Former MMA fighters Gina Carano and Ronda Rousey successfully completed their weigh-ins Friday, setting up their featherweight clash scheduled for Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.
Rousey hit the scales at 142 pounds, while Carano registered 141.4 pounds.
Following the official weigh-in, Carano shared details on social media about her weight achievement, describing it as a significant personal accomplishment.
“I just weighed in at 141.4 lbs. Since Sept 2024 to today, May 15, 2026, I have lost 100lbs,” Carano disclosed in an X.com post. “It hurts to say that and share but I am going to share it because I worked so damn hard every week for over a year and a half to shed this weight. It did not happen overnight.
Carano expressed gratitude to Rousey, “who waited patiently while I lost this weight,” and acknowledged that Rousey provided her “something to aim for.”
Both fighters are considered legends in mixed martial arts, though neither has competed since 2016. Carano’s last bout dates back to 2009. Their upcoming match is part of Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions event streaming on Netflix, featuring several former UFC competitors.
The 39-year-old Rousey built her reputation with a 12-2 record primarily competing at bantamweight (135 pounds), while 44-year-old Carano should be comfortable at the current weight class, having achieved a 7-1 record fighting predominantly around 140 pounds.
Two major social media companies have agreed to settle claims with a school district that accused them of creating addictive platforms that harm students’ mental health.
Court documents filed Friday in federal court in Oakland, California, reveal that YouTube’s parent company and Snap have reached agreements with a Kentucky school district. The settlements resolve part of what was scheduled to become the first trial in nationwide litigation targeting social media platforms.
The Kentucky school district still plans to proceed to trial against other companies on June 15, including the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, as well as TikTok.
Financial details of the agreements with the school district in rural Eastern Kentucky were kept confidential.
A representative for YouTube stated: “This matter has been amicably resolved and our focus remains on building age-appropriate products and parental controls that deliver on that promise.”
The parent company of Snapchat declined to provide a statement when contacted for comment.
The legal battle is part of a massive wave of litigation, with over 3,300 addiction-related lawsuits pending in California state court against social media firms. An additional 2,400 cases filed by individuals, local governments, states and school districts are being handled in California federal court.
A significant victory for plaintiffs came in March when a Los Angeles jury determined that two major tech companies were negligent in creating social media platforms that harm young users. The jury awarded $6 million to a 20-year-old woman who claimed she developed a social media addiction as a child.
The technology companies have rejected these accusations and maintain they implement comprehensive measures to protect teenage and young users on their platforms.
The Kentucky district is among more than a thousand school systems pursuing legal action against social media companies, claiming they created a mental health emergency among students and left schools to deal with the consequences.
The school district is demanding more than $60 million to address the expenses of countering social media’s effects on student mental health and to establish a 15-year mental health initiative to tackle the issue.
The district also wants a judge to order the companies to alter their platforms to eliminate addictive elements.
This lawsuit serves as a test case for similar legal actions filed by over a thousand other school districts.
Legal professionals and judges frequently rely on test case outcomes to evaluate the potential worth of remaining claims and inform settlement discussions. Generally, multiple test cases are conducted before achieving a comprehensive resolution.
TEXCOCO, Mexico – The fifth Street Child World Cup concluded Thursday with championship victories, celebrity appearances, and a powerful message about youth empowerment as teams from around the globe gathered in Mexico for the international tournament.
Young athletes from 28 teams representing more than 20 nations competed in the event, which kicked off May 6 and held its championship rounds in Texcoco, located outside Mexico City.
The famous Irish rock group U2 brought celebrity attention to the finals, with drummer Larry Mullen Jr. conducting the ceremonial coin toss for the boys’ Shield championship match. Band members Bono, the Edge and Adam Clayton watched the action from the sidelines, with Bono at one point encouraging spectators to redirect their attention to the young athletes competing on the field.
According to Street Child United CEO and co-founder John Wroe, the tournament serves a mission beyond sports competition.
“This is the fifth Street Child World Cup. It’s about creating a global platform for young people’s voices to be heard. On their demands on identity, access to education, protection from violence and gender equality,” Wroe explained to Reuters.
“And we invite them to play a world cup where the World Cup is. And it’s all about getting the eyes of the world’s media on them so they can amplify their voices and bring about lasting change on behalf of street-connected children all over the world.”
In championship action, Brazil’s boys squad defeated India to claim the Cup title, leading to exuberant victory celebrations. Mexico’s girls team captured their Cup division championship with a win over Kenya. Indonesia’s boys and Brazil’s girls emerged victorious in their respective Shield divisions.
Brazilian boys team captain Joao JV, an 18-year-old from Rio de Janeiro, described the championship as the culmination of extensive preparation.
“I want to thank God, first of all. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be here in Mexico, especially to be with my teammates. We’ve been training for a long time, two years. And so, it is so gratifying for us to be here because we’ve all dreamt of this.
“To represent Brazil outside the country is indescribable. And so, we’re all really happy. And I thank God for us getting the title.”
Participants emphasized that the tournament offered valuable experiences extending far beyond athletic competition, including cultural exchange opportunities and educational workshops addressing challenges facing street-connected youth worldwide.
“The thing I like the most about being at the World Cup is the opportunity to mingle with players from other countries. I also really liked the light show,” commented India girls captain Pavithra Vellaiyangiri, 17, from Chennai.
The tournament concluded with a festival-style celebration featuring a performance by American rapper and singer Paul Russell, who performed while players celebrated their experiences.
“Yeah, it’s wild to hear that for some of them, it’s their first time on a plane; for some of them, it’s their first time meeting someone from another country. So, it’s cool you can see the way it’s just broadening their own understanding of the world and of their place in it. Yeah, it’s super cool to see,” Russell observed.
Authorities in New Castle County have activated a Gold Alert as they search for a missing Newark woman who vanished Friday afternoon.
Dawn Fitzharris, 55, disappeared near Cordele Road in Newark on May 15, 2026, with her last known sighting occurring around 2:30 p.m. in the unit block of that street.
Police from the New Castle County Division report they have conducted thorough search operations but have not succeeded in finding Fitzharris or making any contact with her. Officials say they are worried about her wellbeing.
LONDON, May 15 – The ruling Labour Party in Britain announced Friday that it has authorized Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to pursue a parliamentary position, opening the door for a potential leadership contest against Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The possibility of a challenge from Burnham, who leans left politically, has intensified difficulties for Starmer, whose party experienced significant defeats in recent local elections, while also causing concern among investors as Britain’s borrowing costs rose sharply Friday by the largest amount in more than a year.
A lawmaker stepped down from his position Thursday to create an opening for Burnham to run for parliament, which he must do to be eligible to challenge Starmer for party leadership and potentially become prime minister.
Burnham had requested approval from Labour’s National Executive Committee to participate in the special election.
According to a party spokesperson, the NEC had “today given permission to Andy Burnham to stand in the candidate selection process in the forthcoming by-election for the Makerfield constituency”.
While Burnham has expressed his desire to “change Labour for the better”, he has not directly stated he will mount a challenge against Starmer, although numerous lawmakers who recently called for Starmer to announce a resignation timeline support Burnham as his replacement.
Previously this year, the NEC prevented Burnham from seeking a different position in Greater Manchester, which party progressives criticized as an effort by Starmer and his supporters to eliminate competition.
Friday’s approval ensures Burnham will not face similar obstacles from Labour, though he has not yet received official confirmation as the party’s nominee. The special election is expected to be competitive against Nigel Farage’s populist right-wing Reform UK.
Shoppers filed a class-action lawsuit Friday against Amazon.com Inc, demanding the retail giant return money they paid through increased prices during tariffs that the U.S. Supreme Court later declared illegal.
The federal lawsuit, filed in Seattle, claims Amazon gathered hundreds of millions of dollars through unlawful tariff charges by increasing prices on imported products before the high court made its ruling.
In February, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that President Donald Trump exceeded his legal authority when he used the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to implement his broad tariff program.
Following that decision, thousands of businesses have started pursuing billions in government refunds.
However, Amazon has chosen not to seek these refunds, which the lawsuit claims is “not because it lacks a legal basis to do so, but because it seeks to curry favor with Trump by allowing the federal government to retain the funds.”
“The problem is that the funds Amazon is using to stay in the President’s good graces do not belong to Amazon,” the court filing states. “These funds were wrongfully taken from consumers to cover IEEPA Tariffs that have since been invalidated.”
The legal action includes charges of unjust enrichment and violations of Washington state’s consumer-protection law.
Amazon has not provided a response to requests for comment.
This case joins other similar lawsuits filed by customers against various companies, including Costco, Nike, and FedEx, for not returning tariff refunds to shoppers.
The lawsuit points out that while importing companies can request tariff refunds from the government, individual consumers cannot recover the additional costs they paid during the tariff period.
To back up claims that political motivations influenced Amazon’s decision, the lawsuit references an April 2025 incident where the company received White House criticism after reports suggested it might show tariff costs on product listings.
Amazon refuted those reports and stated it never planned to display tariff prices on its retail platform. However, the reports led Trump to contact Amazon Executive Chairman Jeff Bezos with complaints, according to the lawsuit.
Two prominent billionaire investors known for their stock-picking prowess have made contrasting moves in the technology sector, with Bill Ackman purchasing Microsoft shares while Daniel Loeb went in the opposite direction.
According to a post on X, Ackman’s investment firm Pershing Square started acquiring shares in the software company Microsoft during February following a decline in the stock price. He stated that the market was undervaluing the company’s Microsoft 365 office suite and its investments in artificial intelligence technology.
Meanwhile, Loeb’s investment firm Third Point took a different approach, disposing of 925,000 Microsoft shares during the first quarter. This move completely eliminated a stake the company had maintained since the end of 2022, based on recent regulatory documents.
Both Ackman and Loeb previously gained recognition as aggressive activist investors who would publicly pressure corporations to improve their performance through various strategies, including divesting business units or replacing chief executives.
However, in recent times, both investors have shifted toward a more subdued approach, avoiding the public confrontations that once generated media attention. Instead, they focus on selecting investments and maintaining their positions. The investment community closely monitors their quarterly regulatory submissions to track their decisions.
Third Point’s filings revealed the acquisition of 175,000 shares in Google’s parent company Alphabet during the first quarter, while Ackman reduced most of his holdings in the same company. According to an inside source, Ackman completely divested his remaining Alphabet shares during the second quarter.
Additionally, both Pershing Square and Third Point initiated new investments in Meta Platforms during the first quarter, as shown in their regulatory submissions. This position was initially disclosed in February when Ackman informed his investors that the social media and technology company would gain advantages from artificial intelligence developments.
The quarterly filings demonstrate that Loeb, Ackman, and other major investors submitting their 13F holding reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission are becoming more discriminating in their investments within the “Magnificent Seven” artificial intelligence companies, which encompasses Meta, Microsoft, and Alphabet.
Motorists traveling on eastbound US 40 are encountering lane restrictions due to ongoing construction activities. Two right lanes have been shut down along the roadway segment that runs from Church Road to Walther Road.
The lane closures are expected to remain in effect until 5 AM, potentially causing delays for early morning commuters and overnight travelers. Drivers are advised to plan for extra travel time and exercise caution when navigating through the construction zone.
Motorists traveling on US 40 should expect delays as construction crews have shut down the left lanes in both directions between Porter Road and Wellington Drive.
The lane closures are part of ongoing construction activities and are expected to remain in effect until 6 AM. Drivers are advised to use alternate routes or allow extra travel time when passing through the affected area.
Traffic is being maintained in the right lanes during the construction period.
Motorists traveling on southbound Route 13 should expect delays due to a construction-related lane closure affecting traffic flow in the area.
The right lane has been blocked off between Hyetts Corner Road and Greylag Road as crews work on a construction project. Officials indicate the lane restriction will stay in place until 5:30 AM.
Drivers are advised to use caution when traveling through the work zone and allow extra time for their commute while navigating around the construction activity.
The United States revealed Friday its growing interest in Guyana’s vast bauxite deposits and other natural resources for commercial ventures, as the Trump administration intensifies its focus on Latin American energy and mineral assets.
This week, U.S. Under Secretary for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg conducted meetings with senior Guyanese leadership, including President Irfaan Ali, in the South American nation currently experiencing significant oil development.
Massive petroleum deposits found within the past ten years have elevated Guyana’s strategic significance, particularly during the worldwide energy shortage triggered by the Iran conflict. The nation’s bauxite deposits are essential for aluminum manufacturing.
The Trump administration has taken a more assertive approach toward Latin American resources, from encouraging expanded petroleum extraction in Venezuela after the U.S. military action in January, to seeking partnerships with Brazil regarding essential minerals.
In a region where energy output appeared to be dropping, Latin America is now witnessing a turnaround of this pattern, according to Benjamin Gedan, senior fellow and the director of the Stimson Center Latin America program.
“In times of global energy scarcity, there’s a great deal more focus on Latin America as an alternative stable source of supply,” said Gedan. “And Guyana is the leader of that story.”
The diplomatic visit occurs as U.S. officials express worry about the Chinese government and major corporations securing lucrative state agreements at the cost of American businesses.
Guyanese leaders have contended that American companies have shown less initiative compared to Chinese firms, which frequently provide funding and address workforce requirements for large-scale developments.
Helberg informed officials that bauxite deposits are already identified, making the U.S. interested in that industry. Presently, Chinese company Bosai Minerals holds the leading position in Guyana’s bauxite market.
“Generally speaking, we both understand that Guyana is a country with a lot of natural resources,” Helberg said of the bilateral talks.
He indicated that America could also help Guyana perform advanced geological studies to identify additional underground minerals for future extraction.
The U.S. aims to avoid repeating previous errors that allowed China to establish influence in the area, according to Jason Marczak, vice president and senior director for the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center at the Atlantic Council.
Although Guyana likely seeks to broaden its commercial partnerships, including with China, the diplomatic mission demonstrates the nation continues as a reliable American ally in the region.
“President Ali in particular is very close to the United States and in general recognizes the importance of the U.S. as a key partner for Guyana,” Marczak said. “That’s reflected by Helberg’s visit to Guyana.”
Guyana’s Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud told The Associated Press on Friday that Guyana wants to draw U.S. investment to the mineral, oil and gas-abundant nation in upcoming months.
“The U.S. is our strategic partner and we made that clear to them but we would want value added to bauxite and other products. We are interested in processing and with improvements in energy generation,” he said.
A major credit rating agency has shifted its outlook for a Goldman Sachs private lending fund to negative, expressing concerns about the fund’s financial stability.
Fitch Ratings announced Friday after market close that it changed the outlook for Goldman Sachs BDC while keeping the fund’s current lower-investment grade rating unchanged. However, the agency warned it could lower the rating further if the fund fails to strengthen its asset protection buffer.
“Fitch believes the asset coverage cushion is low given GSBD’s elevated risk profile as evidenced by recent credit deterioration in the portfolio,” the rating agency’s analysts stated.
Market watchers have been scrutinizing Goldman Sachs BDC and similar private lending funds called business development companies, which provide loans to mid-sized businesses. These funds face new pressures as artificial intelligence advances pose risks to software companies’ business operations.
The Goldman Sachs fund disclosed troubling trends in its latest quarterly report on May 8. The percentage of loans where borrowers have fallen significantly behind on payments climbed to 4.7% at amortized cost, up from 2.8% in the prior quarter.
Additionally, approximately 10% of the fund’s total interest and dividend earnings in the first quarter came from “payment-in-kind” arrangements, where borrowers can defer cash interest payments by adding them to the loan balance due at maturity.
“This elevated exposure could increase the risk of realized losses if portfolio companies ultimately default,” Fitch’s analysts observed.
Goldman Sachs responded to the rating agency’s announcement by emphasizing that Goldman Sachs BDC accounts for slightly more than 1.5% of the company’s total private credit assets under management.
The firm noted that 58% of the fund’s loan portfolio was originated after the current management team assumed control in March 2022.
The remaining 42% represents “older positions that reflect the majority of current credit volatility — accounting for over 99.5% of our total non-accruals at cost,” explained Vivek Bantwal, global co-head of private credit for Goldman Sachs Asset Management.
Bantwal added that the fund’s internal restructuring teams are “deeply engaged with these borrowers to maximize recovery.”
Fitch observed that Goldman Sachs BDC’s debt levels rose during the first quarter, which it linked to unrealized losses on loans in the portfolio.
“We are comfortable with the leverage level at quarter end due to our visibility into near term repayments,” Bantwal responded.
The Blue Hens baseball team experienced disappointment on Senior Day as they fell to WKU despite a standout pitching performance from Doug Marose, who threw seven solid innings from the mound.
The loss came during what was supposed to be a celebratory game honoring the team’s graduating senior players. Marose’s seven-inning effort showcased strong command and control throughout his time on the field.
While the Blue Hens were unable to secure a victory on this special day dedicated to their departing players, Marose’s pitching performance provided a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing result against the visiting WKU squad.
Worcester County commissioners have scheduled their regular meeting for Tuesday, May 19th at 10:00 a.m. at the Worcester County Government Center.
The meeting will be held in the Commissioners Meeting Room, located at 1 West Market Street in Snow Hill, Maryland 21863.
An agenda for the May 19th session is available on the county’s website for residents who want to review the items that will be discussed during the meeting.
NEW YORK (AP) — A judge in New York declared a mistrial on Friday in the rape case against Harvey Weinstein after jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict. This marks the third time the #MeToo-era case has proceeded to trial.
The proceedings focused on allegations that Weinstein sexually assaulted Jessica Mann, a hairstylist and actor, during a 2013 incident. The case examined whether Weinstein committed rape against Mann during what his defense team characterized as a consensual relationship between the then-married Weinstein and Mann, who was decades his junior. Mann testified about a hotel room incident where she said he sexually assaulted her against her will.
Jurors listened to almost three weeks of evidence, including Mann’s testimony. Weinstein chose not to take the stand in his own defense.
Here are the key details about this legal case:
Weinstein received his original conviction in 2020, but an appellate court reversed that decision. The appeals court determined the trial judge improperly permitted testimony regarding accusations that were not directly related to the charges at hand.
During a second trial last year, jurors found Weinstein guilty on one criminal sex act charge while clearing him of another. However, deliberations on Mann’s rape allegation came to a halt when the jury foreperson declined to continue participating, leaving that matter unresolved and necessitating the retrial that concluded in mistrial Friday.
After three days of deliberations, the jury informed the judge they had reached an impasse, but he instructed them to continue their efforts. Eventually, they submitted another message stating: “We feel that no one is going to change where they stand.”
When jurors in a criminal proceeding cannot achieve unanimity, judges generally declare a mistrial.
Several members of the predominantly male Manhattan jury expressed doubts about Mann’s credibility and revealed outside the courtroom that nine of the 12 jurors favored acquittal.
One juror, Josh Hadar, commented that Mann demonstrated an “incredible memory” during her testimony for prosecutors but “forgot a lot of things” when cross-examined by defense lawyers.
Mann endured five days of challenging and emotional testimony that involved extended periods of questioning.
District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicated his office will discuss the possibility of another trial with Mann and will consider what occurs during Weinstein’s sentencing for his recent conviction.
A court hearing is scheduled for June 24 for prosecutors to determine whether they will pursue a fourth trial.
Weinstein had been incarcerated in a New York facility serving a 23-year sentence following his 2020 conviction. Following the reversal of that conviction, he continues to be detained due to his 2022 Los Angeles conviction for rape and sexual assault, which resulted in a 16-year prison term. He is currently housed at Rikers Island jail while his legal proceedings continue.
During last June’s retrial, Weinstein was found guilty of one criminal sex act charge after a jury determined he forced oral sex on Miriam Haley, a television and film producer and production assistant, approximately twenty years ago.
Haley had been employed on the Weinstein-produced program “Project Runway” and testified that he attacked her in July 2006 after asking her to visit his SoHo residence before a flight. Weinstein is challenging this conviction.
In Los Angeles, he was found guilty during a December 2022 trial on one rape count and two sexual assault counts involving an Italian actor and model. The woman testified that he appeared uninvited at her hotel room during a 2013 film festival before the Oscars, persuading his way inside and assaulting her.
OMAHA, Neb. — The investment giant Berkshire Hathaway has dramatically expanded its holdings in Google’s parent company and purchased more than $2.6 billion in Delta Airlines shares as Greg Abel began his tenure as chief executive following his appointment to replace Warren Buffett earlier this year.
The investment conglomerate simultaneously sold off numerous holdings, including positions in Visa, Mastercard, Domino’s Pizza, Amazon and United Healthcare following the exit of Todd Combs late last year, who served as one of two portfolio investment managers that Buffett had brought on to assist with managing investments.
Throughout his career, Buffett maintained hesitancy about technology sector investments, explaining he lacked sufficient understanding to identify long-term successful companies in that space. However, Buffett did break from this approach during his final years by acquiring a substantial Apple position after recognizing consumer loyalty to the company’s iPhone and computer products.
Abel demonstrates greater willingness to embrace technology investments, with Berkshire’s Alphabet holdings reaching nearly 58 million shares valued at approximately $17 billion by March’s end. This represents a significant increase from the 17.8 million shares worth $5.6 billion held just three months prior.
The company acquired nearly 40 million Delta shares during the year’s opening quarter. Buffett previously experienced mixed results with airline sector investments, having purchased airline stocks multiple times before ultimately divesting those positions.
During a 2008 shareholder meeting, Buffett remarked that “if a farsighted capitalist had been present at Kitty Hawk, he would have done his successors a huge favor by shooting Orville down” due to the airline industry’s ongoing struggles to maintain competitive advantages since the Wright brothers’ first flight.
The company also initiated a new position in Macy’s valued at approximately $55 million as of March’s conclusion.
Berkshire maintains its policy of not discussing quarterly changes to its $280 billion investment portfolio to avoid revealing its trading strategies. Abel recently conducted his first annual shareholder meeting as chief executive while Buffett observed from the floor alongside other board members.
Numerous investors have historically monitored Berkshire’s holdings to replicate Buffett’s investment decisions. This pattern may shift until Abel develops his own track record as an investment manager, given his background primarily involves operating businesses such as Berkshire’s utility holdings.
Several stocks that Berkshire disclosed new positions in on Friday experienced price increases following the company’s regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Both Macy’s and Delta share prices rose after the disclosure, while Alphabet’s stock remained relatively unchanged.
The Omaha, Nebraska-headquartered company maintains ownership of numerous other enterprises including major insurance providers like Geico, BNSF railroad, large manufacturing operations like Precision Castparts and various retail and service companies featuring recognizable brands such as Helzberg Diamonds, See’s Candy and Dairy Queen.
A federal investigation has determined that a small aircraft transporting pickleball players to a Texas competition experienced instrument icing issues before disintegrating during flight last month, according to a preliminary report made public Friday.
The Cessna 421C departed from Amarillo on the evening of April 30 at 9:10 p.m. and went down approximately two hours later near Wimberley, located roughly 40 miles southwest of Austin. The crash claimed the lives of pilot Justin Appling along with passengers Hayden Dillard, Brooke Skypala, Stacy Hedrick and Seren Wilson.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board’s findings, the pilot communicated difficulties with the aircraft’s anti-icing equipment designed to protect flight instruments during the journey.
The pilot subsequently informed controllers that his airspeed indicator had become covered with ice and that he was relying on secondary instruments. Air traffic control authorized a descent to 4,000 feet, with the pilot expressing his desire to reach warmer air at a lower elevation to “warm back up.”
The investigation revealed that during the final quarter-hour before impact, the aircraft operated at elevations where atmospheric conditions remained near the freezing point.
Controllers received the pilot’s final radio communication at 10:59 p.m. Following this contact, the aircraft executed multiple descending maneuvers in both directions before striking the ground.
Recovery teams discovered aircraft fragments scattered across a 1.25-mile area, a pattern investigators say indicates the plane suffered an “inflight breakup.”
Weather conditions in the region included mostly overcast skies prior to the accident, with thunderstorm activity occurring two hours after the crash, according to the National Weather Service.
A second aircraft traveling with the same group successfully completed its journey to New Braunfels.
WASHINGTON — The nation’s highest court declined on Friday to restore Virginia’s congressional district boundaries that could have provided Democrats with opportunities to gain four additional seats in the narrowly split House of Representatives.
The justices issued their decision without recording any opposition, marking another chapter in the country’s ongoing redistricting battles that began when former President Donald Trump encouraged GOP-led states to redraw their electoral maps and intensified following a recent high court decision that significantly limited the Voting Rights Act.
Recently, the justices have supported Republican efforts in Alabama and Louisiana seeking to redesign their congressional boundaries to create more districts favorable to GOP candidates after the voting rights ruling.
However, Virginia’s circumstances differed, originating from a 4-3 decision by Virginia’s highest state court that overturned a constitutional amendment that voters approved by a narrow margin just last month.
The state court determined that the legislature, controlled by Democrats, incorrectly initiated the process to place the amendment on the ballot after early voting had already commenced in Virginia’s general election last fall.
The Supreme Court generally avoids interfering in state court matters unless they involve federal law questions. Virginia Democrats attempted to convince the justices that the state court misinterpreted federal law and Supreme Court precedent establishing that elections occur on Election Day itself, regardless of whether early voting is in progress.
Virginia’s proposed amendment was designed to counter Republican victories in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio, and to offset new mapping in Florida that recently became effective. When Virginia’s amendment initially passed, it temporarily balanced the national redistricting competition between both parties.
The Virginia Supreme Court’s ruling disrupted that balance.
Democrats may potentially incorporate the high court’s denial of their request, alongside its approval of Republican initiatives in Alabama and Louisiana, into campaign messaging about partisan Supreme Court decisions.
Leading state Democrats disagreed on whether seeking Supreme Court assistance was premature. “Time grows short, but it is not yet too late,” attorneys representing Democratic legislative leaders and the state argued to the justices in Friday’s filing.
One day prior, the office of Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger had already announced that this year’s elections would proceed using existing districts created in 2021. Virginia Commissioner of Elections Steve Koski stated last month that district boundaries needed court approval by this past Tuesday for primary elections scheduled for Aug. 4.
The state Republican party leader praised the justices’ decision. “Wisely, the Supreme Court of the United States has confirmed the judgment of the Supreme Court of Virginia,” state party chairman Jeff Ryer stated. “This should once and for all put to rest the Democrats’ effort to disenfranchise half of Virginia.”
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has launched an antitrust investigation into Arm Holdings, the British semiconductor design company, according to a Bloomberg News report published Friday. The federal agency is examining whether the firm is attempting to create an illegal monopoly within segments of the chip industry.
Federal investigators are specifically reviewing whether Arm might refuse to honor or diminish licensing deals for its semiconductor blueprints that companies use to create central processing units, Bloomberg reported, citing sources with knowledge of the investigation.
The FTC informed Arm about the probe earlier this year and required the company to retain relevant documentation, the report stated.
Arm generates a substantial portion of its income by licensing its chip design technology to major corporations including Nvidia and Apple, then collecting royalty fees when those designs are implemented.
Neither Arm Holdings nor the Federal Trade Commission provided immediate responses to requests for comment from Reuters, which was unable to independently confirm the Bloomberg report.
International regulators are also examining Arm’s business operations.
South Korea’s competition authority conducted an investigation at Arm’s Seoul offices in November as part of continued oversight of the company’s licensing methods.
Former President Donald Trump indicated Friday that Chinese President Xi Jinping might be willing to free a jailed pastor but suggested that securing the release of imprisoned media mogul Jimmy Lai would prove more challenging.
Speaking with reporters while flying back to the United States from China on Friday, Trump expressed optimism about one case while acknowledging difficulties with the other.
“I think he’s giving very serious consideration to the pastor,” Trump stated during the Air Force One flight, though he noted Xi had indicated Lai’s situation presented different complications.
“He told me that would be a tough one,” Trump explained.
In a separate interview with Fox News Channel’s ‘Special Report,’ Trump confirmed he had raised Lai’s case during discussions but received a discouraging response.
“I would say the response to that was not positive,” Trump told the news program.
“He went through a whole thing and I said, ‘Well, we’d appreciate if you would release him. He’s gotten old, and he’s probably not feeling too well. It would be nice.’ And I did not feel optimistic. I have to be honest with you about that one,” Trump continued.
Lai received a 20-year prison sentence in February after being convicted on two conspiracy charges involving collusion with foreign forces and one charge related to publishing seditious content.
The media executive’s imprisonment has drawn international attention regarding Hong Kong’s national security enforcement, particularly given his role as the creator of the now-closed Apple Daily newspaper. Various foreign governments and international human rights organizations have expressed criticism about how the security legislation has affected Hong Kong.
The religious leader in question is Pastor Jin Mingri, who established Zion Church and was taken into custody in November alongside approximately 30 other church pastors and employees in what represents the most significant action against Chinese Christians since 2018.
These arrests followed new regulations issued by China’s primary religious oversight agency that prohibited unauthorized internet-based preaching or religious instruction by clergy, along with banning “foreign collusion.”
The nation’s highest court on Friday turned down an appeal from Virginia Democrats who sought to implement a congressional voting map that would have benefited their party in November’s midterm elections.
In a brief unsigned order without explanation, the justices chose not to intervene in a Virginia Supreme Court decision that prevented the implementation of a voter-approved redistricting plan. No justice publicly disagreed with the decision.
The proposed electoral boundaries were designed to convert four Republican-controlled House seats to Democratic ones, representing part of a broader national redistricting battle that began last year under President Donald Trump’s direction to redraw district lines for political advantage.
This decision by the conservative-majority court follows their Monday action that allowed Alabama Republicans to move forward with a congressional map more advantageous to their party before the midterms.
November’s elections will determine congressional control, with Republicans currently maintaining narrow majorities in both chambers. Virginia sends 11 representatives to the 435-member House.
On May 8, Virginia’s highest court voted 4-3 to invalidate the state’s voter-approved redistricting plan, siding with Republican challengers. The court determined that Democratic legislators failed to follow correct procedures when they hurried to pass the referendum through the state legislature to place it before voters ahead of the midterms.
Don Scott, the speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, along with other Democratic lawmakers, petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to block the state court’s decision, arguing it had “deprived voters, candidates and the Commonwealth (Virginia) of their right to the lawfully enacted congressional districts.”
They referenced a 2023 Supreme Court decision stating that state courts “may not transgress the ordinary bounds of judicial review such that they arrogate to themselves the power vested in state legislatures to regulate federal elections.”
The Virginia ballot measure represented the concluding phase of an intricate legislative strategy to bypass a state constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2020 that transferred redistricting authority to a bipartisan commission.
Virginia Senate Republican Leader Ryan McDougle, among the case plaintiffs, praised Friday’s court decision.
“The Supreme Court of the United States has affirmed what we always knew: you cannot violate the Constitution to change the Constitution,” McDougle said.
Virginia voters endorsed the Democratic-supported electoral map in an April 21 special election by a margin of 51.7% to 48.3%, with approximately 3.1 million ballots cast.
Through a process known as redistricting, legislative district boundaries nationwide are redrawn to account for population shifts documented by the national census every decade. State legislatures have traditionally handled redistricting at each decade’s beginning.
In this unusual mid-decade redistricting battle currently developing, Republicans maintain a distinct advantage.
Following Trump’s encouragement, Republican-controlled Texas redrafted its electoral boundaries last year attempting to capture five Democratic-held House seats, leading Democratic-controlled California to restructure its congressional map targeting five Republican-held seats. Several additional states have entered this competition.
Democrats experienced a setback when the Supreme Court’s 6-3 conservative majority in April weakened a crucial section of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, enabling Republican-led Southern states to eliminate Democratic-held majority-Black and majority-Latino districts before November’s elections. Black and Latino voters typically favor Democratic candidates.
Highlighting the significance of Virginia’s redistricting effort, Democratic and Republican organizations invested nearly $100 million in the referendum campaign.
The ballot initiative has encountered numerous legal challenges. Beyond the Supreme Court dispute, a judge in a separate case on April 22 also halted the pro-Democratic map, responding to a lawsuit filed by the Republican National Committee.
Alternative asset manager Ares Management revealed an expansion of its investment portfolio through new and enlarged positions in credit-focused funds during the first quarter of 2026, according to its quarterly disclosure filed with federal regulators on Friday.
The investment firm, which announced earlier this month that it secured a record-breaking $30 billion in fundraising during the opening quarter, established a new investment in medical device company Integer Holdings valued at $53.3 million by the end of March.
Additionally, Ares entered smaller initial positions in two business development companies: BlackRock TCP Capital and Carlyle Secured Lending.
The company expanded 17 existing investments, with many focused on business development companies that combine equity funding with borrowed capital to provide loans to smaller businesses. This investment sector has faced challenges recently due to questions about loan quality standards and worries that artificial intelligence technology could harm software companies that receive funding from these lenders. Among its increased holdings, Ares grew positions in Golub Capital BDC and Blue Owl Technology Finance, while also adding to its investment in its own business development company, Ares Capital Corp.
The firm’s sole divestment involved completely selling its position in New Mountain Finance, which had previously sold off $477 million worth of assets in February.
Virginia’s congressional district boundaries that favored Democratic candidates have been invalidated by the state’s highest court, dealing a significant blow to redistricting efforts in the commonwealth.
The state Supreme Court ruled that the congressional maps were invalid, determining that the referendum approving them was “null and void.” According to the court’s decision, state lawmakers failed to follow the required procedural steps to properly place the redistricting question before voters.
The congressional boundaries in question had been crafted by Democratic legislators and subsequently received approval from Virginia voters through a ballot referendum. However, the court’s ruling focuses on procedural violations rather than the substance of the maps themselves.
The decision effectively eliminates the Democrat-friendly district lines, though it remains unclear what maps will replace them or how the ruling will impact future congressional elections in Virginia.
The Goldey-Beacom baseball team’s impressive 2026 season reached its conclusion following an 11-2 defeat against No. 10 ranked Bentley during NCAA Tournament play in Waltham, Massachusetts.
The college had assembled another notable season on the field before the tournament loss brought their campaign to an end. Despite the disappointing finish, the team’s performance throughout the year was characterized as memorable by the athletics department.
The decisive loss against the highly-ranked Bentley squad marked the final game for Goldey-Beacom’s 2026 baseball roster, closing the chapter on their tournament run.
Three student-athletes from Salisbury University’s track and field program have secured their spots at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field National Championships, scheduled for May 21st through 23rd in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Mia Hill qualified for the national competition in the long jump event. Kai Smith will represent the university in two sprint events, having earned qualification in both the 100-meter and 200-meter races. Andrew Osler also secured his place in the 200-meter event.
The national championships will bring together top Division III track and field competitors from across the country for the three-day competition in Wisconsin.
Texas Rangers infielder Josh Smith will spend a minimum of one week in a Dallas-area medical facility while receiving treatment for viral meningitis, the team announced Friday.
Team officials stated that Smith will continue his hospital stay until he achieves complete recovery, which medical professionals anticipate will occur within seven to 10 days. Once Smith resumes physical activities, team staff will develop a strategy for his return to playing baseball.
According to the Rangers, Smith visited a physician on Wednesday after experiencing illness symptoms.
“Our only concern right now is Josh’s health,” president of baseball operations Chris Young said. “This is obviously an unexpected illness, but we hope to see him return to full health and rejoin the club very soon.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meningitis involves inflammation of the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, which can result from viral infections.
Smith has been placed on the 10-day injured list since May 4 due to a right glute strain. The 28-year-old player, currently in his fifth major league season, has also experienced left wrist inflammation while recovering from his previous injury.
Following the Rangers’ offseason trade of Marcus Semien to the New York Mets, Smith assumed the starting second base position. Through 31 games this season, he maintains a .217 batting average with zero home runs and six RBIs.
The Rangers were scheduled to begin a three-game series against the Houston Astros on Friday evening.
Colorado’s governor reduced the prison sentence of a former county clerk on Friday following sustained pressure from President Donald Trump, marking another instance where the president has intervened on behalf of individuals who supported his unfounded allegations of widespread voting fraud in the 2020 election.
Trump had actively supported the case of Peters, a 70-year-old former county election official who received a nine-year prison sentence after her conviction in a plot to illegally duplicate her county’s voting computer system. She is scheduled for release on June 1.
A Colorado appeals court confirmed her conviction in April but mandated a new sentencing hearing, ruling that the original judge improperly penalized her for publicly discussing election fraud claims – a ruling the governor had supported.
In his letter to Peters, Polis acknowledged that Peters had committed serious offenses and warranted incarceration. “However, this is an extremely unusual and lengthy sentence for a first time offender who committed nonviolent crimes,” the governor stated.
He noted that Peters’ application “demonstrates taking responsibility for your crimes, and a commitment to follow the law going forward.”
President Donald Trump posted around the time of the announcement on his Truth Social platform: “FREE TINA!”
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat, said “it was a dark day for democracy” and “selling out our state’s justice system for Trump is an affront to the rule of law.”
“A clear message is being sent to those willing to break the law and attack democracy for the president — they will likely not face consequences for their actions,” Griswold said at a news conference.
Peters had been incarcerated at a facility in Pueblo following her 2024 conviction by jurors in Mesa County, a Republican stronghold that backed Trump.
Peters secretly brought in an external computer specialist, connected to MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, to duplicate her county’s Dominion Voting Systems election server during a state-mandated update in 2021. Following Peters’ appearance with Lindell at a “cybersymposium” that claimed to expose election manipulation evidence, footage and images from the system upgrade, including security passwords, appeared online.
Sen Michael Bennet, a Democrat who is running for Colorado governor, said he vehemently disagreed with the commutation and that Peters knowingly broke the law, undermined elections and was convicted by a jury.
“Lawlessness only breeds more lawlessness,” Bennet said. “With President Trump continuing to attack Colorado, we must do everything we can to stand strong for our institutions and the rule of law.”
Since Peters faced state rather than federal charges, she remained outside Trump’s presidential pardon authority, which he exercised to free those convicted for their roles in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attacks. Nevertheless, the president continued advocating for her release.
Trump has harshly criticized both Polis, labeling him a “Scumbag Governor,” and the Republican prosecutor Daniel Rubinstein who handled her case, for maintaining Peters’ imprisonment. He has described Peters as “elderly” and “sick.” Trump excluded Polis from a White House governors’ meeting earlier this year due to this issue.
The president claimed Colorado was “suffering a big price” for refusing her release. His administration has been restricting funding, terminating federal programs and withholding disaster assistance. It also announced plans to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado and moved the U.S. Space Command to Alabama.
Matt Crane, executive director of the Colorado County Clerks Association, said the commutation “signals that it is open season on our election and election officials.”
“Gov. Polis is bending the knee to the same political voices and conspiracy theories that are undermining belief in our democratic institutions,” Crane said. “This is now Gov. Polis’ legacy. He will not be able to run from it.”
Peters’ legal team reported her health had deteriorated during imprisonment. Peters, who underwent partial lung removal in 2017, began experiencing persistent coughing when the prison activated its heating system for winter and struggled with sleep due to chronic fibromyalgia pain on her prison mattress.
Peters was involved in an altercation with another prisoner in January but was cleared of assault charges in a prison disciplinary proceeding, according to Colorado Department of Corrections spokesperson Alondra Gonzalez-Garcia. She was found guilty of unauthorized location access.
Federal prison officials attempted unsuccessfully to transfer Peters to a federal facility. However, in January, Polis indicated he was weighing clemency for Peters, describing her sentence as “unusual and harsh” for a first-time, non-violent criminal. He reiterated these points in a detailed March post on social media platform X.
“Justice in Colorado and America needs to be applied evenly,” Polis wrote.
Following criticism from other prominent Democratic state leaders, including the attorney general and Colorado’s chief elections official, Polis informed a Denver television outlet that Peters would need to demonstrate “appropriate contrition, apology” for clemency consideration.
Unlike many other Democratic governors, Polis, who considers himself a political independent, has occasionally adopted a cooperative approach toward Trump. Though he opposed Trump’s tariff and immigration policies, Polis endorsed certain presidential initiatives including the Department of Government Efficiency, led by billionaire Elon Musk, and the selection of vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services.
The United Arab Emirates defended its military activities on Saturday, stating through its foreign ministry that any actions taken by the nation were part of protective measures designed to safeguard its sovereignty, citizens, and critical infrastructure.
The ministry’s declaration followed a Wall Street Journal report published Monday alleging that the UAE conducted military operations against Iran during the first part of April.
The UAE foreign ministry’s statement did not directly address or confirm the reported military strikes against Iran.
A former financial official from Mexico’s Sinaloa state has reportedly surrendered to United States authorities, according to a Mexican news publication.
Enrique Diaz, who previously served as the state’s finance minister, turned himself over to U.S. officials, the newspaper Reforma reported Friday. The publication cited official sources for the information.
The report has not been independently verified by other news organizations.
A Maryland-based financial institution established by former U.S. Representative John Delaney has submitted documentation on Friday for a public stock offering in the United States.
The resurgence in public offerings has boosted investor confidence, though unpredictable market conditions and global political tensions continue to make investors cautious, leading businesses to fast-track their stock debuts while favorable conditions persist.
The financial institution, Forbright, operates from Chevy Chase, Maryland, and was established by former U.S. Representative John Delaney. The company’s business activities include middle-market lending, digital consumer banking, strategic advisory and asset management services.
The company plans to begin trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market using the ticker symbol ‘FRBT’.
Major investment firms including Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan and Barclays are serving as underwriters for the stock offering.
The Vegas Golden Knights face significant penalties from the NHL after breaking league media requirements following their Thursday night playoff victory against the Anaheim Ducks in their Western Conference semifinal matchup.
The team must surrender a second-round selection in the 2026 NHL Draft due to what the league called “flagrant violations” of media policies after their 5-1 win in Game Six.
Head coach John Tortorella received a $100,000 fine for failing to speak with reporters following the Golden Knights’ victory.
The organization also prevented media access to their locker room after the game ended. Only forwards Mitch Marner and Brett Howden addressed reporters at the main podium, while defenseman Shea Theodore gave a brief interview in a separate room at Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
Tortorella additionally skipped the traditional post-game handshake line after the win.
According to an NHL statement, Vegas had received previous warnings regarding “compliance with the media regulations and other associated policies.”
The Golden Knights acknowledged the league’s punishment in a Friday post on X, stating they are aware of the penalty and will not comment further.
Vegas can challenge the NHL’s decision next week through an appeal to commissioner Gary Bettman’s office.
The Golden Knights advance to face the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference championship round.
The New York Yankees have sidelined left-handed pitcher Max Fried for at least 15 days after medical scans revealed a bone bruise in his left elbow, the team announced Friday.
The 32-year-old starter had been experiencing difficulties on the mound during May, giving up 11 earned runs and 17 hits across 14 1/3 innings in three outings. His most recent appearance Wednesday against Baltimore lasted just three innings, during which he surrendered three earned runs while throwing 61 pitches.
This marks a significant downturn from Fried’s exceptional performance earlier in the season. Through his first seven starts in March and April, he compiled a 4-1 record with a 2.09 ERA across 47 1/3 innings pitched. His current season statistics stand at 4-3 with a 3.21 ERA.
Fried joined the Yankees organization after inking an eight-year, $218 million deal before the 2025 season, following eight seasons with the Atlanta Braves from 2017-24. During his first year in pinstripes, he earned his third All-Star selection while posting a 19-5 record and 2.86 ERA over 32 starts.
Throughout his decade-long major league career, Fried has appeared in 210 games with 194 starts, accumulating a 96-44 record and 3.04 ERA.
Team officials have not established a timeline for his return to action. Fried will undergo additional imaging in several weeks or once symptoms subside to determine when he can begin throwing again.
The Yankees had not announced a roster move to fill Fried’s spot as of Friday afternoon.
Warren Buffett’s investment giant Berkshire Hathaway revealed on Friday that it has made major changes to its stock portfolio, including purchasing a $2.65 billion stake in Delta Air Lines and acquiring a smaller position in Macy’s while divesting from numerous holdings such as Amazon.com and UnitedHealth Group.
These investment moves represent a broader reorganization of the company’s holdings following the recent exit of an investment manager who had assisted Berkshire Chairman Warren Buffett in deploying the company’s capital.
Regulatory documents show that Berkshire also completely eliminated its multi-billion dollar positions in payment processors Visa and Mastercard during the first quarter, along with disposing of a substantial holding in insurance brokerage Aon.
This quarter marked the first period with Greg Abel serving as Berkshire’s chief executive after taking over from Buffett, and represents the first complete quarter following the departure of Buffett protege Todd Combs, who left to join JPMorgan Chase where he will spearhead a new investment program.
Baltimore Orioles third baseman Jordan Westburg received Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Friday, bringing his 2025 season to an early close, according to an industry source and multiple reports.
The 27-year-old player, who participated in the 2024 All-Star game, initially sustained a right oblique injury during early spring training. While recovering from that setback, he began experiencing elbow discomfort during throwing activities, leading team officials to halt all his baseball-related activities.
On Feb. 20, Westburg chose to receive a PRP injection and was progressing through his throwing routine in Florida before being sidelined again earlier this month. Following consultations with Dr. Neal ElAttrache and team physicians on Monday, he decided to proceed with the surgical procedure.
After establishing himself as a full-time starter with the Orioles in 2024, Westburg delivered impressive performances when healthy. During 107 games in 2024, he achieved a .792 OPS while recording 26 doubles, 18 home runs and 63 RBIs. However, his season was interrupted when he fractured his right hand after being struck by a pitch on July 31, sidelining him for almost two months.
Throughout 2023-24, Westburg split time between second and third base positions before settling into the regular third base role in 2025. He managed 17 home runs across 85 games but dealt with injuries to his left hamstring, left index finger and right ankle.
Over his professional career, he maintains a .264/.312/.456 slash line with a .768 OPS across 260 games.
Defensively, Westburg is considered an above-average fielder, maintaining a .983 career fielding percentage.
In his absence, 24-year-old Coby Mayo has handled most of the third base duties for the Orioles, posting a .174/.242/.321 line through 37 games this season.
China’s United Nations representative expressed strong opposition Friday to a US-Bahraini proposal targeting Iran’s actions in the Strait of Hormuz, calling both the substance and timing inappropriate for advancing peace.
The proposed measure calls on Iran to stop attacks and mining operations in the strategic waterway, though diplomatic sources indicate Russia and China will likely block it through vetoes. Last month, both nations rejected a comparable US-supported proposal, claiming it unfairly targeted Iran.
In video footage shared by Pass Blue, a UN-focused news outlet, China’s UN envoy Fu Gong addressed the proposal during an unplanned interview, stating: “We don’t think the content is right, and the timing is not right.
“What we need is to urge both sides to engage in serious and good-faith negotiations that can resolve the issue. So passing a resolution at this stage, we don’t think is going to be helpful,” he explained.
Fu indicated that under China’s current leadership of the 15-nation UN Security Council, he would oppose bringing the resolution to a vote.
China’s UN delegation clarified that while the council presidency carries responsibility for scheduling votes when requested by resolution sponsors, no such request has been submitted.
The US mission to the United Nations has not yet provided a response to requests for comment.
Fu’s statements followed a two-day meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping that concluded Friday. According to White House officials, both leaders agreed the strait should stay open, with Xi expressing China’s opposition to militarizing the waterway or imposing transit fees.
Xi offered no public remarks on the matter, though China’s foreign ministry expressed Beijing’s dissatisfaction with the Iran conflict, declaring: “This conflict, which should never have happened, has no reason to continue.”
Israeli military forces launched an airstrike Friday evening in Gaza targeting a high-ranking Hamas military commander, according to statements from Israeli leadership.
The strike was aimed at Izz al-Din al-Haddad, who leads Hamas’ Qassam brigades, though officials have not confirmed whether he was killed or wounded in the attack. Hamas has not issued any response regarding the strike.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed their military conducted the operation Friday evening specifically targeting al-Haddad.
Gaza City experienced at least two separate Israeli strikes that evening. One hit a residential structure while the other struck a vehicle. Medical personnel at Palestine Red Crescent Society’s Saraya Field Hospital and Shifa hospital reported seven fatalities and dozens of wounded individuals from the attacks.
According to Netanyahu and Katz, al-Haddad played a key role as “one of the architects” behind the Oct. 7 attack.
The territory continues experiencing almost daily Israeli military action even with a fragile ceasefire in place since October. Gaza Health Ministry data shows over 850 deaths have occurred since that agreement. The Health Ministry operates under Gaza’s Hamas-controlled government but employs medical professionals who keep comprehensive records that international observers generally consider credible.
Israeli leadership warned they will persist in pursuing anyone involved in the Oct. 7 assault, during which militants killed approximately 1,200 people and captured 251 hostages. Gaza’s death toll has exceeded 72,700 since Israel began its military response to Hamas’ 2023 attack.
“Sooner or later, Israel will reach you,” their statement declared.
Local residents reported additional airstrikes following the operation against al-Haddad, though the military’s targets in those subsequent attacks remained unclear.
Both sides have accused each other of ceasefire violations since the unstable agreement took effect. Israel has continued targeting Hamas operatives within the coastal territory, most recently killing the son of Hamas’ chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya.
A Tennessee man accepted responsibility Friday for his involvement in the fatal shooting of rapper Young Dolph during a broad daylight attack at a Memphis cookie shop, bringing closure to legal proceedings that began after the music artist’s stunning murder in his home city over four years ago.
Cornelius Smith Jr., 36, entered a guilty plea to second-degree murder charges in a Memphis courtroom through a prosecutorial agreement that eliminated additional charges he faced, according to a statement from the district attorney’s office. The plea arrangement resulted in a 20-year prison term for Smith.
Both Smith and Justin Johnson faced first-degree murder accusations in the November 2021 slaying of Young Dolph at his preferred bakery, situated close to where he grew up in a blue-collar Memphis community.
During Johnson’s trial, Smith served as the primary prosecution witness, leading to Johnson’s first-degree murder conviction in 2024 after Smith identified him as the accomplice gunman. Johnson received a life sentence in September 2024, followed by additional sentences for conspiracy to commit murder and illegal firearm possession as a convicted felon.
Smith provided testimony during Hernandez Govan’s trial as well, though Govan was cleared in August of accusations that he orchestrated the murder.
Young Dolph, legally known as Adolph Thornton Jr., worked as a rapper, independent record label executive and producer who was raised in Memphis and respected throughout the community for his philanthropic efforts. The 36-year-old had returned to his hometown to distribute Thanksgiving turkeys to local families when the shooting occurred.
The attack sent shockwaves through the music industry as yet another promising rap artist’s life was cut short, joining the ranks of Tupac Shakur, Notorious B.I.G. and Nipsey Hussle.
Officials reported that two individuals stepped out of a white Mercedes-Benz and opened fire on the rapper at the bakery location. Medical examiner findings showed he died from approximately 20 gunshot wounds.
Following the tragedy, Makeda’s Homemade Cookies became a shrine honoring Young Dolph’s memory. The city also paid tribute to him during a Memphis Grizzlies basketball game and designated a street in his honor, while artists created murals depicting the rapper throughout the area.
Legal officials have described the murder as connected to Anthony “Big Jook” Mims’ desire for retribution against Young Dolph over insulting songs targeting Big Jook and the music company he co-managed for his sibling, rapper Yo Gotti. Smith’s testimony revealed that Big Jook offered $100,000 for Young Dolph’s death and smaller rewards for targeting all performers signed to Young Dolph’s label, Paper Route Empire.
During Justin Johnson’s court proceedings, a prosecutor explained to the jury that Cocaine Muzik Group (currently called Collective Music Group), a competing record company established by Yo Gotti, sought to recruit Young Dolph, but he declined their offer.
Big Jook died in a shooting outside a restaurant in January 2024. Authorities have made no arrests in his death, and he never faced charges related to Young Dolph’s murder.
In his testimony, Smith stated, “I didn’t know anything about Paper Route having no hits,” until Govan informed him about the situation. He claimed Govan recruited him to “do the hits” and planned to keep $10,000 as his portion.
However, jurors in Govan’s case remained unconvinced that he planned the killings.
Young Dolph’s death prompted an outpouring of tribute messages across social media platforms for the artist, whose songs explored Memphis street culture and his parents’ struggles with crack addiction, while sharing powerful messages about resilience and determination through adversity. His reputation as an uncompromising independent performer and entrepreneur became legendary in hip-hop circles.
Young Dolph launched his musical journey through multiple mixtape releases. His recorded albums featured his 2016 first release, “King of Memphis.” He worked with various artists on additional mixtapes and albums, including Key Glock, Megan Thee Stallion, T.I., Gucci Mane and 2 Chainz, among others. Three of Young Dolph’s albums achieved top 10 status on the Billboard 200 chart, with 2020’s “Rich Slave” reaching the No. 4 position.
WASHINGTON — The Defense Department is reducing thousands of military personnel in Europe by stopping planned deployments to Poland and Germany rather than withdrawing forces currently stationed there, according to U.S. officials, as President Donald Trump has clashed with allies over the Iran war and demanded changes.
Multiple U.S. officials confirmed that 4,000 service members from the Army’s 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division will no longer deploy to Poland this week as scheduled. The Trump administration had initially announced it was only reducing U.S. forces in Germany, leading to questions and backlash in both Warsaw and Washington.
Two officials told The Associated Press the Poland deployment was stopped after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a directive instructing the Joint Chiefs of Staff to remove a brigade combat team from Europe. One official said military leaders were given the authority to choose which unit would be affected.
In addition to the Army combat team stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, the directive also resulted in canceling an upcoming German deployment of a battalion specialized in firing long-range rockets and missiles, the two officials said, speaking anonymously to discuss sensitive military matters.
Three U.S. officials indicated the canceled deployments were designed to fulfill a presidential directive issued in early May to decrease European troop levels by roughly 5,000. The rationale appears poorly communicated, as others stationed in Europe said they were unaware whether the stopped Poland deployment was connected to the previously announced troop reduction.
Trump and the Pentagon have stated in recent weeks they were reducing at least 5,000 troops in Germany after Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the U.S. was being “humiliated” by the Iranian leadership and criticized what he called a lack of strategy in the war.
The reduction demonstrates a widening divide between the administration and traditional European allies, with the U.S. leader repeatedly criticizing fellow NATO members for insufficient support for the Iran conflict.
Polish officials on Friday maintained that the canceled U.S. deployment to Poland, which was first reported by The Military Times and other publications, was not specifically targeting their nation but resulted from Trump’s decision to decrease troop numbers in Germany.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he “received assurances” that the decision was logistical in nature and stated it does not directly affect deterrence capabilities and Poland’s security.
Joel Valdez, a Pentagon spokesman, said “the decision to withdraw troops follows a comprehensive, multilayered process” and argued it was “not an unexpected, last-minute decision.”
During a Congressional hearing Friday, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the Army’s chief of staff, said discussions about the stopped Poland deployment occurred over the past two weeks but the actual decision was made in recent days.
Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska said he spoke with Polish officials Thursday and they were “blindsided.”
The action also left some U.S. military personnel in Europe uninformed about how the Trump administration was reducing forces. A U.S. official based in Europe said a meeting was scheduled with 20 minutes’ notice on Monday to discuss the Poland deployment cancellation.
At that point, troops had already been deployed to Poland and some still in the U.S. were informed shortly before departure not to travel to the airport, that official said. Another official said most of the Army unit’s equipment had already reached Europe and was waiting in ports.
Democratic and Republican lawmakers criticized the reductions as conveying the wrong message to both allies and Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose forces this week launched one of the most devastating attacks on the Ukrainian capital in the 4-year-old war.
During the House Armed Services Committee hearing Friday, LaNeve said he collaborated with U.S. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, commander in Europe of both American and NATO forces, after Grynkewich received instructions for the force reduction.
“I’ve worked with him in close consultation of what that force unit would be, and it made the most sense for that brigade to not do its deployment in theater,” LaNeve said.
Bacon called the decision “reprehensible” and said it was “an embarrassment to our country what we just did to Poland.”
Republican Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama, who chairs the committee, said the military is required to consult with lawmakers and that did not happen.
“So we don’t know what’s going on here,” Rogers said. “But I can just tell you we’re not happy with what’s being talked about.”
A State Department official said Friday at a security conference in Tallinn, Estonia, that the U.S. reductions in Europe were “right there in black and white” but also noted that “the U.S. isn’t going anywhere.”
“We’ll continue to work with the Pentagon and work with our partners to make sure we get the right fit and right mix of what’s happening here on the ground,” said Thomas G. DiNanno, U.S. undersecretary of state for arms control and international security.
With the stopped deployments, the U.S. military presence in Europe will now return to pre-2022 levels, before Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, one U.S. official said.
Europe has been preparing for a reduction since Trump returned to the White House, with the administration warning that Europe would need to handle its own security, including Ukraine’s, going forward.
A NATO official said the U.S. decision to cancel its rotational deployment to Poland would not affect NATO’s deterrence and defense plans. Canada and Germany have increased their presence on the alliance’s eastern flank, which contributes to NATO’s overall strength, the official said, requesting anonymity in line with NATO regulations.
Ben Hodges, former commanding general of U.S. Army Europe, said the move “reinforces the perception that the United States just does things without consultation with allies,” which ultimately “damages cohesion inside the alliance.” The decision would eventually harm the U.S. defense industry as it reduces partner trust, he said.
Approximately 10,000 U.S. troops are typically stationed in Poland, the majority present in the country on a rotational basis. Only about 300 troops are permanently stationed in the country, according to the U.S. Congressional Research Service.
Polish officials had hoped they would be exempt from any cuts as Poland spends the most in NATO on defense as a proportion of its economy — around 4.7% in 2025. Hegseth has called it a “model ally” in NATO for spending so much on defense.
When Poland’s conservative president, Karol Nawrocki, visited the White House in September, Trump said he didn’t intend to pull U.S. troops out of Poland. “We’ll put more there if they want,” Trump said at the time.
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Grab one from the shelf. Let yourself be drawn in by its shining cover. Look at the incredibly muscled figure wearing a form-fitting costume. The hero will undoubtedly be flying, yelling, or launching a bad guy into oblivion.
They’re absurd. They’re irresistibly wonderful. Superhero comic books are purely American creations.
When you contrast the slender comic book with Europe’s graphic novels, they seem fragile and childish. Stack the American comic against Japanese Manga and they look pure in their obsession with good versus evil; they recall a bygone era of American values.
Previously costing a nickel, a dime, a quarter, now priced like a coffee drink, they represent American consumer culture. The comic book is storytelling in fast-food form. Visual treats, mental candy.
But what makes them distinctly American products is the narrative that unfolds across their 32 pages month after month, year after year.
When the Fantastic Four embarked on their life-changing space mission in 1961 and “cosmic rays” changed the foursome into reluctant superheroes, comics ventured into strange territory where the mighty were also the unwilling, thoroughly contemporary casualties of science and fate.
Spider-Man, the Hulk, Wolverine (the roster continues) received extraordinary powers that turned them into outsiders, forcing them to become imperfect saviors.
They were, through some aspect of the American spirit, tied to Peter Parker’s ethical code: “With great power comes great responsibility.” They represent variations of an American Sisyphus, destined to rescue us repeatedly.
What could be more distinctly American — that strength, when coupled with a moral compass, ultimately triumphs? So noble, so innocent.
Even now, despite darker themes, Marvel and DC, the industry giants, keep reimagining American identity.
Previously supporting characters in stories dominated by white male protagonists, Gwen Stacy, Jean Grey and Susan Storm have recently stepped forward as leaders to refresh the Spider-Man, X-Men and Fantastic Four storylines. Absolute Wonder Woman has pioneered new territory with stunning artwork. Miles Morales represents Spidey for today’s audience.
Still, the fundamental conflicts persist.
Bruce Wayne struggles to form connections beyond his butler; he embodies the isolated individual in fragmented America. Steve Rogers carries the weight of symbolizing the “Greatest Generation” from World War II. He remains a Captain America perpetually displaced, even in his homeland.
And could there be a more representative tech billionaire manipulating humanity’s destiny than Superman’s enemy Lex Luthor and his megalomaniacal fantasies? If only our reality included a glasses-wearing Clark Kent watching over us. Just to be safe.
The United States may bring criminal charges against former Cuban President Raul Castro, age 94, in relation to Cuba’s fatal downing of aircraft belonging to the relief organization Brothers to the Rescue in 1996.
Castro stands as one of the founding architects of Cuba’s communist system and continues to serve as a unifying force for supporters of the 1959 revolution that transformed the island nation.
Early Revolutionary Role and Military Leadership
• Castro, born in 1931, played a crucial role with his elder brother Fidel during the 1959 insurgency that overthrew American-supported ruler Fulgencio Batista and initiated Cuba’s transformation to communism.
• For many years, Castro held the position of defense minister under his brother’s leadership, establishing strong connections throughout Cuba’s military and government apparatus.
• His responsibilities included helping repel the American-backed Bay of Pigs assault in 1961 and managing Cuba’s military operations abroad, especially throughout Africa.
Rise to Leadership
• Castro’s path to power began in 2006 when Fidel became seriously ill, first taking on interim presidential duties before officially assuming the presidency in 2008.
• When Fidel died in 2016, Castro continued as the nation’s primary political authority, defying predictions that his brother’s passing would weaken the communist system.
Continued Influence Behind the Scenes
• Castro held the presidency through 2018. Upon leaving office, he kept his ceremonial rank of “army general” and maintains considerable sway over Cuba’s Communist Party, military, and government structures.
• Present leader Miguel Diaz-Canel is generally viewed as depending on Castro’s counsel for important policy choices.
• This past December 2025, Castro recommended delaying the Communist Party gathering meant to select Diaz-Canel’s replacement, pointing to the nation’s severe financial troubles. Party leadership unanimously supported his suggestion.
• Castro made his most recent public appearance on May 1 during International Workers’ Day celebrations. Dressed in military attire, he walked with Diaz-Canel and other government figures but looked tired and unexpectedly needed to take a seat during the event.
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — During their second round at the PGA Championship, the trio of Justin Thomas, Keegan Bradley and Cameron Young found themselves placed on pace-of-play monitoring, leaving them confused about why officials targeted their group.
The slow play wasn’t limited to just their threesome. Thomas contended that rather than causing delays for trailing players, his group was actually waiting on the golfers in front of them. Television coverage showed Thomas and Bradley gesturing toward the preceding group while on Aronimink Golf Club’s fourth hole.
“The hard part to me with the whole pace of play thing is that you, there’s so much that goes into golf and there’s so much that goes into hole to hole,” Thomas said. “… Are you hitting it close? Are you able to tap it in, or you have to mark it? Stuff like that — are you holding the group up or are you not — to where it’s very hard to make that call. And we just didn’t agree with it, to be honest.”
After picking up their pace on the following hole, officials removed the timing restriction from Thomas’s group. While multiple delays during clock monitoring can lead to penalty strokes, Thomas maintained he never felt pressured to rush his shots.
“I backed off on my first shot being on the clock, even,” Thomas said. “It’s just, it’s so hard out here, and that’s the last thing I’m going to do is make a mistake because I feel like I’m rushing.
“If we were, for some reason, to get in a position where I was getting, we were getting bad times and we were continuing to be on, I would have had more discussions with the rules officials to kind of plead my case.”
This marked the second consecutive day at the major where playing times regularly surpassed five hours, occasionally reaching 5½ hours. The group featuring world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler alongside Englishmen Justin Rose and Matt Fitzpatrick began their round around 8:40 a.m. local time and finished shortly after 2:10 p.m.
Scheffler and fellow competitors cited the challenging pin placements selected by the PGA of America as a contributing factor to the sluggish pace.
“You just got to continue to try to hit good shots, and most of the pins today were, I mean, kind of absurd,” Scheffler said after shooting 1-over 71 to reach 2 under for the tournament.
“They were just so far into the areas where we thought the pins were going to be, and then they just — like the one on 14 was probably the hardest pin that I’ve seen in a long time just because, I mean, there’s literally just like a spine (in the green) and they’re like, ‘Oh, we’ll just put the pin right on top of it.’ And you’re like, ‘All right, well, I’ll see what I can do.’”
Chris Gotterup shared comparable sentiments despite recording an impressive 5-under 65.
“I don’t think it’s unfair, but I do think for pace of play and certain aspects, there have been a couple — you know, 14 today is probably aggressive, I will say,” Gotterup said. “You’re hitting a 4-iron to a 10-foot circle, and if it doesn’t go there, it’s off the green, and if you hit it 40 feet left, you have a very hard 2-putt.”
Course design appears to contribute to the delays as well. With 156 competitors starting from both the first and 10th tees — which utilize the same tee area — groups sometimes encounter bottlenecks. Additionally, players finishing the eighth hole must navigate through the 11th tee area to reach the ninth tee.
“Back nine requires a little bit more quality, and pace of play was incredibly slow on the back,” Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard said Thursday. “We were two groups (waiting at a time) on a couple tee boxes. It was hard to get into a rhythm. Where, on the front nine, we were on the fly.”
Slow play commonly becomes an issue at major championships due to their large participant fields, though conditions should improve over the weekend after Friday’s cut reduces the field to the top 70 players and ties.
The Trump administration has implemented a policy that removes civil service job protections from workers at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, according to internal communications obtained by Reuters.
Staff members at multiple agencies within HHS received notification via email that their colleagues would lose these protections through a reclassification process called Schedule P/C, previously known as Schedule F.
The internal message indicated that the policy change would initially impact workers “on the order of hundreds, not thousands,” with the possibility of additional groups being affected later.
A department official verified the email was genuine and stated it “reflects the finalization of previously announced RIFs,” which stands for reductions in force or mass layoffs. The same official indicated that no additional RIFs were being planned at this time.
Manchester City announced Friday that United States Women’s National Team midfielder Sam Coffey is on the road to recovery following minor knee surgery performed earlier in the week.
The club did not provide specific details about Coffey’s injury or the surgical procedure. Manchester City stated that Coffey would “work on recovery over the summer.”
The 27-year-old player transferred from the NWSL’s Portland Thorns to Manchester City in January for an $875,000 transfer fee. During her time with the English club, she appeared in 10 matches and contributed to Manchester City’s Women’s Super League Championship victory.
As a key player for the USWNT, Coffey has netted five goals across 46 international appearances and serves as one of the team’s leaders. She was instrumental in helping the squad capture the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
The surgery will cause Coffey to sit out upcoming matches against Brazil scheduled for June 6 and June 9. Medical staff anticipate she will make a complete recovery in time for World Cup qualifying matches beginning in November.
During her four-year tenure with Portland from 2022-25, Coffey recorded five goals and 17 assists over 98 appearances. She played a crucial role in helping the Thorns secure the NWSL championship in 2022.
Federal health leadership is closely tracking a deadly hantavirus outbreak that claimed three lives on a luxury cruise vessel earlier this month, with daily briefings being provided to the White House and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., according to a senior health official.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Acting Director Jay Bhattacharya confirmed Friday that no infections have been detected within American borders, and the threat to the public continues to be minimal.
Currently, 41 Americans are under surveillance for potential infection. Among these individuals, 18 were cruise passengers who had already returned to U.S. soil before health officials identified the outbreak. These returnees are now isolated in facilities in Nebraska and Atlanta.
The federal response has faced scrutiny from some public health experts who characterized the initial reaction as too slow. Kennedy has previously faced similar criticism regarding his management of a measles outbreak.
“The Secretary is getting daily detailed updates, as is the White House, and I’ve participated in several of those. I can tell you firsthand, they’re both following this outbreak very, very closely,” Bhattacharya, who also serves as director of the National Institutes of Health, stated during a press briefing.
The CDC has released protocols for identifying and tracking individuals who may have been exposed, according to Dr. David Fitter, who manages the agency’s hantavirus response efforts.
According to Fitter, anyone aboard the vessel from April 6, when the initial case emerged, through May 10, when the final passengers departed, is classified as high-risk.
Additional high-risk individuals include those who had direct contact with infected persons or their bodily fluids, as well as passengers who sat near sick individuals during flights, Fitter explained.
“I want to reinforce that Andes virus does not transmit easily,” he emphasized, explaining that transmission requires close, extended contact.
Those considered high-risk should remain at home and minimize contact with others for six weeks, he advised. They must also coordinate any necessary travel through their state health departments and be prepared to immediately self-isolate if symptoms develop.
A Democratic governor in Colorado has made the controversial decision to commute the prison sentence of Tina Peters, allowing the Trump supporter to be released early from custody.
Peters, who previously served as a county clerk in Mesa County, Colorado, was behind bars after being convicted on charges related to tampering with election equipment.
The early release decision by Gov. Jared Polis comes following efforts by the Trump administration to push for Peters’ freedom from prison.
The commutation has sparked debate given Peters’ conviction for interfering with voting equipment while she held her position as an election official.
A murder that occurred over a decade ago in New Castle County remains unsolved, with investigators still seeking information about the death of Douglas Houser.
The 26-year-old man was fatally attacked on May 15, 2010, around 11:00 p.m. at his home on the 900 block of Rue Madora Drive in Bear. Houser had answered a knock at his front door when the incident occurred.
The victim lived in the Forest Glen neighborhood when the homicide took place. According to investigation records, suspects had approached Houser’s residence that evening and made contact with him at the door.
The case remains open as a cold case homicide, with authorities continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding Houser’s death.
Motorists traveling on Clapham Road should expect lane restrictions due to ongoing construction work affecting the southbound shoulder.
The construction activity has resulted in the closure of the southbound shoulder along the stretch of Clapham Road that runs between Esquiline Drive and Jury Drive.
Transportation officials indicate the shoulder closure will remain active until 6 PM today. Drivers are advised to use caution when traveling through the construction zone and allow extra time for their commute.
Motorists traveling on Interstate 95 southbound are experiencing periodic lane restrictions between Route 141 and Churchmans Road, according to state transportation authorities.
The lane closures began at 2:30 PM and are causing intermittent disruptions to traffic flow in the affected area.
Drivers are advised to expect delays and consider alternate routes when possible while the lane restrictions remain in effect.
A Moscow court has issued a ruling requiring Euroclear, a Brussels-based financial clearing house, to compensate Russia’s central bank for frozen assets, according to Russian media reports released Friday.
The legal action demanded 18.2 trillion rubles, equivalent to $249.7 billion, in compensation for damages Russia claims it suffered when prevented from accessing and controlling its funds and securities held by Euroclear.
Legal representatives for Euroclear, attorneys Maxim Kulkov and Sergei Savelyev, told Russian news organization RBC on Friday that Moscow’s Arbitration Court granted the central bank’s request completely during proceedings conducted without public access.
The defense team contended that Euroclear was denied proper legal proceedings, with Savelyev stating the company plans to challenge the verdict. A spokesperson for the central bank expressed approval of the court’s ruling to RBC.
European Union authorities immobilized Russian financial holdings valued at 210 billion euros ($244 billion) through sanctions implemented following Moscow’s military action in Ukraine beginning in February 2022. Euroclear maintains custody of approximately 193 billion euros from these frozen funds.
The central bank initiated this legal challenge in December 2025. Moscow’s Arbitration Court accepted jurisdiction over the matter despite the EU abandoning its original strategy to transfer frozen Russian assets to Ukraine after Belgium refused guarantees of protection from Russian retaliation.
Instead, the European Union chose to secure 90 billion euros through capital market borrowing to extend an interest-free loan supporting Ukraine’s defense and economic requirements over a two-year period.
Russia’s central bank has denounced any utilization of the frozen assets for Ukrainian assistance as “illegal, contrary to international law,” claiming such actions breach “the principles of sovereign immunity of assets.”
CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has unveiled its most extensive collection of Paul McCartney memorabilia ever put on public display, focusing on the legendary musician’s transformation following his departure from The Beatles.
The exhibition titled “Paul McCartney and Wings” debuted Friday in Cleveland, chronicling the artist’s creative rebirth through showcased musical instruments, original handwritten lyrics, and photography by his spouse, Linda McCartney. Linda served as both keyboardist and harmony singer for Wings throughout the group’s ten-year existence from 1971 to 1981, during which they created memorable tracks like “Band on the Run,” “Silly Love Songs,” and “Live and Let Die.”
Following The Beatles’ dissolution, Paul McCartney transformed from a globally recognized musician since his youth into a family man with young children. Wings represented this personal evolution, according to Andy Leach, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s senior director of museum and archival collections.
The band’s integration of family life — including bringing children on concert tours, featuring a married couple performing together, and creating music inspired by his spouse who was also a band member — was “remarkable and unusual” for that time period, when rock music was predominantly male-centered and family elements were seldom so prominently featured in a group’s public persona, Leach explained.
“What’s interesting about Wings is that they were formed around the idea of reinvention, renewal, risk-taking, experimentation, but collaboration,” Leach said. “And family was at the center of it, too.”
Leach journeyed to London to collaborate with McCartney and his team in selecting and shipping guitars and performance attire to Cleveland. Most of the displayed items come from McCartney’s private collection.
According to Leach, Wings helped establish the grand-scale productions that became synonymous with 1970s arena rock, employing progressively sophisticated lighting and stage designs for tours like Wings Over the World and Wings Over America.
Leach described his amazement at seeing and touching guitars that “I’ve heard on record my whole life.”
The exhibition includes a reconstructed version of McCartney’s Scottish farmhouse, which he continues to own, where Paul and Linda withdrew following The Beatles’ 1970 split and established a recording facility.
Inside the recreated residence, photographs of Paul and Linda McCartney with their children cover the walls, while Linda’s camera is displayed in a case on the improvised kitchen table.
The photographs captured by Linda, a distinguished artist who became the first woman photographer to have her work featured on Rolling Stone’s cover in 1968, demonstrate her position “at the center of the family, and in some ways, at the center of the band,” Leach noted.
Linda McCartney shared three decades of marriage with Paul, who instructed her in keyboard playing after The Beatles ended. She passed away from breast cancer in 1998.
Among Leach’s preferred pieces are the handwritten musical arrangements by renowned Beatles producer George Martin for “Uncle Albert” and the James Bond theme “Live and Let Die,” which became one of Wings’ most lasting compositions.
Additional pieces were contributed by longtime Wings roadie John Hamill, former band members, and the widow of Denny Laine, Wings’ co-founder who also helped establish The Moody Blues and performed guitar, bass, keyboards, and both lead and backing vocals.
The Hall of Fame announced the exhibition will remain open for a minimum of one year, with hopes of extending it through summer 2027.
Leach characterized the exhibit as having “perfect timing” due to what he called “a nice kind of renaissance or at least a new appreciation for them among fans and a new understanding about how remarkable and important” Wings’ musicians were.
He referenced the debut of the Amazon Prime documentary Man on the Run, a new box set, and the upcoming 2025 publication Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run, co-authored by Paul McCartney and historian Ted Widmer.
CANNES, France – Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, whose work earned the first Oscar for best foreign language film from his country, expressed profound anguish Friday regarding the thousands who died during January’s violent suppression of demonstrators and current military conflict involving Iran.
Speaking to media at the Cannes Film Festival following Thursday evening’s debut of his latest work “Parallel Tales,” the Academy Award winner shared his emotional state after a recent visit to his homeland.
“I was actually in Tehran last week, and I am still carrying the impact of these events with me,” Farhadi stated. “Both are deeply painful, and neither will ever be forgotten.”
January saw widespread anti-government demonstrations throughout Iran crushed in what became the most severe suppression in the Islamic Republic’s existence. By late February, military strikes by U.S. and Israeli forces initiated conflict with Iran that has expanded throughout the Middle East region.
The filmmaker, who has primarily resided outside Iran since 2023, expressed his distress at daily reports of civilian casualties.
Farhadi achieved historic recognition when “A Separation” captured the Oscar for best foreign language film in 2012, marking the first such honor for Iranian cinema.
Five years afterward, he claimed the same award for “The Salesman,” although he refused to attend the ceremony as a protest against travel restrictions imposed on multiple Muslim-majority nations during the initial presidency of Donald Trump.
His current project “Parallel Tales,” a French-language drama filmed in Paris starring Isabelle Huppert and Vincent Cassel, competes alongside 21 other entries for the festival’s highest honor.
HAVANA, May 15 – Washington’s intention to bring criminal charges against Cuba’s former leader Raul Castro regarding the destruction of civilian aircraft two decades ago has heightened anxieties across the Caribbean island nation on Friday, as Cuba grapples with its most severe economic crisis in recent memory while facing critical fuel supply problems.
Criminal charges against the 94-year-old revolutionary figure would represent a significant intensification of the pressure tactics employed against Cuba by the Trump administration, which has characterized the island’s communist leadership as both corrupt and incompetent while demanding political transformation.
Cuban officials have not yet issued a direct response to the indictment threat, though Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez demonstrated resistance on Friday.
“Despite the (U.S.) embargo, sanctions and threats of the use of force, Cuba continues on a path of sovereignty towards its socialist development,” Rodriguez said in a meeting of BRICS foreign ministers.
Reuters spoke with Cuban citizens in Havana who believe criminal charges would only reverse progress in U.S.-Cuba relations, worsening the diplomatic standoff between the neighboring countries.
Sonia Torres, 59, a Havana schoolteacher, viewed potential prosecution of Raul Castro, who spent decades leading the nation’s armed forces before serving as president from 2008 to 2018, as an insult to Cuban national dignity during a period of hardship.
“Cubans must always keep moving forward,” she said. “If they try to process Raul, we’ll defend Cuba with sticks and rocks if we have to.”
Strained diplomatic ties between the two neighboring nations trace back to Fidel Castro’s 1959 communist revolution. Castro formed an alliance with the Soviet Union, then confiscated U.S.-citizen owned businesses and properties, fueling decades of tensions between the two nations.
The Trump administration has besieged Cuba since January, implementing a de facto fuel blockade, issuing threats of military action and intensifying sanctions that have compelled foreign businesses – including Canadian miner Sherritt International – to flee.
However, criminal charges against Castro would represent a pivotal moment, according to Peter Kornbluh, an author of a history of secret negotiations between Cuba and the United States, who said an indictment would likely represent “the diplomatic endpoint” to negotiations.
“This was an ultimatum: It’s do or die time,” Kornbluh said. “(The indictment) has created a fig leaf of legality for any military operations to seize or assassinate Raul Castro.”
The United States has previously used criminal cases against foreign political figures to justify military actions, and Trump has threatened that Cuba “is next” after his administration in January captured Venezuela leader Nicolas Maduro.
His government called the military raid a “law enforcement operation” to bring Maduro to New York to face criminal charges.
The younger Castro remains considered the island’s most powerful living leader and emblem of the Cuban revolution, despite no longer maintaining an official government position.
BROTHERS TO THE RESCUE
A potential Castro indictment, the U.S. Department of Justice sources said, ties back to Cuba’s 1996 shootdown of two planes operated by humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue.
Cuba at the time defended the attack as a legitimate defense of its airspace but the U.S. position was later backed up by the International Civil Aviation Organization, which concluded the shootdown took place over international waters.
Fidel Castro said Cuba’s military had acted on “standing orders” to down planes entering Cuban airspace. He said brother Raul, then defense minister, did not give a specific order to shoot the planes.
Havana resident Eliecer Diaz, 45, said then, as now, Cuba had to defend itself in the face of U.S. aggression.
“That’s an invasion … and you have to defend yourself,” said Havana resident Eliecer Diaz, 45. “If they are now thinking of prosecuting (Raul Castro), I think that is wrong.”
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Chris Gotterup walked through Aronimink Golf Club during the second day of the PGA Championship looking like he knew every inch of the course.
The reality is that Gotterup had never laid eyes on Aronimink until Monday. He simply feels comfortable in this region, working his shots through the wind during a chilly Friday morning.
“I slept in my own bed on Sunday, so I take that as a win when I can get it,” Gotterup said. “You know, it’s nice to be back wearing a sweatshirt and being in the Northeast.”
The Little Silver, N.J. native, who lives less than two hours east of the course near the Jersey Shore, posted an impressive 5-under-par 65 that moved him up the rankings during Friday’s second round of the PGA Championship. Through Friday afternoon, no competitor has recorded anything better than a 67 this week.
Gotterup enters the weekend at 3-under 137, positioning himself as a legitimate contender for the major championship. The 26-year-old professional, who has captured four victories since receiving his PGA Tour card in 2024, will advance to the weekend rounds at his fourth straight major tournament.
He surprised many observers last summer when he battled Rory McIlroy to claim victory at the Scottish Open, then remained competitive throughout the week at Royal Portrush and finished third at the Open Championship.
“I feel like, if I’m playing well, I can compete anywhere,” Gotterup said Friday. “That’s no different here. But I think it’s just hard to say what (the Open) did for me other than build confidence. I felt like I played some of my best golf maybe ever as a pro that week, and I came in third.
“So like it’s just one of those things where you just got to keep — I feel like you got to keep putting yourself in position, and you hope that one day it breaks through and it was your time. But as long as you can keep putting yourself there, I think that’s all you can do.”
Perhaps strong winds serve as the connecting factor between the British Isles and the Philadelphia area this week.
Wind speeds reaching approximately 30 mph have made the already challenging pin placements set by the PGA of America even more difficult. While Gotterup’s initial three birdie putts were lengthy shots from 26 1/2, 23 and 20 feet at holes 11, 17 and 3, he executed precise approach shots while birdieing his final three holes.
On the par-4 seventh hole, his 100-yard pitch shot settled just 2 feet from the cup despite the challenging wind conditions. Next came the par-3 eighth, which has proven to be the most difficult hole this week. Confronting a sand-guarded front-right pin placement, Gotterup placed his tee shot within 5 feet of the target.
“Even if it’s a generic shot, if it’s blowing 30 off the right, you’ve got to be able to craft something that is manageable to get it in the middle of the green,” Gotterup said.
“I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better since turning pro at being OK with hitting it to 30 feet being a good shot, and I think there’s a lot of that out here. So I think there’s a lot of aspects of being patient, and I feel like I’ve gotten better at that, but also just being creative and being willing to execute a shot that might, you know, you might not try and pull off in a normal week.”
Gotterup, a Rutgers graduate, mentioned that his parents attended Friday’s round and his girlfriend along with her family watched both of the opening rounds, accompanied by several friends.
“So it’s been fun in that respect. It makes it feel a little bit more like you’re at home,” Gotterup said. “For how much we’re on the road, you don’t get to feel that that much.”
His family and friends can witness directly how Gotterup is becoming increasingly comfortable competing at the highest levels of major championships.
“Every tournament that I’ve won has been a challenge. So hopefully give myself a challenge come Sunday,” Gotterup said. “I’m just trying to put myself there … and if it comes through, great, and if not, I’ll learn from it.”
Armed militants kidnapped multiple students from an elementary and middle school in Nigeria’s conflict-torn Borno state during Friday morning classes, according to local residents.
The attackers arrived on motorcycles around 9 a.m. local time and stormed Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira-Uba Local Government Area while students were in class, said Ubaidallah Hasaan, a nearby resident.
A school teacher confirmed to Reuters that the armed assailants came on motorcycles.
“Despite some students escaping to the bushes, I can tell you many were taken away,” the teacher said.
While no organization has taken credit for the kidnapping, the incident shows characteristics typical of attacks by the Islamist militia Boko Haram.
The notorious group previously captured over 270 schoolgirls in Chibok within the same state in 2014, sparking international outrage. This marks the first school abduction in Borno state since that incident.
Neither Nigeria’s police nor military forces provided immediate comment when contacted.
The village of Mussa sits close to Sambisa Forest, which has served as a longtime base for Islamist fighters who have conducted violent operations across northeastern Nigeria for over ten years.
A local lawmaker, Midala Usman Balami, described the attack as “heartbreaking” and called on government officials to respond quickly.
Despite continued military campaigns, Borno and surrounding states continue experiencing regular attacks on schools and villages, highlighting security weaknesses in remote regions.
Armed group kidnappings have emerged as a significant security threat throughout Nigeria recently, with educational institutions frequently becoming targets, though such incidents occur less often in the northeast compared to northwestern regions.
In another Friday incident, armed men kidnapped students from Baptist Nursery and Primary School in southwestern Oyo state. Local authorities have closed area schools temporarily while police search for the kidnappers.
A religious prayer gathering is being organized by the current administration to take place on the National Mall in Washington, with the speaker lineup consisting almost entirely of Christian faith leaders.
According to reports, only one individual among the scheduled speakers represents a non-Christian religious tradition, while all others come from various Christian denominations and organizations.
The planned religious event is taking place at a time when polling data indicates significant numbers of Americans express discomfort with the intersection of religious practices and political activities.
Preparation work for the event, called Rededicate 250, is currently underway on the National Mall, with crews setting up staging and other infrastructure for the celebration.
A New York court declared a mistrial in Harvey Weinstein’s third sex crimes trial after jurors failed to reach a unanimous decision.
The jury’s inability to come to a verdict marks the second occasion within a year that legal proceedings involving a rape accusation brought forward by Jessica Mann have ended without resolution.
Weinstein appeared in Manhattan criminal court on May 14, 2026, as the proceedings concluded without a conviction or acquittal.
A classic pitching battle unfolded during the opening round of East Regional 1 in Waltham, Massachusetts, but Goldey-Beacom found themselves on the losing side of a heartbreaking 6-3 defeat against Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference rival Wilmington during NCAA Tournament action.
The crushing blow came in the bottom of the ninth inning when Brett Walmsley connected for a three-run home run that sealed the victory for Wilmington and ended Goldey-Beacom’s tournament hopes in devastating fashion.
The matchup featured the type of intense pitching competition that makes NCAA Tournament baseball so compelling, with both teams battling throughout the contest before the dramatic late-inning conclusion determined the outcome.
FIFA has selected “Dai Dai” by Shakira and Burna Boy as the official anthem for the 2026 World Cup. The collaboration marks another milestone for the Colombian superstar, who is no stranger to creating music for soccer’s biggest tournament.
This latest project represents Shakira’s fourth musical contribution to a World Cup event. Her previous World Cup involvement dates back 16 years to when she achieved massive success with “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa).”
According to FIFA, multiple elements influence which songs become synonymous with a particular tournament and continue to resonate with audiences long after the competition ends.
GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Mike Brown accepted the New York Knicks coaching position knowing exactly what was expected of him.
The franchise already had a coach capable of reaching the Eastern Conference finals — and dismissed him right after accomplishing that feat.
Anyone stepping in to replace Tom Thibodeau understood they were taking over a precarious position, accepting a win-now role where success could only be measured by reaching the NBA Finals. The pressure intensified when the owner declared during the season that he expected the Knicks to compete for a championship.
The expectations were unmistakable, though Brown didn’t require any clarification.
“People have talked about a mandate,” Brown said recently. “Like, I’m coaching to win, so it doesn’t matter what others say. I’m disappointed if we’re not in the finals and having a chance to win it.”
Brown has guided the Knicks back to the conference finals, where they’ll face either Detroit or Cleveland. After coming within two defeats of elimination in the opening round — a failure that could have cost him his job — he made strategic adjustments while maintaining other approaches, leading to seven consecutive victories, most achieved decisively.
“He’s done a great job of adjusting our team to give us the best chance to win,” center Karl-Anthony Towns said, “and the spot we’re in now is because of his courage and the trust to change what we were doing and put us in a better position.”
Brown’s credentials certainly justified his hiring. The two-time NBA Coach of the Year became the first unanimous winner in 2023 after guiding the Sacramento Kings to their initial playoff berth since 2006, breaking what had been the longest active postseason absence in North American professional sports.
However, skepticism was inevitable with any replacement, partly because many questioned whether Thibodeau deserved termination. The Knicks managed just one playoff series victory between 2001 and his 2020 hiring, yet he delivered four postseason appearances in five seasons, including last year’s first conference finals run in 25 years.
Still, the Knicks sought a coach with a different approach. They wanted someone who could lead without being overbearing, someone who would make team decisions without creating the impression that only his input mattered.
Brown encourages input from everyone, from front office executives to players.
“He’s always wanted to have open dialogue since day one,” captain Jalen Brunson said. “And obviously he’s still the coach and he’s going to make the decisions and everything. But I mean, we give our opinions, and whether they’re good or bad opinions, they’re talked about and they’re decided on later.”
Brown, naturally, makes the ultimate decisions. His choices during the Knicks’ only postseason struggles proved correct.
Mikal Bridges struggled terribly against Atlanta, and after managing zero points in just 21 minutes during Game 3, many demanded Brown bench the guard who had started every contest during his two Knicks seasons.
Brown maintained confidence in his player, and Bridges is now indispensable. Following a 24-point performance in the series-clinching Game 6 against the Hawks, he averaged 17.5 points on nearly 64% shooting during Philadelphia’s sweep, while spearheading defensive efforts against 76ers star guard Tyrese Maxey.
Brown’s other key decision involved reducing Brunson’s role in initiating offense. Instead, the Knicks have operated more through Towns positioned high, allowing him to locate cutting teammates. His playmaking has created additional floor spacing for Brunson and others to find cleaner scoring opportunities.
Once again, discussion preceded the decision. However, demonstrating the players’ faith in Brown, the conversation was brief.
“The dialogue was: ‘OK, let’s do it,’” Brunson said.
Brown directed the Knicks to a 53-29 record, their finest since 2012-13. Yet there were periods of inconsistency following a promising beginning, and finishing a distant third in the East despite featuring two All-Stars felt disappointing.
Brown countered by explaining that teams must navigate difficult periods.
“He doesn’t listen to the outside noise and he doesn’t let that affect him,” forward Josh Hart said.
Brown maintains this comes naturally. Having worked on championship teams under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio and Steve Kerr with Golden State, he recalls criticism directed at those successful squads.
“So shoot, people can talk about Mike Brown for sure,” Brown said. “But it’s my job to ignore the noise and it’s easy for me to do that because the pressure that I put on myself, that the team puts on itself, to be great or to try to be the best team in the league doesn’t even match up with what everybody else says throughout the course of the year.”
Brown stated his singular focus all season has remained winning a championship. Given how his Knicks are currently performing, that goal appears achievable.
“The mandate and all that other stuff, like, that’s what I expect,” Brown said. “That’s what I want to do and hopefully it can happen, but who knows.”
National Football League officials say their choice to schedule Kansas City for high-profile evening games during the season’s opening weeks had nothing to do with Patrick Mahomes’ rehabilitation progress following his knee operation.
The quarterback suffered torn ACL and LCL injuries in his left knee on December 14th and has stated his aim is returning by the first week of the season. Kansas City will face Denver at home during Monday Night Football on September 14th to kick off the season, followed by a Sunday night home matchup against Indianapolis in Week 2.
“We didn’t know anything more than anyone else,” NFL executive Hans Schroeder stated on Friday.
Head coach Andy Reid mentioned on NFL Network Friday that league officials never consulted him regarding Mahomes’ condition, though he feels optimistic about what he’s observed during early offseason activities.
“He’s doing great right now and that’s kind of how you gotta go about this,” Reid stated. “People go ‘well, he’s ahead of schedule.’ Who made the schedule? Everybody’s different, let’s just take it day by day. Nobody is spending more time than he is rehabbing, he spends seven hours here going through it. He hasn’t missed a day and he wants more, all the things that are Patrick Mahomes. Let’s see where we are at as we go forward as we get a little bit closer to the game.”
Schroeder expressed enthusiasm about Reid’s remarks and noted that Kansas City continues drawing interest from television networks, evidenced by their six evening games, including a Thanksgiving night clash with Buffalo that typically ranks among the season’s most anticipated contests.
Kansas City, which finished 6-11 and failed to reach the playoffs last year after three consecutive Super Bowl appearances, also received five additional slots in the prominent late Sunday afternoon doubleheader time period.
“The Chiefs are an incredible story,” Schroeder said. “They’re one of the most popular teams in the league right now. They’ve been on an incredibly successful run for a number of years now, and have built a hugely popular fan base. We went into the year planning to play the Chiefs in the same number of windows. We didn’t know anything more than then you did, but we’re certainly hoping Patrick would be back Week 1. … We felt really good about it and certainly feel better after seeing Andy’s comments this morning with how Patrick’s rehab’s going.”
Due to Labor Day occurring later this year and the NFL’s desire to host a Week 1 contest in Australia, the season opener was shifted to Wednesday for only the second occurrence in league history.
This scheduling change might become more common.
The league revealed a new Netflix partnership extending through 2029 that ensures the streaming service gets a Week 1 game alongside NBC’s traditional opener featuring the defending Super Bowl champions. Schroeder indicated this could result in more Wednesday season starts.
The 2026 campaign begins Wednesday September 9th with Seattle hosting New England on NBC, followed by a Netflix game the following evening in the United States between Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco. That contest will start Friday morning in Australia.
“I think you’ll see us certainly playing on a couple nights, weekday nights to start the year going forward,” Schroeder said.
The NFL held an international game during Week 1 on Friday evening the past two seasons but cannot schedule another Friday night Week 1 game until 2029 due to the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, which prevents the league from televising games on Friday nights beginning the second Friday in September. Week 1’s Friday will again fall on the second Friday of September in both 2027 and 2028.
The only previous instance of an NFL season starting on Wednesday occurred in 2012 when Dallas traveled to New York Giants. That game moved from its typical Thursday slot because President Barack Obama was scheduled to address the Democratic National Convention that evening.
The Australian opener created significant travel demands for both San Francisco and Los Angeles.
San Francisco will establish a record this season with approximately 38,000 miles of travel due to the distant opener and a “home” contest in Mexico City during Week 11 against Minnesota. Los Angeles follows closely with roughly 35,000 miles of travel this upcoming season.
Both teams return home Friday September 11th, providing some additional preparation time before Week 2. The Rams receive an extra day since they’ll host a Monday night game against New York Giants before consecutive road trips to Denver and Philadelphia.
San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan openly criticized the extensive travel during league meetings earlier this offseason, and general manager John Lynch said the NFL would provide some accommodations.
San Francisco will play three consecutive home games after the Week 1 journey and won’t leave the Pacific Time Zone again until visiting Atlanta in Week 7. The team also avoided games on both Thanksgiving and Christmas after playing both holidays in 2023.
“I’m sure wave a magic wand, they would move a game or two on their schedule,” NFL VP of broadcast planning Mike North said. “But I assume the same is true for the other 31 teams as well. We were sensitive, we were cognizant, and think we landed in a fair place, not just for the Niners and the Rams, but hopefully for everybody.”
The era of every NFL franchise receiving a guaranteed primetime game has ended, with five teams failing to secure games in those prominent windows this season.
Tennessee, Miami, Arizona, Las Vegas Raiders and New York Jets all received no primetime games in the initial schedule. These teams rank among the bottom six in Super Bowl odds this season after Miami won seven games last year and the other four finished 3-14.
Unless one of these teams gets moved into a primetime slot late in the season, this would mark the first time since 2011 that five teams received no primetime games.
None of these five teams received an isolated game in another window either.
Even adding Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and top overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza wasn’t sufficient to earn the Raiders a primetime slot.
This represents the second consecutive season where the team selecting a quarterback first overall didn’t receive primetime games, with Tennessee getting none last season after choosing Cam Ward first overall.
“Not to be flippant, but we don’t draft our way into primetime. We play our way into primetime,” North said.
Rest disparity concerns have gained significant attention recently, though the NFL maintains its data shows the focus is excessive.
This season features notable extremes with both Los Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia facing four games against teams coming off bye weeks, while 14 teams don’t encounter this situation once. The Raiders and Los Angeles Rams each have three games against teams following a bye.
The Chargers will have 22 fewer rest days than their opponents this season, the largest gap since the 2012 Eagles at minus-23, according to ESPN.
“Rest disparity is not a thing,” North said. “You do not have a competitive advantage when you’re coming off your bye. You certainly don’t have a competitive advantage when you’re one day or two day or three days more well rested. If that data suggests that there’s a there, we will adjust.”
FIFA reached a broadcasting rights agreement with China Media Group on Friday for World Cup coverage, securing the deal just 27 days before tournament kickoff and accepting significantly less money than the soccer organization initially demanded.
The comprehensive deal encompasses four World Cups spanning through 2031, including both men’s and women’s competitions, according to FIFA’s announcement. This covers the expanded 48-team, 104-match men’s tournament beginning June 11 across North America, despite China’s absence from the competition.
State-affiliated Chinese media outlets reported Friday that the 2026 World Cup broadcasting rights carried a $60 million price tag.
According to Chinese media coverage in recent weeks leading up to the negotiation deadline, FIFA had initially demanded $300 million for the rights.
Broadcasting rights for India remain unresolved.
“It’s a real pleasure that we have found an agreement with CMG,” stated FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafström in the organization’s official announcement. Grafström traveled to China this week, participating in discussions with Chinese soccer federation representatives.
FIFA’s negotiating position weakened due to the substantial time zone differences, with up to 15 hours separating Beijing from the 16 tournament venues distributed throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Chinese corporations have already committed substantial resources to the 2026 World Cup, which FIFA projects will generate over $11 billion in revenue.
Technology company Lenovo holds a position among FIFA’s eight premier sponsorship partners, while dairy company Mengniu and electronics maker Hisense secured secondary-level agreements.
Chinese business conglomerate Wanda had established a long-term partnership with FIFA in 2016, which ended two years ago.
FIFA did not reveal the financial terms for the 2030 World Cup television rights, a tournament China previously considered hosting as part of Wanda’s FIFA partnership strategy. The nation’s aspirations to host major international soccer events diminished during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2030 men’s competition will primarily take place in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with individual matches currently planned for Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, the original 1930 World Cup host nation.
Brazil will host the 2027 Women’s World Cup, while the 2031 tournament will occur mainly in the United States, alongside Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica.
FIFA member federations are scheduled to formally approve this hosting arrangement, which faces no competing bids, in November.
Grieving relatives clutch them tightly, as though they were still holding their deceased loved one’s hand. Fellow service members have been moved to tears when reading the information etched on them.
More than 100 years have passed since a military chaplain in the U.S. Army advocated for “dog tags” to be issued to all service personnel, yet these identification pieces continue to serve as one of the most meaningful connections between mourning military families and their departed relatives.
“What they’re searching for is connection,” said Air Force Chaplain and Maj, Benjamin Quintanilla Jr. at Dover Air Force Base, where U.S. casualties from the wars in Afghanistan and now Iran have been repatriated. “So these dog tags become just a sacred symbol.”
Throughout major conflicts from both World Wars through Vietnam and Middle Eastern operations, these military identification pieces have represented the ultimate sacrifice made by Americans in international warfare.
The Pentagon notes that the origin of the nickname for these small metallic rounded rectangles — suspended from ball chains and containing name, rank, unit and additional details based on the time period — remains a mystery.
The American Civil War highlighted the urgent necessity to identify battlefield casualties, as enormous numbers of soldiers received burials marked as “unknown” — including 75% of the 17,000 Union forces interred at Vicksburg National Cemetery, per National Park Service records.
Following the Spanish-American War, the 1898 military engagement that established the United States as a global force, Chaplain Charles C. Pierce, who oversaw morgue operations in the Philippines, initially proposed that Army personnel receive identification tags.
When the U.S. entered World War I, all combat personnel were mandated to wear these tags. They became an official uniform component during World War II.
Currently, developments in forensic science have reduced the tags’ importance for identification purposes. However, the religious designation listed on them continues to help battlefield chaplains offer suitable prayers for wounded or deceased troops, Quintanilla explained.
The symbolic meaning of connection makes these tags irreplaceable. Bereaved families cherish both the dog tags their relatives wore and the fresh ones ceremonially placed on coffins during formal transfer services — some continue wearing them or even get them permanently inked on their bodies.
For military personnel, these tags represent the most basic indication of membership.
“I can trust somebody who is wearing the same identification as me,” said Quintanilla, who first joined the Air Force as a dental technician. “It means that I was a part of something greater than myself.”
A piece of Delaware’s educational heritage has found new life at Bellevue State Park with the opening of a restored 19th century schoolhouse.
The Mount Pleasant School House, which holds the distinction of being among Delaware’s earliest public educational institutions, has been transformed into an interpretive facility where visitors can learn about the Brandywine area’s cultural and historical significance.
The restored building will allow park guests to step back in time and discover the stories that shaped this region’s development over the centuries.
ANNAPOLIS, MD (May 15, 2026) — State agriculture officials in Maryland have rolled out a new funding initiative designed to strengthen food storage and distribution capabilities in rural areas across the state.
The Maryland Department of Agriculture revealed today that it is launching the Postharvest Infrastructure Grant Program (PHI), which will distribute $1.6 million in funding to help rural communities build new cold storage facilities and upgrade current delivery systems.
According to the announcement, this grant initiative operates under the broader Maryland Rural Health Transformation Program, which receives federal funding support.
The Newark Police Department has wrapped up participation in a nationwide program focused on strengthening relationships between law enforcement officers and the people they protect and serve.
The department finished the International Association of Chiefs of Police Trust Building Campaign, which was created as a national effort to improve trust and cooperation between police departments and their communities.
The program was developed by the IACP, which describes itself as the world’s leading organization for police executives and law enforcement professionals.
America’s biggest pediatric medical center has reached a settlement deal with Texas officials and the Trump administration concerning transgender youth treatment that involves a $10 million payment to the state, according to an announcement made Friday by the administration and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Texas Children’s Hospital, located in Houston, released a statement saying it agreed to the settlement “to protect our resources from endless and costly litigation.” The medical facility, which treats over 1 million patients each year, stated that Paxton’s office and the U.S. Department of Justice had been investigating its treatment practices for three years, forcing the hospital to “navigate an unconscionable campaign of mistruths and mischaracterizations.”
The medical center declared in 2022 that it would cease providing gender-affirming hormone treatments to minors following Paxton’s legal opinion labeling such treatment as “child abuse” and Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive for the state’s child welfare department to investigate such care reports as abuse. Texas became the largest state by population to prohibit gender-affirming treatment for minors in 2023 — with at least 27 states banning or limiting it — and the U.S. Supreme Court decided in June 2025 that states have the authority to implement such bans.
According to Paxton, the settlement will mandate that Texas Children’s establish a “detransition clinic” offering free treatment to transgender patients for five years to “reverse the damage” from gender-affirming treatment. He characterized it as the nation’s first “detransition clinic” of this type, though this claim could not be immediately verified.
“This historic settlement reflects an institutional and fundamental shift away from radical ‘gender’ ideology,” Paxton stated when announcing the settlement.
Paxton’s office did not make the agreement document public, and Texas Children’s statement did not address the settlement’s specific provisions.
The head of the LGBTQ rights organization Equality Texas stated that Texas Children’s “has lost its integrity and put politics over patients” and described the settlement as “embarrassing.”
“Paxton is blackmailing a hospital system into creating a resource that no one is asking for,” CEO Brad Pritchett said in a statement. “It ignores the actual science and years of data about the overwhelming benefits of gender-affirming care.”
During the Trump administration, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has begun using its regulatory authority to prevent gender-affirming treatment for minors, while the DOJ has demanded access to healthcare providers’ records. Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche stated Friday that the DOJ would “use every weapon at its disposal” to halt gender-affirming treatment for children.
Paxton is campaigning for the U.S. Senate and revealed the settlement fewer than two weeks before a May 26 runoff election where he faces a close contest to defeat GOP incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. President Donald Trump — who has actively worked to restrict transgender rights — has not publicly backed a candidate in this race.
Leading medical organizations consider access to gender-affirming treatment essential for individuals with gender dysphoria. Transgender young people, families and healthcare providers have characterized it as life-saving for youth experiencing depression or suicidal thoughts because their gender identities differ from their assigned sex at birth.
Gender-affirming treatment can involve counseling, puberty-blocking medications, hormone therapy for physical changes or surgical procedures to alter chests and genitals, though surgeries are uncommon for minors.
The hospital stated it fully collaborated with Paxton’s office and the DOJ, providing over 5 million documents and conducting its own internal reviews. All investigations demonstrated that it never broke the law, according to the hospital.
“These efforts have required significant staff time and financial resources to defend ourselves,” the hospital’s statement read. “This settlement will allow us to redirect those precious resources to focus on the life-saving care and groundbreaking discoveries of our exceptional clinicians and scientists.”
Paxton announced the agreement also mandates that Texas Children’s dismiss — “and never again hire” — five physicians who delivered gender-affirming treatment, commit to never providing such care again and modify its bylaws so any doctor violating state law automatically forfeits hospital privileges.
The $10 million payment will be directed to the state’s Medicaid program. Paxton had claimed the hospital submitted fraudulent billings, which the facility denied.
An explosion followed by a massive fire at a Maine lumber facility has left at least 11 people injured, according to local authorities.
Officials in Waldo County have classified the incident as a “mass casualty event.” A spokesperson for MaineHealth Maine Medical Center in Portland, which operates as a Level 1 trauma facility, confirmed they were preparing to receive 10 patients being transferred from area hospitals. Meanwhile, Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center reported treating one patient listed in critical condition, according to a hospital spokesperson in Bangor.
The blast occurred at Robbins Lumber, located in Searsmont, a community of approximately 1,500 residents situated roughly 95 miles from Portland. Officials are working to determine what caused the explosion.
“We have dumped all of the resources from the whole county over to that area,” said Mike Larrivee, Waldo County 911 director.
State police spokesperson Shannon Moss confirmed that Maine State Police and fire marshals had been dispatched to the scene.
Attempts to reach Robbins Lumber for comment were unsuccessful. According to the company’s website, the business has operated as a family-owned enterprise for five generations since its founding in 1881. The site identifies the operation as “a high-tech lumber manufacturer.”
The lumber and wood products sector represents a vital and longstanding industry throughout Maine, particularly in the state’s rural communities. According to the Maine Forest Products Council, the industry generated more than $8 billion for the state’s economy in 2024 while supporting approximately 29,000 jobs.
Gov. Janet Mills announced that public officials were closely tracking the emergency response efforts.
“I urge folks to stay clear of the area, follow the instructions of law enforcement, and allow emergency personnel to respond. I ask Maine people to join me in keeping all those affected in their thoughts,” Mills wrote in a post on X.
Maryland officials have officially opened a new state park that celebrates an extraordinary story of resilience and triumph over slavery in the state’s African American history.
Freedman’s State Park in Montgomery County spans just over 1,000 acres and honors the Howard family, whose journey from enslavement to prosperity helped shape Maryland’s Civil Rights Movement. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources, along with the Office of Governor Wes Moore and community partners, held the dedication ceremony.
The parkland sits on property once belonging to Enoch George Howard, his wife Harriet, and their children, who became influential figures in northern Montgomery County, Baltimore, and Canada. Planned restored buildings and new exhibits will share their inspiring story.
“Black history is central to Maryland’s story, and Freedman’s State Park tells an amazing story of resilience rising from the injustice of slavery,” stated Chichi Nyagah-Nash, Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Wes Moore. “When we preserve a place like this, we are doing more than protecting acreage. We are honoring Black history as Maryland history. And we are making sure that future generations understand that freedom is not merely declared. It is built. It is defended. It is taught. It is prayed over. It is lived.”
The park takes its name from “freedman,” referring to someone who gained freedom from slavery. Maryland lawmakers established the park in 2022 to honor all Marylanders who were emancipated from bondage.
“We rightly honor our well-known historic heroes like Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. At Freedman’s State Park we will explore the story of emancipation through the life of Enoch George Howard, the intrepid spirit of his family, and the community that grew around them,” explained Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary Josh Kurtz. “The Howard family’s contributions to our shared history and struggle for freedom is an inspiring addition to the Park Service’s stewardship of our natural, historical, and cultural heritage.”
Before the Civil War, the Gaither family enslaved Enoch George Howard – the same family for whom Gaithersburg was named. Through exceptional farming abilities and business skills, Enoch George accumulated enough funds to purchase his own freedom, followed by his wife’s liberation, their four children’s freedom, and eventually the very land where his wife had once been held in bondage.
“The Howard family lived a complete arc of the African American experience in one generation, from enslavement to emancipation, to land ownership and community leadership,” noted Angela Crenshaw, Director of the Maryland Park Service. “Visitors to Freedman’s State Park can share the immersive experience by walking in their literal footsteps on this land where they made history.”
Enoch George Howard passed the property to his children, including Martha Elizabeth Howard Murphy, who sold her portion and used those funds to help acquire the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper. This became Maryland’s first Black-owned publication and remains a leading civil rights voice today.
Key historical features within the park include the Howard Chapel Cemetery, Howard Family Cemetery containing Enoch George and Harriet Howard’s graves, and remnants of Locust Villa. This 1790s plantation house was purchased by Enoch George Howard for roughly $3,000 in 1862 during the Civil War – the same location where his wife and children had previously been enslaved.
Greenbury Howard, his son, later constructed his own residence nearby modeled after Locust Villa, where descendants lived until recent decades. The Park Service currently oversees restoration work on the Greenbury Howard house.
Multiple organizations collaborated to develop Freedman’s State Park, including Preservation Maryland, the Sandy Spring Museum, Sandy Spring Slave Museum, Maryland-National Parks and Planning Commission, the Baltimore Afro-American and Afro Charities, and the Maryland Historical Trust. Archaeological investigations have revealed numerous details about the Howard family’s life.
The heavily forested areas and farmland previously cultivated by the Howards will be linked by recreational trails for hiking and cycling. This new park was formerly part of Patuxent River State Park and includes land in northeastern Montgomery County around Brookeville, Olney, Sandy Spring, and Laytonsville.
During a recent walkthrough, Crenshaw highlighted a specific trail location near the Greenbury Howard house that overlooks the family’s former property. She calls it a “Lion King moment” – referencing the movie scene where a father shows his son their kingdom – noting its special significance in representing how far the Howard family traveled toward freedom.
Secretary Kurtz and Director Crenshaw led Friday’s May 15 dedication ceremony. Project partners from Gov. Moore’s office, Preservation Maryland, the Afro-American, and Afro Charities, along with Howard family descendants, toured the property following the dedication. Some park areas are currently open for hiking, with public tours to be scheduled later.
Freedman’s represents one of six new state parks or major expansions the Department of Natural Resources is announcing this year. In February, officials opened the historic African American cemetery at Catoctin Furnace in Cunningham Falls State Parks to public access.
Drivers heading north on Interstate 95 should prepare for traffic delays near the Pennsylvania border due to a vehicle accident.
The crash is impacting traffic flow in the northbound lanes at the state line, prompting officials to warn travelers to expect slower than normal speeds through the area.
Motorists are advised to allow additional time for their commute and consider alternate routes if possible while crews work to clear the scene.
Seven members of Salisbury University’s women’s lacrosse squad earned recognition on the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association All-Chesapeake Region teams, the organization revealed Friday.
The Sea Gulls completed an undefeated season with an 18-0 record and currently hold the number two ranking in the nation. The regional honors highlight the exceptional talent on the roster that helped drive the team’s perfect campaign.
The IWLCA All-Chesapeake Region selections recognize the top performers across the region’s collegiate women’s lacrosse programs.
Agricultural producers across the country saw a minor decrease in what they earned for peanut sales during the week that concluded on May 9th.
According to market data, farmers received an average of 22.9 cents per pound for all farmer stock peanuts, representing a decline of 0.3 cent from the previous period.
The price drop reflects ongoing market fluctuations that affect agricultural commodities and farmer income nationwide.
The PWHL announced Friday that Manon Rheaume will serve as general manager for Detroit’s expansion franchise, bringing her pioneering hockey career from the ice to the front office.
The 54-year-old former goaltender made history as the first woman to participate in an exhibition contest for any major North American professional sport. Most recently, she worked for four years in hockey operations with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. Her appointment also marks a return to familiar territory, as she previously spent 11 years developing talent with the Little Caesars youth hockey girls’ program in the Detroit area.
“She brings an unmatched resume, a championship mindset and a lifelong commitment to growing the women’s game,” said Jayna Hefford, PWHL executive vice president of hockey operations, who oversees the hiring process.
“Her experience at every level of hockey, combined with her leadership and vision, makes her the perfect person to lead PWHL Detroit into its inaugural season,” Hefford added.
The announcement follows Detroit’s designation as an expansion franchise just over a week ago. Since then, the league has welcomed Las Vegas and Hamilton, Ontario as additional new teams, with plans for one more expansion to reach 12 teams next season.
Women now hold seven of the nine general manager positions across the PWHL.
“I’m incredibly honored to join the PWHL and help build something special in Detroit,” Rheaume said. “The city has such a deep hockey tradition, and the passion for hockey here is truly special.”
Her immediate responsibilities include overseeing an expansion free-agent signing period tentatively set to start May 28, followed by the league draft scheduled for June 17 in Detroit.
The Beauport, Quebec native first gained international attention in the early 1990s when she signed with Trois-Rivieres in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. She made headlines in 1992 during a tryout with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, giving up two goals on nine shots during one period of a preseason matchup against St. Louis. She appeared in a second exhibition game the following year against Boston.
Rheaume’s competitive achievements include a silver medal for Canada at the 1998 Nagano Games, which featured the inaugural women’s Olympic hockey tournament. She also captured gold medals at the 1992 and 1994 world championships.
The sudden passing of Brandon Clarke has left many unanswered questions, and those answers may not come for quite some time.
The Memphis Grizzlies player was discovered deceased at a residence in the Los Angeles area on Monday. Following the team’s announcement of Clarke’s death, a source with knowledge of the investigation informed The Associated Press on Tuesday that drug paraphernalia was discovered at the location.
Emergency responders declared the 29-year-old athlete dead at the scene. While an autopsy has been conducted, determining the exact cause of death may require several weeks.
Back in Memphis, the community continues to process the devastating news. On Friday, the Grizzlies released a memorial video, stating that Clarke’s “legacy will carry on in the hearts of Grizz Nation, always and forever.”
Here are the key details surrounding the ongoing investigation:
The County of Los Angeles’ Medical Examiner’s Office will eventually provide an updated cause of death determination. However, this process may extend for weeks while awaiting toxicology results and additional testing.
Currently, the coroner’s office indicates the case remains active with the cause of death classified as “deferred.” The coroner has finished their examination, and officials are now waiting for test results to return.
Additional aspects of the death investigation include identifying who placed the emergency call and determining what other circumstances may have contributed.
Supporters have gathered outside the team’s Memphis arena, bringing flowers and other tributes to express their sorrow over Clarke’s passing. The Grizzlies display player banners on poles in the plaza area outside FedEx Forum, where fans have independently come to honor his memory.
The organization has not yet decided whether to hold a public memorial service or similar event to commemorate Clarke’s seven-year tenure with the team. Plans for family funeral arrangements also remain unknown.
Clarke had a contract extending through the 2026-27 season with the Grizzlies.
On April 1, Clarke faced arrest in Arkansas on charges including speeding and controlled substance possession, reportedly involving kratom, an herbal supplement marketed as a pain relief alternative that becomes illegal in Tennessee starting July 1. He was released on bond the following day. Whether kratom was present in Clarke’s system at the time of death will likely remain unclear until the coroner releases their official findings.
Health authorities have issued warnings regarding the dangers of 7-hydroxymitragynine, an opioid-like compound found in kratom. This Southeast Asian plant has become increasingly popular in America as an unregulated treatment for pain, anxiety, and substance dependency.
A 2019 federal study revealed that kratom-related overdose deaths occurred more frequently than previously documented. While most fatalities involved additional substances like heroin or fentanyl, officials recorded several cases where kratom was the sole substance identified.
The 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward from Canada appeared in only two games this season due to multiple injuries, including a right knee problem requiring surgical intervention followed by a right calf injury.
This marked the second time in three seasons that Clarke missed nearly an entire year due to injury-related issues.
Approximately six weeks prior to his death, Clarke was taken into custody in Arkansas facing charges of speeding, reckless driving, and controlled substance possession. He spent his entire seven-year professional career with Memphis after completing his collegiate playing days at Gonzaga.
NEW YORK — New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby completed his first full practice session Friday since sustaining a hamstring injury, bringing the team one step closer to having their complete starting roster available for the Eastern Conference finals.
The starting forward has been sidelined for the last two contests of the Knicks’ second-round series victory over the Philadelphia 76ers after he strained his right hamstring during the closing moments of Game 2. While he participated in limited portions of Wednesday’s practice session when the team reconvened, he was held out of high-intensity drills.
However, coach Mike Brown confirmed that Anunoby participated in all team activities during Friday’s session.
The Knicks are positioned to host the opening game of the Eastern Conference finals on Sunday, contingent on Cleveland defeating Detroit in their sixth game Friday evening. Should that series extend to a seventh game, Anunoby would have additional recovery time until Tuesday.
Throughout the current postseason, Anunoby has posted averages of 21.4 points per contest while maintaining shooting percentages of 61.9% from the floor and 53.8% from beyond the three-point arc.
Leaders of major social media companies are facing another round of congressional testimony as lawmakers intensify pressure on platforms to safeguard young users.
Executives from Meta, Alphabet, TikTok and Snap have received invitations to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee next month, according to a committee spokesperson who confirmed the news Friday.
This upcoming testimony arrives during a pivotal moment for social media platforms, as legal battles, proposed laws and growing advocacy efforts are forcing tech companies to face increased scrutiny over protecting children and teenagers who use their services.
“Americans are realizing more and more every day that they cannot trust the CEOs at the helms of these companies because they do not put our safety first,” said Sacha Haworth, executive director of watchdog group The Tech Oversight Project. “If it feels like the pace is accelerating, it’s because it is.”
These same committee members previously questioned executives from Meta, TikTok, X and other platforms in January 2024, pressing them about child exploitation issues and how social media impacts young people’s wellbeing.
Scheduled for June 23, the hearing bears the title “Examining Tech Industry Practices and the Implications for Users and Families: Is This Social Media’s Big Tobacco Moment?” Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican and the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, extended the invitations.
Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, Sundar Pichai of Alphabet and Google, which owns YouTube, Shou Zi Chew of TikTok and Evan Spiegel of Snap received the invitations for the upcoming hearing. Meta declined to comment. Representatives from the other companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
During a Wednesday session held by the Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law, senators listened to testimony from child advocacy groups and experts, including parents whose children died from social media-related incidents.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. said at the hearing, “I think it’s time for us, on a bipartisan basis, to call these CEOs back and to ask them what’s happened in two years, to talk to them about the losses that have occurred and ask them what they’re doing.”
The platforms have challenged claims that they deliberately harm children’s mental health by creating addictive features and failing to shield them from predators and harmful material. Multiple state and federal lawsuits are moving toward trial this year, with varying specifics but similar goals of holding companies liable for platform activities.
Two significant court decisions in March found social media companies, particularly Meta, responsible for harming children using their services. A California jury concluded that both Meta and YouTube created platforms designed to engage young users without regard for their safety. TikTok and Snap were also named defendants in that case, but they settled before the trial began.
One day before the California ruling, a New Mexico jury found that Meta deliberately damaged children’s mental health while hiding its knowledge of child sexual exploitation occurring on its platforms.
The hearing date holds special meaning for advocacy groups. In 2024, Senators Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., introduced a resolution to designate June 23 as Social Media Harms Victim Remembrance Day. The resolution encouraged the “government, industry and community stakeholders to take action to prevent social media-related harm.”
Families who attribute their children’s deaths to social media dangers proposed the remembrance day. The mothers of Carson Bride and Alexander Neville, who both died on June 23, lead the initiative. Carson died by suicide at age 16 after severe cyberbullying and Alex was 14 when a drug dealer connected with him on Snapchat and sold him the pill that killed him.
Drivers navigating through the Milford area should expect traffic delays as construction work continues to impact a major roadway intersection.
Route 113, also known as DuPont Boulevard, is experiencing periodic lane restrictions where it meets Milford Harrington Highway (Route 14). The construction activity is causing intermittent lane closures that are expected to remain in effect until 3 PM today.
Motorists are advised to plan for potential delays and consider alternate routes if possible while traveling through this area during the construction period.
BAGHDAD (AP) — Military personnel from Israel established a temporary outpost in Iraq’s desert region during the recent U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, according to Iraqi and American officials who spoke with The Associated Press.
The Wall Street Journal initially broke the story about the covert Israeli military installation, characterizing it as a facility that housed special operations troops and functioned as a supply center for Israeli air operations.
News of the clandestine installation caused significant controversy in Iraq. Iraqi authorities reported that their military units investigated reports of an unauthorized armed presence in the Nukhaib desert region — a desolate stretch southwest of Karbala and Najaf — during early March and encountered hostile fire while approaching the site.
While Iraqi leadership has acknowledged the existence of a brief, unauthorized military presence in the desert area, they have not publicly identified it as Israeli. Nevertheless, two Iraqi security and intelligence sources, along with a high-ranking U.S. military official, confirmed the Israeli identity under anonymity due to lack of authorization for public statements.
Regarding the Israeli installation, the U.S. official noted that “base is a strong word to describe it” and characterized it instead as a “temporary staging area or camp to support operations in Iran.”
An Iraqi intelligence source reported that the Israeli unit had erected tents in the location and “its objective was to monitor rocket launches and drone activity conducted by some Iraqi militias.” Iraqi leadership believes the unit arrived through an aerial drop but remains uncertain about timing, the source explained. They also challenged characterizing the military presence as a “base.”
According to officials, a local shepherd spotted the military presence and alerted authorities.
Israeli military representatives refused to provide comment. The U.S. military had not responded to requests for comment at press time.
The United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on Feb. 28, sparking a regional conflict that placed Iraq in a difficult position. Iraq serves as host to multiple Iran-affiliated militia groups, which conducted strikes against U.S. installations in Iraq and throughout the region, as well as against Israel. American and Israeli forces responded by targeting militia locations within Iraq.
Iraqi leadership, however, urged both parties to keep the country out of their dispute. The possibility that Israeli forces might have operated militarily within their territory without detection placed Iraqi officials in a compromising situation.
On Tuesday, Iraqi military units traveled to the desert location of the suspected Israeli installation to demonstrate to reporters that no evidence of permanent military occupation existed there.
“We believe it was a small force that came and stayed for no longer than 48 hours,” stated Gen. Abdul-Amir Yarallah, chief of the general staff of the Iraqi army during the site visit.
Maj. Gen. Tahseen al Khafaji, a spokesperson for the Iraqi defense ministry, informed the AP that on March 3, military command received intelligence about “a small enemy force in a specific area in the Najaf desert,” prompting Iraqi forces to investigate the location the following day.
“Within 25 kilometers, the force which went there faced an aerial attack, which led to the martyrdom of one of our fighters and injured two other fighters,” he stated.
Al Khafaji explained that Iraqi forces withdrew following the attack but returned the subsequent day to find no evidence of an installation and no personnel remaining.
“It is believed that the force was there for a very short time and it was a very small force,” he noted, adding that investigation efforts “did not show anything that indicates that the force was stationed there for a long time in that area.”
Airbus DS satellite imagery from March 8, examined by the AP, appears to reveal an artificial pathway carved into the terrain at the location, approximately 250 kilometers (155 miles) southwest of Baghdad. The pathway extends in a direct line through a dried lakebed from northwest to southeast, measuring roughly 1.5 kilometers (1 mile). This length would accommodate aircraft takeoffs and landings.
The closest settlement, al-Nukhaib, is located approximately 45 kilometers (27 miles) to the northwest along a route leading to the Saudi Arabian border. This distance would likely have avoided drawing significant notice, although Iraq’s airspace was busy with American and Israeli military aircraft during the active weeks of conflict with Iran.
A young great horned owl that became trapped inside a concrete mixer in southwestern Utah has successfully returned to the wild after months of specialized rehabilitation and recovery.
The juvenile bird was discovered by construction workers at a resort building site in late October, completely covered in concrete after somehow getting inside the truck-mounted mixing equipment. Construction crews quickly rinsed off the owl and wrapped it in a towel before rescue efforts began.
Staff members at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab spent several days meticulously removing hardened concrete from the bird’s face, chest and right wing area. The painstaking process involved using surgical forceps to carefully break apart the dried material and cleaning individual feathers with toothbrushes and dish soap.
Following the initial cleanup, the owl began its lengthy rehabilitation process at the sanctuary’s specialized bird facility. Staff members monitored the bird closely, expecting it would naturally shed damaged feathers and grow replacements. However, when the anticipated molting process didn’t occur, veterinarians decided to perform a specialized procedure called imping in early May.
The imping technique involves using adhesive materials to attach donor feathers from deceased birds onto the existing feather shafts of the injured animal.
“The first few feathers were extremely nerve-wracking, but as we got into the groove, the imping became more comfortable, and everything went smoothly,” said Bart Richwalski, a supervisor at the sanctuary.
The concrete damage had destroyed the owl’s natural ability to fly silently while hunting. Great horned owls possess specialized downy feather coatings that eliminate sound during flight, but the concrete had damaged these features, causing the rescued bird to make audible whooshing noises when airborne.
Sanctuary workers spent weeks preparing for the surgical procedure, regularly examining the owl’s wing structure and trimming damaged feather shafts in preparation. During the 90-minute operation, the sedated bird received 10 new primary feathers and one secondary feather on its right wing, all carefully measured and positioned using feathers from a similarly-sized owl that had previously died.
The critical test came after the procedure: determining whether the owl could once again fly without making noise. After recovering from anesthesia in a large flight enclosure, the bird quickly took to the air. Richwalski used sound-measuring equipment to confirm the owl’s wingbeats were quiet enough for successful hunting in the wild.
When the enclosure’s roof was opened, the owl briefly hovered before accelerating upward and disappearing into the surrounding wilderness.
“It feels so, so good. I think my heart finally started beating again. The nervousness was starting to overtake the excitement, but once I saw him fly out that opening in the roof, it just was, it was a sight to see. It was so fun,” said Richwalski, who has cared for the owl since picking him up at the construction site.
Karla Bloem, executive director of the Minnesota-based International Owl Center, explained that the imping technique has been used by falconers “for eons” and represents a highly successful treatment method.
“I’ve never heard of it not lasting, because you use some pretty good stuff when you’re doing imping,” said Bloem, who has studied great horned owls for nearly three decades.
She noted that losing a few of the grafted feathers wouldn’t pose a problem, as long as most remain attached until the owl can naturally grow new ones during the upcoming summer season.
“And now it just needs to figure out, ‘whoa, I’m back in the big world again, hunting,’” she said. “Find a territory … you know, find one of the opposite sex and settle down and have kids.”
MIAMI (AP) — Federal prosecutors are moving forward with plans to pursue criminal charges against former Cuban President Raúl Castro, according to three individuals with knowledge of the situation who spoke to The Associated Press on Friday. This development occurs as President Donald Trump considers potential military action against the communist nation.
According to one source, the proposed charges relate to Castro’s suspected involvement in the 1996 downing of four aircraft belonging to Brothers to the Rescue, a Miami-based exile organization. Castro served as defense minister during that time period.
The three sources requested anonymity as they were not permitted to speak publicly about the active investigation.
CBS initially reported on the possible charges, which would require grand jury approval to proceed.
In March, The AP revealed that Miami’s U.S. Attorney had established a specialized team of prosecutors and federal agents to develop cases against senior Cuban leadership. This followed demands from multiple south Florida Republicans to reexamine Castro’s suspected connection to the 1996 aircraft incident. The United States has secured only one conviction for conspiracy to commit murder related to this event.
While Trump works to conclude military operations in Iran, observers anticipate he may refocus on Cuba after promising a “friendly takeover” of the nation earlier this year if its government failed to welcome American investment and remove U.S. enemies.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe conducted meetings with Cuban representatives, including Castro’s grandson, during a significant diplomatic visit to the island on Thursday.
The 94-year-old Castro assumed the presidency from his brother Fidel Castro in 2011, later transferring authority to his chosen successor, Miguel Díaz-Canel, in 2019. Though he has maintained a low profile since stepping down as Cuban Communist Party leader in 2021, many believe he continues to exercise influence from behind the scenes. This is highlighted by the prominent role of his grandson, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, who previously held confidential meetings with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
An Army sergeant’s wife has been freed from immigration detention after being held for approximately one month, representatives from U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s office announced.
Active-duty Sgt. Jose Serrano, who completed three deployments to Afghanistan and is currently based in Texas, had previously informed The Associated Press that federal immigration officials detained his spouse, Deisy Rivera Ortega, on April 14. The arrest occurred while she attended a scheduled meeting with immigration officials to process her permanent residency paperwork.
Sen. Duckworth, a Democratic lawmaker and former combat service member, directly contacted Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Wednesday to push for Rivera Ortega’s freedom, her office reported. Rivera Ortega was freed on Thursday night.
“Rivera-Ortega has been released from ICE custody with a GPS tracking device, mandatory home visits, and ICE office check-ins. She will receive full due process,” the DHS stated. The department has oversight of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Rivera Ortega’s family has not yet provided a statement regarding the situation.
Serrano is currently serving at the Fort Bliss area, and he and Rivera Ortega became husband and wife in 2022. DHS records show Rivera Ortega crossed into the U.S. without authorization in 2016, and an immigration judge ordered her removal in December 2019.
Rivera Ortega worked at two hotel establishments and possessed both a military spouse identification card and authorized employment documentation, Duckworth’s office noted. She was seeking approval through the parole-in-place program, which protects military family members’ relatives from immigration actions while they pursue legal status adjustments.
In April of last year, DHS discontinued a 2022 directive that treated military service by immediate family as a “significant mitigating factor” when determining immigration enforcement actions. The current policy declares that “military service alone does not exempt aliens from the consequences of violating U.S. immigration laws.”
DHS data indicates that over 100 immediate relatives of military veterans have entered removal proceedings as part of the Trump administration’s comprehensive deportation efforts.
After public criticism and involvement from lawmakers from both political parties, some spouses of veterans and current military personnel have been freed from federal immigration detention facilities.
Federal authorities have filed terrorism charges against an Iraqi citizen who prosecutors say orchestrated numerous planned attacks across multiple continents as revenge for American military actions in Iran.
Court documents made public Friday in Manhattan federal court reveal that Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi allegedly planned to strike a synagogue in New York City within the past month and shared photographs and location details of Jewish community centers in Los Angeles and Scottsdale, Arizona, with an undercover federal agent as potential targets.
Prosecutors allege Al-Saadi was behind no fewer than 18 planned terrorist operations throughout Europe, which included attempting to firebomb a financial institution in Amsterdam and carrying out knife attacks against Jewish individuals in London.
The defendant also faces accusations of participating in two recent incidents in Canada: an assault on a synagogue and gunfire directed at the U.S. consulate in Toronto during March.
Federal charges include conspiracy to support Kata’ib Hizballah, an Iran-backed Iraqi Shia militant group, and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, both organizations labeled as foreign terrorist groups by the U.S. government.
Additional charges encompass conspiracy and material support for terrorist activities and conspiracy to detonate explosives at public locations.
During his first court hearing, Al-Saadi remained silent, though his attorney stated that he considers himself a political prisoner and prisoner of war, claiming U.S. officials are targeting him due to his connection with Qasem Soleimani, the Revolutionary Guard commander eliminated in a U.S. drone attack in Baghdad in 2020.
No plea was entered at this time. Al-Saadi will stay in custody but may request bail at a later date.
Defense attorney Andrew Dalack revealed that Al-Saadi was apprehended in Turkey before being transferred to U.S. custody. Dalack noted his client has been held in isolation since arriving at a federal detention facility in Brooklyn on Thursday evening.
The Associated Press completed a workforce reduction on Friday, cutting an undisclosed number of journalists based in the United States as part of an organizational shift away from traditional print media toward visual storytelling and alternative income streams.
Patrick Maks, a company spokesman, confirmed the staff reductions in an email statement, explaining they were part of a previously announced restructuring effort designed to better serve the organization’s primary clients.
“This is part of the restructuring we announced last month to align our operations with what our top customers need from us today,” Maks stated. The director of media relations and corporate communications declined to provide specific numbers or confirm whether additional cuts would follow.
“It’s never easy to part ways with valued colleagues — we are appreciative of their contributions to the AP and wish them all the best,” Maks wrote.
The workforce reductions had been anticipated following the news organization’s offer of voluntary departure packages to over 120 U.S.-based journalists approximately one month ago. The News Media Guild, which represents AP staff, reported that roughly 40 employees accepted those voluntary buyout offers.
Union representatives said they were not informed of the exact number of journalists affected by Friday’s layoffs, which marked the final workday for those let go.
Tony Winton, who serves as the guild’s administrator, said union officials received notification from an AP human resources representative shortly before 10 a.m. Friday announcing the implementation of layoffs with that day being the last day of employment. No additional details were shared, according to Winton.
“The Guild has asked the AP for details,” Winton said. “We will stand by our members and ensure that all contract rights under our collective bargaining agreement with AP are protected.”
In a previous interview, Julie Pace, who holds the positions of executive editor and senior vice president, indicated the organization aimed to reduce its worldwide workforce by under 5%. The company does not publicly disclose its total number of journalists.
Pace emphasized last month that the AP “is not in trouble.”
“We’re making these changes from a position of strength, but we’re doing so now to recognize our changing customer base,” she said.
The news organization has experienced a 25% drop in newspaper revenue over the past four years. Major newspaper companies Gannett and McClatchy ended their AP subscriptions in 2024.
The organization’s client base now consists primarily of broadcast outlets, digital platforms and technology firms. Kristin Heitmann, senior vice president and chief revenue officer, reported last month that income from technology companies had increased by 200% during the same timeframe.
Israeli forces announced Friday they conducted a targeted strike against the leader of Hamas’ military operations in Gaza, calling him a key architect behind the October 7, 2023 attacks that sparked Israel’s ongoing two-year military campaign in the Palestinian territory.
The militant organization has not yet provided any statement regarding the status of Izz al-Din al-Haddad, who assumed leadership of Hamas’ military operations in Gaza following Israel’s elimination of commander Mohammad Sinwar in May 2025.
This marks the highest-ranking Hamas figure Israel has attempted to eliminate since a U.S.-supported agreement in October aimed at ending hostilities in Gaza. The operation occurs while Hamas continues to strengthen its control over a narrow coastal area of Gaza that remains under its authority.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a joint declaration stating that Haddad “was responsible for the murder, abduction, and harm inflicted on thousands of Israeli civilians (and) soldiers.”
The officials stopped short of confirming whether they believe Haddad was successfully eliminated in the operation.
Medical personnel and local witnesses in Gaza reported that an aerial assault struck a residential building in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood, resulting in at least one fatality and multiple injuries. The identity of the deceased individual remains unconfirmed at this time.
According to the same sources, Israeli forces conducted a follow-up strike targeting a vehicle on a neighboring street shortly afterward. No immediate casualty reports emerged from this second attack.
WASHINGTON, May 15 – Federal health authorities are closely tracking Ebola cases in two African countries and offering technical support to help contain the outbreaks, officials announced Friday.
The nation’s top disease control agency is keeping watch on the situation in both the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda while providing expertise to local health officials, according to Acting Director Jay Bhattacharya.
“CDC has extensive experience and expertise in responding to Ebola outbreaks, and we are working closely with the DRC Ministry of Health through our country office to support our response efforts,” said Acting Director Jay Bhattacharya.
During a Friday briefing with reporters, Bhattacharya also addressed the situation in Uganda, noting recent confirmation of cases there.
“This morning we also heard from the Government of Uganda confirming an Ebola outbreak there, and we are also coordinating with our country office in Uganda and our colleagues there to track and help with the outbreak there,” Bhattacharya told reporters on a media call.
First-year Minnesota Lynx player Emma Cechova is scheduled to undergo an MRI examination on her right knee Friday, according to a report from The Athletic.
The 21-year-old center sustained the injury during a third-quarter collision with Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers in Minnesota’s 90-86 victory Thursday evening in Arlington, Texas.
Team medical personnel quickly attended to Cechova, who clutched her knee in obvious discomfort before receiving assistance to exit to the locker room.
The player from the Czech Republic concluded Thursday’s contest with two points and two rebounds across 11 minutes of play.
Through her first three games of the season, she has posted averages of 8.3 points and 3.7 rebounds while playing 17.3 minutes per game as a reserve.
A University of Delaware golfer has earned his first career postseason recognition after being selected for a prestigious conference honor.
Junior Arsit Areephun was chosen for the All-Conference USA Second Team, according to an announcement made Friday by the conference headquarters in Dallas. The selection marks the first time Areephun has received postseason recognition during his collegiate career.
The conference’s head coaches determined the all-conference team selections through a voting process. Areephun’s selection highlights his performance throughout the season as a member of the Blue Hens men’s golf program.
The City of Rehoboth Beach published a post on their official website with the title ‘Lines in the Sand’ and dated May 15, 2026. However, the actual content of this municipal communication is not available at this time.
The post appears on the city’s government website but without any accompanying text or details about what the message contained.
Five members of a local softball team have been selected for National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Region recognition, marking a significant achievement for the program.
The honors recognize the exceptional performance and contributions of these student-athletes throughout the season. The NFCA All-Region awards are given to standout players who demonstrate excellence both on the field and in their athletic achievements.
This recognition reflects the strong performance of the softball program and highlights the talent of the individual players who earned these prestigious honors.
The nationally seventh-ranked Salisbury University baseball squad took control early in the 2026 NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament, crushing Bridgewater State 11-2 in their regional tournament opener on Friday morning.
The Sea Gulls dominated the Bears at Donnie Williams Sea Gull Baseball Stadium in Salisbury, Maryland, putting themselves in excellent position as the regional tournament continues.
The decisive victory marks a strong start for Salisbury University as they pursue advancement in the national championship tournament.
A Utah-based manufacturer is pulling certain batches of its Parmesan Ranch seasoning from store shelves due to concerns about salmonella contamination.
Blackstone Products, located in Providence, Utah, announced the voluntary withdrawal of specific lots of their Blackstone Parmesan Ranch seasoning products. The company says the products may contain salmonella bacteria.
The recall was triggered after California Dairies, Inc. issued its own recall for dry milk powder that could be contaminated with salmonella.
BRUSSELS — Foreign ministers from 46 European and neighboring countries reached consensus Friday on a fresh interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights as it applies to migration matters, including the contentious practice of establishing deportation facilities in third nations.
The political agreement emerged following requests from certain member countries for tougher measures to combat unauthorized migration and streamline deportation processes.
Human rights organizations condemned the political agreement, arguing it might relax restrictions against torture and diminish Europe’s human rights safeguards for migrants.
“The declaration underlines that states have the undeniable sovereign right to control the entry and residence of foreign nationals, and that it is both an obligation and a necessity for states to protect their borders in compliance with the Convention,” the Council of Europe said in a statement after the non-binding declaration was adopted all of its 46 members’ foreign ministers Friday at a meeting in Chisinau, the Moldovan capital.
The organization stated that countries “exposed to mass arrivals” can pursue new approaches to deter irregular migration including “third country ‘return hubs’, and cooperation with countries of transit.”
The Council supervises the European Court of Human Rights, which serves as the continent’s highest authority for protecting human rights under the convention.
The agreement might undermine both the judicial body and the convention itself, according to Chiara Catelli, a spokesperson for the Brussels-based rights group PICUM.
“Governments are effectively seeking to pressure an independent Court into weakening long-established human rights protections in order to facilitate deportations, with the risk of deporting people where they could face torture, inhuman or degrading treatment, or where they would stop receiving life-saving medical care,” she said.
“A two-tier human rights system based on migration status is an affront to the basic principle that human rights are universal,” said Eve Geddie, director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office.
Italy transported several dozen migrants without legal permission to stay to a “return hub” in Albania last year, marking the first time a European Union member nation sent rejected migrants to a country outside the EU that was neither their homeland nor a nation they had passed through during their journey.
Human rights advocates have described such policies as cruel and draw comparisons to the deportation strategies of United States President Donald Trump.
The EU has progressively strengthened migration policies following right-wing parties gaining control in several countries during 2024.
Last year the leaders of nine European Union countries — Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland — signed an open letter claiming the rights convention prevented them from expelling foreign criminals.
These countries contended that the court’s interpretation of the convention in “cases concerning the expulsion of criminal foreign nationals” has protected the “wrong people” and imposed excessive restrictions on determining who can be expelled.
European Union migration commission Magnus Brunner hailed the declaration as “an important step” toward unified migration policy.
“It strengthens our approach to a fair and firm migration policy in Europe. Migration is a shared challenge that requires shared solutions,” he said.
Following the signing of the declaration, the Council’s Secretary General Alain Berset said the Chisinau Declaration “will help to guide our own work as well as that of national authorities and domestic courts.”
BEIJING (AP) — During a three-day visit to China, President Donald Trump remained unusually reserved, avoiding reporters and limiting his social media activity. However, once aboard his return flight, he opened up about the discussions.
The president’s visit was surprisingly focused on Taiwan tensions and the possibility of establishing a fresh approach to managing the complex U.S.-China relationship.
Chinese President Xi Jinping began the intensive visit with a stern message: mismanaging relations with the self-governing Taiwan could lead to confrontation or even open warfare between the U.S. and China.
While in Beijing, Trump avoided any public response and didn’t mention Taiwan. However, during his Air Force One flight home, he indicated that Xi’s strong opposition might influence his decision on a proposed U.S. weapons sale to Taipei.
Other discussion topics included trade and the U.S. and Israel’s conflict with Iran, which had been anticipated to dominate the agenda. Throughout the visit, Trump openly praised China’s leader, though Xi didn’t return the compliments.
The president also didn’t publicly challenge China’s claim that he and Xi had reached agreement on a “constructive” new approach to managing their relationship challenges.
Key highlights from Trump’s visit:
Prior to the trip, Trump had shown increased uncertainty about Taiwan during his second term, sparking questions about whether he might reduce support for the island democracy that Beijing considers a rebellious province.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio maintained that U.S. policy toward Taiwan remained unchanged. However, concerns existed that Trump — not recognized for diplomatic subtlety — might make spontaneous comments with significant consequences for Taiwan.
Ultimately, Trump made no public statements about Taiwan, despite his Chinese counterpart emphasizing the island as the most crucial element of U.S.-China relations.
When questioned by reporters after departing China, Trump revealed he hadn’t decided whether to proceed with a substantial arms package he had previously approved for Taiwan following Xi’s objections.
Trump’s Republican administration authorized an $11 billion weapons package for Taipei in December, though it hasn’t advanced. Lawmakers also approved a $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan in January, but it requires Trump’s formal submission to Congress to proceed.
“President Xi and I talked a lot about Taiwan,” Trump told reporters aboard the presidential aircraft. He explained that China’s leader “does not want to see a fight for independence because that would be a very strong confrontation.”
“I heard him out,” Trump stated. But “I didn’t make a comment.”
Trump seemed to have difficulty remembering Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s name and remarked about Washington’s island policy, “The last thing we need right now is a war that’s 9,500 miles away.”
When asked about potential military intervention if China attacked Taiwan, Trump declined to answer — a response aligned with longstanding U.S. policy known as strategic ambiguity.
This policy commits the U.S. to ensuring Taiwan can defend itself against forced unilateral changes by China, but doesn’t specify Washington’s military response level should conflict arise.
The leaders apparently held meaningful discussions about the U.S.-initiated Iran conflict that has driven up global oil prices and could potentially trigger worldwide recession if prolonged.
Trump reported that Xi agrees a nuclear-armed Iran is problematic and that the Strait of Hormuz needs reopening. He claimed Xi offered assistance in finding a war resolution.
Xi and Chinese officials haven’t confirmed such an offer. China has publicly stated that solutions should “take into account the concerns of all parties on the Iran nuclear issue.”
Trump believes China should play a larger role in resolving the conflict, given its reliance on Middle Eastern oil and liquefied natural gas.
Successfully convincing Xi to increase involvement could significantly benefit U.S. efforts to find a credible Iran war exit strategy.
China announced that both leaders agreed to a new vision for “a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability.”
The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated this framework would guide relations for at least three years — Trump’s remaining term — emphasizing cooperation, limited competition, and difference management.
The concept aims “to keep the relationship on an even keel,” explained Helena Legarda of the Mercator Institute for China Studies in Berlin.
George Chen, a partner at The Asia Group consultancy, viewed this approach as advancement from Trump’s Democratic predecessor Joe Biden’s era, when relations were characterized as strategic competition.
Trump brought numerous top CEOs to China, including the aircraft maker Boeing’s head, semiconductor giant Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, and SpaceX boss Elon Musk, who previously led Trump’s federal workforce reduction efforts.
Trump claimed major agreements were reached and that China might purchase approximately 200 Boeing aircraft, but he left Beijing without concrete announcements. Earlier suggestions that Xi would commit to large U.S. soybean and beef orders remained unresolved.
Speaking to Air Force One reporters, Trump suggested China could eventually purchase up to 750 Boeing planes if initial orders succeed, with 450 General Electric engines included in potential future purchases.
Additional trade agreement details may emerge later, but as with all major bilateral accords, specific terms matter most.
During his first term, Trump used an elaborate Beijing signing ceremony to finalize dozens of deals worth approximately $250 billion. However, not all pledged agreements materialized.
From his first Beijing remarks, Trump consistently praised Xi, sometimes excessively, while Xi offered no similar reciprocation.
Trump called Xi a “great leader” and predicted they would have a “fantastic future together.”
He described being with Xi as an “honor” and called him a friend, characterizing his counterpart as “warm.”
China’s president isn’t known for being effusive. Trump himself described Xi as “all business” in a Fox News interview.
Xi did acknowledge Trump’s “landmark visit” had strengthened mutual trust. However, he used subtler charm tactics, promising to send White House rose seeds like those in his residence garden where Trump had Friday tea.
Xi explained he hosted Trump there to reciprocate the hospitality Trump provided during Xi’s 2017 visit to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Florida estate.
A California ice cream manufacturer has issued a voluntary product recall affecting certain batches of its organic frozen dessert products on May 14, 2026.
Straus Family Creamery, based in Petaluma, California, announced the recall of a limited number of production batches for specific varieties and package sizes of its organic ice cream line. The company cited concerns over possible metal fragments that may be present in the affected products.
According to the recall notice, only certain production batches are involved in this safety action. Consumers can identify the affected products by checking the “best by” date printed on the packaging.
Virginia’s governor has enacted sweeping legislation that prohibits the sale and manufacturing of specific semi-automatic weapons, immediately triggering legal challenges from gun rights organizations.
The restrictions on what the legislation calls “assault firearms” represent part of approximately two dozen new gun control measures that the Democratic governor has implemented during her initial months in office. This represents a dramatic policy shift from her Republican predecessor, who had rejected many comparable proposals.
“Firearms designed to inflict maximum casualties do not belong on our streets,” Spanberger said in a statement Friday. “We are taking this step to protect families and support the law enforcement officers who work every day to keep our communities safe.”
These new gun control measures align Virginia more closely with states like California, Illinois and New York, where Democrats maintain complete control of both legislative chambers and the governor’s mansion. The legislation also underscores the ongoing national split over gun policy, as numerous Republican-controlled states have moved to loosen firearm regulations they characterize as violations of Second Amendment protections.
Starting July 1, Virginia’s new statute will classify purchasing, selling, transferring, importing or manufacturing an “assault firearm” as a misdemeanor offense, carrying penalties of up to one year imprisonment and a $2,500 fine.
The legislation defines this category to encompass semi-automatic rifles or pistols equipped with magazine capacity exceeding 15 rounds. Additional covered firearms include weapons with specific features, such as rifles that accept detachable magazines and possess a secondary handgrip or collapsible stock. The ban extends to magazines holding more than 15 rounds. Most individuals face no penalties for simply owning such weapons.
Eleven additional states plus Washington, D.C., currently maintain laws banning the sale and manufacturing of specific semi-automatic firearms, although the specifics differ. Hawaii, for instance, bans certain semi-automatic pistols and high-capacity magazines while allowing semi-automatic rifles.
Legal challenges emerged immediately after the governor signed the legislation Thursday. The National Rifle Association, alongside other organizations, filed suits in both federal and state courts, claiming violations of Second Amendment rights.
“The firearms and magazines banned in this law aren’t bizarre and unusual outliers, they’re among the most commonly owned guns and magazines in the country,” said Adam Kraut, executive director of the Second Amendment Foundation, which joined the NRA in the federal lawsuit. “They’re owned in the tens of millions by peaceable Americans who use them overwhelmingly lawfully.”
The U.S. Department of Justice has also pledged to file suit challenging Virginia’s law.
The Virginia measure would “infringe on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens to enjoy and use AR-15 rifles for lawful purposes by making it a crime to purchase and sell them,” Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the department’s civil rights division, wrote in an April letter to Spanberger.
To date, legislation restricting specific semi-automatic firearms has generally survived legal challenges, including rulings by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, which has jurisdiction over Virginia, Maryland and several other states.
This appellate court has twice sustained a Maryland statute banning numerous semi-automatic weapon types, characterizing them in a 2024 decision as “military-style weapons” unsuitable for self-defense. The court determined that “the Maryland law fits comfortably within our nation’s tradition of firearms regulation.”
The U.S. Supreme Court declined last year to review a challenge to that Maryland case. However, gun rights supporters remain optimistic about different outcomes in future litigation, pointing out that three conservative justices on the nine-member court opposed the decision while a fourth expressed doubts about the constitutionality of such firearm prohibitions.
Former Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed legislation during each of the previous two years that would have banned the sale of specific semi-automatic firearms.
However, Youngkin’s term concluded in January, with Spanberger taking office. This transition created a significant opportunity for gun control advocates, who already enjoyed backing within the Democratic-controlled Legislature.
Spanberger, a former CIA officer and U.S. House member, had previously volunteered with Moms Demand Action, an organization established following a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut that killed 26 people in 2012. The group reports that 20% of Democrats in the Virginia House are former volunteers.
“The fact that a former Moms Demand Action volunteer just signed an assault weapons ban in the home state of the NRA speaks volumes about how dramatically the political calculus around gun safety has shifted,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, the umbrella organization for Moms Demand Action.
As Virginia implements stricter gun regulations, numerous Republican-controlled states have been expanding firearm rights.
On the identical day Spanberger signed the semi-automatic firearm restrictions, Missouri’s Republican-controlled Legislature gave final approval to legislation establishing a school ranger program that could authorize trained volunteers to carry firearms in schools.
Legislation signed by Spanberger last month increased the minimum age for handgun purchases in Virginia from 18 to 21. In contrast, Republican West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed legislation last month reducing the age from 21 to 18 for carrying concealed weapons without state permits.
Another measure signed by Spanberger last month creates new opportunities for lawsuits against the firearms industry. This followed Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signing legislation that restricts liability lawsuits against the firearms industry.
NEW YORK — A Manhattan jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision Friday in Harvey Weinstein’s rape retrial, prompting a judge to declare a mistrial.
The former movie producer remains incarcerated following convictions for sexual assault on both coasts, but the mistrial means the New York rape allegation remains unresolved after three separate trials.
The predominantly male jury in Manhattan had been deliberating whether Weinstein sexually assaulted Jessica Mann, a hairstylist and actor, in 2013. Defense attorneys contended the sexual encounter was consensual between the then-married Weinstein and Mann, who is decades younger.
Earlier Friday, jurors informed the court they had reached an impasse in Harvey Weinstein’s rape retrial, but Judge Curtis Farber directed them to continue their deliberations in this high-profile case from the #MeToo era that a previous jury could not resolve last year.
The indication of deadlock surfaced several hours into their third day of discussions. The jury submitted a written message stating they “have concluded that they cannot reach” a unanimous decision. Judge Curtis Farber gave instructions for the group to persist with deliberations, which is the standard response from New York judges when a jury initially reports being stuck.
The jurors then resumed their private discussions. Their responsibility is determining whether Weinstein — the former entertainment industry executive who became emblematic of the #MeToo movement’s fight against sexual assault — raped hairstylist and actor Jessica Mann at a Manhattan hotel in March 2013.
An appellate court reversed his 2020 New York conviction involving charges related to Mann and a second accuser. During a retrial last year, jury deliberations collapsed due to internal conflicts regarding Mann’s case, resulting in this current retrial. Weinstein faces a single charge of third-degree rape.
Mann, 40, testified that while she voluntarily engaged in some intimate encounters with the then-married producer, he forced unwanted sexual contact on her that day despite her repeated refusals.
Weinstein’s defense team maintains the encounter was consensual. They highlighted that Mann continued meeting with Weinstein afterward and showed affection toward him. Mann explained she experienced conflicted emotions about him, herself and the incident.
Her perspective shifted in 2017, when multiple accusations against the Academy Award-winning Weinstein fueled the #MeToo movement. Several of those allegations resulted in criminal convictions against Weinstein in New York and California.
Weinstein, 74, has stated he “acted wrongly” but never attacked anyone.
The current jury listened to almost three weeks of testimony, including five days from Mann. Weinstein chose not to testify.
The Associated Press typically does not name individuals who report sexual assault. However, Mann has consented to being identified.
Federal prosecutors announced Friday they will pursue capital punishment against the suspect accused of gunning down two Israeli Embassy workers outside a Washington-area Jewish museum.
Elias Rodriguez is charged with federal hate crime and murder violations in the deaths of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, who were leaving a museum event last May when they were shot. According to the indictment, Rodriguez yelled “Free Palestine” during the attack and later declared to officers, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza.”
Rodriguez faces hate crime charges that carry the possibility of execution. The indictment contains special findings that enable federal prosecutors to pursue the death penalty.
“My message to anyone who seeks to commit political violence in this district — D.C. is not the place. You will be held accountable and you will face the full wrath of the law,” said Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, during an unrelated press conference Friday where she disclosed the death penalty decision.
The hate crime allegations require prosecutors to demonstrate that antisemitism drove Rodriguez to open fire on Lischinsky and Milgrim, a young couple planning to get engaged. Milgrim held U.S. citizenship while Lischinsky was an Israeli citizen employed in America.
Federal prosecutors characterize the murders as premeditated, stating Rodriguez traveled by plane from Chicago to the Washington area before the May 21 gathering at the Capital Jewish Museum, bringing a firearm in his checked baggage.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing him walking back and forth outside before he approached four individuals and began shooting. Security footage captured Rodriguez moving toward Lischinsky and Milgrim after they collapsed, standing over them and firing more rounds. Officials said he appeared to reload his weapon before running away.
Following the attack, authorities say Rodriguez entered the museum and declared, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza, I am unarmed,” based on court records. He also expressed admiration to investigators for an active-duty Air Force member who immolated himself outside the Israeli Embassy in February 2024, calling the man “courageous” and a “martyr.”
In Friday’s legal filing, prosecutors stated Rodriguez’s conduct was “motivated by political, ideological, national, and religious bias, contempt, and hatred.” They wrote that he “targeted individuals whom he perceived to have attended an event for young Jewish professionals, organized by the American Jewish Committee and hosted at the Capital Jewish Museum, to amplify the effect of his crimes.”
Defense lawyers for Rodriguez did not immediately return requests for comment. Prior to Friday’s announcement, his legal team met with Justice Department officials to present arguments against seeking capital punishment in the case.
Rodriguez is scheduled to appear in court again on June 30. No trial date has been established.
AKRON, Ohio — Federal investigators began examining Friday what led to a fatal aircraft accident in northeast Ohio that resulted in two deaths when a small plane struck a residence and burst into flames.
The National Transportation Safety Board is spearheading the investigation in Akron, working alongside the Federal Aviation Administration and Ohio State Highway Patrol, according to officials.
Flight records show the white and blue Piper PA-28-180 departed from Akron Fulton Airport around 2:45 p.m. Thursday, remaining airborne for approximately one hour before going down in a residential neighborhood and igniting.
Witnesses at the nearby Firestone Country Club first reported the accident, as thick black smoke billowed high into the sky from the crash site.
The Akron Fire Department reported that both the struck residence and an adjacent home required evacuation because of the blaze. Fortunately, no residents or onlookers sustained injuries.
As of Friday, the Summit County Medical Examiner’s office stated that officials had not yet identified the two fatalities or contacted their next of kin.
In a statement, the Highway Patrol indicated that investigators are continuing to examine flight information, eyewitness accounts, and aircraft documentation to establish the cause. The NTSB planned to provide an update Friday afternoon.
The American Winds College of Aeronautics, located in the area, posted on Facebook late Wednesday confirming all of its aircraft were accounted for and safe. Speaking for the institution, Denise Hobart of the North East Ohio Pilots Association said they were offering prayers for the pilot, passengers and their loved ones.
Motorists traveling through New Castle County should prepare for significant traffic disruptions this week as road construction affects southbound I-95 near the Route 896 interchange.
The Delaware Department of Transportation has issued an advisory alerting drivers to expect daytime lane restrictions on southbound I-95 from Monday through Wednesday while crews perform concrete demolition work.
Additional overnight disruptions are planned from Sunday through Thursday, including multiple lane shutdowns on southbound I-95 for milling and paving operations. EZPass and cash lane closures are scheduled for Sunday and Thursday nights.
Ramp closures on southbound I-95 will also take place during overnight hours from Monday through Wednesday as paving work continues.
Drivers are advised to plan alternate routes or allow extra travel time when passing through the construction zone.
