Officials at the Justice Department, who spent two months hammering out the criminal plea in the hope of avoiding a long and costly trial, cite Rawl’s comments for helping to scuttle the deal. But other arguments swayed the judge, too. Tax laws would have cut Exxon’s out-of-pocket costs on the $1.1 billion settlement to $440 million, according to the Congressional Research Service. Since the plea included an unusual provision for the public to offer its views on the proposed settlement, critics deluged Holland, a politically conservative Reagan appointee, with letters charging that Exxon was getting off too easy....

The tiger, named Heran, was suffering from B-cell lymphoma and leukemia when vets at Louisville Zoo decided to euthanize him. The zoo said in a press release that it faced a tough scenario, as they would lose both a beloved animal and an important genetic line in the Sumatran tiger population if they euthanized Heran. Sumatran tigers are native to Indonesia and classified as critically endangered. There are only 75 Sumatran tigers in zoological parks across North America, and about 400 to 600 left in the wild....

The latest survey data from Gallup and West Health, which was published this week, showed that 14 percent of American adults would avoid seeking treatment for a fever and a dry cough over concern that they wouldn’t be able to pay for the care. Even when poll respondents were asked specifically if they’d seek health care if they believed they were infected with the novel coronavirus, 9 percent said they would avoid doing so due to the cost of treatment....

Legendary Michigan coach Bo Schembechler and his defensive coordinator Gary Moeller are sitting in a kitchen in Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y., putting the finishing touches on the Wolverines’ 1983 recruiting class. MORE: Top 15 since 2000 | 25 best Big Ten vs. SEC | RECRUITING: Urban vs. Saban They’ve come hundreds of miles to meet with a big, but still growing and gangly project of an offensive lineman who grew up an Ohio State fan: John “Jumbo” Elliott....

Among other things, it’s an opportunity for fans to ridicule someone’s decision-making even when there’s no game being played. Now, you can ridicule that even before the awards are handed out: Here are the votes I cast for the major awards, as part of the national panel of NFL reporters selected by the Associated Press. MORE: Constructing the dream Super Bowl team | Top moments of 2015 The ballots for Most Valuable Player, Coach of the Year and five other annual awards (and the All-Pro teams) were submitted before the first round of the playoffs....

So after another win, after another game where the past shrunk further and further in the rearview, an exasperated Jim McElwain explained the how and why of the best turnaround in college football. MORE: SN Top 50 player rankings | Five things from UF-UGA game “You have to think you’re going to be successful,” McElwain said, pausing to make this point. “All this is not likely to happen if you don’t think you can....

Michael Mairs, also known as “Smirky” on his Twitch channel, is a 22-year-old senior in communications studies at the University of North Texas. He has a following on nearly 16,000 on Twitch where they tune in to watch him play Toontown. Mairs had raised nearly $50,000 for St. Jude since 2018, when he first realized that his hobby could be used to raise money for charity. According to the research hospital, Mairs raised more than $20,000 last year and an additional $15,000 in the first half of 2021 by playing video games and asking for donations....

The China-based woman is only returning to the team for the first time since December 2016 in Cameroon where she played a key role in the country’s record eight title win. Ebi will get the chance to start with the armband in her first match under coach Thomas Dennerby, with captain Chikwelu and vice-captain Oshinachi Ohale missing the trip. The Sweden-based duo of Chikwelu and Ohale had featured for their clubs last Sunday but are both expected to join the team in Lagos ahead of the second leg in Lagos next Monday....

Dermatologists often see two instances of onycholysis: Distal onycholysis: Nail plate separation beginning at the far edge of the nail and proceeding down toward the cuticle (most common). Proximal onycholysis: The separation starts in the cuticle area and continues up the nail. This article describes the common causes of onycholysis and the treatment options. Common Causes of Onycholysis Onycholysis can be a sign of many different nail traumas or conditions....

The decision comes months after many European Union (EU) countries announced sanctions against Russian oil and the United States government pleaded with Saudi Arabia not to decrease oil production. The announcement puts increasing pressure on the countries who have issued sanctions against Russian oil and, in turn, Europeans could see prices climb even higher. The climbing prices could increase political tension as countries struggle for a solution and potentially even fold their sanctions....

That was opening day, round 1. The “real” opening day is April 4, when 22 teams open their seasons, while the Tigers and Marlins will start on April 5. MORE: Every MLB team’s greatest strength | Can Bonds, Mattingly really help Marlins? MLB opening day starters Arizona Diamondbacks (Zack Greinke) vs. Colorado Rockies (Jorge De La Rosa), Monday, April 4, 9:40 p.m. Atlanta Braves (Julio Teheran): vs. Washington Nationals (Max Scherzer), Monday, April 4, 4:10 p....

The president is expected to sign an executive order on Tuesday, which aims to give Americans priority access to vaccines before they are distributed abroad, White House officials confirmed Monday. In an interview Tuesday with George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s Good Morning America, when asked to explain the executive order, Operation Warp Speed chief Dr. Moncef Slaoui said: “Frankly, I don’t know, and frankly I’m staying out of this. I can’t comment....

Four days later, Winfrey is in perfectionist mode. Looking back at the December issue of her new magazine, O, she holds up the cover and winces. “Ooh, there’s a mistake!” she says, pointing to the word “generosity,” which she thinks should have been in bigger type. Annoyed with herself for not spotting it sooner, she grabs a stack of past issues and starts flipping. “Didn’t like that.” Flip. “Nope. Never got that right....

Known for their fondness of napping, cats can usually be found in the best seat in the house, be it the bed, the sofa or on your laptop. One pet was enjoying a well-earned rest on the couch, perched on a comfy cushion, when their owner noticed the fabric pattern was creating a bizarre optical illusion. Dr. Claire Hardaker, whose bio indicates she’s a forensic linguist, shared a snap to Twitter on Wednesday, of her fluffy pet in front of a depiction of a deer....

Judge Elena Liberatori’s ruling declared that Sandra was legally not an animal, but a non-human person. That meant the orangutan was entitled to some legal rights enjoyed by humans, plus better living conditions, reports The Miami Herald. “With that ruling I wanted to tell society something new, that animals are sentient beings and that the first right they have is our obligation to respect them,” Liberatori said. The 2015 ruling came after animal rights campaigners filed a habeas corpus petition—a document more typically used to challenge the legality of a person’s detention or imprisonment—on behalf of the orangutan....

The pod of killer whales was spotted near Iceland this week by researchers with the Icelandic Orcas research program, but a similar phenomenon was observed in the summer of 2021 by the nonprofit group Orca Guardians Iceland. According to a post on social media by the Icelandic Orcas group, the team was studying a group of playful orcas when they saw the baby whale. “Amongst the orcas was what appeared to be a newborn pilot whale....

Additionally, the Clackamas cities of Sandy, Oregon City and Canby have all been put on a Level 2 evacuation alert. A Level 2 alert indicates a significant risk in which residents should either voluntarily relocate or be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. By Thursday evening, the Oregon Office of Emergency Management told the Associated Press that over 500,000 people across Oregon have been evacuated due to the wildfires....

Trudy Logan, owner of Springfield restaurant Along Came Trudy, was fined $9,215 by state authorities for two violations of the state’s temporary rules to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The first involved willfully ignoring capacity limitations, and the second was a failure to enforce mask wearing across staff and customers. The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced the fine on Wednesday. OSHA launched an investigation after receiving multiple complaints the cafe had disregarded public health orders despite the fact it was located in a county labeled Extreme Risk....

Considering the Ducks began 2016 in the No. 24 spot in the AP Top 25, expectations were high. But with three straight losses in the Pac-12 already, fans are getting upset with the product on the field. And usually when that happens, changes are made. MORE: Best photos from Week 6 Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens isn’t ready to make those changes yet. Speaking to Duck Insider, the AD says there’s still time for coach Mark Helfrich to make something out of this season....

Antonio Gonzalez-Salinas, 51, was detained by Medford Police detectives on Tuesday after the 21-year-old victim, who is not being named, contacted officers in the early hours of February 9 to report an assault that allegedly occurred as she was being driven to a friend’s house. According to police, the victim was found after family members tracked her phone and discovered her “upset and crying.” Investigators determined Gonzalez-Salinas picked the woman up from downtown Medford after she had been out drinking with friends into Sunday morning....