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UFC, WWE to merge into $21B sports entertainment giant

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:26:21 GMT

The parent company of the UFC mixed martial arts league has announced a deal to buy professional wrestling giant WWE and merge the two corporations.“Together, we will be a $21+ billion live sports and entertainment powerhouse with a collective fanbase of more than a billion people and an exciting growth opportunity,” Vince McMahon, World Wrestling Entertainment executive chairman, said along with the announcement of the merger.According to an announcement made by Ultimate Fighting Championship owner Endeavor Group Holdings on Monday morning, the companies have signed a “definitive agreement” to combine with Endeavor maintaining 51% controlling interest and WWE shareholders keeping the remaining 49% holdings.The professional wrestling company formerly known as the WWF was purchased for $9.3 billion or approximately $106 per share, according to the the announcement.“This is a rare opportunity to create a global live sports and entertainment pureplay built for where the industry ...

LSU’s Angel Reese unapologetic over gestures to Iowa star Caitlin Clark

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:26:21 GMT

By SCHUYLER DIXON (AP Sports Writer)DALLAS (AP) — LSU’s Angel Reese waved her hand in front of her face while staring down Caitlin Clark, then pointed toward her finger as if to say a ring was coming while walking toward the Iowa star.The gestures late in the Tigers’ 102-85 victory in the NCAA championship game Sunday lit up social media, with comments supporting the “Bayou Barbie” for trash talk that’s just part of the game and condemning her for lacking grace in victory.The bubbly junior from Baltimore, who transferred from Maryland to join flamboyant LSU coach Kim Mulkey, was unapologetic in the postgame news conference.“All year, I was critiqued about who I was,” Reese said. “I don’t fit in a box that y’all want me to be in. I’m too hood. I’m too ghetto. But when other people do it, y’all say nothing. So this was for the girls that look like me, that’s going to speak up on what they believe in. It’s unapologetically you.”Clark, the scoring sensation who was the first with consec...

How to watch San Diego State in the NCAA National Championship

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:26:21 GMT

SAN DIEGO — Today is the day Aztecs fans!The San Diego State University men's basketball team will take on UConn in the NCAA Tournament National Championship game Monday night.The five-seed Aztecs advanced to the championship game after a buzzer-beater win over FAU on Saturday that propelled SDSU to a 72-71 victory.UConn, a four-seed, punched their ticket to the championship game after a 13-point victory over Miami on Saturday.The SDSU-UConn matchup will take place at NRG Stadium in Houston, with tipoff scheduled for 6:20 p.m. PT.Here is how you can tune into the game live:TVThe game between the Aztecs and the Huskies will air live on CBS.StreamingThose looking for a streaming option to watch the National Championship game will have a few options.The primetime matchup will be streamed on the NCAA website and on the March Madness Live app, but you may need a cable subscription login to watch.The game will also stream live on YouTube TV and Hulu. CBS games are simultaneously streamed ...

Oil producers’ cuts could boost gasoline prices, help Russia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:26:21 GMT

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Major oil-producing countries led by Saudi Arabia said they’re cutting supplies of crude — again. This time, the decision was a surprise and is underlining worries about where the global economy might be headed.Russia is joining in by extending its own cuts for the rest of the year. In theory, less oil flowing to refineries should mean higher gasoline prices for drivers and could boost the inflation hitting the U.S. and Europe. And that may also help Russia weather Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine at the expense of the U.S. The decision by oil producers, many of them in the OPEC oil cartel, to cut production by more than 1 million barrels a day comes after prices for international benchmark crude slumped amid a slowing global economy that needs less fuel for travel and industry.It adds to a cut of 2 million barrels per day announced in October. Between the two cuts, that’s about 3% of the world’s oil supply. Here are key thin...

Supreme Court rejects appeal from Louisiana man on death row

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:26:21 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal from a Louisiana death row inmate seeking a new sentencing hearing, over a dissent from the three liberal justices.The court turned away David Brown, who was convicted of killing a prison guard, Capt. David Knapps, during a 1999 escape attempt from the state prison in Angola. Brown argues he is entitled to a reconsideration of his death sentence because prosecutors failed to provide his lawyers with evidence that might have led a jury to spare his life.Only after the sentencing did prosecutors give Brown’s legal team a confession from a fellow inmate, Barry Edge, that supported Brown’s contention that he was not involved in Knapps’ killing.Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote that the delay violated Brown’s constitutional rights under a 1963 Supreme Court decision requiring the prosecution to turn over material that would help a defendant’s case. “At no point in the confession did E...

Spiraling housing prices spark worry about Hawaii’s future

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:26:21 GMT

WAIANAE, Hawaii (AP) — Tedorian Gallano would like to buy a house for his wife and three youngest children in Hawaii, but real estate prices soared so high eight years ago he moved his family back to his childhood home outside Honolulu — and last year, his older brother followed suit.Now, eight members from three generations of Gallano’s extended family share one bathroom in a house that’s so packed they’ve jerry-rigged an extra bedroom in the garage. Buying a home is “pretty much unattainable for the average working family” in Hawaii, the 49-year-old carpenter said.“We always seem to have these hot markets that drive the prices up, and then it’s the hardworking local families that cannot buy houses who are kind of left out,” Gallano said.Gallano’s situation is emblematic of the acute affordable housing crisis afflicting Hawaii, a problem so deep that there’s now widespread concern that many of Hawaii’s children won’t be able to afford to li...

Stocks are mixed as oil price jump adds to inflation fears

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:26:21 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices are climbing Monday and threatening to add more upward pressure on inflation, while stock markets worldwide were making only modest moves. The S&P 500 was 0.1% higher in early trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 226 points, or 0.7%, at 33,500, as of 9:45 a.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.4% lower. It’s the first day of the year’s second quarter for markets, and the 6% jump in oil prices is denting one of the main themes that helped stocks rise in the first quarter: that turmoil in the banking system and a continued slowdown in inflation could push the Federal Reserve and other central banks to take it easier soon on their hikes to interest rates. The Fed has already jacked rates up at a feverish pace over the last year in hopes of undercutting high inflation. Higher rates can do that by slowing the economy, but they risk causing a recession later on.They also drag down prices for stocks, bonds and other investments. That’...

8 involved in Amsterdam heist sentenced to up to 15 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:26:21 GMT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Eight robbers who stole millions of euros’ worth of precious metals from an armored transport vehicle then opened fire on police in a wild car chase through Amsterdam were convicted Monday and handed prison sentences ranging from two to 15 years.The Amsterdam District Court said the May 19, 2021, car chase through the northern suburbs of Amsterdam and into a usually peaceful village north of the Dutch capital sowed fear and panic among police involved in the chase and members of the public who watched as the robbers opened fire with automatic weapons.Five of the robbers were caught in the village after a shootout, three more were detained later. One man involved in the robbery was fatally shot by police.None of the robbers’ identities were released, in line with Dutch privacy law.The robbers fled with precious metals worth 14.5 million euros. Most of it was recovered, but more than 4 million euros’ worth is still missing.A 39-year-old ...

Seaweed bloom reaches record size: 'Major beaching events are inevitable'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:26:21 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt is thriving, "setting a record abundance" for this time of year, according to a new report released Friday.All that abundance – an estimated 13 million tons, University of South Florida (USF) researchers say – is bad news for beaches in the Florida Keys and the Caribbean this summer. As it washes ashore and rots, the algae smell like rotten eggs. It can cause breathing issues for people with sensitivities and asthma. Satellite images show the 5,000-mile-long belt of seaweed growing denser, and the bloom hasn't even reached its peak yet. The USF researchers anticipate the seaweed masses will reach their largest size in June or July. Satellite images show 5,000-mile seaweed belt creeping closer to US The seaweed belt stretches from the west coast of Africa to the Gulf of Mexico, but researchers say the bloom isn't one continuous blanket of seaweed. The clumps and mats of loosely connected sargassum cover less than 0.1% of the ...

Best white New Balance shoes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:26:21 GMT

What are the best white New Balance shoes?New Balance has been manufacturing durable, comfortable athletic shoes for over 60 years. Their shoes are known for their technical design and superior fit. They offer a full line of shoes for running, cross-training, hiking and casual wear.Many New Balance shoes have an option for all-white or a white base with a soft color complement. For their lightweight style and comfort, the best white New Balance shoes are the New Balance Women’s FuelCore Nergize V1 Sneakers.What to know before you buy white New Balance shoesTypes of New Balance shoesNew Balance manufactures a wide variety of shoe types. The most common are walking, running, training and casual shoes, also called sneakers. They also make sport-specific shoes for golf, tennis, basketball, baseball, soccer and skateboarding.They are best known for their running shoes but have incorporated the technology into their other shoes to improve the flexibility, comfort and durability no ...