The Biden Administration is also maintaining its predecessor Donald Trump’s confrontational stance on Venezuela and China, two of Cuba’s closest allies. The president broke his silence on the Cuba protests on Monday after criticism from pro-regime change Republicans suggesting the president and his top officials had been too slow to comment on the wave of demonstrations sweeping the island. “We stand with the Cuban people and their clarion call for freedom and relief from the tragic grip of the pandemic and from the decades of repression and economic suffering to which they have been subjected by Cuba’s authoritarian regime,” Biden said in a statement issued by the White House....

Buck spent 20 years calling NFL games and 25 years doing Major League Baseball games on Fox, now he and Aikman made the move to cover the popular Monday night games for ESPN this year. Ironically, it’s a matchup of one of the Super Bowl games they covered. Denver quarterback Russell Wilson makes his return to Seattle for the matchup. Just like 2020 when fans realized Buck was calling Super Bowl 54 in Miami, 2022 fans went straight to Twitter to not only complain about him, but mock him....

That didn’t make him the better, more impressive quarterback in the game. That honor belongs to Burrow, the rookie No. 1 overall pick. Mayfield needed his best performance in a year and a half to ensure Cleveland started 1-1. He was super-efficient, completing 16 of 23 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 9.5 yards per attempt and rating a stellar 110.6. More: Browns find true, needed offensive identity for Baker Mayfield...

Kenseth retaliated against Logano for spinning him in the Oct. 18 Chase race at Kansas Speedway. The incident at Kansas, in which Kenseth was leading with Logano on his tail, contributed to Kenseth being eliminated from the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Kenseth was several laps down when he wrecked Logano at Martinsville, which, in turn, contributed to Logano being eliminated from championship contention. MORE: Sprint Cup’s final four | Homestead winners, Cup champs | Kenseth’s hard lesson...

When David Robertson signed with the White Sox as a free agent, 6-8 righty Dellin Betances looked poised to take over the closer role in the Bronx. But the offseason addition of Andrew Miller has Girardi envisioning a unique two-closer system. MORE: Josh Hamilton avoids suspension | MLB stars recite ‘Field of Dreams’ speech | Mascots dance “I think that’s possible,’’ Girardi said, via the New York Post. “We could go by where they are in the lineup or use them both....

Manchin, who is considered a moderate or conservative Democrat, made the comments on the Inside West Virginia Politics news program a few days before President Joe Biden was sworn into office. On Wednesday, Manchin issued a statement saying he couldn’t support the proposed $3.5 trillion infrastructure package, which Democrats had hoped to pass using the budget reconciliation process. Manchin said at the time: “The most important thing? Do infrastructure. Spend $2, $3, $4 trillion over a 10-year period on infrastructure....

Montana, a four-time Super Bowl winner, three-time league MVP and Tom Brady’s boyhood idol, said that if the footballs used in the Patriots win over the Colts in the AFC championship game were altered, it was demanded by Brady. MORE: Media day photos | Staubach not sold | “Zen Master” weighs in “I mean, it’s easy to figure out who did it,” Montana said after an appearance for Papa John’s, via the Boston Globe....

Coach Peter DeBoer told reporters before game time, the veteran will go through warmups before a decision is made on his availability for Game 7. Pavelski, 34, is listed as day-to-day with a head injury he suffered against the Golden Knights, and coach Peter DeBoer is still unsure when he will be able to come back exactly. “I’m not hiding anything,” DeBoer said Tuesday. “He’s day to day. He’s getting better every day....

Smith stopped Geffrard in the ninth round at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, N.Y., on Saturday night. After landing several blows that rattled his opponent, Smith landed combinations that forced Geffrard, who had never gone past eight rounds before in his career, to go down. It looked as if he wasn’t going to beat the referee’s count, and his corner ended up stopping the fight. “He really brought it today,” Smith said after the fight....

The third overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft isn’t just satisfied with finally getting on to the court, he’s looking to make a big impact for the 76ers this season. POSITION RANKINGS: Point guard | Shooting guard | Small forward “I feel like I’m the best player on the floor,” he said via Philly.com at the start of his team’s training camp on Tuesday. “So I’m just going to do my job on the floor....

Johannsson, who took his Eredivisie scoring tally to 17 on the season, missed out on several opportunities to make that number even larger. The most frustrating was a stoppage-time miss that flew over the crossbar. The 23-year-old's goal was well taken. He weaved back and forth at the center back before bursting free to head in a cross from Steven Berghuis. Earlier in the match, he was involved in a strange incident in which Roda defender Guy Ramos appeared to grab for Johannsson's genitals....

Calipari posted a photo showing him talking to “Karlito,” Karl-Anthony Towns’ imaginary friend on his shoulder. Allow Nicole Auerbach of USA Today to explain: MORE: NBA Draft board | Biggest NBA draft busts of all time | Towns scouting report Karlito is Towns’ imaginary friend, perched, invisibly, on his shoulder. His most important job? Handling all sorts of criticism. He doles it out — if Towns misses one free throw and posts an otherwise impressive stat line, that missed freebie is what Karlito will dwell on — and he also helps Towns endure any verbal assaults from Kentucky coach John Calipari — of which there are plenty....

But UK coach John Calipari says Labissiere’s struggles do not justify the “personal attacks” leveled by one anonymous NBA scout. How personal did things get? Well, the scout told SNY.tv’s Adam Zagoria Labissiere was “a paper tiger,” “a mock draft myth” and “a fraud,” among other things. “Big Skal, no strength, no toughness, no game,” the scout said. “Comes off the bench, plays 10 minutes, had 2 points, 3 rebounds, 0 for 3 from the floor....

This class has yet to even play a game at Kentucky. Still, Calipari hinted Tuesday his view could quickly change. His eight-player freshmen contingent includes McDonald's All-Americans Dakari Johnson, twins Andrew and Aaron Harrison, James Young, Julius Randle and Marcus Lee. In-state players Dominique Hawkins and Derek Willis round out this latest crop. The coach concedes that "this team is a lot deeper," suggesting he could possibly start five freshmen....

Polling has been sparse thus far, but what there is shows a majority of Californians don’t want Newsom recalled. Those who do support his removal from office rank former Newsom gubernatorial challenger John Cox and former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer as among the top candidates. But each politician received less than a third of voter support among respondents in April polls. conducted by the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies (Berkeley IGS) and SurveyUSA....

Geddert was discovered dead in the Michigan city of Grand Ledge, according to Michigan Attorney General spokeswoman Kelly Rossman-McKinney. “My office has been notified that the body of John Geddert was found late this afternoon after taking his own life. This is a tragic end to a tragic story for everyone involved,” State Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement released Thursday afternoon. The 63-year-old coach had been accused of human trafficking, criminal sexual conduct, forced labor resulting in injury, racketeering and lying to police, according to a Michigan state criminal complaint filed in Eaton County....

When asked who he’d like to play him in a biopic, Buttigieg responded with the former Saturday Night Live-writer. “I’m hoping for John Mulaney,” he said to a rapturous applause. “I could see that,” Fox-affiliate host Elex Michaelson said. Poking fun at his lack of film roles, the comedian tweeted that he would accept. “As I accept all movies offered (2 so far) I accept,” Mulaney wrote. While not explicitly an endorsement, it does bring the candidate’s resemblance to the comic to light....

Smith greatly overshadowed the glitzy awards ceremony when he bounded onto the stage at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre and slapped Rock in reaction to a joke the comedian had made about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. While a host of celebrities shared their takes on the incident in the hours and days that followed, Oliver has taken umbrage to Simpson adding his voice to those expressing opinions on the matter....

As Saunder’s friend Mitch Albom promises in the foreword of “Playing Hurt: My Journey from Despair to Hope,” this book is “revelatory.” MORE: Remembering John Saunders with one of his best friends at ESPN New York Times bestselling author John U. Bacon co-authored the book with Saunders. The book, released this week, isn’t a puffy portrait of the long-time fixture on ABC’s college football coverage and “The Sports Reporters” — though it’s true Saunders was one of the most-liked sportscasters on ESPN through his career....

The Buffalo Sabres winger has been suspended seven games for shouldering (and injuring) Boston Bruins winger Loui Eriksson. "Although this is not an elbow to the head, the follow-through that occurs after contact indicates to us a significant amount of force delivered on this illegal check to the head," NHL director of player safety Brendan Shanahan said, adding that because Eriksson's positioning didn't change before the hit, the onus was on Scott to avoid it....