NEO NEWS

DeMar DeRozan and Daeqwon Plowden finished with 19 points each, with Plowden scoring 10 in the fourth quarter. Sacramento has the NBA's worst record and hadn't won since beating Washington on Jan. 16.

Javon Smalls led Memphis with 21 points and nine assists. Olivier-Maxence Prosper had 17 points and GG Jackson added 16 points.

SPURS 114, PISTONS 103

DETROIT (AP) —Victor Wembanyamahad 21 points, 17 rebounds and six blocks, Devin Vassell scored 28 andSan Antoniobeat the Detroit in a potentialNBAFinals preview.

The Spurs have won a season-high nine games in a row and trail only the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference.

The Eastern Conference-leading Pistons, who had won five straight, host Oklahoma City on Wednesday night in another test.

Advertisement

Detroit star Cade Cunningham struggled, missing 21 of 26 shots and finishing with 16 points and 10 assists.

ROCKETS 125, JAZZ 105

HOUSTON (AP) — Jabari Smith Jr. had 31 points and nine rebounds and Amen Thompson scored 20 points as Houston beat Utah.

Smith hit his first five shots and matched a career-high with 14 points in the first quarter. He converted 12 of 17 shots overall and made six 3-pointers.

Thompson shot 8 for 9 from the field and finished with seven rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Kevin Durant scored 18 points and added a season-high 12 assists. Reed Sheppard scored 15 points off the bench.

With the win, the Rockets (35-21) into third place in the Western Conference, behind Oklahoma City and San Antonio.

Paralympics Milan Church Inclusion

Around 70 teenagers and adults in the Terzo Tempo choir traveled from the neighboring city Abbiategrasso for their Feb. 18 performance, titled "Like Yeast in the Dough." It drew on a Gospel image that reflects the project's spirit: a discreet presence that helps anyone rise from within.

The choir's concert in Milan formed part of the archdiocese's strategy to seize the Olympic and Paralympic moment to impartChristian values.

"The Olympics and theParalympicsare not something that simply passes over our heads, but something that also touches our lives," said the Rev. Stefano Guidi, who heads the Archdiocese of Milan's Service for Oratories and Sport.

Milan's Catholic Church created in 2021 a special branch that focuses on raising awareness of inclusion. Its work stretches through local parishes and communities, encouraging welcoming environments for everyone, disabled and non-disabled alike.

"If we focus on organizing things only for people with disabilities, we risk segregation," said the Rev. Mauro Santoro, who leads the office alongside 13 volunteers. "Instead, we try to bring everyone together — children's catechism, sports, the simplest activities — because this is true inclusion."

Inclusion rooted in parish life

The Catholic Church's work with young people in Italy largely relies on oratories, parish spaces where children and teenagers gather after school for sports and recreational activities. In these spaces, Santoro said, training to involve people with disabilities and discussions regarding values connected to the Paralympics take place, as well.

"There are testimonies from athletes, including Paralympians," he said. "The real challenge is to change the game so everyone can play well and participate."

Advertisement

This goal was reflected in the choir's concert at Sant'Antonio. The repertoire was in Italian, English and included a Congolese samba — a choice aimed at diversifying and conveying values associated with the Olympic spirit.

"We tried to choose songs that speak about the desire to achieve something and about constant commitment because that is what really matters beyond the result," said the choir's director, Silvia Gatti. "These are values that athletes believe in, but they should concern everyone."

The choir, whose motto is "Where singing is unity, passion, freedom and joy," welcomes participants from all backgrounds and encourages children to sing with people in their seventies.

In previous performances, the choir has addressed themes such as peace and opposition to violence against women, underscoring its community-focused mission.

AP Olympics:https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP'scollaborationwith The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Rams Kingsbury Football

Kingsbury's formal title was revealed Monday when the Rams finalized their coaching staff for McVay's 10th season in charge. The Rams also announced that recently retired receiver Robert Woods will be their assistant wide receivers coach.

Kingsbury, the former Arizona Cardinals head coach,is joining his friend's stafffollowing two years as Washington's offensive coordinator. He is also bringing Brian Johnson as a senior offensive assistant after the former Philadelphia offensive coordinator worked for Kingsbury with the Commanders.

McVaypromoted Nate Scheelhaase to offensive coordinatorafter the 35-year-old assistant drew attention from numerous teams for their head coaching vacancies this winter.

Scheelhaase replaces Mike LaFleur, the Cardinals' new head coach and the fourth straight offensive coordinator under McVay to land a top NFL job.

Quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone also received a second title as associate coordinator.

Advertisement

The new staff does not include Aubrey Pleasant, McVay's assistant head coach last season. Pleasant, who acted as the Rams' head coach for multiple preseason games, was also their passing game coordinator while working with the defensive backs.

Woods will begin his coaching career with the franchise where the Los Angeles native spent the best five seasons of a 13-year NFL playing career, which ended withhis retirement last week. He will assist Eric Yarber, who also received a promotion to senior offensive assistant for his 10th season on McVay's staff, and newly promoted receivers coach Rob Calabrese.

Brian Allen was Woods' teammate during the Rams' Super Bowl championship season, and the former center has joined Los Angeles' coaching staff as an assistant offensive line coach. Allen spent last season as a consultant with the Rams.

Robert Wright has joined the Rams' staff as a defensive assistant after spending the past two years as Syracuse's co-defensive coordinator.

Bubba Ventrone was announced as the Rams' new special teams coordinator, with Kyle Hoke as his assistant. Ventrone, who previously ran special teams for Indianapolis and Cleveland, is the full-time replacement for Chase Blackburn, whogot fired by McVayin December after a season of special teams mistakes by Los Angeles.

AP NFL:https://apnews.com/NFL

LONDON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - With U.S. arch rival Eli Lilly streaking away on weight-loss prescriptions and valuation, the last thing Novo Nordisk needed was to give it a helping hand. Then came the latest trial data for the Danish company's ‌next-generation obesity drug.

Novo unveiled late-stage trial data for its CagriSema drug on Monday that not only showed it underperforming Lilly's rival Zepbound, but appeared ‌to show weight loss with Zepbound was better than even some of Lilly's own data had shown.

Novo's shares tanked 16% while Lilly jumped 5% as the trial data raised doubts about the Danish ​company's obesity drug pipeline and ability to claw back ground that it has lost in recent years as competition in the market has hardened.

"They literally ran a trial that said that Lilly's product is better," said BMO Capital analyst Evan Seigerman, adding that even with more trials ahead, it would be tough to win over investors after twin misses with CagriSema in just over a year.

"They've tried twice and they've now disappointed twice. So why should we believe that this is going to be any different?"

LILLY'S GRIP ‌ON OBESITY DRUG MARKET TIGHTENS

The disappointing outcome marks a ⁠setback in Novo's efforts to fight back against Lilly, and could deepen the U.S. company's dominance in the obesity market, which Novo pioneered with the launch of its Wegovy injection in 2021.

Wegovy drove Novo to become the most valuable listed European firm ⁠in 2024, but the two companies have diverged since, with Lilly gaining a trillion-dollar valuation, while Novo has battled profit warnings, leadership churn and stalling sales. It also lost a bidding war for obesity biotech Metsera last year.

The latest trial was designed to show CagriSema could be Novo's next obesity drug blockbuster, at least as effective as tirzepatide, the active ​ingredient ​of Zepbound, sold in Europe as Mounjaro.

Instead CagriSema achieved a 23% reduction in body weight over ​84 weeks compared with 25.5% for Eli Lilly's tirzepatide in ‌the trial. That was in line with earlier CagriSema data but higher than some Zepbound trials, albeit for shorter periods.

Novo's management tried to play down the data, citing trial design factors. CEO Mike Doustdar called Zepbound's performance an "abnormality" - which most analysts weren't buying.

Advertisement

"The trial results are what they are," said one Novo shareholder, asking to speak anonymously, who dismissed management's argument as a "lame excuse".

Novo did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the investor's statement.

Deutsche Bank analysts wrote on Monday that the data meant that the diabetes and obesity market was "likely to coalesce around Lilly's portfolio", citing its strong range of products.

Lilly's Zepbound already has a clinical edge ‌on the Wegovy injection, though Novo has scored a point by getting its weight-loss pill ​first to market in the United States. Lilly expects U.S. approval for its rival pill in ​April.

NOVO MANAGEMENT CLASHES WITH ANALYSTS

JP Morgan analysts said it would now "be difficult ​for Novo to dislodge market share from Lilly, with Zepbound well entrenched".

"The trial seems to further raise the question of the value ‌proposition of CagriSema in the obesity market landscape," Rajesh Kumar, ​HSBC senior global life sciences & healthcare analyst, added ​in a note.

During an investor call with Novo, Deutsche Bank analyst Emmanuel Papadakis asked whether CagriSema was now "obsolete" as a competitive upgrade to Wegovy. CEO Doustdar responded that, once approved, CagriSema would have the best label data.

Novo Chief Scientific Officer Martin Holst Lange added that patience was needed to ​see CagriSema's full potential.

But the latest news compounds earlier CagriSema ‌misses, and leaves Novo in a tough spot.

The results likely mean Novo will face an uphill battle in persuading patients to use and ​physicians to prescribe CagriSema over "more effective, better tolerated Zepbound", Barclays said in a note. This leaves "Novo little to compete on apart from ​price."

(Reporting by Maggie Fick and Bhanvi Satija; Editing by Adam Jourdan and Jonathan Oatis)

Shops and cars were set ablaze, allegedlyby cartel members. Tourists and residents cowered in fear.

The Mexican military killedNemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known by his nickname "El Mencho,"the head of the New Generation drug cartel, Sunday in a shoot-out 180 miles east of Puerto Vallarta, in the same state of Jalisco. Mexico had a $15 million reward for his capture.

A day after the violence broke out, streets were deserted Monday as locals and tourists heeded remain-in-place orders. Schools in several states canceled classes,The Associated Press reported.

Burned-out shells of vehicles remained on the streets, while damaged stores were heavily scorched from flames, videos showed.

"We saw the taxicabs all blown up and blocking the streets and people running down and towards us," Jim Beck, an American tourist who sheltered in his Puerto Vallarta hotel, told NBC's "TODAY" show. "After this morning was the first time we actually felt fear."

Marcus Brady, a Chicago resident currently in Puerto Vallarta, shared videos of the violence with NBC News. He said he thought the cartel's intent was to send a message to the Mexican government and American and Canadian tourists that, "If we want to, we will take complete control of everything and everyone here, no one can stop us."

He said the violence happened in two waves starting early Sunday morning. First, a few cars were set on fire on the main road and bridges in and out of the Zona Romántica area of Puerto Vallarta, he said, with much of that taking place in an area behind foothills.

"When those fires were going out, everyone thought it was over. I know I did. So many of us thought it OK to venture out and I decided to walk down to the boardwalk, through the zone," Brady said.

But the second wave was the worst, targeted inside the zone, he said. Brady said he mistook buses and taxis positioned at intersections as barricades to prevent violence, but they had been put there by the cartel during the night. "And when the second wave started, they coordinated setting them on fire, so it would last all day. The intention was to terrify," he said.

A video from NBC Dallas-Fort Worth showed several cars in the parking lot of a Costco set ablaze.

Advertisement

Yoni Pizer told NBC Chicago that he, his husband and friends had to run for their lives to escape what he said were members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel in Puerto Vallarta.

"The gunmen were following us and they were shooting," Pizer said. "And they were attacking cars and pulling out drivers. At that point, we just ran as fast as we could." His SUV was torched, but a passerby helped them get away.

Video on social media from Sunday showed sirens blaring andpassengers and workers runningthrough the airport in Puerto Vallarta. It was unclear why the sirens went off or why people were running. Images showed a long line ofpeople hiding behind ticket counters.

Road closures affected some travelers' ability to get to airports, according to U.S. and Mexican embassy and consulate officials.

Steven Polito, a drag performer who divides his time between New York City and Puerto Vallarta, said in an essay forBusiness Insiderthat he was struck by how "unusually quiet it was" when he went to gym at 8:30 a.m. Sunday.

"When I left around 10:00 a.m., it was a very different scene," Polito said. "Everyday life was juxtaposed against horrendous property againsthorrendous property damage. There was an older woman sweeping leaves in the street, while burned-out car after burned-out car was in flames."

Over at Guadalajara International Airport, officials said,the violence in the nearby cities did not affect theiroperations. It said social media reports did not reflect what was happening at the airport.

But the violence was not confined to Puerto Vallarta.

Jalisco's capital, Guadalajara, appeared deserted Sunday night as civilians hunkered down. Authorities later announced they had cleared most of the more than 250 cartel roadblocks across 20 states.

Omar Casillas was running a half marathon, about to cross the finish line when things became chaotic. He began getting texts from his family telling him to "barricade the door, pack all your stuff, be ready to leave if you need to, if you have the chance to," NBC Chicago reported.

Casillas' flight out of Guadalajara's airport was canceled.

Avideo posted onlineshows a customs booth in Reynosa, Mexico, about 5 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, filled with flames and smoke.

The cartel produced a similar nationwide show of force in 2015, even using a rocket propelled grenade to shoot down a Mexican army helicopter, after the Mexican military tried to capture Oseguera Cervantes, more commonly known as "El Mencho."

In 2019, the rival Sinaloa Cartel waged war on the Mexican government when it tried to arrest one of the sons of its leader, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.

"If past is prologue, what we've seen is that there will be at least a week, maybe more, of these sort of violent reprisals by the cartels. And then things will turn inward," Anthony Placido, former head of intelligence for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, told USA TODAY.

After Mexican officials announced a powerful Mexican cartel leader was killed during a military operation on Sunday, several regions of the country are grappling with ongoing security risks and unrest.
Police officers secure the area where vehicles were set on fire by organized crime members to block a road following a military operation in which a government source said Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, commonly known as "El Mencho," was killed, in Zapopan, Mexico, Feb. 22, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Mexican Army personnel stand guard as passengers leave Guadalajara International Airport in Tlaquepaque, Jalisco State, Mexico, on Feb. 22, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Photos show Mexico unrest after cartel leader 'El Mencho' killed

After Mexican officials announced apowerful Mexican cartel leaderwas killed during a military operation on Sunday, several regions of the country are grappling withongoing security risks and unrest.Police officers secure the area where vehicles were set on fire by organized crime members to block a road following a military operation in which a government source said Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, commonly known as "El Mencho," was killed, in Zapopan, Mexico, Feb. 22, 2026.

Already, criminal violence has engulfed parts of Mexico after troops killed Oseguera Cervantes in a Feb. 22 shootout in the cartel's stronghold in the western coastal state of Jalisco.

The cartel's response was immediate, spreading outward from Jalisco and plunging much of Mexico into chaos and violence. CJNG soldiers set cars, buses and businesses on fire and blockaded roads inviolence that spreadto 20 states. Mexican authorities said at least 62 people were killed, including 25 National Guard members, and 70 were arrested.

But as bad as things are in Mexico following Oseguera Cervantes' death, CJNG appears to have stopped short of unleashing anything close to the kind of violence it has shown it is capable of in the past.

U.S. counternarcotics officials have said in recent years the cartel has amassed so much firepower that it resembles more of asmall nation state's armythan a transnational crime syndicate.

The question now, experts say, is whether CJNG will de-escalate the sporadic violence and regroup, or ramp up its attacks on the Mexican government, the public and rival cartels fighting over the lucrative trafficking of cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine and other drugs into the United States.

Experts say the cartel will likely train its sophisticated arsenal of weapons on its rivals in an effort to get back to its main business − earning billions of dollars in annual drug revenue as what the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officially calls "one of thefive most dangerous criminal organizationsin the world."

'Nothing they do is going to bring Mencho back'

Most analysts say CJNG will regroup and focus on maintaining the global dominance over the drug trade that it has long shared with the rival Sinaloa cartel.

"Nothing they do is going to bring Mencho back," Placido said. "And so the most important thing for them is who's going to take over the cartel, and are the Sinaloa guys going to try and take their territory?"

"I don't have a crystal ball," Placido said. "But I would think that instead of these big public manifestations where they're burning vehicles and doing all kinds of stuff to protest against the government, they're going to rapidly become involved in sort of inter-cartel violence and warfare. And that will be more targeted."

In the short term, CNJG certainly has the capacity to wreak much more lethal violence on the Mexican government and the public – including American tourists who have been told to shelter in place.

Some past demonstrations of force by CJNG have included mass arson campaigns known as "narcobloqueos," even more simultaneous roadblocks across multiple states than it has currently – and high-profile assassination attempts.

A 'messy aftermath' before a cartel gets back to business

In an assessment Feb. 23, Mexico-based International Crisis Group analyst David Mora wrote that "claiming a top criminal scalp will not spare the government from a messy aftermath."

Vanda Felbab-Brown, a Brookings Institution expert on nonstate armed groups including CJNG, said the current violence echoes that which followed the Mexican government'sattempt to capture Ovidio Guzmán López, a son of El Chapo, in its stronghold of Culiacán in 2019.

Within hours, heavily armed Sinaloa forces paralyzed the city,directly assaulted the militaryand forced the government to release him.

In the current case, Felbab-Brown told USA TODAY, the current violence is essentially CJNG's way of showing its capabilities, essentially an act of "retaliatory, demonstrative violence against the state."

Advertisement

"They are saying, 'Hey Mexican government, we are punishing you. We are responding. You killed our leader. This is showing you what we can do,'" Felbab-Brown said.

"It's pretty enormous in geographic scope and scale," she said. "But it will die off in a matter of time."

That could take just a few days, or a few weeks, she said.

"And once this immediate violence settles, then the question is, what kind of other violence will break out within factions of CJNG and between them and their rivals?" Felbab-Brown said. "And that violence will be far more complicated and far more lasting."

What happened after El Chapo's capture

Once the initial explosion of publicly directed violence dies down, what happens next depends on a number of factors.

El Mencho left no clear heir, Mora said, and the remaining leaders could dispute control.

If CJNG doesn't quickly appoint a successor and close ranks, infighting among rival factions within it could consume the organization, Placido said.

That was the case after the capture of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the leader of the rival Sinaloa cartel a decade ago.

Since then, Sinaloa has been wracked by infighting and internal power struggles between the sons of "El Chapo" – known as the "Chapitos" – and factions loyal to Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, who is now in U.S. custody too.

Much of that violence is cartel-on-cartel though, and would not paralyze huge swaths of Mexico – and its important tourist industry – like the current situation, Placido and Felbab-Brown said.

In the case of CJNG, taking out El Mencho could slow his own cartel's rapid expansion within Mexico and internationally. But it is also likely to leave it weakened against the Sinaloa cartel on several fronts that could lead to bloody turf battles throughout Mexico and even in the United States, they said.

A less likely but still possible scenario: all-out war

A less likely scenario is that CJNG will launch a longterm war against the Mexican government to avenge the death of its longtime leader.

Over the past half century, Mexican drug cartels and criminal gangs haveengaged in protracted skirmishesover its sporadic counternarcotics crackdowns. Colombian cartels did the same thing in the 1990s with car bombs, assassinations and attacks on the military.

If that happens, CNJG is capable of inflicting significant damage, given its arsenal of heavy weapons,many of them obtained from U.S. gun manufacturers,according to a USA TODAY investigation.

Most analysts predict that won't be the case because CJNG, like Sinaloa and other cartels before it, would prefer a détente with the government that allows it to focus on its global business operations.

"In many ways, it's just a waste of resources. El Mencho is dead, so there is nothing to bargain for" like there was after the arrest of El Chapo's son, Felbab-Brown said.

Some public violence is needed, she said, "to show how fearless they are, how they can act with more brazenness, more brutality, more violence than anyone" in order to keep Mexican authorities at bay.

But in the end, Placido said, "It's all about the money. It's always been about the money."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Mexico faces 'more complicated violence' after 'El Mencho' death

Tight endKyle Pittsand wide receiverGeorge Pickensare the major prizes of free agency on offense. Teams besides theAtlanta FalconsandDallas Cowboys, respectively, could be out of luck for negotiating with them.

Atlanta is reportedly using the franchise tag on Pitts andCowboysco-ownerStephen Jones inferred that was likelyfor Pickens as well.

"I wouldn't put any timeframe (on a contract)," Jonestold reporters. "Once you have a tag, you have a tag. We know George is going to be here."

The franchise tag is a tool teams can use to prevent one player per year from reaching free agency. The tag is a one-year, fully guaranteed contract calculated using other salaries at the position.

It prevents the player from securing a longer-term deal from another team at the cost of a fully guaranteed salary.

Non-quarterbacks rarely play a season with the franchise tag. Instead, it's often used as a tool to keep the player at the negotiating table for their original team for longer. Jones' quote points to the Cowboys using the franchise tag to keep Pickens in the building to iron out a contract before the start of 2026. If not, he'll play the season on that one-year deal.

Here's what it means for the rest of free agency at their positions if Pickens and Pitts aren't free to negotiate league-wide:

Advertisement

WR free agency without George Pickens

Pickens is by far the top wide receiver available in this free-agent class. Second-team All-Pro wide receivers rarely are available - especially ones who haven't hit their second contract yet. That's why the Cowboys are motivated to keep him in-house.

If Pickens stays with Dallas, that moves all of the other free agents up a spot in the rankings and with it likely a bump in pay.

Fellow 2022 draftees Alec Pierce and Rashid Shaheed will become the top free agents at wide receiver. Both offer excellent speed on the outside and Shaheed's a dynamic threat in the return game. Jauan Jennings offers a more possession-based skillset but could get a bump in salary with Pickens off the market as well.

Here's the top 10 free agent wide receivers by projected average annual value (AAV) of their future contracts after Pickens, perSpotrac:

1. Jauan Jennings, San Francisco 49ers: $22.61 million

2. Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts: $20.24 million

3. Wan'dale Robinson, New York Giants: $17.64 million

4. Deebo Samuel, Washington Commanders: $15.77 million

5. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins: $15.07 million

6. Rashid Shaheed, Seattle Seahawks: $14.12 million

7. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $13.31 million

8. Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers: $12.00 million

9. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers: $6.81 million

10. Hollywood Brown, Kansas City Chiefs: $5.5 million

TE free agency without Kyle Pitts

Pitts has draft pedigree as the No. 4 overall pick in the2021 NFL Draft, as well as recent production with his second-team All-Pro award in 2025.

Like Pickens, there's a mix of options beyond him at the position, either veterans or second-contract players. Teams will have to decide if they value more youth or production at the position with handing out money in this free-agent cycle. Without Pitts, there's a chance the other players have a chance to make more money but the overall tight end market isn't on the same level as wide receiver. Teams aren't as willing to spend big on the position in the same way.

Here's a look at the top 10 free agents at the position without Pitts, per Spotrac projected AAV:

1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs: $10.77 million

2. David Njoku, Cleveland Browns: $9.99 million

3. Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens: $8.81 million

4. Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans: $7.96 million

5. Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $7.91 million

6. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles: $6.00 million

7. Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams: $5.35 million

8. Tyler Conklin, Los Angeles Chargers: $3.33 million

9. Noah Fant, Cincinnati Bengals: $3.22 million

10. Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins: $3.21 million

All the NFL news on and off the field.Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter. Check out the latest edition:Top 100 free agents for 2026.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Pitts, Pickens franchise tags' impact on NFL free agency at WR and TE