MON SIX

Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday will miss Opening Day due to a broken hamate bone in his right hand, general manager Mike Elias announced on Wednesday morning.

Holliday, who sustained the injury during live batting practice last Friday, will undergo a procedure to address the issue on Thursday. His timeline for recovery likely will be measured in weeks, per Elias.

"It's a pretty common baseball injury for a very long time, happens to hitters a lot and it's nothing concerning long term, but he's going to miss some time," Elias said. "You're not going to see much of him here in Sarasota."

Holliday, 22, batted just .242 with 17 homers and 55 RBIs in 149 games last season.

He is the top overall pick of the 2022 MLB June Amateur Draft and the son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday.

New acquisition Blaze Alexander likely will take the younger Holliday's place in the field.

"I just feel for Jackson," manager Craig Albernaz said. "He had a great offseason and comes in here early and he's looking great, and a freak thing (happens). ... But his mindset right now is great. He's going to get the surgery and go through the process of rehab and he'll be ready to go."

Also on Wednesday, Elias announced third baseman Jordan Westburg is nursing a right oblique injury. The injury, however, is not expected to prevent Westburg from playing at the start of the regular season.

--Field Level Media

You have questions about the2026 NBA All-Star Game, which for the first time pits the USA vs. World in a round-robin tournament of three teams across four 12-minute games.

It is confusing, and the story of how we got here is a long and winding one, featuring a ton of wrinkles to the format, each of which has failed to inspire competition from the players.

Let us summarize that story for you, as we answer your questions.

When is the 2026 NBA All-Star Game?

The 2026 NBA All-Star Game is on Sunday at 5 p.m. ET on NBC.

Prior to that: The celebrity game, Rising Stars competition and HBCU Classic will be held in succession on Friday, beginning at 7 p.m. ET; and the slam dunk and 3-point contests, as well as the return of the Shooting Stars competition, will highlight All-Star Saturday, which begins at 5 p.m. ET.

NBC will air all events for the first time since 2002.

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Where is the 2026 NBA All-Star Game?

The Los Angeles Clippers will host the 2026 NBA All-Star Game at the Intuit Dome, which opened its doors to fans in 2024. The arena features a uniquewall of standson one end.

An interesting wrinkle: Steve Ballmer's Clippers are currentlyunder investigationby the NBA for allegedly circumventing the salary cap. Kawhi Leonard, whose alleged no-show job at Ballmer-funded Aspiration is central to the investigation, is an All-Star this season.

Who is in the 2026 NBA All-Star Game?

The rosters, as selected by conference, in alphabetical order:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Deni Avdija, Portland Trail Blazers

Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors

Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns

Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics

Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks

Kevin Durant, Houston Rockets

Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons

Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers

Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons

Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves

Brandon Ingram, Toronto Raptors*

Shai Gileous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks

Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder

Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers

LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers

Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers

Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

Norman Powell, Miami Heat

Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers*

Pascal Siakam, Indiana Pacers

Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets

Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks

Alperen Şengün, Houston Rockets*

Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

* Alperen Şengün was named as an injury replacement for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal strain). Brandon Ingram was named as an injury replacement for Stephen Curry (knee). NBA commissioner Adam Silver also selected Kawhi Leonard to the game in order to balance the rosters under the new USA vs. World format.

What is the new All-Star Game format?

The new format will feature a round-robin tournament between three teams — two made up of players from the United States (USA Stars and USA Stripes) and a third consisting of international competitors (Team World). Each roster must include at least eight players.

Because theoriginal 24 All-Star selectionsresulted in nine international players and 15 from the U.S., the commissioner added Leonard to the U.S. player pool.

Here's how the teams have been divided for the 2026 All-Star Game:

USA STRIPES

Scottie Barnes

Jaylen Brown

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Devin Booker

Jalen Brunson

Deni Avdija

Cade Cunningham

Kevin Durant

Luka Dončić

Jalen Duren

Brandon Ingram

Nikola Jokić

Anthony Edwards

LeBron James

Jamal Murray

Chet Holmgren

Kawhi Leonard

Alperen Şengün

Jalen Johnson

Donovan Mitchell

Pascal Siakam

Tyrese Maxey

Norman Powell

Karl-Anthony Towns

Victor Wembanyama

Each team will face each other once in the elimination stage:

• Game 1: Stars vs. World

• Game 2: Stripes vs. Game 1 Winner

• Game 3: Stripes vs. Game 1 Loser

• Game 4: Championship

The two teams with the best records will advance to the championship game. If all teams finish the round robin with a 1-1 record, the two teams with the highest point differential will play each other for the title.

Each game will be 12 minutes.

In last year's All-Star Game round-robin tournament, each member of the winning team received $125,000 and each member of the runner-up team received $50,000.

So why is there a new format, and why is it so confusing?

The All-Star Game was once held between teams from the Eastern and Western conferences, facing each other in what looked a lot like an NBA game — four 12-minute quarters and intense competition among the greatest basketball players in the world.

Somewhere along the way, most likely as parties and corporate sponsorships took greater priority throughout the weekend, the players stopped caring as much about competition.

As players took the game less seriously, scores for the first time soared into the 190s in 2016 and 2017, and in 2018 the NBA changed its All-Star Game format for the first time.

For six years, the NBA named two captains who selected their 12-man teams from the 24-player field. That stretch featured a number of wrinkles, includingan Elam Endingand a playground-style draft, each meant to inspire more competition among the players, and each failing most every year.

• 2018: Team LeBron 148, Team Stephen 145

• 2019: Team LeBron 178, Team Giannis 164

• 2020: Team LeBron 157, Team Giannis 155

• 2021: Team LeBron 170, Team Durant 150

• 2022: Team LeBron 163, Team Durant 160

• 2023: Team Giannis 184, Team LeBron 175

The January 2020 death of four-time All-Star Game MVP Kobe Bryant, who epitomized effort across 18 appearances in the exhibition, did inspire an uptick in intensity that year, when a team captained by LeBron defeated one captained by Antetokounmpo 157-155.

The resurrection of the All-Star Game was short-lived, however, and in 2024 Silver reverted to the East vs. West format.It did not go well, as the East beat the West 211-186.

So, Silver instituted a just-as-confusing round-robin tournament last year, featuring three teams of All-Stars and a fourth of Rising Stars, and that, obviously,did not go well, either (Shaq's OG's beat Chuck's Global Stars 41-25).

Rather than scrap the game entirely, ending what was once one of its signature events, Silver made another effort to inspire the same from the players in this confounding USA vs. World round-robin format.

The only thing that will truly change the level of competition is care from the players, who are more incentivized to remain healthy for the teams that pay them millions. If — and that's a big if — the new format inspires increased competition from players who want to represent their countries, much like the Olympics elicits effort, bring it on.

Houston Astros closer Josh Hader's availability for Opening Day is in doubt because the left-hander is dealing with biceps soreness, manager Joe Espada told reporters Wednesday.

Hader, a six-time All-Star, resumed his throwing program at the team's first workout with pitchers and catchers Wednesday. Espada revealed Hader had been shut down from throwing for more than a week earlier this winter after imaging on his left arm showed biceps inflammation.

Neither Espada nor Astros general manager Dana Brown could say if the injury would keep Hader off the Opening Day roster.

"I don't know really the timeline on it," Brown said Wednesday. "The good thing is he was ramping it up and was on his fourth (bullpen session). The first three were seamless. The good thing is he feels good right now, he's been feeling good for a few days and he's going to throw today."

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The injury is not believes to be related to the left shoulder capsule strain that caused Hader to miss Houston's final 46 games last season, the first time he had been on the IL in nine seasons for anything but an illness. Hader told reporters at a charity event in December he felt "back to normal" from the shoulder capsule injury.

Hader was 6-2 with a 2.05 ERA over 48 appearances with the Astros last season and was 28-for-29 in save opportunities.

The 31-year-old has 227 saves over nine big-league seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers (2017-22), San Diego Padres (2022-23) and Astros (2024-25). He is 34-31 with a 2.64 ERA in 468 career relief appearances.

--Field Level Media

Aaron Chown - Pool/Getty

NEED TO KNOW

• Prince William is spending the third day of his visit to Saudi Arabia at AlUla, a world heritage site

• The Prince of Wales is focusing on seeing the conservation and regeneration efforts in the historic region

• It comes as the royals weather the storm over the latest revelations in the Epstein files

Prince Williamis spending a day in Saudi Arabia learning about the conservation efforts in the desert kingdom.

The Prince of Wales, 43, is on the third and final day of his visit to the country and was taken to a historic area.

In AlUla, William was taken to the Sharaan Nature Reserve, where he met rangers helping the crucial conservation efforts being made to protect the area's natural wildlife and landscape. William has championed rangers and other wildlife guardians around the world (and made aseries of short filmsabout wildlife heroes around the world), and supports them through backing thecharity Tuskand rewarding them through his Earthshot Prize andUnited for Wildlife coalition.

Then, deeper into the reserve, Prince William heard about the tree-planting initiative and learn about the fragile ecosystem's geology of the area. The rangers help protect native species and have been undertaking a reintroduction program to bring back gazelles, Arabian oryx and the critically endangered Arabian Leopard and restore acacia woodlands.

Aaron Chown - Pool/Getty

Later, in AlUla Old Town, the royal heir was shown around a building named for his title: Prince of Wales House. The U.K.'s new cultural space is based there, and he was shown some of the collaborations between Saudi Arabia and the U.K. on culture, creativity and regeneration.

The prince was expected to join in and help some young Saudis with the final stage of painting for the building's renovation.

Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace

Prince William is visiting the country on behalf of the U.K. government and as a crucial part of his diplomatic role as heir to the throne.

As he has continued with his travel, William's trip has been dogged by headlines about what's happening back in the U.K.: the reaction to the ongoing revelations from the release of theJeffrey Epstein-related files by the Department of Justice.

On the day of his arrival, he and his wife,Kate Middleton, 44,issued a statementaddressing the situation and reiterating support for the victims of the late convicted sex offender.

Later that day,King Charles' team at Buckingham Palace said that they supported the police as they assessed a complaint alleging that and allegations that the King's brother, the formerPrince Andrew,shared confidential informationrelated to his role as a trade envoy with Epstein.

Towards the end of the day, William, accompanied by Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Culture and Governor of the Royal Commission for AlUla, met artists who have been working on a project with the educational and cultural body, the British Council, to spread knowledge about the regeneration of the Old Town and its central role in AlUla's cultural comeback.

Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

William is scheduled to end the three-day tour by meeting farmers at AlUla's Oasis and Eco-Gardening Farm and learn about their commitment to sustainable farming and to preserving AlUla's rich agricultural history.

The Eco-Gardening Farm promotes the area's traditional agriculture and creates links between farmers, the local population and travelers through ecotourism, agricultural training and educational workshops for schools in the community.

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PARIS (AP) — Marine Le Pen's appeal trial over allegedmisuse of European Parliament fundsis ending Wednesday with one question looming above all others: will the French far-right leaderbe able to run for presidentnext year?

France Le Pen Trial

Le Pen, 57, is challenging a March 2025 verdict that found her and over 20 other members of her National Rally party guilty of misusing European Parliament funds in the hiring of aides from 2004 to 2016 and banned her from holding elected office for five years.

She denies accusations she was at the center of a fraudulent system meant to siphon off European Union funds.

The outcome of the appeals trial will be announced at a later date, likely before summer.

Here's why the outcome of the five-week trial at the Paris appeals court may change the course of France's 2027 presidential election.

Le Pen's presidential ambitions could hinge on the case

Le Pen was widely seen as a top contender to succeed centrist President Emmanuel Macron in the 2027 election until a Paris court banned her from holding office over charges of misusing public money.

She was twice a contender in the run-off against Macron in 2017 and 2022 and her National Rally party has been coming out on top in opinion polls in recent years.

The appeals trial is a second chance to win an acquittal that would clear her path to the presidential race.

If convicted, Le Pen could be sentenced to a ban on holding an elected office. In that case, she has said, her 30-year-old protege Jordan Bardella would run instead.

Bardella's popularity has surged in recent years, but some observers have pointed to his relative lack of experience, especially with international and economic affairs, as a potential weakness for a presidential bid.

Le Pen is accused of diverting EU parliament funds to her party

Le Pen is joined in her appeal by 10 other officials who were convicted last year, as well as the party itself.

They're seeking to overturn convictions for misusing funding meant for European parliament aides between 2004 and 2016, while Le Pen was serving as a member of the European parliament.

Prosecutors say she hired several people as EU parliamentary aides but made them work for her party instead. The investigation showed some of the people had no contact with members of the EU parliament at all, and one acted as Le Pen's bodyguard in violation of parliamentary rules.

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Appeal trial offers a second chance

In March 2025, a Paris court ruled that Le Pen was at the heart of "a fraudulent system" that her party used to siphon off EU Parliament funds worth 2.9 million euros ($3.4 million). She was given afive-year ban from holding elected office, two years of house arrest with an electronic bracelet, and a further two-year suspended sentence.

Le Pen denounced a "democratic scandal," while anti-corruption campaigners argued that her conviction was proof that no one is above the law.

Advocacy group Transparency France noted that the verdict came after years of investigation and a lengthy trial in which Le Pen and other party members were able to freely defend their positions.

House arrest sentences are on hold until the appeal is resolved.

The earlier verdict is not expected to influence the trial that ends Wednesday, which began afresh. In France, criminal defendants have the right to ask a higher court to re-hear their case after conviction.

Le Pen told court she believed she was following parliamentary rules

During the appeal trial, Le Pen acknowledged some employees paid as EU parliamentary aidesperformed work for her party, then known as the National Front, but insisted that she believed such work was allowed and never attempted to hide it.

"The mistake lies here: there were certainly some aides, on a case-by-case basis, who must have worked either marginally, more substantially, or entirely … for the benefit of the party. And voilà," Le Pen told the three-judge panel.

She also reproached EU Parliament officials not warning her party, at the time, that the way it was hiring people was potentially against any rules.

"We have never concealed anything," she insisted.

Prosecutors say Le Pen must have known hiring was against the rules

Prosecutors argued the financing of employees by EU money was unfair to other domestic political parties and that Le Pen, a lawyer by training, could not have failed to notice the discrepancy between aides' actual jobs and the contracts they signed.

One prosecutor, Stéphane Madoz-Blanchet, pointed to "public money siphoned off drop by drop until it formed a river." He denounced "a system" led by Le Pen.

"The acts of misappropriation of public funds were deliberately and carefully concealed," he said.

Thierry Ramonatxo, another prosecutor, said the alleged misappropriation of public funds represents "a very serious breach of probity" that gave the party "a concrete advantage in the form of substantial savings made at the expense of the European Parliament."

They have asked the court to ban Le Pen from holding elected office for five years and to sentence her to one year under house arrest with an electronic tag.

All flights to and from El Paso International Airport in Texas have been canceled for "special security reasons," the Federal Aviation Administration said early Wednesday.

"No pilots may operate an aircraft in the areas covered by this NOTAM," the FAA said, using the abbreviation for Notice to Airmen. It listed the reason as "temporary flight restrictions for Special Security Reasons."

It did not elaborate on why the restrictions had been put in place for El Paso, which borders Mexico.

The restriction for the airspace over El Paso and the neighboring community of Santa Teresa, New Mexico came in at 6:30 a.m. UTC, or coordinated universal time (11:30 p.m. ET). It will end at the same time on Feb. 21.

The airport confirmed the development in a travel advisory issued on social media, saying that all flights "including commercial, cargo and general aviation" were grounded.

"Travelers should contact their airlines to get most up-to-date flight status information," it added.

The FAA did not immediately respond to a request for further comment from NBC News.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is visiting Turkey on Wednesday as part of an effort tosustain dialogueat a time when tensions between the two long-time rivals are rising.

Mitsotakis, who is expected to be accompanied by a delegation of senior ministers, will meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the so-called High-Level Cooperation Council — afence-mending initiativethat was launched to improve ties between the two NATO allies.

Greece and Turkey remain at odds over a series of issues, including maritime boundaries, Cyprus, and drilling rights in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean seas. Turkey has also voiced unease over a growing defense and energy cooperation betweenGreece, Israel, and Cyprusthat sidelines Ankara and which some view as a an effort to counter Turkey's influence in the region.

Greece and Turkey have come to the brink of war several times over the last half-century. A dispute over energy exploration rights in 2020 led to the two countries' warshipsfacing off in the Mediterranean.

In recent weeks, Greek officials have reaffirmed Greece's right to extend its territorial waters in the Aegean to 12 nautical miles (22.2 kilometers) from the current six. Turkey — whose parliament in 1995 declared such a move as a "cause of war" — has criticized the comments as unacceptable and argues that the extension of the territorial waters would violate its rights, severely restricting its maritime access.

The high-level talks in Ankara are expected to concentrate on a "positive agenda" — cooperation in trade, energy, education, and cultural ties — and no progress is expected on any of the contentious matters.

Both countries are also locked in a dispute over Cyprus, divided since 1974 between its ethnic Greek and Turkish populations. For the past seven years, Turkey has rejected a long-standing agreement for a reunified Cyprus under a federal system. Instead, Ankara and the Turkish Cypriot administration, which is only recognized by Turkey, have proposed a two-state solution.