As many as 12.5 million Americans could already be saddled with COVID-related medical debt, based on a LendingTree survey conducted in March. The nationally representative poll found that 60 percent of the respondents polled had medical debt, with about 10 percent stemming from the virus; the amount typically owed ranged from $5,000 to $9,999. That suggests the collective debt for COVID treatment so far could be between $60 billion and $125 billion....

But it is, because seeing is believing. And everybody who pays attention to the NFL’s hiring practices knows that interviewing is not hiring. Too often, interviewing is checking off a box, then chasing after just about anybody except them — then repeating the cycle the next offseason. Those who keep NFL team’s feet to the fire about the spirit of the Rooney Rule are torn this time of year. Interviews have merit of their own, because they lead to future interviews, and they get minority coaching candidates into the pipeline....

Scheffler told The Associated Press on Wednesday that having three concussions over the past four years had "a lot" to do with his choice. He had 258 receptions for 3,207 yards and 22 touchdowns in his eight-year career. The Detroit Lions released Scheffler in October. He later had workouts with Chicago and Kansas City and says there was "moderate" interest in him as a free agent this offseason. Denver drafted him in the second round in 2006 out of Western Michigan and traded him four years later to Detroit....

What better way to be safe than to purchase Champ Prophylactics. If you have about $150 lying around, you could be the owner of these old-timey condoms. I wouldn’t recommend using them, but they’re a nice keepsake to have. Ted Williams and Jack Dempsey are featured on two of the boxes, with an unidentified football player on the other. Williams and Dempsey each had three children, so perhaps they weren’t the best spokesmen for contraceptives....

Because this much is true: Confederate flags will fly because memories of a rebellious past, of the great lost cause, will not die. And this weekend, expect to see the notorious battle flag displayed in great numbers at South Carolina’s Darlington Raceway. MORE: Chase scenarios | Darlington time, TV | Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the flag | Ban is a must This is, after all, the Southern 500, in a sport that embraces its southern heritage....

The potential removal of the holiday comes as many states are working to rid themselves of remaining Confederate symbols and statues amid the ongoing reckoning with racial injustice in the United States. The South Carolina bill began as a proposal to add another state holiday on June 19 to coincide with the Juneteenth celebration, which commemorates the emancipation of slaves in the U.S. On June 19, 1865, two months after the end of the Civil War, Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and informed slaves that they had been freed....

The move may be related to protests against police brutality and racism that have erupted throughout the U.S. after the May death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd. Confederate monuments across the country were damaged in ensuing demonstrations. According to information from Florida station WZVN, the statue was removed by the Sons of the Confederacy with permission from the city. Newsweek reached out to the Florida Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the Fort Myers Police Department for comment....

For a major public official to admit profound error is extraordinarily rare, perhaps unprecedented, in American history. Of course, losing a war was unprecedented for the United States, too. But even failed efforts rarely yield apology. In his memoirs, Jefferson Davis could not bring himself to acknowledge major error by the Confederacy. And Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger, Who could have exited Vietnam in 1969 on the same terms they obtained in 1973 (more than 19,000 American lives later), never expressed the slightest contrition over their choices....

He qualified in the top 10 for the Daytona 500, but his car failed post-qualifying inspection and he has to start at the rear of the field Thursday night in the Budweiser Duel qualifying races. MORE: Dale Jr. on dad: ‘I thank God he lived’ | Dale Sr. through the years He has a car he believes can win the Daytona 500 for the second consecutive year, so what does he do on Thursday?...

To be sure, neither of us initially appreciated just how charming a name Leslie Leslie is. Leslie herself was discomfited by its essential preposterousness and stuck with her serviceable but lusterless maiden name till we’d been married about a year. Then, emboldened by the delight our friends took in her prospective appellation, she at last took my name, in the process doubling her own. She immediately discovered that her new name is both a guaranteed conversational icebreaker and a sure means of detecting a sense of humor....

I’ve called out the science deniers on the issue of masks and immunity, pushed back against draconian lockdowns that have no scientifically proven benefit and, most recently, asked some very important questions about the origins of a virus that has killed nearly 3.5 million worldwide. We don’t know whether the pandemic started in a lab in Wuhan or evolved naturally. But we should want to know. During the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on May 11, I specifically asked Dr....

Democrats and Republicans were able to find common ground this week on the $2.1 billion bill as they looked to support Capitol law enforcement and translators who assisted U.S. troops in Afghanistan. As the deadline for U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan is only weeks away, the bill eased some of the requirements for Afghan allies to obtain visas in anticipation of potential Taliban vengeance. The other funds included in the bill would go toward Capitol police salaries, the National Guard and the security of the Capitol’s windows and doors....

Bankman-Fried was arrested in the Bahamas Monday and charged with wire fraud, securities fraud and money laundering, one day before he was scheduled to testify before the House Financial Services Committee. He began facing scrutiny over his financial dealings earlier this year. In November, the beleaguered cryptocurrency exchange declared bankruptcy, meaning its investors could be left with nothing. The FTX CEO also made headlines for donating millions of dollars to Democratic candidates throughout the 2022 midterms, including Auchincloss, the vice chair of the Financial Services Committee....

Meanwhile in East Lansing, things couldn’t be better. Michigan State leads the Big Ten, is No. 8 in the country and hopes to repeat as the conference champion, a feat the Spartans haven’t accomplished since 1966. MORE: Connor Cook in photos | MSU flips script on Michigan | Don’t dismiss Michigan State from title talk The only thing that could make it better (besides a 35-11 thumping of Michigan last weekend) would be MSU’s star quarterback announcing he plans to return for his senior year....

No one makes the game of hockey look easier than McDavid, and that hasn’t changed this season. The Oilers captain has 27 points in the first 13 games of the season. He’s right back atop the league’s leaderboard in that category, and while it’s still very early in the year, the superstar looks to be on his way to contending for a third consecutive Art Ross Trophy. But this start has been special, even by McDavid’s standards....

TSN reported Saturday that the Edmonton captain injured his posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). He is expected to to be ready for training camp in September. The Oilers released a statement Friday, indicating McDavid would begin rehab soon: “The Oilers medical staff, in collaboration with top orthopedic specialists, have determined a rehabilitation protocol for Connor McDavid, which will begin immediately.” McDavid went down after he crashed into the goal post during the second period of the game after he got caught up with Flames defenseman Mark Giordano....

Conor “The Destroyer” Benn — son of legendary fighter Nigel “Dark Destroyer” Benn — steps into the ring for the second time against Cedrick Peynaud of Paris, France. This time, it will be for the vacant WBA Continental Welterweight championship on the undercard for Dillian Whyte vs Joseph Parker at the O2 Arena, London. The first time these two fought was at the famous York Hall in London, Dec. 13, 2017 in which Benn won on points....

TMZ reporter Charlie Cotton is apparently known to McGregor, and once again got on the featherweight champion’s bad side, with a query relating to possible veiled racism used by the Irishman during his press conference with Diaz on Wednesday. MORE: McGregor’s most notorious moments | UFC 196: Time, card, odds, how to watch “Do you think your opponents are running scared? This is the second time in a row this has happened,” Cotton asked, referring to a fighter pulling out of a bout against McGregor....

But the housing crisis affects more Americans every year—educated, middle-income young people, not just the unemployed and fixed-income retirees. Less than 50 percent of millennials, the largest generation by population, owned a home in 2020, compared to 78 percent of baby boomers. Conservatives cannot turn a blind eye to something so fundamental. Nor should we let our cities, home to 83 percent of Americans, become unlivable slums. American metropolises were not always blighted concentrations of crime and ugliness....

Next week 140,000 geeks and gadget freaks will descend on Las Vegas and (largely) eschew wickedness for widgets. Gambling will take a back seat to gawking at gewgaws from Jan. 7-10 as some 2,700 exhibitors unveil 20,000 new products spread over 1.8 million square feet of convention hall. And what happens in Vegas, contrary to conventional wisdom, will likely not stay there. If device makers and content providers have their way, it will be beamed, streamed, Bluetoothed, plasma-screened, GPS’d, microscopically USB’d and otherwise hardwired into your home, office and car before too long....