NCAA agrees to $920 million, 8-year deal with ESPN for women’s March Madness, 39 other championships

The NCAA and ESPN announced on Thursday a $920 million, eight-year agreement that will give the network exclusive rights to 40 championships, including the Division I women’s basketball tournament, an event growing in popularity that the association has been accused of undervaluing in the past. NCAA President Charlie Baker told The Associated Press the deal … Read more

Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard reflect on the gray areas of ‘Memory’

LOS ANGELES — When Jessica Chastain first read the script for “Memory,” she was struck by the flurry of unanswered questions left swirling around in her head about issues pertaining to love, sex and consent — which might be antithetical to what some audiences expect from a movie. “Sometimes I think films can be seen … Read more

Successful evacuation from burning Japan Airlines jet highlights dogged devotion to safety

BANGKOK — The swift and safe evacuation of a Japan Airlines jet that caught fire after hitting a Coast Guard aircraft while it was landing Tuesday at Tokyo’s Haneda airport reflects a dogged dedication to safety and training by the airline, and hard experience from past disasters. JAL set up a Safety Promotion Center at … Read more

Tyler Herro scores 21 points, Heat pull away in 4th quarter to beat Lakers 110-96

LOS ANGELES — Tyler Herro scored 21 points, Duncan Robinson had 11 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter and the Miami Heat beat the Los Angeles Lakers 110-96 on Wednesday night. Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 16 points and Nikola Jovic and Bam Adebayo scored 15 apiece as all eight Miami players who saw … Read more

Movie Review: Anthony Hopkins shines in ‘Freud’s Last Session’

“Freud’s Last Session,” starring Anthony Hopkins as Sigmund Freud, adds to a string of sterling late-chapter performances by the 86-year-old actor. He was the soul of “Armageddon Time,” the reason to see “The Father” and the papal foil to Jonathan Pryce’s Pope Francis in “The Two Popes.” With the exception of James Gray’s more cinematically … Read more

Coco Jones talks earning Grammy nods, overcoming obstacles after Disney fame, Hollywood’s pay equity

LOS ANGELES — Coco Jones was so obsessed with fine tuning her skills as a singer that she tried to mimic Beyoncé’s Olympic-style training of singing while running on a treadmill. Jones didn’t own a treadmill, but her father and former NFL player, Mike Jones, had an elliptical machine she often used as an alternative. … Read more

Alzheimer’s drugs might get into the brain faster with new ultrasound tool, study shows

WASHINGTON — Scientists have found a way to help Alzheimer’s drugs seep inside the brain faster — by temporarily breaching its protective shield. The novel experiment was a first attempt in just three patients. But in spots in the brain where the new technology took aim, it enhanced removal of Alzheimer’s trademark brain-clogging plaque, researchers … Read more

Oregon police confirm investigation into medication theft amid report hospital patients died

PORTLAND, Ore. — Authorities are investigating the theft of medication prescribed to patients at a southern Oregon hospital, police and state medical officials confirmed Wednesday, following a local news report that two people died and others were sickened after a nurse replaced fentanyl intravenous drips with tap water. Officials at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center … Read more

Hischier, Mercer and McLeod each score 2 goals as the Devils beat the Capitals 6-3

WASHINGTON — Less than a minute after the Washington Capitals tied the score late in the second period, Michael McLeod delivered a hit to force a turnover and skated directly to the net. McLeod got there, scored on a spinning backhanded shot and the New Jersey Devils regained the lead and never trailed again. They … Read more

Unsealed court records offer new detail on old sex abuse allegations against Jeffrey Epstein

NEW YORK — Amid great hype, a court began to release a new batch of previously secret court documents late Wednesday related to Jeffrey Epstein, the jet-setting financier who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. Social media has been rife in recent weeks with posts speculating the documents would include a … Read more