Almond was on the show to discuss the future of the NFL in the wake of the cardiac arrest suffered by Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin following a tackle during a game on Monday. Almond, who wrote the book Against Football: One Fan’s Reluctant Manifesto, said that the NFL must feel economic pressure from its fans before it will take the steps needed to improve safety for players. Speaking to Ingraham on her Wednesday show, the pair got into a spat that resulted in the Fox News host abruptly terminating the interview....

Ingraham apparently issued the tweet in response to a segment on his sister’s show Thursday. On The Ingraham Angle, the more famous sibling dedicated airtime to discussing a portion of Trump’s latest Keep America Great rally, in Texas, where, according to Laura Ingraham, the president recommitted himself to “ending endless wars.” “Texas is a state that has really sacrificed in Iraq, Afghanistan, so many men and women, so much heartache, so much loss,” the host said....

The anti-Trump group has long criticized the president with the goal of “defeating Trump and Trumpism at the ballot box.” Founded by a group largely made up of Republican strategists, it has looked to try and shift GOP-leaning voters to back Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden this time out. “No group I think failed as spectacularly as the grifters at the The Lincoln Project,” Ingraham said. “They’re all supposedly former republicans, all of them hacks, funded by wealthy liberals....

Boebert, a Republican who was elected to her first congressional term in November, reiterated her belief Sunday that Trump is not only still head of the GOP—he’s also still president in her mind. “Looking forward to the State of the Union address today,” Boebert tweeted Sunday, hours before Trump is expected to take the stage in Orlando, Florida, for the annual conservative conference. Trump’s Sunday speech at CPAC will mark his first major public remarks since being defeated by Biden....

ESPN released a statement later in the week to TMZ calling Ball’s comment to Qerim “completely inappropriate.” Richard Deitsch of The Athletic reported that ESPN “has no plans moving forward” to use Ball as an on-air guest, on-the-record digital source or background source after his comment to Qerim. Ball’s attorney, Denise White, disputed Dietsch’s report. Following a Drew League game involving Ball’s youngest son, LaMelo, in Los Angeles on Saturday, LaVar defended his comment to Qerim, saying he meant “no sexual intent....

Judge Roy Ferguson of the 394th Judicial District Court of Brewster, Culberson, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis and Presidio Counties in Texas oversaw the hearing. Though these filters are purrfectly fine for catching up with friends, it was not the time or place, and Ponton appeared flustered by his catlike appearance. “Mr. Ponton, I believe you have a filter turned on in your video settings,” Ferguson noted in the call’s video, shared on Twitter....

Federal authorities with the FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said a male passenger rose from his seat as a United Express flight began taxiing toward the runway around 7 p.m. Friday evening. The man allegedly started pounding on the cockpit door, but then redirected his attention toward exiting the plane altogether. He successfully opened an exit door to the plane and fled the plane “via emergency slide,” after the pilots halted the plane mid-taxi....

The technique, which is known as “prone positioning,” has been used for years to improve outcomes for intubated patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, a leading cause of death among COVID-19 patients. Several studies suggest that the practice may improve outcomes for those infected with the virus. An observational study published in medical journal The Lancet on June 19 found that the method was “feasible and effective in ameliorating blood oxygenation” for a group of patients in Italy who required supplemental oxygen due to pneumonia related to COVID-19....

GMs like Pittsburgh’s Kevin Colbert love to have a premier RB to balance the offense. And Bell, with his versatility as a runner and receiver, is a rare player; among the best in the game. But when it comes to paying veteran, Pro Bowl backs who get 400 or so touches per season at arguably the game’s most injury-prone position, the hate portion of the equation arrives. GMs hate paying big bucks to players at a position that lags behind quarterbacks, wide receivers and left tackles in the offensive pay window....

The impact assessment compiled by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) was obtained by The Telegraph and described passports as “counterintuitive and potentially counterproductive.” The main concern cited in the report is that passports may drive people away from larger venues in favor of smaller ones. Whereas larger places such as stadiums offer more open air, smaller clubs and bars are generally poorly ventilated and people are less spread apart....

Teams can remain high on their plateau for years, seemingly far beyond the date many expected them to come crashing down. The San Antonio Spurs come to mind. Some, like the Milwaukee Bucks, seem stuck in their valley, infrequently bouncing up against the No. 8 seed in the playoffs before they return to their doldrums. For many playoff teams, their time at the top of their conference has been a perpetual state of unrest....

So it was last week, when Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, responding to grim financial news, dumped his hands-off banking regulator and handed the brief to the most ardent reformist in his cabinet, Economics Minister Heizo Takenaka. Theoretically, the dual roles make Takenaka Japan’s first “economic czar,” with enough power to push through major reform. In practice, Takenaka has just six months to fix Japan’s financial system or risk losing his post when crisis talk erupts anew next March....

The Virginia project will test how far the company has come. With the vote to approve funding set in the Virginia Legislature for March. the opposition. financed by wealthy landowners. claims that the theme park will distort history, ruin the bucolic surroundings and leave taxpayers loaded with debt. But the problems in Europe have taught the company about building theme parks in a weak economy. This time the company will not hype projections or negotiate deals that don’t insulate it completely from risk....

Justin Lin, best known for several entries in the “Fast and the Furious” series, will direct the movie, and Andrew Dodge will write, according to sources cited by The Hollywood Reporter. MORE: The worst sports movies ever James, as we all know, was one of the best parts of “Trainwreck,” and we’re sold on anything involving the words “fast” and “furious.” Dodge actually might be the most interesting name here; his main credit right now is “Bad Words,” a funny, small, pretty vulgar movie starring Jason Bateman as an adult spelling-bee participant....

James spoke about the moment on an episode Saturday of his HBO show “The Shop.” “It was just weird for (Johnson) to just be like . . . ‘Nah, I’m out of here,’ ” James said, via the Washington Post. “And not even have (a heads-up) like: ‘Hey, Bron . . . kiss my a—. I’m out of here.’ I would have been okay with that. Like: ‘Hey, Bron, it’s Magic....

The NBA star, who is also one of the faces of the Black Lives Matter movement in the league, tweeted a photo of Nicholas Reardon, who was identified by authorities as the Columbus, Ohio, police officer who shot Bryant on Tuesday. James captioned it with “YOU’RE NEXT ⏳ #ACCOUNTABILITY,” a message that implied Reardon would be the next police officer to face repercussions similar to that of George Floyd’s convicted killer, former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin....

Comments by the 38-year-old NBA legend after the Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings on Saturday for their fifth straight victory seem to have overshadowed the winning streak. With the February 9 trade deadline on the horizon, James seemingly called out Lakers general manager/VP of Operations Rob Pelinka and the front office on their ambitions to make changes to the roster and have a shot at making the Lakers into contenders....

A blockbuster all-Los Angeles Western Conference finals was quashed by the rallying Nuggets, who overturned a 3-1 series deficit against the second-seeded Clippers to set up a clash with the Lakers. Asked about not playing Kawhi Leonard’s Clippers for a place in the NBA Finals, three-time champion James told reporters Thursday: “I don’t have a comment about it, really. “I was just sitting back and watching [Clippers-Nuggets Game 7] from a fan’s perspective, seeing big shots be made, big plays being made, missed shots, things of that nature....

To the surprise of some, LeBron James, who could win three straight MVPs, is not so invested in the race that has occupied others. MORE: NBA Midseason Awards: KD is the MVP | Draftstreet: Play fantasy basketball James is still having a solid season, to say the least, with averages of 26.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists. The Miami Heat have had a mediocre January, even though James is still performing to his lofty standards....

Reporters captured James on the floor of the Los Angeles Lakers’ locker room Facetiming his mother, Gloria, after winning the 2020 NBA Finals. James helped capture the Lakers’ 17th NBA title and his own fourth ring with a Game 6 triple-double of 28 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists. “Everything that you have been through, everything that I’ve seen, it’s nothing that can stop me,” James can be heard telling his mother....