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Utah appeared to find a loophole in the NBA’s player participation policy, but the league sent a message Thursday by hitting the Jazz with a $500,000 fine. The NBA also docked the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for holding out Pascal Siakam and two other starters in a Feb. 3 game against the Jazz. The policy was put in place in September 2023 to try to discourage clubs from purposely losing in order to improve their chances with the draft lottery. This year’s draft is considered the strongest in several years, possibly incentivizing clubs like the Jazz to position themselves for a high pick. The Jazz did not play stars Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. in the fourth quarter of recent close games. Both played three quarters in recent road games against Miami and Orlando. The Magic rallied from 17 points down to win 120-117, but the Jazz defeated the Heat 115-111. Jazz coach Will Hardy was asked after the game at Miami whether he considered playing Markkanen and Jackson in the fourth quarter. “I wasn’t,” Hardy said succinctly. In fining the Jazz said, the NBA said in its release “these players were otherwise able to continue to play and the outcomes of the games were thereafter in doubt.” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement the competition committee and team owners will work “to implement further measures to root out this type of conduct.” “Overt behavior like this that prioritizes draft position over winning undermines the foundation of NBA competition and we will respond accordingly to any further actions that compromise the integrity of our games,” Silver said. Silver likely will further address the topic when he meets with the media Saturday during All-Star weekend in Los Angeles. The NBA fined Utah $100,000 last season after the Jazz rested Markkanen in multiple games. He and the recently-acquired Jackson are the building blocks for the Jazz to try to get back into contention. They traded with Memphis on Feb. 3 for the two-time All-Star and 2023 Defensive Player of the Year. Jackson, however, will be out for the foreseeable future. He will undergo surgery over the NBA all-star break to remove a growth from his left knee, discovered by an MRI in a physical following the trade. Jackson averaged 22.3 points in 24 minutes per game after joining the Jazz. Utah has prioritized player development with younger players on its roster at the expense of chasing wins. The front office is motivated to hold onto a first-round pick in this year’s draft that is top-eight protected. Falling outside the bottom eight in the standings means Utah would lose that pick to Oklahoma City. A number of teams, including the Jazz, would seem to have a great interest in securing a high selection for this year’s draft. One of those top prospects plays just south of Salt Lake. BYU’s AJ Dybantsa is considered a likely top-three and potentially franchise-changing pick along with Duke’s Cameron Boozer and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson. But it’s also a deep draft where simply getting into the lottery could mean still getting a shot at a difference-making player. The Jazz, 18-37 entering Thursday night’s game against Portland, will miss the postseason for the fourth year in a row. This comes after a six-year stretch in which the Jazz made the playoffs each season. Under the direction of CEO Danny Ainge and his son and team president, Austin, the Jazz ultimately are trying to return to the glory days when they didn’t just make the playoffs. The John Stockton-Karl Malone teams in 1990s were regular championship contenders, making the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998. ___ Freelance writer John Coon in Salt Lake City contributed to this report. ___ AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — For those worried robots are about to take over Major League Baseball, Colorado Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer has some experience with the Automated Ball/Strike system that’s coming to stadiums this summer. Yes, the machines have a lot of power. But the human touch still matters. “I’ve seen challenges lost in the first inning,” Schaeffer said. “That’s not good. Emotion is a big key to this.” The ABS system made a cameo last year in big league spring training and was greeted with a mix of curiousity, excitement, disdain and uncertainty. Now that it’s here for regular-season games in 2026, the novelty is quickly giving way to strategy. MLB gave a presentation on the ABS process Thursday at Cactus League Media Day in Arizona. Joe Martinez, the sport’s vice president of on-field strategy, said a survey taken by the league found 52% of fans said ABS had a “very positive” impact on last year’s spring training games, 20% called it “slightly positive,” and 18% said it was no factor. Only 10% of fans rated ABS as having a “slightly negative” or “very negative” effect on the game. As a refresher, here’s how the system works: Stadiums are outfitted with cameras that track each pitch and judge whether it crossed home plate within the strike zone. Human umpires call every pitch, but each team has the ability to challenge two calls per game. Teams that burn their challenges get one additional challenge in each extra inning. A team retains its challenge if successful, similar to the regulations for video reviews, which were first used for home run calls in August 2008 and then widely expanded to many calls for the 2014 season. Only a batter, pitcher or catcher may challenge a call, signaling by tapping one hand on a helmet or cap, and assistance from the dugout is not allowed. A challenge must be made within two seconds, and the graphic of the pitch and strike zone is shown on the scoreboard and broadcast feed. The umpire then announces the updated count. Schaeffer, who was managing at Albuquerque when ABS debuted in Triple-A in 2022, said it’s important that teams develop a coherent strategy on how to deploy challenges. He added that “15 guys will have 15 different opinions” on how to use it, but the most important aspect is everyone is on the same page. “We still have to have a lot of conversations behind closed doors, so that we’re putting our players in the best position to succeed,” the manager added. Multiple MLB managers and GMs said Thursday that catchers will probably have the most leeway to challenge because they’ve got the best view of the baseball. “You want to have one late in the game, just in case,” Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “The top of the first inning on a 0-0 fastball … I don’t want to challenge and lose. We’ll most likely rely on catchers first — pitchers at times get a little emotional. Hitters can be that way sometimes, too. I think we’re going to rely on the catchers and start there. “But I want to have one in pocket, when I can, when it’s in a critical part of the game.” The ABS system could be particularly beneficial to players like New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who have a good eye for the strike zone. Judge walked an American League-high 124 times last season. “Our guys who are really good at controlling the zone should benefit and Aaron is certainly one of those guys who controls it real well, knows it real well,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. ABS was tested in 13 spring training ballparks last year, and teams won 52.2% of 1,182 challenges, which averaged 13.8 seconds. Strike zones vary depending on a player’s height — starting at 53.5% of a batter’s height for the top and 27% of a batter’s height for the bottom. Each player will be measured for his strike zone starting at 10 a.m. to noon on a rolling basis during spring training — the time of day to maintain uniformity — and the data will be verified by the Southwest Research Institute. There appears to be widespread agreement across MLB that the ABS system is a positive. Texas Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young used to work closely with MLB’s umpires when he was employed by the commissioner’s office and said they were long overdue for some help. “They do a phenomenal job, but the stuff in today’s game is better than ever,” Young said. “Umpiring is harder than ever. If there’s the ability to use technology to add a level of consistency, that’s great for everybody.” ___ AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Friday it was “sensible” for a South Korean government official to express regret for alleged civilian drone flights over North Korea but warned of counterattacks if they recur. The statement by Kim Yo Jong came after South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young on Tuesday expressed “deep regret” over the alleged flights and stressed that Seoul’s liberal government seeks “mutual recognition and peaceful coexistence” between the war-divided rivals. North Korea threatened retaliation last month after accusing South Korea of launching a surveillance drone flight in September and again in January. The South Korean government has denied operating any drones during the times specified by North Korea but law enforcement authorities are investigating three civilians suspected of flying drones into the North from border areas. The development threatens to further dampen prospects for a push by Seoul to resume long-stalled talks with North Korea amid a deepening nuclear standoff. Kim Yo Jong said Chung’s comments displayed “sensible behavior” but were insufficient as a government response, demanding stronger measures from Seoul to prevent similar activities in the future. “I give advance warning that reoccurrence of such provocation as violating the inalienable sovereignty of the DPRK will surely provoke a terrible response,” she said, using the initials of North Korea’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. “Various counterattack plans are on the table and one of them will be chosen without doubt and it will go beyond proportionality,” she said without specifying. Analysts say North Korea’s drone accusations were likely driven by its efforts to dial up anti-South Korea sentiments ahead of the ruling Workers’ Party congress in late February. North Korea could add leader Kim Jong Un’s declaration of a hostile “two-state” system on the Korean Peninsula in the party constitution during the congress, the first of its kind in five years. There have been no public talks between the Koreas since 2019 and drone flights are a source of animosity between the rivals. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

NEW YORK (AP) — Kathy Ruemmler, the top lawyer at storied investment bank Goldman Sachs and former White House counsel to President Barack Obama, announced her resignation Thursday, after emails between her and Jeffrey Epstein showed a close relationship where she described him as an “older brother” and downplayed his sex crimes. Ruemmler said in a statement that she would “step down as Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of Goldman Sachs as of June 30, 2026.” Up until her resignation, Ruemmler repeatedly tried to distance herself from the emails and other correspondence and had been defiant that she would not resign from Goldman’s top legal post, which she had held since 2020. While Ruemmler has called Epstein a “monster” in recent statements, she had a much different relationship with Epstein before he was arrested a second time for sex crimes in 2019 and later killed himself in a Manhattan jail. Ruemmler called Epstein “Uncle Jeffrey” in emails and said she adored him. In a statement before her resignation, a Goldman Sachs spokesperson said Ruemmler “regrets ever knowing him.” In her statement Thursday, Ruemmler said: “Since I joined Goldman Sachs six years ago, it has been my privilege to help oversee the firm’s legal, reputational, and regulatory matters; to enhance our strong risk management processes; and to ensure that we live by our core value of integrity in everything we do. My responsibility is to put Goldman Sachs’ interests first.” Goldman CEO David Solomonsaid in a separate statement: “As one of the most accomplished professionals in her field, Kathy has also been a mentor and friend to many of our people, and she will be missed. I accepted her resignation, and I respect her decision.” During her time in private practice after she left the White House in 2014, Ruemmler received several expensive gifts from Epstein, including luxury handbags and a fur coat. The gifts were given after Epstein had already been convicted of sex crimes in 2008 and was registered as a sex offender. “So lovely and thoughtful! Thank you to Uncle Jeffrey!!!” Ruemmler wrote to Epstein in 2018. Historically, Wall Street frowns on gift-giving between clients and bankers or Wall Street lawyers, particularly high-end gifts that could pose a conflict of interest. Goldman Sachs requires its employees to get preapproval before receiving or giving gifts from clients, according to the company’s code of conduct, partly in order to not run afoul of anti-bribery laws. As late as December, Goldman CEO David Solomon described Ruemmler as an “excellent lawyer” and said she had his full faith and backing. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Thursday to approve a 40-member global scientific panel on the impacts and risks of artificial intelligence, with the United States strongly objecting. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who established the panel, called the adoption “a foundational step toward global scientific understanding of AI.” “In a world where AI is racing ahead,” he said, “this panel will provide what’s been missing — rigorous, independent scientific insight that enables all member states, regardless of their technological capacity, to engage on an equal footing.” He has described it as the first fully independent global scientific body dedicated to bridging the knowledge gap in AI and assessing its real-world economic and social impacts. The vote in the 193-member assembly was 117-2, with the United States and Paraguay voting “no” and Tunisia and Ukraine abstaining. America’s allies in Europe, Asia and elsewhere voted in favor along with Russia, China and many developing countries. U.S. Mission counselor Lauren Lovelace called the panel “a significant overreach of the U.N.’s mandate and competence” and said “AI governance is not a matter for the U.N. to dictate.” As the world leader in AI, the United States is resolved to do all it can to accelerate AI innovation and build up its infrastructure, she said, and the Trump administration will support “like-minded nations working together to encourage the development of AI in line with our shared values.” “We will not cede authority over AI to international bodies that may be influenced by authoritarian regimes seeking to impose their vision of controlled surveillance societies,” Lovelace said, adding that the Trump administration is concerned about “the non-transparent way” the panel was chosen. Guterres said the 40 members were selected from more than 2,600 candidates after an independent review by the International Telecommunications Union, the U.N. Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies and UNESCO, the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. They will serve for three-year terms. Members are predominantly AI experts but also come from other disciplines and include Maria Ressa, a Filipino journalist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2021. There are two Americans on the panel: Vipin Kumar, a University of Minnesota professor focusing on AI, data mining and high-performance computing research, and Martha Palmer, a retired University of Colorado professor and linguistics expert whose research includes capturing the meaning of words for complex sentences in AI. There are two Chinese experts on the panel: Song Haitao, dean of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, and Wang Jian, an expert in cloud-computing technology at the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Ukraine said it abstained because it objected to Russia’s Andrei Neznamov, an expert in AI regulation, ethics, and governance, being on the panel. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com