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General Daily Insight for April 14, 2024

Give up or fight on — it’s up to us! When the emotional Moon snaps at perfectionist Venus at 11:24 am EDT, criticisms can cut to the quick and injure our feelings. Later on, the Moon elevates dedicated Saturn, providing us with stable and grounded energy to pursue our goals and make real progress. Finally, the Moon trines fiery Mars, bringing us a burst of ambition and energy that comes from within. Let’s use how we feel to motivate ourselves to grow.

Aries

March 21 – April 19

You might be your own worst critic. This may be something that’s a common practice with you, or it may be something that comes after a rare failure that damaged your faith in yourself. While it can be easy to beat yourself up in the aftermath of an issue, you’ll be happier overall if you forgive yourself first. After that, you can figure out what changes will help you avoid future problems. Remember, every mistake is just a step closer to knowing what’s right!

Taurus

April 20 – May 20

Someone that you respect may unexpectedly chastise you. That being said, even if you didn’t expect them to come right out and say it, you were likely aware that an authority figure didn’t approve of some aspect of your life. While this can be discouraging, you’re not always going to agree, and that’s okay. You’re allowed to agree to disagree and continue to do what brings you joy. After all, you’re not the same person, so you’re not going to like all the same things!

Gemini

May 21 – June 20

You aren’t raining on anyone’s parade — but others might be acting as though you are. As you build security in life, whether through your finances or in your career, it’s sadly likely that your friend group is less than supportive of your recent dedication to chasing your goals or saving for the future. It could even be that they don’t approve of your plans or ideas at all, but this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t move forward. Prove the naysayers wrong!

Cancer

June 21 – July 22

The high standards of someone else may weigh on your day. Whether they hold themselves and everyone around them to these lofty standards or try to make an example of you after your behavior displeased them, their opinion likely won’t be relevant in the near future. What’s actually important is that you concentrate on listening to your dreams and making them come true, as the ambition and progress that you currently have access to might be for a limited time only.

Leo

July 23 – August 22

A mentor could have some tough love for you at the moment. This can be disheartening, especially if you look up to them, because criticism from them probably hits deeper than criticism from a peer or a stranger. It’s likely that they’re saying whatever they’re saying to you because they want you to grow from the place that you’re in now. It’s easy to get frustrated, but having a little more patience will go a long way with hearing and enacting constructive information.

Virgo

August 23 – September 22

Rumors and gossip could be taking on a life of their own. A peer is possibly telling tales about you, particularly if you haven’t been around a certain group of friends lately. This frenemy may attempt to take advantage of your connections or your talents — rather than trying to make similar success happen for themselves, they might be trying to take yours or to at least set you back. Remember, don’t stoop to their level! Just keep doing what you’re doing.

Libra

September 23 – October 22

You’re able to be a positive leader at present, but it can be difficult to assign any less popular tasks to those you’re leading. You probably want to make everyone around you happy! While this is sometimes possible, it’s more often extremely difficult, if not impossible, to find a solution that truly makes everyone happy. Instead of running yourself ragged in every direction at once, consider taking a few moments to highlight your health and ensure you’re running on all cylinders. Take care of yourself!

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21

Hidden enemies may unintentionally reveal themselves to you. This is likely to be through something that you learn about or from them — either information that they let slip while talking to you or gossip about you that they’ve been spreading that has made its way back to you through another source. This can be hurtful, but it also allows you to move forward with a clearer mind and without their efforts to hold you back. Let go of those who don’t support you.

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21

Get accustomed to your own approval. You might be continuously looking to others for affirmation that you’re doing the right thing or are on the right track with art or your lifestyle. True, other perspectives can be valuable, but it’s a bad idea to avoid appreciating your perspective. Otherwise, you may find yourself lost in a maze of other people’s thoughts, potentially even alienated from yourself. Pay attention to what your heart is telling you, not only the opinions of others.

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19

A support system can bring you out of your shell. You could be struggling with being too insular — maybe you avoid working with others and feel like you have to do everything yourself in order to be taken seriously. While the desire to have an independent vision is understandable, it’s worth remembering that a lot of things take a village. Movie credits list more than just the director, after all! There is nothing wrong with collaborating. Just make sure you communicate your ideas.

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

Being open to change can improve your current routine. While you may feel like it’s too much to alter long-held patterns or to memorize different habits, it’s important to at least make an effort to adapt to shifting circumstances. Attempting to stay in the past or refusing to leave a rut might leave you feeling stagnant, potentially even trapped in your own feedback loop. Making small, achievable edits and not pushing yourself too hard or fast are the keys to success.

Pisces

February 19 – March 20

You might be tempted to take risks you wouldn’t expect from yourself. This could be because you feel like others aren’t respecting your needs or are egging you on into risky behavior. It’s important to be aware of where this desire to go out on a limb is coming from. If it’s driven by others, especially others who don’t necessarily have your best interests at heart, it may be wise to step back and rethink this dicey decision. Time for a little risk/reward analysis!

By BECKY BOHRER and MEAD GRUVER (Associated Press)

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — President Joe Biden nudged further ahead in the Democratic nomination for reelection by winning party contests in Wyoming and Alaska.

As two of the least populated states, Alaska and Wyoming play minuscule roles in both intraparty and general election voting in presidential election years.

Biden effectively clinched the Democratic nomination on March 12 with the Georgia primary and is now all but certain to face former President Donald Trump as the Republican nominee in November.

ALASKA

Alaska Democrats held a voice vote for their party-run preference poll at in-person and virtual district meetings. The party announced Saturday that Biden won 15 pledged delegates.

Biden was the lone candidate eligible to receive votes after the other Democrat to qualify, Dean Phillips, suspended his campaign last month. The vote was held during meetings where other party business is conducted.

The polling was delayed a week. Democrats had planned a ranked vote election by mail on April 6 but those plans changed when only Biden and Phillips qualified for the ballot and when Phillips suspended his run.

Changes to their plan were approved by the Democratic National Committee.

There were no provisions for write-ins or uncommitted, said Lindsay Kavanaugh, the Alaska party’s executive director.

“There is no option to vote nay,” she said. “You can abstain. You don’t vote yes or no, you vote for a candidate.”

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The party proceeded with a vote, even with just one candidate, “to make sure we’re as inclusive as possible,” she said, and to avoid any inference that party leaders were deciding candidates themselves.

WYOMING

Biden won in Wyoming, where polling determined which candidate got the state’s 17 national delegates.

The caucuses also decided who goes to the state Democratic convention on June 1 in Casper. There, 13 of Wyoming’s national convention delegates will be chosen.

Wyoming’s other four “automatic” national delegates are the state party chairman, vice chair and two national committee people, who have not yet pledged for Biden or anyone else.

Gruver reported from Cheyenne, Wyoming.

By MARC BOWMAN (Associated Press)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Lionel Messi scored his fifth goal and added an assist and Luis Suárez tapped in the winner in the 71st minute as Inter Miami CF defeated Sporting Kansas City 3-2 on Saturday night in front of the third-largest crowd in MLS regular-season history.

Many of the 72,610 who filled Arrowhead Stadium to see Messi weren’t disappointed as he delivered deft passes to create scoring chances — and had a highlight-reel goal.

Messi’s left-footed blast from the top of the penalty arc pushed Miami CF (4-2-3) in front 2-1 in the 51st minute. It was his fourth straight MLS game with a goal.

“It was an amazing goal,” Miami midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi said. “He does this all the time, so it doesn’t surprise me at all. It’s normal from a guy like him.”

With Inter Miami CF trailing 1-0 in the 18th minute, Messi assisted on Diego Gómez’s first-touch right-footer in the middle of the box to tie it.

“The pass that Messi makes and the second goal, the ball that he hits where he hits it from, you don’t see that much in the MLS,” Sporting KC coach Peter Vermes said. “They can punish you.”

After a defensive mistake by Sporting KC, Suárez converted Gómez’s crossing pass inside the 6-yard box for the lead. It was Suárez’s team-leading sixth of the season and tied him for the league lead.

“We lost the ball three times,” Vermes said. “And they have the quality that when you do, they can punish you.”

Inter Miami CF leads the MLS in goals, with 19, and in assists, with 29.

Messi had an excellent chance in the 27th minute on a left-footer from 12 yards, but it was smothered by Kansas City’s Tim Melia.

Messi’s free kick in the 41st minute from 25 yards barely missed wide right.

“Unbelievable player and he can create something out of thin air,” Sporting KC forward Daniel Salloi said. “It was a great experience to play against these guys.”

Erik Thommy opened the scoring for Sporting KC (2-2-4) in the sixth minute on a 16-yard strike. He scored again in the 58th minute on a rebound off Salloi’s corner kick to tie it at 2.

Thommy’s goals were his second and third of the season — and first since opening day.

“I had to take the risk, on the corner,” Thommy said. “I had the confidence and had a good feeling.”

The crowd was 20,000 larger than the previous Sporting KC record set in 2010 during a friendly against Manchester United.

“The environment was out of this world fantastic,” Vermes said. “This was incredible.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Sporting KC midfielder Remy Walter left in first-half stoppage time with a lower leg injury.

UP NEXT

Inter Miami FC: hosts Nashville SC on April 20.

Sporting KC: hosts St. Louis City SC on April 20.

—

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

By TIM REYNOLDS (AP Sports Writer)

SUNRISE — All Florida needed was one point to ensure its postseason run would start at home. And once that task was done, Sam Reinhart decided to put an exclamation point on things.

Reinhart got his 55th goal of the season with 1:02 left in overtime, and the Panthers clinched home ice for at least Round 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs by beating the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 in the next-to-last regular-season game for both teams on Saturday.

“We’re excited about the challenge ahead,” Reinhart said. “It’s starting for real pretty soon. Do what you can to get home-ice advantage. That’s the beauty of playoffs; at the end of the day, it’s a battle, it’s a war, Game 1. And we’re looking forward to that.”

Reinhart took a pass from Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov and delivered the winner. Anton Lundell and Kevin Stenlund also scored for Florida, and Matthew Tkachuk had an assist — his 60th of the season, the third straight year he’s had that many.

Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 27 shots for Florida, getting the win in his 700th career game. He’s the 32nd goalie in league history to hit that milestone, and one of three still active.

“An incredible accomplishment,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said.

Tyson Jost and Jack Quinn scored for Buffalo, which got 39 saves from Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. The Sabres got a point off Florida for only the second time in the teams’ last 11 meetings; they’re 1-9-1 in that span.

Florida had a 5-minute power play in the third after Buffalo defenseman Connor Clifton was given a match penalty for an illegal check to the head of Panthers’ center Nick Cousins. But the Panthers got nothing past Luukkonen, who stopped seven shots to preserve what was a 2-2 tie.

The Sabres came through with another penalty kill with the game on the line. Buffalo’s Alex Tuch took a high-sticking penalty with 34.9 seconds left in regulation. Florida didn’t get a shot on goal before the third period expired, then had a 4-on-3 advantage to begin overtime as the power play continued — and the Sabres thwarted them again.

“The penalty kill was very good and looked very confident,” Sabres coach Don Granato said.

The teams combined to score four goals — two for Florida, two for Buffalo — in a 6:49 span of the first period, all on seven combined shots. It was 2-2 by the midpoint of that opening period, making it seem like a wild one was brewing.

But there was no more scoring until the end.

Jost was credited with his first goal since Dec. 2 when he deflected a shot by Rasmus Dahlin past Bobrovsky at 2:59 of the first, ending Florida’s bid for a third straight shutout. Lundell tied it for Florida at 5:02, with Tkachuk getting one of the assists on that goal.

Stenlund scored short-handed about three minutes later, before Quinn knotted things up on the power play.

UP NEXT

Sabres: Visit Tampa Bay on Monday night in their season finale.

Panthers: Host Toronto on Tuesday night in their regular-season finale.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

GAINESVILLE — This timeless phenomenon is as old as college football itself:

Fans, almost without fail, will embrace the potential and promise of the future more than the steadiness and stability of the present.

They want to play with their new Buzz Lightyear action figure while casting old reliable Woody, the pull-string cowboy doll, into the deepest recesses of the toy box.

Who cares if Florida Gators senior quarterback Graham Mertz led the SEC with a 72.9% completion rate and had a 20-to-3 touchdown-to-interception comparison last year?

Who cares if he has 43 college starts on his resume?

Who cares if he has been the consummate leader on the field and in the locker room?

Doesn’t matter.

The common refrain among many in Gator Nation at Saturday’s spring game seemed to be:

It’s DJ time.

As in DJ Lagway, the five-star freshman and resident savior of Florida football.

Five-star freshman quarterback DJ Lagway scrambles during the Orange and Blue spring game Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.(Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

Here’s all you need to know about the hype surrounding Lagway in today’s brave new NIL world: On the day Gator Nation saw him perform for the first time during the Orange and Blue spring scrimmage, Lagway’s own clothing line of T-shirts, hats and hoodies debuted on UF’s campus.

That’s right.  Lagway has his own brand-new clothing line and Mertz might as well be the old pair of Levi’s in the bottom dresser drawer. And what’s beautiful about it is that Mertz doesn’t care. He seems unfazed by the buzz and bustle surrounding Lagway. In fact, Mertz is not treating Lagway as a competitor; he’s treating him as an understudy.

“One thing about Graham, he is confident, he is humble, and he’s a great teammate,” Florida coach Billy Napier said after Mertz drove his Blue team for a game-winning field goal and a 19-17 victory over the Orange on Saturday. “He’s got awareness. He’s got 43 starts. He’s been through the highs and lows. He’s doing everything that he can to help DJ – not only teaching him the football part but setting the example every day of how to prepare, how to approach meetings, the self-discipline of how to take care of your body, how to study film.”

And then Napier made a bold prediction.

“I think we’re going to look back and we’re going to say that one of the best things that happened to the University of Florida is Graham Mertz came back for another year while DJ Lagway was a true freshman. It’s going to benefit both guys.”

As much as anyone, Mertz knows what Lagway is going through. He was a similarly hyped five-star prospect coming out of high school when he signed with Wisconsin five years ago but had an uneven career with the Badgers before transferring to UF before last season.

Amid the barrage of criticism Napier receives, can we at least acknowledge that Mertz has been his most impressive achievement? Not only is he UF’s unquestioned starting quarterback going into the season, he is the team’s most respected player.

“He’s the most important dude on the team,” star receiver Eugene “Trey” Wilson said. “You can’t have your head down around Graham. He brings motivation. He brings joy.”

He also brings accountability. Even though he was the least of Florida’s problems last season, Mertz says it is unacceptable that he was the starting quarterback on a team that finished 5-7 in 2023. That’s why Mertz came back for one more year at UF and has unofficially declared the team mantra this season to be “Unfinished Business.”

“We won five games [last year],” Mertz said bluntly. “We all know what we put out there [last season] and we all know that’s not what Florida football is about. That’s what keeps us waking up every day fired up and ready to get to work.”

Not that spring-game statistics really mean anything, but Mertz was 15-of-27 for 241 yards on Saturday, including a 60-yard TD pass to Wilson. Meanwhile, Lagway was 12-of-21 for 173 yards, but when he hit Aidan Mizell for a 22-yard TD, you’d have thought the Gators had just beaten Georgia in the College Football Playoff. A roar went up from the estimated crowd of 48,000 fans, and Orlando Sentinel colleague Edgar Thompson, sitting next to me in the pressbox, said: “I’ve got two words for you: Quarterback controversy.”

Thompson said it somewhat jokingly, but I’ll guarantee you this isn’t any laughing matter to many Gators fans who would like nothing better than to see Lagway trot out onto the field as the starting quarterback when the Gators open the season against Miami.

Lagway, in case you’ve been in a cocoon over the last year-and-a-half, is the five-star Texas recruit who committed to Napier’s Gators in December 2022 and has been hailed as UF’s salvation ever since.

Lagway threw for 4,604 yards and 58 touchdowns during his senior season at Willis High School and ran for another 957 yards and 16 touchdowns. His signing, as you would expect, set Gator Nation ablaze with excitement. His arm strength, speed and raw talent make Lagway the most hyped QB prospect in Gainesville since Timothy Richard Tebow himself.

Ideally, Napier would like to bring Lagway along much like Urban Meyer prepared  Tebow during his freshman season in 2006. Chris Leak started for the Gators during that campaign and led the Gators to the national championship while Tebow was given a limited package of plays — mostly in short-yardage situations. Tebow completed just 22 passes during his freshman season although he did run for 469 yards.

But Meyer had that luxury. He was the hottest coaching candidate in the country when the Gators hired him, won nine games in his first season and had a loaded roster (left behind by former UF coach Ron Zook) coming back for his second season.

In contrast, Napier inherited a mess of a team, has had two consecutive losing seasons and might be on the hottest seat in the country as he enters his third season. How hot is Napier’s seat? There were actually media members on Saturday questioning Napier’s spring-game play-calling.

This sort of scrutiny is why it would be foolish for Napier to start a true freshman even if the fans are clamoring for Lagway. To Napier’s credit, he seems oblivious to the noise surrounding him and his program and isn’t straying from his patient rebuilding plan just to appease the critics. In other words, Mertz is going to be the starter although surely Napier will have a package of plays for the athletically gifted Lagway.

If Mertz plays great and the Gators win, Napier’s job is safe.

If Mertz struggles and the Gators lose, Napier could be gone — and, then, who knows where Lagway ends up?

Gator Nation, you better get behind Graham Mertz.

When it comes right down to it, he is more important to the future of Florida football than DJ Lagway.

Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on X (formerly Twitter) @BianchiWrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen

 

 

The Hurricanes continue to raid the Midwest for tight ends.

Four-star Indiana tight end Brock Schott announced his pledge to the Hurricanes on Saturday night following Miami’s spring game, just five days after UM added a commitment from four-star Ohio tight end Luka Gilbert. 

Schott, who is listed as the No. 10 tight end and No. 226 player in the class by 247Sports’ composite rankings, is UM’s seventh commit for the 2025 class. He chose the Hurricanes over offers from Florida State and Ohio State, among others.

Schott, a standout at Indiana’s Leo High, is listed at 6-foot-3 and weighs about 225 pounds. He has excelled as a two-way athlete in high school. In 2023, Schott had 35 catches for 743 yards and six touchdowns on offense while racking up 67 tackles, 32 tackles for for loss and 19 sacks as an edge rusher.

The Hurricanes have a talented group of young tight ends on the roster now. Riley Williams was a top prospect in the 2023 class and is entering his second season of college football. Miami added Elija Lofton in the 2024 class, and he has been one of the breakout players in spring practice. 

It’s all about the U! #GoCanes @canesfootball @coach_cristobal @coachwoodiel @coachdawson_um@natecrutch @dtrain2901 @coachfield@mackrizz23 @tjoseph_ pic.twitter.com/4jprn5Exc7

— Brock Schott (@BrockSchott) April 13, 2024

By ALANIS THAMES (AP Sports Writer)

MIAMI — Josh Bell homered, Max Meyer allowed one run over six innings, and the Miami Marlins beat the Atlanta Braves 5-1 on Saturday for their first home win of the season.

Bell hit a fly ball off Braves starter Chris Sale that sneaked over the left-field wall of a windy loanDepot Park in the first inning. It was Bell’s second home run of the season.

Meyer (2-0) continued his strong start, limiting the Braves’ high-powered offense to one run on six hits while striking out a career-high seven batters and not issuing a walk.

Meyer picked up his first career win last Sunday against St. Louis with six innings of one-run ball on three hits. The 25-year-old Meyer, who is ranked as Miami’s third-best prospect by MLB Pipeline, missed last season recovering from Tommy John surgery.

“I felt good. I was pretty much just following Bethancourt (Marlins catcher Christian Bethancourt) the whole day,” Meyer said. “I liked his gameplan. He really made it easy on me. We were dialed in the whole game, attacked the zone. I didn’t get as many first-pitch strikes as I wanted to, but I was able to bounce back and get some swings and misses too.”

Bryan De La Cruz gave the Marlins a 5-0 lead with a two-out, bases-loaded double in the fifth off Sale, who recorded outs against the first two batters he faced in the inning and then allowed a single and consecutive walks. Luis Arraez, Bell and Jake Burger scored.

“That was really the only inning that kind of got away,” Sale said. “Even the following two innings, when I was still kind of steaming, I felt like my command was there. For whatever reason that one inning, it fell apart. I wasn’t able to limit the damage.”

De La Cruz has a hit in 12 of Miami’s 15 games this season and leads the club in hits with 17, two of which came Saturday.

“This is who we are, actually,” De La Cruz said through a translator. “If you see the way we play out there as a unit — this is actually the way we play the game. This is what actually got us to the playoffs last year. And that’s what we’re trying to emulate.”

Atlanta’s Austin Riley hit a leadoff triple off Meyer in the sixth and scored on a groundout by Marcell Ozuna.

Ozuna extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a leadoff single in the second.

RHP Calvin Faucher, who was recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville ahead of the game, replaced Meyer and pitched a perfect seventh. Anthony Bender was perfect in the eighth, and Tanner Scott rounded out a solid bullpen effort for the Marlins, recording the final three outs.

Sale (1-1) allowed five hits and five runs with seven strikeouts and three walks over seven innings.

The Marlins were 0-8 at home entering Saturday’s game.

“It’s not like we’re going to stop playing hard and stop fighting,” said Braves manager Skip Schumaker. “I know it’s not what everybody wants the start to be, but that’s a really good team that we have out there.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Marlins: Tim Anderson missed his second straight game with an illness. … RHP Matt Andriese was designated for assignment.

UP NEXT

Right-hander Charlie Morton (1-0, 3.18 ERA) will start Sunday’s series finale for the Braves against Marlins left-hander Jesús Luzardo (0-2, 7.20).

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

GAINESVILLE — Florida’s third Orange and Blue game under Billy Napier was an improvement from last year’s 10-7 snoozer  but not necessarily a cause for celebration.

The Blue squad, featuring UF’s first-team players, edged the Orange 19-17 on a 37-yard field goal by Trey Smack as time expired, sending his teammates running onto the field as spring football came to a close.

Both squads and a host of players had encouraging moments. The Gators also failed to score in the third quarter a season after UF recorded a goose egg after intermission three times and just three points three other times during a 5-7 campaign.

Here a three takeaways.

1. Receiver Tre Wilson needs a supporting cast.

Wilson will be a star, along with the workhorse in the Gators’ passing attack.

“We’re going to get our money’s worth out of Tre Wilson,” Napier said. “I can promise you that.”

Florida wide receiver Eugene Wilson III finishes off a 60-yard catch from Graham Mertz during the Gators’ Orange and Blue game April 13 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

Wilson is worth the price of admission, even if the game was free for an announced crowd of 48,000. The sophomore led the Gators with 8 catches for 128 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown from sixth-year senior Graham Mertz.

The other Blue team pass-catchers totaled 8 grabs for 117 yards and didn’t score. Veteran Khaleil Jackson’s 50-yard reception included 34 yards after the catch on a perfectly time pass Mertz dropped over the defender.

For the Orange squad, notable performances came from  redshirt junior Marcus Burke (3 receptions, 63 yards) and sophomore Aidan Mizell, a former Orlando Boone standout who left his defender behind on a 22-yard score over the middle from true freshman DJ Lagway. True freshman TJ Abrams displayed speed on a 20-yard play, 18 after he caught the ball.

But Wisconsin transfer Chimere Dike (2 catches, 20 yards) didn’t factor as expected. Sophomore STAR Sharif Denson outmuscled him to intercept a Mertz pass over the middle. Tight end Arlis Boardingham’s 18-yard reception set up Smack’s game-winning 37-yard field goal but was his only catch.

Florida wide receiver Aidan Mizell of Orlando catches a 22-yard touchdown catch during the Orange and Blue game April 13 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the UF campus in Gainesville. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

The day’s best hook-up featured Lagway finding redshirt junior Taylor Spierto for 32 yards behind the cornerback across the field on the far sideline and before safety help arrived. Spierto is an undersized former walk-on who appears among the team’s more reliable receivers.

When the transfer portal opens Tuesday, the Gators will be in the market for a receiver, if not two of them.

2. Will the defensive performance translate this time?

The Gators’ D was active, athletic and applied a good bit of pressure, finishing with 7 sacks — 6 by the Orange squad.

But a 9-sack day during the 2023 spring game did not prove to be harbinger when the season arrived. The Gators managed just 22 sacks, the fewest since 2013 when an injury-riddled 4-8 team got to the quarterback 21 times.

Napier is optimistic Saturday’s effort would not be the peak of the pass rush.

“We have height, length, depth,” Napier said. “The rush has improved throughout the spring. We have numerous players that can be effective.”

Florida quarterback D.J. Lagway (2) throws over the line during the Orange & Blue Spring Football game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville on Saturday, April 13, 2024. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

Begin with 6-foot-5, 254-pound sophomore TJ Searcy, who recorded the only sack for the first-team defense. Northern Illinois transfer George Gumbs Jr. (6-4, 246) had 1.5 sacks and could develop into a quality situational rusher. Former Orlando Olympia standout Kam James (6-5.4, 274) tallied a sack.

Penn transfer tackle Joey Slackman registered the sole sack with from an interior rush, displaying the effort he used to become the 2023 Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year.

The back end of the defense forced Mertz and Lagway to hesitate and gave the front time to close ground.

Fourth-year starter Jason Marshall had one of 5 pass breakups by the Blue squad, along with 5 tackles; sophomore Ja’Keem Jackson, who starred at Kissimmee Osceola, had a pass breakup for the Orange; and Denson and redshirt freshman Aaron Gates each shined at the STAR position.

“The rush and the coverage worked well together,” Napier said. “You could see that they did a nice job affecting the quarterback.”

3. Napier isn’t going to change who he is.

Napier’s conservative style is ingrained in him, even in a spring game.

Florida coach Billy Napier signals to his players during the Orange and Blue game April 13 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the UF campus in Gainesville. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

Consider the opening drive by the Blue team and the Gators’ first-team offense. A 17-play, 59-yard grind ended with Smack’s 31-yard field goal. It was one of seven field-goal attempts on a day when Napier played it close to the vest a little too much — even for his own liking.

“We all understand red-zone touchdowns are important,” he said. “There were a couple borderline go-for-it situations where we maybe can manage the game a little bit better first, second, and third down.”

Facing 3rd-and-5 from the Orange 37 during the Blue squad’s lengthy opening drive, Napier called consecutive running plays to get the a first down. UF converted with Montrell Johnson Jr. runs of 3 and 2 yards, but this longstanding philosophy runs counter to hopes Napier will open up the offense in 2024.

Yet when the Orange squad faced 4th-and-2 from the 6, Napier sent in the field-goal team. Redshirt junior Hunter Smith missed the 34-yarder.

Florida kicker Trey Smack kicks one of four field goals he made during the Orange and Blue game April 13 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the UF campus in Gainesville. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

The aim to simulate true game situations is understandable. Taking chances in the spring is the time to do it.

Napier said he and his staff will learn from experience.

“That will be part of the lesson from the game,” he said.

However, Napier’s track record at UF is of a coach whose squad struggles in the red zone, often zigs when he should zag and is not explosive often enough offensively.

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

CORAL GABLES — The Hurricanes celebrated the end of their spring practice slate with their annual spring game on Saturday. For the first time in years, Miami held the spring game on campus, playing the game at Cobb Stadium — the university’s soccer and track stadium.

While getting a look at the Hurricanes’ future, the program honored its past, bringing in new Pro Football Hall of Famers Andre Johnson and Devin Hester to serve as honorary captains after being honored at the Friday night alumni dinner.

Johnson gave his verdict on where the Hurricanes stand during an interview on the ACC Network Extra broadcast.

“(Miami is) not far away,” Johnson said. “I think we’re getting the right guys in place.”

Here are five things we learned from watching UM’s spring game on Saturday:

1. All eyes on Cam Ward

Ward, the highest-profile addition for Miami this offseason, took the field in a Hurricanes uniform for the first time. He did not disappoint, hitting Xavier Restrepo for a long pass on his first drive. He ended the first series with a short touchdown pass to wide receiver Isaiah Horton and threw another, mid-range touchdown pass to Restrepo.

Ward ended the first half, when the Hurricanes played with live tackling, with 17 completions on 23 attempts with a pair of touchdowns. He ended the game with 19 completions on 24 attempts and three scores, according to the ACC Network Extra broadcast. He showed his arm talent, throwing easy deep balls and also tossing a couple of shovel passes when needed. Ward tossed another touchdown in the second half to Jacolby George.

“It’s some good stuff,” coach Mario Cristobal said. “We dropped some passes. The pass rush is a real one, and a couple of those are coming like they come and we’re not doing too many different things, it’s hard to block those guys one-on-one. He did a good job.”

Ward, Reese Poffenbarger, Emory Williams and Jacurri Brown all got reps at quarterback on Saturday.

Brown had the day’s second touchdown, tossing a long pass to tight end Jackson Carver. Williams tossed a short touchdown to Ray Ray Joseph at the end of the first half.

“I thought all the quarterbacks did some good things, but Cam certainly is — it’s obvious he’s the guy,” Cristobal said.

2. Restrepo building chemistry with new QB

Restrepo’s connection with former Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke was well-documented. Although Van Dyke struggled at times, Restrepo became just the sixth receiver in UM history to notch a 1,000-yard season. He was an All-ACC selection.

This offseason, Restrepo returned to UM even as Van Dyke transferred to Wisconsin. Now, Restrepo is working with Ward. The two veterans showed off their connection on Saturday. Restrepo had a nice touchdown catch on the edge of the end zone, caught a pass from a scrambling Ward near the sideline and got open on other plays, as well.

He finished with 116 yards on six catches.

“X is somebody who wants to work,” Wad said. “We were actually watching film right before the spring game. So when you’ve got a guy like that with you out there, a receiver who knows how to win vs. man, who can find soft spots in zone, it’s good for our offense.”

3. Versatile parts on O-line

The Hurricanes, needing to replace two starters from last year’s strong offensive line, have also missed starting right tackle Francis Mauigoa during the spring. That necessitated a major shuffle up front for UM in the spring game.

Matt McCoy started the game at left guard, Indiana transfer Zach Carpenter took over at center and touted former five-star prospect Samson Okunlola started at right tackle.

“Out of 10?” Ward said when asked about his comfort playing behind the UM line. “If I could break the scale, I’d probably break the scale.”

4. Tight ends show off

Miami’s tight end group should have much more of an impact on the field this year than it did last year.

Carver, a rising sophomore, had the highlight of the game for the group, hauling in a long touchdown pass from Brown. Carver is still new to football, having only started playing as a senior in high school.

Freshman Elija Lofton, who has been one of the most talked-about players this spring, moved out of the tight end spot and got some time in the backfield.

“He does a lot of things,” Cristobal said. “You should see him on defense.”

Riley Williams, who is entering his second season at UM, made an impressive catch on a pass from Poffenbarger.

5. Running backs look solid but need depth

The Hurricanes end spring practice with just three healthy scholarship running backs: Chris Johnson Jr., TreVonte’ Citizen and Chris Wheatley-Humphrey. Two running backs, Ajay Allen and Mark Fletcher Jr., missed spring practice with injuries, and another, Henry Parrish Jr., is transferring.

The three healthy running backs got reps in the spring game, with Citizen suiting up in a Miami jersey for the first time since suffering a devastating injury in fall practice in 2022. Johnson and Wheatley-Humphrey each had explosive runs, and Lofton also had solid carries out of the backfield.

However, Miami will likely look to add more running back depth when the transfer portal opens next week.

 

UCF continues to build on its 2025 recruiting class after receiving a verbal commitment from Cincinnati tight end Caden Piening.

It’s the eighth commitment the Knights have received toward their 2025 class.

The 6-foot-4 Piening is the No. 734-ranked player in the country and the No. 36 overall tight end, according to 247Sports‘ composite rankings. He becomes the first tight end to commit to the program since Randy Pittman Jr. last year and the first player from Ohio since quarterback Brady Shannon in 2022.

All verbal commitments are non-binding but can become official during the early signing period in December.

BOOM, I’m coming home!!!

• Ethan Pritchard, 2025, Sanford Seminole

• Jacquez Joiner, 2025 UCF commit, Cocoa

• Michael McClenton, 2026, Ocoee

• Kingston Shaw, 2026, Apopka

• Kingston Shaw, 2026, Apopka

• Israel Hiraldo, 2025, Providence (R.I.) Jireh Prep

• Aiden Anderson, 2026, Edgewater

• Blaine Walker, 2026, Bushnell South Sumter

• Dujuan Davis, 2025, Clearwater Central Catholic

• Gerard Gearity, 2026, First Academy

• Jeau Pierre Furtado, 2026, First Academy

• Matthew Baer, 2026 Alphretta (Ga.) Denmark

• Mason Cheatham, 2025, Port Orange Atlantic

• Nick Clayton, 2025, Gainesville Buchholz

• Omari Griffin, Seminole, 2026

• Omari Griffin, Seminole, 2026

• Xavier Murphy, WR, 2025, Jones

• Rico Butrago and Tory Love, Rockledge

• Sanford Seminole 2025 running backs Khamani Robinson and Rodney Green.

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Chris Hays can be reached via email at chays@orlandosentinel.com.

MIAMI -– Observations and other notes of interest from Friday night’s 125-103 victory over the Toronto Raptors:

– Don’t believe the hype.

– Yes, the Heat can move to No. 6 in the East and out of the play-in with a Sunday victory and a Sunday loss by the Magic, as well as a loss by the 76ers or Pacers.

– The Heat assuredly will be playing to win, with potential homecourt in the play-in at stake.

– But the Bucks, the Magic’s opponent Sunday, have shown little desire to finish second in the East.

– Damian Lillard sat on Friday night for the Bucks and more could sit Sunday, beyond injured Giannis Antetokounmpo, on Sunday for Milwaukee.

– Another obstacle is the need for the Pacers to lose at home Sunday or the 76ers to lose at home to the Nets.

– With the Hawks locked into the road seed in the Nos. 9-10 play-in game at Chicago, Atlanta has no incentive against the Pacers to risk the health of any rotation player against the days before an all-or-nothing game.

– The pseudo-Hawks winning Sunday in Indiana would be one of the biggest upsets of the season.

– Similarly, Brooklyn has nothing to play for in Philadelphia.

– Indifference rarely wins in the NBA.

– Keep that in mind.

– Even with a top-six seed in the balance.

– With Terry Rozier and Duncan Robinson out, the Heat again opened with Bam Adebayo, Nikola Jovic, Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and Caleb Martin.

– The Raptors opened with a lineup of RJ Barrett, Gradey Dick, Kelly Olynyk, Gary Trent Jr. and  Immanuel Quickley.

– Which is pretty representative for a lottery team at this time of year.

– There was a big Butler hug for Olynyk just before the opening tip.

– Jaime Jaquez Jr. was first off the Heat bench.

– Kevin Love and Haywood Highsmith followed next together.

– Delon Wright, in the absences of Rozier and Robinson, then got the call as ninth man, after Patty Mills had gotten that call Wednesday night against the Mavericks.

– Of the Raptors not necessarily prioritizing victory in these final two games, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said pregame, “What other teams are doing, we aren’t. We’re trying to win. So that’s how we’re approaching the game. There’s clarity and simplicity.”

– Spoelstra did note how so much is up in the air around the league this final weekend of the regular season.

– “It’s probably one of the few things that’s given me great joy the last couple of days,” he said, “is that how the video room right now is trying to prepare and figure things out.”

– Spoelstra, of course, is a former video coordinator.

– “Small joys,” he added, of being able to tease the video room.

– As for watching the standings, Spoelstra said that ship has sailed.

– “I think earlier on, it was probably a lot of that,” he said. “It’s human nature. Not right now. Based on what this last week has been like for us, it’s just great clarity right now. We’re focusing on one game, there’s nothing like the present moment.”

– With the Heat staging Jersey Night, Spoelstra was asked about his Heat favorites.

– “I like the Vice jerseys, but there’s a ton of ’em,” he said. “I mean the old-school ones, the old-school Tim Hardaway and Zo jerseys, those were pretty cool. I’d like to get a Keith Askins and Dan Majerle one as well.”

– This is the sixth time the Heat has faced the same opponent in consecutive games this season. The Heat entered the set having previously swept such pairings against the Pistons and Hornets, and having split such sets twice against the Bulls and once against the Pacers.

– Herro extended his streak of appearances with at least one 3-pointer to 33, breaking the previous career-best streak he had through March 2021.

MIAMI — The hope remains there for an escape from the play-in round for the Miami Heat after they took care of business with a 125-103 victory Friday night over the Toronto Raptors at Kaseya Center.

But the odds remain unsettling.

Basically, if everything plays out to form on Sunday’s closing day of the NBA regular season, the Heat will finish No. 8 in the East and open their postseason with a Wednesday night road play-in game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The only escape hatch for the Heat is pairing a Sunday victory over the Raptors with a Sunday loss by the Orlando Magic to the Milwaukee Bucks  . . . and either a Sunday loss by the 76ers to the Brooklyn Nets or a Sunday loss by the Indiana Pacers to the Atlanta Hawks.

“It was important to win this one and the next one for sure,” forward Nikola Jovic said. “And then whatever happens, happens.”

As for Friday’s game, the Heat did as needed against an opponent heading to the lottery with the NBA’s sixth-worst record.

From the Heat there were 22 points from Nikola Jovic, 20 from Jaime Jaquez Jr., 19 from Bam Adebayo, 17 from Tyler Herro and 14 from Jimmy Butler.

“You’re just living the present moment,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We have a lot to work on with us.

“This was a step, for sure.”

So on to Sunday’s season finale against the Raptors back at Kaseya Center it is, with control of the Heat’s postseason scheduling in the hands of others.

“We’re going to play Sunday and we’re going to figure out the rest,” Adebayo said.

Five Degrees of Heat from Friday night’s game:

1. Playoff race: With the Heat winning and the Magic losing Friday on the road to the 76ers, it kept the Heat No. 8 in the East, but also slightly opened the door for the Heat to move out of the play-in bracket and into the top six in the East and direct entry into the best-of-seven opening round of the playoffs.

With Friday night’s victory, the 76ers remain in control of homecourt advantage in a potential Heat-76ers play-in game, with the opportunity to assure themselves of at least that much with a victory Sunday over the Nets.

“We’re not talking a lot about it,” Jovic said of scoreboard watching. “I just feel like you’ve got to go day by day.”

2. Game flow:  The Heat led 33-22 after the first period and 66-50 at half.

The Heat then pushed their lead to 21 in the third period, before going into the fourth quarter up 92-75.

From there, the Heat extended their lead in the fourth quarter and were able to rest their rotation players in favor of Alondes Williams, Jamal Cain, Cole Swider and Orlando Robinson.

“For sure in the first half we set the tone, just with the ball and player movement,” Spoelstra said.

3. The Jovic thing: With Butler and Adebayo came around from uneven performances in Wednesday night’s home loss to the Dallas Mavericks, it was Jovic who continues to emerge as a revelation.

In spacing the floor with three 3-pointers, he was up to 19 points by the time he headed to the bench in the third quarter.

“He’s making it hard not to play him,” Adebayo said.

Jovic closed 9 of 18 from the field, including 4 of 10 on 3-pointers.”

“He and Bam are unique because they both can handle, they both can pass,” Spoelstra said. “That kind of size and habits, those things defensively help our team.”

Of whether Jovic could keep a similar role in the playoff rotation, Spoelstra said, “It’s already happening. But you just don’t know until you get to the playoffs.”

Jovic said the way the ball moved, with the Heat closing with 37 assists to seven turnovers, was particularly encouraging.

“That’s what it was all about at the morning practice,” Jovic said of the ball movement.

4. The three thing: Amid the absences of Robinson and Rozier, and amid the Heat’s need for replacement 3-point shooting, Butler and Adebayo both converted first-half 3-pointers.

For Adebayo, it was the 11th time he converted at least one 3-pointer in his last 18 games.

Butler later converted a second 3-pointer.

“I feel like it just makes us more dynamic,” Adebayo said of his 3-point attempts.

The Heat’s fourth 3-pointer gave them 1,000 for the season. It is the second time the team has hit four figures, also with 1,114 in 2021-22.

5. One more time: While the Raptors fielded a competitive starting lineup of RJ Barrett, Gradey Dick, Kelly Olynyk, Gary Trent Jr. and  Immanuel Quickley, Toronto’s approach is expected to change for Sunday’s rematch.

As with most teams locked into a specific playoff seed, or, in the Raptors’ case, the lottery, Toronto is expected to sit their rotation players in the season finale to not risk final-game injuries.

That, in turn, could have all five of the Raptors’ Friday starters idle Sunday.

The Heat, by contrast, still will have playing positioning at stake, with Friday’s cast expected back Sunday.

UCF wrapped up its spring camp on Friday night with its annual “Knights vs. Nauts” football game.

While the outcome — Nauts 20, Knights 3 — offered little to remember, the performance of several newcomers gives fans hope heading into the upcoming season.

Quarterback KJ Jefferson, a transfer from Arkansas, completed 12 of his 22 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns: a 10-yard catch by tight end Randy Pittman Jr. and a 10-yard catch that receiver Jarrad Baker turned into a 71-yard score.

“We had a really good spring,” said coach Gus Malzahn. “We got some playmakers on defense. We didn’t stop the run very well and that’s been a focus of our defense. [New defensive coordinator] Ted Roof is bringing pressures and our guys are disrupting many things up front.”

UCF played two 12-minute quarters, and the defense registered 9 sacks during those 24 minutes, with most of those coming from the linebacker group. Andrew Harris (1), Camden Vining (1), Troy Ford Jr. (1), Keeron Henderson (1) and Deshawn Pace (.5) registered quarterback takedowns along with defensive linemen Kaven Call (1), John Walker (1) and Rickey Barber (1).

UCF will wear special helmet decals designed by pediatric patients for spring game

“We haven’t had much depth at the linebacker position over the last couple of years, but we have depth now, quality depth,” said Malzahn.

That depth comes in the form of transfers such as Ethan Barr (Vanderbilt), Xe’ree Alexander (Idaho), Ladarius Tennison (Ole Miss) and Jesiah Pierre (Texas Tech).

The defense also forced three takeaways, with defensive backs Christian Peterson and Nicholas Antoine recording interceptions and Walker forcing a fumble.

“We’re an attacking defense and when you attack, you’ve got a chance for more turnovers,” added Malzahn.

Backup quarterback Timmy McClain was the leading rusher with 67 yards, followed by transfer running back Myles Montgomery (Cincinnati) with 34 yards and Johnny Richardson with 31. RJ Harvey, who rushed for a career-high 1,416 yards last season, was held out of the game.

UCF football continues to invest locally by recruiting ‘hometown heroes’

With receiver Kobe Hudson limited most of the spring with an injury, Xavier Townsend assumed a more significant role in the offense. The junior finished with a game-high 100 receiving yards on six catches, followed by Baker with 88 yards and Chauncey Magwood with 70 yards.

For fifth-year senior Jefferson, this spring has been about acclimating himself to his new teammates.

“We want to be able to start fast, jump on teams early and try to hold that momentum throughout the whole game,” said Jefferson. “That was our main point of emphasis going into the spring. Put the ball into the playmakers’ hands and make plays.”

Added Malzahn: “KJ has played a lot of football, a whole lot of football. That’s probably the one takeaway: He understands things. The game is not too quick. He’s calm under pressure. He hangs in the pocket and does a good job with that.”

UCF heads into the offseason feeling much better about its depth but with the 15-day transfer portal window opening next Tuesday, the Knights hope to remain optimistic.

“We’re very hopeful to keep our guys, but you never know. So we’ll see what happens,” said Malzahn. “I think we’re in a good spot overall.”

Matt Murschel can be reached at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com

By ALANIS THAMES (AP Sports Writer)

MIAMI (AP) — Max Fried pitched six solid innings and Marcell Ozuna homered to lead the Atlanta Braves to an 8-1 win over the Miami Marlins in their series opener Friday night.

Fried (1-0) entered with an 18.00 ERA after a pair of rough starts to open the season, but limited the Marlins to four hits while striking out four and walking one. The 30-year old left-hander was replaced by Pierce Johnson after giving up back-to-back hits in the seventh.

“For me, it’s been frustrating the last couple (outings),” Fried said. “Giving it up and not giving us a chance to win, so having a tight game through five, six innings and being able to keep it there for our offense to go off in the way that they did — it was nice to contribute.”

Ozuna blasted a solo shot 446 feet to center field in the ninth for his sixth home run — tying him with Boston’s Tyler O’Neill, the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Mookie Betts for the major league lead — and the second-longest homer hit at loanDepot park this year. Ozuna was 3 for 4 with three RBIs.

“This is where it started last year and he’s had really good years here,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “It might be that he sees the ball really well here. Marcell can swing the bat really well all year, and tonight was no different.”

Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia led off a five-run seventh with a double off reliever George Soriano, who then walked Ronald Acuña Jr. and hit Ozzie Albies with a pitch to load the bases. Andrew Nardi replaced Soriano and gave up a bases-loaded walk to Matt Olson and a two-run single to Ozuna.

Nardi exited to some boos before Burch Smith gave up a pair of RBI singles to make it 7-0. Smith got Travis d’Arnaud to ground out to end the inning.

Arcia also doubled to start the fifth and scored on Albies’ single that put Atlanta up 2-0.

Olson, d’Arnaud and Austin Riley also doubled for the high-powered Braves, who have an MLB-leading 38 doubles. Acuña stole two bases, giving him six on the season.

Marlins starter Trevor Rodgers (0-2) allowed eight hits and two runs with five strikeouts and a walk in five innings.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled in the seventh against Fried, then scored Miami’s only run on a single by Emmanuel Rivera.

The Marlins lost their 12th game and remain winless at home after opening with an 0-7 homestand.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t get the W, but I still trust all those guys in there,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “We’ll turn this around.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Braves: C Sean Murphy (oblique strain) threw flat-footed before Friday’s game and is increasing his activity. Snitker said it was a “good sign.” … RHP Darius Vines was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett. … RHP Allan Winans was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett following Thursday’s loss to Mets.

Marlins: SS Tim Anderson was given the day off because of an illness. … LHP Braxton Garrett (shoulder) threw six innings in a rehab start with the Triple- A Jacksonville on Friday. Garrett gave up four runs and six hits while striking out four. … RHP Edward Cabrera (shoulder impingement) is scheduled to pitch six innings with Triple-A Jacksonville on Wednesday.

UP NEXT

Left-hander Chris Sale (1-0, 3.38 ERA) will start for Atlanta against Marlins right-hander Max Meyer (1-0, 2.45).

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

The Space Coast set a new launch record in 2023 with 72 orbital missions from either Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The pace of launches could ramp up by the end of 2024 to a near twice-weekly rate with as many as 111 missions possible.

Check back for the latest information on upcoming launches.

By The Numbers:

2024: 27 Space Coast launches in 2024 (updated April 12) | 19 from Cape Canaveral, 8 from KSC | 25 from SpaceX (25 Falcon 9s), 2 from ULA (1 Vulcan, 1 Delta IV Heavy) | 2 human spaceflight (Ax-3, Crew-8)

2023: 72 Space Coast launches in 2023 | 59 from Cape Canaveral, 13 from KSC | 68 from SpaceX (63 Falcon 9s, 5 Falcon Heavy), 3 from United Launch Alliance (1 Delta IV Heavy, 2 Atlas V), 1 from Relativity Space | 3 human spaceflights (Crew-6, Ax-2, Crew-7)

Details on past launches can be found at the end of file.

APRIL

April 12: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-49 mission carrying Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 9:40 p.m. The launch set a turnaround record for launches from SLC-40 at two days and 20 hours since the Aug. 10 launch. The previous record was Aug. 3-6, 2023 at three days, 21 hours, 41 minutes. The first-stage booster also flew for a record 20th time making a recovery landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas. Read more.

April 17: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-51 mission launching from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-A during a four-hour window from 5:24-9:24 p.m. Backup window on April 18 from 4:59-8:49 p.m.

May

May6: (Delayed from July 21, 2023; April 22, 2024): Boeing CST-100 Starliner atop United Launch Alliance Atlas V from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41 on the Crew Flight Test (CFT) carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on an eight-day mission to the International Space Station followed by a parachute-and-airbag-assisted ground landing in the desert of the western United States. Read more.

TBD: United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur on Sierra Space Dream Chaser test flight from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41. Read more.

June

June 25: SpaceX Falcon Heavy on its 10th launch ever with payload of the GOES-U satellite for the NOAA from Kennedy Space Center Launch Pad 39-A.

AUGUST

No earlier than mid-August 2024: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Crew-9 mission. Crew is NASA astronauts Zena Cardman making her first flight and the 10th of 11 members of the Turtles to fly to space; pilot Nick Hague making his third flight including one mission abort from Russia, mission specialist Stephanie Wilson, who flew three times on Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-121, STS-120, and STS-131 logging 42 days in space, and Roscomos cosmonaut and mission specialist Aleksandr Gorbunov, making his first trip to space.

OCTOBER

October 2024: SpaceX Falcon Heavy on the Europa Clipper mission to travel 1.8 billion miles to investigate Jupiter’s moon Europa to determine whether there are places below Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa, that could support life. The mission’s detailed investigation of Europa will help scientists better understand the astrobiological potential for habitable worlds beyond our planet.

No earlier than October 2024: Axiom Space was awarded the right to fly Axiom-4. No crew has been announced, but NASA requires it to be commanded by a former NASA astronaut with experience on the space station such as the Ax-1, Ax-2 and Ax-3 commanders. The commercial flight brings four crew for a short stay on the ISS. This mission is targeting a 14-day stay, and will fly up with one of the SpaceX Crew Dragons. The launch date is dependent on spacecraft traffic to the ISS and in-orbit activity planning and constraints that have to be coordinated with NASA.

UPCOMING: TBD IN 2024

TBD, early 2024: United Launch Alliance Atlas V on USSF 51 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41.

TBD, Summer 2024 (Delayed from summer 2023): Polaris Dawn mission on a SpaceX Falcon 9 topped with the Crew Dragon Resilience from KSC’s Launch Pad 39-A. The private orbital mission will bring billionaire Jared Isaacman to space for a second time after 2021′s Inspiration4 mission. It’s the first of up to three planned Polaris missions, and will feature a tethered spacewalk. Also flying are Scott Poteet, given the title of mission pilot, specialist Sarah Gillis, and specialist and medical officer Anna Menon. Both Gillis and Menon are SpaceX employees. Read more.

TBD, 2nd half of 2024: United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur on first of four planned Department of Defense mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41. Dependent on ULA completing both Certification 1 and Certification 2 flights.

TBD, 2nd half of 2024: United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur on second of four planned Department of Defense mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41.

TBD, 2nd half of 2024: United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur on third of four planned Department of Defense mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41.

TBD, 2nd half of 2024: United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur on fourth of four planned Department of Defense mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41.

SEPTEMBER

TBD: First launch of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket. On the Space Force manifest for September 2024, according to Space Force officials.

NOVEMBER

November 2024: SpaceX Falcon Heavy flying Astrobotic’s Griffin lunar lander as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. It will include NASA’s Artemis lunar rover, the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER, which will explore the relatively nearby but extreme environment of the moon in search of ice and other potential resources. This mobile robot will land at the south pole of the moon in late 2024 on a 100-day mission. The critical information it provides will teach us about the origin and distribution of water on the moon and help determine how to harvest the moon’s resources for future human space exploration.

DECEMBER

December 2024: Intuitive Machines IM-2 mission on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 with the company’s second Nova-C lander featuring NASA’s PRIME-1 drill, to land a drill and mass spectrometer near the south pole of the moon in order to demonstrate the feasibility of in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) and measure the volatile content of subsurface samples. Also flying is the Lunar Trailblazer, a mission selected under NASA’s Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx) program, a small satellite designed to provide an understanding of the form, abundance, and distribution of water on the moon, as well as the lunar water cycle.

UPCOMING: TBD IN 2025

TBD, no earlier than early 2025: Boeing Starliner-1 on ULA Atlas V from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Space Launch Complex 41. NASA astronauts Scott Tingle and Mike Fincke will be commander and pilot, respectively. This Starliner previously flew on Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test-2 mission. Depending on data from CFT mission, this could become SpaceX Crew-10 mission.

September 2025: NASA Artemis II mission to send four crew on 8-day orbital mission to the moon from KSC’s Launch Pad 39-B. Read more.

UPCOMING: TBD IN 2026

September 2026: NASA Artemis III mission to send four crew on lunar landing mission to the moon from KSC’s Launch Pad 39-B. Read more.

LAUNCHED IN 2024

Jan. 3: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Ovzon 3 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 6:04 p.m. This was the first launch of 2024. The 3,968-pound Ovzon 3 satellite is the first privately funded and developed Swedish geostationary satellite ever to be launched, headed for a geostationary transfer orbit where it will then propel itself to its geostationary orbit over 3-4 months at 59.7 degrees east at 22,236 miles altitude. The first-stage booster flew for the 10th time with a recovery landing at Canaveral’s Landing Zone 1. Read more.

Jan. 7: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-35 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 5:35 p.m. The first-stage booster made its 16th flight having previously flown on two crewed and two cargo missions to the International Space Station among others. It managed its recovery landing downrange on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas. Read more.

Jan. 8 (Delayed from May 4, Dec. 24-26): First-ever launch of United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur on Certification-1 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41 at 2:18 a.m. Primary payload was commercial company Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander headed to the moon. Also flying will be another human remains payload for Celestis Inc., this time brining the ashes of more than 200 people to space including “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry and actor James Doohan who played “Scotty” on the TV series. Read more.

Jan. 14 (Delayed from Jan. 13): SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-37 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 with 23 Starlink satellites at 8:52 p.m. The first-stage booster flew its 12th mission and with a recovery landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas downrange in the Atlantic. This was the fourth launch from the Space Coast in 2024. Read more.

Jan. 18 (Delayed from Jan. 17): SpaceX Falcon 9 with a Crew Dragon Freedom for Axiom Space’s Axiom-3 mission launched at 4:49 p.m. from KSC’s Launch Pad 39-A. The crew includes one astronaut each from Italy, Turkey and Sweden while the mission is led by Axiom’s chief astronaut Michael López-Alegría who is making his sixth trip to space. The customers are Italian Air Force Col. Walter Villadei, who will act as pilot. In the two mission specialist roles are Alper Gezeravcı of Turkey and ESA project astronaut Marcus Wandt of Sweden. All three have served in their respective nations’ air forces. The commercial flight brings four crew for a short stay on the ISS. This mission is targeting a 14-day stay with docking planned for Saturday at 5:15 a.m. The first-stage booster made a landing at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Landing Zone 1. Read more.

Jan. 28: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-38 mission with 23 Starlink satellites at 8:10 p.m. liftoff on a southerly trajectory from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39-A. The first-stage booster made its 18th flight, with past missions including the crewed flights of Inspiration4 and Ax-1, and had a recovery landing downrange in the Atlantic on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas. Read more.

Jan. 30: SpaceX Falcon 9 with Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft on the NG-20 mission to resupply the International Space Station at12:07 p.m.. This was the first ISS launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40, which SpaceX has been redeveloping to support future crewed missions in addition to KSC’s Launch Pad 39-A. This was the first of at least three SpaceX flights of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft as part of a deal after its 10-year run of launches atop Antares rockets ended with the Aug. 1 launch from Wallops Island, Virginia because of issues with Russian- and Ukrainian-made rocket engines and first stage parts that are being redeveloped with Firefly Aerospace for a future Antares rocket not expected until at least 2025. Following launch, the space station’s Canadarm2 will grapple Cygnus no earlier than Thursday, Feb. 1, and the spacecraft will attach to the Unity module’s Earth-facing port for cargo unloading by the Expedition 70 crew. The first-stage booster made its 10th flight and returned for a touchdown at Canaveral’s Landing Zone 1. Read more.

Feb. 8 (Delayed from Feb. 6, 7): NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol Cloud Ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 1:33 a.m. PACE will advance the assessment of ocean health by measuring the distribution of phytoplankton, tiny plants and algae that sustain the marine food web, as well as clouds and aerosols in the atmosphere. The first-stage booster flying for the fourth time made a recovery landing at Canaveral’s Landing Zone 1. Read more.

Feb. 14: A SpaceX Falcon 9 on the USSF-124 mission launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 5:30 p.m. Payloads included two satellites for the Missile Defense Agency to track hypersonic missiles and four more satellites for the Tranche 0 constellation for the Space Development Agency. The first-stage booster flew for the seventh time with a recovery landing at Canaveral’s Landing Zone 2. Read more.

Feb. 15 (Delayed from Nov. 14, Jan. 12, Feb. 14): SpaceX Falcon 9 for the Intuitive Machines IM-1 mission with the company’s Nova-C lunar lander Odysseus from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-A at 1:05 a.m. This could end up being the first NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) mission to land on the moon after the failure of Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander. The IM-1 has a suite of six NASA payloads as part of a CLPS delivery and another six privately organized payloads. Landing would take place Feb. 22.Read more.

Feb. 20: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Merah Putih 2 mission, a communications satellite for Telkom Indonesia, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Space Launch Complex 40 at 3:11 p.m. into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. This was the 11th launch from the Space Coast in 2023 and 300th successful Falcon 9 launch since its debut in 2010, having only had one mid-launch failure in 2015. This was the 17th launch of the first stage booster, and it made a recovery landing downrange on the Just Read the Instructions droneship in the Atlantic Ocean. Read more.

Feb. 25 (delayed from Feb. 24): SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-39 mission sending up 24 Starlink satellites launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 5:06 p.m. This was the 12th launch from the Space Coast in 2024. The first-stage booster for the mission flew for the 13th time and made a recovery landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas downrange in the Atlantic. Read more.

Feb. 29: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-40 mission with 23 Starlink satellites launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 10:30 a.m. This was the 13th launch from the Space Coast in 2024. The first-stage booster for the mission flew for the 11h time and made recovery landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions downrange in the Atlantic. Read more.

March 3 (delayed from Feb. 22, 28, March 1, 2): SpaceX Crew-8 on Falcon 9 from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-A  at 10:53 p.m. Bad weather on the ascent corridor took the first three launch options on March 1 and 2 off the table. It’s the eighth SpaceX operational mission under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Its four crew members are NASA astronauts Commander Matthew Dominick, Pilot Michael Barratt, Mission Specialist Jeanette Epps and Roscosmos cosmonaut Mission Specialist Alexander Grebenkin. They flew up in the Crew Dragon Endeavour making its fifth trip to space. The first-stage booster made its first flight. The mission had originally been targeting Feb. 22, but that was the target day for the Intuitive Machines attempt to land on the moon, and NASA chose to move the launch to “deconflict” NASA support operations that day. Read more.

March 4: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-41 mission sending up 23 more Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 6:56 p.m. The first stage booster flew for the 13th time and made a recovery landing on the droneship  A Shortfall of Gravitas. Read more.

March 10: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-43 mission sent up 23 more Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 7:05 p.m. The first-stage booster flew for the 11th time with a recovery landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions downrange in the Atlantic. This was the 16th launch from the Space Coast in 2024. Read more.

March 15 (Delayed from March 13, 14): SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-44 mission sending up 23 more Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-A at 8:21 p.m. after scrubbing launches on both Wednesday and Thursday with about 2 minutes on the countdown clock. The booster flew for a record-tying 19th time and made a recovery landing downrange on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas. Read more.

March 21: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the CRS-30 resupply mission with a Cargo Dragon to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 4:54 p.m. This was the first Dragon launch from SLC-40 since the addition of a crew access arm to support Dragon launches from more than one Space Coast pad and augment normal launches from KSC’s Launch Pad 39-A. The first-stage booster made a recovery landing at Canaveral’s Landing Zone 1. Read more.

March 23 (delayed from March 22): SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-42 mission sending up 23 more Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-A at 11:09 p.m. The first-stage booster flew for 19th time.

March 25: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-46 mission sending up 23 more Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 7:42 p.m. The first-stage booster flew for the eighth time and landed on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship.

March 30: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Eutelsat-36X mission from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-A at 5:52 p.m. The first-stage booster flew for the 12th time with a landing on the Just Read the Instructions droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. This was 20th SpaceX launch from the Space Coast in 2024 and 21st among all companies. Read more.

March 30: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-45 mission carrying 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 9:30 p.m. The first-stage booster flew for the 18th time with a landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean. Read more.

April 5: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-47 mission with 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 5:12 a.m. The first-stage booster flew for the 14th time landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas downrange in the Atlantic. It was the 275th recovery of a Falcon 9 booster for SpaceX. Read more.

April 7: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the the Bandwagon-1 mission from Kennedy Space Center Launch Pad 39-A at 7:16 p.m, The first-stage booster flew for the 14th time and made a recovery landing at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Landing Zone 1. The 11 satellites on board are flying to a mid-inclination orbit. This is the first of a new type of rideshare program flying to that orbit that augments SpaceX’s Transporter program that flies to SSO. Read more.

April 9 (Delayed from March 28): United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy on the NROL-70 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 37 at 12:53 p.m. This was the final Delta IV Heavy rocket launch ever, and last of any Delta rocket, which has been flying for more than 60 years. The Space Force has one more launch on a ULA Atlas V rocket before future missions transition to ULA’s new Vulcan Centaur. Read more.

April 10: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-48 mission carrying 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 1:40 a.m. The first-stage booster made its second flight with a recovery landing downrange on the droneship Just Read the Instructions.

LAUNCHED IN 2023

Jan. 3: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on the Transporter-6 mission carrying 114 payloads for a variety of customers blasted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 9:56 a.m. Read more.

Jan. 9: A SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off carrying 40 satellites for OneWeb at 11:50 p.m. Monday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40. Read more.

Jan. 15: The fifth-ever flight of SpaceX’s powerhouse Falcon Heavy rocket lifted off at 5:56 p.m. from KSC’s Launch Pad 39-A on a mission for the Space Force dubbed USSF-67. Read more.

Jan. 18: A SpaceX Falcon 9 on the GPS III Space Vehicle 06 mission for the Space Force rose through the pink, orange and blue horizon at 7:24 a.m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40. Read more.

Jan. 26: SpaceX Falcon 9 Starlink 5-2 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 launched at 4:32 a.m. sending up 56 Starlink satellites. Read more.

Feb. 2: Falcon 9 on Starlink 5-3 from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-A at 2:43 a.m. 200th successful flight of Falcon 9 on mission to send up 53 Starlink satellites. Read more.

Feb. 6: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Amazonas-6 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 lifted off at 8:32 p.m. Payload is communications satellite for Hispasat known also as the Amazonas Nexus. Read more.

Feb. 12: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 5-4 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Space Launch Complex 40 launched 55 Starlink satellites at 12:10 a.m. This set a then-record turnaround between launches from the same pad for SpaceX coming just five days, three hours, and 38 minutes since the Feb. 6 launch. Read more.

Feb. 17: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Inmarsat’s I-6 F2 satellite launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Space Launch Complex 40 at 10:59 p.m. The second of six planned communication satellite launches, the first of which came in 2021 with the final coming by 2025. Read more.

Feb. 27: SpaceX Falcon 9 Starlink 6-1 launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 6:13 p.m. carrying 21 of the second-generation Starlink satellites. Read more.

March 2: Crew-6 mission on a SpaceX Falcon 9 launching Crew Dragon Endeavour from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39-A at 12:34 a.m. A Feb. 27 attempt was scrubbed with less than three minutes before liftoff. Flying were NASA astronauts mission commander Stephen Bowen and pilot Woody Hoburg, United Arab Emirates astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, heading to the International Space Station for around a six-month stay. It’s the sixth SpaceX operational mission under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Read more.

March 9: A SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off carrying 40 satellites for OneWeb launched at 2:13 p.m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40. The first-stage booster flew for the 13th time landing at Canaveral’s Landing Zone 1. Read more.

March 14: After arrival of Crew-6 and departure of Crew-5 to make room for a cargo Dragon, SpaceX Falcon 9 launched a cargo Dragon spacecraft on CRS-27, the 27th resupply mission to the International Space Station from KSC’s Launch Complex 39-A at 8:30 p.m. Read more.

March 17: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the SES 18 and 19 mission, a pair of communication satellites set to launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40. Set a record for SpaceX mission turnaround with launch only four hours and 17 minutes after a Starlink launch from California. Read more.

March 22: Relativity Space Terran-1, a 3D-printed rocket awaiting company’s first-ever launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex 16 at 11:25 p.m. While first stage successfully separated, the second stage engine did not get it into orbit. Read more.

March 24: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 5-5 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 11:43 a.m. carrying 56 Starlink satellites to orbit. The booster made its 10th flight. Read more.

March 29: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 5-10 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station launched at 4:01 p.m. The booster making its fourth flight landed on Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic. Read more.

April 7: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Intelsat 40e mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 12:30 a.m. Read more.

April 19: SpaceX Falcon 9 launch on Starlink 6-2 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 10:31 a.m. with 21 Starlink satellites. The first-stage booster made its eighth flight with a recovery on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean. Read more.

April 28: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the SES 03b mPOWER-B mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 6:12 p.m. Read more.

April 30: SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch of ViaSat-3 Americas’ communications satellite from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39-A at 8:26 p.m. All three boosters were expended, so no sonic boom landings. Also flying were payloads for Astranis Space Technologies and Gravity Space headed for geostationary orbits. It’s the sixth-ever Falcon Heavy launch. The launch pad endured a lightning strike on April 27, but SpaceX said the rocket was healthy for the attempt. Read more.

May 4: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 5-6 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station with 56 Starlink satellites at 3:31 a.m. The first-stage booster making its eighth flight was recovered once again on the droneship called A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean. Read more.

May 14: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 5-9 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 launnched at 1:03 a.m. Read more.

May 19: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-3 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 2:19 a.m. carrying 22 second-gen Starlink satellites. The first-stage booster made its fifth flight and landing on droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in Atlantic. Read more.

May 21: Axiom 2 mission with four private passengers launched to the International Space Station for an eight-day visit flying on a SpaceX Falcon 9 topped with Crew Dragon Freedom from KSC’s Launch Complex 39-A at 5:37 p.m.  The first-stage booster flew for the first time with a return to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Landing Zone 1. This is only the second crewed mission from the U.S. in 2023 following March’s Crew-6 mission. The second Axiom Space private mission to the International Space Station following 2022′s Axiom 1 mission. Axiom Space’s Director of Human Spaceflight and former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is the mission commander with aviator John Shoffner as pilot and two mission specialist seats paid for by the Saudi Space Commission, Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali AlQarni. Read more.

May 27: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the ArabSat BADR-8 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 12:30 a.m. The first-stage booster made its 14th flight with a landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic. Read more.

June 4: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-4 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 with 22 second-generation Starlink satellites at 8:20 a.m. The first-stage booster made its third flight and was able to land down range on droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean. The launch came 13 years to the day since the first Falcon 9 launch in 2010. It was the 229th attempt of a Falcon 9 launch with 228 of the 229 successful. Read more.

June 5 (Delayed from June 3, 4): SpaceX Falcon 9 on CRS-28 launched a cargo Dragon spacecraft, the 28th resupply mission to the International Space Station from KSC’s Launch Complex 39-A at at 11:47 a.m. The first-stage booster made its fifth flight and SpaceX recovered it downrange on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic. This is the fourth flight of the crew Dragon, which will be bring up nearly 7,000 pounds of supplies, dock to the station 41 hours after launch and remain on the station for three weeks. Read more.

June 12: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 5-11 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 with 53 of the company’s internet satellites at 3:10 a.m.  The first stage booster flew for the ninth time with a recovery landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean. Read more.

June 18: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the PSN MSF mission to launch the Satria communications satellite for the Indonesian government and PSN, an Indonesian satellite operator. This satellite will provide broadband internet and communications capability for public use facilities in Indonesia’s rural regions. Liftoff was at 6:21 p.m. with the first-stage booster making its 12th flight and once again landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic. Read more.

June 22: United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy on NROL-68 for the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command and the National Reconnaissance Office from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 37B lifted off at 5:18 a.m. This was the second-to-last Delta IV Heavy launch with the final one expected in 2024. Read more.

June 23: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 5-12 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 carrying 56 Starlink satellites at 11:35 a.m. The first-stage booster flew for the ninth time and landed on a droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic. Read more.

July 1: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the ESA Euclid space telescope mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 11:12 a.m. The European Space Agency telescope is designed to make a 3D map of the universe by looking at billions of galaxies up to 10 billion light years away across one third of the sky. Read more.

July 9: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-5 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 11:58 p.m. The booster made a record 16th flight and was recovered again downrange on the droneship Just Read the Instructions. Read more.

July 15: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 5-15 mission with 54 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 11:50 p.m. (early Friday scrubbed 40 seconds before launch, and early Saturday option passed over) Booster made a record-tying 16th fligh landing on droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic. Read more.

July 23: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-6 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 8:50 p.m. carrying 22 of its v2 mini Starlink satellites. The booster flew for the sixth time and made a recovery landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions. Read more.

July 28: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-7 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 12:01 a.m. with 22 Starlink satellites. Booster flew for the 15th time including crewed launches Inspiration4 and Ax-1, and made recovery landing on droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic. The launch set a record for turnaround time for the company from a single launch pad coming four days, three hours, and 11 minutes since the July 23 launch. The previous record was set from Feb. 6-12 at five days, three hours, and 38 minutes. Read more.

July 28: SpaceX Falcon Heavy from KSC’s Launch Complex 39-A that launched a telecom satellite for Hughes Network Systems called the Jupiter 3 EchoStar XXIV at 11:04 p.m. The two side boosters were recovered at Landing Zone 1 and Landing Zone 2 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This was the third Falcon Heavy launch of 2023 and seventh overall. Read more.

Aug. 3: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Intelsat G-37 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 1 a.m. The first-stage booster made its sixth flight with a recovery landing downrange on the droneship Just Read the Instructions. Read more.

Aug. 6: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-8 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 10:41 p.m. with 22 Starlink V2 minis. The first-stage booster made its fourth flight with another recovery landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas downrange in the Atlantic. The turnaround time between the Aug. 3 Intelsat G-37 mission and this mission broke SpaceX’s previous record for time between launches from a single launch pad. Previous record was from July 24-28 with a turnaround of four days, three hours, and 11 minutes. This one came in at three days, 21 hours, 41 minutes. Read more.

Aug. 11: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-9 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 1:17 a.m. Payload is 22 of the V2 mini Starlink satellites. First-stage booster flew for the ninth time with a recovery landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic. Read more.

Aug. 16: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-10 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 with 22 of the V2 mini Starlink satellites. The first-stage booster made its 13th flight and SpaceX was able to recover it again on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas downrange in the Atlantic. Read more.

Aug. 26: SpaceX Crew-7 mission on a Falcon 9 launching the Crew Dragon Endurance from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39-A lifted off at 3:27 a.m. liftoff. It’s the seventh SpaceX operational mission under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Flying are NASA astronaut and mission commander Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA astronaut and pilot Andreas Mogensen, mission specialist JAXA astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and mission specialist Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov. This will be Endurance’s third spaceflight after having been used on the Crew-3 and Crew-5 missions. The launch will use a new first-stage booster. The crew will arrive at 8:50 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 27. with hatch opening about two hours later. It will stay docked about 190 days. Read more.

Aug. 26: SpaceX Falcon 9 Starlink 6-11 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 9:05 p.m. with 22 Starlink satellites. The first stage flew for the third time and landed on the Just Read the Instructions droneship in the Atlantic Ocean.

Aug. 31: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-13 mission carrying 22 of the v2 Starlink minis from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 10:21 p.m. It was SpaceX’s ninth launch of the calendar month matching the record nine launches it had in May. It was the company’s 60th orbital launch of the year. The first-stage booster flew for the seventh time and made a recovery landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic. Read more.

Sept. 3: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-12 mission carrying 21 of the v2 Starlink minis from Kennedy Space Center’s Space Launch Complex 39-A at 10:47 p.m. It marked the 62nd SpaceX orbital launch in 2023 besting the 61 launches the company performed in 2022. The first-stage booster on the flight made its 10th launch and was able to make its recovery landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean. Read more.

Sept. 8: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-14 mission carrying 22 of its Starlink satellites, flying from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 took off at 11:12 p.m. The first-stage booster made its seventh flight with a recovery landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas downrange in the Atlantic. Read more.

Sept. 10 (delayed from Aug. 29): United Launch Alliance Atlas V on the SILENTBARKER/NROL-107 for the National Reconnaissance Office and Space Force from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41 at 8:47 a.m.. Delayed because of Tropical Storm Idalia. This was the second ULA launch of 2023. SILENTBARKER’s classified mission is to improve space domain awareness to support national security and provide intelligence data to U.S. senior policy makers, the Intelligence Community and Department of Defense. It will provide the capability to search, detect and track objects from space-based sensors for timely custody and event detection. Read more.

Sept. 15: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-16 mission, carrying 22 of its Starlink satellites, flying from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 launching at 11:38 p.m. The first-stage booster for the mission made its fifth flight with a landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic. It marked SpaceX’s 65th orbital launch of the year including missions from Canaveral, KSC and California. Read more.

Sept. 19: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-17 mission, carrying 22 of its Starlink satellites, flying from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 launching at 11:38 p.m. This was a record reuse flight for the first-stage booster flying for a 17th time with a recovery landing on the droneship A Short Fall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean. Read more.

Sept.23: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-18 mission, carrying 22 of its Starlink satellites, flying from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 11:38 p.m. The first-stage booster made a record-tying 17th flight with a recovery landing down range on droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean. Read more.

Sept.29: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-19 mission, carrying 22 of its Starlink satellites, flying from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 10 p.m. The booster on this flight made its 10th launch having flown on CRS-24, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13F, OneWeb 1, SES-18 and SES-19 and five Starlink missions. It made a recovery landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean. This was SpaceX’s 69th launch of the year, its 49th from the Space Coast, 39th from Cape Canaveral and the other 10 from KSC. With only three non-SpaceX flights this year, it was the Space Coast’s 52nd overall. Read more.

Oct. 5: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-21 mission with 22 of its Starlink satellites launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 1:36 a.m.  The booster made its eighth flight with a recovery landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean. This was SpaceX’s 70th launch of the year, its 50th from the Space Coast, 40th from Cape Canaveral. With only three non-SpaceX flights this year, it is the Space Coast’s 53rd overall. Read more.

Oct. 6: United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41 at 2:06 p.m. Payload was Amazon’s two test Project Kuiper satellites that were set to fly on ULA’s first Vulcan Centaur rocket, but switched to one of the nine Atlas rockets Amazon had previously purchased from ULA as Vulcan had been delayed to no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2023. Read more.

Oct. 13 (Delayed from Oct. 12): A SpaceX Falcon Heavy launched NASA’s Psyche probe into space launch from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39-A at 10:19 a.m. The probe was delayed from 2022, and headed for the asteroid Psyche, using a Mars-gravity assist and not arriving until August 2029. Psyche is a nickel-iron core asteroid that orbits the sun beyond Mars anywhere from 235 million to 309 million miles away. The two side boosters returned for a land landing at Landing Zone 1 and Landing Zone 2 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Read more.

Oct. 13 (Delayed from Oct. 8): SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-22 mission with 22 of its Starlink satellites launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 7:01 p.m. The first-stage booster for the mission is making its 14th flight, and made another recovery landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas down range in the Atlantic. The launch came 8 hours and 42 minutes after the Falcon Heavy launch from nearby KSC earlier in the day. Read more.

Oct. 17: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-23 mission with 22 of its Starlink satellites launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 8:36 p.m. This is the first-stage booster made its 16th flight with a recovery landing downrange on the droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic. This marked the Space Coasts’ 57th launch of the year, which matched the total it had in 2022. Read more.

Oct. 21: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-24 mission with 23 of its Starlink satellites launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 10:17 p.m. The first-stage booster made its fourth flight with a recovery landing downrange in the Atlantic on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas. This became the record 58th launch from the Space Coast for the year. Read more.

Oct. 29: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-25 mission with 23 of its Starlink satellites launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 7:20 p.m. This was the 59th launch from the Space Coast for the year. The first-stage booster flew for the eighth time and made a  recovery landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions stationed down range in the Atlantic. Read more.

Nov. 3: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-26 mission with 23 of its Starlink satellites launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 8:37 p.m. This was the 60th launch from the Space Coast for the year. The first-stage booster flew for a record 18th time and made a  recovery landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas stationed down range in the Atlantic. Read more.

Nov. 8: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-27 mission with 23 of its Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 targeting 12:05 a.m. The first-stage booster made its 11th flight with a landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions downrange in the Atlantic. This was the 61st launch from the Space Coast for the year. Read more.

Nov. 9: SpaceX Falcon 9 with cargo Dragon on the CRS-29 mission to carry supplies to the International Space Station from Kennedy Space Center Launch Pad 39-B at 8:28 p.m. It’s the 29th resupply mission for SpaceX with its cargo Dragon filled with 6,500 pounds of supplies for the Expedition 70 crew with an expected arrival to the ISS about 5:20 a.m. Saturday. It includes NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) science experiment to measure atmospheric gravity waves and how it could affect Earth’s climate and the Integrated Laser Communications Relay Demonstration Low-Earth-Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal (ILLUMA-T), a technology demonstration for laser communications among the ISS, an orbiting relay satellite and a ground-based observatory on Earth. The first-stage booster flew for the second time and landed back at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Landing Zone 1. Read more.

Nov. 12: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the SES O3b mPOWER mission to medium-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40  at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 4:08 p.m. First stage made its 9th flight with a recovery landing on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship in the Atlantic Ocean. Read more.

Nov. 18: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-28 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 12:05 a.m. with 23 Starlink satellites. First-stage booster flew for the 11th time and landed on the droneship Just Read the Instructions This was the 64th launch from the Space Coast in 2023. This launch came hours ahead of the Starship and Super Heavy launch attempt in Texas. Read more.

Nov. 22: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-29 mission with 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 2:47 a.m. The first-stage booster flew for the 15th time and landed on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic. This marked the 65th launch from the Space Coast in 2023. Read more.

Nov. 27: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-30 mission with 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40at 11:20 p.m. This was a southerly trajectory launch. The booster flew for the 17th time (3rd booster to do so) and landed on the droneship Just Read the Instructions. It was the 66th launch of the year from the Space Coast, 62nd from SpaceX in Florida, and 87th orbital launch from SpaceX including California missions. Read more.

Dec. 2: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-31 mission with 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 11 p.m. First stage booster flew for the sixth time and landed on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas. It marked the 67th launch of the year from the Space Coast, 63rd from SpaceX in Florida, and 89th orbital launch from SpaceX including California missions.

Dec. 7: SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-32 mission with 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 12:07 a.m. The first-stage booster flew for the ninth time with a recovery landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions stationed downrange in the Atlantic. This was the 68th launch from the Space Coast in 2023. Read more.

Dec. 18 (Delayed from Dec. 11, 12, 13) SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-34 mission with 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 11:01 p.m. Read more.

Dec. 23: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-32 mission with 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 12:33 a.m.  This was a record 19th flight for the first-stage booster having flown previously on Crew Demo-2, ANASIS-11, CRS-21, Transporter-1, Transporter-3 and 13 Starlink missions. It made a recovery landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions downrange in the Atlantic. This was the 70th Space Coast launch of the year. Read more.

Dec. 28 (Delayed from Dec. 10, 11, 13): SpaceX Falcon Heavy from KSC’s Launch Complex 39-A on USSF-52, the third mission for the Space Force, launching the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle on its seventh trip to space at 8:07 p.m. The side boosters flew for the fifth time, previously used on the Psyche mission, two Space Force missions and one commercial flight with another double land landing at Landing Zone 1 and Landing Zone 2 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Read more.

Dec. 28: SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink 6-36 mission with 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 targeting 11:01 p.m. This was the 12th flight for the first-stage booster with a recovery landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas downrange in the Atlantic. This was a record turnaround among SpaceX launches from Space Coast launch pads at 2 hours and 54 minutes besting October’s double launch that saw a Falcon 9 launch at CCSFS just eight hours, 42 minutes after a Falcon Heavy launch at KSC. Read more.

Follow Orlando Sentinel space coverage at Facebook.com/goforlaunchsentinel.

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and LINDSAY WHITEHURST (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge in Delaware refused Friday to throw out a federal gun case against Hunter Biden, rejecting the president’s son’s claim that he is being prosecuted for political purposes as well as other arguments.

U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika’s ruling increases the prospect that Biden could face trial in the case as early as June, in the midst of his father’s reelection campaign. His efforts to scuttle the other criminal case he faces in California involving tax allegations have also failed.

Norieka denied several defense requests to dismiss the case charging Biden with lying about his drug use in October 2018 on a form to buy a gun that he kept for about 11 days.

His lawyers had argued the case was politically motivated and asserted that an immunity provision from an original plea deal that fell apart still holds. They had also challenged the appointment of Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss as special counsel to lead the prosecution.

Noreika, who was appointed to the bench by former President Donald Trump, has not yet ruled on a challenge to the constitutionality of the gun charges.

Biden has pleaded not guilty. A representative for his legal team didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

The president’s son has acknowledged struggling with an addiction to crack cocaine during that period in 2018, but his lawyers have said he didn’t break the law and another nonviolent, first-time offender would not have been charged.

The yearslong investigation had looked ready to wrap up with a plea deal last year, but the agreement imploded after a judge raised questions about it. Biden was subsequently indicted.

Under the deal, he would have gotten two years’ probation after pleading guilty to misdemeanor tax charges. He also would have avoided prosecution on the gun charge if he stayed out of trouble. He was subsequently indicted.

His attorneys have argued that prosecutors bowed to political pressure to indict the president’s son amid heavy criticism of the plea deal from Trump and other Republicans.

Prosecutors countered the evidence against him was “overwhelming,” including cocaine residue found in the pouch where he stored his gun, and noted that charges had been filed during the presidency of his father.

Norieka said in her ruling that Biden’s team provided “nothing concrete” to support a conclusion that anyone actually influenced the special counsel’s team.

“The pressure campaign from Congressional Republicans may have occurred around the time that Special Counsel decided to move forward with indictment instead of pretrial diversion, but the Court has been given nothing credible to suggest that the conduct of those lawmakers (or anyone else) had any impact on Special Counsel,” the judge wrote. “It is all speculation.”

The judge also knocked down the defense’s claim that the case must be dismissed because the diversion agreement — the part of the prior deal that would have allowed the gun case to be wiped from his record — was still valid. The judge said the probation office never actually signed to approve the diversion agreement, which was necessary for it to go into effect.

He faces separate tax counts in Los Angeles alleging he failed to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes over three years while living an “extravagant lifestyle,” during his days of using drugs. The judge overseeing that case knocked down eight motions to dismiss those charges earlier this month. Biden’s lawyers told the court Friday that they will appeal those rulings.

That trial is also scheduled to begin in June.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Arrests for crossing the U.S. border illegally fell slightly in March, authorities said Friday, bucking a usual spring increase amid increased immigration enforcement in Mexico.

The Border Patrol made 137,480 arrests of people entering from Mexico, down 2.3% from 140,638 arrests in February, the first time since 2017 that arrests fell in March from the previous month. Crossings typically rise as temperatures turn warmer.

Mexico detained migrants 240,000 times in the first two months of the year, more than triple from the same period of 2023, sending many deeper south into the country to discourage them from coming to the United States. While Mexico hasn’t released figures for March, U.S. officials have said Mexican enforcement is largely responsible for recent declines.

“Encounters at our southern border are lower right now, but we remain prepared for changes, continually managing operations to respond to ever-shifting transnational criminal activities and migration patterns,” said Troy Miller, acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The March arrest tally is one of the lowest of Joe Biden’s presidency after a record high of nearly 250,000 in December. While conditions quickly change, the decline is welcome news for the White House at a time when immigration has become a top voter concern in an election year. Biden said this month that he is still considering executive action to suspend asylum at the border if crossings hit a certain threshold.

Tucson, Arizona, was again the busiest of the Border Patrol’s nine sectors on the Mexican border in March, a position it has held since summer, followed by San Diego and El Paso, Texas. Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings for much of the last decade, is fifth busiest, signaling how quickly routes are changing.

The arrest tally excludes new and expanded paths to enter the country legally under presidential powers, known as parole, which allow people to stay temporarily and apply for work permits.

U.S. authorities granted entry to 44,000 people at land crossings with Mexico in March through an online appointment system, CBP One. More than 547,000 have been allowed in the country through CBP One since it was introduced in January, led by Venezuelans, Haitians and Mexicans.

More than 400,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela have been allowed to enter the U.S. through March after applying online with a financial sponsor and arriving at an airport, paying their way.

By FATIMA HUSSEIN (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and U.K. will begin restricting the trade of new Russian-origin metals — including aluminum, copper and nickel — on global metal exchanges and in derivatives trading.

The announcement is meant to follow up on the Group of Seven nations’ commitment in February “to reduce Russia’s revenues from metals” as its invasion into Ukraine has dragged on for more than two years.

Russia is a key exporter of metals like aluminum, steel and titanium — but British and American officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the announcement, said the economic impact from the ban would be negligible for consumers and producers.

The intent is to limit Russia’s revenues from metals, they say, as metals have earned the nation $40 billion in the past two years, according to British officials.

“Our new prohibitions on key metals, in coordination with our partners in the United Kingdom, will continue to target the revenue Russia can earn to continue its brutal war against Ukraine,” said Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in a news release.

“By taking this action in a targeted and responsible manner, we will reduce Russia’s earnings while protecting our partners and allies from unwanted spillover effects,” she said.

The officials said new Russian metals will not be allowed to be traded on the exchanges, including the London Metal Exchange and Chicago Mercantile Exchange. However, metals produced before midnight Saturday in London will be permitted.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. and EU have levied sanctions on Russia’s biggest banks and its elite, frozen the assets of the country’s Central Bank located outside the country and excluded its financial institutions from the SWIFT bank messaging system.

The U.S. and U.K. have also previously sanctioned Russian gold, gas and diamonds.

By JENNIFER PELTZ and MICHAEL R. SISAK (Associated Press)

NEW YORK (AP) — The judge in Donald Trump’s hush money criminal case on Friday turned down the former president’s request to postpone his trial because of publicity about the case.

It’s the latest in a string of delay denials that Trump has gotten from various courts this week as he fights to stave off the trial’s start Monday with jury selection.

Among other things, Trump’s lawyers had argued that the jury pool was deluged with what the defense saw as “exceptionally prejudicial” news coverage of the case. The defense maintained that was a reason to hold off the case indefinitely.

Judge Juan M. Merchan wrote that Trump “appears to take the position that his situation and this case are unique and that the pre-trial publicity will never subside. However, this view does not align with reality.”

Pointing to Trump’s two federal defamation trials and a state civil fraud trial in Manhattan within the past year, Merchan wrote that the ex-president himself “was personally responsible for generating much, if not most, of the surrounding publicity with his public statements” outside those courtrooms and on social media.

“The situation Defendant finds himself in now is not new to him and at least in part, of his own doing,” the judge added. He said questioning of prospective jurors would address any concerns about their ability to be fair and impartial.

Messages seeking comment were left with Trump’s lawyers. The Manhattan district attorney’s office, which is prosecuting the case, declined to comment.

Trump, meanwhile, said Friday that he planned to testify at the trial, calling the case a “scam.”

“All I can do is tell the truth,” Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. “And the truth is, they have no case.”

Asked about jury selection, Trump said the process is “largely luck.”

“It depends who you get,” Trump said.

“It’s very unfair that I’m having a trial there,” he said, reiterating complaints he has made about the judge.

In a court filing last month, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche had argued that “potential jurors in Manhattan have been exposed to huge amounts of biased and unfair media coverage relating to this case.”

“Many of the potential jurors already wrongfully believe that President Trump is guilty,” Blanche added, citing the defense’s review of media articles and other research it conducted.

Blanche said the review found 1,223 articles published online about the case from mid-January to late February and that many of them “unfairly and improperly ‘demonized’” Trump. However, a chart included in a defense submission included many mentions of terms relevant to the case, such as 207 references to “Manhattan Trial” and 142 to “Hush Money Payments.”

Trump’s lawyers also blamed key prosecution witnesses Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels for driving negative coverage of Trump. They pointed to Cohen’s withering criticism of Trump on his podcasts and social media feeds and to publicity surrounding the release of a documentary about Daniels, which premiered last month on the NBC streaming service Peacock.

Prosecutors contended that publicity wasn’t likely to wane and that Trump’s own comments generated a lot of it. Prosecutors also noted that there are more than 1 million people in Manhattan, arguing that jury questioning could surely locate 12, plus six alternates, who could be impartial.

Trump’s hush money case is the first of his four criminal indictments slated to go to trial and would be the first criminal trial ever of a former president.

He is accused of doctoring his company’s records to hide the real reason for payments to Cohen, his former lawyer and fixer who helped the candidate bury negative claims about him during his 2016 campaign. Cohen’s activities included paying porn actor Stormy Daniels $130,000 to suppress her story of an extramarital sexual encounter with Trump years earlier, which Trump denies.

Trump pleaded not guilty last year to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. His lawyers argue the payments to Cohen were legitimate legal expenses.

Trump’s lawyers had lobbed other, sometimes similar, arguments for delays at an appeals court this week. One of those appeals sought to put the trial on hold until the appellate court could give full consideration to the defense’s argument that it needs to be moved elsewhere, on the grounds that the jury pool has been polluted by news coverage of Trump’s other recent cases.

Trump’s lawyers also maintain that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee faces “real potential prejudice” in heavily Democratic Manhattan.

All this week’s appeals were turned down by individual appellate judges, though the matters are headed to a panel of appeals judges for further consideration.

Along with their claims about pretrial publicity, Trump’s lawyers took issue with the recent prosecution of former Trump Organization finance chief Allen Weisselberg for lying in the civil fraud case. They accused the Manhattan DA’s office of deploying “unethical, strong-armed tactics against an innocent man in his late 70s” while turning “a blind eye” to perjury allegations against Cohen.

Merchan, whom Trump’s lawyers accused of pressuring Weisselberg into a previous guilty plea, said the new claim “compels this Court — again, to express its continuing and growing alarm over counsel’s practice of making serious allegations and representations that have no apparent basis in fact — or at least are unsupported by a legitimate basis of knowledge.”

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Associated Press reporters Jill Colvin in Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report.