National

Uber is bringing back shared rides in several U.S. cities, after halting the service for more than two years in an attempt to help protect riders — and drivers — from COVID-19.

Driving the news: Uber said Tuesday that UberX Share is arriving in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Phoenix, San Diego, Portland, Oregon, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh, with more cities to be added later in the summer.  

Details: The ride-share program has been rebranded from Uber Pool to UberX Share.

Riders will receive an upfront discount if they choose UberX Share and get up to 20% off the total fare, if matched with a co-rider along the way, per the announcement.

The big picture: Uber and Lyft halted shared rides in March 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread across the world.

In the summer of 2021, Lyft started to bring back shared rides in Philadelphia, Chicago and Denver in a sign that several cities were starting to return to the pre-pandemic normal.

What they're saying: "We believe UberX Share, and the improvements we’ve made for drivers and riders, will make it better than ever," Uber's Andrew Macdonald, senior vice president of mobility and business operations, wrote in a blog post.

Uber brings back shared rides to nine U.S. cities this summer

The feature was halted in 2020 to help protect riders and drivers from the COVID-19 virus.

An Uber car waits for a client in New York City. Photo: Spencer Platt via Getty Images

Uber

Transportation

Uber is bringing back shared rides in several U.S. cities, after <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="halting the service" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2020/03/17/uber-pool-service-coronavirus" data-vars-content-id="99c0ea75-1e3b-48e8-97c5-2616b78226c9" data-vars-headline="Uber brings back shared rides to nine U.S. cities this summer" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2020/03/17/uber-pool-service-coronavirus" target="_self">halting the service</a> for more than two years in an attempt to help protect riders — and drivers — from COVID-19.Driving the news: Uber said Tuesday that <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="UberX Share" data-vars-click-url="https://www.uber.com/newsroom/uberx-share/" data-vars-content-id="99c0ea75-1e3b-48e8-97c5-2616b78226c9" data-vars-headline="Uber brings back shared rides to nine U.S. cities this summer" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.uber.com/newsroom/uberx-share/" target="_blank">UberX Share</a> is arriving in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Phoenix, San Diego, Portland, Oregon, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh, with more cities to be added later in the summer.

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

Basketball player Brittney Griner has been named an honorary WNBA All-Star and starter, the WNBA announced on Wednesday. 

Why it matters: Griner has been detained in Russia, where she plays during the WNBA off-season, since February after agents allegedly found vape cartridges in her luggage. The U.S. considers her to be wrongfully detained.

A spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview this week denied that Griner is a hostage. He gave no update about a potential release.

What she's saying: “It is not difficult to imagine that if BG were here with us this season, she would once again be selected and would, no doubt, show off her incredible talents," said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert in a news release.

"So, it is only fitting that she be named as an honorary starter today and we continue to work on her safe return to the U.S.”

Worth noting: All-Stars are usually selected through a combination of fan voting and drafting reserves. 

The big picture: U.S. officials have said the State Department has had regular contact with Griner's family. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Griner's wife, Cherelle, in May. 

Cherelle Griner tried to call her wife about a dozen times over the weekend, but there was nobody at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to connect the couple, writes Axios' Erin Doherty.

The two haven't talked since Griner was arrested in February, Cherelle Griner told AP this week.

State of play: A Russian court extended Griner's detention for a second time earlier this month, meaning she will remain in custody until at least July 2. 

Brittney Griner named honorary WNBA All-Star

Griner has been detained in Russia since February.

Brittney Griner driving to the basket in the 2021 WNBA finals. 

Brittney Griner driving to the basket in the 2021 WNBA finals. Photo: Randy Belice/NBAE via Getty Images

Russia

Basketball player Brittney Griner has been named an honorary WNBA All-Star and starter, the WNBA <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="announced" data-vars-click-url="https://www.wnba.com/news/2022asgvotingresults/" data-vars-content-id="9a627b8f-35ea-46da-b172-2bb01d43560e" data-vars-headline="Brittney Griner named honorary WNBA All-Star" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.wnba.com/news/2022asgvotingresults/" target="_blank">announced</a> on Wednesday. Why it matters: Griner <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="has been detained" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/05/03/wnba-brittany-griner-wrongfully-detained" data-vars-content-id="9a627b8f-35ea-46da-b172-2bb01d43560e" data-vars-headline="Brittney Griner named honorary WNBA All-Star" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/05/03/wnba-brittany-griner-wrongfully-detained" target="_self">has been detained</a> in Russia, where she plays during the WNBA off-season, since February after agents allegedly found vape cartridges in her luggage. The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="U.S. considers her" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/05/03/wnba-brittany-griner-wrongfully-detained" data-vars-content-id="9a627b8f-35ea-46da-b172-2bb01d43560e" data-vars-headline="Brittney Griner named honorary WNBA All-Star" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/05/03/wnba-brittany-griner-wrongfully-detained" target="_self">U.S. considers her</a> to be wrongfully detained.

Shifts in technology and media are changing the way we play, watch and understand sports. Business models are adapting and social change is forcing those in charge of teams and leagues to reconsider decades-old practices.

Sports

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

World

Worsening food shortages around the world could lead to a "catastrophe," UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned at a ministerial conference for food security on Friday. 

Driving the news: The world is facing an "unprecedented global hunger crisis," Guterres said, adding that the war in Ukraine has exacerbated "problems that have been brewing for years: climate disruption; the COVID-19 pandemic; the deeply unequal recovery."

The number of severely food insecure people worldwide has more than doubled in the past two years to 276 million, Guterres said, citing the World Food Programme. 

The UN has previously warned that the war in Ukraine could lead to a hunger crisis, as much of the world relies on Ukraine for wheat. Russia and Ukraine account for 30% of the world's wheat trade, per the World Food Programme.  

What they're saying: "This year's food access issues could become next year's global food shortage," Guterres warned. 

He said there was "a real risk" that multiple famines would be declared this year, and that 2023 "could be even worse." 

Fertilizer prices have risen by more than 50% and that energy prices have risen by more than two-thirds, which has put pressure on farmers across Asia, Africa and the Americas, Guterres added. 

The secretary-general said that the UN is in talks "aiming to achieve a package deal that will enable Ukraine to export food, not only by land but through the Black Sea, and will bring Russian food and fertilizer to world markets without restrictions."

The bottom line: "No country will be immune to the social and economic repercussions of such a catastrophe," Guterres said. 

Go deeper: Russia's blockade of Ukraine's grain deepens food crisis in Africa

UN chief warns worsening food shortages could lead to global "catastrophe"

"No country will be immune to the social and economic repercussions of such a catastrophe."

Photo: Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

United Nations (UN)

Ukraine

Worsening food shortages around the world could lead to a &quot;catastrophe,&quot; UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="at a ministerial conference for food security" data-vars-click-url="https://media.un.org/en/asset/k1v/k1vc0q6s23" data-vars-content-id="b4508511-f37d-4233-8dc4-f2c243c4cf72" data-vars-headline="UN chief warns worsening food shortages could lead to global &quot;catastrophe&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://media.un.org/en/asset/k1v/k1vc0q6s23" target="_blank">at a ministerial conference for food security</a> on Friday. Driving the news: The world is facing an &quot;unprecedented global hunger crisis,&quot; Guterres said, adding that the war in Ukraine has exacerbated &quot;problems that have been brewing for years: climate disruption; the COVID-19 pandemic; the deeply unequal recovery.&quot;

Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has settled with 20 of the 24 women who have filed sexual misconduct cases against him, according to Tony Buzbee, the lawyer representing the women accusing Watson. 

Catch up quick: Watson was first publicly accused of sexual misconduct in March 2021, per a Sports Illustrated timeline.

Most of Watson's accusers were hired by him for massage therapy.

Eight of the 22 women, all who worked as massage therapists for Watson, filed criminal complaints. Two other women also joined in the criminal complaints, which were dismissed in March of this year. 

After the cases were dismissed, Watson was traded from the Houston Texans to the Cleveland Browns, with whom he signed a five-year, $230 million deal, per CNN. 

An investigation by the New York Times this month found that Watson booked massage appointments with at least 66 women over a 17-month span.

The investigation also found that the Texans helped provide the venue for some of his massage appointments.  A team representative for the Texans also gave him a nondisclosure agreement that Watson gave to several women after a massage therapist threatened to expose his behavior.

The Houston Texans and the Cleveland Browns did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.

Details: Buzbee did not provide any specifics about the settlements in his statement and said that the terms and amounts of the settlements are confidential.  

Buzbee did highlight Ashley Solis, one of the first women to accuse Watson and who filed the initial lawsuit, as someone instrumental in getting the settlements for the women, per the statement. 

Solis is one of the four women who have not yet settled, per the statement. 

What they're saying: "Without Ashley Solis, the conduct experienced by these women would likely have continued unfettered," Buzbee wrote in his statement.

Following the settlement announcement, NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said: "Today's development has no impact on the collectively bargained disciplinary process." 

Deshaun Watson settles 20 of the 24 sexual misconduct suits against him

Buzbee did not provide any specifics about the settlements in his statement.

Deshaun Watson at Cleveland Browns practice

Deshaun Watson practicing with the Cleveland Browns last week. Photo: Nick Cammett/Getty Images

National Football League (NFL)

NFL, NBA, MLB & NHL

Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has settled with 20 of the 24 women who have filed sexual misconduct cases against him, according to Tony Buzbee, the lawyer representing the women accusing Watson. Catch up quick: Watson was first publicly accused of sexual misconduct in March 2021, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="per a Sports Illustrated timeline." data-vars-click-url="https://www.si.com/nfl/2022/03/11/deshaun-watson-timeline-what-has-occurred-first-lawsuit-filed" data-vars-content-id="d2577e8f-5206-4d0f-b471-0e0b58f65607" data-vars-headline="Deshaun Watson settles 20 of the 24 sexual misconduct suits against him" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2022/03/11/deshaun-watson-timeline-what-has-occurred-first-lawsuit-filed" target="_blank">per a Sports Illustrated timeline.</a><ul><li>Most of Watson&#x27;s accusers were hired by him for massage therapy.</li></ul>

Team USA Artistic swimmer and two-time Olympian Anita Alvarez was rescued by her coach after she fainted while in the pool during the FINA World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Wednesday. 

Driving the news: Alvarez lost consciousness in the pool and began sinking to the bottom toward the end of her solo routine, causing Team USA coach Andrea Fuentes to jump in and rescue her, per Reuters. 

Catch up fast: Photos showed Fuentes, still wearing a T-shirt and shorts, swimming toward Alvarez as she sank toward the bottom of the pool.

Fuentes and an unidentified man then helped get Alvarez to the surface, according to photos.  

Alvarez was given medical attention and taken away on a stretcher, Reuters reported.

The big picture: It is the second time Fuentes has rescued Alvarez. The swimmer also fainted during an Olympic qualification event last year, according to Reuters. 

Fuentes told the Spanish newspaper Marca that she sprung into action Wednesday because she "saw that no one, no lifeguard, was jumping in." 

Alvarez is feeling better and will rest on Thursday, USA Artistic Swimming said in a statement on Instagram. The medical staff will determine whether she competes in the final. 

What they're saying: "Watching yesterday’s medical emergency of 2x Olympian Anita Alvarez and subsequent rescue by coach Andrea Fuentes was heartbreaking for our community," USA Artistic Swimming said in its statement. 

"We sometimes forget that this happens in other high-endurance sports. Marathon, cycling, cross country ... we all have seen images where some athletes don't make it to the finish line and others help them to get there," Fuentes said, per USA Artistic Swimming's Instagram post.

Team USA coach rescues unconscious swimmer from pool at World Aquatics Championships

Two-time Olympian swimmer Anita Alvarez lost consciousness toward the end of her solo free routine.

Fuentes swimming toward Alvarez as she sank to the bottom of the pool. 

USA Coach Andrea Fuentes (right) swims toward Anita Alvarez after she fainted at the end of the women's solo free artistic swimming finals during the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Photo: Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty

Team USA Artistic swimmer and two-time Olympian Anita Alvarez was rescued by her coach after she fainted while in the pool during the FINA World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Wednesday. Driving the news: Alvarez lost consciousness in the pool and began sinking to the bottom toward the end of her solo routine, causing Team USA coach Andrea Fuentes to jump in and rescue her, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="per Reuters." data-vars-click-url="https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/us-swimmer-alvarez-saved-drowning-by-coach-2022-06-23/" data-vars-content-id="dcb54570-6014-478a-8216-a0030cd941a6" data-vars-headline="Team USA coach rescues unconscious swimmer from pool at World Aquatics Championships" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/us-swimmer-alvarez-saved-drowning-by-coach-2022-06-23/" target="_blank">per Reuters.</a>

Sections

Axios Local

Axios gets you smarter, faster with news & information that matters.

About

Subscribe

Noah Garfinkel

Stories

UN chief warns worsening food shortages could lead to global "catastrophe"

Team USA coach rescues unconscious swimmer from pool at World Aquatics Championships

Brittney Griner named honorary WNBA All-Star

Uber brings back shared rides to nine U.S. cities this summer

Deshaun Watson settles 20 of the 24 sexual misconduct suits against him