October 8, 2026 / 5:00 AM EDT / KFF Health News
The U.S. Senate candidates in Texas could hardly be more different: James Talarico, a former seminarian turned Democratic state lawmaker who speaks in calm cadences about love and empathy, and Ken Paxton, the pugnacious Republican state attorney general who speaks about a refusal to compromise.
They share an enemy, though. They dislike social media's effects on children's mental health. Talarico, who did not respond to a request for comment, has endorsed a social media ban for kids under 16, while denouncing "predatory algorithms that divide us on an hourly, daily basis." As a legislator, he co-authored a bill targeting explicit deepfakes — digital imitations of individuals that are often made or manipulated by artificial intelligence and used for harassment on social media.
Paxton has been suing Big Tech, alleging the companies hook youth on their apps or don't restrict sensitive videos from being viewed by kids. "When elected to the U.S. Senate, he will continue his proven record of advancing policies that protect children online, strengthen parental rights, and hold Big Tech accountable when it breaks the law," Paxton campaign spokesperson Madison Cercy said in a statement to KFF Health News.
Youth mental health is in decline. Even as researchers explore what's causing the problem, momentum is gathering among policymakers from both parties to crack down on social media companies. Several major companies are being sued, investigated, and, soon, potentially regulated. That they may be harming kids' mental health is a key reason.

#Social #kids #senate #Tech

A provocative, **** ually suggestive ad by GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton is drawing heat from his fellow Republicans while drawing millions of viewers online.
Two young women sit on a bed, with an LGBTQ+ flag in the background, with one urging the other to try a new experience.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," one woman says, and the other replies. "Don't be nervous. It's not that bad ... Just try it. Look, give me your hand. Close your eyes, and I'll do all the work."
She leads the hesitant woman's hand to mark her ballot for Hilton rather than Democrat Xavier Becerra, the front-runner in the race, and says, "Now lick it," referring to the mail ballot envelope.
Fellow Republicans as well as several Democrats denounced Hilton over the messaging.

#fellow #drawing #hand #lgbtq

President Donald Trump on Thursday said he is following the upcoming Brazilian election “very closely,” referring to Brazil as a “very important" country. "The people of Brazil are fantastic people,” he told reporters outside the White House. “It’s a very important election.”
The U.S. State Department later announced the suspension of its consular services in Brazil ahead of the election taking place on Sunday, citing unspecified security concerns. “U.S. citizens seeking emergency ****** istance during this time should not come to the Embassy, the Consulates, or other U.S. diplomatic facilities,” the security alert advised.
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Brazilians are heading to the polls for a set of federal elections spanning congressional and gubernatorial races, alongside the first round of the presidential election votes. It’s set to be a decisive moment for Latin America’s largest nation, as the region has seen a shift toward the right in recent years. An Oct. 25 runoff is expected, as polls show a tight contest between leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and far-right Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted last year for plotting a coup to overturn his 2022 election loss. Trump led the conservative voices denouncing the conviction, referring to the trial as a “witch hunt.”
While Trump has acknowledged his active interest as Brazil votes on its political future, there are concerns he could be too involved. Trump and his Administration have been accused of attempting to interfere with the high-stakes overseas election.

#Brazil #important #people

Bitcoin's most violent rally of its two-year drawdown wasn't powered by fresh bullish bets. It was powered by bears getting crushed, according to a new report from ******* ytics firm Glassnode and crypto exchange Bybit.
Over five days in August, Bitcoin climbed 24.6% even as coin-denominated open interest, a measure of active leverage, fell 12.6%, the report found. That combination is the tell: rather than traders piling into new long positions, the move ran on the forced unwinding of existing shorts.
Roughly 64,000 BTC worth of open interest was closed out, and short positions supplied 89% of every liquidated dollar during the stretch.
The options market told the same story. Puts, the contracts traders buy to protect against a fall, had priced richer than calls for 361 straight days. A single session ended that run, flipping roughly a year of downside positioning as the market scrambled to reprice.
Bybit's own volatility index traveled four times its normal daily range in one session, and the front of the futures curve repriced sharply while longer-dated contracts barely moved, a sign the market read the move as a one-off event rather than a lasting regime change.

#interest

With a dividend yield of 4.3%, Ford (F) is among the highest-yielding constituents of the S&P 500 Index ($SPX). That number would look even more compelling considering Ford's dividend yield is over four times what an average S&P 500 Index constituent pays.
However, a bit of number-crunching tells a different picture. Dividend yield is basically a function of the per-share dividend, which is the numerator in the equation, and the stock price, which is the denominator. Dividend yield rises when the company raises its dividends or the share price falls. More often than not, the latter is true for companies that have a very high dividend yield.
Get exclusive insights with the FREE Barchart Brief newsletter. Subscribe now for quick, incisive midday market ****** ysis you won't find anywhere else.
The S&P 500's dividend yield is near its historical lows. Two factors can be blamed for the dip in the world's most popular index's dividend yield. First, tech companies' share in the market-cap-weighted index has soared amid the artificial intelligence (AI) driven rally. Mega-cap tech companies are known to be frugal with dividends, and their rising weightage in the index pulls down its dividend yield. Second, while the annualized dividend per share of the S&P 500 has continued to rise over the years, the increase has been much lower compared to the surge in stock prices.
In contrast, Ford's quarterly dividend has been static since July 2022, when the company raised the payout by 50% to $0.15. Notably, while Ford paid special dividends in the preceding three years to reach its payout targets, it hasn't raised its payout for over four years. Its dividend yield is still high because of its underperforming stock, which has essentially gone nowhere in the last five years and trades 46% below its October 2022 highs.

#Dividend #yield #Share #dividends

The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAIN) announced on September 14 that it agreed to sell most international operations to AURELIUS for estimated cash consideration of $323 million. Expected net proceeds of $305 million to $310 million would repay debt and leave a business concentrated in North America.
The immediate hurdle is financing. The agreement, signed September 12, requires a credit-agreement amendment by October 12 extending the December 22, 2026 maturity by at least nine months. AURELIUS can terminate if that amendment is not secured by the deadline.
The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAIN) expects closing in its fiscal second quarter ending December 31, subject to lender agreement and regulatory approvals. The dollar consideration estimates also depend on exchange rates because the purchase price is denominated in sterling.
The transaction could materially reduce the debt burden. The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAIN) reported $558 million of total debt as of June 30. Subtracting the estimated net proceeds implies approximately $248 million to $253 million remaining, a calculation using rounded figures before subsequent borrowings, repayments, or other changes.
That reduction could lower interest expense and give management more room to stabilize the retained brands. The remaining portfolio includes Celestial Seasonings tea, The Greek Gods yogurt and Earth's Best baby and kids foods.

#december

The yuan-denominated crude oil futures trading in China hit this week their highest level since the contract was launched in 2018 as escalating threats to Middle East's oil supply and increased purchases by Chinese refiners push prices higher.
Launched in March 2018, the INE crude oil futures contract (SC) is a physical-settlement contract priced and traded in Chinese yuan on the Shanghai International Energy Exchange.
The crude futures soared to as much as 929.4 yuan, or $138.50 per barrel, on the exchange, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
The price spike followed the intensified concerns about supply from the Middle East after the East-West oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia was attacked by drones late last week, forcing the Kingdom to temporarily shut it down.
The international crude oil benchmarks also rallied at the start of this week. As of Tuesday, no timeline has been given as to when the pipeline would come back and continue helping Saudi Arabia bypass the Strait of Hormuz with shipments out of the Red Sea port of Yanbu.

#contract #east #saudi

The yuan-denominated crude oil futures trading in China hit this week their highest level since the contract was launched in 2018 as escalating threats to Middle East's oil supply and increased purchases by Chinese refiners push prices higher.
Launched in March 2018, the INE crude oil futures contract (SC) is a physical-settlement contract priced and traded in Chinese yuan on the Shanghai International Energy Exchange.
The crude futures soared to as much as 929.4 yuan, or $138.50 per barrel, on the exchange, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
The price spike followed the intensified concerns about supply from the Middle East after the East-West oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia was attacked by drones late last week, forcing the Kingdom to temporarily shut it down.
The international crude oil benchmarks also rallied at the start of this week. As of Tuesday, no timeline has been given as to when the pipeline would come back and continue helping Saudi Arabia bypass the Strait of Hormuz with shipments out of the Red Sea port of Yanbu.

#crude #futures #middle #saudi

The college football season is well underway, and Week 2 has already delivered plenty of developments. Big upsets, thrilling battles and, somehow, even more delays have kept fans entertained throughout the weekend.
After Florida State experienced a massive delay before kickoff Monday night against SMU, Oregon and Oklahoma State dealt with a delay of their own Saturday. While the two games were delayed for completely different reasons, they shared one interesting common denominator.
ESPN sideline reporter Taylor McGregor was on the sidelines for both games. McGregor has become a staple of ESPN's college football coverage, earning praise from fans for her work throughout game day.
MORE: Oregon has all the talent in the world, but they aren't national **** le contenders
However, after back-to-back weeks featuring delays with McGregor on the sidelines, some fans might be asking a ridiculous question: Is she a game-delay curse?

#mcgregor #delays #games

For those of an earlier generation, ******* an and football had one connection: the adventures of Captain Tsubasa, known as Oliver Hutton in the West, the fictional young striker who would go on to play in Brazil before moving to Europe. The cartoon became a reality with Hidetoshi Nakata, the distinctive and talented attacking midfielder who made his name with Perugia and won the Scudetto with Roma, paving the way for a wave of ******* anese players in Serie A at the turn of the millennium. One of them even made his way to Milano, via Emilia-Romagna.
Yuto Nagatomo, the last ******* anese player in the history of the Nerazzurri, and also the first, turns 40 today.
He arrived through one of those winding transfer routes, in a loan swap with Cesena in January 2011. Davide Santon went to Emilia-Romagna, while Inter welcomed a ******* anese full-back who was barely 1.70 metres tall, and powered by seemingly endless batteries that always left him with more energy than everyone else. Seven of his first nine goals for Inter came in the final half-hour, when he was still charging forward. The secret? Umeboshi. ******* anese salted plums, a great remedy for fatigue. He ate them before every game. It was also the result of a thoroughly Eastern discipline, combined with a football education that arrived slightly later than usual. Yuto did not come through the academy at a major club. He played football at school until he was 20. At first, this was a tactical limitation; later, it became a strength. He moved in ways which were neither conventional nor codified, which led him into extreme situations. He would, for example, end up in the opposition box, more often than you might expect, even scoring a header at Marassi in 2011. It was the kind of game you can picture, with Nagatomo scoring 1-0, despite almost always being the shortest player on the team. Or right on the edge of the box, as in Turin the following year, when, at the end of a scrappy but determined move, he set up Rodrigo Palacio for Inter's final goal in a 3-1 win away to Juventus, their first victory there in nine years. Or when he had the courage, or perhaps the recklessness, to take the decisive penalty; Inter vs Pordenone, a one-off Coppa Italia tie, an astonishing 0-0 after 120 minutes. It was the ******* anese player who spared Inter the embarrassment in a half-frozen San Siro, called upon by the entire stadium to take the final penalty. "Yuto, Yuto, Yuto." It was an inevitable goal which secured a place in the next round.
Nagatomo really did become Captain Tsubasa, both because, like the hero of the manga and anime, he made it to San Siro, and because he actually appeared in the manga, or rather, in Holly and Benji. In 2019, he even dubbed himself. Because sometimes it is hard to tell fantasy from reality.
Happy Birthday, Yuto-San.

#Inter #even #final

Jinger and Joy-Anna Duggar shared moments in their lives when they struggled to find joy in a new episode of the "Call Your Sister" podcast
The sisters admit that incidents involving the family have led to their darkest times; this comes months after Joseph's arrest, as their other brother Josh remains in federal prison
The sisters say that their faith and spirituality have ultimately helped them navigate these difficult times
Just days after police arrested Joseph Duggar on child **** abuse charges, his sisters Jinger and Joy-Anna Duggar released statements denouncing his actions and offering their support and sympathy for his alleged underage victim.
The two young women were also quick to condemn the actions of their oldest brother Josh and praise the jury members who convicted him on child **** charges following his 2021 trial. He remains behind bars.

#anna #times #child

(NEXSTAR) – Building a collection of unique banknotes? You'd be off to a solid start if you find one with a "solid" serial number.
A "solid" serial number, as known to collectors, is a serial number on a U.S. banknote that features only a single repeating digit, such as "11111111" or "77777777." Bills with such numbers might not be quite as rare as, say, a discontinued banknote or a bill with a double denomination error, but they're still among some of the most recognized "oddities" in paper-money collecting, according to Doug Mudd, the curator and director of the American Numismatics ***** ociation's Edward C. Rochette Money Museum in Colorado.
"As a type, they are somewhat popular because they are more readily noticeable," Mudd tells Nexstar.
Mudd pointed out, however, that a "solid" serial number is technically "just as rare or common as any other," mathematically speaking. But much like collectors who seek out "radar" serial numbers (i.e., palindromic numbers, such as 12344321 or 55433455), there are indeed niche collectors willing to pay well over face value for more unique specimens.
In fact, banknotes with solid serial numbers generally fetch more than other so-called "fancy" serial numbers, seeing as there are fewer possible bills with solid numbers in a series.

#serial

Wheel of Fortune announcer Jim Thornton's status with the show just went from suspended to fired amid a recent alleged pedophilia scandal.
Earlier this week, TMZ broke the news that Sony Pictures Television Studios had suspended the announcer, revealing to the media outlet, "We have recently been made aware of allegations concerning Jim Thornton. He has been suspended from Wheel of Fortune, and we are recasting while we conduct a thorough investigation."
Per TMZ, the alleged incident occurred when a passenger complained to a flight attendant about Thornton on a commercial flight in May. American Airlines confirmed to TMZ, "On May 14, American Airlines Flight 1276 was met by law enforcement upon arrival at Los Angeles International Airport following concerns reported by a customer onboard."
Jim Thornton/Facebook
Following TMZ's initial report, Thornton's attorney, Allison Hart, denounced the information in the article, telling USA Today (via a letter), "My client did not engage in any illegal conduct, was not arrested, and has not been charged with a crime." The statement continued, "When questioned about the complaint made by a fellow passenger on the flight, law enforcement spoke to him for five minutes or less, immediately determined that no wrongdoing had occurred and told my client he was free to go."

#following

Revolution Medicines, Inc. (NASDAQ:RVMD) received FDA approval for Rasonque, or daraxonrasib, following an expedited review. The once-daily oral RAS inhibitor is approved for adults with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma who have received at least one prior systemic therapy or are not candidates for multiagent systemic therapy.
Revolution Medicines, Inc. (NASDAQ:RVMD) set a wholesale acquisition cost (WAC) of $39,800 for a 30-day supply. Twelve 30-day supplies would total $477,600 at WAC before discounts, rebates, or ******* istance. Rasonque is available in the United States, with (ON)Path offering insurance navigation and financial-assistance resources, including copay support for eligible commercially insured patients.
The approval was based on RASolute 302, a randomized Phase 3 trial involving 500 patients with previously treated metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. In the overall population, median overall survival reached 13.2 months with Rasonque versus 6.7 months with chemotherapy. The hazard ratio of 0.40 represented a 60% lower hazard of death during trial follow-up. Median progression-free survival was 7.2 months versus 3.6 months, while objective response rates were 30% and 11%, respectively.
The survival benefit gives Rasonque a strong clinical argument for reimbursement. Pancreatic cancer is aggressive, treatment options after progression are limited, and Rasonque improved overall survival, progression-free survival, and response rates in a randomized comparison. Oral dosing may also reduce the burden of intravenous chemotherapy.
The approved population is broader than a single mutation-defined subgroup. Rasonque can be prescribed with or without an identified RAS tumor mutation and does not require a companion diagnostic. That reduces testing friction within the approved treatment setting.

#months #pancreatic #progression #medicines

Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd. (NYSE:CANF) reported extended survival trends in a key late-stage cancer trial alongside a $4 million warrant exercise agreement to fund ongoing clinical operations.
• Can Fite Biopharma stock is at significant support. What is going on with CANF?
The clinical-stage biotechnology company observed longer-than-expected blinded overall survival in its ongoing pivotal Phase 3 trial evaluating Namodenoson for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
The study focuses on HCC patients with Child-Pugh B7 cirrhosis, utilizing overall survival as its primary efficacy endpoint.
Because the observed data reflect a pooled, blinded population across both treatment arms, the company cannot draw conclusions regarding drug efficacy or comparative differences yet.

#biopharma #clinical

Coming off a berth in Super Bowl LX, the New England Patriots are in the process of retooling their roster. They made some moves in free agency to improve the foundation, and added some youth in the NFL Draft and rookie free agency. Now, it's about trimming the unit back down again: by 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 30, they have to be under the 53-man limit.
In order not to get lost amid all the upcoming movement, here is our handy up-to-date Patriots roster and depth chart.
^denotes roster exemption | °denotes active/PUP/NFI designation
Quarterback (3): Drake Maye (10), Tommy DeVito (16), Behren Morton (15)
Running back (7): Rhamondre Stevenson (38), TreVeyon Henderson (32), Reggie Gilliam (44 | FB), Lan Larison (34), Jam Miller (30), Hassan Haskins (26), JaMycal Hasty (39)

#free #super #england

Strategy Inc (NASDAQ:MSTR) rallied along with Bitcoin. The cryptocurrency rally followed a White House meeting with industry executives, while the Treasury Department's expanded bond-buyback plans lowered long-term yields and weakened the dollar.
However, Strategy Inc (NASDAQ:MSTR) is not a simple leveraged Bitcoin fund. The company held 843,775 Bitcoin on July 26, sold 1,638 Bitcoin during July 27-August 2, and another 1,690 during August 3-9, leaving 840,447 Bitcoin. That position was worth approximately $57.5 billion at Wednesday's Bitcoin price, but the figure represents gross **** et value rather than value attributable to common shareholders.
Common issuance increases gross Bitcoin per share only when the Bitcoin acquired per incremental **** umed diluted share exceeds the existing ratio. Issuing above net **** et value alone is insufficient because the share denominator and use of proceeds determine the result. Strategy Inc (NASDAQ:MSTR) reported that its company-defined Bitcoin-per-share metric increased 5% during the second quarter to 210,824 satoshis.
Strategy Inc (NASDAQ:MSTR) also had a $4.80 billion reserve as of August 16, including unsettled at-the-market offering proceeds. The reserve provides a buffer for contractual debt interest and preferred dividends when declared, although the preferred series have different terms, including **** ulative provisions for certain securities. This liquidity reduces near-term dependence on favorable Bitcoin or capital-market conditions.
Strategy Inc (NASDAQ:MSTR) reported $6.7 billion of aggregate convertible principal and a $15.5 billion aggregate preferred notional amount in May. At June 30, preferred equity had a $14.44 billion carrying amount and a $15.46 billion liquidation preference; repurchases began after quarter-end. These claims sit ahead of common equity under a basic-share valuation framework.

#NASDAQ

When Amy-Jill Levine was a child in Massachusetts, a schoolmate in her predominantly Catholic hometown told her she was guilty of killing Christ because she was Jewish.
Her mother reassured her that wasn't the case — and instead of being embittered by the encounter, the young Levine began attending a Catholic catechism class to learn more about her Christian neighbors and their beliefs.
That blossomed into a decades-long academic career in an unusual role — a Jewish scholar of Christian Scriptures. Levine has worked to improve how Christians and her fellow Jews understand each other. She's spoken at many churches and taught students about the ancient Jewish context of Jesus' life and teachings. She's written numerous books, some in tandem with Christian scholars; she and a co-author even presented one book personally to Pope Francis.
But after the Catholic Biblical **** ociation of America announced earlier this month that Levine was elected its first-ever Jewish president, an antisemitic backlash began.
Denunciations appeared in the posts and replies on social media accounts with tens of thousands of followers. Critics called her "anti-Christian," claimed she's trying to hijack Catholicism, denounced Jews for not accepting Jesus, and tacked on anti-Zionist comments.

#jewish #jill #massachusetts

The Tennessee high school football season has reached Week 2. The slate of Tennessee high school football games remain primarily TSSAA football non-region for most of the state. Those games that are region contests are denote with an asterisk.
Here are the TSSAA football scores as reported to the TSSAA.
King's Academy 44, Tri-Cities Christian 14 (Thu)
Knoxville Catholic 42, Anderson Co. 21 (Thu)
Loudoun Sports Academy, VA at Baylor

#Football

Olympique de Marseille, Olympique Lyonnais and Stade Rennais now know what lies ahead.
The draw for the Europa League league phase delivered its verdict on Friday afternoon in Monaco. The three French clubs involved in the competition now know their eight opponents.
OM and OL will both go head-to-head with one of the overwhelming favorites for this edition: Bayer Leverkusen. A daunting common denominator!
Marseille will also have to navigate tricky away trips to Celtic Glasgow and Beşiktaş.
Rennes will take on the other giant of the competition: Juventus.

#head

Fox bolted a camera to the observation level of the Washington Monument, hung another one off a 70-foot crane, and scattered roughly 90 cameras around the National Mall for what the network billed as the most ambitious live motorsports production it has ever attempted. The payoff arrived Tuesday: the Freedom 250 Grand Prix averaged 3,282,000 viewers, peaking at 3,482,000 between 2:30 and 2:45 p.m. ET. That is the largest audience any NTT INDYCAR SERIES race has pulled outside the Indianapolis 500 since Champ Car and the IRL finally stopped bleeding each other out in 2008.
Congratulations are in order. So is a second look at the arithmetic.
Four days before the green flag, IndyCar published its season-to-date figure through 14 races: 1,731,000 viewers per race, up 16 percent on 2025 and 53 percent on NBC's final season in 2024. After Washington, the same metric through 15 races reads 1,875,000 — up 32 percent and 70 percent respectively.
Read that again. A single Sunday doubled the series' reported year-over-year growth rate. That isn't a rising tide. That's one wave hitting a shallow denominator.
Ferrari Patents a Taillight That Doubles as a Spoiler

#series

With Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood winning the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, IndyCar's final street race in 2026, there was one common denominator in all six street races: They were won by a car with a Honda engine.
Honda went 6-of-6 on the street circuits (two Kirkwood wins, three Alex Palou wins and one from Marcus Ericsson) while Chevrolet, IndyCar's other engine manufacturer, didn't win any.
To sweep the streets, Honda never really had to scrape by in any race, as a Honda engine led 542 of the 597 (90.7%) of the laps on streets this year while claiming 15 of the 18 podium spots. The manufacturer has won 19 of the last 21 street races dating back to 2023, when it also swept the streets.
Honda has won 10 of the 15 races, including Felix Rosenqvist's win in the Indianapolis 500 for Meyer Shank Racing. After Chevrolet closed the gap with three straight wins in June and July, Honda has separated itself by winning four in a row.
"I think the fact that we won the 500 and we also turn around and we're doing it currently on street courses, it makes me proud for the team," Honda Racing Corporation USA vice president Kelvin Fu told IndyStar. "And a lot of it is, it's just not us, it's Andretti and it's (Chip Ganassi Racing), right? It's a combination of their ability to develop their car control and the drivers and surviving a 147-lap, ******* py street course."

#racing

Jane Fonda has released a statement in support of Mark Ruffalo after Paramount slammed the four-time Oscar nominee as "antisemitic" for a recent post denouncing Larry Ellison's ties to Israel and David Ellison's planned merger with Warner Bros.
"Especially as a Jewish American, I find it deeply troubling to see false accusations of antisemitism used to silence legitimate political criticism in this country," Fonda wrote in a statement shared to the Committee for the 1st Amendment Instagram. "Antisemitism is real and dangerous, which is precisely why the charge should never be used as a cudgel against people whose political views you dislike, in this case as dedicated a crusader for democracy as Mark, whom we are proud to have as a Committee member and to be in this fight with us."
More from Variety
Iowa Attorney General Says She's Taking California to the Supreme Court Over Paramount-Warner Bros. Lawsuit
Haim Saban, Teddy Schwarzman and Lawrence Bender Among Those Condemning 'Antisemitic' Tropes in Mark Ruffalo's Paramount Discourse: It 'Puts Our Community in Grave Danger'

#warner #bros

Enes Kanter Freedom is banned from Chicago Sky games at Wintrust Arena.
In a rare interview with Chicago-based media members, Chicago Sky owner Michael Alter denounced the actions of former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom, who attended Sunday's game at Wintrust Arena between the Sky and Indiana Fever.
"It was pretty clear to us that his purpose of coming here was trying to be provocative and just see how much attention he could get," Alter told reporters.
Freedom was removed from the third quarter of Sunday's game after an altercation with Sky guard Natasha Cloud. Weeks before Sunday's game, Freedom, an 11-year NBA veteran who last played in 2022, declared for the 2027 WNBA draft, claiming he identifies as a woman.
Alter said Freedom is not allowed back into Wintrust Arena "unless sometime in the future, he's able to prove to us that he's able to abide by our rules without being a potential threat." A Sky spokesperson confirmed Freedom is banned indefinitely from the team's home games.

#freedom

With U.S. debt hitting $40 trillion, markets are turning more attention to that burden and whether policymakers will address the root causes or just the symptoms.
The Treasury Department's interventions in the bond and currency markets in recent weeks point to the latter.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent surprised Wall Street on Wednesday with a plan to increase buybacks of long-term bonds, after the 30-year yield hit the highest level in nearly 20 years.
That came just a few weeks after the U.S. and **** an took such joint action to boost the yen for the first time in three decades. But to make it happen, the U.S. sold euros instead of dollar-denominated **** ets, avoiding a sale of Treasury securities that would put more upward pressure on yields.
Japan also refrained from selling Treasuries and instead tapped an obscure Federal Reserve tool called the Foreign and International Monetary Authorities Repo Facility (FIMA). This mechanism allowed **** an, which is the world's largest holder of U.S. debt, to borrow dollars against its Treasury stockpile, obtaining a limited form of liquidity.

#treasury #secretary #scott #wall

Los Angeles Kings legend Anze Kopitar says that he is happy with his decision to retire after 20 years in the NHL.
Kopitar made the decision to walk away from the sport that brought him so much joy at the age of 37 following the 2025-26 NHL season. Now 38 years old, Kopitar played in fellow Zdeno Chara's farewell game, the 'Zee's Final Shift,' at Pavol Demitra Ice Stadium in Trencin, Slovakia, on Friday. He looked good in the game, but he says he's content with his decision to retire.
Speaking to NHL.com, Kopitar reaffirmed his decision to step away from the NHL, though he admitted he was happy to play with fellow legends like Chara in the tribute game.
"I am very happy. It's great. Obviously, I get to spend a lot more time with my family. I get to go (watch my) kids … my son's hockey tournament, my daughter's figure skating competition. So, there is still life in ice arenas, but I'm enjoying it very much," Kopitar said.
When Kopitar becomes eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2029, he will undoubtedly be inducted into the HHOF in his first year of eligibility, because he was an amazing hockey player who has a brilliant career in the NHL.

#happy

The first front pages of the Mourinho era debut with a scare and a new hero. A guy with a guardian angel, according to As.
Espanyol had Real Madrid on the ropes, and Espí had to arrive in the 90th minute to save the day. 1-2. The first joy for Marca.
Mourinho, true to his combative style, denounced the bullying Vinicius continues to suffer from rivals and fans.
Barça, the reigning champions, begin the league away from home at the Martínez Valero against Elche, with Flick one ****** le away from matching Cruyff and Guardiola in the club of three-time champions.
Going for the third, declare Sport and Mundo Deportivo in unison.

#madrid #marca

As Fiorentina's summer transfer window builds towards denouement with the future of Moise Kean, the secondary narrative couldn't be about anything other than his putative replacement. The usual rumormongers have offered up a handful of names: Lorenzo Lucca, Joshua Zirkzee, William Osula. None of those spark joy even in conjunction with the previously-signed Mateo Pellegrino. Recently, though, a new name darkened my consciousness, one that left me sweaty and shaking. Consider this my formal plea: Fabio Paratici, please, please, please do not sign Mauro Icardi.
If you've been living under a rock, Icardi looks like a great signing. He's hit 10+ league goals in 10 seasons across 4 clubs in 3 countries. He holds an Italian passport, speaks the language fluently, spent nearly a decade in Serie A with Sampdoria and Inter Milan, and has twice been capocannoniere. He's a free agent after his contract with Galatasaray ran out this summer following a 14-goal campaign which demonstrated he's recovered from a major knee injury the year before. At 33, he could have another couple productive seasons, especially because he's always relied more on his poaching instincts and lethal finishing more than his physicality.
If you haven't been living under a rock, though, you know that Icardi is just about the stupidest signing Fiorentina could make. I'm going to list four reasons. Feel free to add your own afterwards because whoo boy can you probably come up with more.
Mauro Icardi is a messy, messy guy. The tabloids have fed on him like vultures for years in a way that makes me uncomfortable but he seems incapable of, for want of a better phrase, being normal. His relationship with Wanda Nara is the stuff of podcasting legend. The tl;dr is that they started hooking up when she was married to his teammate and mentor Maxi López, leading to an ugly divorce and weird custody situation that included Icardi getting tattoos of López and Nara's kids.
That relationship ran its predictable course but not before Nara registered herself as his agent and initiated a disastrous falling out with Inter Milan. After all that, she found evidence of his infidelity and kicked off a years-long cycle of short-term breakups that reached its inevitable conclusion in an acrimonious divorce and subsequent legal battle over alimony and custody that's led to international travel bans, alleged leaks of "intimate videos," mutual accusations of cheating, and missed child support payments. Because the wrangling stretches across continents, it offers unprecedented legal complications and will probably drag on for years before a judge can make any sort of ruling.

#years #mauro #Milan #though

Coming off a berth in Super Bowl LX, the New England Patriots are in the process of retooling their roster. They made some moves in free agency to improve the foundation, and added some youth in the NFL Draft and rookie free agency.
In order not to get lost amid all the movement, here is our handy up-to-date Patriots roster and depth chart.
^denotes roster exemption | °denotes active/PUP/NFI designation
Quarterback (3):Drake Maye (10), Tommy DeVito (16), Behren Morton (15)
Running back (7):Rhamondre Stevenson (38), TreVeyon Henderson (32), Reggie Gilliam (44 | FB), Lan Larison (34), Jam Miller (30), Hassan Haskins (26), JaMycal Hasty (39)

#free #denotes #draft

After Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham ignited nationwide conversation about whether or not transgender women should play in women's sports, perhaps the most prominent transgender woman on the planet has broken her silence on the issue.
During a recent interview with Fox News, former Olympic gold medalist turned reality star Caitlyn Jenner has offered her take on the debate, expressing a desire to "protect women's sports" as former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White make a mockery of the league by trying to declare themselves eligible for the WNBA due to the league's gender policy.
Weeks after Cunningham ignited widespread conversation about whether or not transgender women should be eligible to play in the WNBA, the league issued a statement last week indicating that the conversation about the issue would continue, but no decision had been made about its eligibility rules.
"Today's meeting covered a wide range of topics, including ongoing discussions on transgender athletes and the continued hate and vitriol directed at players online. We will continue to engage all league stakeholders in the coming weeks and months. We will approach these important conversations thoughtfully and in alignment with the values of our league. There are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA and we strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others," the league said in a statement via ESPN.
This statement came after Kanter Freedom and White declared themselves eligible for the WNBA.

#eligible #cunningham #kanter