Breaking
Wealth World News
Archive

2024

Browsing
Politics

Israel stares down ‘ring of fire’ as Iran pledges retaliation

Security officials in Israel and the U.S. have been scrambling for days to bolster the Jewish state’s defenses following the back-to-back assassinations of Hezbollah and Hamas terror leaders last week. 

Iran on Monday gave credence to security concerns after it claimed stability in the region could only be achieved by ‘punishing’ Israel for its alleged assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

Though an attack on Israel would only mark the second time Iran has directly hit it, despite years of aggressive rhetoric and force posture, it plays in to Tehran’s long-held ‘ring of fire’ strategy to encircle Israel with militant forces and engage in hostilities against the Jewish state. 

‘The Ring of Fire strategy… is not designed to be theoretical. It’s how the regime fights its ‘death by a thousand cuts’ strategy against Israel,’ Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran expert and senior fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), told Fox News Digital. 

Taleblu pointed to how nearly every militant and terrorist organization in the area surrounding Israel is not only backed by Iran but has access to an array of Iranian armaments, including rockets, mortars, drones, cruise missiles and, in some cases, ballistic missiles. 

‘What the regime is likely to try to do,’ Ben Taleblu continued, ‘is to go for a 360-degree attack-vector trying to strike Israel from both sides.’

Tehran has long relied on proxy groups in the Middle East to fight its battles without Iranian troops having to get directly involved in lengthy and deadly wars. 

Iran has provided funding, training and or weapons to at least 19 terrorist organizations spread out across Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, according to open-source findings by the FDD.

Some groups have received vast amounts of support, including Hezbollah, which receives $700 million annually, and Hamas, which receives $100 million each year, along with the tens of millions also sent to the Islamic Jihad, according to figures cited by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

‘The Iraqi militias, the Syrian militias and the Houthis, within the last decade, have really begun to become a key part of Iranian strategy,’ Bill Roggio, senior fellow at the FDD and founding editor of ‘The Long War Journal,’ also told Fox News Digital. ‘They’re not paying the human cost for their involvement. 

‘The Iranians, they could play this game all day long,’ he added. 

Both security experts pointed out that the U.S. and Israeli strategy has been to respond to Iranian attacks through more sophisticated methods, signaling they can create pains for the Islamic Republic at a much lower cost to them than Tehran is capable of achieving. 

But this approach has also led Tehran to believe that neither nation will respond with the same level of force that Iran is willing to throw at Israel in particular. 

On Monday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani claimed that ‘Iran seeks to establish stability in the region, but this will only come with punishing the aggressor and creating deterrence against the adventurism of the Zionist regime.’

Israeli officials have been readying their defensive and offensive capabilities on the ground and in the air as security officials around the globe await Iran’s imminent attack. 

‘It seems to be… a matter of when, and not if,’ Ben Taleblu said.

Iran issued its first direct assault on Israel in April after the IDF hit an Iranian consulate in Syria and killed 13 people, including Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi, an Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) senior commander, and his deputy, Gen. Mohammad Hadi Hajriahimi.

In response, Tehran levied some 300 rockets and drones at Israel, causing minor damage, and no Israeli deaths were reported as 99% of the strikes were intercepted.

Taleblu said the April attack was a balancing act as Tehran looked to simultaneously respond with force but without escalating to an all-out regional conflict. 

But this time officials believe Iran has something to prove following the assassination of Haniyeh on Iranian soil through a sophisticated bombing scheme, which is believed to have taken months in planning and preparation. 

‘It highlighted the level of penetrability in Iran’s security services given that this was a pre-placed bomb that was able to be remotely detonated,’ Taleblu said. ‘They’re trying to make up for that embarrassment.’

Israel has not taken responsibility for the killing of Haniyeh, but Iran and Hamas have accused Jerusalem of carrying out the attack and pledged to retaliate.

Officials believe that this time Iran may try to overwhelm Israeli and American defenses in a multipronged attack using not only more advanced IRGC munitions but by relying on a layered approach with its regional proxy forces sitting in wait on Israel’s borders. 

‘The Iranians have fought a four-plus decade-long shadow war against the Israelis and the Americans,’ Taleblu said. ‘And the trend line indicates that they feel increasingly comfortable coming out of the shadows.’

‘That’s a problem for everyone who wants less conflict in the region,’ he warned.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
Keep Reading
By
Politics

Morning Glory: Justice Gorsuch takes his case public

It is unusual for the fireman to actually pull the fire alarm, but that is exactly what Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch has done in his new book, co-authored with Janie Nitze: ‘Over Ruled: The Human Toll of Too Much Law.’

Readers familiar with the excesses of the ‘Administrative State’ will not be particularly surprised by the horror stories emerging from the regulatory behemoth that are the executive branches of federal and state government. The outline of every single story retold by Gorsuch and Nitze is familiar: Government crushing citizens who happen to cross their paths. 

It might by an Amish family trying to maintain its way of life in rural Minnesota, a famous race car driver (Bobby Unser) who barely survived a wilderness ride on a snowmobile only to face prosecution and conviction in a ludicrous proceeding, or a magician who discovered that his act’s rabbit needed a license from the Department of Agriculture. They all get their stories told in succinct and compelling fashion by Justice Gorsuch and Ms. Nitze, and there is no doubt satisfaction in that telling for every victim of bureaucratic excess. But did any of them receive justice, or even an imperfect remedy?

The answer is, sadly, no. For all the tales of regular overreach and abuse of process that Gorsuch recounts, the list of rebuked bureaucrats is…well, non-existent. Because while federal and state agencies can be told to stop violating the Constitution, or ordered to stop exceeding their authority, or simply shamed for the absurdity of their endless rules, there is precious little accountability for individual bureaucrats drunk on power. 

Which is why I jested with Justice Gorsuch on Monday’s program that he and his colleagues really needed to get back to work. (The Supreme Court traditionally wraps up its term at the end of June or very early July and then reconvenes on the first Monday in October.) The justice in good humor replied that he and his colleagues work pretty hard as it is, and he’s right. But measured against the vastness of the federal, state and local governments, the Supreme Court could hear and decide cases on behalf of aggrieved citizens 24/7/365 and it still would not make a dent in the power of unelected and unaccountable employees of the hundreds of federal, state and local agencies to make life miserable for citizens of the Republic. 

I pointed out to the justice that 2.8 million people are employed as civilians by the feds and more than 19 million more people are employed by the state and local governments. (These numbers do not include the uniformed military.) The chances of an ordinary citizen getting a fair and just result in expeditious fashion from any corner of this almost endless federal, state and local governments is simply next to zero. It is hard enough to get a phone call returned much less to litigate to victory against the government. 

Even when an eventual adjudication of an aggrieved litigant’s case results in a decisive win —as when the Archdiocese of Philadelphia triumphed over the ideological extremists of the City of Philadelphia’s social services— it does not really repair the damage done. In this case the city’s bureaucrats wanted to bar the Diocese’s Catholic Social Services (‘CSS’) foster program from the city’s sprawling network of providers of foster care services despite the Archdiocese’s long record of exemplary service to children in need of foster care, a record that dates to 1917.

The City had barred CSS in 2018 because, consistent with the theology of the Roman Catholic Church, CSS would not accept as potential foster parents whom CSS would ‘vet’ as qualified to care for foster kids either unmarried couples or gay and lesbians individuals or couples. Just before being barred, CSS was providing homes for more than 120 children. ‘How did it work out in the end?’ Gorsuch and Nitze ask. ‘In the Spring of 2021 the Supreme Court unanimously held that the city’s refusal to renew its contract with CSS on the basis of the group’s religious ideas violated the First Amendment.’

‘But consider what it took,’ the authors add. ‘The group had to endure years of litigation. It had to persist too, through losses both in the trial court and on appeal. In the meantime, children in need were left unserved and available beds in loving homes sat empty.’

That’s one story with a semi-happy ending but the book is full of the tragedies wrecked upon individuals and organizations by bureaucrats drunk on power and zealous for evidence that their jobs must exist. The ‘Administrative State’ never willingly relinquishes power, never ever declares any of its tentacles to be superfluous. 

The scope of the problem is laid out in ‘Over Ruled,’ but as Justice Gorsuch noted to me on air, any comprehensive solution to the problem of too many laws, regulations and penalties must come from the Congress or state legislatures. Justice Gorsuch is at least half correct. It is not for the Court to legislate, but it and the lower federal courts could seriously consider reviving the long dead ‘non-delegation’ doctrine as well as putting real teeth into the punishment of agencies and employees of the federal government who are found to have abused their authority in those federal cases brought by heroic plaintiff. 

The ‘Administrative State’ is not a ‘deep state.’ It doesn’t hide. It’s easy enough to see their work and God help you if you cross their most aggressive rule-enforcers. But curbing the excesses of untouchable bureaucrats should not be as hard as it is. The cases should not take so long to move towards resolution and redress. Courts need to move with urgency to rescue citizens from bureaucrats gone wild. And the president and governors deserve the authority they need over their ‘executive branches’—including the robust authority to dismiss the offenders of citizens’ rights.

Hugh Hewitt is host of ‘The Hugh Hewitt Show,’ heard weekday mornings 6am to 9am ET on the Salem Radio Network, and simulcast on Salem News Channel. Hugh wakes up America on over 400 affiliates nationwide, and on all the streaming platforms where SNC can be seen. He is a frequent guest on the Fox News Channel’s news roundtable hosted by Bret Baier weekdays at 6pm ET. A son of Ohio and a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Michigan Law School, Hewitt has been a Professor of Law at Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law since 1996 where he teaches Constitutional Law. Hewitt launched his eponymous radio show from Los Angeles in 1990.  Hewitt has frequently appeared on every major national news television network, hosted television shows for PBS and MSNBC, written for every major American paper, has authored a dozen books and moderated a score of Republican candidate debates, most recently the November 2023 Republican presidential debate in Miami and four Republican presidential debates in the 2015-16 cycle. Hewitt focuses his radio show and his column on the Constitution, national security, American politics and the Cleveland Browns and Guardians. Hewitt has interviewed tens of thousands of guests from Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Kerry to Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump over his 40 years in broadcast, and this column previews the lead story that will drive his radio/ TV show today.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
Keep Reading
By
Sports

White Sox tie AL record with 21st consecutive loss

The Chicago White Sox tied the American League record for consecutive losses with a 21st straight Monday night, succumbing to seven strong innings from left-hander JP Sears in a 5-1 defeat at the hands of the host Oakland Athletics.

The White Sox, who haven’t won since July 10, matched the AL record set by the Baltimore Orioles in 1988. Since 1900, the major league record is 23, set by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1961.

After Oakland scored in the bottom of the first without benefit of a hit against Ky Bush (0-1) in his major league debut, Chicago drew even in the fourth on a one-out double by Andrew Vaughn and a two-out RBI single by Andrew Benintendi.

However, that was the last of the visitors’ scoring on a night when they got just two other hits against Sears and relievers Austin Adams and Tyler Ferguson.

En route to the fifth win in his past six starts, Sears (9-8) limited the White Sox to one run and three hits. He walked one and struck out five.

Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.

After Adams pitched around Miguel Vargas’ two-out double in a scoreless eighth, Ferguson struck out two of the three men he faced in a non-save situation in the ninth.

Oakland’s first-inning tally was the result of Bush walking Daz Cameron, Brent Rooker and Shea Langeliers, then allowing a sacrifice fly by Tyler Nevin.

The A’s, who had lost three of their previous four games, took the lead for good on a two-run single by Max Schuemann in the fourth.

Bush was pulled after four innings, charged with three runs on just two hits. He walked five and struck out three.

Oakland tacked on against the White Sox bullpen with single runs in the sixth, on Lawrence Butler’s pinch-hit homer, and in the eighth, when Zack Gelof raced home from third while Schuemann was striking out.

The homer was Butler’s 13th.

Gelof scored twice after a pair of walks for the A’s, who have won the opener in their past seven series.

Each team had four hits.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
Keep Reading
By
Politics

What is GARM? ‘Collusive’ ad group allegedly targeting conservatives faces grilling from top House committee

A controversial advertising alliance has drawn the attention of one of the most powerful House committees in Congress as critics allege it has fostered corporate collusion in order to silence certain political messages. 

The Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) describes itself as a ‘cross-industry initiative’ started as part of the World Federation of Advertisers that, according to a spokesperson, ‘was established in 2019 to help the advertising industry address the challenge of illegal or harmful content on digital media platforms and its monetization via advertising.’

‘It was set up in the wake of the Christchurch Mosque shootings in which the killer livestreamed the attacks on Facebook,’ the spokesperson told Fox News Digital. ‘This followed a slew of high-profile cases where brands’ advertisements appeared next to illegal or harmful content, such as child pornography and content promoting terrorism. This included the 2017 London Times exposé entitled ‘Big brands fund terror through online adverts.’’

The group claims to be ‘apolitical’ and ‘voluntary’ and says that it benefits its members by providing use of ‘resources and information about best practices to learn where their advertising investments go, and to avoid placement next to illegal or harmful content that could damage their brands’ reputation.’

‘GARM offers voluntary frameworks to help brands choose the content they want their ads to appear next to,’ GARM’s website says. 

However, GARM’s critics have a different view of the organization and suggest that it has colluded with dozens of major U.S. corporations to push boycotts and suppress speech in a manner that targets conservatives.

In discussing his views on freedom of speech, GARM’s leader and co-founder, Rob Rakowitz, has expressed frustration with an ‘extreme global interpretation of the US Constitution’ and complained about using ‘‘principles for governance’ and applying them as literal law from 230 years ago (made by white men exclusively).’ With this worldview, GARM pushed what it called ‘uncommon collaboration’ to ‘rise above individual commercial interest.’

The House Judiciary Committee released an extensive report outlining how it believes ‘large corporations, advertising agencies, and industry associations participated in boycotts and other coordinated action to demonetize platforms, podcasts, news outlets, and other content deemed disfavored by GARM and its members.’

GARM is alleged to have worked with large companies to implement advertising crackdowns on Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, Spotify, political candidates and news outlets, including Fox News, The Daily Wire and Breitbart News.

‘The Committee’s oversight has shown that GARM has deviated far from its original intent, and has collectively used its immense market power to demonetize voices and viewpoints the group disagrees with — even intervening in situations that do not have a so-called ‘brand safety’ concern,’ Committee Chairman Jim Jordan wrote in a letter to over 40 companies last week. 

‘Through its oversight, the Committee has learned that collusive activity is occurring within the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), of which your company is a member. In particular, the Committee has uncovered evidence of coordinated action by GARM and its member companies, including boycotts of disfavored social media platforms, podcasts, and news outlets.’

‘The Committee on the Judiciary is conducting oversight into the adequacy and enforcement of U.S. antitrust laws,’ the letter said.

Along with Adidas, the letter was sent to a variety of other companies, including American Express, Bayer, BP, Carhartt, Chanel, CVS and General Motors, asking them to preserve documents related to their involvement with GARM.

Musk has also publicly criticized GARM and suggested taking legal action against the group while referring to it as an ‘advertising boycott racket.’

The WFA spokesperson, Will Gilroy, told Fox News Digital this week that the ‘recent allegations by the US House Judiciary Committee against GARM for anti-competitive behavior are unfounded.’

 ‘Membership of GARM is entirely voluntary. Its frameworks and tools are intentionally broad, and individual companies are free to review, adopt, modify, or reject them, as they see fit,’ Gilroy said. ‘The decision where and when to advertise is always down to the individual advertiser, in collaboration with their agency partners where relevant.’

‘Recent engagement with industry leaders suggests that GARM’s work remains valuable and increasingly relevant as digital media continues to develop,’ he continued. ‘As such, GARM will continue to live up to its commitment to help allow its members to drive more responsible marketing practices.’

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
Keep Reading
By
Sports

Boxer Imane Khelif to face familiar foe in semifinals: How to watch

PARIS – Algerian boxer Imane Khelif is headed back into the ring Tuesday at the Paris Olympics.

She’ll be fighting for a chance to win a silver or gold medal despite an ongoing ordeal during the Games.

She and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting have been subjected to abuse on social media and inaccurate online speculation about their gender, even though the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said they both met all criteria and that there’s no question they are women. But they’re both thriving inside the ring.

Khelif has advanced to the semifinals of the welterweight division (146 pounds). She’ll be facing a familiar foe – Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng. Khelif, 25, beat Suwannapheng in the semifinals of the 2023 world championships before Khelif was disqualified for allegedly failing what the organizers called a ‘gender eligibility test.’

The International Boxing Association (IBA), a discredited organization with no role in the Olympics, disqualified Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin without providing evidence of any failed tests.

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

Lin is scheduled to fight in her semifinal match Wednesday.

When is Imane Khelif’s next fight?

4:34 p.m. ET, Tuesday

How to watch Imane Khelif’s next fight

The fight will be broadcast on NBC/Peacock.

Where will the match be held?

Roland Garros Stadium, home of the French Open

Why is Imane Khelif guaranteed bronze?

A victory for Khelif would vault her into the finals, where the winner would win gold and the runner-up would take silver. But she’s already guaranteed bronze.

In Olympic boxing, bronze medals are awarded to both losing semifinalists in the single-elimination format tournament.

Olympic boxing basics

Bouts are scheduled for three rounds and are scored by five judges. Using a 10-point system, each judge awards 10 points to the boxer they deem won the round and at least nine points to the boxer they deem lost the round.

Barring a stoppage, the winner of the bout will be determined by points based on the judges’ scorecards. A boxer earns one point for each judge who deems the boxer has won at least two of the three rounds.

Imane Khelif’s road to the semifinals

In Khelif’s opening bout, Italy’s Angela Carini abandoned the fight only 46 seconds into the match. Khelif demonstrated she could deliver a punch – one solidly connected with Carini’s face before the Italian quit fighting – and Khelif secured a spot in the quarterfinals.

In Khelif’s quarterfinal bout, she beat Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori on points by unanimous decision, 5-0. This time she had nine minutes to perform and showed impressive boxing skills in dominating Hamori.

Khelif, who made her amateur boxing debut in 2018, is 38-9 with five knockouts as an amateur, according to BoxRec.

Who is Janjaem Suwannapheng?

The 23-year-old won her first two bouts by split decision. The victories came against Brigitte Mbabi of the Democratic Republic of The Congo and Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey.

She made her amateur boxing debut in 2019 and is 14-5 with one knockout, according to BoxRec.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
Keep Reading
By
Sports

Sam Kendricks wins pole vault silver despite spikes puncturing hand

SAINT-DENIS, France — Pole vaulters, American Sam Kendricks likes to say, use every single part of their body and uniform to excel in their event. 

So when Kendricks was “really committing” to jumping 6.0 meters — a height he tried to clear three times — and his spikes punctured his hand, he didn’t worry. He wiped it on his arm and carried on, all the way to securing a silver medal. 

“I’ve got very sharp spikes,” said Kendricks, who took second in the men’s pole vault Monday night at Stade de France in the 2024 Paris Olympics after he cleared 5.95 meters. “As I was really committing to first jump at six meters (19 feet, 6 1/4 inches), I punctured my hand three times and it wouldn’t stop bleeding. And rather than wipe it on my nice uniform, I had to wipe it on my arm.

‘I tried not to get any blood on Old Glory for no good purposes.” 

So, bloodied and bruised but not broken, Kendricks is going home with a silver medal, to add his Olympic collection. He also has a bronze, which he won in Rio in 2016. 

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

Why not any medal representation from Tokyo? He’d be happy to tell you. 

In 2021, Kendricks was in Japan for the delayed Olympic Games when he tested positive for COVID-19. He was devastated — and furious. He remains convinced that it was a false positive because he did not feel sick. Nonetheless he was forced to quarantine. He’s talked about how he was ‘definitely bitter’ about what happened then and struggled to let it go. At the U.S. Olympic track and field trials in June, he threatened to not come to Paris. 

“Rather than run away from it, like I really wanted to, you gotta come back, you gotta face that lion,” Kendricks said. 

Asked if another Olympic medal has erased the heartbreak of 2021, Kendricks said, “I don’t want to talk about Tokyo anymore.” 

He’d rather gush about the show he got to watch in Paris.  

After he’d secured the gold Monday evening, Swedish sensation Armand Duplantis, a Louisiana native known simply as “Mondo,” decided he was going to go for some records. First he cleared 6.10 to set an Olympic record. 

Then, with more than 77,000 breathless people zeroed in on him — every other event had wrapped up by 10 p.m., which meant pole vault got all the attention — Duplantis cleared 6.25, a world record. It set off an eruption in Stade de France, led by Kendricks, who went streaking across the track to celebrate with his friend.

“Pole vault breeds brotherhood,” Kendricks said of the celebration with Duplantis, the 24-year-old whiz kid who now has two gold medals.

The event went more than three hours, with vaulters passing time chatting with each other between jumps.

“Probably a lot of it is just nonsense,”  Duplantis joked of the topics discussed. “If it’s Sam it’s probably different nonsense. I’ll say this, we chatted a lot less than we usually do. You can definitely sense when it’s the Olympics — people start to tense up a little bit.” 

Asked if he’s also bitter at coming along around the same time as Duplantis, Kendricks just smiled. He has two of his own world titles, he reminded everyone, winning gold at the World Championships in both 2017 and 2019.

“I’ve had my time with the golden handcuffs,” Kendricks said. “Mondo earned his time.” 

Email Lindsay Schnell at lschnell@usatoday.com and follow her on social media @Lindsay_Schnell 

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
Keep Reading
By
Sports

Reports: Controversial Butker becomes NFL’s highest-paid kicker

The NFL has a new highest-paid kicker.

Harrison Butker and the Kansas City Chiefs agreed Monday to a four-year, $25.6 million contract extension that includes $17.75 million guaranteed, according to multiple reports. The agreement vaults Butker past the Baltimore Ravens’ Justin Tucker and Philadelphia Eagles’ Jake Elliott, who previously were tied as the top earners at the position with four-year, $24 million deals.

Butker, 29, converted a career-best 94.3% (33 of 35) of his field goals last season while hitting all 38 of his extra-point attempts. His career 89.14% career field goal conversion percentage ranks second in NFL history, trailing only Tucker’s mark of 90.18%.

The seven-year veteran sparked controversy in May when he said in a commencement speech at Benedictine College that most women receiving degrees would be more excited to be married and have kids than begin their careers. He also criticized the promotion of ‘dangerous gender ideologies’ and took aim at Pride Month.

Butker said he does not regret expressing his beliefs despite the widespread criticism he has faced. Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce each said they disagreed with Butker’s views but still supported him.

All things Chiefs: Latest Kansas City Chiefs news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

‘I can’t say I agree with the majority of it, or just about any of it, outside of him loving his family and his kids,’ Kelce said on the ‘New Heights’ podcast. ‘I don’t think that I should judge him by his views, especially his religious views, of how to go about life. That’s not just who I am.’

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
Keep Reading
By
Sports

Paris Olympics highlights Monday: Golds in discus and surfing

Simone Biles added yet another medal to her collection on the final day of gymnastics at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Biles earned a silver in the floor exercise final, and American teammate Jordan Chiles took bronze to join her on the podium. USA TODAY Sports broke down all the happenings of the event.

Team USA earned another gold medal at the track when Valarie Allmann made it back-to-back golds in women’s discus. The Tokyo gold medalist became just the fourth woman ever to win two Olympic gold medals in discus.

And after thrilling races in the 100 meters, attention turned to the 200. Noah Lyles cruised in his first-round heat as seeks to win Olympic gold in both the 100 and 200. On the women’s side, gold medal favorite Gabby Thomas led a trio of Americans into the 200-meter final.

USA TODAY Sports has highlights and results of all the action below.

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

USA’s Caroline Marks wins gold in women’s surfing

American Caroline Marks edged Brazil’s Tatiana Weston-Webb for gold in the women’s shortboard surfing competition Monday.

With the surf in Teahupo’o slumbering, Marks still caught a barrel ride for 7.50 points that proved to be the difference. But Webb found a serviceable wave in the final two minutes of the heat and the wait on the judges began.

It ended in celebration for Marks, who posted a two-wave score of 10.50 while Webb finished with a combined score of 10.33.

It’s the second consecutive surfing gold for the American women, with U.S. surfer Carissa Moore having won at the Tokyo Games in 2021 during the sport’s Olympic debut.

France’s Johanne Defay took bronze. – Josh Peter

Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon wins appeal, gets silver in 5,000 meters

SAINT-DENIS, France — Kipyegon will be the 5,000 silver medalist after all.

Kipyegon originally placed second in the women’s 5,000 behind fellow countrywoman Beatrice Chebet. But officials disqualified the two-time gold medalist for obstruction for making contact with Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay with a little more than 800 meters left in the race.

After an appeal by the Kenyan Federation, Kipyegon was re-instated with her silver medal.

Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan won the bronze medal.

Kipyegon is also expected to run the 1,500. She’s a two-time Olympic gold medalist and world-record holder in the event. — Tyler Dragon

Olympic surfing: USA’s Caroline Marks advances to women’s final

American Caroline Marks will be surfing for a gold medal in the women’s final against Brazil’s Tatiana Weston-Webb in Teahupo’o, Tahiti.

In the semifinals, Marks beat France’s Johanne Defay by tiebreaker. Each posted a two-wave score of 12.17, but Marks had the best single-wave score, a 7.0.

Marks will face Brazil’s Tatiana Weston-Webb, who won the second semifinal over Costa Rica’s Brisa Hennessy, for Olympic gold. The final is currently scheduled for 8:57 p.m. ET tonight. — Josh Peter

France, Spain to meet in men’s soccer final for Olympic gold

Host nation France and Spain will meet in the men’s soccer final at the Paris Olympics.

France’s Jean-Philippe Mateta scored two goals, including one in extra time, while Michael Olise added another extra-time goal in the 108th minute to beat Egypt 3-1 on Monday night.

Spain advanced after Fermín López (66’) and Juanlu Sanchez (85) started a second-half comeback in a 2-1 win against Morocco.

France and Spain will play Friday in an all-Euro final, with each seeking their second Olympic gold medal.

Spain will make its second straight appearance in the gold medal game after losing to Brazil and earning silver at the Tokyo Olympics. Spain previously won gold at home in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

France has reached the men’s soccer final for the third time, seeking its second gold after winning at Los Angeles in 1984, and finishing with silver whe Paris first hosted the Olypics in 1900.

Morocco and Egypt will meet Thursday for the bronze medal in a match between African teams, each vying for their first Olympic medal in the sport. — Safid Deen

France gets second goal of extra time in men’s soccer semifinal

France has stormed to a 3-1 lead against Egypt in their Olympic men’s soccer quarterfinal.

Michael Olise scored in the 108th minute of extra time to put the French on the brink of what would be an electric gold medal match.

France responds with 2-1 lead vs. Egypt in men’s soccer semifinal

France has new life in its men’s soccer semifinal, as Jean-Philippe Mateta scored his second goal of the match in the 99th minute to take a 2-1 lead during extra time.

Egypt is playing with 10 players after center back Omar Fayed was ejected following his second yellow card as extra time got underway.

If the score holds, France will advance to the gold medal match against Spain on Friday. — Safid Deen

Netherlands wins men’s 3×3 basketball gold on game-winning shot

Worthy de Jong called game.

The men’s 3×3 basketball gold medal match between the Netherlands and France went to overtime, meaning the first to score two points wins. Even playing in front of a hostile French crowd, de Long was not fazed.

France’s Timothe Vergiat tightly guarded de Long, but the Dutch basketball player took a step back two-point shot with a hand in his face that was nothing but net to secure the gold medal for his country. — Jordan Mendoza

US men’s volleyball team beats Brazil to advance to semifinals

PARIS – The United States men’s volleyball team has yet to lose in the Paris Olympics, and the reward is a date with the No. 1-ranked team in the world.

Monday night’s 26-24, 28-30, 25-19, 25-19 quarterfinal victory over Brazil moved the U.S. – now 4-0 in these Games – into a Wednesday semifinal against Poland, which is atop the sport’s current rankings. Italy (No. 2) and France (No. 5) meet in Wednesday’s other semifinal after each getting five-set wins Monday.

The match took more than two hours. The Brazilians blew a five-point lead to lose the first set. Then the U.S. team blew a six-point lead to cough up the second after leading it 21-16 and having two set points.

As has been the case throughout this Olympics, though, an experienced U.S. team was able to settle down and stabilize when it mattered most, jumping ahead in the third set (and making that lead hold up) before gradually pulling away in the latter stages of the fourth to quiet a noisy crowd that was largely in Brazil’s corner.

The result continued what has been a nice rebound Games for a U.S. team that bowed out in the preliminary round in Tokyo. — Gentry Estes

France scores late goal to tie Egypt in men’s soccer semifinal

France has finally broken through as Jean-Philippe Mateta scored to tie Egypt 1-1 in the 83rd minute. It was France’s 18th shot of the match, which could see extra time and a penalty shootout if the score holds after regulation.

Team USA clinches a gold in women’s wrestling

Team USA’s Amit Elor to wrestle for gold medal Tuesday

Women’s wrestler Amit Elor is set to wrestle for Team USA’s first opportunity at a wrestling medal on Tuesday night.

Elor downed North Korea’s Pak Sol Gum on Monday night at the Champ de Mars arena 10-0. Elor proved technical dominance over Pak during the match.

Elor will face Kyrgzstan’s Meerim Zhumanazarova in the final. Zhumanazarova is the defending Olympic bronze medalist and downed reigning silver medalist Blessing Oborududu on Monday night en route to the final.

Olympic wrestling: What to know about the wrestlers, the mat and more

Freestyle and Greco Roman wrestling matches are underway at the 2024 Olympic Games.

Here’s everything you need to know about Team USA’s stars, the scoring system and more.
How Mason Parris’ trip to Normandy gave him a new perspective.
Follow the mat action live.

Olympic soccer: France trails 1-0 vs. Egypt late in men’s soccer semifinal

Mahmoud Saber has scored in the 62nd minute to help Egypt take a 1-0 lead against host France in their Olympic men’s soccer semifinal.

It’s the first goal France has allowed in the entire tournament. Les Bleus have less than 30 minutes to respond.

Spain awaits the winner in the gold medal game on Friday, while the loser will face Morocco in the bronze medal match Thursday. – Safid Deen

Armand Duplantis wins gold, then sets pole vault world record

Gold just wasn’t enough for ‘Mondo.’

Sweden’s Armand Duplantis secured the top step of the podium in men’s pole vault, but he wasn’t satisfied with the jewelry. Using his remaining tries, he also set the pole vault world record, clearing 6.25 meters.

The previous record was set by … Armand Duplantis, who posted 6.24 during the Diamond League events earlier in 2024.

Track and field: Sam Kendricks earns silver in pole vault

SAINT-DENIS, France — American pole vaulter Sam Kendricks tied a season best at 5.95 meters (19 feet, 6 1/4 inches) and is taking home the silver in men’s pole vault.

Late in the competition Kendricks, who won bronze at the 2016 Rio Games, appeared to be vaulting with his arm covered in blood. It’s unclear what happened.

Armand Duplantis of Sweden won gold by clearing 6.0 meters, then set a new Olympic record at 6.10. He also won gold in Tokyo.

Emmanouil Karalis of Greece was third after clearing 5.90.

It’s the second consecutive Olympics with Team USA earning silver in the men’s pole vault; Chris Nilsen took second in Tokyo three years ago but did not qualify for the final here. – Lindsay Schnell

Team USA misses out on women’s 800 meter medal

Team USA’s Juliette Whittaker finished seventh at the Paris Olympics on Monday in the women’s 800 meter event with a time of 1:58.50. The gold medal went to Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson (1:56.72), while Ethiopia’s Tsige Dumuga took silver (1:57.15) and Kenya’s Mary Moraa won bronze (1:57.42).

Whittaker was a first-time Olympian and the youngest competitor in the finals at age 20. She finished third in preliminary heats with a 2:00.45 to automatically qualify for the semifinals, and followed that with a 1:57.76 in the semis on Sunday, a personal best, to earn a place in Monday’s finals. – Chase Goodbread

American Valarie Allman wins discus gold medal

SAINT-DENIS, France — The Olympic field in women’s discus had three years to close the gap on Valarie Allman, and on Monday, they found out they’ll need four more.

The defending gold medal winner from the 2021 Tokyo Games did it again for Team USA Monday, making it back-to-back golds with a throw of 69.50 at the Paris Olympics. The silver medal went to China’s Bin Feng (67.51) and the bronze to Croatia’s Sandra Elkasevic (67.51). Allman fouled on her first attempt, landing the discus wide of the right-side boundary, but took the lead on her second try with a throw of 68.74, and put the competition totally out of reach with the 69.50 on her fourth attempt. – Chase Goodbread

Kenya takes gold in controversial women’s 5,000 meter finish

SAINT-DENIS, France — Though Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon, considered one of the greatest distance runners of all time, crossed the finish line second in the women’s 5,000 meters, the Kenyan was disqualified for obstruction at the conclusion of the race, according to multiple reports.

At the final straightaway, Beatrice Chebet and her killer kick pulled in front of Kipyegon to give Chebet the gold over her Kenyan teammate.

Chebet finished in 14.28.56. Kipyegon ran a 14:29.60. Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands was third at 14:30.61, a season best, and moves up to silver amidst the DQ.

With Kipyegon’s DQ, Italy’s Nadia Battocletti, who clocked a 14:31.64, wins bronze.

Americans Karissa Schweizer (14:45.57), Elise Cranny (14.48.06) and Whittni Morgan (14:53.57) were bunched together most of the race, and finished tenth, 11th and 14th, respectively. It was a personal best for Morgan.

Kenya is likely to appeal the obstruction ruling. 

Kipyegon is also entered in the 1,500, where she is the world record holder. – Lindsay Schnell

Team USA women’s 3×3 basketball squad captures bronze

PARIS — The second 3×3 basketball tournament at the Olympics was a disappointment for the Americans, but they salvaged something when the women’s team beat Canada for the bronze medal on Monday.

The U.S. managed to hold Canada without a basket for the final 86 seconds of the game, pulling away behind Dearica Hamby’s six rebounds and Hailey Van Lith‘s six points.

The Americans were 11 for 17 on 1-point shots.

The U.S. took the gold three years ago in Tokyo. – Dan Wolken

Trio of Americans qualify for women’s 200-meter final

SAINT-DENIS, France — Americans Gabby Thomas, McKenzie Long and Brittany Brown advanced to the women’s 200-meter final at the Paris Olympics.

Thomas, the defending bronze medalist and favorite to win gold this time, blazed through her semifinal heat to win in 21.86. She has the fastest 200 time in the world, 21.78, which she ran June 28 at the U.S. track and field trials in Eugene, Oregon. 

Thomas was behind at the curve, but easily overtook Dina Asher-Smith of Great Britain on the straightaway. Asher-Smith, who finished in 22.31, also advanced to the finals. – Lindsay Schnell

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

Noah Lyles, Kenny Bednarek qualify for men’s 200m semifinal with ease

SAINT-DENIS, France — The 100 champion is off and running in the 200.

Noah Lyles coasted to an easy win in the men’s 200 on Monday. Lyles took the lead around the turn, led comfortably down the home stretch and crossed the finish line in 20.19 seconds to win the sixth and final heat of the 200.

Lyles is trying to become the first American sprinter to win Olympic gold medals in both the 100 and 200 since Carl Lewis did it at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

All three American men advanced to the semifinals with Kenny Bednarek (19.97) and Erriyon Knighton (19.99) joining Lyles. – Lindsay Schnell

Olympic soccer: Spain heads to gold medal game with win over Morocco

Juanlu Sanchez scored in the 85th minute, the late goal Spain needed to reach the men’s soccer final at the Paris Olympics in a 2-1 win against Morocco.

Spain will make its second straight appearance in the gold medal game, hoping to improve from a silver finish at the Tokyo Olympics. 

Fermín López scored in the 66th minute to tie it for Spain, while Morocco’s Soufiane Rahimi converted a penalty in the 36th minute to lead early. 

An electric run by Morocco, which beat the United States 4-0 and outscored opponents 11-2 before Monday’s semifinal, comes to an end. – Safid Deen

Team USA men’s water polo advances to quarterfinal

The Team USA men’s water polo squad is moving on to the quarterfinal after holding off Croatia on Monday.

In a hard-fought battle, Team USA secured the 14-11 win on the strength of goals from Ryder Dodd and Alex Bowen, who had two goals apiece. They finish tied in third place in their group and wait for the end of group play to determine who they will face in the quarterfinals, beginning Wednesday.

Kenyan steeplechase runner allowed to race in final

A shove almost cost Amos Serem a shot at steeplechase glory.

Making his way over a hurdle, Serem was pushed aside and missed the water jump. He would double back and nearly secure his spot in the final lap, but would finish sixth in the heat, just out of qualifying range – the top five runners in the heats qualify for the final.

After appealing, the 21-year-old will be allowed to race in the 3,000 meter steeplechase final, making for 16 runners in the fold come Wednesday.

American Kenneth Rooks advances to men’s steeplechase final

SAINT-DENIS, France — Kenneth Rooks was the lone American to qualify for the men’s 3,000 steeplechase final, finishing second in the third and final heat of the event and clocking a time of 8:24.95. He was less than a second behind the winner of that heat, Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia, who ran 8:23.89.

The top five finishers in each of the steeplechase’s three heats advanced to Tuesday’s final.

Team USA’s other competitors, Matthew Wilkinson (8:16.82) and James Corrigan (8:36.67) finished sixth and tenth, in their respective heats and will not advance. – Lindsay Schnell

NBC’s Leigh Diffey owns up to botched 100m dash called

Diffey was behind the microphone for Lyles’ razor-thin victor in the men’s 100-meter dash on Sunday, and he incorrectly called the race for Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson. Diffey caught heat for the botched call, and on Monday, he owned up to it.

‘The men’s 100 was epic & closest of all time! My eyes & instinct told me Kishane Thompson won. Obviously, that wasn’t the case. I shouldn’t have been so bold to call it, but I genuinely thought he won. I got it wrong. I am thrilled for @LylesNoah as his story only gets bigger!,’ Diffey posted on X.

Team USA women’s beach volleyball squad eliminated

PARIS — Being perfect in pool play only took Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss, one of the USA’s two women’s beach volleyball teams with legitimate medal aspirations, so far. 

Nuss and Kloth fell to Canada’s Brandie Wilkerson and Melissa Humana-Paredes in two hard-fought sets 19-21 and 18-21 in the Round of 16, ending their Olympic dreams. 

The tandem won all three of its pool play matches but that didn’t matter once the knockout round began. 

Against Canada, the first set featured runs from both teams, each side finding momentum only to lose it. Canada jumped out to the lead first. Then the USA made its play. A big block from Kloth gave the U.S. a 11-9 advantage as part of an 8-1 run. The Canadians battled back to tie the set at 14 and Wilkerson’s block put the Canadians back in front.  

Trailing 19-17, the USA found a way to tie it at 19. But Kloth’s swing into the net gave Canada the first set victory. 

The Americans found themselves trailing again early in the second. Kloth, who finished with all eight of the team’s attack errors, struggled on serve receive for the second straight match and the U.S. was in a 7-3 hole. The U.S. hung in there but an ace from Canada to make it 15-11 felt like a death knell – until it wasn’t. Nuss and Kloth scraped themselves back into the set. Kloth’s block tied it at 18. Canada scored the final three points of the match to walk away victors. – Chris Bumbaca

Olympic soccer: Semifinal matches underway

While the U.S. men’s soccer team is out, a gold medal for the Olympic soccer tournament must still be awarded. There are two semifinal matchups on the docket Monday: Spain vs. Morocco and France vs. Egypt. USA TODAY Sports will provide live updates, highlights and more from the fixtures.

Team USA 3×3 women’s hoops loses in OT to Spain

PARIS — Foul trouble came back to bite Team USA in the women’s 3×3 basketball semifinals Monday in a 18-16 sudden death loss to Spain that relegates them to the bronze medal game, where they will play Canada for the medal.

The Americans led most of the way, but piled up 10 fouls in regulation, putting them in the perilous position in a format where the opponent gets two shots and the ball from that point on.

After Spain scored the first point of sudden death on a driving layup by Sandra Ygueravide, Rhyne Howard shot a 2-pointer that would have given the Americans the win but missed everything.

On the next possession, Dearica Hamby was called for holding Ygueravide while trying to escape to the basket.

She swished the foul shot to send Spain to the gold medal game.

Hailey Van Lith had eight points to lead Team USA, which couldn’t win despite making 14 of 27 shots. Spain’s six free throws were the difference.

Spain got the game to overtime with a backdoor layup right before regulation expired. – Dan Wolken

Olympic beach volleyball: Americans Benesh, Partain onto quarterfinals

PARIS — Onto the quarterfinals for men’s beach volleyball tandem Andy Benesh and Miles Partain.

Benesh and Partain defeated Italy’s Samuele Cottafava and Paolo Nicolai in two sets (21-17 and 21-18). 

Partain’s ace in the second set to put the U.S. up 16-11 helped the duo secure the match, and Benesh followed with an ace to make it 18-13. Italy scored five of the next seven points to make the Americans sweat. But a final Italian service – of eight total – ended the match. 

In the first, they jumped out to a 13-8 lead and relied on the early margin to carry them to a Set 1 victory. 

It’s been an interesting Games for the duo. They parted ways with their coach for unclear reasons over the weekend and have yet to be transparent on the matter. They won their final two matches of group play after starting these Games with a loss to Cuba. Their three-set victory over Brazil last week sent them into the Round of 16 and a date with Italy. 

The youngest U.S. men’s beach team in Olympic history will play the winner of Chile vs. Qatar in the quarterfinals. – Chris Bumbaca

Delaney Schnell misses medal opportunity in Olympic diving

SAINT-DENIS, France — Two-time Olympic diver Delany Schnell advanced to the women’s 10-meter platform semifinals Monday but failed to move on to Tuesday’s top-12 final. She finished 15th with a score of 271.95.

Schnell pulled off an impressive recovery in prelims after a couple low-scoring dives to make the top 18, and she opened semifinals with strong first- and second-round performances.

But a rough third-round dive — a back 3 1/2 somersaults in the tuck position with a 3.3 degree of difficulty that earned her just 31.35 points — dropped the 25-year-old from Michigan to 14th. And she was unable to return to the top 12 with her two remaining dives.

At the Paris Olympics, Schnell previously finished sixth in the women’s synchronized 10-meter platform — an event she won a silver medal in at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Three years ago, she finished fifth in the women’s 10-meter platform.

China’s defending Olympic gold and silver medalists, Quan Hongchan and Chen Yuxi, led the way both in prelims and semifinals. Quan and Chen enter Tuesday’s final ranked first and second with scores of 421.05 and 403.05, respectively.

Fellow American diver Daryn Wright didn’t advance out of prelims, finishing 19th with a score of 272.25. – Michelle R. Martinelli

Vincent Hancock adds another medal days after making Olympic history

Vincent Hancock has another medal to add to his collection.

Hancock and Austen Jewell Smith teamed up to earn a silver medal in team skeet shooting Monday at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre. This is the first year team skeet shooting has been contested at the Olympics.

Hancock is a four-time Olympic gold medalist having won men’s skeet in 2008, 2012, 2020 and this year. Smith, in her second Olympics, won bronze in women’s skeet Sunday.

Hancock and Smith lost in the finals of Monday’s team event to the Italian team of Diana Bocosi and Gabriele Rossetti, 45-44. China took bronze.

Italy tied the qualification world record with a score 149 in the qualification round.

The U.S. swept skeet shooting gold in Tokyo, with Hancock winning the men’s competition and Amber English winning the women’s.

Team skeet marked the final shooting event at this year’s Olympics. – Dave Birkett

American Evy Leibfarth out in women’s canoe slalom

Team USA’s Evy Leibfarth was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the women’s kayak cross event in canoe slalom. She finished third in her heat behind world No. 1 Kimberley Woods of Great Britain and Switzerland’s Alena Marx.

Woods was the race’s runaway winner, but Leibfarth caught up with Marx and made contact – which is allowed in this chaotic event – to try and disrupt Marx’s turn on the final barrier. Marx was able to stabilize quicker and beat Leibfarth to the final line in a race where only the top two would advance.

Leibfarth, a 20-year-old from Bryson City, N.C., won a bronze medal earlier in the Paris Games in the canoe single competition. — Gentry Estes

Simone Biles earns silver, Jordan Chiles bronze in floor

PARIS — Simone Biles won silver in the women’s floor exercise final, giving her four medals, including three golds, at these Games. It is the first time she has not won gold in a floor exercise final – ever. 

Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade won gold. After an inquiry, Team USA’s Jordan Chiles’ score was updated to a 13.766 to move her into third place and giving her bronze.

The medal is the 11th of Biles’ Olympic career, seven of which are gold. Biles led the U.S. to gold in the team final, won gold in the all-around and vault finals and finished fifth in the balance beam final earlier Monday. — Nancy Armour, Tom Schad

Golf Channel analyst burns Jon Rahm’s Olympic collapse

Scottie Scheffler’s thrilling comeback victory at the Paris Olympics, rallying from four shots back during the final round at the Paris Olympics, was one for the ages.

Of course, it came at the expense of Jon Rahm, the 54-hole leader, who let that lead slip away by shooting a 39 on the back nine. That led to the chatter on social media – and on the Golf Channel, where analysts did not hold back on Rahm’s performance.

‘I’m gonna put that down as one of the biggest collapses – chokes of the year,’ Brandel Chamblee said. ‘Probably right up there with Rory McIlroy coming down the stretch at the U.S. Open.’ — Scooby Axson

Simone Biles floor routine

Simone Biles scored a 14.133 to take second place behind Rebeca Andrade with two competitors left. Biles stepped out of bounds twice but stuck the landing on the Biles I. During warmups, she overcooked the Biles II and took a hard, awkward fall. She could be seen mouthing, ‘I’m fine’ after. Biles tweaked her calf during qualifying on July 28 and has had it wrapped in competition since. — Nancy Armour, Tom Schad

Political rivals. Badminton adversaries. What to know about Taiwan-China

PARIS − Badminton is a hugely popular sport in both Taiwan and China. At the Paris Olympics, two incidents in as many days involving the sport’s spectators reflects those place’s uneasy rivalry on the world stage.

The incidents prompted Taiwan’s government on Monday to call on French authorities to launch an investigation. It followed a separate report on Friday that saw a spectator who was holding up a green banner that read, ‘Taiwan go for it,’ removed from a Paris badminton venue during Taiwan player Chou Tien Chen’s match against India’s Lakshya Sen.

Budinger-Evans eliminated in men’s beach volleyball

PARIS — Chase Budinger’s Olympic dream has ended. 

Budinger and his partner Miles Evans fell in the Round of 16 of the men’s beach volleyball tournament Monday to Norway’s Anders Mol and Christian Sorum, the defending Olympic gold medalists. Norway took out the USA in straight sets, 21-16, 21-14. 

In Tokyo three years ago, Mol and Sorum became the youngest duo to win the Olympic gold at 23 and 24 years old, respectively. The Americans gave them their best shot but the Norwegians were simply better. 

Budinger and Evans played solid defense early to stay in the first set. The former NBA player’s presence at the net was a factor, as he had two blocks and forced an attack error within the first 10 points. Norway went on a 3-0 run to force a USA timeout at 14-11 and it controlled the rest of the set, with Mol dialing up his own block (six block points), to keep the U.S. off balance. 

The Americans enjoyed a 3-1 lead to start the second set, but they quickly saw that evaporate to a 8-4 deficit. An ace from Mol made it 12-7 and created a mountain too tall for the U.S. to climb. By the end of the match, sand stuck to the entire right side of Evans’ body. He recorded nine digs and had 12 attack points. Budinger finished with four block points and eight points on attack. Both Norwegians finished with 11 attack points apiece.

Evans and Budinger advanced to the knockout round by winning their ‘lucky losers’ match two days earlier, as they won one of their three group play matches (the first). — Chris Bumbaca

American Emma Hunt makes finals in climbing

Emma Hunt of the United States is on to the speed finals at the Paris Games. Hunt bested French climber Manon Lebon in a head-to-head elimination climb with a time of 6.38 seconds. U.S teammate Piper Kelly was eliminated.

Only seven climbers who won their elimination heats and one lucky loser with the fastest time move on to finals on Wednesday. — Sandy Hooper

Women’s gymnastics floor finals set to begin

Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles will be competing in the finals for the floor momentarily. Follow for the latest updates.

Olympic records in climbing

The Olympic record fell over and over and over again in the seeding heats of women’s speed climbing qualifications. But it was Poland’s Aleksandra Miroslaw who came out on top of the seeding round with a new world record time (that she set twice) first at 6.21 seconds and again at 6.06 seconds. American Emma Hunt finished seeding in second place with a time of 6.36 seconds. For the women, going sub-6 seconds is the equivalent of running a 100-meter sprint under 10 seconds.Head-to-head heats will begin shortly to wrap up women’s speed qualification. — Sandy Hooper

Americans make it into mixed skeet gold medal match

Team USA’s Austen Smith and Vincent Hancock placed second during qualifying in the mixed team skeet competition and will get a chance to shoot for gold.Smith and Hancock hit 148 of 150 clays, one less than Italy’s Diana Bacosi and Gabriele Rossetti’s 149. The final round begins with the bronze medal match between China and India, followed immediately by the gold medal match.Dania Vizzi and Conner Prince of the United States placed sixth with their score of 144.

Simone Biles, Suni Lee fall on balance beam

In a balance beam final that has seen multiple gymnasts fall, Simone Biles came off on her aerial series and scored a 13.100. This will be the first time, other than on uneven bars, that she has made a final and not won a medal.

Italy’s Alice Domato won gold while China’s Zhou Yaqin took silver and Italy’s Manila Esposito secured bronze in a final that saw multiple gymnasts fall during their routines.

Suni Lee’s right foot slipped off the balance beam at the end of her aerial series, causing her to split the beam and then take a hard fall onto the mat. The result was a score of 13.100. The 21-year-old appeared frustrated as she re-mounted the beam and finished her routine after the fall, and as she walked away afterwards. But then she started to gradually lighten after talking with her coach, Jess Graba, and Biles. Within moments, Lee was smiling and laughing again, perhaps remembering the breadth of what she’s already achieved in Paris. After returning from a pair of kidney ailments, Lee won a second consecutive all-around Olympic medal – this time a bronze – to go with team gold and another bronze on uneven bars Sunday. — Nancy Armour, Tom Schad

Americans struggle for tops in boulder qualification of sport climbing

Sport climbing is officially underway at Le Bourget. Despite the heat, the stands are packed to watch the men’s boulder semifinal and women’s speed qualifications. American Jesse Grupper completed the four boulder problems and finished in 18th place with a score of 18.9, and U.S. teammate Colin Duffy finished boulder in 10th place with 33.8 points. Neither American was able to find a top, but there were few to be had in the round.

‘The style of bouldering is very flashy. You want to have cool moves for the crowd, but sometimes that can lead to an extra hard round like we saw today,’ said Duffy.

The men will compete in the lead portion of the event on Wednesday. Only the top eight finishers will move on to the finals. — Sandy Hooper

Aaliyah Butler, Alexis Holmes moving on to 400 semis

Aaliyah Butler and Alexis Holmes automatically qualified to the semifinals in the women’s 400 meters.

Butler finished behind Dominican Republic’s Marileidy Paulino to place second in the fifth heat of the 400. Paulino produced a 49.42, which is the top time entering the semifinals. Butler got through in 50.52.

Holmes ran a 50.35 to place second in the sixth heat. Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke won the heat in 50.09.

Kendall Ellis, who won the U.S. Olympic track and field trials in the 400, didn’t automatically qualify to the next round. However, Ellis does have an opportunity to advance in the repechage round.

The women’s 400 is wide open in Paris. But we do know there will be a new Olympic champion. Defending Olympic champ Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas pulled up in the fourth heat of the 400 and didn’t finish. — Tyler Dragon

Women’s pole vault sending 20 to finals

It’ll be a crowded field Wednesday night when women’s pole vaulting finalists gather for the medal competition at the Paris Games. That’s because 20 of them qualified Monday morning, eight more than the format called for, due to a massive gridlock of a tie for the last available spot.

Katie Moon was the lone qualifier for Team USA with a vault of 4.55, but the tie came at 4.40. Nine athletes tied for the 12th and final qualifying spot. Although other non-qualifiers also vaulted 4.40, the nine tied for the fewest attempts advanced.

The standard for automatic qualification to the medal rounds was 4.70, which no vaulter achieved. — Chase Goodbread

USA’s Delany Schnell sneaks into 10m platform diving semis

It was close, but Team USA diver Delany Schnell snuck into the 10-meter platform diving semifinals after finishing 17th in Monday’s prelims. The top-18 divers out of 29 total at Olympic Aquatics Centre in Saint-Denis, France moved on to keep their medal hopes alive. 

Schnell – who finished sixth in the women’s synchronized 10-meter platform at the Paris Olympics ‒ almost didn’t advance out of the five-round prelims after poor second and third dives, which left her ranked 25th. 

But the 25-year-old two-time Olympian from Michigan recovered well on her final dive with an inward 3 1/2 somersaults in the tuck position and a 3.2 degree of difficulty to finish with a score of 278.15.

First-time Olympian Daryn Wright ended prelims ranked 19th with a score of 272.25, just missing out on advancing. Wright – a 20-year-old diver for the Purdue Boilermakers – had a strong first round off a forward 3 1/2 somersaults in the pike position with a 3.0 degree of difficulty and was tied for eighth place. But she dropped to 22nd after the fourth round before finishing outside of the top 18 in her only Olympic event.

China’s defending Olympic gold and silver medalists, Quan Hongchan and Chen Yuxi, finished prelims ranked first and second, respectively. Quan’s top score was 421.25, while Chen in second posted a score of 382.15.

Semifinals for the women’s 10-meter platform are set for 9 a.m. ET Monday, and finals are Tuesday also at 9 a.m. ET. — Michelle Martinelli

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif speaks out amid gender controversy

PARIS – Stop the bullying, says Algerian boxer Imane Khelif.

Khelif, who was dragged into controversy over gender eligibility criteria at the Paris Olympics, has spoken out for the first time since the Games began. She and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting have been subjected to abuse on social media and inaccurate online speculation about their sexes even though the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said they both have met all criteria and that there’s no question they are women.

‘I send a message to all the people of the world to uphold the Olympic principles and the Olympic Charter, to refrain from bullying all athletes, because this has effects, massive effects,’ Khelif said in an interview with SNTV, according to The Associated Press. ‘It can destroy people, it can kill people’s thoughts, spirit and mind. It can divide people. And because of that, I ask them to refrain from bullying.’

Khelif and Yu-Ting have advanced to the semifinals at the Olympics, ensuring they’ll win at least bronze medals. — Josh Peter

Rai Benjamin qualifies for semis in 400m hurdles

Team USA hurdler Rai Benjamin qualified for the men’s 400m hurdles semifinals at the Paris Olympics on Monday, clocking a time of 48.82 seconds for a first-place finish in the opening heat.

In Olympic preliminary heats, the top three finishers in each of five races automatically qualify for the semifinals, as well as the next three fastest times, for a total of 18 semifinal qualifiers.

Benjamin, 27, won silver in the event at the Tokyo Games in 2021, along with a gold in the men’s 4×400 relay. He’s not competing in the 4×400 relay in Paris, however, so the 400 hurdles is his lone chance at a medal.

Also qualifying for the semifinals for Team USA was CJ Allen, who ran 48.64 to finish second in Heat 3.

The semifinals for the 400m hurdles will be held Wednesday night, and medal races are scheduled for Friday. — Chase Goodbread

US wins silver in mixed triathlon relay

PARIS — The United States team of Seth Rider, Taylor Spivey, Morgan Pearson and Taylor Knibb took silver in the mixed triathlon relay Monday at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The U.S. finished in a time of 1:25.40, 1/100th of a second behind gold-winning Germany and just ahead of bronze medal-winning Great Britain in a photo finish.

Great Britain, which won gold in 2020, led most of the race with Germany in second, but Knibb closed the gap for the U.S. with strong legs in swimming and biking in the final rotation before Germany’s Laura Lindemann pulled ahead in the final moments of the run for the win. — Dave Birkett

Olympics schedule today

Here are some Olympic schedule highlights. Peacock is streaming every sport and event live as it unfolds in Paris.

(All times Eastern)

Gymnastics has the last individual events finals for these Olympics, including men’s parallel bars (5:45 a.m.), women’s balance beam (6:38 a.m.), men’s horizontal bar (7:33 a.m.) and women’s floor exercise (8:20 a.m.). E! is airing live.
Track and field prelims and qualifying rounds start at 4:05 a.m. The evening session opens with the men’s pole vault final at 1 p.m.. The other finals are women’s discus throw (2:30 p.m.), women’s 5,000m (3:10 p.m.) and women’s 800m (3:45 p.m.). NBC is airing the evening session. USA Network is airing the morning session.
Men’s soccer holds the semifinals today: Morocco faces Spain in the first semifinal at 12 p.m., followed by France against Egypt at 3 p.m.
The 3×3 basketball slate has four medal matches: women’s bronze medal game (3 p.m.), men’s bronze medal game (3:30 p.m.), women’s gold medal game (4 p.m.), men’s gold medal game (4:30 p.m.) The women’s semifinals feature the U.S. against Spain at 11:30 a.m. and Germany vs. Canada at 12:30 p.m. The men’s semifinals include the Netherlands vs. Lithuania at noon and Latvia vs. France at 1 p.m.. NBC is airing the gold medal games.
Other sports in action: Badminton, beach volleyball, canoe slalom, diving, equestrian, field hockey, sailing, shooting, sport climbing, surfing, table tennis, track cycling, triathlon, volleyball, water polo and wrestling.

How to watch Olympics today

NBC is airing and streaming the Paris Olympics from all angles: Peacock is streaming every sport and event live as it unfolds; NBC, USA Network, CNBC and E! are carrying various live events and replays throughout the day. Here are 6 tips and tricks for getting the most out of Peacock during the Olympics.

Medal count today

Our 2024 Paris Olympics medal count tracker updates after every single medal event.

Tallying up gold, silver, bronze for each country in Paris
How many medals has Team USA won?
Which country has won the most golds?
How many gold medals does Team USA have so far?

Which U.S. teams are playing at the Olympics today?

(All times Eastern)

The U.S. men’s beach volleyball team of ChaseBudinger and Miles Evans plays against Norway in the Round of 16 at 8 a.m.
The U.S. men’s beach volleyball team of Miles Partain and Andrew Benesh plays against Italy in the Round of 16 at 11 a.m.
The U.S. women’s 3×3 basketball team plays against Spain at 11:30 a.m.
The U.S. women’s beach volleyball team of Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss plays against Canada in the Round of 16 at noon.
The U.S. men’s water polo team faces Croatia in group play at 12:30 p.m.
The U.S. men’s volleyball team plays Brazil in the quarterfinals at 3 p.m.

What Olympic medals can be won today?

(All times Eastern)

Gymnastics: men’s parallel bars (5:45 a.m.), women’s balance beam (6:36 a.m.), men’s horizontal bar (7:31 a.m.), women’s floor exercise (8:20 a.m., E!)
Track & field: men’s pole vault final (1 p.m.), women’s discus final (2:30 p.m.) women’s 5,000m (3:10 p.m.), women’s 800m (3:45 p.m.). NBC is airing the finals.
3×3 hoops: women’s bronze (3 p.m.), men’s bronze (3:30 p.m.), women’s gold (4:05 p.m.), men’s gold (4:35 p.m.). NBC is airing the gold medal matches.
Triathlon: mixed relay (2 a.m., USA Network)
Cycling track: women’s team sprint bronze (1:53 p.m.), women’s team sprint gold (1:58 p.m.)
Shooting: 25m rapid fire pistol men’s final (3:30 a.m.), skeet mixed team gold (9 a.m.)
Canoe slalom: women’s kayak cross (10:55 a.m.), men’s kayak cross (11 a.m., USA Network)
Badminton: women’s singles bronze (3:45 a.m.), women’s singles gold (4:55 a.m.), men’s singles bronze (8:30 a.m.), men’s gold (9:40 a.m.)

Olympic track and field schedule today

(All times Eastern)

Qualifications: men’s discus throw group a (4:10 a.m.), women’s pole vault (4:40 a.m.), men’s discus throw group b (5:35 a.m.)
Repechage rounds: women’s 400m hurdles (4:50 a.m.), men’s 400m (5:20 a.m.), women’s 200m (6:50 a.m.)
Round 1s: men’s 400m hurdles (4:05 a.m.), women’s 400m (5:55 a.m.), men’s 3,000m steeplechase (1:04 p.m.), men’s 200m (1:55 p.m.)
Semifinals: women’s 200m (2:45 p.m.)
Finals: men’s pole vault (1 p.m.), women’s discus throw (2:30 p.m.), women’s 5,000m (3:10 p.m.), women’s 800m (3:45 p.m.)

Olympics track and field today: What to watch

Valarie Allman is the defending Olympic champion in women’s discus. Allman, an accomplished dancer, took up track her freshman year in high school as a jumper and sprinter. She broke the school record at Stanford, where she was a two-time Pac-12 discus champion.

Olympics gymnastics today: What to watch

It’s the finals for women’s balance beam and women’s floor exercise, two events that have Simone Biles is a favorite. At last year’s world championships, Biles won gold in both. For the men, it’s the finals for parallel bars and horizontal bar. American Brody Malone won gold at the 2022 world championships on the horizontal bar.

Olympics artistic swimming today: What to watch

The team event starts with the technical routine. Anita Alvarez is set to compete in her third Olympics.

Behind the scenes with Snoop Dogg at the Paris Olympics

Snoop Dogg has been everywhere and anywhere, with everyone and anyone, during his time at these Games as a correspondent extraordinaire. He hasn’t been sleeping as much as he has been relaxing. 

“This ain’t the town to sleep in. This ain’t the time to sleep,” Snoop said once his work for the day was done. “It’s the time to be on it like you want it.” 

Bouncing around from different events and being in the thick of the action, watching athletes do their thing, is something Snoop loves, he said. — Chris Bumbaca

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY operates independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
Keep Reading
By
Sports

American Valarie Allman wins back to back golds in women’s discus

SAINT-DENIS, France — The Olympic field in women’s discus had three years to close the gap on Valarie Allman, and on Monday, they found out they’ll need four more.

The defending gold medal winner from the 2021 Tokyo Games did it again for Team USA Monday, making it back-to-back golds with a throw of 69.50 at the Paris Olympics. The silver medal went to China’s Bin Feng (67.51) and the bronze to Croatia’s Sandra Elkasevic (67.51).

Allman fouled on her first attempt, landing the discus wide of the right-side boundary, but took the lead on her second try with a throw of 68.74. She put the competition totally out of reach with the 69.50 on her fourth attempt.

‘It felt so wrong. I felt like a fish out of water,’ Allman said of the foul on her first attempt, one of two fouls among six throws. ‘It’s so much about rhythm and timing and feel, and I wasn’t quite calibrated.’

If there was any doubt that Allman was the one to beat, she removed it in qualifying on Friday with a throw of 69.59 that was nearly four meters farther than anyone else. She didn’t win the gold quite that comfortably, but easily enough.

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

‘I wanted to embrace the crowd, I wanted to embrace this moment of being at the Olympics and giving it my all,’ Allman said. ‘And to end with a throw with the whole crowd engaged right there, that’s one of those moments I’ll remember forever.’

Allman won her gold medal in Tokyo with a throw of 68.98 and holds the national record at 71.46. She is now only the fourth woman ever to win two Olympic gold medals in discus, and just the third to do so in back-to-back Games. Previously, it was last accomplished by Croatian Sandra Perkovic, who took consecutive golds in 2012 and 2016.

It’s been a remarkable professional career for someone whose first passion was dance. The coordination and balance required translated well to discus, and Allman began turning from dancer to discus while at Longmont (Colo.) Silver Springs High School. She took to it quickly enough to become a national champion and earn a scholarship to Stanford.

Reach Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on X @chasegoodbread.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
Keep Reading
By
Politics

It’s official: Vice President Kamala Harris formally wins the Democratic presidential nomination

Vice President Kamala Harris is now formally the Democratic Party’s 2024 presidential nominee.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced the news on Monday, following the conclusion of a five-day virtual roll call of pledged delegates to the party’s national convention, which kicks off in two weeks in Chicago.

The securing of the nomination comes hours before Harris is expected to announce her choice for running mate. The vice president and her to-be-announced running mate kick off a seven-battleground state swing Tuesday evening with a rally in Philadelphia.

Monday’s formal winning of the nomination came three days after Harris secured the votes of a majority of pledged delegates.

‘I am so proud to confirm that Vice President Harris has earned more than a majority of votes from all convention delegates and will be the nominee of the Democratic Party following the close of voting on Monday,’ DNC chair Jaime Harrison said in a statement on Friday.

Harris, on a call Friday with supporters, said, ‘I am honored to be the presumptive Democratic nominee for President of the United States.’

The nomination of Harris was never in doubt, as the vice president was the only candidate to qualify for the presidential nomination roll call. But it marks an historic milestone in the nation’s history, as Harris becomes the first woman of color to lead a major political party’s national ticket.

While the official nomination vote by the delegates was held remotely, the DNC said a ceremonial roll call will be held at the Democratic National Convention, which is set to kick off Aug. 19 in Chicago.

Harris’ formal winning of the nomination comes two weeks and one day after President Biden’s blockbuster announcement that he was ending his 2024 re-election campaign against former President Trump, the GOP’s nominee.

Biden’s stunning news came amid mounting pressure from within the Democratic Party for him to drop out after a disastrous performance in last month’s first presidential debate with Trump. The 81-year-old Biden’s halting and stumbling delivery fueled questions about his physical and mental abilities to serve another four years in the White House.

But Biden’s immediate backing of Harris ignited a surge of endorsements for the vice president by Democratic governors, senators, House members and other party leaders. Within 36 hours, Harris announced that she had locked up her party’s nomination by landing the verbal backing of a majority of the nearly 4,000 convention delegates.

With the presidential nomination virtual roll call now concluded, DNC rules allow for Harris to place the name of her running mate into nomination. 

According to the DNC, the convention chair would then declare that candidate to be the party’s vice presidential nominee.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
Keep Reading
By