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Nats finally play, beat Braves 6-5 on Soto's walk-off in 9th

Juan Soto drove in the winning run with a single on a 3-0 pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the coronavirus-depleted Washington Nationals to a 6-5 comeback victory over the Atlanta Braves after waiting five days to start their season. Lefty reliever Will Smith entered for the ninth and promptly gave up a single to new leadoff hitter Victor Robles, then hit Trea Turner with a pitch. That brought up Soto, the 2020 NL batting champion who went into this pivotal at-bat 0 for 4 on Tuesday. But Soto delivered a line drive to center field. Atlanta is 0-4.

eBay auction of Japanese internment art pulled after protest

The auction of a series of sketches purportedly drawn by an artist at the Japanese internment camp at Manzanar has been canceled after groups protested it was offensive and immoral to profit off the misery of incarcerated people. The auction was halted Tuesday by eBay hours before it was to conclude after company executives met with Japanese American groups who called the sale “hurtful, and a degrading reminder of the mass roundup and incarceration.” The auction site said the sale violated a policy prohibiting the sale of items from government or protected lands. The seller claimed they did nothing wrong.

Facebook removes accounts tied to Iranian exile group

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Facebook said Tuesday it has removed hundreds of fake accounts linked to an Iranian exile group and a troll farm in Albania. The accounts posted content critical of Iran's government and supportive of Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, a dissident…

Not quite 'Your 2021 Washington Nationals!' finally playing

The Washington Nationals finally got their season started five days later than they were supposed to after a delay because of a coronavirus outbreak. Four players tested positive for COVID-19 and seven others were told to quarantine after contact tracing deemed they potentially were exposed to the illness. Washington hosted the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday and won 6-5 on Juan Soto's tiebreaking RBI single in the ninth. The 2019 World Series champion's season-opening series against the New York Mets was scrapped, as was the series-opening game Monday against the Braves. That one will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Wednesday.

Attorney Lin Wood: Blasting South Carolina's top Republicans

The pro-Trump attorney seeking to lead the GOP in South Carolina is taking on two of the state’s most notable Republicans and has questioned the level of loyalty of the state GOP chairman for former President Donald Trump. Attorney Lin Wood told a crowd in Greenville Tuesday that the party doesn’t belong to Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham. He also challenged the Republican credentials of former Gov. Nikki Haley, an ex-U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under Trump. Wood has mounted a campaign to challenge Drew McKissick as chairman of South Carolina’s Republican Party. McKissick is finishing up his second term in the post. 

Padres say Tatis should be able to avoid shoulder surgery

The San Diego Padres say shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. should be able to avoid surgery on his left shoulder. Tatis slightly dislocated it taking a hard swing on Monday. An MRI on Tuesday showed a slight labral tear and the Padres put the electrifying 22-year-old on the 10-day injured list. General manager A.J. Preller said the club wasn’t ruling out anything, including Tatis’ possible return when he’s eligible. Tatis signed a 14-year, $340 million contract on Feb. 22, the longest deal in big league history.

Red Sox unveil blue-and-yellow uniforms before Patriots' Day

The Boston Red Sox will have a new look on Patriots’ Day weekend. They’ll honor the Boston Marathon and the city by wearing blue-and-yellow uniforms, the colors that stretch across the finish line of the famous race. They’ll be the first of seven major league teams to wear new uniforms to honor the city they represent. The Red Sox will wear them April 17 and 18 when they play the Chicago White Sox at Fenway Park. The Red Sox unveiled the new look Tuesday on their Twitter site. 

Tanzania's new president changes policy on COVID-19, media

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Tanzania's new president appears to be taking a new, scientific approach to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. President Samia Suluhu Hassan said Tuesday she will form a technical committee to advise her about the scope of COVID-19…

Toronto schools shutdown amid third wave of infections

TORONTO (AP) — Schools in Canada’s largest city will shut down Wednesday and move to online learning because of a third surge of coronavirus infections fueled by more-contagious virus variants. Toronto Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa said…

Toddler, 7 adults wounded in latest Chicago shootings

Police say a 21-month-old boy is in critical condition after being shot in the head while riding in a car along Chicago's famed Lake Shore Drive. The 11 a.m. shooting happened about 12 hours after seven people involved in a fight on a sidewalk on the city's South Side were shot and wounded. Nobody is in custody in either shooting, although police say they are questioning a person of interest in the shooting involving the infant. The shootings marked the latest bursts of violence in what is shaping up to be one of Chicago's most violent years in memory. Police have reported 131 homicides in the city and more than 700 shooting victims by the end of March.

AP FACT CHECK: Biden's job inflation on infrastructure

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and his team have offered a vastly inflated projection of how many jobs his infrastructure plan would create, an account his press secretary corrected Tuesday. Biden has also drifted beyond the facts when dismissing…

Marines open another probe into sunken tank blamed on errors

The Marine Corps is launching a probe looking at the readiness of its troops before they participated in an exercise that ended in tragedy with the sinking of an amphibious assault vehicle off the Southern California coast that killed eight Marines and one sailor. The announcement Tuesday comes more than a week after the maritime branch released its findings that the accident was caused by inadequate training, shabby maintenance and poor judgment by leaders. Marine Corps leaders said the training accident that was one of the deadliest for the Marines in recent years could have been prevented.

Study: Drought-breaking rains more rare, erratic in US West

Rainstorms grew more erratic and droughts much longer across most of the U.S. West over the past half-century as climate change warmed the planet. That's the conclusion of a sweeping government study released Tuesday that finds the situation for the region is worsening. The most dramatic changes have been seen in the desert Southwest, where the average dry period between storms increased from 30 days to 45 days since the 1970s. The consequences of intense dry periods pummeling areas of the West in recent years have been severe: more intense and dangerous wildfires, parched croplands and not enough vegetation on the landscape to support livestock and wildlife.

Lawmakers call YouTube Kids a 'wasteland of vapid' content

A House subcommittee is investigating YouTube Kids. The panel says the Google-owned video service feeds children inappropriate material in “a wasteland of vapid, consumerist content” so it can serve them ads. In a letter sent Tuesday to YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, the House Oversight and Reform subcommittee on economic and consumer policy says YouTube isn't doing enough to protect kids from material that could harm them. It says YouTube relies on artificial intelligence and creators’ self-regulation to decide what videos make it on to the platform. 

Johnson, McIlroy seeking exclusive company at the Masters

Rory McIlroy visited Tiger Woods recently and got a look at Woods' trophy case. He was astounded that it had only 15 trophies, all of them from the majors. The hardware from Woods' dozens of other wins from around the world was absent. It was clear Woods only cared about four weeks out of the year. Only one week matters to McIlroy at the moment. He needs to win the Masters this week to become only the sixth player to complete the career Grand Slam. Defending champion Dustin Johnson is trying to join his own elite group. Only three other players have won the Masters in consecutive years.

California plans for broad pandemic reopening in mid-June

Gov. Gavin Newsom is setting a hopeful date for things to start getting back to a pre-pandemic normal in California. He says the nation's most populated state will lift most coronavirus restrictions on businesses and workplaces June 15 as long as enough people continue to be vaccinated and hospitalization rates stay low. Officials said Tuesday that they hope enough people will be vaccinated by mid-June to allow for many activities to resume. The Democratic governor says a statewide mask mandate will stay in place, while states nationwide have lifted those and other health restrictions. California has had some of the nation’s strictest pandemic rules.

MLB moves All-Star Game to Denver's Coors Field

The All-Star Game will be played at hitter-friendly Coors Field this year. Major League Baseball officially announced the new venue Tuesday after pulling the Midsummer Classic from Atlanta over objections to sweeping changes to Georgia’s voting laws. Coors Field last hosted the All-Star Game in 1998. MLB decided to move the July 13 game from Atlanta in response to Georgia voting rules that Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law March 25. Critics have condemned the changes as being too restrictive. Colorado has a Democratic governor in Jared Polis and a Democratic-controlled legislature.

Arkansas lawmakers enact transgender youth treatment ban

Arkansas lawmakers have made the state the first to ban gender confirming treatments and surgery for transgender youth, enacting the prohibition over the governor’s objections. The majority-Republican Legislature on Tuesday voted to override Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s veto. The measure prohibits doctors from providing gender confirming hormone treatment, puberty blockers or surgery to anyone under 18 years old, or from referring them to other providers for the treatment. Opponents have vowed to sue to block the measure before it takes effect this summer. The ban is opposed by several medical and child welfare groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics.

About 17 million view Baylor's championship win over Gonzaga

Even an NCAA championship matchup between the two widely acknowledged as the best men's college basketball teams in the country couldn't set the television world afire. Monday's game reached an audience of 16.92 million. That's down nearly 14 percent from the 2019 championship between Virginia and Texas Tech. The 2020 NCAA basketball tourney was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Considering the way most television ratings are sinking, the basketball championship wasn't half bad: Viewership for this winter's NCAA football championship game was down 27 percent. This year's thrilling semifinal between Gonzaga and UCLA reached nearly 15 million people.

Evacuation order lifted at Florida leaky phosphate reservoir

A mandatory evacuation order near a leaking Florida wastewater reservoir that affected more than 300 homes and additional businesses has been lifted. Officials said with Tuesday's announcement that the situation is under control. More than two dozen pumps have been deployed, along with other equipment. That has eased fears that the reservoir from an old phospate fertilizer plant would burst through its earthen walls and cause widespread flooding in Manatee County, just south of Tampa. The reservoir initially held about 480 million gallons of contaminated water. But much of it has been drained away once the leak was discovered. Florida lawmakers are considering spending $200 million on a permanent cleanup.

EXPLAINER: Senate eyes budget rule to push past filibuster

WASHINGTON (AP) — With the Senate split 50-50, leaders of the Democratic majority are looking for ways to advance their priorities and President Joe Biden's agenda around the typical 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a filibuster by opponents. This week,…

Woman alleges she was terrorized by assault from Texans QB

The first woman to accuse Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual assault and harassment in a lawsuit has spoken publicly, alleging she was terrorized by her encounter with the NFL player and he needs to be held accountable for his actions. Ashley Solis said during a news conference Tuesday that she was assaulted when she tried to give Watson a massage in March 2020. The Associated Press usually does not name victims of sexual assault, but Solis has chosen to publicly identify herself.  Solis says she's seeking justice for herself and other victims. Watson has been accused of sexual assault or harassment in lawsuits filed by 22 women.  Watson's attorney has called the allegations “meritless.” 

DeChambeau probing for formula that adds up to green jacket

Bryson DeChambeau let his bravado get the best of him the last time he was at Augusta National. He lost a ball, barely made the cut and finished a whopping 18 strokes behind Masters champion Dustin Johnson. As with all things DeChambeau, he chalks it up as merely another valuable learning experience in the constant quest for perfection. DeChambeau knows a 400-yard drive won't do him much good if he winds up in a spot on those notorious Augusta greens where birdie is out of the question. But that doesn't mean he has any intention of backing off.

Guards stayed at Baylor, paving way for Drew's dream title

Scott Drew uttered the far-fetched idea of Baylor being national champion when he was introduced as coach nearly 18 years ago. It was oh-so-reachable when guards Jared Butler, MaCio Teague and Davion Mitchell started playing together with the Bears. They all stayed another season and capped it off with the Bears' first national title. None of them are expected to remain next season. But Baylor should return half of its primary eight-man rotation of regulars. The program also has some standout freshman guards and its highest-ranked recruiting class ever.