Fifth grade students at Blades Elementary School in Oakville, Missouri, were given the assignment for a social studies class, Fox 2 reported. It sparked a backlash after part of it was posted on social media on Sunday—prompting the Melhville School District to investigate. On Monday, the school’s principal sent a letter home to parents saying the assignment was “cultutally insensitive” and that the teacher who created the assignment expressed “significant remorse....

This doesn’t mean that big age gap relationships are easy or that they aren’t, as according to experts, that is more of a case-by-case situation. But quite often, especially depending on how large the age gap is, your relationship will raise eyebrows and attract all sorts of criticism. Past the criticism though, many couples get over the social pressure and go on to have a beautiful relationship, like George and Amal Clooney, who, despite their 17-year age gap, went on to get their dreamy Italian wedding and now have two four-year-old twin girls....

McConnell made the comments when he and other Senate Republican leaders addressed journalists in the Capitol ahead of U.S. President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address. The senator, who has been the object of frequent derision from former President Donald Trump since the 2020 U.S. presidential election, was asked by a reporter about Trump recently calling Putin “very savvy” and describing the Russian leader’s strategy towards Ukraine as “genius....

“The legislative filibuster is directly downstream from our founding tradition. If that tradition frustrates the whims of those on the far left, it is their half-baked proposals and not the centuries-old wisdom that need retooling,” McConnell wrote. “No Republican has any trouble imagining the laundry list of socialist policies that 51 Senate Democrats would happily inflict on Middle America in a filibuster-free Senate.” The response was swift. Progressive groups were quick to point out what they saw as a hypocrisy between McConnell’s words and actions as a long-time Senate bigwig....

Three Card Monte: Remember that street hustle card game? It’s the one that targeted Times Square tourists long before costumed characters like Hulk and Spiderman separated them from their money. (See this video.) Well, watch out for Congress. It’s great at hiding the winning card from you with trickery and slight of hand. As you know from reading my columns, I’m unhealthily focused on Congress’ reluctance to extend certain unemployment benefits — and help state and local governments that have enormous COVID budget deficits....

In his statement, McConnell praised Lewis for his work as a powerful voice in the civil rights movement and remembered joining hands with the congressman for a 2008 remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “The Senate and the nation mourn the loss of Congressman John Lewis, a pioneering civil rights leader who put his life on the line to fight racism, promote equal rights, and bring our nation into greater alignment with its founding principles,” McConnell said....

On Tuesday, the top Republican urged Biden to continue the evacuation efforts, which McConnell called “a lot worse than Saigon in 1975,” past the end of the month. “The president needs to forget about the August 31 deadline…Extend the deadline, get outside the perimeter, make sure that every single American who wants to leave is able to get out with our assistance and our Afghan allies,” McConnell said during a Fox News interview....

The Texas senator makes the claim in Justice Corrupted: How the Left Weaponized Our Legal System and writes about his decision to object to the certification of Electoral College votes from the 2020 presidential election. In his book, Cruz described how senators and members of the House of Representatives departed their joint session on January 6 so that each chamber could debate objections separately. While Republican Senator James Lankford was speaking “there was a commotion from outside the chamber....

The stakes could not be higher ahead of a Senate vote expected Wednesday on whether to take up legislation to raise the government’s $28.4 trillion debt ceiling until December 2022. Both parties remain in a stalemate over raising the debt limit before the October 18 deadline, beyond which the Treasury Department has warned it will run short of funds to pay down the accrued debt load. But with 10 Republican senators required to make the 60 threshold for the vote to pass, the legislation is expected to fail....

Don’t do a Martial! Why Mbappe must stay The 31-year-old England forward, skipper for both club and country, had been tipped in many quarters to leave the Premier League ahead of the transfer window closing in China on Tuesday. He reiterated his commitment to United in a statement on Thursday and, with fellow attacker Henrikh Mkhitaryan ruled out due to injury, the club’s record goalscorer might find himself in the starting XI at Wembley Stadium, despite having fallen down the pecking order under Jose Mourinho....

Police in Southlake, Texas, said it responded to a call of an “unconscious male” at a Hilton hotel, and that they arrived to find Skaggs unresponsive. Skaggs died at the scene, according to Southlake Police. They added that foul play is not suspected and the investigation into his death is ongoing. Police said they will release more information as it becomes available. Skaggs was 27. “It is with great sorrow that we report Tyler Skaggs passed away earlier today in Texas,” the Angels said in a statement....

Yet, that is. As you baseball fans know, we’ll see a lot of subtractions (for injury reasons) and additions to fill those spots. Basically, consider this a list of potential substitutions for the All-Star Game in Miami on July 11. SN’s ALL-STARS: Best lineup regardless of league Guys who are on the Final Vote ballots are marked with an asterisk. MORE: Home Run Derby participants, TV time First base AL: *Logan Morrison, Rays; Eric Hosmer, Royals; Jose Abreu, White SoxNL: *Mark Reynolds, Rockies; *Justin Bour, Marlins; Eric Thames, BrewersThoughts: Three of the guys on this list are pretty much out-of-nowhere names in the All-Star conversation — Reynolds is fifth in the NL with 61 RBIs to go with a ....

It is a chance for all of the sport’s best talents to compete in a game of American League vs. National League in front of fans of all 30 teams. This year, the game will be held at Dodger Stadium, the third-oldest stadium in Major League Baseball. It opened in 1962, and is younger only than Fenway Park (1912) and Wrigley Field (1914). Located atop the hill on Chavez Ravine overlooking downtown LA, it’s also one of the most iconic stadiums....

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 75 picks of the draft. MLB DRAFT 2015: Mock draft | Top 10 prospects | Grading ever team’s last 10 years Before the start of the draft, MLB Network will air a preview show, also simulcast on MLB....

1. Dodgers Most fun player: Yasiel Puig Once a night, Puig does something you just have to see. Every five days, Clayton Kershaw pitches. You don’t really have to ask for much more, but there’s Dee Gordon running all over the place and Kenley Jansen striking everyone out. Hanley Ramirez and Adrian Gonzalez make you stop and watch what they’re doing. Then you get an oddball fun thing like Justin Turner having an ....

Unlike other major professional sports, the MLB draft is unique in the sense that there is a rarely a consensus on who the top prospects are and where they will be drafted, with much more depending on projection, as many of the players taken in early in the draft are seniors in high school and have yet to fully develop physically. It’s not uncommon for all 30 teams to have a different ranking for a single player, making it that much harder, even for experts, to predict where the player may ultimately end up being drafted....

If anyone thought Alex Gordon was a suspect All-Star starter, they got the proverbial “I told you so” on Tuesday. Gordon collected seven hits and six RBIs in Kansas City’s doubleheader sweep of the Rays. The Royals outfielder went 3 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs in Game 1, then went 4 for 5 with four more RBIs in Game 2. MORE: Best NL players 25 and under, by position | Fantasy hitters to buy, sell for Wednesday...

Samardzija is 4-3 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 10 starts with the A’s, and that includes a 2-1 mark in four starts against AL West opponents – though it’s important to note he’s faced Houston three times and Seattle once . The Angels have averaged 5.3 runs over their past six games while the A’s have averaged 3.7 runs in that same span, so make no mistake, the Halos are playing better right now....

Not only has Arrieta been stellar in September (1.27 ERA, 0.80 WHIP), but he’s dominated the Cardinals. He didn’t factor into any of the three decisions, but he posted a 1.76 ERA and 18 Ks over 15.1 innings. If the strong work of Arrieta isn’t enough, it’s also worth considering that the Cardinals rank in the bottom third of the league in runs scored. Tonight is a great opportunity to take plus-money on one of the games top under-the-radar starting pitchers against what has been a mediocre offense....

MLB betting lines: Live odds from Las Vegas The Angels have been singing the blues on the road lately, losing 12 of their last 13 while averaging only 2.6 runs a game. At home, things haven’t been so rosy either, as they’ve lost four straight while being outscored 44-12 – the Blue Jays delivered the bulk of the damage during a weekend sweep at Anaheim. The Angels, however, do have a couple positives to build off....