Secretary of State Marco Rubio extolled the virtues of the UFC as being intrinsically American, likening its creation to putting the first man on the moon.

The Trump administration has spent days heavily promoting the finished renovations at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, crediting the president with making Washington, DC, look “better than ever.” But a day after the reservoir was filled post-renovations, there was already quite a bit of algae visible from the water’s edge. https://cnn.it/4ot8Nuk

The Trump administration put up $750,000 to charter a private yacht to evacuate a single American citizen from a remote South Pacific island after she had been aboard a cruise ship at the center of a deadly hantavirus outbreak, a move that has further strained the State Department’s emergency budget. https://cnn.it/4xtjTna

Academy Award-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow is facing backlash online after the Hollywood A-lister and lifestyle entrepreneur starred in an advertisement for a luxury Israeli real estate project. https://cnn.it/4e4UCYT

The numbers “8647” — a phrase generally used to signal opposition to President Donald Trump — appeared etched into the grass on the National Mall on Thursday, days before massive crowds are expected in the area for a UFC match on Trump’s birthday on Sunday. https://cnn.it/4eB1kWC

The White House previewed the Ultimate Fighting Championship arena on the South Lawn Thursday morning. The "octagon" stage will hold a UFC fight on June 14, President Donald Trump's birthday and also Flag Day.

What fans witnessed Wednesday was the largest comeback in NBA Finals history, quite possibly the greatest comeback in NBA history and an all-time iconic American sports moment. https://cnn.it/4eCrNTB

Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon is facing new scrutiny from congressional Democrats over his reported effort to retain the bank’s top lawyer months after she said she would resign over revelations about her ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.