Breaking
Wealth World News
Archive

2025

Browsing
Politics

New poll details Americans’ views on Trump and Musk

President Donald Trump, taking questions from reporters on Thursday, touted that ‘a lot of great things are happening.’

But Americans, nearly eight weeks into Trump’s second tour of duty in the White House, seem divided on the job he’s doing steering the country.

Trump’s approval rating stood in negative territory at 42%-53% among registered voters nationwide in a new Quinnipiac University national poll conducted March 6-10 and released on Thursday.

That’s down from 46% approval and 43% disapproval in Quinnipiac’s survey from late January, in the days after Trump’s second inauguration.

The president was also underwater in a CNN poll (46%-53%) conducted March 6-10 and released this week.

But Trump was above water in three other surveys in the field in recent days. 

And Trump, who has long kept a close eye on public opinion polling, took to social media on Monday to showcase his ‘Highest Approval Ratings Since Inauguration.’

Trump’s poll numbers are an improvement over his first term, when he started out in negative territory and remained there for his four-year term.

An average of all the most recent national polls indicates that Trump’s approval ratings are slightly above water. However, Trump has seen his numbers edge down slightly since returning to the White House in late January, when an average of his polls indicated the president’s approval rating in the low 50s and his disapproval in the mid 40s.

‘A noticeable uptick of discontent can be seen over President Trump’s handling of a range of issues: from Ukraine to the economy to the federal workforce,’ Quinnipiac polling analyst Tim Malloy highlighted in the survey’s release.

The president’s approval rating was underwater in nine of the 10 issues tested in the Quinnipiac survey, with his handling of trade with China the only issue where most respondents gave him a thumbs-up.

And on the top issue on the minds of Americans, the economy, Trump stood at 41%-54%.

It was the third poll conducted this month, after the CNN survey and a Reuters/Ipsos poll, to spell trouble for Trump on the economy, which arguably was the most important issue that boosted him to victory in last November’s presidential election.

On his handling of the federal workforce, the president stood at 40% approval and 55% disapproval in the Quinnipiac survey.

Trump, through his recently created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), is on a mission to overhaul and downsize the federal government.

Trump named Elon Musk, the world’s richest person and the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, to steer the organization.

DOGE has swept through federal agencies, rooting out what the White House argues was billions in wasteful federal spending. It has also taken a meat cleaver to the federal workforce, resulting in a massive downsizing of employees. The moves by DOGE have triggered a slew of lawsuits in response.

Sixty percent of voters questioned in the poll disapprove of the way Musk and DOGE are dealing with workers employed by the federal government, with only 36% approving.

And the survey’s release adds that ‘54% of voters think Elon Musk and DOGE are hurting the country, while 40% think they are helping the country.’

The CNN poll indicated that more than 6 in 10 thought the cuts by DOGE would go too far and that important federal programs would be shut down, with 37% saying the cuts wouldn’t go far enough in eliminating fraud and waste in the government.

It’s no surprise that there’s a massive partisan divide in the latest polls when it comes to Trump and DOGE.

Democrats, by a 96%-2% margin in the Quinnipiac survey, gave the president a thumbs-down on the job he’s doing in office, while Republicans approved by an 89%-9% margin. Independent voters disapproved, 58%-36%.

There was also a large partisan gap over how Musk and DOGE are performing, with more than three-quarters of Republicans approving and 96% of Democrats and more than two-thirds of independents disapproving.

The poll also asked respondents about Vice President JD Vance’s performance in office. Vance stood at 41% approval and 49% disapproval.

Quinnipiac’s survey questioned 1,198 registered voters nationwide for their latest poll. The survey’s overall sampling error was plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
Keep Reading
By
Politics

Trump downplays China-Russia-Iran nuclear talks, says they may discuss ‘de-escalation’

President Donald Trump, speaking from the Oval Office Thursday, downplayed an upcoming nuclear summit in Beijing between Iran, Russia, and China, three chief adversaries of the U.S.

The discussions, first confirmed by the Chinese foreign ministry Thursday and which come just days after Iran rebuffed Trump’s push to engage in nuclear negotiations, will coincide with a United Nations Security Council meeting regarding Tehran’s expansion of near-weapons-grade uranium. 

Trump suggested perhaps Beijing, Moscow and Tehran will be having their own discussions on ‘de-escalation.’

‘Well, maybe they’re going to talk about non-nuclear problems. Maybe they’re going to be talking about the de-escalation of nuclear weapons,’ Trump told reporters.

Trump said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin once engaged in ‘strong’ talks about nuclear weapons and said he believes, had he won the 2016 election, further Russian denuclearization would have been on the table. 

‘I think I would have made a deal with Putin on de-escalation, denuclearization,’ Trump said. ‘But we would have de-escalated nuclear weapons because the power of nuclear weapons is so great and so devastating.’

The president also claimed that China would ‘catch us in five years’ because of its rapid development of its nuclear stockpiles, though this would be far sooner than other experts have warned. 

The Pentagon in 2024 assessed that China is believed to have 600 nuclear weapons, up from the low 200s in 2020. But, in a report Wednesday, experts with the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists said claims that China will be a ‘peer’ or ‘near peer’ with the U.S. in the near future were a ‘gross exaggeration.’ 

‘There is no evidence that China’s ongoing nuclear expansion will result in parity with the U.S. arsenal,’ the report said. ‘Even the worst-case 2023 projection of 1,500 warheads by 2035 amounts to less than half of the current U.S. nuclear stockpile.’

Russia is believed to have 5,580 nuclear weapons, and the U.S. is reported to have 5,225, while China comes in at a distant third, according to the Arms Control Association. 

Concerns over North Korea’s largely unchecked nuclear program have also continued to mount in recent years, particularly after Pyongyang formed closer ties with Moscow after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

‘It would be a great achievement if we could bring down the number,’ Trump said. 

‘You don’t need them to that extent,’ he added, noting the immense destruction even one nuclear weapon could inflict. 

North Korea is estimated to have 50 nuclear weapons, which Trump noted is ‘a lot.’

But he also pointed to the positive relationship he had with Kim Jong Un during his first presidency and suggested that relationship could extend during his second term. Trump appeared to suggest there could be room for nuclear negotiations. 

‘I have a great relationship with Kim Jong Un, and we’ll see what happens,’ Trump told reporters. ‘But certainly he’s a nuclear power.’

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
Keep Reading
By
Politics

Trump praised for getting NATO allies to bolster defense spending: ‘really staggering’

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte lauded President Donald Trump’s efforts to push NATO allies to increase defense spending, amid efforts to end the war in Ukraine. 

Trump has long advocated for NATO allies to ramp up defense spending to between 2% and 5% gross domestic product — and has made it clear that European nations need to shoulder greater responsibility for the security of their continent. 

‘You’re starting to hear the British prime minister and others all committing to much higher defense spending,’ Rutte told reporters Thursday at the White House. ‘We’re not there. We need to do more, but I really want to work together with you . . . to make sure that we will have a NATO which is really reinvigorated, under your leadership. And we are getting there.’ 

‘When you look at Trump 47, what happened the last couple of weeks is really staggering,’ Rutte said. 

Rutte’s comments come as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen put forth an $841 billion proposal on March 4 for European Union nations to bolster defense spending. 

Likewise, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged in February to boost his country’s defense spending to 2.5% of its gross domestic value. That is an increase from the 2.3% the U.K. currently spends, and amounts to a nearly $17 billion increase. 

Still, Rutte emphasized the need to strengthen the defense industrial base in both the U.S. and Europe, and cautioned they were falling behind Russia and China in defense production. 

As of 2023, the U.S. spent 3.3% of its GDP on defense spending — totaling $880 billion, according to the nonpartisan Washington, D.C.-based Peterson Institute for International Economics. More than 50% of NATO funding comes from the U.S., while other allies — like the United Kingdom, France and Germany — have contributed between 4% and 8% to NATO funding in recent years.

NATO comprises more than 30 countries and originally was formed in 1949 to halt the spread of the Soviet Union.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also encouraged NATO allies to beef up defense spending during a trip to Brussels in February. 

‘NATO should pursue these goals as well,’ Hegseth said. ‘NATO is a great alliance, the most successful defense alliance in history, but to endure for the future, our partners must do far more for Europe’s defense.’ 

Pledges from European and allied nations to increase defense spending coincide with negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. 

Nations including the U.K. and France have proposed deploying troops to ensure that Ukraine is protected from future Russian aggression under a peace negotiation. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
Keep Reading
By
Politics

Direct aid to Israel should be phased out to ‘reduce US leverage,’ influential conservative groups argue

A new report from the conservative Heritage Foundation calling for the U.S. to phase out direct aid to Israel in favor of a ‘strategic partnership’ is facing backlash from pro-Israel advocates.

But the report’s authors tell Fox News Digital they’ve been misunderstood. The ‘best thing’ for Israel would not be to leave them at the mercy of U.S. policymakers who can choose to withhold direct aid, they say. 

‘Our goal is actually to reduce U.S. leverage over Israel. I don’t want to force them to do stuff,’ said Victoria Coates, deputy national security advisor to President Donald Trump during the first administration and co-author of the report.

‘We want them to do stuff because we have a strong partnership and they have confidence that the United States is their best partner, but we don’t want that to be because we bought and paid for them,’ she explained in an interview with Fox News Digital. 

A current memorandum of understanding [MOU] signed in 2016 stipulates that the U.S. provides Israel $3.8 billion in foreign military financing per year until 2028. Congress allocated a supplemental $9 billion in 2024 for Israel’s war against Hamas.

The memorandum must be renegotiated in 2026, which Heritage argues will allow Israel’s relationship with the U.S. to evolve from ‘primarily a security aid recipient’ to that of a ‘true strategic partnership.’

The Heritage plan calls for a new MOU that increases Israeli aid to $4 billion from fiscal year 2029-2032, and requires all of it be spent on equipment made in the U.S., before decreasing that number by $250 million per year until it ends in FY 2047. 

But the call to wind down military aid raised some eyebrows when it was first reported by Jewish Insider on Tuesday.

Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said it was, ‘wrong, dangerous, and gives comfort to those who seek [Israel’s] destruction.’

House Foreign Affairs Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., and Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter had been slated to headline an event at the Heritage headquarters Wednesday to discuss the report, but they abruptly withdrew the day before. An Israeli embassy spokesperson said the ambassador would not be able to attend due to a ‘miscommunication regarding the format for the event,’ but ‘looks forward to future engagement’ with Heritage.

Still, the idea of reorienting the Israeli relationship got the backing of Jonathan Schanzer, executive director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a hawkish pro-Israel think tank.

‘It’s a legitimate debate that I think needs to unfold,’ Schanzer told Fox News Digital. ‘What happened over the last year with the Biden administration withholding military assistance to Israel… must not happen again.

‘I believe that is the impetus for the discussion that is now taking place. There does need to be discussion about making sure that America’s closest ally in the Middle East does not find itself in a position where it’s begging for the assistance that it expects.’ 

Biden halted arms transfers to Israel last year amid frustrations over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war on Gaza. 

‘There is a legitimate debate about whether this is healthy for Israel to continue down the path of total reliance on the U.S.,’ Schanzer asserted. 

‘Some are trying to cast us as alt-right isolationists. It’s so disingenuous as to be laughable,’ said Coates, who last year authored a book entitled ‘The Battle For The Jewish State: How Israel – And America – Can Win.’ 

She claimed the plan was ‘non-controversial’ among the Israeli officials Heritage had circulated it to.

‘The Biden administration used their control of Israeli resupply to try to coerce their behavior,’ she said. 

Once Trump leaves office, ‘we can’t assume we’ll have another friendly president to this alliance, and if we have started a process like this now, we’ll be all the further along to having a more equal footing between Israel and the United States.’

Coates said the goal was for the U.S. to have the same sort of relationship it has with Israel as it does the United Kingdom.

‘We want to continue to invest in joint programs, the way we do with the U.K. Do joint exercises, station stuff in the country which gives them a lot of confidence, but not necessarily direct aid.

‘Given the scale of their economy, they don’t actually need $4 billion a year from us.’ 

The report also calls for an increase in spending on U.S.-Israeli joint programs, like developing missile, rocket, and projectile defense capabilities for both nations, to $2.25 billion. 

Beginning in 2039, the plan calls for a $250 million per year increase in the amount of weapons the U.S. sells to Israel, until Israel is buying $2.25 billion worth of U.S.-made defense goods by 2047. 

Heritage also calls for an increase in intelligence sharing and joint counterterrorism measures, establishing a cybersecurity partnership, loosening export controls and establishing ‘high-level economic dialogue.’

It also said the U.S. should condition aid to Palestinians on ‘robust deradicalization and disengagement programming in Palestinian territories to undo decades of antisemitic and anti-Israel propaganda.’

In response to the backlash against the report, Coates added: ‘The outburst of antisemitism here in the United States, you know, the attacks on Israel, showed that there’s a lot of work to do here.’

‘Rather than trying to tear us down for contributing, you know, maybe, maybe we should look more to getting after the substance of these issues, instead of instituting a circular firing squad.’

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
Keep Reading
By
Business

Spirit Airlines, fresh from bankruptcy, is ready to take on the new Southwest, CEO says

Spirit Airlines is out of bankruptcy, hitting its target to emerge in the first quarter, after a crippling few years. CEO Ted Christie says the carrier is leaner and ready to take on competitors, including rival Southwest Airlines.

Earlier this week, Southwest shocked customers by announcing it will start charging for checked bags for the first time in its half-century of flying, a huge strategy move for the largest domestic U.S. carrier. (There are some exceptions to Southwest new bag rules, which take effect in late May.)

“I think it’s going to be painful for a little bit as they find their footing, and we’re going to take advantage of that,” Spirit’s Christie said in an interview Thursday.

Southwest had been a standout in the U.S. by offering all customers two free checked bags, a perk that has endured recessions, spikes in fuel prices and other crises while most rivals introduced bag fees and raised them every few years.

Spirit Airlines, on the other hand, made a la carte pricing common in the U.S., with fees for seat assignments, checked bags and other add-ons. It’s a strategy most large airlines, except for Southwest, have copied in one form or another.

As Southwest starts charging for bags and introduces its first basic economy class, which doesn’t include a seat assignment or allow free changes, Spirit could possibly win over customers, Christie said.

Southwest said it would get rid of its single-class open seating model last year.

“There at least was an audience of people who were intentionally selecting and flying Southwest because they felt that it was easy. They knew they were going to get two bags,” Christie said. “Now that that’s no longer the case, it’s easy to say that they’re going to widen their aperture and they’re now going to look around.”

Spirit is far smaller than Southwest and even smaller than it was last year, but it competes with the airline in cities like Kansas City, Missouri; Nashville, Columbus, Ohio; and Milwaukee. If customers look on travel sites like Expedia, where Southwest is a new entrant, Spirit’s tickets could be cheaper and appear higher in results, Christie said.

Other airline executives have also said they expect to win over some Southwest customers.

Delta Air Lines President Glen Hauenstein said at a JPMorgan industry conference Tuesday that there are consumers who choose Southwest based on its free-bag perk “and now those customers are up for grabs.”

Spirit, for its part, has recently been offering more ticket bundles that include things like seat assignments and luggage.

The carrier is now focused on returning to profitability. It posted a net loss of more than $1.2 billion last year, more than double its loss in 2023 as it grappled with grounded jets because of a Pratt & Whitney engine recall, higher costs, more domestic competition and a failed acquisition by JetBlue Airways.

Spirit has rejected multiple recent merger attempts by fellow budget carrier Frontier Airlines. Christie said Thursday that nothing is “off the table” and that a fifth-largest airline as a low cost carrier in the U.S. makes sense, but that the airline is focused on stabilizing itself after bankruptcy.

Through its restructuring process, which started in November, Spirit said it reduced its debt by about $795 million. The transaction converted debt into equity for major creditors. The carrier also received a $350 million equity infusion.

Spirit plans to relist its shares on a stock exchange but hasn’t set a date yet.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS
Keep Reading
By
Business

Donatella Versace steps down as head of Italian fashion house

Donatella Versace announced Thursday that she is stepping down as chief creative officer of Versace, ending her nearly 30-year-long stint at the Italian luxury fashion empire’s helm.

Versace, 69, took on the role to lead the luxury fashion house after her brother and its founder, Gianni Versace, was fatally gunned down outside his Miami Beach mansion in 1997.

‘It has been the greatest honor of my life to carry on my brother Gianni’s legacy,’ Versace wrote on Instagram. ‘He was the true genius, but I hope I have some of his spirit and tenacity.’

Following her brother’s death — and despite not having a background in design or fashion — Versace quickly became a living embodiment of the Versace brand and remains a beloved figure within the fashion industry.

Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace.Toni Thorimbert / Sygma via Getty Images file

The 69-year-old’s iconic pin-straight blond hair and her unparalleled ability to bring together the industry’s top models, including Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford, for the fashion house’s out-of-this-world runway shows became as emblematic of the brand as its gold mythological logo.Emmanuel Gintzburger, CEO of Versace — whose parent company is fashion conglomerate Capri Holdings — said that the brand ‘is what it is today because of Donatella Versace and the passion she has brought to her role every day for nearly thirty years.’

‘The universal values she stands for and her love for uncompromised creativity anchored Versace far beyond a brand or a company,’ he said in a statement. ‘Working alongside her has been an incredible privilege and pleasure.’

Dario Vitale, the former design and image director of Italian brand Miu Miu, will lead the fashion house as its new chief creative officer, the company said in a statement.

“I want to express my sincere thank you to Donatella for her trust in me, and for her tireless dedication to the extraordinary brand that Versace is today,” Vitale said in a statement. “It is a privilege to contribute to the future growth of Versace and its global impact through my vision, expertise and dedication.”

Versace will stay on at the company as its chief brand ambassador.

‘I will remain Versace’s most passionate supporter,’ she said. ‘Versace is in my DNA and always in my heart.’

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS
Keep Reading
By
Sports

The Players 2025 live updates: Jason Day withdraws, leaderboard

What’s sometimes called golf’s ‘fifth major’ – The Players Championship – gets underway today at the iconic Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

The most lucrative event on the PGA Tour calendar with its $25 million purse, The Players once again will have an incredibly strong field with 48 of the top 50 golfers in the world competing.

Throw in one of the signature holes in all of golf, the island-green par-3 17th, and you have a recipe for plenty of excitement as the 2025 season hits the peak of its annual Florida swing.

Keep checking back for in-progress updates from Round 1 of The Players. 

The Players Championship leaderboard

Find the live updating Players Championship leaderboard here.

Villegas keeping pace with Lee

Camilo Villegas has shot up the leaderboard, playing arguably better than Lee, sitting at -5 through 8 holes after a birdie on eight. If he can match Lee’s 9th hole birdie, Villegas will be tied for the lead at -6 with half the day still to go.

Lee birdies on 9

Lee is on fire. After a stellar 4-under through eight holes, Lee continued his dominance with a birdie on 9. He’s now only one stroke off the lead with the entire back-nine to play.

Min Woo Lee continues dominance

Through eight holes, Lee sits at -4, tied for second among all golfers. Only Lucas Glover (6-under 66), has a better score than Lee. Of course, Glover has already finished his round, while Lee still has ample opportunity to match and surpass Glover. Among all golfers on their first nine, Lee and Chandler Phillips are the only ones with scores better than -3.

Scheffler with back-to-back birdies

Scheffler has won each of the last two Players Championships and he is playing like he wants a third. After a pair of pars on 1 and 2, Scheffler was able to birdie holes 3 and 4, which have been much tougher for golfers today.

Min Woo Lee at 3-under through 5

Arguably the best start of the day belongs to Min Woo Lee, who has birdied three of the first five holes. Lee birdied the fifth hole thanks to a solid mid-length putt. Already, Lee is tied for sixth, with only Charley Hoffman matching Lee’s marks through five holes.

Golfers finding massive success on Hole 2

Keegan Bradley is the latest golfer to birdie the Par-5 second hole. It appears most golfers playing today have been able to get off to a good start thanks to the hole’s ease. However, given that only one golfer has finished the first round better than -4, it’s clear that the rest of the course has been troublesome for the field.

Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele start fast

McIlroy and Schauffele have each birdied the opening two holes of their first round at The Players Championship. Schauffele recently returned to PGA Tour action after being sidelined by a wrist injury. McIlroy already has one win this season at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Jordan Spieth’s wild first round

Jordan Spieth sits inside the top-10 of The Players Championship leaderboard at the moment after carding a 2-under 70 first round that was anything but routine. Spieth finished with one double bogey, three bogeys, two eagles and three birdies.

Lucas Glover closes first round strong

The former U.S. Open champion recovered from back-to-back bogeys on the back nine with four-straight birdies to finish out his first round in sole possession of first place atop the leaderboard at 6-under.

Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele tee off

The marquee group of the opening two rounds at The Players Championship featuring the top three golfers in the world rankings have teed off at TPC Sawgrass. Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele are all playing together as Scheffler seeks an unprecedented three-peat at this tournament.

Alex Smalley is early clubhouse leader

Alex Smalley, ranked No. 133 in the world golf rankings this week, just closed out a bogey-free 4-under 68in the first round to become the clubhouse leader at The Players Championship. Aaron Rai also sits at 4-under through 14 holes and tied with Smalley atop the leaderboard. There are five other golfers currently one shot back, most notably Jordan Spieth and Sepp Straka.

Victor Perez withdraws

Victor Perez has withdrawn from The Players Championship due to a back injury, the PGA Tour announced. Ricky Castillo will take his spot in the field. Perez joins Jason Day as golfers to withdraw from the tournament ahead of Thursday’s first round.

Beau Hossler grabs solo lead from Lucas Glover

Beau Hossler leads The Players Championship at 4-under, grabbing sole possession from former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover after he made the turn to the back nine at TPC Sawgrass in first place. The lead change happened after consecutive birdies on No. 13 and No. 14 by Hossler, combined with a bogey by Glover on No. 11.

Another eagle for Jordan Spieth

What a rollercoaster ride of a first round for Jordan Spieth. He’s in a decent spot at 1-under as he closes out his first nine holes, but how he got there was anything but smooth. Spieth has two hole-out eagles, two bogeys, one birdie and one double bogey.

Justin Thomas suddenly struggling

You’ll recall Justin Thomas was briefly tied for the lead Thursday morning at 2-under. Consecutive double bogeys on No. 17 and No. 18 have dropped him into a tie for 56th at 3-over.

New leaders after water balls at TPC Sawgrass No. 17

The ‘Island Green’ at No. 17 is one of the signature holes on the PGA Tour and a highlight every year when The Players Championship is held at TPC Sawgrass. Well, Justin Thomas just lost the lead by hitting into the water on his tee shot. Then Thomas hit into the water again at No. 18 (he started his first round on the back nine). He wasn’t alone.

Golfer Justin Lower had a more memorable adventure on No. 17, hitting into the water only to hole out on his next swing for an unconventional par.

Lucas Glover, Vince Whaley and Bud Cauley are currently in a three-way tie atop the leaderboard at 3-under.

Justin Thomas tied for lead

A double bogey by Jordan Spieth dropped him out of the lead and has temporarily created a 14-way tie at 2-under atop the The Players Championship leaderboard at TPC Sawgrass. Justin Thomas is the most notable name among the leaders, with past major winners Wyndham Clark and Lucas Glover also in the mix.

Jordan Spieth eagles 11

Early heroics from Jordan Spieth who followed a birdie on 10 with an eagle on the par-5 11th. It’s remarkably early at TPC Sawgrass but the 31-year-old is out in front by his lonesome to start the day.

The Players weather

It’s a beautiful morning at the Stadium Course, with temperatures in the upper-50s and the sun shining bright as The Players Championship began. The forecast calls for a high of 74 degrees.

Jordan Spieth tees off at The Players

Three-time major winner Jordan Spieth is underway at TPC Sawgrass alongside Wyndham Clark and Danny Walker, who is replacing Jason Day.

Spieth has missed the cut at The Players in three of his past five appearances.

Jason Day unexpectedly withdraws

Citing an illness, 2016 Players champion Jason Day withdrew from this year’s tournament Thursday morning.

Day was scheduled to tee off at 8:46 a.m. ET in a group with Wyndham Clark and Jordan Spieth. Instead, he will be replaced by 29-year-old Korn Ferry Tour grad Danny Walker as the first alternate.

Day was in contention last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, ultimately finishing in eighth place following a final-round 74.

The Players Championship Round 1 start time

The first round of The Players Championship is underway with Chad Ramey, C.T. Pan and Vince Whaley teeing off from the first tee and Lanto Griffin, Andrew Novak and David Lipsky starting from No. 10.

Lipsky became the first player to get into red figures when he birdied his first hole to move to 1-under.

How to watch The Players Championship: TV, streaming coverage 

TV channels: Golf Channel all four days/NBC (third and final rounds)
Live stream: ESPN+, Peacock and Fubo, which is offering a free trial

The Players Championship will be carried live on TV by Golf Channel all four days. NBC will pick up live coverage of the third and final rounds. There is streaming coverage available on ESPN+, Peacock and Fubo, which is offering a free trial.

Watch The Players Championship with Fubo

The Players Championship tee times for Round 1 

Here is every tee time and grouping for Round 1 of The Players Championship.

The Players Championship 2025 odds

Scottie Scheffler is the favorite to win The Players Championship again in 2025, according to BetMGM, with McIlroy, Morikawa, Ludvig Aberg and Justin Thomas also among the top five for oddsmakers in terms of chances to win this week’s PGA Tour signature event.

Scheffler became the first golfer to win The Players Championship in back-to-back years in 2024.

Odds as of Wednesday, March 12

Favorites

Scottie Scheffler (+500)
Rory McIlroy (+1200)
Collin Morikawa (+1200)
Ludvig Aberg (+1600)
Justin Thomas (+2500)
Tommy Fleetwood (+2500)
Hideki Matsuyama (+2800)
Russell Henley (+2800)
Xander Schauffele (+2800)
Sepp Straka (+2800)

The Players Championship picks: Sleepers

Picks by USA TODAY Sportsbook Wire

Denny McCarthy (+8000): ‘McCarthy fired a final-round 67 to finish 18th at Bay Hill on Sunday, continuing some strong play as of late. That was after also coming in fifth at the Genesis last month. In 5 career starts here, he’s never missed the cut and has a career-best finish of 13th in 2023.’
Akshay Bhatia (+10,000): ‘Bhatia struggled on Thursday at Bay Hill, shooting a 9-over 81. He bounced back with a 1-under on Friday but still missed the cut by a lot. He’s playing much better than those scores indicate and his odds shouldn’t be this long at a course where shot shaping is important.’

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 Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
Keep Reading
By
Sports

MLB team cancels plans for new stadium after hurricane

After nearly two decades toiling for a new stadium, the Tampa Bay Rays finally struck a deal that ensured their long-term future in St. Petersburg.

Thursday, they walked away, leaving $730 million in public funding on the table and the future of the franchise very much in doubt.

The Rays on Thursday announced they would not fulfill their financial commitment to a $1.3 billion stadium project and development deal with the city of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County, putting the franchise on the clock with just two years before their commitment to the region ends.

While the Rays had telegraphed that they might not comply with terms of the deal that required them to commit $700 million to the project by March 31, the move is nonetheless a stunning capper to a six-month saga in which two hurricanes struck Tampa Bay, rendering their current home unplayable, and delayed approval of county bonds to set the ballpark project in motion.

And now the club, whose Tropicana Field lease expires in 2027, faces a familiar interchange to their future.

Owner Stuart Sternberg could sell the team – as Major League Baseball recently indicated it might prefer – or explore relocation. Option No. 3 – Sternberg’s group pursuing another deal in Tampa or St. Petersburg – would seem unlikely, even as the club intimated it would try again.

The Rays released a statement Thursday noting that hurricanes Helene and Milton, which struck in September and October, cast too much doubt on the deal’s viability.

“After careful deliberation,” the Rays said, “we have concluded we cannot move forward with the new ballpark and development project at this moment. A series of events beginning in October that no one could have predicted led to this difficult decision.

“Our commitment to the vitality and success of the Rays organization is unwavering. We continue to focus on finding a ballpark solution that serves the best interests of the region, Major League Baseball, and our organization.” 

That solution seemed well in hand last July, when the city, county and the Rays announced a deal to redevelop the Historic Gas Plant District, an area long neglected after ill-fated economic development in the 1970s and ‘80s left the region bereft, save for Tropicana Field, which brought only a baseball franchise and a massive, almost always empty parking lot to the area.

But this deal was set to revitalize both the low-revenue franchise and the area, with a “public-private” partnership that MLB commissioner Rob Manfred often touts.

A vote from the Pinellas County commission was set to occur in late October to free up the bonds for the deal. But the hurricanes’ devastation – particularly Milton, which shredded the roof of Tropicana Field and forced the Rays to seek shelter in the Yankees’ Tampa minor-league park this year – gave area officials pause.

They canceled the vote on the bonds twice, and even as they were ultimately approved in December, the Rays used the opportunity to sing a different tune – that this procedural delay would somehow imperil their ability to pay for their share of the stadium, plus cost overruns. 

The team had until March 31 – three days after the team’s season opener at their temporary home – to commit the $700 million to the project. They decided to pull out even sooner than that, leaving several parties – the franchise, MLB, the cities of St. Petersburg and Tampa and Pinellas County – in more limbo.

St. Petersburg mayor Kenneth T. Welch said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports that the Rays’ maneuver was not surprising, and that the city would welcome new ownership to revive the stadium project and revitalization of the Historic Gas Plant District.

‘The city intends to honor our current commitment to repair Tropicana Field in accordance with the current use agreement,’ says Welch. ‘As for the future of baseball in our city – if in the coming months a new owner, who demonstrates a commitment to honoring their agreements and our community priorities, emerges – we will consider a partnership to keep baseball in St. Pete. But we will not put our city’s progress on hold as we await a collaborative and community-focused baseball partner.

‘We will move forward on the equitable economic development of the HGPD, honoring the 40-year-old promise of inclusive economic development on this historic land. We will consider a phased approach, accounting for the city’s obligations under the current use agreement. After decades of waiting, this sacred land will again bear the fruit of housing, jobs and beneficial community development. We look forward to working with our City Council and the community on the next phase of this important journey.’

The heat has already turned up on Sternberg. The Athletic reported that Manfred and several MLB owners are pressuring Sternberg to sell the club and that a group including former San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. and former Yankees minority owner Joe Molloy expressed interest in buying the team.

“I’m leading a group of prominent Tampa Bay-based investors who are interested in acquiring the Tampa Bay Rays,” Molloy said in a statement to the Tampa Bay Times this week. “We have assembled an incredible team that shares our vision.”

While MLB hopes to expand to 32 teams in the next decade, Manfred has said that can’t occur until stadium situations in Oakland and Tampa Bay were resolved. With the Athletics moving to Sacramento and then Las Vegas, and the Rays’ deal in hand, that seemed closer to reality.

Now, the situation has once again clouded, even as potential suitors line up to potentially bid on the Rays. Sternberg purchased a controlling interest in the team in 2008 and is now estimated by Forbes to be worth $1.8 billion; the original ownership group paid a $130 million expansion fee.

“Major League Baseball remains committed to finding a permanent home for the Club in the Tampa Bay region for their fans and the local community,’ the league said in a statement. ‘Commissioner Manfred understands the disappointment of the St. Petersburg community from today’s announcement, but he will continue to work with elected officials, community leaders, and Rays officials to secure the club’s future in the Tampa Bay region.”

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

Most underpaid men’s college basketball coaches: Who makes the list?

Let’s do some math.

For the cost of one Bill Self — at $8.8 million the highest-paid coach in college basketball for the second year in a row — you could pay the combined salaries of Iowa State’s T.J. Otzelberger ($3.5 million) and Houston’s Kelvin Sampson ($4.6 million) and have enough left over for Vermont’s John Becker ($387,198) and Montana State’s Kevin Logie ($304,882).

Not to say Self hasn’t earned his paycheck despite Kansas’s two-year swoon out of the Big 12 catbird seat; after all, the Jayhawks are just three years removed from another national championship.

But it just goes to show: There are some extremely good deals to be found on the highest levels of college coaching.

In terms of getting bang for your buck, it’s hard to top the regular-season and postseason success Otzelberger and Sampson have brought to the table for two of the top programs in the Big 12.

T.J. Otzelberger, Iowa State

The former UNLV coach has been a smashing success in Ames, reaching the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament twice in his first three years with another team this season capable of advancing deep into March. That has made Otzelberger, 47, the first coach in program history to make multiple trips to the tournament’s second weekend and just the second to reach the tournament in each of his first three seasons. Otzelberger is a huge bargain at $3.5 million in total pay, which ranks eighth in the Big 12 among public schools, though his $29 million buyout leads the conference.

Kelvin Sampson, Houston

The longtime college coach has turned Houston into the class of the Big 12 and one of college basketball’s biggest heavyweights. After a slow but steady building process — Houston didn’t make the tournament until 2017-18, his fourth season — the Cougars have made the Sweet 16 in each of the past five tournaments, with two Elite Eight bids and one trip to the Final Four. This year’s team finished four games up in a top-heavy Big 12 and is nearly guaranteed a spot on the No. 1 line come Selection Sunday.

Brad Brownell, Clemson

Quietly and with essentially zero national fanfare, Brownell has turned Clemson into one of the top programs in the ACC. After winning 24 games and reaching the Elite Eight last season, the Tigers are sitting at 26-5 overall and in a tie for second in the league standings entering the ACC tournament. It’s been quite a process to reach this point: Clemson made the tournament in Brownell’s debut, way back in 2010-11, and wouldn’t return to the field until 2018. But the Tigers have turned a corner, making his $3.51 million in compensation this season a very nice bargain given the middling returns on investment seen at fellow ACC programs such as North Carolina, North Carolina State — which parted ways with Kevin Keatts — and Pittsburgh.

Pat Kelsey, Louisville

But no ACC school this season is getting better returns than Louisville. After hiring Kelsey away from College of Charleston with a contract worth $2.37 million in total compensation this season, the Cardinals are sitting at 25-6 overall, more than doubling the program’s two-season wins total under former coach Kenny Payne. The Cardinals are tied with Clemson in the conference standings and head into the ACC tournament on a nine-game winning streak – one they could ride to a deep run into March Madness. Kelsey’s compensation ranks ninth in the ACC and 58th among public-school coaches in our survey.

Nate Oats, Alabama

Oats continues to be one of the best values on the major-conference level after leading Alabama to 24 wins and a top-three finish in the SEC against what may be the nation’s most difficult schedule. Since the 2020-21 season, Oats has led the Crimson Tide to a pair of SEC regular-season and conference championships, three Sweet 16 appearances and one trip to the Final Four, with this year’s team again one of the favorites to reach the national semifinals. Those are some major returns for a coach who ranks fourth in the SEC and 10th nationally at $5.01 million in total pay this season.

Follow colleges reporter Paul Myerberg on social media @PaulMyerberg

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
Keep Reading
By
Sports

Mark Gastineau sues ESPN for $25 million over viral Brett Favre clip

In the lead-up to ESPN’s ’30 for 30′ documentary about the New York Jets’ vaunted defensive line of the early 1980s called ‘The New York Sack Exchange,’ a clip of Mark Gastineau confronting Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre went viral.

Now the interaction is the subject of a $25 million lawsuit.

Filed Tuesday in New York court, Gastineau’s complaint seeks damages of that amount and named ESPN, co-directors Ken Rodgers and James Weiner, along with the NFL and NFL Films, as the defendants.

The documentary about Gastineau, Joe Klecko, Marty Lyons and the late Abdul Salaam (formerly Larry Faulk) debuted Dec. 13, 2024 on ESPN. ESPN and the NFL declined comment to USA TODAY Sports.

Gastineau claims the film ‘intentionally and maliciously’ did not publish Gastineau and Favre shaking hands during the confrontation. Gastineau was upset over the Favre’s alleged ‘dive’ during the 2001 season that shifted the single-season sack record from Gastineau (22) to the New York Giants’ Michael Strahan (22.5). The lawsuit says the two ultimately did shake hands and claims the defendants ‘misappropriated the photographs and video tape’ from that meeting on Nov. 18, 2023 backstage at the Chicago Sports Spectacular memorabilia show.

‘When you fell down for him…I’m gonna get my sack back. I’m gonna get my sack back, dude,’ Gastineau said while approaching Favre.

‘You probably would hurt me,’ Favre replied.

‘Well I don’t care,’ Gastineau said. ‘You hurt me. You hear me?’

‘I hear you,’ Favre said.

‘You really hurt me,’ Gastineau said. ‘You hurt me, Brett.’

Gastineau’s Hall of Fame credentials have long been debated, with his supporters arguing that if he retained the single-sack record (T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers tied Strahan’s mark in 2021), his case would be much clearer.

“I know that Mark was upset with Brett Favre,” Gastineau’s longtime Jets linemate, Marty Lyons, told USA TODAY Sports in December.

“I was there, and I told him, ‘Mark, you’ve got to let it go.’ And he wasn’t gonna let it go…It’s just a number.’

Favre later explained in a social media thread in December he was ‘in no way trying to hurt Mark Gastineau.’

The complaint acknowledges Gastineau entered a ‘talent agreement’ with ESPN in January of last year for his participation in the film, for which he was paid $10,000. But Gastineau says he didn’t approve the private encounter with Favre and claims that as a breach of contract.

Christopher J. Cassar, the lawyer representing Gastineau, wrote in an email to the New York Post that the defendants ‘will be held accountable for their malicious conduct and pay for misrepresentation of Mark’ and that they ‘intentionally damaged Mark’s reputation for ratings for ESPN and we intend to hold them accountable.” .

Gastineau is seeking damages through the enforcement of the Lanham Act, specifically Section 43(a), which provides a federal cause of action against businesses or individuals who use false or misleading statements in commercial advertising or promotion.

‘The Defendant knew it was required to obtain Plaintiff’s consent for its use of his name and the recording of the private encounter on November 18, 2023 between Mark Gastineau and Brett Favre,’ the lawsuit reads. ‘The Defendants never sought such consent.’

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
Keep Reading
By