On the day the Lakers hosted their annual Thanksgiving Feast event to kick off their “Season of Giving” at the team’s practice facility, they were able to give some thanks for dodging serious injuries.

Austin Reaves didn’t have to get further imaging on his injured left heel, coach JJ Redick said after practice Friday, and the star guard will be listed as day-to-day for Sunday’s game at Phoenix.

Redick also said that All-Star guard Luka Doncic was “fine” after injuring his ankle in a win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night, that a concussion was ruled out for guard Collin Sexton after he received stitches to his forehead following a collision with Milwaukee’s Ryan Rollins, and that guard Quentin Grimes worked out in the stay-ready-game against coaches after missing two games because of a finger injury.

Reaves left Wednesday’s win in the third quarter and didn’t return. His X-rays after the game were negative and by Thursday morning, when the team had returned to L.A. after winning the first three of the four-game trip, Reaves felt well enough that he and team personnel opted against getting more imaging.

Redick said Reaves has a bruise on his heel and described it as “minor.”

Doncic, who leads the NBA in scoring (38.6 points) and is ninth in assists (7.6), is doing OK after he injured his right ankle in the fourth quarter Wednesday.

“The expectation would be he’s available,” Redick said.

Sexton had to get stitches above his right eye after the collision with 6:51 left in the fourth quarter Wednesday.

Redick said Sexton also will be day-to-day.

Lakers guard Collin Sexton, preparing to defend Hawks guard Kingston Flemings, is listed as day-to-day after getting stitches above his right eye following a collision during a win over the Bucks.

(Mike Stewart / Associated Press)

Grimes, who missed two games because of a sprained finger on his right hand, participated in the live portion of the stay-ready game Wednesday and expects to play Sunday. Grimes wore a wrap on his right pinky finger while speaking with reporters.

“I had a really good day just playing with a little tape over it,” Grimes said. “Just seeing how it felt the first time, but it felt really good. We got a lot of wins out there in them games, at least. But it felt really good out there.”

The Lakers will have three days off before they play again Sunday to Phoenix.

Even though the Lakers have the best record in the NBA (11-2), are the top scoring team (122.2 points) in the league and rank first in offensive rating (121.6), Redick wanted to let his group know there is room for improvement.

During the film session Friday he told his team they “were 17th in defense” rating at 113.6. And the Lakers are 27th in rebounding.

Redick said he and his staff talked about “20 things” that they can clean up.

“We filtered through our offensive stuff based on our identities of who we want to be offensively: organized, unselfish and advantage-based,” Redick said. “Then we went through the stats on that.

“Then we went to our defense and our three identities: organized, physical as hell and relentless. And we went through the stats on those things. So, it’s a very clean thing. We’ve done that for the last 2½ seasons. It’s just everything that we present to the team lines up with who we’re trying to be.”

Redick got his message through to his players.

“Being first in the West, with the stuff that they showed us, you would think we were almost last, you know?” forward Ziaire Williams said. “But it’s gotta keep us honest. But you know, it’s good to know that there’s still room for growth as good as we’re doing. So yeah, it was great, it was great. So yeah, hopefully we’ll clean that up going into the next game against Phoenix.”

The criminal association charge over his alleged role in the collapse of the bank comes a week after his removal.

Paraguayan prosecutors have charged former president Santiago Pena with criminal association over his alleged role in the collapse of the digital bank Ueno, a week after Congress removed him from office.

The prosecutor’s office announced the new charge on Friday, adding to the breach of trust and self-dealing charges already facing Pena, who is being held in pretrial detention at a military facility.

The 47-year-old former leader is accused of using his position to direct millions in government funds to Ueno and concealing or downplaying its financial troubles, despite warnings of risky lending practices, while having financial ties to the bank.

He denies all charges.

Pena, who entered office in 2023, held a stake in the bank’s holding company until last year.

On Thursday, investigators raided his official residence in the capital, Asuncion. The prosecutor’s office said agents from the economic crimes unit were extracting data and gathering relevant information for the investigation.

Last week, Pena tried to step down as president, but Congress rejected his resignation, instead removing him from office through impeachment. Pena was arrested shortly after his removal.

The collapse of Ueno left customers locked out of their accounts, prompting huge protests across the country as thousands demanded accountability and their money back.

Prosecutors had been looking for missing funds and said on Friday that assets had been located abroad, although they did not specify in which countries. They had previously asked the United States, Luxembourg and Argentina for help locating the missing money.

“The necessary steps are under way to request that they be frozen,” prosecutor Francisco Cabrera told reporters.

Three former central bank officials were also arrested on Friday, accused of having known about Ueno’s issues since late last year.

The bank, which held more than $800m in public funds, grew quickly under Pena’s presidency from a financial technology company into a large firm handling state pensions and the accounts of several government entities.

The credit ratings agency Fitch has placed Paraguay’s sovereign rating on watch for a possible downgrade, which would make it more expensive for the government to borrow money.

On Thursday, the Central Bank said it had returned savings to more than 1.8 million people who had deposited money at the bank.

The Chicago-born pope was welcomed by huge crowds in the coastal city, on the final leg of his South America tour.

Pope Leo has made an emotional return to his former diocese of Chiclayo in Peru, where large crowds welcomed their former bishop exactly one month after he had lung cancer surgery, and he thanked them for their support during his recovery.

“As I look at your faces, a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord arises in my heart for the blessing you have been and continue to be in my life,” he said.

About 500,000 people gathered for Mass at Pampas de Pimentel, a desert park just outside of Peru’s fourth-largest city, according to estimates from the Vatican, while another million lined his motorcade route.

Before he was elected pope, Leo had spent about two decades working in Peru as a missionary priest and served as bishop of Chiclayo, where he is still known as “Padre Roberto” and where his image is ubiquitous, from 2015 to 2023.

In Chiclayo, a coastal city of about 620,000, Leo earned a reputation for staying close to poor communities during times of crisis, including when the region was hit with devastating floods and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some had camped overnight to see him, while others walked in the hot sun to avoid bumper-to-bumper traffic to get to the open-air Mass.

As he rode in his popemobile, people in the crowd waved yellow and white Vatican flags and shouted, “The pope is from Chiclayo.”

“What a joy it is to return to Chiclayo,” said Leo at the start of his homily.

Originally from Chicago and formerly known as Robert Francis Prevost, Leo also holds Peruvian citizenship and declared the country his homeland on Wednesday.

Peru is the final stop of his 12-day, three-country South America tour, coming after visits to Argentina and Uruguay. Approximately 12 million people have come to see him at public events so far.

Last month, he underwent surgery for lung cancer, amid fears that the trip would have to be cancelled. But doctors have said the cancer was localised, had not spread, and would not require further treatment.

Leo will stay in the Chiclayo area until Sunday, leading eight events, including a private dinner with the priests he oversaw during his time as bishop.

As Kylie Jenner is hit with another lawsuit by a former housekeeper who claims she was traumatized after working for the beauty mogul, attorneys for Jenner are asking an L.A. court to drop anonymity for the former chef who claimed working conditions led to her miscarriage.

In a lawsuit filed Nov. 5, Dinora Carolina Cabria Amaya alleges that Jenner, her company and staff members Laura Dooley and Itzel Sibrian skimped on paying her the overtime she was due and increased her workload after she was injured on the job, among other workplace violations, which culminated in Amaya being wrongfully terminated.

In court documents reviewed by The Times, Amaya claims that while cleaning and organizing a drawer in Jenner’s laundry room, an unsecured can of pepper spray discharged directly into her eyes and face. She says she experienced severe burning and vision problems and reported the injury. In response, she claims she was asked to complete incident report paperwork and give it to security.

The suit reads that Amaya “continued suffering from blurry vision, burning, itching, dryness, irritation, and a constant sand-like sensation in her eyes and repeatedly reported these symptoms” and claimed that the more she complained that she was hurt, the harder her supervisors made her job by increasing her workload, assigning more physically demanding tasks and demanding she finish before leaving for the day.

On another occasion, Dooley allegedly instructed Amaya to enter Jenner’s closet and provided the passcode. Amaya claims she became locked inside for more than an hour, and that when she called Dooley and told her she was trapped and having a panic attack, “Dooley laughed and mocked her stating, ‘No one is at the house that can let you out and I cannot give the password to anyone else, you just have to wait.’”

Around October 2025, Amaya further claims she was assigned to clean Jenner’s doghouse, where she was bitten by the dog.

“Again, no meaningful assistance was provided,” the suit reads, adding that Amaya “purchased over-the-counter medication and treated the injury herself. She continued reporting that her eyes hurt, her arm and wrist hurt from the dog bite, and her back hurt from the increasingly physical work.”

Supervisors allegedly knew that Amaya had “suffered multiple workplace injuries, sought medical treatment, continued experiencing physical symptoms, and repeatedly asked for help and reported numerous violations,” and instead of helping her, they removed assistance, increased her workload, assigned heavier tasks, and abruptly changed her schedule and work locations,” in what the suit claims was an effort to make her life so miserable that she would quit.

On Feb. 6, 2026, Amaya claims she was wrongfully terminated.

Jenner’s attorney did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.

In an Oct. 23 filing, attorneys for Jenner petitioned the court, arguing that the former chef who sued Jenner in June, alleging that a grueling workload led to her miscarriage, should not be permitted to sue Jenner using the pseudonym Jane Doe.

Attorneys argued that “pregnancy related allegations” do not support the former chef from proceeding with the suit anonymously and that she could have “avoided the ‘press attention’ and ‘public association’ of her name with the lawsuit in the first place by adhering to the confidential arbitration agreement she entered into.”

According to the filing, the former chef “opted to use the ‘press attention’ she purportedly seeks to avoid as a sword while attempting to use a pseudonym as a shield.”

The private chef’s lawsuit against Jenner followed two lawsuits brought by former housekeepers of the embattled reality TV star. Less than two weeks after one woman on Jenner’s cleaning staff sued her, claiming her co-workers harassed and discriminated against her, another housekeeper came forward with allegations claiming the “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” star didn’t intervene while she suffered abuse from fellow staff, despite the housekeeper slipping the reality star a letter pleading for help.

“Our client Dinora courageously chose to stand up for her rights. Her courage deserves to be heard, not silenced,” Della Shaker, the attorney who reps the former employees in all four suits brought this year, told The Times in a statement. “But let me be unequivocally clear: no amount of wealth, fame, power, or influence places anyone above the law. No one has the right to intimidate, threaten, or silence employees for standing up for their rights. Over the last several months, our firm has spoken with dozens of employees who fear retaliation, losing their livelihoods, and being blacklisted in the entertainment industry for speaking out against employment violations.”

AUGUSTA, Maine — As Republicans dig out from under a midterm landslide, they can point to a single bright spot on the nationwide congressional map. That’s Maine’s 2nd congressional district, the only seat that went from blue to red without the help of redistricting.

It was far from a resounding victory. Even though President Trump won the district by 9 points two years ago, it took a former Republican governor, Paul LePage, to squeak out a victory over Matt Dunlap, the Democratic state auditor.

The Associated Press called the race Thursday after officials finished the ranked choice voting process to determine the winner.

LePage and Dunlap were competing to replace Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat who is retiring from Congress.

The only other seats that went from blue to red are Texas’ 32nd congressional district and Tennessee’ 9th congressional district, but both of those flips were enabled by redistricting efforts that made the electorates far more conservative.

Meanwhile, Democrats have flipped 44 seats, and a handful of races have not yet been called.

Dunlap conceded last week and LePage declared victory, and he’s been in Washington for orientation for new members.

“Paul LePage is already hard at work for the people of Maine,” said Brent Littlefield, a spokesperson for LePage.

Maine has only two congressional districts. The 1st is heavily Democratic and includes Portland and wealthy coastal towns. The 2nd includes a few small cities and vast rural and forested areas, and is home to industries such as logging, potato farming and lobster fishing. It’s more conservative than most of New England.

Golden had found success in the 2nd by running as a moderate Democrat who was willing to break with his party. However, he announced last year that he would not run for a fifth term, saying he had “grown tired of the increasing incivility and plain nastiness that are now common from some elements of our American community.”

As governor from 2010 to 2018, most of LePage’s two terms predated Trump’s presidency, but he aligned himself with the president toward the end of his time in office. The two shared a brand of brash, conservative populism, with LePage once saying he was “Donald Trump before Donald Trump became popular.”

However, LePage also criticized Trump’s tariffs on Canada, a key trading partner for Maine, and expressed support for legal immigration. When he declared victory last week, LePage vowed to make the state’s interests a priority in Washington.

“If it is good for Maine, I will work hard to make it happen. If it is bad for Maine, I will oppose it,” he said.

Whittle writes for the Associated Press.

“We got to make a TikTok video.”

That was overheard on Friday morning as two City Section cross-country runners walked together in the rain at Pierce College at the cross-country prelims.

TikTok didn’t exist 50 years ago when I went to my first City Section cross-country meet. My annual pilgrimage to the City prelims or finals always leads me to discover a story for readers to enjoy. It’s like a squirrel looking for a nut — it’s certain to be found. Since cross-country was one of the first sports I covered, I always want to return because it is so indicative of what high school sports is supposed to be about: Athletes competing for the love of their sport.

City cross-country also gives you an added insight into what Los Angeles looks like with the many different nationalities represented. There were athletes from 77 Los Angeles Unified School District schools who were transported by 34 buses. Rival athletes (Carson and Banning, among others) shared buses because of cutbacks to transportation dispatchers and holding the event on a Friday. When you add charter schools, there were close to 140 schools’ athletes participating in the prelims.

All it takes to find a story is show up and ask a coach.

In particular, Monroe coach Leo Hernandez always has a story to provide. In 2024, I wrote about love brewing at Monroe. In 2016, I wrote about the accidental cross-country star at Monroe. In 2022, I wrote about the Monroe athlete using running to help him cope.

This year’s feel-good story is about 16-year-old junior Miguel Mora of Carson. He had never run cross-country in his life until this winter. He was a soccer player for 10 years, playing junior varsity at Carson. He was always leading the soccer team when it came to running.

“I ran a 4:42 mile, and I had no training,” Mora said. “So I was like, ‘Oh, I want to see what I can do.’”

He gave up soccer, which his soccer-fan father initially didn’t like. After Mora won the Marine League 1,600 title last spring, he remembers visiting his father in the bleachers and seeing him smile.

“He said, “Congrats. You made the right choice.’”

Ethan Funk (right) of Palisades and Miguel Mora of Carson finished one-two at the City Section Division I cross country prelims. They will face off in Saturday’s finals at Pierce College.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Despite his limited cross-country experience, Mora is one of the favorites to win the City Division I championship on Nov. 21 at Pierce College. He finished second at Friday’s prelims with a time of 15:26.30. The winner was another junior, Ethan Funk of Palisades who ran 15:23.70.

Funk and Mora were friendly with each other before the race. Again, these cross-country athletes are different. There’s no trash talking, no disrespect. Their task is grueling, and they understand what an accomplishment it is to train by running 16 miles in a week and three miles in a race.

“It makes me push myself to the max,” said Mora, who’s an A student and takes calculus.

As for switching sports, Mora said, “I feel like I was wasting my potential. So I decided to stick to track.”

Welcome to the world of high school cross-country, where there are stories to tell at every race if you ask.

Officials have not said if anyone was hurt after American Heritage was partially submerged with 129 passengers on board.

A tanker has struck a river cruise boat carrying 129 passengers on the Mississippi River in New Orleans, partially submerging the vessel and prompting a major rescue operation.

The Atlantic Asphalt tanker hit the American Heritage paddleboat on Friday at about 12:30pm local time (18:30 GMT), the Port of New Orleans said. The cruise boat had docked about two hours earlier to begin letting passengers off. The authorities have not released any information on injuries or deaths.

“Multiple individuals have been rescued, and search-and-rescue operations remain ongoing,” a city spokesperson said.

Video from the scene showed the much larger tanker hitting the paddlewheel cruise boat as metal and glass crashed and crunched, according to The Associated Press news agency.

More than a dozen people in life jackets were dragged from the river, where the water temperature was 19 degrees Celsius (66 degrees Fahrenheit), onto nearby ships, while others stood near the railing as the boat listed further into the water.

“Surreal, that’s what that was,” one witness, Jamie Holford, told local television. “Fifteen minutes from impact to where it rolled over.”

Port police, the fire department, the coastguard and emergency medical staff are on the scene, and a triage area was set up inside the port’s administration building. The river was closed to vessel traffic.

American Cruise Lines, which operates the boat, said guests and crew had been evacuated and that it was “deeply concerned for everyone involved”.

The five-deck American Heritage, built in 2015, holds up to 150 passengers and was finishing an eight-day cruise to destinations in Louisiana and Mississippi.

The 160-metre (520-foot) tanker was flying the flag of the Marshall Islands and was bound for New Orleans, according to the MarineTraffic tracker. It specialises in carrying asphalt and bitumen, according to the maritime periodical Marine Insights.

The cause of the collision, as well as whether the ship was carrying cargo, remains unknown.

Children in Need returned on Friday, with the presenters revealing the huge amount raised at the end of the show.

The BBC has confirmed the total amount raised for Children in Need 2026.

The annual spectacle returned to screens on Friday, 13 November, with hosts including Alex Jones, Mel Giedroyc, Rylan, Sara Cox and Tyler West.

The charity event saw an incredible line-up of famous faces taking part in challenges, performances and sketches, with the BBC having earlier teased “dazzling performances, exclusive sketches, surprise appearances and a heartwarming return from the much-loved Children in Need Choir”.

It has now been confirmed how much was raised, as the live show came to an end.

How much was raised for Children in Need 2026?

As the show came to an end, Mel confirmed the total amount raised for Children in Need: £38,720,170.

Last year’s show raised £45,507,536 on the night of its 2025 appeal show.

“To the millions of children and young people out there, remember, Children in Need is here for you,” Alex said, signing off the show, as Sara urged: “Keep the donations coming in!” Mel added: “We’re so grateful to each and every one of you for your support.”

The total comes after BBC radio presenter Owain Wyn Evans completed his four nations cycling challenge in Cardiff on Friday, having raised £3,853,530.

He took part in a five-day cycle ride through Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales. As he crossed the finish line with his bike, Shania Chain, Owain said: “Thank you so much everyone, from me and Shania. Honestly, this has felt so far away for such a long time. I can’t believe that I’m here with this welcome and the sun’s out!”

He added: “Just reflecting on what it’s been like. We’re doing it all for an amazing cause, Children In Need. There are so many children who need our help and who will be helped by all the donations.”

Ahead of this year’s Children in Need airing, The One Show host Alex shared: “It means the absolute world to be part of the team for the big night of Children in Need, I have watched it avidly since I was a little girl and Sir Terry Wogan was at the helm.

“It was always one of the big highlights of the year. And more recently for me, The One Show has always been very much at the heart of Children in Need, as we will be again this year with our Challenge Squad, so it feels amazing to be there with Pudsey on his big night.”

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Mel shared: “Being part of Children in Need every year, as I have been for the last 10 years as presenter, which I’m so honoured and privileged to do, is everything to me. It’s a red-letter day, and one of the most life affirming and important for me in my calendar.”

Rylan added: “⁠It’s amazing to be part of Children in Need’s appeal show, obviously it’s something that I have grown up watching and loved and have been involved in in the past, so to be asked to host this year is a real honour.”

He continued: “Children in Need matters because unfortunately, the title still stands – there are a lot of children that are still in need and we need to do our bit to make sure no child goes without the love and care that they deserve.”

Children in Need is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

WASHINGTON  — The Supreme Court announced Friday it will rule on President Trump’s ban on asylum claims at the southern border, testing a key part of his hard-line policy on immigration.

At issue is a clash between the promise of asylum for those fleeing persecution and the reality of a border overwhelmed by hundreds of thousands who arrived seeking to apply.

Trump’s lawyers said his ban on asylum claims in January 2025 was his “single most effective policy” in ending the chaos along the border.

“Over preceding four years, at least eight million illegal aliens were encountered along the southern border,” Solicitor Gen. D. John Sauer told the court, “and countless millions more evaded detection and illegally entered the United States.”

The sheer numbers of people coming to the border had “overwhelmed the system,” making it impossible for U.S. officials to screen and interview asylum seekers, he said. Lacking facilities to detain applicants, most were released into the country.

But the American Civil Liberties Union and other immigration rights advocates said the right of individuals to seek asylum was recognized in U.S. law and could not be abolished.

The law authorizes asylum for people who can demonstrate they are fleeing persecution based on race, religion, nationality or belonging to a particular social or political group.

Federal judges in Washington agreed that asylum must be preserved. They said immigration officials were free to reject claims for asylum but they could not eliminate the right for the entire category of potential applicants.

However, their ruling was put on hold while the administration appealed to the Supreme Court.

“The president does not have the right to unilaterally override the protections Congress has afforded those fleeing danger,” said Lee Gelernt, lead counsel and deputy director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project. “The courts are right to reject this unprecedented power grab that would put countless lives in danger. We look forward to making our case before the Supreme Court.”

Keren Zwick, executive director of the National Immigrant Justice Center, said the plaintiffs in the case “fled persecution and torture, including political imprisonment and threats from the Taliban. Yet, the Trump administration refused to honor its obligation to consider them for asylum.”

Instead, some of them “were removed to third countries and then pushed back to the very place they fled. This vicious attack on due process and human rights has put thousands of lives in danger.”

Federal immigration law gives the president broad authority to close the border to most migrants.

It says he “may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate.”

The court said it would hear the case of Mullin vs. Refugee and Immigrant Center early next year and rule by June.

The MLB free agent market is beginning to shake out, spurred into action during the general managers meetings in Las Vegas this week.

Reliever acquisitions have been the first wave, with Emilio Pagán landing with the Tigers for one year and $11.5 million, and Ryan Weiss with the Padres for $1.85 million during the meetings. Former Dodger Evan Phillips signed with the Braves on Thursday for three years, $35 million.

Left-hander Alex Vesia, who has been with the Dodgers for the last six seasons, is also expected to garner plenty of early interest on the free agent market.

On Friday, first baseman Jake Bauers added a tally to the position-player side, agreeing to a deal with the Red Sox. Fresh off a career year and World Series title, Bauers reportedly is set to ink a four-year, $58 million contract.

So teams aren’t waiting until after the impending lockout to reinforce their rosters. But that still leaves a wide range of possibilities before the current CBA expires on Dec. 1.

“We’re totally focused on business as usual, trying to make sure we’re as prepared as possible in case things happen in different ways,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said. “Whether that’s trade or free agency, continue to put ourselves in a position to be able to act if something comes up that we feel like is really important to helping our team, both short-term and long-term.”

That was a common refrain from leaders of baseball operations departments around the league.

“Business as usual for us,” new Orioles GM Jared Banner said. “We’re looking to get better, and that’s our focus here. So we’ll just read and react as each day passes by.”

Business as usual, however, means a variety of things for different teams.

“We are always going to be on the front end of aggression with how we operate in the market,” Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said. “So whether the market wants to operate faster or slower than it typically does, we’re usually not listening. … Teams know that typically, if we don’t start the hot stove, we’re among the starters. So our behavior won’t change much, and my general resting place is, if our behavior is going to be unaffected, I don’t sweat too much what the other 29 teams will do, unless they’re holding us up.”

The Mariners took that aggressive approach before the last lockout, too. They were one of the major contributors to an active first month of free agency, during which teams committed a whopping $1.9 billion before Dec. 2, 2021.

“It’s definitely a convenient thing to point to because there just aren’t a lot of situations that are even remotely similar to this,” Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said of the record flurry of activity five years ago. “I don’t think it’s going to follow the same course; I would expect it not to.”

Looming beyond this lockout is the threat of a salary cap. And though the MLB Players Assn. has made it clear that it will continue to fight the owners’ push for an overhaul of the current structure, teams also can’t completely ignore the possibility of a salary cap, or some other guardrails on spending in the next CBA.

The owners’ latest proposal reportedly included a salary cap of about $258.2 million, depending on next year’s revenue, to be implemented in 2028.

Though many around the industry expect that, in the case of a salary cap, MLB would build in a gradual rollout or specific exceptions to make the massive change a little less destabilizing, such a shift would pose a challenge to large-payroll teams like the Dodgers.

The Dodgers have some money set to come off the books in 2028 — veteran first baseman Freddie Freeman’s contract expires after next season, and Teoscar Hernández, Max Muncy and Hyeseong Kim have 2028 club options. But the Dodgers’ current commitments for 2028 (over $275 million in CBT payroll, according to Spotrac) already put them above MLB’s latest proposed salary cap.

“We’ll put ourselves in position to see what’s available, and then go from there because we really don’t know what any of that looks like,” Gomes said. “So we have to function with what we know right now.”

The Dodgers at least don’t have many glaring needs going into 2027. At the top of the list will be their bullpen and bench, markets that they could explore in the coming weeks.

They’ve also remained in touch with top free agent Tarik Skubal’s representatives, after a largely successful trade-deadline union this past season, and are set to meet with him. But it is still unclear just how aggressive the Dodgers will be, or whether Skubal will agree to a contract by Dec. 1.

DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY,

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the US aviation agency was investigating.

The United States has grounded flights across the country after a “communication issue” impacted traffic control centers, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.

“FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them,” Duffy wrote on social media.

Around 7,000 flights have been either delayed or canceled due to the stop, according to FlightAware.

The disruption is the latest sign of strain on the US air traffic control system, which has ⁠been beset by equipment failures, communications problems and ⁠shortages of controllers while the FAA tries to replace aging infrastructure. Congress approved $12.5bn for the overhaul last year, and the FAA and White House asked lawmakers on Friday for ⁠another $30.1bn.

This is the first nationwide US ground stop since January 2023, when a key FAA computer system malfunctioned. Before that, the last time had been after the September 11, 2001, attacks.

This story is developing…

Children in Need viewers are calling on Rylan Clark to take on a new role after watching him perform.

Children in Need viewers have been left issuing the same demand after watching Rylan Clark perform.

The former X Factor star and beloved TV presenter joined Alex Jones, Sara Cox, Tyler West and Mel Giedroyc as host of Children in Need 2026.

As part of the performances over Friday evening, the presenters took part in a Strictly Come Dancing routine, that saw Rylan partnered with Strictly icon Amy Dowden.

Watching him dance, viewers rushed to social media to urge for Rylan to join the next series of Strictly Come Dancing. One person said: “GET RYLAN ON THE MAIN SERIES PRONTO!” Another wrote: “Rylan for Strictly 2027!”

“Rylan was very good. We always suspected he could dance. Loved that,” another said. Someone else said: “OH MY GODDDD @Rylan and Amy!!! It’s a 10 from me.”

Yet another echoed: “Why is @Rylan not on #StrictlyComeDancing he would be amazing!” as someone else said: “Rylan has some moves.”

Another viewer added: “NEED RYLAN ON NEXT YEARS MAIN SERIES PLEASE.” Someone else said: “They should definitely get Rylan as a celebrity on a future series of Strictly. He did so well with that dance.”

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Amy had announced her new dance partner for the Children in Need special earlier this week, sending fans wild as she confirmed she’d be dancing with Rylan.

This comes after Amy and her Strictly celebrity partner Chris Appleton became the first pair eliminated from the BBC competition this year. Amy was also the first eliminated last year, when she was partnered with Thomas Skinner, btu has remained a firm favourite with fans.

Ahead of hosting Children in Need, Rylan said: “⁠It’s amazing to be part of Children in Need’s appeal show, obviously it’s something that I have grown up watching and loved and have been involved in in the past, so to be asked to host this year is a real honour.”

He added: “People should get involved this year for the exact same reasons they should get involved every year! There are still children in need and all the money raised is going to help so many amazing people and projects.”

Children in Need is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a temporary ground stoppage on all flights in the United States.

The stoppage was announced Friday afternoon and impacted flights nationwide, including at Los Angeles International Airport.

“Due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety,” the FAA advisory read, “all departing traffic should remain ground stopped until further notice.”

Inbound international flights would be handled “on a case by case basis,” the advisory said.

Sean Duffy, the secretary of transportation said on X that “FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them.”

It marks the second full ground stop since 9/11 and it’s unclear how long it will last. The one was in 2023 and caused by technical issues.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Brazil great Ronaldinho is set to make his first competitive start in more than a decade when Ravenna face local rivals Forli in Italy’s third division on Sunday.

The former Barcelona and AC Milan playmaker, 46, is in line to make his first appearance for Ravenna since joining the Serie C club in August.

His last competitive appearance came for Brazilian side Fluminense in September 2015.

Ravenna manager Andrea Mandorlini said on Friday that Ronaldinho would start the match as one of his side’s three forwards.

“He will play from the start, there’s no doubt,” Mandorlini told reporters. “Then together we will decide how long he plays.

“He is one of the greatest players of the modern era. And we have to get a result. We always play with three forwards. He will be one of the three.”

Former Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldinho initially joined the Italian club as an investor in August, but said he had ambitions of scoring one final goal to take his career tally to 300.

“His objective is romantic, to try to score his last goal,” club owner Ignazio Cipriani said earlier this year.

“His involvement is not a token gesture or a marketing stunt to get people talking about us.”

The Brazilian arrived in Italy on Friday and will have only one training session with his team-mates before Sunday’s match.

A temporary stand has been created at Ravenna’s Stadio Bruno Benelli to accommodate the expected crowd, with supporters hoping to catch a glimpse of the World Cup winner in action for potentially the final time.

Ravenna forward Simone Rabbi has also said that Ronaldinho will take any penalties awarded to Ravenna, who are second in the table after 13 matches.

NEW ORLEANS — A tanker struck the American Heritage river cruise paddleboat in New Orleans on Friday with 129 passengers aboard, partially submerging the boat. Rescues were underway on the Mississippi River, officials said.

Authorities did not immediately release whether there were injuries or deaths.

Video from the scene showed the much larger Atlantic Asphalt tanker hit the paddlewheel cruise boat while it appeared to be docked as metal and glass crashed and crunched.

More than a dozen people in lifejackets were being dragged from the 66-degree river onto nearby ships. Others were standing near the railing as the other side of the American Heritage listed further into the water.

Devon Flanagan was at his job nearby at the Port of New Orleans when workers began rushing down the dock. He got out of his truck and noticed the American Heritage on its side and passengers in the water.

“It was just chaos,” he said. “You had all types of ships, like other barges and other companies down there trying to help out, which also was a little convoluted because you had people still in the water.”

The cruise ship was built in 2015 and operated by American Cruise Lines. It is five stories and can hold up to 150 passengers.

The American Heritage was finishing an eight-day cruise to several Mississippi River destinations in Louisiana and Mississippi.

The cruise line said it was working with the Coast Guard and would share more information when it can.

The tanker involved in the crash specializes in carrying large quantities of asphalt and bitumen, a semi-solid substance that is often used for road construction and roofing, according to the live shipping tracker MarineTraffic.

Ships carrying asphalt and bitumen are often heated well above 250 degrees Fahrenheit (120 degrees Celsius) to prevent the asphalt from solidifying on the ship, according to the maritime periodical Marine Insights. It is not immediately clear whether the ship was carrying any materials when the crash occurred.

The 520-foot long vessel had a final destination in New Orleans, according to MarineTraffic, and was sailing under a flag for the Marshall Islands.

Brook writes for the Associated Press.