The Daily Rundown - July 24th, 2026
⚾ An investment group that includes former Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has bought a minority stake in the Athletics in anticipation of their move to Las Vegas in 2028.
Thursday's announcement by Harbinger Sports Group did not say what percentage of the Athletics it had acquired. Cuban, who maintains a minority stake in the Mavericks, is the general partner and president of the Atlanta-based group. Atlanta Falcons minority owner Rashaun Williams is the founder and chief investment officer.
Co-founder and CEO Steve Cannon is vice chairman of AMB Sports and Entertainment, which oversees Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the Falcons. Managing partner Jonathan Mariner is the former chief financial officer for Major League Baseball.
"We are minority investors looking to make our investors a lot of money," Cuban said. John Fisher is the majority owner of the A's and is overseeing construction of a $2 billion, 33,000-capacity domed stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.
"We are very pleased to welcome Harbinger Sports Partners as an investor in the Athletics," the team said in a statement. "The experience of their principals across sports, media and entertainment, combined with their long-term perspective, makes them a valuable addition to our ownership group as we work to build the future of the franchise in Las Vegas.
"This is Harbinger's first investment, according to its news release, and it has raised more than $460 million in less than six months. Investing in the A's is part of "a long-term strategy centered on the Las Vegas sports market," the group said.
🦇 The Nevada Department of Agriculture is issuing new reminders to vaccinate pets against rabies. The warning follows three bats testing positive for the virus since the beginning of the year. Lab workers found these bats in Lyon, White Pine and Clark counties.
Nevada law already mandates that cats, dogs and ferrets remain up to date on their rabies vaccinations. The bats that carry the virus are most active in Nevada from May through October.
Rabies causes extreme aggression, fever, foaming at the mouth and loss of coordination. Once symptoms appear, it is fatal in nearly 100% of cases. The disease also can be spread from animals to humans.
🏎️ A federal judge in Nevada has granted preliminary approval for a class-action settlement regarding the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix. The $3 million payout addresses ticketed fans who were forcibly ejected from the event.
A loose water valve cover damaged driver Carlos Sainz's car during the first practice session. Extensive repairs delayed the second practice session for several hours.
Organizers cleared the stands before the delayed session because security guards faced legal shift limitations. Formula 1 initially offered affected spectators a $200 merchandise voucher instead of refunds.
The new payout will compensate roughly 32,000 eligible ticket holders. A final approval hearing is scheduled for Nov. 4 of this year.
⚖️ Clark County employs almost 200 public defenders, whose job it is to provide legal representation to clients who can't afford an attorney. These lawyers staff one of the nation's busiest public defenders' offices.
At the beginning of July, this busy staff was forced to evacuate its Third Street office after tests showed PCBs had surfaced. PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, are known carcinogens. They have the potential to harm thyroid, liver, and heart function. The U.S. government banned their manufacture in 1979.
The president of the Clark County Defenders Union, David Westbrook, alleges the county knew about the contamination — and the ensuing illnesses — for years and chose not to remediate it. He says he and his colleagues grew increasingly suspicious as people continued getting sick.
"We were noticing anecdotally that a lot of people in the office seemed to be getting cancer, or respiratory illnesses, or having fertility issues," Westbrook says. Specifically, "people seemed to be getting breast cancer or other blood cancers," as well as having miscarriages.
"There's been approximately 20 cancer cases, and that's certainly not a complete list in the last 10 to 12 years alone in our office ... there have been people who have gotten cancer and gotten seriously ill and come back. There have been people who have gotten cancer and died. "This led to bargaining demands. Hear the full story by KNPR's Anne Davis here.
🏈 Fernando Mendoza, the 2026 NFL Draft's No. 1 pick, solidified his role with the Las Vegas Raiders by signing his contract on July 23, according to reporting by KNPR's Rafaela Gandolfo Bustamante. Mendoza is a 22-year-old quarterback from Miami, Florida, who was drafted in April.
His rookie contract guarantees $57.2 million over four years, with a $38 million signing bonus. The Raiders also have a fifth-year option as part of the deal.
The signing comes the same day rookies are to report to training camp. Reportedly, the delay in signing was due to payment disagreements — Mendoza was seeking a lump sum for the bonus, a norm for No. 1 picks. That payout method is not something in the Raiders' standard practice, according to USA Today.
The quarterback most recently played at Indiana University, where he led the team to a perfect 16-0 season and their first national championship in 2025. The Raiders also signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins in early April. Last season, the team ended last in the AFC West division, with a 3-14 record.
Part of these stories are taken from KNPR's daily newscast segment. To hear more daily updates like these, tune in to 88.9 KNPR FM.
