Many believe that NASCAR’s radical idea, which would expand the Chase to 16 drivers and create an elimination-based winner-take-all championship, is preposterous and yet another gimmick to manipulate the competition. MORE: Pockrass: Chase move another gimmick | Tweaks could enhance winning | Do drivers back move? | Should Wendell Scott be in Hall? But what if NASCAR has a hidden agenda, a less-obvious motive that actually might win over fans?...

The Washington Post reported Thursday that the former speaker of the House of Representatives was teaming up with Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to come up with a list of policies to prioritize during the upcoming election cycle. “[McCarthy] really does want to drive home that we can’t just have a negative anti-Biden campaign — we need a positive message, too,” Gingrich told the newspaper. “I think that’s clearly what McCarthy wants to do and I’ve offered to look at stuff and offer advice....

“Once you qualify and start claiming payments for it, whether or not you’re taxed on the payments that you get from Social Security or Social Security benefits, depends on how much income you have, based on a modified adjusted gross income formula,” Caroline Bruckner, an accounting and tax professor at American University, told Newsweek. However, if you’re below a certain income threshold, none of your Social Security benefits are taxed....

Katzenberg asserts in a lawsuit that Disney owes him $250 million in bonuses. Disney counters that the former Disney Studios chairman lost his right to more bonuses by leaving the company when he did. In his 1984 and 1988 contracts, Katzenberg apparently was granted 2 percent of the studio’s adjusted operating income from all movies and TV shows he put into production. The contract was signed before the animated films started to hit with “The Little Mermaid” in 1989....

They shared their financial situation to Mumsnet, under username Depositdilemma, as they explained they and their partner are buying their first house. “We are hugely grateful for this and can’t afford to buy in our current area without their help,” they said in the post, seen here, which has amassed more than 280 replies since being posted Tuesday. They claimed their mom and dad are now “interfering in our search,” which is thought to be in London....

The traditional gift to exchange is typically a diamond when marking a 75th anniversary. But for Ulysses and Lorraine, recreating their wedding was how they decided to celebrate three-quarters of a century of marriage. The Dawsons threw their second wedding where they exchanged their vows in front of the five generations of family they created. “The knot was tied awful tight. And it’s still holding,” Ulysses, 94, told WCHS, a local affiliate station....

Cobb County Police is investigating after Justin and Amber Hicks, both 31, were found dead at their home in Acworth at around 9:30 a.m. on Thursday. While searching the property on Verbena Drive, officers found a 2-year-old child who was unharmed. The toddler is now being looked after by family members. In a statement issued to the press, Cobb police spokesperson Sergeant Wayne Delk said the double homicide took place at some point between Wednesday night and Thursday morning....

“I was her bridesman this was my ‘speech,’” read the text over Tyler Conroy’s video, which was shared to his account @tyvid5 and viewed over a million times. “Flash mobbed my ex girlfriend’s wedding with a ‘[Mamma] Mia!’ moment.” Giving a speech during a wedding requires planning and thought. Public speaking experts gave some insight on how to successfully deliver a wedding speech in an article published by Brides Magazine....

Stodden, who uses the pronouns they/them, exchanged nuptials with Hutchison in Las Vegas back in 2011, with parental consent. Per Nevada law at the time, those under 18 could marry with parental consent. With no minimal limit in the state at the time, parental consent and a judge’s sign-off was required for under-16s. Recounting the experience in an appearance on the latest episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, Stodden, whose divorce from the Lost actor was finalized in 2020, told host Alexandra Cooper that their relationship started over email....

Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister, repeated the call for negotiations. He did that in his United Nations General Assembly speech on the 24th, when he urged Ukraine and Russia to reach a settlement to “keep the crisis from spilling over.” Western analysts say Beijing’s promotion of talks shows that China is trying to distance itself from Vladimir Putin’s failing effort to annex Ukraine. That interpretation is undoubtedly incorrect. A more accurate view is that the Chinese regime is trying to rescue Russia....

“The signal given by the military drills is that we are determined to stop Taiwan independence, and stop Taiwan from working with the US. We are doing it with action,” Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said to reporters on Tuesday. Ma’s comments come as former U.S. Senator Chris Dodd and former deputy Secretaries of State Richard Armitage and James Steinberg are headed to Taiwan for a meeting that the White House considers a “personal signal” of Biden’s commitment to the island’s democracy, according to the South China Morning Post....

Radio intercepts sent to Newsweek included at least 17 airborne warnings aimed at People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes. The warnings were broadcast by Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) radio operators between 5:48 a.m. and 10:43 a.m. local time, but the precise number of intruding aircraft was initially unclear. Reached by Newsweek, the office of Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense spokesperson declined to comment on these developments. The department later announced that it had detected 28 Chinese military planes—a single-day record....

Grant Newsham, who was the first Marine liaison officer to the Japan Self-Defense Forces, told Stars and Stripes on Tuesday that the U.S. needed to clarity its intention to fight and even risk nuclear war on behalf of the democratic island claimed by Beijing. “Make it clear to the Chinese leaders that they will lose everything if they start a war over Taiwan,” said Newsham. “The U.S. also needs to take the lead and help Taiwan break out of 40 years of military and diplomatic isolation....

The Cleveland Cavaliers guard has left Nike and signed with Chinese company Peak, which is scheduled to release a unique shoe called the “Delly 1.” MORE: Ranking every NBA Finals rematch | Curry over LeBron comparisons According to The Vertical, the shoe will be released July 1. The move seems a little ridiculous considering Dellavedova, an Australian native, averages just 5.7 points per game. However, it could entice the wanna-be bad boys across the sport, since Dellavedova was voted the league’s dirtiest player with a reputation for diving into other players’ legs....

Whether or not Rev. JianGang “Frank” Lan returns to the United States from China to face trial, his case could be significant, law enforcement officials told Newsweek, for ongoing investigations into potential illegal activity by Jang’s network of churches, businesses and education establishments, collectively known as Olivet. While Jang’s followers have been in legal trouble for nearly a decade, this is the first time that prosecutors have charged a pastor from any church linked to Olivet or that any criminal charge has pointed to a connection with anyone in China....

Meanwhile, Mulan had a much rougher weekend at the Chinese box office, despite Disney’s big publicity push in the country, along with it being set in China and featuring a Chinese cast. The live-action take on the much-loved animated classic brought in $6.5 million in its second weekend in China, a drop of 72%, for a total of $36 million there and $57 million worldwide. VOD and Disney+ will add to those totals, but it will nevertheless be seen as a disappointment considering it cost an estimated $200 million to make....

The Bruins lost 24-14 at Cincinnati on Thursday — the second season-opening loss in as many seasons to the Bearcats. It’s not so much that UCLA is 0-1 again. Cincinnati is a Group of 5 buster that might play in a New Year’s Day Six Bowl in Luke Fickell’s third season. It’s that the Bruins looked more than one year away in a loss that showed several of the same shortcomings as last season’s....

It all happened with such numbing swiftness. Just two weeks after his predawn agony, Ponzo’s medical options were dwindling. As his hope for life faded, replacing it was not the peaceful certainty of death but the terrifying unknown of dying. His body could not tolerate more surgery. Although poisonous wastes were building up in his system, dialysis had to be halted because it triggered his angina. He was slipping in and out of consciousness; soon his lungs would be no more able to gather in oxygen than a punctured balloon....

Christie, who supported the former president until Trump refused to accept his election loss, said that he didn’t want to make predictions about the presidential race and was unsure if he or Trump would campaign again. The former governor is a potential GOP candidate for the White House as the party waits to see if Trump commits to another campaign. “I don’t know that he’s going to run. I don’t know whether I’m going to run,” the former governor told CNN’s Dana Bash during the second episode in CNN’s new “Being …” series that focused on Christie....

Chris Colbert lost a one-sided unanimous decision to Hector Garcia, who pulled off the massive upset despite stepping in on short notice, Saturday night at The Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. MORE: Josh Taylor avoids huge upset with controversial home decision Colbert (16-1) was originally set to face Roger Gutierrez for the WBA super featherweight title, but Gutierrez tested positive for COVID-19 and was pulled from the fight....