May 6, 2019

Boston Red Sox manager declines White House visit

Alex Cora stands for the national anthem before a game in April. Photo: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty

Puerto Rican native Alex Cora, the manager of last year's World Series champion Boston Red Sox, said Sunday that he won't attend the team's ceremony at the White House this week, citing the Trump administration's response to Hurricane Maria, per the Boston Globe.

"It's pretty tough to go celebrate when we're where we're at. I'd rather not go and be consistent with everything."

The big picture: Cora is the latest sports figure to not engage with the White House following a championship season. The Golden State Warriors have not visited after clashing with Trump, the Philadelphia Eagles were disinvited after many players said they wouldn't go, and a number of others cited scheduling conflicts and individual players on teams have elected not to attend.

Go deeper: White House scraps historic agreement between MLB and Cuba

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Orion Rummler

Mass shooting in Milwaukee: What we know

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett in 2012. Photo: John Gress/Corbis via Getty Images

Six people died in a shooting at the Molson Coors Brewing Company in Milwaukee on Wednesday, including the gunman, Mayor Tom Barrett told reporters at a Wednesday evening press conference with local police.

Details: All of the victims worked at the brewery complex, as did the shooter who died of "an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound," police confirmed in a statement late Wednesday.

Go deeperUpdated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Axios

Coronavirus updates: South Korea case count tops 2,000

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's Health Ministry. Note: China numbers are for the mainland only and U.S. numbers include repatriated citizens.

33 people in California have tested positive for the coronavirus, and health officials are monitoring 8,400 people who have recently returned from "points of concern," Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday.

The big picture: COVID-19 has killed more than 2,850 people and infected over 83,000 others in some 50 countries and territories. The novel coronavirus is now affecting every continent but Antarctica, and the WHO said Wednesday the number of new cases reported outside China has exceeded those inside the country for the first time.

Go deeperUpdated 2 hours ago - Health

Dave Lawler

Syria's darkest chapter

Family room without a family, in Idlib. Photo: Muhammed Said/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

The worst humanitarian crisis of Syria’s brutal civil war is colliding today with what could be the war’s most dangerous geopolitical showdown, after at least 29 Turkish troops were killed in an airstrike.

The big picture: The fighting is taking place in Idlib in northwest Syria, where a ferocious Syrian and Russian offensive has displaced 1 million civilians and infuriated Turkey, which borders the region.

Go deeper4 hours ago - World