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Antwan Staley: Aaron Rodgers effect is giving Jets different vibes heading into the summer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:20:59 GMT

Throughout the country this week, students have been attending their last days of school before an extended break.The Jets offseason program hasn’t exactly been like grade school, but Gang Green starts its summer vacation Friday afternoon.Unlike the last few years, there’s a ton of optimism surrounding the Jets this spring. When speaking to the media during the previous six weeks, players have a noticeable glimmer in their eyes. Much of that has to do with adding a future Hall of Fame quarterback.Since Aaron Rodgers was traded from the Packers to the Jets on April 26, the expectations at Florham Park have entirely changed. When Jets coach Robert Saleh arrived in 2021, the Jets were a homecoming opponent, a team that was considered an easy win on the schedule. Now, Gang Green has gone from an NFL afterthought to the prom king almost overnight.“The reality is, yeah, we all want to win a world championship,” Saleh said. “You guys all want to be the best in...

Doubleheader split puts Chicago White Sox 3½ games out of 1st in AL Central — but Eloy Jiménez exits with a leg injury

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:20:59 GMT

The sky cleared up enough for the Chicago White Sox to resume their series with the New York Yankees.Instead of the haze the smoke from Canadian wildfires created, there were plenty of longballs during Game 1 of the doubleheader Thursday at Yankee Stadium.The Sox hit four home runs on their way to their fifth straight win, beating the Yankees 6-5. The season-high winning streak came to an end with the Yankees taking the nightcap 3-0.Gleyber Torres hit a two-run homer in the fourth and Billy McKinney had a solo homer the next inning against Sox starter Mike Clevinger, who allowed three runs on six hits with two strikeouts and a walk in 5⅔ innings.The Sox had two hits, singles from Eloy Jiménez and Gavin Sheets. With the split, the Sox (28-36) are 3½ games out of first place in the American League Central. They are in third place in the division for the first time since April 17.Trainers checked on Jiménez after he ran slowly while grounding into a fielder’s...

Vanilla Ice, Ashanti and more to perform at SeaWorld summer concert series

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:20:59 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- "All right stop, collaborate and listen." Sing along San Diego, it's time to brush up on those Vanilla Ice lyrics.The American rapper, along with a wave of other renowned musical artists, are set to perform during the 2023 SeaWorld summer concert series. ‘It’s a love letter to North County,’ says creators of new Disney-animated series set in Oceanside Theme parkgoers can enjoy some thrilling rides before catching these national headliners live on stage as they deliver weekend performances on select dates. Here's a breakdown of who will be rocking the stage at SeaWorld San Diego's Bayside Amphitheater during the summer months.Vanilla Ice: Sunday, June 25 at 6 p.m.Jordan Sparks: Sunday, July 2 at 6 p.m.Bow Wow and Soulja Boy: Sunday, July 9 at 6 p.m.Todrick Hall: Sunday, July 16 at 6 p.m.Tiffany and Jennifer Page: Sunday, July 23 at 6 p.m.Mario: Sunday, July 30 at 6 p.m.Ashanti: Sunday August 6 at 6 p.m.Reserved seating for summer concert series performances start at $1...

Stock market today: Wall Street is off to a mixed start; Big Tech climbs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:20:59 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are off to another mixed start on Wall Street as more gains for Big Tech companies offset weakness elsewhere in the market. The S&P 500 was up 0.3% in the early going Friday, on track for its fourth weekly gain in a row. A day earlier the bechmark index closed 20% above its October low, entering a new bull market. The Nasdaq composite added 0.7% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average was just barely higher with a gain of less than 0.1%. Chipmaker Nvidia rose another 2%. European markets were lower and Asian markets closed higher overnight. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.TOKYO (AP) — European shares declined Friday after a day of gains in Asia following Wall Street’s return to bull market status. France’s CAC 40 lost 0.4% to 7,198.50 while Germany’s DAX slipped 0.3% to 16,886.40. Britain’s FTSE 100 shed 0.4% to 7,572.16. The future for the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 0.2% and the contract for the S&...

After making Oscar history, Troy Kotsur pays tribute to his father in new short film

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:20:59 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — When Troy Kotsur made history as the first Deaf male actor win an Oscar at the 2022 Academy Awards, he was thinking about his father. By then, Kotsur had already become a hero to the Deaf community, widely celebrated for his acclaimed performance in the family drama “CODA.” It was easy to admire the tenacity and talent that had brought Kotsur, in his early 50s, to the movies’ biggest stage after years of struggle as an actor in an industry not known for its hospitality to Deaf performers. To Kotsur, his persistence was most owed to one person: His father. At the Oscar podium, Kotsur dedicated the award to him. “You are my hero,” he said. “He didn’t look at me as having limitations. He continued to push me and push me,” Kotsur said in an interview Thursday through an interpreter. “That’s why I am who I am today.”In “To My Father,” a short film premiering this week at the Tribeca Film Festival, Kotsur extends and deepens that tribute to explain his father’s...

Putin says Russian tactical nuclear weapons to be deployed to Belarus next month

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:20:59 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Moscow will deploy some of its tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus next month, a move that the Belarusian opposition described as an attempt to blackmail the West.Putin said during a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that work on building facilities for the nuclear weapons will be completed by July 7-8, and they will be moved to the territory of Russia’s neighbor and ally quickly after that.The move comes as Ukraine has stepped up attacks in several sectors of the front line in what some observers see as the start of its long-expected counteroffensive.Russia used Belarus’ territory to send its troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and has kept forces and weapons on the territory of its ally.“Everything is proceeding as planned,” Putin said in televised remarks as he hosted Lukashenko at his residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. “On July 7-8 the preparations of the relevant facilities wil...

3 men begin 65-mile arduous paddleboard journey from Toronto

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:20:59 GMT

Three men have begun their arduous journey to paddleboard across Lake Ontario to raise $25,000 for Great Lakes environmental issues.Jeff Guy, Joe Lorenz and Kwin Morris left Toronto’s Humber Bay Park shores at 7 a.m. on Friday, making their way to Niagara-on-the-Lake. The round trip is just over 104 km.Guy, Lorenz and Morris have successfully paddled Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Superior and Lake Erie, with Lake Ontario representing their final journey across all five Great Lakes.The 65-mile round trip is expected to take about 24 hours, with all three men planning to return to Scarborough’s Bluffer’s Park Public Boat Launch.“We’ll begin our adventure with the Toronto skyline in view and touch the shore near Niagara-on-the-Lake and Fort Niagara in New York and then paddle back to Toronto,” Morris said.The journey has been delayed due to weather-related issues and strong winds. The trio had previously scheduled the trip last year, but the safety...

Erdogan’s new central bank chief signals hope for Turkey’s economic turnaround

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:20:59 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appointed a former U.S.-based bank executive to head the central bank Friday, sending the strongest signal yet that the newly reelected leader might pivot from his unusual economic policies that many blame for worsening a cost-of-living crisis.Hafize Gaye Erkan, 41, is Princeton-educated and will become the first woman to lead the Turkish central bank. She briefly served in 2021 as co-chief executive of First Republic Bank, which last month became the second-largest U.S. bank to fail as its wealthy clients pulled their money during wider turmoil in the sector.Her nomination follows last week’s appointment of Mehmet Simsek, an internationally respected former banker, as treasury and finance minister. He was a former finance and deputy prime minister under Erdogan and returned after a five-year break from politics.The choices for two key financial roles have raised hopes that Erdogan, reelected last month to a third te...

Belmont Park will resume live racing after air quality improves ahead of Belmont Stakes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:20:59 GMT

ELMONT, N.Y. (AP) — Live racing will resume at Belmont Park on Friday following significant improvement in air quality conditions in the state, the New York Racing Association announced.Both Belmont and Saratoga reopened for training Friday morning, and the 11-card race will start at 12:50 p.m. The NYRA said in a statement that it will actively monitor air quality conditions and forecasts to ensure the environment remains safe for racing participants and fans ahead of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday.Racing at Belmont Park was canceled on Thursday due to poor air quality from wildfires in Canada. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul had warned that the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the Triple Crown, could be affected if conditions don’t improve by Saturday.New York Racing Association vice president of communications Patrick McKenna said in a statement to The Associated Press on Thursday that state officials and the NYRA consulted on how to proceed going forward in “our shared efforts to prov...

Drone hits residential building in southwestern Russia near border amid surge in Ukraine fighting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:20:59 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A drone crashed into a high-rise residential building in southwestern Russia near the border with Ukraine, a regional governor said Friday, exposing the latest vulnerabilities in the country’s air defense systems as President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine increasingly affects Russian soil.The latest drone attack to target Russian cities in recent weeks wounded three people and came amid a front-line push by Ukrainian forces in what appears to be the early stages of a long-awaited counteroffensive in pockets of south and east Ukraine that Russia invaded more than 15 months ago.The Ukrainian presidency’s website posted a video statement overnight from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that alluded to the latest efforts of his country’s forces to drive out the Russian invaders, along various parts of the more than 1,000-kilometer (about 620-mile) front line. Speaking inside what appeared to be a train car after visiting flood-hit southern Ukraine on Thurs...