Now that she's back, how much will Caitlin Clark play for Team USA?

Indiana Fever starCaitlin Clarkwillplay in her first game in eight monthson Wednesday, March 11.

But don't expect Clark to play big minutes as part of Team USA's FIBA World Cup Qualifying roster, playing in Puerto Rico from March 11-17.USA Basketball coach Kara Lawsonand her staff will figure out what lineups work best and two other points guard ― veteran Chelsea Gray and fellow newbie Paige Bueckers ― are also on the roster.

"This is a different stage," Clark said. "You're not going to come out here and be the star player. That's not how it's going to be for USA Basketball. You're going to find a way to help the team win. You're going to find a way to compete to the best of your ability."

Team USA plays Senegal on Wednesday (5 p.m. ET, TNT/HBO Max), marking Clark's first game since July 15, when she strained her right groin in Boston against the Connecticut Sun. That strain, her fourth muscle strain of the season, knocked her out of the WNBA All-Star Game. An ankle injury in early August forced her to miss the remainder of the WNBA season as the Fever advanced to the semifinals.

After extensive rehab and practice to get back to 100%, Clark is ready to go. It will be her debut on the USA Basketball Senior National team. She admits some butterflies.

"Maybe nerves, to a certain extent, but probably almost like butterflies," Clark said. "Like, this is a super cool opportunity. And if you didn't feel that way, you probably don't really care enough about it. Like, certainly that's how I feel about it.

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"I haven't played basketball in eight months, so getting to do it at this level for my first time back, like there's no better way than to get tossed out into the fire and figure it out. ... I'm going to be hyped up and probably a little anxious, but in a good way."

USA Basketball has already qualified for the World Cup, which is set for Sept. 4-13 in Berlin, but the organization is playing in the qualifying tournament to get reps for younger players and try out lineups and rotations.

How to watch Team USA: Schedule

All times Eastern

USA vs. Senegal

truTV,DIRECTV, HBO Max

Puerto Rico vs. USA

truTV, DIRECTV, HBO Max

USA vs. Italy

truTV, DIRECTV, HBO Max

New Zealand vs. USA

truTV, DIRECTV, HBO Max

Spain vs. USA

TNT, DIRECTV, HBO Max

Team USA Women's World Cup Qualifying 2026 - Team Roster

Below are the players selected to represent the U.S. at the upcoming FIBA Women's World Cup qualifying tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

• Monique Billings

• Paige Bueckers

• Rae Burrell

• Caitlin Clark

• Kahleah Copper

• Chelsea Gray

• Dearica Hamby

• Rhyne Howard

• Kiki Iriafen

• Kelsey Plum

• Angel Reese

• Jackie Young

Get IndyStar's Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with ourCaitlin Clark Fever newsletter.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:How much will Caitlin Clark play for USA in FIBA World Cup Qualifying?

byCosmopolite

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March 10, 2026

Now that she's back, how much will Caitlin Clark play for Team USA?

Indiana Fever starCaitlin Clarkwillplay in her first game in eight monthson Wednesday, March 11. But don...

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2 more members of the Iranian women’s soccer team have been granted asylum in Australia

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Two more members of theIranian women's soccer teamwere granted asylum in Australia before their teammates departed, the country's Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Wednesday.

Women's Asian Cup Soccer Iran Philippines

The pair has been reunited withfive playerswho were granted humanitarian visas a day earlier, Burke told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday. One of those in the later group was a player and the other a team staffer, Burke said, and both sought asylum before their teammates were transported to the airport.

The rest of the team's departure from Sydney, Australia to return to Iran late Tuesday local time happened during fraught and outraged protest at the team's hotel and at the airport, where Iranian Australians sought to prevent the women from leaving the country, citing fears for their safety in Iran.

Their flight departed late Tuesday.

Burke said that as the women passed through security at Australia's border, they were each taken aside individually by Australian officials and interpreters, without minders present, and were made offers of asylum. Some called their families in Iran to discuss the offer, he added, but no further members of the delegation decided to remain in Australia.

"They were given a choice," he said. "In that situation what we made sure of was that there was no rushing, there was no pressure."

Those who have sought asylum received temporary humanitarian visas, which have a pathway to permanent residency in Australia, Burke said. He added that some members of the delegation were not offered asylum because they had connections toIran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.

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The Iranian team arrived in Australia for the Women's Asian Cup last month, before theIran warbegan on Feb. 28. The team wasknocked out of the tournamentover the weekend and faced the prospect of returning to a country under bombardment.

Iranian groups in Australia had urged the government to prevent the women from leaving the country after the team drew widespread news coverage in Australia when players didn't sing the Iranian anthem before their first match. The players didn't speak publicly about their decision not to sing and later saluted and sang the anthem before their other games.

It was not clear exactly how many people were in the delegation, but an official squad list named 26 players, plus coaching and other staff.

Burke rejected suggestions that Australian officials should have done more to prevent the women's departure.

"Australia's objective here was not to force people to make a particular decision," he said. "We're not that sort of nation."

The minister said he had viewed widely-published footage that appeared to show one of the women being lead by the hand from the team's hotel on Queensland's Gold Coast to their bus by her teammates. Whether that constituted coercion was a matter for local Australian police, Burke said.

The Iranian team became popular figures in Australia throughout the tournament. The premier football club in the city of Brisbane, the nearest major city to where the women were based for the tournament, posted to social media Wednesday inviting the women who had sought asylum in Australian to train with their club.

byCosmopolite

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March 10, 2026

2 more members of the Iranian women’s soccer team have been granted asylum in Australia

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Two more members of theIranian women's soccer teamwere granted asylum in Australia be...

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Inside the “Today” Show's Temporary Host Plans as Savannah Guthrie's Mom Remains Missing After 6 Weeks

Hoda Kotb will continue anchoring Today as Savannah Guthrie remains off-air amid her mother's disappearance

NEED TO KNOW

• Sheinelle Jones and other anchors will occasionally join Kotb in the rotation, PEOPLE can confirm

• Nancy Guthrie has been missing for 38 days, and Savannah remains focused on supporting her family

Hoda Kotbwill remain at theTodayshow anchor desk as the search forSavannah Guthrie's missing mother,Nancy Guthrie, continues.

PEOPLE can confirm Kotb will cover for Savannah, as other anchors, includingSheinelle Jones, will take turns rotating in when needed.

Kotb, 61,has been co-anchoringTodayalongsideCraig Melvinsince Feb. 6 after Nancy disappeared in the early morning hours of Feb. 1. Jones sat beside Melvin during the first week of Savannah's absence.

Savannah has remained off the air since her mom's disappearance. She traveled to Tuscon, Ariz., for the first month of the investigation before returning to New York City last week.

On March 5, aTodayspokesperson confirmed in a statement that Savannah "stopped by the studio this morning to be with and thank herTodaycolleagues. While she plans to return to the show on air, she remains focused right now supporting her family and working to help bring Nancy home."

Guthrie's return does not have a date. Her mother has been missing for 38 days.

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On Friday, March 6, Carson Daly and hisTodaycolleagues Laura Jarrett, Dylan Dreyer,Al RokerandCraig Melvin— all of whom continue to wear yellow ribbon pins in support of the Guthrie family — reflected on Savannah's set visit the day before.

Daly said the visit "wasn't planned," noting Savannah came to the studio, spoke "from the heart" and greeted the "entire crew" atToday.

"[She] said the most perfect words you could ever imagine and looked every one of this family in the eyes," he said.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE'sfree daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Daly added, "I don't think it can be said enough. People watch this show and think, 'Oh, these are people who have to like each other for a few hours and they call themselves a TV family.' But we do life together and there is something very special about this group. And yesterday was one of the most special days, not just in our lives professionally, but personally."

Anyone with information about Nancy's disappearance is asked to please contact 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or the Pima County Sheriff's Department 520-351-4900.

Read the original article onPeople

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March 10, 2026

Inside the “Today” Show's Temporary Host Plans as Savannah Guthrie's Mom Remains Missing After 6 Weeks

Hoda Kotb will continue anchoring Today as Savannah Guthrie remains off-air amid her mother's disappearance ...

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Stephen A Smith reveals devastating moment his father said he would never 'be anything'

Sports commentatorStephen A. Smithopened up about the devastating comment from his father that changed his life and motivated his rise.

Now a successful ESPN commentator and influential media voice, Smith once was told he would never amount to anything. He recalled the moment on the"Hang Out with Sean Hannity"podcast, saying he overheard his parents discussing his intelligence.

"My father said, 'He's just not smart. You know he's not going to be anything, and you just need to accept that right now,' and when my mother turned around and saw me seeing him say that, she was aghast," Smith told Hannity on the podcast's premiere.

"She was appalled and all of that stuff, and he just shrugged his shoulders and turned around and walked away," he added.

Stephen A Smith Warns Democrats 'I Ain't Giving You Anything,' Challenges Them To Earn Black Votes

Smith revealed in his memoir"Straight Shooter"that he suffered from undiagnosed dyslexia and has spoken about his struggles with reading. While he was a talented speaker, reading comprehension remained a struggle. He told Hannity the cold comments from his father came after he washeld back from advancing a gradein school for the second time.

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"My mother thought that was going to [be] something that was incredibly devastating for me, and it hurt. I'm not denying that it did. But something inside of me just was motivated to prove him wrong," said Smith.

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Stephen A Smith Calls Zion Williamson A 'Food Addict,' Suggests Pelicans 'Encouraged' Him To Rip Nba Star

He also revealed he was ridiculed by neighborhood kids for being held back in school.

Carville Doubles Down On Urging Ilhan Omar To Leave The Democratic Party After She Blasted White Males

"That memory still stays with me because when I got left back the second time, and this time permanently held back for the whole year, I'm sitting on the back porch, and I'm crying because I'mbeing laughed at and ridiculedby the kids in the neighborhood because all kids can be very cruel," he said.

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Smith was the first guest onFox News anchor Sean Hannity's new twice-weekly podcast, released Tuesday. Also on the podcast, Smithshut down rumorshe may consider running for president in 2028.

Speaking with Hannity, he said if he has to "give up money, it's not happening." The Democrat also noted he would be willing to vote for Secretary of StateMarco Rubioover some other prominent Democrats.

Original article source:Stephen A Smith reveals devastating moment his father said he would never 'be anything'

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March 10, 2026

Stephen A Smith reveals devastating moment his father said he would never 'be anything'

Sports commentatorStephen A. Smithopened up about the devastating comment from his father that changed his life and moti...

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Travis Kelce Weighs in on Mom Donna's 'Massive' Home Renovations: 'She Could've Called Me'

Travis Kelce poked fun at the internet's obsession with his mom Donna's current home renovations

NEED TO KNOW

• The Chiefs star said he "didn't even know" Donna was making "big, massive" renovations to her home

• Travis said his mom "could have called me" if she needed someone to "screw some door hinges in"

Travis Kelceis weighing in on the internet's hottest topic: his momDonna'shome renovations.

As the internet continues to crank out memes and discourse about Donna's ongoing home renovations, whichTMZannounced last week, Travis, 36, is also joining in on the fun.

Pat McAfee brought up Donna's big news during Travis's appearance onThe Pat McAfee Showon Tuesday, March 10. McAfee asked the tight end if he would "please post the renovations" that Donna is making to her home, which prompted a big laugh from Travis. "I didn't even know she was doing these things," Travis said. "If she needed a guy to come screw some door hinges in, she could have called me, but I guess she's doing a big, massive renovation," he added.

McAfee talked about the "breaking news" becoming such a hot topic and joked, "What a time to be alive." Travis repeated, "What a time to be alive," as McAfee said goodbye to the NFL star via video call.

Jason Kelcewas the first family member to joke about Donna's home renovation becoming news. In a post on X on March 7, Jason, 38, quoted TMZ's post with the report andwrote, "BREAKING!! Sources confirm Donna Kelce's eldest son watched 2 hours of Bluey yesterday."

Fans joked in the replies as well,writing, "Really??? I heard Madonna washed her own laundry yesterday," and anotherjoking, "I already know the biggest news of March will be Donna Kelce's renovation so I'm ready to lock it in."

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Another popular post on Xsaid, "daylight savings happened purely to give donna kelce an extra hour of daylight to renovate her home."

Anaccountdedicated to Donna's renovations, @DonnaKelceReno, was created in honor of the internet joke.

Even the official Empire State Building's account joined in on the fun, writing, "Congrats to Donna Kelce on remodeling her modest Florida home!," with a photo of the iconic New York City landmark.

Donna's home renovations became such a topic of internet discourse that the joke prompted the creation of hundreds of memes, with some earning more than 86,000 likes and reposts on X, and nearly overshadowing the news of the Chiefs star's return to the NFL.

When the news broke that Kelce was returning to Kansas City, one user on Xjoked, "Travis Kelce? Donna Kelce of Donna Kelce's home renovation's son?"

And another user quoted one post saying that March was "not the right time to break up with anybody," andadded, "Not during Donna Kelce's home renovation, no."

Read the original article onPeople

byCosmopolite

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March 10, 2026

Travis Kelce Weighs in on Mom Donna's 'Massive' Home Renovations: 'She Could've Called Me'

Travis Kelce poked fun at the internet's obsession with his mom Donna's current home renovations NEED...

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Valerie Bertinelli recalls Eddie Van Halen saying that 'letting her go' was his 'biggest mistake'

Valerie Bertinelliis still heartbroken over the loss of her ex-husband,Eddie Van Halen— and she's immortalized their relationship on the page.

In her new memoir,Getting Naked: The Quiet Work of Becoming Perfectly Imperfect, Bertinelli reflects on her two-and-a-half-decade marriage to the rock legend, recounting several heartfelt memories with Van Halen.

"It still breaks my heart that he ran out of time, because he was so there," Bertinelli writes of the musician, whodied at age 65in 2020. "He so wanted to be the right person, the good person that he already was. His heart was always pure. He was such a good man."

She goes on to say that Van Halen, with whom she shared a son, spent his final year "making amends" to the people in his life.

"He was cold-calling them. It was sweet— and that was Ed at the core, sweet," she recounts. "He wanted to make it right with me, too. I was told that every time I would walk out of a room, he would look around and say, 'The biggest mistake of my life was letting her go.' In our own way, we never did let go."

After meeting backstage at one of Val Halen's concerts, Bertinelli and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee tied the knot in 1981 and welcomed their son,Wolfgang Van Halen, in 1991. They were married for 26 years before their December 2007 divorce, which Bertinelli describes inGetting Nakedas "amicable" even during "the most difficult times of our split."

She explains, "We hurt each other's feelings, but we always tried to do the right thing."

TheTouched By an Angelstar shares that the former couple was very intentional about voicing that love for one another, especially during the final months of Van Halen's treatment for cancer.

"At the last Thanksgiving we shared, he took me outside and opened his heart in a way he said was way past due," she recalls. "We both did. We found a place of deep love and forgiveness for our past mistakes. My final words to him when he was taking his last breaths in the hospital were 'I love you.' I'm so grateful to have had that sense of lightness."

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Toward the end of the book, Bertinelli describes their relationship as "a flawed love" but reiterates that it was real. "I knew him for 40 years," she wrote. "Even when we were angry, we stayed loving. It changed, evolved, and grew back different but stronger than it had been at the beginning of our relationship. It healed us."

Bertinelli previously voiced a similar sentiment onThe Drew Barrymore Show, where she serves as a lifestyle expert and member of "Drew's Crew." Back in October 2025, she explained that she hasnever considered her marriage to Van Halen to be a "failure,"regardless of the fact that they eventually went their separate ways.

"We grew, we didn't work... but I don't feel like it was a failure because there were many years there that were so happy. And I have Wolfie," she explained on the show. "I just can't think of it as a failure, because I still have deep love for the man even though he's not here."

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with ourEW Dispatch newsletter.

A year prior to that, Bertinelli got candid about mourning Van Halen in a now-deletedInstagram video, making it clear that she loved the musician but did not consider him to be her soulmate.

"After Ed died, I was more than willing to put myself in the 'grieving widow' category for a man that I hadn't lived with for 20 years," she shared. "What we had together was this beautiful son that we both unconditionally loved... That's what I got out of that marriage: Wolfie, the best thing that ever happened to me. Not a soulmate."

After ending her marriage to Van Halen, Bertinelli married businessman Tom Vitale in 2011, but the pair split in 2022.

Getting Naked: The Quiet Work of Becoming Perfectly Imperfectis now available in stores.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

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March 10, 2026

Valerie Bertinelli recalls Eddie Van Halen saying that 'letting her go' was his 'biggest mistake'

Valerie Bertinelliis still heartbroken over the loss of her ex-husband,Eddie Van Halen— and she's immortalized their...

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Phillies, LHP Jesus Luzardo finalize $135M extension

Phillies left-hander Jesus Luzardo finalized a five-year contract extension worth $135 million on Tuesday, a deal that keeps him in Philadelphia through the 2031 season.

Neither side wanted to consider other options. Luzardo was entering the final season of his previous contract, which remains in place for 2026. The extension kicks off next season, and the Phillies hold an option for 2032 worth $32.5 million.

"I love the organization," Luzardo said at a press conference Tuesday attended by every teammate still present at spring training. "Top to bottom."

Luzardo, 28, is coming off a career year in which he went 15-7 with a 3.92 ERA, 216 strikeouts and 57 walks. He pitched 183 2/3 innings across 32 starts.

He said his bond with teammates and trust in the organization compelled both sides to get a deal done.

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Team president Dave Dombrowski said he has been motivated since October to make sure Luzardo was part of the organization's future. It's not uncommon for Dombrowski to extend pitchers before deadlines arrive, with a similar tactic applied with right-hander Zack Wheeler.

The Phillies have their entire starting rotation under contract through at least 2027: Wheeler, Luzardo, Cristopher Sanchez, Aaron Nola and Andrew Painter. Sanchez and Wheeler were National League Cy Young runners-up in 2025 and 2024, respectively.

Luzardo pitched in Games 2 and 4 of the 2025 NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, starting the former before appearing as an extra-innings reliever in Game 4. Though he took the loss in both games, he gave up just three runs (two earned) over 7 2/3 innings for a 2.35 ERA, with eight strikeouts and one walk.

Philadelphia acquired Luzardo from the NL East rival Miami Marlins in a December 2024 trade. In seven major league seasons with the Oakland Athletics (2019-21), Marlins (2021-24) and Phillies (2025), he is 41-41 with a 4.19 ERA, 775 strikeouts and 237 walks in 137 appearances (121 starts).

--Field Level Media

byCosmopolite

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March 10, 2026

Phillies, LHP Jesus Luzardo finalize $135M extension

Phillies left-hander Jesus Luzardo finalized a five-year contract extension worth $135 million on Tuesday, a deal th...

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