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But ESPN Friday (17 May) linked former Angels infielder David Fletcher and ex-minor leaguer Cody Shultz to the Southern California illegal betting ring. Monday morning, ESPN reported that MLB is opening a betting investigation into Fletcher, now in the Atlanta Braves farm system.

Fletcher reportedly bet with Mathew Bowyer, the same illegal bookmaker Mizuhara used. Fletcher did not bet on baseball, according to ESPN.

His high school friend, Shultz, reportedly did, though, including on Angels games in which Fletcher played. According to ESPN, Schultz is the person identified as “Bookmaker 3” in the Mizuhara complaint.

Major League Baseball has not officially acknowledged an investigation. It previously declined to open one on Ohtani, after the federal government referred to Ohtani as a victim. The league previously said the federal government had more resources available, so it would wait to see what was uncovered.

MLB: Betting OK, just not on baseball

MLB rules allow players to bet on sports, just not baseball. Sports betting is illegal in California, which means if Fletcher or Schultz did bet with Bowyer, they broke the law. If Fletcher or Schultz bet on baseball, either would face a lifetime ban, per league rules.

MLB’s gambling policy requires a minimum one-year suspension for a player who “operates or works for” an illegal bookmaker. The penalty for betting with an illegal bookie is at the commissioner’s discretion.

Fletcher and Ohtani were teammates from 2018 to 2023 and Fletcher told ESPN that he and Ohtani were “good friends”. During that span, the Angels did not have a winning season and did not break .500. In 2021, Fletcher signed a $26 million five-year contract extension, but the Angels then traded him to the Braves.

Mizuhara to change plea in June

Fletcher previously told ESPN that he was at the poker game where Mizuhara met Bowyer but denied introducing the two. Mizuhara plans to plead guilty for stealing nearly $17m from Ohtani to pay off gambling debts incurred with Bowyer.

He pled “not guilty” last week, but a change-of-plea hearing is set for 4 June. Mizuhara is charged with bank fraud and signing a fraudulent tax return. The maximum penalties for his crimes are 33 years in prison and $1.25m in fines.

The federal betting investigation stemming from the Nix gambling ring is wide-reaching. Former Dodger Yaiel Puig and ex-Chicago Bull Scottie Pippen have been ensnared. LeBron James’ manager also bet with the Nix ring.

Fletcher and Schultz grew up in Orange County, the same county Bowyer and Mizuhara live in. He played college baseball at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles and the Angels drafted him in the sixth round in 2015. He made his MLB debut on 13 June 2018.

Fletcher played five games for the Braves this season between 16 April and 25 April. He went 2-for-8 and was sent back to Triple A Gwinnet.

Melania Trump has a memoir out later this month that Donald Trump has knowledgeable supporters he develop into too busy to be taught. So it’s miles going to additionally advance as a surprise to him that his companion wrote about how she’s interestingly passionately expert-resolution, and believes girls wants so that you should maybe avoid losing abortions any time they want—a luminous the ex-president took a long way from millions of other folks.

In holding with the Guardian, which received a duplicate of Melania earlier than its delivery next week, the frail first girl says in her e book: “It’s miles imperative to guarantee that girls comprise autonomy in deciding their preference of having younger other folks, in accordance to their very comprise convictions, free from any intervention or rigidity from the federal government. Why could presumably well additionally soundless someone diverse than the girl herself comprise the energy to desire what she does with her comprise body? A lady’s elementary luminous of individual liberty, to her comprise existence, grants her the authority to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes. Restricting a girl’s luminous to desire whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the linked as denying her preserve watch over over her comprise body. I truly comprise carried this perception with me right thru my entire grownup existence.” And he or she doesn’t terminate there.

“It’s a truly easy belief,” Melania continues. “In point of fact, we’re all born with a location of elementary rights, including the luminous to experience our lives. We are all entitled to withhold a relaxing and dignified existence. This commonsense draw applies to a girl’s natural luminous to compose choices about her comprise body and well being.”

Questioning if the frail first girl believes there wishes to be a cutoff level as to when an individual can now now not save an abortion, as her husband’s operating mate declared right thru the vice-presidential debate this week? She does now now not. “It could maybe maybe presumably well presumably be necessary to repeat that historically, most abortions conducted right thru the later stages of pregnancy were the final consequence of excessive fetal abnormalities that potentially would comprise ended in the death or stillbirth of the baby,” she says. “Presumably even the death of the mother. These cases were extremely rare and barely came about after loads of consultations between the girl and her doctor.” She also writes that whereas she is “in prefer of the requirement that juveniles save parental consent before undergoing an abortion,” she “realize[s] this could maybe presumably well additionally now now not constantly be doubtless.“

The frail first girl’s views on abortion are, of route, wildly out of step with these of her husband and his Republican brethren. While operating for inform of industrial in 2016, Trump vowed to completely nominate Supreme Court judges who would overturn Roe v. Wade; after that came about in June 2022, he bragged about killing the nationwide luminous to an abortion and has now now not stopped bragging about it within the years since. While he defends his actions as simply sending the topic help to the “states” to desire, the overturning of Roe ended in crude or total abortion bans in a broad selection of states, the put some girls comprise died as a consequence. Meanwhile, the ex-president most steadily lies about abortion, claiming Democrats make stronger “executing” infants after they are born. His operating mate, JD Vance has beforehand called for a nationwide abortion ban, and it’s below no conditions out of the realm of probability that one could presumably well ride into compose in a second Trump administration, despite deceptive claims to the opposite.

Bearing on their opposing beliefs, Melania writes: “Occasional political disagreements between me and my husband…[are] portion of our relationship, however I believed in addressing them privately in preference to publicly worthy him.” Which, clearly, is perfect sorrowful for the many these which were stripped of their reproductive rights thanks to Trump’s handiwork.

Why are we listening to relating to the frail first girl’s views on abortion now, eight years after her companion first ran for president? Abortion rights recommend Jessica Valenti has an belief:

It’s now now not a accident that her supposed full-throated make stronger is being leaked luminous before the election….This girl has been complicit in her husband’s nightmare reign and bigotry, and now she wishes to abet place a shining, softened sheen on his anti-abortion extremism. That is about preserving up and distracting from how harmful a Trump administration will be for girls.

Which, if it’s now now not already abundantly clear, will be Handmaid’s Legend–diploma harmful. On the shimmering aspect, someone dying in a automotive automotive car parking zone because Trump’s Supreme Court nominations can take comfort within the truth that Melania “privately” complained to her husband.