In a video statement released on Thursday, the president said officials expected the milestone to be reached today, and told Americans it was “critically important” that they take the COVID-19 vaccine when it is offered to them. Biden issued his vaccine plea as several polls found that a large minority of Americans are hesitant about receiving a shot, or may even be ready to refuse the vaccine outright. Speaking on Thursday, Biden said: “Folks, tomorrow we’re going to hit a very important milestone that I promised: 100 million shots of vaccine in people’s arms....

Obama went on to become the first U.S. president to visit the island since 1928, lift some travel restrictions and reopen the U.S. embassy in Havana, closed since 1961. The then-president hailed the thaw and described his visit as an “extraordinary honor.” The move faced opposition from both sides of the U.S. political spectrum. Anti-normalization figures pointed to the historic human rights abuses on the part of the island’s revolutionary and totalitarian regime, plus its seizure of private property—including that owned by Americans....

Burrow led the Bengals to a 34-31 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday afternoon, capping a worst-to-first sequence for Cincinnati. The Bengals wrapped up the AFC North championship with Sunday’s win, and they will host a first-round playoff game in two weeks. In the process, Burrow has catapulted into the top four MVP favorites for the 2021 NFL season, according to FanDuel. Burrow is tied for third with Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor at +1400....

While Haden had several other suitors chasing his services, including the Raiders, Cowboys and Saints, joining the Steelers wasn’t a difficult choice. He met the team ahead of its final preseason game against the Panthers, and everything seemed to fall into place. “They were super interested in me,” Haden said after the Steelers’ 17-14 win over the Panthers on Thursday night at Bank of America Stadium. “I just felt like once I was free, I wanted to have a chance to be able to play in some meaningful games, you know what I’m saying?...

For one of the struggling pitchers, the manager offered sharp criticism. For the other, he expressed optimism of an immediate turnaround. Carl Edwards Jr. did not pass Maddon’s feel test one outing after returning from the IL on Friday. Edwards hit a batter, walked another and surrendered an RBI single in a third of an inning Sunday, prompting his demotion to Triple-A. “There’s something missing there, and he’s got to find it,” Maddon said....

Manchin, a moderate, has repeatedly stood out as the key figure within the Democratic Party preventing elements of Biden’s agenda from moving forward. With an evenly split Senate, just one Democratic senator is enough to make or break the possibility that partisan priorities can pass in Congress. While the West Virginia lawmaker has drawn strong criticism from the White House and from fellow members of Democrats in Congress, recent polling suggests voters in his state are happy....

The monthly payments, which provided an estimate of 30 million families’ monthly payments since the extension in July 2021, were part of President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 relief bill. The previous expansion removed the previous work requirements, raised the maximum credit amount from $2,000 to $3,600 per child under 6 and $3,000 per child between 6 to 17. The changes also allowed eligible individuals to receive half the payments through monthly payments....

Joe Montana, a four-time Super Bowl winner and eight-time Pro Bowl selection, is excited about the new wave of quarterbacks in the league. Sporting News recently asked which he’s most interested in seeing this season. “I’m pretty interested in watching Dak Prescott this year and also Derek Carr — how he comes back from that injury, because I think that injury really affected the Raiders down the stretch (last season),” Montana said....

The right-hander blanked the Rangers 3-0 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Musgrove faced just one batter over the minimum (he hit Joey Gallo with a pitch in the fourth inning) and leaned on a sharp breaking ball to rack up 10 strikeouts. MORE: Teams’ most recent no-hitters “The slider was the pitch that I felt I could put wherever I wanted today,” he said in a postgame interview with Bally Sports San Diego....

Archetypes has slipped to No. 27 in the U.S. charts, one spot behind Jordan Peterson’s show and several places behind Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, which Prince Harry was a guest on in May 2021. Meanwhile, Joe Rogan’s show is back in the top spot in America, having briefly been dethroned not only by Meghan, but also by Kim Kardashian’s The System. Kardashian’s real crime series has slumped to No....

But while Todd Frazier, Aroldis Chapman, and Jay Bruce are all being mentioned in trade rumors, one Reds star you won’t hear mentioned in trade scuttlebutt is Joey Votto. The first baseman has a no-trade clause in his contract, and he very much wants to stick around, despite the team’s recent woes. MORE: The best bargain bin free agents | Snakes get Greinke The Reds hosted a fan event Friday, and Votto told MLB....

The book—The Room Where It Happened—was released earlier this month. It details Bolton’s 18 months in President Donald Trump’s administration, during which time he reportedly clashed with the president over a range of foreign policy issues. Simon & Schuster told Newsweek Wednesday that Bolton’s book sold more than 780,000 copies in all formats during its first week of sale. The publisher has now ordered an eleventh printing of the book, which when complete will bring the number of hardcover copies to 1 million....

“I’m not afraid of him, but also I’m not afraid of what he has to say. It also begs the question why didn’t we subpoena him in the House?” Crenshaw of Texas told NBC’s Kasie Hunt on Sunday. “There was no deadline here for impeachment, right? We could have actually gone through this. We could have gone through the subpoenas. We could have had him come and testify to the House....

(Sorry, too easy.) But not so much coach John Calipari. He understands that the shift in college basketball toward calling games more closely, to allowing more freedom of movement, is good for the game in general — and maybe better for Kentucky than most teams. MORE: College basketball midseason All-Americans “People must be fouling,” Calipari said during his news conference Friday in advance of Saturday’s big SEC showdown against South Carolina....

As for Saturday, if Wildcats coach John Calipari gets his way, there will be no need for seats at Rupp Arena during crunch time. MORE: Saturday college scoreboard | Mock bracket selection | Rupp redesign "For this game, I'm talking to our fans," Calipari said Friday morning on ESPN's "SportsCenter." "The last eight minutes, no one sits down. Carry us home the last eight minutes. If you have to stand with a cane, if you have to hold someone next to you, everyone stands....

Calipari said on the SEC media teleconference that the Wildcats are “holding down the fort” with the 6-foot-10 Lyles having missed the last three games due to illness. MORE: Kentucky atop new AP poll | Calipari vs. Saban: Who’s better? | Florida’s Frazier out with sprained ankle “I don’t have any sense right now (if he will play),” Calipari said via The Courier Journal. “I’m liking the training sheet that says he can go limited today, which is the first time....

John Elway, the New York Giants, and Dolphins owner Stephen Ross have released statements responding to the allegations brought by Flores that range from “sham interviews” that made him feel disrespected to Ross allegedly offering Flores $100,000 for each loss in Flores’ first season as Dolphins head coach to improve their draft position by losing as many games as possible. Flores alleged that his 2019 interview to be the head coach of the Denver Broncos was not taken seriously by Elway, the general manager of the team at the time, as well as other Broncos executives he interviewed with....

Manning then took every snap in the playoffs as the Broncos went on to win Super Bowl 50. Osweiler, a second-round draft pick of the Broncos in 2012, was supposed to be the heir apparent to Manning, who retired following the season. Instead Osweiler used free agency to bolt for Houston. MORE: Elway one of Broncos’ all-time greats “That’s why you can never lock into one solution,” Broncos general manager John Elway told The Denver Post over the weekend....

Coach John Harbaugh and GM Eric DeCosta insisted at a press conference on Thursday that they believe Jackson will be in a Ravens uniform next season, with DeCosta telling reporters, “We’re excited to start up negotiations again.” Harbaugh didn’t mince words, saying there is a “200 percent” chance of Jackson staying in Baltimore. MORE: Jets, Patriots among best fits for Lamar Jackson if he leaves Ravens in 2023 “Lamar Jackson is our quarterback,” Harbaugh said, adding that the pending free-agent will be involved in the search for a new offensive coordinator after the team parted ways with Greg Roman on Thursday....

Since the pandemic began, Krasinski has taken to YouTube with a new series, Some Good News, where he tries to highlight positive things going on while everyone is confined to their own homes. Past stories include ICU teams inventing dances for people coming off of ventilators, nuns lip-syncing to Queen, and a young boy who finds it necessary to greet every person he sees in the street. Fittingly (since they’re all constantly scrolling through their already), Krasinski hosted his SGN prom on TikTok (and YouTube)....