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Seattle Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller will be reinstated from the injured list and make his season debut on Wednesday against the Houston Astros, manager Dan Wilson told reporters on Saturday. Miller started the season on the injured list after sustaining an oblique injury during spring training/ The 27-year old was dominant on the mound in 2024, posting a 2.94 ERA, 0.976 WHIP and 171 strikeouts across 31 starts and 180 1/3 innings. However, that production declined in his injury-shortened 2025 campaign, as he posted a 5.68 ERA, 1.406 WHIP and 74 strikeouts in 18 starts and 90 1/3 innings while missing over two months due to elbow issues. His return will boost an already talented Mariners’ rotation that ranks 12th in the majors in ERA (4.00). Wilson told reporters that, at least for the time being after Miller’s return, the Mariners will use a six-man rotation. –Field Level Media Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria ’s interim leader reshuffled several top government posts on Saturday and removed his brother from a key position that had drawn accusations of nepotism as his administration struggles to unite a divided nation after a brutal civil war. President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s brother, Maher al-Sharaa, had served as secretary-general to the presidency in Damascus. His initial appointment last year had triggered parallels with the practices under Syria’s former President Bashar Assad and his father and predecessor, Hafez Assad. Ahmad al-Sharaa led an insurgent offensive that ousted Bashar Assad in December 2024 after a nearly 14-year civil war. During his rule, the younger Assad also placed family members, including his wife and brother, in influential positions. Assad’s brother, Maher Assad, was commander of the Syrian military’s 4th Armored Division — a unit accused by opposition activists of killings, torture, extortion and drug trafficking. The former president’s wife, Asma Assad, headed the influential Syrian Trust for Development. In a decree on Saturday, al-Sharaa appointed Abdul Rahman Badreddine al-Aama — previously the governor of Homs province — as his brother’s replacement, state news agency SANA reported. It was not immediately clear what position, if any, Maher al-Sharaa would hold going forward. He is a physician who had also previously served as Syria’s interim health minister. Syria’s interim leader also appointed new governors for Homs, Latakia, Deir el-Zour and Quneitra provinces and a new information minister, Khaled Zaarour, an academic who was most recently the dean of the faculty of media at Damascus University. He replaces Hamza Mustafa, a former media executive who was head of the private Syria TV network before becoming information minister. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

(SRN NEWS)  Latin American voters see a role for religion in government.  There are several presidential elections taking place in Central and South America this year, and a new poll from the Pew Research Center indicates that in each of those nations, about two-thirds of voters say they want a president who will defend their religious beliefs.  A similar percentage in each country also say they believe the Bible should be the basis for their laws and even half of non-religious people tell Pew that they feel the same way.  Other polls indicate that religion is more important to Latin Americans, even as its influence wanes around the rest of the world. (  )  The Public Religion Research Institute has released a new snapshot of America’s LGBT population.  It finds that people who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender make up about ten percent of the U.S. population.  That’s the highest percentage ever recorded in this country since the question first started being asked.  Of that group, young adults ages 18-to-29 are most likely to identify.  LGBT Americans are far more likely to vote Democrat and describe themselves as politically liberal.  The PRRI poll also finds that 51 percent of the LGBT community is religiously unaffiliated. (  )  Despite some of the worst persecution in the world, the underground church in Iran is growing by leaps and bounds.  A new report from International Christian Concern reveals that there are more believers in Iran now than there were before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which brought with it an unprecedented wave of persecution.  ICC says “Some estimates point to a million or more Iranian converts to Christianity.  These converts come from all sectors of society — from street vendors and taxi drivers to intellectuals, artists, and public servants.”  House churches have sprung up all over Iran from big cities to small villages.  (  )  A wide-ranging Australian inquiry examining anti-Semitism in the country began this week with testimony from Jews who say escalating hatred has left them fearful and vulnerable.  The investigation was launched after 15 people were killed when two gunmen opened fire at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in December.  The Royal Commission on Anti-Semitism and Social Cohesion, the highest form of inquiry in Australia, will sit for two weeks.  It will scrutinize the nature and prevalence of anti-Semitism in Australia’s institutions and society.  Further hearings this year will examine other topics before the commission publishes its final report.  Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A national redistricting battle over U.S. House seats swung toward Republicans on Friday, as a Virginia court invalidated a Democratic gerrymandering effort and Republicans in Alabama approved plans for new primary elections if courts allow GOP-drawn House districts to be used in the November midterm elections. The Alabama legislation, which was signed quickly into law by Republican Gov. Kay Ivey, is part of an effort by Republicans in Southern states to capitalize on a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that significantly weakened Voting Rights Act protections for minorities. At the Alabama Statehouse, a chaotic scene erupted as one protester was dragged from the packed House gallery by security officers. Republican lawmakers in Louisiana and South Carolina also faced staunch opposition from civil rights activists and Democrats as they presented plans Friday to redraw their congressional districts. The action came just a day after Tennessee enacted new congressional districts that carve up a Democratic-held, Black-majority district in Memphis. The state Democratic Party sued on Friday, seeking to prevent the districts from being used until after this year’s elections because of the tight time frame Even before last week’s Supreme Court ruling in a Louisiana case, Republicans and Democrats already were engaged in a fierce redistricting battle, each seeking an edge in the midterm elections that will determine control of the closely divided House. That battle tilted further toward Republicans when the Virginia Supreme Court ruled Friday that Democratic lawmakers had violated constitutional requirements when placing a redistricting amendment on the ballot. Since President Donald Trump agreed with the effort in Texas to redraw its congressional districts last summer, Republicans think they could gain as many as 14 seats from new districts in several states while Democrats think they could gain up to six seats. Alabama primaries could be in flux The special primary would happen only if the courts agree to lift an injunction that put a court-selected map in place until after the 2030 census. That order required a second district where Black voters are the majority or close to it, resulting in the 2024 election of Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures, who is Black. If a court lifts the injunction, Republican officials want to put in place a map lawmakers drew in 2023 — which was rejected by a federal court — that could allow them to reclaim Figures’ district. “With this special session successfully behind us, Alabama now stands ready to quickly act, should the courts issue favorable rulings in our ongoing redistricting cases,” Ivey said in a statement. On Friday evening, however, a three-judge panel rejected Alabama’s request to lift their injunction and pave the way for changing maps. The request remains pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. Virginia ruling centered on timing of election Democrats had hoped to gain as many as four additional U.S. House seats under new districts narrowly approved by voters in April. But the state Supreme Court invalidated the measure because it said the Democratic-led legislature violated procedural requirements. To place a constitutional amendment before voters, the Virginia Constitution requires lawmakers to approve it in two separate legislative sessions, with a state election sandwiched in between. The legislature’s initial approval of the redistricting amendment occurred last October — while early voting was underway but before it concluded for the general election. The legislature’s second vote on the amendment occurred after a new legislative session began in January. The state Supreme Court said the initial legislative approval came too late, noting that more than 1.3 million ballots already had been cast, about 40% of the total votes ultimately cast. Louisiana lawmakers look at map options A Louisiana Senate committee considered several redistricting options Friday from Republican state Sen. John “Jay” Morris that would eliminate either both or one of the current Black-majority U.S. House districts. “Every one of these maps reduces Black voting power in every one of the districts. And I think that’s a problem,” Democratic state Sen. Sam Jenkins told Morris. Morris denied that the proposed redistricting maps were racially discriminatory. He said his goal was to be “respectful of the traditional boundaries” of the state’s six congressional districts. “I don’t think we should care that much about race,” Morris said. South Carolina considers a House map South Carolina lawmakers held a rare Friday meeting to discuss a proposed new congressional map intended to allow Republicans a clean sweep of the state’s seven U.S. House seats. The House hearing was the first step in redistricting. But its future remains murky. The state Senate has yet to agree to consider new districts later this month, an action that requires a two-thirds vote. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s Revolutionary Guard navy on Saturday warned that any attack on Iranian oil tankers or commercial vessels would be met with a “heavy assault” on one of the U.S. bases in the region and enemy ships, even as a tenuous ceasefire appeared to be holding.  Britain deploys warship to the Middle East  Britain’s defense ministry said it was deploying a warship to the Middle East to join a potential mission to protect commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz once hostilities end.  The ministry said the HMS Dragon will “preposition” in the region, ready to join a U.K.- and French-led security plan. France announced this week it was moving its aircraft carrier strike group into the Red Sea in preparation.  Britain and France have led meetings involving several dozen countries on a coalition to reestablish freedom of navigation in the strait. But they stress it won’t start until there is a sustainable ceasefire and the maritime industry is reassured ships can go through the strait safely.  Diplomacy continues ‘day and night’  U.S. President Donald Trump has reiterated threats to resume full-scale bombing if Iran doesn’t accept an agreement to reopen the strait and roll back its nuclear program. On Friday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the country was not paying attention to “deadlines,” according to state-run IRNA.  Diplomacy continues. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his country has been in contact with the U.S. and Iran “day and night” in an effort to extend the ceasefire and reach a peace deal.  Russia’s foreign ministry said that it, as well as Saudi Arabia, was calling for diplomatic efforts to reach a “sustainable, long-term agreement” to end the war.  Separately, Putin told reporters in Moscow that taking enriched uranium from Iran to help negotiate a settlement would allow everyone to see “how much of it there is, and where it is located,” and “all of this would be placed under the control of the IAEA,” the U.N. nuclear watchdog.  Egyptian and Qatari top diplomats reiterated that diplomacy is the sole path to a solution, according to a readout of a phone call between the two foreign ministers.  Still publicly unseen and unheard since the war began is Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, fueling speculation about his status.  On Friday, a top Iranian official said Khamenei was in “complete health” and eventually would appear in public. Mazaher Hosseini, affiliated with the office of Iran’s late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the start of the war, made the comment at a pro-government gathering. Hosseini said Mojtaba, Khamenei’s son, had knee and back injuries in the war’s opening attacks but they’ve largely healed.   PHOTO- AP Brought to you by www.srnnews.com