Comment on US envoy nominee Branstad member of Masons, banned in China

MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s president confirmed Wednesday night that the collapse of a stage during a campaign rally in northern Mexico has killed four people and injured 15. The stage collapse, caused by a strong gust of wind, occurred during an event attended by presidential long-shot candidate Jorge Álvarez Máynez, who was sent flying by the wind. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he “sends a hug to family members, friends of the victims and political supporters.” Lamento el accidente en San Pedro Garza García, causado por un fuerte viento durante el acto al que asistieron Jorge Álvarez Máynez, candidato a la presidencia por Movimiento Ciudadano y otros militantes, dirigentes y candidatos de ese partido.

NEW YORK — Charlie Colin, bassist and founding member of the American pop-rock band Train, best known for their early-aughts hits like “Drops of Jupiter” and “Meet Virginia,” has died. He was 58. Colin’s sister Carolyn Stephens confirmed her brother’s death to The Associated Press Wednesday. He died after slipping and falling in the shower while house-sitting for a friend in Brussels, Belgium, celebrity website TMZ.com reported. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Colin grew up in California and Virginia and attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He played in a group called Apostles after college with guitarist Jimmy Stafford and singer Rob Hotchkiss.

The U. S. Justice Department and a group of states will sue Live Nation Entertainment Inc. for antitrust violations related to Ticketmaster’s unrivaled control of concert ticket sales, according to people familiar with the case. The suit is expected to be filed in the Southern District of New York Thursday, said the people who asked not to be identified.

GREENFIELD, Iowa — Five people died and at least 35 were hurt as powerful tornadoes ripped through Iowa Tuesday, with one carving a path of destruction through the town of Greenfield, officials said. The Iowa Department of Public Safety said Wednesday that four people had been killed in the Greenfield area.

Deion Sanders figured he’d just bagged the second coming of himself. Cormani McClain figured he’d landed an instant starting spot and a seat at the table with the rest of Coach Prime’s Chosen Ones. Both guessed wrong. “Just knowing Coach Prime and (assistant) coach (Kevin) Mathis and knowing Cormani and the expectations, it was going to be rough in the beginning,” Samari Rolle, the former NFL defensive back and one of McClain’s old 7-on-7 coaches with the South Florida Express, told me recently. Coach Prime’s recruiting might have been changed by The Cormani McClain Saga.

On the heels of receiving his third career league MVP trophy, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was unsurprisingly named First Team All-NBA for the 2023-24 season on Wednesday. Jokic has received All-NBA honors in six consecutive years, including four first-team appearances. He was on the second team last season despite finishing second in MVP voting — making him the last in a long tradition of awkward awards contradictions before the league’s new collective bargaining agreement established positionless All-NBA ballots. This is the first year that zero or multiple centers can appear on the First Team, Second Team or Third Team.