Hot USA News

#Breaking No Spitting: MLB Unveils Some New Rules Due To The Coronavirus The rules include a ban on spitting and a threat of immediate ejection if a player or coach gets too close to an umpire or opponent in the course of an argument. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Atlanta Hawks Arena To Host Voting Site, Team Challenges Rest Of NBA To Follow The 700,000 square foot arena will allow voters to spread out. The arena's staff will serve as poll workers and the team's players will encourage local residents to vote via social media. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Pro-Softball Players Quit Over General Manager's Politicized Tweet NPR's Michel Martin speaks with pro-softball player, Kiki Stokes, about her team's decision to disassociate from the ScrapYard Dawgs over the general manager's misrepresentation. Read more on NPR

#Breaking College Athletes Rise Up To Protest Racism NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Ramogi Huma, executive director of the National College Players Association, about the recent student athlete protests across the country. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Week In Sports: A Look At How Sports Leagues Are Handling COVID-19 NPR's Scott Simon and ESPN's Howard Bryant talk the latest in sports this week, including the latest on baseball and football leagues' response to the pandemic and their schedules. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Pro Basketball Is Returning To Florida As The Coronavirus Surges The NBA says its ready to restart its season following its shutdown because of the coronavirus. All games will be played in Orlando, Fla. without fans and a strict set of health protocols. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Indy 500 Will Run In August, With Its Massive Grandstands At 50% Capacity The track normally accommodates hundreds of thousands of spectators. Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles says the race will be held on Aug. 23, with fans on hand. Read more on NPR

#Breaking The Legend Of Snacks: Video Of Equipment Manager Draining Long 3-Pointer Wins ESPY Thomas "Snacks" Lee shot to fame by shooting a basketball. A viral video of the Jackson State men's basketball student manager draining a long 3-pointer in a real NCAA game has won an ESPY Award. Read more on NPR

#Breaking The Legend Of Snacks: Video Of Equipment Manager Draining Long 3-Pointer Wins EPSY Thomas "Snacks" Lee shot to fame by shooting a basketball. A viral video of the Jackson State men's basketball student manager draining a long 3-pointer in a real NCAA game has won an ESPY Award. Read more on NPR

#Breaking NASCAR Completes Noose Investigation; Can't Determine How It Got Into Driver's Garage NASCAR releases picture of the noose found in driver Bubba Wallace's garage at the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. The organization also completed its investigation into what happened. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Kentucky Derby Rescheduled To September, Will Take Place With Fans Churchill Downs, the racing venue, said it worked with health officials to develop a plan that would allow the race to take place amid concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Former NASCAR Driver On The Confederate Flag: 'I Had To ... Accept It' Bill Lester, one of only seven Black drivers to race in NASCAR's top-tier cup series, says he wanted the flag gone when he raced more than a decade ago. "The country was not ready to listen," he says. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Lachlan Morton Sets A Bicycling 'Everesting' Record More and more bicyclists are breaking records of "Everesting": climbing the height equal to Mount Everest by riding a single hill, up and down, over and over again. Read more on NPR

#Breaking New York City Marathon Canceled Due To Coronavirus The race, which is the world's largest marathon, has attracted more than 50,000 runners and thousands of volunteers. Spectators line the route, which goes through all five boroughs of the city. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Biker Sets Record For 'Everesting' Challenge A professional cyclist talks about setting a record for biking the altitude of Mt. Everest. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Biker Sets Record For 'Everesting' Challenge A professional cyclist talks about setting a record for biking the altitude of Mt. Everest. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Major League Baseball Comes Back For Shorter Season After Coronavirus Shutdown There will be a Major League Baseball season in 2020. After months of back-and-forth, MLB and its players association agreed to a 60-game shortened season with spring training beginning on July 1. Read more on NPR

#Breaking News Brief: DOJ Attorneys Testify, Trump Rethinks Campaign, MLB Returns Two DOJ attorneys will testify before a House Panel today. Trump's campaign is reassessing after poor turnout at his Tulsa rally. And, the MLB will return for a shortened season. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Former NASCAR Driver Discusses Competing As A Black Man NPR's David Greene talks with former NASCAR driver Bill Lester, one of only seven Black drivers to race in NASCAR's top division, about his experience being Black in a historically white sport. Read more on NPR

#Breaking FBI Says Noose Left In NASCAR Racer Bubba Wallace's Garage Not Intended For Him Federal authorities said a noose found inside Bubba Wallace's NASCAR garage on Sunday was actually left there at least eight months ago. Wallace is the only black driver on the top circuit. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Baseball Is Coming Back For A Pandemic-Shortened 2020 Season Major League Baseball and its Players Association have reached an agreement to play 60 games instead of 162, beginning July 23 or 24. They hope to finish before a second surge of COVID-19. Read more on NPR

#Breaking NASCAR's Bubba Wallace Was Not The Target Of A Hate Crime, FBI Says "After a thorough review of the facts and evidence surrounding this event, we have concluded that no federal crime was committed," FBI officials said in a statement, Tuesday. Read more on NPR

#Breaking NASCAR: Its History Of Racism And Relations With The Confederate Flag NPR's Sarah McCammon speaks with Daniel Pierce, a NASCAR historian and a University of North Carolina, Asheville professor, about the history of racism and the Confederate flag in stock car racing. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Schott-Free: University Of Cincinnati Trustees Vote To Take Name Off Ballpark The board cited Marge Schott's "record of racism and bigotry" in its decision. The late philanthropist and Cincinnati Reds owner was reviled for using racial and ethnic slurs and praising Hitler. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Tennis Star Novak Djokovic Tests Positive For Coronavirus Djokovic, the world's No. 1-ranked men's tennis player, has previously voiced concerns about the possibility of restrictions at future tennis events due to the coronavirus. Read more on NPR

#Breaking 'Together' NASCAR Looks To Move Forward After Noose Found In Driver's Garage The FBI joins investigation into who left a noose inside NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace's garage at the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. NASCAR plans to ban the perpetrators from the sport for life. Read more on NPR

#Breaking NASCAR Fans React To A Noose Left In Bubba Wallace's Garage A noose was found in the garage of NASCAR's only black driver in the top circuit Sunday. And a delayed race at Talladega Monday became the first real test of NASCAR's ban of the Confederate flag. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Iconic Nike Shoes Expected To Sell For $150,000 At Auction Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman made the white waffle spike shoes for runner John Mays in the 1970s. A different pair — worn by Michael Jordan-- sold at auction last month for $560,000. Read more on NPR

#Breaking NASCAR 'Angered' After Noose Is Found In Wallace's Stall At Talladega A noose was found inside Bubba Wallace's garage at Talladega Speedway. He is the only black driver in NASCAR's top circuit. Wallace led efforts to ban the Confederate battle flag at NASCAR events. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Noose Left In Black Driver's Garage Stall At NASCAR Race Track The symbol of violent white racism was found in Bubba Wallace's stall. The only Black driver in the top stock car racing circuit, he had led the campaign to ban Confederate flags from NASCAR events. Read more on NPR

#Breaking How A Fan's Protest Led The Minnesota Twins To Remove A Statue Of Their Former Owner NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Mike Tucker, who spearheaded a protest to have the Minnesota Twins remove a statue of the team's racist former owner, Calvin Griffith, from in front of Target Field. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Week In Sports: COVID-19 Hits Locker Rooms As Sports Teams Plan To Return As pro-sports leagues look to start their seasons during the pandemic, players are testing positive for the coronavirus. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Florida's Surging Coronavirus Numbers Hobble Several Pro Sports Teams Several Major League Baseball and National Hockey League teams have shuttered facilities in Florida after players test positive for COVID-19. Experts worry it's too soon to bring back pro sports. Read more on NPR

#Breaking The National Women's Soccer League Is Kicking Off Its 2020 Season NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with National Women's Soccer League Commissioner Lisa Baird about plans for the league's return to play later this month. Read more on NPR

#Breaking With Season Still In Jeopardy, Fauci Says MLB Should Finish Before Fall Dr. Anthony Fauci said that while the spread of the coronavirus is still a major threat during the summer months, that period of time does not pose the added threat of the flu season. Read more on NPR

#Breaking U.S. Open Tennis Will Start On Time, New York Gov. Cuomo Says The event will begin on Aug. 31 without fans because of the continued spread of the coronavirus. Australian tennis star Nicholas Kyrgios calls the move "selfish." Read more on NPR

#Breaking Roger Goodell On Colin Kaepernick's Possible Return to NFL: 'I Welcome That' The NFL commissioner's comments come in an interview with ESPN. In recent days the commissioner has apologized for the league "not listening to NFL players earlier" on issues of racial injustice. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Major League Baseball And Players Argue Over The Start Of The Season During Pandemic Major League Baseball and its players are locked in a stalemate about starting up the season during the coronavirus pandemic. Both sides have joined a heated debate about finances and safety. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Ben Carson On Whether Trump Will Ease Up On NFL Athletes Kneeling: 'He'll Get There' The kneeling protests have gained renewed attention and debate since the police killing of George Floyd, which Carson described as a "murder taking place in front of our eyes." Read more on NPR

#Breaking College Football Star Threatens Boycott Over Coach's Support For Far-Right TV Channel The news channel, One America Network, has a history of supporting President Trump and of spreading misinformation that favors the political right. Read more on NPR

#Breaking College Football Star Threatens Boycott Over Coach's Support For Far-Right TV Channel The news channel, One America Network, has a history of supporting President Trump and of spreading misinformation that favors the political right. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Women's Pro Basketball To Return In July The WNBA has announced plans for a shortened season to be held in Florida, a neutral site. It's the first time that all teams' players will train and play in the same location. Read more on NPR

#Breaking NASCAR Team Debuts 'Blue Lives Matter' Car To Show Support For Law Enforcement The car's driver says it honors first responders. Last week, NASCAR banned the Confederate battle flag from its events. A black driver recently unveiled a Black Lives Matter paint scheme. Read more on NPR

#Breaking NASCAR Allows 1,000 Fans To Return To The Stands In Miami Up to 1,000 South Florida service members, first responders and their families are the first group of fans allowed to watch a NASCAR race in the stands since March. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Former NFL Star And Activist Calls League's Shift On Protests 'Just A Moral Victory' Brendon Ayanbadejo, an equal rights activist who faced criticism for his own outspokenness while playing for the Baltimore Ravens, wishes the NFL's move to embrace protesting athletes came sooner. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Not My Job: We Quiz Rock Climber Ashima Shiraishi On Escalators Shiraishi a pro at climbing sheer rock faces, we've invited her to play a game called "Let's take the easy way up." Read more on NPR

#Breaking Week In Sports: NFL Will Recognize Juneteenth Holiday ENTER TEASER Read more on NPR

#Breaking 'Long Gone Summer' Documentary Revisits Controversial 1998 Home Run Chase Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa slugged it out to beat a baseball home run record in 1998. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with director AJ Schnack about his documentary Long Gone Summer. Read more on NPR

#Breaking NASCAR Driver Bubba Wallace On Confederate Flag Ban: 'A Long Time Coming' Bubba Wallace is the only black driver to race full time in NASCAR's top series. He tells All Things Considered that banning the Confederate flag will bring in people who felt uncomfortable before. Read more on NPR

#Breaking NASCAR Top Circuit Driver Comments On Company's Decision To Ban Confederate Flag NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Bubba Wallace, the only black NASCAR top circuit driver, about NASCAR banning the Confederate flag. Read more on NPR

#Breaking The NFL Announces A New Holiday. It's Listening. But Is It Enough? The NFL is giving all employees the day off on June 19th. That day - known as Juneteenth - commemorates the effective end of slavery. It's the third major race-related directive by the NFL in a week. Read more on NPR

#Breaking How Taking A Stand For Justice Can Threaten The Careers Of Black Athletes Howard Bryant, author of The Heritage, discusses the history of social protest among African American athletes, including Jackie Robinson and Muhammad Ali. Originally broadcast Jan. 13, 2018. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Bubbles And Empty Seats: Pro Sports Forge Ahead With Comebacks Despite The Pandemic As cities continue relaxing shelter-in-place mandates and reopening, sports leagues are cautiously readying to compete again. Read more on NPR

#Breaking NASCAR Bans Confederate Flag From Events The stock car racing group says the presence of the Confederate Flag runs contrary to its commitment to be welcoming and inclusive. Read more on NPR

#Breaking U.S. Soccer Lifts Ban On Kneeling During National Anthem "It has become clear that this policy was wrong and detracted from the important message of Black Lives Matter," U.S. Soccer said on Wednesday. The ban has been in place since February 2017. Read more on NPR

#Breaking NASCAR Bans Confederate Flag At All Of Its Events And Properties NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Jeff Gluck of The Athletic about NASCAR's decision to ban the Confederate battle flag at all of its events and properties. Read more on NPR

#Breaking NASCAR Bans Confederate Flag "The presence of the Confederate flag runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and industry," officials announced Wednesday. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Sidelined By Coronavirus, MLS Will Return In July With League-Wide Tournament After scant live sports to watch since the coronavirus took hold, the 54-game tournament in Florida will provide a football buffet: matches nearly every day from July 8 to Aug. 11. Read more on NPR

#Breaking A Stadium Name Once Meant To Honor Now Offends As debate swirls once again about Confederate monuments and symbols, the University of Cincinnati is having to wrestle with what to do about its baseball stadium named for controversial Marge Schott. Read more on NPR

#Breaking NASCAR's Bubba Wallace Wants Confederate Flags Banned From Race Tracks "No one should feel uncomfortable when they come to a NASCAR race," Wallace said. "Get them out of here. They have no place for them." Read more on NPR

#Breaking CrossFit Company Is Ostracized After Its CEO's Racial Remarks Athletes, gyms, Reebok and other athletic companies are distancing themselves from the CrossFit brand after founder Greg Glassman made some inflammatory remarks about the nationwide protests. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Trump Questions NFL Commissioner's Reversal On Protests During Anthem In a late Sunday night tweet, President Trump said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell "was intimating that it would now be O.K. for the players to KNEEL ... thereby disrespecting our Country & our Flag?" Read more on NPR

#Breaking NFL Player Michael Bennett Talks The League's Shift On Protests NPR's Michel Martin speaks with professional football player Michael Bennett about the NFL's shift on players who peacefully protest and speak out against police brutality. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Week In Sports: NFL Commissioner Says 'We Were Wrong' About Kneeling Protests The NFL reverses its stance on protests, saying it was wrong not to listen to its players' concerns about racism. And, various leagues begin to plan for a return amid the pandemic. Read more on NPR

#Breaking NFL Commissioner Says The League Was Wrong To Not Listen To Players About Racism NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has issued a statement Friday, condemning racism and saying the football league was wrong for not listening to its players' concerns about racism and police brutality. Read more on NPR

#Breaking NFL On Kneeling Players' Protests: 'We Were Wrong' Commissioner Says "We were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said on Friday. Read more on NPR

#Breaking QB Drew Brees Criticized For 'Disrespecting The Flag' Comment New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees faces backlash after he said he would never agree with anyone disrespecting the flag. He made the comment when he was asked about players kneeling in the NFL. Read more on NPR

#Breaking College Athletes Return To Campuses For Voluntary Training Despite Safety Concerns Division 1 college athletes were allowed to return to campuses for voluntary training Monday. A former football player is worried the NCAA and schools might not provide adequate COVID-19 protections. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Sports Figures Add Their Voices To Those Of Angry Protesters In the days since George Floyd was killed while in police custody in Minnesota, sports figures have started speaking out, too. Some even joined the demonstrations that have swept the nation. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Sports Figures Speak Out Against The Killing Of George Floyd Since last week's death of George Floyd, in police custody in Minnesota, there's been a surge of sports figures speaking out. Some even joined demonstrations that swept the nation over the weekend. Read more on NPR