MON SEVEN

The allegations against Emmanuel Clase appear to stretch much further than previously known.

A court filing has revealed that the Cleveland Guardians closer is accused of manipulating pitches in 48 different MLB games over the span of two years,according to ESPN's David Purdum. That's far more than the nine specific games identified inthe federal government's indictment last year.

Including playoffs, Clase appeared in 178 games ranging from May 2023 to June 2025, the timeline of the scheme alleged by prosecutors. If the 48-game figure is correct, that would mean Clase threw suspicious pitches (i.e. intentional balls to allegedly help his co-conspirators win prop bets) in 27% of his appearances with the Guardians in that span.

That figure reportedly comes from Clase's co-defendant, Guardians teammate Luis Ortiz, who is accused of manipulating only two pitches in June 2025. It was Ortizwho was first implicated in the scandal, but his attorneys are now reportedly requesting that his case be severed from Clase's due to "markedly different levels of culpability."

Basically, Ortiz's camp is arguing that the case against Clase is so overwhelming, it hurts Ortiz's case to be at the same defendant's table. From ESPN:

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In Thursday's filing, Ortiz's attorney pointed to this difference in scale and emphasized that the indictment did not contain evidence of Ortiz communicating directly with bettors.

Georgalis argued that a jury presented "with 26 months of alleged criminal conduct by Mr. Clase — including suspect pitches during 48 games, dozens of communications with [a bettor], cash transfers and coordination of illegal wagers" could find Ortiz guilty by association.

Another court record reportedly shows that a judge asked prosecutors to provide Clase's attorneys with evidence for suspicious pitches:

"[Clase] has identified at least 250 pitches on which bets were placed, so the Court encouraged the government to disclose discovery to [Clase] as to any additional pitches that it alleges were included in the conspiracy," a record of the court proceeding states.

Clase and Ortiz were indicted in November on charges of wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery. They have both pleaded not guilty to the charges, which carry a total maximum sentence of decades in prison.

Their trial is scheduled for May.

The pitchers officially remain members of the Guardians organization, but they remain on the restricted list (i.e. unpaid leave). In addition to prison time, they face a lifetime ban from baseball, pending MLB's investigation into the allegations.

Clase is alleged to have done all this despite his status as one of the top closers in baseball and a contract that would have paid him $6.4 million in 2026, with a pair of team options for $10 million each in 2027 and 2028.

"America's Team" is going international for the first time in 12 years.

The Dallas Cowboys will be one of the participating teams in the NFL's first game in Rio de Janeiro next season.

The date and time of the game, as well as the Cowboys' opponent, will be announced at a later date,per a league release on Thursday night. It will be played in the Maracanã Stadium, which famously hosted the 2014 FIFA World Cup final.

#Cowboysheaded to Brazil.pic.twitter.com/Ko3zwCUU9w

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo)February 6, 2026

The NFL has already played two games in Brazil, but those took place in São Paulo at Corinthians Arena, where the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Green Bay Packers on Sept. 6, 2024, and the Los Angeles Chargers bested the Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 5, 2025. Both were season openers, and both were decided by one score.

The Cowboys' game in Rio will be their first international date since 2014, when they faced off against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.

[Get more Cowboys news: Dallas team feed]

It will also mark the franchise's 11th time playing an international game, however, nine of those matchups have arrived during the preseason,according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which listed those 10 prior games as such:

• 2014 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars | London

• 2001 vs. Oakland Raiders | Mexico City (preseason)

• 2000 vs. Atlanta Falcons | Tokyo (preseason)

• 1998 vs. New England Patriots | Mexico City (preseason)

• 1996 vs. Kansas City Chiefs | Monterrey (preseason)

• 1995 vs. Buffalo Bills | Toronto (preseason)

• 1994 vs. Houston Oilers | Mexico City (preseason)

• 1993 vs. Detroit Lions | London (preseason)

• 1992 vs. Houston Oilers | Tokyo (preseason)

• 1986 vs. Chicago Bears | London (preseason)

The NFL also announced Thursday that the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Ramswill play in the league's first game in Melbourne, Australia, next season.

In total,there will be an NFL-record nine international gamesduring the 2026 campaign.

SAN FRANCISCO — After Bill Belichick failed toget into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot,nobody seemed to be a lock to get in right away.

But Drew Brees and Larry Fitzgerald were the definitions of first-ballot Hall of Famers.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2026 was announced Thursday night during the NFL Honors show. The class included one of the best quarterbacks and one of the best wide receivers in league history:

QB Drew Brees

Brees checked every box to be on a short list of greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.

Brees made 13 Pro Bowls, he's second to Tom Brady in many career passing lists, including most yards (80,358) and passing touchdowns (571). He led the NFL in passing seven times, and had five 5,000-yard seasons and another 4,952-yard season. Brees led the NFL in completion percentage six times. He also helped the Saints to their only Super Bowl title at the end of the 2009 season.

"What an elite club we're part of," Brees said shortly after the Hall of Fame class was announced. "Still pretty surreal, I'd say."

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WR Larry Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald was the third pick of the 2004 NFL Draft and over the next 17 seasons, he was everything the Arizona Cardinals could ask for.

Fitzgerald was an 11-time Pro Bowler, finished second all-time to Jerry Rice with 1,432 receptions and 17,492 yards and sixth with 121 receiving touchdowns. He was also the Walter Payton Man of the Year winner in 2016. Fitzgerald was the total package at receiver, but was legendary for his excellent hands. Fitzgerald rarely had a drop in his 272 career games, including playoffs. That included a trip to and memorable touchdown in Super Bowl XLIII.

LB Luke Kuechly

The only argument against Kuechly was his longevity as concussions cut his career short. Over his eight seasons with the Carolina Panthers, he was among the best defensive players in football. He was first-team All-Pro five times, won Defensive Rookie of the Year and in his second season he was Defensive Player of the Year. His all-around ability at linebacker made him one of the best players of his era.

"The reason we're here is we had great teams, great teammates and great coaches who highlighted what we did really well," Kuechly said after the announcement.

K Adam Vinatieri

Vinatieri had some of the most memorable kicks in NFL history, including two walk-off field goals to win Super Bowls, and now he's the rare kicker in the Hall of Fame.

Vinatieri, who set records for field goals made and attempted and points scored, with 2,673 over his 24 seasons with the Patriots and Colts, was voted into the Hall of Fame. He joins Jan Stenerud and Morten Andersen as the only primary placekickers in the Hall.

RB Roger Craig

Craig was ahead of his time as a dual-threat running back. He was the first to have 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in a season, doing so for the 1985 San Francisco 49ers. That came a year after Craig helped the 49ers win Super Bowl XIX. He scored three touchdowns in that game. Craig played 11 seasons, eight with the 49ers, one with the Raiders and his final two with the Vikings. Craig was one of three seniors finalists for the Hall of Fame this season.

President Donald Trump tours a migrant detention center, dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," located at the site of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida, on July 1, 2025. Credit - Andrew Caballero-Reynolds—AFP/Getty Images

As the Trump Administration seeks to expand its immigrant detention capacity around the country by converting warehouses and other facilities to house thousands of detainees, local communities, government leaders, and even the would-be sellers of some of the buildings are putting up a fight.

President Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" allocated $45 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to build new detention centers, part of a larger $170 million the law put toward immigration enforcement.

The agency has already made moves to acquire buildings to serve as detention centers in at least eight states, with three properties purchased just last month: one for $102 million in Maryland, another for $84 million in Pennsylvania, and a third for $70 million in Arizona.

But as the Administration's aggressive immigration crackdown draws widespread backlash and scrutiny following the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis in January, ICE's efforts to expand its detention network are also facing pushback.

Read more:Inside Mayor Jacob Frey's Fight For Minneapolis

Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippiwroteto Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Wednesday to voice his disapproval of the agency's plan to establish one such facility in his home state.

"While I support the enforcement of immigration law, I write to express my opposition to this acquisition and the proposed detention center," the senator wrote. Noting that in his understanding the facility would have room to house more than 8,500 beds, he added that the town of Byhalia, where it would be located, does not have enough medical and human services to support such a large detainee population.

Wicker is just the latest of a number of leaders who have spoken against the moves to build new detention centers or taken action to block their establishment as residents in many of the surrounding communities have made their own shows of protest.

Here are some of the other places where communities and their representatives are pushing back.

Oklahoma City

In Oklahoma City, the Department of Homeland Security outlined plans to convert a warehouse located near the largely Hispanic Western Heights School District into a detention center. But following weeks of opposition from locals and city council members, the company that owns the warehouse broke off talks with the agency and said it wouldn't be selling.

Mayor David Holt—a Republican—released a statement announcing the decision after meeting with the property owners last week.

"The owners of the property at 2800 S. Council Road confirmed to me this morning that they are no longer engaged with the Department of Homeland Security about a potential acquisition or lease of this property," Holt said. "I commend the owners for their decision and thank them on behalf of the people of Oklahoma City. As Mayor, I ask that every single property owner in Oklahoma City exhibit the same concern for our community in the days ahead."

Salt Lake City

In Salt Lake City, Mayor Erin Mendenhall last month sent a letter to the owner of a warehouse on the city's west side that was rumored to be in ICE's sights stating that if the facility were to be used a detention center it would be in violation of city code, according to theSalt Lake Tribune, which obtained a copy of the letter.

Some 50 Utahns gathered in early January outside of the warehouse to protest the suspected efforts to acquire the building to convert into an ICE facility, carrying American flags and "ICE OUT" signs.

Mendenhall, a Democrat, told the owner of the warehouse that the building would need to have enough bathrooms, exits, and fire emergency systems to satisfy zoning requirements if it were to hold more than 20 "individuals whose movements are restricted in any way," according to the Tribune. She also warned that a detention facility would "have an enormous impact" on the area's water supply and sewage system.

The mayor later called aggressive federal immigration enforcement actions in other cities "utterly deplorable" in a state of the city address. "Such a facility has no place in our city, whether at that site or anywhere else," Mendenhall said.

The 20 Democratic members of Utah's Senate and House of Representatives also sent a letter to the state's four U.S. House members and two U.S. senators calling for them to combat the apparent plans for the facility.

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"We urge you to publicly oppose the placement of an ICE detention facility in Utah, demand transparency and accountability from the Department of Homeland Security and use your oversight and appropriations authority to prevent federal funding from being used to expand immigration detention here," reads the letter.

The Ritchie Group, which owns the warehouse DHS was rumored to be interested in purchasing, last week released a statement saying it had no intention of selling or leasing the property to the government following the pushback.

Kansas City

Federal agents toured another large warehouse, in Kansas City, in mid-January. Democratic Jackson County Legislator Manny Abarca IV, who said he went by the facility to observe after being told DHS was touring it, shared avideoof federal officers shining a flashlight at him and asking him questions while he was in his car. Abarca said in the post that ICE agents confirmed the agency was "looking to place a 7,500 bed facility in this or a similar building in the area."

Hours later, city council members issued a moratorium on approvals for nonmunicipal detention facilities in a 12-1 vote. The moratorium is in effect until Jan. 15, 2031, and covers any permits, zoning, or development applications that would need the city's approval. The warehouse would require a special use permit from the city to operate as a detention center.

"If they want to continue to do business in Kansas City, they need to understand that you are not going to sell out our community for short-term profit," council member Johnathan Duncan, who represents the district in which the warehouse is located,toldlocal NPR affiliate KCUR.

Abarca has said he will seek to impose a similar moratorium on the county level.

The day after the city council approved the measure, the property's owner, independent private investment firm Platform Ventures, toldlocaloutletsin a statement that it was approached with an unsolicited offer to buy the warehouse in October 2025 and that "all negotiations are complete."

"PV does not question prospective buyers on their intent after close, and we will not engage in public conversations involving speculation over future uses," the company said.

Ashland, Virginia

The owner of yet another warehouse eyed by ICE, a 550,000 square-foot facility in the small town of Ashland, Virginia, announced last week that it would no longer be selling the property to DHS after news of the planned sale drew backlash.

"The transaction to sell our industrial building in Ashland, Virginia will not be proceeding," the Canadian company, Jim Pattison Developments, said in astatement.

DHS's acquisition of the building faced opposition from both local residents and leaders, as well as voices within Canada .

Sean Davis, the chairman of the board of supervisors in Hanover County, where Ashland is located, told residents that the board opposed the sale after hundreds gathered at the county administrative building to protest the transaction before it was cancelled.

Amid the outcry, the company said in a statement the week before it announced it was not going through with the sale that it had not been aware of the ultimate owner or intended use of the building at the time that it accepted the offer to buy the warehouse from "a U.S. government contractor."

"We understand that the conversation around immigration policy and enforcement is particularly heated, and has become much more so over the past few weeks," Jim Pattison Developments said at the time. "We respect that this issue is deeply important to many people."

Elkridge, Maryland

Nearby in Maryland, Howard County executive Calvin Ballannouncedearlier this week that the county had revoked a building permit for another planned detention facility in Elkridge.

"The retrofitting of private office buildings for detention use, without transparency, without public input, without clear oversight, is deeply troubling," Ball, a Democrat, said at a news conference on Monday.

At a publichearingabout the proposed facility on Thursday, county leaders said they believed the Administration was seeking to convert a 29,000 office building into an ICE detention center and discussed two proposed bills that are aimed at preventing such a move.

"We all know in this room that an ICE detention facility is not welcome here in Elkridge and it's not welcome anywhere in Maryland," Democratic Rep. Sarah Elfreth, who represents the area in the House, said during the hearing.

Contact usatletters@time.com.

The US military conducted a strike against another alleged drug-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, killing two people, according to US Southern Command.

"On Feb. 5, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations," SOUTHCOMwrote on X, adding that no US military personnel were harmed in the strike.

Donovanassumed command of SOUTHCOMon Thursday and now oversees US military operations and engagements across Latin America and the Caribbean.

At least 119 people have now been killed in strikes on suspected drug boats as part of a campaign, dubbed Operation Southern Spear, that the Trump administration has said is aimed at curtailing narcotics trafficking.

The boat strike is the second known attack of the year.A strike in Januarykilled two people, leaving one survivor.

The administration has publicly presented little evidence that those killed in the ongoing campaign are affiliates of drug cartels, or that each of the vessels had drugs on them. When pressed by lawmakers during congressional briefings, military officials have acknowledged they do not know the identities of everyone on board the boats they have destroyed.

The legality of the strikes has come under intense scrutiny in Congress since the operations began in September, including particular interest in the very first attack, when the militarycarried out a second strikethat killed two survivors of an initial attack. Multiple current and former military lawyers previously told CNN the strikes do not appear lawful.

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The Trump administration has told Congress the US is in an "armed conflict" against drug cartels.

US officials have positioned the boat strikes and a huge military buildup in the Caribbean as a way to stop the flow of drugs into the US, but Trump administration officials previously acknowledged in private that the USpressure campaignhad been aimed at ousting Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

The US military in early January captured Maduro from Caracas and brought him to New York to face criminal charges, which hepleaded not guiltyto last month.

Some members of Congress, as well as human rights groups, have questioned the basis of the strikes and argued that potential drug traffickers should face prosecution, as had been the policy of interdiction carried out by the US before President Donald Trump took office.

The families of two men believed to have been killed in an October military strike on a boat in the regionfiled a lawsuit last weekagainst the US government for wrongful death and extrajudicial killing of the men.

This story has been updated with additional details.

CNN's Haley Britzky and Zachary Cohen contributed reporting.

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