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North Korea breaks silence on Trump’s return, sends message from ‘Rocket Man’

Kim Jong-Un’s powerful sister opened up about relations with the second Trump administration, warning the U.S. not to try to restart talks centered on getting North Korea to give up its nuclear program. 

Kim Yo Jong, in remarks blasted out by state media, said relations between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un are ‘not bad’ but added Pyongyang would view any attempt to pressure North Korea to denuclearize as ‘nothing but a mockery.’ 

She said that North Korea’s nuclear arsenal has sharply increased since Trump and Kim last spoke, and the pair would not meet for a summit again if denuclearization was on the table. 

The North Korean dictator’s sister did not rule out bilateral talks entirely — as she did with South Korea in a separate statement. 

‘If the U.S. fails to accept the changed reality and persists in the failed past, the DPRK- U.S. meeting will remain as a ‘hope’ of the U.S. side,’ Kim Yo Jong said, referring to the nation by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

She said it would be ‘advisable to seek another way of contact.’

Trump held three unprecedented summits with the North Korean leader he dubbed ‘Little Rocket Man’ during his first term: in Singapore in 2018, Hanoi in 2019 and the Korean Demilitarized Zone in 2019, becoming the first president to step foot on North Korean territory. 

None of the meetings resulted in any breakthroughs: North Korea kept its nukes, and the U.S. left sanctions that have isolated it from international markets in place. 

Kim Yo Jong is a top official on the Central Committee of the North’s ruling Workers’ Party and handles relations with the U.S. and South Korea.

Kim Yo Jong’s comments came after an article posted by Yonhap news agency cited an unnamed White House official as saying Trump ‘remains open to engaging with Leader Kim to achieve a fully denuclearized North Korea.’

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said last month Trump would like to see ‘progress’ this term on the summits he held during the first term. 

In a statement commemorating the 72nd anniversary of the end of the Korean War on Monday, Trump said, ‘I was proud to become the first sitting President to cross this Demilitarized Zone into North Korea.’

He underscored the U.S. alliance with South Korea. 

‘Although the evils of communism still persist in Asia, American and South Korean forces remain united in an ironclad alliance to this day.’

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Mamdani’s rise, ‘vile hatred’ of US Jews the focus of ‘critical’ closed-door congressional huddle

Lawmakers on the House Homeland Security Committee met with stakeholders and law enforcement to address the rise of antisemitic violence in the U.S., during a closed-door congressional roundtable on July 22, Fox News Digital has learned. 

The roundtable comes amid growing concerns about antisemitic violence months after recent attacks in Boulder, Colorado, and Washington, D.C., along with growing fears surrounding the potential election of Zohran Mamdani, who has espoused anti-Israel viewpoints, as New York City mayor. 

‘Jewish communities across the country are living in fear, and I am committed to standing with them. This roundtable comes at a critical moment: a far-left activist who has defended the phrase ‘globalize the intifada’ is inching closer to leading a city home to one of the world’s largest Jewish populations,’ Rep. August Pfluger, the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee’s counterterrorism and intelligence subcommittee, said in his opening statement, obtained by Fox News Digital. 

‘Antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric is becoming dangerously mainstream. We must act now to expose and combat this vile hatred wherever it is spread,’ Pfluger said. 

The roundtable focused on improving interagency coordination, intelligence sharing, training, and enforcement to better prevent and respond to antisemitic violence, according to a House Homeland Security Committee aide.

In particular, the meeting addressed ways to bolster communication between the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI, along with state and local law enforcement, according to Michael Masters, the CEO of the Secure Community Network, a non-profit organization focused on the safety of the Jewish community in North America. 

This interagency coordination is absolutely paramount as the Secure Community Network has flagged 500 credible threats to life this year – which all have required immediate law enforcement intervention, according to Masters. 

‘Bad guys don’t respect orders. Bad actors don’t respect jurisdictions, and that means that our intelligence can’t be siloed,’ Masters told Fox News Digital on Monday. 

 

Additionally, the roundtable’s discussion highlighted how extremist rhetoric can spread, especially on college campuses and via social media, the aide said. Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, student protests have erupted across college campuses in the U.S., including at Columbia University in New York. 

Likewise, those participating in the roundtable addressed the prevalence of homegrown and foreign-influenced extremism, when one participant highlighted instances where anti-Israel terrorist organizations have disseminated tool kits and talking points aimed at promoting attacks in the U.S., the committee aide said. 

The discussion is expected to inform legislative priorities centered around bolstering officer training, improving data collection, and ensuring ‘robust prosecution’ of antisemitic offenses, the committee aide said. 

Those who participated in the roundtable included representatives from the Secure Community Networks; the Anti-Defamation League, an organization dedicated to stopping the defamation of the Jewish people; the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence & Analysis; and law enforcement officials. 

Pfluger, a Republican from Texas, has spearheaded legislation that would bar any visa holders backing Hamas or other designated terror groups from staying in the U.S. 

He also led a hearing last month on the rise of antisemitic violence in the U.S., following a May shooting that killed two Israeli Embassy employees in Washington and a terrorist attack in Colorado targeting a grassroots group advocating for the release of Israeli hostages.

Antisemitic violence reached a new high in 2024, according to the Anti-Defamation League. 

The group recorded 9,354 antisemitic instances of harassment, assault, and vandalism in the U.S. in 2024 – a 5% increase from the 8,873 incidents recorded in 2023 and a 344% increase in the past five years. Likewise, the number of incidents is the highest the group has recorded since 1979, when the group first started tracking these cases. 

Incidents of antisemitic violence in 2024 were highest in the state of New York, where Mamdani is currently a state assemblyman. 

Mamdani has attracted scrutiny, including from Democrats, for initially failing to condemn the term ‘globalize the intifada,’ a phrase used to back Palestinian resistance against Israel. However, he has since said he will not use the term and will discourage others from using it as well. 

Still, concerns remain over what his potential leadership as mayor could mean for the Jewish community in New York City. Roughly 1.4 million people in the Greater New York Area identified as Jewish in 2023, according to UJA-Federation of New York. 

‘There’s a lot of fear in the Jewish community if this guy becomes mayor,’ New York City Republican councilwoman Inna Vernikov told Fox News Digital. 

‘This is a guy who wants to globalize the intifada,’ Vernikov said. ‘We’ve never seen anything close to this in New York City. We have the largest Jewish population in America, and I’ll tell you Jews are telling me they’re going to run away from New York City, and Jews have contributed a lot to the city and to this country, and the idea that they are now afraid to live here – it’s unacceptable and unprecedented really, this has never happened here.’

Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.

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Gaza Humanitarian Foundation: What to know about the US-backed aid group

President Donald Trump addressed the ongoing hunger crisis in Gaza on Monday in Scotland, where he addressed the urgency of getting food into the enclave immediately, while doing it safely and securely. 

‘The United States recently, just a couple of weeks ago, we gave $60 million … No other nation gave money,’ as he urged other nations ‘to step up.’ 

$30 million in U.S. contributions to Gaza have been channeled through the U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. 

Since the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began its operations on May 27, the organization has partnered with local Palestinian aid workers and non-governmental organizations to deliver 97 million meals to date to Gazans.

GHF spokesperson Chapin Fay told Fox News Digital that GHF ‘has one exclusive mission: to feed the people of Gaza in a way that prevents Hamas from being able to steal or loot or divert the aid.’ In addition to having ‘zero diversion,’ Fay said GHF has ‘put [aid] directly into the hands of the people who need it the most.’ 

What is GHF providing the local population? 

At its four distribution sites in Gaza, it provides boxes of aid sufficient to provide 2,400 daily calories for 5.5 people over a total of 3.5 days. GHF’s sites are able to distribute, on average, 2 million total meals per day.

Fay said GHF has also started a potato pilot program which has seen ‘hundreds of tons of potatoes’ delivered into Gaza.

Another new pilot program in association with local Gazan NGO Al-Amal has allowed GHF to deliver 2,000 boxes of food to families in Gaza. Fay said that GHF is in the process of scaling up the operation, vetting hundreds of inquiries received since the program’s announcement and working on establishing additional local NGO partnerships.

Attacks on GHF’s aid model

The U.N. has lambasted GHF’s distributions, with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini calling the organization an ‘abomination’ that ‘provides nothing but starvation and gunfire to the people of Gaza.’  

Though media headlines are thick with accusations of violence at GHF sites, Fay said that the reality of GHF distributions ‘is almost the opposite of what you read about, what you see on TV.’ 

Though he admitted that ‘there’s some chaos when thousands of desperate, hungry people are trying to get aid,’ he claims that only two violent incidents have transpired at GHF distributions. A stampede and a grenade attack that harmed two American veteran employees were ‘Hamas-fomented terrorist attacks,’ he said.

The U.N. and many NGOs have also opposed GHF’s use of armed security to protect aid-seekers. However, U.N. data shows that only 8% of U.N. aid had reached its destination without being looted in the last 10 weeks, according to a Reuters report.

Fay says that GHF is ready and willing to provide security support for U.N. aid. ‘We need to stop pretending that there’s only one way to get aid into Gaza,’ he explained. 

GHF’s adaptations and improvements on the ground

As GHF continues to assist Gazans, Fay says the organization has ‘adapt[ed] in a dynamic environment, and our distributions seem to be going more smoothly every day.’ 

New adaptations include a red-light, green-light system to indicate whether distribution sites are open and a suggestion from aid-seekers. GHF has also added more shelf-stable onions to its aid boxes.

Fay said that workers are also holding back some aid to ensure that women and children receive needed assistance. Because of this change, Fay says he recently ‘saw women leaving and smiling at our personnel with their onions on their way home.’

GHF is set to deliver its 100 millionth meal to Gazans later this week. 

Reuters contributed to this report.

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What is CTE and what NFL players have been diagnosed with it?

The man who walked into the New York City office building that houses the National Football League’s headquarters and opened fire might have been targeting the NFL when he shot and killed four people, including an NYPD officer, according to multiple reports including CNN, ABC and NY1, among others.

A law enforcement official briefed on the investigation tells CNN that papers found on the body of Shane Devon Tamura indicate he had grievances with the league over its handling of CTE, a brain disease linked to head trauma. Sources tell CNN that Tamura was a competitive football player in his youth.

Carrying an M4 rifle, the gunman walked into the building at 345 Park Avenue on Monday afternoon, July 28, and opened fire in the lobby, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference. He then got on an elevator, got off at the 33rd floor and shot someone else before turning the gun on himself.

The NFL offices are located on the fifth floor of the building.

What is CTE?

CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a degenerative brain condition that happens after repeated head injuries. It has been commonly associated with football players, and can result even if they haven’t experienced a concussion.

According to the Concussion Legacy Foundation, symptoms do not generally begin appearing until years after the onset of head impacts. 

Symptoms are similar to those found in patients suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease, according to Dr. Ann McKee, director of the UNITE Brain Bank at Boston University and perhaps the foremost authority on CTE through her years of research on the subject.

NFL players diagnosed with CTE

In 2023, Boston University’s CTE Center updated the research it’s been conducting since 2008 to announce that 345 of 376 former NFL players whose brains it studied (91.7%) have been diagnosed with CTE.

Among the more prominent players to have been linked to CTE:

Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau
Pro Bowl offensive lineman Conrad Dobler
Tight end Frank Wycheck
Defensive back, TV analyst Irv Cross
Wide receiver Charles Johnson
Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas
Tight end Aaron Hernandez
Wide receiver Chris Henry
Wide receiver Vincent Jackson
Linebacker Jovan Belcher
Lineman Terry Long

(This story was updated with new information.)

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Who is Shane Tamura? What we know about Manhattan gunman

Police are still working to understand the motive of a 27-year-old Nevada man who opened fire at a midtown Manhattan skyscraper and killed at least four people before shooting himself.  

Shane Tamura walked into the lobby of 345 Park Ave., an office building that houses the NFL headquarters and major financial firms, with an M4 rifle on the evening of July 28, and “immediately” began shooting, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference.    

He shot and killed at least four people, including 36-year-old New York City Police Officer Didarul Islam. 

Tisch said the suspect had a “documented mental health history.” Authorities believe he acted alone.  

Tamura left a note that appeared to blame the NFL for a brain injury, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said during a July 29 appearance on CBS.  

‘He did have a note on him. The note alluded to that he felt he had CTE, a known brain injury for those who participate in contact sports,” Adams said. “He appeared to have blamed the NFL for his injury.’ 

Here’s what we know so far about the gunman.  

Tamura’s car drove across the U.S. before shooting 

Tamura was seen exiting a double-parked black BMW outside of the Manhattan skyscraper before he entered the lobby, turned right and began shooting. The vehicle was registered under Tamura’s name in Nevada, Tisch said.  

Police discovered the vehicle had traveled across the country through Colorado on July 26, and through Nebraska and Iowa on July 27, Tish said. They tracked the vehicle in Columbia, New Jersey, a city about 70 miles west of New York City, at 4:24 p.m. on July 28, hours before the shooting. 

Inside, officers found a rifle case with rounds, a loaded revolver, ammunition, magazines and a backpack with medication prescribed to Tamura in the vehicle. 

Tamura appeared to target NFL headquarters

Officials said Tamura immediately shot New York City Police Officer Didarul Islam after entering building. He then shot a security guard behind a security desk, a woman who took cover behind a pillar and another man in the lobby.

The gunman then entered an elevator and went to the 33rd floor, where the building’s owner, Rudin Management, is located and fired several rounds. One person was shot and killed, before Tamura took his own life, Tisch said.

Preliminary investigations show the gunman may have taken the wrong elevator and intended to get to the NFL headquarters, rather than Rudin Management, according to Adams.

‘That is where he carried out additional shootings and took the lives of additional employees,’ Adams said during his CBS interview.

An NFL employee was seriously injured in the mass shooting, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a memo to staff members.

‘We believe that all of our employees are otherwise safe and accounted for, and the building has nearly been cleared,’ Goodell wrote in the memo, obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

This is a developing story.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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MLB Bristol game will break attendance record: How to buy tickets

Major League Baseball’s single-game attendance record will fall on Saturday, Aug. 2, with more than 85,000 tickets sold for the Cincinnati Reds vs. Atlanta Braves contest at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennnessee, MLB announced.

The event at the famed auto racing track – the first AL or NL game ever played in Tennessee – is set to shatter the mark of 84,587 set on September 12, 1954, when Cleveland Stadium hosted the New York Yankees.

“It no doubt will be one of our most iconic days in baseball and one of the most special days of the 2025 season,” said Jeremiah Yolkut, the senior vice president of global events with Major League Baseball.

Here’s how to buy tickets for the for the 2025 MLB Speedway Classic:

Buy tickets for MLB Speedway Classic

When is the MLB Speedway Classic?

Date: Saturday, Aug. 2
Time: 7: 15 p.m. ET
TV channel: Fox

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Leagues Cup kicks off with MLS vs. Liga MX matchups

The Leagues Cup – the 36-team tournament featuring select clubs from Major League Soccer and Mexico’s Liga MX – is back and will kick off with six games on Tuesday, July 29.

This is a modified tournament format from the one used during the last two summers that included every club from MLS and Liga MX. With 18 teams from MLS and 18 teams from Liga MX, at least 94% of the tournament (58 of the 62 possible matches) will feature an MLS club against a Liga MX club before the semifinals.

The MLS clubs participating in Leagues Cup were playoff teams last season, with the exception of expansion side San Diego FC, which is taking the place of the Vancouver Whitecaps.

The Columbus Crew are the defending Leagues Cup champions, having won the 2024 tournament final over Los Angeles FC. Inter Miami won the 2023 edition of the tournament in Lionel Messi’s first season with the team.

Here is everything you need to know to follow the 2025 Leagues Cup tournament:

Where will Leagues Cup be broadcast?

All 62 Leagues Cup matches will be streamed live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. FS1 will broadcast 14 matches. Univision, UniMás and TUDN will provide Spanish-language broadcasts of 16 Leagues Cup matches. You can watch Fox Sports and Univision on Fubo.

Watch the entire 2025 Leagues Cup on Apple TV

What are the 2025 Leagues Cup teams?

MLS

Atlanta United
CF Montréal
Charlotte FC
Colorado Rapids
Columbus Crew
FC Cincinnati
Houston Dynamo FC
Inter Miami CF
Los Angeles FC
Los Angeles Galaxy
Minnesota United FC
New York City FC
New York Red Bulls
Orlando City SC
Portland Timbers
Real Salt Lake
San Diego FC
Seattle Sounders FC

Liga MX

Atlas
Atlético San Luis
CF Monterrey
Chivas de Guadalajara
Club América
Club León
Club Puebla
Club Tijuana
Cruz Azul
FC Juárez
Mazatlán
Necaxa
Pachuca
Pumas UNAM
Querétaro
Santos Laguna
Tigres UANL
Toluca

New format for 2025 Leagues Cup

This year, not every team from Major League Soccer will participate (the previous two editions had featured 47 teams). With an even number of teams from each league (18 apiece), it means that each ‘Phase One’ match will feature direct MLS vs. Liga MX matchups. Despite playing against teams from the opposing league, MLS and Liga MX clubs will be in league-specific tables.

The top four clubs from each league-specific table advances to the knockout rounds. There are no draws, with games tied after regulation going straight to a penalty shootout.

The quarterfinal matchups will be determined by a team’s place in the top four of their respective league’s table: MLS 1 vs. Liga MX 4, MLS 2 vs. Liga MX 3, MLS 3 vs. Liga MX 2, MLS 4 vs. Liga MX 1).

Three Concacaf Champions Cup spots will be rewarded. The winner of the third-place match and the Leagues Cup finalists automatically will qualify for next year’s Concacaf Champions Cup competition. The Leagues Cup champion will qualify directly to the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16.

The 12 MLS teams not competing in the 2025 Leagues Cup will have a break until Matchday 28 on Aug. 9.

What is the 2025 Leagues Cup schedule?

(Games on broadcast TV are noted below.)

PHASE ONE

Tuesday, July 29

Toluca vs. Columbus Crew (Lower.com Field), 7 p.m. ET
CF Montréal vs. Club León (Stade Saputo), 7 p.m. ET
New York City FC vs. Club Puebla (Sports Illustrated Stadium), 8 p.m. ET
Tigres UANL vs. Houston Dynamo FC (Shell Energy Stadium), 9 p.m. ET (UniMás/TUDN)
Los Angeles FC vs. Mazatlán (BMO Stadium), 10:30 p.m. ET
Pachuca vs. San Diego FC (Snapdragon Stadium), 11 p.m. ET (FS1)

Wednesday, July 30

Inter Miami CF vs. Atlas (Chase Stadium), 7:30 p.m. ET
Necaxa vs. Atlanta United (Mercedes-Benz Stadium), 7:30 p.m. ET
Pumas UNAM vs. Orlando City SC (Inter&Co Stadium), 8 p.m. ET (FS1, UniMás/TUDN)
Minnesota United FC vs. Querétaro (Allianz Field), 8:30 p.m. ET
Club América vs. Real Salt Lake (America First Field), 9:30 p.m. ET
Portland Timbers vs. Atlético San Luis (Providence Park), 10:30 p.m. ET (FS1)

Thursday, July 31

CF Monterrey vs. FC Cincinnati (TQL Stadium), 7 p.m. ET
FC Charlotte vs. FC Juárez (Bank of America Stadium), 7:30 p.m. ET
Chivas de Guadalajara vs. New York Red Bulls (Sports Illustrated Stadium), 7:30 p.m. ET
Colorado Rapids vs. Santos Laguna (Dick’s Sporting Goods Park), 9:30 p.m. ET
Cruz Azul vs. Seattle Sounders FC (Lumen Field), 10:30 p.m. ET (FS1, UniMás/TUDN)
Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Club Tijuana (Dignity Health Sports Park), 11 p.m. ET

Friday, Aug. 1

New York City FC vs. Club León (Sports Illustrated Stadium), 6 p.m. ET
Columbus Crew vs. Club Puebla (Lower.com Field), 7 p.m. ET
Houston Dynamo FC vs. Mazatlán (Shell Energy Stadium), 8:30 p.m. ET
Toluca vs. CF Montréal (Sports Illustrated Stadium), 9 p.m. ET
Los Angeles FC vs. Pachuca (BMO Stadium), 10:30 p.m. ET
Tigres UANL vs. San Diego FC (Snapdragon Stadium), 11 p.m. ET (FS1, UniMás/TUDN)

Saturday, Aug. 2

Orlando City SC vs. Atlas (Inter&Co Stadium), 6 p.m. ET (Univision/TUDN)
Inter Miami CF vs. Necaxa (Chase Stadium), 7 p.m. ET
Pumas UNAM vs. Atlanta United (Inter&Co Stadium), 9 p.m. ET
Club América vs. Minnesota United FC (Shell Energy Stadium), 9 p.m. ET (FS1, Univision/TUDN)
Real Salt Lake vs. Atlético San Luis (America First Field), 9:30 p.m. ET
Portland Timbers vs. Querétaro (Providence Park), 11 p.m. ET (FS1)

Sunday, Aug. 3

FC Cincinnati vs. FC Juárez (TQL Stadium), 5:30 p.m. ET
Chivas de Guadalajara vs. FC Charlotte (Bank of America Stadium), 7:50 p.m. ET (FS1, Univision/TUDN)
CF Monterrey vs. New York Red Bulls (TQL Stadium), 8:30 p.m. ET
Colorado Rapids vs. Club Tijuana (Dick’s Sporting Goods Park), 9:30 p.m. ET
Seattle Sounders FC vs. Santos Laguna (Lumen Field), 10:30 p.m. ET (FS1, Univision/TUDN)
Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Cruz Azul (Dignity Health Sports Park), 10:30 p.m. ET

Tuesday, Aug. 5

Toluca vs. New York City FC (Yankee Stadium), 7:30 p.m. ET
Columbus Crew vs. Club León (Lower.com Field), 7:30 p.m. ET (FS1, UniMás/TUDN)
CF Montréal vs. Club Puebla (Stade Saputo), 8 p.m. ET
Houston Dynamo FC vs. Pachuca (Shell Energy Stadium), 8:30 p.m. ET
Mazatlán vs. San Diego FC (Snapdragon Stadium), 10 p.m. ET
Tigres UANL vs. Los Angeles FC (BMO Stadium), 10:30 p.m. ET

Wednesday, Aug. 6

Orlando City SC vs. Necaxa (Inter&Co Stadium), 7 p.m. ET
Atlanta United vs. Atlas (Mercedes-Benz Stadium), 7:30 p.m. ET (UniMás/TUDN)
Inter Miami CF vs. Pumas UNAM (Chase Stadium), 7:30 p.m. ET
Minnesota United FC vs. Atlético San Luis (Allianz Field), 8:30 p.m. ET
Club América vs. Portland Timbers (Q2 Stadium), 9:30 p.m. ET
Real Salt Lake vs. Querétaro (America First Field), 9:30 p.m. ET
Seattle Sounders FC vs. Club Tijuana (Lumen Field), 11 p.m. ET

Thursday, Aug. 7

FC Cincinnati vs. Chivas de Guadalajara (TQL Stadium), 7 p.m. ET
New York Red Bulls vs. FC Juárez (Sports Illustrated Stadium), 7:30 p.m. ET
CF Monterrey vs. FC Charlotte (Bank of America Stadium), 7:30 p.m. ET (FS1, UniMás/TUDN)
Cruz Azul vs. Colorado Rapids (Dignity Health Sports Park), 8:30 p.m. ET
Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Santos Laguna (Dignity Health Sports Park), 11:15 p.m. ET (FS1)

QUARTERFINALS

Tuesday, Aug. 19-Wednesday, Aug. 20

SEMIFNALS

Tuesday, Aug. 26-Wednesday, Aug. 27

THIRD-PLACE MATCH

Sunday, Aug. 31

FINAL

Sunday, Aug. 31

Previous Leagues Cup winners

2024: Columbus Crew (over Los Angeles FC)
2023: Inter Miami CF (over Nashville SC)
2021: Club León (over Seattle Sounders FC)
2019: Cruz Azul (over Tigres UANL)

USA TODAY Sports’ 48-page special edition commemorates 30 years of Major League Soccer, from its best players to key milestones and championship dynasties to what exciting steps are next with the World Cup ahead. Order your copy today!

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MLB ace closer under gambling investigation after probe into teammate

OK, so it’s not the 1919 Chicago White Sox scandal.

The Cleveland Guardians are not being accused of throwing games.

Now, if you’re talking about bad judgment, with two pitchers potentially betting on baseball or having an association with known gamblers, we’re about to find out if they also threw away their entire baseball careers.

Guardians All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase, considered one of the best relievers in the game and who certainly could have brought the Guardians a haul of prized prospects at the trade deadline, was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave on Monday through Aug. 31 as MLB launches an investigation of whether he violated the league’s gambling policy.

Clase joins his close friend, Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz, who was placed on paid leave July 3 after unusual gambling activity on two pitches that he threw far outside the strike zone in June this season. Gamblers wagered high amounts of money on whether those two pitches would result in a ball or hit batsmen.

It was during MLB’s investigation with Ortiz when Clase’s name suddenly surfaced. He was not under investigation at the time Ortiz was forced to take a leave of absence. Now, three weeks later, Clase is also under investigation for potentially gambling on games in which he performed, facing a lifetime ban if found guilty.

The Guardians said in a statement that “no additional players or club personnel are expected to be impacted’ by the investigation. It’s certainly possible that another player or employee surfaces in the gambling investigation, but the Guardians’ sentiments were echoed by MLB officials, who have no knowledge of improprieties involving players from any other team during this investigation.

Clase, 27, would be the highest-profile player since Pete Rose nearly 40 years ago if proven that he bet on baseball games in which he played. Rose received a lifetime ban from baseball in 1989 for gambling on Cincinnati Reds games when he managed. Rose died last September, but was reinstated by commissioner Rob Manfred, making him eligible to be placed on the Hall of Fame ballot.

Clase is a three-time All-Star and two-time winner of the Mariano Rivera award as the American League’s best reliever. He finished third in the Cy Young race last year with a 0.61 ERA, and his career 1.88 ERA is the second-lowest among relievers who have pitched at least 100 games.

Clase is in the fourth year of a five-year, $20 million contract. He is being paid $4.5 million this year with a guaranteed salary of $6 million in 2026 and $10 million club options in 2027 and 2028.

Guardians president Chris Antonetti addressed the team Monday afternoon and says that their players are well educated on the dangers of sports gambling in spring training, with signs on the clubhouse walls reminding them of the dangers and potential repercussions.

Certainly, no matter what the outcome of the investigation, it certainly is a gut-punch to the Guardians’ postseason hopes. They are 3½ games out of a wild-card berth and suddenly don’t have their closer for at least the next 4½ weeks.

“Two very good pitchers aren’t going to be available to pitch for us in the near term,’’ Antonetti told Cleveland reporters, “and so we have to assess how that impacts our thinking.”

For now, all the Guardians know is that two pitchers are under investigation for violating baseball’s No. 1 rule, with their careers in limbo if discovered that they were involved in any way with gamblers.

It was five years ago that Clase received an 80-game suspension for testing positive for Boldenone, a banned substance, delaying his Guardians’ career before leading the American League in saves three consecutive seasons.

Now, if found guilty, it abruptly ends his Guardians career, and begs the question heard ‘round baseball:

Who’s next?

Follow Bob Nightengale on X @Bnightengale.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Reactions to death of Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg

Major League Baseball lost another one of its titans and Hall of Famers with the passing of Chicago Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg.

Sandberg, who was a 10-time All-Star in his career, passed away at the age of 65 on Monday, July 28, after another battle with metastatic prostate cancer that had returned and spread to other organs in his body back in December.

‘Ryne Sandberg was a legend of the Chicago Cubs franchise and a beloved figure throughout Major League Baseball,’ MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.

Added the Cubs on X (formerly Twitter): ‘Ryne Sandberg was a hero to a generation of Chicago Cubs fans and will be remembered as one of the all-time greats in nearly 150 years of this historic franchise. His dedication to and respect for the game, along with his unrelenting integrity, grit, hustle, and competitive fire were hallmarks of his career.’

Across his 16-year career, Sandberg built quite a resume when it came to awards, as he was a nine-time Gold Glove winner, seven-time Silver Slugger and was named the 1984 National League Most Valuable Player. He also managed the Philadelphia Phillies, who drafted him in the 20th round of the 1978 MLB Draft, from 2013-2015, where he posted a managerial record of 119-159.

Sandberg’s death has also brought in an outpouring of reactions from those on social media. Here’s a snippet of those reactions:

Baseball reacts to Ryne Sandberg’s death

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Fantasy football rankings: Top WRs for 2025 season

Training camp has arrived for all 32 NFL teams which means fantasy football draft season is fast approaching.

Preparation is key for drafting a fantasy team. A good draft strategy and the right group of players are essential for building a winning team. And one of the most important, make-or-break positions to get right in a draft is wide receiver.

Unfortunately, the position is also one that can feature high volatility from year to year. For instance, Miami Dolphins wideout Tyreek Hill led the league in receiving yards and touchdowns in 2023 then failed to surpass 1,000 receiving yards in 2024.

Because of that difficulty in projections and in honor of fantasy football ramping back up, USA TODAY Sports has ranked the top 50 wide receivers ahead of the 2025 fantasy football season.

Fantasy football rankings: WR

1. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings. Jefferson proved over the last two years that it doesn’t matter who’s throwing him the ball, he’s going to put up big numbers.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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