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Chicago Cubs host the St. Louis Cardinals Saturday

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:36:51 GMT

St. Louis Cardinals (44-54, fourth in the NL Central) vs. Chicago Cubs (46-51, third in the NL Central)Chicago; Saturday, 2:20 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Cardinals: Miles Mikolas (6-5, 4.14 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 83 strikeouts); Cubs: Michael Fulmer (1-5, 4.43 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 46 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Cardinals -118, Cubs -102; over/under is 9 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Cubs host the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday.Chicago is 25-26 in home games and 46-51 overall. The Cubs have a 35-20 record in games when they record eight or more hits.St. Louis has a 44-54 record overall and a 22-28 record on the road. The Cardinals have a 9-20 record in games decided by one run.Saturday’s game is the eighth time these teams meet this season. The Cardinals have a 4-3 advantage in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Nico Hoerner has 15 doubles, four triples and six home runs while hitting .271 for the Cubs. Cody Bellinger is 15-for-38 with two doubles and four home runs over th...

Reds host the Diamondbacks, look to extend home win streak

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:36:51 GMT

Arizona Diamondbacks (54-44, second in the NL West) vs. Cincinnati Reds (53-46, second in the NL Central)Cincinnati; Saturday, 4:10 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Diamondbacks: TBD; Reds: Brandon Williamson (1-2, 4.78 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 41 strikeouts)BOTTOM LINE: The Cincinnati Reds, on a three-game home winning streak, host the Arizona Diamondbacks.Cincinnati has a 53-46 record overall and a 26-26 record at home. Reds hitters have a collective .413 slugging percentage to rank sixth in the NL.Arizona has a 54-44 record overall and a 28-20 record on the road. Diamondbacks hitters have a collective .429 slugging percentage to rank fourth in the NL.The teams meet Saturday for the second time this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Jonathan India has 19 doubles and 14 home runs while hitting .255 for the Reds. Will Benson is 8-for-25 with three doubles, a triple and three home runs over the past 10 games.Corbin Carroll has 20 doubles, four triples and 19 home runs while hitting .284 for the Diamondbacks....

Giants look to stop skid in matchup with the Nationals

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:36:51 GMT

San Francisco Giants (54-44, third in the NL West) vs. Washington Nationals (39-58, fifth in the NL East)Washington; Saturday, 7:05 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Giants: Logan Webb (8-7, 3.32 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 134 strikeouts); Nationals: Josiah Gray (6-8, 3.59 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 94 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Giants -190, Nationals +160; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The San Francisco Giants aim to stop a three-game slide with a win against the Washington Nationals.Washington has a 16-32 record at home and a 39-58 record overall. The Nationals have a 31-11 record in games when they have more hits than their opponents.San Francisco is 54-44 overall and 28-22 in road games. The Giants have a 26-9 record in games when they did not allow a home run.Saturday’s game is the fifth time these teams meet this season. The Nationals are up 3-1 in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Lane Thomas has 24 doubles, two triples and 16 home runs while hitting .292 for the Nationals. Joe...

Putin warns Poland an attack on Belarus would be an attack on Russia

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:36:51 GMT

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Poland that any attack on Belarus will be considered an attack on Russia, in a direct threat to the NATO country televised on Friday.“Aggression against Belarus will mean aggression against the Russian Federation,” Putin told a televised Security Council meeting on Friday, shown by Reuters. “We will respond to it with all means at our disposal,” he said.Putin appeared to be responding to Warsaw’s decision this week to re-station military units to the east of the country, closer to the Belarusian border, following the Russian ally’s hosting of Wagner mercenary fighters.Putin said that Poland appears to have interests in retaking eastern territories it lost to former Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin, including “a good chunk of Ukraine … to take back the historic lands.” He added that “it’s well known that they dream of Belarusian lands as well.”Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki hit back later on Friday, tweeting that “Stalin was a war cr...

The Spanish elections and potential outcomes, explained

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:36:51 GMT

MADRID — Spain is poised on a precipice: On Sunday, voters will determine if the country will become the latest one in Europe to take a swing to the hard right or if it will slip into a state of paralysis with a caretaker government for the foreseeable future.The vote is, by far, the most consequential to be held in Spain in recent memory. For the first time since the death of dictator Francisco Franco, the election could lead to a Spanish government with far-right ministers. That eventuality could signal a wider sea-change in Europe ahead of next year’s European Parliament election and give fuel to right-wing forces that want the EU to take more hardline stances on everything from climate policy to migration.But in practical terms, this election may also stand out for being the most chaotic in the country’s history. Called after the left-wing coalition government suffered a surprise defeat in May’s local elections, the vote is being held in the dead of summer when over ...

Fierce protests have been rocking Israel for months. What’s fueling them?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:36:51 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Oceans of Israeli flags, steady drumbeats, cries of “Democracy!” Water cannons, police on horseback, protesters dragged off the ground.For seven straight months, tens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets in the most sustained and intense demonstrations the country has ever seen.The protesters are part of a grassroots movement that rose out of opposition to a contentious judicial overhaul spearheaded by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right allies.The overhaul calls for sweeping changes aimed at curbing the powers of the judiciary, from limiting the Supreme Court’s ability to challenge parliamentary decisions, to changing the way judges are selected. While the government says the overhaul is needed to reduce the powers of unelected judges, protesters, who make up a wide cross section of Israeli society, say the overhaul will push Israel toward autocracy. With a key portion of the overhaul nearing a final vote early next week, protest...

A child and a woman die in Serbia as a second deadly storm rips through the Balkans this week

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:36:51 GMT

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — A 12-year-old boy and a woman died in Serbia during another deadly storm that ripped through the Balkans this week, local media said on Saturday.The storm on Friday first swept through Slovenia, moving on to Croatia and then Serbia and Bosnia, blowing gusts of wind and heavy rain. Authorities reported power distribution issues and extensive damage — including fallen trees — that destroyed cars and rooftops.On Wednesday, another storm killed six people in the region, four in Croatia, one in Slovenia and another in Bosnia. Meteorologists said the storms were of such powerful magnitude because they followed a string of extremely hot days. Experts say extreme weather conditions are likely fueled by climate change.In the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad, the 12-year-old was found dead in the street during the storm but it remains unclear whether he was struck by lightning or was electrocuted, said the official RTS television. Local media say Novi Sad was hit the ...

Ask Amy: I said something I shouldn’t have, and now the cousins are feuding

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:36:51 GMT

Dear Amy: I have caused a huge rift in our family.I was supposed to keep a secret for “Niece A” and unintentionally blurted it out at a family function.This led to “Niece B” running out and buying a house before Niece A did, which upstaged Niece A, causing her to be very upset.Then I told Niece A that the house Niece B bought was crap (a foreclosure), not knowing that B’s father was standing right behind me.Now both families are upset with me.I’ve apologized and tried to make amends with Niece A, but she is standoffish, and her parents are upset with me.I’m very upset with myself for letting the cat out of the bag for Niece A, but obviously I had no idea that B would upstage her like that.The two families have been jealous of each other for a long time. When there is a family get-together, there is a lot of tension. The two cousins avoid each other and don’t appear to be speaking.I feel this is all my fault, though the tension has been building for years between the two ...

Harriette Cole: My roommate doesn’t realize she’s causing a big problem

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:36:51 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: How do I go about telling my roommate that I no longer want to room with her because she snores too loudly?Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: After I rushed her to urgent care, she won’t talk about what happened Advice | Harriette Cole: They talk about how my wife dresses, and I don’t like it Advice | Harriette Cole: My husband lives in the lakehouse so he can avoid my teen daughter Advice | Harriette Cole: It bugs me when they assume I’m privileged Advice | Harriette Cole: How can I get invited to the good parties? Our apartment lease is almost up, and we need to decide if we want to live together again and renew it. She told me she definitely wants to room together again because I was such a great roommate. She was, too. She does a really good job at cleaning up after herself and respecting my boundaries.The big issue at hand is that she snores loudly at night, a...

Years After #MeToo, Defamation Cases Increasingly Target Victims Who Can’t Afford to Speak Out

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:36:51 GMT

Elise Aubuchon felt she owed it to other women to speak out. It was 2020, and #MeToo had prompted countless people to publicly expose those who had harassed and abused them. Years after she says she was raped, and once she realized the police weren’t going to pursue her case, she decided to make a public post on Facebook naming the alleged rapist. “MY VOICE WILL BE HEARD,” she wrote. “THIS IS FOR ALL THE VICTIMS OF THIS SICK MAN!!!!”She wasn’t planning to pursue legal action; she just wanted to warn others. Instead, it was the man she accused who sued her. Almost immediately after she put up her post, he sent her a letter threatening to sue her for defamation if she didn’t take it down. She refused. She hoped it was just an empty threat. But less than three weeks later, he filed a defamation lawsuit against her, according to court records, and demanded $25,000.“I felt defeated,” she told The Intercept. She was making $11 an hour and had no resources to fight him off; he already...