Commissioner Rob Manfred is encouraged by the pace-of-play changes in MLB games. Speaking in Toronto on Tuesday, Manfred said the new rules have sped up games without any disruption. Mound visits without pitching changes averaged 3.79 per game through Sunday, down from 7.41 last season. “Whenever…

SERIES The Blacklist A mysterious duffel bag of bones inspires a collision course between Liz and Red (Megan Boone, James Spader) in this new episode. Harry J. Lennix also stars. 8 p.m. NBC Empire Alfre Woodard and Forest Whitaker make a potent combination of guest stars, with Woodard playing Cookie’s…

Al Horford had 22 points and 14 rebounds, Marcus Smart made an impact in his first game since mid-March and the Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks 92-87 on Tuesday night for a 3-2 lead in their first-round playoff series. Smart came off the bench and had nine points, five…

Fifteen minutes before the lunch break ended Tuesday, a juror dozed near the end of a quiet hallway in the Stanley Mosk Courthouse. The first day of testimony in former USC assistant football coach Todd McNair’s trial against the NCAA seemed to have taken a toll. Much of the day…

He was a shortstop for life, until he became a third baseman for the Angels, until the team was forced to move him to second. Except on Monday, when Zack Cozart was, out of necessity again, returned to short. That all this shifting around hasn’t been the slightest distraction for…

After five scoreless innings in his first big league start Monday, Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler reported to Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on Tuesday as part of a procedural maneuver that lines him up to start again during a doubleheader Saturday in San Francisco. The Dodgers optioned Buehler to the…

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson toured a homeless women’s center on L.A.’s skid row Tuesday as part of a fact-finding trip to local public-private partnerships and faith-based programs tackling homelessness and job training. Carson, whose agency provided a record $109 million…

Once upon a time, right now, in a country called the United States of America, science was taking a beating from people who misunderstood or simply did not like science, scientists or the scientific method. Some regarded it as no better and possibly less plausible than witchcraft. Dark matter?…

Providing jobs and other aid to Los Angeles County residents soon after they land in the streets could help prevent 2,600 to 5,200 people a year from falling into persistent homelessness, according to a new study from a liberal think tank. The “Escape Routes” study from the nonprofit Economic Roundtable…

Sinclair Broadcast Group will divest 23 TV stations aimed at clearing the path for its merger with Tribune Media, the company announced Tuesday. The sale of the stations would occur after the close of Sinclair’s $3.9-billion acquisition of Tribune’s 42 TV stations. The deal would give Sinclair…

Cody Riley could give new meaning to being one and done. The UCLA freshman forward who played in one exhibition game before a shoplifting scandal led to a season-long suspension was on a list of 236 players who filed as early entry candidates for the NBA draft, according to ESPN…

A look at the NBA draft early entry list for college underclassmen and international players. Players who do not sign with an agent have until June 11 to withdraw their names and retain their college eligibility. Players, School, Height, Year Deng Adel, Louisville, 6-7, junior Esa Ahmad, West Virginia,…

The Emmy-award winning drama starring a totalitarian society in which women are enslaved returns for its second season with showrunner Bruce Miller at the helm

Before a recent screening of “Avengers: Infinity War,” my fellow audience members and I were asked not to reveal the secrets of what we were about to see. (I’ve done my best, but depending on what you consider a secret, you may wish to read no further.) This familiar studio…

Also named were the year’s top pop composers and publishers. Steve Mac, Max Martin, Drew Taggart and Starrah all tied for pop music songwriter of the year.

Cleveland Cavaliers point guard George Hill is questionable for Wednesday’s crucial Game 5 against Indiana because of back spasms. Hill has been dealing with back problems since the series opener, when he was flattened by an illegal screen of Pacers forward Trevor Booker. Cavaliers coach Tyronn…

Los Angeles is ending its economic boycott of Arizona, which was launched eight years ago to protest a hotly contested law targeting illegal immigration and then repeatedly lifted as the city continued buying products from that state. The restrictions, backed by lawmakers in 2010, were supposed…

The frenzy over the fairy-tale royal wedding of L.A. girl Meghan Markle has been building since her engagement and will likely be incessant until May 19 when she finally walks down the aisle at Windsor Castle in the 15th century St. George’s Chapel. But the soon-to-be duchess also has another…

A special NCAA commission tasked with fixing the embattled sport of college basketball is scheduled to issue its recommendations on Wednesday morning. The group was formed last fall after federal prosecutors charged 10 people — including four assistant coaches — in response to allegations of bribes…

Chargers general manager Tom Telesco opened his predraft news conference Monday afternoon with a plan. It was a chance to acknowledge the scouting department for the work it has done in the build-up to the 2018 NFL draft — a massive project full of nights in hotels, mornings on planes…

On Tuesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a series of new rules for next year’s Oscars (the 91st) — most notably, a new regulation that could potentially expand the number of documentary features eligible for awards consideration going forward. Under the new rules, which…

Authorities are searching for a legally blind man who went missing after going for a hike in Joshua Tree National Park on Saturday morning. David Sewell, 76, appears to have left the Quail Springs parking lot and was headed for an “unspecified location” in Johnny Lang Canyon, the National Park…

Hard Summer may have parted ways with its founder, but the fest’s longstanding mix of EDM, hip-hop and underground electronic sounds will continue. Festival organizers announced its first post-Gary Richards lineup on Tuesday morning, and it mostly continues with the styles the event is long known…

An attorney for the family of a black man who was shot to death by Barstow police said that an independent autopsy reveals Diante Yarber was struck by at least 10 rounds before he asphyxiated on his own blood. Family attorney S. Lee Merritt also told reporters Monday that witnesses…

With the NFL draft just a couple days away, the Rams made two moves Tuesday with ramifications for star players selected in the first round in 2015. The Rams exercised their fifth-year options on running back Todd Gurley, the reigning NFL offensive player of the year, and cornerback Marcus Peters,…

A 12-year-old boy who went missing Monday in Santa Ana was found Tuesday morning by family friends. Josue Luciano’s family reported him missing at 8:26 p.m. Monday, according to the Santa Ana Police Department. Family friends found the boy about 9:30 a.m. near Fairview and First streets, said Santa…

While in the midst of negotiating an extension for star defensive tackle Aaron Donald, the Rams took a step Tuesday that positions them for similar scenarios with running back Todd Gurley and cornerback Marcus Peters next year. The Rams exercised their fifth-year options on Gurley, the reigning…

Motion Picture Assn. of America Chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin highlighted global box office records in Tuesday remarks to cinema owners, saying the “heartbeat” of the film industry — putting movies in theaters — remains strong. In his first address at CinemaCon in Las Vegas since taking over…

Pete Rose makes at least $1.2 million a year, primarily from autographs and appearance fees, but is in debt to casinos and the IRS and repeatedly fails to make his support payments on time, his estranged wife claimed in court documents. Carol Rose’s allegations appeared in a filing made in…

“Cut! Paper Play in Contemporary Photography,” a delightful teaser of a show at the Getty Museum, divides neatly into two complementary halves.