GREEN MAG

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Mitchell Starc punished England with the bat rather than the ball in the first session Saturday to help lift Australia to a 116-run first-innings lead on Day 3 of the second Ashes cricket test.

Starc was unbeaten on 46 and Scott Boland was seven not out in an unbroken 34-run stand as Australia went to the long interval at 450-8 almost halfway through the day-night test at the Gabba.

The leading bowler in the series so far with 16 wickets — he took a 10-wicket haul inAustralia's series-opening win at Perth— Starc went into bat in the fourth over Saturday at the end of a 54-run seventh-wicket partnership between overnight batters Alex Carey (63) and Michael Neser.

The Australians had resumed at378-6,a first-innings lead of 44 runs, and Carey quickly raised his 50 with a single off England captain Ben Stokes.

Neser (16) was caught behind later in the same over, and Starc went to the crease with the total at 383-7.

The eighth-wicket pair put on 33 runs, with Starc taking Australia's total past 400 with an attacking boundary against Brydon Carse in the 79th over, before Carey was out in the third over with the new ball.

Carey faced 69 deliveries and hit six boundaries before he was caught behind off Gus Atkinson's bowling.

With Australia at 416-8, the England attack would have been confident of bowling out the tailenders and getting a chance to bat in the bright afternoon sunlight before the first interval.

But in a repeat of Day 2, the English bowlers struggled to get their lengths right consistently, and Starc was more than content to bat for time as he took singles to retain the strike and shield No. 10 Boland from the new ball.

Starc hit back-to-back boundaries against Carse to take the lead past 100.

And he ended the session by hitting the last ball deep into the outfield for three runs to take Australia to 450 and ensure he'll start the middle session on strike.

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BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker, a former Tulane player who was widely seen as a top candidate to take over the Green Wave after Jon Sumrall leaves for Florida, will instead remain with the Tigers, coach Lane Kiffin said in a social media post on Friday night.

Baker "is going nowhere!!!!" Kiffin posted on his X account.

Baker, hired by former LSU coach Brian Kelly, has led the defense the past two seasons and has been one of the highest-paid assistants in college football at $2.5 million annually. Now he's expected to receive a raise under Kiffin, who agreed last Sunday — in the midst of an 11-win season at Ole Miss — to accept a seven-year, $90 million contract to coach at LSU.

LSU ranked 15th in scoring defense this season, allowing 18.3 points per game.

Kiffin's announcement that the 43-year-old Baker will remain on LSU's staff comes on the heels of the Tigers landing a pair of highly rated recruits at defensive tackle: Lamar Brown and Deuce Geralds.

Baker was a defensive coordinator at Missouri before taking he same post at LSU, where he'd also served as a linebackers coach under Ed Orgeron in 2021. Baker also has been a defensive coordinator at Miami and Louisiana Tech. ___

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Quarterback Jake Retzlaff rushed for two touchdowns to help put No. 20 Tulane on the doorstep of earning a College Football Playoff berth with a 34-21 victory over No. 24 North Texas in the American Conference championship game on Friday at New Orleans.

Jamauri McClure rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown for the host Green Wave (11-2), who are in prime position to land a CFP berth as one of the top five conference champions.

Tulane's Chris Rodgers returned an interception for a touchdown, Jack Tchienchou was involved in three big plays and Retzlaff completed 13 of 22 passes for 145 yards and added 49 yards on the ground.

"We knew we were one of the best teams in the country -- G5 or whatever it is -- we knew we were going to win the conference and we'll be in," said Retzlaff, who transferred from BYU to Tulane in the summer.

Tchienchou was selected the game's Most Outstanding Player.

Drew Mestemaker connected on 21 of 34 passes for 294 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions for North Texas (11-2). Tre Williams III and Miles Coleman caught scoring passes and Ashton Gray ran for a touchdown for the Mean Green.

North Texas star running back Caleb Hawkins left early in the second quarter due to a left arm injury. Hawkins is the national leader in both rushing touchdowns (23) and total touchdowns (26). He had 20 yards on seven carries before exiting.

Both coaches were guiding their teams despite landing other jobs. Tulane's Jon Sumrall will become the coach of Florida, and North Texas' Eric Morris is taking over at Oklahoma State.

Sumrall said, "I'm so proud of our players. They finished the job. Conference championship. It's a player-driven team. It's all about the players. ...

"We're going to finish the job. Players, coaches, we're all going to finish the job."

Tchienchou forced a fumble with the blow that caused Hawkins to leave the game. LJ Green returned it 34 yards to the North Texas 37-yard line.

Two plays later, McClure scored on a 7-yard run to give the Green Wave a 14-7 lead with 12:29 left in the half. The lead grew to 10 when Patrick Durkin booted a 30-yard field goal with 5:46 remaining.

Late in the half, Alec Clark's punt hit North Texas' Baron Tipton in the leg and Tchienchou recovered at the Mean Green 13 with 50 seconds left. Tulane cashed in when Retzlaff scored on fourth-and-goal from the 1 as time expired for a 24-7 halftime lead.

Morris said of the muffed punt, "I thought that was a catastrophic play for our football program."

Midway through the third quarter, a deflection off the hands of North Texas' Wyatt Young was plucked by Rogers, who ran 35 yards for a score to give the Green Wave a 24-point lead.

North Texas then drove to a first-and-goal at the Tulane 2. Mestemaker threw the ball to a wide-open Young, and the pass went off his hand and directly to Tchienchou for an interception with 3:58 left in the third.

With 16 seconds remaining in the quarter, Mestemaker hit Coleman on a 59-yard score.

North Texas crept within 31-21 on Gray's 9-yard scoring run followed by his two-point conversion run with 9:26 remaining in the game.

Durkin kicked a 30-yard field goal to boost the Tulane lead to 13 with 2:51 remaining.

Tulane's Jahiem Johnson intercepted Mestemaker in the end zone with one minute left to seal the victory.

In the first quarter, Mestemaker tossed a 10-yard touchdown pass to Williams, and Tulane responded with Retzlaff's 2-yard scoring run.

"I am so proud of these kids and what they were able to accomplish this year," Morris said postgame. "... To watch these guys battle and grow together. I told them in the locker room they need to be proud of themselves. We still have a bowl game to play. We need to find a way to go win that game."

--Field Level Media

Department of Justice officials, citing privilege, did not disclose details on the legal advice given to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about the decision to continue the deportation of more than 100 Venezuelans to El Salvador in March.

The declarations filed in court Friday are a response to a contempt inquiry initiated by U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg, who is determining whetherNoem or anyone elseshould be referred for potential contempt prosecution.

The court filings Friday were submitted after DOJ lawyers said in a filing last week that Noem directed the deportation flights to continue despite Boasberg's order to return the planes to the U.S. as he heard a legal challenge to the administration's use of the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) to deport the Venezuelans, whom the Trump administration accused of being gang members.

Judge weighs potential contempt prosecution referral for Kristi Noem in El Salvador deportations

In her declaration, Noem confirmed she made the decision to continue the transfer of the detainees after receiving legal advice from DOJ leadership and from Joseph Mazarra, the acting general counsel of DHS.

In the filings Friday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, a DOJ official in March who is now a U.S. circuit judge, declined to provide details on the "privileged" legal advice they gave to Noem.

"DOJ has not authorized me to disclose privileged information in this declaration," Bove said.

Mazarra, in his declaration, said that he analyzed Judge Boasberg'sorder that sought to block the deportationsand then provided Noem with legal advice.

"DHS had removed these terrorists from the U.S. before this Court issued any order (or oral statement regarding their removal)," Mazarra wrote in the filing Friday.

In a separate filing, DOJ attorneys said it would be "prejudicial and constitutionally improper" to compel testimony from the officials who submitted declarations in advance of a referral for prosecution.

Judge says he will move forward with contempt inquiry into AEA deportations

"[The] Court has all the information it needs to make a referral if it believes one to be justified, and further factual inquiry by the Court would raise constitutional and privilege concerns," the DOJ attorneys stated.

In response to the declarations, Lee Gelernt, the lead attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, which has challenged the AEA deportations in court, told ABC News "the Trump administration is again refusing to cooperate with a federal court."

In March, the Trump administration invoked the AEA -- an 18th-century wartime authority used to remove noncitizens with little-to-no due process -- to deport two planeloads of alleged migrant gang members to the CECOT mega-prison in El Salvador by arguing that the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua is a "hybrid criminal state" that is invading the United States.

In a March 15 court hearing, Boasberg issued a temporary restraining order and ordered that the planes carrying the detainees be turned around, but Justice Department attorneys have said his oral instructions directing the flight to be returned were defective, and the deportations proceeded as planned.

Boasberg's earlier finding that the Trump administration likely acted in contempt was halted for months after an appeals courtissued an emergency stay. A federal appeals court last monthdeclined to reinstateBoasberg's original order, but the ruling allowed him to move forward with his fact-finding inquiry.

England will begin their World Cup 2026 campaign against Croatia, while Scotland have been drawn alongside Brazil at next summer's tournament.

Thomas Tuchel's England will open their tournament in Dallas or Toronto on Wednesday, 17 June, before also facing Ghana and Panama in Group L.

Scotland's first match at the men's World Cup for 28 years will be against Haiti on Saturday, 13 June, in Boston or New York, followed by matches against Morocco and Brazil in Group C.

Wales or Northern Ireland would join Canada, Qatar and Switzerland in Group B, should either come through two rounds of Uefa play-off matches in March.

The Republic of Ireland could meet Mexico, South Africa and South Korea if they qualify.

The first-ever 48-team World Cup will be held in Canada, Mexico and the United States between 11 June and 19 July 2026.

World Cup 2026 draw in full

*Uefa play-off A: Italy, Wales, Bosnia-Herzegovina or Northern Ireland

*Uefa play-off B: Ukraine, Poland, Albania or Sweden

*Uefa play-off C: Turkey, Slovakia, Kosovo or Romania

*Uefa play-off D: Denmark, Czech Republic, Republic of Ireland or North Macedonia

*Fifa play-off 1: DR Congo, Jamaica or New Caledonia

*Fifa play-off 2: Iraq, Bolivia or Suriname

Where and when each nation will play their matches will be confirmed in a separate draw on Saturday at 17:00 GMT, but there is some certainty at this stage.

After their opener against Croatia - which comes six days after the tournament gets under way - England will play Ghana on Tuesday, 23 June in Toronto or Boston, before their final group game against Panama on Saturday, 27 June in Philadelphia or New York.

Following their first men's World Cup match since 1998 against Haiti, Scotland face Morocco on Friday, 19 June in Boston or Philadelphia, while their meeting with Brazil takes place on Wednesday, 24 June in Atlanta or Miami.

Mexico will take on South Africa at Estadio Azteca in the opening match of the expanded tournament, which will involve 104 matches across 16 cities.

In a major change to the draw, the top four nations in the Fifa world rankings - Spain, Argentina, France and England - have been awarded special seedings which ensure they cannot meet until the semi-finals, assuming each wins their group.

England, the Euro 2024 runners-up, could meet the winner of Brazil's group in the quarter-finals.

If they win Group L, the Three Lions will face one of the eight best-performing third-placed sides in the first round of knockout matches.

Drawn from pot three, Scotland must play Fifa's fifth and 11th best-ranked nations in Brazil - who they will face for a fifth time at a World Cup - and Morocco as they bid to reach the knockout stage.

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There will be 12 groups of four teams at next summer's tournament. The groups were drawn from four pots, into which teams had been placed based on their position in Fifa's rankings.

The top two teams in each group will qualify for the knockout stages, along with the eight best third-placed teams.

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England verdict: 'Difficult group, difficult opener'

England head coach Tuchel oversaw a flawless World Cup qualifying campaign, his team winning all their eight matches without conceding a goal.

Speaking to BBC Sport after the draw, the German said: "Difficult group, difficult opener. Croatia and Ghana [are] two regulars in World Cups and two proud and strong nations. Panama I don't know much about at the moment, but we will before the tournament starts.

"For me, I've only experienced group football in Champions League formats and the way to approach it was to always give it the biggest respect and to put all the focus into winning the group. It always seems difficult, like our group now, but we are confident and we will be well prepared when we arrive."

Croatia were the highest-ranked nation England could have drawn from pot two, and they are the side England lost to in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup.

In the group stage at that same tournament, England defeated Panama 6-1.

"Nobody should be underestimated. Of course Croatia is the standout nation but Ghana is always full of talent, can always surprise and has a big history in World Cup football," Tuchel said.

"Panama will try to make the most of their underdog role. No-one can be underestimated, everyone deserves the fullest respect."

Scotland verdict: 'We'll bring a little bit of magic'

Scotland stunned Denmark with two stoppage-time goals as they secured World Cup qualification in a dramatic winner-takes-all final group game last month.

Nearly three decades after their most recent men's World Cup appearance, they will meet two of the nations they faced at France 98 in Brazil and Morocco, plus the lesser-known quantity of Haiti.

Scotland boss Steve Clarke told BBC Sport: "The draw is fantastic. One of the big things in my head was no European teams, so we're playing three top sides from three different continents of the world and that's what the World Cup is about."

Looking ahead to facing record five-time champions Brazil, Clarke said: "We are going to bring a little bit of magic as well, hopefully.

"It's great to play them. To go back to 1998, when Brazil and Morocco were in the group, that's a little bit of fate."

A World Cup of '104 Super Bowls'

US President Donald Trump was awarded the new Fifa Peace Prize during a star-studded draw ceremony which lasted for more than two hours in Washington DC.

Trump was presented with a trophy, medal and certificate by Fifa president Gianni Infantino and said the award, introduced to recognise an individual's actions for peace and unity, was "one of the great honours of my life".

Fifa president Infantino described the 2026 World Cup for American viewers as equivalent to watching "104 Super Bowls in one month".

The event was presented by comedian Kevin Hart, model Heidi Klum and actor Danny Ramirez, and featured live music performances by Andrea Bocelli, Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger and Lauryn Hill.

Former England and Manchester United player Rio Ferdinand conducted the draw, accompanied by American sporting greats Tom Brady, Aaron Judge and Shaquille O'Neal, and Canadian ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky.

Co-hosts Mexico, Canada and the United States had pre-determined group positions to ensure they will contest all group matches in their own countries.

But Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum each drew their own nation's ball to begin proceedings.

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