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Pro days took on added significance this year with the NFL canceling the annual scouting combine in Indianapolis and prohibiting teams from inviting prospects to their facilities. There were 103 college pro days across the country that replaced the centralized combine. That made it difficult to compare 40-yard dash times and other measurements. COVID-19 restrictions also limited the number of people who could attend pro days. So it was a lonely endeavor for some athletes who normally would have had teammates and even friends and family cheering them on as they showed off. their skills for NFL scouts. 

President Joe Biden this past week found himself in search of a foreign policy sweet spot: somewhere between pulling a screeching U-turn on four years of Trumpism and cautiously approaching the world as it is. In recent days, Biden has piled new sanctions on Russia, announced he would withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan in less than five months and backed away from a campaign promise to sharply raise refugee admission caps. Along the way, Biden is finding that when it comes to the painstaking process of statecraft, the drag of pragmatism can slow the sprint toward big-picture aspirations.

U.S. water officials are projecting the man-made lakes that store water used throughout the American West will fall to historically low levels and trigger an official shortage declaration for the first time. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation released projections this week forecasting that less Colorado River water will fill Lake Powell and Lake Mead, which would force cuts to Arizona and Nevada. By November 2022, the agency projects Lake Mead could drop to levels that could threaten the ability to generate electricity at Hoover Dam. The April projections don't have binding impact because federal officials use the forecast released each August to make decisions about how to allocate river water. 

Arkansas' law banning gender confirming treatments for transgender minors hasn't taken effect yet, but it's already causing pain and uncertainty for hundreds of youth who are currently receiving the care. Families are weighing their options over the first-in-the-nation law. Some may move out of state. It's offering a preview of what could happen if other states considering similar bans follow Arkansas' lead. The uncertainty is compounded by a succession of new restrictions on transgender youth that have been enacted or are still on the table in the state.

Democrats are escalating their charges that the Republican push for tighter state voting laws is designed to make it hard for people of color to vote. As the fight moves from the Deep South to the Southwest, that’s put increased focus on the impact the proposals would have on Latino and Native American voters. The Republican efforts come in reaction to Donald Trump’s false insistence that he was denied reelection because of voter fraud. The battle over voting rights has shifted from Georgia, where Democrats say a new voting law is discriminatory, to Texas and Arizona. Democrats accuse Republicans of having an anti-Latino bias in states with a history of restricting Hispanic voting. 

The Miami Heat are losing, and their highest-paid player isn’t happy. Jimmy Butler labeled the reigning Eastern Conference champions as “soft” after a loss in Minnesota on Friday night, Miami’s third straight defeat and one that dropped the Heat to 28-28 with 16 games left in the regular season. It was Miami’s 10th loss in its last 16 games. Says Butler: “It’s not frustrating because we do it so often. It’s almost like it’s expected.”

Hard-right House Republicans are discussing forming an America First Caucus. One document obtained by The Associated Press describes its goals as championing “uniquely Anglo-Saxon political traditions.” It also warns that mass immigration is putting the “unique identity” of the U.S. at risk. The caucus document was first reported by Punchbowl News, a news outlet that covers Capitol Hill. The AP could not independently confirm the organization’s origins or current status, but Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz said he was joining and indicated that Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was behind it. 

A judge in Sicily has ordered former Interior Minister Matteo Salvini to stand trial for having refused to let a Spanish migrant rescue ship dock in an Italian port. Salvini is accused of kidnapping for having kept the migrants at sea off the coast of Lampedusa for days in August 2019. The judge set the trial date for Sept. 15. Salvini, who is the leader of the right-wing League party, was on hand for the preliminary hearing Saturday in the bunker courtroom of the Palermo tribunal. He tweeted that he was certain he did the right thing under Italian law, “defending the security and dignity of Italy” by refusing entry to the Open Arms rescue ship. 

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe has begun releasing about 3,000 prisoners under a presidential amnesty aimed at easing congestion to reduce the threat of COVID-19 in the country’s overcrowded jails. About 400 prisoners were released from Chikurubi prison and other…

The sprawling, monthslong hacking campaign came to be known as SolarWinds for the company whose software update Russian intelligence agents stealthily seeded with malware to penetrate  government and private networks. Yet it was Microsoft whose code the cyber spies persistently abused in the campaign’s second stage as they rifled through emails and vital files of high-value targets and hopped undetected among victim networks. And that has put the world's third-most valuable company in the hot seat. Lawmakers are insisting that Microsoft swiftly upgrade security to what they believe it should have provided in the first place, and do it without fleecing taxpayers. 

Police in Portland, Oregon, declared a riot on Friday night after authorities said protesters smashed windows and burglarized businesses. Demonstrations had started earlier in the day in a park after police fatally shot a man while responding to reports of a person with a gun. Deputy Portland Police Chief Chris Davis earlier Friday said that police shot and killed a white man in his 30s. The man killed was not identified, but a witness said he appeared to be experiencing a mental health crisis. Authorities say the investigation into the shooting was hampered by a crowd that gathered at the scene and pulled down police tape designed to keep people away. 

Jacob deGrom and the Mets hope to finally play some baseball. New York had four games in six days either postponed or suspended due to weather, including a snow out Friday night for the opener of their series at Colorado. The club has had seven postponements, including all three games of its opening series against Washington, which was called off due to the Nationals’ COVID-19 outbreak. Saturday’s forecast in Denver looks chilly but clear for a doubleheader. Also, the Cubs are growing frustrated as they lead the majors in hit by pitches for a second straight year.

Corey Seager hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer on Tim Hill’s first pitch of the 12th inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 11-6 in a tense, entertaining first matchup this season between NL West rivals who have visions of deep playoff runs. The teams met for the first time since the Dodgers swept the Padres in their Division Series last year en route to winning the World Series. Seager homered to center, his second, with Mookie Betts on second base after making the last out of the 11th. The Dodgers added three more runs in the inning. 

Jacob deGrom and the Mets hope to finally play some baseball. New York had four games in six days either postponed or suspended due to weather, including a snow out Friday night for the opener of their series at Colorado. The club has had seven postponements, including all three games of its opening series against Washington, which was called off due to the Nationals’ COVID-19 outbreak. Saturday’s forecast in Denver looks chilly but clear for a doubleheader. Also, the Cubs are growing frustrated as they lead the majors in hit by pitches for a second straight year.

BEIJING (AP) — China's Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng spoke with The Associated Press on a range of issues from U.S.-China relations to human rights. Below are highlights from Friday's interview: US-CHINA RELATIONS Le took on President Joe Biden's strategy…

A grim video of a Chicago police officer fatally shooting a 13-year-old boy puts a spotlight on the policies that govern foot chases. The video shows a 19-second chase that ended with the officer firing one bullet into the chest of Adam Toledo. It demonstrates the dangers of such pursuits and raises questions of what, if anything, can be done to prevent such deadly encounters. The Chicago Police Department does not have a formal foot pursuit policy but says it is drafting one. Mayor Lori Lightfoot demand a policy that would protect officers, suspects and bystanders.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A group of nervous fish sellers got very close to La Soufrière, the volcano on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent, on the morning of May 7, 1902. “The top of the mountain was covered in…