Delaware State University recently organized its fifth annual conference dedicated to preventing sexual assault, continuing the institution’s ongoing commitment to campus safety and awareness.
The conference represents part of Delaware State University’s broader efforts to educate students, faculty, and staff about sexual violence prevention and support resources available to the campus community.
This marks the fifth consecutive year that the university has hosted this important educational event, demonstrating sustained institutional focus on addressing sexual assault prevention and awareness on campus.
The Goldey-Beacom Lightning softball team experienced mixed results during a doubleheader against visiting Molloy College at Jackson Athletic Complex in Wilmington.
The Lightning dominated the opening game, securing a convincing 7-3 victory over their non-conference opponents. However, momentum shifted in the second matchup as Goldey-Beacom struggled offensively, falling 6-1 to split the day’s action.
The doubleheader marked another chapter in the Lightning’s ongoing season as they continue competing against teams from outside their conference schedule.
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — A historic church in Angola that once served as a central location in the Atlantic slave trade will welcome Pope Leo XIV this Sunday, creating a moment rich with symbolic meaning given recent revelations about the pontiff’s own ancestry.
The Church of Our Lady of Muxima, constructed by Portuguese colonists in the late 1500s as part of a military fortress, stands as a stark reminder of the deep connections between the Catholic faith and the exploitation of Africa centuries ago.
Pope Leo XIV’s scheduled appearance at the Muxima church recognizes its transformation into a beloved Catholic pilgrimage destination following reported sightings of the Virgin Mary around 1833.
However, the whitewashed structure beside the Kwanza River previously functioned as a gathering point where enslaved Africans received baptism from Portuguese clergy before enduring a brutal 90-mile march to Luanda’s main harbor, where ships waited to transport them to the Americas.
Portuguese colonizers drew justification from 15th-century Vatican decrees that gave them permission to enslave non-Christian populations.
Angola became the departure point for more than 5 million enslaved people during the trans-Atlantic trade, representing nearly half of the approximately 12.5 million Africans forced across the ocean and exceeding any other nation’s totals.
Whether Leo will directly address slavery during his African journey remains uncertain, unlike previous papal visits when St. John Paul II confronted the topic in Cameroon during 1985 and Senegal in 1992. Former President Joe Biden addressed slavery as America’s “original sin” during his 2024 visit to Angola in his presidency’s final months.
Many African Catholics view the moment as deeply meaningful when the Church’s leader — himself an American — conducts prayers at the riverside plaza adjacent to the fortress and ancient chapel in Muxima, according to Leo’s planned itinerary.
“For me, the pope going there to pray the Rosary … he will give that place a new significance,” said Rev. Celestino Epalanga, a priest with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Angola. “We have to give it a new sense. To make this place sacred instead of being a place of evil.”
The visit carries additional weight following discoveries about Leo’s personal background.
Research conducted by a U.S. genealogist last year revealed that the first American pope — born Robert Prevost — possesses Creole ancestry, with maternal great-grandparents identified as people of color in Louisiana census documents. The investigation showed Leo’s lineage includes both Black and white ancestors, encompassing enslaved individuals and those who owned them.
Historical records indicate some of Louisiana’s earliest enslaved people came from Angola.
Leo has remained silent regarding his heritage publicly. However, Mariana Candido, an Emory University history professor in Atlanta, finds compelling complexity in how a location connected to such moral wrongs transformed into an Angolan pilgrimage destination, and how Leo might understand this when reaching out to younger African Catholics.
“I can see how this is a way of connecting to Catholics in Angola, and making the Church more in sync with how people are practicing Catholicism in Angola and in African countries,” she said.
Candido noted Leo’s background serving Chicago’s substantial African American community positions him well for this outreach.
Rev. Stan Chu Ilo, a Nigerian priest and DePaul University professor in Chicago, has observed the pontiff building African connections by promoting African church leaders, including the recent advancement of Nigeria’s Monsignor Anthony Ekpo to a senior Vatican role.
“This pope is actively cultivating African presence within the church and trying to, I think, heal this policy or program of seeing Africa as just making up the numbers,” said Chu Ilo.
Leo announced at his trip’s beginning that he decided in May following his election that Africa would be his first papal journey. While other travels intervened, he called this African visit “very special for several reasons.”
Angola carries particularly deep wounds from slavery and colonial rule. Portuguese control lasted until 1975, followed immediately by a devastating civil war that turned newly freed Angolans against each other. The intermittent conflict continued for 27 years, claiming over half a million lives.
Both African priests Epalanga and Chu Ilo acknowledge colonialism’s damage while emphasizing Leo’s opportunity to energize Angola’s Catholic Church — originally imposed by colonial oppressors — to become a positive force addressing contemporary challenges.
Vatican officials indicate Leo will discuss themes including natural and human resource exploitation, corruption, and authoritarian governance during his African tour.
These messages resonate with Olivio Nkilumbo, an opposition member of Angola’s Parliament who argues the country still lacks true democracy serving its 37 million citizens more than 50 years after independence. Nkilumbo pointed to decades of authoritarian leadership and economic disparity leaving millions impoverished despite Angola’s oil, diamond, and mineral wealth.
“We still don’t have democracy, don’t have freedom,” said Nkilumbo, who expressed hope for the pope to serve as a peace and reconciliation pilgrim while delivering strong social justice messages. “In my view, the pope knows the real situation of Angola.”
Though not Catholic himself, Nkilumbo commended Angola’s Catholic Church, the nation’s largest religious group, for leading equality efforts.
Epalanga exemplifies this role. Beyond his priestly duties, he serves as executive secretary for Angola’s Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace, actively promoting democracy and addressing poverty and inequality while frequently challenging government authorities.
Epalanga said he was among numerous church members invited to meet with Pope Leo in Angola. If given the opportunity to speak with the pope, Epalanga said he would “thank him for coming and ask him to tell the bishops they should be more committed to the poor and to social justice.”
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A California federal judge has temporarily halted the massive $6.2 billion acquisition that would combine television station powerhouses Nexstar Media Group and Tegna while antitrust concerns work their way through the courts.
Chief Judge Troy L. Nunley of the U.S. District Court issued his decision Friday evening, determining that the coalition of eight state attorneys general and DirecTV challenging the deal had a strong chance of success in their legal fight.
The proposed acquisition, which was first unveiled last year and received Federal Communications Commission approval, would establish a media empire controlling 265 television stations across 44 states plus Washington D.C. The vast majority of these stations serve as local affiliates for ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC.
Judge Nunley had previously issued an emergency three-week prohibition on the transaction. Following court hearings on April 7 where he listened to arguments about extending that ban, he decided to maintain the block until the lawsuit filed by the eight state attorneys general and DirecTV reaches a conclusion.
The legal challengers, all Democratic attorneys general, along with DirecTV argue that allowing this merger to proceed would result in increased costs for viewers, damage local news coverage, and violate federal monopoly prevention laws.
Legal representatives for Nexstar countered in court that both the FCC and Department of Justice had already conducted thorough reviews and given their approval. They emphasized that FCC requirements would actually force the company to enhance rather than reduce local news programming and community coverage.
The transaction required sign-off from the Republican-led FCC under the Trump administration because federal regulations had to be waived regarding limits on station ownership by a single company. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced in March that Nexstar had committed to selling six stations as part of the agreement.
In his emergency ruling, Judge Nunley highlighted concerns that the merger would give Nexstar control over two or potentially three major network affiliates in 31 television markets. He warned that once this consolidation happens, cable and satellite providers like DirecTV would be forced to accept Nexstar’s demands for increased broadcasting fees or face the possibility of subscribers losing access to popular programming such as NFL Sunday games.
WASHINGTON — A senior federal prosecutor leading the investigation into former CIA Director John Brennan was taken off the case following her concerns about whether criminal charges could be successfully pursued, according to a source with knowledge of the situation who spoke Friday.
Maria Medetis Long informed defense attorneys working on the investigation that she would no longer be involved in the Brennan case. Her removal occurred after she raised questions about whether prosecutors had adequate evidence to build a criminal case against Brennan, the source told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of internal Justice Department discussions.
While the Justice Department confirmed that Medetis Long is no longer working on the investigation, officials declined to provide details about why she was removed. In a statement, the department explained that “as a matter of routine practice, attorneys are moved around on cases so offices can most effectively allocate resources. It is completely healthy and normal to change members of legal teams.”
CNN was first to report on Medetis Long’s removal from the case. She has not responded to requests for comment via email and phone.
Medetis Long heads the national security division at the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of Florida, which has been examining Brennan for months as part of one of President Donald Trump’s primary complaints — the federal government’s previous investigation into possible connections between Russia and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Brennan led the CIA under President Barack Obama and held that role when intelligence agencies released a comprehensive report on Russian meddling in the 2016 election. The Justice Department received a referral last year from Rep. Jim Jordan, the Republican leader of the House Judiciary Committee, claiming that Brennan provided false testimony regarding the creation of that intelligence assessment — allegations that Brennan and his legal team have strongly disputed.
Federal investigators have recently issued numerous subpoenas and are preparing for more witness interviews in the investigation, though it’s uncertain whether any criminal charges will result or how Medetis Long’s exit might affect the case or witness cooperation.
Trump recently replaced Pam Bondi as attorney general, expressing frustration over the slow pace of criminal investigations targeting political adversaries including Brennan.
Todd Blanche, Bondi’s deputy who is now serving as acting attorney general, has stated that Trump has both the authority and responsibility to pursue investigations of individuals he has had “issues with.”
In a previous incident last year, Trump effectively pushed out Erik Siebert, the acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, after Siebert declined to pursue criminal charges against two other Trump critics — former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. A replacement prosecutor loyal to Trump, Lindsey Halligan, was quickly installed and obtained indictments against both Comey and James, but the cases were dismissed when a judge ruled that Halligan’s appointment was illegal.
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks baseball squad experienced a setback in their series opener against the Lakers, falling short in what proved to be a challenging matchup.
While the Hawks were unable to secure a victory in the opening contest, there were some bright spots in their performance. Notably, Caldwell delivered a strong showing at the plate, managing to record multiple hits throughout the game.
The loss puts the Hawks at a disadvantage as they look ahead to the remaining games in the series. The team will need to regroup and make adjustments as they prepare for their next opportunity to even the series against their opponents.
With more games ahead in this series, the Hawks will have chances to bounce back and demonstrate their resilience on the diamond.
Just one month after contributing to Nebraska’s victory over Vanderbilt in March Madness, power forward Berke Buyuktuncel has announced his decision to join the Commodores for his final collegiate season.
The 6-foot-9, 245-pound player becomes Vanderbilt’s initial addition from the transfer portal, which opened its doors on April 7. Over his past two seasons with the Cornhuskers, Buyuktuncel posted averages of 6.3 points and 5.5 rebounds while making 61 starts.
Buyuktuncel left his mark during Nebraska’s 74-72 triumph over Vanderbilt on March 21, which secured the Cornhuskers their first Sweet 16 berth. The forward contributed 12 points while connecting on 5 of 6 field goal attempts, earning recognition from KenPom.com as the contest’s top offensive performer with a 177 Offensive Rating.
Nebraska now faces the departure of its fourth starter from the 28-7 team that secured a No. 4 tournament seed. Buyuktuncel’s exit follows the graduation of seniors Rienk Mast, Sam Hoiberg, and Jamarques Lawrence. For Vanderbilt, the acquisition brings a versatile big man capable of floor spacing, rim protection, and ball distribution.
During his most recent campaign, the left-handed forward recorded 6.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.0 block across 24.3 minutes per contest. His three-point shooting remained a concern at 24.1%, continuing a downward trend from his 29.7% mark as a UCLA freshman and 27.7% as a Nebraska sophomore.
The Cornhuskers have responded by securing two transfer portal additions of their own. Redshirt junior Kadyn Betts joins the program after spending three seasons at Minnesota followed by a year at Montana, where he averaged 3.1 points in 6.6 minutes. The 6-foot-8 forward brings perimeter shooting ability, having connected on 12 of 31 three-point attempts (38.7%) despite limited playing time.
Nebraska has also reportedly landed Utah Valley junior Trevan Leonhardt, a 6-foot-4 guard who earned first-team all-WAC recognition. Leonhardt averaged 11.9 points, 6.0 assists, and 5.4 rebounds last season, providing the Huskers with additional versatility in the backcourt.
More than 300 humanoid robots will take on a challenging 13-mile course in Beijing this Sunday, marking China’s second annual robot half-marathon as the nation pushes to establish robotics as a cornerstone of its economic future.
The competition has grown dramatically, with over 70 teams participating – nearly five times the number from the previous year. This year’s course features more demanding terrain including paved inclines and parkland areas designed to push the robots’ capabilities to new limits.
“It will certainly be interesting to see the progress in durability of components and battery lifetime compared to last year,” said Georg Stieler, Asia managing director and head of robotics at Stieler, a technology consultancy.
“Humanoid robot makers need to find a balance between quality in products which are still under constant evolution and price pressure.”
The event represents a significant technological milestone. While last year’s competition featured only remote-controlled machines, organizers report that nearly 40% of this year’s robotic participants will complete the course using autonomous navigation systems.
However, the race also exposes the ongoing hurdles Chinese companies encounter as they work to develop robots capable of replicating human movement and performance. Last year’s inaugural event saw several robots tumble and malfunction near the starting area. The champion, the Tiangong Ultra model created by Beijing’s state-supported Innovation Center of Humanoid Robotics working with UBTech, completed the distance in 2 hours and 40 minutes – well ahead of other robotic competitors but more than twice as slow as the human race winner.
This year, the Tiangong Ultra will operate “fully autonomously,” depending entirely on its sensor systems to navigate obstacles and replicate natural human walking patterns through extensive data simulation training, according to the Center of Humanoid Robotics.
“When the robot runs at speeds approaching those of professional human athletes, the time window for perception and decision-making is extremely short, placing very high demands on computing power, algorithms, and system response speed,” the center explained in a statement.
Recent social media footage showing robots training in Beijing at night revealed mixed results. Some models successfully demonstrated human-like running motions and achieved speeds of 14 kilometers per hour, while others displayed awkward, jerky movements and some toppled over or collided with barriers, raising questions about their ability to complete the full race.
China leads the global humanoid robot market, representing more than 80% of the 16,000 units deployed worldwide in 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. In contrast, Tesla, the leading U.S. manufacturer, accounts for just 5% of global humanoid installations.
Chinese market leaders AgiBot and Unitree each delivered more than 5,000 units last year – the highest numbers globally – with Unitree committing to expand its annual production capacity to 75,000 humanoid robots.
Despite the spectacle of the half-marathon, industry experts caution that the demonstrated abilities don’t necessarily translate to widespread commercial use of humanoid robots in industrial environments, where precise manual skills, real-world awareness, and capabilities beyond simple, repetitive tasks are essential.
Currently, Unitree’s humanoid products serve primarily research institutions, dance performances, and interactive guide roles in service businesses, according to the company’s IPO documentation.
Even with some humanoids capable of completing a half-marathon, experts believe widespread household or industrial deployment remains years away, even in China.
“The reason our applications aren’t taking off is that the robots’ IQ is too low. The models are poor, their success rates are low,” said Tang Wenbin, founder of embodied intelligence startup Yuanli Lingji at a Beijing technology conference last month.
“Honestly, the whole industry’s level is still at a very elementary stage … Right now, a lot of what we see is ‘dancing disguised as working’.”
The Chinese government has designated embodied intelligence, or physical AI, as a priority industry for development as it seeks automation solutions to enhance economic productivity and modernize traditional manufacturing.
Chinese robotics companies continue to face challenges in creating the AI software necessary for humanoids to match human factory worker efficiency, while component manufacturers deal with cost pressures, according to industry analysts.
To advance their software capabilities, companies are investing heavily in large-scale real-world data gathering, equipping human workers with sensors and placing more humanoids on factory floors.
UBTech had fewer than 10 humanoids operating in factories in 2024, but that figure surged to over 1,000 last year.
This year, the company plans to deploy 10,000 full-size humanoid robots, including new models designed for various commercial applications, Chief Business Officer Michael Tam announced during a media visit to the company’s Shenzhen facility in southern China.
“When we talk about AI, it relies on how much data, especially high-quality data, we can collect,” he explained.
Two water delivery drivers working for the United Nations were fatally shot by Israeli forces while transporting clean water to Palestinian families, according to UNICEF officials who expressed outrage over the Friday incident.
The deadly shooting happened during a standard water delivery operation at the Mansoura water distribution facility in northern Gaza, which serves Gaza City residents. Two additional workers sustained injuries during the same attack, the UN children’s agency reported.
Following the fatal incident, UNICEF announced it has halted all operations at the water site and is demanding Israeli officials conduct a thorough investigation. The agency emphasized that international humanitarian law requires protection for aid workers, civilians, and essential water infrastructure.
Israeli embassy officials in Washington have not yet provided a response to requests for comment regarding the incident.
The shooting comes months after an October ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas ended two years of intensive warfare, though Israeli military forces maintain control over more than half of Gaza’s territory while Hamas governs the remaining coastal area.
Since the ceasefire took effect, Palestinian medical officials report over 750 Palestinians have died, while militant attacks have claimed the lives of four Israeli soldiers. Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the truce agreement.
Drivers using Route 9 should plan for potential delays as flagging operations continue along a busy section of the roadway.
The Delaware Department of Transportation reports that intermittent flagging is taking place on Route 9 between South King Street and Burton Street, with operations scheduled to continue until 6:00 AM.
Motorists are advised to allow extra travel time when using this corridor and to exercise caution while passing through the work zone area.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities have documented a historic number of deaths in federal custody during the current fiscal year, according to newly released government statistics.
Since the fiscal year began in October, 29 individuals have lost their lives while detained by ICE, a figure that has already exceeded the previous high of 28 fatalities recorded in 2004.
The troubling milestone represents the highest annual death count in immigration detention facilities in more than two decades, based on official federal data tracking mortality rates in these facilities.
This sharp increase in fatalities comes as the Trump administration has expanded immigration enforcement operations across the country, leading to higher detention populations in ICE facilities nationwide.
Motorists traveling on Delaware Route 30 are experiencing traffic delays this morning following a vehicle collision in the area.
The crash has resulted in slowdowns along the roadway between Sand Hill Road and Shingle Point Road, according to Delaware Department of Transportation officials.
Drivers are advised to expect delays in the area and consider alternate routes if possible while crews work to clear the scene.
No additional details about the collision or any potential injuries have been released at this time.
Delaware Department of Transportation crews are performing mobile road striping work on three major northern Delaware thoroughfares today.
The striping operations are taking place along Silverside Road, Concord Pike, and Philadelphia Pike, with work scheduled to continue until 3 PM this afternoon.
Motorists traveling through these areas should expect potential delays and exercise caution around work crews and equipment during the striping process.
DECATUR, Ga. — Roommates of a former Navy serviceman now facing murder charges say he left their shared residence following a heated confrontation about the home’s temperature control just hours before a deadly shooting rampage in the Atlanta metro area.
Law enforcement officials have not yet disclosed what may have motivated the Monday morning violence. One of those killed was a federal employee with the Department of Homeland Security who was out with her pet near where the accused shooter lived.
The defendant, 26-year-old Olaolukitan Adon Abel from the United Kingdom, faces multiple charges in DeKalb County including two malice murder counts, aggravated assault, and weapons violations. Federal prosecutors announced Friday he’s also charged with illegal gun possession, alongside another individual accused of purchasing the weapon for him.
Adon Abel shared living space with six other people in individual rooms through PadSplit, a service providing affordable communal housing options. He received American citizenship in 2022 during his naval service near San Diego.
According to three housemates who spoke with The Associated Press, Adon Abel and another male resident engaged in a loud confrontation Sunday evening regarding the extremely low temperature Adon Abel maintained throughout their Panthersville home, located southeast of Atlanta.
“He (kept) the house freezing,” housemate Angela Britton explained Friday. “It’s not the first time they got into it about the AC. But that time was a real big argument.”
Fellow resident Lakisha Mckinzie described being so frightened by the altercation that she contacted her mother before going to sleep, requesting prayers for everyone’s well-being and mentioning ongoing “chaos and tension” within the household.
Mckinzie revealed she had felt unsafe around Adon Abel since he made unwanted physical contact with her the previous month following a date request. She said he regularly appeared at her door during late hours, though she never responded. Despite multiple complaints to her landlord, no corrective measures were implemented. PadSplit has not responded to inquiries about their knowledge of Adon Abel’s alleged conduct.
Following the confrontation, housemates reported that Adon Abel gathered his belongings in a large bag and departed in his vehicle shortly past midnight Monday.
Approximately 12:50 a.m., roughly five miles from the residence, 31-year-old Prianna Weathers suffered fatal gunshot wounds outside a Decatur-area restaurant, according to investigators.
Around 2 a.m., a 49-year-old unhoused individual was shot repeatedly while resting outside a grocery establishment in Brookhaven, approximately 12 miles northwest of the initial incident, stated Brookhaven Police Chief Brandon Gurley. The victim, whose identity remains withheld, continues receiving medical treatment in stable but serious condition as of Thursday.
Department of Homeland Security employee Lauren Bullis, who was exercising her dog several hundred feet from Adon Abel’s residence, was discovered around 7 a.m. suffering from both gunshot and knife wounds.
Officials have connected Adon Abel to all three violent incidents, though it remains uncertain whether he had prior contact with any victims — investigators believe at least one person was chosen randomly.
Georgia State Patrol officers detained Adon Abel’s vehicle around 11 a.m. Monday in Troup County, close to the Georgia-Alabama state line. Investigators reported discovering ammunition and bullet casings inside that matched evidence from Weathers’ murder scene. The firearm and additional casings were recovered near where Bullis was found, Hertzberg stated.
Federal charges for unlawful firearm possession were also filed against Adon Abel on Friday.
He shares these federal weapons charges with 35-year-old homeless individual Damon Marquis Yarns. U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg, the chief federal prosecutor for northern Georgia, said Yarns admitted to purchasing the shooting weapon for Adon Abel while falsely claiming ownership on federal documentation.
Adon Abel stands accused of illegal gun possession due to his previous felony conviction history.
Monday’s violent crimes prompted Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to release a statement questioning Adon Abel’s citizenship approval during Joe Biden’s presidency. Mullin detailed various prior alleged criminal activities, though the timing of these incidents relative to his citizenship remains unclear.
California court documents show Adon Abel entered guilty pleas in October 2024 in San Diego County for assault with a deadly weapon and criminal vandalism charges stemming from an alleged attack involving two police officers and a civilian.
Online records indicate someone with matching personal details pleaded guilty in June in Chatham County, Georgia, to four misdemeanor sexual battery charges.
Yarns allegedly purchased the 9mm handgun used in the shootings from a licensed Atlanta firearms dealer on February 20. Hertzberg reported that a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent interviewed Yarns Thursday, during which Yarns admitted buying the weapon for a Nigerian or British acquaintance known only as “Abdul or Obie,” later identifying Adon Abel from a photograph.
The University of Delaware Blue Hens softball squad extended their impressive winning streak to eight games following a commanding 8-0 shutout victory against Kennesaw State on Friday, April 17, 2026. The game concluded after just five innings due to the run rule.
With this dominant performance, the Blue Hens improved their overall season record to 24-19 while posting a 12-7 mark in Conference USA competition. The team has been on fire lately, capturing 12 victories in their past 14 contests.
The shutout win demonstrates the team’s continued momentum as they push through the heart of their conference schedule, showing strong form on both sides of the ball to secure the five-inning victory.
Sarah’s voice carries the weight of memory as she shares her family’s Holocaust survival story with deliberate care, each recollection filtered through decades of experience. On the other end of their phone conversation, her grandson Captain N of the Israel Defense Forces’ 214th Artillery Brigade listens from his deployment along Israel’s northern frontier to a narrative he knows well, yet continues to discover anew.
Their dialogue bridges two generations separated by vastly different circumstances but united by shared history. For Sarah, the Holocaust remains a lived reality that shaped every aspect of her life’s trajectory. For her military officer grandson, it represents the cornerstone of the duty he now fulfills in uniform.
Sarah emphasizes that sharing her story is an obligation, not a choice. “It’s so very important that people should know,” she told The Media Line during their interview. “And not make the same mistakes over and over again.”
She identifies herself as “a true Nitzolah,” using the Hebrew term for survivor, though her survival came not from enduring concentration camps but from her family’s prescient decision to flee before the full horror unfolded.
Sarah was born in Belgium and had reached ten years old when World War II erupted. Her father, despite lacking formal schooling, possessed remarkable intuition about the gathering storm across Europe. “Whatever he knew, he taught himself,” she explains, repeatedly returning to describe his character. “He was very curious. Very thirsty for learning.” Though he never attended school, “Whatever he knew, he taught himself,” she emphasizes again.
Having emigrated from Poland, where Jewish life was perpetually precarious, her father understood hardship intimately. After moving westward, he methodically built his livelihood, first mastering diamond work and trading, then expanding into an entirely different field. “He also decided to learn chocolate making,” Sarah mentions almost casually.
Rather than following a predetermined plan, Sarah explains, her father adapted and learned whatever skills circumstances demanded. Most crucially, he possessed an ability to read the political climate while others remained uncertain about their future.
He monitored developments in Germany closely and grasped their potential implications. When he reached his decision, it came decisively rather than gradually – they would not remain to witness what might unfold.
When he informed the family of their departure, he framed it as a simple visit. “We’re going to England,” Sarah remembers him announcing, ostensibly to see their daughter.
Only later did his true intentions become apparent – he had no plans to return. England itself was merely a waystation. “When the time comes, we’ll go on to Palestine,” she recalls him declaring.
For young Sarah, the transition felt entirely different. As a child, she couldn’t comprehend the larger forces reshaping their world. Her initial memories of Sussex center on sensory details rather than ideology. “The smell of kippers … it was a terrible smell,” she says, referring to the smoked fish common in Britain then. She also recalls encountering elderly people living in conditions that made a lasting impression, though she couldn’t fully understand why at the time.
Despite the upheaval, Sarah felt cared for during their stay. “They spoiled me,” she remembers. Local people gave her small tasks like shoe polishing and compensated her for the work. “This was earned money,” she adds, still expressing pride in those early wages.
Their time in that location proved brief. The atmosphere shifted as suspicion grew toward foreign refugees, including European Jews. “There was a fear that they might be spies,” Sarah explains. Her family, like others, had to adapt once more.
By the time she discusses London, the war was fully underway. “I was just ten,” she repeats multiple times, emphasizing her youth during these traumatic events.
She vividly recalls the night a bomb struck their neighbors’ air raid shelter, separated from their own home by only a fence. The neighboring family was Jewish with children near her age. “They didn’t survive it at all,” she states simply.
Another incident remains particularly vivid in her memory. Following a nearby explosion, authorities ordered everyone to evacuate their shelter immediately. “They said, ignore it … just run for your lives,” she remembers. Officials feared another unexploded bomb remained in the vicinity.
When they emerged, broken glass covered the street completely. “There were splinters everywhere,” Sarah describes. She had no shoes and initially ran barefoot across the debris. Her father soon realized what she was stepping on. “He lifted me on his shoulders,” she recalls.
What amazed her most was what happened afterward. Upon reaching safety, “not a glass splinter stayed on the sole of my foot,” she says, still sounding astonished. Her father’s shoes were similarly unscathed. “We called it miraculous,” she reflects.
The war’s end didn’t conclude their family’s relocations. They moved from London to Manchester, believing it offered greater safety. The Jewish community there welcomed them as refugees with warmth and attention, though uncertainty never completely disappeared.
Family members who remained in Poland perished in the Holocaust. Sarah’s future husband Itzhak, whom she would meet in Israel, survived the Holocaust directly in Europe. For years, he couldn’t discuss his experiences. “It was too terrible to talk about,” she remembers. When trauma did surface, it wasn’t through conversation. “He used to scream in the night,” she says.
Despite these painful memories, Sarah doesn’t characterize their later life in terms of suffering. “We managed to keep it a very happy house,” she explains. “A house where there was a lot of singing and dancing and jokes.” She mentions the jokes again, noting her husband loved telling them, even though “he was not all that good at it.”
When discussing their eventual life in Israel, Sarah struggles to find adequate words. “I don’t think I can express it,” she begins, then attempts again. “It’s indescribable, really … that feeling, I find it indescribable.”
“It’s really like it says in one of the psalms,” she adds. “From the depths of sorrow to the heights of freedom.”
Though her grandson never witnessed this transformation personally, he inherited its significance. Speaking from his current position in northern Israel, he acknowledges that hearing the story affects him differently each time. “Listening to this story every time is very emotional,” he explains. Despite growing up with these accounts, full comprehension came gradually. “Just around 16, I realized the full story,” he says, referring to both grandparents’ experiences.
Unfortunately, his grandfather had already passed away by then. “Sadly, I couldn’t ask him the questions I have,” he adds with regret.
When describing what most impressed him about his grandfather, Captain N focuses not on the traumatic events themselves but on something else entirely. “He never let those events define him,” he observes. He characterizes both grandparents as profoundly optimistic, a trait that became integral to their family’s identity.
This inheritance shapes his own sense of military duty. “We can’t let those things go back in time and happen to the Jewish community again,” he declares. For him, IDF service addresses not only current threats but prevents the return of a past that remains very immediate in his family’s experience.
He views Israel not merely as a state but as a remarkable transformation – a small people becoming an independent nation with a powerful military in less than a century. For him, this represents “something beautiful,” the product of values forged during the darkest chapters of Jewish history.
When asked about Israeli identity, he responds in terms of historical continuity – living the Zionist dream, building a homeland, serving the community, and reconnecting a people after 2,000 years of diaspora. His military service, he believes, contributes to this mission.
Sarah agrees with her grandson’s perspective but adds another dimension. She acknowledges that she has changed since October 7th. The attack deeply unsettled her, revealing vulnerabilities she hadn’t fully anticipated.
However, her conclusion doesn’t involve questioning Israel’s necessity but rather the opposite. “Now I feel that I need Israel even more, more than ever,” she declares. She speaks of community, protection, and everything the state provides that cannot be taken for granted.
The physical distance between them – she speaking from a home built after the war, he from a military position on an active border – doesn’t separate their perspectives but rather connects them.
Sarah’s early life unfolded in a Europe where Jewish survival depended on correctly reading danger signals and departing in time. Her grandson’s life takes place in a state where Jews bear responsibility for their own defense. The transition between these realities isn’t theoretical – this family lives it across generations.
Their conversation never becomes a political statement but remains rooted in lived experience. A father who understood history. A child who sensed fear without fully grasping it. A family that relocated, survived, and rebuilt. A husband who carried trauma into a life that still made space for happiness. And a grandson who now stands in uniform on a border his great-grandparents could never have envisioned.
Sarah repeatedly states that some experiences cannot be expressed in words, that they are felt “here in the heart.” Yet throughout their conversation, something becomes evident.
For her family, survival didn’t end with staying alive. It continued through the decision to build, raise children, create a home, and transmit not only memory but a sense of responsibility.
On Israel’s northern border, that responsibility has taken a new form. It no longer involves escape but defense. This distinction, Sarah emphasizes, makes all the difference.
A temporary truce between Israel and Lebanon commenced at midnight Israel time on April 16, 2026, following intensive diplomatic efforts by the United States to broker a ten-day pause in hostilities between the neighboring countries.
The U.S. State Department outlined key provisions of the agreement, which allows Israel to maintain its defensive capabilities while stationed in southern Lebanon. Israeli forces can continue responding to what officials describe as “planned, imminent, or ongoing threats” without violating the ceasefire terms. However, Israel has committed to halting offensive operations targeting Lebanese civilian, military, or government facilities by land, air, or sea.
Under the framework, Lebanon’s government must work with international partners to stop Hezbollah and other militant organizations from launching attacks or conducting hostile actions against Israeli positions. The deal emphasizes that Lebanese security forces hold exclusive responsibility for maintaining the nation’s sovereignty and security without outside guarantees.
Both countries have asked Washington to continue mediating unresolved matters, particularly establishing clear international border boundaries, with hopes of achieving what negotiators call “lasting stability and peace between the two countries.”
Fighting persisted right up until the ceasefire deadline, with both Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants trading strikes near the border region. Lebanese military officials reported shelling incidents early Friday morning that they claimed breached the newly established truce.
President Donald Trump celebrated the diplomatic breakthrough on his Truth Social platform, calling it a “historic” development for Lebanon and posting “Good things are happening!!!” The President also expressed hope that “Hezbollah acts nicely and well during this important period of time.”
President Trump expressed optimism that the ongoing conflict with Iran might reach a conclusion in the near future, even after negotiations stalled over the weekend, while also indicating his willingness to participate in potential discussions in Islamabad.
During remarks to the press outside the White House, Trump suggested that additional US-Iran negotiations could occur this weekend and mentioned the possibility of extending a current two-week ceasefire, though he noted this extension might be unnecessary given Tehran’s apparent desire for an agreement.
“We’re going to see what happens. But I think we’re very close to making a deal with Iran,” Trump stated, noting that he might participate if final negotiations and signing ceremonies take place in Islamabad.
Later that day while in Las Vegas, the President expressed even greater confidence, stating the conflict “should be ending pretty soon.”
The military action, which commenced on February 28, has faced domestic opposition, with political analysts suggesting that public disapproval of the conflict might create electoral challenges for Republican candidates in the approaching midterm Congressional races.
Tehran’s decision to obstruct the Strait of Hormuz has led to some of the most dramatic oil price spikes seen in recent years, sparking worries about potential wider economic consequences.
Nevertheless, Trump characterized the military operation favorably, describing it as proceeding “swimmingly.” He elaborated: “It was perfect. It’s perfect. It was the power we have,” and emphasized, “We had the most powerful military anywhere in the world.”
Delaware State Police’s Sex Offender Apprehension and Registration Unit is asking for community assistance in tracking down multiple sex offenders who have violated registration requirements.
Authorities are actively searching for seven individuals who either failed to register or update their current address information as mandated by law. The wanted offenders include Arthur Baugh, Stefan Ewell, Charles Fulton, Deangelo Hoskins, Tori Lied, John Martz, and Michael Viscount.
Anyone with knowledge of these individuals’ whereabouts is urged to contact police at (302) 739-5882. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) 847-3333.
Police emphasize that these seven cases represent just a fraction of the currently wanted sex offenders. The complete listing is available on the Delaware Sex Offender Registry website.
Additionally, the department has issued public notifications for three homeless sex offenders: Lawrence Blain, Willis Grayson, and Jesse Kincaid. These individuals are not wanted for registration violations but have recently reported being without permanent housing.
If community members have information indicating that any of these homeless offenders are staying at a specific residence, they should contact the same phone numbers provided for the wanted individuals.
The homeless notifications also represent only a portion of sex offenders currently without permanent addresses. A full list of homeless sex offenders can be found on the state’s sex offender registry website.
Complete profiles and additional details for all mentioned individuals are accessible through the online registry system.
The long-awaited playoff clash between Central Division foes Dallas and Minnesota is finally here, with both clubs having anticipated this first-round matchup for several months now.
These division rivals already provided a preview of what’s to come during a hard-hitting encounter just over a week ago at the same venue where Game 1 will unfold Saturday night.
“I think it’s exactly what it was,” Stars forward Mikko Rantanen commented Friday.
The Stars emerged victorious 5-4 in that April 9 contest, which featured an astounding 12 roughing infractions split evenly between both squads. The regular season series concluded with each team capturing two victories while both clubs tallied 13 goals overall.
“They got the best of us for sure, but it was a great hockey game for the end of a regular season,” Minnesota forward Matt Boldy reflected.
The two franchises that occupied second and third positions in the Central Division standings for most of the campaign, trailing Presidents’ Trophy champion Colorado, will now engage in a best-of-seven battle beginning Saturday in Dallas.
Minnesota squandered an opportunity that evening to draw even with Dallas in the standings. The Stars essentially secured home-ice advantage with that victory, which kicked off a five-game winning streak to close out the regular season.
“We learned some lessons last time we played them,” Wild forward Marcus Foligno explained. “We know that they’re a really, really good team, and so are we. They have some lethal weapons. We’re just more educated, more experienced going into this series than we were before. We always like our chances. We’re positive.”
For the first time in their respective histories, both organizations boast a pair of 40-goal scorers in the same campaign. Kirill Kaprizov netted 45 goals while Boldy contributed 42 for Minnesota. Dallas countered with Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston, the 22-year-old center already participating in his fourth postseason, each finding the net 45 times.
“That’s a legit number,” Stars veteran forward Matt Duchene acknowledged.
Dallas defenseman Miro Heiskanen returned to practice Friday for the first time since suffering a lower-body injury when Ryan Hartman sent him crashing into the boards during their previous meeting with Minnesota.
Stars coach Glen Gulutzan reported that Heiskanen, who missed the beginning of last year’s playoffs, completed practice without complications and felt strong.
“I would think that as long as everything goes good, he should be in,” Gulutzan stated. “He means everything on both sides of the puck for us. Power play, penalty kill, he touches all parts of the game.”
Stars top-line center Roope Hintz, sidelined since March 6, will be absent for the playoff opener following a setback in his recovery from a lower-body ailment.
Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes, battling an illness since his last appearance Saturday, made his own travel arrangements to Dallas Friday after missing the team’s Thursday departure.
“With the illness, I think more rest for him and just not having him on the plane,” coach John Hynes explained. “The expectation is for him to play.”
Jake Oettinger enters his 11th playoff series as Dallas’s starting netminder, marking his second appearance against Minnesota — particularly meaningful for the Minnesota native who grew up roughly 30 miles from their home arena. His inaugural playoff series victory came in six games against the Wild during the 2023 first round.
Minnesota has chosen rookie Jesper Wallstedt over playoff-veteran Filip Gustavsson, though Hynes stressed this decision applies only to Game 1 rather than the entire series.
“His overall body work has been really solid. He’s played really well coming down the stretch,” Hynes said regarding the 23-year-old rookie. “We’re confident in both guys.”
Gustavsson made his playoff debut three seasons ago with an outstanding 51-save performance in a double-overtime triumph over Dallas during Game 1. Wallstedt appeared in 33 games during his NHL rookie season, posting the league’s second-best .916 save percentage while establishing franchise rookie marks with 18 victories and four shutouts.
While Dallas will concentrate heavily on neutralizing Kaprizov and Boldy, Minnesota possesses a reliable scorer on their third line with extensive playoff experience in Vladimir Tarasenko. The former St. Louis standout, who has captured the Stanley Cup twice during his 14-year career, has recorded 49 goals across 121 career playoff contests. Tarasenko contributed 23 goals and 24 assists in his debut season with Minnesota.
“He’s a big-game player,” Hynes noted. “I think that leadership and the way he plays is certainly a playoff-style of game.”
Dallas has won both previous postseason matchups against Minnesota in six games, occurring in 2016 and 2023. The Stars franchise previously operated as the Minnesota North Stars before relocating south in 1993. Minnesota’s 12 playoff appearances over 14 years represent the most in the NHL during that timeframe, though they’ve dropped nine consecutive series since defeating St. Louis in the 2015 first round. Dallas is making its fifth straight postseason appearance, with the last three campaigns ending in the Western Conference final. Gulutzan, who participated in 83 playoff games as an Edmonton assistant including Stanley Cup Final trips the past two seasons, seeks his first postseason victory as a head coach after Calgary was swept by Anaheim in 2017.
PHOENIX (AP) — Former President Donald Trump made an appearance alongside Erika Kirk at Dream City Church in northern Phoenix during a Republican political event. The gathering was organized by Turning Point Action and dubbed the “Build the Red Wall” rally, aimed at generating support for GOP candidates in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections.
The event represents an early effort to mobilize Republican voters and candidates ahead of the next major election cycle.
This report is based on photographic coverage compiled by Associated Press photo editors.
NEW YORK (AP) — Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York City announced his support Friday for Lindsey Boylan’s City Council campaign, backing the woman who became the first to publicly level sexual harassment allegations against former Governor Andrew Cuomo. The endorsement marks another move by the mayor to leverage his political influence in Democratic races across the city.
In his statement of support, Mamdani praised Boylan as someone who “represents the kind of fearless leadership this moment demands.”
“She has shown a willingness to tell hard truths, to challenge entrenched power, and to stand up for working people even when it isn’t easy. That courage matters,” the mayor stated.
During last year’s mayoral campaign, when Mamdani defeated Cuomo in both the Democratic primary and general election (where the former governor ran as a third-party candidate), Boylan frequently protested outside Cuomo’s campaign stops to highlight the harassment allegations that ultimately ended his governorship.
The backing represents part of Mamdani’s broader strategy to push New York politics in a more progressive direction, following his rapid rise from political newcomer to national progressive figure last year.
Shortly after his mayoral victory, Mamdani supported Brad Lander in his contest against U.S. Representative Dan Goldman, who enjoys backing from moderate Democrats including Governor Kathy Hochul, one of the mayor’s key supporters.
Earlier this month, the mayor entered another political contest by supporting Claire Valdez, a democratic socialist legislator, to replace retiring U.S. Representative Nydia Velázquez. This created tension with Velázquez, who had supported Mamdani’s mayoral bid but prefers a different successor for her Brooklyn and Queens district.
Mamdani’s choice to support Boylan puts him at odds with Council Speaker Julie Menin, who has backed a different candidate for the Manhattan seat, as the two leaders clash over the city’s financial challenges.
The mayor openly discussed his broader political strategy in announcing his support for Boylan.
“As we work to usher in a new era in our city’s politics, and advance our affordability agenda, I need partners in the work like Lindsey and that’s why I am proud to endorse her campaign for City Council,” Mamdani explained.
Boylan expressed gratitude for the mayor’s backing after previous unsuccessful campaigns for Congress and Manhattan borough president.
“I was proud to support the Mayor in his campaign to bring affordability and change to New York City,” she stated. The special City Council election is scheduled for April 28.
Boylan first came forward in 2020 with allegations that Cuomo sexually harassed her during her time as an economic development advisor in his administration. Her accusations included claims of an unwanted kiss and inappropriate remarks.
While Cuomo has consistently denied these allegations, he stepped down from office in 2021 following a state attorney general’s investigation that found he had sexually harassed 11 women, including Boylan.
When asked about Mamdani’s endorsement Friday, Cuomo’s spokesperson Rich Azzopardi maintained the former governor “never harassed anyone.” He also criticized Boylan as “a perennial candidate” who doesn’t deserve support.
“Mamdani endorsing her tells you everything you need to know about him and his new era,” Azzopardi commented.
Fighting Illini basketball received a major boost Friday when star guard Andrej Stojakovic confirmed he will remain with the program for the 2026-27 campaign.
The announcement came via Stojakovic’s Instagram account with a playful post that began with the question “Did I make you nervous?” The accompanying video showed him dramatically lowering a newspaper, then his sunglasses, before declaring “I’m back.”
Stojakovic’s decision to stay represents a significant victory for Illinois, which made an impressive run to the Final Four before falling to UConn. The Fighting Illini compiled a 28-9 record this past season and are expected to enter next year’s preseason rankings among the nation’s top five programs, though final positioning will depend on transfer portal activity and NBA draft decisions across college basketball.
The 6-foot-7 player contributed 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game across 34 contests this season, despite missing some action due to an ankle injury that sidelined him temporarily.
This marked Stojakovic’s inaugural campaign with Illinois following previous stops at Stanford during the 2023-24 season and Cal in 2024-25. During his time with the Golden Bears, he posted impressive numbers with 17.9 points per game before making the decision to transfer once again.
Throughout his collegiate career spanning 95 games with 59 starts, Stojakovic has maintained averages of 12.9 points and 4.2 rebounds. His shooting statistics include 95 successful three-point attempts, while also recording 53 blocked shots and 49 steals on the defensive end.
A Manhattan federal court has denied Bayer’s legal attempt to stop Johnson & Johnson from promoting claims that its prostate cancer medication reduces the risk of death by half.
U.S. District Judge Dale Ho issued the ruling Friday evening, determining that Bayer had little chance of proving its case on its merits. Bayer had argued that Johnson & Johnson’s marketing campaign for Erleada contained misleading information that was causing lasting damage and potentially undermining confidence in Bayer’s competing medication, Nubeqa.
The decision means Johnson & Johnson can continue its current advertising approach for the multibillion-dollar treatment while the underlying legal dispute continues.
A federal lawsuit has been filed against the U.S. Department of Agriculture by a watchdog organization that claims the agency is concealing important documents related to food safety concerns following last year’s train derailment in Ohio.
The Government Accountability Project, a nonprofit organization, initiated the legal action on Friday in the District of Columbia. The group argues that USDA officials improperly held back records concerning potential toxic chemical contamination of food supplies connected to the February 2023 rail disaster in East Palestine, Ohio.
According to a report released by the organization, documents they secured through a Freedom of Information Act request revealed that USDA personnel were aware that dangerous chemicals could potentially taint the food supply in areas surrounding the East Palestine incident, which occurred near the Ohio-Pennsylvania state line.
The group contends that despite this knowledge, the Environmental Protection Agency did not perform specific testing for dioxins—a hazardous chemical—in locally grown vegetables, livestock, poultry eggs, or wildlife in the region. USDA representatives chose not to provide comments, citing the ongoing legal proceedings.
The Norfolk Southern Railway train was traveling from Illinois toward Pennsylvania when it left the tracks on February 3, 2023, sparking a massive blaze that led to the emergency evacuation of hundreds of area residents. Railway personnel subsequently emptied and incinerated toxic chemical materials from five derailed cars.
At the time, EPA officials stated their analysis of residential drinking water and indoor air quality near the crash site showed no signs of contamination.
However, scientific experts raised alarm about potential agricultural contamination from dioxins, cancer-causing substances created during the deliberate burning of chemicals by railroad workers. Lesley Pacey, who serves as the Government Accountability Project’s senior environmental advisor, explained in a Friday interview that USDA documents obtained by her organization contained extensive redactions and some materials were completely withheld.
The legal challenge aims to force the release of those hidden documents. Pacey noted that the information they did receive “shows that internally they were recognizing that there were contamination pathways that were very realistic and concerning.”
According to Pacey, the agency failed to conduct thorough testing or properly inform local residents about potential health risks.
STUTTGART, Germany – Major upsets dominated Friday’s quarterfinal action at the Stuttgart Open, as tennis superstars Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff both saw their tournament runs come to an unexpected end, while Elena Rybakina advanced after surviving a marathon three-set match against Leylah Fernandez to earn a semifinal spot opposite Mirra Andreeva.
The clay court season began poorly for Gauff, the French Open titleholder, who fell to Karolina Muchova in a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 defeat. The third-ranked player in the world had previously dominated Muchova in all six of their encounters on hard court surfaces, but struggled with 13 forehand unforced errors while dropping her first-ever set to the Czech competitor.
Despite rallying to capture the second set, the two-time Grand Slam champion from America couldn’t maintain momentum in the decisive third set. Muchova executed perfectly when it mattered most, successfully defending against five break point opportunities while securing the lone break of the set for a crucial 4-2 advantage.
“It’s always very tough against her. She’s a tough player… I think the third set was a battle. It was very physical, as well, and I’m glad I managed the first break and then I was able to keep it going,” the 12th-ranked Muchova explained to media members.
Muchova’s semifinal opponent will be Elina Svitolina, who defeated Linda Noskova with scores of 7-6(2), 7-5 as the tournament’s fourth seed.
In another stunning result, 18-year-old Russian player Mirra Andreeva dominated Swiatek 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in their inaugural clay court matchup. Andreeva secured an early service break in the opening game, though the fourth-ranked Swiatek responded with two breaks of her own to claim the first set.
After falling behind 2-0 in the second set, Swiatek mounted a comeback to even the score at 4-4, but Andreeva maintained her composure to push the match to a third set.
“I think my baseline game was fine, and I see a progress there comparing to the last tournaments. But for sure, overall, it wasn’t enough,” Poland’s Swiatek reflected.
The second-ranked Rybakina, who won the Australian Open, endured a challenging battle against Canada’s Fernandez before prevailing 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(6) to secure her semifinal berth against ninth-ranked Andreeva.
“I was pretty negative from the beginning of the match, nothing was working, so I was just trying to play point at a time,” the 26-year-old Rybakina commented.
The World Bank announced a fresh approach on Friday designed to assist small island nations and compact countries in overcoming their distinctive economic obstacles by prioritizing employment opportunities.
World Bank President Ajay Banga presented the plan during a private meeting with finance ministers and central bank leaders from 50 smaller nations, held as part of the spring conferences for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Washington.
Banga explained that the initiative aims to employ specialized tools to help these nations draw more private sector investment, implement policy changes that make business operations easier, and ultimately generate additional employment opportunities.
The strategy will concentrate on sectors including healthcare, cost-effective energy solutions, durable infrastructure, and small enterprises where Bank leadership believes there are significant opportunities to stimulate economic growth and create quality employment.
Last year, the World Bank Group committed a record-breaking $3.3 billion in new funding and guarantees for smaller nations, which encounter distinct economic difficulties and suffer disproportionately from external disruptions, as demonstrated during the conflict in the Middle East.
“For small businesses, a single hurricane, a sudden surge in imported fuel prices, or a downturn in tourism can undo months of investment and income in a matter of days,” the bank stated in a blog post accompanying the new strategy.
According to Banga, the Bank will adopt a customized approach when developing regional initiatives in these countries, with partnerships playing a central role.
“This is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Small states are diverse, and our support will reflect that,” Banga informed the financial officials. “We also know the economics are different.”
He pointed out that operating in smaller nations can cost up to four times more than in larger countries, prompting the Bank to plan for more efficient service delivery, flexible financing options, and scalable solutions to maximize the impact of every dollar spent.
Several initiatives are already in progress.
In Tonga, the bank will jointly fund an urban resilience initiative with the Asian Development Bank through a groundbreaking mutual reliance framework agreement between multilateral development institutions.
Banga indicated that additional similar agreements are being planned, including one with the Inter-American Development Bank to extend this approach to Caribbean nations. He also mentioned that the World Bank is expanding the range of tools available to countries.
Enhanced analysis is also crucial, according to the bank. Comprehensive studies examining barriers to private sector employment are currently underway for Barbados, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Mauritius, Samoa, and Seychelles.
The World Bank can also use its influence to help drive investments, the blog explained. For example, the International Finance Corp, the bank’s investment division, supported funding for Botswana’s first utility-scale solar facility, while the World Bank worked on a related battery storage project to enable solar integration into the electrical grid.
“The result is not only a solar plant, but a replicable model for how unlocking private finance can open markets and create jobs,” the bank stated in its blog.
NEWARK, Del. – Head coach Sarah Jenkins announced on Friday that the Blue Hens women’s basketball team has successfully recruited transfer student-athlete Daniella Matus from Loyola Chicago.
The addition of Matus represents another strategic roster move for the University of Delaware’s women’s basketball program as they continue building their team through the transfer portal.
Jenkins made the announcement regarding Matus joining the Blue Hens roster this Friday, marking a significant recruiting achievement for the Delaware program.
Two of basketball’s greatest players will renew their playoff rivalry this weekend as the Houston Rockets travel to face the Los Angeles Lakers in what could be the final postseason meeting between LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
Their playoff history dates back to 2012, when James’s Miami Heat defeated Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder for James’s first NBA title. Durant got his revenge in 2017 and 2018, leading Golden State to victories over James’s Cleveland Cavaliers and capturing two championships in the process.
Now, more than a decade later, the 41-year-old James—who holds the record as the league’s all-time leading scorer—will square off against the 37-year-old Durant, who ranks fifth in NBA scoring history. Game 1 tips off Saturday night in Los Angeles.
“It’s prime time,” Houston coach Ime Udoka explained. “Two of the best, and still doing it at this stage in their careers. And they have had some battles in the playoffs, but not a ton being in the East and the West a lot. So that part alone has a lot of storylines, a lot of history. I’m sure this will add to their chapters.”
While this may represent their final spring encounter—and possibly James’s last playoff run—both veterans are focusing on the present challenge rather than dwelling on past battles.
“It’s always great playing against great players,” Durant commented. “You feel their presence on the floor, even if you’re not matched up with them. But it’s just like all basketball players know, it’s much more than just one player. You need a whole group of guys to go out there and win … but yeah, the matchup is definitely fun. Two great players who’ve been in the league for a long time. But everybody who’s involved in this series knows it’s much deeper than that.”
Their previous playoff encounters highlight how crucial supporting talent is, even for elite players. James’s Miami squad overwhelmed a young Thunder team that featured Durant alongside James Harden and Russell Westbrook. Later, Golden State assembled one of the most talented rosters in recent memory when Durant joined Stephen Curry’s squad, proving too powerful even for James, who subsequently moved to Los Angeles after his Cavaliers fell to the Warriors for the third time in four seasons.
The significance of depth explains why fifth-seeded Houston enters as the clear favorite in this series.
Los Angeles suffered devastating blows two weeks ago when NBA scoring leader Luka Doncic and productive guard Austin Reaves sustained injuries that will sideline them indefinitely.
While James once again attempts to elevate an undermanned roster beyond its natural capabilities, the industrious Rockets remain healthy around Durant, who hopes to make his first Houston postseason run memorable.
“Obviously, we know that’s the head of the snake,” James said regarding Durant. “But it’s the Houston Rockets, and they have some damn good players on their team. It’s not just a KD team. It’s the whole group. Like I said, KD is gonna do what KD does. He’s a Hall of Famer. We know that. So we have to prepare not only for him, but for the whole group.”
The Lakers haven’t provided a public timeline for their top scorers’ return, if they return at all. Doncic’s Grade 2 hamstring strain and Reaves’s Grade 2 oblique strain typically require several weeks of recovery. Though the first-round schedule includes extra rest days, that offers no guarantees.
“We’re going try to make this season as long as possible so that we can get those guys back at some point,” Lakers coach JJ Redick stated. “We don’t know what that is, but that’s just our job. And their job is to do everything they can to be in a position to come back at some point. It may not work, but that’s what we’re trying to do.”
The determined Houston squad would present challenges even if Los Angeles were at full strength, but the Rockets understand they’re facing a capable opponent motivated by widespread doubts about their ability to compete while short-handed.
Los Angeles secured home-court advantage by winning 53 games, including a pair of victories in Houston last month.
“Even though they got injuries, we’re not looking at this team like they’re not a good team,” Durant noted. “We have to show the proper respect to them as NBA players and then into the game as well. We’ve got to come out and respect these guys, because they can have that impact if we let them.”
Udoka remained secretive this week about who will start alongside Durant, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., and Amen Thompson. Throughout the season’s final stretch, Udoka rotated between Tari Eason, Josh Okogie, and Reed Sheppard based on matchups. Okogie could earn the nod for his defensive capabilities, though his 4.5 points per game make him less attractive offensively than Sheppard (13.5 points) or Eason (10.5).
Redick has emphasized Houston’s historic rebounding dominance since practice began this week, implementing basic rebounding and boxing-out exercises that reminded his players of middle school fundamentals.
“Taking care of the basketball and boxing out. That’s the series,” Redick emphasized. “Scheme, personnel, obviously important. But if we don’t take care of the basketball and we don’t box out, we’re not going to win the series.”
Houston topped the league in total rebounds (48.1 per game) and offensive rebounds (15.0 per game). That dominance fueled much of the Rockets’ offensive production, while Los Angeles relied heavily on Doncic’s exceptional play for a significant portion of their scoring.
During congressional testimony on Friday, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended America’s handling of measles outbreaks, asserting the nation outperforms all others globally in containing the disease’s spread.
Kennedy made these statements while appearing before lawmakers to justify proposed budget reductions exceeding 12% for his department during his first congressional appearance in several months.
“The measles outbreak is not an American phenomenon. It is global. It’s happening all over the world. And we’ve done better under my leadership than any country in the world in limiting it,” Kennedy stated during the hearing.
While measles cases are indeed climbing worldwide, with countries like Mexico, Canada, and Bangladesh experiencing significant outbreaks—including over 100 child deaths in Bangladesh—health experts question Kennedy’s assessment of America’s progress.
Data reveals the United States faces worsening protection against measles transmission due to declining immunization rates. Public health specialists have criticized Kennedy’s approach to addressing rising case numbers, noting his hesitancy to champion vaccination efforts while questioning vaccine safety and promoting unproven treatments.
The country currently experiences its most severe measles resurgence since 1991, with 2026 case numbers already exceeding last year’s record-breaking figures. This trend threatens America’s measles elimination status, maintained for 26 years.
Given measles’ extreme contagiousness, preventing outbreaks requires 95% vaccination coverage. National immunization rates have dropped from 95.2% during the 2019-20 academic year to 92.5% in 2024-25, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A pair of U.S. Army personnel sustained injuries following a dangerous encounter with a brown bear while conducting military training exercises in Alaska’s mountainous terrain, according to military officials who announced the incident on Friday.
The bear attack occurred on Thursday while the service members were taking part in navigation training exercises within Arctic Valley, located in the training grounds of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
As of Friday, both injured soldiers were receiving medical treatment, according to a military representative who spoke with the Anchorage Daily News. Attempts by The Associated Press to reach base communications staff went unanswered on Friday.
Military officials have not disclosed the extent of the soldiers’ injuries while they work to contact family members.
During the dangerous encounter, both service members deployed pepper spray against the bear, the official confirmed. Additional information about the incident remains limited as investigators continue their work.
“The safety and well-being of our personnel is our highest priority,” Lt. Col. Jo Nederhoed, a spokesperson for the U.S. Army 11th Airborne Division, said in an email to the Anchorage Daily News.
“The incident is under investigation, and we are coordinating with local wildlife authorities to ensure the safety of all personnel in the area,” she said.
The military installation spans 100 square miles within Anchorage’s municipal boundaries, serving as habitat for an estimated 350 black bears and 75 brown bears that move freely throughout the region.
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices dropped 10% and stock markets surged Friday following announcements from President Donald Trump and Iran’s foreign minister that the Strait of Hormuz had fully reopened to commercial shipping after nearly seven weeks of conflict.
Delaware drivers hoping for immediate relief at gas stations may need to wait longer than expected. Regular gasoline averaged $4.08 per gallon nationwide on Friday — 37% higher than before the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran, though down slightly from the previous week.
Energy specialists warn that fuel costs typically decline much more slowly than crude oil prices, even with the critical waterway now accessible. Despite Iran maintaining passage through the strait while facing a U.S. naval blockade, gasoline prices may not return to pre-conflict levels until months after the February 28 start of hostilities.
Multiple factors contribute to sustained high fuel costs, including the slow pace of oil tanker transport to refineries, ongoing security worries, waterway congestion, and damaged energy facilities across the Middle East.
“The historical observation is that gasoline prices rise quickly but fall slowly, regardless of the particular causes of the increase,” explained Mark Barteau, a Texas A&M University chemical engineering professor.
Barteau elaborated on the complex process ahead: “In this case, one has to take into account the time it takes for the steps that have to happen once tankers sail through the straits – for example, sailing time to refineries on other continents, time to ramp up refinery operations, and time to transport some refined products by tanker to the continent where they will be used. There is also tendency to hedge bets because of doubts about whether and how quickly that restoration might occur, and whether further disruptions are possible along the way.”
Despite these challenges, some energy experts expressed cautious optimism about gradual price reductions.
AAA reported that fuel costs had already begun declining modestly following last week’s announcement of a temporary two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran.
The dramatic $10 to $12 per barrel drop in oil prices following Friday’s strait reopening announcement typically translates to 25-30 cent reductions per gallon at the pump, according to Michael Lynch from the Energy Policy Research Foundation, a nonpartisan energy economics research organization.
“That doesn’t happen overnight, but within a week or two, we could be down 50 cents a gallon easily, if this holds,” Lynch predicted. “And part of it is, there’s a lot of tankers ready to go. And if they all come out, then that balances the market very quickly.”
Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy’s petroleum analysis chief, forecasted in a webcast that “every state will start seeing gas price decreases accelerate at a pace of probably 1 to 3 cents a gallon for every day or two. And that could continue for at least a couple of weeks.”
De Haan projected national regular gasoline averages could reach $3.45 to $3.65 by Memorial Day, while acknowledging the extended timeline for complete price normalization.
“It might take until later this year or early next year to really fully normalize and for some of these surcharges and impacts to reverse and disappear,” De Haan noted.
Syracuse University supply chain professor Patrick Penfield estimated that even with a comprehensive peace agreement, normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz would require at least four months to restore.
“Right now, you still have potential mines that have to be removed or detonated, you have over 150 tankers that have been anchored in and around the strait, which is causing a traffic jam, and we still have shipping rates that are still high because of lack of shipping capacity and war rate insurance,” Penfield explained.
French and British leadership praised the strait’s reopening while emphasizing continued efforts to establish permanent navigation freedom through the narrow passage that typically handles one-fifth of global oil transport.
Lynch highlighted the trust deficit facing shipping companies: “Ship owners would have to be convinced to trust the Americans and Iranians, and that seems like it’s a hard hill to climb. I certainly wouldn’t want to do it. I wouldn’t wanna be the first ship through or even the first five ships through, but somebody will do it. There’s a lot of money on the table and somebody’s going to grab it.”
Regarding mine removal, Lynch suggested Iranian cooperation could expedite the process since Iran knows mine locations. However, he questioned the terms: “Now, that raises the issue, are the Iranians going to cooperate, or what do they want to cooperate? Are they going to demand a couple-million dollars a ship, as is talked about? Or is Trump going to say ‘that’s not acceptable,’ and then what’s the next step after that?”
Even with unrestricted strait access, oil-laden vessels face weeks of travel time to reach destinations due to their heavy, slow-moving nature.
Richard Joswick, S&P Global Energy’s global head of near-term oil analysis, emphasized the extended timeline: “People think that once the strait opens, it’s fine. We’re done. It’ll be better really fast. If you open the strait today to get a ship and bring it around and take it to Europe and run a refinery, turn it into products, you’re talking 10 weeks of a lag time here. It will be two to three months before things can start to get back to normal after the straight re-opens.”
Extensive damage to Middle Eastern oil infrastructure compounds delays, affecting refineries in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, plus tanker terminals in the United Arab Emirates and Iran. While some repairs have occurred, significant damage persists.
Several nations reduced or suspended production during the conflict as blocked Strait of Hormuz shipping left vessels and storage facilities overwhelmed with stranded crude oil.
“It’s not a light switch. Everyone’s impatient and saying, ‘Go, go go,’” De Haan observed. “But it will take time to get these flows of oil through the Middle East fired back up again.”
Restarting oil wells presents additional challenges as shutdown periods can alter internal pressure, requiring time to restore flow. However, Lynch noted that some Middle Eastern fields can resume production rapidly.
“The Saudis have done that a bunch of times. They ramp up by 2 or 3 million barrels a day, almost overnight, and there’s no problem with the wells that have been shut in for months and sometimes years,” Lynch concluded.
A federal wrongful death lawsuit has been filed by relatives of a Kansas jail inmate who died after a sheriff’s deputy allegedly pressed his knee into the handcuffed man’s back for more than a minute.
Legal representatives for Charles Adair’s family announced the civil action Friday while again calling for public disclosure of surveillance footage showing the incident.
The lawsuit, submitted to federal court earlier this month, targets Wyandotte County’s sheriff, the combined government entity for the county and Kansas City, Kansas, plus Richard Fatherley, the deputy facing second-degree murder charges in connection with Adair’s death.
“The public has a right to transparency when someone dies in custody in this manner,” Ben Crump, an attorney who is representing the family, said in a news release.
Both Crump and fellow civil rights lawyer Harry Daniels have been permitted to view the surveillance footage. However, the sheriff’s department has refused to provide the video to The Associated Press following a public records request.
Adair faced arrest last July for misdemeanor warrants stemming from missed court appearances related to traffic infractions. According to a Kansas Bureau of Investigation agent’s affidavit, Adair’s leg required amputation due to severe infection, leading to immediate hospitalization upon arrest.
Medical personnel diagnosed Adair with a bone infection commonly seen in diabetic patients before he could return to jail. A health evaluation also revealed he had schizophrenia, court documents state.
The civil complaint indicates Adair appeared confused and disoriented, with jail staff recognizing that his medical issues “was affecting his brain.”
The fatal incident occurred the next evening after medical staff rewrapped Adair’s leg. He became involved in a dispute with the deputy transporting him back to his cell via wheelchair. Court records show Adair eventually threw himself from the wheelchair.
Back in his cell, Adair was positioned face-down on the lower bunk with his legs and knees touching the floor. Legal documents and the lawsuit indicate he repeatedly screamed “Help!”
The legal filing states that while Adair was following orders, Fatherley “pressed his body weight onto Mr. Adair’s back.” Additional deputies removed Adair’s restraints as Fatherley moved his weight forward.
According to the lawsuit, other law enforcement personnel present failed to step in, and deputies did not adjust their approach to accommodate Adair’s obvious mental health struggles.
The complaint also alleges that Fatherley, currently on administrative leave and released on bail, maintained access to his department email system after being charged, enabling contact with sheriff’s office personnel who witnessed the incident.
Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Capt. Michael Kroening confirmed Fatherley’s email access was terminated April 13 following the lawsuit’s filing. He refused additional comment due to ongoing litigation. County representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
A status hearing in Fatherley’s criminal case is scheduled for next month. His defense attorney, James Spies, has characterized Adair’s death as “a tragic accident” unrelated to his client’s conduct. Spies’ office did not return Friday phone messages.
A Utah judge is considering whether to prohibit television cameras and live streaming from the courtroom in the high-profile murder case against Tyler Robinson, who stands accused of killing conservative political activist Charlie Kirk.
Robinson’s defense team argued Friday that allowing media broadcasts creates prejudicial coverage that threatens their client’s constitutional right to receive a fair trial in the aggravated murder case.
Defense attorney Michael Burt presented video evidence showing legal commentators on various news programs making character judgments about Robinson based on his courtroom demeanor, with analysts suggesting his body language demonstrated a lack of remorse and compassion. One commentator went as far as labeling him “a monster.”
Trial consultant Bryan Edelman, testifying for the defense, emphasized the damaging nature of such coverage. “Negative character evidence is some of the most prejudicial pretrial evidence you can have,” Edelman stated. “We don’t need to create a circus-like reality show out of the trial.”
The prosecution is pursuing capital punishment if Robinson is found guilty of Kirk’s September 10 killing.
The 23-year-old defendant, who was enrolled in an electrical training program when the shooting occurred, allegedly fired one shot from a rooftop that fatally wounded Kirk during a public debate with students at Utah Valley University in Orem.
However, Kirk’s surviving spouse Erika Kirk, along with news organizations and state prosecutors, are advocating for continued camera access during court sessions. They contend that transparent broadcasting represents the most effective method to combat false narratives and conspiracy theories circulating about the incident.
Kirk gained recognition for his efforts in encouraging young people to vote, contributing to President Donald Trump’s successful 2024 campaign. His public assassination before thousands of witnesses highlighted the escalating political violence occurring across the nation.
The defense also requested postponement of Robinson’s scheduled mid-May preliminary hearing, where prosecutors must demonstrate probable cause by presenting adequate evidence that a crime took place.
Defense counsel Richard Novak told the court his team has not yet received crucial DNA analysis files required for their expert witnesses to review. He asked for a four-month postponement of the proceedings.
Utah County prosecutor Ryan McBride countered that the DNA materials are unnecessary for establishing probable cause, noting that the state possesses additional evidence to support their case.
District Court Judge Tony Graff indicated he would announce his decisions on both matters at a future hearing.
Investment banking giant Goldman Sachs has decided to keep its oil price projections for 2026 unchanged despite observing weaker global demand and reduced supply interruptions that have created balanced market conditions.
The financial institution continues to predict that Brent crude will average $83 per barrel while West Texas Intermediate crude will reach $78 per barrel in 2026. These forecasts depend on the assumption that oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz will return to normal levels by mid-May. This critical shipping channel handles approximately 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas transportation.
Oil prices dropped roughly 9% on Friday following reports of progress toward a potential peace agreement, which Goldman analysts believe could accelerate the removal of geopolitical risk premiums and drive prices down in the short term.
Despite these developments, negotiators have not yet reached a permanent peace settlement. President Donald Trump has again indicated the conflict might conclude soon, referencing anticipated weekend discussions with Tehran officials. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi confirmed the strait remains operational after a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon took effect.
Although oil movement through the Strait of Hormuz continues to face significant restrictions, Goldman warns that downside price risks are growing if Persian Gulf production recovers faster than anticipated. This recovery could be supported by smaller-than-expected production shutdowns and substantial regional storage capabilities.
The bank highlighted notable weakness in oil consumption, especially for petrochemical raw materials and aviation fuel, caused by elevated refined product costs and profit margins that could pressure prices downward.
Early estimates indicate that global demand decreases in early 2026 have exceeded those seen during more severe oil price increases in 2011 and 2022, according to Goldman’s analysis.
The most significant demand reduction has occurred in developing nations across Asia and Africa, where energy consumption typically responds more dramatically to price changes, the bank noted.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is preparing to direct federal agencies to reassess regulations surrounding ibogaine, a plant-based substance currently prohibited in the United States but utilized overseas for treating post-traumatic stress disorder and various mental health conditions, according to three sources with knowledge of the plan.
The substance, extracted from an African shrub, currently falls under Schedule I classification in America, which designates it as having “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse,” per Drug Enforcement Administration guidelines. This places ibogaine in the same category as heroin and ecstasy.
Internationally, the substance receives therapeutic use in countries with more lenient regulations for addressing mental health disorders. Mexico operates numerous ibogaine treatment facilities that frequently serve American military veterans seeking alternative treatments.
Sources speaking anonymously due to lack of authorization indicated the presidential directive could be issued as early as Saturday. However, they warned that details may still undergo modifications as the administration completes its proposal, and any reclassification would likely not dramatically change the substance’s current legal standing.
White House representatives declined to provide comment. CBS initially reported on the potential executive action.
Multiple veterans’ advocacy organizations, including one headed by former Energy Secretary Rick Perry from Trump’s first administration, have campaigned for expanded ibogaine availability within the United States.
Perry and W. Bryan Hubbard, serving as chairman and CEO respectively of Americans for Ibogaine, made an appearance on April 1 during the widely-followed “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast to advocate for the substance and expressed intentions to arrange a meeting with Trump regarding the issue.
“I certainly hope that this message reaches the president, and I will try to make sure that it does,” Rogan stated to the guests.
Research published in 2022 within the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment examined multiple studies and determined that ibogaine decreased cravings and withdrawal effects in individuals struggling with substance abuse disorders while potentially offering benefits for depression and PTSD treatment.
When administered in elevated amounts, ibogaine may produce hallucinatory effects. The substance has also been associated with heart-related deaths, leading practitioners to sometimes provide magnesium supplements alongside ibogaine to reduce cardiovascular risks.
A 2025 research study published in Nature Mental Health by Stanford University scientists discovered that ibogaine combined with magnesium enhanced brain functions related to “cognitive flexibility” and decreased PTSD symptoms in affected individuals.
“From a psychological and physiological level, there’s very promising signals that make us want to learn more,” stated Kirsten Cherian, a clinical assistant professor and neuropsychologist at Stanford University who served as a principal investigator in the 2025 research. “There are people out there with neurological diseases that there’s no treatment for, or there’s no cure for. It’s like a one-way street.”
Supporters anticipate the directive will eliminate substantial obstacles to medical research and compassionate treatment applications.
Numerous possibilities exist for future therapeutic approaches, Cherian explained, but American medical professionals require authorization to conduct domestic studies of the substance to gather superior medical evidence, particularly regarding ibogaine’s safety profile.
In December, Trump authorized an order reducing restrictions on marijuana and CBD products, praising their potential practical therapeutic uses.
The December directive – portions of which remain unimplemented – would maintain controlled status for these substances while having the federal government acknowledge their “moderate-to-low potential for physical and psychological dependence,” according to DEA guidelines. This would increase accessibility for both patients and researchers.
The current administration established a pilot initiative that provides Medicare reimbursement for certain seniors receiving CBD treatments for various medical conditions.
Texas enacted legislation in 2025 to encourage Food and Drug Administration approval of ibogaine for PTSD treatment purposes. The state committed $50 million this year to finance independent clinical trials of the substance to meet FDA approval standards.
“This is just a huge sigh of relief in that our voices have finally been heard, and the veteran community could really stand to experience some significant shifts,” said Amber Capone, CEO and founder of Veterans Experiencing Treatment Solutions, an organization advocating for ibogaine access.
Capone’s spouse, a former Navy SEAL, utilized ibogaine during his struggle with PTSD, prompting the couple to establish an organization supporting such treatment approaches.
“There’s no doubt whatsoever in our minds that it works,” she explained. “But we just can’t say, ‘Believe us.’ The research has to corroborate what we know to be true, and it feels like we could finally, finally be making some impact.”
President Donald Trump and the Internal Revenue Service are currently negotiating a potential settlement for his massive $10 billion legal claim against the federal tax agency over unauthorized disclosure of his tax documents.
Legal representatives from both sides submitted a request to a Miami federal court on Friday, asking for a three-month suspension of proceedings “while the parties engage in discussions designed to resolve this matter and to avoid protracted litigation.” The attorneys indicated that this temporary halt “could narrow or resolve the issues efficiently.”
Neither the White House nor the Department of Justice, which is defending the IRS, provided immediate responses to requests for comment.
The lawsuit also names Trump’s sons Donald Jr. and Eric Trump, along with the Trump Organization, as additional plaintiffs in the case.
This pause would provide Justice Department attorneys additional time to navigate the complex conflict of interest issues inherent in a case where the president is taking legal action against his own administration. Department of Justice lawyers ultimately answer to the president, while both the IRS and Treasury Department fall under executive branch authority.
The legal dispute stems from actions by Charles Littlejohn, a former IRS contractor who illegally disclosed Trump’s tax documents to news organizations including the New York Times and ProPublica. The leaked information revealed that Trump paid minimal or zero federal income taxes across multiple years, according to 2020 Times reporting.
Trump and his co-plaintiffs claim the unauthorized releases resulted in monetary damages and public humiliation, while damaging their reputations and standing in the community.
Federal prosecutors brought charges against Littlejohn in 2023 for illegally sharing tax information belonging to Trump and thousands of other wealthy individuals to media organizations, stating he acted with political motivations. Littlejohn subsequently entered a guilty plea to charges of improper disclosure and received a five-year prison sentence.
Any financial settlement in Trump’s case would likely come from public funds. Trump has previously stated he plans to donate any money received from this litigation to charitable causes.
The current president has initiated numerous high-dollar lawsuits in his individual capacity since securing his second presidential term in 2024, many targeting media organizations over their coverage.
Trump is pursuing a $15 billion case against the New York Times and Penguin Random House regarding articles and a publication he claims were designed to damage his reelection campaign. He’s also seeking $10 billion from the BBC over how the network edited footage of his remarks before the January 6, 2021 Capitol incident.
Earlier this week, a judge dismissed Trump’s $10 billion claim against the Wall Street Journal concerning an article about an inappropriate birthday message for deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The court gave Trump until April 27 to refile the case, which he indicated he plans to do.
Residents and drivers in New Castle County, Delaware, and Salem County, New Jersey, should prepare for minor coastal flooding Saturday night into early Sunday morning.
The National Weather Service has issued a Coastal Flood Advisory effective from 11 PM Saturday until 3 AM Sunday, warning of up to one foot of water above ground level in low-lying areas near shorelines and tidal waterways.
The flooding is expected to impact the most vulnerable roads along the Delaware Bay and its tributaries, with some partial or full road closures possible during the overnight hours.
“At this level of flooding, we typically see the most flood-prone roadways become impassable,” according to the weather service alert issued Thursday afternoon.
Officials are urging drivers to avoid parking vehicles in areas prone to tidal flooding and never attempt to drive through flood waters, which may be deeper than they appear.
For residents in affected areas, now is the time to move any valuable items from low-lying areas and plan alternate routes for Saturday night and early Sunday travel.
The advisory expires at 3 AM Sunday. For real-time water level information, visit the National Water Prediction Service online.
Residents and visitors along the Delmarva Peninsula should prepare for minor coastal flooding Saturday night into early Sunday morning. The National Weather Service has issued a Coastal Flood Advisory effective from 8 PM Saturday until 2 AM Sunday.
Up to one foot of water above ground level is expected in low-lying areas near shorelines and tidal waterways across Delaware’s beaches and inland Sussex County. The flooding will primarily impact the most vulnerable coastal and bayside roads, with some partial or full road closures possible.
Authorities are urging drivers to avoid parking in flood-prone areas and never attempt to drive through standing water. “The water may be deeper than you think,” warns the Weather Service, noting that vehicles can be damaged and drivers put in danger.
The advisory affects Delaware beaches, Kent County, and inland Sussex County areas. While the flooding is classified as minor, it typically affects the most susceptible roadways in coastal communities and along inland tidal waterways.
Residents can monitor local water levels and flood conditions through the National Water Prediction Service website. The advisory expires at 2 AM Sunday morning, but drivers should remain cautious of any standing water on roadways.
Residents in New Castle County, Delaware, and Salem County, New Jersey, should prepare for minor coastal flooding this weekend as the National Weather Service has issued a Coastal Flood Advisory.
The flooding is expected to begin Saturday night at 11 PM and continue through 3 AM Sunday morning. Low-lying areas near shorelines and tidal waterways could see up to one foot of water above ground level.
The most vulnerable roads along tidal waterways will likely experience flooding first, with some partial or full road closures possible. Drivers should avoid leaving vehicles in flood-prone areas and never attempt to drive through flood waters.
“The water may be deeper than you think,” officials warn, noting that driving through flooded areas puts both drivers and vehicles at risk of costly damage.
This type of minor tidal flooding is common during certain weather conditions and typically affects the same vulnerable roadways. Residents can monitor local water levels and flood impacts by visiting the National Water Prediction Service website.
The Coastal Flood Advisory remains in effect until 3 AM Sunday morning. TV Delmarva will continue monitoring the situation and provide updates as conditions develop throughout the weekend.
Residents and visitors along Delaware’s coast should prepare for minor tidal flooding Saturday evening through early Sunday morning as the National Weather Service has issued a Coastal Flood Advisory.
The advisory takes effect at 8 PM Saturday and remains in place until 2 AM Sunday for Kent County, Inland Sussex County, and Delaware Beaches. Up to one foot of water above ground level is expected in low-lying areas near shorelines and tidal waterways.
The most vulnerable coastal and bayside roads will likely experience flooding, with some partial or complete road closures possible. Residents should avoid parking vehicles in flood-prone locations and never attempt to drive through standing water.
“The water may be deeper than you think,” warns the Weather Service, noting that driving through flood waters puts both drivers and vehicles at risk of serious damage.
While this is considered minor flooding, officials stress the importance of taking proper precautions. Typically, the most susceptible roadways flood during these conditions, potentially impacting travel plans.
The advisory expires at 2 AM Sunday. For real-time water level information and flood impacts specific to local tide gauges, residents can visit the National Water Prediction Service website.
TV Delmarva will continue monitoring conditions and provide updates as needed.
Mobile app marketing company Liftoff, which receives financial backing from private equity firm Blackstone, submitted documentation on Friday to go public on U.S. stock exchanges.
The company had previously shelved its stock market debut plans in February when technology and software company shares experienced significant declines. Investors at that time were concerned about potential disruptions from artificial intelligence products like Anthropic’s Claude Cowork.
During its earlier attempt to go public, Liftoff was seeking to generate as much as $762 million while achieving a company valuation of approximately $5.17 billion.
Industry analysts anticipate that private equity companies will increase their deal-making activities by 2026, as they face challenges with slow exits and longer investment holding periods that create pressure to deliver more returns to their investors.
The mobile marketing company plans to trade on the Nasdaq stock exchange using the ticker symbol “LFTO.”
Goldman Sachs, Jefferies, and Morgan Stanley will serve as the primary underwriters managing the public offering process.
A federal court in Wisconsin has handed down a 20-month prison sentence to a former state resident who illegally channeled hundreds of thousands of dollars into U.S. political campaigns after giving up his American citizenship.
Roger Hoffman, 70, received his sentence Wednesday from U.S. District Judge James Peterson, who also imposed a $150,000 fine. Hoffman’s defense lawyer, Mark Maciolek, has not responded to requests for comment.
The self-employed investor, who originally lived in Madison, obtained citizenship in Saint Kitts and Nevis in January 2009, according to a 2021 grand jury indictment. Six months later, in July 2009, he formally gave up his U.S. citizenship.
Despite losing his American citizenship status, Hoffman continued directing more than $400,000 toward both state and federal elections across the United States for over ten years. He accomplished this by working through an assistant, referred to in court filings only as M.W., to get around federal laws that bar foreign citizens from participating in American electoral processes.
In September, Hoffman entered a guilty plea to one charge of making prohibited campaign donations as part of an agreement with federal prosecutors. Under the plea deal, he acknowledged that prosecutors could demonstrate he illegally contributed approximately $345,000 to federal campaigns from 2010 through 2020.
Legal filings indicate Hoffman’s donations went to both federal candidates and Wisconsin state politicians and political organizations, with the majority of funds going to federal recipients. However, the documents do not identify which specific candidates or parties received the money.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Madison has not yet responded to inquiries about the donation recipients.
According to a Friday press release from the prosecutor’s office, Judge Peterson criticized Hoffman during the sentencing proceeding for showing “a resolute pattern of dishonesty.”
Federal investigators have released new details about a deadly helicopter crash off Hawaii’s Kauai island last month, revealing the pilot’s account of the terrifying moments before the aircraft plunged into the ocean, claiming three lives.
A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board, made public Friday, describes how the pilot told investigators he felt intense vibrations coursing through the helicopter that “came in waves and became stronger each time” during the March 26 sightseeing tour.
The aircraft was carrying five people total when it went down near the remote Kalalau Beach along the Na Pali Coast on Kauai’s North Shore. This rugged area, accessible only through an 11-mile trek on foot or by watercraft, features towering coastal cliffs and jagged mountain peaks that create dangerous flying conditions with unpredictable weather and turbulent air currents.
Both the pilot and one passenger suffered severe injuries but survived the crash.
The pilot’s account details how the trouble began during a routine left turn away from the coastline. The helicopter suddenly started rotating rapidly in a clockwise direction, prompting him to execute an autorotation maneuver that uses airflow rather than engine power to keep the rotors spinning. This technique successfully halted the dangerous spinning motion. The pilot issued a mayday distress call before the aircraft struck the water approximately 75 yards from shore.
Upon impact, the helicopter tilted onto its right side and became partly submerged. The preliminary findings do not explain how two occupants managed to survive or specify the seating arrangement of the surviving passenger.
An eyewitness pilot flying in the vicinity observed the accident and told investigators the helicopter looked undamaged before hitting the water and breaking into pieces.
The three fatalities have been identified as Margaret Rimmler, 65, and Patrick Haskell, 59, both residents of Massachusetts, along with 40-year-old Ukrainian citizen Oksana Pihol.
Airborne Aviation operated the doomed aircraft, offering scenic tours showcasing Kauai’s dramatic canyons, coastline, and cascading waterfalls. The company markets a “doors-off thrill seekers adventure tour” accommodating up to four passengers. Helicopter excursions remain a favored method for experiencing the spectacular cliffs, pristine beaches, and waterfalls that define the Na Pali Coast.
Aviation safety specialist Jeff Guzzetti suggests the described vibrations and sudden rotation indicate a mechanical malfunction, potentially involving the tail rotor system, though determining the exact cause remains premature.
“Certainly it seems to lead to a mechanical failure in the helicopter, which would point the investigation to maintenance and design issues,” explained Guzzetti, a former crash investigator for both the NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration.
Guzzetti praised the pilot’s response, noting that while he successfully stopped the spinning, insufficient time and altitude prevented reaching the safety of the beach.
This tragedy adds to a troubling pattern of fatal helicopter accidents that has haunted the tourism industry for years. Hawaii has witnessed at least 16 helicopter crash deaths over the past seven years, including two separate incidents in 2019.
Similar deadly crashes have occurred in other tourist destinations nationwide. New York has experienced several fatal incidents, including a Hudson River crash last year that killed a pilot and five Spanish tourists, a 2018 “open door” charter flight that claimed five lives in the East River, and a 2009 mid-air collision between a plane and tourist helicopter over the Hudson that resulted in nine deaths.
Houston Astros closer Josh Hader was transferred to the 60-day injured list on Friday as he continues dealing with a biceps injury that has kept the left-handed pitcher out of action.
The roster move allowed Houston to create space on their 40-man roster to bring up right-handed pitcher Peter Lambert, whose contract was purchased from the minors. Meanwhile, the team sent reliever Christian Roa down to their Triple-A affiliate in Sugar Land.
The 32-year-old Hader earned All-Star honors last season after posting a 6-2 record with a 2.05 earned run average and recording 28 saves across 48 relief outings. Throughout his nine-year major league career with Milwaukee (2017-22), San Diego (2022-23), and Houston, the six-time All-Star has compiled a 34-31 record with a 2.64 ERA and 227 career saves.
Lambert, who celebrates his 29th birthday on Saturday, was scheduled to make his first appearance in an Astros uniform as a starter against St. Louis on Friday. Since entering the majors in 2019, all with Colorado, Lambert has appeared in 74 games (including 35 starts) and holds an 8-19 record with a 6.28 ERA.
The 27-year-old Roa had struggled in his seven relief appearances for Houston this season, posting a 5.19 ERA before being demoted.
Federal prosecutors are moving forward with plans to file an antitrust lawsuit against several major egg production companies, accusing them of working together to manipulate prices, according to a Wall Street Journal report published Friday.
The legal action will target companies including Cal-Maine Foods and Versova, with sources familiar with the investigation speaking to the newspaper about the upcoming charges.
According to the report, prosecutors allege the egg companies used an industry pricing service as a tool to coordinate their pricing strategies in violation of antitrust laws.
Following news of the potential lawsuit, Cal-Maine Foods saw its stock price drop by nearly 5% during after-hours trading on Friday.
Neither Cal-Maine Foods nor the privately-owned company Versova provided immediate responses when contacted by Reuters for comment on the allegations.
The struggling budget airline Spirit Airlines has approached the Trump administration on Friday requesting emergency financial assistance worth hundreds of millions of dollars, according to a report from Air Current. The company is seeking the federal aid to combat escalating fuel expenses and prevent a potential company shutdown, sources familiar with the situation told the aviation publication.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is scheduled to meet with leadership from multiple budget airlines early next week, the report indicated. The Department of Transportation initiated these discussions to assess the financial stability of the country’s smaller airline companies.
When contacted by Reuters for a statement, Spirit Airlines representatives had not yet provided a response.
The airline’s parent company, Spirit Aviation Holdings, is currently implementing significant restructuring measures designed to reduce expenses and strengthen its financial position. This comes after the company has sought bankruptcy protection twice in the span of one year.
In August 2025, the Florida-headquartered airline entered bankruptcy proceedings for the second time, operating a fleet of 214 aircraft at that point. The carrier had previously completed its first bankruptcy process in March of the previous year.
The company announced last month its intention to significantly downsize its operations, planning to reduce its aircraft fleet to between 76 and 80 planes by the third quarter of 2026. The remaining fleet will primarily include Airbus A320 and A321ceo aircraft models.
The aviation sector worldwide has been significantly impacted by dramatically increased jet fuel costs, which have risen due to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. These elevated fuel expenses have compelled airlines across the industry to increase ticket prices and adjust their financial projections.
Federal Reserve supervisory leadership has privately advised executives at major financial institutions to refrain from launching another intense campaign against recently proposed capital requirements, according to three individuals familiar with these discussions.
Michelle Bowman, the Federal Reserve’s Vice Chair for Supervision, has conveyed to banking leadership that regulators do not anticipate the financial sector mounting another forceful opposition effort similar to their previous resistance, sources revealed.
Last month, the central bank introduced revised versions of banking regulations known as “Basel III” and “GSIB surcharge” requirements. Federal Reserve analysis suggests these updated rules would decrease capital requirements at large American financial institutions by approximately 4.8%. This outcome represents a significant win for the banking sector, which had mounted fierce resistance to the Fed’s initial 2023 proposal that would have imposed 20% increases.
However, the advantages from these regulatory changes will not be equally shared across all institutions, and some remain dissatisfied with the outcome, sources indicated. JPMorgan Chase, America’s largest bank, announced Tuesday that its capital requirements would actually rise by roughly 4% under the proposed framework.
During this week’s earnings announcements, other major bank executives indicated the industry would likely pursue some modifications and planned to submit feedback during the official 90-day public comment period.
In recent weeks, Bowman and fellow Fed officials have communicated during meetings with bank executives that regulators have made substantial efforts to address industry concerns and do not expect financial institutions to repeat the aggressive resistance strategies employed against the 2023 proposal, the three sources confirmed.
Regulators have indicated that industry feedback, which must be submitted by approximately mid-June, should be focused and limited in scope, two sources said.
A Federal Reserve spokesperson declined to provide comment on the matter.
Federal officials announced Friday that American-backed HIV treatment programs reached 20.6 million individuals worldwide by September of last year, according to the State Department. Of that total, 3 million people received care through their own national healthcare systems rather than directly through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR.
Since launching in 2003 during the George W. Bush administration, PEPFAR has become the globe’s most significant HIV/AIDS program, credited with saving 26 million lives and preventing HIV transmission to 7.8 million infants born to mothers with the virus.
Following President Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, nearly all American foreign assistance was placed under a 90-day suspension. However, the State Department clarified within days that life-saving HIV treatment through PEPFAR would remain operational.
Despite continuing treatment services, most HIV prevention initiatives have been reduced, including pre-exposure prophylaxis programs that provide HIV-blocking medications to individuals at high risk of contracting the virus.
The European Union is developing new guidance encouraging member nations to reduce reliance on Middle Eastern aviation fuel and explore boosting imports from the United States, according to a source familiar with the matter, as ongoing conflict with Iran creates supply chain disruptions.
These previously undisclosed plans, still undergoing final revisions, will emphasize greater energy independence and resilience through Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and synthetic alternatives.
Aviation companies across Europe have issued warnings about possible jet fuel shortages arriving in the coming weeks due to the Iran conflict, potentially affecting busy summer travel periods. The continent faces particular vulnerability since it relies on imports for 30% to 40% of its jet fuel needs, with at least half originating from Middle Eastern sources.
The European Union’s advisory recommendations will highlight the region’s constraints in boosting domestic jet fuel production while offering guidance for managing potential supply shortfalls, according to the source.
The individual requested anonymity since negotiations continue and the draft remains incomplete. A European Commission representative confirmed plans to unveil crisis response measures next week, including aviation fuel initiatives.
Supply availability “remains the primary concern,” the Commission representative stated, noting that continued disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz could trigger coordinated jet fuel stock releases across the EU.
Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, a crucial passage for Gulf energy shipments, following a Lebanese ceasefire agreement, though U.S. President Donald Trump indicated naval restrictions continue pending a Tehran agreement.
The EU representative expressed hope for sustained safe transit through the Strait while acknowledging ongoing uncertainty, stating: “Let’s see.”
European flight cancellations could begin by late May due to fuel shortages, according to Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association, who spoke Friday. Carriers are already reducing flight schedules and grounding aircraft.
The source described how the EU document will outline airline guidance for fuel shortage scenarios, including airport slot losses from cancellations and the anti-tankering regulation that prevents aircraft from carrying excess fuel from cheaper locations.
The guidance will determine whether fuel shortages qualify as exceptional circumstances allowing airlines to avoid passenger compensation for cancellations. The source noted the EU rejected airline requests to modify or suspend Emissions Trading System requirements and SAF mandates.
European Commission officials also plan continent-wide mapping of oil product refining capabilities and measures “to ensure that existing refining capacity is fully utilised and maintained,” according to a draft proposal previously obtained by Reuters.
Officials will examine distribution logistics for increased use of U.S. Jet A fuel, rarely utilized in Europe due to its higher freezing temperature compared to European standards. Europe’s Jet A-1 performs better in long-distance, high-altitude, and cold-weather conditions and receives military preference. April saw significant increases in jet fuel imports from both the United States and Nigeria.
Several major European aviation centers in Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Germany depend on the NATO-operated CEPS pipeline for European-grade jet fuel supplies. NATO representatives did not immediately respond to pipeline logistics inquiries.
Airlines are bracing for potential supply constraints, with the International Energy Agency predicting June fuel shortages if the region can only secure half its typical Middle Eastern supplies.
Airport authorities have issued warnings about shortages within three weeks if Strait of Hormuz fuel shipments remain blocked. The European Commission expects to caution that jet fuel supplies may stay constrained even after Strait of Hormuz reopening.
Canada’s flagship airline announced Friday it will reduce its New York service beginning this summer as escalating fuel costs force carriers across North America to scale back operations on routes with lower profit margins.
The Montreal-based carrier will eliminate four daily departures to John F. Kennedy International Airport effective June 1st, bringing its total New York service down from 38 to 34 flights per day. The airline plans to restore the suspended routes on October 25, 2026.
Across the Atlantic, European airlines are warning of potential jet fuel shortages in the coming weeks due to ongoing conflict involving Iran, which has disrupted the critical supply corridor through the Strait of Hormuz. While North American carriers have responded to elevated fuel costs by increasing baggage fees and scaling back expansion plans, they have not reported immediate concerns about fuel availability shortages.
Four separate grants totaling more than $32,000 have been awarded to the Salisbury Fire Department to improve emergency response capabilities and firefighter safety. Following official approval from Mayor Randy Taylor and the Salisbury City Council, the department can now proceed with purchasing critical lifesaving equipment.
The Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services System provided $5,000 through their Cardiac Devices Grant program. This matching grant funded approximately half the cost of five new automated external defibrillators to replace aging equipment approaching expiration dates. The newer AED units offer improved user-friendliness and better compatibility with current software systems used for cardiac arrest case analysis, training purposes, and hospital communication.
Another significant award of $18,358 came from the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, Inc. to buy specialized impermeable gear bags. These protective bags help minimize firefighter contact with cancer-causing substances while moving equipment between fire stations and emergency scenes. Statistics show cancer causes over 72 percent of firefighter fatalities nationally, making it the top cause of death in the profession. Salisbury’s comprehensive cancer prevention efforts already include equipment cleaning and rotation, special cleaning products, on-site decontamination wipes, and yearly cancer screenings. The new protective bags add another defensive measure against carcinogen exposure.
The State of Maryland contributed $6,972 to help acquire advanced medical training equipment. These funds will purchase specialized tools to improve instruction on cardiac monitoring technology that Salisbury’s certified medical personnel use regularly. This investment will boost the quality of care delivered by the department’s paramedics and emergency medical technicians through their internal EMS Training Academy.
The department’s SWIFT program received an additional $2,000 from the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore. This money will assist community members with medical transportation expenses not covered by insurance plans, including follow-up care, specialist consultations, laboratory testing, and other essential medical travel needs.
“These grants reflect both the dedication of our fire department and the strong partnerships we have throughout Maryland,” Mayor Randy Taylor said. “We are grateful for every organization that invested in Salisbury’s safety. These funds will directly support our firefighters, enhance emergency medical care and allow us to better serve our residents when they need us most.”
More than 40 years after a young man was brutally killed in Wilmington’s Bellefonte neighborhood, investigators continue working to solve the cold case murder that has haunted the community since 1982.
Twenty-four-year-old Delena “Dale” Gassaway was found dead from numerous stab wounds on April 16, 1982, inside an apartment belonging to his former romantic partner on the 1200 block of Kynlyn Drive.
The violent crime occurred in the Bellefonte area of Wilmington, leaving investigators with a case that has remained open for decades despite ongoing efforts to identify those responsible for Gassaway’s death.
Police discovered the victim had suffered multiple knife wounds in what appeared to be a targeted attack at the residence where his ex-girlfriend lived.
The case represents one of numerous unsolved homicides from the early 1980s that law enforcement continues to pursue using modern investigative techniques and technology not available at the time of the original investigation.
Authorities encourage anyone with information about Gassaway’s murder to contact investigators, as even decades-old tips could prove crucial in finally bringing closure to this long-standing case.
Drivers traveling on Foulk Road should expect delays today as construction crews continue work that requires periodic lane restrictions.
According to the Delaware Department of Transportation, the affected area spans from Naamans Road to Grubb Road, where workers are causing intermittent lane closures throughout the day.
The construction activity and associated traffic disruptions are scheduled to conclude by 3PM this afternoon.
Motorists are advised to allow extra travel time or consider alternate routes to avoid potential delays in the area.
Drivers traveling through Frederica should expect delays on Route 12 this afternoon due to ongoing construction work.
The Delaware Department of Transportation has closed the right lane of southbound Frederica Road between David Street and Market Street for construction activities. The lane restriction is expected to remain in place until 4 PM today.
Motorists are advised to allow extra travel time and use caution when driving through the work zone. Traffic may be reduced to a single lane in the affected area.
Delaware Department of Transportation officials are alerting drivers about significant traffic backups on a major highway corridor.
Southbound traffic on Route 13, also known as South DuPont Highway, is moving slowly due to heavy vehicle volume, according to DelDOT’s traffic monitoring system.
Drivers using this route should plan for additional travel time, as delays are expected to last between 10 and 15 minutes beyond normal commute times.
Transportation officials continue to monitor the situation and advise motorists to consider alternate routes if possible to avoid the congestion.
Delaware State Police detectives are looking into gunfire that erupted Thursday evening in a Wilmington neighborhood.
Officers rushed to Washington Street Extension near the 4800 block around 11:40 p.m. on April 16, 2026, after receiving reports of shots being fired. Upon arrival, law enforcement discovered multiple bullet casings scattered throughout the location. Authorities confirmed no one was hurt and no buildings or vehicles sustained damage during the incident.
Detectives with the Delaware State Police Troop 2 Criminal Investigations Unit are actively working the case. Officials are asking residents with any relevant details to reach out to Detective B. Timmons by calling (302) 365-8434. Community members can also share tips through private messages on the Delaware State Police Facebook page or by contacting Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-847-3333.
Crime victims, witnesses, or families affected by sudden loss can access support through the Delaware State Police Victim Services Unit and Delaware Victim Center. Help is available around the clock by calling the toll-free hotline at 1-800-VICTIM-1 (1-800-842-8461) or emailing [email protected].
Delaware State Police are continuing their investigation into a deadly collision that claimed the life of a Bear man on Summit Bridge Road in Newark.
The fatal incident occurred on the evening of April 11, 2026, around 11:00 p.m. when two vehicles collided while traveling north on Summit Bridge Road near Sunderland Boulevard. A Dodge Dakota pickup truck crashed into the back of a Ford Fiesta for reasons that remain under investigation.
Nicholas Petrucci, 61, of Bear, Delaware, was behind the wheel of the Ford and suffered severe injuries in the collision. He was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment but succumbed to his injuries on April 16, 2026.
The 23-year-old Middletown man driving the Dodge Dakota and his passenger escaped the crash without injuries.
Traffic was disrupted for several hours as investigators worked to reconstruct the scene and clear the roadway.
The Delaware State Police Troop 2 Collision Reconstruction Unit is actively working the case. Sergeant J. Jefferson is asking anyone who saw the crash or has video footage to call (302) 365-8484. Tips can also be submitted through the Delaware State Police Facebook page or by calling Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-847-3333.
Families affected by sudden loss or crime can access support through the Delaware State Police Victim Services Unit and Delaware Victim Center. The 24-hour helpline is available at 1-800-VICTIM-1 (1-800-842-8461), or victims can email [email protected].
Federal ocean scientists have unveiled the first photographs of mineral-rich formations retrieved from the deep seafloor in waters surrounding American Samoa, marking a significant milestone in a comprehensive mapping initiative covering more than 30,000 square nautical miles of federal territory.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published these inaugural images on April 17, 2026, showcasing dark, rounded formations believed to contain valuable minerals collected through specialized sampling equipment from the ocean bottom.
“NOAA’s mapping missions serve as a reminder that ocean exploration is a vital piece of our nation’s economic development,” said NOAA Administrator Neil Jacobs, Ph.D. “These images highlight the outstanding work of our NOAA team and partners to characterize the seafloor, and the data gathered during this historic project will enable science-based decision-making to support responsible development.”
The sampling effort stems from a Department of Commerce program implementing the U.S. Offshore Critical Minerals Mapping Plan, established through President Trump’s Executive Order 14285: Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources. Federal agencies working together identified the American Samoa region as a high-priority zone for studying these potentially valuable seafloor deposits.
“NOAA’s work to map and characterize these areas reflects the strength of interagency collaboration under President Trump’s Executive Order to unleash America’s offshore critical minerals,” said BOEM Acting Director Matt Giacona. “For BOEM, NOAA’s high-resolution mapping and characterization are essential inputs that will provide the foundational data needed to assess resource potential, inform leasing and environmental reviews, and reduce uncertainty as we evaluate future offshore mineral activities in a responsible, science-based manner.”
The ongoing research mission will continue posting seafloor photographs and sample images online as work progresses, providing early insights into mineral possibilities and deep-ocean environments in American Samoa’s federal waters. U.S. Geological Survey researchers will analyze the seafloor materials to better understand the deep seabed composition in this region and guide future exploration activities focused on deep-sea minerals.
“USGS is excited for the opportunity to study the composition of these unique mineral samples in U.S. waters within the Samoa Basin,” said Ned Mamula, director, USGS. “We will continue providing the actionable science our partner agencies need for decision-making.”
USGS officials plan to publish their preliminary analysis findings from this research early this summer.
The project involves collaboration between NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey, which leads the contract work, along with NOAA Ocean Exploration, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and the U.S. Geological Survey providing scientific expertise and guidance.
Deep-sea mineral extraction involves harvesting nodules containing critical materials from ocean floors. Certain deep-sea regions hold abundant valuable resources including manganese, nickel, cobalt, copper and rare earth elements. These critical minerals are essential components in defense equipment, batteries, smartphones, and medical devices, playing increasingly important roles in American manufacturing. Access to these materials represents a crucial element in strengthening U.S. supply chain resilience.
Drivers heading west on Route 24 should expect delays this morning as heavy traffic volume is causing backups between Laurel Road and US-113 at DuPont Boulevard.
Delaware Department of Transportation officials report that motorists can expect delays ranging from 5 to 10 minutes along this stretch of roadway due to the increased traffic flow.
The department is monitoring the situation and advises drivers to plan for extra travel time or consider alternate routes if possible.
A massive payday has made Houston Texans star Will Anderson Jr. the most expensive non-quarterback player in National Football League history, according to sources familiar with the contract negotiations who spoke to The Associated Press on Friday.
Anderson’s new three-year deal is worth $150 million, with anonymous sources confirming the agreement that has not yet received official announcement from the team.
The contract guarantees Anderson $134 million over its duration.
At $50 million annually, Anderson’s new salary eclipses the previous record held by defensive end Micah Parsons, who earns $46.5 million per year under a four-year contract he signed with Green Bay following his trade from Dallas in the previous year.
During the most recent season, Anderson appeared in every game for Houston and recorded career-best numbers with 12 quarterback sacks and 20 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, helping anchor one of the league’s premier defensive units.
Houston moved up in the 2023 draft to select Anderson third overall, choosing the former Alabama star immediately after taking quarterback C.J. Stroud with the second pick.
Throughout his three-year tenure with Houston, Anderson has accumulated impressive statistics including 30 total sacks and 136 tackles, with 46 of those stops coming behind the line of scrimmage. His career numbers also feature 64 hits on opposing quarterbacks, four forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries.
With Houston having already picked up Anderson’s fifth-year option earlier this month, the new extension will secure his services through the 2030 campaign.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Motorists traveling through East Tennessee encountered an unusual traffic delay Friday when a commercial truck hauling approximately one million bees overturned on Interstate 40.
The accident forced officials to temporarily close the exit ramp from eastbound I-40 to Henley Street in Knoxville as the massive swarm escaped from the damaged vehicle. Mark Nagi, a regional spokesperson for the Tennessee Department of Transportation, confirmed no one was hurt in the incident.
“The ramp from I-40 East to Henley Street is back open but the truck is destroyed and the bees are… well… buzzing. Unless you are dressed in this outfit please stay in your vehicles in this area,” Nagi wrote in a social media post, accompanied by a photograph showing someone wearing protective beekeeping equipment.
By Friday evening, Nagi announced that specialized workers had successfully relocated all the bees from the crash site and the damaged truck had been towed away.
The unusual incident sparked numerous bee-related jokes and wordplay across social media platforms.
“So, this is the buzz around town?” wrote U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett on social media. “This stuff just writes itself.”
Transportation officials in Virginia also chimed in, referencing a similar 2018 incident on Interstate 495 where bees escaped from a crashed truck, prompting authorities at the time to advise drivers to “Please roll up your windows.”
A decades-old murder case involving the disappearance of a young boy is heading toward its third trial after a New York judge refused to throw out charges against the accused killer.
Pedro Hernandez, 65, will face trial again for the abduction and murder of 6-year-old Etan Patz, who vanished while walking to his school bus in 1979. The defendant has remained in custody since authorities arrested him in 2012, and he’s scheduled to return to court in June for a status hearing. Officials have not announced when the trial will begin.
The little boy disappeared during a short two-block journey to catch his school bus on the first morning his mother allowed him to make the trip alone. Etan’s case gained national attention as one of the earliest missing children featured on milk cartons, and the date he went missing, May 25, later became National Missing Children’s Day.
Judge Michele Rodney rejected defense arguments that prosecutors took too long to bring charges against Hernandez and that extensive media attention over the years would prevent him from receiving a fair trial.
“The court will carefully work, together with the parties, to ensure that jurors are selected who promise to be fair and to consider only the evidence and the law, despite what they have learned about the case from the media,” Rodney wrote.
Neither Hernandez’s defense team nor prosecutors provided statements following the judge’s decision.
At the time of Etan’s disappearance, Hernandez worked as a 19-year-old employee at a neighborhood convenience store, but he didn’t emerge as a suspect until 2012. Investigators received information that Hernandez had previously told acquaintances he had killed a child or young person in New York.
Following seven hours of police questioning and before being informed of his Miranda rights, Hernandez admitted to strangling Etan in the store’s basement after luring him inside with the promise of a soda. After being read his rights, Hernandez repeated his confession on camera, telling investigators: “Something just took over me.”
Defense attorneys have argued that Hernandez’s statements represent the delusions of someone with mental illness and intellectual disabilities who became confused and tormented by a widely publicized crime that occurred near his workplace.
The legal proceedings have stretched across multiple years and trials. Hernandez’s first trial in 2015 concluded without a verdict when jurors couldn’t reach agreement, while a second trial in 2017 resulted in a conviction. However, a federal appeals court later reversed that guilty verdict, ruling that the trial judge improperly handled a jury inquiry about evaluating Hernandez’s confessions.
Manhattan prosecutors have committed to pursuing the case again while simultaneously asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate Hernandez’s conviction. The Supreme Court has not indicated whether it will review the case.
WASHINGTON – The chief executive of artificial intelligence company Anthropic made a visit to the White House on Friday for discussions with administration officials.
Dario Amodei, who leads the AI startup, was spotted entering the executive mansion for the meeting. The visit occurred while his company remains embroiled in disagreements with the Department of Defense.
The nature of the White House discussions was not immediately disclosed, though the timing coincides with ongoing tensions between Anthropic and Pentagon officials.
Federal prosecutors have arrested two former executives of an artificial intelligence company, accusing them of orchestrating an elaborate scheme that fabricated hundreds of millions of dollars in fake revenue.
Puthugramam Chidambaran, 57, who founded iLearningEngines in 2010 and served as its chief executive, was taken into custody at his Potomac, Maryland home. Former chief financial officer Sayyed Farhan Naqvi, 44, was arrested in San Jose, California, though he resides in Houston.
A federal grand jury in Brooklyn handed down a 10-count indictment Friday, charging both men with operating a continuing financial crimes enterprise, securities fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy. The most serious charge could result in life imprisonment.
Defense attorneys for both executives have not yet responded to media inquiries about the charges.
According to federal authorities, iLearningEngines promoted itself as a cutting-edge artificial intelligence company specializing in digital education solutions with an advanced AI platform. The business claimed to generate income primarily through licensing its educational and training software to healthcare organizations and educational institutions.
However, the indictment alleges the executives created fraudulent contracts to simulate legitimate customer relationships and established circular money transfers where investor funds were sent to supposed clients, who then returned the same money to create the appearance of genuine revenue.
Federal prosecutors claim that more than 90% of the company’s reported $421 million in 2023 revenue was completely fabricated.
“While the defendants pitched iLearning as a way to revolutionize training and education through AI, the truly artificial part of the defendants’ story was iLearning’s customers and revenues,” stated U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. in Brooklyn.
The company launched its initial public offering in April 2024, reaching a peak market capitalization of $1.5 billion on the Nasdaq exchange before a well-known short-seller raised questions about the legitimacy of its reported earnings.
iLearningEngines sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December 2024 and subsequently converted to Chapter 7 liquidation proceedings in March 2025.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The University of Delaware women’s tennis team delivered a remarkable upset victory on Friday, defeating the top-seeded and nationally-ranked 73rd LA Tech Bulldogs by a score of 4-2 in the Conference USA semifinals.
The fourth-seeded Fightin’ Blue Hens earned their place in Saturday morning’s championship final with the impressive win in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The title match is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. Eastern Time.
Delaware’s season record improved to 21-4 with the victory, while Louisiana Tech saw their campaign record fall to 17-4 following the surprising defeat.
The Blue Hens will now compete for the Conference USA championship title after overcoming the tournament’s highest seed and a team ranked among the top 75 programs nationally.
The company behind Facebook and Instagram has set May 20 as the date for its first major round of workforce reductions this year, according to three sources with knowledge of the plans.
Meta will eliminate roughly 8,000 positions worldwide during this initial phase, representing about 10% of its total workforce, one source revealed.
Company leadership is also preparing for additional workforce reductions during the latter half of the year, though the exact timing and scale of those cuts remain undetermined. Executives may modify their strategy based on developments in artificial intelligence technology, the sources indicated.
Meta representatives declined to provide details regarding the schedule or extent of the planned workforce reductions.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg is investing massive amounts of capital into AI technology as he works to fundamentally transform how his company operates, mirroring a trend seen across major U.S. corporations this year, especially within the technology industry.
Amazon has similarly reduced its corporate staff by 30,000 workers in recent months, cutting nearly 10% of its office-based employees, while financial technology firm Block eliminated almost half its workforce in February.
Leadership at both companies connected these workforce reductions to improved efficiency through artificial intelligence implementation.
According to Layoffs.fyi, which monitors technology sector job eliminations globally, 73,212 workers have been laid off this year so far. The total for 2024 reached 153,000.
These upcoming workforce reductions will mark Meta’s largest since its restructuring efforts in late 2022 and early 2023, which the company called its “year of efficiency,” when approximately 21,000 positions were eliminated. During that period, Meta’s stock price was declining sharply and the company was working to address unsustainable growth projections made during the COVID pandemic.
While the company enjoys stronger financial stability currently, leadership envisions a future with reduced management hierarchy and improved efficiency through AI-enhanced productivity.
Meta’s stock has increased 3.68% year-to-date, though it remains below the peak levels reached last summer. The company generated over $200 billion in revenue last year and achieved $60 billion in profit despite substantial AI investments.
The Menlo Park, California-based company had nearly 79,000 employees as of December 31, based on its most recent regulatory filing.
Recently, Meta has restructured teams within its Reality Labs division and moved engineers from various departments into a newly formed “Applied AI” organization focused on developing autonomous AI agents capable of coding and handling complex tasks independently.
According to one source, some employees will also transfer to Meta Small Business, a division established last month, as part of the organizational changes.
The University of Delaware men’s tennis team secured a major tournament victory Friday afternoon in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, knocking out higher-seeded Kennesaw State by a score of 4-2 in Conference USA quarterfinal action.
The Fightin’ Blue Hens entered the match as the fifth seed but managed to overcome the fourth-seeded Owls to earn their spot in Saturday’s semifinal round. Delaware’s season record improved to 14-9 with the victory, while Kennesaw State saw their campaign end at 15-7 despite holding a national ranking for much of the season.
The Blue Hens will now prepare for their toughest challenge yet, facing the tournament’s top seed Middle Tennessee, which holds the 48th national ranking. That semifinal matchup is scheduled for Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. Eastern Time, with Delaware looking to continue their impressive postseason run in the Conference USA championships.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed representatives from 50 nations on Friday, advocating for collaborative action to establish an effective security operation in the Strait of Hormuz, while suggesting that Ukraine’s Black Sea wartime expertise could prove valuable.
Speaking during a video conference led by France and Britain, Zelenskyy warned that “Decisions made regarding Hormuz now will determine how other aggressive actors perceive the possibility of creating problems in other straits and on other fronts.”
The Ukrainian leader stressed the importance of taking decisive action, stating: “We need to be as specific and clear as possible so that in six months we don’t find ourselves in the same situation as in Gaza, where much still needs to be done.”
Zelenskyy noted that maritime security challenges in the Hormuz region require more than diplomatic solutions, explaining that “In Hormuz, there are security challenges that cannot be addressed by political decisions alone,” though he did not provide additional details.
Drawing on Ukraine’s ongoing conflict with Russia, Zelenskyy highlighted his country’s relevant experience, noting that over four years of warfare, Ukraine had “already carried out a very similar mission in the Black Sea.”
He explained Ukraine’s maritime defense capabilities, saying: “Russia also attempted to blockade our sea and we have experience in escorting merchant vessels, demining, defending against air attacks and the overall coordination of such operations.”
The president revealed that Ukraine has deployed military experts across Middle Eastern countries to share knowledge about countering Russian-made drones, many of which originated from Iranian designs.
“We can also contribute to maritime security,” Zelenskyy declared during his remarks, which were published on the Telegram messaging platform.
Ukraine has already established defense cooperation partnerships with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, while currently negotiating similar agreements with Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Arizona Cardinals signal-caller Jacoby Brissett is pursuing a new deal that would compensate him at starting quarterback levels.
According to NFL Network’s Friday report, Brissett has chosen to skip the team’s voluntary offseason training sessions while he works to resolve his contract situation.
The 33-year-old quarterback currently has just $1.5 million in guaranteed money remaining on his one-year deal and appears set to take over as the Cardinals’ primary starter following the team’s decision to part ways with Kyler Murray on March 3. Murray, who was previously selected first overall in the draft, inked a one-year agreement with the Minnesota Vikings on March 12.
Beyond Brissett, Arizona’s quarterback depth chart includes Gardner Minshew II and Kedon Slovis. The organization is anticipated to select another quarterback in the upcoming NFL draft.
During the previous campaign, the veteran quarterback filled in admirably for Murray, completing passes for 3,366 yards while recording 23 touchdown throws against eight interceptions across 14 appearances, including 12 as a starter.
Despite Brissett’s solid performance, the Cardinals struggled to a 3-14 record in the competitive NFC West during 2025 and dismissed head coach Jonathan Gannon on January 5 following his three-year tenure.
The former Super Bowl winner with New England has accumulated 14,766 passing yards throughout his career, along with 76 touchdown passes and 32 interceptions while playing for the Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, Washington Commanders and Cardinals.
NEW YORK — A potential work stoppage that could have disrupted services for approximately 1.5 million New York City residents has been avoided after union representatives and property owners reached a preliminary contract agreement on Friday.
The agreement prevents nearly 34,000 building service employees — including doormen, building superintendents, and maintenance staff — from walking off the job when their current contract expires Monday at midnight.
Local 32BJ SEIU, the union representing these workers, has not staged a work stoppage in three and a half decades. City residents living in apartments, condominiums, and co-ops had been preparing for potential disruptions, including taking out their own garbage, handling package deliveries, and managing building security themselves.
Details of the preliminary agreement have not been disclosed yet. Union leadership and representatives from the Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations, which speaks for building owners, scheduled a Friday afternoon press conference to discuss the deal.
Union members will need to vote on whether to approve the preliminary contract.
Contract talks had become increasingly contentious in recent weeks. Union officials objected strongly to management proposals requiring workers to contribute to health insurance costs and establishing a lower-wage tier for newly hired employees.
Building service workers pushed for increased salaries and retirement benefits, arguing that their current average annual pay of approximately $62,000 for doormen — with different averages for other positions — makes it difficult to afford living expenses in the New York metropolitan area. Union members pointed out that property owners have been collecting significantly higher rental income in recent years, particularly for market-rate units in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The building owners’ association countered that union demands were excessive given rising operational expenses and the possibility of a rent freeze on one million rent-regulated apartments. This rent freeze proposal has received support from newly elected Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Democrat who appeared alongside workers at a large Wednesday demonstration where they voted to authorize strike action.
The union’s most recent work stoppage occurred in 1991 and continued for 12 days.
A court decision in Arizona’s largest county has shifted more election oversight power to the county recorder following a legal battle with local supervisors who previously shared election responsibilities.
The ruling may significantly affect election procedures in Arizona, a crucial swing state preparing for several competitive races this fall. Maricopa County, home to Phoenix, has faced ongoing scrutiny from election conspiracy advocates since former President Donald Trump’s 2020 defeat to Democrat Joe Biden in the state.
Republican County Recorder Justin Heap initiated legal action against the mostly Republican board of supervisors last summer, arguing they had unlawfully assumed control over various election duties. Heap contended that the board had moved funding, information technology personnel, and essential responsibilities — including drop box oversight and early voting location setup — away from his department through a deal made with his predecessor, whom he had defeated in the Republican primary.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney largely supported Heap’s position in Thursday’s ruling, which became publicly available Friday. The supervisors “acted unlawfully and exceeded its statutory authority by seizing the Recorder’s personnel, systems and equipment and refusing to return them” to the recorder’s office, Blaney determined.
The judge also clarified that the recorder’s department must handle in-person early voting oversight along with other responsibilities, while the board maintains duties such as choosing Election Day polling sites, providing polling location supplies, and recruiting poll workers.
“The Board’s assertion of plenary authority over election administration through its general supervisory powers is inconsistent with Arizona law,” Blaney stated in his decision.
Board Chairwoman Kate Brophy McGee indicated the board may challenge the ruling.
“I disagree with other portions of the ruling, and I will explore all options with the Board of Supervisors, including an expeditious appeal,” McGee, a Republican, stated. “From day one, the Board of Supervisors has provided Recorder Heap the resources and staffing needed to fulfill his statutory duties. We will continue to do so because voters always come first.”
Heap, a former Republican state representative, won election in 2024 after defeating incumbent Stephen Richer in the GOP primary and a Democratic opponent in the general election. While Heap has avoided directly endorsing false assertions about stolen 2020 and 2022 elections, he has expressed concerns about voter confidence and management issues within the state’s electoral system.
Unfounded fraud allegations following the 2020 presidential race resulted in violent threats against Richer and other Maricopa County election personnel. Richer has accused Heap of fostering an environment of suspicion and hostility toward the election office.
“He catered to the really ugly stuff that the people in that office had to live through,” Richer commented about Heap in a recent interview. “And he allied with people who were very much in the eye of the storm in terms of creating it.”
After assuming office, Heap ended the previous arrangement between Richer and the board that had redistributed election responsibilities between the two offices. Heap pursued his lawsuit with support from America First Legal, a conservative advocacy organization established by Stephen Miller, currently serving as deputy chief of staff in the White House.
Residents in New Castle County, Delaware should prepare for minor coastal flooding Saturday night into early Sunday morning. The National Weather Service has issued a Coastal Flood Advisory effective from 11 PM Saturday until 3 AM Sunday.
Up to one foot of water above ground level is expected in low-lying areas near shorelines and tidal waterways. The flooding will primarily impact the most vulnerable roads along tidal areas, with some partial or full road closures possible.
“Minor tidal flooding often results in some road closures, usually affecting the most vulnerable roadways,” according to the National Weather Service alert issued Thursday afternoon.
Officials are urging drivers to avoid parking vehicles in flood-prone locations and never attempt to drive through flood waters. “The water may be deeper than you think it is,” the advisory warns, noting that drivers risk personal danger and costly vehicle damage.
The advisory also affects Salem County in New Jersey. Residents can monitor local water levels and flood impacts by visiting the National Water Prediction Service website.
The Coastal Flood Advisory expires at 3 AM Sunday. TV Delmarva will continue monitoring conditions and provide updates as needed throughout the weekend.
WASHINGTON — White House chief of staff Susie Wiles is scheduled to discuss Anthropic’s cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology with the company’s CEO Dario Amodei, as the federal government examines how the new Mythos model could impact national security and economic interests.
An unnamed White House official confirmed the Friday meeting, explaining that the administration is actively consulting with leading AI companies about their technological developments and software security measures. The official emphasized that any new technology being considered for government use would undergo thorough technical review.
This scheduled discussion occurs amid ongoing friction between the Trump administration and Anthropic, a company known for its cautious approach to AI development and efforts to establish protective measures that reduce potential dangers while enhancing economic and security advantages for the United States.
President Trump previously attempted to ban all federal agencies from utilizing Anthropic’s Claude chatbot following a contract disagreement with the Pentagon. In a February social media statement, Trump declared the administration “will not do business with them again!”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth additionally moved to classify Anthropic as a supply chain threat, marking an unusual action against an American company that Anthropic is now contesting in two federal courts. The company requested guarantees that the Pentagon wouldn’t employ its technology for completely autonomous weapons or domestic surveillance of Americans. Hegseth maintained that the company should permit any Pentagon uses considered legal.
U.S. District Judge Rita Lin issued a March decision that prevented enforcement of Trump’s social media order directing federal agencies to cease using Anthropic’s products.
Anthropic chose not to comment on the upcoming meeting.
The San Francisco-headquartered company announced its new Mythos model on April 7, describing it as remarkably advanced and restricting access to selected customers due to its ability to exceed human cybersecurity professionals in identifying and exploiting computer system weaknesses.
While some industry observers have questioned whether Anthropic’s assertions about overly powerful AI represent a marketing strategy, even company critics acknowledge that Mythos may signal significant AI progress.
David Sacks, a prominent Anthropic critic and former White House AI and crypto czar, urged taking the development seriously.
“Anytime Anthropic is scaring people, you have to ask, ‘Is this a tactic? Is this part of their Chicken Little routine? Or is it real?’” Sacks commented on the “All-In” podcast he co-hosts with fellow tech investors. “With cyber, I actually would give them credit in this case and say this is more on the real side.”
Sacks explained, “It just makes sense that as the coding models become more and more capable, they are more capable at finding bugs. That means they’re more capable at finding vulnerabilities. That means they’re more capable at stringing together multiple vulnerabilities and creating an exploit.”
The technology’s potential advantages and dangers have drawn international attention as well.
The United Kingdom’s AI Security Institute evaluated the new system and determined it represents a significant improvement over earlier models, which were already advancing quickly.
“Mythos Preview can exploit systems with weak security posture, and it is likely that more models with these capabilities will be developed,” the institute stated in its assessment.
Anthropic has engaged in discussions with the European Union regarding its AI systems, including advanced versions not yet available in Europe, according to European Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier on Friday.
Axios initially reported the planned meeting between Wiles and Amodei.
Alongside the Mythos announcement, Anthropic launched Project Glasswing, an initiative uniting technology leaders including Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft, plus companies like JPMorgan Chase, to protect global critical software from potential serious consequences the new model could create for public safety, national security and economic stability.
“We’re releasing it to a subset of some of the world’s most important companies and organizations so they can use this to find vulnerabilities,” explained Anthropic co-founder and policy chief Jack Clark during this week’s Semafor World Economy conference.
Clark noted that while Mythos leads current technology, it isn’t a unique development.
“There will be other systems just like this in a few months from other companies, and in a year to a year-and-a-half later, there will be open-weight models from China that have these capabilities,” he stated. “So the world is going to have to get ready for more powerful systems that are going to exist within it.”
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A federal court has thrown out a Justice Department lawsuit that demanded comprehensive voter information from Rhode Island, marking another victory for states resisting federal data collection efforts.
U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy ruled in favor of Rhode Island’s election officials and civil rights groups on Friday, determining that federal law does not authorize the U.S. Department of Justice “to conduct the kind of fishing expedition it seeks here.”
The Justice Department declined to provide a statement about the ruling, citing ongoing legal proceedings in an email response.
McElroy’s ruling mirrors rejections issued by federal courts nationwide since the Justice Department launched efforts to collect comprehensive voter information from states. The requested data encompasses birth dates, home addresses, driver’s license numbers, and portions of Social Security numbers.
Federal authorities claim the voter information is necessary for maintaining election security, while Democratic and some Republican state leaders have pushed back against these demands, arguing they breach state and federal privacy protections.
“The executive branch seems to have no problem taking actions that are clear Constitutional overreaches, regularly meddling in responsibilities that are the rights of the states,” Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore said in a statement. “But the power of our democratic republic, built on three, coequal branches of government, is clearer than ever before.”
Election administrators have expressed worry that federal agencies might use the confidential information for additional purposes, including investigations into potential non-citizens. These fears intensified when DOJ lawyers revealed in the Rhode Island proceedings that the department wanted complete voter registration data to share with the Department of Homeland Security for citizenship verification purposes.
According to the Brennan Center, no fewer than 12 states have either delivered or agreed to deliver their comprehensive voter registration databases to the department: Alaska, Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming.
The DOJ has initiated legal action against at least 30 states plus the District of Columbia in attempts to compel the release of this information. Beyond Rhode Island, federal judges have denied these efforts in California, Massachusetts, Michigan and Oregon. In Georgia, a judge threw out a DOJ case due to improper venue, leading the government to refile in a different jurisdiction.
In her Rhode Island decision, McElroy aligned with the federal judge’s ruling in Oregon. That decision determined the federal government lacked entitlement to complete voter registration databases containing private information and concluded the Justice Department had not established a legitimate basis or objective for requesting the voter files.
“Absent from the demand are any factual allegations suggesting that Rhode Island may be violating the list maintenance requirements,” McElroy wrote.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s legal representatives have requested a federal judge grant a 90-day suspension of his $10 billion legal action against the Internal Revenue Service while both parties attempt to negotiate a settlement.
The lawsuit centers on allegations that the IRS improperly disclosed the president’s confidential tax information to media organizations during a two-year period from 2018 to 2020.
According to court documents submitted Friday, Trump’s attorneys are seeking the temporary halt to facilitate productive discussions between the parties.
“This limited pause will neither prejudice the parties nor delay ultimate resolution,” the court filing states. “Rather, the extension will promote judicial economy and allow the Parties to explore avenues that could narrow or resolve the issues efficiently.”
Legal and ethics specialists have raised numerous concerns about the case, questioning whether it’s appropriate for the head of the executive branch to pursue aggressive litigation against a federal agency under his administration’s control.
The president initiated the legal action in a Florida federal courthouse earlier this year, claiming the unauthorized disclosure of his personal and Trump Organization tax documents resulted in “reputational and financial harm, public embarrassment, unfairly tarnished their business reputations, portrayed them in a false light, and negatively affected President Trump, and the other Plaintiffs’ public standing.”
Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, the president’s sons, are also named as plaintiffs in the litigation.
The case traces back to Charles Edward Littlejohn, a former IRS contractor from Washington, D.C., who received a five-year prison sentence in 2024 after admitting guilt for disclosing tax information about Trump and other individuals to two media outlets.
While the news organizations weren’t identified in criminal charging documents, the timeline and details correspond with New York Times coverage of Trump’s tax returns and ProPublica’s reporting on wealthy Americans’ tax obligations. The Times investigation revealed Trump paid just $750 in federal income taxes during his first year as president and paid no income taxes in certain years due to massive reported losses.
When questioned in February about his plans for any potential monetary awards from the lawsuit, Trump indicated charitable intentions.
“I think what we’ll do is do something for charity,” he stated.
“We could make it a substantial amount,” he said at the time. “Nobody would care because it’s going to go to numerous very good charities.”
Multiple ethics oversight organizations have submitted friend-of-the-court briefs opposing the president’s legal action.
Democracy Forward, a watchdog organization, argued in their February submission that the situation is “extraordinary because the President controls both sides of the litigation, which raises the prospect of collusive litigation tactics,” and “the conflicts of interest make it uncertain whether the Department of Justice will zealously defend the public fisc in the same way that it has against other plaintiffs claiming damages for related events.”
A former New York City police sergeant convicted of manslaughter will remain free while challenging his conviction in the death of a man who crashed his scooter after being struck by a thrown picnic cooler, an appeals court judge decided Friday.
Judge Saliann Scarpulla of the state’s Appellate Division granted the release of Erik Duran one week after he received a sentence of three to nine years behind bars for the 2023 death of 30-year-old Eric Duprey. The lower court had immediately jailed Duran following his sentencing.
Scarpulla set Duran’s release conditions at $300,000 in cash or bond and required him to give up his passport to his attorneys, who must hold it throughout the appeals process.
Vincent Vallelong, president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association representing Duran, called the decision “This is a major win for Erik and his family and for law enforcement officers around the country.”
However, Jon Roberts, representing Duprey’s family, expressed disappointment with the ruling, stating they were “deeply disappointed” by Scarpulla’s decision.
“While we respect the appellate process, this outcome reopens painful wounds for a family that has already endured an immense loss,” Roberts said. “Our focus remains on seeking accountability and ensuring that the seriousness of what occurred is never diminished.”
The 38-year-old Duran, who is married with three children, became the first former NYPD officer in at least twenty years to receive a prison sentence for a death that occurred while on duty. During sentencing proceedings, defense attorney Andrew Quinn noted that Duran will forever be remembered as “the cooler cop.”
Defense lawyer Arthur Aidala petitioned the Appellate Division after Judge Guy Mitchell denied bail following sentencing. Duran had been held at New York City’s Rikers Island jail complex for the past week.
According to Aidala, the appellate court’s decision to free Duran indicates the panel recognizes “legitimate appellate issues in Sgt Duran’s case” and confirms “he is not a flight risk nor a danger to the community.”
The incident occurred during a drug enforcement operation on August 23, 2023, when Duran was working with a narcotics unit conducting a “buy-and-bust” operation in the Bronx. According to police reports, Duprey had sold drugs to an undercover officer before attempting to escape on his scooter.
During his February trial testimony, Duran claimed he threw the ice-filled cooler at Duprey to protect fellow officers from harm.
The cooler hit Duprey, causing him to lose control of his scooter and collide with a tree before hitting the ground. Without wearing protective headgear, Duprey suffered fatal head trauma and died almost immediately, prosecutors stated.
The case has sparked intense debate between police reform advocates, who have dubbed Duran the “cooler killer,” and law enforcement supporters who argue that imprisoning him discourages officers from making necessary quick decisions in dangerous situations.
This week, the New York Islanders hockey team displayed a message on their arena’s video board encouraging fans to contribute to Duran’s legal defense fund. The display featured a QR code and messaging from the Sergeants Benevolent Association asking supporters to join “the fight for justice.”
Vallelong explained that the fundraising effort developed after a New York Post contact informed him the Islanders “wanted to do something” for Duran. The team also committed to donating 25% of their 50/50 raffle earnings to support Duran, the union reported.
Roberts criticized the Islanders’ involvement, saying the family was “deeply troubled” by the team’s decision to “align themselves, even symbolically, with efforts that appear to support Sgt. Duran’s legal defense.”
“This was not a neutral act,” Roberts said. “It sends a message — intended or not — that risks undermining public confidence in a fair legal process and deepens the pain of a family still grieving.”
A Massachusetts court has temporarily prevented a turbine company from abandoning a major offshore wind energy project, with the judge stating it would be unrealistic to expect another contractor to complete the complex work.
The legal battle began when GE Renewables announced it was ending its contracts for turbine services and maintenance at the Vineyard Wind project, prompting the wind farm developers to seek court intervention. The dispute centers around financial claims from both sides: GE Vernova, the parent company, claims Vineyard Wind owes $300 million for completed work, while the wind farm operators argue GE should pay approximately $545 million to cover damages from a major turbine blade failure in July 2024 that delayed the project by two years.
Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Peter Krupp sided with Vineyard Wind’s request to block the contract termination on Friday. The judge determined that GE owes significantly more money than what the developers have withheld to cover costs from the blade incident, which caused fiberglass debris to wash up on Nantucket beaches during peak tourist season.
“The project is at a critical phase and the loss of (Vineyard Wind)’s principal contractor would set the project back immeasurably,” Judge Krupp stated in his ruling. “To pretend that (Vineyard Wind) could go out and hire one or more contractors to finish the installation and troubleshoot and modify (GE Renewables’) proprietary design without (GE Renewables’) specialized knowledge is fanciful.”
Vineyard Wind spokesperson Craig Gilvarg expressed satisfaction with the outcome, saying “We are pleased with the decision, which ensures Vineyard Wind can continue delivering much needed energy to Massachusetts customers and the New England grid.”
GE Renewables defended its position in court documents, claiming it had the right to end the contracts and that its services were no longer needed. The company also argued that any damages experienced by Vineyard Wind were caused by the wind farm operators themselves.
“We stand by our compliance with contractual obligations and our performance, including recently completing installation of all 62 wind turbines at the Vineyard Wind Farm,” GE said in a Friday statement. “We remain engaged in supporting the safe operation of the project while we evaluate next steps.”
The wind farm is a partnership between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, positioned 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket in Massachusetts waters. Its 62 turbines are designed to produce 800 megawatts of electricity, sufficient to supply power to approximately 400,000 households.
The project reached completion in March, becoming the first offshore wind farm to finish construction during President Trump’s current term. The facility had been supplying electricity to the regional power grid for more than a year as individual turbines came online, and full operational capacity is anticipated within the next few months.
The Trump administration has criticized the project due to the blade malfunction, which GE Vernova attributed to inadequate bonding processes at one of its Canadian manufacturing facilities rather than a fundamental design problem.
This wind farm was among five major East Coast offshore wind developments that the Trump administration suspended just before Christmas, citing national security issues. Project developers and state governments filed lawsuits challenging the halt, and federal courts permitted all five projects to resume construction after determining the government failed to demonstrate an immediate national security threat requiring work stoppage.
Chicago Cubs pitcher Cade Horton underwent Tommy John surgery Thursday and faces an extended rehabilitation period of 15 to 16 months, according to the team’s Friday announcement.
The 24-year-old right-hander won’t be expected back on the mound until July or August 2027, a lengthier recovery period than typical because this marks his second elbow ligament reconstruction surgery. Horton previously had the same UCL repair procedure performed during his college career in 2021.
The Cubs placed Horton on the 15-day injured list April 5, just two days following his abbreviated appearance against Cleveland. He departed that road game after throwing only 17 pitches across one-plus innings.
Through his two starts this season, Horton posted a 1-0 record with a 2.45 earned run average.
Chicago selected Horton as their first-round draft choice in 2022, taking him seventh overall. Last season, he compiled an 11-4 record with a 2.67 ERA across 23 appearances, including 22 starts, and earned runner-up honors in National League Rookie of the Year balloting.
Two student-athletes from the University of Delaware women’s golf program have been honored with spots on Conference USA’s 2025-26 Women’s Golf All-Academic Teams, according to an announcement from the conference headquarters in Dallas.
Sophomore Kate Roberts secured a position on the first team, while junior Mary Grace Dunigan was named to the second team for the academic recognition program.
The Conference USA All-Academic Teams celebrate student-athletes who demonstrate excellence both in competition and in the classroom, highlighting their ability to balance the demands of collegiate athletics with academic achievement.
The latest federal agricultural report reveals that the number of cattle currently in feedlots across the United States has decreased by one percent compared to previous periods.
According to data released by the National Agricultural Statistics Service, the modest decline reflects ongoing trends within America’s cattle feeding operations.
The statistics provide insight into the current state of the nation’s livestock industry and feeding patterns at commercial operations nationwide.
America’s potato inventory has experienced a slight decline, dropping 1 percent from levels recorded on April 1, 2025, according to the latest report from the United States Department of Agriculture.
The federal agency’s National Agricultural Statistics Service released the updated figures, which track stored potato supplies across the country. The modest reduction reflects current market conditions and seasonal patterns in potato storage and distribution.
These inventory numbers are closely monitored by agricultural economists, food processors, and industry analysts as they provide insight into supply chain trends and potential pricing impacts for consumers.
Agricultural producers nationwide experienced a decline in peanut compensation during the week concluding April 11, according to federal agriculture data.
Growers received an average of 20.3 cents per pound for their farmer stock peanuts, marking a drop of 4.8 cents from the previous reporting period.
The pricing information reflects what farmers earned for their raw peanut crops before processing and distribution to retailers and manufacturers.
The National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, New Jersey has issued a coastal flooding alert that will remain active from Wednesday afternoon through the early morning hours of Friday.
The advisory went into effect at 3:00 PM on April 17th and is scheduled to continue until 2:00 AM on April 19th.
Residents in coastal communities should be prepared for potential flooding conditions during this timeframe and take appropriate precautions.
Motorists traveling on Route 1 should expect delays today as construction crews have shut down left lanes in both directions along a stretch of the Coastal Highway.
The Delaware Department of Transportation reports that left lane closures are currently in effect on both northbound and southbound Route 1 between Willow Creek Road and Best Lane.
According to DelDOT’s traffic incident reporting system, the lane restrictions are related to ongoing construction work in the area and are expected to remain in place until 3:00 PM this afternoon.
Drivers are advised to allow extra travel time and exercise caution when passing through the construction zone.
The National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, New Jersey has issued a coastal flood advisory that went into effect Wednesday afternoon at 3:00 PM and will remain active until 3:00 AM on Friday morning.
The advisory warns residents and visitors in coastal areas to prepare for potential flooding conditions during high tide cycles over the next day and a half.
Coastal flood advisories are typically issued when minor to moderate flooding is expected in low-lying areas near the shore, including roads, parking lots, and properties close to the waterline.
Residents in affected areas should avoid driving through flooded roadways and take necessary precautions to protect property that may be vulnerable to rising water levels.
Residents in New Castle County, Delaware and Salem County, New Jersey should prepare for minor coastal flooding late Saturday night into early Sunday morning. The National Weather Service has issued a Coastal Flood Advisory effective from 11 PM Saturday until 3 AM Sunday, warning of up to one foot of water inundation in low-lying areas near shorelines and tidal waterways.
The flooding is expected to impact the most vulnerable roads along tidal areas, with some partial or full road closures possible. Drivers should avoid parking vehicles in flood-prone locations and never attempt to drive through standing water, as it may be deeper than it appears.
“Minor tidal flooding often results in road closures, particularly on the most vulnerable roadways,” according to the weather service advisory. Officials warn that driving through flood waters puts both people and vehicles at risk of costly damage.
The advisory will remain in effect until 3 AM EDT Sunday morning. Residents can monitor current water levels and flood impact information at the National Water Prediction Service website. This is a developing weather situation, and TV Delmarva will continue monitoring conditions throughout the weekend.
Residents across the Delmarva Peninsula should prepare for minor coastal flooding this weekend as a Coastal Flood Advisory remains in effect from 8 PM Saturday through 2 AM Sunday.
The National Weather Service warns that up to one foot of water could inundate low-lying areas near shorelines and tidal waterways throughout southern Delaware, including Kent County, inland Sussex County, and Delaware’s beaches. Parts of southern New Jersey are also under the advisory.
The flooding will primarily impact the most vulnerable coastal and bayside roads, with some partial or full road closures expected. Inland tidal waterways may also experience flooding during this period.
Officials strongly urge drivers to avoid parking vehicles in flood-prone areas and never attempt to drive through standing water. “The water may be deeper than you think,” warns the Weather Service, noting that flood waters can cause dangerous conditions and costly vehicle damage.
This minor tidal flooding event is considered routine for coastal areas, but residents should remain cautious and avoid unnecessary travel through low-lying coastal roads during high tide periods.
The advisory expires at 2 AM Sunday morning. For the latest water level information, residents can visit the National Water Prediction Service website.
A traffic accident has resulted in the closure of the left southbound lane on DuPont Boulevard (Route 113) at Earth Chi Lane, according to Delaware Department of Transportation officials.
The crash is causing traffic delays for drivers traveling south on the major roadway. DelDOT crews are working to clear the scene and restore normal traffic flow.
Motorists are advised to use caution when traveling through the area and consider using alternate routes to avoid potential backups. The duration of the lane closure has not been specified.
This is a developing situation and updates will be provided as more information becomes available from transportation officials.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza appears destined to hear his name called first when the NFL Draft begins next Thursday, giving him the opportunity to develop under veteran Kirk Cousins before taking over as the franchise signal-caller.
The Heisman Trophy recipient, who guided Indiana to its inaugural national title, stands as the clear consensus choice for the opening selection. Rather than attending the draft ceremony in Pittsburgh, Mendoza has opted to mark the milestone moment surrounded by loved ones in Miami.
While the top selection seems settled, genuine uncertainty begins with the second overall choice. The New York Jets were widely anticipated to select Ohio State pass rusher Arvell Reese, but Texas Tech defensive end David Bailey has generated significant buzz in recent weeks.
The Associated Press has released its third mock draft projection ahead of Thursday’s selections:
Mendoza brings exceptional accuracy as a pocket quarterback, combining ideal physical dimensions with composure and leadership qualities. Las Vegas has assembled offensive weapons including Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty while investing over $250 million in free agency additions. Cousins provides veteran guidance in the quarterback room, while part-owner Tom Brady offers championship expertise. The Raiders haven’t captured a playoff victory since their Super Bowl appearance following the 2002 campaign and have qualified for postseason play just twice since then. Mendoza represents their hope for a cornerstone quarterback.
The projection maintains Reese as the Jets’ selection. His exceptional athleticism was showcased by a 4.47-second 40-yard dash time, and his versatility playing both linebacker and edge positions demonstrates his rare talent. Reese possesses the ability to become an elite pass rusher with immediate impact potential for New York.
Bailey represents another supremely athletic edge defender with tremendous upside potential. Arizona could explore trading down to accumulate additional draft capital or focus on offensive line improvements. Bailey would pair with Josh Sweat to create a formidable pass-rushing tandem.
Tennessee has been active in free agency, overhauling their secondary and adding defensive depth while bringing in wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson as another target for Cam Ward. They face a difficult decision between Love and providing new head coach Robert Saleh with a defensive star like edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. or linebacker Sonny Styles. If general manager Mike Borgonzi follows best available talent, Love emerges as the choice.
Styles’ outstanding combine showing has elevated him into numerous top-five projections. While protecting Jaxson Dart remains a priority for New York, making them candidates for the draft’s premier offensive lineman, Styles represents an exceptionally talented defensive prospect.
Tate excels as a reliable route runner with sure hands and sufficient speed to become a premier playmaker. Cleveland added three veteran offensive linemen but could still target tackle help. Tate provides them with a number one receiver option that’s difficult to overlook.
Delane stands as the draft’s top coverage cornerback. His addition would significantly strengthen a defense lacking depth in the secondary.
Bain offers versatility as a pass rusher capable of lining up outside or inside against guards, creating favorable matchups. He would become a valuable asset for New Orleans.
Mauigoa brings three years of starting experience at right tackle and would replace Jawaan Taylor while enhancing Patrick Mahomes’ protection. Adding a playmaking receiver or edge rusher also remains possible, but Mauigoa represents strong value at this position.
Downs is an elite, multi-faceted playmaker who would bolster a struggling defense that has limited Cincinnati in recent seasons. Downs possesses top-five talent but slides due to positional value considerations.
Following trades involving Jaylen Waddle and the release of Tyreek Hill, Miami must provide Malik Willis with a top receiving target. Lemon is an elite playmaker who creates difficult matchup problems for defenses from the slot position.
Mesidor is an older prospect at 25 but demonstrates clear talent on film. He generates outside pressure while remaining solid against the run, addressing priorities Jerry Jones emphasized after trading Micah Parsons.
An outstanding route runner with speed who makes catches in traffic. Los Angeles showed interest in high-profile receivers, so selecting Tyson would upgrade a dynamic group featuring All-Pro Puka Nacua and Davante Adams.
Ioane addresses a significant need for Baltimore along their interior offensive line while fitting their run-blocking system perfectly.
Scouts praise Faulk’s leadership qualities alongside his obvious talent. Tampa Bay needs an impact pass rusher, and Faulk fits general manager Jason Licht’s character standards. Trading down for additional selections also remains possible.
Boston combines strength, speed, and elite ball skills. His frame at 6-foot-4, 212 pounds matches receivers that new offensive coordinator Frank Reich has utilized in his system. The Jets could trade down while still landing Boston or Omar Cooper Jr. and accumulating more picks.
Proctor began starting at left tackle as a freshman and surrendered only two sacks across three seasons. His impressive size at 6-foot-7, 352 pounds comes with considerable athleticism. Proctor even contributed five rushing attempts for 16 yards.
Thieneman impressed at the combine with a 4.36-second 40-yard dash that exceeded some of the NFL’s top receivers. As a three-year starter, he would immediately contribute to Brian Flores’ defense.
Carolina improved their defense through free agency by acquiring edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and linebacker Devin Lloyd. If Sadiq remains available, they would land the draft’s best tight end, providing Bryce Young with a potential primary target.
McCoy is a reliable cornerback with exceptional ball skills frequently projected to Dallas at the 12th selection. The Cowboys would acquire a defensive back capable of anchoring their secondary.
Freeling possesses elite athleticism and is considered a potential top-10 selection. He requires additional experience after starting just one season on the right side. Freeling has the athletic ability to adjust to a new position.
Woods is a powerful, versatile defensive lineman who embodies the type of player coach Jim Harbaugh wants on defense.
Miller started 54 collegiate games and can contribute immediately if Philadelphia needs him. He provides an eventual replacement for right tackle Lane Johnson.
Parker’s production declined after strong 2024 numbers, but he’s a strong, powerful edge defender with flourishing potential. His selection would make three consecutive Clemson players in this projection.
Chicago lost several secondary starters, making a defensive back addition possible, but a strong pass rusher also provides significant help. Young is a disruptive force who brings energy and leadership.
Despite acquiring D.J. Moore, another playmaking receiver remains an option. Edge rusher also ranks as a priority, and Howell has demonstrated his ability to reach quarterbacks and finish plays.
Concepcion is a speedy, elusive receiver who would give Brock Purdy and San Francisco another top target and offensive playmaker. Despite signing Mike Evans in free agency, the 49ers cannot pass up a confident player who has already declared himself the draft’s best receiver.
McDonald represents another Buckeyes player entering the first round. He’s a natural run defender who will occupy the middle of the defensive line.
After providing Mahomes with a blocker at the ninth pick, Kansas City adds a potential top target late in the round. Cooper is a versatile playmaker known for generating yards after catches.
Terrell is an athletic cornerback projected higher in the draft. Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is possible if still available, but Miami signed Malik Willis.
Iheanachor is an athletic former basketball player with ideal size who needs development time but projects as a potential immediate starter.
Price replaces the departed Super Bowl MVP and provides Seattle with a natural runner in the backfield. With Kenneth Walker III gone and Zach Charbonnet recovering from knee injury, Price fills a need. Seattle could trade out of the first round, add more picks, and potentially acquire Price early in the second round.
BEIRUT (AP) — A temporary ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group began Friday, bringing much-needed calm to both nations and potentially creating an opportunity for Iran and the United States to negotiate an end to the broader regional conflict.
The cessation of hostilities appears to have prompted Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, helping to alleviate the worldwide energy crisis. However, significant hurdles persist, as Hezbollah has not officially endorsed the ceasefire and is demanding Israeli withdrawal. Meanwhile, Israel maintains it has not completed its mission to dismantle the Iranian-supported militant organization and has declared intentions to control portions of southern Lebanon.
The temporary 10-day halt in fighting seemed largely stable during its initial day, with thousands of Lebanese citizens returning to their southern homes. Hezbollah had fired rockets at Israel in early March, just two days following the commencement of the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran. Israel responded with intensive bombing campaigns and ground forces.
Here’s an examination of the ceasefire agreement.
President Donald Trump revealed the ceasefire Thursday, characterizing it as an arrangement between Israel and Lebanon, whose government had been mostly excluded from the conflict. Israel has consistently criticized Lebanon for not disarming Hezbollah according to prior agreements and the government’s own strategy.
The State Department released the agreement’s text and called it an Israeli gesture “to enable good-faith negotiations” toward lasting peace with Lebanon. Officials said the 10-day pause could be extended through mutual consent if discussions advance and “Lebanon effectively demonstrates its ability to assert its sovereignty.”
The deal requires the Lebanese government to stop Hezbollah and other armed factions from launching attacks on Israel, similar to the ceasefire that ended the previous Israel-Hezbollah conflict in November 2024.
The 2024 deal specified that both nations would retain “self defense” rights, without providing details. Israel continued frequent strikes against what it claimed were militant positions, often resulting in civilian casualties, while Hezbollah refrained from retaliation until last month.
According to U.S. officials, the current agreement grants Israel the “right to take all necessary measures in self-defense, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.” No comparable rights are specified for Lebanon or Hezbollah.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated Israel accepted the ceasefire following Trump’s request but emphasized being “not finished yet” with Hezbollah. Israeli officials announced plans to control a 10-kilometer (6-mile) buffer zone in southern Lebanon and prevent civilian returns until eliminating all threats.
Facing elections this year, Netanyahu confronts increasing pressure to demonstrate victory over Israel’s adversaries in conflicts triggered by Hamas’ October 7, 2023, Gaza attack — which occurred during his leadership.
Israel and the United States seek Lebanese authorities to disarm Hezbollah, using force if required. While Beirut had made substantial progress asserting control over southern Lebanon before the war, officials remain reluctant to risk civil war by fully confronting the heavily armed group.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stated his goal is to “secure the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied southern territories” and establish Lebanese army control over border regions.
Hezbollah announced it would respect the ceasefire provided it remains “comprehensive across all Lebanese territories, including border areas, and includes a full halt to hostilities and restrictions on the enemy’s freedom of movement, serving as a prelude to Israeli withdrawal.”
The statement suggested Hezbollah might resume rocket attacks if Israel continues targeting it and maintains presence in southern Lebanon.
On Truth Social, Trump declared Israel is now “PROHIBITED” by the U.S. from bombing Lebanon, representing an unusually direct assertion of American authority over an ally. The U.S. has described the truce as resulting from direct Israeli-Lebanese negotiations in Washington — the first such talks in decades.
Iran and Hezbollah claim the agreement actually stems from broader Tehran-Washington negotiations and resulted from Iranian pressure.
Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, posted on X that “while the Lebanese government and Trump are attempting to claim this ceasefire as their own initiative,” it was “the resistance of Hezbollah’s fighters and Iran’s multifaceted pressures” that created the truce.
Hassan Fadlallah, a Hezbollah parliamentary bloc member, told reporters Friday that Iran had notified Hezbollah leadership about the ceasefire agreement early Thursday, well before Trump’s announcement.
Iran and mediator Pakistan had claimed Lebanon was included in broader ceasefire negotiations with the U.S. earlier this month. Both the U.S. and Israel denied this, with Israel launching massive Beirut bombardments after those talks concluded.
Two Pakistani officials confirmed to The Associated Press Friday that Pakistan helped secure the Lebanese ceasefire. They requested anonymity to discuss private negotiations.
Lebanon’s government opposed the war from its start and sought to end it but lacked influence over Hezbollah. Instead, Iran took the lead, which many Lebanese view as another violation of their sovereignty.
During Friday remarks, Aoun thanked the U.S. and Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, for ceasefire efforts. He did not acknowledge Iran.
Tehran apparently leveraged its Strait of Hormuz control and Trump’s desire to end an increasingly unpopular and economically damaging war to stop Israel’s campaign against its proxy.
As the Lebanese ceasefire began, both Trump and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced the strait’s reopening, something the U.S. couldn’t achieve through weeks of intensive bombing and destroying much of Iran’s naval fleet.
Araghchi explicitly connected the development to the Lebanese ceasefire.
A source familiar with ongoing discussions confirmed to The Associated Press that the family of deceased San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler is approaching completion of the team’s sale.
The individual requested anonymity due to the organization’s decision not to publicly discuss the transaction process.
According to initial reporting by The Wall Street Journal, the pending agreement involves private equity magnate Jose E. Feliciano and his spouse, Kwanza Jones. The franchise is anticipated to fetch $3.9 billion, establishing a new benchmark for Major League Baseball team valuations and significantly exceeding the roughly $2.4 billion Steven Cohen spent acquiring the New York Mets in 2020.
Feliciano, age 53, serves as co-founder and managing partner of Santa Monica, California-based Clearlake Capital, a private equity company. His firm participated in the investment consortium that acquired Premier League soccer club Chelsea in 2022, with Los Angeles Dodgers minority stakeholder Todd Boehly assuming the role of Blues chairman.
The Seidler family initiated discussions about divesting the Padres this past November, marking two years since beloved owner Peter Seidler’s passing. His sibling, John Seidler, has occupied the chairman position during the interim period.
Peter Seidler joined an ownership group that acquired the Padres in 2012, eventually becoming the franchise’s controlling owner in 2020. He captivated San Diego baseball enthusiasts through his willingness to invest heavily in pursuit of the organization’s inaugural World Series championship, while general manager A.J. Preller assembled competitive rosters that secured playoff berths in four of the previous six campaigns — an unprecedented achievement in franchise history.
The substantial asking price for the Padres stems from their status as San Diego’s sole representative among North America’s four premier professional sports leagues, cultivating devoted supporters who pack the scenic downtown Petco Park facility. The organization has established new attendance benchmarks during each of the last three seasons, culminating in last year’s remarkable total of 3,437,201 spectators — ranking second nationally behind only the Dodgers, who benefit from their considerably larger venue in Chavez Ravine.
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Feliciano pursued his education at Princeton and Stanford universities before establishing Clearlake Capital two decades ago.
Federal authorities say a former University of Alabama football player orchestrated an elaborate disguise scheme to steal the identities of NFL athletes and secure millions in fraudulent loans.
According to a criminal complaint filed by Atlanta federal prosecutors, Luther Davis donned wigs and makeup to pose as professional football players during video conference calls with lenders. In one instance during early 2024, Davis allegedly used cosmetics and a hairpiece while calling from an upscale Atlanta-area hotel to secure a $4 million loan.
The charging documents reveal Davis successfully deceived investors into believing they were lending money to legitimate NFL players. Federal officials say Davis continued the deception through March and July, using different disguises including wigs and a do-rag-style head covering to impersonate two additional professional athletes during separate video calls.
Prosecutors have not disclosed exactly how the disguises enabled Davis to convincingly portray the three different players, and the complaint identifies the NFL athletes only by their initials.
Both Davis and alleged co-conspirator CJ Evins face charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. While both entered not guilty pleas in March, court documents show they are scheduled to change their pleas to guilty during an April 27 hearing.
Attempts to reach Davis’s lawyer Gabe Banks and Evins’s attorney Benjamin Alper for comment were unsuccessful.
The charging documents state that none of the impersonated NFL players had given Davis and Evins permission to obtain loans in their names. Beyond the video call disguises, prosecutors allege Davis created counterfeit driver’s licenses using photographs of the players found on the internet.
The fraudulent operation netted approximately $20 million through at least 13 bogus loans, which the defendants allegedly spent on real estate purchases, jewelry, and vehicles, according to federal authorities.
Davis was part of Alabama’s 2010 national championship team during his time with the Crimson Tide.
A groundbreaking study shows that wildfires across North America are now burning far longer each day than they did decades ago, with flames staying active through nighttime hours when they previously would have subsided.
Research published Friday in Science Advances reveals that weather conditions favorable to wildfire activity now last 36% longer than they did five decades ago. This dramatic change means fires that once naturally slowed or stopped during cooler evening hours are now burning continuously.
California experiences approximately 550 additional hours of fire-prone weather annually compared to the mid-1970s. The most dramatic increases occur in southwestern New Mexico and central Arizona, where conditions suitable for wildfire activity have expanded by up to 2,000 hours per year.
Recent devastating blazes that burned aggressively during nighttime hours include the 2023 Lahaina fire in Hawaii, which started at 12:22 a.m., the 2024 Jasper fire in Alberta, and the current Los Angeles fires, according to researchers.
The extended burning window affects more than just daily hours. Fire-prone weather days have increased by 44%, effectively adding 26 additional high-risk days each year over the past half-century.
“Fires normally slow down during the night, or they just stop,” explained study co-author Xianli Wang from the Canadian Forest Service. “But under extreme fire hazard conditions, fire actually burns through the night or later into the night.”
Wang warned that Earth’s warming climate will likely worsen these conditions in the future.
University of California Merced fire scientist John Abatzoglou, who did not participate in the research, noted that fires maintaining their intensity overnight gain momentum for the following day, making suppression efforts significantly more challenging.
“Nights aren’t what they used to be — that is, more reliable breaks for wildfire,” Abatzoglou stated. “Widespread warming and lack of humidity is keeping fires up at night.”
Fighting fires during darkness presents unique dangers, according to wildland firefighter Nicholai Allen, who also operates a company producing home fire prevention equipment.
“You have to understand that you have snakes and bears and mountain lions and all the stuff you have in daytime,” Allen explained, mentioning that a colleague was attacked by a bear. “But at night, they’re really scared and they’re running away from the fire.”
Canadian researchers examined nearly 9,000 major fires between 2017 and 2023, using weather satellites and additional instruments to track hourly atmospheric data including humidity, temperature, wind patterns, precipitation, and fuel moisture content. They developed a computer model linking weather patterns to fire behavior and applied it to historical information from Canada and the United States spanning 1975 to 2106.
Climate scientists have long understood that heat-trapping emissions from burning fossil fuels cause nighttime temperatures to rise more rapidly than daytime temperatures due to increased cloud cover that traps and redirects heat back to Earth’s surface. Since 1975, summer nighttime minimum temperatures in the continental United States have risen 2.6 degrees Fahrenheit, while daytime maximums have increased 2.2 degrees, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Nighttime humidity levels no longer recover from daytime dryness as they historically did, said lead researcher Kaiwei Luo from the University of Alberta.
Wildfires frequently occur alongside drought conditions, particularly severe droughts, creating not only drier air but hotter, drier air that extracts additional moisture from soil and vegetation, making fire fuel more combustible, Wang noted. During drought periods, a destructive cycle develops where increasingly dry conditions allow the warmer atmosphere to draw even more moisture from potential fuel sources.
Similar to how warmer nights during heat waves prevent human bodies from recovering, these elevated nighttime temperatures prevent forests from recuperating, Wang observed. Dead vegetation can require weeks to regain lost moisture and become less fire-prone.
“It’s just a stress to the plants,” Wang said. “That also increases fuel load and make fire-burning more easily.”
Between 2016 and 2025, American wildfires burned an average area equivalent to Massachusetts annually, covering slightly more than 11,000 square miles. This represents 2.6 times the average burned area during the 1980s, based on National Interagency Fire Center data. Canada’s average burned acreage over the past decade is 2.8 times greater than during the 1980s, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
Syracuse University fire scientist Jacob Bendix, who was not involved in the study, described the research as a stark warning about climate change’s impact in driving “increased fire potential across almost all of the fire-prone environments of North America.”
BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. — As evening approaches, Bridgeport High School sophomore Becky Pepper-Jackson steps into the throwing circle, blocks out surrounding noise, and launches her discus into the fading daylight.
Her approach remains straightforward. Whether she’s working to surpass her third-place showing from West Virginia’s state track championship last year or dismissing critics who oppose transgender girls participating in female athletics, the student-athlete simply wants to spend time with her teammates.
She pushes aside everything else that could distract her. Right now, that includes avoiding thoughts about the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court decision expected this summer in a landmark case where she plays a central role regarding transgender girls’ participation in sports.
“I’m not here to get an advantage,” Pepper-Jackson said. “I’ve been like pushed down and have people that just look at me nasty my whole life. And I’ve learned that that’s just something I’m going to have to deal with.”
Pepper-Jackson made headlines in 2021 when she legally contested West Virginia’s recently enacted legislation prohibiting transgender students from participating in female athletics across middle schools, high schools, and universities. The nation’s highest court permitted her continued participation in middle school competition in 2023 as legal proceedings moved forward.
She has since advanced to high school, and her case approaches its conclusion. During January proceedings, the Supreme Court’s conservative members, who have consistently decided against transgender rights in recent rulings, indicated they would likely determine that state prohibitions don’t breach constitutional protections or Title IX, the federal statute preventing sex-based educational discrimination.
The court also considered arguments in a related Idaho case, where Lindsay Hecox challenged her state’s pioneering ban while seeking opportunities to try out for Boise State University’s women’s track and cross-country programs. She ultimately didn’t qualify for either team.
Throughout West Virginia, Pepper-Jackson remains the sole transgender individual who has requested to participate in girls’ athletics. Should the court validate state prohibitions, her ongoing track season would mark her final competition. She avoids dwelling on this possibility.
“I can’t make their decisions for them, so I just have to wait and see what they’ll say,” she said. “I try not to look at it if this could be my last season.”
West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey expressed confidence in his state’s position.
“West Virginia’s law does not exclude anyone; it simply says biological boys will compete against boys, and biological girls will compete against girls,” McCuskey said in a statement. “On the athletic field, biological sex matters — gender identity does not.”
Pepper-Jackson began living openly as a girl at age 8, though she expressed this identity much earlier within her family.
Her mother, Heather Jackson, recognized that Becky differed from her two older brothers.
“I noticed immediately that Becky was different,” Jackson said. “When she was old enough to say what she wanted, toys or clothing or anything, she was very profound in her opinion.”
Early signs included requesting and receiving a makeup set for Christmas at age 3. She also began using her mother’s shirts as makeshift dresses.
“She would be very opinionated on what she wanted to wear,” Jackson said. “I just followed her lead from the very beginning.”
When puberty began, Pepper-Jackson began taking hormone-blocking treatments.
“Becky did not undergo male puberty,” said Aubrey Sparks, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union’s West Virginia chapter. “And so when you hear, ‘Well, this is unfair. Trans kids have an advantage.’ That’s just not the case here.”
During sixth grade, Pepper-Jackson followed her girls’ track coach’s recommendation to transition from competitive distance events to field competitions. Last year as a freshman, she earned third place in discus and eighth in shot put at the state championship.
Opposition has consistently shadowed her career, including from Republican Governor Patrick Morrisey.
During 2024, five competitors from an opposing school declined to participate against Pepper-Jackson. These athletes later received enthusiastic applause at a Charleston press conference, where Morrisey, serving as attorney general at the time, declared the state’s intention to contest a federal appeals court decision supporting Pepper-Jackson.
At the 2025 state championship, a female sprinter celebrated her victory on the podium while wearing a shirt declaring, “Men don’t belong in women’s sports.”
This season has proceeded more peacefully. Pepper-Jackson has claimed first place in both discus and shot put during her initial two competitions and has supported teammates in their various events.
“There’s a lot of core lessons you learn from being in sports that you don’t get anywhere else, like teamwork, sportsmanship,” she said.
Beyond athletics, she intends to study music in college and eventually become a band director.
Pepper-Jackson has followed the achievements of other transgender girls who have succeeded in high school track nationwide.
AB Hernandez captured gold medals in girls’ high jump and triple jump at California’s state high school championship last year. Hernandez currently attends Jurupa Valley High School as a senior. Verónica Garcia claimed consecutive 400-meter championships in Washington state during 2024 and 2025, while Ada Gallagher won the 200-meter race at Oregon’s state meet in 2024.
“I think it’s very inspiring,” Pepper-Jackson said.
Hernandez’s achievements reignited demands from certain parent organizations and conservatives, including President Donald Trump, for California to prohibit transgender girls from competing against other female athletes. California maintains legislation allowing students to join sports teams matching their gender identity, regardless of birth-assigned sex.
When Hernandez earned qualification in three events last year, the resulting controversy prompted the meet’s organizing body to permit an additional girl to compete and earn medals in Hernandez’s events. This accommodation may represent the nation’s first such rule modification.
Pepper-Jackson’s strongest advocate remains her mother. Following a recent practice session, the two danced together, and Heather Jackson moved across the field to collect discuses after her daughter’s throws.
Jackson praised how her daughter has managed the attention and examination surrounding her case “with astounding grace and intelligence and education, which is more than I would have been able to do at that age.”
Pepper-Jackson mentioned that others have expressed admiration for her, though she struggles to understand why because “I don’t see the gravity of this court case. I think it’s just common knowledge: Transgender girls should be able to be on the girls’ sports team. I think that’s simple.”
SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Boxing legend George Foreman has been laid to rest in an Iowa cemetery, far from his Texas roots, after a single visit to the area nearly four decades ago left a lasting impression on the champion.
The former heavyweight titleholder passed away on March 21, 2025, at 76 years old in Houston. A month following his death, he was interred at Logan Park Cemetery in Sioux City, Iowa, according to city representatives. On Thursday, Foreman’s relatives gathered at the gravesite alongside Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott for a press conference, unveiling the burial location marked by an impressive monument featuring his image as a young Olympic gold medalist.
According to a statement from city officials, Foreman’s family shared that he had traveled to the Iowa community in 1988 and frequently remembered the tranquility he felt during that stay.
When the family arrived on April 17 of last year to inter Foreman, they said they quickly grasped why the area had such an impact on him.
“Our father lived a life of purpose, faith and gratitude,” the family said in a statement released by Sioux City officials. “To see him laid to rest in a place that brought him peace means everything to us.”
Scott stood with family members beside Foreman’s memorial, located several miles north of the Missouri River in the upper Midwest community of approximately 87,000 residents. The burial ground provides views of the striking Loess Hills, formed by wind-carried sediment deposits rising as high as 200 feet and extending along the Iowa riverfront for 200 miles.
“Their story is a reminder of how one place can stay with someone for a lifetime,” Scott said.
Born in Texas, Foreman gained national attention after earning a spot on the 1968 U.S. Olympic boxing squad and capturing gold in Mexico City. He claimed the world heavyweight title in 1973 by beating Joe Frazier, but lost the belt the following year to Muhammad Ali in the legendary “Rumble in the Jungle.”
Two decades later in 1994, Foreman made history by becoming the oldest heavyweight champion at age 45, stunning Michael Moorer in a remarkable comeback victory.
Foreman hung up his gloves in 1997 with a professional record of 76 wins and 5 losses.
Following his boxing career, he transitioned into business ventures, endorsements and occasional acting roles, gaining recognition among younger audiences through the George Foreman Grill. The compact cooking device generated sales exceeding 100 million units and earned him greater financial success than his fighting career.
A film chronicling Foreman’s life story premiered in 2023.
The Ocean City Maryland Hospitality Association announced that the popular annual Restaurant Week celebration will take place from April 26 through May 9, offering food enthusiasts a chance to explore the coastal city’s varied dining landscape.
This year’s two-week culinary showcase will feature participating eateries presenting specially crafted fixed-price menus designed to highlight the creativity and value found throughout Ocean City’s restaurant community.
The extended promotion provides both residents and tourists an opportunity to sample diverse cuisines while taking advantage of exclusive dining deals across the resort destination.
A recent article from the United Soybean Board discussing soybean planting information was unable to be retrieved due to technical difficulties with the source website.
The piece, originally titled ‘Beyond the Bean – Planting Edition,’ was published on the United Soybean Board’s website but only shows loading elements and attribution links rather than the full article content.
The United Soybean Board typically provides educational content and resources for farmers and industry professionals regarding soybean cultivation, market information, and agricultural best practices.
After sitting out last year’s playoffs due to injury, NBA veteran Kevin Durant is making his postseason comeback with the Houston Rockets as they prepare to take on the Los Angeles Lakers in their opening playoff series Saturday evening.
“I’m grateful to be here healthy with a team that’s looking forward to trying to do some big things,” Durant expressed. “(What) a difference a year can make and I’m just grateful to be back in this position. I don’t want to take any moment for granted.”
Following a major summer trade that brought him from Phoenix to Houston, the seasoned forward is guiding a youthful Rockets squad into playoff territory for their initial matchup against Los Angeles.
Last season proved challenging for the 37-year-old athlete, who sat out the final seven regular season contests due to an ankle problem while Phoenix struggled to a 1-6 record, ultimately missing playoff qualification.
This year tells a different story, as Durant ranked second league-wide in playing time with 2,840 minutes despite entering his 19th NBA campaign.
His enthusiasm for extended postseason play remains evident.
“When you get on the court and you get a chance to be healthy you want go out there and take advantage of that opportunity,” Durant explained. “So, I’m looking forward to it.”
Durant paced Houston’s scoring this season with a 26-point average, establishing himself as the NBA’s oldest player ever to reach the 2,000-point milestone in a single season.
Head coach Ime Udoka praised Durant’s contributions since joining the team, emphasizing his consistent presence on the court.
“Just the availability on a night-to-night basis,” Udoka noted. “Being able to play this many games at this stage in his career and the efficiency that he does it with … just the fact that he’s durable and available with the injuries in his past, is very impressive.”
Houston seeks its first championship since capturing consecutive titles in 1994 and 1995. The franchise returns to playoff action for the second consecutive year after Golden State eliminated them in round one last season, marking their first postseason since 2020.
Durant brings an impressive resume as the league’s fifth all-time leading scorer, two-time champion, 16-time All-Star, and four-time Olympic gold winner. His championship experience provides valuable leadership for a starting unit where his four teammates have combined for just one previous playoff appearance each.
When asked about his motivation for pursuing another championship, Durant emphasized daily focus.
“Winning every day is the most important thing,” he stated. “Obviously the main objective is to win a title, but you can’t do that unless you take care of each day first.”
Young teammates have embraced Durant’s guidance throughout the season. Twenty-three-year-old Amen Thompson described modeling his approach after the veteran’s work ethic and physical preparation.
“He’s great and I want to be great,” Thompson shared. “We’ve got a lot of young guys that want to be great, so just having that as something to look at every day and just being teammates with him is good.”
Durant’s positive influence extends beyond physical preparation. Fellow 23-year-old Alperen Sengun credited the veteran with improving his mental approach to offensive struggles.
“I used to care a lot when I used to miss shots,” Sengun revealed. “But when I miss shots now, he’s already screaming in my ear: ‘It’s gonna come.’ So, he’s helped with a lot of things, but the big thing is confidence, especially confidence.”
Despite his mentoring role throughout the regular season, Durant plans to let experience be the teacher as playoffs begin.
“Nope,” he responded when asked about sharing playoff wisdom. “Just jump in the fire and let’s see what happens, man. We can all get advice and words of encouragement from everybody in our lives and it’s not going to be like actually being in that action.”
Durant expresses confidence in Houston’s readiness after finishing the regular season with nine victories in their final ten contests.
“It’s the biggest stage of basketball and there’s a lot that comes around the game, but at the end of the day, when that ball’s tipped up, it’s just basketball,” he concluded. “So, we all know how to play at this level, and we all know what it takes to win basketball games. We’ve just got to do that consistently.”
The Los Angeles Angels organization is grieving the loss of former outfielder Garret Anderson, who passed away at the age of 53, the team announced Friday morning. No details regarding the cause or location of his death were immediately released.
Anderson made his major league debut with the California Angels in 1994 and remained with the organization through 2008, spending most of his career patrolling left field. During his 15-year tenure with the franchise, he established himself as the team’s all-time leader in multiple offensive categories, including hits (2,368), games played (2,013), RBIs (1,292), total bases (3,743), extra-base hits (796), doubles (489), and grand slams (8).
Team owner Arte Moreno released a statement honoring the fallen star: “The Angels organization is mourning the loss of one of our franchise’s most beloved icons, Garret Anderson. Garret was a cornerstone of our organization throughout his 15 seasons, and his stoic presence in the outfield and our clubhouse elevated the Angels into an era of continued success, highlighted by the 2002 World Series championship. Garret will forever hold a special place in the hearts of Angels fans for his professionalism, class and loyalty throughout his career and beyond. His admiration and respect for the game was immeasurable.”
The team plans to honor Anderson’s memory throughout the upcoming season by wearing commemorative patches featuring his initials. A moment of silence will be observed Friday evening when the Angels face the San Diego Padres at home.
Throughout his career, Anderson earned three American League All-Star selections and received two Silver Slugger awards. His best MVP finish came when he placed fourth in AL voting. In 2003, he captured both the Home Run Derby title and All-Star Game MVP honors during the midsummer classic in Chicago.
Anderson’s 272 career home runs rank third in franchise history, trailing only current star Mike Trout and former slugger Tim Salmon. In runs scored, only Trout has surpassed Anderson’s total in team history.
The 2002 season marked Anderson’s finest campaign and the franchise’s greatest achievement. He posted a .306 batting average while leading the team with 123 RBIs as the Anaheim Angels captured 99 victories and secured a wild-card playoff spot. The club then embarked on a memorable postseason run, culminating in their lone World Series title after overcoming a 3-2 series deficit against Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants.
Anderson played a crucial role in that Fall Classic triumph, collecting nine hits in 32 at-bats while driving in six runs. His most memorable moment came in the decisive Game 7, when he delivered a three-run double in the third inning that broke a tie and helped secure the Angels’ 4-1 victory and championship.
Following his Angels career, Anderson spent his final seasons with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers before retiring in 2011. The Angels inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 2016, and he continued his association with the organization as a television broadcaster for pregame and postgame programming over the past decade.
A Los Angeles native born on June 30, 1972, Anderson attended Granada Hills High School in the San Fernando Valley before the Angels selected him in the fourth round of the 1990 draft.
Anderson leaves behind his wife Teresa, daughters Brianne and Bailey, and son Garret “Trey” Anderson III.
