Caitlin Clark Misses Out, Stewart and Wilson Headline US Olympic Team

Despite her impressive resume and dominant performances for the University of Iowa, Caitlin Clark has been left off the U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team. The announcement came as a surprise to many, as Clark had been considered a strong candidate for a roster spot. However, the USA Basketball selection committee opted for a veteran core, led by Breanna Stewart, A’Ja Wilson, and Diana Taurasi. Stewart and Wilson have both been instrumental in Team USA’s recent dominance, while Taurasi is a four-time Olympic gold medalist. Clark’s omission highlights the depth of talent in the U.S. women’s basketball pool. Despite her 27.4 points and 8.2 assists per game average in her sophomore season, she was unable to crack the highly competitive roster. Other notable players who made the cut include Sue Bird, Skylar Diggins-Smith, and Napheesa Collier. Bird is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, while Diggins-Smith and Collier are both All-Stars in the WNBA. The U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team is considered the overwhelming favorite to win gold in Tokyo. With a wealth of experience and talent, they will be aiming to extend their historic run of success at the Olympic Games.

Hunter Biden’s conviction for lying about his drug use on a gun license application will be a devastating personal blow to his father, Joe Biden.

Hunter Biden’s conviction for lying about his drug use on a gun license application will be a devastating personal blow to his father, Joe Biden.

The president of the United States is also the patriarch of a close-knit family that has suffered its share of personal tragedies and traumas.

Now his surviving son has been found guilty on all three charges and faces a possible prison sentence.

But the verdict is unlikely to change how Americans vote in the November election.

Your father’s name will be on the ballot, not yours. There is no evidence linking the president to his son’s crimes. And there has been little evidence in polls that the public is following this trial closely.

At the start of the trial, the president issued a statement hinting at the dual obligations that demanded his attention.

“I’m president, but I’m also a dad,” he said.

He added that he supported his son and was proud of the man he is today, but did not want to comment on the process.

Joe Biden may not have wanted to talk about the trial, but his son’s courtroom drama has followed him for weeks as he carries out his official duties and campaigns for re-election. Hunter’s yet-to-be-determined punishment may similarly distract as the president prepares later this month for a pivotal presidential debate.

While in France for D-Day commemorations last week, President Biden said he would not consider using his authority to pardon his son. And he added that he would accept the jury’s verdict, in contrast to Donald Trump’s rejection of his own conviction as fraudulent and corrupt.

Trump’s trial devolved into a partisan fight, with Republican officials lining up behind the former president to condemn the proceedings. Hunter’s conviction had a different feel and marked the culmination of a dark period for a Biden family that has seen more than its share of turmoil.

Hunter Biden spiraled into drug use around the time his brother, Beau, died of brain cancer. His battles with addiction and the toll it took on his family relationships were presented in painful detail during the trial through excerpts from Hunter’s memoirs, his text messages and emails, photographs and testimonies from people close to him.

Meanwhile, friends and family members of Hunter Biden, including first lady Jill Biden and his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, sat behind him, watched him and sometimes hugged him or held his hand during breaks from the judgment. His half-sister Ashley cried during the defense attorney’s closing arguments.

“Our family has been through a lot together,” Joe Biden’s earlier statement concluded, “and Jill and I will continue to be there for Hunter and our family with our love and support.”

The prosecutor during his closing argument said the evidence presented was ugly and personal. He also said that he was overwhelming and that it was necessary to prove that when Hunter Biden filled out the federal background check application for a firearm, he knowingly lied when he certified that he was not using drugs.

In the end, a unanimous jury agreed. This guilty verdict means that the president’s son, the only surviving child of his first wife, who died along with his young daughter in a car accident half a century ago, may face years in prison.

Hunter Biden now awaits sentencing for his conviction, but even after the judge decides his punishment, his legal difficulties will not end. He also faces a trial in September accused of failing to pay $1.4 million in federal income taxes.

That trial, coming less than two months before the election, may not contain the raw emotion on display in the Delaware courtroom, but it could prove more politically damaging for the president. Hunter’s foreign business dealings and his financial ties to the president have been a source of continued scrutiny from Biden’s Republican critics.

Drug addiction and its consequences have affected many American lives. However, accusations of financial irregularity and tax fraud may generate less sympathy from the voting public.

Caitlin Clark, one of the most decorated women’s college basketball players in recent history, was surprisingly left off the US Olympic team roster announced on Thursday. The 19-year-old Iowa star was considered a long shot to make the team, but her omission raised eyebrows given her impressive resume. Clark led the nation in scoring and assists last season and was named the Big Ten Player of the Year. She also helped lead Iowa to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. Despite her impressive credentials, Clark was not among the 12 players selected to represent the United States in Tokyo. Instead, the team will be led by a trio of veterans: A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, and Diana Taurasi. Wilson is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and the reigning WNBA MVP. Stewart is a four-time Olympic gold medalist and the 2020 WNBA Finals MVP. Taurasi is a three-time Olympic gold medalist and the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer. The rest of the roster includes: * Sue Bird * Tina Charles * Napheesa Collier * Ariel Atkins * Jewell Loyd * Brittney Griner * Sylvia Fowles * Chelsea Gray The US team is considered the heavy favorite to win gold in Tokyo. They will open their Olympic campaign on July 27 against Nigeria.