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Commanders’ owner Josh Harris says ‘the fans are the 12th man’ ahead of Sunday’s opening game

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:26 GMT

toggle audio on and off change volume download audio WTOP's George Wallace interviews Commanders' owner Josh Harris $(function () { $('.wtop-audio-container .fa-play').on('click', function(){ var audio_filename = $('div.wtop-audio-file').data("mp3-url"); ga('send', 'event', 'Audio', 'play', audio_filename); }); }); Maryland’s own Josh Harris, the new owner of the Washington Commanders, is excited for the new season — but knows eyes are on him.“You’ve shifted the pressure on us, now we’ve got to deliver,” Harris told WTOP’s George Wallace on Friday.The Washington Commanders face off again...

Updated COVID shots are coming. They’re part of a trio of vaccines to block fall viruses

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:26 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Updated COVID-19 vaccines are coming soon, just in time to pair them with flu shots. And this fall, the first vaccines for another scary virus called RSV are rolling out to older adults and pregnant women.Doctors hope enough people get vaccinated to help avert another “tripledemic” like last year when hospitals were overwhelmed with an early flu season, an onslaught of RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, and yet another winter coronavirus surge.COVID-19 hospitalizations have been steadily increasing since late summer, although not nearly as much as this time last year, and RSV already is on the rise in parts of the Southeast.Approval of updated COVID-19 shots is expected within days. They are among the tools the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says will help put the U.S. in “our strongest position yet” to avoid another chaotic respiratory season.“There will be a lot of virus this winter. That’s why we want to get ahead of it,” CDC ch...

Wilson scores 30 points, Aces defeat Mercury 94-73; Sutton has Phoenix’s first triple-double

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:26 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — A’ja Wilson scored 30 points, Chelsea Gray had 14 points and 12 assists and the first-place Las Vegas Aces coasted to a 94-73 win over the last-place Phoenix Mercury on Friday night.Sug Sutton had the first triple-double in Mercury history, with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.The Aces (33-6) took a one-game lead over New York into the regular-season finale on Sunday, when they play the Mercury (9-30) at home. The Liberty close with Washington.In an otherwise dismal season for the Mercury, Sutton added to the highlight of 20-year veteran Diana Taurasi reaching the 10,000-point plateau. Sutton is the first player drafted after the first round to record a triple-double. The third-round pick, 36th overall, by the Mystics in 2020 played 12 games that season.Kelsey Plum added 18 points and Jackie Young 17 points for the Aces, who shot 54%. Las Vegas set a WNBA record with its 14th win of at least 20 points, surpassing Connecticut’s 13 20-point wins in 201...

Novak Djokovic will face Daniil Medvedev in the US Open final. It’s a rematch from 2021

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:26 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Novak Djokovic limited big-serving Ben Shelton to five aces and broke him five times in their U.S. Open semifinal Friday. Djokovic pushed back when the 20-year-old unseeded American produced a late stand that got the home crowd into the match.And after overcoming what he called “a little black hole” caused by tension to right himself, finish off a 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (4) victory and reach his record-tying 10th final at Flushing Meadows and 36th at all major tournaments, Djokovic added a touch of insult to injury by mimicking the kid’s “Hang up the phone!” celebration gesture.Djokovic then pointed to his temple and pounded his fist on his chest, before a stone-faced Shelton met him at the net for the most perfunctory of handshakes. A year after Djokovic could not travel to the United States for the Open because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19, the 36-year-old from Serbia is one victory away from a fourth title in New York and 24th Grand Slam championship overall...

Dodgers All-Star Mookie Betts unlikely to play this weekend after fouling ball off foot

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:26 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mookie Betts is unlikely to play in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ weekend series against the Washington Nationals after fouling a ball off his left foot.Manager Dave Roberts said after the Dodgers’ 8-5 victory Friday night that Betts’ CT scan and MRI exam came back negative. The seven-time All-Star outfielder was diagnosed with a bone bruise. The 2018 AL MVP was off crutches Friday, a day after he was injured in Miami. “I still stand by I don’t see him making an appearance this weekend,” Roberts said.The NL West-leading Dodgers also said pitcher Walker Buehler will not return to the major leagues this year following Tommy John surgery. Los Angeles activated designated hitter J.D. Martinez from the 10-day injured list after he recovered from groin tightness.Betts leads the NL in on-base percentage (.411) and slugging percentage (.609), and ranks third in RBIs (99), fourth in home runs (career-high 38) and fifth in batting average (.314). He hit .4...

Neymar breaks Pele’s Brazil goal-scoring record in 5-1 win in South American World Cup qualifying

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:26 GMT

SAO PAULO (AP) — Neymar became the top goal scorer for Brazil’s national team after surpassing the total of three-time World Cup winner Pelé on Friday. The goal that put the 31-year-old Neymar on the top of Brazil’s scoring record with 78 came in the 61st minute in a World Cup qualifying match against Bolivia in the Amazon city of Belém. It was Brazil’s fourth goal of the match in a 5-1 win, with the last goal of the game also being scored by Neymar during injury time.Neymar’s record-breaking goal came after a low cross into the penalty box, which the striker finished with accuracy from close range. He celebrated with a punch in the air, as Pelé usually did.Earlier, the Al-Hilal striker missed a penalty in the 17th minute, which goalkeeper Billy Viscarra saved.Neymar’s second goal in the match came in similar fashion near the final whistle, with another low cross by Raphinha.Brazil’s soccer confederation considers Pelé as its top goal scorer with 95 goals in 114 matches....

Snell has another strong start, Grisham drives in 4 as Padres cool off red-hot Astros with 11-2 win

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:26 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — After their scorching series at Texas this week, it was hard to imagine what could slow down the Houston Astros. The answer: Blake Snell. Snell pitched six strong innings and Trent Grisham had a homer and four RBIs as the San Diego Padres cooled off the red-hot Astros with an 11-2 win Friday night.“I looked at all the … 1.000 OPS’s from all these guys from the last 10 games, so they have the ability to score a lot of runs,” manager Bob Melvin said. “But we had a pretty good pitcher on the mound.”Snell (13-9) yielded five hits and two runs with eight strikeouts to get his third straight win. It was the first time in three starts that he’d allowed a run, but he still leads the majors with a 2.52 ERA.He has allowed three earned runs or less in 20 straight starts, dating to May 25. “The goal is not to give up runs,” Snell said. “But when we score 11, it’s OK to give up 2, especially to that lineup that’s really talented.”The Astros couldn’t build on a three-game swe...

Who are the G20’s bad guys now?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:26 GMT

NEW DELHI — When world leaders gather at the G20 summit on Saturday morning, the smiles may be more awkward than usual. While China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin won’t be there, a B-list of strongmen with their own damning human rights records will be ready to embarrass the leaders of Western democracy with some stiff handshakes and fixed grins. Some of these international bad guys also have played an increasingly assertive role in negotiations on the Ukraine war — interventions welcomed by the Ukrainian government. However unsavory their domestic records may be, that means they can’t be ignored.Take Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman. According to U.S. intelligence, he approved the gruesome murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But last month, he hosted a multinational meeting in Jeddah aimed at kick-starting peace talks. He’s also staying on after the G20 for a state visit in India.Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has locked up thousands...

COP28: A chance to course-correct on the global clean energy transition

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:26 GMT

Ursula von der Leyen is president of the European Commission; Sultan Al-Jaber is president-designate for COP28 and UAE special envoy for climate change; William Ruto is president of Kenya; Mia Mottley is prime minister of Barbados; Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency; Francesco La Camera is director-general of the International Renewable Energy Agency.The world is not on track to meeting the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal of the Paris Agreement; the global clean energy transition is dangerously off-course. The Global Stocktake report of the Paris Agreement reconfirms what we already know and feel in our everyday lives. This year will be among the hottest on record and wildfires, droughts, floods, and extreme weather attributed to climate change have caused devastating losses and damage around the globe. The United Nations Environment Programme suggests that the effects of climate change would cost countries around the world up to $300 billion a year by 2030....

Coastal Commission approves permit to extend closure of Point La Jolla year-round

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:26 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The California Coastal Commission unanimously voted this week to approve a year-round closure of Point La Jolla to help protect both sea lions and people visiting the area.“A lot of people were getting very close to the animals," said Carol Toye with the Sierra Club Seal Society. "(This is concerning) because this area is a breeding zone.” The City of San Diego requested a permit for the existing seasonal closure in the area to extend all year long. The Coastal Commission’s approved the new permit for seven years, but the final step before it goes into effect will be a vote by San Diego City Council on Sept. 18.Local stakeholders like the Sierra Club Seal Society have pushed to protect 150 yards of Point La Jolla and the bluffs at Boomer Beach for years. Under the approved permit, the highly popular La Jolla Cove and Boomer Beach would remain unaffected. Sea lion in video was likely chasing another, expert says “We do know that this area is very well known for body su...