In this case, the subject was the shutdown of the U.S. government, which shows no sign of ending soon. Popovich was asked before Monday's exhibition in Denver whether he has discussed the doings in Washington with his cosmopolitan roster. Take it away, Pop: The money quote: "Children fighting over toys." In case you're wondering: MySanAntonio.com (via CBSSports.com) reported (through various other sources) that Popovich contributed $5,000 to President Barack Obama's 2012 reelection campaign....

When asked if it was his fault his players weren’t motivated Thursday night, Popovich offered a blunt response. MORE: The greatest Spurs of all time “Guys get a lot of money to be ready to play. It’s your job,” he said. “If you’re a plumber and you don’t do your job, you don’t get any work. I don’t think a plumber needs a pep talk. A doctor botches operations, and he’s not a doctor anymore....

But there are those five days where Popovich breaks conformity and acts a fool. Wednesday night was one of those days. Did you see that coming? Nope, neither did I. And now back to your regularly scheduled mundane Popovich interview.

Whitmer leads Dixon by 13 points, about 48 percent to 35 percent, and has about a 23-point advantage among independent voters. Michigan voter motivation, which slightly favors Democrats, is 9.3 on a 10-point scale and higher now than during the July poll prior to the primary. Dixon’s chances of winning have decreased since July, when she was expected to win about 40.3 percent of voters, according to the poll....

California Highway Patrol said the bus was traveling north along Interstate 5 near Fort Tejon when a man opened fire at around 1.30 a.m., reported NBC Bay Area. The bus had been carrying about 40 passengers as it headed from Los Angeles to the San Francisco Bay Area in the early hours of Monday morning. CHP communications supervisor Steve Loftus told NBC News police started getting calls from passengers on the bus around 1....

How do you handle it when people question TikTokers’ authenticity? To be honest, I do understand it. TikTok is a 15-second platform, where people can just dance or whatever, they don’t really show personality or long-form content. So I get where some of Hollywood comes from. For me personally, I’ve converted this TikTok following to every platform, including businesses, YouTube and even some of our own shows and stuff....

Longtime Miami Heat assistant David Fizdale has been offered the position and is in the process of finalizing a contract with the Grizzlies, The Vertical reported Wednesday. MORE: Every team’s biggest draft regret Fizdale has been an assistant with the Heat since 2008, helping the team to four consecutive NBA Finals appearances and winning two championships in 2012 and 2013. Fizdale, who has worked in the NBA since 2003 but never as a head coach, was a finalist for the job along with Spurs assistant James Borrego....

Maybe he did it for Tom Brady. After all, one of the more famous ballets is called Giselle, which is the name of Brady’s wife. MORE: Classic photos of Gronk | Broncos troll Gronk Madden cover Regardless of the reason, the 6-6, 265-pound Patriots tight end took a break from his high-quality twerking to take ballet lessons from an actual ballerina. The dance lessons were part of a cover shoot for the June issue of GQ Magazine....

He thought: you don’t want to know how close I came. No, but she and the rest of the world would soon find out how many thousands of men and women did not go home to their loved ones last Tuesday. The lucky ones were in hospitals; the rest were in pieces among the hundred-foot-high mounds of rubble to which the two great towers had, in a few hours, been reduced....

But the impact of COVID-19 still lingered — a small group of protesters angered by France’s new vaccine rules clashed with police, who dispersed tear gas in a skirmish. Elsewhere in the country, concerns about new spread of infections led to some towns curtailing annual fireworks gatherings. The Paris parade allowed limited onlookers, and each attendee had to show a special pass offering proof of vaccination, recent recovery from the virus or a negative virus test....

The Catalans had reportedly made an improved bid of €25 million for the former Tottenham man as they look to seal a deal for the Brazil international. The latest Barcelona transfer rumours But Guangzhou, who signed Paulinho from Spurs back in 2015, are adamant they will not allow the midfielder to leave at what is the halfway stage of the Chinese Super League season. “We need to not only consider the financial account of the corporation, but also the specific situation of our current campaign,” said Xu Jiayin, chairman of Evergrande Group in his annual mid-season meeting with the players....

Toure marked his shock recall to Guardiola’s starting line-up against Crystal Palace on Saturday with a match-winning double in a hard-fought 2-1 victory. It had appeared that Toure’s Manchester City career was all but over after he was left out of Guardiola’s list of eligible players for the Champions League and told he would not feature until he apologized for comments made by his outspoken agent, Dimitri Seluk. Toure did apologize at the end of October but his return to the fold this weekend still came as a surprise, and Guardiola now says the Ivorian could yet make his way back into the European squad if City gets the point needed to reach the last 16....

The Brazil international left Barcelona last August to sign for PSG in a world-record €222 million (£200m/$259m) deal and proved a success in France, where he helped his side scoop the domestic treble. However, he has been continually linked with a move back to Spain, with Madrid reportedly leading the way for his signature. Indeed, after the recent friendly against Croatia, Blancos star Luka Modric was allegedly seen telling the superstar: “We are waiting for you....

The Spaniard has enjoyed a stellar start to his City tenure, winning 10 of his 11 games at the helm. With his side top of the Premier League table ahead of Sunday’s trip to Tottenham, Guardiola is understandably enjoying life at the Etihad Stadium and can envision a longer stay. “I am so happy here so I’m not just thinking about, ‘Will it just be three years?’” the 45-year-old said....

City had the chance to claim the domestic crown against their city rivals in last Saturday’s derby at the Etihad Stadium, only to surrender a 2-0 half-time lead to lose 3-2. Despite that setback, just two more wins from their remaining six games will see Guardiola get his hands on the trophy for the first time, regardless of United’s final results. However, speaking ahead of Saturday’s tough trip to Tottenham, the former Barcelona boss pointed to a famous late collapse from Real Madrid in the 2003-04 season – in which they let slip an eight-point advantage and dropped from first to fourth in the final 12 matches – as proof nothing can be taken for granted....

The 46-year-old won 14 trophies during his four-year spell in charge of Barca as the Catalans became the team to beat with their famous ’tiki-taka’ style. WATCH: Ajax star defends unsportsmanlike stunt He stepped down as Barca boss in 2012, only to return to coaching at Bayern after a one-year sabbatical, guiding the Bavarians to three consecutive Bundesliga titles during his time at the Allianz Arena. However, Tuchel was not overly impressed with the Bavarians’ style of play under the current Manchester City boss....

Chris Walsh, the CEO and president of Marijuana Business Daily, recently told Newsweek that “interest from both the industry and consumers is absolutely growing and you’re going to see a bigger focus on these other cannabinoids going forward.” Like CBD, these lesser-known compounds from cannabis plants reportedly offer wellness benefits, but it’s important to know what suits each individual’s needs. Before delving into a “Know your cannabinoids” guide, the uninitiated should at least know that these chemicals and products containing them are not FDA-approved....

The Swedish forward stoked the fires ahead of Thursday’s meeting in Spain by drawing on his former ties to Manchester City. Why Belotti should be Ibra’s successor He said: “[United are] a very good team. Obviously they’ve got a good manager, a fantastic stadium, and they’re one of the favourites to win the Europa League but, as they say, ‘Manchester is blue’ and that’s how it will be when we visit there as well, because we are Celta Vigo and we will try to keep the city blue....

According to WBIR, Munday got into an altercation with Isaiah Brooks, 18. Prosecutor Kevin Allen said in court, “Witnesses would testify that the victim [Munday] and both defendants were friends and had an amicable social history. Further, that the relationship between defendant Brooks and the victim included instances where the victim would spend the night at defendant Brooks’s residence.” The state claimed that during the course of the altercation, Brooks slammed Munday into the concrete in front of the residence where the party was being held....

Hazard and Ibrahimovic star in PL Team of the Week Gundogan joined City from Borussia Dortmund in June, though a knee injury delayed his first-team debut until September. The Germany international has since firmly established himself in Pep Guardiola’s midfield, the highlight of his time at the club being a double in the 3-1 Champions League victory over Barcelona last week. Having settled in to his new surroundings, Gundogan feels the scale of ambition at the Etihad Stadium is unmatched in the Bundesliga....