Today is Saturday, March 29, the 88th day of 2025. There are 277 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On March 29, 1974, a group of Chinese farmers digging a well struck fragments of terra-cotta buried underground; archaeologists would ultimately discover terra-cotta sculptures of more than 8,000 soldiers and other figures. The “Terra-cotta Army” would become one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of the 20th century.

Also on this date:

In 1943, World War II rationing of meat, fats and cheese began, limiting American consumers to store purchases of an average of about two pounds a week for beef, pork, lamb and mutton using a coupon system.

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In 1951, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted in New York of conspiracy to commit espionage for the Soviet Union. (They were executed in June 1953.)

In 1961, the 23rd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, allowing residents of Washington, D.C., to vote in presidential elections.

In 1971, Army Lt. William L. Calley Jr. was convicted of murdering 22 Vietnamese civilians in the 1968 My Lai massacre. (Initially sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labor, Calley’s sentence would ultimately be commuted by President Richard Nixon to three years of house arrest.)

In 1971, a jury in Los Angeles recommended the death penalty for Charles Manson and three female followers for the 1969 Tate-La Bianca murders. (The sentences were commuted when the California state Supreme Court struck down the death penalty in 1972.)

In 1973, the last United States combat troops left South Vietnam, ending America’s direct military involvement in the Vietnam War.

In 1984, under the cover of early morning darkness, the Baltimore Colts football team left its home city of three decades, sending the team’s equipment to Indianapolis in moving trucks without informing Baltimore city or Maryland state officials.

In 2004, President George W. Bush welcomed seven former Soviet-bloc nations (Romania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and Slovenia) into NATO during a White House ceremony.

Today’s Birthdays:

Comedian Eric Idle is 82.
Former British Prime Minister John Major is 82.
Basketball Hall of Famer Walt Frazier is 80.
Football Hall of Famer Earl Campbell is 70.
Actor Brendan Gleeson is 70.
Actor Christopher Lambert is 68.
Actor Annabella Sciorra is 65.
Comedian-actor Amy Sedaris is 64.
Model Elle Macpherson is 61.
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat from Nevada, is 61.
Actor Lucy Lawless is 57.
Tennis Hall of Famer Jennifer Capriati is 49.
Musician-author Michelle Zauner is 36.

There is no better remedy for the Timberwolves than a matchup with Phoenix.

Three days ago, Minnesota was blitzed by the Pacers in Indiana for its third loss in four games, and the hopes of evading the play-in tournament by securing a top six seed in the West was dwindling.

Phoenix entered Friday’s bout at Target Center as a winner of four of its previous five games. The Suns need every win they can accrue simply to pass Dallas in the race for the conference’s No. 10 seed and, thus, the final play-in spot.

The Suns had motivation and momentum. And none of that seems to matter when they meet the Wolves on the floor.

As has been the case in each of the previous seven meetings between these two teams prior to Friday’s tilt, Minnesota again beat Phoenix. And, per usual, it did so convincingly.

Phoenix again proved to have no answer for Minnesota’s defensive physicality nor offensive firepower as the Wolves cruised to a 124-109 victory.

Minnesota (42-32) scored 14 of the game’s first 18 points and never really looked back. The Wolves led by 12 at the break and Phoenix never even threatened to move within single digits from there.

Devin Booker struggled mightily, not scoring his first points of the night until late in the third quarter. Kevin Durant went 7 for 19 from the field. Even the buckets the Suns (35-39) did generate looked incredibly difficult.

The opposite was true for Minnesota, who had eight players score at least eight points, including six guys reaching double figures. Julius Randle had 25 points, eight assists and six rebounds to lead the way, while Rudy Gobert had 17 points and 13 rebounds.

Minnesota shot 53% from the floor and 49% from 3-point range, even on a night when it didn’t have Anthony Edwards for a quarter. Edwards missed the second frame after exiting the floor with a towel pressed against his face after seemingly getting poked in the eye. But the guard emerged from the tunnel to cheers for the team’s halftime warmups and scored 17 points over the final two frames.

Minnesota next plays Sunday, when it hosts Detroit.

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With spring training dwindling to its final days, right-handed starter David Festa still wasn’t sure whether his season would begin on the banks of the Mississippi River in St. Louis or along the Mississippi in St. Paul.

As things turned out, Festa headed north from Fort Myers, not to St. Louis but further north to St. Paul.

With Simeon Woods Richardson nailing down the fifth-starter spot with the Twins, Festa was sent to the Triple-A Saints of the International League. Moving past that disappointment, his season could not have gotten off to a better start.

The 25-year-old Festa pitched five scoreless innings in the Saints’ season-opening 11-0 win over the Indianapolis Indians on Friday night at CHS Field. He scattered three singles, struck out four and did not give up a walk.

Festa and Zebby Matthews, who also was in the mix to be the Twins’ fifth starter, will be at the top of the list if — or when — the Twins need to call up a starter. Matthews will get his first chance to state his case on Sunday.

Festa, who worked on adding a sinker during spring training, did not enjoy good results. He made four appearances, including three starts, and gave up 15 earned runs in 11 1/3 innings. The results were better when they counted Friday.

The 6-foot-6 Festa was the Saints’ Opening Day starter last season and spent three months with the team before being called up by the Twins. He made 13 starts for the Twins, going 2-6 win an ERA of 4.90.

Meanwhile, the Saints enjoyed an offensive explosion against the Indians.

St. Paul’s roster includes nine of the Twins’ top-30 prospects, according to ML B.com, including two who were among the hitting stars on Friday.

Center fielder Emmanuel Rodriguez, the Twins’ No. 2 prospect and No. 37 among MLB’s Top 100, roped a two-run double to left-center field to get the Saints’ scoring started. The 22-year-old Rodriguez finished 3 for 4 with a walk.

Rodriguez joined the organization as an international free agent in 2019. His 2024 season was limited to 47 games due to injury. He made his Saints debut on Sept. 2 and appeared in seven games for the Saints, batting .217 (5 for 23).

Prior to his promotion to the Saints, Rodriguez batted .298 for Double-A Wichita, with 8 home runs and 20 RBI in 37 games.

Minnesota’s No. 2 Luke Keaschall, still recovering from Tommy John surgery, served as the Saints’ designated hitter Friday night. When healthy, he’ll spend time at second base and center field. Keaschall collected an RBI single in the fourth inning and finished 2 for 6.

The Saints broke the game open with two runs in the fifth inning and three in the sixth. They finished with 18 hits. Eight of the nine hitters in the Saints’ starting lineup had at least two hits.

Right-handers Scott Blewett and Kyle Bischoff and left-hander Kody Funderburk came on in relief of Festa to preserve the shutout.

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A University of Minnesota international graduate student was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Thursday night, the school said in a letter to students, faculty and staff on Friday.

The letter from U President Rebecca Cunningham called it a “deeply concerning situation involving one of our international graduate students” and said that the school had no prior knowledge of the detainment and did not share any information with federal authorities before it occurred.

The graduate student, who is enrolled on the U’s Twin Cities campus, was detained at an off-campus residence Thursday, according to the letter, which did not identify the student or the student’s nationality or field of study.

It was unclear if federal immigration authorities had announced the student’s detention.

The arrest came as people with ties to American universities, most of whom have shown support for pro-Palestinian causes, have been detained in the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants.

President Donald Trump and other officials have accused protesters and others of being “pro-Hamas,” referring to the Palestinian militant group that attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Many protesters have said they were speaking out against Israel’s actions in the war against Hamas in Gaza.

Trump’s administration has cited a seldom-invoked statute authorizing the secretary of state to revoke visas of noncitizens who could be considered a threat to foreign policy interests. More than half a dozen people are known to have been taken into custody or deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in recent weeks.

Last month, the University of Minnesota was one of five U.S. universities singled out by the Trump investigation over allegations of antisemitism. Since the outcry over campus protests, universities, including Minnesota, say they have taken steps to address antisemitism.

Meanwhile, the U is working to find out more details about what happened, Cunningham’s letter said.

“In cases like this, the University takes steps to ensure students are connected to internal resources and support, such as Student Legal Service and International Student and Scholar Services,” the letter said, noting that the school’s public safety and police staff don’t enforce federal immigration laws or ask about anyone’s immigration status.

“Their focus remains on public safety, fostering trust and maintaining strong relationships across the University community.”

The letter said that as school officials work to find out more, the school has  information, resources and FAQs about federal immigration policies available on the Rapid Response website.

“We understand how distressing this news may be for members of our University community. If you or someone you know needs mental health support during this time, please visit mentalhealth.umn.edu, which connects you to resources across all five campuses.”

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