St. Petersburg, Florida, police officers arrested Dante Payne, Kenneth Davis and Russell Jones in separate drug-related incidents this month and all three are accused of claiming to own a business in order to obtain Small Business Administration loans. Police allege they collectively received about $50,000 in loans, which was intended to help small businesses cover payroll and other costs during the pandemic. “One of the reasons they were able to fund their operation was because they were using these loans from the government that they had received fraudulently,” Yolanda Fernandez, a public information officer with the St....

The official poverty measure, which is determined by the Census Bureau, indicated that 11.4 percent of Americans were living in poverty, an increase of 1 percentage point in 2020. The increase was the first after five consecutive years of decline. However, when looking at a more complete supplemental measure of poverty, which factored in streams of income such as the stimulus payments, which were issued by the government to ease the COVID-19 economic recession, found that the number of Americans in poverty actually dcreased....

The People’s Vaccine Alliance, a coalition of organizations and activists, said in a press release Thursday that the newfound billionaires gained their wealth “thanks to the excessive profits pharmaceutical corporations with monopolies on COVID vaccines are making.” “Between them, the nine new billionaires have a combined net wealth of $19.3 billion, enough to fully vaccinate all people in low-income countries 1.3 times,” the group said. “Meanwhile, these countries have received only 0....

The 24-year-old star was back in the Cowboys’ backfield in their Week 1 win over the Giants after holding out for the entire preseason. Elliott, who signed a six-year, $90 million extension last week, was asked to evaluate his play against New York during a postgame press conference. “Obviously, I was a little rusty,” Elliott said, via the Dallas Morning News. “I didn’t play the best game. I have a lot I can improve on....

The Cowboys on Monday activated the cornerback off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, allowing him to return to practice on a limited basis after being sidelined all offseason due to hip surgery. In his first practice since last season’s playoffs, Jones did some individual work as he continues to target a Week 1 comeback. “He’s going to slowly get back into it and see where he is,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said, via the team’s official website....

They have reportedly chosen the latter. Dallas will not place Romo, who suffered a back injury in the Cowboys’ third preseason game, on IR with the designation to return, according to ESPN.com. Had they made that move, Romo would not be eligible to return until Nov. 6 against the Cleveland Browns. The Cowboys instead hope Romo can return from a compression fracture in his L1 vertebra by mid-October, the report said....

After his ruling on Tuesday, Griffin addressed supporters and media outside of the courtroom, where he denounced the conviction and called out several Republican lawmakers for not showing up to the trial. “I know Marjorie Taylor Greene personally,” he said. “I didn’t see Marjorie one time around this trial right here that’s affecting January 6. I didn’t see Louie Gohmert here. I didn’t see Matt Gaetz.” He went on to question if the lawmakers believe “they’re too good to come down to the federal place where all of this is taking place, or going to the jail where those guys are still locked up....

On Monday, Dallas made it official. Because the team and the player could not agree on terms for a long-term contract extension before the start of the legal tampering period for soon-to-be free agents, the Cowboys placed an exclusive franchise tag on Prescott. MORE: How NFL franchise tags work The fact that Dallas used an exclusive tag, rather than the more commonly used non-exclusive tag, is notable. Now, no other team can negotiate with Prescott and force the Cowboys to match a contract offer....

In fact, owner Jerry Jones and team vice president Stephen Jones says they’d be open to signing the controversial defensive end to a contract extension. MORE: Let’s root for Greg Hardy to fail | Cowboys talking way around Hardy On his weekly radio show on 105.3 The Fan, Jerry Jones said: “He certainly has the kind of skills and impact that we want to look to the future with — with the Cowboys....

The initial belief was Smith would sit out his entire rookie season to recover from the knee injury. Even Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones told Mike & Mike earlier this week that he doesn’t expect Smith to play this season. However, his father and team owner, Jerry Jones, has a lot more confidence. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Here’s every NFL team’s post-draft to-do list Appearing on Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan, he said Smith will start the season on the PUP list, but won’t be placed on injured reserve....

A dominant stretch by Dallas and two Eagles losses later, however, and the Cowboys could end the regular season in a position to host a playoff game. Although Dallas doesn’t control its own fate in this case, it does have a better shot than many would have anticipated. The Cowboys can be first, second, or fifth seeds to end the year. The Sporting News looks at how they could land in each spot....

Recall that Randle made national headlines in May with comments about Cowboy-turned-Eagle running back DeMarco Murray leaving “meat on the bone," prompting Murray to respond that he hoped Randle would be “tasting some of that meat” when they met in the regular season. MORE: Week 2 picks | Betting lines, odds | Fantasy RB rankings, picks However, on Thursday, Randle appeared to have no beef with Murray or the Eagles, but instead expressed how personally eager he is for Sunday’s game in Philly....

When Dallas lands in Green Bay and loads the bus Saturday, the first stop will be the site of Sunday’s highly-anticipated divisional playoff game, according to the Dallas Morning News. MORE: 10 all-time greatest Packers-Cowboys games “A lot of our players haven’t been to Lambeau and we go right past the stadium. We’ll get out and move around a little bit,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. Sunday’s game is slated for 1:05 p....

The two talented stars went at one another during the game, and got into a scuffle on the field when it was over. That’s when Bryant hopped on Twitter and said he’d post film all week to show “how Norman got exposed.” After some days to reflect, the Dallas receiver thought better of his actions. MORE: Week 13 Power Rankings “I’m really not trying to talk about that, but I wish I never did what I did, but that’s OK because it’s over with now,” Bryant said Monday....

The three retired skippers will officially be inducted July 27 in Cooperstown, N.Y., along with whoever is elected by the Baseball Writers Association of America when voting results are announced next month. "I can't tell you how excited I am," Torre said. "What makes it even better is to go in with these two guys ... you know, we waged a lot of battles against each other. It's just a great, great feeling....

Nine years after those laws were passed, the issue is again ripping through the criminal-justice system. Critics say the sentencing disparity for the two types of cocaine is unfair and ends up giving harsher treatment to minorities. Sale of as little as five grams of crack, barely a teaspoon, gets violators a minimum of five years in prison. It takes 100 times that amount of cocaine powder-the more expensive form preferred by most whites-to trigger a comparable sentence....

Why? Because the seven-time All-Star, long considered one of the best relievers in baseball, can bank on the market for his services growing as the season progresses. Already, bullpens of contending teams around the league are showing cracks, ramping up pressure on front offices to shore up their ranks. Injury attrition and the escalating urgency of playoff races will almost certainly further the need for a lockdown ninth-inning guy....

In craniosynostosis, one or more of the sutures fuse together prematurely before the brain is fully formed. When this happens, your baby’s brain will continue to grow, causing problems with brain and skull growth. When the suture fuses too early, the skull bones change, causing a misshapen appearance. The pressure inside of your baby’s head may increase as well. Fortunately, craniosynostosis is treatable with early diagnosis and treatment. Your doctor may recommend surgery to correct the shape of the head and to ensure there is enough room for your baby’s brain to continue to develop....

The continent’s giants will descend on Monaco on August 24 to see football’s greatest competition mapped out for the coming season. And there are some mouth-watering possibilities. Neymar’s PSG could make up a group of death by drawing Real Madrid, Tottenham Hotspur and Celtic. Lionel Messi’s Barcelona, meanwhile, find themselves in Pot 2 this year and could well face a group that includes Chelsea, Dortmund and Sporting. We could also see a quartet of Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Napoli and CSKA Moscow....