Kim Kardashian says she walked Madonna’s dog in exchange for jewelry (2024)

NEW ORLEANS (92)

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BOSTON (AP) — Tyler Herro had 24 points and 14 assists, hitting six of Miami’s franchise playoff-record 23 3-pointers, to lead the Heat to a 111-101 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night and tie their first-round playoff series at one game apiece.

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the New Orleans Pelicans 124-92 to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series. Chet Holmgren had 26 points and seven rebounds and Jalen Williams added 21 points for the top-seeded Thunder. Oklahoma City shot 59% from the field and made 14 of 29 3-pointers. Jonas Valanciunas scored 19 points and Herb Jones and Brandon Ingram added 18 each for the Pelicans. New Orleans continued to struggle on offense without top scorer Zion Williamson. He remained out with a strained left hamstring.

The U.S. Supreme Court is considering another abortion-related case while a repeal of Arizona's abortion ban has picked up steam. Meanwhile, California's governor has opened his state not only to Arizona patients seeking abortion but also their Arizona-based doctors. Those are among this week's developments that could shape abortion policy in the U.S. as it continues to shift in the aftermath of the Supreme Court's 2022 decision to undo a national right to abortion. States continue to diverge on the issue. Blue states like California are trying new ways to protect abortion access, and red ones like Idaho are trying to curtail it.

Arizona indicts 18 in election interference case, including Giuliani and Meadows

ATLANTA — The Braves sprinkled in some drama, which only allowed them to make this extra crushing for the Marlins.

The number of U.S. births fell last year. It was the lowest count in more than 40 years. A little under 3.6 million babies were born in the U.S. in 2023, about 76,000 fewer than the year before. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the provisional statistics on Thursday. Birth rates have long been falling for teenagers and younger women, but rising for women in their 30s and 40s. But last year, birth rates fell for all women younger than 40, and were flat for women in their 40s.

The fragile lagoon city of Venice launches a pilot program Thursday to charge day-trippers a 5-euro entry fee that authorities hope will discourage visitors from arriving on peak days and make the city more livable for its dwindling residents. Starting at 8:30 a.m., arriving visitors who are not sleeping in Venice will have to show a QR code attesting that they have paid the tax. Some 200 stewards will be on hand to politely walk anyone unaware of the fee through the process of downloading a QR code at points of arrival. Once past designated entry ports, officials will carry out random checks for compliance.

A reluctant Donald Trump will be back in a New York City courtroom as his hush money trial resumes at the same time that the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in Washington over whether he should be immune from prosecution for actions he took during his time as president. They are entirely separate cases and 200 miles apart, but the proceedings Thursday are tangled together in one big legal and political puzzle. Manhattan jurors will hear more witness testimony from a veteran tabloid publisher, and Trump faces a looming decision over whether he violated a gag order imposed by the judge.

Human Rights Watch says military forces in Burkina Faso killed 223 civilians, including babies and many children, in attacks on two villages accused of cooperating with militants. Human Rights Watch said in a report published Thursday that the mass killings took place Feb. 25 in the country’s northern villages of Nondin and Soro. Some 56 children are among the dead. The once peaceful nation has been ravaged by violence that has pitted jihadis linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group against state-backed forces. Both sides have targeted civilians caught in the middle, displacing more than 2 million people. HRW Executive Director Tirana Hassan says “International assistance is critical to support a credible investigation into possible crimes against humanity.”

Arizona indicts 18 in case over 2020 election in Arizona, including Giuliani and Meadows

Military vehicles and red carnations return to the streets and squares of downtown Lisbon on Thursday as Portugal reenacts dramatic moments from the army coup that brought democracy 50 years ago. Thousands of people are expected to attend celebrations for the so-called Carnation Revolution, which ended a stifling four-decade dictatorship established by Antonio Salazar. Simmering frustration with prolonged colonial wars against independence movements in Africa spurred the junior officers’ revolt. They toppled the dictatorship in around 24 hours with only five deaths. That paved the way for Portugal’s 1986 entry into what is now called the European Union.

On the left and right, Supreme Court justices seem to agree on a basic truth about the American system of government: No one is above the law, not even the president. But former President Donald Trump and his legal team are putting that truth to the test on Thursday when the high court takes up Trump’s bid to avoid prosecution over his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden. Even if the high court agrees with lower courts that have so far rejected Trump's claim, the timing of its decision may be as important as the outcome. Trump wants to delay the trial until after the November election, and the later the justices issue their decision, the more likely he is to succeed.

Herro scores 24, Heat hit franchise playoff-record 23 3s to beat Boston and even series 1-1

Texas shortstop Corey Seager left the Rangers’ game against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night following the seventh inning because of a left shin contusion after being hit by a pitch in the inning. The 2023 World Series MVP was struck on the back leg by an 0-2 pitch from reliever Austin Voth that bounced in the dirt in front of the plate. Seager was attended to by the medical staff after taking first base and remained in the game for the rest of the inning. Seager missed most of spring training after having sports hernia surgery Jan. 30.

Today in History

The U.S. economy is thought to have extended its surprisingly healthy streak at the start of this year, with consumers still spending freely despite the pressure of high interest rates. The government is expected to report that the gross domestic product grew at a slow but still-decent 2.2% annual pace from January through March. Some economists envision a stronger expansion than that. A forecasting model issued by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta points to a first-quarter annual pace of 2.7%, propelled by a 3.3% increase in consumer spending, the principal driver of economic growth. Either way, the economy’s growth is widely expected to have decelerated from the vigorous 3.4% annual pace of October through December.

Legislation forcing TikTok’s parent company to sell the video-sharing platform or face a ban in the U.S. has received President Joe Biden’s official signoff. But the newly minted law could face an uphill battle in court. Critics of the sell-or-be-banned ultimatum argue that it violates TikTok users’ First Amendment rights. The app’s China-based owner, ByteDance, has already promised to sue, calling the legislation unconstitutional. Whether a court challenge could successfully block a potential TikTok ban treads into murky waters. The law’s opponents, which include advocacy organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union, maintain that the government hasn’t come close to justifying such action — while others say that national-security claims could still prevail.

The man who fatally shot retired NFL star Will Smith after a car crash in 2016 is preparing to hear his sentence following his January conviction on a manslaughter charge. Thursday's hearing in New Orleans marks the second time 36-year-old Cardell Hayes has faced sentencing in the killing. He was convicted of manslaughter in December 2016 and later sentenced to 25 years. But the jury vote had been 10-2 and the conviction was later tossed after the Supreme Court outlawed such non-unanimous verdicts. He was freed on bond while awaiting his retrial but was locked away again after his second conviction in the death of the former New Orleans Saint.

A trial of a former government official charged with killing his wife has riveted Kazakhstan with lurid video of the attack, sparking a national conversation about domestic violence and leading to the government enacting a tougher law on spousal abuse. Many in the Central Asian country of over 19 million people see it as a moment of truth for the president's promises of reforms and making officials accountable. While women's rights defenders and the victim’s family have cautiously welcomed the law, concerns persist about restrictions still faced by activists. These include a prominent women's rights defender who was put on a wanted list over allegations of fraud that she describes as retribution for her work.

A U.S. Army reservist who provided the clearest warning ahead of Maine’s deadliest mass shooting is expected to answer questions from the commission that's investigating the tragedy. Six weeks before Robert Card killed 18 people at a bar and bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, his best friend and fellow reservist Sean Hodgson texted a warning to supervisors saying he feared Card was about to conduct a mass shooting. The commission is expected to hear Thursday from Hodgson, staet police, and the state’s director of victim witnesses services. The failure of authorities to remove guns from Card in the weeks before the shooting has become the focus of a monthslong investigation.

NBA

ARLINGTON, Texas — They weren’t going to be held down for the entire series. The hard contact was going to yield not just hits, but homers. And they were eventually going to score runs. Their lineup features too many proven hitters to be stymied for an entire series.

ROUND ROCK, Texas — So, how’d Max Scherzer feel after his first rehab start since offseason back surgery?

Dansby Swanson hit a three-run homer during Chicago’s four-run first inning and the short-handed Cubs beat the Houston Astros 4-3. Chicago was playing without injured slugger Cody Bellinger and used Swanson’s big swing and a solid start by Jameson Taillon to earn its second straight win. It will try to sweep the three-game set against the struggling Astros on Thursday. Taillon allowed two runs, one earned, and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. Houston lost for the seventh time in eight games. It has scored a total of 21 runs during the slide.

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AMERICAN LEAGUE

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