(WASHINGTON) -- The IRS started a new round of layoffs on Friday beginning with the agency's Office of Civil Rights and Compliance, according to an email obtained by ABC News.
Overall, the agency is planning to cut nearly a quarter of its workforce with the cuts beginning Friday, sources familiar with the plans said.
"This action is being taken to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the IRS in accordance with agency priorities," according to the email, which added that the layoffs will "result in staffing cuts across multiple offices and job categories."
The civil rights office will be effectively shuttered by the move, with the remaining staffers moved into the Office of Chief Counsel, according to the email.
The agency had previously drawn up plans to cut roughly 18% to 20% of the 100,000-person workforce by the middle of May.
The email sent to IRS employees Friday said the reduction in force will "be implemented in phases" and noted that employees will be offered early retirement incentives starting next week.
The agency also recently put approximately 50 IT security staffers on administrative leave, according to people familiar with the move, as the agency faces pressure to make workforce cuts and demands for data-sharing across the federal government during tax season. The Trump administration has said workforce changes will not affect staff directly working to process tax returns.
However, there are concerns that the layoffs may still cause delays.
"The bottom line: Forever, it has been an absolute rule of thumb that you keep things stable during filing season. Because it's delicate," one former IRS commissioner told ABC News. "And the idea that nearly 10% of the entire IRS workforce is being laid off right in the middle of filing season is extremely risky."
Earlier this year, more than 4,000 IRS employees accepted the Trump administration's deferred resignation offer. The agency also fired more than 6,600 probationary employees but has been forced to reinstate them under court orders.
It's not clear if members of those two groups of employees will be targeted in the new reductions in force.
Several senior agency leaders, including the chief human resources officer, acting commissioner and acting general counsel, have resigned or been demoted since January.
The IRS and the White House did not respond to a requests for comment from ABC News.
AUSTIN (AP) – A district court judge has awarded more than $6 million combined to four whistleblowers in their lawsuit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton who were fired shortly after they reported him to the FBI.
“By a preponderance of the evidence,” Travis County Judge Catherine Mauzy says in her judgment, the plaintiffs proved liability, damages and attorney’s fees in their complaint against the attorney general’s office.
“Because the Office of the Attorney General violated the Texas Whistleblower Act by firing and otherwise retaliating against the plaintiff for in good faith reporting violations of law by Ken Paxton and OAG, the court hereby renders judgment for plaintiffs,” Mauzy states.
The court found that the former employees were fired in retaliation for reporting allegations that Paxton was his using his office to accept bribes from an Austin real estate developer who employed a woman with whom he was having an extramarital affair.
The judgment also stated that the employees made their reports to law enforcement “in good faith” and that Paxton’s office did not dispute any claims or damages in the lawsuit.
“After litigating for more than four years due to OAG’s many delay tactics, Ken Paxton finally admitted to breaking the law to avoid being questioned under oath, but also because he had no defense,” said Tom Nesbitt, an attorney for plaintiff Blake Brickman and TJ Turner, an attorney for David Maxwell, in a joint statement. “It should shock all Texans that their chief law enforcement officer, Ken Paxton, admitted to violating the law, but that is exactly what happened in this case.”
The Office of the Texas Attorney General did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.
Paxton was at center of federal investigation after eight employees reported his office to the FBI in 2020 for bribery allegations. He agreed to settle the lawsuit for $3.3 million that would be paid by the Legislature. However, the House rejected his request and conducted its own investigation and impeached Paxton in 2023. He was later acquitted in the Senate.
In November, the Texas Supreme Court overturned a lower-court ruling that Paxton testify in the lawsuit.
The U.S. Justice Department decided not to pursue its investigation into Paxton in the final weeks of the Biden administration, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
SMITH COUNTY –Several Smith County roads are closed this morning due to high water crossings and trees and power lines down, according to a news release from the county.Roads closed for downed trees include: CR 1125, 1134, 313 west, 4129, 485, 4105, 4126, 423, 4127, 4106 and 4104. CR 313 east and 4126 (off of the CR 4106 side) are closed due to downed power lines. County roads closed because of high water include: CR 463, 411, 474 and 4129.
About 1,400 people are without power this morning in the Winona area after the storms overnight. Smith County officials will open the Winona Community Center from 1-5 p.m. today, April 5, 2025, at 520 Dallas Street, Winona. Residents will be able to get snacks and charge their phones. Smith County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is going to help man it.
For any Smith County resident who suffered damages to their homes or businesses, you can report those damages to the Texas Division of Emergency Management through its individual State of Texas Assessment Tool (iSTAT) Damage Surveys here. This reporting site can also be used to report agricultural losses.
(WASHINGTON) -- After about six hours of amendment votes, the Senate approved a budget blueprint Saturday morning by a vote of 51-48.
Republican Sens. Rand Paul and Susan Collins cast votes against the resolution. Every other Republican in the chamber voted for it, and every Democrat voted against it.
The resolution only needed a simple majority of votes to pass, so it now heads to the House for further consideration.
If the House also approves the proposal, it will unlock the next step in the reconciliation process and will allow committees in both the House and the Senate to begin drafting legislation aimed at accomplishing Republican wish-list items such as raising the debt ceiling, increasing border security and extending President Donald Trump's 2017 tax cuts.
The final package, if Republicans can agree on it, will be able to be passed with a simple majority of votes in both chambers.
Democrats were powerless to stop the resolution from moving forward Saturday morning, but they put up a fight by forcing votes on a number of amendments, including amendments on protecting access to Medicare and Medicaid, modifying or eliminating some of Trump's tariffs and protecting funding for caregivers for children and the elderly.
The Senate completed its vote-a-rama just after 2:30 a.m.
Though Republicans defeated the most eye-popping of the Democratic amendments, some that were offered got a sprinkling of across-the-aisle support from a handful of GOP defectors, signaling the challenges ahead in drafting legislation that's palatable to enough Republicans to pass muster when it comes up for a final vote.
Though an amendment that would have struck the instructions governing massive spending cuts to the House Energy and Commerce Committee failed, it got the support of three GOP senators: Collins, Josh Hawley and Lisa Murkowski.
This is the budget instruction that many Democrats say presents a risk to Medicare and Medicaid funding, signaling a possible hazard on the path ahead for any package that is cobbled together. Collins has signaled that concerns about cuts in this area of the package is why she voted against the entire resolution.
Collins, Murkowski and Hawley also supported the amendment to protect funding for caregivers.
With Vice President J.D. Vance's tiebreaking vote, Senate Republicans will only be able to lose three members of its caucus when a final package is put together.
The Senate will return to Washington on Monday for one more week of work before a two-week recess.
(NEW YORK) -- Federal prosecutors are urging a judge to sentence disgraced former U.S. Rep. George Santos to seven years and three months in prison, calling his conduct a "brazen web of deceit" that defrauded donors, misled voters, and fueled his political rise through lies, theft, and identity fraud.
The government outlined the extent of Santos's fraudulent activity across the 2020 and 2022 election cycles in a detailed sentencing memo filed on Friday.
Prosecutors allege Santos, 35, with the help of former Campaign Treasurer Nancy Marks, falsified Federal Election Commission filings, fabricating donor contributions and inflating fundraising totals to meet the $250,000 threshold required to join the National Republican Congressional Committee's (NRCC) coveted "Young Guns" program. Marks pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing in June.
When informed he hadn't reached the NRCC benchmark, Santos texted an associate, "We are going to do this a little differently. I got it."
That "different" approach included submitting fake donations attributed to family members, fictitious individuals and even identities stolen from elderly supporters, according to the filing.
In tandem, Santos was running a fraudulent political consulting firm, Redstone Strategies LLC, falsely presenting it as a registered Super PAC or 501(c)(4) nonprofit. It was neither, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors say Santos used Redstone to launder donor money, keep commissions and fund personal expenses. In one scheme, he used an elderly woman's credit card -- originally provided for a one-time donation -- to charge $12,000 through Redstone's merchant account, netting himself $11,580 after fees. He wired the money directly into his personal bank account.
When questioned by his business partner, Santos lied, claiming the woman -- who suffers from a brain injury -- was a consulting client, according to the filing. Between February and August 2022, prosecutors say Santos used her credit card repeatedly, attributing donations to her, her daughter, or fictitious names.
Another victim, referred to as "Individual 2" in the filing, had their credit card charged at least five times in March 2022, totaling more than $30,000 in fake campaign contributions, including some attributed to Santos's uncle and to people who didn't exist. These donations were strategically routed to other campaigns that were clients of Redstone, ensuring Santos earned a financial kickback while boosting his political visibility.
In July 2020, he used another victim's credit card to contribute $28,400 to his own campaign, some under the name of a personal friend who neither donated nor gave consent, according to the filing.
In April 2022, prosecutors say Santos falsely reported a $500,000 personal loan to his campaign, enabling him to boast an $800,000 Q1 fundraising haul. He approved a press release promoting the lie and pitched the narrative in conversations with Republican leaders, including a sitting congresswoman. According to the prosecution, the loan never existed.
That lie, combined with his doctored FEC filings and a fabricated resume claiming degrees from NYU and jobs at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, helped Santos secure Young Guns status from the NRCC in June 2022. The designation brought significant support: $103,000 in advertising, $33,000 in polling, and direct contributions from joint fundraising efforts.
However, by fall 2022, campaign staffers discovered the truth. When confronted about the nonexistent loan, Santos admitted it wasn't real and scrambled to fill the gap by soliciting a $450,000 loan from a donor referred to as "Individual 1" in the filing. Santos wired $400,000 of it to his campaign, never reported it to the FEC, and never repaid the donor. He covered the remaining $100,000 by misappropriating more funds from the same donor via Redstone.
Santos was expelled from Congress in December 2023 and has pleaded guilty wire fraud and aggravated identity fraud.
Defense attorneys said in their own memo Santos deserves no more than two years in prison, arguing he "accepted full responsibility for his actions."
"This plea is not just an admission of guilt," Santos told reporters in August. "It's an acknowledgment that I need to be held accountable like any other American that breaks the law."
The former congressman's sentencing is on April 30.
(NEW YORK) -- U.S. consumers are going on a tariff-induced shopping spree. From furniture, to appliances, to alcohol, Americans are rushing to buy before President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs are felt at the checkout counter.
Economists say the tariffs are expected to increase prices for everyday items and many are now raising the likelihood that the economy will fall into a recession.
Auto sales surged 11.2% in March as car buyers flocked to dealerships to beat the 25% tariffs on all imported cars, which went into effect April 3.
Once Noel Peguero heard about the wider tariff announcements, he said he hit the stores. The 50-year old school worker from Queens, New York, says he spent about $3,500 this past week on car parts, gardening supplies and electronics, including a 40" Hisense television and Macbook laptop for his son.
"Now is the time to buy," he told ABC News, adding they were items he was planning to purchase anyway but decided to buy sooner rather than later to avoid any potential price increases.
While stocking up on some items now may make sense, experts caution consumers to buy only what they can afford and not go into debt to get ahead of the "tariff effect."
"A lot of people are dealing with diminished savings and rising debt, so they may not be in a position to make a big purchase or put together a large stockpile," Ted Rossman, a senior industry analyst at Bankrate, tells ABC News. "Take the long view. It might make more sense to drive your existing car for a bit longer or live with the old kitchen cabinets another year or two."
With nearly all U.S. trading partners now subject to a 10% tariff and even higher "reciprocal tariffs" to come April 9 for about 60 trading partners that have a high trade deficit with the United States, some consumers worry that everyday items may soon not only be more expensive, but harder to find.
The mere thought conjures images of empty store shelves during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Americans were scrambling for everything from toilet paper to baking flour.
Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban added to those worries this week, posting on the social-media platform BlueSky that people should "buy lots of consumables" now before prices go up.
"From toothpaste to soap, anything you can find storage space for, buy before they have to replenish inventory," Cuban said. "Even if it's made in the USA, they will jack up the price and blame it on tariffs."
Experts say they don't anticipate any shortages.
"Of course, if everyone heeded [Cuban's] advice, there probably would be some issues, but we're not seeing evidence this is happening at scale," Rossman said. "Thankfully the supply chain is in much better shape than it was during the pandemic."
With the average American household carrying about $6,600 in debt, according to TransUnion, experts say it's important to take a measured approach and consider your long-term financial situation and goals.
"I realize sometimes people need to carry debt for various reasons," said Rossman, "but don't make it worse by panic buying. Rushing to make a big purchase often doesn't end well."
(NEW YORK) -- Significant severe weather and life-threatening flash flooding continue to impact much of the mid-South up through the Ohio River Valley.
Saturday will be the final day of this multi-day high impact flood event that has wreaked havoc across portions of the Lower and Mid-Mississippi River Valley, which remains under a high risk for flooding.
With the potential of seeing another 3 to 6 inches of rain Saturday into Sunday (and locally more in some places), catastrophic flooding is likely to occur, if not already ongoing, for the places under the high risk.
Even though the threat for severe storms will gradually lessen over the weekend as this stationary front slowly pushes east, more unsettled weather will continue to erupt over the areas already hit hard by tornados and life-threatening flooding.
On Saturday, the threat for severe weather extends from eastern Texas up through Kentucky, with parts of the lower and Mid-Mississippi River Valley under the greatest threat.
Millions are under an enhanced risk (level 3 of 5), where damaging winds, large hail and several tornadoes are possible, some which could be strong. Places like Memphis, Tennessee; Shreveport, Louisiana; Lafayette, Louisiana and Jackson, Mississippi, all face the greatest risk of seeing the most intense storms that could generate strong tornadoes, very large hail and powerful winds.
Both the threat for severe weather and excessive rainfall will ease a bit on Sunday as this system begins to slide eastward. However, parts of the Tennessee and Ohio River Valley could see another 3 to 6 inches before this frontal boundary completely moves out of the region by Monday.
Parts of the Southeast are under a slight risk (level 2 of 5) for severe weather, where storms could generate damaging winds, hail and isolated tornadoes.
With that, thunderstorms generating heavy rainfall (with rates potentially reaching 2 to 3 inches per hour) could cause flash flooding in prone areas. A good portion of Georgia and Alabama, as well as parts of the Florida Panhandle, southern Mississippi and southeastern Louisiana are under a slight risk for flooding.
Following a third night of destructive storms, portions of the mid-Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys are not out of the woods yet. A stagnant frontal boundary stretching over the region will bring additional rounds of torrential rain and strong storms again on Saturday.
More than a dozen tornadoes were reported yesterday across Texas, Arkansas and Missouri.
Flood alerts stretching from Texas up through Pennsylvania remain in effect. Overnight, flash flood emergencies were issued for Cape Girardeau County and Van Buran in Missouri. Emergency management reported water rescues.
American teacher Stephen Hubbard was taken prisoner by Russian forces in Ukraine. Image via ABC News.
(NEW YORK) -- The last time Stephen J. Hubbard was seen in public, he was being led handcuffed into a Moscow courtroom.
The 73-year-old American has spent roughly three years in Russian captivity. In early 2022, he was swept up by the Kremlin's troops as they occupied parts of Ukraine following Russia's full-scale invasion. He is believed to be the only American Russia has taken from Ukraine and put on trial.
Russia has convicted Hubbard as a mercenary fighting for Ukraine. But his family, the U.S. government and Ukrainian officials say the reality is that the elderly American was an innocent teacher.
"We didn't even know if he was dead or alive until July," Hubbard's sister, Patricia Hubbard Fox, told ABC News. "It's dire. His health is dire. It's been reported he's passing blood. They need to bring him home."
Hubbard is one of a string of Americans seized by Russia on dubious charges in recent years, as the Kremlin has seized hostages to use as political bargaining chips, among them WNBA star Brittney Griner and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. The State Department has designated Hubbard as "wrongfully detained" meaning the U.S. government can negotiate for his release.
In September, Russian state media reported Hubbard pleaded guilty to the mercenary charges. His sister said the allegations were absurd and that he had been forced into the guilty plea after years of torture and mistreatment.
"It's just a lie," Patricia said. "Steve was 70 years old, there's no way he was a mercenary. Steve was an English teacher. It's an excuse to kidnap Americans. Steve is nothing but a pawn for Russia."
The State Department called on Russia to release Hubbard.
"He never should have been taken captive," the State Department said in a statement. "The United States will continue to work for the release of Mr. Hubbard and all other Americans unjustly detained in Russia."
Born in Big Rapids, Michigan, Hubbard briefly joined the Air Force after high school but left after three years. In the 1980s, he moved to Japan with his second wife, where he spent the next 25 years working as an English teacher, according to his sister. After the couple divorced, he and his son from that marriage moved to Cyprus, where he met a Ukrainian woman.
In 2014, he and the woman moved to Ukraine, settling in Izyum, a small, sleepy city in the country's east. Hubbard, who doesn't speak Russian or Ukrainian, continued to teach English online to support himself, his sister said.
Hubbard was in Izyum when Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Russian troops quickly overran the city and conducted one of the most brutal occupations of the war over the seven months that followed.
After Ukrainian forces liberated Izyum in September 2022, they discovered evidence of Russian atrocities -- including hundreds of mass graves in a nearby forest. Soldiers had dumped bodies, with many showing signs of torture.
Hubbard was among the hundreds of civilians detained in Izyum and the surrounding villages during the Russian occupation. Ukrainian police investigating war crimes said they have been able to establish that a group of Russian soldiers seized Hubbard from his home in April 2022.
He was brought to a torture chamber in the nearby village of Balaklia, where many of those detained passed through, prosecutors in the Kharkiv region told ABC News.
A month later, Russian television aired a report featuring Hubbard from a prison in occupied Ukraine. Another video published by Mash, a channel with links to Russia's security services, shows a zip-tied Hubbard being beaten in the back of a Russian APC.
Ukrainian prisoners of war have said they crossed paths with Hubbard at different times during his imprisonment. Ihor Shyshko told ABC News he shared a cell with Hubbard for about a month in 2023 at a prison in Pakino, around 150 miles from Moscow.
"The day began and ended with tortures," Shyshko said.
In addition to subjecting them to electric shocks for interrogations, guards would force prisoners to stand in uncomfortable positions and then hit them in the genitals or knock them to the ground, according to Shyshko.
The prisons were freezing, Shyshko said, and prisoners were kept on a starvation diet, fed mostly water with a few spoons of buckwheat in it. Many Ukrainian prisoners of war return from captivity looking skeletal and suffering serious health problems.
Shyshko was released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine last year. Photos show him gaunt and wasted after his release, with bruises and rashes from scabies on his legs. He still wears hearing aids on both ears because of damage from beatings, he said.
The conditions were even harder for an elderly man like Hubbard, whom inmates believed was subjected to harsher treatment because he was American, Shyshko said. He recalled other inmates having to carry Hubbard to a medical center because he was unable to walk properly.
"He had very damaged knees, there was practically no skin, everything was rotten," he said. "He is an old man. And he could not understand why this was happening to him."
Patricia said she learned which prison her brother had been in after the wife of a Ukrainian soldier tracked her down. After Shyshko's release, he also made contact with U.S. government representatives in an effort to help Hubbard.
Ukrainian police and prosecutors have opened a war crimes case over Hubbard's abduction. After months interviewing witnesses and checking with government organizations, they said they had no evidence he had any involvement with Ukraine's military or any fighting. Ukrainian officials and soldiers also noted Hubbard's health and age likely meant he would not have been chosen to fight.
"He had nothing to do with the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He did not participate in the territorial defense. He is simply a civilian teacher," Oleksandr Kobyliev, who heads the war crimes department of the Kharkiv regional police, told ABC News.
Patricia hopes her brother can be released in a prisoner exchange similar to those that have freed other U.S. citizens.
Last July, Russia released Americans, including Gershkovich, in the largest exchange since the end of the Cold War after reaching an agreement with the Biden administration. In February, American teacher Marc Fogel was freed in exchange for a Russian cyber criminal, in a swap agreed with the Trump administration.
Patricia said she is selling her house in order to buy another place with room for Hubbard to stay and recover when he is eventually freed. She pleaded for President Donald Trump to help save her brother.
"You went and got another schoolteacher, go get my brother," she said. "Before it's too late."
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored 20 points, Ivica Zubac had 14 points and 13 rebounds and the Los Angeles Clippers routed the Dallas Mavericks 114-91 on Friday night for their third straight victory.
The teams will meet again Saturday in Inglewood.
Norman Powell added 14 points, James Harden had 13 points and Bogdan Bogdanovic and Devin Eubanks each scored 12 points. Los Angeles led by 25 points midway through the second quarter and pushed its lead to 35 points in the fourth before emptying its bench.
The Clippers are 13-3 in their last 16 games.
Naji Marshall scored 22 points to lead the Mavericks. Spencer Dinwiddie added 18 points, and Jaden Hardy had 16 points. Anthony Davis sat out with a left adductor strain.
Takeaways
Mavericks: Dallas’ season continues to unravel following the Luka Doncic trade with the Lakers. Without injured starters Davis and Kyrie Irving (torn ACL), the Mavericks were completely outmatched by the Clippers. They trailed by double digits less than nine minutes into the game and never got within three possessions again.
Clippers: Los Angeles continues to stay red-hot in its push to avoid the play-in tournament. The Clippers are tied with Minnesota and Memphis for the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference with five games left.
Key moment
Leonard scored seven straight points to start an early 21-8 Clippers run, and Dallas never got within 10 points again.
Key stat
The Mavericks shot 20% (4 for 20) from 3-point range, their second-worst mark of the season.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic had 35 points, Austin Reaves added 30 and LeBron James had 27 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 124-108 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.
Doncic struggled in a 123-116 loss to Golden State a night earlier, finishing with 19 points on and being exploited several times on the defensive end, but he responded to help the Lakers maintain their grip on third place in the Western Conference ahead of Denver and the Warriors. The Lakers have won three of four.
Jose Alvarado led the Pelicans with 27 points, and Karlo Matkovic had 15. New Orleans dropped its fourth straight on the road.
Alvarado capitalized on a sluggish start by the Lakers, scoring 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting in the first quarter to help spot the Pelicans a five-point lead.
But Los Angeles got going in the second quarter to take a 62-53 advantage at the half. Doncic had 11 points in the period and James added 10 as the Lakers made all nine of their shots from inside the 3-point line.
Takeaways
Pelicans: Alvarado tied his season high in scoring, matching his 27 against Cleveland on Nov. 6.
Lakers: Dalton Knecht had 12 points, finding some confidence after combining for 14 in his previous six appearances and not seeing the floor in the loss to Golden State.
Key moment
Doncic missed his first seven shots before Jordan Goodwin found him running the baseline for a layup with 7:51 left in the second quarter to ignite both the Slovenian star and the Lakers’ offense.
Key stat
Reaves is the first Laker to make 15 3-pointers in a two-game span. He made six shots from behind the arc after hitting nine against the Warriors.
Up next
The Pelicans host Milwaukee on Sunday, and the Lakers visit Oklahoma City on Sunday for the first of two games against the Thunder.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Quarterback Trey Lance agreed to a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Chargers on Friday.
Lance spent the past two years with the Dallas Cowboys after playing his first two NFL seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, who infamously selected him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 draft out of North Dakota State.
Lance has yet to live up to his enormous potential, but Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh will get a chance to mold the quarterback while he trains alongside Taylor Heinecke as the backups to Justin Herbert.
Lance, who turns 25 next month, is still younger than high-profile 2024 rookie quarterbacks Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix — but Lance has yet to play extensively in the NFL despite his lofty draft position.
He got injured in his second season with the Niners and couldn’t beat out Jimmy Garoppolo or Brock Purdy for their starting job, compelling San Francisco to move on from its high-risk selection after just two years. Lance then didn’t take a snap for Dallas in 2023 before playing occasionally and even starting the Cowboys’ season finale last year.
Lance has started five games in his four-year career, passing for 1,063 yards and five TDs with four interceptions.
Three weeks ago, the Bolts re-signed Heinecke, who appeared in four games last season as Herbert’s primary backup.
The Chargers have not re-signed Easton Stick, who was a backup quarterback on their roster for the previous six seasons. Stick appeared in six games during his tenure and even made four starts late in the 2023 season when Herbert was sidelined with a broken finger.
Herbert has been a durable quarterback so far in his impressive career, but he played through several significant injuries last season despite not missing a game.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Justin Verlander loved the vibe of pitching for the San Francisco Giants with the home fans supporting him — he just wishes he could have been on the mound to enjoy it a little longer.
The veteran had a forgettable home debut for the San Francisco Giants.
The 42-year-old right-hander, who signed a $15 million, one-year contract in January, was done after just 2 1/3 innings Friday against the Seattle Mariners in the Giants’ opener and eventual 10-9, 11-inning victory at Oracle Park.
“It really was (special) but I would have liked to have done better,” Verlander said. “I appreciate the fans cheering me on the way off the field, too.”
He retired only seven batters. He surrendered three runs and five hits with two strikeouts and two walks, throwing 44 of 65 pitches for strikes. He left with the game tied at 3.
“They just made him work really hard, threw a lot of pitches, so he’ll tell you it wasn’t his best stuff,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “He only walked two but they made him throw a ton of pitches. He gave up some hits. At that point in time I wasn’t going to let him throw 40 pitches in an inning. That was going to be it regardless. Kind of for him, move on to the next.”
The three-time Cy Young Award winner and nine-time All-Star with 262 career victories is eager to show he can still pitch at the highest level after an injury-plagued 2024 season with Houston in which he made only 17 starts.
He watched the rest of the 4-hour, 3-minute win from the clubhouse.
“What a ballgame, the reaction was ecstatic,” Verlander said. “All the guys were jumping and hollering and having a good time. Great home opener.”
Melvin said before the game how happy he was to give the ball to Verlander for this moment, a day the club brought in some of the franchise’s stars to honor the 25th year of the waterfront ballpark that opened on April 11, 2000.
“Kind of the timing of it was pretty cool, too,” Melvin said. “(Logan) Webby got the opening day and then Justin gets the home opener. I don’t know if it could have been timed better. I’m sure he’s looking forward to it and I know our fans are looking forward to it. When you add players like him in the offseason, to be able to kind of show them off on opening day I think is kind of cool.”
Verlander made just his second regular-season start and appearance at Oracle Park in his 20-year career and first since June 16, 2008, with Detroit. This was his 40th career start against the Mariners; he was 22-10 with a 2.98 ERA in those previous matchups.
The only other teams he has made 40 or more starts against are Cleveland (57), the Chicago White Sox (48), Kansas City (46) and Minnesota (40).
Verlander took an 8-3 loss here in Game 1 of the 2012 World Series, giving up two of Pablo Sandoval’s three home runs that October day.
“The atmosphere was great. I’ve experienced it from the other side obviously in some big moments and know how great these fans are,” he said. “A lot of guys here had told me how special opening day is here for San Francisco. It really was. The atmosphere was wonderful for the short time I was out there.”
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Texas Rangers plan to activate third baseman Josh Jung from the 10-day injured list Tuesday pending his performance in two rehab games this weekend.
Manager Bruce Bochy said before Friday night’s game against Tampa Bay that Jung will be a designated hitter Saturday and play in the field Sunday for Double-A Frisco.
Jung was placed on the IL with neck spasms following Texas’ second game of the season on March 28.
The Rangers open a road series against the Chicago Cubs on Monday.
Texas also placed right-handed starter Jack Leiter on the 15-day IL retroactive to Thursday with a blister on his middle finger. To replace Leiter, the Rangers recalled left-hander Patrick Corbin from Frisco.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Tyler Mahle rebounded from a rough opening start to pitch one-hit ball over five shutout innings for his first win since April 3, 2023, and Kyle Higashioka’s RBI double highlighted a four-run third inning as the Texas Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-2 on Friday night.
Mahle (1-0) allowed only a two-out single to Yandy Díaz in the third inning, striking out five and walking two on 83 pitches. He lasted only 1 2/3 innings last Saturday against Boston, walking three and allowing two hits with 31 of his 61 pitches called balls.
The 30-year-old Mahle had Tommy John surgery in May 2023 while with Minnesota, signed with Texas as a free agent that December, and made three starts last August without a win before being shut down with a stiff shoulder.
Texas’ first five batters in the third all had hits off Zack Littell (0-2). The streak ended when center fielder Jonny DeLuca made a diving catch to turn Wyatt Langford’s liner into a sacrifice fly. Littell also contributed an error on a high pickoff throw to first base that advanced leadoff batter Josh Smith to second base, where he scored on Higashioka’s double.
Smith homered in the seventh.
Luke Jackson struck out two in the ninth for his fourth save.
Key moment
Higashioka’s double on a 1-0 slider over the middle of the plate lifted chalk down the left-field line.
Key stat
Rangers pitchers threw 25 consecutive scoreless innings, winning 1-0 at Cincinnati on Tuesday and Wednesday, before the Rays scored on wild pitches by Shawn Armstrong and Chris Martin in the seventh.
Up next
In Saturday’s middle game of the series, Rangers RHP Jacob deGrom (0-0, 0.00 ERA) should be capped around 85 pitches after throwing 73 in his season debut last Sunday. He’ll face Rays RHP Taj Bradley (1-0, 3.00), who’s 4-0 in his career in March and April.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The NCAA has certainly remembered the Alamodome, which has again become a No. 1 spot.
All four No. 1 seeds in this season’s NCAA Tournament made it to the Final Four. Auburn, Duke, Florida and Houston will play Saturday just blocks from the famed Riverwalk. They will be in the same building that hosted the only other time since seeding began in 1979 that every top seed made it to the national semifinals.
That was 2008, long before the wide-open transfer portal or players being well-compensated financially in the era of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL).
Bill Self won the first of his two national championships that season at Kansas, which in the title game stunned a 38-win Memphis team that later had to vacate all of those victories due to NCAA sanctions. The other teams in San Antonio then were North Carolina, which had Associated Press national player of the year Tyler Hansbrough, and a UCLA team featuring Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook.
This is the fifth time for the Final Four to be played in the Alamodome, all since 1998. Only four buildings have hosted more, though three of those had their last more than a half-century ago.
Back in 2008
Mario Chalmers made a 3-pointer for Kansas with 2.1 seconds left to force overtime in that 2008 title game, after the Jayhawks overcame a nine-point deficit in the final 2:12 of regulation to beat that John Calipari-coached Memphis squad led by one-and-done standout Derrick Rose.
Self’s first national title ended a 20-year championship drought for the Jayhawks.
Kansas had advanced to the championship game with an 84-66 win over No. 1 overall seed UNC in the semifinal game. Memphis won 78-63 over UCLA, which was in its third consecutive Final Four — without a title in any of them.
The NCAA later ordered Memphis to vacate the record 38-win season, ruling a player believed to be Rose was ineligible that season. The NCAA Committee on Infractions also noted that Memphis was a repeat violator, having also had its 1985 Final Four berth vacated for violations under then-coach Dana Kirk.
First in Texas
Houston is the first team from Texas to make a Final Four played in the Lone Star State.
This is the 11th time the national title will be decided in Texas.
“The bus we were on had the Final Four logo with our team, the team we’re staying at … the staff was awesome. We had a mariachi band,” Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson said. “That’s what this is all about. It’s a reward. They should be rewarded for what they’ve accomplished.”
Final Four hosts
Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City was the site of a record nine Final Fours from 1940-64, and Madison Square Garden in New York hosted seven from 1943-50.
Two venues have had six Final Fours: the Superdome in New Orleans and Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. The Superdome last hosted in 2022, which came 53 years after the last national title game decided in that historic Bluegrass State arena.
Indianapolis will be the site of next year’s Final Four, and again in 2029. Those will push the total to five for Lucas Oil Stadium, the replacement for the RCA Dome that held four before being demolished in 2008.
Final Four sites are set for the next six seasons. Besides the two in Indianapolis, they will be played in Detroit (2027), first-timer Las Vegas (2028), Arlington, Texas (2030) and Atlanta (2031). That last one will be fifth in Georgia, spread over three different buildings, and also be where the 2020 Final Four was to be played before being canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
