A decade after Northwestern found itself at the center of the push for college athletes to form a union for the first time, the spotlight is once again shining on the prestigious private school. The university is facing at least 13 lawsuits across multiple sports with allegations including sexual abuse by teammates as well as racist comments by coaches. Some attorneys say the situation might have played out differently if college athletes had a union. Others aren't as sure. But they all agree: There's strength in numbers, and a union wouldn't hurt.
The Baltimore Orioles indicated that broadcaster Kevin Brown would be back on the air soon after reports that his recent absence was because he mentioned that the team had already won as many games at Tampa Bay this year as it did over the previous three seasons. Announcers such as Michael Kay of the YES Network came to Brown’s defense. The Athletic, citing unidentified sources, reported that Brown was taken off the air over his comments on a MASN-TV broadcast July 23. A team official says the Orioles don’t comment on personnel matters but were looking forward to having Brown back soon.
Suga, the K-pop superstar rapper/singer/songwriter, has become the third member of BTS to begin South Korea’s compulsory military service. BTS's label, Big Hit Music, says in a statement that Suga "has initiated the military enlistment process by applying for the termination of his enlistment postponement.” In South Korea, all able-bodied men are required by law to perform 18 to 21 months of military service under a conscription system meant to deter aggression from rival North Korea. In December 2022, BTS’s eldest member, Jin, enlisted at age 30 after revoking his request to delay his conscription. J-Hope followed suit last April.
The Washington area on Monday braced for potentially destructive storms, including tornadoes, hail and lightning, as officials warned residents to prepare for the worst. Rain began falling in the Washington shortly after 5 p.m., a precursor to the severe weather and mass power outages that were predicted. The storms' spread was massive, with tornado watches being posted from Tennessee to New York. But the National Weather Service said the area of greatest concern centered in the Washington-Baltimore region. Thousands of federal workers in Washington were sent home early. FlightAware said more than 1,300 U.S. flights were canceled and thousands more delayed.
Donald Trump’s legal team is urging the judge overseeing the election conspiracy case against the former president to reject prosecutors’ proposed protective order concerning evidence in the case, describing it as overly broad. Lawyers for the early 2024 Republican presidential primary front-runner said Monday that the judge should impose a more limited protective order that would prevent the defense team from publicly disclosing only materials deemed “sensitive,” such as grand jury witness testimony. The defense filing was in response to a request Friday from special counsel Jack Smith’s team for a protective order restricting the public disclosure of evidence in the case.
Former Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Damon Arnette says he hopes to play this season in the NFL after he resolved a felony gun case. A Nevada judge required Arnette to appear in person to enter his pleas Monday to misdemeanor charges of assault and possessing a gun in a threatening manner. The judge told the 26-year-old Arnette he can’t have guns and can’t be around anyone who has a gun. Arnette lives in Boynton Beach, Florida. He was sentenced to community service, $2,000 in fines, surrendering the gun he displayed at a Las Vegas Strip hotel valet stand in January 2022 and ordered to stay out of trouble for 90 days.
A federal judge has tossed out former President Donald Trump’s countersuit against the writer who won a sex abuse lawsuit against him. The judge ruled Monday that Trump can’t claim that E. Jean Carroll defamed him by continuing to say she was not only sexually abused but raped. She won a $5 million judgment against him in May and is pursuing her own defamation suit suit against him. Trump's attorney says he'll appeal the dismissal of his counterclaim. In this spring’s trial, a civil court jury concluded that Trump sexually abused Carroll in 1996 but rejected her claim that he raped her. The Associated Press generally does not name people who allege they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly, as Carroll has done.
An 8-year-old Chicago girl riding a scooter was fatally shot in the head. The Chicago Sun-Times reports witnesses say the gunman was upset over noise. The shooting happened Saturday night in Chicago’s Portage Park neighborhood. Police were at the suspect’s apartment building Sunday, interviewing people and collecting evidence. A neighbor, Megan Kelley, says the gunman complained about noise before shooting the girl. Police say the gunman was tackled by the girl’s father after the shooting and shot during a struggle. He was taken to a hospital.
Liberty University says a freshman football player has died. The school identified the player as Tajh Boyd, a 19-year-old offensive lineman from Chesapeake. It did not indicate when Boyd died or the cause, and calls and a text message were not returned. Athletic director Ian McCaw and first-year football coach Jamey Caldwell said in a release that Boyd joined the football program “as recently as January” and that the team and Liberty community join Boyd's family in mourning.
