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Saturday, February 14, 2026

Obama compares 'rogue' ICE actions to authoritarian countries

February 14, 2026
Obama compares 'rogue' ICE actions to authoritarian countries

Former President Barack Obamasaid in a Feb. 14 interview that the actions of some federal agents under the Trump administration are similar to behavior previously seen under dictatorships.

"The rogue behavior of agents of the federal government is deeply concerning and dangerous," Obama said in aninterview with podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen.

<p style=After the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by federal immigration agents (ICE), communities across the U.S. are protesting against Trump's surge of immigration enforcement actions.

Pictured here, Demonstrators gather for a protest calling for the removal of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Jan. 30, 2026 in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Protests were held across the United States in response to ICE enforcement activity.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Savannah Gritter, 12, holds signs during the A federal agent goes to clear a makeshift shield a protester placed over a gas canister during an anti-ICE protest at the Eugene Federal Building on Jan. 30, 2026, in Eugene, Oregon. <p style=Hundreds of people gather to protest ICE at the corner of Palafox and Garden Streets in downtown Pensacola, Florida, on Jan. 30, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> In an aerial view, demonstrators spell out an SOS signal of distress on a frozen Lake BdeMaka Ska on Jan. 30, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Protesters marched through downtown to protest the deaths of Renee Good on January 7, and Alex Pretti on January 24 by federal immigration agents. Protesters chant as they march down University Avenue during a Party for Socialism & Liberation–sponsored anti‑ICE demonstration in downtown Gainesville, Fla., on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. The march began at Southwest 13th Street and University Avenue and ended at Bo Diddley Plaza, where participants protested ICE and recent killings in Minnesota. A protestor is shoved by a federal agent after getting face-to-face with the agent, who stood among a line of agents blocking off the federal detention center in Los Angeles, Calif., Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. People hold signs along PGA Blvd., and Military Trail during the Demonstrators march down Walnut Street as Cincinnati Police officers clear traffic during an ICE Out! rally in downtown Cincinnati on Jan. 30, 2026. Protestors clash with police during a <p style=Penn High School students participate in a walkout protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Mishawaka, Indiana.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> People hold signs along PGA Blvd., and Military Trail during the Federal agents drive out protesters from the grounds of the Eugene Federal Building on Jan. 30, 2026, in Eugene, Oregon. <p style=Protesters gather at City Hall in response to recent actions by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, commonly referred to as "ICE," and the presence of Flock cameras in the community and Indiana University campus, in Bloomington, Indiana, on Jan. 30, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> People partake in a <p style=A Penn High School student confronts a man in a car line at the school who was shouting, "Let's go ICE!" as students were marching past during a walkout protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Mishawaka, Indiana.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> People partake in a People hold a photo of Alex Pretti, who was shot dead by federal agents, during a protest in Minneapolis on Jan. 30, 2026. People hold a photo of Renee Good, who was shot dead by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, during a Protestors clash with police during a Students walked out or skipped school to join others in the student-led ICE Out protest in downtown Knoxville, Tenn., on Jan. 30, 2026. A protestor reacts to being hit by tactical gas used by federal agents in Los Angeles, Calif., Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. LAPD officers attempt to clear protestors during 'National Shutdown Thousands of protestors begin to march away from city hall in Los Angeles, Calif., Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. Demonstrators gather in front of the Hamilton County Courthouse during an ICE Out! rally in downtown Cincinnati on Jan. 30, 2026. Hacks actress Megan Stalter holds up a protest sign outside of city hall in Los Angeles, Calif., Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. Protesters gather at the Rhode Island State House on Jan. 30, 2026 as part of the nationwide 'ICE Out' national strike. People protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policies outside the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Los Angeles, California, Jan. 30, 2026. A demonstrator reacts in front of Los Angeles Police Department officers standing guard during a protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policies, near the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Los Angeles, Jan. 30, 2026. A Los Angeles Police Department helicopter circles the area over protestors outside of the federal detention center in Los Angeles, Calif., Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. Demonstrators gesture towards Los Angeles Police Department officers approaching them during a protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policies, near the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Los Angeles, Jan. 30, 2026. People march down the road during a protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S, President Donald Trump's immigration policies outside the CoreCivic ICE detention center in Houston, Texas, Jan. 30, 2026. <p style=Protesters gather at City Hall in Bloomington, Indiana, on Jan. 30, 2026, in response to recent immigration enforcement actions by the government.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

'ICE Out' protests spark marches, confrontations across US

After the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by federal immigration agents (ICE), communities across the U.S. areprotestingagainst Trump's surge of immigration enforcement actions.Pictured here, Demonstrators gather for a protest calling for the removal of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Jan. 30, 2026 in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Protests were held across the United States in response to ICE enforcement activity.

Obama added that American citizens should be appreciated for engaging in "peaceful protests and shining a light on the sort of behavior that, in the past, we've seen in authoritarian countries and we've seen in dictatorships, but we have not seen in America."

Obama's remarks come afterWhite House border czar Tom Homanannounced Feb. 12 that the Trump administration would bedrawing down the surge of federal immigration agentsit sent into Minnesota. Two U.S. citizens,Renee Nicole GoodandAlex Pretti, were killed by federal agents in that state in incidents that sparked controversy and protest.

The former president characterized the actions of ICE agents in Minnesota in particular was "unprecedented."

Former U.S. President Barack Obama speaks while campaigning for Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger during a campaign rally in the Chartway Arena on November 01, 2025 in Norfolk, Virginia.

Those agents were deployed into cities without clear guidelines and trainings, and once there, they pulled people out of homes, used children to bait their parents, and tear-gassed "crowds simply who were standing there, not breaking any laws," he said.

As protests have mounted in major cities in recent months in response to ICE actions, White House officials have defended their immigration record.

Vice President JD Vance, for instance, rebuffed allegations that immigration agents had used a five-year-old as bait by ordering him to knock on his front door and then apprehending the boy's father.

"Are they supposed to let a five-year-old child freeze to death?"Vance said. "If the argument is that you can't arrest people who have violated our laws because they have children, then every single parent is going to be completely given immunity from ever being the subject of law enforcement."

Negotiations between congressional Democrats and the White Houseare ongoing this weekend, as Democrats seek new restrictions on federal immigration agents in exchange for providing Department of Homeland Security funds.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Obama says 'rogue' ICE actions under Trump admin similar to dictatorships

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Pakistan's imprisoned ex-PM Khan to get medical treatment after reported partial vision loss

February 14, 2026
Pakistan's imprisoned ex-PM Khan to get medical treatment after reported partial vision loss

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan's imprisoned former Prime MinisterImran Khan will undergo treatment for an eye conditionat a specialized medical facility, a Cabinet minister said Saturday, days after the Supreme Court ordered a medical evaluation amid growing concerns about his eyesight.

Associated Press

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar wrote on X that an examination would be conducted by leading eye specialists as part of Khan's ongoing treatment which began in late January afterKhan reported a partial loss of visionin his right eye.

The minister did not say at which medical facility and when Khan would be treated.

"A detailed report will also be submitted to the Supreme Court. Conjecture, speculations and efforts to turn this into political rhetoric and mileage for vested interests may please be avoided," Tarar said.

Earlier this week, Khan's lawyer, Salman Safdar, told the Supreme Court that the former premier had lost roughly 85% of vision in his right eye. The court subsequently directed authorities to arrange a medical assessment by a panel of doctors and facilitate a telephone call between Khan, 73, and his sons before Feb. 16.

Supporters of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, have staged protests in Islamabad and other cities, demanding he be moved from prison to a hospital for specialized treatment. Some of the lawmakers from PTI and its allies are also staging a sit-in outside the parliament.

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Khan's family angrily responded to Tarar's announcement, saying it had not been consulted before he was taken for treatment and has called for family members and his personal physician to be present during any future procedures.

Khan's sister, Aleema Khan, said Saturday on X that the authorities had arranged the call and Khan had spoken with his sons for about 20 minutes. Khan was "extremely happy" to hear their voices after a long gap, she said, adding the family was awaiting urgent treatment of Khan at an eye hospital under the supervision of Khan's personal doctors.

The former cricket star turned politician has been in prison since 2023 after being convicted in a graft case.

He was removed from office in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022. He has alleged that his ouster was the result of a U.S.-backed conspiracy involving political rivals and Pakistan's former army chief, Qamar Javed Bajwa — allegations denied by Washington, Pakistan's military, and his political opponents.

Despite his legal troubles, Khan remains a central and popular figure in Pakistan, and the PTI wants his release. The issue of Khan's partial vision surfaced in late January when Tarar said the former premier had undergone a medical procedure for an eye condition and was in good health.

The PTI party made a strong showing in the Feb. 8, 2024, parliamentary election but did not win a majority of the seats in the National Assembly, or lower house of the parliament. The party claimed the vote was rigged. The government denies such claims

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Zelenskyy says Ukraine, not Russia, is facing pressure to make concessions to end war

February 14, 2026
Zelenskyy says Ukraine, not Russia, is facing pressure to make concessions to end war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyyhas accused the U.S. of focusing on Ukrainian concessions to bringan end to the war, rather than pressing Russia.

NBC Universal Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Michael Probst / AP)

His comments came as Ukraine, Russia and the U.S. prepared for a further round of trilateral talks next week, and after Trump urged Zelenskyy on Friday to "get moving," saying that Russia was ready to make a deal.

"The Americans often return to the topic of concessions," Zelenskyy said as he addressed key allies at the Munich Security Conference. "Too often those concessions are discussed in the context only of Ukraine, not Russia."

Ukraine, Russia and the U.S. held theirfirst trilateral talkson a peace deal last month, and further talks are set to take place on Tuesday.

"We truly hope that the trilateral meetings next week will be serious, substantive, helpful for all of us, but honestly, sometimes it feels like the sides are talking about completing different things," Zelenskyy added.

Trump told reporters on Friday: "Russia wants to make a deal, and Zelenskyy'sgonna have to get moving. Otherwise, he's going to miss a great opportunity."

Conference moderator Christiane Amanpour put Trump's latest comments to the Ukrainian president in a Q&A after his speech, asking if he was feeling the pressure.

"A little bit," Zelenskyy replied.

Zelenskyy later met with a bipartisan group of U.S. senators.

He said in a post on X that they discussed security guarantees and increasing pressure on Russia through sanctions, adding: "I thank the Senators for their unwavering bipartisan support for Ukraine and Ukrainians."

Hours before Zelenskyy's speech, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the conference that the "hardest questions" still need to be answered before peace can be achieved.

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"We don't know the Russians are serious about ending the war. They say they are," Rubio said in a short Q&A after his speech, adding: "We're going to continue to test it."

He added: "What we can't answer, but we're going to test, is whether there is an outcome that Ukraine can live with and that Russia will accept, and I would say it's been elusive up to this point."

While officials described the trilateral talks in January as constructive, major obstacles remain, chief among them the future of territory in eastern Ukraine, where Moscow has shown little sign of softening its demands.

The Kremlin said in January that Kyiv's military would have to pull out of the region for any deal to end the war.

President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said before the talks that the negotiations were "down to one issue." While he did not elaborate, many took it to mean territorial concessions by Ukraine.

"The good news is that the issues that need to be confronted to end this war have been narrowed," Rubio said in Munich. "The bad news is they've been narrowed to the hardest questions to answer and work remains to be done on that front."

Russia currently occupies about 20% of Ukraine's national territory, including Crimea and parts of the eastern Donbas region seized before the 2022 invasion. Polls show that the majority of Ukrainians oppose a deal that hands Moscow land.

"I don't think anybody in this room would be against a negotiated settlement to this war, so long as the conditions are just and sustainable, and that's what we aim to achieve," Rubio added.

Zelenskyy said in Munich that it was an illusion to believe the war could be ended by dividing Ukraine, and that he thinks it can be ended with dignity for his country.

Peace can only be built on clear security guarantees, he added, saying that where there is no clear security system, "war always returns."

"Europe needs a real common defense policy, just as it already has so much in common in the economy, in law and in social policy," he said, before finishing his speech and asking the crowd: "Please pay attention to Ukraine."

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The mental hurdle of ‘The Moment’ affects even the greats like Ilia Malinin and Mikaela Shiffrin

February 14, 2026
The mental hurdle of 'The Moment' affects even the greats like Ilia Malinin and Mikaela Shiffrin

The great ones make it look so easy that we forget how hard it is to be exceptional.

CNN Sports Ilia Malinin fell twice during the men's free skate, later admitting the pressure was too much. - Yara Nardi/Reuters

Secretariat running like a machine in the Belmont and Michael Phelps gobbling up gold medals in 2008; Tom Brady engineering seven Super Bowl victories and Simone Biles coming back for more golds after battling the twisties; Carl Lewis winning golds in 1984, 1988, 1992, and 1996 and Katie Ledecky lapping Olympians like she's out for a rec league swim.

There is, however, a fragility to true excellence. As thin, you might say, as a skate blade or a ski's edge.

WhatIlia Malininfailed to do in his free skate at these Olympics and whatMikaela Shiffrinhas struggled to do at her last Games and in her first event here do not erase anything that they have accomplished elsewhere. They are champions.

Alas, the reality of sports demands that true greatness is measured only on the biggest stage, where the physical strength and innate talent gifted to every superior athlete takes a backseat to mental fortitude. It becomes more about compartmentalizing while simultaneously absorbing the moment, blocking out the noise and still embracing the pressure.

Mikaela Shiffrin skied very conservatively in the slalom portion of the team combined event at Milan Cortina. - Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images

It is true for every athlete in every sport, the delineation between having an asterisk – the greatest who never won – to just being the greatest.

But reaching that singular plateau is especially tricky for Olympic athletes. Like Malinin and Shiffrin, they can achieve record-setting numbers in the off years between the quad cycle only to have it all rendered irrelevant by one misstep in the Games.

In the course of her track career, Mary Decker Slaney set 17 official and unofficial world records and became the first woman to run a sub 4:20 in the mile. Even now, more than 40 years later, the lasting image of her career is of Decker laying on the track in anguish and tears after colliding with Zola Budd in the 1984 Olympic 3,000-meter run. She never got a gold.

Everyone remembers the "Miracle on Ice." No one talks much about the heavily-favored Russian team that had won five of the previous six gold Olympic gold medals only to lose to the upstart Americans.

The United States hockey team celebrates on the ice after defeating the Soviet Union team on February 22, 1980 during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. The win became known as the "Miracle on Ice." - Focus On Sport/Getty Images

Shiffrin, who has succeed and failed in three Games prior to this one, talked about the unique spotlight of the Olympics before racing here. She said she wished more people recognized what happens during the longevity of a career versus the quadrennial, three-week window of the Olympics. But she's also smart enough to understand that's not how it works.

Sometimes, Olympians are like basketball teams that win big in the regular season only to get bounced in the NCAA Tournament or the NBA Playoffs.

Kentucky won 38 games in 2014-15 and lost one, but the one came in the national semifinal to Wisconsin. The 2015-16 Golden State Warriors went a record 73-9 in the regular season and were 3-1 up in the NBA Finals – but they unbelievably lost to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games.

No banner, no glory.

Pressure is a privilege?

"I really chose to believe that it's a beautiful gift, despite maybe feeling a little bit of pressure at times,'' Shiffrin said.

"Knowing that judgments can be made on the sole moment when there's so much else that has gone into the course of the last four years, in the last eight years and 16 years of my career so far, so pressure can exist. Billie Jean King said pressure is a privilege, but maybe that doesn't always feel that way.''

Malinin discovered the enormity of the Games only when it was too late. "It's not like any other competition,'' Malinin said. "It's the Olympics, and I think people only realize the pressure and the nerves that actually happen from the inside. It was just something that overwhelmed me, and I felt like I had no control.''

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Malinin was visibly emotional after his performance, which landed him in eighth place in the standings. - Yara Nardi/Reuters

It is a strange tightrope if you think about it – to be so incredibly gifted that everyone presumes you will win, and yet in that very presumption is the biggest obstacle to keep you from winning.

With apologies to Thanos, both Malinin and Shiffrin seemed inevitable here.

Malinin took the ice in Milan having not lost a competition in more than two years. He held a commanding five-point lead heading into the free skate, a gap that only widened while his challengers skidded and fell before him. Average "Quad God" would have earned him a gold medal.

Instead, Malinin popped his quad axel, the beginning of four minutes that started to feel like rubbernecking a car accident. You didn't want to watch; you couldn't stop watching.

His failure in real time was somehow more jaw-dropping for its unexpected underperformance than his usual quad-popping is for its overperformance. "All the traumatic moments of my life really just started flooding my head," he said later.

Changing the narrative?

Malinin now has four long years to determine if this moment defines his career or not, something Shiffrin understands all too well. Four years ago, she entered six events in Beijing, a favored to medal in each. She failed to finish three races and didn't medal in the others. Much like Decker left on the track, Shiffrin's lasting imagine from 2022 was of her sitting in the snow, as if unsure what had just happened.

Which is what raised the stakes on Sunday, when she stepped into the starting gate for her portion of the alpine skiing women's team combined.

Gifted a first-place cushion by her downhill partner – gold medalistBreezy Johnson– Shiffrin, much like Malinin, only needed to be herself to secure gold. With108 World Cup victorieson Shiffrin's resume, 71 of them in the slalom, even her US teammate Jacqueline Wiles figured the day was as good as done. Clinging to third place and needing Shiffrin to fail to reach the podium, Wiles conceded, "We need a miracle.''

And then Shiffrin skied, tentatively and unassuredly. She didn't fall, she just failed to rise up to the moment. She finished 15th out of 18 skiers, her worst finish in more than 13 years and the tandem of Johnson and Shiffrin went from gold medal favorites to off the podium.

Taken in a vacuum, it would have been mystifying. Combined with Shiffrin's horrific Games in Beijing four years ago – three DNFs and three finishes off the podium in six events – it was fair to question if she had a sort of Olympic block.

Shiffrin during the women's slalom at the Beijing 2022 Olympics. - Zhang Chenlin/Xinhua/Getty Images

Shiffrin has the blessing and the curse of two more tries. She gets the redo, but having failed already, that pressure she spoke of only grows. And her next event has been her recent nemesis: the giant slalom.

In November 2024, shesuffered what turned out to be a near life-threatening puncture woundduring a race in that event in Killington, Vermont. It left her with real trauma response and even when she returned to competition two months later, she struggled in the faster GS than in slalom. She went 12 races without reaching the podium, from January 2024 to the last GS race prior to the Olympics in January of this year, where she took bronze.

"I'm at a point now where I'm excited to ski fast in the GS,'' she said.

"There's maybe, you know, five turns in the course where I'm thinking that's enough. And that might not be anything about mental. That just might be that I don't particularly like to go that fast.''

If that doesn't go well, there is the slalom on Wednesday.

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When do MLB spring training games start? 2026 schedule

February 14, 2026
When do MLB spring training games start? 2026 schedule

Spring has sprung asMajor League Baseball's 30 teams gather atcamps in Florida and Arizonaahead of the 2026 season.

USA TODAY Sports

TheLos Angeles Dodgersbegin spring training as the favorites towin a third consecutive World Seriestitle and are set to play their first Cactus League game on Saturday, Feb. 21. The first official spring training games take place Feb. 20, with theNew York YankeesandBaltimore Orioleskicking off the Grapefruit League slate on Friday afternoon.

With the World Baseball Classic beginning on March 5, participating players will soon depart their clubs' camps to gather with national teams. The 2026 regular season begins on March 25 with theSan Francisco Giantshosting the Yankees.

Here's what to know for the opening days of spring training games:

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Feb. 13: New York Yankees Feb. 13: Los Angeles Dodgers Feb. 13: Detroit Tigers Feb. 13: Milwaukee Brewers Feb. 10: Atlanta Braves Feb. 10: San Francisco Giants Feb. 10: Chicago White Sox Feb. 10: Arizona Diamondbacks Feb. 11: Toronto Blue Jays Feb. 11: Philadelphia Phillies Feb. 11: Los Angeles Angels Feb. 11: Athletics Feb. 11: New York Mets Feb. 11: Chicago CUbs Feb. 12: Chicago CUbs Feb. 12: New York Yankees Feb 12, 2026; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets infielder Bo Bichette (19) warms-up during spring training. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images Feb. 12: Seattle Mariners Feb. 12: Pittsburgh Pirates

MLB spring training 2026: Sunshine, good vibes in Arizona and Florida

MLB spring training schedule 2026

All times Eastern

Friday, Feb. 20

  • Yankees at Orioles, 1:05 p.m.

  • Royals at Rangers, 3:05 p.m.

  • White Sox at Cubs, 3:05 p.m.

  • Diamondbacks at Rockies, 3:10 p.m.

  • Padres at Mariners, 3:10 p.m.

  • Northeastern University at Red Sox, 1:05 p.m. (exhibition)

  • University of Minnesota at Twins, 6:05 p.m. (exhibition)

Saturday, Feb. 21

  • Astros at Nationals, 1:05 p.m.

  • Pirates at Orioles, 1:05 p.m.

  • Nationals at Cardinals, 1:05 p.m.

  • Red Sox at Twins, 1:05 p.m.

  • Braves at Rays, 1:05 p.m.

  • Tigers at Yankees, 1:05 p.m.

  • Phillies at Blue Jays, 1:07 p.m.

  • Marlins at Mets, 1:10 p.m.

  • Reds at Guardians (split squad), 3:05 p.m.

  • Padres at Royals, 3:05 p.m.

  • Rangers at Cubs, 3:05 p.m.

  • Athletics at White Sox, 3:05 p.m.

  • Rockies at Diamondbacks, 3:10 p.m.

  • Dodgers at Angels, 3:10 p.m.

  • Giants at Mariners, 3:10 p.m.

  • Guardians (ss) at Brewers, 3:10 p.m.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:MLB spring training schedule 2026, when do games start?

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