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NYPD detective released from hospital after being stabbed multiple times in Bronx
A New York City Police Department detective was released from the hospital after he was stabbed multiple times during a robbery in the Bronx last week, according to officials.
Detective Jose Mercedes was wheeled out of Jacobi Medical Center in Morris Park on Monday before standing up in front of a group of clapping officers.
"Today, in another incredible feat of strength and determination, Detective Mercedes got up from his wheelchair and walked out of Jacobi Medical Center on his own two feet. Hundreds of members of the NYPD were there to cheer their brother on," Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said on X.
NYPD DETECTIVE, CHILDREN SHOT IN SEPARATE BROOKLYN SHOOTINGS OVER HOLIDAY WEEKEND
"The entire department stands behind Detective Mercedes as he continues his recovery. And the greatest detectives in the world will relentlessly pursue those responsible for this crime," she added.
Mercedes was off-duty when two suspects on an e-bike attempted to snatch his gold chain as he was clearing out the trunk of his car in the Norwood neighborhood on Friday afternoon, according to officials.
WATCH: E-BIKE TEEN TAKEOVER SWARMS DOWNTOWN CITY STREETS BLOCKING TRAFFIC, LEADING TO CHARGES
The detective attempted to fight back, but he was stabbed and slashed seven times during the struggle before the assailants fled. Authorities said the confrontation began when the men attempted to steal his gold chain.
Mercedes then pursued the fleeing attackers on foot for about two blocks before collapsing near East 206th Street and Rochambeau Avenue.
"Despite his serious injuries, Detective Mercedes chased after his attackers on foot," Tisch said.
Tisch and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited him in the hospital shortly after the attack.
"I visited the detective and his family at Jacobi Hospital with Police Commissioner Tisch," the mayor said on Friday. "I am hoping for his quick and complete recovery."
The two attackers remain at large, police said on Monday.
Massachusetts felon pleads guilty after DOJ says he sold Russian plutonium to 67 customers
A convicted felon from Massachusetts has pleaded guilty to illegally importing plutonium from Russia and selling the radioactive material and other highly toxic and hazardous materials to customers in the U.S. and abroad, while also pleading guilty to possessing child sexual abuse material.
Jacob D. Miller, 44, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition, one count of being a felon in possession of explosive materials, one count of importing nuclear material without lawful authority, one count of mailing hazardous materials and one count of possession of child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Miller was arrested on April 9, 2025, and indicted by a grand jury on April 17. He has remained in federal custody since his arrest.
He had previously been convicted on Feb. 9, 2004, in Massachusetts state court for possessing child pornography and possessing an explosive device. According to federal prosecutors, Miller received seven years of probation in the child pornography case and, in a separate case involving two counts of possessing an explosive device, was sentenced to 2½ years in jail and 10 years of probation.
After his release, Miller started a business called Collect The Periodic Table (CTPT) and sold samples of elements such as plutonium, which is highly radioactive, and thallium, which is highly toxic, according to prosecutors. In addition to selling through CTPT directly, Miller used an online third-party retailer, Bonanza, to make sales.
Miller imported plutonium from Russia and arranged for it to be mailed to him at his Massachusetts residence, prosecutors said. Between Dec. 30, 2020, and March 31, 2025, Miller sold plutonium to about 67 customers across the U.S. and abroad. Miller shipped the plutonium to his customers through a U.S. mail service, despite plutonium being a hazardous substance that was prohibited from being shipped.
Between Oct. 12, 2017, and April 5, 2025, Miller used CTPT and Bonanza to sell thallium to about 71 customers, according to prosecutors. Miller also shipped the thallium to his customers through the U.S. mail, even though thallium was also a hazardous substance that was barred from being mailed.
During a search of Miller’s residence in April 2025, a box containing bottles of explosive powder, numerous rounds of ammunition and six firearms were recovered by investigators. The ammunition, firearms and explosive materials were unlawfully possessed because of his previous felony convictions, prosecutors said.
Miller’s laptop and cell phone were also found with child sexual abuse materials, which he had opened as recently as the day before the search warrant, according to prosecutors.
His sentencing has been scheduled for Jan 21.
Falcons turn primetime doubters into believers behind Bijan Robinson's back-to-back masterpieces
When football fans saw three straight Primetime games on the NFL schedule for the Atlanta Falcons, there were some social media eye rolls, sighs and more, and who could blame them?
The Falcons, who started third-string quarterback Cooper Rush and were sitting at 0-2 at the start of the year, didn’t really make for must-watch television under the bright lights of a nationally-televised contest.
But that’s the beautiful thing about the NFL: each week is a chance to prove everyone wrong, especially this early in the season. The Falcons are doing just that, and now they’re can’t-miss entertainment on the gridiron.
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Why? The man in the backfield wearing No. 7 on his red and black jersey: running back Bijan Robinson.
In Week 3 against the Green Bay Packers, Robinson, who had modest showings for his standards in the Falcons’ two losses to begin the year, broke out for 194 yards on 29 carries with two touchdowns in the blowout victory at Lambeau Field.
Once again on the road against a divisional foe in the New Orleans Saints, a team celebrating the 20th anniversary of the "Domecoming" where they emotionally reopened their beloved Superdome following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina against these same Falcons, Robinson put up another magnificent stat line.
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On just 19 carries, Robinson finished the game with 145 yards rushing and two more touchdowns to help lead the way to a 45-17 thrashing to move to 2-2 on the season. And though they have shown tons of fight through three weeks, the 1–3 Saints were stumped all night long on home turf.
Robinson’s agility, explosiveness and consistent running is just a joy to watch for those who love the great game of football. His first touch of the game went for 59 yards and a touchdown on a run that saw him hit 21 mph without looking like he broke a sweat. Then, it’s the tough-nosed running in the red area that can also break the spirit of a defense, as he made it 14-0 in the first quarter with a four-yard touchdown run.
And just as they did last week, the Falcons are all about spreading the wealth. Brian Robinson Jr., Bijan Robinson’s backup, had more touchdowns than his counterpart, scoring three times and rushing for 62 yards on 14 carries in this one.
Finally, there’s Michael Penix Jr., whose job is to conduct the offense in a timely manner and make some key throws to keep drives going. Thankfully for Atlanta, he’s back healthy and doing just that, going 15-of-20 for 223 yards with a touchdown pass to Jahan Dotson to get himself involved in the scoring. He also loved tossing the rock to Drake London, who matched Bijan Robinson with 194 yards through the air last week in Green Bay, as he finished with five catches for 96 yards.
Of course, the Falcons’ offensive line has a large share in making this magic happen, and the defense for Atlanta has been solid over the past two weeks to allow the ball to get back into the hands of Penix, Bijan Robinson and more as much as possible.
But there’s no denying that watching this Falcons team over the past two weeks has been pure joy because one of the best players in the sport has put on back-to-back spectacles in Primetime, and there’s still one more game to go on Sunday night against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5.
"I love the Primetime games under the lights. It brings out a different energy, and I just love this team," Bijan Robinson said after the game.
Rays capitalize on four Yankees errors to take commanding 2-0 ALDS lead
Start spreading the news: the Yankees are out of answers.
New York flatlined in a 5-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night, falling into a 2-0 ALDS hole as the series heads north.
Tampa Bay stayed hot after Jon Gruden's pregame hype at Tropicana Field. Needing a bounce-back after Drew Rasmussen’s eight no-hit innings in Game 1, the Yankees instead stumbled right out of the gate.
YANKEES LOSE ALDS GAME 1 TO RAYS AS AUSTIN WELLS IS THROWN OUT AT THIRD AFTER BREAKING UP NO-HITTER
Three first-inning defensive errors handed Tampa Bay an early 1-0 lead when Junior Caminero hit into a fielder's choice off starter Cam Schlittler. It marked the fifth postseason game in Yankees franchise history with four or more errors.
New York tied the game in the fourth on a solo home run by Ben Rice off Rays starter Freddy Peralta.
The Yankees loaded the bases in the top of the fifth, but Cody Bellinger flied out to the warning track against reliever Cam Booser to leave everyone stranded.
WHY YANKEES ACE CAM SCHLITTLER IS IN THE AL MVP CONVERSATION AND COULD JOIN AN EXCLUSIVE CLUB
The Rays made them pay immediately in the bottom half with an RBI groundout by Liam Hicks, an RBI infield hit by Chandler Simpson, and a two-run single from Richie Palacios to break it open.
Rice was the only Yankee providing any real sign of life, launching his second home run of the night in the eighth inning to trim the deficit to 5-2. His two-homer game couldn't wake up the rest of the lineup, and New York's frustration peaked when Spencer Jones hit a fly ball that struck the Tropicana Field catwalk for an out under 'live-play' rules, echoing Ty France’s roof hit at American Family Field on Saturday.
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With no room left for error, the Yankees head back to the Bronx facing elimination. Game 3 pits Yankees ace Max Fried against the Rays' 15-game winner, Nick Martinez, to keep New York alive.
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Nobu chef killed after teen driver crashes into parked car in California
A longtime chef at Nobu Malibu in California was killed when a teenage driver crashed into his parked car as he was sleeping.
Ryo Uchimiya, 51, was a sushi chef who had worked at the famous Japanese restaurant for 25 years, according to KTLA.
Uchimiya parked along the curb and was napping in his car before starting his shift on Saturday morning when a 16-year-old boy plowed his Range Rover into the rear of his the chef's parked sedan at around 6:50 a.m.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said the teenager appeared to be speeding when he slammed his SUV into Uchimiya, according to KTLA. Investigators said there was no indication that the teenager was driving under the influence.
It remains unclear whether the teenager will face any charges as the incident remains under investigation.
Uchimiya died from "multiple blunt force injuries," according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office, the New York Post reported. The medical examiner also ruled the manner of death an accident.
Surveillance footage showed the driver's SUV slamming into Uchimiya’s parked car, causing a chain-reaction crash that pushed the sedan into two other vehicles in front of him.
A witness told KTLA that the teenage driver appeared to be shocked and confused after the collision.
"I heard throughout the day that maybe he didn’t even have a license," she said. "He’s a young kid. He looked very young and very confused and his parents didn’t even show up to find him. He was sitting there for two hours by himself."
People who work and live near the restaurant said the stretch of Pacific Coast Highway where the deadly crash took place has a reputation for being dangerous, as drivers are constantly seen speeding, according to the outlet.
The Malibu City Council declared a local emergency in November 2023 over dangerous conditions on PCH, weeks after a speeding driver struck and killed four Pepperdine University students along the highway.
Uchimiya's loved ones and coworkers remembered him as a beloved husband, father of two children and talented chef, according to KTLA.
The manager of Nobu Malibu said the "family of staffers" at the restaurant are doing what they can to support Uchimiya’s family during this difficult time.
"Obviously, it’s been a very, very difficult day for so many people," the manager told the outlet.
"He was a real nice guy, very talented chef," a fellow Nobu chef told the New York Post. "It’s such a shame."
"He was resting, getting ready for a catering gig," the chef added. "We all get here really early."
A Nobu hostess told the outlet that staff members were still processing the loss.
"We’re not ready to talk about it now," she said. "We all need time."
White Sox ride another dramatic comeback win to beat Guardians and take commanding 2-0 ALDS lead
The Chicago White Sox are moving closer and closer to one of the most unlikely postseason runs in recent history, after completing yet another come-from-behind win on Monday evening.
Chicago won Game 1 of its series against the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday afternoon behind a parade of relief pitchers and four heroic innings from Grant Taylor to finish out the win. A mammoth 440-foot home run from Munetaka Murakami in the fourth inning gave the White Sox a 2-0 lead they'd never relinquish, with the Guardians leaving seven runners on base and going 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.
On Monday night though, Cleveland looked to turn the tables. The Guardians jumped out to an early 2-0 lead when pitcher Sean Newcomb, replacing starter Anthony Kay, made a throwing error on a Nathaniel Lowe grounder.
YANKEES LOSE ALDS GAME 1 TO RAYS AS AUSTIN WELLS IS THROWN OUT AT THIRD AFTER BREAKING UP NO-HITTER
In the 4th inning though, Murakami struck again. After Kyle Teel singled and Miguel Vargas walked, Murakami hit a hard grounder through the right side of the infield to drive in Teel.
With Cleveland still up 2-1, the big blow came a few innings later from another Chicago rookie.
In the sixth inning Vargas led off with a single, and Randal Grichuk walked after Murakami grounded out. Reliever Erik Sabrowski threw a wild pitch that let the two runners get to second and third, but Tommy Pham flew out without scoring the tying run. Braden Montgomery though, delivered.
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On the very first pitch, Montgomery laced a sharp double to right field, bringing in both runners and giving the White Sox its first lead, 3-2.
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With high leverage Cleveland reliever Hunter Gaddis now in the game, Chase Meidroth floated a blooper to right, scoring Montgomery and extending the lead to 4-2.
The Guardians built a rally of their own in the bottom of the 8th, with Chase DeLauter singling off bulk pitcher Sean Burke with two outs. White Sox manager Will Venable brought Grant Taylor back out, just two days after throwing 42 pitches in game one. It backfired, with Jo Adell crushing a 413-foot triple off the top of the left-center field wall and making it 4-3.
Taylor recovered to get Lowe and send the game to the 9th. Remarkably, he finished it out himself on just five pitches, getting Angel Martinez, Travis Bazzana, and Patrick Bailey in order. Two appearances in three days, covering 5.1 innings and 49 pitches. That's the stuff playoff legends are made of.
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The series now shifts to the South Side of Chicago on Wednesday, with neither team having announced a starter. But the win makes the White Sox overwhelming favorites to advance to the ALCS against the winner of the Yankees-Rays series and continue a remarkable season.
Just two years removed from losing 121 games and becoming the laughingstock of the league, the White Sox have rebuilt quickly. Smart trades, like acquiring Miguel Vargas from the Dodgers at the deadline in 2024 have combined with Murakami's outstanding first season and strong player development. Players like Montgomery, Colson Montgomery, Meidroth, Taylor and Kyle Teel have grown in their farm system, leading to them scoring the most runs in the American League in 2026.
Cleveland, meanwhile, needs three straight wins to extend their season and avoid another postseason disappointment. They'll have to take down a team that has yet to lose in the playoffs, and has the Pope behind them, to do it.
Dennis Hastert, longest-serving Republican House Speaker and convicted child molester, dies at 84
The late House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) was an accidental speaker.
And it was a sheer accident that the world learned a dark secret about Hastert, years after he left Capitol Hill.
It was twenty years ago, almost to the date. House Republicans were on the verge of losing their majority in the 2006 midterms. And their Speaker, Dennis Hastert, was in meltdown.
HIGHEST-RANKING US OFFICIAL TO EVER SERVE JAIL TIME, FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER DENNIS HASTERT DEAD AT 84
Word had just broken that then-Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) had sent inappropriate messages to high school-age male teens, serving as House pages. The Republican-led House was meeting on September 29, 2006, trying to escape town so the GOP could defend their majority. But nothing was going right for Republicans. The public was growing weary of President George W. Bush and the war in Iraq. Democrats were poised to retake the House in November.
Yours truly and Deirdre Walsh — then of CNN — spotted the portly Hastert lumbering across Statuary Hall toward the Speaker’s office.
"Did he call you?" Walsh asked Hastert about Foley.
"What are you going to do about it?" I inquired.
"We’ll talk about that shortly," mumbled Hastert under his breath, his wide glasses nearly tumbling over the bridge of his nose as he huffed into the Speaker’s suite.
An hour later, Hastert, outgoing Senate Majority Leader
Bill Frist (R-TN) and other top Republicans convened a brief press conference to tout a national security bill they just passed. The legislation was designed as the GOP sendoff as lawmakers went home to campaign.
"Ok, we’ll take questions. Only on the bill," instructed Frist. "Only on the bill."
No one even squeaked.
Finally, I piped up.
"We have questions about other subjects," I announced, determined to ask about Foley.
"Alright," said Frist, shoving back from the table.
The Tennessee Republican knew what was coming. Frist was happy he wouldn’t have to address Foley. That was something for Hastert. Especially since Frist planned to run for President in 2008.
I inquired about Foley. Hastert muttered a non-answer which was barely usable for broadcast. He mumbled something about him not being "very happy" about Foley. But it was a soundbite from the Speaker of the House on the scandal, right as a bloodied GOP hit the exits for the midterm campaign.
Someone then quickly adjourned the press conference. And that was it.
FORMER REPUBLICAN HOUSE SPEAKER DENNIS HASTERT DEAD AT 84
A few days later, local reporters in Illinois pressed Hastert about how he handled the Foley matter. Back in Washington, asked one of the Speaker’s aides why Hastert – as a former teacher and coach – wasn’t more aggressive protecting the teen pages.
We may have found out why years later.
Eighty-four year-old Dennis Hastert died of natural causes over the weekend. The late Speaker is one of the most ignominious figures in American politics.
He was the longest-serving Republican Speaker in history, wielding the gavel from 1999 to 2007. Hastert stumbled into the Speakership, rising thanks to the missteps of others. Yet despite his years in Congress, what we learned about Hastert nearly a decade after he left office revealed him to be one of the most grotesque persons to ever serve in Congress. In fact, Hastert is the highest-serving U.S. official to ever serve jail time.
Virtually no one knew it, but Hastert was an unbridled sexual predator. Known as "Coach" rather than "Mr. Speaker" to his Capitol colleagues, Hastert preyed on teenage boys when he taught high school in the 1960s and 1970s.
Hastert was never implicated in the page scandal. The House nixed the program soon afterwards, even though it was nearly as old as the republic. But in retrospect, how Hastert fumbled what was going on with the House pages shockingly added up later.
Democrats won the House handily in the 2006 midterms. Hastert didn’t run – and probably wouldn’t have won – a leadership race in the new Congress. He stuck around as rank-and-file member for a few months and resigned in late 2007.
Few heard much from Hastert after he departed Congress. Such was his style. He shunned interviews as Speaker and was rarely even spotted in the Capitol corridors. To defend his reticence with the press corps, the Speaker proclaimed that he was more of a "listener."
And then Hastert’s otherwise bland, nearly forgotten Speakership took a dark turn in 2015.
Federal banking regulators flagged Hastert’s curious withdrawals of staggering amounts of cash. They suspected the transactions signaled that someone could be blackmailing the former Speaker. So they investigated. But that’s how it came to light that Hastert was actually paying hush money to conceal his sexual transgressions with minors.
The feds indicted Hastert on charges of lying to investigators and evading banking laws. He later pleaded guilty to the bank crimes. Prosecutors dropped the charge of making false statements. Federal Judge Thomas Durkin declared that the former Speaker was "a serial child molester." In court, Hastert admitted that he "mistreated athletes" and "took advantage" of those he was supposed to mentor.
Prosecutors never charged Hastert in connection with sex crimes. He served 13 months of a 15-month sentence at a federal facility in Rochester, MN.
It’s remarkable that someone who operated at this level of American government obscured such a hideous secret for so long.
And as instructive as the day nearly 20 years ago when the Foley scandal broke and Republicans were on the verge of losing the House, unceremoniously terminating Hastert’s Speakership — the day that propelled him into the leadership is even more illuminating.
Republicans nearly lost the House in the 1998 midterms. House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) was toxic and Republicans showed him the door. In late 1998, Republicans tapped then-Rep. Bob Livingston (R-LA), chairmanof the Appropriations Committee, to become Speaker in 1999. But then came December 19, 1998. The Saturday before Christmas.
I was on the job on 9/11. I was on the job on January 6. I’ve covered Congress for a litany of big hearings, the removal of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). Even the day they banished Pete Rose from Major League Baseball as a kid reporter back in Cincinnati. You name it, I’ve seen it.
But from a sheer news perspective, December 19, 1998 rivals many of those.
The House met on that Saturday before Christmas to approve articles of impeachment against President Clinton for the Monica Lewinsky scandal. This would mark only the second time in American history that the House impeached an American President.
President Clinton also ordered airstrikes against Iraq for violating no-fly zones following the first Gulf War that day. So that story was in full force. But the night before, there was news that Livingston – the GOP’s Speaker in waiting – had an affair with a lobbyist.
Juxtapose that with what the House was trying to do with Clinton because of his sexual exploits.
On the morning of December 19, 1998, Livingston took to the House floor to demand that the president resign for his transgressions.
"No! You resign! You resign!" came a cacophony of catcalls from Democrats in unison in the House chamber.
Livingston paused and held up his hand to quiet the din.
The Louisiana Republican then announced he would not stand as the GOP’s nominee for Speaker when the new Congress convened in January 1999. He promised to resign from the House a few months later.
Bedlam tore through the Capitol.
House Republicans scrambled. They needed a new Speaker-designee.
By nightfall, they conscripted J. Dennis Hastert for the job. The Chief Deputy Whip in the Republican Conference. Hastert was a part of the GOP leadership team. But he was a backbencher. His obscure leadership slot was to help count votes on the floor.
Many reporters who covered Congress didn’t even know who Hastert was.
Hastert was barely vetted by the press corps.
But there was other big news. Airstrikes against Iraq. The Livingston scandal. That’s to say nothing of only the second impeachment trial of a President in American history.
Hastert seized the Speaker’s gavel in January 1999. He remained on the job for another eight years. Longer than any other Republican. His odious past obscured.
But ultimately, Dennis Hastert did not take to the grave the loathsome secrets he hid for so long.
Is the Dodgers dynasty already in jeopardy after brutal game two NLDS loss to Atlanta Braves?
"They're ruining baseball."
"They've built a superteam."
"They're unbeatable."
"Too many fans and teams have no hope of their team reaching or winning the World Series."
"Lock 'em out."
MLB'S SALARY CAP PROPOSAL WON'T FIX THE LEAGUE'S NON-EXISTENT COMPETITIVE BALANCE PROBLEMS
With some varying degree of consistency, all of these statements have become oft-repeated campaign phrases from either Major League Baseball itself or many of the league's fans. Mostly as a result of the Los Angeles Dodgers winning back-to-back World Series titles and continuing to add expensive players to their roster, despite the success.
For much of the 2026 season, off-field discussion and PR efforts centered on the league's owners demanding a salary cap in upcoming labor negotiations, as a direct result of the Dodgers' spending. Curiously, few of these proponents ever mention the New York Mets and their spending. Interestingly, the Mets missing the postseason for two consecutive seasons despite a top-2 payroll never seems to come up. Nor the Giants and Angels futility, despite their big markets and payrolls.
But beyond the labor discussion is the on-field results. Yes, the Dodgers have won the World Series in two straight years. And yes, there's still every opportunity for them to win a third title in 2026. The issue? Sunday night's game two of the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves showed why there's no such thing as a foregone conclusion in baseball. Why it's not possible to "ruin" the most unpredictable sport in the country. And why assembling even the best roster guarantees nothing.
The Dodgers won game one in mostly ho-hum fashion, with Tarik Skubal going six strong innings and Kyle Tucker, Teoscar Hernandez, and Max Muncy hitting home runs to win 5-3. When the Braves announced that superstar starter Chris Sale would be held back for game three, the widespread expectation was that the Dodgers had a tremendous advantage for game two.
Blake Snell, a two-time NL Cy Young Award winner, was set up to start for LA. Atlanta? They countered with little-used reliever Ray Kerr. Kerr didn't pitch in the majors in 2025, had a 5.64 ERA in 2024, and has such poor "stuff" that he struck out just 11 hitters in 18.1 innings in the regular season.
Game over, right? Of course not. The Dodgers missed every opportunity against the Atlanta bullpen, made several uncharacteristic mistakes, and lost game two 3-2 to even the series at one apiece.
Kerr went 3.1 scoreless innings against the Philadelphia Phillies in a decisive game three of the wild card series. He followed that up by going 2.2 scoreless innings against the Dodgers in a pivotal Game 2 of the NLDS. Because of course he did.
Outsider observers might point to Kerr's 1.47 ERA in his regular season sample as evidence that his postseason performance is justified. Except the underlying stats show how fortunate he was to have those results. Kerr's BABIP allowed, or batting average on balls in play, was .143 in the regular season. The league average is around .300. In 2024, his BABIP allowed was .403, demonstrating that there's no secret formula Kerr is using to over-perform. And it's not just BABIP.
The league's average left on base percentage is around 75%, essentially, when baserunners reach against a pitcher, league average is that 75% of those runners won't score. Kerr's LOB% this year? 98%. Put simply, that's absurdly "lucky" and will regress to the mean over a broader sample.
But that highlights the problem with trying to "predict" postseason baseball: over a small sample size, like a single series, or even a few series, a pitcher like Ray Kerr can throw six shutout innings against two of the best lineups in baseball. Sure enough, thus far in October, Kerr's BABIP allowed is .200 and his LOB% is 100%. Over an entire season, those numbers will not continue. It's impossible. But in a playoff series? In any series? It's not impossible or even improbable.
The gaps between players in baseball are so small that on any given day, Ray Kerr can outpitch Blake Snell, who was mostly ineffective, over a few inning sample. Or Didier Fuentes, a good but inexperienced relief pitcher, can go 3.2 innings and allow just one run while retiring nine straight Dodger hitters.
Suddenly, the unbeatable Dodgers dynasty is in serious trouble. It's one game, though, you might be thinking. And of course that's right; LA is still favored, slightly, to win the series. But Atlanta can now start Chris Sale on regular rest in game three, at home, not long after he threw a complete-game shutout against the Dodgers at Truist Park with 11 strikeouts and just five baserunners allowed.
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It's a new game, it's the playoffs, each start is independent of the last, but even with Yoshinobu Yamamoto starting for Los Angeles, the Braves likely have the advantage to win game three. Suddenly, what looked like a foregone conclusion could turn into a 2-1 Braves series lead by Tuesday night. And therein lies the problem.
If your offense has an off night in a best-of-5, your season can end in a hurry. If your left fielder misplays a routine pop-up, like Teoscar Hernandez did on Sunday, your season can end in a hurry. If your relief pitcher throws a wild pitch after your defense allowed a gift triple, your season can end in a hurry.
In LA's case, it's not just Sale, it's that their best hitter, Shohei Ohtani, clearly isn't healthy. Ohtani, though he has two singles in the NLDS, has not looked anything like the dominant force he often was in the 2025 playoffs.
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In his first at bat, Ohtani struck out on four pitches from Kerr, only one of which was even remotely close to the strike zone. In his second at bat, he popped up with one out and runners on first and second, getting seven pitches, six of which missed the zone. In his final at bat, he once again struck out despite seeing just one pitch in the zone. The strike-out pitch nearly bounced off the plate.
When Ohtani is limited, the Dodger lineup looks a lot more beatable. And boy is he limited.
It's not to say that the Dodgers are done, that a 1–1 series when LA still has Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and a second start from Skubal available to them is over. But it shows just how fragile the "superteam" moniker actually is in October. It's not just them.
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The New York Yankees tied for second in runs scored in the American League this season. In game one, they were dominated by Drew Rasmussen to the tune of one hit. One hit in which the runner was thrown out at third base. From what was supposed to be an even series, to the Rays becoming big favorites to advance in just one game, because a good pitcher had his best stuff.
Again, it always seems so obvious. The best team wins, because that's what happens in the NFL. The superstar hitters win out. But that's ignorant of actual history, when players like Eddie Rosario and his .560 NLCS batting average in 2021, carry teams to the World Series. Or Steve Pearce won 2018 World Series MVP after hitting three home runs and driving in eight runs in five games. Or Mitch Moreland hits a gigantic late-inning homer in game four of a World Series game to make that series 3-1 instead of 2-2.
Baseball isn't predictable. Which is what makes it so great. Hopefully everyone involved remembers that in a few months instead of canceling the season for nothing.
Russian bio-leak secrecy follows Chernobyl playbook, ex-CIA officer warns
Fears of a pneumonic plague outbreak following the death of a Siberian plague research institute employee don't bode well for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is facing a faltering economy and a stalled war in Ukraine that has claimed estimated hundreds of thousands of Russian lives, experts say.
Putin has for years maintained a tight grip on power, and while a single lab death isn't an immediate regime-killer, suppressed biological incidents—much like the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster or the Soviet-Afghan War—add to the compounding list of systemic failures in Moscow, retired CIA officer Dan Hoffman told Fox News Digital.
"The longer-term strategic question is, does this have an impact on Vladimir Putin and his hold on the Kremlin until his own people realize: 'This just isn't right for us. We don't like this. We don't like the war in Ukraine. This is just another thing,'" Hoffman told Fox News Digital.
RUSSIAN STATE ECONOMIST FIRED AFTER STARK WARNING ABOUT MOSCOW’S ECONOMIC FUTURE
"The reason why the Soviet Union collapsed wasn't because of Chernobyl, but that was a part of it," he added. "It was it a failed economy? Well, they kind of got that going too. The failed war in Afghanistan? Well, that war in Ukraine doesn't look too good. So all these things just pile up on Putin."
The researcher who died has been identified as 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, who worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East.
There was no evidence that her illness was caused by pathogens linked to her work, Russian health authorities said. Shipilova died after being diagnosed with a pneumonia of "unknown" origin, authorities have said.
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On Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States was "watching and monitoring" the situation closely.
Anna Popova, the head of Russia's Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare, or the Rospotrebnadzor, which handles infectious disease, arrived at the research lab.
"No micro-organisms associated with the employee’s professional duties were detected in samples taken from the patient," the agency said.
Even if Shipilova's death is an isolated incident, Russia's history of hiding information related to sensitive matters could leave many outside observers with doubts, Hoffman said.
"Putin, you know, is a dictator and he's got pretty strict control over information, so they're obviously not going to release any truth to the public, and that means we have to rely on intelligence to understand what's going on behind the scenes," he said.
The Soviet Union tightly controlled news of its invasion of Afghanistan amid global condemnation and enforced a total media blackout when the Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded on April 26, 1986, suppressing information both domestically and internationally.
"Whatever Russia is saying publicly, that has nothing to do with the reality on the ground," said Hoffman. "What that is, is an influence operation for their own people."
Hoffman noted that China, one of Moscow's closest allies, also controls what information is disseminated to the outside world.
"China does the same thing. How much useful information did we get out of them with COVID?" Hoffman said. "That's the way dictatorships work."
Trump clears way for Fort Hood terrorist to face Army firing squad nearly 17 years after massacre
President Donald Trump has cleared the way for the Fort Hood terrorist to face an Army firing squad, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced Monday, nearly 17 years after a deadly rampage.
"Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has recommended — and President Donald J. Trump has approved — death by U.S. Army firing squad for convicted terrorist Nidal Malik Hasan, the jihadist who opened fire on unarmed American soldiers at Fort Hood in 2009," Parnell wrote on X. "He killed 13 people and wounded 32 others while shouting 'Allahu Akbar' during the attack. "
Nidal Malik Hasan, a former army officer, killed 13 people and wounded 32 others in the 2009 attack at Fort Hood, shouting "Allahu Akbar" as he opened fire.
Where the death penalty has been used before and since that attack, Hasan's death, if carried out, will mark the first time a president has successfully signed off on a U.S. military execution since 1961, a penalty reserved for members of the U.S. military as the gravest use of a court-marshal under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
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Pvt. John Bennett was last executed by hanging on April 13, 1961, after he attempted to murder an 11-year-old girl in Austria. President George W. Bush also approved of a military execution but was stopped by a federal court in 2008.
In Hasan's case, he took a pistol and a 0.357 revolver with him to a mosque where he attended noon prayers. He then drove to a a soldier readiness processing facility, an administrative building, full of what Hasan knew were going to be unarmed soldiers. After shouting "Allahu Akbar," Hasan unloaded into "the greatest density of soldiers," according to witness statements.
"I shot to kill," Hasan told the Sanity Board report.
Hasan was eventually detained after engaging in a fire fight with law enforcement, sustaining multiple gun wounds. He was apprehended and rushed to intensive care. According to the sanity report, he denied experiencing depressive, manic, psychotic, anxiety or cognitive symptoms during the attack.
Hasan was court marshaled four years later and sentenced to death.
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"In Hasan's sentencing, lead prosecutor Col. Michael Mulligan rested the government's case on the morning of Aug. 27, after two days of emotional testimony from surviving widows and parents of some of those murdered, Nov. 5, 2009," the Army's press release stated.
"One of the witnesses, Joleen Cahill, said her husband, retired Chief Warrant Officer Michael Cahill, had given his life in an effort to stop Hasan. She spoke of the devastation experienced by her family in the time following the shooting."
As a part of the press release, the Ford Hood Public Affairs Office explained that Hasan's case would be automatically appealed, a part of the process for any death sentence.
"Given that the death sentence was imposed, the military justice system requires this case to be automatically appealed to the U.S. Army Criminal Court of Appeals and then to the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces," the press release added.
After a court upheld the death sentence in early 2025, representation for Hasan appealed to the Supreme Court, citing procedural objections to how the trial was run, but that review was denied.
In the time since, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth recommended the execution. With President Trump's approval, the Army secretary will set the execution's time and place, Parnell, the Pentagon spokesperson, said.
"Judgment day for Hasan has finally come," Parnell wrote.