Ford Motor and other companies are converting battery factories to produce industrial and utility-scale energy storage.
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As EV Market Stalls, Battery Makers Shift to Grids and Data Centers
2026 NCAA Tournament first, second round schedule: March Madness dates and tip times
Eight precious tickets remain for next week’s Sweet 16 as the NCAA Tournament enters the final day of its first weekend on Sunday. Fans won’t have to wait long for the excitement to ramp up with (7) Miami and (2) Purdue kicking things off (12:10 p.m ET CBS, March Madness Live)
The second game on the slate features is shrouded with injury intrigue as No. 2 seed Iowa State faces uncertainty around All-American big Joshua Jefferson ahead of its tilt with dangerous No. 7 seed Kentucky (2:45 p.m. ET, CBS, March Madness Live).
Later in the evening, No. 7 seed UCLA takes on No. 2 seed UConn (8:45 p.m. ET TNT, March Madness Live) in a battle of coaching wits between the Bruins’ Mick Cronin and the Huskies’ Dan Hurley.
No. 5 Texas Tech and No. 4 seed Alabama will serve as a much-anticipated finale (9:45 p.m. ET CBS, March Madness Live). The winner gets a date with No. 1 seed Michigan in next week’s Sweet 16.
Here is the full schedule and beyond to get you ready for the NCAA Tournament, and be sure to follow the live bracket throughout March Madness.
2026 NCAA Tournament schedule, dates
Second round
Sunday, March 22
Benchmark International Arena (Tampa), Xfinity Mobile Arena (Philadelphia), Viejas Arena (San Diego), Enterprise Center (St. Louis)
| Time (ET) | Game | TV / Stream |
|---|---|---|
| 12:10 p.m. | (7) Miami (FL) vs. (2) Purdue | CBS (watch live) |
| 2:45 p.m. | (7) Kentucky vs. (2) Iowa State | CBS (watch live) |
| 5:15 p.m. | (5) St. John’s vs. (4) Kansas | CBS (watch live) |
| 6:10 p.m. | (6) Tennessee vs. (3) Virginia | TNT (watch live) |
| 7:10 p.m. | (9) Iowa vs. (1) Florida | TBS (watch live) |
| 7:50 p.m. | (9) Utah State vs. (1) Arizona | truTV (watch live) |
| 8:45 p.m. | (7) UCLA vs. (2) UConn | TNT (watch live) |
| 9:45 p.m. | (5) Texas Tech vs. (4) Alabama | TBS (watch live) |
Saturday, March 21
KeyBank Center (Buffalo), Bon Secours Wellness Arena (Greenville), Paycom Center (Oklahoma City), Moda Center (Portland)
Sweet 16
Thursday, March 26 — 7:10 p.m. start (CBS, TBS)
Toyota Center (Houston), SAP Center (San Jose)
Friday, March 27 — 7:10 p.m. start (CBS, TBS)
United Center (Chicago), Capital One Arena (Washington, D.C.)
Elite Eight
Saturday, March 28 — 6:09 p.m. start (TBS)
Toyota Center (Houston), SAP Center (San Jose)
Sunday, March 29 — 2:15 p.m. start (CBS)
United Center (Chicago), Capital One Arena (Washington, D.C.)
Final Four
Saturday, April 4 — 6:09 p.m. start (TBS)
Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)
National Championship
Monday, April 6 — 8:50 p.m. (TBS)
Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)
First round
Thursday, March 19
KeyBank Center (Buffalo), Bon Secours Wellness Arena (Greenville), Paycom Center (Oklahoma City), Moda Center (Portland)
| Time (ET) | Game | TV / Stream |
|---|---|---|
| 12:15 p.m. | (9) TCU 66, (8) Ohio State 64 | Highlights |
| 12:40 p.m. | (4) Nebraska 76, (13) Troy 47 | Highlights |
| 1:30 p.m. | (6) Louisville 83, (11) South Florida 79 | Highlights |
| 1:50 p.m. | (12) High Point 83, (5) Wisconsin 82 | Highlights |
| 2:50 p.m. | (1) Duke 71, (16) Siena 65 | Highlights |
| 3:15 p.m. | (5) Vanderbilt 78, (12) McNeese 68 | Highlights |
| 4:05 p.m. | (3) Michigan State 92, (14) North Dakota State 67 | Highlights |
| 4:25 p.m. | (4) Arkansas 97, (13) Hawaii 78 | Highlights |
| 6:50 p.m. | (11) VCU 78, (6) North Carolina 82 (OT) | Highlights |
| 7:10 p.m. | (1) Michigan 101, (16) Howard 80 | Highlights |
| 7:25 p.m. | (11) Texas 79, (6) BYU 71 | Highlights |
| 7:35 p.m. | (10) Texas A&M 63, (7) Saint Mary’s 50 | Highlights |
| 9:25 p.m. | (3) Illinois 105, (14) Penn 70 | Highlights |
| 9:45 p.m. | (9) Saint Louis 102, (8) Georgia 77 | Highlights |
| 10 p.m. | (1(3) Gonzaga 73, (14) Kennesaw State 64 | Highlights |
| 10:10 p.m. | (2) Houston 78, (15) Idaho 47 | Highlights |
Friday, March 20
Benchmark International Arena (Tampa), Xfinity Mobile Arena (Philadelphia), Viejas Arena (San Diego), Enterprise Center (St. Louis)
| Time (ET) | Game | TV / Stream |
|---|---|---|
| 12:15 p.m. | (7) Kentucky 89, (10) Santa Clara 84 | Highlights |
| 12:40 p.m. | (5) Texas Tech 91, (12) Akron 71 | Highlights |
| 1:35 p.m. | (1) Arizona 92, (16) LIU 58 | Highlights |
| 1:50 p.m. | (3) Virginia 82, (14) Wright State 73 | Highlights |
| 2:50 p.m. | (2) Iowa State 108, (15) Tennessee State 74 | Highlights |
| 3:15 p.m. | (4) Alabama 90, (13) Hofstra 70 | Highlights |
| 4:10 p.m. | (9) Utah State 86, (8) Villanova 76 | Highlights |
| 4:25 p.m. | (6) Tennessee 78, (11) Miami (Ohio) 56 | Highlights |
| 6:50 p.m. | (9) Iowa 67, (8) Clemson 61 | Highlights |
| 7:10 p.m. | (5) St. John’s 79, (12) Northern Iowa 53 | Highlights |
| 7:25 p.m. | (10) UCF vs. (7) UCLA | Highlights |
| 7:35 p.m. | (2) Purdue 104, (15) Queens 71 | Highlights |
| 9:25 p.m. | (1) Florida 114, (16) Prairie View A&M 55 | Highlights |
| 9:45 p.m. | (4) Kansas 68, (13) Cal Baptist 60 | Highlights |
| 10 p.m. | (2) UConn 82, (15) Furman 71 | Highlights |
| 10:10 p.m. | (7) Miami (FL) 80, (10) Missouri 66 | Highlights |
Underground Railroad museum sues Trump administration alleging it canceled grant on the basis of race
An Underground Railroad museum in upstate New York alleged in a lawsuit Friday that the Trump administration unlawfully terminated its federal grant on the basis of race, pointing to President Donald Trump’s efforts to dismantle diversity-focused initiatives.
The Underground Railroad Education Center, located in Albany N.Y., alleges in its lawsuit that the National Endowment for the Humanities’ cancelation of a $250,000 grant amounted to viewpoint and racial discrimination, violating the First and Fifth Amendments, respectively.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of New York, calls for the funds to be reinstated.
The suit cited Trump’s January 2025 executive order that required federal agencies to eliminate any operations supporting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within 60 days. The 40-page brief outlined 1,400 grants that were terminated in early April 2025 “for their conflict with President Trump’s EOs and the new agency priorities adopted in their wake.”
Nina Loewenstein, a lawyer for the museum, told NBC News that there is “just no legitimate basis” for the grant’s cancellation, adding that it is “just explicitly erasing things associated with the Black race.”
Loewenstein and the team of lawyers volunteering on the case through Lawyers for Good Government, an organization that provides free legal services for civil and human rights cases, argued that the Underground Railroad Education Center is just one of thousands of organizations that have been unlawfully targeted by the Trump administration.
“Numerous statements of the current Executive Branch leadership reflect overt and coded racism supporting white supremacy and denigrating Black history in America,” the lawsuit said.
It added that the administration “systematically targeted grantees and programs that sought to increase the public’s understanding of Black history and cultures.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday evening.
The Trump administration has targeted museums and exhibits across the United States in an effort to enforce the president’s anti-DEI directives. A judge ordered the administration last month to restore a slavery exhibit in Philadelphia after pieces of artwork and informational displays were removed at the President’s House Site.
The administration also changed which days Americans can visit national parks for free this year in a November directive, removing Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth. In August, it called for an expansive review of the Smithsonian’s museum exhibitions, materials and operations to ensure they aligned with the president’s view of history.
The Underground Railroad Education Center is based in the home of Stephen and Harriet Myers, abolitionists who helped thousands of people escape slavery in the decades leading up to the Civil War, according to the museum’s co-founders, Paul and Mary Liz Stewart.
The Stewarts began working on Underground Railroad research in the late 1990s, after Mary Liz, a fifth-grade teacher at the time, heard from her students that they had almost no awareness on the subject despite the deep ties it had to their neighborhood. Since 2004, the couple has worked to restore the home and turn it into a place at the center of the community, hosting tours and activities.
The Stewarts had been working towards funding a $12 million project to construct an interpretive center next to the Myers’ residence, as its current operations have outgrown the space. Losing the $250,000 grant from the NEH, they said, caused a major setback for the project.
Mary Liz said the grant “validated who we are as an organization, what we were trying to do. And in turn, sort of said to the to the wider world, this is an organization worth paying attention to.”
Japanese national detained in Iran last year has been released
Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Sunday that one of two Japanese nationals detained in Iran has been released and will be returning to Japan.Motegi, speaking on a Fuji Television talk show, said the person had been detained since last year and was released on Wednesday. He said the person took a flight from Azerbaijan, which was scheduled to arrive in Japan on Sunday.Video above: U.S. reportedly sending Marines and warships to Middle East amid Iran conflictMotegi said another Japanese national who was arrested earlier this year is still in custody.Motegi said the release came after his repeated demands to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and that he is “working to win an early release” of the other detainee while communicating with his family and other concerned parties.The Committee to Protect Journalists has named the person detained in Iran in January as a journalist at Japan’s public broadcaster NHK. The CPJ said the NHK journalist was arrested Jan. 20 by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and was transferred Feb. 23 to Evin Prison, quoting unidentified sources citing fear of persecution.Motegi did not identify either of the people detained and said the released Japanese national was detained in 2025.The Foreign Ministry said earlier this month the detainees were safe and in good health, but only acknowledged that one was detained last year and the other one in January.The ministry gave no further details, such as whether the two cases were related.
, Tokyo —
Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Sunday that one of two Japanese nationals detained in Iran has been released and will be returning to Japan.
Motegi, speaking on a Fuji Television talk show, said the person had been detained since last year and was released on Wednesday. He said the person took a flight from Azerbaijan, which was scheduled to arrive in Japan on Sunday.
Video above: U.S. reportedly sending Marines and warships to Middle East amid Iran conflict
Motegi said another Japanese national who was arrested earlier this year is still in custody.
Motegi said the release came after his repeated demands to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and that he is “working to win an early release” of the other detainee while communicating with his family and other concerned parties.
The Committee to Protect Journalists has named the person detained in Iran in January as a journalist at Japan’s public broadcaster NHK. The CPJ said the NHK journalist was arrested Jan. 20 by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and was transferred Feb. 23 to Evin Prison, quoting unidentified sources citing fear of persecution.
Motegi did not identify either of the people detained and said the released Japanese national was detained in 2025.
The Foreign Ministry said earlier this month the detainees were safe and in good health, but only acknowledged that one was detained last year and the other one in January.
The ministry gave no further details, such as whether the two cases were related.
The Weekly Injection: New Releases From EXODUS, GAEREA & More Out This Week 3/20
This week’s new heavy metal releases include epic blackened metal, sick death metal, sci-fi prog, and more! To the metals…
The Dear Hunter – Sunya
Genre: Progressive rock
Origin: Providence, Rhode Island
Label: Cave & Canery
Ger it here
One of prog’s finest is taking listeners on a high concept sci-fi journey. The songs themselves are massive, varied, and catchy. Everything around the record is dorky in the best way. The band launched a website where you are in the cockpit of a ship solving puzzles to hear clips and in some cases, even find coordinates to find actual copies of the record hidden in the real world. Fun stuff.
Egregore – It Echoes In The Wild
Genre: Black/death metal
Origin: Vancouver, British Columbia
Label: 20 Buck Spin
Buy now on Bandcamp
Every once in a while you hear a band and they just sound like they have the pointiest guitars. Egregore is one of those bands, and those guitars fit them. It Echoes In The Wind is appropriately a reverby death metal record with plenty of evil. The riffs are so good on this and when the divebomb solo hits – wow, wow, wow.
Exodus – Goliath
Genre: Thrash
Origin: Richmond, California
Label: Napalm Records
Buy now on Bandcamp
It’s been five years since these legends have thrashed in with a new record and this time they’re doing it with Rob Dukes on the mic once again. It’s heavy, pissed off, and a little slower than last time – which adds to the heft. Some guests on this one include Hyprocrisy‘s Peter Tägtgren and violinist Katie Jacoby. The latter was unexpected, but pretty sweet.
Filth Is Eternal – Impossible World
Genre: Hardcore
Origin: Seattle, Washington
Label: MNRK Heavy
Buy now on Bandcamp
It’s been three years since Filth Is Eternal (fka Fucked and Bound) have dropped a record and their whole thing has shifted a lot in that time. They have a some new faces in the mix and the songs aren’t has short has they have been. They’re still full of fury, but perhaps more melodies, and atmosphere than before.
Gaerea – Loss
Genre: Post-black metal
Origin: Porto, Porto, Portugal
Label: Century Media
Buy now on Bandcamp
With a record called “Loss,” one might expect a sad vibe, and Gaerea are certainly bringing sorrow to the table this time. The mystique of the band makes it seem to hit harder too. Mash that up with oodles of crushing drums, soaring tremolo guitars, epic orchestral elements, and you have their finest work yet.
Gutvoid – Liminal Shrines
Genre: Death metal
Origin: Toronto, Ontario
Label: Profound Lore
Buy now on Bandcamp
Every once in a while albums wind up dropping at the same time and it makes my life easy. Liminal Shrines sounds like if Gaerea did a Egregore record. It’s crushingly heavy but also grand and proggy. This feels like one that will hit just right with a lot of death metal folks.
Poison The Well – Peace In Place
Genre: Post-hardcore/metalcore
Origin: Coral Springs, Florida
Label: SharpTone Records
Buy now on Amazon
Wrapping this week with the return of Poison The Well. They’ve been back since 2020, but this is their first release of new material since 2009. It’s full of rage and angst. If you were full of the same either then or are now, you’ll dig it.
Also dropping this week…
- Abrogation – Widerschein (Massacre) – Melodic death metal
- Assignment – With The End Comes Silence (Massacre) – Progressive/power metal
- Bound In Fear – Mind Too Sick to Heal (Unique Leader Records) – Deathcore/beatdown
- Chalice Of Suffering – The Raven Cries One Last Time (My Kingdom Music) – Funeral doom
- ClockTowers – Genesis (SpiritJunkieMedia) – Hard rock
- Crouch – Breaking The Catatonic State (Heimlich Manoeuvres) – Sludge/post-metal
- Cultist – Spiritual Atrophy (Awakening Records / Futhark Records) – Death metal
- Dawn Of Ashes – Anatomy Of Suffering (Metropolis Records) – Industrial/black metal
- Decipher – Thelema (Transcending Obscurity Records) – Black/death metal
- Dragsholm – The Bloodlines Of Bram (Faithless Entertainment) – Black metal
- Eclipsed Moon Apparitions – En les ombres, malson espectral… (En Claustre) – black metal/dungeon synth
- Empire Of Disease – While Everything Collapses (Xtreem Music) – Metalcore/melodic death metal
- Evermore – Mournbraid (Scarlet Records) – Power metal
- Flatwounds – Chain Of Command (Blue Grape Music) – Hardcore
- Following The Signs – Evolve (Self-released) – Alternative metal
- Galvanist – The Silence Between the Stars (Self-released) – Black metal/sludge
- Graufar – Via Necropolis (Graufar Records) – Black/death metal
- Hanging Garden – Isle Of Bliss (Agonia Records) – Melodic death metal/doom
- Hautajaisyö – Surun paino (Inverse Records) – Death metal/thrash
- Hell Trepanner – The Consecration Of Eternal Impurity (Awakening Records) – Death metal
- Ignescent – Eternal (Frontiers Music Srl) – Metalcore/hard rock
- Iron Firmament – In the Land of Pre-Human Kings (Wergild) Black metal
- Karmian – Horror Vacui (Rockshots Records) – Melodic death metal
- Kate’s Acid – Hellbender (High Roller) – Speed metal
- Lord Of Confusion – The Weight Of Life (Morbid And Miserable Records / Larvae Records) – Metalcore
- Lost In Hollywood – Lost In Hollywood (Arising Empire) – Metalcore
- mclusky – i sure am getting sick of this bowling alley (Ipecac Recordings) – Post-hardcore/noise rock
- Mizery – Mizery (Flatspot Records) – Hardcore
- Mystfall – Embers Of A Dying World (Scarlet Records) – Symphonic metal
- Necrogore – Ectoplasmic Rape Phenomena (Awakening Records) – Death metal
- Papa Necrose – Anthropomorphy Execution (Awakening Records) – Death metal
- Axel Rudi Pell – Ghost Town (Steamhammer) – Hard rock
- Radian – Subterfuge (El Burno Records/Third House Communications) – Sludge/doom
- S8nt Elektric – Off The Edge (Long Branch Records) – Hard rock
- Soundscapism Inc. – A Sea of Floating Mirrors (Self-released) – Cinematic rock
- The Silver – Looking Glass Hymnal Blue (Gilead Media) – Post-black metal
- Stainless – Lady Of Lust & Steel (High Roller) – Speed metal/hard rock
- Truth Grip – Twist Of Fate (Thrash Out Records) – Melodic hardcore
- Tusmørke – Balderdom (Karisma Records) – Progressive folk
- Tyketto – Closer To The Sun (Silver Lining Music) – AOR/rock
- Veil Of The Serpent – Born To Burn (Self-released) – Power/groove metal
- Venus 5 – March Of The Venus 5 (Frontiers Music Srl) – Pop metal
- Via Doloris – Guerre et Paix (Season Of Mist) – Black metal
- Warsenal – Endless Beginnings… (Massacre) – Speed metal/thrash
- Zrenice – Snienie (Via Nocturna) – Alternative metal
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Why Companies Are Chopping Up Big Bond Deals Into Smaller Pieces
The average number of tranches on investment-grade bond deals is at a record high as companies issue jumbo deals and look for cost savings.
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Risers and fallers: Luka’s on a heater, but is it time to drop Giannis?
Luka Doncic is on fire, Daniss Jenkins has a great opportunity and Ayo Dosunmu is rockin’ for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks have different visions, Aaron Gordon is prepping for the playoffs and Mikal Bridges isn’t doing much right now.
With only three weeks left in the NBA’s regular season, enjoy the final Risers and Fallers column of the season. It’s been my pleasure!
Resources: Rankings | Adds/Drops | Scoring leaders | Player Rater | Mock draft lobby | Depth charts | Schedule | Injuries
Risers
2:32
Stephen A. makes case for Luka Doncic to win NBA MVP
Stephen A. Smith explains why Luka Doncic is “a top candidate” for MVP this season.
Luka Doncic, PG, Los Angeles Lakers (100% rostered in ESPN leagues)
Doncic has been on an historic eight-game run and capped it off with a 60-point bonanza in a win over Miami on Thursday night, the Lakers’ 11th win in their last 12 games. Doncic has averaged 50 points over the last two days/games and has scored at least 30 points in eight straight, all of which were Lakers wins.
The fact that he averaged 50 points in a back-to-back set in March is mind blowing and he had averaged 34.9 points, 9.0 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 5.0 3-pointers for the month going into Thursday’s game. He then hit nine 3-pointers and had five steals in that one, and is carrying fantasy teams right now.
He’s the first Laker to score 60 since Kobe Bryant did it in the “Mamba Out” game and his fantasy managers have been on easy street during the run. The only question left in fantasy is, did he peak too early? Unfortunately, the answer is probably ‘yes,’ as the fantasy playoffs are just getting ready to start for most of us. The good news is that the Lakers are going to keep trying to hang onto third-place in the West so Luka should keep putting up stellar numbers through the end of the season. And if he keeps playing like this he might end up with some MVP hardware, while his fantasy managers might end up with some hardware of their own.
Daniss Jenkins, PG, Detroit Pistons (21.0% rostered)
Cade Cunningham left Tuesday’s game after just five minutes with what was originally reported as back spams, but it turned out to be a serious injury in the form of a collapsed lung. He’ll be re-evaluated in two weeks, which is some of the worst fantasy news I’ve heard this season.
Jenkins stepped in for Cunningham on Tuesday and finished with 15 points and seven assists in 21 minutes, and then got the start on Thursday. Unfortunately, he hit just 3-of-16 shots to finish with nine points and five dimes in a win over Washington. But the good news is that he started, played 34 minutes, took more shots than anyone else on his team and even had a block.
Jenkins, who has played well when given an opportunity this season, was likely grabbed in 12-team leagues as soon as the Cunningham news broke thanks to his potential to help in most categories, including steals, blocks and threes. But regardless of what size league you play in, go check and make sure he’s not still available. He’s about to go on a two-week tear, if not longer.
Ayo Dosunmu, SG, Minnesota Timberwolves (33.0% rostered)
Dosunmu is going to get a huge opportunity due to Anthony Edwards‘ right knee inflammation, which will cause him to miss one-to-two weeks. Dosunmu has already played two games without Edwards and he’s been stellar, to the tune of 21 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.0 3-pointers in two wins for the Wolves.
Dosunmu gets a bad rap in fantasy circles thanks to a lack of steals, blocks and 3-pointers and much of it is deserved, but he did have three steals on Thursday night and he should get about 34 minutes per game for the next two weeks.
Flip a coin as to whether he or Jenkins is the better pickup right now.
Fallers
1:32
Shams reveals latest on Giannis’ back-and-forth with Bucks
The ‘Get Up’ crew discusses the tension between Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks over shutting him down for the rest of the season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF/C, Milwaukee Bucks (98.3% rostered)
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Thursday that the Bucks and Antetokounmpo are in disagreement over whether or not he should play again this season. To his credit, Antetokounmpo wants to play, despite a current hyperextended knee. The reality is that while the Bucks have yet to be mathematically eliminated, they’re not going to make the playoffs … and Antetokounmpo is not healthy.
Even if he comes back to play this season, how many minutes are the Bucks going to be willing to give their franchise player in meaningless games? And what kind of damage will this impasse do to his relationship and future with the franchise? My guess is the team will get its way in the end and I’ll put Antetokounmpo’s over/under for games played the rest of the season at 2.5.
With those kinds of odds, I’m afraid he probably belongs on the waiver wire, assuming you don’t have an injured reserve spot available on your roster. Hold Antetokounmpo for as long as you can, but if you need to drop him to make the playoffs — or to win in the playoffs — it makes sense.
Bobby Portis (55.9% rostered) has been playing very well for the Bucks of late, while Ousmane Dieng (1.8% rostered) should be widely available and have a big opportunity for the final few weeks of the season.
Mikal Bridges, SG/SF, New York Knicks (96.0% rostered)
The Knicks are sitting comfortably in third place in the East and are 7-3 over their last 10 games. And while they haven’t played much competition, they did have a big win at Denver on March 6. But the Knicks’ player not getting much attention on SportsCenter, or anywhere else right now, is Bridges.
Over his last seven games Bridges is averaging just 7.0 points, 1.0 3-pointers, 0.7 steals and 1.3 blocks while shooting a dreadful 32% from the floor. Most of his fantasy appeal comes from his efficiency and ability to steal, block and hit 3-pointers, but it just isn’t happening for him right now. And with Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns doing all the heavy lifting for the Knicks, I don’t see it changing any time soon.
Bridges still has some fantasy appeal, but it’s crunch time in fantasy right now, and tough decisions are in order. If your team with Bridges on it is struggling, or if you’re in a field goal percentage battle, dropping Bridges isn’t a crazy idea. He’ll break out of the funk at some point, but the fact remains he’s going to likely be the fifth offensive option in New York the rest of the way.
Aaron Gordon, PF, Denver Nuggets (71.1% rostered)
Gordon is playing for the Nuggets again after a hamstring injury but Peyton Watson (hamstring) should be back any day now. That’s going to leave the Nuggets crowded up front with Gordon, Watson and Spencer Jones all needing minutes, not to mention Christian Braun, Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. And the only thing the Nuggets should really care about is having Gordon healthy for the playoffs.
Gordon is struggling over his last five games, averaging just 13 points and 5.4 rebounds on 42% shooting. Meanwhile, Watson was playing at a pretty high level when he went down with his injury. I expect Gordon and Watson to be in a timeshare, at best, over the final few weeks of the season and I can envision Gordon’s minutes being monitored closely in hopes of having him 100% for the start of the playoffs.
Gordon is more important to the Nuggets than he is to your fantasy team and it makes sense for managers to look for a potential “silly-season” hero with upside for their playoff run. I would drop Gordon to pick up Jenkins, for example.
2 Iranian strikes on towns near Israel’s main nuclear research center injure more than 100 people
Iranian strikes hit two communities near Israel’s main nuclear research center, injuring more than 100 people in the southern part of the country. It was the first time Israel’s nuclear research center has been targeted in the war that began three weeks ago.
The strikes came hours after Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment facility was hit in an airstrike, for which Israel’s military has denied responsibility.
Israel’s military said it was not able to intercept the Iranian missiles that hit the cities of Dimona and Arad, the largest near the center of Israel’s sparsely populated Negev desert.
Ohad Zwigenberg / AP 
Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency rescue agency said early Sunday morning that at least 64 people were injured in the strike on Arad. A Magen David Adom spokesperson said that seven were hospitalized in serious condition, 15 in moderate condition and 42 in mild condition.
Magen David Adom teams are continuing to search the debris for more casualties, the agency said.
In a separate Iranian strike hours earlier on the nearby town of Dimona, at least 40 people were injured, Magen David Adom previously reported.
Following the two strikes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that Israel’s military would continue in its war efforts in the Middle East.
“This is a very difficult evening in the campaign for our future,” Netanyahu said in a statement posted to social media, adding that he had spoken to the mayor of Arad, one of the two towns that was struck, and conveyed “our prayers for the peace of the injured.”
“We are determined to continue to strike our enemies on all fronts,” Netanyahu wrote.
“It is becoming increasingly clear that the Iranian regime is resorting to reckless attacks that only further expose its instability and disregard for human life while strategically targeting civilians, said Lt. Col. Nadav Shosh, an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson, on social media.
Footage from Israel’s emergency service showed a large crater next to what appeared to be apartment buildings with outer walls sheared away. The missile appeared to have struck an open area.
Rescue workers said the direct hit in Arad caused widespread damage across at least 10 apartment buildings, three of them badly damaged and in danger of collapsing.
Israel is believed to be the only Middle East nation with nuclear weapons, though its leaders refuse to confirm or deny their existence. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, said on X it had not received reports of damage to the Israeli center or abnormal radiation levels.
Israel Saturday denied responsibility for the strike on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility, located about 135 miles southeast of Tehran. The Iranian judiciary’s official news agency, Mizan, said there was no leakage. The IAEA said on X it was looking into the strike, but that “no increase in off-site radiation levels” had been reported.
The nuclear facility had already been struck by Israeli airstrikes during the Iran-Israel 12-day war in June 2025, and later that month by the U.S.
The IAEA has said the bulk of Iran’s estimated 970 pounds of enriched uranium is elsewhere, beneath the rubble at its Isfahan facility, which was also bombed by the U.S. last June.
The Pentagon declined to comment on the strike on Natanz, which was also hit in the first week of the war and in the 12-day war last June.
“If the Israeli regime is unable to intercept missiles in the heavily protected Dimona area, it is, operationally, a sign of entering a new phase of the battle,” Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on X before word of the Arad strike spread.
On Friday, multiple people briefed on the discussions told CBS News that the Trump administration has been strategizing methods and options to secure or extract Iran’s nuclear materials. The timing of any such an operation, if President Trump were to order it, remained unclear. One source said he has made no decision yet.
Cleveland baseball throws no-hitter; Volcano softball erupts at the plate in metro championships
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The APS metro baseball and softball championships wrapped up on Saturday. Cleveland won the baseball title, and Volcano Vista was victorious in softball. The Storm, ranked as the No. 1 seed in baseball, hosted No. 2 Rio Rancho. Treven Polanco got the start on the mound for Cleveland and finished the game […]
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Seriously Though: JOSH SCOGIN Is Not Joining BETTER LOVERS
Two things happened recently that sparked some interesting rumors – ’68 announced they’re coming to an end, leaving vocalist Josh Scogin as a free agent; and Better Lovers splitting with vocalist Greg Puciato. You can see where this is going.
Despite the Internet’s insistence, Josh Scogin has once again denied the rumors that he’s joining Better Lovers. In a statement published to Instagram, Scogin wrote: “To the rumors of me joining Better Lovers. First of all, let me say that I am humbled (and honestly flattered) that folks would think of me as a good frontman (front person??) for Better Lovers.
“That machine is such a powerhouse of greatness, that even throwing my name in the mix is high praise. But… As much as I love the dudes and the music, I am not joining Better Lovers. I don’t really join bands. I start them. And as fun as it would be to lock ourselves in a room and create music together, I just have some other ideas brewing for now, that I want to explore.
“Plus it is really important to me that folks realize The story arc of ’68 is a standalone story and it has nothing do with any external situations (like joining another band) It is its own trajectory. Set in motion from the very beginning.
“Anyway — I’m very excited to see what’s next for Better Lovers. We all chat pretty often — So I know they are cooking. So I encourage you to enjoy their story as it unfolds. Also don’t miss the season finale of ’68 this May/June — very (very) last show in Atlanta on June 20th. — No A.I. was used to write this. Just a dude, his thoughts and poor attention to punctuation and spelling.”
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