SpaceX conducted its first private flight into space last month, but a tube in the capsule came unglued and allowed urine to spill onto fans beneath the floor, according to William Gerstenmaier, a SpaceX vice president who previously worked for NASA. The same problem was detected in another Dragon capsule that has been at the International Space Station since April, he said. To prevent it from coming unglued like the first, SpaceX crews welded on the urine-flushing tube in the capsule slated to be launched Sunday....

In a police state, fearlessness may be the most revolutionary feeling of all. And it is being fueled, in Cuba, by an accelerating religious revival – evidence of a massive loss of faith in government. The trendiest piece of jewelry in Havana these days is a gold cross. Nearly every dance band has a few songs to the orishas, the traditionalAfrican deities of the country’s folk religion, Santeria, a combination of spirit worship and Roman Catholicism....

When you get LeBron watching live sports, you can count on getting live tweets to accompany them. While watching Game 3 of the first-round series between the Heat and Hawks, James first commented on the acumen of color analyst JJ Redick before making a bold proclamation for the rest of his career: “I can/will NOT miss the post season again for my career!” James tweeted. “This s– HURT. Ok back to watching these games....

The Cavaliers star posted a photo of Oakley to his Instagram on Wednesday night, after the bizarre incident. James captioned the post with: “Mood!! #Legend” MORE: Charles Oakley arrested after scuffle with security guards at Knicks game A photo posted by LeBron James (@kingjames) on Feb 8, 2017 at 8:23pm PST Oakley has denied any wrongdoing following his arrest. “I was there for four minutes,” Oakley said to the New York Daily News....

The Lakers star had said on Friday he would not take part in games without fans, something the NBA had reportedly advised teams was a distinct possibility. James clarified his remarks on Tuesday and claimed he was unaware the possibility of games being played in empty arenas was under actual consideration. MORE: Every U.S. sporting event altered by coronavirus “When I was asked the question, ‘would you play without any fans?...

While he entered uncharted waters on the minutes front, he also recently experienced something else that was new to him — time away from the court. James has missed eight games with back and knee injuries, a time he called “the most difficult thing I’ve been through,” according to Cleveland.com. MORE: What experts projected for Cavs | Blatt calls Love one of best in NBA James is expected to return Tuesday night against the Suns, which should end his tough time....

“Before competition for me would be like a chicken breast and maybe a little pasta. The carbs help because you’re going out and playing a lot of minutes,” James told Business Insider. “But a salad and some veggies will have me perfectly fine. And before the game I might have a protein shake and some fruit, and I’ll be ready to go. But as far as pies or pizza and sandwiches and french fries — I can’t....

James erupted in the Lakers’ road game against his former team, putting up season-highs in points (46), field goal percentage (73.1) and 3-point percentage (63.6) in a 115-108 win over the Cavs. He also pulled down eight rebounds and nabbed six assists, two blocks and two steals to help Los Angeles improve to 10-0 on the road this year. That’s not all: After missing the final shot of the third quarter, James had a brief back-and-forth with a member of the Cavs’ front office — whom he refused to name — helping fuel him to a 21-point fourth quarter....

I first found out about James’ short shorts through a post on Reddit that pointed out the Cavs star is wearing shorts that are noticeably smaller than the rest of the league. At first I dismissed it, but it turns out his shorts really are much shorter this season. MORE: LeBron swears he loves the sleeves he ripped off his jersey The Wall Street Journal ran a report Thursday and said, through research, his shorts are “approximately two inches shorter than they were last year....

Of course, LeBron is a free agent once again. James is reportedly set to meet with Pat Riley in Las Vegas amid reports his agent Rich Paul is pushing a return to Cleveland. (Somehow, he resisted Joel Embiid’s recruiting pitch.) One thing is almost certain: James, who has expressed regret over “The Decision” in 2010, probably won’t be making a televised sequel for this year’s choice. (We’re thinking more of a push alert from his app....

James appeared in his 260th postseason game, moving him into first place on the all-time list for playoff appearances, surpassing Derek Fisher. Of the 4,489 players to have participated in an NBA regular-season contest, 63% have not reached 260 games. The sixth showdown at Walt Disney World Resort is also James’ 55th NBA Finals clash – tying Jerry West for fourth in league history as Bill Russell (70) tops the list....

It’s happening again. MORE LeBRON:How Lakers can quickly change course Coinciding with the struggles of James and the Lakers through his first season in Los Angeles, the 34-year-old has fallen back and allowed the two primary 2018-19 NBA MVP candidates to tie him atop the “NBA 2K19” ratings. Both Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden stand at a rating of 96 Overall. James, who now also sits at 96 Overall after losing a point in the game’s latest roster update, began this NBA season in the top spot with an initial “NBA 2K19” rating of 98 Overall....

James wore a heat pad when he was on the sidelines Thursday and stretched out the back, which has given him trouble for the past couple weeks, according to ESPN.com. Even with his physical issues, James is averaging 25.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 8.0 assists through six games. James did not suggest he could miss any games, ESPN pointed out. He is expected to play against the Boston Celtics on Saturday....

Since the Warriors set the NBA single-season record for wins, Las Vegas oddsmakers have made Golden State 2-to-1 favorites to win the Finals. Being the “underdog” is familiar territory for James, who is entering his seventh NBA Finals and his fifth as the supposed underdog. MORE: SN’s NBA Finals predictions Turns out James doesn’t care much about the label. James said being called an “underdog” isn’t his concern, which makes sense, but it’s interesting given his stance a season ago....

“Everyone has their own choice to do what they feel is right for them and their family and things of that nature,” James said. “I know I was very skeptical about it all, but after doing my research and things of that nature I felt like it was best suited for not only me but for my family and my friends.” Some members of the media have called on the basketball superstar to endorse the vaccine in the hopes that it could help avoid outbreaks across the league....

The Cavaliers forward had a strong game offensively Monday night, scoring 33 points in a 100-96 win over the Pacers. But all anyone will be talking about is this play when James appeared to give up on defense after Paul George stole a pass intended for him, ran the half of the court and dunked it as James looked on, jogging. MORE: NBA League Pass Alert: Games to watch this week...

James said he always wanted to square off against Kobe Bryant on the league’s biggest stage. There are probably a couple million NBA fans who would have loved to see it as well. MORE: Classic photos of Kobe Bryant | Tiger Woods hates watching Kobe struggle “I didn’t hold up my end of the bargain in 2009 for the fans, for us, to meet in the Finals,” James said, via ESPN....

First-round co-leader Graeme McDowell faltered on Friday with a 1-over 73. Westwood, who is seeking to defend his title, maintained his consistency by carding a 67 to move to 11-under at the midway point. MORE: Seven pieces of advice for tumbling Tiger Woods | Leaderboards McDowell fell to eighth. Competition continues Saturday in Kuala Lumpur. “I played nicely again,” Westwood said. “It was pretty solid again and I probably only hit one poor shot all day, from the middle of the fairway on the fifth hole — I was going in with a five iron and blocked it right into the water....

The Championship club, currently 12th in the English second tier, will play matches against an MNL All-Star Team and the Myanmar national team, which is ranked 135th in the world, in May. The move is a bizarre one, given that there is serious unrest in the country at present, with the UK foreign office advising against “all but essential travel” due to violent conflict in the region. Myanmar has been involved in “ethnic cleansing” of Rohingya Muslims throughout the last year, with estimates from Doctors Without Borders putting the death toll in the first month alone at 6,700 people, per Al Jazeera ....

But despite the potential to be a slam-dunk with voters in a critical election year, comprehensive proposals to legalize marijuana on the federal level have yet to gain significant traction in Congress’ current term. Eighteen states have already legalized the recreational use of marijuana, a number of them through voter-initiated referendums, while many more allow medicinal cannabis, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Only three states have no state cannabis program....