Ingested Articles

Kathryn Nesbitt is a 32-year-old soccer referee from Philadelphia. She became a pioneer as FIFA appointed women to work on-field officials for men’s World Cup qualifiers. She served as an assistant referee when Canada opened with a 5-1 rout of Bermuda at Orlando. A former competitive figure skater and chemistry professor, she worked 18 MLS games last year and was voted the league’s assistant referee of the year. She can't point toward any instance of sexism aimed at her. She says: "I think I was treated the same way a new referee would be treated.”

California Latinos, who have borne the brunt of pandemic deaths and job losses in the state, are a critical voting bloc for Gov. Gavin Newsom as he fights to save his political career. The Democratic governor is likely to face a recall election later this year, giving voters the power to choose whether he should be removed from office. Latinos are the largest racial or ethnic group in California. With a special election looming, Latino advocates say their communities will be looking for engagement and a more robust policy response to address the effects of the pandemic. 

Republicans in the Arizona Legislature are reacting to last year’s wave of damage to Confederate monuments by civil rights protesters by trying to make it a felony to damage any public or private monument. Rep. John Kavanagh supported his proposal at a Senate committee hearing Thursday by saying public monuments are a statement by the community that demand more protection. Democrats call Kavanagh's an effort to criminalize protests against pro-slavery statues. The House passed Kavanagh's proposal on a party-line vote opposed by minority Democrats last month and it now awaits action in the GOP-controlled Senate. 

President Joe Biden says a Republican-sponsored overhaul of Georgia’s elections laws is an “atrocity.” In response, Georgia's governor accuses the president of trying to “destroy the sanctity and security of the ballot box.” Biden is urging Congress to move quickly to bolster voting rights across the U.S. in response to the Georgia law. Biden commented after Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law new restrictions on voting by mail and greater legislative control over how elections are run. Biden assailed provisions in the law to curtail voting hours and restrict absentee ballots in ways that will effectively deny the right to vote to many people.

The Buffalo Sabres are welcoming a limited number of fans to attend four more games this season. Tickets go on sale Monday for upcoming April games against the New York Rangers, Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins. Fans will be allowed in if they have proof of being fully vaccinated 14 days before the game, or proof of a negative PCR COVID-19 test within three days of the game. The Sabres added another option of proof of a negative antigen COVID-19 test within six hours of the doors opening. The Sabres have had fans only once this season. They honored front-line health care workers last week. 

The sweeping rewrite of Georgia’s election rules that was signed into law by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp represents the first big set of changes since former President Donald Trump’s repeated, baseless claims of fraud following his presidential loss to Joe Biden. Georgia has been at the center of that storm. Trump zeroed in on his loss in the state, even as two Democrats won election to the U.S. Senate in January, flipping control of the chamber to their party. Georgia’s new, 98-page law makes numerous changes to how elections will be administered, including a new photo ID requirement for voting absentee by mail.

PARIS (AP) — A commission that spent nearly two years plumbing France's role in 1994’s Rwandan genocide concluded Friday that the country reacted too slowly in appreciating the extent of the horror that left over 800,000 dead but cleared it…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris won’t be on the ground at the Southwest border anytime soon as she leads efforts to address a rise in migrants trying to enter the country. Harris has no plans to visit the…

No UFC heavyweight has made more title defenses or landed more punches than Stipe Miocic. He has knocked out nearly every significant opponent of his generation, leaving little doubt he’s the most accomplished heavyweight ever to step inside a mixed martial arts cage. And the champion is still a betting underdog Saturday night at UFC 260 against Francis Ngannou, an opponent he thoroughly dominated three years ago. Even with Miocic’s unmatched list of accomplishments, some bookies and fans apparently will never process the notion of a 38-year-old with a second full-time job beating the extraordinary athletes dotting the UFC heavyweight roster.

The San Francisco 49ers have made a big move to grab their quarterback of the future by trading up with Miami for the No. 3 pick in next month’s draft. The Niners are trading their No. 12 pick along with first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 and a third-rounder in 2022 to get the third pick. ESPN first reported the deal. The Dolphins then immediately traded the 12th pick, the 123rd pick and a 2022 first-rounder to Philadelphia for the No. 6 and No. 156 pick in the draft, the Eagles announced.

The Boston Red Sox have scratched Eduardo Rodriguez as their opening day starter because of a “dead arm” that pushed back his final spring tuneup. Nathan Eovaldi will face the Baltimore Orioles in the April 1 opener instead. Manager Alex Cora says Rodriguez missed a bullpen session on Wednesday, two days after lasting just two innings in a spring training start against Tampa Bay. He played catch Thursday and felt fine. Rodriguez was also supposed to start the 2020 opener before coming down with COVID-19 and related heart problems. Eovaldi started the opener in Rodriguez’s place last year will do so again next week.

UCLA and Southern California are in the regional semifinals of the same men's NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007 and the third time overall. The Bruins and Trojans are crosstown rivals but both have built tournament runs on similar traits, including strong coaching and great defense with local players leading the way. The Pac-12 Conference is assured of at least one team in the Elite Eight with USC facing Oregon in a West Region matchup Sunday night. UCLA also plays Sunday when it meets Alabama for a spot in the East Region final.

The commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard is becoming the House’s first African American sergeant-at-arms. Maj. Gen. William Walker will lead House security measures as Congress is still dealing with the aftermath of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and figuring out how to keep lawmakers safe. Walker was closely involved with the security that day as he sent troops to back up overwhelmed Capitol Police. He will replace Paul Irving, who resigned immediately after the insurrection. Walker’s appointment comes as the House is ramping up its investigations into the insurrection on Jan. 6.

Police in Cleveland say New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore has been arrested there on suspicion of possessing a weapon. A Cleveland police spokesperson says Lattimore was arrested Thursday night in Cleveland after authorities stopped a car he was riding in for traffic violations. Police say Lattimore had a loaded handgun that had been reported stolen in a Cleveland suburb. Lattimore is suspected of receiving stolen property and failing to inform an officer he was carrying a concealed weapon. An attorney for Lattimore says his client is cooperating and has called it a misunderstanding.

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — The toll of protesters confirmed killed in Myanmar since last month’s military takeover has reached 320, a group that verifies details of deaths and arrests announced Friday. Myanmar’s Assistance Association for Political Prisoners said its tally…