Lucas Giolito did what no other Red Sox starter, aside from Garrett Crochet, had accomplished over the extended homestand — pitch deeper than five innings.
Unfortunately for Boston, the offense couldn’t get anything going Saturday night in Game 2 of the doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles and dropped a 2-1 decision at Fenway Park.
It was far from perfect, but Giolito threw 63.6% of his pitches for strikes (63-of-99 pitches), striking out six and walking two batters across seven scoreless innings.
“I didn’t feel like I had my best stuff, but we had a good mix going,” Giolito told reporters after the loss, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “Connor (Wong) did a wonderful job back there (behind the plate) calling the game. … Saw a pitch mix and the defense was incredible behind me. … So it was a group effort for sure.”
Even though the offense collected just five hits and went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, leaving six men on base, Giolito’s performance gave the bullpen a much-needed break.
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“I knew that it was really important to go deep into the game considering the bullpen usage,” Giolito said. “Our starting staff, we haven’t gotten the job done, I’d say, the last week or couple of weeks. So, it was the most important thing for me to get into the sixth inning and beyond. I was able to accomplish that and help out a little bit. But, we lost so that sucks.”
Here are more notes from Game 2 of the Red Sox-Orioles doubleheader Saturday:
— Marcelo Mayer made his Red Sox debut after being called up from Triple-A Worcester earlier in the day. Boston’s top prospect went 0-for-4 at the plate with three strikeouts in his first game.
“It’s the big leagues,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “It was a great experience for him. Played good defense. Obviously, offensively, not much happened, but he’s a big leaguer, and nobody can take that away from him.”
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— Abraham Toro scored the lone run for Boston when he launched a 386-foot home run into the bullpen in the bottom of the ninth inning. It was his third longball of the season. Toro hit a home run in the first game of the doubleheader, becoming the first Red Sox player to hit a homer in both games since Bobby Dalbec on Sept. 8, 2020, against the Philadelphia Phillies.
— The Red Sox lost their 13th game decided by one run this season. They are tied with the Atlanta Braves for the most losses in that fashion.
— Boston wraps up its four-game series with Baltimore and its 10-game homestand Sunday afternoon. First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. ET, and you can catch full coverage on NESN starting at 12:30 p.m.
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Florida lost forward Eetu Luostarinen to a game misconduct penalty after he sent Carolina’s Jackson Blake into the boards late in the first period of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Luostarinen was assessed a 5-minute major for boarding, which held up after video review, and the misconduct. Blake remained on the ice behind the goal line for about a minute, getting tended to by Hurricanes’ personnel, and then went to the locker room for evaluation.
Both appeared to be giving chase to the puck deep in the zone when they got tangled, and Luostarinen’s momentum wound up driving Blake into the boards. The top of Blake’s helmet appeared to hit near the top of the boards, along the bottom of the plexiglass.
Blake was back on the ice to start the second period for the Hurricanes.
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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Florida lost forward Eetu Luostarinen to a game misconduct penalty after he sent Carolina’s Jackson Blake into the boards late in the first period of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Luostarinen was assessed a 5-minute major for boarding, which held up after video review, and the misconduct. Blake remained on the ice behind the goal line for about a minute, getting tended to by Hurricanes’ personnel, and then went to the locker room for evaluation.
Both appeared to be giving chase to the puck deep in the zone when they got tangled, and Luostarinen’s momentum wound up driving Blake into the boards. The top of Blake’s helmet appeared to hit near the top of the boards, along the bottom of the plexiglass.
Blake was back on the ice to start the second period for the Hurricanes.
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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Ryan Wohl details his favorite prop bet for Trea Turner against the A’s.
The Philadelphia Phillies have the best record in the MLB this season (33-18). They are 9-1 in their previous 10 games and don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Philadelphia can extend its winning streak to 10 against the Athletics tonight at 10:05 p.m. ET.
Along with Bryce Harper, Trea Turner has been excellent this season and has played a massive part in the Phillies’ success. Turner has a .310 batting average this season while leading the Phillies with 63 hits, which is fourth in the MLB. Here is my favorite prop bet for Turner for tonight’s game.
Turner is coming off a three-hit performance last night with two RBIs and one home run. He has had two-plus hits in four of his previous five games. On DraftKings Sportsbook, you can back Turner to record over 1.5 hits tonight against the A’s, which is +160.
This month, Turner has had multiple hits in 11 of 21 games. Turner is batting .344 in May, which is .52 more than in April. Turner has only faced A’s starter Jeffrey Springs three times in his career while picking up one hit. Turner has had a ton of success against the A’s in the past, having at least two hits in three straight games against them.
Turner is among baseball’s best hitters, and another big performance is possible against a struggling A’s team. Getting Turner to record 2-plus hits at +160 is an incredible value play considering his recent play. Turner is tied for the third-most hits (11) in the last week. This is the version of Turner that the Phillies hoped to see when they signed him in 2023.
ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the Washington Wizards from 2014 to 2016 and the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2018 for The Washington Post before covering the Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB for the Los Angeles Times from 2018 to 2024.
ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.
May 23, 2025, 07:00 AM ET
The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets are about to see a whole lot of each other.
The defending World Series champions and the team they beat to win the National League pennant last fall play three games this weekend at Citi Field and four games at Dodger Stadium starting June 2. For those of you scoring at home, that’s seven matchups in a span of 14 days.
Both teams enter Friday’s opener in back-and-forth battles for first place in their respective divisions. How will their head-to-head play dictate the state of the NL East and West? Will they clash again come October? And who has the edge — both for now and if/when they cross paths in the playoffs?
ESPN MLB writers Jorge Castillo (based in New York) and Alden Gonzalez (based in Los Angeles) answer a few key questions about the Mets and Dodgers.
What has stood out most to you about each team’s strong start to the season?
Castillo: The starting rotation was identified as the Mets’ weakness before the season, especially after Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas sustained injuries during spring training. That has not been the case so far. Instead, the Mets own the best rotation ERA in the majors with a quintet of Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning toeing the rubber. The group has stumbled recently, and its innings total ranks in the bottom half of the majors. But the collective performance has allowed the Mets to overcome slow starts from various position players — most notably, Juan Soto.
Gonzalez: The emergence of three young players in particular: Dalton Rushing, Hyeseong Kim and Andy Pages. Rushing, the team’s most promising prospect outside of Roki Sasaki, torched Triple-A and prompted the Dodgers to cut ties with their longtime backup catcher, Austin Barnes. Kim, signed out of South Korea last offseason, did the same, then performed so well in the majors the Dodgers swallowed the remaining $13 million or so in Chris Taylor’s contract. Pages, meanwhile, went from being uncertain if he’d crack the Opening Day roster to establishing himself as an everyday player.
Their success underscores what has made the Dodgers the Dodgers: No matter how bloated their payroll, how poor their draft position or how often they trade prospects for veterans, they always seem to have that next wave coming.
Despite all the positives so far, what is your biggest concern about each team?
Castillo: Regression seems inevitable for the Mets’ starting rotation (unless it’s going to maintain an ERA under 3 all season). Add that to the recent bullpen injuries — namely losing A.J. Minter for the season — and the defense’s troubles, and run prevention could become a bigger issue for the Mets as the season progresses. Defensive lapses were apparent during last weekend’s Subway Series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, when Mark Vientos made two errors that cost runs and Pete Alonso’s errant throw allowed the go-ahead run to score in the finale. Francisco Lindor, a perennial Gold Glove contender, hasn’t been himself at shortstop, and the corner outfield spots are below average. It’s a recipe that would call for more offense.
Gonzalez: When the Dodgers concluded their fourth homestand of the season earlier this week, 14 pitchers resided on their injured list — seven in the rotation, seven in the bullpen. Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Sasaki are all nursing shoulder injuries with nebulous timetables, severely compromising the rotation and forcing the bullpen to lead the majors in innings. That bullpen, meanwhile, is without four critical high-leverage options in Michael Kopech, Evan Phillips, Blake Treinen and Kirby Yates, leaving Dodgers manager Dave Roberts with few, if any, trusted right-handed options to hold leads late. Dodgers pitchers continue to get hurt at an alarming rate. And not even this team can overcome that rate of injury.
Who is one x-factor who could make or break each team’s season?
Castillo: Soto, by most standards, is not having a bad season at the plate. Many players would gladly take an OPS over .800. But he signed a $765 million contract to be one of the best hitters in the sport, and he’s been far from one of those. If Soto can unlock his usual form, and there’s nothing in his track record to suggest he won’t, the Mets’ lineup becomes a different animal. Soto, at his best, makes hitters around him better. He works pitchers. He shuffles and he swaggers. The Mets haven’t seen that version yet. The body language isn’t quite right and the production isn’t there. That’ll need to change for them to become legitimate pennant contenders in a loaded National League.
Gonzalez: Shohei Ohtani has been just as much an offensive force as he was last year, when he became the first full-time designated hitter to collect an MVP Award. But there’s a whole other half waiting to be unlocked. Ohtani is going through his pitching progression slowly. At this point it doesn’t seem as if he’ll join the rotation until sometime in July at the earliest — 22 months after his second UCL repair. The Dodgers backed him off his progression ahead of the season opener, they say, in hopes of not wearing him out and providing him with the best chance of being a factor in October. If he looks anything like he did on the mound from 2021 to 2023, he will be.
Who has tougher competition to win their division: The Mets in the NL East or the Dodgers in the NL West?
Castillo: The NL West has more playoff contenders (four to three), but the quality of competition in the NL East is better. The Philadelphia Phillies, the defending division champs, arguably have the best starting rotation in the majors with an experienced lineup that has been through it all. And the Atlanta Braves are back on track, reaching .500 after their ugly 0-7 start to the season, without much contribution from their two best players. Spencer Strider, activated from the injured list this week, has made only two starts. Ronald Acuna Jr. hasn’t played in a game yet. All three teams are real October threats.
Gonzalez: It’s the NL West, because that fourth legitimate playoff contender could end up making a big difference in a tight race. The Mets still have a combined 16 games remaining against the rebuilding Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins. The Dodgers can only beat up on the Colorado Rockies, who they’ll face 10 more times. And while the Phillies are great and the Braves are more dangerous than their record indicates, one can make a case for the San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants all being just as good, if not better. Of even more relevance is what the Dodgers will face in the ensuing weeks — 26 straight games against teams with a winning record, with the last 10 coming against division rivals.
These teams play seven times in the next 14 days. Give us your prediction for the series and the stars.
Castillo: This is shaping up to be a battle between a struggling pitching staff (Dodgers) and a struggling offense (Mets). Let’s go with Dodgers 4, Mets 3, because the Dodgers have one more home game. The Dodgers’ big three of Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman will power them to a season series victory.
Gonzalez: Betts got off to a slow start offensively, but he recently unlocked something in his swing and has started to round back into form of late. He’ll put his imprint on these matchups, but the Mets will win most of the games for a simple reason: On days when Yoshinobu Yamamoto does not pitch, the Dodgers don’t really know what they’ll get from their starting pitchers.
Which pitching rotation will be better come October: The Dodgers’ star-studded but oft-injured group or the Mets’ currently producing but lesser-known starters?
Castillo: It’s not even Memorial Day. These rotations could look completely different come October. But, for now, I’ll take the Dodgers. They’re bound to have at least a few of those star pitchers healthy for the postseason. If not, something went terribly, terribly wrong.
Gonzalez: The Dodgers’ priority this offseason wasn’t Soto. It was Snell. They chased him early and lavished him with $182 million because they knew pairing Snell with Glasnow and Yamamoto would give them a devastating trio for October. If those three are available then, I’m taking the Dodgers. But there’s no telling if that will be the case.
If these teams earn a rematch of the 2024 NLCS this October, who are you taking and why?
Castillo: Assuming health, the Dodgers because they’re better in every department.
Gonzalez: The Mets played the Dodgers tough last year, then signed the new Ted Williams. The Dodgers beat them despite a shorthanded rotation, then added arguably the two most coveted starting pitchers in Snell and Sasaki. Now the Mets and Dodgers are separated by one game, with near-identical run differentials. More than four months of the regular season remain. I plead the Fifth.
The Trump administration has put more than 100 officials at the National Security Council at the White House on administrative leave on Friday as part of a restructuring under interim national security adviser and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to two US officials and another source familiar with the matter.
CNN previously reported that a significant overhaul of the body in charge of coordinating the president’s foreign policy agenda was expected in the coming days, including a staff reduction and a reinforced top-down approach with decision-making concentrated at the highest levels.
An email from NSC chief of staff Brian McCormack went out around 4:20 p.m. informing those being dismissed they’d have 30 minutes to clean out their desks, according to an administration official. If they weren’t on campus, the email read, they could email an address and arrange a time to retrieve their stuff later and turn in devices.
The email subject line read: “Your return to home agency,” indicating that most of those affected were detailed to the NSC from other departments and agencies.
On Thursday, Rubio convened a meeting with principals, which raised speculation that it was about the re-organization, the official said. And on Friday at 3:45 p.m., shortly before the email went out, senior directors were summoned to a meeting with Rubio.
A flurry of emails from those leaving then started going out with personal contact information.
With this happening on a Friday afternoon before a long holiday weekend, the official called it “as unprofessional and reckless as could possibly be.”
Those put on leave include career officials, as well as political hires made during the Trump administration.
In recent weeks staffers were being re-interviewed by the Office of the Presidential Personnel as the reshaping of the office was taking place, sources said. One of the questions asked was what officials thought was the appropriate size of the NSC, one source said.
Staffed by foreign policy experts from across the US government, the NSC typically serves as a critical body for coordinating the president’s foreign policy agenda.
But under President Donald Trump, the NSC’s role has been diminished, with the overhaul expected to further reduce its importance in the White House.
Earlier this month, Mike Waltz – who previously led the NSC – was removed from his role in the first major staff shakeup of the new administration. Trump announced that he would nominate Waltz to serve as UN ambassador and Rubio would replace him on an acting basis at the NSC.
Waltz had been on shaky ground within the administration – having lost most of his influence in the West Wing – after he inadvertently added a journalist to a messaging app group chat about highly sensitive military strikes.
Even before the Signal fiasco, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles had been privately unimpressed with Waltz. And weeks before he was out, his influence internally had been waning, illustrated best by Trump’s decision to dismiss several staffers from the NSC at the urging of far-right activist Laura Loomer, who told him they were disloyal.
CNN’s Katie Bo Lillis and Natasha Bertrand contributed to this report.
This story and headline have been updated with additional details.
Reese Witherspoon may have established herself as one of the nation’s most beloved actresses, but beyond Hollywood, she demonstrated quite an eye for real estate.
Reese, born in New Orleans, has acquired an impressive collection of some of the world’s best homes over her career. Starting with an English country-style manor in Bel Air (purchased the same year she starred in Legally Blonde), spanning across the country to Nashville’s Belle Meade neighborhood, her properties are quintessential but ultra-luxe, serving as the perfect backdrop to her French-country style decor.
Below, we’ve rounded up Reese’s most notable real estate purchases, including her Nashville home, where she currently resides.
1. Farmhouse in Nashville, Tennessee
Reese currently lives in Nashville following her divorce from Jim Toth in 2023. However, she reportedly purchased the home as a ‘fixer-upper’ from automobile industry giants Lee and Kelly Beaman in 2014.
‘Reese has always said she’s a total Southern girl, so returning to her roots was a dream,’ a close insider shared with Yahoo. ‘She lives a really normal life in Nashville.’
Last year, Reese’s retail company, Draper James, shared a tour of her quaint, farmhouse-style residence. Its interiors feel quintessentially Southern, with European influences, including chintz-printed furniture, a striped breakfast nook, and dusty gray-blue cabinetry. Meanwhile, outside, English climbing ivy covers the façade. The result is tranquil yet quietly luxurious.
If you want to experiment with Reese’s without investing in such a statement piece, this cushion is the solution. It features a bold watercolor floral print on soft linen from Covington Fabric and exhibits beautiful tonal red and green flowers.
This beautiful painting will add a hint of sunshine to your living room, or it will look beautiful in the corner of a rustic-style kitchen. The painting is mounted on canvas and finished with a hand-applied crackle finish for a vintage look and feel that Reese will surely love.
This elegant, sophisticated porcelain vase is fit for all seasons, but beautifully bridges the gap between spring and summer, as we are enjoying now. It’s quintessential and oh-so beautiful in every kind of home.
2. Stone Canyon estate, Bel Air
In 2001, the same year as Legally Blonde’s release, Reese began her property portfolio. She invested in this Bel Air mansion alongside her first husband, Ryan Phillippe, for $3.3 million.
Design expertise in your inbox – from inspiring decorating ideas and beautiful celebrity homes to practical gardening advice and shopping round-ups.
Characterful but serene, this Gerard Concord-designed home features a beautiful living space with vaulted ceilings, a wet bar, a swimming pool, and an outdoor spa. It’s surrounded by mature trees to bring a sense of serenity, despite its vibrant LA zipcode.
The couple sold the property in 2004 for $4.5 million.
3. Rural Ojai retreat, Ventura County
In 2006, Reese purchased a luxurious country retreat that acclaimed architect Wallace Neff designed as a farmhouse for industrialist Edward Drummond.
Before Reese’s ownership, designer Kathryn Ireland had transformed the space into an eclectic yet sophisticated home, while preserving its century-old fixtures, hardware, and original stonework.
Reese, who paid $4 million for the home, resold the unique property in 2013 for $5 million.
4. Colonial-style manor, Belle Meade
In July 2018, Reese bought this quintessential home in Tennessee’s leafy neighborhood, Belle Meade, for $3.76 million.
The home, which was built in 1937, embodies Southern elegance, with beautiful neutral living spaces, two upper porches, a ‘backyard oasis’ garden, and a swimming pool.
When she purchased the property, it needed some significant upgrades, and one of her renovation projects even featured on an episode of Netflix’s Get Organized with The Home Edit at the time. She sold the upgraded estate in October 2022 for nearly twice the price at $7.4 million.
5. Vintage vacation home, Malibu
In 2019, Reese invested in a unique vacation home, named Zuma Farms, for $6.3 million.
The 1950s estate, described as a ‘rare, exceedingly private oasis,’ sits in the foothills high above Malibu’s Zuma Beach – the perfect location for a serene vacation home within walking distance to the shore.
The actress ensured it stayed true to its vintage roots, highlighting the wood-beam ceiling, brick fireplace, and preserving the large windows that overlook the lush yard. In 2023, she listed the home for $8 million, which includes a vintage Airstream trailer in the backyard.
6. Pacific Palisades home, Los Angeles
Followers of Reese will already be familiar with her expansive Pacific Palisades home, which she purchased in 2014 for $12.7 million.
Throughout her ownership, Reese shared photos from her white kitchen (such as above) and her navy front door, where she was known to share outfit photos. Unsurprisingly for those who know Reese, she also decorated with hundreds of books, including a statement bookcase wall with all her favorite titles.
Without listing it on the market, Reese sold the home in April 2020 for $17 million in an all-cash deal to a buyer who required no mortgage, reports say.
7. Brentwood mansion
In 2020, Reese purchased an English country-style mansion, dating back to 1993. However, its interiors feel notably more historic. Stand-out features include dark hardwood floors, richly stained ceiling beams, a wood-paneled library, a white oak staircase, and French doors leading to woodland-style grounds.
The home is hidden deep in a canyon and surrounded by trees, making it a private retreat that feels a million miles away from the nearby San Francisco Bay area.
Which is your favorite of all Reese’s impressive homes? Let me know here in the comments.
The New York Knicks were not safe from getting trolled by the Indiana Pacers’ superstar, or his girlfriend, after their epic Game 1 collapse.
The Knicks blew a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter to lose Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday. They had also led by 14 with 2:50 to go, and nine with under 60 seconds.
All they’ve done since then is now lose at home again to trail 2-0 in the series. Nobody has ever won a conference final after losing the first two games at home.
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Tyrese Haliburton and Jade Jones attend ‘Prelude to the Olympics’ at Fondation Louis Vuitton on July 25, 2024, in Paris, France.(Kristy Sparow/Getty Images for LVMH x Vogue x NBC)
But back to Game 1. After storming all the way back, Tyrese Haliburton chucked up a long shot that hit the back iron and dropped in. With former Pacers hero Reggie Miller just feet away, calling the game for TNT, Haliburton mimicked Miller’s signature choking signal he directed at Spike Lee back in the 1990s.
Haluburton’s shot wound up being a two, putting the game into overtime, but the Pacers came away with the victory.
After the game, Haliburton’s girlfriend, Jade Jones, joined her boyfriend to take her own shot at the Knicks.
“finally got to see the ball drop in NYC,” she posted on Instagram with a smirking emoji.
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) makes a choke motion towards the New York Knicks after hitting a shot at the end of the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the NBA basketball Eastern Conference final on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
KNICKS FALL BEHIND 0-2 IN EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS SERIES VS. PACERS
Teams leading a playoff game by nine-plus points in the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime of a playoff game had been 1,414-0 since 1998 entering Wednesday. Also, since 1997, teams are now 4-1,640 when trailing by seven-plus points in the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime of a playoff game – the Pacers have won three of those games this season alone.
New York came back for revenge on Friday, but the Pacers pulled away late to take a commanding series lead. This time, it was Pascal Siakam leading the way with 39 points.
It was tied at 81 after three, before the Pacers opened the fourth with a 13-4 run to move ahead 94-85 on Siakam’s 3-pointer with 9:17 remaining. They would quickly push the margin back to around there every time the Knicks got any momentum, and it was 110-100 after another basket by Siakam with 2:45 to play.
The Knicks scored nine straight to make it 110-109 on Josh Hart’s basket with 14 seconds to go. Aaron Nesmith made two free throws for the Pacers, Brunson was well off on a 3-point attempt and Turner finished it out with two free throws.
Jalen Brunson had 36 points and 11 assists for the Knicks, who need a quick turnaround or their first appearance in the conference finals in 25 years will be a brief one.
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) is mobbed by teammates as he makes a choking motion after hitting a shot against the New York Knicks at the end of regulation to tie Game 1 of the NBA basketball Eastern Conference final on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
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Game 3 is in Indiana on Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Sports Mole previews Sunday’s MLS Playoffs clash between Colorado Rapids and St Louis City, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Still licking their wounds from their US Open Cup exit, St Louis City return to action in MLS when they journey to the Dick’s Sporting Goods Park to face Colorado Rapids on Saturday night.
The hosts have lost just one of their previous five games against St Louis, which came in July 2023 when they were beaten 2-0 at Energizer Park, and will head into the weekend looking to secure consecutive victories for the first time since March.
American striker Dorde Mihailovic came up trumps for Colorado Rapids once again as he hit the back of the net in the 70th minute to fire them to a 1-0 victory over Real Salt Lake last Sunday.
Following a goalless first half at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Colorado found themselves under the cosh after the break, but Mihailovic netted his sixth league goal against the run of play to hand the Rapids all three points.
This was a much-needed result for Chris Armas‘s men, who had lost each of their previous three outings and were on a run of just two points from a possible 15 since scraping a 3-2 home victory over San Diego FC on April 13.
Colorado have won five of their 14 MLS matches so far while losing five and claiming four draws to collect 19 points and sit seventh in the Western Conference standings but could move level with fifth-placed Los Angeles FC with a win this weekend.
On the other hand, St Louis City were dumped out of the US Open Cup on Wednesday night when they fell to a disappointing 3-2 defeat against Minnesota United after blowing their lead in the final five minutes.
After falling behind to Kelvin Yeboah‘s early opener, Marcel Hartel and Joao Klauss hit the target to turn the game on its head but 25-year-old Anthony Markanich restored parity in the 85th minute before completing the comeback with an 83rd-minute strike.
Prior to that, St Louis City kicked off their cup quest on May 8 when they secured a 2-0 home victory over USL League One side Union Omaha courtesy of second-half goals from Klauss and American defender Joseph Zalinsky.
Olof Mellberg‘s men now turn their focus to MLS, where they are on a run of 10 back-to-back matches without a win, losing seven and picking up three draws since a 1-0 victory over Seattle Sounders at Energizer Park.
Off the back of a 12th-placed finish in the West last year, St Louis find themselves 14th in the conference standings with 11 points from 14 games so far, only above rock-bottom LA Galaxy, who are the only side yet to taste victory in the entire league.
While the Missouri outfit will be looking to find their feet this weekend, next up is the challenge of taking on an opposing side who are unbeaten in four of their previous five meetings, claiming two wins and two draws since April 2023.
Colorado Rapids will take to the pitch without the services of 21-year-old midfielder Ali Fadal, who has been ruled out since picking up a severe knee injury in April.
Experienced goalkeeper Zackary Steffen missed the game against Real Salt Lake through a muscle problem and is ruled out for the Rapids, while Rafael Navarro is recuperating from an ankle problem.
St Louis City have their fair share of injury concerns as the defensive duo of Jannes-Kilian Horn and 35-year-old Alfredo Morales have been sidelined through hamstring and muscle issues respectively.
Joakim Nilsson has been out of action since picking up a knee injury against Seattle Sounders on May 4 while German midfielder Eduard Lowen is set to sit out his fifth consecutive game due to personal reasons.
Tomas Totland has been out of action since sustaining a hamstring injury back in March and the 25-year-old defender is also out of contention for the trip to the Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
St Louis City possible starting lineup: Burki; Baumgartl, Hiebert, Yaro, Pompeu; Watts, Girdwood-Reich, Hartel; Teuchert, Wallem, Ostrak
We say: Colorado Rapids 2-0 St Louis City
Buoyed by their victory over Real Salt Lake, Colorado Rapids will head into the weekend with confidence as they look to put together a strong run of form and strengthen their position in the top half of the table.
Armas’s men take on a defeated St Louis City side who have struggled for results this season and we are backing them to make the most of their home advantage.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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Elon Musk shakes hands with Donald Trump back stage during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds in October 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania.
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On Tuesday, during a virtual interview with the Qatar Economic Forum, Elon Musk said that he plans to scale back his political giving. “I’m going to do a lot less in the future. I think I’ve done enough,” said Musk, who was the largest individual donor in the 2024 election cycle, shelling out $290 million in support of Donald Trump. “If I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it. I do not currently see a reason.”
No wonder: in just four months’ time, the Trump administration has already given Musk plenty of return on his investment. On the regulatory front, his businesses face less scrutiny as some government investigations into them have been closed, stalled or thrown into disarray, thanks in part to Musk’s own efforts with DOGE to defund and gut multiple federal agencies. His companies, particularly SpaceX, are positioned to receive billions of dollars in fresh government contracts. On the global stage, Musk is striking deals and gaining approval to operate in foreign jurisdictions, often with the tacit or explicit support of the Trump administration.
Then there are the personal benefits. Musk is far richer now than he was before endorsing Trump. His net worth stands at $419 billion—approximately $170 billion more than what it was on July 15, just two days after Trump survived an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, after which Musk endorsed him. Tesla’s stock price has fallen by 20% since Trump’s return to the White House in late January, but remains 35% higher than in mid-July 2024. SpaceX is now valued at $350 billion, nearly double what it was around the time of Musk’s endorsement. And his third largest company, xAI Holdings, which now includes his social media platform X and artificial intelligence startup xAI, was valued at $113 billion in its recent merger, more than triple what the two firms were worth a year ago.
Critics of Trump and Musk say that Musk’s involvement in DOGE and relationship with the president is benefitting him financially. “The nature of Mr. Musk’s businesses, as well as their substantial earnings from government contracts, mean that he is deeply entangled in the regulatory functions of the government he is now empowered to shape,” concluded an April report authored by the Democratic minority members in the U.S. House of Representatives. “President Trump could not have chosen a person more prone to conflicts of interest.”
Trump denies this. “If there’s conflict, then we won’t let him get near it,” the president said in the Oval Office in February. Musk has also denied having conflicts of interest and said he has no role in SpaceX’s applications for government contracts. “The suggestion that Elon Musk’s companies have somehow benefited from his time at the White House is baseless and lacks journalistic integrity,” said Harrison Fields, Trump’s principal deputy press secretary, in a statement emailed to Forbes. “Elon’s companies have faced arson, vandalism, gunfire, cyberattacks, boycotts, and personal attacks unprecedented for any American businessman or company. As stated numerous times, the President will not tolerate any conflicts of interest, and Elon Musk continues to adhere to applicable ethics guidelines in his mission to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse.”
Indeed, not everything has been rosy for Musk under Trump. The administration’s tariff regime, including 30% tariffs on imports from China, will likely increase supply chain costs for Tesla, SpaceX and xAI. Sales of Tesla vehicles have been slumping across all major markets, in large part due to growing consumer backlash against Musk’s activities with the Department of Government Efficiency. A Reuters/Ipsos poll of Americans conducted this month found that 58% of respondents held an unfavorable opinion of Musk, compared to 39% who held a favorable one. Peaceful protestors, as well as vandalizers and arsonists, have targeted Tesla dealerships and showrooms. Musk, who insists that Tesla’s sales are rebounding, told the interviewer in Qatar that he’s taken the blowback personally.
“The work Mr. Musk has done around DOGE has done considerable damage to the Tesla brand, both domestically and internationally, and therefore has cost Mr. Musk dearly,” says Gil Luria, a technology analyst at D.A. Davidson. “The stain on the brand…is almost unprecedented in the automotive industry.”
Even so, Trump has given Musk plenty to smile about. In January, Trump signed an executive order that hampered the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, which had been investigating alleged workplace discrimination at Tesla’s factories. As a result, that investigation into Tesla has been halted, the San Francisco Standard reported. In March, the president memorably encouraged Americans to buy Tesla cars during a sales pitch from the White House lawn.
President Donald Trump speaks with Elon Musk and his son X Æ A-Xii, next to a Tesla Model Y, a Cyber Truck and a Model S on the South Lawn of the White House on March 11, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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The all-important question for Tesla’s future growth prospects is the Trump administration’s stance toward partially and fully autonomous cars. Last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened two investigations—the first into Tesla’s full self-driving features, the second into Tesla’s remote self-driving features—which remain ongoing, according to NHTSA’s investigations dashboard and a spokesperson for the agency.
Last month, the Transportation Department eliminated a requirement for automakers with partial and full self-driving features to report certain types of non-fatal crashes. The rule change benefits Tesla and will hurt Waymo, the fully autonomous vehicle company owned by Alphabet which is already active in several cities and which Tesla aims to compete with, says Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives. A spokesperson for the Transportation Department denies that the rule change benefits Tesla and says that the agency made the change so that it could “focus on crash types that contribute more significantly to the agency’s safety work.”
Musk is seeking to compete with Waymo by rolling out Tesla’s fully autonomous vehicles at scale. Earlier this week, in an interview with CNBC, Musk said he expects there to be hundreds of thousands of full self-driving Teslas in the U.S. by next year. That’s unlikely: Waymo has been rolling out its cars for several years and has deployed 1,500 of them across four U.S. cities, with plans to add 2,000 more next year. Plus, there have been missed deadlines and safety issues with Tesla’s self-driving cars, as Forbes reported earlier this month. But the Trump administration appears supportive of Musk’s goals. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy visited Tesla’s gigafactory near Austin this week to meet with Musk and, in his words, “see firsthand the future of autonomous vehicles.”
“We estimate the AI and autonomous opportunity is worth at least $1 trillion alone for Tesla,” says Ives, whose firm Wedbush upgraded Tesla’s price target to $500 (it closed Friday at $339). “We fully expect under a Trump White House these key initiatives will now get fast tracked as the federal regulatory spiderweb that Musk & Co. have encountered over the past few years around full self-driving/autonomous clears significantly under Trump.”
SpaceX is also finding reprieve with the new regime. The Department of Justice dropped a lawsuit over SpaceX’s refusal to hire certain immigrants. The National Labor Relations Board, which had sued SpaceX in January 2024 over the alleged wrongful dismissal of eight employees who had written an open letter criticizing Musk, moved to terminate its own lawsuit last month in a joint filing with SpaceX that questioned whether the agency has jurisdiction to pursue its original claims. A former chairman of the NLRB disagrees with the decision. “This abrupt change in course is highly unusual and a huge setback for SpaceX workers, representing yet another successful attempt by SpaceX to delay and obstruct its workers’ efforts to get a voice on the job,” says Lauren McFerran, now a senior fellow at the Century Foundation, a think tank.
SpaceX was already a major U.S. contractor before Trump’s return to the White House, and now is primed to receive more federal dollars. SpaceX currently holds nearly $16 billion of active contracts with the federal government, which includes $6 billion awarded by the Department of Defense last month, according to the April report from the Democratic minority members in the U.S. House of Representatives. Musk’s rocketmaker is reportedly a “front runner” to help build Trump’s desired ‘Golden Dome’ defense shield in what would likely be a multi-billion-dollar contract with the Pentagon, as the project is expected to cost $175 billion over three years. “At this time, the Department has no announcements regarding future contracts associated with the Golden Dome effort,” a senior defense official told Forbes in an emailed statement.
“SpaceX does have the potential to to get government contracts, and therefore Mr. Musk’s relationship with administration is helpful,” says Gil Luria, the analyst at D.A. Davidson.
Starlink, which accounts for roughly two-thirds of SpaceX’s estimated $13.1 billion in revenue last year, is getting a direct assist from Trump officials. The State Department and U.S. embassies have “pushed nations to clear hurdles for U.S. satellite companies, often mentioning Starlink by name,” while Secretary of State Marco Rubio has “increasingly instructed officials to push for regulatory approvals for [Starlink],” the Washington Postreported earlier this month. In smaller African countries, U.S. diplomats have “pressed governments to fast-track licenses for Starlink and arranged conversations between company employees and foreign leaders,” ProPublica reported last week.
Closer to home, Starlink could secure a new contract from the Federal Aviation Administration. The agency began a trial with Starlink as part of an “initial testing period,” with the possibility that Starlink will help contribute to “a long-term infrastructure upgrade for aviation safety,” SpaceX said in March. A spokesperson for the Department of Transportation confirmed that the FAA is testing Starlink at facilities in Alaska, Oklahoma City and Atlantic City. “To update our telecommunications system, the agency will work with multiple companies and multiple technologies—there is no one technology solution. That is why we are testing not only satellites, but also fiber and wireless to ensure safety,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
Meanwhile, xAI, Musk’s artificial intelligence startup—which powers the large language model Grok—is positioning itself for government contracts as it builds a government-focused business, with the help of data it gets from government agencies, The Informationreported this week. Musk’s DOGE is already using GROK in its government work and pushing staff at the Department of Homeland Security to use it, Reuters reported Friday. (The DHS denied to Reuters that DOGE was pushing its staff to use any particular tools or products; xAI did not respond to a request for comment.)
Musk’s AI company, which is building a massive supercomputer in Memphis, could also benefit from a weakened Environmental Protection Agency, which is embarking on what it calls the “biggest deregulatory action in U.S. history.” Last fall, the EPA began looking into xAI and its use of temporary gas turbines, which it has been accused of operating without proper permits in violation of the Clean Air Act. A spokesperson for the EPA told Forbes in an emailed statement that they are “still reviewing” the matter.
Even Musk’s smaller companies are seemingly benefitting. In January, as part of a broader purge of inspectors general across federal agencies, Trump fired the inspector general of the Agriculture Department, Phyllis Fong, whose office had been investigating Neuralink, Musk’s controversial brain implant startup, for alleged mistreatment of animals, perReuters, which reported the probe was ongoing as of January. (The USDA did not respond to a request for comment.)
Musk’s tunneling startup the Boring Company has not yet completed any significant projects, apart from one tunnel in Las Vegas, since its 2017 founding, but is in talks with the Federal Railroad Administration about participating in an $8.5 billion Amtrak project, the New York Times reported. A spokesperson for the Department of Transportation said no decision has been made on bids and that “Amtrak in coordination with DOT will follow standard procedures for bidding out contracting and subcontracting.”
During Trump’s visit to the Middle East last week, Musk tagged along, and business deals followed. Saudi Arabia agreed to introduce Starlink to its maritime and aviation sectors, and Abu Dhabi (which announced a tunneling project with the Boring Company in February) said it would be performing a clinical trial with Neuralink.
Back in the White House on Wednesday, Musk joined Trump for a livestreamed meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. During the sit down, Trump chided his counterpart for failing to stop the alleged genocide of white Afrikaners (a claim for which there is no evidence), which happens to be one of Musk’s pet issues. “I don’t want to get Elon involved. That’s all I have to do, get him into another thing,” said Trump during his Oval Office performance, to the laughter of those gathered. “This is what Elon wanted.”
