Rep. Xochitl Torres Small of New Mexico said the oil sector was “part of the backbone” of the state’s economy and pledged to “stand up” to her party when they were “out of touch” with reality. “We need to work together to promote responsible energy production and stop climate change, not demonize a single industry,” the congresswoman tweeted. “I will continue to stand up to my party when they’re out of touch with the reality on the ground in #NM02....

Rodman wants to return to North Korea, but because of the current situation involving American detainee Kenneth Bae. Following his most recent visit, Rodman wrote a letter to Kim Jong-Un in which he pleaded for the release of the two men so Rodman could once again visit North Korea. Rodman recently told TMZ that he was responsible for the release of Bae, which took place this past weekend, and even provided the letter he wrote asking for the release of the prisoners....

LeBron is a more prolific scorer than Jordan and both players have reached the postseason 13 times. However, while James has won three NBA titles despite making the NBA Finals for eight consecutive seasons, Jordan won the NBA title and was named NBA Finals MVP in each of his six trips to the NBA Finals. As someone who played with Jordan for the three of those titles, Dennis Rodman is better placed than most when it comes to judge the difference between his former teammate and LeBron....

An enthralling fight in Los Angeles ended in a split-decision draw, judges scoring it 115-111 to Wilder, 114-112 to Fury and 113-113. Join DAZN and watch Canelo plus more than 100 fight nights a year The American seemed fortunate to escape with his belt, although he knocked Fury down in both the ninth and 12th rounds at the Staples Center. But Wilder saw it differently amid the controversy, saying the knockdowns meant he deserved victory....

The consensus of the bout was that Fury totally out-boxed Wilder, but that “The Bronze Bomber” willed the draw with two knockdowns, including a devastating 12th-round knockdown, which the “Gypsy King” miraculously got up from. Now, both heavyweights seek to wrap up their unfinished business when they clash once again — this time at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night, live on pay-per-view. Both Wilder’s WBC heavyweight world championship and Fury’s lineal world title will be on the line....

Depay is set for a January departure after struggling to make an impact since his big-money arrival from PSV last season, managing just 20 minutes of playing time in the Premier League under Mourinho this term. In total, the 22-year-old Netherlands international has only appeared in eight matches in all competitions and he was last seen in the United squad for the Europa League fixture against Feyenoord in November....

Josh Stambaugh was axed from his post after an investigation found he had arrived at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in his truck, put on his bulletproof vest and took cover for five minutes after hearing the shots before driving away. However, an arbitrator has now ruled that Stambaugh should be reinstated and also receive back pay saying that Broward County Sheriff, Gregory Tony, acted 13 days too late when he fired him, reported the Associated Press (AP) news agency....

Carr, who turns 30 in March, has held off notions of the Raiders replacing him with a high draft pick. But as well as Carr has played with his efficiency and throwing the ball better downfield, the Raiders (7-6) still could miss the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year with him at the helm, as he still can have bad games at the least opportune times. Here’s a look at Carr’s current lucrative deal with the Raiders and how that could come into play for the potential of them moving on from him soon:...

The Raiders responded by inking Carr to a new three-year extension worth $121.5 million with $65.28 million guaranteed. The deal made Carr the seventh-highest paid quarterback in the NFL, after Josh Allen and ahead of Matthew Stafford. All the same, this is a significant season for Carr. The quarterback is in his ninth NFL season, and he entered this year with a 57-70 record. Carr’s relationship with Davante Adams was a big part of the Raiders being able to land the superstar receiver from the Packers, but with a new regime coming in this year, the onus is now on Carr to prove this can be his team....

Neymar, after weeks/months/years of scrutiny, after two games of rough treatment from his markers, and after flattering to deceive in Russia so far, finally made a positive mark in the 97th minute, with a goal which, just moments later, provoked floods of tears as he sank to his knees on the Saint Petersburg pitch after the 2-0 win over Costa Rica. It had been a trying afternoon for the Paris Saint-Germain star up until that point, and had it not been for Coutinho the headlines would have been entirely different....

The La Liga leaders are expected to renew their interest in the Liverpool playmaker after having multiple bids turned down in the previous window. Coutinho submitted a transfer request in an attempt to force a through a move, but the Reds held firm in their refusal to lose a prized asset. Far from being worried about losing his position, Iniesta is eager for the 25-year-old join him at Camp Nou....

One of COVAX’s key suppliers is an Indian manufacturer that has prioritized the needs at home. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a public health group that manages the U.N.-backed COVAX program, said the move lowered COVAX’s estimated dose distribution total to just under 1.9 billion this year, including 1.5 billion promised to 92 poor countries. So far, it has been able to distribute about 90 million doses, well short of the original goal....

But lately, McCain aides have been making gleeful jokes about Obama. On the campaign trail, at dinner with reporters, they sometimes order the arugula salad, poking fun at some comments Obama made last summer in Iowa (“Anybody gone into Whole Foods lately and see what they charge for arugula?”). “Do you see how much they are charging for this?” a McCain aide asked a reporter at one such dinner at a restaurant, pointing to the menu and feigning shock....

In other Madonna news, NEWSWEEK has learned that she wanted a role in the upcoming “Dick Tracy” so badly that Madonna agreed to play Breathless Mahoney for scale wages. At $1,440 a week–an unspeakably low price even for lesser stars–she was a steal for producers Warren Beatty and Disney’s Touchstone Pictures. Disney thinks it got a great deal because Madonna’s wages will help keep the cost of the film between $23 million and $30 million, only slightly higher than an average film, rather than a blockbuster....

The Monmouth University survey that was released Wednesday found the top issue for most respondents (18 percent) was the COVID-19 pandemic. The poll was conducted after the emergence of the Omicron strain, which the World Health Organization listed as a variant of concern. Omicron has been detected in at least 21 states since the first case was reported in California on December 1. Scientists are still working to discover whether the Omicron variant is more or less transmissible, if it causes more severe illness and if it evades currently available vaccines....

The Power 5 conferences in the FBS have already shifted their views about a potential season, but not everybody is on the same page. The conference-only model is in effect in some places, but it is not a universal plan. BENDER: Conference-only is college football’s best hope for 2020 The season is supposed to start Aug. 29, but that seems like a stretch given the state of the five most powerful conferences....

Scientists looked at the blood samples of 177 people who had caught the coronavirus which causes COVID-19. They found most patients had antibodies that were detectable for up to around 60 days after they were infected by the coronavirus. But between 2 to 8.5 percent did not. The findings were submitted as a pre-print to the website medRxiv, meaning the study hasn’t been through the rigorous peer review process required to publish in scientific journals....

South Africa was the first country to report the Omicron variant to the WHO, but a Dutch health agency confirmed that the variant was already present in the Netherlands a week earlier. According to the WHO, Omicron contains multiple mutations that could increase transmissibility and risk of reinfection. Mutations are natural occurrences in many viruses, not just COVID-19. While the effectiveness of the existing vaccines against the Omicron variant is still being studied, no variant has been strong enough to render the vaccines totally ineffective....

With suggestions like “wear a face covering” and “no kissing” before sex, she found them something of a turn off. “I can’t hook up without seeing the person’s face and kissing them,” she says. “Who is even going to follow these?” The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene first posted sex guidelines when COVID-19 cases began rising back in early March. The original rules discouraged sex with new people....

Experts warned the virus would continue to mutate as long as it was able to spread and that eradicating COVID-19 at this point is no longer possible, according to the WHO. A subvariant of Omicron, a highly infectious variant, is already taking hold in some countries, but the WHO doesn’t believe it’s the latest mutation the world sees. “There will always be variants,” Dr. Michael Ryan, executive director, WHO Health Emergencies Programme, said on Wednesday....