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Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, state lawmakers to support measures protecting abortion rights

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and state lawmakers are scheduled to announce support Thursday for measures protecting abortion rights, including a state constitutional amendment that would enshrine it.

House Speaker Adrienne Jones and Senate President Bill Ferguson, who are both Democrats, will join the governor at a news conference to show their support for a measure that would protect patients and providers in Maryland from criminal, civil and administrative penalties relating to abortion bans or restrictions in other states.

Maryland officials are expecting more women to travel to the state for abortions because of restrictions in other states after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last year to strike down Roe v. Wade.

Democrats hold supermajorities in both houses of the General Assembly. It would take a three-fifths vote in both chambers to put the constitutional amendment on the ballot for voters to have the final say next year.

In November, Vermont became the first state to approve a constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights.

The right to abortion already is protected in Maryland law. The state approved legislation in 1991 to protect abortion rights if the Supreme Court allowed abortion to be restricted. The Maryland law was petitioned to the ballot and voters approved the right in 1992 with 62% of the vote.

Moore, a Democrat, demonstrated his support for abortion rights soon after taking office last month, when he announced on his second day in office that he was releasing $3.5 million in state funds to expand abortion training, money that had been withheld by his predecessor, Republican Gov. Larry Hogan.

‘We’ve said it before, and we will say it again: Maryland needs to be a state that is a safe haven for abortion rights,’ Moore said when he announced the release of the money.

Last year, lawmakers enacted a law over Hogan’s veto to expand abortion access by ending a restriction that only physicians could provide abortions and requiring most insurance plans to cover abortion care without cost. The law removed a legal restriction preventing nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and physician assistants from providing abortions.

The lawmakers also said this year they were supporting legislation to ensure public colleges and universities in Maryland have a plan for student access near campuses to birth control, including emergency contraception and abortion pills.

A data-privacy bill will aim to protect medical and insurance records on reproductive health in electronic health information exchanges.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
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Colgate-Palmolive recalls 4.9 million units of Fabuloso multipurpose cleaner citing risk of exposure to bacteria

Consumer household goods giant Colgate-Palmolive is recalling approximately 4.9 million units of Fabuloso multipurpose cleaner because the products may expose consumers to a harmful bacteria.

According to a Wednesday notice on the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s website, the recalled products can contain Pseudomonas-species bacteria, which are environmental organisms widely found in soil and water. 

Five different scented versions of the cleaner are affected.

A notice on Fabuloso’s website says the cause is related to a manufacturing issue in which a preservative was not added at intended levels.

‘With inadequate preservative, there is a risk of bacteria growth in the recalled products,’ the notice says.

The affected products were made between December 14, 2022 and January 23, 2023, when the manufacturing issue was corrected, Fabuloso says. Some 3.9 million of these bottles — or about 80% — were never released to the public for sale, it says.  

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says people with weakened immune systems, external medical devices, or underlying lung conditions who are exposed to the bacteria face a risk of serious infection that could require medical treatment. It says the bacteria can enter the body through the eyes or through a break in the skin. It can also be inhaled.

People with healthy immune systems are usually not affected by the bacteria, the commission says.

More information can be found here.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS
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Bed Bath & Beyond is closing 150 more stores. Here’s where they are.

Bed Bath & Beyond said it plans to close another 150 stores as it continues to reorganize its finances.

The planned closures, announced in a regulatory filing Monday, come as the company also said it had struck a deal to raise $1 billion in funding to stave off a bankruptcy filing for now. The fundraising deal was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

The latest round of store closures are happening nationwide, including Norwalk, Conn., Fairlawn, Ohio, Kansas City, Mo., Santa Ana, Calif., and Fort Wayne, Ind., among many others.

Shares in Bed Bath & Beyond plunged more than 12% in Wednesday morning trading.

The company said the new closures build on the previously announced shutdowns of approximately 200 Bed Bath & Beyond stores, including some buybuy Baby locations, as well as the closure of 50 standalone Harmon stores in the U.S.

Bed Bath & Beyond says it plans to shut down the Harmon brand entirely.

In total, Bed Bath & Beyond will have shuttered 400 stores in the past year or so — nearly half its total brick-and-mortar footprint.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS
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Netflix confirms it will start charging users to share an account with others outside their home

Attention Netflix password sharers: Your days of giving free access to your account to someone outside your home are numbered.

The streaming platform announced Wednesday it would begin charging subscribers in a handful of countries to add up to two additional users who don’t live in the same household to their account.

For now, the option of buying extra subscriptions is being rolled out in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain.

And the sharing plans are only available to members using Standard ($15.49 a month) and Premium ($19.99 a month) subscriptions.

The official announcement confirms recent reports surfaced by users that Netflix was ready to impose the new sharing rules.

In its latest release, Netflix reiterated a previous estimate that more than 100 million households have shared their accounts with others, something the company said is ‘impacting our ability to invest in great new TV and films.’

The company said the new sharing restrictions would not impact users’ ability to watch on a new or separate device they have access to, like a TV at a hotel or a vacation rental. 

But the company’s message about restricting sharing is clear.

‘A Netflix account is intended for one household,’ it says.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS
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Disney to cut 7,000 jobs as it slashes costs and reorganizes

Disney said Wednesday it is planning to reorganize into three segments. 

The media and entertainment giant said it would now be made up of three divisions:

Disney Entertainment, which includes most of its streaming and media operationsAn ESPN division that includes the TV network and streaming serviceA Parks, Experiences and Products unit 

The move marks the most significant action Bob Iger has taken since returning to the company as CEO in November. Disney announced the changes minutes after it posted its most recent quarterly earnings.

On Wednesday during its quarterly earnings call with investors, Disney also announced it would be cutting $5.5 billion costs, which will be made up of $3 billion from content, excluding sports, and the remaining $2.5 billion from non-content cuts.

Disney also said it would be eliminating 7,000 jobs from its workforce. That would be about 3% of the roughly 220,0000 people it employed as of Oct. 1, according to an SEC filing, with roughly 166,000 in the U.S. and about 54,000 internationally.

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Disney’s stock rose more than 5% in after-market trading.

Media companies, such as Warner Bros. Discovery, have been pulling back on content spending and looking to make their streaming businesses profitable. Heightened competition has led to slowing subscriber growth, and companies have been looking to find new avenues of revenue growth. Some, like Disney+ and Netflix, have added cheaper, ad-supported options.

“We will take a very hard look at the cost of everything we make across television and film,” Iger said on a call with investors Wednesday.

The reorganization has been underway since Iger returned to the helm of Disney, replacing his hand-picked successor Bob Chapek.

The entertainment group will be led by top lieutenants Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, who are each considered contenders to take over for Iger in less than two years. ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro will lead the ESPN segment, while Josh D’Amaro, already the head of Disney’s parks, experiences and products segment, will remain in control.

The future of ESPN under Disney’s ownership has been a question for some time for investors. Last year, activist investor Third Point had urged the company to spin out ESPN. Disney and Third Point later reached a deal, after reversing course on its thoughts for the future of ESPN.

Chapek’s removal came shortly after Disney had reported its fiscal fourth quarter earnings, disappointing on profit and certain key revenue segments. Chapek had also warned that Disney’s strong streaming numbers would taper off in the future. He had also told employees shortly thereafter that Disney would be cutting costs through hiring freezes, layoffs and other measures.

Shortly after his return, Iger sent a memo to employees announcing the business would be reorganized, particularly the Disney Media and Entertainment unit. The reorganization immediately meant the departure of Kareem Daniel, the head of the company’s previous media and entertainment unit, and right hand to Chapek. 

Iger had said he would put more “decision-making back in the hands of our creative teams and rationalize costs” at the time. The goal would be to have a new structure in place in the coming months, with elements of DMED remaining, CNBC reported. He added during a town hall that he wouldn’t lift the company’s hiring freeze as he reassessed Disney’s cost structure. 

On Wednesday, Iger again echoed those comments about returning control to the creative minds at the company.

“Our company is fueled by storytelling and creativity, and virtually every dollar we earn, every transaction, every interaction with our consumers, emanates from something creative,” Iger said Wednesday. “I have always believed that the best way to spur great creativity is to make sure the people who are managing the creative processes feel empowered.”

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS
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Who could pass LeBron James as NBA scoring leader?

Who could pass LeBron James someday as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer?

James passed Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, who held the record for nearly 40 years, and now has 38,390 after Tuesday’s loss to Oklahoma City. James is going to keep adding points, putting himself in position to blow by 40,000 points.

Will that be an unbreakable record – like Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game or Chamberlain’s 50.4 points per game in 1961-62 or even Scott Skiles’ single-game assists record of 30?

James benefitted from not spending at least one season in college whereas every player since the 2006 draft has needed to be one year removed from his high school graduating class to become draft eligible. That’s a season’s worth of points that James accumulated while players such as Kevin Durant and Luka Doncic had to wait.

Let’s take a look at who could make a run at the all-time scoring record:

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Kevin Durant, 26,684 career points

Durant’s chances to become the all-time scoring leader have been thwarted by injuries. He played just 27 games in 2014-15, missed 2019-20 with an Achilles injury and played just 35 games the following season. Durant entered the league four years after James and trails him by nearly 12,000 points. At 34 years old and with just a handful of seasons left, it will be difficult for Durant to hit 40,000 points (which is where James will end up). Had he not missed all that time to injuries, he would likely be over 30,000 points with a better chance at passing James. Still, Durant – if healthy – will move into the top 10 in scoring next season and possibly pass Michael Jordan for a spot in the top five by the time his career is over. 

James Harden, 24,233 points

Harden has scored at least 20 points per game for 11 consecutive seasons, including an MVP-caliber stretch in which he averaged 30.4, 36.1 and 34.3 points in 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20. At 33, even if he were to score 2,000 points a season for the next seven seasons (highly unlikely given his scoring trajectory is on the downswing), he’d still be short of James. Harden is also hurt by low scoring totals his first two seasons.

Steph Curry, 21,183 points

No one can question Curry’s skill as a scorer. But the occasional injury has hurt his chances to make a run at the all-time scoring record. He played in just 23 games in 2011-12 and five in 2019-20. At just over 21,000 points now, he will need another 19,000 to reach 40,000 – another unlikely scenario given Curry’s age (34). Don’t forget he was a three-year college player whereas James didn’t attend college and Durant spent just one season at Texas. Small guards (6-2 and under) are not represented in the top 25 in all-time scoring and cracking that would be a major accomplishment.

Luka Doncic, 8,531 points

Doncic is the most compelling case study. He entered the league as a scorer, posting 21.2 points per game in 2019-20 and hovered around 28 points per game for the next three seasons and is at 34 points per game this season. With 8,531 career points before the halfway mark of his fifth season, Doncic is on a great pace to become one of the game’s all-time leading scorers. But the all-time leading scorer? That’s more difficult. If Doncic played 70 games and averaged 28.1 points a season, he wouldn’t reach 40,000 points until his 20th season – in 2037-38. Plus, can Doncic manage his heavy workload for that long without impacting his scoring or health?

Unknown player

James was not born yet when Abdul-Jabbar passed Chamberlain as the league’s all-time leading scorer in 1984. Abdul-Jabbar played another five seasons, padding his lead. Since then, five other players soared by Chamberlain. It’s quite possible and even likely that the person who breaks James’ scoring record – and don’t forget James probably will bust through 40,000 – isn’t in the league right now and might not even be alive. One thing is for certain. For a player to make a run at James’ record, he will benefit from the league eventually ending the one-and-done rule so that players can enter the league at 18 years old without spending a year in college – and start off averaging at least 20 points and have a career average of 27 points for 20 seasons. In other words, another once-in-a-generation player.

Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Florida State football coach gets raise, 3-year extension

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida State football coach Mike Norvell, whose team ended last season with a six-game winning streak, was rewarded with a three-year contract extension that will pay him an average of $8.05 million annually through 2029.

The school released the contract Wednesday. It will pay Norvell $5.6 million in 2023, $7.6 million in 2024, $7.8 million in 2025, $8.1 million in 2026, $8.3 million in 2027, $8.6 million in 2028 and $8.8 million in 2029. He also gets a $250,000 retention bonus if he’s still employed every Dec. 31.

Norvell earned $4.5 million last year and would have made $7.25 million in the final year of his previous deal.

This is the second extension for Norvell, who was hired after the 2019 season. The Seminoles added a year to his contract following the 2021 season. FSU finished 10-3 last season and ranked No. 10 in the final USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll. 

The Seminoles beat Florida and Miami — and scored at least 45 points against both in-state rivals in the same season for the first time. FSU also was the only team to lead its conference in both total offense and total defense. Along with Southeastern Conference heavyweights Alabama and Georgia, FSU was one of three teams to rank in the top 15 in yards per play on both sides of the ball.

“Coach Norvell has re-established a culture that the entire Seminole Family can appreciate,” athletic director Michael Alford said in a statement. “We are proud of the way Coach Norvell, his staff and his team represent Florida State University on and off the field.’

The Seminoles likely will be a trendy pick in the Atlantic Coast Conference next fall, with quarterback Jordan Travis, standout defensive end Jared Verse, leading rusher Trey Benson and leading receiver Johnny Wilson all returning for another season in Tallahassee.

“I’m grateful for the trust our administration continues to place in me to lead the Florida State football program,” Norvell said. “President Richard McCullough, the Board of Trustees and Michael Alford have been important pieces in our success, and the alignment we have makes me excited for the future of this program.

‘I appreciate their support and vision to continue our climb toward the top of college football. I’m also thankful for the people who brought me and my family here three years ago, along with the players and staff whose commitment has helped us build this foundation. The future is bright here in Tallahassee.”

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Jets WR says team is one QB away from contending, eyes Aaron Rodgers

PHOENIX – New York Jets receiver Garrett Wilson believes his team is one quarterback away from being a contender in the AFC. And he has his eyes on one in particular: Aaron Rodgers. 

‘He’s like a legend,’ Wilson told USA TODAY Sports at Super Bowl 57 Radio Row at the Phoenix Convention Center. ‘Since I was a young kid I have been watching him play, so it would really be a full circle moment for me if I got to play with him toward the end of his career.’

The Jets finished the season 7-10, missing the playoffs for the 12th consecutive year and dealing with a revolving door at quarterback. Zach Wilson, their second overall pick from 2021, started nine games, while veteran Joe Flacco and Mike White each started four. The trio combined for 14 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

‘We’ve got some good players in the facility and I’m confident if we bring someone like (Rodgers), we would be right there,’ Wilson said. 

Super Bowl Central: Super Bowl 57 odds, Eagles-Chiefs matchups, stats and more

Rodgers has not decided his future and whether that will be with the Green Bay Packers or elsewhere.

The Jets hired Nathaniel Hackett, Rodgers’ former offensive coordinator with the Packers, as their new OC, leading many to speculate about the fit with Rodgers.

If Rodgers did come to the Jets, Wilson said he would tell the future Hall of Famer ‘how excited I was to get the opportunity to play with him.’

Wilson is also hopeful quarterback Derek Carr, whose time with the Las Vegas Raiders has neared its end, could land in New York.

In his first season with the Jets, Wilson racked up 1,103 yards and four touchdowns.

‘It was a great season and I’m lucky to have the people that I had around me to keep pushing me,’ he said. 

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Punked at the Super Bowl: Mahomes falls for question about Rihanna

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The nexus of football and entertainment has become increasingly apparent in recent Super Bowls – especially with iconic performers like Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez and The Weeknd headlining recent halftime shows.

So you can imagine the reaction of Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro quarterback Patrick Mahomes on Wednesday morning when former Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Marshall informed him that Rihanna – Super Bowl 57’s halftime star – had said that the 2018 NFL MVP and presumptive winner of the award for the 2022 season is ‘the greatest quarterback ever.’

Asked for his reaction, Mahomes smiled broadly and responded: ‘It makes me feel great. She’s gonna crush it at halftime. I have family members that I think are more excited about the halftime show than they are the game. And so whatever Rihanna says is like the gospel, so I’m glad that she went with me for that honor.’

Marshall waited just a beat.

Super Bowl Central: Super Bowl 57 odds, Eagles-Chiefs matchups, stats and more

Then he informed Mahomes, ‘She didn’t. She didn’t.’

The room of assembled media members laughed collectively. Mahomes good-naturedly took the blow in stride while also opting not to mask his disappointment.

‘You got me up here smiling,’ he chuckled.

The quarterback, who’s seeking his second Lombardi Trophy and Super Bowl MVP in the past four seasons, spent the next several minutes answering a few more football-related questions and even shared his thoughts on LeBron James breaking the NBA’s all-time scoring record Tuesday before finishing up his interview session.

But as he stepped off of the podium riser in the ballroom of the Chiefs’ posh suburban Phoenix hotel, Mahomes stopped and stared at Marshall.

‘I can’t believe you got me with that,’ he said to another round of laughter.

***

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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2023 NWSL schedule finally released: New format for Challenge Cup

The agonies of NWSL fans (and even players) are over, as the league’s 2023 schedule is finally out.

In just 45 days, the regular season will begin with a March 25 opening day that will see the North Carolina Courage host the Kansas City Current, and a San Diego Wave vs. Chicago Red Stars match on the west coast.

The regular season will run until October 15, which will see the NWSL try something out for the first time: a ‘Decision Day’ set-up in which all 12 teams will kick their respective finales off at 5 p.m. ET. Given how tight the standings were down the stretch last year, a thrilling finish for multiple clubs seems baked into this year’s schedule.

The league took plenty of criticism for not having the schedule out sooner, something that commissioner Jessica Berman acknowledged on social media. However, the reality for the league is that its teams don’t hold outright control of any venue, and must work around the schedules in Major League Soccer, the USL Championship, USL League One, and even three different football leagues (the NFL in Seattle, the XFL in D.C., and college football in San Diego) to sort out a schedule.

One difficult guarantee Berman had offered — removing mid-week games from the regular season schedule — proved to be almost entirely true. There is just one mid-week regular season game all season, with Angel City FC hosting the Orlando Pride on Thursday, Sept. 28.

2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup break (kinda)

The schedule will include breaks for the April and September FIFA international windows, and a World Cup break of sorts. While the regular season will in fact pause from July 9 — the day before FIFA’s pre-World Cup window opens — and not pick up again until Aug. 18, there will be 16 Challenge Cup matches during the World Cup.

There’s also an unavoidable truth: NWSL will resume regular-season play on Aug. 18, which means a full slate of fixtures will be played on the same weekend as the World Cup final and third-place game. Two games (Orlando hosting Chicago, and North Carolina’s road trip to face the Portland Thorns) will take place on the day of the final.

The NWSL playoffs will retain their six-team structure, with the top two finishers in the regular season receiving byes to the semifinal round. The postseason will start on Oct. 22 (quarterfinals), with the semifinals set for Nov. 4. The championship game will take place on Nov. 11, at a venue yet to be announced.

Challenge Cup mixed in

NWSL had said it would shift the Challenge Cup away from being a preseason tournament, instead playing those games throughout the season. The old format drew intense criticism from players and teams, with mixed messages — it’s a season-opening warm-up, but for many players, the champion’s bonus represented 25% of their yearly salary — and an erratic schedule leaving no one happy.

This year’s Challenge Cup will begin on Wednesday, April 19, sandwiched between full regular season slates on the weekends before and after. That’s not particularly convenient, but ultimately NWSL runs into reality: there are only so many weekends in a year, and popular sentiment among players and teams seems to hold that the regular season should be given preference.

Some elements have been maintained: the 12-team NWSL will be divided geographically, and teams will play home and away against each other team in their group. Those groups are as follows:

East: North Carolina Courage, NJ/NY Gotham FC, Orlando Pride, Washington SpiritCentral: Chicago Red Stars, Houston Dash, Kansas City Current, Racing LouisvilleWest: Angel City FC, OL Reign, Portland Thorns, San Diego Wave

The Challenge Cup semifinals are scheduled for Sept. 6, and the final is set just three days later on Sept. 9. Unlike last year, when an absolute mess played out requiring multiple teams to reschedule (including, in one case, a home opener), the slate will be clear of regular season games ahead of time.

The Challenge Cup still comes with some oddities: while 10 teams will play on April 19, Racing Louisville won’t make their debut in the tournament until May 17. Much of the tournament will be packed into the back half of the World Cup break, with 16 of the Challenge Cup’s 36 group-stage games being played from July 21-Aug. 6.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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