At 2:25 a.m. CDT, NWS warned that severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from three miles north of Oketo to six miles east of Blue Rapids to three miles south of Randolph, moving east at 50 mph. It is expected that these storms will cause damage to roofs, siding and trees. The thunderstorm watch is in effect until 5:00 a.m. CDT, affecting counties Johnson, Nemaha, Otoe, Pawnee, Richardson, Gage, Jefferson, Lancaster, Saline and Seward, in southeast Nebraska....

White House press secretary Jen Psaki called communism in Cuba a “failed ideology” that was responsible for the lack of access to economic opportunity, medical supplies and COVID-19 vaccines in the country. “Communism is a failed ideology,” she said. “It has failed the people of Cuba. They deserve freedom, they deserve a government that supports them.” She said the administration is looking for ways to support the Cuban people without padding “the pocket of the corrupt authoritarian regime....

The severe weather, including tornadoes, began in parts of Texas and northern Louisiana before traveling to Mississippi and other areas eastward. According to The Clarion-Ledger, at least 13 radar-confirmed tornadoes touched down in Louisiana and Mississippi while two other tornadoes were spotted in Texas a few hours earlier. There were no deaths reported in Louisiana, but the tornadoes caused damage to a number of homes as well as planes and hangers at the Monroe Regional Airport....

During a news conference Tuesday, Womble called the incident “tragic” but said that the officers were justified in their actions. “I find that the facts of this case clearly illustrate the officers who used deadly force on Andrew Brown Jr. did so reasonably and only when a violent felon used a deadly weapon to put their lives in danger,” Womble said. Womble said that he found that “Brown’s actions and conduct were indeed dangerous by the time of the shooting” because Brown posed an immediate threat to the safety of the officers and others....

Latino groups in the state and across the country are trying to change that. With the election of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, her Senate seat will be vacated, which allows California Governor Gavin Newsom to appoint her successor. Organizations involved in a public effort to influence Newsom’s decision told Newsweek it is time for a Latino to represent the state. “Never in the 170-year history of California has there been a Latino or Latina representing the state in the U....

Democrats who spoke with Newsweek said the process under the leadership of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is rife with hypocrisy, after Republicans denied Barack Obama’s pick Merrick Garland in an election year. And they said Lagoa is more acceptable to them than Barrett, acknowledging her representation as a Cuban-American matters to them. “I definitely think the president should wait until after the election, but it won’t happen because there’s power politics and hypocrisy at play,” Domingo Garcia, the president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, told Newsweek....

Her comments came as the Supreme Court Justice began hearing oral arguments in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. This case deals with the state of Mississippi’s near-total ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Mississippi has asked the court to overturn Roe. While speaking to Texas Senator Ted Cruz on Wednesday, Ingraham said the Supreme Court Justice must “do the right thing here, the constitutional thing” and overturn Roe v....

“Two Words: Let’s Go Brandon!” Boebert wrote, using a phrase that is popular among conservatives as a stand-in for swearing at the president. Her tweet has so far amassed about 19,000 retweets, but more than 34,000 replies. Many responded by mocking Boebert for going on to use three words after stating she had just two. “BREAKING: Lauren Boebert just completely humiliated herself, tweeting ‘Two Words: Let’s Go Brandon,’” tweeted Jon Cooper, the former National Finance Chair of Draft Biden 2016....

Limbaugh, an unflinchingly conservative radio host and icon, died Wednesday at the age of 70 after a battle with lung cancer. “I’m calling on Joe Biden to order flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of Rush Limbaugh,” Boebert tweeted on Friday. But her call was met with opposition. News of Limbaugh’s death dealt a heavy blow to conservatives who viewed him as a fearless truth-teller who wasn’t afraid to fall on the wrong side of political correctness in his pursuit of standing against the tyranny of the elite, the idiocies of big government and the out-of-touch left-wing academics and journalists....

The Republican congresswoman, who was elected to represent Colorado during November’s general election, began her first term in the U.S. House earlier this month. Alongside other elected officials who publicized baseless voter fraud claims ahead of the January 6 attack, Boebert is now facing widespread criticism over the ways in which her actions precipitated the siege. Boebert’s tweet history illuminates a pattern of inflammatory rhetoric. The congresswoman’s deleted tweets, of which there are hundreds dating back roughly six months, primarily consist of posts advocating for Second Amendment preservation—a pillar of Boebert’s campaign and political platform—and backing Donald Trump’s discredited claims related to election fraud....

When ESPN noted that Markkanen had made 100 3-pointers faster than Stephen Curry, Ray Allen, Dirk Nowitzki, Reggie Miller and Michael Jordan, Trail Blazers fans were quick to point out that Damian Lillard was a glaring omission from their graphic. Not only because Lillard beat out the same group of players when he reached the mark in his rookie season — it took Lillard 44 games to make 100 3-pointers compared to 58 games for Curry and 76 games for Allen — but because it was Lillard’s record Markkanen had just broken....

Kanter’s likely confirmation signals a larger shift. For the first time in decades, U.S. antitrust law is getting a second look. The results can be seen across all three branches of government—in bipartisan congressional action, a monumental executive order and blockbuster court rulings. The bottom line: Big Business and Big Tech are not above the law, and collusion is not a business model. The current policy climate favors consumers, small businesses, start ups and workers, who are all inching towards fairer marketplace conditions....

The former Giants linebacker defended Hardy and suggested the Cowboys did the right thing by providing him with the opportunity to return to the field, despite the defensive end being accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend. MORE: Jerry Jones’ history of enabling | Why Hardy should stay on the field “I like that. I think they needed to give him another chance because it’s not clear what happened,” Taylor told the New York Daily News....

Katherine Henry, who is also hoping to get elected as a Georgetown Township trustee, said she is “absolutely” proud to have appeared at rallies earlier this year with brothers Michael and William Null. The pair are two of seven people linked to a militia group called the Wolverine Watchmen who are alleged to have conspired with six other men to kidnap Whitmer. Speaking to Fox 17, Henry said she met with the brothers several times, including anti-lockdown protests in Grand Rapids in May and in Lowell in June....

Ciro Immobile had looked to have booked the Italians’ last-four berth with a fine finish 10 minutes into the second half, putting them 5-2 ahead on aggregate. However, Munas Dabbur set up a stirring comeback by cancelling out that strike just two minutes later before Amadou Haidara, Hwang Hee-chan and Stefan Lainer all scored in the space of four minutes to complete a remarkable turnaround. And Lulic had no excuses in his post-match interview, declaring his side’s “inexplicable” inability to do anything right during that stretch of play....

Bell chose to sign with New York as a free agent in March because the Jets were the team that offered him the most in the form of a four-year contract worth $52.5 million with $35 million guaranteed. No other NFL team was willling to even play in the ballpark of that price. MORE: Bell already sending Jets troubling message Unfortunately, the man who gave Bell that deal, Mike Maccagnan, is no longer New York’s general manager, effective Wednesday....

The 22-year-old found the back of the net twice in the first half at Stade Pierre-Mauroy to help Christophe Galtier’s men escape the drop to Ligue 2. Coming into the game, Lille needed a win to retain their Ligue 1 status in a season afflicted with poor result, and it looked like they were destined for relegation when Dijon took a shock 11th-minute lead through Chan-Hoon Kwon. However, the young South African levelled matter seven minutes later thanks to an assist from Kevin Malcuit....

The comeback was nearly complete. And then, the collapse began. Boston responded with a run of its own to send the contest to overtime, ultimately gutting out a 122-118 win at Crypto.com Arena. Los Angeles’ late-game struggles continued what has been a troubling trend for Darvin Ham’s squad. Through the first third of the 2022-23 season, the Lakers rank dead last in offensive rating and net rating during clutch time, which occurs when the scoring margin is within five points in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime....

The answer is complicated. James is only chasing one person in his quest to be considered the greatest NBA player of all time. The fact that he is mentioned in the same breath as Jordan is already an incredible accomplishment, but James wants more. “My motivation is this ghost I’m chasing,” James told Sports Illustrated in 2016. “The ghost played in Chicago.” NBA PLAYOFFS 2018: Postseason odds for tight races in East, West...