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, meanwhile, said the "center of gravity" of Israel's 11-month-old war against Hamas and its backers "is shifting" from the Gaza Strip to the northern border with Lebanon.
The Israeli rhetoric was punctuated by two waves of explosions in Lebanon.
Pager devices exploded on Tuesday prompting chaos in the capital Beirut and across the Hezbollah militant group's southern heartland. On Wednesday, walkie-talkies exploded, some during funeral processions being held for militants killed in Tuesday's explosions.
An ABC News source confirmed that Israel was behind the Tuesday pager attacks. Israeli leaders have not publicly commented on either round of explosions.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said that at least 32 people -- including two children -- were killed across the country. More than 3,250 people were injured, it said.
Hezbollah said 20 of its members were killed in Wednesday's walkie-talkie explosions. Another 11 were killed in Tuesday's pager explosions in Lebanon and Syria, bringing the overall death toll for the group to 31.
The Iranian-backed group blamed Israel for both waves of explosions and vowed a "reckoning." Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is due to address the situation in a public address on Thursday afternoon.
The militant group claimed several retaliatory strikes into Israel this week -- including on Thursday morning -- with Israel Defense Forces warplanes and artillery responding.
Cross-border fire has been near-constant since Oct. 8, when Hezbollah began attacks in protest of the IDF operation into the Gaza Strip -- the response to Hamas' Oct. 7 infiltration attack into southern Israel.
But as Gallant told reporters on Wednesday, "I believe that we are at the onset of a new phase in this war."
A source confirmed to ABC News on Wednesday that Israel's 98th Division is being deployed from Gaza battlefields to the north of the country.
"We are determined to change the security reality as soon as possible," Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, head of the IDF's Northern Command, said. "The commitment of the commanders and the troops here is complete, with peak readiness for any task that will be required."
The war, U.S. officials have long warned, could spiral into a broader conflict involving Iran -- a prime benefactor of both Hezbollah and Hamas.
Notable casualties demonstrated the multinational nature of the crisis. A detonating pager injured at least 14 people in Syria, where both Hezbollah and Iranian forces have been active for several years in support of its president, Bashar al-Assad.
Iran's ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amini, was also among the thousands injured, Iranian officials said. Tehran "will duly follow up on the attack against its ambassador in Lebanon," the country's ambassador to the United Nations said in a letter to U.N. leaders on Wednesday.
Israel and Iran have already exchanged significant strikes since Oct. 7. Israel assassinated a top Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps commander, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, in Syria in April and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July. Iran fired a huge barrage of drones and missiles toward Israel in response to Zahedi's killing.
This weekâs bombings in Lebanon raised the possibility of further action, whether overt or covert. Police announced on Thursday that an Israeli citizen was arrested on suspicion of working with Iranian intelligence to assassinate leaders including Netanyahu and Gallant.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated U.S. appeals for calm during a press conference in Egypt on Wednesday, where he traveled for fresh Gaza cease-fire talks.
"Broadly speaking, we've been very clear, and we remain very clear about the importance of all parties avoiding any steps that could further escalate the conflict that we're trying to resolve in Gaza," Blinken said.
A conflict spreading to other fronts, he added, is "clearly not in the interest of anyone involved."
The U.S., Blinken and other American officials said, were not involved in or pre-briefed on the remote explosions that rocked Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Gallant spoke with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin three times in two days, the latest conversation on Wednesday reaffirming the "unwavering U.S. support for Israel in the face of threats from Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah, and Iran's other regional partners" and the need for de-escalation, a Pentagon readout said.
U.S. officials were notified by Israeli counterparts on Tuesday that they were planning an operation against Hezbollah, but did not provide any details about what they were going to do, U.S. officials said.
SAN DIEGO (AP) â Dylan Cease pitched brilliantly into the ninth inning and Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Donovan Solano hit consecutive homers in the eighth for the San Diego Padres, who beat the AL West-leading Houston Astros 4-0 on Wednesday.
Machado homered twice for the Padres, who won two of three against the Astros and stayed 2 1/2 games ahead of the Diamondbacks and Mets for the first NL wild card. Houston came in with a five-game division lead over Seattle, which hosted the New York Yankees later.
Cease (14-11), who threw his first career no-hitter on July 25 at Washington, took a one-hitter into the ninth before Mauricio DubĂłn beat out an infield single to shortstop. Cease struck out Jake Meyers but then shortstop Xander Bogaerts booted Jose Altuve’s grounder for an error that allowed DubĂłn to take third, and that was it for the right-hander after 103 pitches.
Cease retired the first 15 Astros batters before allowing a single to right field by Jason Heyward to open the sixth. Cease then retired the side.
Cease said it was probably the third-best start of his career, following his no-hitter and his near no-hitter against Minnesota in 2022 with the Chicago White Sox. That one was broken up with two outs in the ninth by Luis Arraez, who is now his Padres teammate.
âI remember looking up through six or seven and the pitch count was reasonable and I went up to Rueben (Niebla, the pitching coach), and said, âHey, Iâm going to get through the eighth and ninth today,’â Cease said. âHe said, âHey, just take it one at a time,â and I said, âOK.â When you get through six with a low pitch count, it’s very easy to dream about going further.â
Cease struck out five and walked none. Tanner Scott got two outs for his 21st save, completing the two-hitter.
âJust attacking the strike zone, mixing it up and relying on my defense, really,” Cease said.
Padres manager Mike Shildt called Cease âdominant. He was outstanding. Controlled counts, just a ton of life with everything. The ball was jumping. … He was in control the whole way.”
âDylan Cease is a special talent,â Shildt added.
Machado, who has 29 homers, lined a leadoff shot to left-center against Framber Valdez in the sixth.
Tatis, who struck out in his first three at-bats, hit reliever Kaleb Ort’s first pitch into the first row in left-center leading off the eighth. It was his 19th. Machado followed with a shot deep into the seats in left and Solano hit a liner to left, his seventh. That was it for Ort, who threw just nine pitches.
âThat was awesome,â Cease said. âTalk about kind of getting some breathing room right there, it was pretty amazing.â
The Padres are closing in on their third playoff berth since 2020. Their 37-17 record since the All-Star break is the best in the majors.
âWe beat a really good club out there,â Machado said. âIt’s fun. We’re playing really good baseball. We beat a really good ballclub that we’re probably going to be facing later on, so to go out there and play like we did and have Cease throw like he did, it was a good day.â
Of course, if the Astros and Padres meet again, it will be in the World Series.
âWe’ve been playing postseason baseball for the last month,â Machado said. “Every game counts, man. I mean, itâs fun, man. … It’s a little taste of it. This is not over.
âWe’ve always understood what the goal is all year and nothing’s changed. We’re going to continue to think that way.”
Playing in front of three loud sellout crowds at Petco Park provided an atmosphere that was âplayoff-caliber, that’s for sure,” Shildt said. “All three games were nip-and-tuck.â
Valdez (14-7) went seven innings, allowing one run and five hits while striking out six and walking two.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Padres: Arraez got the day off to rest his sore left knee, which he jammed into home plate while being thrown out on Monday night. Arraez started at DH on Tuesday night.
Padres: RHP Joe Musgrove (6-5, 4.23 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday night’s home series opener against the 117-loss Chicago White Sox, who are set to go with LHP Garrett Crochet (6-12, 3.78).
MIAMI (AP) â Shohei Ohtani stole his 49th base and moved closer to becoming the first player in major league history with 50 homers and 50 steals in a season as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Miami Marlins 8-4 Wednesday night.
Ohtani, who began the day two shy of each mark, singled to lead off the game then swiped second. He flew out to left, struck out, lined out to right and struck out in his next four plate appearances.
âWhat a season â it is remarkable that he can hit as a DH but whatâs more remarkable is that he keeps his legs loose to be able to steal,â Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
Tommy Edman hit his sixth homer in the last eight games for the NL West-leading Dodgers (90-62), who remained 3 1/2 games ahead of second-place San Diego. Enrique HernĂĄndez and Will Smith also went deep and Freddie Freeman had three hits.
The Dodgers reached 90 victories for the 11th consecutive season of 162 games.
âItâs pretty impressive. Itâs one of the best organizations in baseball as far as consistency of winning,â Roberts said. âYou canât take it for granted because getting to play in October isnât a rite of passage for any organization.â
Dodgers starter Landon Knack (3-4) gave up two hits over five scoreless innings. He walked two and struck out seven. For Knack, the outing overcame the frustrations of his previous start, when he gave up five runs and seven hits in two innings against Atlanta last Friday.
âObviously, not happy with that one,â Knack said. âI was very angry and ready to bounce back.â
Smith gave Los Angeles an early lead with his solo homer in the second. He drove a fastball from Miami starter Ryan Weathers over the wall in left for his 19th homer.
The Dodgers broke it open with a five-run fourth against Weathers (3-6). Edman hit a two-run homer and HernĂĄndez added a three-run drive.
âIâve had some bad habits that Iâve developed and Iâve been working hard to correct those,â Edman said of his recent power surge. âItâs still a work in progress but I think itâs getting better.â
Miami narrowed the deficit on Otto LĂłpezâs two-run single off Zach Logue and Nick Fortesâ sacrifice fly against Blake Treinen in the seventh.
Chris Taylor increased Los Angelesâ lead with a two-run single in the eighth.
Weathersâ outing ended after Freemanâs one-out double in the fifth. The left-hander, who made his first appearance since June 7, gave up six runs and eight hits while striking out five. He was sidelined because of a left index finger strain.
âI was happy to be back,â Weathers said. âI wish I could have thrown the ball better.â
Wednesdayâs crowd of 17,138 put the Marlins season attendance at 1,007,039, ahead of only the Oakland Aâs.
Before the game, the Dodgers activated right-handed reliever Joe Kelly from the injured list and selected Logueâs contract from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Kelly relieved Knack and pitched a perfect sixth. The club optioned right-handed pitchers Bobby Miller and Michael Grove to Oklahoma City.
TRAINERâS ROOM
Dodgers: LHP Clayton Kershaw (left big toe bone spur) threw a bullpen session on Wednesday and Roberts considered it an important step in his rehab. … INF Miguel Rojas was a late scratch because he was âfeeling under the weather,â according to Roberts.
Marlins: RHP Max Meyer (right shoulder bursitis) is continuing his rehab program at the clubâs spring training complex in Jupiter, Fla. He will be evaluated in the next days for a possible throwing program.
UP NEXT
RHP Jack Flaherty (12-7, 3.04) will start the series finale for the Dodgers on Thursday while the Marlins will go with RHP Edward Cabrera (4-7, 4.55).
President Joe Biden speaks at a reception in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 18, 2024. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) -- President Joe Biden on Thursday called the Federal Reserve's rate cut the day before an âimportant signalâ from the Fed to Americans that inflation is cooling, but he cautioned that it âdoesnât mean the work is doneâ to improve the economy.
In remarks on Thursday at the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., Biden said, âYesterday was an important day for the country.â
âTwo and a half years after the Federal Reserve began raising interest rates, it announced that it began lowering interest rates," Biden said. "I think it's good news for consumers, and that means the cost of buying a home, a car, and so much more would be going down. And it's good news in my view, for the overall economy.â
The president in his remarks discussed how far the U.S. has come since the COVID-19 pandemic, including supply chain issues, high costs of food and goods, and baby formula shortages. He also checked through all of his legislative achievements such as the American Rescue Plan, Inflation Reduction Act, Chips and Science Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
âAt its peak, as you all know, inflation was 9.1% in the United States. Today itâs much closer to 2%," Biden said. "It doesn't mean our work is done. Far from it. Far from it, no one should confused why I'm here. I'm not here to take a victory lap. I'm not here to say, âA job well done.â I'm not here to say âWe don't have a hell of a lot more work to do.â We do have more work to do.â
White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients told reporters on a call previewing Biden's remarks that president and Vice President Kamala Harris are still looking ahead to the work that is not finished, pointing to the cost of child care and housing as two of the biggest areas.
One White House official on the call was asked about whether the administration was concerned about rising unemployment in response to today's rate cut, but the official brushed off the concern, saying that the Fed's data today shows "the labor market remaining solid," and adding that unemployment has "remained the lowest on average of any administration in 50 years."
A reporter also asked whether rising tensions in the Middle East could be a setback in the fight against rising inflation. The different White House official said that it is one of the "geopolitical risks that we consistently monitor."
"But our assessment, you know, right now is that the economy is in a healthy place, and that the kind of range of risks, while we continue to monitor them are do not pose a significant risk to the to the outlook," the White House official added.
In his remarks Thursday, Biden also falsely claimed that he has ânever once spoken to the chairman of the Fed since I became president.â He actually met with Jerome Powell in the Oval Office in May 2022.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) â Adolis GarcĂa hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning, Cody Bradford pitched seven strong innings after the worst start of his career, and the Texas Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 2-0 on Wednesday night.
The win kept the defending World Series-champion Rangers alive in the AL West race, trailing first-place Houston by nine games with 10 to play. They are seven games back in the wild card race.
GarcĂa launched an inside sinker over the left-field wall off Toronto starter Bowden Francis (8-5) after Wyatt Langford singled.
âHe swings hard, he swings a lot,â Francis said of GarcĂa. âI guess the velo was dropping during that time.â
Bradford (6-3) allowed five hits and no walks while striking out six.
The seven shutout innings are the most in a game during his two-year career. He was knocked out of his previous start after allowing career highs in hits (nine), runs (eight) and homers (three) in 3 2/3 innings in a 14-4 loss at Arizona.
âThroughout the week, youâve got to try and digest what happened, see where I can make adjustments, whether it was just game plan went wrong or just poor execution, or a little bit of both,â Bradford said. âThen you flush it.â
Bradford was perfect through four innings before Alejandro Kirk opened the fifth with a smash back to the mound that caromed off Bradfordâs left foot and rolled into right field for a single. It extended Kirkâs hitting streak to a career-high 12 games.
Spencer Horwitzâs double to left-center put runners on second and third with no outs before Bradford retired the next three batters.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider credited Bradfordâs âdeceptive fastball.â
âWhen youâre throwing 89, 92, youâve got to have pretty good deception with that at this level,â Schneider said. âKept us off balance.â
Kirby Yates pitched a perfect ninth inning for his 31st save in 32 opportunities.
Francis, who took no-hitters into the ninth inning in two of his previous four starts, allowed a double to Marcus Semien, the Rangersâ first hitter of the game. He gave up five hits and one walk in six innings.
Francis has a 1.96 ERA in nine starts with 54 strikeouts and seven walks since being moved back into the starting rotation in late July.
âI donât even want to get complacent, on cruise control,â Francis said. âJust keep attacking.â
TRAINERâS ROOM
Blue Jays: SS Bo Bichette was a late scratch with a right middle finger contusion suffered during infield practice. Schneider said the team will get back X-rays on Thursday. Bichette was activated Tuesday following a calf injury and played for the first time in two months, going 2 for 5 with one RBI at the plate. … INF Will Wagner (left knee inflammation) will have the knee scoped on Thursday. Schneider said Wagner should be ready to start spring training. Wagner, son of former major leaguer Billy Wagner, was acquired from Houston at the trade deadline.
UP NEXT
Rangers rookie RHP Kumar Rocker (0-0, 2.25 ERA) will make his home debut against Blue Jays RHP Kevin Gausman (12-11, 4.02) in the series finale. Rocker allowed one run in four innings at Seattle last Thursday in his major league debut.
Two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning, former Defensive Players of the Year Luke Kuechly and Terrell Suggs, and postseason kicking hero Adam Vinatieri are among the first-time nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025.
The Hall announced 167 modern era candidates for the class Wednesday that included 16 players who became eligible this year, including two-time All-Pro guard Marshal Yanda.
A screening committee will reduce the list of nominees to 50 players next month. Then the full 50-person selection committee will cut the list down to 25 semifinalists and then 15 finalists for the annual meeting before the Super Bowl that will produce the new class. Players must get 80% of votes to get in. Under the Hall of Fame’s bylaws, between three to five players can get in as modern era candidates.
There will also be three senior candidates, grouped with one coach and contributor. At least one and no more than three of those finalists will get in based on voting.
The other first-time candidates are offensive linemen Travis Frederick, Ryan Kalil and Joe Staley; running backs Marshawn Lynch and Darren Sproles; receiver Demaryius Thomas; tight ends Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker; and defensive backs Antoine Bethea, Aqib Talib and Earl Thomas.
There are also 10 players back under consideration who were finalists a year ago. Tight end Antonio Gates, receivers Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne; offensive linemen Willie Anderson and Jahri Evans; defensive backs Darren Woodson, Eric Allen and Rodney Harrison; defensive lineman Jared Allen; and running back Fred Taylor are back on the list.
Manning will look to follow his brother Peyton into the Hall following a standout career with the New York Giants. Manning was picked first overall in the 2004 draft by the Chargers and traded to the Giants, spending his entire career in New York. He led the Giants to an upset win over the undefeated New England Patriots in the Super Bowl following the 2007 season, throwing a game-winning touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute.
He led another late TD drive to upset Tom Brady and the Patriots four years later. Manning is one of 13 QBs to win multiple Super Bowls, with eight of the nine who are eligible for the Hall getting inducted.
Only Jim Plunkett has not been inducted; more recent players in the category such as Brady, Ben Roethlisberger and Patrick Mahomes aren’t eligible.
Manning was a four-time Pro Bowl selection but never made All-Pro or led the league in a major statistical category in a season but finished his career with 57,023 yards passing and 366 TDs.
His best moments were in those two postseason runs. Manning joined Brady (five), Mahomes (three), Joe Montana (three), Bart Starr (two) and Terry Bradshaw (two) as the only multiple winners of Super Bowl MVP awards.
Kuechly and Suggs were among the top defensive players of their era with Kuechly selected as the top defensive player in 2013 and Suggs in 2011.
Kuechly’s career was brief but impactful. The first-round pick by the Carolina Panthers in 2012 was an All-Pro five times in his eight-year career with seven Pro Bowl nods and a Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
Over his eight-year career, Kuechly led all linebackers in the NFL in tackles (1,090), takeaways (26), interceptions (18) and passes defensed (66).
Suggs was one of the top pass rushers in the league over his 17-year career, with his 139 sacks ranking eighth best since they became an official stat in 1982.
Suggs had seven double-digit sack seasons in his 16 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, including 14 in 2011 when he was selected as the top defensive player in the league and led the NFL with seven forced fumbles.
He won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2003 and helped the Ravens win the Super Bowl in the 2012 season. He finished his career in Kansas City, where he helped the Kansas City Chiefs win the Super Bowl in the 2019 season.
Vinatieri was one of the most clutch kickers in NFL history, making the game-winning field goals in the first two Super Bowl titles during New England’s dynasty.
He helped launch the run with one of the game’s greatest kicks — a 45-yarder in the snow to force overtime in the Tuck Rule game against the Raiders in the 2001 divisional round. He made the winning kick in OT in that game and then hit a 48-yarder on the final play of a 20-17 win in the Super Bowl against the Rams.
He then made a 41-yarder two years later to give the Patriots a 32-29 win in the Super Bowl against Carolina. Vinatieri also won Super Bowls in 2004 with New England and in the 2006 season with the Indianapolis Colts.
Vinatieri is the NFL leader in points (2,673) and made field goals (599) over a 24-year career with New England and Indianapolis. He also leads all players with 56 field goals and 238 points in the postseason.
Yanda was a member of the 2010s all-decade team as a key of Baltimore’s success. He also was selected second-team All-Pro five times and made the Pro Bowl in eight of his final seasons, missing in 2017 when he played only two games because of an injury.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs quickly moved to release running back Kareem Hunt six years ago when video surfaced of him shoving and kicking a woman outside of his residence.
On Wednesday, the Chiefs welcomed Hunt back to the team, saying he had matured.
“We just thought he needed a change of scenery and get some help and take care of business there and we felt like he did that,” Reid said. “He did a nice job in Cleveland, and we talked to the people there and there were no issues there, so we felt OK by bringing him back. … It looks like he’s grown up.
“I think people deserve a second chance if they’ve done something to work on the first part of it.”
The Chiefs, after losing starting running back Isiah Pacheco to a broken fibula, signed Hunt to the practice squad on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Reid said Hunt could play in Sunday night’s game against the Atlanta Falcons.
Patrick Mahomes said he has remained friends with Hunt, who attended Mahomes’ wedding in Hawaii two years ago. The quarterback was one of the most outspoken Chiefs players about Hunt’s actions in the video, but he also said he was happy to see Hunt return.
“Everybody has friends that make mistakes — obviously some are bigger than others — but, at the same time, you want to make the person better,” Mahomes said. “You want to see them taking the right steps to become a better person for themselves, their family and the rest of society. And so, I think you’ve seen that with Kareem, and so I’ve stayed in touch with him just to see how he’s doing, how his family’s doing, everything like that.
“He’s been able to carve out a great career in the NFL, but I mean you’ve seen he’s been able to keep his nose clean and be a better person and that’s what you want in order to make everybody better people.”
The Chiefs selected Hunt in the third round in 2017 — the same draft in which they acquired Mahomes. Hunt had a big rookie season, rushing for a league high 1,327 yards, catching 53 passes and scoring 11 touchdowns.
He was well on his way to another 1,000-yard season in 2018 when the video surfaced. The NFL then placed Hunt on the commissioner’s exempt list and the Chiefs released Hunt, saying he had not been truthful when the team had asked him about the incident at a Cleveland hotel where he had an apartment.
Hunt, 29, played the past five seasons for his hometown Browns. The most productive of those seasons came in 2020, when he rushed for 841 yards and caught 38 passes. Last season, he rushed for 411 yards and caught 15 passes.
USC landed a key commitment Wednesday when four-star wide receiver Jerome Myles, the No. 26 prospect in the 2025 ESPN 300, committed to the Trojans, continuing a hot late-summer recruiting run for Lincoln Riley & Co.
Myles, who decommitted from Ole Miss in June, is ESPN’s fifth-ranked wide receiver in 2025 and stood as the nation’s top uncommitted pass catcher prior to his commitment. The No. 1 prospect in the state of Utah this cycle, Myles picked the Trojans over Texas A&M and Utah, and he now lands as the second-ranked member of USC’s 2025 class, trailing only five-star quarterback Julian Lewis (No. 2 in the 2025 ESPN 300).
Myles, who felt home ties to Utah and visited Texas A&M in Week 1, told ESPN his recruitment swung on the plan Riley and his staff presented during Myles’ Week 2 visit to USC.
“USC just blew everybody out of the water,” Myles said. “They produce the most NFL draft picks. And the wide receiver development is crazy. And if I don’t make it in football out there, I’ll make it some way in life. They’re not all about just the football part. I like that.”
Myles initially committed to Ole Miss in the spring before pulling his pledge from the Rebels and reopening his commitment. His senior campaign at Utah’s Corner Canyon High School ended on Aug. 30 when Myles suffered a season-ending ACL injury, prompting the 6-foot-3, 220-pound prospect to push up his originally scheduled Oct. 30 commitment ceremony. With Myles off the board, four-star pass catcher Jaden Nickens (No. 162 in the ESPN 300) remains as the last uncommitted player among ESPN’s top-30 wide receivers in 2025.
Myles’ pledge comes 10 days after USC secured top inside linebacker prospect Ty Jackson (No. 44 in the ESPN 300), who visited the Trojans on the same weekend as Myles. USC has now added four top-100 pledges since July 30 with Myles and Jackson following Georgia outside linebacker flip Jadon Perlotte (No. 84 in the ESPN 300) and UCF safety flip Kendarius Reddick (No. 89)
USC currently holds the No. 16 recruiting spot in 2025, per ESPN’s latest team rankings for the cycle.
Myles took official visits to Utah and Texas A&M prior to pulling his commitment from Ole Miss in June. Last month, he told ESPN that USC, Texas, A&M, Utah, Georgia and Ohio State had made the cut among the finalists in his recruitment entering his senior season.
Myles’ connection with Texas A&M dipped after he visited College Station with Corner Canyon teammate and 2026 quarterback prospect Helaman Casuga during the Aggies’ 23-13 loss to Notre Dame on the opening weekend of the regular season. At USC a week later, Myles heard everything he needed from a coaching staff that made Myles a priority after offering him in July.
“I just wanted to learn more about their history and what they have in store for me,” Myles said. “When I went out there, they definitely impressed me.”
In Myles, USC has a speedy, deep-threat receiver to pair with Lewis in the 2025 class. Myles is a state champion sprinter in the 100- and 200-meter events. Across his sophomore and junior seasons at Corner Canyon, Myles totaled 53 catches for 1,185 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Myles is now the ninth ESPN 300 commit in USC’s 2025 class. The 11th-ranked Trojans visit No. 18 Michigan at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday in Week 4.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Sean Monahan said he will miss Johnny Gaudreau for the rest of his life — but called it “special to get that memory every day” as his locker stall is next to the one the team will keep reserved for the late Columbus Blue Jackets star.
Monahan, 29, signed a five-year deal in Columbus this summer in part to reunite with Gaudreau, his teammate for nine years in Calgary, whom he called “arguably my best friend.”
As the Blue Jackets opened training camp on Wednesday, Monahan spoke for the first time publicly since Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed by a suspected drunken driver while riding bicycles on Aug. 29. Monahan was a pallbearer at the funeral and was going to live three houses down from the Gaudreau family in Ohio.
“I still don’t know the exact words to even say,” said Monahan, who wore a shirt featuring a large No. 13 and a photo of Gaudreau to the news conference.
“I’m excited for the season. I’m excited to get it going. We’re going to miss Johnny. I’m going to miss Johnny a lot. It’s something I think about every day. It’s definitely really hard to get through, but we’ve got a great group here and we’re going to miss him as a team.”
The team announced plans to formally honor Gaudreau, including wearing a helmet sticker featuring the name Gaudreau, two doves and the numbers 13 and 21 — which Johnny and Matthew wore in their hockey careers. The team will also have a No. 13 patch on their jerseys throughout the season and postponed traditional opening night festivities — including player blue carpet arrivals — to the second game, as the Oct. 15 opener at Nationwide Arena will be focused on honoring the Gaudreau brothers.
The Blue Jackets will reserve a locker stall for Gaudreau all season and will hang his No. 13 jersey in it, both at home and on the road.
“Going to what he would want, it was to just, play hockey. He loved every second of every time he was in the rink. At practice, games, sharing time with the guys,” captain Boone Jenner said. “That’s something, when we come in, we try to enjoy each other through the good times — but especially through the bad times.”
Several Blue Jackets players had already formed a relationship with Monahan because of his friendship with Gaudreau. Those players also recognized the difficult circumstance Monahan faces joining a new team, where he is tasked to be a mentor to young centers Adam Fantilli and Cole Sillinger.
“[Monahan] walked into a tough situation, meeting the guys for the first time after this happened,” defenseman Zach Werenski said. “I give him a lot of credit. Obviously, we know John is a big reason of why he signed here. It goes back to that point of being together. We’re there for him and I think it speeds things up a little bit, the relationships. It’s one of the worst times in his life, and he’s been awesome to be around. So that speaks volumes to what type of person he is. As a group, we’re here for him. We’re going to get through this thing together.”
Blue Jackets management, coaches and players spoke Wednesday about grieving together, and honoring Gaudreau by constantly asking themselves, “What would Johnny want us to do?” On the night of Gaudreau’s wake in New Jersey, coach Dean Evason met with the leadership group as they were sitting around and asked that very question. They decided Gaudreau would have wanted them to watch football and have a couple beers.
“With our videos we put together for camp, of the coaches asked, do we take Johnny out of all of the clips?” Evason said. “I said ‘Absolutely not.’ Johnny is going to teach. Good and bad. If he didn’t back check, we’ll show it. He’s going to be with us. He’s going to be a presence.”
Columbus is beginning a new chapter with a new coach in Evason (who was fired by Minnesota last season) and new general manager in Don Waddell (who mutually parted ways in Carolina after his contract expired this spring). A big focus is reshaping the culture and expediting the rebuild so that the Blue Jackets can make the playoffs for the first time since 2020. They are on their fifth head coach in that span.
Before the tragedy, Evason was looking for ways to create a fresh start for players. He shook up locker room assignments and asked for all the photos above the stalls, which were previously individual photos of players, to be replaced with photos of players in groups. The coach also told his staff not to tell him anything about the players — their personalities, how they played last year, how they conducted themselves.
“I don’t care. I don’t care what happened last year,” Evason said. “I just care about what’s happening at practice and moving forward.”
Monahan said that he always has nerves entering a training camp as he wants to make a good impression, including this year — his 12th season in the league.
“There is a lot of weight on our shoulders right now,” Monahan said. “A huge loss, a special person who is not here. It’s on my mind every day, every second. And we want to put our best foot forward, our best effort out there for John.”
LOS ANGELES — The Rams have placed guard Jonah Jackson (shoulder) and safety John Johnson III (shoulder) on injured reserve, a move coach Sean McVay said Monday was a possibility.
The Rams did not make the same move for wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who McVay has said will miss “an extended period of time” with a left ankle sprain.
On Monday, McVay noted that the Rams are running out of injured reserve/designated for return spots, “and we’re only into Week 3.” NFL teams can designate up to eight players to return from injured reserve during the regular season.
In the Rams’ Week 2 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Jackson aggravated the shoulder injury that caused him to miss time during training camp. Johnson will be out for four to six weeks with a fracture in his scapula, he announced Monday on his podcast.
“[That’s] a big loss [at] safety,” McVay said. “Young guys will be asked to be able to step up, guys that we do have confidence in, but his communication, his command, his playmaking ability will be tremendously missed. He will be back at some point. His loss will be major.”
Along with Jackson, the Rams have three other offensive linemen on injured reserve: guard Steve Avila (MCL sprain), tackle Joe Noteboom (high ankle sprain) and tackle Conor McDermott (undisclosed). The Rams will get tackle Alaric Jackson back from suspension this week after he missed the first two games of the season for a violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
The Rams are also without wide receiver Puka Nacua, who is on injured reserve after spraining his posterior cruciate ligament in Week 1.
Kupp, who led the NFL in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in 2021, has not played a full season since then. In two games this season, Kupp has 18 catches for 147 yards and a touchdown.
