Russell Westbrook blasts media for 'false comments' after Kings' loss

TheSacramento Kingshave played some of the worst defense in the NBA this season. But guardRussell Westbrookoffered up some confrontational cover for his younger teammates by blasting reporters following the Kings' latest setback.

The organization is enduring another brutal NBA campaign, with their one-year revival as a playoff team in 2023 disintegrating into yet another rebuild andthe worst record in the leagueless than three years later. But Westbrook insisted during a tense exchange at a March 5 news conference that local media members are contributing to the problems with "false comments" regarding him and other Kings' players.

"You guys have a lot of opinions about how we do what we're doing. What you got," Westbrook asked in the aftermath ofSacramento's 133-123 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. "You make a lot of statements and broad statements that you have no context, so where do you get your context from? Are you in practice? Are you at our film session? Are you anywhere around the building?"

Oct. 26: The Brooklyn Nets' Michael Porter Jr. dunks in front of the San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama at Frost Bank Center.

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Westbrook declined to elaborate when asked for specifics about what sparked his comments, but continued to answer questions with criticism of the team's media coverage.

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When one reporter noted criticism of the team was fair considering its record and status in the bottom-three of the NBA in offensive and defensive rating this season, the 37-year-old guard said backlash against the Kings (14-50) has too often not been about basketball.

"You guys' job is to talk about the game, what's happening in the game, not stir up a bunch of – I don't want to cuss here because I don't want to get fined – but stir up a bunch of stuff that, it's not accurate and that's my problem," Westbrook said. "Being in the league awhile, I've been able to experience a lot of these times where people outside of our building, outside of the film session, outside of what we do daily, how much work we put in, that is not an easy job to do.

"Y'all come in, y'all make your comments, and nobody say nothing. But I don't have to sit back and say nothing," Westbrook continued. "... As a leader of this team, it's my job to speak up for the guys in the locker room. We talk about it. They see it. I hear it. Because of the comments you guys make, you got guys thinking about a bunch of random things that has nothing to do with the game. You guys are making false comments about our team and what we're doing here, and I don't appreciate that. So my ask is that you respect what we do and we'll respect what you do."

Russell Westbrook stats

Westbrook, now finishing up his 18th NBA season,signed a one-year deal with the Kings in October. They are his seventh team in eight seasons after starting his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The 2017 NBA MVP winner is averaging 15.3 points, 6.4 assists and 5.3 rebounds in nearly 29 minutes per game in Sacramento this season.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Russell Westbrook confronts media over 'false comments' about Kings

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Russell Westbrook blasts media for 'false comments' after Kings' loss

TheSacramento Kingshave played some of the worst defense in the NBA this season. But guardRussell Westbrookoffered up som...

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In Miami, the opening game of the World Baseball Classic was a celebration for Venezuelan fans

MIAMI (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. scored easily from third base for Venezuela at the World Baseball Classic, and about a half-dozen of his teammates hopped over the dugout railing to start a celebration.

WBC Venezuela Netherlands Baseball

It was a 1-0 game. In the first inning. Didn't matter.

"For our people, baseball is joy," Jessalyn Suarez, an office manager from Miami, said as she walked into the ballpark about an hour earlier. "Today is joy. Today is not about anything else."

She was like many other Venezuelan fans Friday — wearing her team's jersey, her country's flag knotted loosely around her neck, the country's yellow-blue-red color scheme painted on her face and the faces of some of her friends.

Unusual political times didn't seem to matter. Thousands of Venezuelans — the stadium was maybe one-third filled for Venezuela vs. Netherlands on Friday, with the overwhelming majority of fans cheering for "La Vinotinto" — showed up to watch their national team play on U.S. soil, two months after American forcesexecuted a military operationin Venezuela to capturedeposed leader Nicolás Maduroand bring him to New York to face drug trafficking charges.

"Nobody is thinking about him today," Jesus Otero, a retired heavy machine operator from nearby Hialeah, said as he watched batting practice. "He's not here."

There were a few Netherlands caps and shirts in the crowd — but for the most part, the party was very Latin.

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At 10:30 a.m. outside the ballpark, more than 90 minutes before first pitch, fans arrived as music from Elsen Pro, Bacilos and Carlos Vives blared over giant speakers. At a gas station across the street from one of the parking garages, someone was selling Venezuela jerseys, caps and flags, all packed up into a couple of duffle bags that were serving as display cases.

Inside, fans cheered from the very first pitch. Many had their phones out to grab video of the team being announcing, taping what was being shown on the huge screen in center field. The upper deck was almost entirely empty, but the lower deck — especially on the third-base side, the one where Venezuela's dugout was — was bustling.

"Venezuelan baseball fans are very motivated and involved with everything that happens with the team," said Nelson Zurita, a Venezuelan who calls Chile home but flew to Miami for the tournament. "They are aware of every transaction in the anticipation to the Classic. The country will always be focused on sports but especially baseball. ... The players do not want to mix politics with baseball, but the country is completely behind them."

There were no signs of protests outside the ballpark Friday afternoon; there was a presence of police officers and sheriff's deputies, but that seemed largely for standard security and traffic-control reasons. Fans were going through the usual sorts of ticket-checks and bag searches that are in place for Miami Marlins games and other events at the ballpark.

WBC officials said the night game Friday — Nicaragua vs. Dominican Republic — was trending toward becoming sold-out.

"The presence of this team provides some relief from the everyday political stress," Zurita said. "The emphasis instead is on the Classic. Baseball breathes new life."

AP MLB:https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

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In Miami, the opening game of the World Baseball Classic was a celebration for Venezuelan fans

MIAMI (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. scored easily from third base for Venezuela at the World Baseball Classic, and about a half...

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Kraken sign captain Jordan Eberle to 2-year, $11M extension

Seattle Kraken captain Jordan Eberle agreed to a two-year, $11 million contract extension on Friday.

The 35-year-old forward has tallied 42 points (22 goals, 20 assists) in 59 games in his fifth season with the Kraken. His 18:37 average ice time is his highest since the 2014-15 campaign.

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A two-time All-Star, Eberle has 770 points (330 goals, 440 assists) in 1,119 games across 16 NHL seasons with the Edmonton Oilers (2010-17), New York Islanders (2017-21) and Kraken.

The Saskatchewan native was named the Seattle franchise's second captain on Opening Day of the 2024-25 season. Eberle was in the final season of a two-year, $9.5 million contract.

--Field Level Media

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Kraken sign captain Jordan Eberle to 2-year, $11M extension

Seattle Kraken captain Jordan Eberle agreed to a two-year, $11 million contract extension on Friday. ...

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CBP asks judge for more time to work on tariff refunds

A Customs and Border Protection official on Friday told a federal judge that the agency does not have the technology or manpower to immediately process $166 billion in tariff refunds, arguing the process would distract from its role addressing "imminent threats to national security."

In a sworn filing, the official said that CBP needs an additional 45 days to create a system to process refunds for the more than 53 million entries related to the unlawful tariffs.

"CBP has never been ordered to, nor has it attempted to, process a volume of refunds anywhere near the volume of total entries and Entry Summary lines on which IEEPA duties have been deposited," wrote Brandon Lord, the executive director of CBP's Trade Programs Directorate.

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The disclosure comes two days after a judge from the Court of International Trade initially ordered the Trump administration to remove the tariffs from its backlog of import paperwork. Even though the liquidation process -- when the agency finalizes a tariff payment after goods enter the country -- is largely automated and the Supreme Courtoverturned the tariffstwo weeks ago, Lord said that Customs and Border Protection "is not able to comply" with the court's order.

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"CBP is now facing an unprecedented volume of refunds. Its existing administrative procedures and technology are not well suited to a task of this scale and will require manual work that will prevent personnel from fully carrying out the agency's trade enforcement mission," Lord said.

According to Lord, the current system used to process tariffs cannot handle the volume of refund requests, and that doing so manually would take resources away from "responsibilities that serve to mitigate imminent threats to national security and economic security."

Supreme Court invalidates most of Trump's tariffs

Following a hearing on Friday related to the refund process, which was closed to the public, Judge Richard Eaton of the Court of International Trade suspended his earlier order to immediately begin recalculating tariffs dues.

By lifting his initial order, the judge appears to be making room for the refund process to play out, though the exact timeline of refunds remains unclear.

During previous hearings, the judge had expressed skepticism that the refund process would be a "mess" or that the government lacked the resources to issue refunds.

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CBP asks judge for more time to work on tariff refunds

A Customs and Border Protection official on Friday told a federal judge that the agency does not have the technology or m...

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'Worse than a prison': 911 calls, interviews reveal problems at ICE's largest detention camp

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — Serious medical and mental health emergencies have been routine at the nation's largest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility since its opening, according torecords obtained by The Associated Press.

Data and recordings from more than a hundred 911 calls at Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, along with interviews and court filings, offer a disturbing portrait of overcrowding, medical neglect, malnutrition and emotional distress.

Current and former detainees describe a camp where about 3,000 people have lived per day in loud and unsanitary quarters. They say detainees struggle to obtain health care as disease spreads, lose weight because of a lack of food, and fear security guards known to use force to put down disturbances.

"Every day felt like a week. Every week felt like a month. Every month felt like a year," said Owen Ramsingh, a former property manager in Columbia, Missouri, who spent several weeks in the camp before his deportation in February to the Netherlands. "Camp East Montana was 1,000% worse than a prison."

EDITOR'S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at988lifeline.org

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson who did not provide their name rejected claims of subprime conditions, saying Camp East Montana detainees receive food, water and medical treatment in a facility that is regularly cleaned.

Here are some takeaways from AP's reporting:

Camp averaged nearly one 911 call per day for months

After its opening in mid-August, staff at the camp made nearly one 911 call per day in its first five months of operation, according to data covering 130 calls from the City of El Paso obtained by the AP.

In one call, a man is heard sobbing after being assaulted by another detainee. In another, a doctor says a man is banging his head against the wall while expressing suicidal thoughts. In a third, a nurse says a pregnant woman is in severe pain and has coronavirus.

The injured detainees ranged from a 19-year-old man who fell out of a bunk bed to a 79-year-old man struggling to breathe. At least 20 emergencies were reported as seizures, including some that resulted in serious head trauma.

Calls reveal repeated attempted suicides

The calls show detainees have repeatedly tried to harm themselves and expressed suicidal thoughts.

Two incidents have resulted in death. On Jan. 3, ICE said security guards responded after a 55-year-old Cuban man tried to harm himself and then used handcuffs and force to restrain him. A medical examiner ruled that Geraldo Lunas Campos's death was a homicide caused by asphyxia.

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On Jan. 14, staff reported that a 36-year-old Nicaraguan man died by suicide days after he was detained while working in Minnesota.

In addition to those cases, at least six other suicide attempts were reported, according to records from the City of El Paso.

The DHS spokesperson said the facility's staff "closely monitors at-risk detainees" and provides mental health treatment.

ICE has not released inspection results

The Washington Post reported in September that a required ICE inspection found conditions at the facility violated at least 60 federal standards for immigration detention. But that report has never been released, unlike dozens of other inspections at facilities posted on ICE's website.

DHS has called claims of violations described in the Post story false without explaining why the inspection report was wrong. ICE's current database on detention facilities indicates Camp East Montana has never been inspected but is scheduled for one this fiscal year.

A DHS spokesperson said ICE's Office of Detention Oversight recently completed an inspection at Camp East Montana but provided no other information and the results have not been made public.

Congresswoman calls for camp's closure and contract investigation

U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, an El Paso Democrat who has toured the camp several times, is calling for its closure.

"This facility should not be operational. It feels like this contractor is reinventing the wheel, and people are losing their lives in their experiment," she said.

She said the facility had temporarily cut its population below 1,900 when she visited last month and will be closed to visitors temporarily because of a measles outbreak.

On one visit, a female detainee showed Escobar a meager serving of scrambled eggs that was served still frozen in the middle. She learned detainees protested after they had stopped receiving juice, fruit and milk with their meals.

Escobar met with a detainee from Ecuador who said his arm had been broken during a violent arrest by immigration agents in Minnesota. Weeks later, the congresswoman could still the fractured bones in his forearm poking up under the skin.

Escobar called for an investigation into contractor Acquisition Logistics LLC, which was awarded a contract worth up to $1.3 billion to build and operate the camp. She said the company, which didn't return messages, and its subcontractors were not delivering services paid for by taxpayers.

"People should be moved by the abject cruelty, but if they're not, I hope they're moved by the fraud and corruption," Escobar said.

Foley reported from Iowa City, Iowa, and Biesecker reported from Washington.

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'Worse than a prison': 911 calls, interviews reveal problems at ICE's largest detention camp

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — Serious medical and mental health emergencies have been routine at the nation's largest U.S. Im...

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