• Liberty stake sold at record $450m team valuation

• New funds will help build Liberty’s Brooklyn facility

• Latest sign of surging value in women’s pro sports

New York Liberty owners sold shares in the WNBA team at what would be a record valuation of $450m for a women’s pro sports franchise, the Athletic reported Thursday.

The capital raised from the sale, which represent a percentage share in the “mid-teens”, is believed to be earmarked toward construction of a practice facility in Brooklyn, per the report.

National Weather Service says warm seas to contribute to season with three to five major hurricanes predicted

US government scientists said on Thursday they expect an above-normal hurricane season in 2025, producing three to five major hurricanes with sustained winds of at least 111mph (179km/h).

The Atlantic hurricane season, which begins on 1 June, is forecast to produce 13 to 19 named tropical storms with winds of at least 39mph, according to the US National Weather Service. Of those storms, six to 10 are forecast to become hurricanes with winds of 74mph or higher.

Republicans have been deeply divided over the bill which would extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts by tightening eligibility for food and health programs

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives will attempt to pass President Donald Trump’s massive tax and spending bill in the pre-dawn hours of Thursday, following weeks of intra-party divisions of how deeply to cut spending.

The bill cleared an important procedural hurdle in the House on Wednesday evening, when a gatekeeper committee approved the measure and set up a floor vote for passage to occur within hours. Shortly before midnight in Washington, the full House reconvened to consider Trump’s so-called “big, beautiful bill”, opening the floor for debate and a series of procedural votes.

The event will see athletes permitted to take performance-enhancing drugs