Sergeant Keith Wildhaber, a 25-year veteran of the St. Louis County Police Department who also served in the military, filed and won a discrimination lawsuit against the department, alleging that it denied him promotions because he was gay. Following a week-long trial and three-hour deliberation, the jury decided that the department should pay Wildhaber $1.9 million in actual damages and $10 million in punitive damages, according to the St. Louis Dispatch....

McConnell issued a statement on Thursday suggesting that if the Afghan capital, Kabul, falls to the Taliban there could be scenes reminiscent of Saigon in 1975, when personnel were evacuated from the roof of the U.S. embassy by helicopter. Taliban forces haven’t yet taken Kabul, but they have seized control of several major cities, including Kandahar. They also claim to be in control of Herat. McConnell’s statement said: “Afghanistan is careening toward a massive, predictable, and preventable disaster....

At the Conservative Political Action Conference, during his first major speech after leaving office and a second impeachment trial, Trump called out a number of Republican lawmakers who condemned him for inciting the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol. Taking aim at McConnell, Trump said on Sunday: “He asked for my endorsement. Brought him from 1 point down to 20 points up, and he won his race in the great state and actually the great Commonwealth of Kentucky....

Two Democratic senators—Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona—affirmed their support for protecting the 60-vote legislative filibuster today. Their positions have assured Republicans that Democrats don’t have enough votes to nix the procedural tool despite escalating pressure from progressives and outside left-wing activist groups. Shortly after, McConnell confirmed that power sharing negotiations will continue after days of deadlock over how to organize the 50-50 split Senate....

Friends speculate that the post Mitchell really covets is commissioner of baseball. An avid fan, he’d earn $1 million or more a year, while flying around the country watching ball games. “It’s a whole guy thing,” says a female Senate aide. The senator, who is divorced, is also involved in a new relationship with a young woman. Friends say Mitchell enjoys his private life-and wants to keep it that way....

Bears coach Matt Nagy doesn’t believe the quarterback’s left (non-throwing) shoulder injury suffered in Sunday’s 16-6 win over the Vikings will be season-ending, but he said he will provide more information as it becomes available over the next few days. “I haven’t found out a whole lot other than it’s his shoulder, so I’ll know more here probably the next day or two,” Nagy told reporters after the game. “Hopefully a day....

Alomar, 53, was terminated from his position as a consultant for MLB and was also fired by the Blue Jays, for whom he’d held a similar role. The Blue Jays also announced that the team is “severing all ties” with Alomar, which will include the removal of his banner from Rogers Centre and the removal of his name from the team’s Level of Excellence. Alomar played in Toronto from 1991 to 1995 and was part of the team’s two World Series titles....

With urest in the city’s streets, MLB closed the game to the public and played it without a crowd making it the first game in history with a paid attendance of zero. MORE: Orioles still feel at home despite no fans | Bizarre sights and sounds from Orioles-White Sox The developers at SCEA took note of the unique nature of the game and represented it within MLB 15: The Show’s day-to-day mode called The Show Live....

Cederstrom also will serve as the crew chief in his second career All-Star game. He was the third base umpire for the 2003 game at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago. Jeff Nelson (first base), Bob Davidson (second base), Scott Barry (third base), Todd Tichenor (left field) and Vic Carapazza (right field) also have been assigned to this year’s Midsummer Classic. Jerry Layne will serve as the replay official based in New York....

For 47 days the White Sox (29-30, -2.11) were AL Central leaders, but now they’re in fourth-place and last night’s 11-4 loss to the Nationals put them under .500 for the first time this season. MORE: MLB live odds page The Nationals (36-23, +5.58 units), meanwhile, have been blistering the ball, scoring in double digits during their three-game winning streak and look for the sweep at U.S. Cellular Field on Thursday to close out a successful nine-game road trip (6-2)....

TV COVERAGE: MLB will hold Day 1 of the draft at MLB Network’s Studio 42 in Secaucus, N.J. The draft will begin live on MLB Network and MLB.com at 7 p.m. ET. MLB Network will cover the first 77 picks of the draft. MLB DRAFT 2016: Mock draft | Top 10 prospects | Every team’s biggest draft regret Before the start of the draft, MLB Network will air a preview show, also simulcast on MLB....

Jackie Robinson was born Jan. 31. So was Ernie Banks. So was Nolan Ryan. Pretty impressive top of the list. That got us wondering what other days looked like, so here’s a list of the best players born on each day in February. Some days are top-heavy — look at Feb. 5 — and others are, well, lighter. MORE: Every team’s worst regular-season memory, revisited Let’s take a look at the best players born every day in February, shall we?...

Volquez has signed with the American League champions for two years and $20 million, according to CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman. MORE: Top 10 free-agent pitchers | Royals add Alex Rios | KC turns to Kendrys Morales The veteran right-hander went 13-7 last season with the Pirates while logging 192 2/3 innings, the most since he won 17 games and was named an All-Star for the Reds in 2008. Volquez’s 3....

Parity exists throughout baseball in 2015. It’s bordering on rampant. MORE: Spare us Cardinal conspiracy theories | Worst All-Star starters ever Look at it this way: Entering games on Thursday afternoon, 18 of MLB’s 30 teams were in the range of 33 to 39 wins, and only the Cardinals, at 43 wins, were above 39. Or, look at the parity this way: 12 of the 15 teams in the AL entered Thursday within 5....

More MLB odds: Today’s lines from Las Vegas | World Series futures Orioles (63-63) vs. Royals (77-49) Chris Tillman (9-8, 4.51 ERA) vs. Yordano Ventura (8-7, 4.64 ERA) Line: Royals -138Total: 8 (-110)Time: 2:10 p.m. ET The Orioles ended a nine-game losing streak against the Royals last night with an 8-5 victory over ace Johnny Cueto (9-9, 2.94 ERA). Chris Tillman (9-8, 4.51 ERA), who has given up three runs or more only twice in his last 10 starts, gets the nod for skipper Buck Showalter....

Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez tied Babe Ruth for fourth all time on the career RBI list with No. 1,992 thanks to his his seventh-inning single that scored Slade Heathcott. MORE: Marlins’ woes piling up | Will Smith’s suspension puts MLB in sticky situation A quarter of the way through the season and it’s a two-man race for the MLB home run crown between the Mariners’ Nelson Cruz and Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper....

Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez hit solo home runs in three consecutive at-bats Wednesday against the Padres, and in the process became the first player in major league history to hit five home runs in the first three games of the season. Angels first baseman Albert Pujols smashed career homer No. 521, tying him with Ted Williams, Willie McCovey and Frank Thomas for 18th on the all-time home run list....

The Royals’ postseason hopes took a hit when All-Star and Gold Glove outfielder Alex Gordon left Wednesday’s game against the Rays after suffering what the team said was a left groin strain. The injury looked much worse, however. MORE: Best AL players 25 and under, by position | Home Run Derby participants, bracket Gordon’s left leg appeared to buckle as he neared the warning track while pursuing a fly ball off the bat of Logan Forsythe....

It was only a month ago when Milwaukee wasn’t talking wild card, it had a division crown in sight with a 2.5-game lead over St. Louis and a six-game lead over Pittsburgh. But a horrendous slide that saw them lose 19 of 27 games has put the Brewers in a desperate position this weekend – 3.5-games behind Pittsburgh for the final wild-card berth. Meanwhile, the Pirates have been rolling, coming in on a four-game winning streak and winning 11 of their last 13....

MLB odds: Current baseball betting lines The Pirates (52-35) look to even their season record against the NL Central-leading Cardinals (56-32) at five games a piece. In a test of left-handers, Francisco Liriano (5-6, 2.99 ERA) is a -165 favorite over rookie Tim Cooney (0-0, 3.95) in what is the largest price among the team’s games this season. Game time is 8:05 ET on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. Pittsburgh comes off a 6-5 14-inning win in which it erased a deficit three different times, concluding with Andrew McCutchen’s walk-off two-run homer....