The Chinese state-run newspaper Global Times reported on Friday that Foreign Minister Wang Yi said international experts from the China-World Health Organization joint mission had “accessed substantive data and info and fully understood that some info could not be copied or taken out of China due to privacy issues.” The minister urged “all parties to respect the opinions and conclusions of scientists and not to politicize them, and said next-step study on COVID-19 origins should be led by member states through consultation and based on China-WHO joint study report....

“We’re already flying people from E.R.s in El Paso to hospitals elsewhere in Texas, because we don’t have the ability to keep them in our E.R.” Dr. Emiliano Gonzalez Ayala, a leading cardiovascular and pulmonary disease specialist, told The Dallas Morning News. Available medical staff have reported being overworked, not having enough PPE and not having enough medical staff to cover the surge in patients, according to ‘PBS News Hour,’ leaving hospital officials to begin discussing the prospect of rationing care, a euphemism that means deciding which patients will receive life-saving resources and which won’t....

As cases in the country continue to hit record numbers, there are many questions remaining for those who have the opportunity to be administered with a vaccine. For now, one of the gaps in the data is how it will affect pregnant and lactating patients. Despite the lack of solid scientific evidence, U.S. health agencies have released some initial advice about the options available to pregnant people, addressing some of the big safety concerns with the still unapproved vaccine....

Since the mid-January peak, there has been a significant fall in new cases, as well as a decline in the number of deaths. Meanwhile, the vaccination campaign, which began on December 14, has picked up to the point where around 107 million doses have been administered and nearly 37 million Americans are fully vaccinated, figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show. Andrew Noymer, public health expert at the University of California, Irvine, told Newsweek: “In the U....

“Thursday Night Football” registered an 8.0 overnight rating for NFL Network this week, the third highest total in the series’ eight-year history, according to Sports Business Journal reporter John Ourand. MORE: All-time worst Thursday night games | Troy Aikman not a fan of midweek football The 2013 contest between the New England Patriots and New York Jets holds the record at 8.6. NFL Network has gone through a ratings roller-coaster ride this season with all the lopsided primetime games — winning teams are averaging a 17....

In fact, if Elliott has his way, he’ll sit out all three of Dallas’ preseason games. He announced that desire Wednesday during a media scrum, citing his time in the league. He feels he has done enough to earn the rest. “I’ve been playing football 20 years. This is my seventh year (in the NFL). I’ve seen a lot of football,” Elliott said. “I don’t think I need a preseason game, especially with (Dallas’) joint practices (with the Broncos and Chargers, the Cowboys’ first two preseason opponents)....

The star running back signed a six-year, $90 million extension with a running back record $50 million in guarantees after it was all said and done. “I believe I’m the best,” Elliott said when asked why it was important for him to be the highest-paid player at his position. Elliott said he’s happy to be back with the team after holding out for 40 days and training in Cabo with Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk....

Citing “conflicting and inconsistent information,” the Columbus Attorney’s Office ruled that allegations against the former Ohio State running back lacked the evidence to support the filing of criminal charges. MORE: 2016 NFL All-Breakout Team In August, investigators met with Elliott’s accuser, Tiffany Thompson, who filed a police report with the Columbus Police Department after posting photos to Instagram showing multiple bruises to various parts of her body. She accused Elliott of striking her in five separate incidents in July....

At least that’s the point made by a fascinating new exhibit at Frankfurt’s Schirn Kunsthalle. “I like America–Fictions of the Wild West” (until Jan. 7, 2007) looks at the West in painting, print and sculpture from 1825 to 1950. From the 19th-century portraits of Indian chiefs by American artists who never made it west of the Mississippi, to the 20th-century German expressionists who chose Native Americans they’d never encountered to populate a happy Arcadia, what we see is never what it seems....

But that’s not what Wilson said in a Friday interview with Cowboys HQ. MORE: Cowboys won’t honor Romo till he retires Wilson talked in depth about Dallas’ quarterback situation — including if former Cowboys QB Tony Romo could make a return to the NFL. That question prompted Wilson to say it was “fun to speculate” whether Prescott going down would open the door for Romo to return to the Cowboys....

Before we get into our picks and strategy, here are the notable scoring settings for FanDuel single-game contests: The point total for the “MVP” is multiplied by 1. 5, but he doesn’t cost any additional money like the “Captain” in DraftKings Showdown contests. FanDuel’s default scoring is half-point PPR and four-point passing TDs. Unlike on DraftKings, FanDuel features no bonuses for 300-yard/100-yard games. MORE FD SINGLE GAME: How to win a FanDuel single-game contest...

Jones was speaking with 105.3 The Fan, a radio station he speaks to on a weekly basis during the NFL season. The Cowboys owner became frustrated after a question about the team’s potential lack of leadership. As the radio host interjected, Jones told him to “shut up” and let him finish answering. Here’s the exchange: MORE: Cowboys’ best QB options after Andy Dalton injury Shan Shariff: “Just overall …“Jerry Jones: “But seriously, seriously....

According to NFL Media , the Cowboys center has avoided the non-football injury list and is expected to be active for the start of training camp. Frederick was diagnosed last August with Guillain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune disease that attacks the nervous system, but the team opted to keep him on the active roster since there wasn’t a clear timetable for his return. He was later placed on injured reserve in October with an option to play again in December, though he remained sidelined....

By drafting Ezekiel Elliott with the No. 4 pick, Jones and the Cowboys got a little more than that. They landed the best skill position player in this draft. NFL DRAFT: Pick tracker, scouting reports, more Elliott was the complete package at Ohio State. He can bust the big run. He can pass-block. He can catch passes out of the backfield. He did everything for the Buckeyes. He’ll be the same complete package for Dallas behind a loaded offensive line....

So much for that, as the Cowboys flexed their muscles in every phase of the game on their way to a 40-10 win. Dallas did receive a boost earlier in the week when running back Ezekiel Elliott was cleared to play against San Francisco, as his six-game suspension was kicked further down the road. His play was a huge factor Sunday. MORE: Week 7 NFL scoreboard The Cowboys got the win they desperately needed in order to keep pace in the NFC East, in which the Eagles had taken a solid lead going into their Monday night showdown against the Redskins....

Chicago quarterback Mitchell Trubisky had a stellar night, passing for three touchdowns and picking up a fourth on the ground in a game his team needed to win to keep its outside chances at the playoffs alive. The third-year QB completed 23 of 31 passes for 244 yards. He also threw an interception. MORE: Watch NFL games live with fuboTV (7-day free trial) Dallas took a 7-0 lead with its longest possession of the year, a 17-play opening drive that lasted 8:57....

Dallas, 5-1 atop the division standings and sitting pretty in Sporting News’ power rankings, needs to keep its Tony Romo-less train rolling with the league’s best rushing attack. Philadelphia, initially given 4.5 points on the road and sniffing the Cowboys’ tail in the division race at 4-2, needs to prove its Jim Schwartz-led defense is as legit as advertised. WEEK 8 PICKS: Straight up | Against the spread This — an improbable Prescott vs....

Not surprisingly, quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliot were two of the game’s biggest stars in the Cowboys home win on wild-card weekend. Prescott threw for 226 yards and one touchdown in the air and ran for one on the ground while Elliott tacked on 137 rushing yards of his own. The Rams earned a bye week along with home-field advantage for the divisional round with their 13-3 regular season record and NFC West division title....

The Redskins reportedly are planning to wear their all-burgundy uniforms Thursday. Washington hates its all-yellow Color Rush uniforms so much that, in the offseason, the team proposed a rule that would allow NFL teams to opt out of wearing Color Rush uniforms on “Thursday Night Football,” a proposal that was later withdrawn. There is no controversy with the Cowboys’ uniforms, however, as Dallas will wear its all-white Color Rush uniforms....

Instead, the defenses dominated the game, and the team without any touchdowns wound up winning. New Orleans beat Dallas 12-10 behind Wil Lutz’s four field goals. Ezekiel Elliott scored the only touchdown of the game, a 1-yard rush in the third quarter. The battle of two of the premier teams in the NFC eliminated one of the two remaining undefeated teams in the conference. The 49ers (3-0) had a bye....