“Over on Fox, human manure spreader Tucker Carlson has floated yet another race-baiting conspiracy theory that tens of thousands of Afghan refugees have been welcomed into this country to change the outcome of future elections,” Acosta said on CNN Newsroom. Some far-right media personalities and Republican lawmakers in the anti-immigrant wing of the party have condemned President Joe Biden for what they call an influx of threatening foreigners into the U....

Fisher is referring to a uniform schedule in which each team plays eight games within the conference and at least two Power 5 non-conference opponents. Or a “nine-and-one” schedule. MORE: What’s the worst that can happen to Florida State in 2016? The ACC is considering a nine-game conference requirement, ESPN reported, the model used by the Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12. The ACC and SEC schedule eight conference games and one mandatory non-conference Power 5 opponent....

Viewers of TSN in Canada, however, did. According to video of the incident, which was replayed on several sports shows this week, things indeed got tense and heated between the two drivers after their late-race run-in on the track. MORE: Drivers want low downforce, softer tires | Bristol picks, preview | Stewart out again Newman declined comment after the confrontation in the garage, but Johnson characterized it as “just normal Ryan Newman stuff....

Keselowski spun while racing in the middle of a pack while six laps down, taking several cars out with him and becoming the subject of criticism for being overly aggressive with little hope of getting the laps back. MORE: Weird weekend at Indy | Earnhardt sponsor | Bowyer son | Kansas picks “You have to think being six laps down you are not going to get back on the lead lap,” Johnson said Friday at Kansas Speedway....

But is he the quarterback of the present? That has been the question for the 49ers this offseason. Coach Kyle Shanahan and the team’s brass have been leaning toward starting Jimmy Garoppolo for most of it. The team likes the veteran and has been a fan of his performance in training camp. “It’s not been as hard as you think,” Shanahan told Football Morning in America’s Peter King when asked when he might start Lance....

The late-night host shared a tearful monologue about his friend, whom he described as “the sweetest.” “If you’ve read anything about Bob online last night, if you saw any of the many thoughts from people who knew him personally, a word that came up a lot was ’the sweetest,’” Kimmel, 54, began in his speech on Monday night. “Bob was the sweetest, he was the sweetest man, and the reason people wrote that is because it’s true....

Biden, who served as Barack Obama’s vice president, became the front-runner for the Democratic nomination after an unprecedented comeback in the South Carolina primary at the end of February rebooted his struggling campaign. Sanders, who had garnered an early lead, has performed poorly in most states that have voted since then, but has remained in the race. During Wednesday’s virtual press conference, Biden was asked by a reporter about the possibility of an April debate with the senator....

The president was speaking at a holiday celebration for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) at the Hotel Washington in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday when he questioned what the GOP represents. Republicans are hoping to take back the House of Representatives and the Senate in 2022, which would allow them to arrest Biden’s legislative agenda and hold up or reject his nominees. Biden was speaking about voting rights legislation and said that “each and every time, Senate Republicans have blocked the way....

The ceremony begins at 10 a.m. EST, according to the latest tweet Tuesday by the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC). Schedule The updated line-up of the inaugural ceremony includes the following, the PIC tweeted Tuesday: “Fr. Leo O’Donovan | Invocation"“Andrea Hall | Pledge of Allegiance"“Lady Gaga | National Anthem"“Amanda Gorman | Poetry Reading"“Jennifer Lopez | Musical Performance"“Garth Brooks | Musical Performance"“Rev. Dr. Silvester Beaman | Benediction” After being sworn in, Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will participate in several military ceremonies, such as the Pass in Review ritual....

The gigantic billboard sits atop the Whisky a Go Go nightclub, and it used to advertise Swamp Thing, the DC Comics television show that airs on the CW network. But working through the night Wednesday, a secret, conservative group of street artists known as “The Faction” dubbed Biden’s face over that of the “real” Swamp Thing. The Faction also altered the words on the billboard so that instead of the original, “Deep water, deep secrets,” it now reads, “Joe Biden is…Swamp Thing,” and “Hide your kids, hide your wife....

The strait separating China from Taiwan proper is about 80 miles wide at its narrowest point, while Taiwan’s outlying islands of Kinmen, or Quemoy, lie just over 3 miles from the Chinese coast. The Taiwan Strait transit was conducted by the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur on June 22, according to a statement released by the U.S. 7th Fleet. It was the ship’s third appearance in the waters this year, following similar passes on February 24 and May 18....

“The president and vice president are engaging directly with members [of Congress] and have had a number of productive conversations that will continue and pick up in the days ahead,” Biden press secretary Jan Psaki told reporters Wednesday. Detailing the all-out effort that has consumed the White House during Biden’s first week in office, Psaki said, “Senior White House officials are also engaging with—not just congressional leaders—but also state and local officials, constituency groups and others to gather feedback on the proposal....

“I’m proud to announce that I am nominating Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the Supreme Court,” Biden wrote on Twitter. “Currently serving on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, she is one of our nation’s brightest legal minds and will be an exceptional Justice.” According to the official White House statement, Biden pursued a candidate with similar qualifications as retiring justice Stephen Breyer. “President Biden sought a candidate with exceptional credentials, unimpeachable character, and unwavering dedication to the rule of law....

“We’re going to finish the job of getting a total of $2,000 in direct payments to folks,” Biden said Friday while delivering remarks on the economy. The president added that the $600 direct payment included in legislation passed by Congress in December — a bill he described as a “downpayment” — “is simply not enough if you still had to choose between paying rent and putting food on the table....

Biden discussed a range of topics, from when every American will be able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and the end of the pandemic, to being “tired of talking about Donald Trump” while answering questions from Cooper and members of the audience. Read the full transcript, released by CNN, of Tuesday’s town hall below. Full transcript of CNN town hall on February 16, 2021 ANDERSON COOPER: And welcome. We are live in the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin....

Citing senior U.S. officials, The Washington Post, CNN and Politico reported Thursday that Biden was planning to renew the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), the last remaining nuclear non-proliferation agreement between Washington and Moscow, before a Feb. 5 deadline that would allow the accord to expire. The move limits the number of strategic warheads and launchers in the arsenals of the world’s two top nuclear powers, and allows them to inspect one another’s stockpiles....

On Saturday, Joe Biden said that if he is president, he would pull World Cup funding to U.S. Soccer unless the pay gap was equal. “To @USWNT: don’t give up this fight. This is not over yet,” Biden wrote in a tweet. “To @ussoccer: equal pay, now. Or else when I’m president, you can go elsewhere for World Cup funding.” Biden, who was vice president in the Barack Obama administration for eight years, is presumed to be the Democratic presidential nominee who will challenge Donald Trump for the White House this fall....

Biden’s $1.9 trillion package proposes a third round of direct payments of $1,400, making a combined $2,000 with the $600 checks already approved at the end of last year. However, Republicans have balked at his proposed spending and a group of 10 GOP senators has proposed a slimmed down framework they think would more likely garner bipartisan support. This included cutting down the stimulus check amounts and who is eligible....

Speaking with ABC News’ This Week on Sunday, Biden said that he, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and top officials at the DNC are going to “follow the science” as they wait to decide how to hold a presidential nomination convention. Last Friday, Biden disclosed that he was moving forward with the vetting process of his potential Cabinet members and vice presidential picks. Biden insisted Sunday that regardless of the coronavirus situation, the DNC must hold an official convention in some for or another....

In a video clip from CNN, he predicted that he would be “clobbered by the press” for saying that he would take a Republican running mate, but told the crowd that saying so would be “totally legitimate.” Biden reportedly made the comment after a woman at an event in Exeter, New Hampshire, told him that he would need to “pull out all the stops” if he were to win the Democratic nomination....