2024

Then-Vice President Biden boasted about his Harvard-educated niece previously studying Chinese and living in China while delivering a speech in 2011 touting ‘a rising China’ being ‘a positive, positive development, not only for China but for America…’

Biden gave a shout-out to Casey Owens, who was concluding her stint as a special assistant for the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue at the Treasury Department, while delivering remarks to the opening session of the group, according to an email chain that was reviewed by Fox News Digital.

Owens, the daughter of Biden’s sister, emailed then-Vice President Biden’s ‘Auks’ alias email address in May 2011, thanking him for the ‘memorable day’ and said it was ‘very, very humbling’ watching him speak.

‘And your remarks. That was really something else, Uncle Joe. What a way to exit the Treasury,’ Owens said, according to an email from Hunter Biden’s abandoned laptop. ‘I’m simply happy to be close to you, and I just wanted to say thank you for including me.’

In addition to the email from Owens to the elder Biden, a transcript from Biden’s speech was included in the email chain, highlighting what Biden thought about a ‘rising China.’

‘We cannot claim the same number of Americans in China, but our 100,000 Strong Initiative will dramatically increase the number of young Americans living and studying in China,’ Biden said. ‘As a matter of fact, my niece who — excuse me, as we say in the Senate, a point a personal privilege — who graduated from Harvard not too long ago, works for Secretary Geithner, she did exactly what we hope another 100,000 will do: She studied Chinese and went and lived in China and is now devoted to making sure the relationship gets better and better and better.’

‘As a young member of a Foreign Relations Committee, I wrote and I said and I believed then what I believe now: That a rising China is a positive, positive development, not only for China but for America and the world writ large,’ he added.

The ‘100,000 Strong Initiative’ that Biden mentioned refers to the goal then-President Obama set near the beginning of his administration in hopes of ‘sending 100,000 American students to China in the next 4 years to learn Mandarin, to experience Chinese culture, and to learn about the hospitality of the Chinese people, while they serve as ambassadors for the United States in China.’

Then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in May 2010 she was ‘pleased to sign’ an agreement with State Councilor Liu Yandong, who has held some of the highest positions in the CCP.

Fox News Digital previously reported on how Yandong would meet with representatives from the Congressional Black Caucus and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) a few years later and announced student scholarships.

‘Our U.S.-China relationship must extend beyond the halls of government to our homes, our businesses, and our schools,’ Clinton continued. ‘And these exchanges really offer the opportunity for people to connect and collaborate, and they remind us of how much we have in common.’

During Owens’ tenure at Treasury, she repeatedly emailed Hunter Biden and his now-former business partner Eric Schwerin about China Investment Corporation (CIC), China’s largest sovereign wealth fund, Fox News Digital previously reported. A former business associate confirmed to Fox News Digital on Monday that Owens was ‘definitely a resource’ Hunter used and that a CIC meeting did occur.

On April 12, 2010, Owens emailed Hunter and Schwerin a schedule from her Treasury email address, highlighting a CIC investment conference that took place a couple of weeks earlier.

‘FYI on recent CIC investment conference at a resort in Sanya, on Hainan Island, over the weekend of March 27-28,’ Owens wrote.

A Thornton Group press release dated that same day – April 12, 2010 – said the company’s chairman, James Bulger, and Hunter visited Beijing just three days earlier and met with CIC Chief Investment Officer Gao Xiqing, among others, according to the Republican Senate report released in September 2020.

A feature article about Owens published months later by the Tower Hill Bulletin said she and her team had traveled to Beijing in May 2010 with a U.S. delegation led by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

A photo of Owens in the article showed her receiving a ‘small jade vase as a birthday gift’ from China’s then-vice minister of finance, Zhu Guangyao. According to the Ministry of Finance website, its primary function is to implement the decisions and policies of the Chinese Communist Party in the area of public finance.

The Bulletin article said Owens’ team and Zhu ‘worked very closely during the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue.’

Weeks after returning from Beijing, Owens emailed Schwerin a Bloomberg News article about CIC, titled, ‘China’s CIC May Post Record Year for 2009 as Markets Recover,’ which Schwerin then forwarded to Hunter on July 23, 2010.

Owens, who now goes by Castello, left the Treasury in July 2011 and is currently an executive at Starbucks, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Owens isn’t the only member of her immediate family with ties to China. Fox News Digital previously reported on how her dad, John ‘Jack’ Owens, pleaded for Hunter to help him secure a business license to expand his telemedicine company in China, saying it needed to be ‘secured very quickly.’

The elder Owens emailed Hunter on May 9, 2014, informing him that his companies, MediGuide America and MediGuide Insurance Services International (MISI), reached a ‘serious stage’ in negotiations with a China-based insurance company, but said he won’t be able to ‘seal this deal’ without a ‘Chinese Business License.’

‘Time pressures are very tight, plus the fact that we do not yet have one has caused a slight credibility bump in the company’s mind. This all translates into a need for a Business License, and one secured very quickly,’ Owens wrote. ‘While this might seem to be a mundane task, I have come to understand that matters such as a Business License can end up taking an inordinate amount of time…..time we just do not have.’

Owens continued by saying he would be ‘most appreciative of any help.’ Hunter Biden replied less than a hour later and said, ‘Working on it-back to you ASAP.’ The younger Biden then forwarded Owens’ email to Thornton Group Chairman James Bulger, the nephew of mobster Whitey Bulger and co-founder of the Thornton Group.

He also sent it to Michael Lin, a Taiwanese-American businessman who has worked with the State Legislative Leaders Foundation (SLLF), a nonprofit that has been partnered since 2015 with the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, a propaganda group that pushes Chinese Communist Party (CCP) messaging. Lin and Bulger both arranged Hunter Biden’s first business trip to China in April 2010, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

‘See email below. It’s from my Uncle Jack. Is there a way we can help him expedite this? Time is of the essence here,’ Hunter Biden wrote.

Bulger responded the next morning and said he would discuss with Lin how they can ‘help.’ Three days later, Bulger sent an email to Hunter saying, ‘Me and Michael had a call with Jack this morning I think we have a solution for hi[s] China problem.’

‘Michael and Ran are researching the regs and laws right now but our Thornton WOFE will likely be ok for Jacks company to use,’ Bulger continued, likely referring to the wholly foreign-owned enterprise of the Thornton Group, the company Bulger and Lin co-founded.

A few days later, Bulger sent an email to Owens and Lin, and copied Hunter Biden, asking Owens to ‘give us until Monday to review a few more laws and regulations in Beijing.’

‘I may have you answer a few question[s] on Monday so we can get specific with the appropriate authority’s in China,’ Bulger wrote.

It is unclear whether Bulger and Lin were able to successfully secure a business license for Owens or whether Thornton’s ‘WOFE’ sufficed for China’s laws. However, MediGuide’s website says it has come to ‘an agreement with AnyHealth Shanghai.’

‘MediGuide and Any Health intend to expand MediGuide’s business in China under the name of ‘MediGuide China,’’ the website reads. ‘AnyHealth Shanghai will be legally representing MediGuide International LLC in China. ‘ It is unclear if AnyHealth Shanghai is the same company referenced in the emails.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Owens for comment but did not receive a response.

Fox News’ Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Politics

Biden appeases Iran because he’s desperate to beat Trump

Did President Joe Biden receive advance warning of Iran’s strike against Israel? Reuters is reporting that ‘Iraqi, Turkish and Jordanian officials each said Iran had provided early warning of the attack last week, including some details.’ They further reported that Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on Sunday that ‘Iran gave neighbouring countries and Israel’s ally the United States 72 hours’ notice it would launch the strikes,’ according to Reuters.

U.S. News and World Report also reports that Iran alerted Turkey to its planned operation against Israel and adds that ‘Washington had conveyed to Tehran via Ankara that any action it took had to be ‘within certain limits.”

The White House denies the story, which implies that Biden might have greenlighted the drone and missile onslaught, but it fits. Biden has been playing both sides of the field, declaring his support of Israel ‘rock solid and unwavering’ until, that is, it began to cost the president political support.

Young people, key to Biden’s reelection, are angry about Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, and have turned negative on the president’s support of our ally. With pro-Palestinian demonstrations erupting across the nation and polls showing young voters gravitating to former President Donald Trump, Biden’s support of the Jewish state has started … wavering.

Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu over the weekend he will not back Israel in countering Iran’s attack. Certainly no one wants a broad war in the region, and it is possible that a retaliatory move by Israel could provoke another round of attacks, and then another.

But Biden’s caution could also be interpreted as yet another sign that the president, desperate to win in November, will do almost anything to prevent higher oil prices, another political tripwire.

On Maria Bartiromo’s Fox Business show recently, Florida Republican Congressman Michael Waltz urged the Biden White House to ‘cut off Iran’s cash.’ Waltz forgets one thing: doing so would require curtailing Tehran’s oil exports and would send energy prices through the roof. That is unacceptable to Biden.

Hence, Biden’s appeasement of Tehran. When Trump left office, Iran was broke and isolated. Their Arab enemies in the region were increasingly united under the Abraham Accords, establishing diplomatic relations with Israel and forming a powerful bloc to counter Iran’s malicious terror activities.

What a difference three-and-a-half years makes.

The Biden White House enriched Iran by failing to enforce the tough sanctions imposed by the Trump administration, and by permitting $10 billion in relief funds to flow to Tehran, purportedly to buy electricity from Iraq. Biden’s crack foreign policy team claims that this money will be used exclusively for humanitarian purposes, but all funds are fungible. Money for electricity also buys drones, and military aggression.

Biden has turned a blind eye to the country’s surging oil exports. Over the past year, Iran’s production jumped by 50%, to a five-year high. This, despite ongoing Trump-era sanctions which supposedly limited Tehran’s exports. The International Energy Agency reports that Iran exported 1.29 million barrels per day of crude oil last year and predicts overall production will increase another 160,000 barrels per day this year. Most incremental output has gone to China.

Why would Biden allow Iran to export more oil and stockpile money? Because he took office promising to end fossil fuel production on federal lands in the U.S. and committing to an improbable and hopelessly expensive switch to green energy.

It is nearly impossible that his team did not anticipate the cost to Americans, in the form of higher energy and electricity prices, of his ‘green revolution’; actually, given the extreme ideologues driving the White House bus, it is entirely possible.

On numerous fronts, including canceling the Keystone Pipeline, halting drilling permits and leases and raising the costs of exploration, Biden showily stalled the upward march of U.S. oil production that occurred under Trump. As a consequence, as the economy rebounded from the COVID-19 downturn, and when Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, oil prices rose and gasoline prices surged to an all-time high. Americans blamed Biden.

When gasoline prices set records of $5 per gallon in June 2022, the Biden White House sensed electoral danger, and set out to buttress U.S. oil production by seeking incremental supplies wherever they could find them, including our own Strategic Petroleum Reserve. They even sought help from Saudi Arabia, a country spurned by Biden, only to be turned down flat.

When oil prices surged again last year, the White House even lifted sanctions on Venezuela, another unfriendly major oil exporter, under a flimsy agreement that required the country’s hated leader Nicolas Maduro to allow free elections. When oil prices receded and the White House no longer needed to court the dictator, who of course did not allow a fair vote in his country’s election, they resurrected most of the sanctions.

But Biden’s caution could also be interpreted as yet another sign that the president, desperate to win in November, will do almost anything to prevent higher oil prices, another political tripwire.

Meanwhile, they also allowed Iran’s exports to rise. The excuse? Biden’s team insisted they wanted to revive the Iran nuclear deal. Obama failed to produce an agreement that would prevent Iran from creating a nuclear weapon, as did Biden. The collapse of negotiations was almost guaranteed by repeated indications that Iran lied about ongoing uranium enrichment activity and its hidden efforts to build a nuclear device.

Today, you can be sure Biden will continue his appeasement of the Islamic state, hoping that their oil exports will continue uninterrupted as he campaigns for reelection – even as Iran continues its malevolent activities in the region which now include, for the first time, directly attacking Israel.

As he ran for president, Joe Biden claimed to have extraordinary diplomatic capabilities and experience. During his presidency, he has directed the most humiliating military withdrawal in our history as we hastily abandoned Afghanistan, permitted Putin’s deadly invasion of Ukraine, despite having ample warning, and has now reportedly signed off on Iran attacking our long-time ally, Israel.

Biden reportedly wanted to be a historic president. Sadly, he is just that.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Politics

Biden’s moral equivalency between Israel and the Palestinians will result in failure — again

President Joe Biden is trying to have it both ways with his post Oct. 7 Israel policy. It won’t work, especially after Iran’s game-changing attack on the Jewish state over the weekend.

Biden still claims to ‘stand with Israel.’ But he doesn’t want to stand with Israel too much because he risks losing the votes of those who support the Palestinians — including, apparently, his own wife. So now he’s encouraging Israel to stand down instead of standing up to the Iranians.

Consider too what his administration has been doing at the United Nations. Ambassador Lisa Thomas-Greenfield abstained on March 25 from voting on UN Security Council Resolution 2728, which calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during Ramadan, a release of the hostages Hamas holds, and the facilitation of humanitarian aid into Gaza. In a twist, the administration had recently proposed its own draft resolution regarding a ceasefire.

But the resolution that did pass differs in two important respects.

First, gone is the condemnation of Hamas’s barbaric actions on Oct. 7 as terrorist outrages against humanity — a condemnation that apparently prompted Russia and China to veto the Biden version. Second, while 2728 calls for the release of the hostages, it removes the language making any ceasefire contingent on their release.

In other words, this UNSCR turns a blind eye to Hamas terrorism and opens the door to the group getting a ceasefire while keeping the hostages — and the United States let it pass.

Sadly, the Biden administration can point to previous and bipartisan U.S. dalliances with UNSCRs to persuade the Palestinians that the United States has not really taken a side in the conflict and is sincerely committed to their cause, even while paying lip service to America’s commitment to Israel. But such twisted logic, along with the canard that an abstention is somehow different than an affirmative vote, is too cute by half.

This disgraceful equivocation began in January 2009, when President George W. Bush’s then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice considered voting for UNSCR 1860, which the U.S. Mission to the UN had helped draft during that round of violence provoked by Hamas.

Like 2728, 1860 called for an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian aid to Gaza, while providing no security assurances to Israel. Perhaps in the hopes of completing a peace deal in the final days of the Bush administration, Rice ultimately abstained, and 1860 passed.

In December 2016, this pattern repeated with UNSCR 2334 at the end of the Obama administration, which condemned the settlement activities of the ‘occupying power’ Israel in the Palestinian territories, thus perpetuating the fantasy that there is an equivalency between the two parties.

Then-U.S. Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power abstained, allowing the resolution to pass, with the cover that she was only doing what the Bush administration had done.

None of the UNSCRs in question have done anything material to either reduce violence or produce peace in the Middle East. But they have all contributed to the counter-productive impression among the Palestinians that violence against Israel is somehow legitimate — as is their support of the perpetuators of this violence, first and foremost Hamas.

And while that belief remains pervasive, they will not take the concrete steps necessary to end the conflict that they have lost if anyone has the courage to tell them so.

Despite all these contortions at the United Nations, the United States cannot have it both ways on Israel. In 1923, the pioneering Zionist Ze’ev Jabotinsky wrote in his essay ‘The Iron Wall’ that until the Palestinians accept that Israel is not going away, and engage in legitimate negotiations, the only way a Jewish state could survive is through impenetrable defenses that would render the inevitable future attacks futile.

If the Iranian attack on Israel and Oct. 7 have taught us anything, it’s that Jabotinsky was correct. Given the Biden administration’s reluctance to unequivocally support Israel’s self-defense, it stands with Congress to do so — and just as failure on Israel policy has been bi-partisan, success can be so as well.

In other words, this UNSCR turns a blind eye to Hamas terrorism and opens the door to the group getting a ceasefire while keeping the hostages — and the United States let it pass.

Late last year, a stand-alone, paid-for request for emergency funds for Israel passed the House of Representatives, and similar legislation could be passed again on Monday. Pro-Israel senators on both sides of the aisle should then insist it be taken up and passed immediately to demonstrate that American support for Israel is indeed ironclad.

What is needed in the current crisis is not Biden’s default to the uni-party failures of the past, but rather a fresh appreciation for Jabotinsky’s clarity. President Donald Trump understood this wisdom, and his administration’s unabashed commitment to the U.S.-Israel alliance resulted in the first peace deals with Israel and the Arabs in a quarter-century, not the grinding misery and violence we see today.

Any future American administration that values the U.S.-Israel alliance should make it clear Israel isn’t going away because America won’t permit it to be destroyed. Only when the Palestinians — and the Iranians — accept that as an incontrovertible fact will there be any hope that they might finally lay down their arms and sue for a just and lasting peace. Until then, only a joint U.S.-Israel Iron Wall will suffice at the U.N. and beyond.

Victoria Coates is vice president for foreign policy and national defense at The Heritage Foundation.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Politics

Foreign policy expert reveals 2 key offensive strategies US must ‘seize’ on to win ‘Cold War’ with China

The United States is currently embroiled in a Cold War with China according to expert Michael Sobolik, who recently told Fox News Digital that the only path towards victory involves going on offense in two key areas.

Sobolik, a Senior Fellow in Indo-Pacific Studies at the American Foreign Policy Council, released his new book ‘Countering China’s Great Game: A Strategy for American Dominance’ on Tuesday, where he outlines several ways that the United States must take the fight to China in its evolving cold war.

Chapter six of my book is one of the most important portions of the book from a competitive perspective because it zeroes in not on how to compete against Beijing around the world, but how to exploit the CCP’s weaknesses inside of China just as the CCP has infiltrated America in so many ways,’ Sobolik told Fox News Digital.

‘We need to take the competition to them on their home court, and there are at least two different ways we can do this.’

The first step that should be taken, Sobolik explains, is cracking down on Chinese trade routes running through the western region of Xinjiang where an alleged genocide is being committed against the Uyghur population.

The Chinese Communist Party is committing genocide in its own country in part because they want complete and total control of that geographic region for the purpose of making sure trade along those Belt and Road corridors flows reliably and securely,’ Sobolik explained. ‘If you have to commit genocide for your foreign policy to function properly, that is a weakness. That is not a sign of strength. That is a sign of weakness and fear and this implicates American policy because a lot of the trade that is running through Xinjiang and is leaving China and going to many other countries in the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia and Europe.’

‘A lot of that trade is being conducted in US dollar transactions. After September 11th, 2001, the United States recognized it wasn’t just enough to go after the terrorists themselves,’ Sobolik continued. ‘You also had to go after the financial networks behind the terrorist cells and we have really strong laws on the books that allow the US government to shut off terrorists from the global financial system.

‘One of the big policy proponents in my book is if any nation is committing genocide for the act, either principally or partially to benefit economically from committing genocide, and if that economic benefit comes from US dollars, then the United States needs to cut those actors off from the global financial system,’ he added.

Sobolik told Fox News Digital that the United States can give China two choices by allowing it to use the U.S. dollar or commit genocide ‘but you can’t do both.’

‘If the United States were to implement a policy like that, we would effectively cut off half of the Belt and Road trade routes in Eurasia,’ Sobolik said. ‘It would be an enormous strategic move for the United States and it would be the most punitive response from Washington to China for committing genocide ever and I think it is something that policymakers need to consider carefully and seriously.‘

The second ‘competitive step’ the United States can take to go on the offense with China, according to Sobolik, is in the ‘realm of information’ especially when it comes to the coronavirus.

The reason COVID became a pandemic in the first place is because the Chinese Communist Party cared more about stopping information about the virus than they cared about stopping the virus itself and then Americans died,’ Sobolik said. ‘The Chinese Communist Party tried to cover up the existence of COVID again, because they are an authoritarian regime and authoritarian regimes are afraid of the truth and transparency. Free speech inside of China, transparency within China is not just a human rights issue, it’s also a national security issue because Americans died, countless Americans died from COVID.’

In his book, Sobolik writes extensively about how it is ‘high time’ to push back on China’s ‘Great Firewall’ of censoring free speech and information and told Fox News Digital that the U.S. government is not doing enough on that front.

This hesitancy to go after one of the biggest weaknesses the CCP has is endemic yet again of this misunderstanding of the world we live in,’ Sobolik argued. ‘This is not a positive sum world where we can cooperate and compete with China, at the same time, the Chinese Communist Party is waging a Cold War that they intend to win. If we want to win it, we must identify the biggest weaknesses that our adversary has and their fear of transparency is one of their biggest.‘

If they demand total control of discourse inside of a massive country as big as China, let’s make it harder for them to accomplish that. Let’s make it more expensive for them. To accomplish that, we need to put them on their back heels and force them to react to us.’

Sobolik told Fox News Digital that one of the reasons he wrote Countering China’s Great Game in the first place was because American policymakers ‘need to go on the offensive and create problems’ for China and ‘seize the initiative’ rather than simply playing defense.

‘Good defense might win NBA basketball championships, but good defense is the bare minimum,’ Sobolik said. ‘It’s good housekeeping. You don’t get a gold star for taking care of your own homeland. You get a gold star for going out and opposing authoritarian regimes. Cold wars are won by seizing the initiative and going on the offensive.’

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Stocks

Is Market Breadth Signaling THE TOP?!

In this edition of StockCharts TV‘s The Final Bar, Dave shows how bearish short-term breadth combined with the deterioration in long-term breadth lines up well with previous market tops. He then breaks down key levels for the S&P 500 index as well as MSFT, TSLA, and more.

This video originally premiered on April 15, 2024. Watch on our dedicated Final Bar page on StockCharts TV!

New episodes of The Final Bar premiere every weekday afternoon. You can view all previously recorded episodes at this link.

Stocks

DP Trading Room: Final Earnings are In for 2023 Q4!

Price Momentum Oscillator (PMO)

Carl opens the show with a view of the final earnings results for 2023 Q4! His chart reveals whether stocks are fair valued, overvalued or undervalued. Get his take on the current readings.

Carl gave us his market overview including Bitcoin, Gold Miners, Gold and Crude Oil and many more.

Next up was a look at the weekly charts for the Magnificent 7 stocks. Special time was devoted to Dividend Focused ETF, TBG.

Carl and Erin both discussed Metals in general with a dive into the Materials sector after Erin’s sector overview.

Both covered your symbol requests!

00:59 Earnings Outlook

03:03 Market Overview

12:09 Magnificent 7

15:29 TBG – Dividend Focused ETF

16:52 Metals Discussion

19:45 Sector Overview

26:16 Symbol Requests

**Watch the latest episode of the DecisionPointTrading Room on DP’s YouTube channel here**!

Try us out for two weeks with a trial subscription!

Use coupon code: DPTRIAL2 at checkout!

Technical Analysis is a windsock, not a crystal ball. –Carl Swenlin

Disclaimer: This blog is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. The ideas and strategies should never be used without first assessing your own personal and financial situation, or without consulting a financial professional. Any opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author, and do not in any way represent the views or opinions of any other person or entity.

DecisionPoint is not a registered investment advisor. Investment and trading decisions are solely your responsibility. DecisionPoint newsletters, blogs or website materials should NOT be interpreted as a recommendation or solicitation to buy or sell any security or to take any specific action.

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Sports

See how to watch the 2024 Boston Marathon, possible winning streak

History is on the line in the 2024 Boston Marathon on Monday.

The Patriots’ Day tradition will see 35-year-old Kenyan Evans Chebet attempt to defend his back-to-back titles and become only the fifth man in the race’s more than 125-year history to win in three straight years.

Hellen Obiri, who completed the other half of a Kenyan sweep, will defend her title from a women’s field that race organizers described as ‘historically fast.’ Obiri will likely have to outlast a trio of women with personal bests under 2:18, including 2019 champion Worknesh Degefa.

Who will conquer Heartbreak Hill and whose hopes will be buried on the Cemetary Mile? Here’s how to watch the 2024 Boston Marathon.

2024 Boston Marathon start time

Participants in the marathon will be sent off in waves. The starting order is as follows:

All times are ET

9:02 a.m. Men’s wheelchair
9:05 a.m. Women’s wheelchair
9:30 a.m. Handcycles and duos
9:37 a.m. Elite men
9:47 a.m. Elite women
9:50 a.m. Para athletics divisions
10 a.m. Wave 1
10:25 a.m. Wave 2
10:50 a.m. Wave 3
11:15 a.m. Wave 4

Boston Marathon television and streaming

The Boston Marathon will air on ESPN 2 starting at 9 a.m. ET. The broadcast can be streamed on the network’s ESPN+ service.

2024 Boston Marathon route

The marathon begins in Hopkinton and winds thorough multiple cities surrounding Boston.

A key stretch of the event is the last hill in Newtown at mile 21 called ‘Heartbreak Hill’ and the portion of the route from the top of that hill to Cleveland Circle that runs along Evergreen Cemetery, aptly called ‘Cemetery Mile.’

Men’s champion Amby Burfoot (1968 ) told Boston.com in 2023 that the latter stretch ‘deadens the legs, specifically the quadriceps muscles.’

The race finishes with a wind through the city ending in in Copley Square.

2024 Boston Marathon Grand Marshal

Former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski will serve as the marathon’s grand marshal.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Sports

Caitlin Clark makes surprise appearance on ‘SNL’

Women’s basketball superstar Caitlin Clark made a surprise appearance on this week’s ‘Saturday Night Live’ during the show’s ‘Weekend Update’ segment.

Clark, who will likely be the top pick in Monday’s WNBA draft that is being held in New York, popped by Studio 8H and joined the ‘Weekend Update’ desk with anchors Michael Che and Colin Jost.

The NCAA’s all-time leading scorer showed up after Che made a joke about Iowa retiring Clark’s jersey. Che then read some more jokes that Clark ‘wrote.’

After the humorous exchange, Clark delivered a heartfelt message about her basketball future after Che wished her success in her upcoming rookie season in the WNBA.

‘I’m sure it will be a big first step for me, but it’s just one step for the WNBA thanks to all the great players like Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, Cynthia Cooper, the great Dawn Staley, and my basketball hero, Maya Moore.

‘These are the women that kicked down the door so I could walk inside. So, I want to thank them tonight for laying the foundation,’ Clark said.

Clark returned to the stage for the goodbyes given by host Ryan Gosling. But she wasn’t alone: Iowa teammates Jada Gyamfi, Gabbie Marshall and Kate Martin also joined her.

Clark will soon be playing for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, which is basically a lock to select her No. 1. Her record-setting college career recently came to an end as Iowa fell in the national championship game for a second consecutive season.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Sports

Scottie Scheffler wins Masters Tournament for the second time in his career

Scottie Scheffler now has one green jacket for himself and one for his soon-to-be-here child.

The top-ranked player made it through the Masters without his wife going into labor to capture his second title at Augusta. He finished with a score of -11, four strokes ahead of Ludvig Åberg, who was competing in his first Masters.

Scheffler started the day on top of the leaderboard, but the final round was not smooth sailing. He hit two bogeys and at one point, he was in a four-way tie with Åberg, Max Homa and Collin Morikawa, who was paired with the winner, for the lead.

Scheffler also won the Masters in 2022. He joins Tiger Woods as the only players to win the Masters multiple times as the world No. 1.

Last year’s champion, Jon Rahm, finished 45th with a score of +9. The Spaniard presented the green jacket to Scheffler as the American did the year prior. — Victoria Hernandez

Masters leaderboard

Find the Masters leaderboard here.

How much did 2024 Masters winner earn?

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Another year, another increase in prize money and the purse at the Masters.

The winner’s share for this year’s tournament is $3.6 million, up from the $3.24 million Jon Rahm took home for winning last year’s Masters. The year prior, Scheffler banked $2.7 million. — Adam Woodard, Golfweek

Scottie Scheffler reacts to Masters win

After winning his second Masters Tournament, Scottie Scheffler talked about the significance of winning and having a child.

‘You’re about to make me cry here in Butler Cabin,’ Scheffler said. ‘It’s a very special time for both of us. I can’t put it into words what it means to win this tournament again. I really can’t put into words what it means to be a father for the first time.’ — Victoria Hernandez

Ludvig Åberg finishes first career Masters in line for second

It’s hard to have a better debut than Ludvig Åberg just did at Augusta.

The 24-year-old from Sweden finished his first Masters with a score of -7 on Sunday and was in second place. He shot -3 for the final round with a double bogey and five birdies.

Åberg scored par on the final hole. When his last shot drained in the cup, the crowd cheered loudly.

“I think there’s a lot of things that we did very well this week, especially today,’ Åberg said. ‘I came out today, I was very nervous, I was shaking… It’s a privilege to be in this position.’

Last season, he finished first in the PGA Tour University program as a member of Texas Tech’s golf team. Now, he’s making his name as one of the best up-and-coming golfers in the big leagues. — Victoria Hernandez

Scottie Scheffler on brink of second Masters victory with late birdie

Is the green jacket Scottie Scheffler’s to lose? At this point, it would seem so.

The top-ranked golfer extended his lead to four strokes when he made a birdie on hole No. 16, his third birdie in four holes and his seventh birdie of the day. He now has a score of 11 under par with two holes to go.

Scheffler made the long drive to put the ball squarely on the green. He then tapped in the putt, much to the delight of the crowd. — Victoria Hernandez

Scottie Scheffler opens up lead as late groups battle Amen Corner

The drama continues to build at Augusta.

Scottie Scheffler hit three straight birdies to further his lead heading into Amen Corner. But the margin is down to two strokes after he hit a bogey on hole No. 11. He also hit a bogey on hole No. 4 and hole No. 7.

Other pairings are battling through Amen Corner with the green jacket still very much on the line. Ludvig Åberg hit a double bogey on hole No. 11 but finished the trio of holes with a birdie. His Max Homa hit two over par on hole No. 12. – Victoria Hernandez

Neal Shipley speaks on Tiger Woods pairing at Masters

Amateur Neal Shipley earned his way into the 88th playing of the Masters with his runner-up finish at the 2023 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club in Colorado last summer. Now, he’s leaving Augusta National Golf Club as the Low Amateur at the Masters, the only one to make the cut and a Sunday in which he was paired with five-time champion Tiger Woods.

Shipley, a grad student from Ohio State, finished 12-over par.

“Playing with Tiger, Sunday at the Masters, the whole week, I think I have to win one of these things to kind of top this week,” Shipley said after his final-round 1-over 73.

“Today being out there with Tiger, we were chatting. We talked a lot about just golf, (Woods’ son) Charlie and just normal things. He’s such a normal guy and really cool. He was great to me all day. Couldn’t be more appreciative of him just being awesome today, and it was just really cool to be around him and just the attention he gets and the roars. The crowds were phenomenal.’

—Cameron Jourdan, Golfweek

Race for Green Jacket turns into four-way tie at the top of leaderboard

All of a sudden, we have a four-way tie atop the leaderboard.

Scottie Scheffler bogeyed No. 7, his second dropped stroke over his last four holes, to fall to 6-under par. More importantly, that set up the logjam, where he joins Collin Morikawa and Ludvig Åberg in the tie for first.

Max Homa would birdie No. 8 to join the group.

Morikawa has been the steadiest of the three, with clean, if unspectacular, pars in each of the seven holes he has played thus far. – Lorenzo Reyes

Scottie Scheffler teases extended lead before bogey

Scottie Scheffler gave himself a little breathing room with a birdie on hole No. 3 in the fourth round of the Masters. Key word: little.

The tournament leader finished the Par 4 hole in three strokes. On his second shot, he smacked the ball cleanly from the sand bunker and it landed just a few feet away from the cup. The world No. 1 player then made an easy putt to finish the hole.

The next hole, he hit a bogey. On the Par 3 No. 4, Scheffler whiffed his putt just beyond the cup to miss par. He then tapped the ball in to add a stroke to his score.

Scheffler, who will be a new dad any minute now, retains his -7 score at the top of the Augusta standings. His round partner Collin Morikawa and Max Homa are one stroke behind him in second place. – Victoria Hernandez

Pair of birdies move Max Homa, Ludvig Åberg up the leaderboard

The competition is fierce in the fourth round of the Masters and hole No. 2 seems to be where the magic is happening.

Both Max Homa and Ludvig Åberg, who are paired, scored birdies on the hole to move up the leaderboard.

Homa’s shot was his first birdie in 34 holes. He finished the hole in four strokes for one under par. He now has a -6 score to tie Collin Morikawa for second place.

Åberg also found the cup in four strokes, completing it with a smooth putt. His score of -5 puts him in fourth place. – Victoria Hernandez

Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa tee off in Masters fourth round

At 2:35 p.m. ET, Scottie Scheffler began his final round at the Masters in an attempt to win his second green jacket. The tournament leader stood next to the tee, did a little waddle, raised his club up and down and struck the ball with a long drive. The ball landed firmly on the fairway.

His group mate, Collin Morikawa, then stepped up to the tee, took a little less preparation, and landed his ball down the fairway as well. – Victoria Hernandez

Cameron Smith nails eagle to keep Masters hopes alive

Anything can happen at Augusta.

Cameron Smith knows that and just scored an eagle on hole No. 2 in the fourth round to keep himself in the mix for the green jacket. He completed the five-par hole in three strokes with a chip shot from the sand bunker.

The shot sprung him into fifth place with a score of -3, tied with Bryson DeChambeau. – Victoria Hernandez

Tiger Woods reflects on 2024 Masters performance

Tiger Woods finished his performance at the Masters with a score of +16 after going +10 on Saturday, the worst round of his career at Augusta. His sixth green jacket seems farther away than ever before.

“I think that just the wind and what it was doing out here to the golf shots,” Woods told reporters of what was difficult this year. “… It doesn’t take much to get out of position here and unfortunately I got out of position a lot.”

He said that his familiarity with Augusta makes it a special place for him to compete.

“It’s always nice coming back here because I know how to play it,” he said, noting that he’ll have to get some homework in ahead of upcoming events like the U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort and Country Club in North Carolina where he’s not as comfortable with the course.

Woods withdrew from last year’s Masters due to pain and also pulled out of the Genesis Invitational in February due to illness. He said overall he said this Masters performance was “a good week all around.” – Victoria Hernandez

Tiger Woods ends 2024 Masters in last place

Tiger’s day, and his 26th Masters appearance, is now over. Barring a collapse from other players at the bottom of the field, Woods will finish in 60th, in last place, at 16-over par. The next closest players are Vijay Singh and Erik van Rooyen, both of whom are 14-over.

Woods would settle toward the end of the round, birdieing No. 15 before he converted three pars to close the round.

One of the day’s big movers is Tom Kim. He started the day at 11-over par and has converted eight birdies – including six on his first eight holes of the Back 9 – to climb to 4-over through 16. – Lorenzo Reyes

Tiger Woods goes vintage — at least for one shot

He may be firmly in last place, at 16-over par, but Tiger Woods is still providing glimpses of why he’s a fan favorite. At the par-three No. 16, Tiger’s tee shot found the greenside bunker. His shot out of the bunker, though, was vintage Tiger; he lofted it well past the pin and let the slope do most of the work. The ball softly rolled about 20 feet to get within inches of the hole to save par.

Woods is making his way through his final hole of the round.

Elsewhere on the course, World Golf Ranking No. 2 player Rory McIlroy did everything he needed to do on No. 2, except sink the eagle putt. Needing just about eight feet, he pushed the ball just right of the hole. It got worse: his birdie try from about three feet was also pushed so he had to settle for a disappointing three-putt par. He’s currently 4-over through two. – Lorenzo Reyes

When is Scottie Scheffler teeing off at the Masters on Sunday?

Top-ranked golfer Scottie Scheffler will tee off at 2:35 p.m. ET on Sunday in the fourth round of the Masters. He’s paired with Collin Morikawa.

Scheffler, who is hoping to capture his second title at Augusta, is currently first in the field with a score of -7. Morikawa is one stroke behind for second place. – Victoria Hernandez

Tony Finau, Jon Rahm tee off in Round 4

As we get closer and closer to the group of players in the red teeing off, there are still some notable names who have hit the course. The pairing of Jon Rahm and Tony Finau has made its way to No. 3, with Rahm dropping an early stroke on the second hole – one where many golfers Sunday have gained ground – to get to 5-over par. Finau would capitalize on that makeable No. 2 to record a birdie to get to 4-under, as he tries to get under par.

Elsewhere, Brooks Koepka, who has two second-place finishes in his Masters career, has had an uneven round; he’s through No. 7 and has three bogeys to match three birdies. Koepka is at 6-over par.

More or less the same goes for Phil Mickelson, who went bogey-birdie-bogey on Nos. 2, 3 and 4, respectively. – Lorenzo Reyes

Verne Lundquist reflects on final Masters, explains decision to step away

On Sunday, Verne Lundquist is walking up to the final green of his Masters broadcasting career.

The longtime sports broadcaster has been a stalwart of Masters coverage for four decades, but the 2024 golf major will be the last that he calls at Augusta in a plan that has been two years in the making.

Lundquist has been behind the microphone for many memorable calls over the years, and recently labeled Tiger Woods’ iconic chip on hole No. 16 in 2005 and Jack Nicklaus’ putt in 1986 as the two best calls of his golf career. On April 13, he had an opportunity to reflect on what 40 years of the Masters has meant to him.

‘Fortieth means I’m old,’ Lundquist said with a laugh. ‘And final − it’s filled with emotion, it really is. This place has been so special for my personal and my professional life.’

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Neal Shipley making most of pairing with Tiger Woods

Not only is amateur Neal Shipley having a solid day – he started the day at 11-over par and shaved a pair of strokes on the front nine – he also has the privilege of being paired on Sunday at the Masters with Tiger Woods.

Cameras have caught the two, at times, talking, with Woods appearing to give Shipley small pieces of advice. Shipley is actually a grad student at Ohio State and is the only amateur who made the cut. Shipley’s caddy is a close high school friend.

Shipley is currently 10-under par and just nearly sunk a putt at No. 10 for what would’ve been his fourth birdie of the day, but he settled for par.

Woods remains in last place, at 15-over. – Lorenzo Reyes

Hole No. 5 presenting an opportunity for Sunday Masters golfers

If early play is any indication, the 575-yard second hole Par 5 at Augusta National may present a chance for players in contention to move up the leaderboard. The second eagle of the day was recorded at No. 2, as Min Woo Lee piped his driver just over the fairway bunker to set up an approach he beautifully eased onto the green. Lee is sitting at 5-over par.

Meanwhile, the struggles continue for Tiger Woods, who is now in sole possession of last place, at 15-over par. He followed his triple-bogey at No. 5 with a bogey at No. 6. He did settle for rather uneventful pars on Nos. 7 and 8 as he approaches the turn. – Lorenzo Reyes

Tiger Woods records first triple-bogey of his 2024 Masters

After previously taming the par-four fifth in the previous rounds, Tiger Woods recorded his first triple-bogey at the 2024 Masters. He sliced his tee shot sliced deep to the right, shot a provisional and then had to return to the tee to drive once more. That one found the fairway, but his approach landed well right of the pin. He deftly found a ridge to get his bogey try closer to the pin, but his following putt curled just around the hole, setting up the tap-in triple.

Woods is currently 14-over par through five.

Elsewhere on the course, we saw our first eagle of Sunday, as American Kurt Kitayama flushed his tee shot at No. 2 to set up the chance to shave two strokes off his score. He’s at 9-over par after consecutive pars at Nos. 3 and 4. – Lorenzo Reyes

Tiger Woods gets off to shaky start in Round 4 of Masters

After a rough third round Saturday in which he posted a career-worst Masters score of 10-over par, Tiger Woods has started his final round rather mixed.

He parred the first, birdied the second and bogeyed the third.

At No. 1, Tiger found the fairway off the tee box and then had his approach trickle off the green. He chipped his way to a makeable putt to earn par.

He aggressively attacked the Par 5 No. 2 and got onto the green in two shots, setting up a lengthy eagle attempt. He would have to settle for a two-putt and his first birdie of the round.

At No. 3, a precise tee shot set up another chance to shave a stroke off his score, but Woods’ chip up the slope in front of the green didn’t have enough pace, and it rolled back down the hill. He flubbed his par save and would tap in for bogey. – Lorenzo Reyes

Tiger Woods pars first hole at fourth round of Masters

And we’re off! Tiger has historically played this hole an abysmal 18 over par, but he’s 1 under this week. Tiger found the fairway in prime spot to attack the back pin, perched atop a plateau, but his approach landed on the green and just leaked off the edge. He hit a nifty chip from there to run about four feet short and got in for par to start the day. Nice and smooth. And he’s moving pretty well, too.

– Adam Woodard, Golfweek

Masters leader Scottie Scheffler says he’ll leave if his wife goes into labor

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Scottie Scheffler is flying solo this week at the Masters, and for good reason.

His wife, Meredith, who usually travels with him when he competes, is back home in Dallas awaiting the birth of their first child later this month.

After shooting 1-under 71 at Augusta National on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead after 54 holes, Scheffler confirmed yet again that he will leave the 88th edition of the Masters no matter the circumstances if his wife goes into labor. Asked on Saturday evening to detail his plan, he said, ‘Definitely have a way to get home pretty quickly. We have somebody here that has access to their cell phone, if that’s all right.” He turned to the Masters member moderating the press conference as if making sure that would be permitted. “And, yes, I’ll be available to go home then whenever I need to.’

– Adam Schupak, Golfweek

Masters Round 4 start time

The final round of the Masters starts at 9:15 a.m. ET on Sunday when Adam Hadwin and Vijay Singh tee off.

What time does Tiger tee off at the Masters?

Tiger Woods is set to tee off at 9:35 a.m. ET.

New swing coach for Tiger Woods at the Masters?

Tiger Woods’ son Charlie joined his father on the driving range Sunday morning at Augusta National, where Charlie appeared to be coaching his dad ahead of Sunday’s the fourth round of the Masters.

After making history with a 24th consecutive made cut at Augusta, the elder Woods endured his worst Masters round ever by shooting a 10-over 82 in the third round on Saturday and will not be among those in contention on Sunday.

Masters tee times for Sunday

Here is every tee time and pairing for the final round of the Masters.

Masters 2024 TV schedule

You can check out the Masters over-the-air television schedule for the final round here.

The Masters live stream

For cord-cutters, select focuses of the Masters will be available on Paramount+ and ESPN+ over the four-day event. Cord-cutters can also turn to Fubo, which carries CBS and ESPN.

LIV Golf players stumble during Masters 2024 third round

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Of the 13 LIV Golf players in the field, five saw their weeks end early as they missed the weekend cut. Of the eight who advanced to the weekend, five lost positions, two remained the same and one even gained a little ground on the field.

Here’s how the remaining LIV players have fared through three rounds at the 2024 Masters.

Bryson DeChambeau: 5th, 3 under
Cameron Smith: T-9, 1 under
Patrick Reed: T-16, 1 over
Tyrrell Hatton: T-21, 3 over
Brooks Koepka: T-36, 6 over
Phil Mickelson: T-36, 6 over
Joaquin Niemann: T-21, 3 over
Jon Rahm: T-28, 5 over
Missed cut: 6 over and worse

— Adam Woodard, Golfweek

Masters weather: Augusta forecast

Here’s the Sunday forecast for the Masters.

Masters prize money 2024

Here is the purse breakdown for the 2024 Masters.

Masters winners: Who has won the most Green Jackets?

Jack Nicklaus holds the record for most Masters wins with six. Tiger Woods has the second-most wins with six. Arnold Palmer has four wins. Here’s the full Masters winners list, year by year.

How many hole-in-ones have been hit in Masters history?

There have been 34 hole-in-ones in Masters history. The first came in 1934 from Ross Somerville, who smoked an ace from 145 yards out on the 16th hole. Shockingly, Somerville was an amateur at the time he made that hole-in-one. The most recent hole-in-one came in 2022 from Stewart Cink on the same hole, using an 8-iron to hit the cup 166 yards away.

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Sports

Big stars face off in NBA play-in game tournament. See matchups, schedule

The 2024 NBA play-in tournament features star power, making those games more high profile and making the league happy.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers; Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors; Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers; Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat; Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks; DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bulls; Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings; and Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram of the New Orleans Pelicans.

The league wanted to create more interest in its regular season and make it possible for more teams to reach the playoffs, while trying to curtail tanking.

On the final day or the regular season on Sunday, multiple teams wanted to win and avoid the play-in tournament while several other teams were trying to avoid ninth and 10th place and make their road to the first round easier.

Here’s what you need to know about the play-in tournament:

Who made the play-in game tournament?

Eastern Conference: Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks

Western Conference: New Orleans Pelicans, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings

Play-in game matchups, schedule, TV, times

TUESDAY

No. 8 Los Angeles at No. 7 New Orleans, TNT, 7:30 p.m. ET

Winner is the No. 7 seed against No. 2 Denver in a West first-round series

No. 10 Golden State at No. 9 Sacramento, TNT, 10 p.m. ET

WEDNESDAY

No. 8 Miami at No. 7 Philadelphia, ESPN, 7 p.m. ET

Winner is the No. 7 seed against No. 2 New York in an East first-round series

No. 10 Atlanta at No. 9 Chicago, ESPN, 9:30 p.m. ET

FRIDAY

Loser of Miami-Philadelphia vs. winner of Atlanta-Chicago, ESPN, Time TBD

Winner is the No. 8 seed against No. 1 Boston in an East first-round series

Loser of Los Angeles Lakers-Pelicans vs. winner of Golden-State Sacramento, TNT, Time TBD

Winner is the No. 8 seed against No. 1 Oklahoma City in a West first-round series

What is the NBA play-in game tournament format?

The play-in format involves the seventh, eighth, ninth and 10 seeds in both conferences. The seventh-place team plays the eighth-place team, and the ninth-place team plays the 10th-place team. The winner of the 7-8 game gets the seventh seed in the playoffs vs. the No. 2 seed in the first round, and the loser of the 7-8 game plays the winner of the 9-10 game for the eighth seed and a first-round series against the No. 1 seed. The 7-8 teams just need to win one game to make the playoffs, and the 9-10 teams need to win twice.

Seed Nos. 1-6 in both conferences are guaranteed a first-round series.

What have been the results of the play-in tournament?

The seventh-place team is 5-1, and the ninth-place team is 4-2; the No. 8 seed is 1-0 against the No. 10 seed, and the No. 7 seed is 1-0 against the No. 10 season; the ninth-place team is 3-1 against the eighth-place team for the eighth seed.

Lasts season was the first time a play-in team won a playoff series since the four-team play-in tournament began in 2021. The eighth-seeded Heat advanced to the NBA Finals with victories over No. 1 seed Milwaukee, No. 5 seed New York and No. 2 Boston before losing to the West’s No. 1 seed Denver in the NBA Finals, and the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Lakers beat No. 2 seed Memphis and No. 6 seed Golden State before losing to the Nuggets in the conference finals in 2023.

When do the first-round best-of-7 playoff series begin?

First-round playoff games begin with series-openers Saturday, April 20 and Sunday, April 21.

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