38+ min ago (162+ words) LOS ANGELES " Lakers star LeBron James and reserve guard Marcus Smart won't be available for tonight's home game against the New Orleans Pelicans. James was ruled out of Sunday's game because of left foot injury management. The four-time league MVP was sidelined for the season's first 14 games because of sciatica on his right side. James, 40, has dealt with left foot ailments over the last few seasons. James averaged 16.5 points, 8.3 assists, five rebounds and one steal in the four games he's played since making his season debut in the Nov. 18 home win over the Utah Jazz, with the Lakers winning all four games he's played. Smart will miss his second consecutive game because of back spasms after sitting out of Friday's home win over the Dallas Mavericks. Sunday is the first night of a back-to-back set for the Lakers, who'll host…...

1+ hour, 22+ min ago (605+ words) LOS ANGELES " The theme within the USC football team in the week leading up to Saturday's UCLA game was "paving the road." Head coach Lincoln Riley encouraged his players to ruminate on what they are doing to prepare the Trojans for the future, and how this season can be a building block. Quarterback Jayden Maiava put it simply: "We still ain't (expletive)," he told reporters after the game. The team seems to be celebrating this regular season, which ended with a 29-10 win over the Bruins, as well as accepting it as a building block. Players are viewing the road ahead through their own lenses, and all paths are under construction. Roughly 30 players walked in the Senior Day ceremony prior to playing the Bruins. Some, like linebacker Eric Gentry, were out of eligibility and others, like safety Kamari Ramsey, are getting…...

1+ hour, 22+ min ago (605+ words) LOS ANGELES " The theme within the USC football team in the week leading up to Saturday's UCLA game was "paving the road." Head coach Lincoln Riley encouraged his players to ruminate on what they are doing to prepare the Trojans for the future, and how this season can be a building block. Quarterback Jayden Maiava put it simply: "We still ain't (expletive)," he told reporters after the game. The team seems to be celebrating this regular season, which ended with a 29-10 win over the Bruins, as well as accepting it as a building block. Players are viewing the road ahead through their own lenses, and all paths are under construction. Roughly 30 players walked in the Senior Day ceremony prior to playing the Bruins. Some, like linebacker Eric Gentry, were out of eligibility and others, like safety Kamari Ramsey, are getting…...

1+ hour, 30+ min ago (514+ words) LOS ANGELES " The post hoc of UCLA's college football regular season leaves looming questions. Who's UCLA's next head football coach? How does the Bruins' soon-to-be head honcho affect their incoming recruiting class " as signing day approaches " for better or worse? But as Nico Iamaleava answered questions, left and right, after UCLA's 29-10 defeat to No. 19 USC on Saturday night at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, one more question remained. Had Iamaleava, the redshirt sophomore transfer quarterback from Tennessee, thought about what lies ahead, whether with or without UCLA? "No, I haven't, man," said Iamaleava, who completed 27 of 38 passes for 200 yards and a touchdown. "I was, you know, focused on, on this game and, you know, practice film. And, you know, I haven't really thought of anything past that." Iamaleava had done everything " and then some " for the Bruins in 2025. He transferred…...

3+ hour, 2+ min ago (462+ words) West Virginia National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was killed in the shooting, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, was critically wounded. Lakanwal, 29, has been charged with first-degree murder. In Afghanistan, Lakanwal worked in a special Afghan Army unit known as a Zero Unit. The units were backed by the CIA. He entered the United States in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a program that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the American withdrawal. Many had worked alongside U.S. troops and diplomats. Lakanwal resettled with his wife and their five sons, all under the age of 12, in Bellingham, Washington, but struggled, according to the community member, who shared emails that had been sent to the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, a nonprofit group that provides services to refugees. "Rahmanullah has not been functional as a person, father and provider since March…...

3+ hour, 2+ min ago (869+ words) When they engage with the news " if they do " they hear a cacophony of voices. They don't know who to believe. Reporters are biased. They make mistakes. Besides, why would you hitch your future to a dying industry? "There is a lot of commentary " "Oh, good for you. Look what you're walking into. You're going to be screaming into the void. You're going to be useless," said Murphy, a 21-year-old graduate student at the University of Maryland's journalism school. She is undeterred. And it's also why she's not surprised by the findings of a study this fall that documented negative attitudes toward the news media among 13- to 18-year-old Americans. The press rarely fares well in surveys of adults, but it's sobering to see the same disdain among people whose opinions about the world are still forming. Asked by the News…...

3+ hour, 3+ min ago (635+ words) Leo made the comments as he flew from Istanbul to Beirut for the second and final leg of his maiden voyage as pope. Though Leo has been fielding journalists" questions at informal gatherings at his country house, the brief encounter marked his first news conference as pope and followed the tradition of his predecessors of using his foreign trips to engage with the media. Because of the short flight, the news conference was limited to two questions from Turkish journalists. When Leo returns to Rome on Tuesday, the encounter will presumably be longer. The American pope was asked about his private talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan upon his arrival in Ankara and whether they discussed the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. Leo confirmed they had, and said that Turkey had an "important role to play" in both conflicts,…...

3+ hour, 3+ min ago (635+ words) Leo made the comments as he flew from Istanbul to Beirut for the second and final leg of his maiden voyage as pope. Though Leo has been fielding journalists" questions at informal gatherings at his country house, the brief encounter marked his first news conference as pope and followed the tradition of his predecessors of using his foreign trips to engage with the media. Because of the short flight, the news conference was limited to two questions from Turkish journalists. When Leo returns to Rome on Tuesday, the encounter will presumably be longer. The American pope was asked about his private talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan upon his arrival in Ankara and whether they discussed the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. Leo confirmed they had, and said that Turkey had an "important role to play" in both conflicts,…...

3+ hour, 3+ min ago (461+ words) The lawmakers said they did not know whether last week's Washington Post report was true, and some Republicans were skeptical, but they said attacking survivors of an initial missile strike poses serious legal concerns. "This rises to the level of a war crime if it's true," said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, when asked about a follow-up strike aimed at people no long able to fight, said Congress does not have information that happened. He noted that leaders of the Armed Services Committee in both the House and Senate have opened investigations. "Obviously, if that occurred, that would be very serious and I agree that that would be an illegal act," Turner said. Turner said there are concerns in Congress about the attacks on vessels that the Trump administration says are transporting drugs, but the allegations regarding…...

3+ hour, 18+ min ago (132+ words) At 7:08 a.m. on Sunday, the National Weather Service issued a dense fog advisory in effect until noon for 5 freeway through Grapevine. The NWS Hanford CA says to expect, "Visibility less than one mile in dense fog." "Low visibility could make driving conditions hazardous," the NWS said. "If driving, slow down, use your headlights, and leave plenty of distance ahead of you." If you must venture out in foggy conditions, keep these safety tips from the NWS in mind: Use the road's lane markings as a guide to remaining in the correct lane. In situations of near-zero visibility due to dense fog, activate your hazard lights and seek a secure location, such as a nearby business's parking lot, to pull over and come to a stop....