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ATLANTA — President Donald Trump and his fellow defendants in the Fulton County election interference case could eventually receive reimbursement for attorney fees, under a bill that passed the Georgia Senate on Thursday night.
Senate Bill 244 would allow criminal defendants to recover the fees if they successfully argue that a prosecutor should be disqualified for misconduct and the case is dismissed. Sen. Brandon Beach, R-Alpharetta, said he had the Trump case— and the actions of Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis — in mind when he sponsored the bill.
By NADIA LATHAN - Associated Press/Report for America
Hundreds of thousands of state employees across the U.S. are being ordered back into the office as governors move to shadow President Trump’s mandate for federal workers. The directives in California and Texas have raised more questions than answers as employees navigate concerns around office space and medical exemptions. The two states boast some of the country’s largest state workforces and are expected to affect more than 350,000 employees. Across the country, governors have cited a desire for more efficiency in pivoting away from remote work.
Tiger Woods won't be at The Players Championship next week. That wasn't a big surprise. Woods has not played in the PGA Tour's flagship event since 2019 and it would have been big news if had decided to play. But this was the last year of Woods' exemption to The Players from winning the Masters in 2019. That means if he plays in the Masters next month, it will be his first tournament since he missed the cut at the British Open last July. Woods says he has touched golf clubs only three times since his mother died on Feb. 4.
A company owned by President Donald Trump is suing Capital One. It claims the bank unjustifiably terminated over 300 of the Trump Organization’s accounts without cause shortly after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The suit had been filed Friday by the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust and Eric Trump in Miami-Dade Circuit Court. The Trump Organization claims the decision by Capital One to close the accounts was an attack on free speech and free enterprise. The suit also claims the decision was a response to Trump’s political views. Capital One said in a statement that it has not and does not close customer accounts for political reasons.
Katherine Legge has raced in just about every series possible during her 25-year journey in professional motorsports, ranging from dirt tracks to IndyCar. Even so, she doesn’t mind admitting to being nervous about potentially rubbing fenders with the likes of Joey Logano, Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell in her first NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday at Phoenix Raceway. Legge is set to become the first woman in a NASCAR Cup Series race since Danica Patrick made her final start in the Daytona 500 seven years ago. She’ll drive the No. 78 Chevrolet for Live Fast Motorsports.
ORLANDO, Fla. — The police department at the University of Central Florida is investigating two fraternities following allegations of hazing, a university spokesperson confirmed Friday.
Texas Tech assistant coach Matt Braeuer has been named the new head coach at Stephen F. Austin. Braeuer will finish the current season with the ninth-ranked Red Raiders before joining the Lumberjacks. Tony Jasick was 6-6 as interim head coach for SFA, which has completed its 14-17 season after not qualifying for the Southland Conference tournament. Kyle Keller had a 171-95 record and was in his ninth season as head coach when fired Jan. 22 with SFA off to a 1-7 start in conference play. It will be the first head coaching job for Braeuer.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The return to Earth of Boeing’s Starliner astronauts stuck on the International Space Station inched closer as their replacements arrived to Florida for their relief flight next week.
NEW YORK — The independent lawyer tasked with presenting arguments to Manhattan Federal Judge Dale Ho as he weighs tossing the case against Mayor Eric Adams on Friday recommended permanent dismissal of the charges, in part finding that even the appearance of the Justice Department’s motion c…
A South Carolina man has been executed by firing squad, becoming the first U.S. prisoner in 15 years to die by this method. Brad Sigmon was pronounced dead at 6:08 p.m. Friday after being shot by three prison employee volunteers with rifles. Sigmon killed his ex-girlfriend’s parents with a baseball bat in their Greenville County home in 2001 in a botched plot to kidnap their daughter. The 67-year-old chose the firing squad because his lawyers said he considered it a better option than the electric chair or lethal injection. He is the first South Carolina prisoner to be executed by bullets.
DENVER — University of Colorado, Boulder research shows about 7% of adults in the United States — or 1 in 15 people — have been present at the scene of a mass shooting and 2% have been injured during one, according to a new study published Friday.
Rasmus Neergard-Petersen looked plenty comfortable in his PGA Tour debut, playing bogey-free through 36 holes and shooting a 7-under 65 on Friday for a one-shot lead in the Puerto Rico Open. Ranked No. 88 in the world, Neergard-Petersen received a commissioner’s exemption for international players into the event, which is played opposite the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. The 25-year-old from Denmark plays on the European tour and was second at the Qatar Masters in his previous start. Davis Riley was one shot back after a second-round 66 at Grand Reserve Golf Club.
Unbeaten Lauren Price has been too fast for the veteran Natasha Jonas as she won their unification world welterweight title fight comfortably in London. Price, of Wales, was the paper-thin favorite but impressively overwhelmed Jonas and won by unanimous decision on Friday. Price relieved the Englishwoman of her WBC and IBF belts to add to her IBO belt. The 2021 Olympic champion improved her record to 9-0. Jonas’ seven-win streak since a 2021 loss to Katie Taylor ended without dispute in a matchup of southpaws. Jonas, 10 years older than Price at 40, struggled to hit Price and lost for the third time in 20 fights.
Giancarlo Stanton will return to New York for a third round of platelet-rich plasma injections in his ailing elbows on Monday. Stanton was back at the Yankees’ spring training complex on Friday. Manager Aaron Boone was quoted as saying Stanton is not likely to play in any exhibition games. Stanton said on Feb. 17 after reporting to camp that he had not swung a bat in three or four weeks because of pain in both elbows. The Yankees said he had been in New York, where he received two rounds of PRP injections.
The Florida Panthers welcomed the arrival of Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand in a Friday trade that adds even more grit and experience to the Stanley Cup champions’ roster. Marchand, traded by the Bruins after 16 seasons in Boston will give the Panthers more depth as they battle for first place in the Atlantic Division. Marchand is another huge acquisition for the Panthers, who brought in veteran defenseman Seth Jones in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks last Saturday, and needed a boost after losing the veteran forward Tkachuk for the foreseeable future because of an upper body injury,
LOS ANGELES — D'Wayne Wiggins, a singer-songwriter and a guitarist who was a founding member of the soul and R&B trio Tony! Toni! Toné!, has died after a private battle with cancer. He was 64.
Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker received some good news regarding the oblique issue that has limited him this spring training. Walker had flown back to Houston to get the oblique examined. Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters the MRI didn’t reveal any strain. Espada said Walker is returning to the Astros’ spring training camp. Walker, who turns 34 on March 28, batted .251 with a .335 on-base percentage, 26 homers and 84 RBIs in 130 games for Arizona last season. He signed a $60 million, three-year contract with the Astros in December.
Protesters in western Michigan are calling on GOP Rep. Bill Huizenga to hold an in-person town hall to address their concerns. Republican leaders are advising lawmakers not to hold these town halls because of attendees decrying President Donald Trump administration’s slashing of federal government. Drivers honked in support of the protesters outside Huizenga's office on Friday who were chanting and holding signs. Trump and other Republicans have accused paid activists of taking control of town halls. Holland resident Linda Visscher insisted that she has not been paid to attend a protest but that she wanted her congressman to take questions. Huizenga did hold a telephone town hall later on Friday.
MINNEAPOLIS — Aimee Bock, the alleged ringleader of an extraordinary $250 million fraud scheme, took the stand in her defense on Friday at the end of the fourth week of testimony in her federal trial.
In the weeks after Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election, investors pumped more than $700 billion into Tesla Inc. shares, betting that Elon Musk’s relationship with the commander in chief and growing political prominence would pay off for the automaker. Barely four months later, th…
Oklahoma’s starting center was serenaded with chants of “Beers! Beers! Beers!” from the school’s pep band on Friday. Raegan Beers is getting used to it, and she enjoyed hearing from the band after the 10th-ranked Sooners beat No. 12 Kentucky 69-65 in the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinals. Beers has been stellar in her first two SEC Tournament games. Next up is a matchup with No. 5 South Carolina. The pep band started the “Beers!” chant earlier this season at a home game and it has become a mainstay for the Sooners.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning has agreed to the terms of a contract extension that would keep him with the Ducks through 2030. Yahoo Sports reported that Lanning will make nearly $11 million per season under the agreement, which the university announced on Friday. Oregon was also finalizing extensions for defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi and offensive coordinator Will Stein that run through the 2027 season. The contracts have been approved by Oregon’s Board of Trustees.
The Tennessee Titans have released veteran linebacker Harold Landry III after signing him to a five-year extension in 2022. The seven-year veteran with one Pro Bowl was due to count $24.1 million against the cap this season. Tennessee now is seventh in the NFL with more than $63 million in salary cap space per Spotrac.com to go along with the No. 1 pick in the April draft after three losing seasons. Landry led the Titans with nine sacks last season. He was one of three NFL defenders with at least 70 tackles and 15 tackles for loss.
Starter Grayson Rodriguez and reliever Andrew Kittredge will miss the Baltimore Orioles’ opener because of injuries. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde tells reporters that Rodriguez has pitching elbow discomfort and Kittredge needs arthroscopic knee surgery and will be sidelined for multiple months. Rodriguez, a 25-year-old right-hander, went 13-4 with a 3.86 ERA in 20 starts last season. He struck out 130 and walked 36 in 116 2/3 innings. Kittredge, who turns 35 on March 17, was 5-5 with a 2.80 ERA and one save in 74 relief appearances for St. Louis last year. Baltimore opens at Toronto on March 27.
De’Aaron Fox spent much of his time in Sacramento as the fan favorite and face of the Kings franchise that ended a record-long playoff drought and brought much-needed joy to what had been a downtrodden team. Fox returns Friday night as part of the opposition to play his first game against his original team since being traded to San Antonio in a three-team deal last month. The end of Fox's time in Sacramento was fractious. He didn't want to sign a contract extension and was unhappy about the firing of coach Mike Brown.
Aubrey Whelan and Max Marin - The Philadelphia Inquirer (TNS)
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia has settled a lawsuit with the brother of two young girls killed in the 1985 MOVE bombing, resolving one aspect of an ongoing court battle over the mishandling of victims’ remains by both the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office and the University of Pennsylvania.
Jarvis Moss scored 16 points and David Early added seven points in the overtime as the Radford Highlanders defeated the Presbyterian Blue Hose 74-69 in the Big South Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Friday.
On-loan West Ham winger Maxwel Cornet has bagged his second goal in four games to give Genoa a point away at Cagliari in Serie A. Nicolas Viola opened the scoring for the Sardinian side. Cornet equalized early in the second half on Friday and it held up. The result leaves Genoa in 12th and Cagliari in 15th, four points above the relegation zone.
Xander Schauffele met at least one goal in his return from injury at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He made the cut for the 58th consecutive time on the PGA Tour. That's the longest streak since Tiger Woods set the record at 142. And the 58 in a row is the sixth-longest streak in history. It wasn't easy. Schauffele is coming off a rib injury that kept him out for two months. He opened with a 77. He was going well Friday until back-to-back double bogeys. But he ran off three birdies in four holes and made it on the number.
It’s said that sometimes the best defense is offense. LeBron James took that approach Thursday night when he confronted Stephen A. Smith courtside at a Lakers game and scolded him, telling him in no uncertain terms to stop talking about Bronny James, LeBron’s son and teammate.
President Donald Trump created a task force Friday to prepare for the 2026 World Cup, which will bring the globe’s premier soccer tournament to North America at a time when Trump’s on-again-off-again tariffs have ratcheted up tensions across the continent. The task force, which Trump will chair, will coordinate the federal government’s security and planning for the tournament, which is expected to draw millions of tourists to the United States, Canada and Mexico. Officials from FIFA, the international soccer governing body, met with Trump in the Oval Office and gave him a personalized game ball.
Tariffs, or taxes imposed on imported goods, play a significant role in global trade. While they are often implemented to protect domestic industries, they can also lead to unintended consequences, particularly in sectors like healthcare and healthtech.
President Donald Trump said Friday that he’s committed to making the U.S. a world leader in cryptocurrencies as industry leaders heaped praise on him for reversing what they said had been unfair attacks on digital assets by the previous administration. The first-ever White House “Crypto Summit” included crypto company executives, cabinet officials and lawmakers, many of whom took turns raving about Trump’s leadership on digital assets. The emboldened industry said it was unfairly treated by the Biden administration and spent heavily to help Trump and Republicans in the last election. Trump reiterated his eagerness to help the crypto industry with friendly legislation and light-touch regulations.
Hantavirus — blamed in the death of Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa — is a rare virus spread by contact with rodents or their urine or feces. It is found throughout the world, but it doesn't spread between people. It can cause a severe and sometimes deadly lung infection called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The vast majority of cases since then in the U.S. have been in western states, especially the southwest. Between 1993 and 2022 there were 864 reported cases in the U.S.
David Wickert - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (TNS)
ATLANTA — President Donald Trump and his fellow defendants in the Fulton County election interference case could eventually receive reimbursement for attorney fees, under a bill that passed the Georgia Senate on Thursday night.
Jessica Nix and Damian Garde - Bloomberg News (TNS)
U.S. measles cases jumped by a third over the past week, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, a worrying sign in the outbreak that’s already linked to two deaths.
