Sports
US figure skating power couple makes history with record breaking seventh national championship
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U.S. figure skating stars Madison Chock and Evan Bates made history on Saturday with their record-setting seventh U.S. Figure Skating title in their final competition before the Milan Cortina Olympics.
The three-time reigning world champions, performing a flamenco-style dance to a version of the Rolling Stones hit “Paint It Black” from the dystopian sci-fi Western show “Westworld,” produced a season-best free skate and finished with 228.87 points.
“The feeling that we got from the audience today was unlike anything I’ve ever felt before,” Chock said.
Madison Chock and Evan Bates of United States perform during ISU World Figure Skating Championships – Boston, at TD Garden, on March 28, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Jurij Kodrun – International Skating Union/International Skating Union via Getty Images)
They’ll be the heavy favorites to win gold next month in Italy.
“I felt so much love and joy,” Chock continued, “and I’m so grateful for this moment.”
U.S. Figure Skating will announce its selections on Sunday.
Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik were second with 213.65 points and Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko were third with 206.95, making those two pairs the likely choices to join Chock and Bates on the American squad for the upcoming Winter Games.
The men’s medals also were to be decided on Saturday, though two-time world champion Ilia Malinin had built such a lead after his short program that the self-styled “Quad God” would have to stumble mightily to miss out on a fourth consecutive title.
The U.S. also has qualified the maximum of three men’s spots for the Winter Games, and competition is tight between second-place Tomoko Hiwatashi, fan favorite Jason Brown, Andrew Torgashev and Maxim Naumov to round out the nationals podium.
The last time Chock and Bates competed in the Olympics in 2022 in Beijing, they watched their gold initially go to an opponent who was later disqualified for doping violations.
Chock and Bates initially had to settle for team silver with their American teammates on the podium at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Team Russia and Kamila Valieva, who was 15 at the time, stood above them with their gold medals.
It wasn’t until the end of January 2024, when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) found Valieva guilty of an anti-doping rule violation, when Chock, Bates and the U.S. were declared the rightful 2022 gold medalists.
UN URGES COUNTRIES TO HONOR TRUCE DURING WINTER OLYMPICS, NOT DENY VISAS TO ANY NATION’S ATHLETES
Madison Chock and Evan Bates compete in championship ice dance at the U.S. figure skating championships Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Valieva tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned substance, during an anti-doping test at the Russian Figure Skating Championships in December 2021. She was suspended for four years and stripped of all competitive results since that date.
Chock and Bates spoke about what their message to Valieva would be today during an interview at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee media summit in October.
“It’s hard to, I think, imagine what a 15-year-old has gone through and under that kind of situation,” Bates said. “And I know how stressful it is, being an elite athlete as an adult, as a 36-year-old. And I think that grace should be given to humans across the board. And we can never really know the full situation, at least from our point of view. … I genuinely don’t know what I would say to her.”
Chock added, “I would just wish her well like as I would. I think life is short. And, at the end of the day, we’re all human just going through our own human experience together. And regardless of what someone has or hasn’t done and how it has affected you, I think it’s important to remember we’re humans as a collective, and we’re all here for this, our one moment on earth, at the same time. And I just wish people to have healthy, happy lives, full of people that love them.”
Chock and Bates had to wait more than two years after the initial Olympics to get their rightful gold medals, and they were finally presented with them during a ceremony at the Paris Olympics last summer.
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Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the USA perform in the Gala Exhibition during the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final Nagoya at IG Arena on December 07, 2025 in Nagoya, Japan. (Atsushi Tomura – International Skating Union/International Skating Union via Getty Images)
Chock, Bates and teammates Karen Chen, Nathan Chen, Zachary Donohue, Brandon Frazier, Madison Hubbell, Alexa Knierim and Vincent Zhou were given a specialized gold medal ceremony to receive the medals in front of more than 13,000 fans.
Chock and Bates became the first ice dancers to win three consecutive world championships in nearly three decades in March when they defeated Canadian rivals Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Sports
NBA postpones Timberwolves-Warriors game in aftermath of Border Patrol-involved shooting in Minneapolis
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Saturday’s NBA game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors was postponed in the aftermath of a fatal shooting involving a Border Patrol agent.
“The decision was made to prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community,” the NBA said, adding that the game would instead be played on Sunday.
Earlier this month, the Timberwolves held a moment of silence prior to a game for Renee Good, the woman who was fatally shot by an ICE agent.
A general view during the first quarter between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves in Game Three of the Western Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center on May 24, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Ellen Schmidt/Getty Images)
Good, 37, was killed while operating a vehicle that agents ordered her to exit, according to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Good, according to Noem, refused and “attempted to run them over and ram them with her vehicle.”
“Our thoughts are with her family and everyone affected, and our hearts are with our community as we hope for healing and unity during this challenging time,” the arena’s public-address announcer said at the time.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr called Good’s killing “murder.”
“It’s shameful, really, that in our country we can have law enforcement officers who commit murder and seemingly get away with it. It’s shameful that the government can come out and lie about what happened when there’s video and witnesses who have all come out and disputed what the government is saying,” Kerr said.
“So, very demoralizing, devastating to lose anyone’s life, especially in that manner. So it’s terrible, terribly sad for her family, and for her, and that city.”
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr reacts to a call during the second quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. (Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images)
LAKERS’ LEBRON JAMES SHRUGS OFF REPORTED TENSION WITH JEANIE BUSS: ‘IT DON’T BOTHER ME’
The Timberwolves referred to the NBA’s statement. The Warriors did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Minneapolis officials have since identified the individual killed on Saturday as a 37-year-old White man who is a resident of Minneapolis and is believed to be a U.S. citizen. He was declared dead at the hospital.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Fox News that the suspect was armed with a gun and two magazines.
“Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots. Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene,” DHS said. “The suspect also had 2 magazines and no ID — this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”
Federal agents fire tear gas at protestors on Jan. 24, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Earlier that day, agents allegedly shot and killed a protestor amid a scuffle to arrest him. The Trump administration has sent a reported 3,000 federal agents into the area, with more on the way, as they make a push to arrest undocumented immigrants in the region. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
DHS said that following the incident, approximately 200 agitators arrived at the scene and began to “obstruct and assault law enforcement,” leading to the implementation of crowd-control measures.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz urged the agents to get out of his state following the shooting.
Fox News’ Rachel Wolf, Paul Mauro, and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
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Sports
USC’s Lindsay Gottlieb says struggling Trojans are ‘right there’ despite losing five of six
Her USC team might have dropped five of its last six games, more than it lost all of last season, while the road ahead could be something of an uphill climb, with four of its final 10 games against top-12 teams.
But by no means, at 11-8, is coach Lindsay Gottlieb ready to wave the white flag on USC’s season or its NCAA tournament hopes. Quite the contrary, in fact.
“There’s a ton of season left,” Gottlieb said confidently Friday, two days before USC was set to face off with No. 7 Michigan in Ann Arbor. The Trojans had just fallen short against Michigan State 74-68, the night before.
“We know we’re right there,” the coach continued. “But right there isn’t good enough. We’re not satisfied with that. But for this team, if we continue to figure the things out that are keeping us from getting over the hump, you know, then we think that we can do some damage.”
It certainly seemed that way at the start of January, when the Trojans were 10-3 and appeared to have found some sort of stride without injured superstar JuJu Watkins. But the void she’d left in USC’s lineup became particularly noticeable in the new year, as a blowout loss to UCLA, the largest defeat of Gottlieb’s tenure, left USC reeling. Sophomore wing Kennedy Smith went down with an injury after that, and USC blew a fourth-quarter lead to Oregon a few nights later. In three of their next four games — against Minnesota, Maryland and Michigan State — USC failed in some fashion to deliver down the stretch.
Yet none of those losses, Gottlieb points out, has been all that detrimental to the Trojans’ tournament resume. Not yet, at least. USC still sits at No. 25 in the NET rankings, thanks to its grueling nonconference schedule to start the season. The Trojans are 9-1 in games against Quad 2, 3 and 4 opponents, although they are 2-7 against top-tier opponents currently ranked as Quad 1.
That trend can’t hold if USC hopes to make the NCAA tournament for the fourth consecutive season under Gottlieb, a streak that USC’s women’s basketball program hasn’t matched since Cheryl Miller walked the sideline. But following Sunday’s matchup with Michigan, USC will have to contend with another top-10 team when Iowa comes to Galen Center.
The schedule should get easier after that, with matchups through February against Rutgers (9-10), Northwestern (8-11), Indiana (11-9) and Penn State (7-13), all of which rank in the bottom third of the conference. Yet the margin for error through that stretch, considering USC’s eight losses, is razor thin.
“Our whole mindset is only looking forward,” guard Kara Dunn said. “We have so many opportunities ahead to turn things around.”
Most of those opportunities of late have been on account of Dunn, who has been dynamic since the start of the new year. She’s averaging more than 24 points over USC’s last five.
It was precisely the role she’d envisioned when she committed to Gottlieb and USC, in search of a more free-flowing, pro-style offense. But it would take some adjusting, similar to how it took time for transfer forward Kiki Iriafen to settle into the offense last season.
“I was just trying to find where I fit,” Dunn said.
USC guard Kara Dunn has found her stride during the new year, averaging more than 24 points over their last five games.
(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)
She found it just in time, with freshman Jazzy Davidson mired in a multi-game slump. Davidson has still been one of the best freshmen in college basketball this season, but she’s shooting only 38% from the field this season. Smith, the Trojans’ third-leading scorer, has been even streakier at 35%. Both have struggled especially from the three-point line in recent games, shooting a combined four of 26 over their last three games.
Fortunately for USC, Dunn has stepped up from deep in their absence, hitting 44% of her three-point attempts over the last four to keep the Trojans afloat on offense. Against Purdue, in USC’s only win in January, Dunn dropped a season-high 29.
“I’m really just remembering who I am and who I was previously,” Dunn said. “I’m used to scoring in high numbers.”
USC will need her contributions to continue if it hopes to make any noise come March. There’s little Gottlieb can do now about the limitations in USC’s frontcourt, which has relied all season on a four-way rotation at center. But Davidson continues to make progress in her first season, while Dunn’s emergence has helped take pressure off the Trojans’ impressive freshman.
As Gottlieb gathered her team for a meeting on Friday, she urged her players to learn from the hard lessons of the last three weeks. Now was no time to sound any alarm bells, she assured, with hopes that they stick together from here.
“The only way through a storm is not to pull off of the road,” Gottlieb said, “but to keep going through it.”
Sports
Lakers’ LeBron James shrugs off reported tension with Jeanie Buss: ‘It don’t bother me’
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The Los Angeles Lakers have dropped six of their past 10 games and criticism of the team ramped up Thursday after the Los Angeles Clippers knocked off their crosstown rival.
After the team’s latest loss, LeBron James addressed the ESPN report that detailed Lakers governor Jeanie Buss’ apparent frustrations with the four-time NBA champion. According to the report, internal Buss family disputes led to the majority stake of the franchise being sold to Mark Walter last year.
James pushed back against any suggestion that he had been at odds with Buss.
“Quite frankly, I don’t really get involved in that or the reports or whatever the case may be,” James said Thursday.
LeBron James and owner Jeanie Buss of the Los Angeles Lakers hug after winning the 2020 NBA Championship over the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex Oct. 11, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
In addition to the alleged Buss family drama, the report floated multiple possible rifts between James and Buss, including the minority owner’s apparent belief that the four-time league MVP received excessive credit for the Lakers’ 2020 NBA title. Buss was also reportedly disappointed in James’ reaction after the Lakers selected his son, Bronny James, in the 2024 NBA Draft.
James’ level of involvement in decisions about Russell Westbrook was also mentioned in the report.
Buss addressed the report, saying in a statement, “It’s really not right, given all the great things LeBron has done for the Lakers, that he has to be pulled into my family drama,” she said Thursday. “To say that it wasn’t appreciated is just not true and completely unfair to him.”
LEBRON JAMES’ UNPRECEDENTED ALL-STAR STREAK COMES TO AN END AFTER 22 YEARS AS GAME STATUS HANGS IN BALANCE
James said he joined the Lakers eight years ago to return the franchise to its former glory.
“At the end of the day, when I came to this organization, my whole mindset was about restoring excellence,” James said. “The things that I seen growing up with the Lakers — obviously, I didn’t get an opportunity to watch Showtime, but I know the history.
“Then the early 2000s with Shaq [O’Neal] and [Kobe Bryant], and then what Kob did and those couple runs with him and Pau [Gasol]. So, my whole mindset was like, ‘How can I get that feeling back to the Lakers organization?’
“And then I was able to do that along with, you know, 14, 16 other guys winning the championship, bringing the championship here.”
Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss attends media day at the UCLA Health and Training Center in El Segundo, Calif., Sept. 28, 2021. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA Today Sports)
James also made it clear what he cares about.
“Quite frankly, I don’t really care about articles. I don’t care about stories. I don’t care about podcasts and all that type of s—. It don’t bother me. I’m 41 years old, and I watch golf every day. I don’t care about an article.
“I don’t care how somebody feel about me. If you know me personally, then you know what I’m about. These guys know what I’m about, and that’s all that matters. I could care less how someone feel about me.”
Lebron James of the Los Angeles Lakers during a game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center Oct. 5, 2025, in San Francisco. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
James said it’s typical for him to not be in close communication with Buss but asserted the pair have remained on the same page.
“I don’t understand. It’s not like me and Jeanie be on the phone talking, guys. I never heard a report about that. Don’t make something out of it that it’s not. It’s always been mutual. It’s always been respect. It’s always been a great partnership.”
James exercised the player option in his contract last offseason. It is unclear whether his run with the Lakers will conclude this upcoming summer, when he is scheduled to enter free agency after the 2025-26 season.
The Lakers resume action on Saturday when they take on the Mavericks in Dallas.
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