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Judge restricts DOGE access to federal databases, finding ‘breach of law and trust’

June 10, 2025

A federal judge has restricted the Department of Government Efficiency’s access to federal databases, citing a ‘breach of law and trust.’

Led by the American Federation of Government Employees, a group of current and former federal government employees and their unions in February sued the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and DOGE for alleged ‘breach of privacy.’

U.S. District Judge Denise Cote of the Southern District of New York granted the plaintiffs’ April 25 motion for a preliminary injunction Monday, but said the scope of the injunction would be addressed in a separate order.

‘Following President Trump’s inauguration, OPM granted broad access to many of those systems to a group of individuals associated with the Department of Government Efficiency (‘DOGE’), even though no credible need for this access had been demonstrated. In doing so, OPM violated the law and bypassed its established cybersecurity practices,’ Cote wrote in a 99-page opinion on Monday.

‘In brief, the OPM records at issue concern the plaintiffs’ most sensitive private affairs,’ the opinion says. ‘They include social security numbers, health care information, banking information, and information about family members. For some people, disclosure of information in OPM systems could subject them to danger.’

An appointee of President Bill Clinton, Cotes said plaintiffs ‘have shown they are entitled to’ a preliminary injunction, which ‘would stop disclosure of OPM records to individuals associated with DOGE and require the destruction of any copies of personal information that have been obtained through such disclosure.’

‘The plaintiffs have shown that the defendants disclosed OPM records to individuals who had no legal right of access to those records,’ Cotes wrote. ‘In doing so, the defendants violated the Privacy Act and departed from cybersecurity standards that they are obligated to follow. This was a breach of law and of trust. Tens of millions of Americans depend on the Government to safeguard records that reveal their most private and sensitive affairs.’

The judge further criticized the Trump administration’s handling of OPM records.

‘The Government could have acknowledged that in its rush to accomplish a new President’s agenda mistakes were made and established, important protocols were overlooked. It has not,’ Cote wrote. ‘The Government has defended this lawsuit by repeatedly invoking a mantra that it adhered to all established procedures and safeguards. It did not. Without a full-throated recognition that the law and established cybersecurity procedures must be followed, the risk of irreparable harm will continue to exist.’

In a May hearing, Justice Department lawyers reportedly argued that any preliminary injunction granted should include exceptions for high-level OPM officials and cited how a separate judge had walked back initial restrictions placed on DOGE access to Treasury Department records in February so long as DOGE staffers have the appropriate training and vetting, according to the Federal News Network.

Justice Department lawyers filed a separate motion in the case on Friday, citing the Supreme Court’s latest decision related to DOGE access to Social Security Administration (SSA) records.

DOGE’s future remains uncertain amid a rocky public fallout between its former leader, tech billionaire Elon Musk, and President Donald Trump, though both men previously said they want the waste-cutting entity’s work to continue.

The Supreme Court handed the Trump administration two victories on Friday in cases involving DOGE, including giving it access to Social Security systems containing personal data on millions of Americans. The three liberal justices dissented in both cases.

The justices also separately reined in orders seeking transparency at DOGE.

In one case, the high court halted an order from a judge in Maryland that had restricted the team’s access to the SSA under federal privacy laws.

The Trump administration says DOGE needs access to carry out its mission of targeting waste in the federal government. Musk had been focused on Social Security as an alleged hotbed of fraud. The entrepreneur has described it as a ‘Ponzi scheme’ and insisted that reducing waste in the program is an important way to cut government spending.

But U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander in Maryland found that DOGE’s efforts at Social Security amounted to a ‘fishing expedition’ based on ‘little more than suspicion’ of fraud, and allowing unfettered access puts Americans’ private information at risk.

Her ruling did allow access to anonymous data for staffers who have undergone training and background checks, or wider access for those who have detailed a specific need.

The Trump administration has said DOGE cannot work effectively with those restrictions.

U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer also argued that the ruling is an example of federal judges overstepping their authority and trying to micromanage executive branch agencies.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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GOP unveils new weapon to help slash billions in government waste as Republicans rally behind Trump’s plan

June 10, 2025

Congressional Republicans are racing to harness the momentum left behind by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and the leaders of a new House GOP initiative are hoping they have the solution.

‘You tell people the word ‘rescission,’ in my district, I’m sure that polls pretty low, but they know waste, they know fraud, and they know abuse,’ Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., told Fox News Digital.

‘This is why this process needs to be not only explained to our own members, but also to the population out here that might not know what the heck a rescission is, but know that they want the wasteful spending to end.’

Moore is leading the Republican Study Committee’s (RSC) new task force, aimed at getting both fellow House Republicans and the American public on board with the GOP on a mechanism for spending cuts known as rescissions.

Rescissions proposals are requests from the White House for cuts to funding already approved by Congress in the current fiscal year.

Once submitted to Capitol Hill, lawmakers have 45 days to pass the proposal, or it is considered rejected.

The House is voting on the first of what Republican leaders hope are several such proposals this week – President Donald Trump sent Congress a request to cut $9.4 billion in funding to PBS, NPR and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

The $9.4 billion figure is part of a larger $180 billion sum of waste that Musk said his DOGE efforts had uncovered.

RSC Chair August Pfluger, R-Texas, said Moore ‘is able to educate our members, work with the White House, liaise directly with [the Office of Management and Budget], talk to leadership, voice the conservative concerns… and to dispel myth and speak truth.’

Pfluger’s 189-member RSC serves as a de facto conservative think tank of sorts for the House GOP.

It’s a natural extension of the group’s work to focus on how to message government spending cuts, particularly while Democrats are accusing the GOP of trying to rip away critical programs.

Pfluger and Moore signaled the task force’s most immediate goal will be easing concerns of moderate Republicans who may be wary of the $9.4 billion spending cut plan.

With just a razor-thin majority, House GOP leaders can afford no more than three defections to pass legislation along party lines.

‘If members do have problems, the conservative conscience of our conference, RSC, can help them understand why it’s important to vote on it. And that’s what Riley is going to do,’ Pfluger said.

Both suggested they would like to see future rescissions packages, but would not go into detail about what could be cut.

Moore noted he was on the Appropriations Committee, the keepers of the House’s purse strings, and that there were ongoing conversations between members of that panel and the White House about identifying future rollbacks.

And both Pfluger and Moore said they were undaunted by Musk’s somewhat dramatic departure from the federal government – insisting the public was still behind the idea of DOGE, even without the Tesla billionaire at the forefront.

‘I don’t think the mainstream media is covering that aspect of it, because they want to talk about this breakup between the president and Elon Musk, but the president said as recently as today that he still believes in what he did,’ Pfluger said.

Moore added, ‘Media cycles moved extraordinarily fast. I think obviously there was a lot of excitement when it was first announced. But I can tell you when I’m doing Lincoln Day dinners and going around the counties in West Virginia, they’re still acutely focused on this. I hear from folks all the time… it is very much the average American still wants to see this happen.’

‘I think they’re, you know, they’re just waiting for us to do the right thing,’ Moore said.

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Panthers rout Oilers, take Stanley Cup Final lead: Game 3 highlights

June 10, 2025

The 2025 Stanley Cup Final was about as tight as it could get through the first two games.

Two overtime games for the first time since the 2014 Stanley Cup Final. Teams within a goal of each other for all but 77 seconds. Four lead changes for just the second time in the past 42 seasons.

The defending champion Florida Panthers made sure there would be no repeat as they pulled away for a 6-1 rout of the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3. That gives Florida a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven championship series. Game 4 is Thursday, June 12, in Sunrise, Florida.

Brad Marchand scored 56 seconds into the game and the Panthers never gave up the lead. Sam Reinhart scored in the second period to make it 3-1 just 80 seconds after the Oilers got their first goal of the game.

‘Especially what both teams had been through in the first two (games), there is no lead at that point (after the Oilers goal),’ Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. ‘Sam’s goal was very important for us.’

The Oilers pulled goalie Stuart Skinner in the third period after he gave up five goals on 23 shots.

The Panthers’ power play, which had struggling at home at 3.6%, scored three times as the undisciplined Oilers gave them 11 opportunities. Sam Bennett scored his second home playoff goal to go with his record 12 goals on the road. He had two big hits before scoring on a 2-on-0 breakaway to make it 4-1.

‘He’s capable of that, to be a physical player, incredible speed and the hands to finish,’ Maurice said.

Referees began handing out misconducts in the third period as the game got out of hand.

‘I don’t think our best has shown up all series long, but it’s coming,’ said Oilers captain Connor McDavid, whose seven-game point streak came to an end. ‘Shift the focus to finding a way to get a win in Game 4.’

Highlights from Game 3 between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers:

Panthers vs. Oilers Stanley Cup Final Game 3 highlights

Final score: Panthers 6, Oilers 1

Florida leads the series 2-1 after a dominant game. The plastic rats start flying on the ice.

Score update: Panthers 6, Oilers 1

Evan Rodrigues gets the Panthers’ third power-play goal of the game.

More misconducts

Evander Kane is gone as is Kasperi Kapanen.

Panthers, Oilers square off

Trent Frederic starts it by breaking his stick while cross-checking Sam Bennett. Jonah Gadjovich and Darnell Nurse get involved into an extended fight. Panthers get a power play out of this, but the Oilers kill it.

Oilers power play

Brad Marchand is called for hooking.

Panthers power play

Mattias Janmark goes off roughing. Oilers kill it off.

Stuart Skinner pulled

Calvin Pickard comes into the game after Skinner gave up five goals on 23 shots.

Score update: Panthers 5, Oilers 1

Sam Reinhart makes a great behind-the-back pass to Aaron Ekblad, who has a wide-open net. That’s two power-play goals for Florida.

Panthers power play

Stuart Skinner called for delay of game after putting the puck over the glass.

Third period underway

Stuart Skinner still in the Edmonton net. Oilers kill off the remaining Panthers power play.

End second: Panthers 4, Oilers 1

The Panthers build on their lead with goals by Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett following the Oilers’ opening goal by Corey Perry. Florida was physical in that period with Bennett delivers back-to-back before his goals and Aaron Ekblad knocks down Connor McDavid. Florida will have a power play to start the third period.

Panthers power play

Darnell Nurse cross-checks Anton Lundell. There will be a 1:16 carryover into the third period.

Jake Walman sprays water bottle at Panthers player

Oilers defenseman Jake Walman was caught on camera spraying his water bottle at the Panthers bench. Why? Before that, Florida’s A.J. Greer had ripped off Walman’s glove and dropped it into the bench. Fines coming?

Connor McDavid goes to dressing room but returns

He left after an Aaron Ekblad hit but is now back.

Score update: Panthers 4, Oilers 1

Oilers turn over the puck and Panthers get a 2-on-0 breakaway. Sam Bennett scores his 14th playoff goal. It’s his fourth goal of the series and just his second one at home during the playoffs. He had two big hits before the breakaway. Bennett, a pending unrestricted free agent, is helping his cause this summer.

Score update: Panthers 3, Oilers 1

Sam Reinhart scores 80 seconds after the Edmonton goal. Aleksander Barkov starts the play by checking John Klingberg. Carter Verhaeghe picks up the loose puck and feeds Reinhart. No assist for Barkov, who’s still scoreless in the final.

Score update: Panthers 2, Oilers 1

Edmonton scores on the power play as Corey Perry converts a rebound of a Mattias Ekholm shot.

Second period underway

Oilers starting the period with a power play.

End first: Panthers 2, Oilers 0

The penalties and the power plays piled up in that period. Florida’s Brad Marchand opened the scoring on a delayed penalty. Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch told TNT that the constant trips to the penalty box was a ‘recipe for disaster.’ He was right as Carter Verhaeghe scored to give the Panthers just their second home power-play goal of the playoffs. Shots were 12-10 Edmonton, which also led 11-5 in hits.

Things get feisty

Evan Bouchard cross-checks Anton Lundell, who punches the Oilers defenseman. A scrum breaks out. Lundell will be in the penalty box for roughing when the second period begins.

Score update: Panthers 2, Oilers 0

Paul Maurice puts out the second power-play unit out to start. Panthers move the puck quickly and Carter Verhaeghe scores. This is just the second two-goal lead of the Stanley Cup Final.

Panthers power play

Viktor Arvidsson knocks Sergei Bobrovsky into the net and is called for goaltender interference.

Oilers power play

Sam Bennett is called for high-sticking. And this one is killed, too.

Panthers power play/Oilers power play

This time, it’s too many men on the ice (seven players, actually) for Edmonton. Panthers are getting plenty of opportunity to work on their struggling home power play. Again, it comes up short as Aaron Ekblad is called for tripping. There will be 4-on-4. During the ensuing Edmonton power, Sergei Bobrovsky makes a glove save on Evan Bouchard.

Panthers power play

Evander Kane takes another penalty, this time for high-sticking. Edmonton kills that off, too.

Panthers power play

Evander Kane in the box. Panthers’ power play is clicking at only 3.6% at home during the playoffs. Oilers kill it off.

Oilers power play

Anton Lundell called for tripping. Edmonton is dangerous but can’t score. One shot goes off Sergei Bobrovsky’s mask. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins misses the net on a rebound opportunity. Power play ends early when Evander Kane is called for cross-checking.

Score update: Panthers 1, Oilers 0

Brad Marchand stays hot, scoring 56 seconds into the game on a delayed penalty. He had two goals in Game 2, including the double-overtime winner.

Game underway

Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov line vs. the Oilers’ Connor McDavid line. Edmonton outshoots Florida 2-0 with those lines out there.

When is Stanley Cup Final Game 3? Panthers vs. Oilers game time

The Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers will face off Monday at 8 p.m. ET at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida.

What TV channel is Panthers vs. Oilers Game 3 on?

TNT and truTV are broadcasting Game 2 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final. Kenny Albert will provide play-by-play, while Eddie Olczyk, Brian Boucher, Darren Pang and Jackie Redmond will provide analysis and reporting.

Stream the 2025 Stanley Cup Final on Sling

How to watch Panthers vs. Oilers Game 3

Date: Monday, June 9
Location: Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida
Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: TNT, truTV
Streaming: Max, Sling TV

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins injury update

Not only is he playing, he’s in the starting lineup. His line, centered by Connor McDavid, will go against the Aleksander Barkov line.

Oilers lines

Of note, the Oilers appear to be going with their Game 2 defense pairings. They had switched up the pairings during their June 8 practice.

Panthers lines

Oilers roster update

The early roster report lists Edmonton’s Jeff Skinner as a scratch, which would indicate that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is playing. Skinner would have been his replacement.

Warmups underway

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is on the ice, as coach Kris Knoblauch said he would be. He’s a game-time decision.

Goaltending matchup

Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky (13-6, 2.21 goals-against average, .912 save percentage) vs. Oilers’ Stuart Skinner (7-5, 2.61, .901).

Edmonton Oilers’ leading scorers

The Oilers have four of the top five scorers in the series: Connor McDavid has a league-best 31 points, followed by Leon Draisaitl (29). Evan Bouchard (21) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (18). Draisaitl has a team-high nine goals.

McDavid has five assists in the final and has three goals and 11 assists during a seven-game point streak.

Florida Panthers’ leading scorers

The Panthers have 11 players with double-digit points, led by Sam Bennett (19) and Brad Marchand, Aleksander Barkov, Carter Verhaeghe and Matthew Tkachuk (17 each). Bennett is the playoffs’ leading goal scorer with 13.

High-scoring series

The 16 goals through two games are tied with 2023 for the most of a final over the past 42 seasons.

But Panthers coach Paul Maurice said despite the high number of goals, the defense and goaltending have been strong.

‘Everything is contested all over the ice,’ Maurice said. ‘So … it’s more intense. What a wonderful thing to see in the final instead of the first round. These men are going that hard. It’s awesome.’

Oilers change up defense pairings

The Oilers changed their defense pairings during practice on June 8. Per NHL.com, Darnell Nurse moved up with Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm was with John Klingberg and Jake Walman was with Brett Kulak. For Game 2, their pairings were Bouchard-Ekholm, Nurse-Kulak and Walman-Klingberg.

Coach Kris Knoblauch didn’t make a big deal about the change.

‘Throughout Games 1 and 2, we had some changes and throughout the rest of the series, there will be some more,’ Knoblauch said.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins injury update

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins missed practice June 8 with an undisclosed injury but did take part in the optional skate on the morning of June 9. Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch says he will be a game-time decision. ‘He’ll take warmup and we’ll decide from there,’ he said.

Jeff Skinner would return to the lineup if Nugent-Hopkins can’t go. He has a goal and an assist in two playoff games.

‘He’s been a true professional and when we’ve needed him, he’s been ready to play,’ Knoblauch said.

A.J. Greer injury update

He’ll return to the Panthers’ lineup in Game 3 and Jesper Boqvist will come out. Greer, who plays on the fourth line with Tomas Nosek and Jonah Gadjovich, missed Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals, was limited in Game 5 and missed the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final.

2025 Stanley Cup Finals schedule

All times Eastern; (x–if necessary)

Stanley Cup Final Game 3 odds: Panthers vs. Oilers betting lines

All odds via BetMGM (as of Monday, June 9, 4 p.m. ET

Spread: Panthers (-1.5)
Moneyline: Panthers (-140); Oilers (+120)
Over/Under: 6.5

Odds to win 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Final

Oilers -105
Panthers -115

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Coco Gauff surprised by adversary’s comments at French Open

June 10, 2025

American tennis star Coco Gauff, 21, is fresh off her first French Open win, defeating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the finals on Saturday, June 7. Gauff’s victory marked the first time in a decade that an American had won the French Open. However, Gauff’s moment of celebration was short-lived after Sabalenka made some shocking comments to the media following her loss.

‘I think she won the match not because she played incredible,’ said Sabalenka. ‘Just because I made all of those mistakes, if you look from the outside, from kind of easy balls.’

Although Sabalenka later retracted some of her comments, praising Gauff for how she ‘played with poise and purpose.’

The original comments had already been aired out, and Gauff was certainly taken aback by her statements.

Coco Gauff ‘surprised’ by Sabalenka comments

In response to Sabalenka’s comments, Gauff told ‘Good Morning America’ on Monday, ‘I was a little bit surprised about the comments and everything but I’m gonna give her the benefit of the doubt. I’m sure it was an emotional day, emotional match.’ Gauff continued, ‘I know she was probably a bit emotional after that match and it was a tough loss.’

Gauff went on to call Sabalenka a ‘fighter’ and ‘a tough opponent,’ noting that the windy conditions during the finals were very tough on both of them. That is something that Sabalenka noted as well, citing that Gauff ‘handled the conditions much better.’

Have Gauff and Sabalenka played before?

Heading into the French Open finals, Gauff and Sabalenka had a career match record of 5-5 against one another. Gauff has now pulled ahead at 6-5. Gauff is 2-1 against Sabalenka at Grand Slam finals.

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How many 4 seeds have made CWS? Murray State baseball becomes latest

June 10, 2025

The Racers, who fell in Game 1 of the Durham Super Regional to Duke on Saturday, June 7, rallied to win Games 2 and 3 on June 8 and June 9 respectively, to advance to the College World Series, becoming the fourth No. 4 seed to ever punch a ticket to Omaha.

Murray State won the Oxford Regional over No. 10 Ole Miss before taking on Duke, which won the Athens Regional vs. No. 7 Georgia.

Murray State (44-15) won the Missouri Valley Conference tournament to reach the NCAA tournament and is entering the CWS with plenty of confidence. It now shifts its focus to No. 15 UCLA, which the Racers face in the opening round on Saturday, June 14.

Here’s a look at the other No. 4 seeds to reach the College World Series, and how they fared in the tournament:

No. 4 seeds to reach CWS

Murray State became the fourth No. 4 seed to ever reach the College World Series on June 9. No. 4 seeds were added to the NCAA tournament when the field expanded to 64 teams in 1999.

The Racers join Oral Roberts (2023), Stony Brook (2012) and Fresno State (2008) as No. 4 seeds to reach Omaha, Nebraska. Fresno State is the lone No. 4 seed to ever win the national championship.

Here’s a look at how each No. 4 seed fared at the CWS:

No. 4 seed records at CWS

Oral Roberts

Oral Roberts went 52-14 in 2023, winning the Summit League tournament to earn a spot in the NCAA tournament. It defeated Oklahoma State in the Stillwater Regional and Oregon in the Eugene Super Regional to reach the CWS.

The Golden Eagles won their opening game of the CWS against TCU, advancing to the winner’s bracket. However, Oral Roberts then dropped its next two games, falling to Florida and then TCU in a loser’s bracket grudge match.

Stony Brook

Stony Brook had quite the run in 2012, defeating Miami in the Coral Gables Regional before upsetting No. 7 LSU in the Baton Rouge Super Regional to reach the College World Series. Like Murray State, Stony Brook dropped Game 1 of the super regional series before winning back-to-back games to take the series.

The Seawolves ran out of gas in Omaha, however, falling to UCLA 9-1 in the first round before losing again to Florida State 12-2 in an elimination game.

Fresno State

Fresno State started the season ranked No. 21 in the preseason polls, but quickly didn’t live up to expectations before winning the WAC tournament to earn an NCAA tournament bid.

The Bulldogs faced adversity in the Long Beach Regional, reaching the winner’s bracket before losing to San Diego 15-1 in Game 1 of the regional final. Fresno State then won the if-necessary game of the regional 5-1 to advance.

Fresno State lost Game 1 of the Tempe Super Regional to Arizona State, before winning back-to-back games against the Sun Devils on the road to reach the CWS. It later took Fresno State three games to win the national championship series, as well, as the Bulldogs faced elimination four times in the NCAA tournament.

The Bulldogs beat Rice 17-5 and North Carolina 5-3 to reach the semifinals, where they lost to North Carolina 4-3 before winning 6-1 to make the national championship series. They then lost Game 1 of the series 7-6 before beating Georgia 19-10 and 6-1 in back-to-back games to win their first and only national title in program history.

Murray State enters the College World Series having played three games facing elimination, including back-to-back super regional games against Duke. The Racers will try to duplicate Fresno State’s historic 2008 run in their first CWS appearance this season.

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NASCAR in-season challenge: What to know about series’ new tournament

June 10, 2025

Hamlin won the first of three key summer races with his victory in Michigan. It precedes a monumental milestone this weekend for NASCAR: the first international points-paying race since 1958. The Cup Series grid travels to the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez road course in Mexico City for the Viva Mexico 250 on June 15.

The Cup races in Michigan, Mexico City and Pocono Raceway are crucial to NASCAR’s inaugural in-season challenge.

There haven’t been many significant changes to the structure of the Cup Series calendar since the implementation of the playoffs starting in 2004. While NASCAR first introducted a postseason in 2004 with playoffs that have undergone a few changes over the past two decades, this marks the first in-season competition with a tournament held over five races culminating in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27.

It’s rare to have a new in-season event in the Cup Series. There’s a lot to know about it and we’ve got you covered:

What is the NASCAR in-season challenge?

It is a single-elimination tournament across five races, beginning with the June 28 race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, that includes the top 32 drivers in the Cup Series championship standings following the June 1 race at Nashville Superspeedway.

Those 32 drivers will be up in a bracket and seeded by their best results from the Cup races at Michigan, Mexico City and Pocono. Tiebreakers are the next-best finish from those three seeding races. Drivers advance by finishing higher than their opponent in the bracket.

Each of the five races will cut the field in half, similar to March Madness in college basketball. There will be 32 drivers in contention in the first race, then 16 for the second, eight for the third, four for the fourth and two drivers facing off for the win in the fifth and final race.

NASCAR in-season challenge contestants

The 32-driver field is set. Here’s who will be contending in NASCAR’s first in-season challenge (car number in parentheses):

(24) William Byron, Chevrolet
(5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
(20) Christopher Bell, Toyota
(11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
(9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
(45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota
(12) Ryan Blaney, Ford
(22) Joey Logano, Ford
(1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
(23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota
(19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota
(48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet
(2) Austin Cindric, Ford
(17) Chris Buescher, Ford
(8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
(60) Ryan Preece, Ford
(77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
(47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
(16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet
(21) Josh Berry, Ford
(71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet
(42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota
(34) Todd Gilliland, Ford
(43) Erik Jones, Toyota
(38) Zane Smith, Ford
(3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
(54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota
(99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet
(7) Justin Haley, Chevrolet
(10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet
(4) Noah Gragson, Ford
(6) Brad Keselowski, Ford

NASCAR in-season challenge prize

The winner of the inaugural in-season challenge will take home $1 million.

NASCAR in-season challenge races, schedule

The five races of NASCAR in-season challenge are:

June 28: Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
July 6: Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Course
July 13: Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway
July 20: Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover Motor Speedway
July 27: Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

How to watch the NASCAR in-season challenge

TNT will be broadcasting all five of the in-season challenge races with a secondary broadcast on truTV focused on the specific bracket matchups. Here’s how to watch all of them:

Stream NASCAR in-season challenge races on Sling

Quaker State 400

Date: June 28, 2025
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia
TV: TNT, truTV
Stream:Sling TV, WatchTNT

Grant Park 165

Date: July 6, 2025
Time: 2 p.m. ET
Location: Chicago Street Course in Chicago
TV: TNT, truTV
Stream:Sling TV, WatchTNT

Toyota/Save Mart 350

Date: July 13, 2025
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California
TV: TNT, truTV
Stream:Sling TV, WatchTNT

Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400

Date: July 20, 2025
Time: 2 p.m. ET
Location: Dover Motor Speedway in Dover, Delaware
TV: TNT, truTV
Stream:Sling TV, WatchTNT

Brickyard 400

Date: July 27, 2025
Time: 2 p.m. ET
Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana
TV: TNT, truTV
Stream:Sling TV, WatchTNT

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Watch: A’s outfielder scales wall to rob a home run

June 10, 2025

It’s only June and we might have the catch of the year already after Athletics outfielder Denzel Clarke pulled off an incredible home run robbery.

The Athletics are in Anaheim playing the Los Angeles Angels, and in the bottom of the first inning of Monday’s contest, Nolan Schanuel took Grant Holman’s splitter deep to center field. It looked like it was going to go over the wall to give the Angels an early 1-0 lead.

Instead, Clarke scaled the wall, reached over and caught the ball in one of the best catches one could make. Clarke got so high he almost went over the wall, but he was hyped as he landed back in the field of play. Mostly everyone, especially Holman, in the stadium couldn’t believe what they saw.

It was an impressive catch for a ball that went 398 feet to center field.

Monday was just Clarke’s 16th game in the big leagues after he was called up in May. Taken in the fourth round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Cal State Northridge, Clarke entered the night with a .224 batting average with one home run and three RBI, but he already has an all-time highlight play in his career.

It may just be something Clarke does as this isn’t the first time he’s robbed a homer. On May 30 against the Toronto Blue Jays, Clarke robbed Alejandro Kirk from a home run as he scaled the wall to catch the ball back in his home country.

The catch against the Angels come three days after he had another incredible snag against the Baltimore Orioles, as he turned on the jets and hauled in the ball before hitting the wall to steal a hit away from Jorge Mateo.

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Watch: Line brawl, ejections dominate third period of Game 3

June 10, 2025

The standard rule of NHL playoff hockey is that if the score gets out of hand, the feistiness gets out of hand.

The Edmonton Oilers were highly undisciplined as they fell 6-1 to the Florida Panthers in Game 3. Then the third period predictably turned into a series of scrums and misconducts.

It started at 10:29 with the Oilers trailing 5-1. Edmonton’s Trent Frederic tried to punch Florida’s Sam Bennett and missed. He then cross-checked Bennett several times, breaking his stick on his final effort. That led all of the skaters on the ice to square off. The scrum turned into a prolonged fight between Edmonton defenseman Darnell Nurse and Florida forward Jonah Gadjovich.

Five players were thrown out of the game. Frederic received 14 minutes in the scrum, Bennett 12 minutes, Nurse 17 minutes and Gadjovich 15 minutes. Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm also received a 10-minute misconduct.

‘I don’t think we would have acted or played like that had it been a one-goal or two-goal game,’ Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. ‘Boys being boys, I guess trying to make investments for the next game.’

The Oilers’ misconducts continued with Evander Kane leaving the game after slashing Carter Verhaeghe, and Kasperi Kapanen was ejected for cross-checking Eetu Luostarinen.

All told, there were 122 penalty minutes handed out in the third period, 75 of them to the Oilers.

‘The game obviously got out of hand at the end there,’ Kane told reporters after the game. ‘That stuff’s going to happen. You look at some of the calls and whatnot, some of them are frustrating. They seem to get away with it more than we do.’

The Panthers received 11 power plays in the game and scored three power-play goals after entering the game with a 3.6% success rate in home playoff games.

‘We talk about being composed,’ Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk told TNT. ‘You’ve got to take a punch in the face, you’ve got to take a slash in the face, a cross-check, a slash in the leg. Whatever the case is, you’ve got to do it. There’s a bigger picture with the win for us.’

Will there be suspensions?

Probably not. There could be fines. Expect at least one fine as Oilers defenseman Jake Walman was caught on camera spraying his water bottle toward the Panthers bench.

Kris Knoblauch on Game 3 officiating

The Oilers coach answered carefully when asked about the officiating during the game, noting the Edmonton penalty for too many men on the ice.

‘It was too many men. They caught us there,’ he said. ‘I just wished they had called it (against the Panthers) in Game 2 in overtime.’

Notes

Even though Knoblauch pulled Stuart Skinner, he said he doesn’t have to make a decision on who to play in Game 4. ‘Stu, I don’t think had much chance on many of those goals,’ he said. … Before Bennett was ejected, he had a massive shift where he delivered two big hits and then scored on a 2-on-0 breakaway. … The Game 3 win gave Panthers coach Paul Maurice 1,000 combined regular-season and playoff victories.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

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