Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. was hit on the left elbow by a pitch from Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Colin Holderman in the sixth inning and left the game

The Detroit Pistons have agreed to a record deal with Monty Williams to be the franchise's new head coach, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Republican Party officials have selected Houston to host their party's 2028 presidential convention, approving the location during a closed meeting on Friday.

US medical professionals will analyze "presumed human remains" that were found in the Titan submersible's wreckage in the North Atlantic Ocean as probes continue into the vessel's catastrophic implosion.

We Ani's father Mac McDonald slammed Katy Perry, saying 'No acknowledgment or apology, just a collar pop and a shoulder brush'

WASHINGTON U.S. consumer spending increased more than expected in September, keeping it on a higher growth path heading

No sooner had news broke of Matthew Perry’s untimely death than conspiracy theorists seized upon the tragedy. Early on Sunday, it emerged that the Friends icon had been found dead at his LA home on Saturday afternoon, after apparently drowning in his hot tub. According to US media, the 54-year-old had played a two-hour game of pickleball earlier in the day before sending his assistant out on an errand. When they returned, they allegedly found Perry unresponsive in the jacuzzi. Los Angeles Police Department officials have since told reporters that the cause of death isn’t likely to be determined for some time, but confirmed that there was no sign of foul play. And yet, this hasn’t stopped wannabe sleuths from offering up their own baseless hypotheses. High-profile anti-vaxxers were quick to blame Perry’s death on the coronavirus jab, including Kandiss Taylor, a Republican politician who recently compared Taylor Swift to Satan, and self-styled “crypto influencer” Matt Wallace. They made use of a 2021 ad campaign, for which the Friends star donned a t-shirt branded with the slogan: “Could I BE any more vaccinated?” In a further bid to hijack the sad news, theorists even edited Perry’s Wikipedia page to add: “It is unclear whether the drowning was due to complications from the COVID-19 vaccine.” Luckily, this amendment has since been deleted. More level-headed commentators spoke out against the unsupported suggestions, with one pointing out that sudden deaths do, sadly, happen, even in the young and healthy. Others condemned the conspiracy mongers for “adding more grief to grieving people”. Meanwhile, others asserted that Perry had been close to death many times before he’d received his coronavirus vaccinations, owing to his decades-long battle with alcohol and substance abuse. Indeed, the American-Canadian actor began his 2022 memoir ‘Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing’ by addressing his issues head-on. In the opening to the book he wrote: "Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. “My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead." In a New York Times interview published in October 2022, Perry said he had been clean for 18 months and estimated that he’d “probably spent $9 million or something trying to get sober." He admitted that his substance abuse started when he began drinking, aged 14, and that he later became addicted to the prescription drugs Vicodin, OxyContin, and Xanax. “I would fake back injuries. I would fake migraine headaches. I had eight doctors going at the same time,” he told The New York Times. “I would wake up and have to get 55 Vicodin that day, and figure out how to do it.” In previous interviews, he admitted to being in rehab at least 15 times and getting 14 surgeries on his stomach caused by his opioid abuse, Rolling Stone notes. Then, at the age of 49, his colon burst as a result of his drug addiction, leaving him hospitalised for five months, including two weeks in a coma. “The doctors told my family that I had a 2 percent chance to live,” the 17 Again star wrote in his memoir. “I was put on a thing called an ECMO machine, which does all the breathing for your heart and your lungs. And that’s called a Hail Mary. No one survives that.” Perry further detailed how, in late 2020, he had to pull out of filming a cameo in the Oscar-nominated satire Don’t Look Up after his heart stopped for five minutes and his ribs had to be broken to resuscitate him. In his book, Perry also opened up about his struggles while filming Friends, and recounted a confrontation he'd had with co-star Jennifer Anniston while filming. “I know you’re drinking – we can smell it,” he recalled her telling him, admitting that the plural “we” hit him “like a sledgehammer.” In the foreword to the memoir, fellow Friends legend Lisa Kudrow described Perry as “whip-smart, charming, sweet, sensitive, very reasonable, and rational.” She added: “That guy, with everything he was battling, was still there.” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

In February a pet dog in Hong Kong tested ‘weak positive‘ for coronavirus and was placed into quarantine. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) in Hong Kong confirmed that repeated tests suggested the dog had a “low-level” of the virus and that it was likely to be the case of human-to-animal transmission. The dog, a Pomeranian, had not shown any symptoms for the illness but its owner was confirmed as being infected with Covid-19. Now pet owners are becoming increasingly concerned they could catch the deadly disease from their animals - but is that scientifically possible? Can I catch coronavirus from my pet? On 2 April a Chinese study showed that cats are "highly susceptible" to coronavirus and it can easily be passed between them. But only five cats were involved in the experiment. This follows the news that a cat reportedly contracted coronavirus in Belgium but health authorities in the country said it was an "isolated case" and not "the rule". There are still no reports of animals in the UK with coronavirus. On 13 March the World Health Organisation said "at present there is no evidence that companion animals/pets such as dogs or cats can be infected with the new coronavirus". Several global health organisations have issued advisories saying there is no any evidence that pet animals can spread coronavirus or indeed be infected with it in the same way as humans. “Therefore, there is no justification in taking measures against companion animals which may compromise their welfare,” the World Organisation for Animal Health has said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concurred that “there is no reason to think that any animals including pets in the United States might be a source of infection with this new coronavirus”. Raymond R.R. Rowland, a veterinarian who specialises in swine viruses at Kansas State University, said that “weak positives” frequently show up in testing pigs, where a farmer’s livelihood can be at stake. “I’ll tell you what I tell them,” he told The New York Times. “Wait and see.” Even if the Pomeranian has a low-level infection, he said: “that doesn’t say the animal is sufficiently infected that it can spread the virus.” The dog could simply be a host for the illness that neither becomes unwell or infects other people or animals. Should I change my behaviour with my pet? The World Health Organisation says: "It is always a good idea to wash your hands with soap and water after contact with pets. “This protects you against various common bacteria such as E.coli and Salmonella that can pass between pets and humans.” To protect yourself from catching coronavirus, the WHO advises the following: Cover your mouth and nose while sneezing, with a tissue or your elbow Put the tissue straight into a closed bin Wash your hands afterwards, and then frequently, with soap or sanitiser Keep your distance from people who are coughing and sneezing (at least one metre) [[Updated UK government advice also says people should stay at home and practice social distancing]. You can read more about the WHO’s advice on coronavirus here. Read More What are symptoms of coronavirus – and where has it spread? Latest travel updates as coronavirus continues to spread Can face masks really protect you against coronavirus or flu? The dirty truth about washing your hands Greg Rutherford had mystery allergy left him ‘screaming and clawing at his skin’ What is Lyme disease? Bella Hadid reveals ’15 years of invisible suffering’ Study reveals how muscle cells deteriorate with age, hampering injury recovery

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With work requirements for safety net programs emerging as a central issue in the debt ceiling negotiations, President Joe Biden's past support of such mandates is a point of optimism for Republicans and of concern for his fellow Democrats.