MON SIX

The San Francisco 49ers had injury issues that were out of their control this past season. They overcame those challenges to make the playoffs, but missing several key players undoubtedly capped their potential to make a deeper run.

The NFL's league year doesn't even start until March, but we already know the 49ers have another massive roadblock awaiting them.

The 49ers announced they will play in Mexico City during the 2026 NFL regular season. That's not too unusual, but it is unprecedented that they'll play two international games next season in different continents. Add on the 49ers' announced game in Australia against the Los Angeles Rams, and suddenly travel becomes a big issue.

The 49ers will travel more miles than anyone in the NFL next season and more than any team ever has. That's a hefty challenge no other team is going to be dealing with next season.

A new record for the 49ers

The 49ers will travel more than 38,000 miles. There's the trip to Melbourne, Australia, the one to Mexico City, and also trips to face the Giants and Falcons in the Eastern time zone.

If that sounds like a lot of travel for one season, it is. That mileage will break an NFL record, set by the Chargers when they traveled more than 37,000 miles last season,according to Bill Speros of Bookies.com. That's despite having only eight road games in the 17-game schedule (that Mexico City game is a designated 49ers home game).

International travel can be tough on teams, and it can take a few weeks to feel back to normal. That's why most teams take a bye week after playing an international game. And the 49ers will get two international games. They will be the first team to play two international games in non-consecutive weeks. The Jaguars have played two games in London before. Last season the Vikings played two international games in a row, but both of those were in Europe with one in England and the other in Ireland. What the 49ers are being asked to do hasn't been done before.

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The good news for the 49ers is there is a long break between the two international trips.John Ourand of Puck reportedthe game against the Rams in Australia will be in Week 1, with a specific day to be determined. The Mexico City game, with an opponent that will be determined later, willbe in December.

But, that also means the 49ers have two international trips practically bookending their season.

49ers have a big challenge

The 49ers' leadership is happy to be making that second international trip.

"We are thrilled to return to Mexico and to play in front of one of the most passionate fan bases in the league," 49ers CEO Al Guido saidin a statement. "After two unforgettable experiences in 2005 and 2022 we are excited to reunite with the Mexico faithful."

The players might not be so excited to have 38,000 miles to fly during the season.

This will happen more often with theNFL's stated desireto get to 16 international games. There will be nine during the 2026 season. All that travel will make it tougher on the players, who already have a hard time getting through the expanded 17-game season healthy.

The 49ers know all about that. They had numerous star players miss games last season, though coach Kyle Shanahan did a marvelous job to get them to a 12-5 record. They go right from that strife to having to deal with the toughest travel schedule the NFL has ever seen, at least in terms of flight miles. They have to do that while trying to navigate one of the NFL's toughest divisions, with the Super Bowl champion Seahawks and NFC runner-up Rams.

The 49ers will get to see the world during the upcoming season. There will be a hidden cost attached.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears have promoted pass game coordinator Press Taylor to offensive coordinator to replace the departed Declan Doyle, one of four coaching moves announced by the team on Wednesday.

Bears Offensive Coordinator Football

Taylor was Jacksonville's offensive coordinator from 2022 to 2024. His promotion comes after Doyle left to call plays in Baltimore undernew Ravens coach Jesse Minter.

Coach Ben Johnson will continue to call plays after the Bears made the playoffs in his first season. Chicago's offense ranked sixth overall, with quarterbackCaleb Williams making big stridesin his second year. The No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, he threw for a franchise-record 3,942 yards with 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

The Bears were third in rushing, with D'Andre Swift and rookie Kyle Monangai leading the way. Chicago also committed a league-low 11 turnovers.

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The Bears also hired Eric Studesville as running backs coach, Will Lawing as offensive analyst and Isaiah Ford as offensive quality control coach. A 29-year NFL coaching veteran, Studesville was a Bears assistant in the late 1990s and spent the past eight seasons in Miami, working alongside Johnson for part of that time. Studesville takes over forEric Bieniemy, who left to become Kansas City's offensive coordinator.

Chicago went 11-6 and won its first NFC North title since 2018 after finishing last the previous season. The Bears advanced in the playoffs for the first time in 15 years, rallying to beat Green Bay in a wild-card thriller before losing to the Los Angeles Rams in overtime in the divisional round.

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

Javier Báezhad little choice but offer a full mea culpa, even if the situation proved a little absurd.

"This is all my fault," hetold reportersin Lakeland, Florida regarding apositive test for marijuanathat will prevent him from representing Puerto Rico in next month's World Baseball Classic.

"I'm the one that failed the test. It really hurts my family, my reputation, but it's part of it. Other than that, I got a long season to go, and I got to prepare for that."

Báez, aDetroit Tigers2025 All-Star, would not have been caught up in a positive test simply under MLB's auspices. The league has not tested members of the 40-man roster for marijuana and after the 2019 season stopped suspending minor league players for positive tests for pot.

Yet the World Baseball Softball Federation, which administers the WBC, still considers it a banned substance, even in this era when other governing bodies prefer players use marijuana rather than opioids to manage pain and other maladies.

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His suspension landed at a particularly inopportune time for Puerto Rico's squad, which learned the same week that fellow All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor will not play due to insurance concerns; Lindor eventually suffered a hamate bone injury, anyway.

Báez, 33, is expected to play a key multi-positional role again for the Tigers. He just hoped to rep his home territory in the WBC before then.

"I understand the rules," says Báez, per the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network. "It's not like I was taking steroids or anything to last longer or whatever. They made that decision.

"I'm fine with it – I mean, I'm not fine with it. I just keep my mouth shut."

MLB spring training 2026: Sunshine, good vibes in Arizona and Florida

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Tigers' Javy Baez takes blame for failed drug test that cost him WBC

By Munsif Vengattil

NEW DELHI, Feb 18 (Reuters) - An Indian university has been asked to vacate its stall at the country's flagship AI summit after a ‌staff member was caught presenting a commercially available robotic dog made in China ‌as its own creation, two government sources said.

"You need to meet Orion. This has been developed by the Centre ​of Excellence at Galgotias University," Neha Singh, a professor of communications, told state-run broadcaster DD News this week in remarks that have since gone viral.

But social media users quickly identified the robot as the Unitree Go2, sold by China's Unitree Robotics for about $2,800 and widely used ‌in research and education globally.

The episode ⁠has drawn sharp criticism and has cast an uncomfortable spotlight on India'sartificial intelligenceambitions.

The embarrassment was amplified by IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, ⁠who shared the video clip on his official social media account before the backlash. The post was later deleted.

Both Galgotias and Singh have subsequently said the robot was not a university creation ​and ​the university had never claimed otherwise.

The stall remained ​open to visitors as of Wednesday ‌morning with university officials fielding questions from media about accusations of plagiarism and misrepresentation.

Galgotias has yet to receive any communication about being kicked out from the event, a representative at the booth said.

The India AI Impact summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, which runs until Saturday, has been billed as the first major AI gathering hosted in the Global ‌South. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Google's Sundar Pichai,OpenAI's ​Sam Altman and Anthropic's Dario Amodei will address ​the gathering on Thursday.

The event has also ​faced broader organisational difficulties since opening, with delegates reporting overcrowding and ‌logistical issues.

That said, there has been more ​than $100 billion of investment ​in India AI projects pledged during the summit, including investments from the Adani Group conglomerate, tech giantMicrosoftand data centre firm Yotta.

India's biggest opposition party, Congress, ​was amongst those expressing outrage.

"The ‌Modi government has made a laughing stock of India globally with regard to ​AI," it said on social media, citing the robot incident.

(Reporting by Munsif ​Vengattil in New Delhi; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — U.S.-backed airstrikes and recently expanded ground operations have shifted momentum inSomalia's long-running war against al-Qaida-linkedal-Shababmilitant group, the government says, touting successes in the fight such as efforts toreclaim territory from the extremistsand the targeting of the group's leadership and bomb-making network.

The turn comes at a pivotal moment: African Union peacekeeping forces are gradually drawing down and Somalia is assuming greater responsibility for its own security, nearly two decades after al-Shabab emerged as a dominant insurgent force.

Here is a look at what has changed and what remains uncertain in the conflict.

How Somalia got here

Al-Shabab emerged in the mid-2000s as the armed wing of the now outlawed Islamic Courts Union coalition before aligning itself with al-Qaida. At its peak, it controlled much of southern and central Somalia, including parts of Mogadishu, the country's capital.

African Union troops pushed al-Shabab out of Mogadishu in 2011, but the group adapted, reverting to guerrilla warfare, suicide bombings, and targeted assassinations. It continues to raise millions of dollars annually through taxation and extortion, according to U.N. monitors.

The United States has carried outairstrikes in Somalia for more than a decade. In 2020, during his first term in office, President Donald Trump ordered most U.S. troops withdrawn. In 2022, President Joe Biden approved the redeployment of U.S. forces to Somalia, restoring a more sustained advisory and counterterrorism presence.

Retaking territory from al-Shabab

Authorities say Somali troops have retaken areas in the regions of Lower Shabelle, Hiiraan, Middle Shabelle and parts of Jubbaland that had been under the militants' control for years.

Omar Ali Abdi, Somalia's state minister for defense, told The Associated Press that locations in Lower Shabelle, including Jilib Marka, Gendershe, and Dhanaane, which had long served as al-Shabab strongholds, are now in military hands.

The minister also cited gains in the central Hiiraan region, including Taydaan and Yasooman, and operations near Masjid Ali Gaduud in Middle Shabelle. In the Kudhaa area of Jubbaland, he said joint operations involving regional Darawiish forces and Somalia's U.S.-trained Danab special forces have killed dozens of militants and seized vehicles.

Al-Shabab has not confirmed the reported losses. Access to many contested areas is restricted, making independent verification difficult.

The role played by the US

The U.S carries out airstrikes across areas under U.S. Africa Command, or AFRICOM, targeting al-Shabab leaders, training sites and weapons facilities in coordination with Somalia's federal government.

Abdi, the state minister, said recent air operations destroyed facilities used to manufacture improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, and neutralized explosive-laden vehicles before they could be deployed. He said Somali intelligence services provide verified targeting information.

AFRICOM says it conducts precision strikes and assesses the risk of civilian harm before carrying them out. In past years, U.S. strikes in Somalia have drawn criticism from rights groups over civilian casualties. AFRICOM has acknowledged some cases and says it investigates allegations.

How airpower has changed the battlefield

Mogadishu-based security analyst Abdullahi Ahmed Ali said the expansion of aerial surveillance and strike capability altered what had previously been a more evenly matched fight.

In earlier phases, he said, both government forces and al-Shabab possessed similar types of ground weapons. What the government lacked was sustained airpower and persistent surveillance.

Expanded drone coverage has allowed forces to identify al-Shabab's underground hideouts and supply routes that were previously difficult to reach, he said. Once these locations were targeted from the air, it was easier for the government troops to advance into those areas.

Somali officials say drones now provide early warning of militant movements near Mogadishu, where al-Shabab continues to carry out bombings despite tightened security.

The timing of the renewed offensive is also significant as it coincides with the transition from African Union troops — known as the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia — that are gradually reducing their footprint in the country as Somali forces assume greater control.

Analysts say that makes air support and intelligence coordination with international partners more critical.

At the same time, Somalia faces overlapping pressures, including climate-related drought, political tensions between federal and regional authorities, and funding shortfalls affecting security and humanitarian operations.

Some security experts caution that territorial gains from al-Shabab must be consolidated through governance and services. In previous offensives, al-Shabab managed to move back into areas after government forces withdrew or failed to maintain a presence.

Next steps in a tough fight

Somali authorities say thousands of al-Shabab fighters have been killed since the campaign intensified, including dozens in recent operations in the coastal town of Kudhaa and elsewhere. Those figures could not be independently verified.Experts warn that territorial control in Somalia remains fluid, particularly in rural regions. While government forces appear to have expanded their presence in several areas, al-Shabab is still able to reach vast parts of central and southern Somalia.Somali officials say operations will continue in coordination with international partners, combining ground offensives, intelligence gathering, and reconstruction efforts in retaken towns.According to Abdi, the government plans to rebuild homes and deliver aid in newly captured areas to prevent al-Shabab from reestablishing control. Still, despite the reported government gains, al-Shabab remains one of Africa's most resilient militant groups and a top threat.That means it will now be up to the government to translate gains on the ground into lasting stability. And that will depend on Somalia's ability to secure and govern territory as international peacekeeping forces scale back their role.

Somali authorities say thousands of al-Shabab fighters have been killed since the campaign intensified, including dozens in recent operations in the coastal town of Kudhaa and elsewhere. Those figures could not be independently verified.

Experts warn that territorial control in Somalia remains fluid, particularly in rural regions. While government forces appear to have expanded their presence in several areas, al-Shabab is still able to reach vast parts of central and southern Somalia.

Somali officials say operations will continue in coordination with international partners, combining ground offensives, intelligence gathering, and reconstruction efforts in retaken towns.

According to Abdi, the government plans to rebuild homes and deliver aid in newly captured areas to prevent al-Shabab from reestablishing control. Still, despite the reported government gains, al-Shabab remains one of Africa's most resilient militant groups and a top threat.

That means it will now be up to the government to translate gains on the ground into lasting stability. And that will depend on Somalia's ability to secure and govern territory as international peacekeeping forces scale back their role.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is expected Wednesday to call for a two-year suspension of tax incentives offered to develop data centers amid growing scrutiny over their rapid expansion and impact on communities.

Pritzker plans to advocate for a policy shift in his State of the State and budget address in Springfield under a proposal first shared with NBC News.

At the center of the plan is a two-year pause, effective July 1, on Illinois' data center tax credit program. Pritzker will instruct key state agencies to study the impact of existing data centers on the state's energy grid and consumers and analyze the financial impact the centers have had on the economy. Specifically, the governor's office said it is trying to make sure the centers are financially sustainable over time, protect consumers from soaring energy costs and ensure fair allocation of resources.

Illinois' Democratic-led General Assembly must approve Pritzker's proposal.

Data centers are massive structures that run computer servers that power the growing demands of artificial intelligence. Illinois would be hitting pause on their proliferation as community backlash intensifies across the country, with residents fromOregontoVirginiato Indiana calling on local officials to rein in data center developmentamid rising electricity costsand water consumption.

While a number of states are rushing to create incentives for companies to build data centers, some governors — including potential 2028 candidates — have also moved toward more oversight. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat,recently announceda set of criteria for data center developers to qualify for state resources, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, hasput up some guardrailsaround data center growth.

In Pritzker's proposal, tax incentives would not be available for new data centers for two years, beginning in July. In 2024, Georgia lawmakers sent Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, a bill that would curb existing tax incentives, but Kemp vetoed it.

Data center development once promised a boost to local property tax bases and the promise of jobs. But since they have proliferated, residents have shared concerns about the disruption to their communities relative to their benefit. They have also expressed fear of the unpredictability in advancements with artificial intelligence that could leave the massive buildings stranded.One recent flare-up in neighboring Indianaprompted local officials to deny permitting to a data center proposed in St. Joseph County.

"As a governor who has long prioritized attracting businesses to the state, Gov. Pritzker's decision to pause tax credits meant to lure data centers to build their facilities in Illinois is a significant statement—one other leaders should pay attention to," Kady McFadden, a political strategist in Illinois who has a focus on climate policy, said in an email. "It is clear the governor recognizes these facilities are increasingly politically unpopular and should not lead to higher utilities bills for families. This is a prudent decision on the governor's part as Illinois is beginning a legislative discussion about the future of data centers in the state."

Pritzker's office stressed that Illinois remains welcoming to business growth but is trying to balance development with its impact on consumers. Illinois generates more electricity than it consumes, according to the governor's office, exporting 20% of the electricity it produces.

Related coverage

• Senators introduce first bipartisan effort to curb utility bill hikes related to data centers

• Anthropic to cover costs of electricity price increases from its data centers

• Josh Shapiro to unveil plan for managing the data center boom in Pennsylvania

• How NDAs keep AI data center details hidden from Americans

Pritzker is also expected Wednesday to cast blame on the Trump administration for rising energy costs, saying they were driven by slashing tax credits and loans for affordable, clean energy resources.

Pritzker spoke this month of his hesitancy about data center development in the future.

"I do not want to add data centers that are not paying their fair share and making sure that we're not affecting home rates in any way by having data centers in the state to the extent that we do," he said. "If they do threaten to raise rates, we've got to slow them down and make sure they understand what their responsibilities are. And we're going to be looking at that in the legislature this spring."

Los Angeles LakerscenterDeandre Aytonwas briefly detained Tuesday, Feb. 17 at an airport in the Bahamas before being released, according to Ayton's lawyer Devard Francis.

Francis said Ayton was detained on suspicion of being in possession of a "very small amount of marijuana" while at Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau, Bahamas.

Ayton, a native of the Bahamas, last played for the Bahamian national team in 2024.

Francis said the marijuana had been in someone else's bag, which led to a swift release of Ayton following a brief investigation.

"The investigators saw that the actual very small amount of marijuana wasn't in Deandre's bag, but they still went through their investigations and he was released expeditiously,"Francis told Reutersin a statement.

Players are no longer tested for marijuana and it has been removed from the banned substance list, according to the CBA regulations.

However, marijuana is illegal in the Bahamas.

Ayton, 27, in his first season with the Lakers has averaged 13.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and a block per game.

The Lakers' next game isFriday, Feb. 20at home against theLos Angeles Clippersfollowing the All-Star break

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Deandre Ayton gets caught with weed at airport in Bahamas