If the band of showers stretching from the Midwest to New England dampens voter turnout today, we’ll know what to blame. Cars. Factories, too. Meteorologists have long known that particles “seed” rainclouds, a process in which water and ice in the clouds grab hold of the particles, forming additional (and larger) droplets that are more likely to fall as rain. That led to the suggestion that particulate pollution emitted by traffic, businesses and factories, all of which are greater during the workweek than on the weekend (traffic to malls notwithstanding), should make for greater rainfall Monday through Friday....

This year, Labor Day falls on September 2 and whether you can buy alcohol on that day will depend on where you live. This is because the rules about where and how you can purchase alcohol are complicated and differ from state to state. As a general rule, where the sale and distribution of liquor is state-controlled, only private liquor stores will have the option to be open. To complicate matters, as opposed to chain stores, most liquor stores are privately run, meaning the owners can close for the holiday if they want to, Metro reported....

Labor Day, per the U.S. Department of Labor, celebrates the year-round efforts of American workers who diligently contribute to U.S. society and the economy. According to the Department of Labor, Labor Day is a “national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.” This year’s Labor Day, on Monday, September 2, marks the 125th celebration of the federal holiday. The history of the annual tradition dates back to 1894, when U....

Smith practiced this week despite not feeling 100 percent, and Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder said Smith “took a shot to his abdomen and has a lacerated spleen ,” according to multiple reports. Burkholder says the injury will heal on its own, but it’s not OK to play though this week. MORE: Playoff seeding scenarios | Week 17 picks | Power Rankings The injury occurred on a missed deep ball to receiver Albert Wilson , according to the Kansas City Star, when Smith took a big hit....

El Trafico’s first four installments last season saw the Galaxy stay unbeaten, courtesy of two wins and two draws, but that run could come to an end on Sunday. Top of the table in the Western Conference by 19 points, such has been LAFC’s dominance so far this season that it could secure both the conference title and the Supporters’ Shield before Labor Day. Carlos Vela took his personal tally to 26 goals for the season on Wednesday night, scoring a brace in the 4-0 trouncing of San Jose Earthquakes, which included a stunning solo goal....

Robben and Ribery’s contracts are due to expire at the end of the season and Bayern has yet to open talks with the duo over a renewal, fueling speculation they could be on the move come June 2017. Lahm, however, wants the experienced attackers to stay put and hopes Bayern will hold on to the duo for at least one more season. “I would definitely welcome it if both Robben and Ribery would stay put for another year,” Lahm told Sport1....

The injury-depleted Lakers announced their latest setback Wednesday. Farmar missed 3½ weeks after tearing his left hamstring Dec. 1. He got hurt again during the Lakers' home loss to NBA-worst Milwaukee on Tuesday night. An ultrasound test revealed Farmar tore his hamstring again, but in a different location. The Lakers are without Kobe Bryant, Xavier Henry and three point guards: Steve Nash, Steve Blake and Farmar. Bryant and Henry filled in as the Lakers' point guard while Nash, Blake and Farmar were out in recent weeks....

And … now comes the tricky part. ANTHONY DAVIS TRADE GRADES: Lakers begin title chase; Pelicans exploit LA’s desperation You might have heard the Lakers still need to add players — many players — in 2019 NBA free agency. You also might have heard that the Lakers’ salary-cap space for NBA free agency will be impacted based on the timing of the official completion of the Davis trade. But you might not understand why....

It should come as no surprise that the recent terrorist attack in Paris was searched more than 897 million times. The new “Star Wars” film? It was searched more than 155 million times. MORE: Best sports photos of 2015 | 2015’s best uniforms But the most trending term on Google in 2015 was Lamar Odom, who had a serious health episode at a Las Vegas brothel in October. Odom’s marriage to social media and reality television personality Khloe Kardashian aided in his name being the most searched term....

GOAL: It’s always interesting to me when professional athletes retire because they’re usually at an age when most people are just getting going in their career. You’re 33 and retired, so what’s retirement like for you? What’s an average day like? MORE: Classic photos of Landon Donovan | U.S. Soccer putting heat on Klinsmann LANDON DONOVAN: (During my career) it used to be very regimented and I would know exactly where I was going, when I was going, what I was doing, what I was wearing and now it changes from day to day quite a bit....

Kiffin, in his second season as offensive coordinator in Tuscaloosa, interviewed for Maryland’s vacant head coaching position earlier this week, according to 247 Sports. MORE: Fired, resigned, retired FBS coaches: A record number for 2015? | Mizzou’s Pinkel to retire for health reasons “Per a reliable source in Tuscaloosa, ‘the situation has run its course’ and Kiffin seems unlikely to return next year,” 247 Sports Maryland reporter Jeff Ermann wrote....

McDonald replaces the late Pat Quinn, the Hall announced. MORE: Long-time players without Stanley Cup in Eastern Conference | Bretheren in Western Conference McDonald, 62, remains a charismatic figure in hockey, remembered for his bushy whisk-broom ‘stache as well as his unquestioned ability on the ice. The Hall couldn’t ask for a better representative of the game to head its board. McDonald takes his leadership position in on July 1....

Last Wednesday, James tweeted a photo of officer Nicholas Reardon, the police who fatally shot Ma’Khia Bryant, a 16-year-old Black girl, and captioned it, “YOU’RE NEXT #ACCOUNTABILITY.” James concluded the post with an hourglass emoji. In a Sunday Facebook post, Joseph penned an open letter to James criticizing the NBA player for allegedly “putting a target on the back” of the cop who shot Bryant. Joseph told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Tuesday night that LeBron hasn’t responded to his letter....

“Literally hundreds of Los Angeles police will be out there, both in uniform and undercover,” LAPD Commander Andrew Smith said, via the New York Daily News. “We have them dressed in undercover gear so they look just like a fan of one or another team’s, so people will never know whether the person standing next to them with a Mets jersey is an LAPD officer or not.” MORE: Greinke, deGrom set for historic matchup | Best photos from NLDS...

The 23-year-old centre-back has been a regular for the Basque side this term, playing 19 times in La Liga. But coach Jose Angel Ziganda has left him out of his squad of 18 players for the Eibar clash, having previously confirmed the Frenchman was available for selection. City have been strongly linked with Laporte in recent days and are said to be willing to pay his €65 million release clause....

Most trials are not held under the klieg lights of celebrity. And federal reprosecutions of failed state efforts are nearly as rare as snow in South-Central Los Angeles. For those reasons alone, the case in L.A. tells us nothing about the overall state of American justice, or what typically befalls brutal inner-city cops. Yet from the moment Rodney King’s prone and pummeled image materialized in living rooms across America, he became invested with huge symbolic weight....

The number of air travel passengers reported over the last week is significantly lower than the number reported a year ago, however, as health officials across the U.S. continued to warn Americans to avoid travel and other activities that could lead to further spread of the novel coronavirus. Despite the warnings, the TSA pointed Newsweek to records that show 1,070,967 individuals passed through agency checkpoints at airports across the U....

National Nurses United President Jean Ross decried the CDC’s updated guidance as “dangerous” and “disappointingly not in the best interest of public health” during a Wednesday news conference. “We understand everyone’s desire to get back to normal. Trust us—we nurses would like nothing better,” Ross said. “But we are a profession based upon science, and the science shows this is exactly the wrong time to be relaxing our multi-pronged approach to infection control, that studies show actually work to control the virus....

One of the greatest small forwards ever to lace up up a pair of high tops, the Hall-of-Famer did it all, averaging 24.3 points, 10 rebounds and 6.3 assists every time he stepped foot on the hardwood. The Hick from French Lick was also the king of coming slick, famous for telling his opponents how nice he was before, during and after he put in work against them. Wednesday, his 60th birthday, Complex highlighted the three-time champion and league MVP’s gift of gab, citing “The 15 Coldest Larry Bird Trash-Talking Moments”....

“I was so excited to walk in the dressing room, and more excited seeing the staff and seeing the kids,” Brown, 75, told reporters (via the Dallas Morning News), whose 10-0 team led throughout. “I told [the players] our goal is to get better in practice and to get better in every game, to represent our conference and school.” MORE: See Brown’s tumultuous coaching career Brown — greeted by a knot of SMU fans chanting “Lar-ry!...