FORT MYERS, Fla. — Standing on the field at JetBlue Park, Kelsie Whitmore surveyed a scene she never imagined would become reality during her athletic career.
Female baseball athletes from across the globe were practicing together, exchanging advice and receiving instruction from major league coaching staff. In fewer than five months, these women will compete in America’s first professional women’s baseball league in more than seven decades.
“I never thought this would ever happen for me in my prime career,” Whitmore explained. The accomplished pitcher and outfielder has earned multiple medals competing for Team USA’s women’s national baseball squad. “I never thought it was ever going to happen, truly.”
Wednesday marked a milestone moment for Whitmore and fellow athletes from the Women’s Pro Baseball League. The emerging organization participated in a two-day training event at the Florida spring training facility of the Boston Red Sox, gearing up for their season debut on August 1st.
For ten years, the Red Sox organization has conducted women’s baseball training camps and invited several WPBL standouts to participate in Wednesday’s practice sessions. Notable participants included experienced Japanese pitcher Ayami Sato and former Little League sensation Mo’ne Davis.
Davis, who made history at age 13 as the first female to record both a victory and shutout in Little League World Series competition, remained close to instructors throughout the two-hour training session, seeking guidance to improve her skills. She departed with valuable coaching advice, particularly regarding maintaining a lower batting stance to create power through hip rotation.
“This is another moment that I take when I go back home — what do I need to work on?” Davis reflected. “For me specifically is hitting approach. That’s the one I’m really focusing on because I want to be a better hitter. I want be a more consistent hitter. … I appreciate all the coaches that helped today. Whatever question you had, they were open to answering it.”
The WPBL has scheduled an intrasquad exhibition game for Thursday, taking place before the Red Sox spring training matchup against the Minnesota Twins.
“These athletes have done something that hasn’t existed in 80 years,” commented Shawn Smith, Red Sox general manager of Florida operations. “And they’re at the pinnacle of their craft right now only to get better. For us to be here — I feel like a little kid. I can’t describe it any other way.”
The WPBL will debut this summer featuring four franchises — Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York — conducting a six-week regular season followed by a two-week playoff series at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois.
America has been without a professional women’s baseball organization since the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League ended operations in 1954, but the WPBL aims to establish a permanent opportunity for women to pursue professional baseball careers. Such chances have been rare in the United States, where female players seeking opportunities beyond youth programs have typically needed to pursue unconventional routes, often competing alongside male athletes.
A San Diego native, Whitmore began her professional career in the Bay Area playing for a mixed-gender team, the Sonoma Stompers, in 2016. The 27-year-old athlete has captured two silver medals representing the United States at the Women’s Baseball World Cup and earned gold at the 2015 Pan-Am Games in Toronto.
Selected as the top overall pick by San Diego in the WPBL’s first draft, Whitmore has become accustomed to being the sole female player on most rosters and frequently envisioned competing alongside other women players.
With this vision now becoming reality, the expectation is that this league will establish opportunities that were unavailable to Whitmore and many of her contemporaries.
“A lot of us women have created the path and created it without knowing what that looked like,” Whitmore observed. “Now there is a path for them, and so these young girls have something to look forward to.”
A comprehensive study on global well-being released Thursday shows Finland continues to lead the world in happiness for the ninth straight year, while researchers warn that excessive social media usage is severely damaging the mental health of young people worldwide.
The 2026 World Happiness Report, compiled by Oxford University’s Wellbeing Research Centre, reveals that Nordic nations continue their dominance in happiness rankings, with Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway all securing spots in the top ten countries.
However, the research raises serious concerns about declining mental health among youth under 25, particularly in English-speaking nations including the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, where life satisfaction scores have plummeted over the last ten years.
Costa Rica emerged as a surprising success story, jumping from 23rd position in 2023 to fourth place this year. Researchers credit the Central American nation’s rise to strong family relationships and robust social networks.
“We think it’s because of the quality of their social lives and the stability that they currently enjoy,” explained Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, an Oxford economics professor who leads the Wellbeing Research Centre and helps edit the annual report.
“Latin America more generally has strong family ties, strong social ties, a great level of social capital, as a sociologist would call it, more so than in other places,” De Neve added.
The study attributes Finland and other Scandinavian countries’ continued success to their combination of prosperity, equitable wealth distribution, comprehensive social safety nets that shield citizens during economic downturns, and high life expectancy rates.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, countries experiencing major conflicts ranked lowest. Afghanistan received the unhappiest designation once again, with Sierra Leone and Malawi from Africa filling out the bottom three positions.
The rankings drew from responses by approximately 100,000 individuals across 140 nations and territories who evaluated their own life satisfaction. The research was conducted alongside analytics company Gallup and the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, typically surveying about 1,000 people per country through phone or in-person interviews.
The study’s most alarming findings center on young people’s declining well-being. When asked to rate their lives on a zero-to-ten scale, respondents under 25 in English-speaking and Western European countries showed nearly a full-point decrease over the past decade.
Teenage girls face particularly severe impacts from heavy social media consumption. The research found that 15-year-old girls spending five or more hours daily on social platforms reported notably lower life satisfaction compared to peers with lighter usage.
Interestingly, young people using social media for less than one hour per day showed the highest well-being levels – even higher than those avoiding social media entirely. Yet teenagers currently average approximately 2.5 hours daily on these platforms.
“It is clear that we should look as much as possible to put the ‘social’ back into social media,” De Neve stated.
The research identified specific platform features as particularly harmful, including algorithmic content feeds, influencer culture, and visual-heavy formats that promote social comparison. Platforms focused primarily on communication showed less negative impact on users’ mental health.
Notably, some regions including the Middle East and South America showed more positive relationships between social media use and well-being, with youth happiness remaining stable despite heavy platform usage.
For the second consecutive year, no English-speaking countries appeared in the top ten rankings. The United States placed 23rd, Canada ranked 25th, and Britain came in at 29th position.
These findings arrive as governments worldwide increasingly consider or implement social media restrictions for minors, highlighting growing concerns about these platforms’ impact on young people’s mental health.
MELBOURNE, Australia — A traveler browsing an airport gift shop got quite the surprise when they noticed one of the stuffed animals had moving eyes.
The unexpected discovery happened Wednesday at Hobart Airport in Tasmania, where a live Australian brushtail possum had somehow made its way onto a merchandise shelf filled with plush toy animals, according to airport retail manager Liam Bloomfield, who spoke about the incident Thursday.
The real possum had positioned itself among stuffed kangaroos, while toy bilbies with their distinctive rabbit-like ears, dingoes, and Tasmanian devils surrounded it on nearby shelves.
“A passenger reported it to …. one of the staff members on shift who couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing,” Bloomfield said. “She then called the (airport) management and said we’ve got a possum in the store.”
An employee managed to capture video footage of the unusual visitor using her mobile phone before the possum became uncomfortable with the increased attention and departed the shop on its own.
Airport personnel successfully guided the possum out of the terminal without causing any harm to the animal.
Bloomfield remains puzzled about what drew the possum to that particular display area.
“I’m imaging it saw some of the plush animals that were for sale on the shelf and it decided to make its home with those. It wanted to blend in,” Bloomfield joked.
The mystery extends to how the possum entered the store initially and the duration of its stay among the merchandise.
Officials ruled out the possibility of a practical joke, noting that bringing the possum into the secure departure area would have required passing it through X-ray security screening.
WASHINGTON — A former counterterrorism chief who stepped down this week revealed Wednesday that he and other high-ranking officials who had reservations about military action against Iran were blocked from briefing President Donald Trump on their concerns.
During an interview on Tucker Carlson’s program, Joe Kent explained that the president depended on a limited group of advisers when deciding to launch strikes against Iran. Kent alleged that Israel pressured Trump into action, even though he maintains there was no proof Iran presented an immediate danger to the United States.
“A good deal of key decision makers were not allowed to come and express their opinion to the president,” Kent explained to the conservative host. “There wasn’t a robust debate.”
Kent’s revelations provide a rare look inside Trump’s choice to attack Iran on February 28 and highlight how the conflict might split his political supporters. The statements also indicate there was internal administration opposition to the strikes.
In his role leading the National Counterterrorism Center, Kent oversaw an organization responsible for identifying and assessing terrorist dangers. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard supervised his work, and she stated Wednesday that determining Iran’s threat level was Trump’s sole responsibility.
Gabbard, a Hawaii veteran and former representative, has previously opposed discussions of Iran military action. She hasn’t publicly shared her views on the current strikes, and her spokesperson won’t answer media inquiries.
When Carlson pressed Kent about who prevented his Trump access, Kent wouldn’t identify specific individuals.
Kent stated that intelligence reports showed no evidence of Iranian nuclear weapons development, and he believes Israel forced American action by threatening to strike first, which could have endangered U.S. regional interests. He said both Israeli leaders and American media figures helped build the case that Iran was dangerous.
“The Israelis drove the decision to take this action,” Kent told Carlson. He referenced statements from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and House Speaker Mike Johnson indicating that Israeli plans motivated U.S. action.
Kent, who has past ties to right-wing extremist groups, claimed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders directly lobbied Trump, frequently sharing information American officials couldn’t verify. “When we would hear what they were saying, it didn’t reflect intelligence channels,” Kent explained. His assertion that an “Israeli lobby” influenced Trump’s war decision has faced backlash from Jewish organizations and others calling it antisemitic.
Kent chose to make his first public statements since resigning on Carlson’s show, who has also been criticized for allegedly antisemitic comments.
Trump has given varying explanations for the strikes and has disputed claims that Israel forced American involvement. Tuesday, he dismissed Kent’s war criticism and said he always considered Kent “weak on security,” adding that if administration members didn’t view Iran as threatening, “we don’t want those people.”
“They’re not smart people, or they’re not savvy people,” Trump stated. “Iran was a tremendous threat.”
The White House hasn’t yet responded to questions regarding Kent’s television appearance.
Kent served as a Green Beret through 11 combat deployments before leaving to work for the CIA. He also experienced personal loss: His wife, a Navy cryptologist, died in a 2019 Syrian suicide bombing, leaving him with two young sons. The 45-year-old Kent has since remarried.
Kent explained to Carlson that he chose to resign when it became clear his objections would be dismissed.
“I know this path that we’re on, it doesn’t work,” Kent said, concluding: “I can’t be a part of this in good conscience.”
JUNEAU, Alaska — Federal officials are celebrating what they describe as the most successful oil and gas lease auction ever conducted in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve, with major energy companies submitting hundreds of bids despite ongoing court battles from environmental advocates and certain Native groups.
Wednesday’s auction marked the reserve’s first lease offering since 2019 and the initial sale required under legislation Congress enacted last year mandating a minimum of five lease auctions across the next decade. The Trump administration has prioritized expanding Alaska’s oil and gas operations. Interior Department records show 11 energy companies placed bids on 187 parcels spanning 1.3 million acres, selected from 625 available tracts covering approximately 5.5 million acres.
Alaska’s political establishment celebrated the outcome, with Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy describing it as a “major win for our state and our country.” A coalition of business, energy sector, and resource development organizations released a joint declaration stating the “strong participation and unprecedented results underscore renewed investor confidence in Alaska’s North Slope and the state’s long-term resource potential.” Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat, representing North Slope community leaders, characterized the auction as a significant achievement.
The petroleum reserve houses the substantial Willow oil development, which received Biden administration approval in 2023 and is currently being constructed by ConocoPhillips Alaska. This reserve, comparable in size to Indiana and located on Alaska’s North Slope, serves as habitat for diverse wildlife populations including caribou, bears, wolves, and millions of migrating birds.
Opponents of expanded drilling have expressed alarm about potential damage to reserve areas previously identified as environmentally significant for wildlife, subsistence activities, or other important uses, particularly surrounding Teshekpuk Lake, Alaska’s largest arctic lake.
Alaska Wilderness League Executive Director Kristen Miller described the area as “one of the last truly wild places on Earth, home to millions of migrating birds, vast caribou herds and Indigenous communities whose lives are woven into this land.”
“We will spend every ounce of our energy making sure those leases never become drill pads,” she stated.
Multiple legal challenges targeting the lease auction, its underlying management framework, and associated government actions remain active in federal courts.
Earthjustice attorney Jeremy Lieb, representing conservation organizations in one lawsuit, argued that given climate change concerns and elevated energy costs, “it’s clear that the best way forward is switching to low-cost, clean energy sources – not attempting to produce more expensive, ecologically destructive Arctic oil.”
In separate litigation, U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason issued a temporary order this week blocking the Trump administration’s revocation of access rights granted to Nuiqsut Trilateral, Inc., an entity established by the Native Village of Nuiqsut, Kuukpik Corporation, and the City of Nuiqsut, pending resolution of their legal challenge.
These access rights, granted during the final days of the Biden administration, permitted restrictions on oil and gas activities to safeguard the Teshekpuk caribou population and their habitat across roughly 1 million acres.
When canceling these rights, a deputy Interior secretary referenced “serious and fundamental legal deficiencies” in how the access rights were originally granted.
Bureau of Land Management Alaska Director Kevin Pendergast made no reference to Gleason’s ruling during the public bid announcement ceremony. When questioned by The Associated Press, the agency acknowledged that lease offerings within the disputed access area were part of the auction.
“Any lease issuance for tracts within the right of way will be consistent with the court’s order,” agency officials stated.
Nuiqsut Trilateral attorney Travis Annatoyn reported that Interior Department officials assured the organization they “will not authorize activities prohibited by the Right-of-Way, absent Nuiqsut Trilateral’s waiver,” while the court stay remains effective.
“The issuance of leases in the subject acreage is prohibited by the Right-of-Way, so we expect that leases will not be awarded in that acreage absent further action from NTI and appropriate discussions between NTI and Interior,” the statement indicated.
Logan Wilson, the linebacker who played a pivotal role in Cincinnati’s historic Super Bowl run, has decided to hang up his cleats at age 29, announcing his retirement Wednesday.
The former Bengals standout was instrumental in the team’s journey to Super Bowl LVI during the 2021 season, where Cincinnati ultimately fell to the Los Angeles Rams.
In a heartfelt Instagram post, Wilson reflected on his professional journey. “When I look back on my career, I just feel grateful,” Wilson wrote on Instagram. “Not many Wyoming kids get the chance to live out their dream in the NFL, and I never took a single snap for granted.”
During his time with Cincinnati, Wilson achieved remarkable consistency, posting four consecutive seasons with over 100 tackles from 2021 through 2024. The team named him captain for the 2025 season before dealing him to Dallas partway through the campaign.
Cincinnati selected Wilson in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft. His playoff performance in 2021 was exceptional, leading all postseason players with 39 tackles while also making a crucial interception.
Wilson fondly remembered his most memorable moments in professional football. “That 2021 playoff run was something special — the interception in Tennessee to send us to the AFC Championship, beating Kansas City to win the AFC, and taking the field in the Super Bowl,” Wilson said. “Those moments and that locker room are something I’ll carry with me forever. And the best part of all, my daughter was born there.”
In his final NFL season, Wilson accumulated 70 tackles across 15 games, dividing his time between Cincinnati (eight contests) and Dallas (seven games). He was notably inactive for Dallas during their Week 17 game against Washington.
The Cowboys released Wilson in February to create $6.5 million in salary cap relief.
Throughout his six-year professional career, Wilson compiled impressive statistics: 565 total tackles, 11 interceptions, and seven forced fumbles across 83 games with 66 starts.
During his college years at Wyoming, Wilson played alongside current Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. His collegiate career featured 10 interceptions, including two returned for touchdowns between 2016 and 2019.
Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle is celebrating one major benefit of his recent trade to the Denver Broncos: the chance to team up with longtime friend and former Alabama teammate Patrick Surtain II.
The two former Crimson Tide stars had frequently talked about joining forces on an NFL roster throughout their professional careers, especially after both became top-10 selections in the 2021 NFL Draft. Miami selected Waddle with the sixth overall pick, while Denver chose cornerback Surtain with the ninth selection.
On Wednesday, their dream became reality when Denver officially confirmed they had obtained Waddle and a 2026 fourth-round draft pick from Miami in exchange for three 2026 selections: a first-round pick, third-round pick, and fourth-round pick.
“It was special,” Waddle commented about discovering he would join Surtain, who earned 2024 NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors. “He was one of the first calls that I made. We talked about this earlier in our careers, we wanted to get together and play with each other. Just seeing it happen, it’s special.”
Their ongoing communication also provided Waddle with insights into Denver head coach Sean Payton’s coaching approach.
“Not too many details,” Waddle explained. “We kept in contact through the years when Coach Payton has been here. He’s been keeping me in the loop without even knowing.”
Waddle’s arrival provides Denver quarterback Bo Nix with an additional reliable receiving option. The Broncos already have two-time Pro Bowl receiver Courtland Sutton, who paced the team with 74 receptions, 1,017 receiving yards, and seven touchdown catches in 2025.
The 5-foot-10 Waddle hauled in 64 passes for 910 yards and six scores across 16 games last season with Miami. His contract runs through the 2028 season.
“I don’t think there are No. 1s, everyone is here to make plays and try to win,” Waddle said regarding Denver’s receiving corps. “That’s ultimately the goal for the team and for the organization.”
The 27-year-old Waddle has compiled 373 catches for 5,039 yards and 26 touchdowns over 78 career games (all starts) since joining the NFL. He surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in his first three professional seasons and set a career mark with 104 receptions during his 2021 rookie campaign.
Perhaps most appealing to Waddle is joining a franchise positioned to compete for consecutive AFC Championship Game appearances. Miami finished 7-10 last season and has entered a rebuilding period, removing them from championship discussions.
“It’s exciting, like I said, just playing with great players,” Waddle noted. “Everyone is talking about how great and close the team is. I’m excited to be around the guys, get to know them, and they get to know me and go from there.”
Investment management firm Janus Henderson is facing internal pressure from both clients and staff members who want the company to turn down a takeover attempt by Victory Capital, according to a Wednesday report from the Wall Street Journal.
Instead, these stakeholders are backing a competing proposal from Nelson Peltz’s Trian partnership with venture capital firm General Catalyst, despite that offer carrying a lower price tag.
The battle over the $493 billion asset management company highlights the continuing trend of mergers and acquisitions in the financial industry, as companies seek to expand their global reach and draw more investor dollars.
Victory Capital enhanced its $8.6 billion offer combining cash and stock on Tuesday, intensifying its campaign to block the deal led by Peltz.
According to the Wall Street Journal’s sources, major clients have voiced concerns to Janus leadership about Victory’s proposed changes and possible budget reductions. These worried customers include high-ranking executives from the wealth management divisions at both Morgan Stanley and Citigroup.
While Janus stated its board will examine Victory’s updated proposal, the company maintains its recommendation that shareholders support the Trian-led agreement during the scheduled April voting session. This deal was originally struck in December.
Reuters reached out to all companies involved but did not receive immediate responses for comment.
The Wall Street Journal also reported that some clients warned Janus that proceeding with Victory’s deal might trigger a departure of key portfolio managers. Additionally, a coalition of senior managers has reportedly threatened to quit if the company moves forward with that particular sale.
Victory Capital told the Wall Street Journal it hasn’t yet revealed specifics about the merged entity, including strategies for keeping clients and staff members. Meanwhile, Janus indicated that customer reactions have created “serious concerns” about obtaining the necessary approvals.
Early Thursday morning, Russian drone attacks targeted residential areas in Ukraine’s crucial Black Sea port city of Odesa, causing building damage and leaving at least three people wounded, according to local authorities.
Serhiy Lysak, the city’s military administration chief, reported on Telegram that the assault damaged multiple structures. “There has been damage to two high-rise apartment buildings, another residence in the city’s historic centre as well as private homes,” Lysak stated.
“Fires broke out, but were quickly brought under control,” he added.
Among the three casualties, two individuals required hospitalization for their injuries, Lysak confirmed.
Social media images from unofficial channels displayed flames engulfing upper-level apartments in residential towers. Reports indicated that debris from the unmanned aircraft had scattered throughout the city center.
The strategically vital port city, which serves as a major hub for Ukrainian grain and goods exports, has repeatedly faced Russian bombardment during the ongoing four-year conflict between the two nations.
Meanwhile, in western Ukraine near the Polish frontier, the city of Lviv experienced its own drone assault. Regional Governor Maksym Kozytskyi announced via Telegram that Russian aircraft targeted the local SBU security service headquarters, inflicting significant structural damage. He noted that drone wreckage had landed throughout the urban area.
Further attacks occurred in Ukraine’s northern Volyn region, where drones struck an electrical facility, cutting power to approximately 30,000 homes, regional officials reported.
In occupied Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014, local Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhaye said Russian defense systems destroyed 14 incoming Ukrainian drones. While debris sparked fires upon impact, no casualties were recorded in the port city that houses Russia’s Black Sea naval fleet.
Russian air defense forces in the Stavropol region also successfully intercepted Ukrainian drone attacks, according to the area’s governor.
International banking giant HSBC Holdings is reportedly considering substantial workforce reductions that could eliminate approximately 20,000 positions worldwide over the next several years, according to a Bloomberg News report published Wednesday.
The potential layoffs would represent roughly 10% of the financial institution’s entire global workforce, according to sources familiar with the bank’s internal discussions.
Back-office positions at the bank’s worldwide service hubs are anticipated to face the heaviest impact from the proposed cuts, as HSBC increasingly relies on artificial intelligence technology to streamline operations, the Bloomberg report indicated.
However, the evaluation process remains in its preliminary phases, according to the sources cited in the report.
Reuters noted they were unable to independently confirm the details of the Bloomberg report at the time of publication.
Traffic is at a complete standstill on Route 13 after a vehicle collision forced authorities to shut down all lanes of traffic at Exit 119.
The Delaware Department of Transportation reports that both northbound and southbound lanes remain blocked as emergency crews respond to the crash scene.
Drivers traveling through the area should expect significant delays and are encouraged to find alternative routes until the roadway can be safely reopened.
Officials have not yet provided details about the severity of the accident or an estimated timeline for when normal traffic flow will resume.
The University of Delaware softball team bounced back in a big way Wednesday afternoon, shutting out Delaware State 9-0 to break a frustrating five-game skid.
The Blue Hens dominated from start to finish in the March 18, 2026 matchup, blanking their in-state rivals to continue their recent success in the series. With Wednesday’s win, Delaware has now beaten the Hornets in eight straight meetings.
The decisive victory provided much-needed momentum for the Blue Hens, who had been struggling before Wednesday’s breakout performance against Delaware State.
The University of Delaware football program has expanded its coaching staff by bringing on three new analysts in preparation for the upcoming 2026 season, according to an announcement made Wednesday by head coach Ryan Carty.
The Blue Hens have hired Gabriel Mendez to fill an offensive analyst role where he will focus on developing the tight end position. Erik Pratt joins the staff as another offensive analyst and will concentrate his efforts on the offensive line unit. Meanwhile, Anthony Puntolillo comes aboard as a defensive analyst with responsibilities for coaching the linebacker corps.
The additions represent a strategic investment in the program’s analytical capabilities as the Blue Hens continue building toward the 2026 campaign under Carty’s leadership.
NEWARK, Del. – The Fightin’ Blue Hens baseball squad delivered their most dominant showing of the season Wednesday afternoon, crushing St. Joseph’s University 18-0 in a seven-inning contest at Bob Hannah Stadium.
The University of Delaware’s offensive explosion marked the team’s strongest overall performance since the season began, with the Blue Hens completely overwhelming their opponents in the shortened game that ended due to the mercy rule.
The lopsided victory took place on the Blue Hens’ home field in Newark, where the team showcased both powerful hitting and solid pitching to secure the shutout win against St. Joe’s.
Drivers traveling on westbound Pulaski Highway should expect delays due to ongoing construction work that has shut down the left lane in a key stretch of the roadway.
The Delaware Department of Transportation reports that the left lane closure affects the section of westbound Pulaski Highway running from Wellington Drive to Brookmont Drive. The construction-related restriction is scheduled to remain in place until 6 a.m.
Motorists are advised to allow extra travel time and use caution when driving through the work zone area.
Cleveland has submitted a proposal that would extend the NFL’s draft pick trading window from three years to five years ahead, according to league announcements made Wednesday.
League officials revealed that just two franchises put forward rule change proposals for owner consideration during upcoming meetings this month. Pittsburgh offered the second proposal, focusing on player contact protocols during free agency negotiations.
Troy Vincent, an NFL executive, mentioned during last month’s scouting combine that no franchise had proposed eliminating the tush push, after Green Bay’s similar attempt failed by a narrow margin last year. Teams didn’t submit any other on-field rule modifications this season, though the competition committee plans to reveal its own proposed changes next week.
Rule modifications require approval from a minimum of 24 out of 32 franchises.
Cleveland’s proposal represents the more substantial change, seeking to expand the current three-year draft pick trading limit. For comparison, the NBA permits teams to trade picks up to seven years in advance.
Recent years have seen increased trading activity under a new generation of general managers, and this modification would facilitate even more deals. Six first-round selections from this year’s draft have already changed hands, including Denver’s recent trade to Miami for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.
Cleveland maintains that extending the trading window would stimulate market activity and provide teams with enhanced roster management options.
This season, the league tested allowing franchises up to five direct phone or video communications with players from other teams during the two-day negotiating window before free agency officially begins. Previously, teams could only contact player representatives during this period.
Pittsburgh wants this trial rule made permanent and also seeks permission for teams to arrange travel plans with players who have agreed to contract terms during negotiations, even before the league year officially starts.
A new study published in the World Happiness Report Thursday reveals that teenagers spending excessive time on social media platforms experience decreased mental wellbeing, with teenage girls facing the most significant impact.
The research comes as nations worldwide consider restricting children’s access to social platforms, following Australia’s groundbreaking decision in December to prohibit social media use for anyone under 16 years old.
The annual study analyzed information from Gallup polling data and additional research, with analysis conducted by an international research team headed by Oxford University in England.
While the study stopped short of proving a direct causal relationship, researchers combined multiple data sources including information from the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment to reach their conclusions about social media’s negative effects on youth happiness.
“The message coming through loud and clear is that we should try to put the social back into social media,” Professor of Economics at the University of Oxford Jan-Emmanuel de Neve, one of the editors of the World Happiness Report, told Reuters.
De Neve explained that content driven by algorithms, consumed passively, and dominated by influencers creates more harmful effects than platforms designed to foster genuine social connections between users.
The research specifically found that 15-year-old girls spending more than five hours daily on social platforms reported decreased life satisfaction when compared to peers who use these services less frequently, though researchers acknowledged the relationship between social media and mental health remains complicated.
Data from Gallup’s international polling revealed that young people under 25 in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have seen their life satisfaction scores plummet “dramatically” – dropping nearly a full point on a 10-point measurement scale during the past ten years.
Meanwhile, young people in other regions around the globe reported increased life satisfaction during this same timeframe.
Julie Ray, Gallup’s managing editor, suggested the disparity between English-speaking nations and other countries likely stems from broader societal factors affecting youth.
“Social support is one of the strongest predictors of wellbeing, and previous research shows that in some countries younger people report feeling less supported, which may help explain the pattern,” she told Reuters by email.
Australia’s competition watchdog announced Thursday it has opened an investigation into several major fuel companies over claims of anti-competitive behavior that may be affecting diesel supplies to rural communities.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission revealed it has received complaints about diesel availability issues facing independent wholesalers and distributors who serve remote and rural regions. The companies under scrutiny include Ampol, BP’s Australian operations, Mobil Oil Australia, and a subsidiary of Viva Energy.
This investigation unfolds as consumers, businesses, and agricultural producers express growing frustration over fuel costs and supply challenges, concerns that have intensified due to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.
When contacted for comment, Ampol and Viva Energy representatives did not provide immediate responses, while ExxonMobil Australia chose not to comment on the matter.
A representative for BP Australia confirmed the company “acknowledges the ACCC’s investigation into its market practices,” and stated they “take these matters seriously and are reviewing the claims raised.”
Officials emphasized the investigation remains in its early phases, with the ACCC noting it has not yet reached any conclusions about the allegations.
“It is not our usual practice to publicly announce investigations, but given the significance of the issue, the ACCC is confirming this investigation,” stated ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb.
The regulatory agency confirmed it continues to actively oversee fuel markets nationwide and stands ready to take enforcement action when necessary to uphold competition and consumer protection laws.
The Trump administration is exploring the possibility of sending thousands of additional American military personnel to the Middle East as the conflict with Iran continues into its fourth week, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions.
Military planners are examining various scenarios that could give President Trump more strategic choices as the campaign against Iran progresses, sources told reporters. Among the possibilities being evaluated is ensuring safe navigation for oil tankers through the crucial Strait of Hormuz, a mission that would primarily rely on air and sea power, though it might also require positioning American forces along Iran’s coastline.
Administration officials have also explored the potential deployment of ground forces to Iran’s Kharg Island, which serves as the central hub for approximately 90% of the country’s oil exports. However, one official characterized such an operation as extremely dangerous, noting Iran’s capability to target the island using missiles and unmanned aircraft.
American forces conducted military strikes on the island on March 13, and Trump has warned of potential attacks on Iran’s critical oil infrastructure. Military analysts suggest that gaining control of the island might prove more strategically valuable than destroying it outright, given its economic importance to Iran.
The deployment of American ground forces, even for restricted missions, could create substantial political challenges for Trump, particularly given limited public support for the Iran campaign and his previous campaign pledges to avoid new Middle Eastern military entanglements.
Sources also revealed that administration officials have considered deploying forces to secure Iran’s highly enriched uranium reserves, though experts describe such an operation as extremely complicated and dangerous, even for elite special operations units.
While sources indicated that no ground force deployment appears immediate, they declined to provide details about specific operational planning.
A White House spokesperson, speaking anonymously, stated: “There has been no decision to send ground troops at this time, but President Trump wisely keeps all options at his disposal.”
The official continued: “The president is focused on achieving all of the defined objectives of Operation Epic Fury: destroy Iran’s ballistic missile capacity, annihilate their navy, ensure their terrorist proxies cannot destabilize the region, and guarantee that Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon.”
Pentagon officials declined to provide comment on the matter.
These strategic discussions are occurring as American forces continue targeting Iran’s naval assets, missile and drone arsenals, and defense manufacturing capabilities. Since initiating military operations on February 28, the U.S. has conducted over 7,800 strikes and damaged or destroyed more than 120 Iranian vessels, according to data released Wednesday by U.S. Central Command, which manages approximately 50,000 American troops stationed throughout the Middle East.
Trump has indicated his objectives extend beyond weakening Iran’s military capabilities to include ensuring safe passage through the Strait and preventing Iranian nuclear weapons development. Ground forces could expand his strategic options but would involve considerable risks.
Even without direct combat operations inside Iran, 13 American service members have died in the conflict so far, with approximately 200 wounded, though military officials report most injuries have been minor.
Throughout his political career, Trump has criticized predecessors for foreign military involvement and promised to avoid overseas conflicts. However, he has recently declined to rule out the possibility of deploying ground forces in Iran.
A senior White House official told reporters that Trump has multiple approaches available for obtaining Iran’s nuclear materials but has not determined how to proceed. “Certainly there are ways in which it could be acquired,” the official explained, adding: “He hasn’t made a decision yet.”
In congressional testimony Wednesday, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard reported that Iran’s nuclear enrichment program had been completely destroyed by June strikes, with underground facility entrances “buried and shuttered with cement.”
The reinforcement discussions go beyond next week’s scheduled arrival of an Amphibious Ready Group in the Middle East, which includes a Marine Expeditionary Unit with over 2,000 Marines. However, one source noted that the military is losing significant capabilities with the decision to send the USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier to Greece for repairs following an onboard fire.
Trump has shown uncertainty regarding whether America should secure the Strait of Hormuz. After initially suggesting Navy escort missions for vessels, he called on other nations to help reopen the vital waterway. With minimal allied interest, Trump questioned the approach Wednesday.
“I wonder what would happen if we ‘finished off’ what’s left of the Iranian Terror State, and let the Countries that use it, we don’t, be responsible for the so called ‘Strait?,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks baseball team traveled to Towson University for a midweek contest but came up short, falling to the Tigers by a score of 8-3.
While the Hawks were unable to secure a victory on the road, there was a notable highlight during the game. Julian Jimenez connected for his first home run of the season, providing a spark for the team despite the challenging outcome.
The loss represents a setback for the Hawks as they continue their season schedule. The team will look to bounce back from this defeat and build momentum moving forward.
Jimenez’s milestone home run serves as a positive development for both the player and the program as they work to establish offensive consistency throughout the campaign.
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani showcased his pitching prowess Wednesday afternoon, delivering a blazing 99-mph fastball past Willy Adames for his opening strikeout of the day.
Despite limited mound time over the last two and a half years, the Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander showed no signs of rust during his spring training pitching return.
The dual-threat athlete dominated in his first mound appearance of the preseason, allowing just one hit while walking two and hitting one batter. He recorded four strikeouts across 4 1/3 innings without surrendering a run to the San Francisco Giants.
Ohtani’s pitch total reached 61, with 34 finding the strike zone.
“The stuff was really good — it’s going to get more crisp as he gets out there and gets regular pitching,” manager Dave Roberts said. “But, man, it was really good. He knows he only has a couple outings before the start of the season, so he was focused. To have him touch the fifth inning was a huge win for us.”
The star pitcher remained composed despite record-breaking heat in Arizona, needing only five pitches to navigate the opening frame as temperatures soared near 100 degrees at Camelback Ranch. During the second inning, he surrendered a leadoff double to Heliot Ramos but responded by retiring the next three batters, including strikeouts of Adames and Will Brennan.
“I was pretty happy with the pitch count today,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “In terms of the next outing, I do want to be better at executing on two-strike counts. I just didn’t finish off hitters as much as I wanted.”
Before joining Team Japan for the World Baseball Classic in early March, Ohtani participated in live batting practice sessions with the Dodgers in Arizona. The four-time Most Valuable Player served exclusively as a designated hitter during the WBC but maintained his pitching routine through bullpen sessions.
Wednesday marked his first competitive mound appearance since Game 7 of the World Series on Nov. 1.
According to Roberts, Ohtani is scheduled for one additional preseason start next week ahead of the March 26 regular season opener.
The 31-year-old aims to complete his first full pitching campaign since 2022, when he posted a 15-9 record with a 2.33 ERA across 28 starts for the Los Angeles Angels. An elbow injury sustained late in 2023 sidelined him from pitching throughout the entire 2024 season.
Ohtani resumed his pitching duties during the middle portion of 2025, compiling a 2.87 ERA over 14 regular-season appearances. He contributed a 2-1 record with a 4.43 ERA during the postseason, supporting the Dodgers’ second consecutive World Series championship.
The versatile player opted against hitting Wednesday, concentrating solely on his pitching performance given the extreme temperatures. Roberts indicated Ohtani will likely serve as the team’s designated hitter Friday against the Padres.
“He’s already taken enough at-bats, so I don’t think the at-bats are a concern,” Roberts said.
Ohtani rejoined the Dodgers at Camelback Ranch following Japan’s quarterfinal elimination from the WBC. He batted 6-for-13 with three home runs for Japan during five tournament games.
CHICAGO — Illinois Governor JB Pritzker delivered sharp criticism Wednesday against special interest spending that flooded his state before Tuesday’s primary elections, specifically targeting a pro-Israel lobbying organization he once financially backed.
The Jewish Democratic governor, who is considered a potential 2028 presidential candidate, previously donated to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee but ended that support more than ten years ago. Speaking to The Associated Press Wednesday, Pritzker argued that AIPAC has abandoned its original mission as a nonpartisan organization dedicated to Middle East peace.
“It became an organization that was supporting Donald Trump and people who follow Donald Trump,” Pritzker stated. “AIPAC really is not an organization that I think today I would want any part of.”
Special interest organizations, AIPAC among them, injected approximately $70 million into six competitive U.S. House and Senate races throughout Illinois on Tuesday. The Hyatt Hotel fortune heir characterized this spending as “interference.”
AIPAC representatives did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
The competitive Illinois races — mostly created by incumbent retirements — became testing grounds for major Democratic issues heading into 2026, including Israel policy and cryptocurrency regulation, as super PACs invested millions. Debates over American involvement in the Israel-Hamas conflict, and more recently tensions with Iran, influenced multiple contests.
AIPAC’s participation generated some of the primary season’s most aggressive campaign attacks, though the organization achieved mixed results. In a ten-candidate House primary covering portions of Chicago’s South Side, AIPAC-supported Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller secured the Democratic nomination Tuesday. However, the group’s favored candidate in a predominantly Jewish district north of Chicago fell to Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss.
Though running unopposed in his own primary, Pritzker played an active role in multiple campaigns, investing millions to support Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton’s successful Democratic Senate nomination bid.
This involvement, combined with Pritzker’s potential 2028 presidential campaign, has intensified scrutiny of his international policy positions as Democratic Party divisions over Israel deepen.
While supporting Israel, Pritzker has criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership. He advocates for a two-state solution providing “safe havens” for both Israeli Jews and Palestinian residents of Gaza.
“I do not know why the United States has walked away from that, except, of course, that Donald Trump doesn’t seem to understand how to create Middle East peace and instead wants to go to war, as he has now done in Iran, simply following Netanyahu into that war,” Pritzker explained.
“Are we going to now take military adventures across the world to take out leaders, who we think are bad for their countries?” he continued. “If so, we’re going to be involved in a whole lot of wars going forward.”
Pritzker invested at least $5 million supporting Stratton’s campaign. She defeated U.S. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi for the Democratic Senate nomination despite his fundraising advantages.
External groups contributed over $16 million supporting Stratton’s candidacy while spending $11 million in opposition.
According to Pritzker, Stratton prevailed based on her policy positions rather than his endorsement.
“She stood on her own two feet, and people saw that she’s real and she’s going to be a fighter for us in Washington,” Pritzker remarked.
Some voters offered different perspectives.
Matthew Crain, a 54-year-old state employee from downstate Chatham, said Pritzker’s endorsement convinced him to switch his vote from Krishnamoorthi to Stratton.
“I thought with potential future running for president, I thought having one of his allies in would be a good thing,” Crain explained.
Brooke Morgan, a 39-year-old Springfield museum curator, said she knew Stratton’s political record from her seven years as lieutenant governor.
“The governor is doing a pretty good job in Illinois, and I think that his backing, his support of her certainly gave me some confidence as well,” Morgan noted.
This November, Pritzker will face Republican challenger Darren Bailey, a former state legislator who supports Trump’s platform. The matchup repeats their 2022 contest, which Pritzker won decisively.
During a Tuesday campaign rally, Bailey — who received Trump’s endorsement four years earlier — claimed he doesn’t agree with the president on every issue and promised to welcome Democrats who feel excluded.
A Wednesday campaign advertisement from Pritzker’s team labeled Bailey as “still too extreme for Illinois.”
Regarding his own national political aspirations, Pritzker stated he’s not considering anything beyond his 2026 third-term campaign.
The Goldey-Beacom Lightning baseball squad traveled to Philadelphia’s East Falls neighborhood for a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference matchup against Jefferson University on Tuesday, but came up short in a high-scoring contest.
The Lightning were unable to keep pace with their hosts, ultimately falling by a score of 16-10 in the conference battle. The loss came as Goldey-Beacom made the trip to Jefferson’s home field for the league game.
The defeat adds to the Lightning’s conference record as they continue their Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference schedule this season.
What was supposed to be a major advancement in video game graphics has instead sparked a wave of internet mockery and player frustration directed at tech giant Nvidia.
During a Monday conference presentation, the company unveiled its newest artificial intelligence-powered graphics enhancement, promising developers the ability to create “photoreal computer graphics previously only achieved in Hollywood visual effects.”
The technology, called DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), represents Nvidia’s fifth generation of image enhancement tools. Originally launched in 2018 for improving game resolution, the system has evolved to create completely new visual frames and now operates in more than 750 gaming titles.
While DLSS 5 won’t launch until this fall, Nvidia’s demonstration footage has already generated significant controversy among gaming enthusiasts.
The backlash centers on what internet users describe as characters being “yassified” – a term meaning overly beautified to an unrealistic degree.
Demonstration footage featuring Grace Ashcroft from Resident Evil Requiem shows dramatic changes when DLSS 5 activates. Though background details and textures appear sharper, the character’s appearance transforms noticeably – her lips become fuller, under-eye shadows lighten, and she appears to be wearing cosmetics.
Similar visual alterations appear in preview clips from popular games including Hogwarts Legacy, Starfield, and EA Sports FC.
“DLSS 5 is the GPT moment for graphics — blending handcrafted rendering with generative AI to deliver a dramatic leap in visual realism while preserving the control artists need for creative expression,” stated Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang in Monday’s announcement.
Gaming community members have expressed strong opposition to these changes. One YouTube user commented, “The obsession with fidelity over art direction is reaching terminal levels.” Critics argue the technology overrides developers’ original creative vision by modifying lighting decisions and character features rather than simply improving image quality. Many also noted an unsettling artificial quality reminiscent of AI-generated content.
The controversy has spawned numerous internet memes mocking the technology’s effects.
One viral social media post features the iconic Depression-era “Migrant Mother” photograph alongside a heavily altered version showing the subject with bright makeup and a smile, captioned “Nvidia presents DLSS 5.”
This format has become a popular meme template, with users posting “DLSS 5 off vs. DLSS 5 on” comparisons using various images. One example shows actor Kevin James’s face dramatically altered, while others transform cartoon-style artwork into unnaturally realistic versions.
Responding to the criticism in a pinned YouTube comment, Nvidia emphasized that “game developers have full, detailed artistic control over DLSS 5’s effects to ensure they maintain their game’s unique aesthetic.”
During a Tuesday press conference, Huang directly addressed the backlash, telling critics they are “completely wrong.”
“The reason for that is because, as I have explained very carefully, DLSS 5 fuses controllability of the geometry and textures and everything about the game with generative AI,” he explained to Tom’s Hardware. He maintained that developers retain the ability to “fine-tune the generative AI” to match their artistic vision, insisting DLSS 5 “doesn’t change the artistic control.”
The company announced DLSS 5 integration for upcoming titles including Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Delta Force, Justice, Phantom Blade Zero, and Sea of Remnants, with availability planned for fall release.
Communities nationwide are scrambling to cancel, postpone, or rebrand events that honor deceased labor organizer César Chávez following disturbing sexual abuse accusations against the farmworker rights champion.
The shocking revelations came to light this week when labor activist Dolores Huerta disclosed that she was among multiple women and girls allegedly victimized by Chávez during his leadership of the United Farm Workers Union.
The accusations have triggered immediate responses from government officials and organizations. The United Farm Workers announced it will boycott any commemorative events bearing their former leader’s name.
Multiple states including California, Colorado, Minnesota, Texas, Utah and Washington officially recognize March 31 – Chávez’s birth date – as a state observance. The federal government has acknowledged César Chávez Day since President Barack Obama’s 2014 proclamation, though it remains a symbolic rather than paid federal holiday.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott moved quickly Wednesday, declaring his state would skip this year’s observance and instructing all agency directors to follow suit. Abbott also pledged to collaborate with lawmakers on removing the holiday from state statutes entirely.
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs broke with her previous two years of recognition, choosing not to acknowledge March 31 as César Chávez Day, according to spokesperson Liliana Soto. Though Arizona doesn’t mandate a statewide holiday, various municipalities typically close schools and government buildings in observance.
California Governor Gavin Newsom remained noncommittal Wednesday, stating he was still “processing” the developments and wouldn’t pledge any modifications to his state’s official holiday.
Lansing, Michigan officials pulled the plug on their March 25 Legacy of César Chavez Dinner, which was set to feature Julie Chavez Rodriguez, the labor leader’s granddaughter and former Kamala Harris campaign manager, as keynote speaker.
“We remain committed to honoring the Latino community, and the service, dignity, and rights of farmworkers. We will be working on further events and celebrations in the future,” city officials stated.
Milwaukee also scrapped its yearly commemoration, while Arizona’s Coconino County Hispanic Advisory Council delayed their annual César E. Chavez Community Breakfast, planning to refocus future gatherings on local Hispanic residents’ contributions.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan announced Wednesday morning that Northern California’s largest city was axing its César Chavez festivities. Mahan indicated the city would explore alternative ways to recognize farmworker movement achievements while avoiding celebration of “individuals who caused such profound harm to the community.”
Austin’s Hispanic Advocates and Business Leaders canceled their March 28 march honoring Chávez, while several city council members voiced support for renaming César Chavez Street. Denver’s César Chavez Peace and Justice Committee also called off their April 11 celebration.
AFL-CIO leadership expressed shock at the allegations, announcing the union federation would withdraw from any César Chavez Day activities.
“Our thoughts are first and foremost with any victims of assault and abuse who have described experiencing what no one — especially children — should ever have to survive,” AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond declared jointly. “No legacy can excuse it.”
The labor organization emphasized its continued farmworker support, noting that workers’ hard-won rights “cannot be erased by the horrific actions of one person.”
Chávez’s name graces numerous schools, roadways and landmarks nationwide, including California’s César E. Chávez National Monument in Keene.
Dennis Arguelles from the National Parks Conservation Association’s Southern California division explained that renaming the federal monument would require Congressional action. He suggested the site should continue recognizing the broader farmworker movement and leaders who championed workplace dignity and fair compensation.
The Lubbock Democratic Party urged Texas city officials Wednesday to redesignate César Chavez Drive in honor of Dolores Huerta instead.
Milwaukee City Council member JoCasta Zamarripa indicated upcoming discussions about a Chávez-named street in her city.
Portland City Councilor Candace Avalos announced plans to petition for renaming a city boulevard after Huerta. Municipal regulations require 2,500 signatures to initiate renaming procedures, Avalos explained on social media while encouraging constituent participation.
New Mexico Democratic Senator Ben Ray Luján issued a Wednesday statement condemning abuse of any form, particularly against minors, calling it inexcusable and contradictory to Latino leadership values.
“His name should be removed from landmarks, institutions and honors,” Luján said regarding Chávez. “We cannot celebrate someone who carried out such disturbing harm.”
MADISON, Wis. — Attorney General Pam Bondi has found a way to keep Brad Schimel in charge of federal prosecution duties in Wisconsin despite judges blocking his continuation as interim U.S. attorney, part of a nationwide trend as confirmation battles slow appointments to key Justice Department positions.
Schimel had been serving as interim U.S. attorney for Wisconsin’s Eastern District since Bondi named him to the position in November for a 120-day period. When that term reached its Tuesday deadline, federal judges in the district announced on March 10 they would not grant an extension, though they had the authority to do so.
However, the Milwaukee U.S. Attorney’s office revealed Wednesday that Bondi has designated Schimel as first assistant U.S. attorney for Milwaukee, enabling him to maintain his oversight responsibilities under the new designation.
“I am grateful for this opportunity to serve the people of the Eastern District of Wisconsin,” Schimel stated. “I will continue to work tirelessly to make the entire district safer and stronger.”
This situation mirrors what’s happening nationwide, where temporary appointees are managing most of America’s 94 federal judicial districts while Senate Democrats block confirmation proceedings for presidential nominees. Justice Department records show just 30 districts currently have presidentially nominated and Senate-confirmed U.S. attorneys in place.
First assistant positions like Schimel’s new role are being used to run prosecutor offices across a dozen states, including California, New Mexico, Kentucky, Nevada, New York, Virginia, Vermont and Washington state, the department’s records indicate.
The Republican Schimel earned his law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School and previously served as Waukesha County’s district attorney before winning Wisconsin’s attorney general race in 2014. After losing his reelection bid to Democrat Josh Kaul in 2018, outgoing GOP Governor Scott Walker appointed him to a Waukesha County judgeship.
Last spring, Schimel mounted an unsuccessful state Supreme Court campaign where the court’s ideological makeup was at stake. Even with Trump’s backing and millions in financial support from billionaire Elon Musk, he was defeated by liberal candidate Susan Crawford.
Wisconsin Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin voiced opposition earlier this month to extending Schimel’s interim prosecutor role, describing him as overly partisan and emphasizing that “getting the right person who will uphold the rule of law rather than pledge loyalty to the President, is more important than ever.”
In contrast, Wisconsin’s Republican Senator Ron Johnson criticized the Eastern District judges’ refusal to extend Schimel’s interim appointment as “bizarre” and had pressed Bondi to retain Schimel’s leadership of the Milwaukee office.
Emergency crews and volunteers have now spent a full week fighting devastating wildfires across Nebraska’s western and central regions, with the largest blaze becoming a record-breaker for the state while claiming one life and destroying vast stretches of rangeland.
Coalition spokesman David Boyd explained Wednesday’s changing conditions: “What’s different today is the wind will be less — still, with gusts to 30 miles an hour — but we’re starting to dry out and heat up again. If we get fire, you know, across the containment line, it’s got the potential for rapid spread.”
Governor Jim Pillen offered a brief update while visiting the affected areas, posting on Facebook: “We are making progress, but the fight isn’t over.”
The destruction spans approximately 1,300 square miles across four distinct fires — an area exceeding Rhode Island’s total size. The most devastating blaze, known as the Morrill County fire, has ravaged roughly 1,005 square miles across five counties, extending over 80 miles from Bridgeport in the Nebraska Panhandle eastward to Lake Ogallala, establishing it as Nebraska’s most extensive wildfire on record.
Powerful wind gusts exceeding 60 mph began driving the fires across the region’s terrain last week, feeding on bone-dry prairie vegetation and red cedar groves. The blazes burned without containment for several days until Tuesday, when calmer winds combined with precipitation allowed firefighting teams to begin controlling the flames. Despite this progress, the Morrill County fire remained just 16% contained by Wednesday afternoon.
The Cottonwood fire ranks as the second-largest incident, consuming over 205 square miles after igniting approximately 10 miles southeast of North Platte. Boyd reported this fire reached 40% containment by Wednesday.
Two additional fires burning further north have proven more manageable, covering about 56 square miles and 27 square miles respectively, with both largely contained by Wednesday.
The fires have claimed at least one life — an 86-year-old woman from rural Arthur who died at her residence Thursday while attempting to flee the approaching flames, according to Pillen’s weekend news conference statement.
Numerous buildings have been destroyed, and authorities evacuated at least one residential community near Jeffrey Reservoir in the Cottonwood fire zone since last weekend.
Boyd described the challenging terrain around that evacuation area: “That area is forested with red cedar, and so that holds fire more. That’s a little more complex to fight fire in. We actually have hand crews in there that are cutting fire line in with chainsaws, you know, pretty close to the edge of what was burning.”
The agricultural impact presents long-term concerns for cattle operations throughout the region. Nebraska Agriculture Department Director Sherry Vinton highlighted during Saturday’s news conference that the Morrill County fire zone alone supports grazing for over 35,000 cattle. Agricultural specialists warn that several growing seasons may be required before the scorched land can support livestock grazing again.
Current firefighting strategies involve creating trenches around the fire perimeters and extinguishing remaining hot spots within established boundaries. Officials anticipate significant progress Thursday and Friday when lighter winds are forecast. However, Saturday’s weather outlook brings renewed wildfire risks with stronger winds returning alongside potentially record-breaking temperatures near 90 degrees.
These Nebraska wildfires represent part of a broader pattern of extreme weather affecting the nation this week, including intense heat across California and severe storms that swept the East Coast, resulting in approximately 4,000 flight cancellations nationwide on Monday.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — When Colin Dorgan celebrated his high school hockey team’s state championship victory following a grueling quadruple overtime battle, three empty seats in the Rhode Island arena served as a heartbreaking reminder of what was lost.
The team captain’s mother, brother, and grandfather were not there to witness one of his greatest athletic achievements — they had been gunned down during a previous game while watching Dorgan and his Blackstone Valley Co-op teammates compete on the ice.
The tragic incident shook the tight-knit hockey community to its core, leaving many to question if the season should even continue. But in the following weeks, Dorgan not only returned to lead his squad as captain, he played at such an elite level that he helped drive the team to Wednesday’s Division 2 boys’ state title, a thrilling 3-2 victory.
The squad’s remarkable journey has captured nationwide attention, particularly after Dorgan delivered a clutch game-winning goal during double overtime in a recent playoff matchup. That dramatic moment set up the championship showdown against Lincoln High School.
“It’s just a game for Lincoln High School and for everybody that’s coming here, but for us who lived through that shooting? It’s our lives. It’s a tragedy we all went through and are still healing from it,” Blackstone Valley head coach Chris Librizzi said, wiping away tears during an interview ahead of the game.
An energetic crowd packed the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, cheering, weeping, and sitting on edge through three regulation periods before Dorgan evened the score, setting up four heart-stopping overtime sessions. Eventually, Blackstone Valley’s Jaxon Boyes found the back of the net for the championship-clinching goal.
The dramatic conclusion provided much-needed emotional release for a squad that has battled grief and trauma for weeks.
Authorities have named Robert Dorgan as the gunman who fatally shot his ex-wife Rhonda Dorgan and son Aidan Dorgan on February 16 in the spectator area of the Pawtucket ice facility. Officials say the attack was deliberate. Colin Dorgan’s grandfather Gerald Dorgan also sustained gunshot wounds and later succumbed to his injuries, while two additional victims suffered serious wounds.
The terrifying assault ended when several witnesses tackled the gunman as panicked spectators evacuated the building. Robert Dorgan, who authorities say also used the names Roberta Esposito and Roberta Dorgano, eventually died from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot.
Librizzi, a former firefighter with over three decades of hockey coaching experience, wrestled with how to move forward after the tragedy. The squad took a break from competition, and the coach ensured all players attended 10 days of counseling sessions.
He also allowed each athlete to choose whether to return to the ice, while encouraging those who opted out to still support their teammates from the bench or stands.
After some initial uncertainty, every single player returned — including Dorgan, who needed the most time to make his decision.
“I sent Colin a text saying, ‘Bud, playoffs are this Friday night, it’s your call,” Librizzi said. “He didn’t respond all day, but at about 9 o’clock at night, he sent me a text saying, ‘Coach I’ll see you tomorrow at practice.’”
The healing journey has been far from smooth. Librizzi had to pause their first practice back multiple times as players struggled emotionally. There have been countless tears shed by the coach, family members, and even strangers following the team’s story from across the country. Questions about what comes next after the championship victory still linger.
Librizzi remains amazed by his players’ resilience and the overwhelming support from the hockey community during this difficult period. Volunteers sewed heart patches bearing the initials of the three victims onto the team’s uniforms, and many Rhode Island residents have placed hockey sticks outside their homes as a show of solidarity.
“We’re all still struggling with it,” Librizzi said. “We just need to be family with each other, we need to be supportive of each other moving forward and to heal from this.”
BANGKOK, March 19 – Parliamentary lawmakers in Thailand will cast ballots Thursday to determine whether Anutin Charnvirakul can secure another term as prime minister, potentially bringing an uncommon stretch of political calm to a nation historically marked by governmental upheaval and instability.
The 59-year-old politician’s Bhumjaithai party achieved an unexpected breakthrough in February’s national election, riding a surge of patriotic fervor sparked by armed clashes with Cambodia in the previous year. This marked a dramatic reversal of fortune for a political organization that had previously struggled to establish significant influence in Thailand’s complex political landscape.
Anutin’s political success stems largely from his strategic timing in exploiting the weakening position of the previously powerful Pheu Thai party, first by withdrawing from their coalition arrangement and then quickly assembling his own governing alliance.
Following February’s electoral results, Bhumjaithai has forged an agreement with the politically weakened Pheu Thai party and joined forces with various smaller political groups to create a coalition commanding 290 seats out of the current 499-member parliament.
OPPOSITION CANDIDATE EMERGES
To secure the prime ministerial position, Anutin requires backing from more than half the legislative body, meaning he needs at least 251 votes to prevail.
However, Thursday’s proceedings may feature a competitive race, as the People’s Party, which finished second in the election, has indicated plans to put forward their 38-year-old chairman Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut as an alternative candidate to challenge Anutin directly.
The extent of Natthaphong’s support remains uncertain beyond his party’s 120 parliamentary seats, and it’s unknown whether he has secured backing from other political factions. The young leader stated last week that his goal was to use the voting process as a platform to outline his party’s policy agenda before parliament.
As a devoted monarchist, Anutin has maintained a consistent presence in Thai political circles for two decades, successfully navigating periods of significant turmoil by positioning Bhumjaithai as a bridge between competing elite factions locked in ongoing power disputes, which secured the party’s participation in multiple coalition governments.
Should Anutin succeed, he would gain his first clear governing mandate to lead a nation grappling with economic stagnation, overwhelming household debt burdens, urgent need for structural reforms, and external pressures from trade disputes and consequences of the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran.
STABILITY ON THE HORIZON
Political observers suggest that Anutin’s adaptability and skill at navigating political divisions could serve as his greatest strength, noting that Bhumjaithai has avoided confrontation with Thailand’s influential military and judicial institutions, which have historically orchestrated the collapse of numerous administrations and political parties.
Napon Jatusripitak, who studies politics at Singapore’s ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, observed that with Bhumjaithai positioned to influence both parliamentary chambers and Thailand’s key institutional powers apparently supporting Anutin, conditions appear favorable for sustained political stability.
“People have strong reasons to believe that this government can last, particularly because it’s the first time in a long while that the referee and the players are on the same side,” Napon said.
“There’s control,” he said. “And we have a highly fragmented opposition.”
Medical device manufacturer Stryker experienced a cyber attack last week that has resulted in surgical delays for certain patients, according to a report from Bloomberg News released Wednesday.
The digital security breach temporarily disrupted Stryker’s operations, specifically affecting their capacity to provide customized medical equipment and supplies. A company representative told Bloomberg that “as a result, some patient-specific cases have been rescheduled” due to the inventory delivery problems caused by the system outage.
When contacted by Reuters for additional details about the incident, Stryker had not yet provided a response.
A senior executive from one of the world’s largest hedge funds is making the jump to Google’s artificial intelligence division, according to an announcement made Wednesday.
Jasjeet Sekhon, who has been working as Bridgewater Associates’ chief scientist and head of artificial intelligence, will take on the role of chief strategy officer at Google’s DeepMind AI unit. The news was shared by DeepMind founder Demis Hassabis through a LinkedIn post.
Following his departure from his current position, Sekhon will transition to serving on Bridgewater’s board of directors, Hassabis announced.
The move comes as Google, owned by parent company Alphabet, works to close the competitive gap with artificial intelligence frontrunners OpenAI and Anthropic. The tech giant had initially found itself playing catch-up after years of dominating the search engine market.
DeepMind has rolled out multiple new artificial intelligence products over the last 12 months, including an enhanced chatbot and AI system called Gemini, plus a photo editing tool named Nano Banana. These AI developments have contributed to Google’s stock price nearly doubling over the past year.
Sekhon came to Bridgewater in 2018 and was instrumental in developing the company’s artificial intelligence research and investment division, AIA Labs, which operates under Co-Chief Investment Officer Greg Jensen’s leadership.
While at Bridgewater, Sekhon did not handle investment duties. His background includes teaching positions at prestigious universities such as Harvard, the University of California at Berkeley, and Yale, where he worked most recently.
Under CEO Nir Bar Dea’s leadership, Bridgewater achieved record-breaking profits in 2025 during its five-decade history, with the Pure Alpha fund generating a 34% return. The firm recently appointed longtime executive Bob Prince, who has been with the company for 40 years and serves as a chief investment officer, to chair its board.
The hedge fund recently forecasted that major technology corporations including Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft will spend approximately $650 billion combined this year to expand AI infrastructure.
As of September’s end, Bridgewater oversaw roughly $92 billion in assets through various macro-focused funds targeting different markets and geographic regions, including Pure Alpha, All Weather, Asia Total Return, China Total Return, and AIA Macro funds.
Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is reportedly clashing with team management over their desire to end his season early due to ongoing knee problems, according to Wednesday reports from multiple sources.
The 31-year-old forward is currently dealing with a hyperextended left knee and bone bruise, adding to what has been an injury-riddled campaign that has already forced him to miss a career-high 32 games.
Milwaukee sits at 28-40, trailing the Charlotte Hornets by 6 1/2 games for the Eastern Conference’s final play-in tournament position. The Hornets currently hold a 35-34 record.
With just 14 contests left on the schedule, the Bucks’ postseason aspirations appear increasingly unlikely. A continued slide down the standings would improve Milwaukee’s draft position for what many consider a talent-rich opening round of the 2026 NBA Draft.
Despite rejecting trade proposals for their franchise player, team officials believe shutting down Antetokounmpo would benefit both his long-term health and the organization’s future. However, sources indicate the two-time MVP wants to continue competing.
Head coach Doc Rivers announced Tuesday that recent medical scans showed no structural damage to the knee, with Antetokounmpo scheduled for another evaluation in seven days.
The Greek star previously missed 15 games with a calf injury before returning March 2nd, then sat out two additional contests during a stretch where Milwaukee went 2-6 overall and 0-2 without him. A left ankle sprain kept him out of the team’s 122-99 defeat to Atlanta on March 14th.
His current injury occurred during Sunday’s home win against Indiana when he landed awkwardly following a dunk attempt, forcing him to leave in the third quarter. He was subsequently ruled out for Tuesday’s 123-116 home loss to Cleveland.
This season, Milwaukee has struggled to an 11-21 record without the 10-time All-Star while going 17-19 in games he has played.
Through 36 appearances, Antetokounmpo is posting averages of 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists. This marks the fewest games he will play across his 13 seasons in Milwaukee, falling short of his previous low of 61 games during the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season.
Over his career, Antetokounmpo has compiled averages of 24.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists across 895 games with 830 starts.
Emergency medical services in Israel confirmed Thursday morning that a foreign worker lost their life during an Iranian missile strike that hit central Israel’s Moshav Adanim community.
The deadly incident occurred as part of broader missile attacks that also claimed the lives of three Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Wednesday, according to Israeli ambulance authorities.
Motorists should expect delays on a busy stretch of Pike Creek Road as construction crews continue their work throughout the day.
The Delaware Department of Transportation reports that drivers will encounter periodic lane restrictions along Pike Creek Road in the area between Kirkwood Highway (Route 2) and Abbey Lane. These temporary closures are necessary to accommodate ongoing construction activities in the corridor.
The lane restrictions began earlier today and are scheduled to remain in effect until 5:00 PM. Traffic may experience intermittent delays as crews alternate which lanes are available to vehicles.
Drivers are advised to allow extra travel time when using this route and to consider alternate paths if possible. The construction work is part of ongoing infrastructure improvements in the area.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Two former Alabama standouts are back together in the Mile High City as Jaylen Waddle and Pat Surtain II prepare for intense training camp battles with the Denver Broncos.
Following the completion of his trade from Miami to Denver, Waddle revealed Wednesday during a conference call that Surtain was among his first contacts.
“He was one of the first calls that I made,” Waddle explained. “We talked about this earlier in our careers, we wanted to get together and play with each other. Just seeing it happen, it’s special.”
Both players arrived at Alabama as part of the same 2018 recruiting class and spent three seasons together in Tuscaloosa, capturing a national title in 2020 before entering the NFL. Miami selected Waddle with the sixth overall pick in 2021, while Denver chose Surtain three spots later. The cornerback has since established himself among the league’s elite defenders.
Denver, the sole NFL franchise that hasn’t added an outside free agent this offseason, landed one of the fastest and most skilled receivers available through a major trade package that included three draft picks to Miami, featuring the 30th overall selection in next month’s draft.
According to Waddle, his former teammate kept details about the Broncos organization and head coach Sean Payton to himself during their recent discussions.
“Not too many details. (But) we kept in contact through the years when Coach Payton has been here,” Waddle noted. “He’s been keeping me in the loop without even knowing.”
While Waddle possesses the credentials of a top-tier receiver, he avoided claiming that designation for himself.
“I don’t think there are No. 1s,” he stated. “Everyone is here to make plays and try to win. That’s ultimately the goal for the team and for the organization.”
The addition of Waddle provides developing quarterback Bo Nix with another offensive weapon alongside Courtland Sutton, enhancing a passing attack that ranked 11th league-wide last season.
Waddle’s presence also creates Denver’s first legitimate top receiving tandem since Emmanuel Sanders joined the team in 2014 and partnered with the late Demaryius Thomas to help drive the franchise to a Super Bowl victory ten years ago.
Despite earning the AFC’s top seed last season, the Broncos fell to New England in a snowy AFC championship contest without Nix, who suffered an ankle fracture during their divisional round victory over Buffalo.
Waddle seems well-suited for a team culture that emphasizes character over ego, aligning with the philosophy emphasized by Payton, general manager George Paton, and owner Greg Penner regarding roster construction.
When asked about his aspirations for 2026, Waddle focused entirely on team success rather than individual achievements.
“I wouldn’t say nothing personal. I would say for the team, just take it week-by-week. Just try to go out there and play a good brand of football and try to stack some wins together,” he said.
The 27-year-old receiver represents the opposite of the stereotypical demanding wideout, reserving competitive fire for game situations while displaying modesty in interviews.
“I honestly think it was just the way I was brought up,” he reflected. “My mom and dad obviously tried to do a good job as best they could with keeping me not too high, but not too low. So just staying at a good head space.”
Though Waddle headlines a receiving corps that includes Sutton, Marvin Mims Jr., Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant, and Lil’Jordan Humphrey, he emphasized mutual learning opportunities.
“I’m excited to learn from them and for them to learn from me. It should be fun,” he said.
After posting three consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons to start his professional career, Waddle hasn’t reached that milestone since 2023.
“I don’t look at it as that standpoint of getting back to where I was,” Waddle explained. “I just look at it as a new opportunity to go out there with a new team in a great place, play along great talent and help out as best I can.”
Waddle plans to rely on Surtain’s guidance for community involvement opportunities, similar to his Miami work where he developed a close relationship with young cancer patient Rocco Passaro during his leukemia battle from 2022-23.
“I’m definitely going to get in the community and do something,” Waddle promised. “I know ‘PS2’ is going to help me find different things to get into. I know he does a lot of good things out here. Rocco is definitely someone that is special. We have a special a bond, and I think that’s just going to continue (no matter) where I play at. He has family in me on his side.”
WASHINGTON — Top Justice Department officials traveled to Capitol Hill Wednesday in an effort to address mounting congressional criticism over how the agency has managed millions of documents from the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking probe.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche conducted a private briefing with House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform members regarding the massive collection of files that has created ongoing political challenges for the Trump administration throughout the past year.
Department leadership had anticipated that releasing records connected to the convicted financier would resolve the political controversy that has persisted during the president’s second term. However, the agency continues facing intense scrutiny and criticism regarding its approach to the Epstein investigation and document management.
On Tuesday, the Republican-controlled committee issued a subpoena demanding Bondi testify under oath on April 14 about the Epstein case and related investigative materials. Congressional members have criticized the Justice Department for keeping too many documents confidential and for poor redaction practices that revealed sensitive victim information.
The Justice Department has dismissed the subpoena as “completely unnecessary,” emphasizing that lawmakers have been offered opportunities to review unredacted documents at department facilities and that officials remain available for congressional inquiries.
Department representatives have worked to reassure both Congress and the American people that no efforts have been made to protect President Donald Trump — who states he ended his previous friendship with Epstein years earlier — or other prominent Epstein associates from potential embarrassment. Justice officials have also pushed back against claims they have disregarded victims, maintaining that while current files contain no evidence for additional prosecutions, they remain open to pursuing new leads.
“I’m not trying to defend Epstein — I’m not,” Blanche stated during a recent interview with Katie Miller, who is married to senior Trump advisor Stephen Miller. “I do defend the work that this department is doing today, right now, which is going after every single perpetrator anyway, and if there is a narrative that exists that we are ignoring Epstein victims, that is false.”
The document release stems from the Epstein Files Transparency Act, legislation passed following sustained public and political pressure requiring government disclosure of records involving the deceased financier and his former associate Ghislaine Maxwell. The financier’s criminal cases have long captivated online investigators, conspiracy theorists, and others who suspected official cover-ups and demanded complete transparency.
Following a missed December 19 congressional deadline for full file release, the Justice Department reported assigning hundreds of attorneys to review materials and determine necessary redactions. In January, the department announced the release of over 3 million document pages, plus more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional negotiations to end the Department of Homeland Security funding crisis show little progress as the shutdown reaches its 33rd day, despite urgent appeals from President Trump’s nominee to lead the agency, Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma.
For over a month, Democratic lawmakers have blocked funding for specific DHS agencies, demanding accountability following the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis. The funding dispute affects major enforcement divisions including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Airport security operations face mounting pressure as Transportation Security Administration officials report worsening delays at multiple locations. Unpaid screeners are increasingly calling in sick or leaving their positions entirely.
House Democrats are pursuing a discharge petition to force consideration of legislation by Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut that would restore funding to TSA and select DHS components while excluding ICE, Border Protection, and the secretary’s office.
Though such petitions rarely succeed, Democrats point to their recent victory using the same tactic to compel release of Jeffrey Epstein documents from the Justice Department.
“Discharge petitions are difficult, some say impossible,” Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries declared during a Capitol steps gathering. “But for us, difficult takes a day, impossible takes a week.”
Republican leadership argues the department must operate at full capacity given current security threats, rejecting partial funding approaches.
“It was created in the wake of 9/11. Democrats are acting like it’s September 10th, before 9/11 happened,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana stated.
The Democratic petition needs signatures from all party members plus four Republicans to trigger a floor vote. Even if successful in the House, the measure would face significant Senate obstacles requiring 60 votes for advancement.
During confirmation hearings, Trump’s DHS nominee commended the more than 100,000 department employees working without compensation while urging swift resolution.
“We have to realize that we’re putting our homeland and the peace of mind at risk for the American people,” Mullin testified to the nomination panel.
Private negotiations continue as Democrats submitted their latest funding proposal to the White House, though Republicans characterize it as virtually identical to offers from three weeks ago.
The administration outlined immigration enforcement modifications already accepted in correspondence to Republican Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Katie Britt of Alabama, including expanded body camera usage except during undercover work, restricted civil enforcement at sensitive sites like hospitals and schools, enhanced inspector general oversight with mandatory compliance reviews, and clear officer identification requirements during enforcement actions.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer dismissed these concessions as insufficient Wednesday.
“The White House is still refusing to engage on some of the most pressing demands Democrats have called for since day one,” Schumer remarked.
Floor proceedings highlighted the ongoing stalemate when Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia proposed TSA funding through September, only to meet Republican objections. Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma countered with two-week full DHS funding, which Warnock rejected.
The exchange reflects repeated Democratic attempts at selective September funding versus Republican insistence on comprehensive short-term measures during negotiations.
“This is silly to break this up into aspects of who’s going to get funding and who’s not going to get funding,” Lankford argued, while Warnock characterized ICE as “an unaccountable paramilitary force wreaking havoc on the streets of our country.”
Trump administration social media accounts documented shutdown consequences while assigning blame to Democrats.
“Right now, our heroic TSA officers are not being paid, and many cannot pay their rent, buy food, or afford to put gas in their cars,” the Department of Homeland Security posted. “Some are even staying in airports overnight because they can’t afford their commute.”
TSA acting deputy administrator Adam Stahl identified Philadelphia airport among locations experiencing extended screening delays due to increased worker absences.
“The reality of the situation is this is going to get worse before it gets better if we don’t see any sort of action in Congress,” he told CNN.
Department data shows more than 366 TSA personnel have resigned during the shutdown, creating staffing shortages complicated by four to six month training requirements for replacements.
WASHINGTON — America’s national debt reached a historic milestone Wednesday, climbing past $39 trillion for the first time as the country continues military involvement in the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran.
This record-breaking amount underscores the challenging balance facing government officials between various spending priorities, including implementing significant tax legislation, increasing military expenditures, strengthening border security measures, and reducing the overall debt burden — a commitment Donald Trump made during his campaign and presidency.
According to the Government Accountability Office, escalating federal debt directly affects everyday Americans through increased costs for home loans and vehicle financing, reduced employee compensation as companies have fewer resources for investment, and higher prices for consumer goods and services. Budget reform advocates caution that the ongoing pattern of increased borrowing and interest payments will create more difficult financial decisions for future Americans.
“We must recognize this alarming rate of growth and the significant financial burden we are putting on the next generation,” stated Michael Peterson, chair and CEO of the nonprofit Peter G. Peterson Foundation, which focuses on educating the public about America’s fiscal sustainability challenges.
The speed of this debt accumulation raises additional concerns. Federal borrowing has increased under leadership from both major political parties, driven recently by military conflicts, extensive pandemic relief programs, and reduced tax revenues.
Just five months ago, the national debt crossed the $38 trillion threshold, and it had reached $37 trillion only two months prior to that milestone.
Peterson warned that “at the current growth rate, we will hit a staggering $40 trillion in national debt before this fall’s elections.” He added, “Borrowing trillion after trillion at this rapid pace with no plan in place is the definition of unsustainable.”
White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett reported Sunday that the Iranian conflict has already cost American taxpayers over $12 billion, with no clear timeline for when military operations will conclude.
Neither White House officials nor Treasury Department representatives provided immediate responses to Associated Press inquiries about Wednesday’s debt milestone.
Travelers navigating the busy spring break period are encountering frustrating scenes of security checkpoint lines extending beyond terminal boundaries, creating additional anxiety for those trying to catch flights.
Several major airports are experiencing extended delays, with some locations reporting waits exceeding one hour. Recent traveler reports indicate security lines at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport have stretched to two hours, while airports in New Orleans and Austin, Texas are recommending passengers arrive three hours ahead of departure times.
However, numerous other airports continue operating under typical conditions, creating confusion for travelers who struggle to predict what delays they might encounter, particularly those who typically arrive close to departure time or have upcoming travel plans.
These inconsistent delays stem from multiple contributing factors, including a partial government shutdown that has impacted Transportation Security Administration workforce levels, combined with increased spring break passenger volume. This creates an unpredictable situation where conditions can change rapidly, even at individual airports throughout the day.
Given this uncertainty, verifying TSA checkpoint wait times before heading to the airport has become essential for air travelers during this period.
The TSA is not maintaining regular updates to its systems during the shutdown, which means wait time information on the MyTSA mobile application may be unreliable. Travel experts note that third-party websites that track TSA checkpoint data may also display outdated information during the shutdown if they depend on government-provided data.
“Luckily, major airports tend to list those checkpoint times, terminal by terminal. I can’t think of a major one that doesn’t,” said Eric Rosen, director of travel content for The Points Guy, a travel and finance advice website.
According to Rosen, the best method for tracking current wait times involves visiting airport websites and monitoring their social media channels, particularly on platform X, where many airports provide real-time updates and passenger guidance.
However, travelers must remember that airport situations can shift rapidly, meaning any posted information might not accurately represent current conditions at any given moment.
Travel experts recommend monitoring airport status frequently and starting early. Waiting until just hours before departure leaves minimal room for unexpected delays, such as when the airport journey takes 45 minutes but the flight departs in three hours.
The shutdown, which started February 14, impacts only the Department of Homeland Security, TSA’s parent agency. This marks the third funding interruption within a year, leaving approximately 50,000 TSA personnel working without compensation while awaiting payment for missed paychecks.
Staff absences are increasing as the shutdown continues because unpaid TSA employees face mounting financial pressure, struggling to cover essential expenses like fuel and childcare while still reporting to work, according to the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents most airport security screening staff. Homeland Security reports that at least 366 TSA agents have resigned during the shutdown period.
“It’s so hard to predict where these bottlenecks are going to pop up,” Rosen said. “One airport might have 30% of its TSA agents calling out in a certain day and 10% the next day. There’s just no way to know that in advance.”
Congressional Democrats have stated that Homeland Security funding will remain blocked until new limitations are implemented on federal immigration enforcement following the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis this year.
Tyler Hosford, a security director at global risk management company International SOS, recommends travelers adopt a proactive strategy instead of depending entirely on TSA wait time monitoring.
When making travel arrangements, selecting earlier flights can prove beneficial, he explained, as passengers would have additional time to modify plans if issues arise, whether that involves booking alternative flights, using different airports, or securing rental vehicles.
“I always say you should have a Plan B under the best of circumstances,” Hosford said. “But I think we’re to a point where you need to start having Plan C, D and maybe even E.”
When travelers encounter extensive lines upon airport arrival, the situation doesn’t have to become hopeless, Hosford noted.
Passengers can inquire with security checkpoint personnel about estimated wait times and potential assistance for expediting their progress through lines.
“Always talk to people. It can never hurt to ask,” Hosford said. “The worst they can say is, ‘No, we can’t help you.’”
If that approach fails, he advised contacting the airline through phone, mobile applications, or social media to explore rebooking alternatives.
“Never stay stagnant. You want to be moving forward trying to find your options,” he said. “It can feel exhausting, but the alternate is you potentially get stuck and miss your flight.”
SALISBURY, Md. – After taking a week off from competition, the Salisbury University men’s lacrosse squad returned to action in dominant fashion, overwhelming Colorado College with a decisive 21-5 victory on Wednesday at Sea Gull Stadium.
The Sea Gulls, currently ranked fifth nationally, showed no signs of rust following their extended break, delivering an offensive masterclass against the visiting Tigers. The lopsided score demonstrated Salisbury’s superior play on both ends of the field throughout the afternoon contest.
The commanding performance reinforced Salisbury’s position as one of the top programs in collegiate lacrosse, as they improved their record with the convincing home victory.
NEW YORK (AP) — Cable news network MS NOW announced Wednesday a major programming overhaul that will relocate prime-time hosts Stephanie Ruhle and Alicia Menendez to daytime broadcasting while reducing Morning Joe’s airtime by one hour.
According to the network’s announcement, Ruhle will take on a two-hour morning program beginning at 9 a.m. ET, with Menendez launching her show at noon. The evening lineup will see Ali Velshi stepping into Ruhle’s former 11 p.m. time slot, while Luke Russert joins Symone Sanders Townsend and Michael Steele as co-host of The Weeknight at 7 p.m., taking over Menendez’s previous role.
Morning Joe will reduce its broadcast from four hours to three, beginning at 6 a.m., with MS NOW stating this change came at the program’s own request.
The scheduling changes will result in two current daytime hosts losing their positions. Ana Cabrera will depart the network entirely, while Chris Jansing transitions to a new role as MS NOW’s chief political reporter. Network officials must still determine programming for the 11 a.m. time slot before implementing these changes in June.
Additionally, Jacob Soboroff will host two three-hour weekend programs, marking the network’s first Los Angeles-based show.
ATHENS, Greece — A heartwarming rescue mission unfolded Wednesday as Greece organized a specialized evacuation flight that brought home citizens along with their cherished pets from the conflict-torn Middle East.
The Aegean Airlines flight from Abu Dhabi transported 101 Greek nationals and 45 beloved animals back to Athens International Airport, where touching reunions took place as small dogs jumped excitedly after being released from their travel carriers.
“Our pets are not luggage, they are part of our families,” declared Nikos Chrysakis, the Greek Interior Ministry’s Special Secretary for the Protection of Companion Animals. He explained that both the interior and foreign ministries collaborated for several days “so we can have this good result, for the animals and people to return home safely.”
The ongoing Israeli and U.S. military action against Iran has severely disrupted air travel throughout the Middle East region. Nations have been compelled to close airspace repeatedly and ground thousands of flights at major aviation centers like Dubai and Qatar as missiles crossed overhead, leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded.
For traveler Danai Koukoulomati, securing passage for her feline companion Muay Thai was absolutely essential.
“To me, my pet, my cat is my family. There is no chance I’m going to leave him behind,” she explained. However, she discovered that no available flights would accommodate animals either in passenger cabins or cargo areas. “It is very, very difficult to fly out of the country with your pets.”
Regarding the wartime conditions, Muay Thai displayed remarkable composure compared to his owner. During explosive sounds, “he would hide in the bathroom and that would be all. He was a calm cat,” Koukoulomati shared. “I was not as calm as my cat. I need to take some lessons from him.”
Dubai resident Alexandra Papayanis, who had lived there for five years, returned with her dog Sirtaki — named for a traditional Greek dance — plus a second canine she rescued for a friend. She also encountered significant challenges locating evacuation flights that accepted animals.
“It’s so important. I mean, our pets are part of our family,” she emphasized. “And in these very difficult circumstance, the challenges we are facing is how to bring our dogs and our cats back.” She described bringing Sirtaki back to Greece as “absolutely fantastic.”
Fellow passenger Maria Theochari considered abandoning her dog Matisse completely unacceptable. “Like my kids, I have Matisse,” she stated. “This is important for me. I don’t separate my animal or my kids, it’s the same for me.”
Mediterranean nations are sounding the alarm about a crippled Russian fuel tanker that’s been floating without a crew since suffering damage in what officials believe was a drone strike earlier this month.
The vessel, known as the Arctic Metagaz, belongs to Russia’s unofficial fleet that transports oil and gas despite international sanctions. The ship was transporting liquefied natural gas when it sustained severe damage in waters near Malta.
Leaders from Italy, Spain, Malta, Greece and Cyprus have written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, describing the situation as urgent. They’re asking the European Union to activate emergency response protocols to deal with what they call an environmental emergency waiting to happen.
Spanish officials and three other European Union representatives, who requested anonymity due to authorization restrictions, verified the letter’s contents on Wednesday.
The Mediterranean countries are pushing for a coordinated response from Brussels, emphasizing concerns about the ship’s deteriorating state and dangerous cargo.
“The precarious condition of the vessel, combined with the nature of its specialised cargo, gives rise to an imminent and serious risk of a major ecological disaster in the heart of the union’s maritime space,” the leaders stated in their correspondence.
While the entire crew was rescued safely, the vessel remains adrift with its volatile cargo of LNG and additional fuels, creating an explosion risk.
The letter also addressed wider concerns about ships that don’t follow international safety protocols, pointing to ongoing dangers for Mediterranean shipping lanes and marine ecosystems.
The five nations plan to discuss these concerns during this week’s European Council session and have expressed readiness to work with EU officials toward what they termed “a swift, European-led resolution.”
Recent reports from Malta indicate the tanker has moved from its earlier position between Malta and Sicily’s Lampedusa island and is now drifting toward Libyan waters.
Italian government official Alfredo Mantovano told radio listeners Monday that Malta has established a 7-kilometer safety perimeter around the vessel, “because the vessel could explode at any moment.”
CARACAS, Venezuela — In a significant government restructuring on Wednesday, Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez replaced the nation’s defense minister, removing a key military figure who had been instrumental in supporting former President Nicolás Maduro’s regime.
Using her Telegram channel to make the announcement, Rodríguez revealed that Gen. Gustavo González López would immediately take over the defense ministry position. The move removes Gen. Vladimir Padrino López, who had been a crucial pillar of military backing for Maduro’s administration. In her statement, Rodríguez expressed gratitude to Padrino López for his “loyalty to the Homeland” while voicing optimism about his future contributions.
This cabinet reshuffle occurs more than ten weeks following Rodríguez’s assumption of leadership after U.S. military forces captured Maduro on January 3rd to face drug trafficking charges in American courts.
The Trump administration has intensified its efforts to pressure remaining Maduro supporters who continue to control the petroleum-rich South American nation.
The newly appointed González López brings significant intelligence experience to his role, though he previously faced American sanctions due to his involvement in suppressing street demonstrations in 2014. Following Rodríguez’s security reorganization on January 6th, he has been leading both the presidential honor guard and the military’s intimidating counterintelligence division.
Padrino López had maintained his cabinet position as one of the most enduring ministers since Maduro assumed power in 2013, serving as defense minister continuously since his 2014 appointment, making him among Venezuela’s longest-tenured defense officials.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Defense attorneys are using handwritten notes from deceased crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger to challenge a former FBI agent’s murder conviction, claiming the mobster’s own words prove their client was wrongfully accused.
Legal representatives for ex-FBI agent John Connolly submitted paperwork to Miami-Dade Circuit Court on Monday requesting his conviction be thrown out, pointing to what they call previously hidden evidence that prosecutors kept secret for years.
The evidence consists of FBI interview records containing Bulger’s statements and an incomplete handwritten memoir that federal agents confiscated when they searched Bulger’s residence following his 2011 capture.
According to the court documents, Connolly’s legal team says Bulger, who controlled Boston’s Winter Hill Gang, claimed in these materials that Connolly never provided him information that led to businessman John Callahan’s 1982 murder in Miami, undermining the prosecution’s entire case. The crime boss instead named fellow FBI agent John Morris as his actual source, calling Connolly a “sacrificial lamb” in the filing.
The 85-year-old Connolly received a Florida conviction for second-degree murder and racketeering charges.
Within his memoir, Bulger acknowledged being a “criminal almost all of my life” and detailed how he used confidential information to evade law enforcement.
“I never thought the day would come that I’d be writing a story about my criminal activity,” Bulger penned.
Defense lawyers contend Bulger composed the memoir specifically to exonerate Connolly.
They further argue that both Bulger’s written account and his post-arrest FBI interviews were never shared with the defense team.
These documents surfaced only after a veteran prosecutor working on Connolly’s case left the Miami-Dade state attorney’s office amid allegations of improper conduct, including providing special treatment to witnesses and coaching their testimony.
During 2024, Connolly’s attorneys received correspondence from Miami-Dade Chief Assistant State Attorney Jose Arrojo notifying them that a sealed package marked “confidential” held both the Bulger memoir and his federal statements.
The defense filing accuses prosecutors of widespread wrongdoing, claiming they deliberately concealed evidence that could have helped their client, violating constitutional protections. While courts have previously determined that some evidence was improperly withheld in this case, they concluded it wasn’t significant enough to reverse the conviction.
Connolly’s lawyers argue this newly revealed material goes much further, establishing genuine uncertainty about his involvement in the crime.
After serving part of a 40-year prison term, Connolly received compassionate release in 2021 when a judge considered his fatal illness and COVID-19 dangers.
Connolly worked as a federal agent in Boston during July 1982 when contract killer John Martorano executed Callahan with a gunshot to the head, abandoning his corpse in a vehicle trunk at Miami International Airport.
Authorities charged Connolly with first-degree murder two decades later. Prosecutors at that time alleged Bulger and Stephen Flemmi arranged Callahan’s assassination after Connolly informed them federal investigators were examining Callahan’s connections to Bulger’s organization regarding the 1981 murder of Roger Wheeler, who operated World Jai Alai.
However, the defense claims Bulger’s memoir and federal statements indicate Morris, who supervised Connolly at the FBI, actually set him up.
“I am sure everyone close to me thought all the information I had came from (Connolly), Bulger wrote. “I didn’t discourage that thought — sadly for Connolly, he took the heat for warning me to take off and other things that had come from (Morris).”
Bulger claimed Morris became a “star witness” against Connolly to protect himself. Morris provided testimony against Connolly under a cooperation deal that protected him from criminal charges.
During his criminal reign, Bulger, whose story influenced Jack Nicholson’s role in Martin Scorsese’s 2006 film “The Departed,” simultaneously worked as an FBI informant targeting the Mafia — though he disputed this characterization. He fled in 1994 after receiving advance warning of upcoming charges and remained at large until 2011. Following his conviction for 11 murders and additional offenses that resulted in a life sentence, Bulger died in a prison assault in 2018.
A traffic accident has resulted in the closure of the right lane on northbound Route 7 at Tarry Lane, according to Delaware Department of Transportation officials.
The lane restriction is currently in effect as emergency crews and transportation workers respond to the crash scene. Drivers traveling through the area should anticipate potential delays and may want to seek alternative routes if possible.
DelDOT has not yet provided information about when the lane is expected to reopen or the extent of any injuries involved in the collision.
CHESTERTOWN, Md. – Salisbury University’s nationally-ranked baseball squad delivered a dominant performance against regional rival Washington College on Wednesday, crushing the Shoremen 15-1 in a seven-inning contest at Athey Park.
The Sea Gulls, currently ranked fifth in the nation, showcased their offensive power throughout the afternoon matchup against their fellow Delmarva Peninsula competitors. The lopsided victory demonstrated the strength of Salisbury’s baseball program as they overwhelmed Washington College in the shortened game.
The decisive win adds another impressive result to Salisbury University’s season as they continue to establish themselves among the top collegiate baseball programs in the country.
Listen to the Evening Delmarva Farm Report Update — March 18, 2026
DELMARVA — Multiple farm organizations are pushing the Trump administration to ease fertilizer import restrictions as growers across Delmarva and the nation face mounting input costs. The National Corn Growers Association’s vice president of public policy, Lesley McNitt, points to recent import tariffs on Morocco as a key factor driving up phosphate costs for American farmers. The advocacy effort comes as producers head into spring planting season already dealing with tight margins and supply uncertainties.
Markets
Grain futures closed mixed Wednesday. March corn settled at $2.98 per bushel. May soybeans finished at $11.42. March wheat closed at $4.75.
Locally, number 2 yellow corn is bringing $2.90 at Laurel elevators. Soybeans are running $11.15 on the Eastern Shore.
Forecast
Clear conditions are expected tonight with temperatures dropping to around 29°. Thursday brings mostly sunny skies with highs near 47°. Southeast winds stay light through Thursday.
Friday looks mostly sunny with temperatures climbing to 55° before rain chances arrive Friday night and continue into Saturday morning. Good fieldwork weather through Thursday for those wrapping up early season tasks.
This article is based on the Delmarva Farm Report Update Evening Edition, March 18, 2026. Hosted by Tom Bradley.
WASHINGTON — A Senate confirmation hearing took an unprecedented turn Wednesday when the committee chairman issued a bold challenge: Say it directly to my face.
Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul has been vocal about his opposition to President Donald Trump’s choice for Homeland Security Secretary, GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin. Paul has announced his intention to vote against the nomination.
The tension between these two Republicans stems from longstanding personal conflicts.
Mullin previously described Paul as a “freaking snake” and expressed support for Paul’s neighbor, who violently attacked the senator while he worked in his yard, leaving Paul with several fractured ribs from the unexpected assault.
In response, Paul has characterized Mullin as dishonest and prone to rage, questioning whether he possesses the right disposition to oversee the Department of Homeland Security during Trump’s planned immigration crackdown.
“Tell it to the world why you believe I deserved to be assaulted,” Paul declared Wednesday as he called the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee session to order.
“Explain to the American people why they should trust a man with anger issues to set the proper example for ICE and border patrol agents.”
Mullin, who competed professionally in mixed martial arts and has conducted fitness sessions in the House gymnasium — including with former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who sat among his supporters in the front row — adopted the Trump administration’s confrontational approach.
He refused to retreat from the confrontation.
“If I have something to say, I’ll say it directly to your face,” Mullin fired back.
Mullin demonstrated exactly why he has earned Trump’s favor for this position, as current Secretary Kristi Noem prepares to step down from the struggling agency.
He doubled down on his previous statements about Paul, reaffirming that he “can understand why your neighbor did what he did.”
“I am not apologizing,” Mullin stated flatly during the proceedings.
Even in a season marked by contentious committee hearings, this confrontation stood apart.
Trump administration officials and Cabinet hopefuls have repeatedly clashed with lawmakers, mostly Democrats, who oppose the president’s personnel choices and policy directions. However, Paul’s attack as a Republican colleague who has previously sparred with Trump as a GOP maverick created an unusual bipartisan opposition. This dynamic illustrates the challenging confirmation path Mullin faces, with a committee vote scheduled for next week.
The confrontation continued beyond the opening remarks.
Senators questioned Mullin for three hours about his personal integrity and professional qualifications for the Homeland Security position. He lacks deep policy knowledge in immigration enforcement, FEMA operations, or other departmental responsibilities. He also doesn’t bring recognized management credentials, having transitioned from running his family’s plumbing company to serving in Congress.
Mullin’s primary qualifications appear to be his connection with Trump — he referred to the president as a “friend” — and his reputation as a likeable relationship-builder who works across party lines, often bouncing a stress ball while walking through congressional corridors.
Republican senators spoke positively about Mullin’s character, and he became emotional while recounting how Trump showed care for his son Jimmy during health challenges while the president campaigned in 2020.
However, Mullin confused senators when discussing a mysterious international trip he claimed to have taken years ago to a country experiencing war-like conditions.
Committee members revealed that the FBI, responsible for vetting executive nominees, had no documentation of such travel, and leadership demanded that Mullin meet them privately in a secure location to explain what they termed his “super secret” foreign mission.
“I didn’t say it was ‘super secret’,” Mullin responded sharply.
Nevertheless, the initial confrontation established the hearing’s hostile atmosphere and foreshadowed the limited support Mullin can expect in Thursday’s committee vote.
Paul began with an appeal to end political violence that has plagued the nation, referencing incidents from his 2011 entry into politics when former Democratic Rep. Gabby Giffords was shot at a public event outside a Tucson supermarket, through the 2017 congressional baseball practice shooting where he was in the batting cage when gunfire erupted, and numerous subsequent incidents.
“It is imperative now more than ever that the leaders of our country disavow violence and lead by example,” Paul emphasized.
He showed video footage of Mullin nearly engaging in a physical altercation with a union representative — challenging him to “stand your butt up” — during a 2023 Senate hearing.
Mullin admitted that he and Paul simply have irreconcilable differences.
“We just don’t get along,” he acknowledged in his testimony.
Mullin mentioned that he and the union leader, Teamsters’ Sean O’Brien who was present in the audience, had developed a friendship.
“I can set it aside if you’re willing to set it aside,” Mullin proposed to Paul.
Paul responded skeptically, “Somehow you think I’m going to just set that aside?”
BATON ROUGE, La. — Michael Lawrence Tyler, the Grammy-nominated artist performing under the name Mystikal, entered a guilty plea Tuesday to charges of third-degree rape stemming from an incident at his Louisiana residence almost four years ago.
Court documents confirm that the 55-year-old musician admitted guilt to the charges during proceedings in an Ascension Parish courthouse.
Attempts to reach Tyler’s legal representation for comment Wednesday were unsuccessful.
The conviction carries a potential sentence of up to 25 years in prison with no possibility of parole, probation, or sentence reduction. A sentencing hearing has been set for June 15.
Tyler has remained in custody at the Ascension Parish Jail since his 2022 arrest on allegations of raping and strangling a woman at his Prairieville residence, located approximately 18 miles from Baton Rouge.
The New Orleans-born artist achieved widespread fame during the 1990s and gained particular recognition for his 2000 track “Shake Ya A**,” which earned a Grammy nomination in the best rap solo performance category.
This marks Tyler’s second conviction for a sexual offense. In 2003, he admitted guilt to sexual battery charges and received a six-year prison term. Ironically, that same year brought him two Grammy nominations for his album “Tarantula” in the best rap album category and his song “Bouncin’ Back (Bumpin’ Me Against The Wall)” for best male rap solo performance.
JPMorgan Chase announced Wednesday it’s launching specialized financial advisory services designed to help athletes at every career stage manage their earnings more effectively over the long term.
The program targets a broad spectrum of athletes rather than focusing solely on superstar performers. It encompasses everyone from college players receiving their first payments through name, image and likeness agreements to veteran professionals facing retirement in their thirties who need their earnings to support them for decades ahead.
The bank plans to connect with these athletes early in their careers, potentially reaching high school students but definitely establishing relationships on college campuses to instill sound financial practices from the beginning.
“They are coming into a lot of money, and they don’t know what to do with it,” said Megan Rapinoe, the professional soccer player and Olympic gold medalist.
This initiative serves JPMorgan’s business interests as well. Athletes who reach professional status often accumulate millions, with top performers potentially reaching billionaire status. Handling these assets through JPMorgan’s wealth management division could generate substantial fee income, while celebrity athletes may attract additional clients to the bank.
Financial troubles among wealthy athletes have become well-documented. Research indicates that approximately one-sixth of NFL players face bankruptcy within twelve years after leaving the sport. Boxing champion Mike Tyson, despite reportedly earning $500 million throughout his career, eventually declared bankruptcy, joining other sports legends like Evander Holyfield and Antoine Walker who experienced similar financial collapses.
These situations typically follow a common pattern: athletes accumulate significant wealth but lack the financial education necessary to preserve it throughout their lifetimes.
Peloton instructor Ally Love described feeling intimidated and embarrassed when seeking financial guidance, even after achieving success with the fitness company. She recalled an early banking meeting where advisors left her more confused than informed.
“I was like, ‘Who’s Roy?’ I thought Roy was spelled with a Y,” Love told The Associated Press. She later discovered that “Roy” referred to return on investment, or ROI.
Love joins eight other athletes on JPMorgan’s newly formed Athlete Council. The group includes NBA Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade from the Miami Heat, WNBA champion Sue Bird, and legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady. Additional members are New York Knicks player Jalen Brunson, World Cup winner Alex Morgan, New York Giants’ Kayvon Thibodeaux, and four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson.
Love explained how banking professionals often spoke condescendingly to her, creating feelings of intimidation.
“I just sat there for many years and I said ‘okay’ and ‘sure’, and did a lot of head nodding, but I wasn’t really being informed, wasn’t really being educated and I was too nervous and too scared to ask for help.”
J.P. Morgan Wealth Management CEO Kristin Lemkau conceived the athlete financial wellness program. Lemkau approached Love about participating after meeting at a U.S. Open tennis tournament, discussing how financial institutions typically pursue only the biggest names while overlooking those who most need assistance.
“There is an underserved segment of athletes, whether they are young and in college, professionals, or retired,” Lemkau explained. “They’re all different. And most financial services companies are going after the Ally Loves, the Tom Bradys and the Dwyane Wades, and 99.99% of athletes don’t fit into that space.”
Lemkau and Love acknowledged that athletes, like others who experience sudden wealth, will naturally want to purchase luxury items. However, they emphasized that after buying expensive accessories, jewelry and vehicles, these individuals must ensure their remaining assets can support them for many years.
“Enjoy the fruits, but also let the fruit last,” Love said.
NEW YORK — An NYPD officer assigned to security detail at the mayor’s official residence and City Hall has been placed on unpaid suspension following an off-duty shooting incident that left a man critically injured, authorities announced Wednesday.
The incident occurred Monday evening around 9 p.m. in the Bronx when the officer became involved in a confrontation with multiple individuals regarding a stolen vehicle, according to police reports. During the altercation, the officer discharged his weapon, striking a 30-year-old man in the head.
The wounded individual remains hospitalized in critical condition. Authorities have not disclosed the identities of either the officer or the victim, and no criminal charges have been filed at this time.
The NYPD’s Force Investigation Division has launched a comprehensive review of the incident. Department officials confirmed the officer has been relieved of duty without compensation pending the outcome of the investigation.
When contacted for comment, a representative for Mayor Zohran Mamdani directed all inquiries to the police department. The mayor’s official residence, known as Gracie Mansion, serves as the historic home where the officer was assigned security duties.
Ada Gomez, who manages a tavern located directly across from the shooting scene, reported that a stray bullet struck and damaged one of her establishment’s windows, though fortunately no patrons were injured.
“Imagine if someone was sitting in that window at that time,” Gomez said.
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. — President Donald Trump attended a solemn ceremony at Dover Air Force Base Wednesday as six fallen U.S. service members were returned home to their loved ones. This marks the president’s second attendance at such a ceremony since military conflict with Iran commenced in late February.
The six military personnel lost their lives when their KC-135 aircraft crashed in western Iraq over territory controlled by friendly forces during ongoing operations. Family members requested that Wednesday’s ceremony remain private, with no media present, following standard military protocol.
The ceremony consisted of a photo collection assembled by Associated Press photo editors.
Motorists traveling through the area of Upland Court at S Skyward Drive should plan for potential delays as construction crews continue their work with intermittent lane restrictions.
According to DelDOT traffic officials, the lane closures will affect traffic flow periodically throughout the day, with work expected to wrap up by 5:30 PM this evening.
Drivers are advised to use alternate routes when possible or allow extra travel time when passing through the construction zone.
Financial markets experienced a sharp decline Wednesday as investors reacted to surging oil prices, elevated inflation data, and Federal Reserve signals suggesting interest rate cuts are off the table for the remainder of this year.
Market analyst Jamie McGeever noted that Wall Street tumbled while Treasury bond yields surged as traders processed the combination of an oil price shock, rising U.S. producer costs, and underlying messages from the Federal Reserve, despite the central bank maintaining its current policy stance.
The market upheaval began in Asia with strong gains – Japan climbing nearly 3% and South Korea jumping almost 6% – but sentiment soured as European markets declined and major U.S. indexes dropped approximately 1.5%. Both the S&P 500 and Dow Jones recorded their lowest closing levels since November.
All eleven sectors within the S&P 500 posted losses, with consumer discretionary, consumer staples, and healthcare sectors falling 2% or more. Major corporations including McDonald’s, Procter & Gamble, Home Depot, and Visa each declined by at least 3%.
Currency markets saw broad dollar strength, with several emerging market currencies losing 1% or more, including the South Korean won, Thai baht, Hungarian forint, South African rand, Polish zloty, and Chilean peso. Among developed nation currencies, the Swiss franc, Swedish krona, and Australian dollar were the biggest decliners, each falling 1%.
Bond markets experienced significant volatility as yields jumped and yield curves flattened. The two-year U.S. Treasury yield increased by 10 basis points, creating the flattest yield curve of the year. December SOFR contracts now indicate less than a 50% probability of a rate reduction. Both two-year UK and German yields rose by 8 basis points.
Commodity markets showed dramatic moves, with oil prices surging as Brent crude jumped 5% to $110 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate gained 3% to $100. Gold experienced a sharp 4% decline to a one-month low below $5,000.
The Federal Reserve maintained interest rates as anticipated and kept its policy rate and unemployment forecasts unchanged. The central bank projects slightly stronger growth alongside an inflation increase this year. The most significant adjustment in median projections was the long-term federal funds rate, which rose to 3.1% from 3.0%.
While the Fed’s announcement contained no major surprises, the updated “dot plot” revealed a meaningful shift toward fewer anticipated rate reductions, with one policymaker indicating a potential rate increase next year. Governor Christopher Waller also withdrew his previous dissent regarding a rate cut.
Regarding Middle East tensions, there’s been a pattern among investors, particularly during U.S. trading sessions, to “buy the dip” with expectations that regional conflicts will subside, oil supplies will normalize, and global economic stability will return. However, this outlook appears increasingly unrealistic.
Evidence suggests hostilities are not diminishing, and investors may be underestimating the consequences of energy supply disruptions and $100 oil prices on inflation, consumer spending, wealth effects, and overall financial conditions.
February’s U.S. producer price inflation data, released Wednesday, showed remarkable increases. The annual core rate jumped to 3.9%, reaching its highest level in over a year, while the monthly headline rate accelerated for the fourth consecutive month.
Morgan Stanley economists indicate this elevates three-month annualized core PCE inflation – the Fed’s preferred measurement – to 4.56%. This represents nearly a full percentage point increase from January’s comparable rate and more than doubles the Fed’s 2% target. Importantly, these figures predate the current oil price shock.
Looking ahead, market movements will likely be influenced by Middle East developments, energy market fluctuations, and various international economic indicators including New Zealand GDP data, Australia’s unemployment figures, Japan’s machinery orders, and multiple central bank interest rate decisions from the European Central Bank, Bank of England, Sweden, Switzerland, and Bank of Japan.
Additional U.S. economic data includes weekly jobless claims, the Philadelphia Fed business index, a $19 billion 10-year TIPS Treasury auction, and a scheduled meeting between President Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
TOKYO, March 19 – Japan’s central bank will likely maintain current interest rates during Thursday’s policy meeting as officials monitor how escalating Middle East tensions might influence the nation’s economy, which depends heavily on imports and has already experienced rising inflation pressures.
This policy decision occurs during a busy week of central bank announcements worldwide, including meetings by the Federal Reserve and European Central Bank, with all institutions grappling with complications from Middle East oil market disruptions.
Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda is anticipated to reaffirm the institution’s commitment to gradually increasing borrowing costs from their current low levels, though he’s unlikely to provide specific timing details for future rate adjustments, which will largely depend on the duration of regional conflicts, according to financial experts.
“Japan faces two-sided risks from the energy shock,” according to Evercore ISI analysts, who noted in their research that elevated oil prices could simultaneously burden economic growth while accelerating inflation.
“We think the aim (for Ueda) will be to keep the next meeting in April live for a hike without in any way locking it in,” the analysts explained.
During the two-day policy session concluding Thursday, the Bank of Japan is widely anticipated to maintain its short-term interest rate at 0.75%. Board member Hajime Takata, known for his hawkish stance, may again propose raising rates to 1.0%, similar to his unsuccessful January attempt.
Market observers are particularly interested in how Ueda will address the delicate balance between supporting an economy affected by external shocks while preventing the central bank from falling behind on inflation control during his post-meeting press conference.
Even with increased uncertainty stemming from the Iran conflict, financial markets still assign approximately 60% probability to another rate increase in April.
The central bank elevated interest rates to 0.75% in December, reaching a three-decade peak, and has indicated willingness to continue raising borrowing costs as Japan moves toward sustainably meeting its 2% inflation goal supported by wage increases.
Oil price increases resulting from the Iran conflict have compounded existing import cost pressures from a weakened yen, keeping core inflation above the central bank’s target for nearly four years running.
However, Japan’s substantial dependence on Middle Eastern oil supplies may amplify negative impacts on business profits and overall economic performance from rising fuel expenses, potentially giving Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government additional justification to resist immediate rate increases.
During parliamentary testimony following the February 28 U.S.-Israel military action against Iran, Ueda acknowledged that while higher oil prices could damage economic growth, they might also elevate underlying inflation by raising long-term price expectations.
NASA’s Perseverance rover has made a groundbreaking discovery on Mars, uncovering buried remnants of an ancient river delta that provides some of the most compelling evidence to date of water flowing on the Red Planet billions of years ago.
The six-wheeled robotic explorer used sophisticated ground-penetrating radar technology to peer beneath the Martian surface, revealing geological structures buried as deep as 115 feet below ground. These findings came as Perseverance traveled across 3.8 miles of terrain within Jezero Crater, located in Mars’ northern hemisphere and believed to have once contained an ancient lake.
Scientists discovered layered sedimentary deposits and weathered surfaces that point to an ancient delta formation – a fan-shaped accumulation of sediment that forms where rivers meet larger water bodies such as lakes. The research team determined this buried delta formation existed approximately 3.7 to 4.2 billion years ago, making it relatively early in Martian history since the planet formed around 4.5 billion years ago, similar to Earth.
This newly discovered delta actually predates another surface formation in the area known as the Western Delta, which scientists estimate to be about 3.5 to 3.7 billion years old.
The breakthrough came through Perseverance’s RIMFAX instrument, which transmits radar signals downward and captures the echoes that bounce back from underground structures, creating detailed three-dimensional maps of what lies beneath the surface. The latest findings represent the deepest subsurface data RIMFAX has collected, gathered between September 2023 and February 2024 across 250 Martian days.
The discovery holds particular significance because scientists consider water essential for the potential existence of past life on Mars. The Red Planet, now a cold and barren world, once had a denser atmosphere and warmer temperatures that would have supported liquid water on its surface.
“From the features mapped by RIMFAX, we believe that Jezero Crater hosted an ancient water-rich environment, capable of biosignature preservation that existed prior to the formation of Jezero’s Western Delta,” explained Emily Cardarelli, a UCLA planetary scientist who serves on the Perseverance science team and authored the study published Wednesday in Science Advances.
Biosignatures represent chemical or physical traces that indicate past or present life forms.
River deltas on Earth serve as natural collection points for sediments and provide environments where microscopic life can thrive.
Last year, researchers announced that a rock sample collected by Perseverance in Jezero Crater contained what might be a biosignature suggesting ancient microbial life, though the minerals found could also result from non-biological processes. That rock sample dated to roughly 3.2 to 3.8 billion years ago.
Perseverance has been investigating Jezero Crater since arriving in 2021. Researchers believe ancient river channels once flowed over the crater’s rim, filling it with water to create a lake.
“It’s very exciting that RIMFAX was able to provide such a detailed view of these deposits, and thus help solve the puzzle of their origin,” said David Paige, a UCLA planetary scientist and study co-author who also works with the Perseverance science team. “This further cements the notion that ground-penetrating radar is indeed an extremely valuable new tool for studying planetary geology.”
Chinese researchers made similar discoveries last year when their Zhurong rover used ground-penetrating radar to find subsurface evidence resembling sandy shorelines from what may have been an ocean in Mars’ northern plains.
“Over time, we’ve seen more and more evidence for liquid water on the Martian surface at various rover landing sites, areas we’ve traversed to, as well as from orbital imagery. We have seen channels where water may have flowed, crater lakes where water once ponded, and deltaic sediments deposited as rock outcrops and now as buried remnants, with this (research) paper,” Cardarelli noted.
“Mars is diverse, and each rover mission reveals another piece of its puzzling past and the early development of our rocky neighbor,” she added.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian announced Wednesday that the country’s Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib was killed in an Israeli airstrike, as Israeli officials described the attack as part of a broader military offensive targeting high-ranking Iranian leaders.
In a post on social media platform X, Pezeshkian expressed grief over multiple casualties within Iran’s government and security apparatus. The president listed Khatib among several officials who have been killed, including Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani, who died Tuesday, and Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed February 28. Pezeshkian also mentioned the deaths of family members, support staff, and military personnel including Basij forces.
The 65-year-old Khatib had served as Iran’s intelligence minister since 2021, when former President Ebrahim Raisi appointed him to the role, according to reports from the semi-official Mehr news agency. He continued in that capacity under the current government. His previous experience included working in the office of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and directing the judiciary’s protection and intelligence division.
Pezeshkian condemned the attacks, describing them as “cowardly assassinations.”
“I firmly believe that their path will continue with even greater resolve than before,” the Iranian president stated.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed earlier Wednesday that Khatib died in the nighttime air assault on Tehran. Speaking during a security briefing, Katz indicated that Israeli operations are expanding in scope.
“On this day, significant surprises are expected across all arenas that will escalate the war we are conducting against Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon,” Katz said in a statement from his office.
He continued: “The intensity of the strikes in Iran is increasing. The Iranian intelligence minister Khatib was also eliminated overnight.”
Spring has officially arrived for Maryland fishing enthusiasts, bringing two highly anticipated species into prime season: yellow perch in tidal waters and trout in freshwater locations. Current spawning migrations for yellow perch are active throughout the region, while trout management areas designated as closure 0 have opened for the season.
Young anglers under 16 will get their special opportunity this Saturday, March 21, when closure 1 trout management waters become available exclusively for youth fishing. The general trout season opener for all anglers is scheduled for March 28.
Maryland has received recognition as the nation’s second-best fishing destination according to FishingBooker’s latest annual ranking, climbing significantly from seventh place in 2025 and eleventh in 2024. The website cited consistent angler demand, exceptional access to bays, rivers, tidal systems, and Atlantic coastal waters, plus cost-effective fishing opportunities as key factors. According to their analysis, approximately one-fifth of Maryland consists of water, creating outstanding prospects for both saltwater and freshwater fishing.
The 2026 striped bass season schedule has been established for Chesapeake Bay and tributary waters, with complete details available on the Maryland Department of Natural Resources website.
Weekly Outlook: March 18-24
Rising temperatures and longer daylight hours continue gradually warming Chesapeake Bay waters, encouraging gamefish to migrate toward spawning areas. Monitoring buoy data shows main Bay and river mouth surface temperatures remaining in the mid-40s, while smaller rivers and streams register around 50 degrees. Protected coves and downwind locations on sunny days will reach the mid-50s more quickly, creating ideal conditions for yellow perch as they move upstream from winter holding areas to prepare for spawning in Maryland waters over the coming weeks.
Maryland rivers and streams should experience typical flow levels this week. Water clarity throughout most Maryland sections of the Bay and rivers should remain normal. The March 18 new moon will generate stronger than average tidal currents throughout the week.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Region
Anglers fishing the lower Susquehanna River and surrounding Bay areas are encountering murky water conditions and significant floating debris from recent Conowingo Dam releases. While these releases have decreased, challenging conditions will persist temporarily. Yellow perch fishing opportunities are currently better in the North East, upper Bush, Sassafras, Chester, and Magothy rivers. Water temperatures reaching 50 degrees have triggered yellow perch movement toward spawning grounds, with white perch following closely behind.
Small minnows hooked through the lips remain the preferred yellow perch bait. Anglers can fish them near bottom using split shot in shallow areas or bottom rigs with adequate weight for deeper, stronger current locations. Small jigs and shad darts enhanced with scent or small minnows work effectively in spawning areas. Grass shrimp or bloodworm pieces provide the best white perch attractants.
Blue catfish activity improves daily as warming temperatures increase their feeding behavior. Channel catfish are also becoming active. Gizzard shad ranks as the top bait choice, though any cut fish or scented offerings will produce results. Blue catfish inhabit every tidal river in the upper bay plus open bay areas, with the Susquehanna mouth and Chester River middle section offering prime fishing locations.
Catch-and-release striped bass fishing continues in the Susquehanna Flats, lower Susquehanna River, and Northeast River until April 1, when these areas close through April 30. During the closure period, fishing is prohibited above the line connecting the Lapidum state boat ramp to Twin Rocks to Tomes Wharf in Port Deposit. Natural Resources Police actively monitor this boundary. The southern boundary extends from Turkey Point to Sandy Point.
Middle Bay Waters
Middle Bay anglers are concentrating on yellow perch and white perch spawning runs this week. Significant yellow perch spawning occurred last week in the Hillsboro section of the Tuckahoe and upper Choptank River near Greensboro, where water temperatures reached approximately 50 degrees. Choptank River anglers near Denton caught early white perch run fish, mostly smaller males, along with numerous 10-inch blue catfish. Shore anglers primarily used bloodworms, while boat and kayak fishermen preferred small jigs with added scent or lip-hooked minnows.
Increasing water temperatures are stimulating blue catfish activity throughout the Choptank River. The stretch from Dover Bridge to Denton provides excellent fishing opportunities, with fish typically holding in deeper channel sections. Sliding sinker rigs with non-offset circle hooks work best for blue catfish, with 8/0 circles being ideal sizes. Gizzard shad makes the premier bait when available, while cut white perch and menhaden also produce well. Chicken liver and scented chicken breast work effectively if kept securely on hooks.
Striped bass anglers can enjoy catch-and-release action in main bay waters this month. Proper fish handling requires minimal contact and preferably keeping fish in water. Planning before fishing helps protect these valuable breeding females. Have cameras ready, use rubber landing nets, support fish horizontally with rubber gloves, work quickly, and return fish immediately to water.
Lower Bay Areas
Lower bay anglers are finding yellow perch in spawning areas including Mattawoman Creek at Mason’s Branch, Wayson’s Corner on the Patuxent, and Marshyhope Creek off the Nanticoke River. Some locations have completed spawning, creating post-spawn yellow perch opportunities. Lip-hooked minnows remain popular, but small jigs and shad darts tipped with minnow pieces or fish attractant provide exciting ultralight tackle action.
White perch are entering these same areas and can be found in Eastern Shore’s Wicomico and Pocomoke rivers. Bottom rigs and small jig heads tipped with grass shrimp or bloodworm pieces work excellently for white perch. Early run fish are typically smaller males, with larger females arriving soon.
Blue catfish fishing remains strong in tidal Potomac, Patuxent, and Nanticoke rivers as warming temperatures end their winter inactivity. Fish are holding in channel areas.
Catch-and-release striped bass action features the largest fish along steep channel edges during their bay migration toward spawning rivers. Jigging and trolling are the most effective techniques. The main Potomac River allows catch-and-release fishing, but all other lower bay tidal rivers remain closed to striped bass targeting.
Freshwater Opportunities
Saturday, March 21 marks youth trout fishing day beginning at 6:30 a.m. in all closure 1 trout management waters for anglers under 16, with a two-fish limit. The traditional opening day for all trout waters occurs March 28, with closure 1 waters receiving fresh stockings for the event.
March provides excellent crappie fishing in both tidal and non-tidal waters statewide. Early spring crappie remain close to submerged structure including sunken brush, fallen trees, submerged wood, and marina docks. Small minnows under slip bobbers are most popular, though marabou jigs suspended under bobbers also work well.
Many crappie anglers employ “spider rigs” – multiple rod holder arrays allowing simultaneous fishing of numerous outfits while drifting near structure. This technique proves very effective in tidal waters. The tidal Potomac near Wilson Bridge, plus the Nanticoke, Wicomico, and Pocomoke rivers offer excellent crappie fishing.
Grass beds in tidal and non-tidal waters are beginning to emerge, so chain pickerel still hold near sunken wood and advanced submerged vegetation. Largemouth bass activity is increasing as they patrol between shallow and deep waters searching for food.
Northern snakeheads are becoming more active, often found in shallow, sunny areas of tidal rivers during afternoon hours. Large minnows under bobbers work well during marginal water temperature periods.
Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Waters
Ocean City waters remain near 40 degrees this week. Surf fishing produces mainly spiny dogfish and clearnose skates. Inside the inlet, some catch-and-release striped bass action occurs near the Route 90 Bridge, though most fish fall short of the 28-inch minimum length while providing entertainment.
Offshore wreck and reef sites offer excellent tautog fishing, with party boat anglers landing substantial fish, many reaching double-digit weights. The daily tautog limit remains four fish at 16-inch minimum length through May 15.
An investigation published by The New York Times has brought forward disturbing allegations of sexual misconduct against Cesar Chavez, the late civil rights icon and labor organizer.
According to the newspaper’s findings, multiple accusers have come forward with claims that Chavez engaged in the sexual abuse of young girls. The investigation also includes allegations that he sexually assaulted Dolores Huerta, who worked alongside him for years as a key organizing partner in the labor movement.
The allegations represent a shocking development regarding one of America’s most celebrated labor leaders, who became a symbol of workers’ rights and social justice before his death.
Drivers using Gerald Drive are experiencing intermittent lane restrictions today as construction crews work along the roadway.
The Delaware Department of Transportation reports that the lane closures affect the stretch of Gerald Drive running from Powderhorn Drive to Ralph Road.
Officials indicate the construction-related lane restrictions are temporary and are expected to conclude by 5:00 PM today.
Motorists are advised to allow extra travel time when using this route and to exercise caution while passing through the work zone.
MIAMI (AP) — Following record-breaking attendance figures and television ratings, the World Baseball Classic is scheduled to return in either 2029 or 2030, with the possibility of relocating the tournament to mid-season rather than its traditional spring training timeframe.
The WBC has taken place during spring training since its debut in 2006. Current tournament regulations include pitch count limitations, and teams maintain the authority to impose stricter restrictions or prevent their players from participating entirely.
“Obviously we have commitments to Fox in terms of the All-Star Game in the middle of the season through ’28,” baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said Wednesday during an interview with The Associated Press. “As the game continues to evolve, we have talked about midseason tournaments in general. And certainly if we decided to get serious about this, about a midseason tournament, this would be an ideal opportunity.”
The 2024 WBC attracted 1,619,839 spectators across 47 contests, representing a 24% jump from the previous record of 1,306,414 set in 2023. The inaugural 2006 tournament brought in 740,451 fans for 39 games.
Back in 2006, the highest-rated television broadcast featured Mexico defeating the United States in the second round, drawing 2.46 million viewers on ESPN.
This year’s most-watched contest through Sunday was Team USA’s semifinal triumph over the Dominican Republic, which attracted 7.37 million viewers on FS1 and Fox Deportes. This surpassed the previous peak of 5.2 million for the 2023 championship game on FS1, Fox Deportes and Fox Sports streaming platforms. Final viewership numbers for Tuesday’s championship have not been released.
“There’s no resemblance to where we started in 2006,” Manfred said. “This one, I feel like it went to a different level. We set an attendance record after the early play. By the time we got into the semis and the final it was all gravy.”
The dramatic moment when Shohei Ohtani struck out his then-Angels teammate Mike Trout to secure the final out of the 2023 WBC became a defining moment. A sport that originated in America during the 1800s required more than two centuries to develop a genuinely worldwide competition.
“The WBC is kind of a springboard for the rest of our international efforts,” Manfred said. “It gives you kind of a cornerstone to work from in terms of making long-term business relationships with sponsors, broadcasters and whatnot.”
Supporters from baseball-passionate nations including Japan, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela have followed the competition closely since it began. Japan leads with three championships, while the Dominican Republic and Venezuela have each captured one title.
Team USA also holds just one championship from 2017, despite fielding an All-Star lineup this year featuring captain Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper and Paul Skenes. Judge received his captaincy appointment last April, and his early participation commitment encouraged other elite players to join the roster.
Judge described the WBC audiences as “bigger and better than the World Series.” Italy’s surprising semifinal appearance this year generated baseball enthusiasm in a nation dominated by soccer, despite games beginning in the early morning hours.
“I just told the guys that they are the champions of this tournament,” Italy manager Francisco Cervelli said after the Azzurri were eliminated by Venezuela, the eventual champion. “They revolutionized Italy. They put another sport on the map.”
A mid-season tournament format would likely result in fewer superstars declining participation or being restricted by their clubs. Two-time American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal agreed with Detroit to make just one tournament appearance, leading to the United States starting 24-year-old rookie Nolan McLean in the championship game. Team USA fell 3-2 to Venezuela, which mounted a ninth-inning comeback against Garrett Whitlock to claim its first title.
Relief pitcher Mason Miller was kept out of action by manager Mark DeRosa, who had promised the San Diego Padres that Miller would only pitch in save situations.
“Certainly if it was moved to the middle of the season, I don’t think you would have any nos for competing in it,” DeRosa said.
Major League Baseball and the players’ union are currently discussing big league participation in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The six-team baseball competition, featuring the United States, Dominican Republic and Venezuela among others, would occur during an extended All-Star break. This Olympic event could influence the timing decision for the seventh WBC.
MLB and the players’ association hold equal ownership stakes representing the largest shares in the WBC, with Nippon Professional Baseball, the Korea Baseball Organization and the World Baseball Softball Confederation maintaining smaller portions.
“The issue for us is whether we do it in ’29 or in ’30, three years or four years? I’m getting a lot of email from people today saying don’t make us wait four more years for this,” Manfred said. “I do think a three- or four-year cycle is probably about right for the event. The timing is going to turn on what we do with respect to related sorts of international efforts. I remain optimistic about the Olympics and obviously if we play in the Olympics it’s a short time from July of ’28 ’till the spring of 29 and that’s something we’ll have to take into account. I’m not saying it’s outcome determinative, but it’s something we’ll have to think about.”
The country’s biggest retail trade organization released an optimistic sales projection Wednesday, predicting consumer purchases will accelerate compared to the previous year despite ongoing economic turbulence.
However, the organization acknowledged Wednesday that potential impacts from the Iran conflict on consumer behavior remain too unpredictable to factor into their current projections.
According to the National Retail Federation, consumer purchases are anticipated to climb 4.4% in 2026 compared to 2025, reaching $5.6 trillion total. This projection stems from a fresh analytical model created alongside Oxford Economics, an independent financial consulting company. Last year saw retail purchases increase 3.9% from the year before, the organization reported.
This year’s sales projection surpasses the average yearly growth rate of 3.6% recorded during the previous decade, not counting the 2020-2022 pandemic years when growth numbers were unusually high.
The projection does not include purchases from car dealerships, fuel stations, or dining establishments.
“The U.S. economy was a bit up and down in 2025,” Mark Mathews, chief economist of the National Retail Federation, said. “However, the one bright spot through these ups and downs was the consumer whose continued spending was a key economic driver in 2025. We expect this strength to continue in 2026.”
Mathews pointed out that the organization is keeping watch on the Iran conflict, which has driven fuel costs upward. Energy prices have jumped nearly 50% since the Iran war started, with pump prices rising alongside. However, Mathews indicated the projection might be adjusted in upcoming months if the conflict begins affecting consumer purchases.
Several concerning indicators suggest additional difficulties ahead. Wednesday brought news from the Labor Department showing U.S. wholesale costs reached 3.4% in February — higher than anticipated — partially due to significant food price increases. These cost jumps occurred before the U.S. and Israeli military action against Iran caused energy costs to spike further.
The retail organization’s positive sales outlook emerges while consumer confidence remains low, though the group observed that public sentiment has historically shown little connection to actual purchasing behavior. What supports spending has been income increases, household financial stability, and strong job market conditions, organization representatives explained.
The trade organization mentioned that employment conditions are expected to deteriorate somewhat, but they anticipate jobless rates will stay under 4.5% throughout this year.
Mathews also noted that spending patterns continue to differ significantly between wealthy and lower-income shoppers, with affluent households responsible for most retail growth across all categories.
BEIRUT – The conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese militant organization Hezbollah has rapidly intensified in recent days.
On Wednesday, Israeli airstrikes targeted several neighborhoods in central Beirut, causing a multi-story residential building to collapse along a major street and damaging walls of surrounding structures. These attacks followed Hezbollah’s launch of dozens of missiles into Israeli territory the night before.
Along Lebanon’s southern border, Israeli military forces are gathering for what could become a large-scale ground offensive, with fighting already taking place in certain border regions.
Efforts by Lebanese government representatives to begin direct peace talks with Israel have failed to gain traction. Both Hezbollah and Israel appear unwilling to pursue an immediate end to hostilities.
Israel aims to eliminate the security threat along its northern frontier through this military campaign. Hezbollah views the conflict as a fight for survival. Regardless of how it concludes, the war is expected to have significant impacts across Lebanon and the broader Middle East.
The two adversaries have engaged in several conflicts since Hezbollah emerged in the 1980s as a guerrilla organization opposing Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon during that period.
Fighting resumed on March 2, just two days after joint Israeli-American strikes against Iran that contributed to expanding regional warfare. Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel, stating the attack was revenge for the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and in response to “repeated Israeli aggressions” in Lebanon.
This renewed hostility between the long-standing enemies began 15 months after a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States ended their last war. During the ceasefire period, Israel maintained almost daily air operations in Lebanon, claiming these were necessary to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its capabilities. Israeli forces also maintained control of five strategic hilltops within Lebanese territory along the border.
During this time, Hezbollah faced both domestic and international demands to give up its remaining weapons stockpile. The organization remained relatively inactive and did not participate in last year’s Israel-Iran conflict. Many observers believed the group had been significantly weakened following substantial casualties in the 2024 fighting.
Hezbollah’s choice to rejoin the conflict surprised and angered many Lebanese citizens, including some within the group’s Shiite supporter base, who criticized the organization for providing Israel with justification to escalate military action.
However, Mohanad Hage Ali, a senior fellow at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, explained that from Hezbollah’s viewpoint, joining the regional conflict made strategic sense.
Iran was confronting an existential danger, and Hezbollah “is backed and funded and trained by the Iranian regime,” he explained. The fall of the Islamic Republic would “basically mean the death of Hezbollah as a project.”
Additionally, Hage Ali noted that even if Hezbollah had remained neutral, the militant organization anticipated that Israel would eventually launch an attack against it regardless.
From Hezbollah’s strategic perspective, he explained, “There’s no point in continuing to be a sitting duck until Israel finishes off your main ally and comes for you. It makes more sense that you join your ally in the war and try to achieve a ceasefire as part of a package.”
Lebanese health ministry statistics show that as of Wednesday, Israeli strikes have killed 968 people in Lebanon since March 2, including 77 women and 116 children, with over 2,400 people injured.
More than one million Lebanese residents have been forced from their homes after Israel issued widespread evacuation orders throughout the country. Many displaced families are living in vehicles, on streets, or in overcrowded schools converted to emergency shelters.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stated Wednesday that “since March 2nd, Israel has been attacked from Lebanese territory more than 2,000 times with missiles and drones.” Most projectiles were intercepted by defense systems or landed in unpopulated areas. The Israeli military has confirmed two soldier deaths during combat operations in southern Lebanon, though casualty numbers for wounded personnel have not been released.
While no major civilian casualties have occurred in Israel from Lebanese attacks, the continuous barrage of missiles and drones has created anxiety among residents in northern Israel. Many citizens are frustrated that the government has not offered evacuation assistance payments as it provided during the previous war when tens of thousands were displaced.
United Nations peacekeeping forces deployed in southern Lebanon have observed a clear increase in Israeli military presence along the border, according to Kandice Ardiel, spokesperson for the peacekeeping mission known as UNIFIL.
“Peacekeepers are seeing concentrations of IDF (Israel Defense Forces) troops in at least half a dozen locations near the Blue Line in Lebanese territory,” she stated, referring to the international border between the nations.
UNIFIL personnel have monitored combat activity near the villages of Odaisseh and Khiam and “have seen IDF ground incursions in some cases at least 5 kilometers (3 miles) into Lebanese territory,” Ardiel reported.
However, she noted that Israeli forces have subsequently pulled back rather than establishing permanent positions.
An Israeli military official confirmed that several thousand troops are operating inside Lebanon, primarily concentrated near the border area in what he characterized as a defensive mission to protect nearby Israeli communities. He indicated that the operation remains in early phases of a gradual process that might develop into a full-scale invasion with deeper territorial penetration. The official provided information anonymously according to military briefing protocols.
Lebanon’s national army has not actively participated in the fighting, though three Lebanese soldiers were killed in Israeli strikes on Tuesday. The Israeli military stated it is investigating the incident.
Tensions have also increased along Lebanon’s eastern border with Syria.
Last week, Syria’s military claimed that Hezbollah fired artillery rounds across the border at Syrian army positions, which Hezbollah has denied.
Subsequent reports suggested that the United States had proposed that Syria – whose government maintains hostile relations with Iran – deploy forces across the border to combat Hezbollah. U.S. envoy to Syria Tom Barrack denied these reports on Tuesday.
A senior Syrian official also rejected claims that such a proposal had been made, stating that discussions focused solely on preventing cross-border smuggling and Hezbollah’s use of Syrian territory. The official, speaking anonymously due to lack of authorization for public comment, said Syria had notified the Lebanese government that it would not intervene in Lebanon.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told The Associated Press on Saturday that Turkey had “been approached by the Lebanese officials” regarding efforts to reduce tensions “and we talked with our Syrian counterparts” to help facilitate dialogue. Fidan noted that Turkey has not communicated directly with Hezbollah since the conflict began.
MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. — A Michigan man received a minimum four-year prison sentence Wednesday for orchestrating a signature forgery operation that eliminated five Republican gubernatorial hopefuls from the 2022 primary race.
However, Shawn Wilmoth won’t immediately head to prison after a Detroit-area judge permitted him to remain free during his appeal of convictions on forgery and related charges. The judge noted the unprecedented nature of the case but required Wilmoth to post bond.
“A case like this has never been seen before” in Michigan, Judge James Maceroni said.
Republican hopefuls contracted with Wilmoth to collect the required 15,000 voter signatures needed for primary ballot qualification four years ago. Michigan election officials discovered that individuals were essentially gathering around tables to sign multiple petitions before passing them along to others.
The fraudulent signatures filled the petitions, leaving the candidates without sufficient legitimate signatures for ballot access. None of the affected candidates faced accusations of awareness regarding the deceptive operation.
Among the eliminated Republican contenders were former Detroit police Chief James Craig and wealthy entrepreneur Perry Johnson, who is mounting another gubernatorial campaign for this election cycle.
During court proceedings, defense attorneys attempted to redirect responsibility, arguing to jurors that both Wilmoth and co-defendant Willie Reed fell victim to fraud by numerous petition collectors. Reed also received a conviction.
According to the attorney general’s office, nine political campaigns, including several Detroit-area judicial races, paid over $700,000 to companies connected to Reed and Wilmoth for signature collection services.
With Johnson pursuing the governor’s office again in 2026, he announced that every individual signing his ballot access petition will receive a text message verification request.
He promised to submit “petitions of the highest quality.”
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley has transformed South Texas into the premier chess destination throughout the state. The university’s competitive chess program is now gearing up to defend their national championship title in collegiate chess competition.
The success of the university’s chess team has been instrumental in establishing the region’s reputation as a powerhouse in the strategic board game, elevating South Texas to become the state’s chess hub.
HARRISBURG, Pa. — State regulators in Pennsylvania are demanding that a gas company pay $2.6 million in fines following a devastating chocolate factory blast that claimed seven lives and injured ten others in March 2023.
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission filed formal charges Wednesday against UGI Utilities Inc.’s gas operations, claiming the company’s infrastructure serving the R.M. Palmer Company facility in West Reading failed to meet state and federal safety requirements.
According to commission officials, the explosion and resulting fire leveled the chocolate factory building and destroyed a neighboring apartment complex, resulting in approximately $42 million in damages. Four of the ten injured victims sustained serious injuries.
In a Wednesday statement, UGI acknowledged the incident as a devastating tragedy and extended condolences to affected families and the West Reading community.
One survivor’s harrowing account from 2023 revealed the horror inside the building. Patricia Borges described to The Associated Press how flames consumed the structure and her arm before the floor collapsed beneath her. She plummeted into a container of melted chocolate, which put out the fire on her arm. With a broken collarbone and both heels fractured, Borges spent nine hours calling for help while rescue teams fought the massive blaze.
The utility company stated it remains “committed to providing safe and reliable service to its customers and communities. Public awareness and education remain central to our mission.” UGI advised anyone detecting gas odors to evacuate immediately and move at least 360 feet away before contacting emergency services at 911 or UGI at 800-276-2722.
State officials are pushing the Denver, Pennsylvania-headquartered utility to implement enhanced methane detection systems, increase inspection frequency for aging plastic pipeline components, and strengthen emergency response protocols.
Investigators determined the blast originated from a defective plastic component in the street near the facility, situated roughly 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Natural gas seeped underground into the factory building where it eventually ignited.
A prior investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board found the facility lacked proper natural gas emergency protocols that should have triggered immediate evacuation. Employees had detected gas odors prior to the explosion.
VILLA RICA, Ga. — Basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal has stepped forward to cover funeral costs for a sixth-grade student who passed away after collapsing following an after-school altercation in Georgia.
The retired NBA star wants to relieve financial stress for the family of Jada West, the 12-year-old who died at a medical facility on March 8, just days after the incident occurred.
“No parent should ever have to bury their child,” O’Neal expressed in his statement. “And if there is anything I can do to ease even a small part of that burden, then it is the right thing to do.”
Law enforcement officials from Douglas County, where the altercation took place, and Henry County, where O’Neal maintains a residence and serves as community relations chief for the sheriff’s department, jointly announced the former athlete’s generous gesture. Both jurisdictions are located in Atlanta’s surrounding areas.
Villa Rica authorities, situated roughly 30 miles west of Atlanta, are conducting the investigation into the young girl’s death. According to police reports, Jada became involved in a physical altercation with another student near a neighborhood bus stop after being dropped off from school on March 5. She passed away at a medical facility three days following the incident.
Police spokesperson Sgt. Spencer Crawford indicated that investigators are examining cellphone footage of the confrontation that was shared on social media platforms. The recording captures both girls approaching one another and exchanging blows after their school bus departed. The footage shows both students falling to the ground before an adult stepped in to intervene. The video concludes with Jada retrieving her school bag and starting to walk away.
However, she never reached her destination. Emergency medical personnel responded to reports of “a young juvenile who was in cardiac arrest laying in the street,” according to Sgt. Crawford’s statements.
Medical examiner results to establish the cause of death remain pending.
Lindsey McClendon Pettiford, one of Jada’s aunts, announced through social media that memorial services are planned for Saturday.
Memory chip manufacturer Micron Technology delivered financial results that exceeded analyst predictions for its second quarter on Wednesday, driven by growing demand for memory components used in artificial intelligence systems.
The technology firm posted quarterly revenue of $23.86 billion, substantially outperforming the average analyst projection of $20.07 billion compiled by LSEG data.
The strong performance reflects the continuing boom in AI technology, which requires specialized memory chips to power the sophisticated hardware systems.
WASHINGTON, March 18 – Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell dismissed concerns Wednesday that America faces a repeat of 1970s-style stagflation, despite energy costs climbing due to conflicts involving Iran.
Speaking at a press conference following the central bank’s decision to maintain current interest rates, Powell emphasized that today’s economic challenges differ significantly from the severe conditions experienced decades ago. He noted that current inflation sits only one percentage point beyond the Fed’s target while unemployment remains at low levels.
“I would reserve the term stagflation for, you know, a much more serious set of circumstances. That is not the situation we’re in,” Powell explained to reporters.
The Fed chair acknowledged existing economic pressures but characterized them as manageable compared to historical precedents.
“What we have is some tension between the goals and we’re trying to manage our way through it,” Powell added. “It’s a very difficult situation, but it’s nothing like what they faced in the 1970s and I reserve stagflation for that — the word — for that period. Maybe that’s just me.”
Delaware Department of Transportation officials have announced a temporary shoulder closure on Ingram Branch Road that will affect traffic patterns through this afternoon.
The shoulder closure is in effect along the stretch of Ingram Branch Road that runs between Whiteleysburg Road (Route 59) and Layton Corners Road (Route 296). DelDOT expects the closure to remain in place until 4:00 PM today.
Motorists traveling through the area should exercise caution and expect possible delays while the shoulder work is being completed.
LUSAKA, Zambia — Women’s rights advocates and political leaders in Zambia are raising alarms about female election hopefuls being pressured for sexual favors by high-ranking male party leaders who control endorsements.
The troubling pattern gained widespread attention this week when a senior government gender equality official revealed she had fielded 10 harassment complaints from women seeking party support for Zambia’s upcoming August national elections.
Mainga Kabika, who serves as permanent secretary of the government’s Gender Division, disclosed Monday that the complaints detailed how “various political party officials, including chairpersons, youth leaders and those holding senior positions, are asking for sexual favours” as a condition for backing women candidates and funding their campaigns.
“I appeal to all female aspiring candidates to secure evidence against suspects,” Kabika stated. She declined to identify which parties or specific officials were involved in the allegations.
Saboi Imboela, who leads the opposition National Democratic Congress party, told The Associated Press Wednesday that this disturbing cycle repeats during every election period, with qualified candidates frequently pushed aside for refusing to submit to such demands.
“As a result, the wrong candidates are selected while deserving individuals are left out. This must be fought at all costs,” she explained.
Imboela, a former recording artist, revealed that female politicians and advocacy groups including the Zambia National Women’s Lobby have established a special committee to combat what she termed the “sextortion” of women in politics. The group operates a toll-free hotline for victims, she noted.
The August 13 elections will determine not only Zambia’s president but also parliamentary representatives and local council members. The southern African country already struggles with limited female political participation, with women holding just 15% of Parliament seats according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, a global organization tracking legislative bodies.
Golden Nachibinga, who directs the Zambia National Women’s Lobby, explained that past accusations of officials demanding sexual compliance during pre-election periods have deterred women from pursuing political careers.
Venna Banda, who seeks to run for mayor representing the governing United Party for National Development, acknowledged facing sexual harassment during her own political journey and encouraged female politicians to “refuse,” while recognizing that newcomers and less-established candidates face particular vulnerability.
Women’s advocacy organizations describe Zambia as a stable democracy operating within a predominantly conservative and male-dominated cultural framework.
Last year, Zambia enacted legislation guaranteeing at least 20 parliamentary seats for women while also working to boost representation for youth and disabled citizens. President Hakainde Hichilema has recognized gender imbalances in Zambian politics, though he selected Mutale Nalumango, a woman, as his vice president.
Northampton County in Virginia is currently accepting applications for tourism infrastructure grants, with the submission deadline now in effect.
The grant program aims to support local tourism development initiatives and infrastructure improvements throughout the county. These funding opportunities are designed to enhance visitor experiences and boost the local tourism economy.
Interested applicants should ensure their submissions meet all program requirements and are submitted by the specified deadline. The grants represent an investment in the county’s tourism sector and economic development efforts.
The University of Delaware women’s lacrosse squad is gearing up to begin their Atlantic Sun Conference schedule this weekend with a pair of road games.
The Blue Hens will hit the road to take on Austin Peay and Lindenwood as they launch their conference campaign. This marks the start of ASUN play for Delaware’s women’s lacrosse program.
The team will face both opponents away from home as they begin what could be a crucial stretch of their season. Conference play often determines postseason positioning and championship opportunities for collegiate programs.
Delaware enters ASUN competition looking to make their mark in conference standings. The weekend doubleheader will test the Blue Hens against two different opponents in quick succession.
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — Nigerian military forces successfully defended against an early morning assault by suspected Islamic extremists at a northeastern military installation, resulting in the deaths of at least 80 attackers, according to military officials.
The assault took place at approximately 12:50 a.m. Wednesday at the Mallam Fatori base in Borno state, close to Nigeria’s border with Niger, military spokesman Sani Uba announced. The attackers, believed to be affiliated with either Boko Haram or the Islamic State West Africa Province, deployed multiple weaponized drones during their offensive.
According to Uba’s statement, military personnel had advance knowledge of the impending assault and successfully fought back using both ground forces and aerial assistance, eliminating at least 80 militants, including three senior commanders. The Associated Press was unable to confirm these figures independently.
Earlier military reports had estimated the militant casualties at more than 60.
Uba reported that four military personnel sustained injuries and were transported for medical care. Forces seized an extensive weapons stockpile from the attackers, including automatic weapons, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, heavy machine guns, ammunition, explosive devices, and drone equipment.
This military confrontation follows Monday’s triple suicide bombing attacks in Maiduguri, Borno’s capital city, which claimed 23 lives and injured 108 others. While no organization has taken credit for those bombings, investigators suspect Boko Haram’s involvement. The extremist organization initiated its violent campaign in northeastern Nigeria in 2009, seeking to impose their strict interpretation of Islamic law.
Boko Haram has expanded significantly since its inception, now comprising thousands of fighters across multiple factions. The Islamic State West Africa Province, one splinter group with ties to the Islamic State organization, has intensified its military targeting in recent months.
These ongoing conflicts have severely strained Nigeria’s armed forces, which simultaneously confront various security challenges throughout the country’s troubled northern regions.
United Nations statistics indicate that Boko Haram’s insurgency has resulted in over 40,000 deaths in Nigeria since it began. Security experts argue that government efforts to safeguard civilians remain inadequate.
The United States deployed military advisors to the West African country last month to assist with security operations.
BOGOTA, Colombia — Mexican law enforcement has captured and transferred to Colombia a key figure sought in connection with the 2023 murder of Ecuadorian presidential hopeful Fernando Villavicencio, officials announced Wednesday.
The suspect, Ángel Esteban Aguilar Morales, an Ecuador native, landed in Bogota Wednesday where Colombian immigration officials took him into custody at El Dorado Airport. Officials have not disclosed specifics regarding his legal status or whether formal extradition procedures were followed.
Going by the alias “Lobo Menor,” Aguilar is believed to be among the top leaders of the Ecuadorian crime organization “Los Lobos” and ranks among Ecuador’s most sought-after criminals, with an Interpol Red Notice issued for his worldwide capture.
According to Mexican authorities, Aguilar was monitored from the moment he crossed into Mexican territory, prompting continuous surveillance operations. Intelligence shared by Colombian officials later helped pinpoint his exact whereabouts in Mexico City.
The apprehension in Mexico occurred “without the use of violence,” according to security officials, who placed Aguilar under the supervision of the National Migration Institute to assess his legal standing in the country, though they did not clarify whether deportation proceedings were involved.
“The individual was attempting to evade immigration controls by using a false identity as a Colombian citizen,” the Colombian migration agency said in a statement.
Mexico severed diplomatic ties with Ecuador in April 2024 after Ecuadorian military forces raided the Mexican Embassy in Quito to apprehend former Vice President Jorge Glas, a corruption defendant who had sought refuge there since late 2023.
Neither Colombia’s foreign ministry nor its migration agency immediately provided responses to requests for additional information.
Colombian police report that Aguilar had traveled to Mexico from Medellin, Colombia, carrying fraudulent documentation with the “express purpose of strengthening criminal networks in the region.”
Colombian President Gustavo Petro praised the international law enforcement collaboration on X, calling it “a significant blow against transnational organized crime.”
Last February, Ecuador’s Attorney General’s Office unveiled fresh evidence attempting to formally connect three suspects — Aguilar among them — to the Villavicencio murder case. These individuals reportedly provided logistical and operational support for the August 9, 2023 killing, which occurred as the presidential candidate departed a campaign event in Quito’s northern district.
Beyond the Villavicencio investigation, law enforcement officials indicate that “Lobo Menor” maintains suspected connections to Mexican drug cartels and to Néstor Gregorio Vera, also called Iván Mordisco — who heads a breakaway group from the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla movement, comprised of members who rejected the 2016 peace accord with Colombia’s government.
A record-breaking $125 million was spent to transform Illinois’ congressional representation during Tuesday’s primary elections.
Illinois Democrats selected five fresh faces as their congressional nominees in open districts expected to stay blue this November, marking a significant generational shift in the state’s political landscape.
The expensive and chaotic primary battle featured approximately $70 million from external organizations and $54 million in direct candidate expenditures across five hotly contested races for vacant U.S. Senate and House positions.
Such intense, big-money competition is uncommon for Illinois, a state traditionally characterized by organized political machinery rather than wide-open electoral battles. This cycle proved exceptional due to an unprecedented wave of retirements that opened doors for fresh representation throughout the ticket. When U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin declared last year he would not pursue a sixth term, it triggered two House members to seek his position. The domino effect from Durbin’s departure, combined with three additional Chicago-area Democratic representatives stepping down, resulted in more than one-quarter of the state’s U.S. House delegation being up for grabs for the first time in over 70 years.
This situation attracted numerous candidates and massive financial investments.
The Senate primary alone accumulated over $34 million in independent spending. To put this in perspective, according to OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan political spending watchdog, only nine Senate general election races in 2024 attracted more outside money.
In a state featuring expensive media markets like Chicago, such enormous sums are quickly depleted. Ten political action committees each reported spending at least $1 million independently across the five competitive contests. Two organizations — Illinois Future PAC, which received a minimum of $5 million from Gov. JB Pritzker, and cryptocurrency-supported Fairshake — each exceeded $10 million in expenditures.
Political action committees backed by cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence interests invested heavily in four Illinois contests. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which advocates for U.S.-Israel relations, also contributed millions.
In four out of five contested House primaries for open seats, external groups outspent all candidates combined. This phenomenon is highly unusual: OpenSecrets data shows that in 2024’s general election, fewer than 50 federal races out of nearly 470 saw outside groups outspend the actual candidates.
For the Senate Democratic primary, external spending heavily favored eventual victor Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton. She received both the most support and faced the most opposition. Outside organizations invested over $16 million supporting her campaign while spending approximately $11 million against her. Her official campaign reported nearly $2.8 million in Federal Election Commission filings.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who trailed Stratton by roughly 7 percentage points as of Wednesday morning with most votes tallied, invested almost $24 million from his personal campaign treasury. External groups spent more than $4 million working against his candidacy.
These external spending figures reflect 24- and 48-hour Federal Election Commission reports filed through Tuesday evening, while campaign expenditure data represents the most recent FEC documents covering spending through Feb. 25.
The sole other contest where outside spending exceeded $10 million was Illinois’ 9th District, encompassing Chicago’s North Shore suburban communities. This race initially featured over a dozen candidates, but three contenders — a mayor, a state legislator, and a former media professional with substantial online support — attracted most external attention.
Kat Abughazaleh, the former media professional who could have become the first Gen Z woman in Congress, was the only candidate facing entirely negative outside spending. State Sen. Laura Fine received more than $4.3 million in support from Elect Chicago Women, a newly formed super PAC. Primary winner Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss secured over half a million each from 314 Action Fund and the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC.
Elect Chicago Women also invested more than $1.4 million opposing Biss.
The remaining three open House races featuring large candidate pools each witnessed between $8 and $9 million in total expenditures. The 2nd District topped this group: Winner Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller received backing from over $4.3 million through an external organization called Affordable Chicago Now, which has not yet revealed its funding sources.
While some organizations maintain obvious connections to industries like cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence, the financial backers of other major spenders remain unknown. Besides Affordable Chicago, both Elect Chicago Women and Chicago Progressive Partnership have not disclosed their donors, meaning the true source of this massive spending will remain unclear until PAC reporting deadlines arrive later this month.
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Republicans appeared poised to eliminate the touch-screen voting equipment they’ve long criticized, but the complex logistics of overhauling election systems have created unexpected obstacles.
The practical challenges of switching voting technology have stalled progress, even with election skeptics now holding key positions in state government and Donald Trump returning to the White House.
Georgia voters will likely continue using Dominion Voting Systems equipment this November — now owned by Liberty Vote — which creates paper ballots featuring QR codes that scanning devices read to tabulate results.
Trump and his supporters maintain these machines altered or erased votes during the 2020 election, claims unsupported by evidence and contradicted by substantial defamation payouts to Dominion. Trump’s March 2025 executive order attempted to prohibit barcode vote-counting and require readable ballot selections, but a federal court halted the measure following Washington state’s legal challenge.
Georgia Republicans created their own dilemma when legislators enacted a law two years back establishing a July 1 deadline to eliminate ballot barcodes. Many citizens distrust vote-counting systems using codes people cannot decipher. However, lawmakers and election officials never reached consensus on implementation steps — and critically, never allocated necessary funds.
Conservative activists who have pushed for voting changes since Trump’s 2020 Georgia defeat strongly supported ending QR code usage. These supporters now dominate Georgia’s State Election Board and supplied allegations the FBI referenced when seizing 2020 ballots from heavily Democratic Fulton County, which remains central to ongoing fraud accusations.
“HAND. MARKED. PAPER. BALLOTS. I will not be moved. I shall not be moved. Got it?” State Election Board member Salleigh Grubbs posted on social media Sunday as news emerged about potentially postponing the July 1 deadline.
Machine critics point to computer programming that became public, including when Trump supporters accessed it from Coffee County’s elections office. While the equipment lacks internet connectivity, security analysis revealed software weaknesses that physical access could exploit. Dominion provided fixes for these issues, but Republican lawmakers never funded GOP Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s software updates.
Various proposals to meet the QR code elimination deadline involved dramatic changes to Georgia’s voting or counting procedures. One plan required hand-counting all early in-person ballots — the state’s most popular voting method. Another would assign voters to specific early voting sites instead of allowing county-wide location flexibility. Similar location restrictions caused voter confusion during recent Texas primary elections.
Behind these failed attempts lies growing agreement that hand-marked paper ballots counted by scanners represents the best solution. During Tuesday’s committee hearing, lawmakers expressed interest in purchasing on-demand ballot printers rather than pre-printing millions of ballots. However, they acknowledged insufficient time remains for major changes before November.
Republican Rep. Victor Anderson of Cornelia, who leads the House Governmental Affairs Committee, warned that abandoning barcodes this year risked “a severe upset in our election system.”
“It just wasn’t going to happen,” Anderson stated.
His committee instead approved legislation requiring new voting system selection by 2028 rather than July 1. Lawmakers also committed to funding new equipment for Georgia’s 159 counties.
The measure still needs approval from the full House and the more conservative Senate, with the Senate particularly likely to resist. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, whom Trump has endorsed for his 2026 gubernatorial campaign, did not respond to comment requests.
One Republican state senator who previously championed hand-marked paper ballots now accepts that November implementation is impossible.
“I’m disappointed in the timeline, but at this point, we have the choice of making an informed legislative decision or unfortunately dealing with a legal option which is not realistic,” state Sen. Max Burns of Sylvania told The Associated Press following the hearing.
The bill includes provisions transferring some post-election audit authority from the secretary of state to the State Election Board — appealing to conservative activists but opposed by Democrats. David Worley, a former Democratic board member, described the group as “hyperpartisan” and questioned its audit capabilities and staffing.
Local election officials strongly support the delay, saying it prevents potential disorder.
“This is something that is setting us up for success and not failure,” said Deidre Holden, election director in Paulding County near Atlanta, regarding the postponement. “The timeline was my biggest concern.”
Renowned labor activist Dolores Huerta has broken her silence after 60 years, revealing that she was sexually abused by César Chávez, the celebrated leader of the United Farm Workers union.
Huerta made the disclosure in a public statement released Wednesday, explaining that she had kept quiet for decades to protect the farmworker movement she helped build.
In her account, Huerta detailed two incidents involving Chávez – one where she was “manipulated and pressured” and another where she was “forced against my will.”
“I carried this secret for as long as I did because building the movement and securing farmworker rights was life’s work. The formation of a union was the only vehicle to accomplish and secure those rights and I wasn’t going to let Cesar or anyone else get in the way,” Huerta stated.
Her revelation comes after a New York Times investigation published Wednesday exposed allegations that Chávez groomed and sexually abused young women within the movement, including Huerta.
Huerta expressed that she was unaware Chávez had harmed other women and denounced his behavior while emphasizing that the farmworker cause extends beyond any single individual.
“César’s actions do not reflect the values of our community and our movement,” Huerta declared. “The farmworker movement has always been bigger and far more important than any one individual. César’s actions do not diminish the permanent improvements achieved for farmworkers with the help of thousands of people. We must continue to engage and support our community, which needs advocacy and activism now more than ever.”
Latino organizations and civil rights advocates are now grappling with how these revelations will affect the labor movement’s legacy.
In their responses, Latino civil rights groups stressed that the farmworker cause involved thousands of people working together for justice, not just one leader.
Voto Latino issued a statement declaring that regardless of Chávez’s historical significance, his alleged actions are unforgivable. The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) similarly condemned all forms of sexual violence, stating that “no individual, regardless of statue or legacy is above accountability.”
Despite the shocking nature of these allegations for the Latino community, Voto Latino emphasized that it doesn’t erase the contributions of countless workers who built the movement.
“The women who organized, marched, and sacrificed alongside farmworkers carried this movement on their backs,” Voto Latino stated. “Dolores Huerta — a fighter, a giant of the labor movement, and someone who is among the survivors of this abuse — helped build everything this movement stands for.”
Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández of New Mexico, who chairs the Democratic Women’s Caucus, released a statement Wednesday expressing her devastation over the accounts from women who claim they were abused as children by Chávez and the painful experience Huerta described.
Leger Fernández noted that the farmworker and civil rights movement was created by numerous individuals, including women and families who made sacrifices for progress.
“Honoring that legacy means facing painful truths and continuing the work for justice with honesty and humanity,” the congresswoman said. “A movement rooted in justice must address all injustice.”
Leger Fernández pledged that the women’s caucus would support survivors and continue advocating for “a future where all women and girls are safe in their communities, homes, and at work.”
The United Farm Workers union has already begun distancing itself from annual commemorations of its founder, describing the allegations as deeply troubling.
In a Tuesday statement, the union expressed concern about claims of “abuse of young women or minors” and encouraged people nationwide to participate in immigration justice activities or community service instead of traditional March events honoring Chávez’s memory.
Prior to the detailed publication of these allegations, multiple César Chávez celebrations in San Francisco, Texas, and Arizona were cancelled at the foundation’s request. Event organizers have not responded to media inquiries about the cancellations.
Both organizations announced they would create mechanisms for anyone potentially harmed by Chávez to share their experiences confidentially.
California was the first state to designate March 31, Chávez’s birth date, as a day honoring the labor leader, with other states following suit. In 2014, President Barack Obama declared March 31 as national César Chávez Day, encouraging Americans to celebrate his contributions.
Following these developments, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has chosen not to officially recognize March 31 as César Chávez Day this year, breaking from her practice in the previous two years, according to spokeswoman Liliana Sota.
“The Governor’s Office is deeply concerned by the troubling allegations against César Chávez. As a social worker who worked with homeless youth and victims of domestic violence, Gov. Hobbs takes allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior against women and minors very seriously,” the statement read.
César Chávez Day is not an official state holiday in Arizona.
There are already discussions about renaming streets and schools that honor Chávez. El Concilio, an Austin, Texas coalition of Mexican American neighborhood groups, is proposing to reverse the decision made shortly after Chávez’s death to rename First Street in his honor.
Numerous streets, educational institutions, and parks across the country bear Chávez’s name. Born in Yuma, Arizona, he grew up in a Mexican American family that migrated throughout California harvesting lettuce, grapes, cotton, and other seasonal crops. He passed away in California in 1993 at 66 years old.
Chávez gained national recognition for his early organizing efforts among farmworkers, staging hunger strikes, leading grape boycotts, and ultimately achieving success in compelling growers to negotiate with workers for improved wages and working conditions.
In 1962, Chávez and Huerta established the National Farm Workers Association together, which later became the United Farm Workers of America.
...NWS Damage Survey for 03/16/26 New Windsor, MD Tornado...
.New Windsor, MD Tornado...
Rating: EF-0
Estimated Peak Wind: 80 mph
Path Length /statute/: 1.68 miles
Path Width /maximum/: 150 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0
Start Date: 03/16/2026
Start Time: 12:02 PM EDT
Start Location: 2 SSE Linwood / Carroll County / MD
Start Lat/Lon: 39.53609 / -77.12975
End Date: 03/11/2026
End Time: 12:05 PM EDT
End Location: 2 ESE Linwood / Carroll County / MD
End Lat/Lon: 39.55740 / -77.11459
Survey Summary:
A line embedded supercell developed and tracked over north-central
Maryland during the late morning into early afternoon hours on
Monday, March 16, 2026. This storm was part of a much larger system
that brought multiple rounds of severe weather to much of the
eastern United States.
Rotation was evident within the storm around 2000 to 3000 feet above
ground on the KLWX WSR-88D radar, prompting a Tornado Warning as the
storm moved from Frederick into Carroll County. The FAA TDWR TBWI
showed this rotation quickly strengthen and lower to below 2000 feet
just to the southeast of the mid-level mesocyclone being sampled by
the KLWX WSR-88D. The tightened lower-level rotation persisted on
TBWI for 1 to 2 minutes after the mid-level rotation on KLWX had
notably weakened.
It was beneath the tightening low-level rotation at around 12:02 PM
EDT that the first evidence of tornadic damage was found. Several
trees in a weakened state just southeast of the intersection of
Hawks Hill Road and Beth Way snapped near the trunk, and fell toward
the east, west, and north. The parent storm motion was northeast.
The trees that fell were only around 100 feet apart at most, with an
undisturbed landscape around it indicating an initially very narrow
vortex perhaps no larger than about 25 to 50 yards in width.
The tornado then crossed through open fields, lifting the south end
of a long irrigation system and rolling it about 100 feet toward the
north just east of Winters Church Road.
After this, the circulation continued northeastward crossing several
more fields and groves of trees, as well as Little Pipe Creek. The
next visible and accessible damage was noted as the tornado
approached and crossed MD-75 Green Valley Road near the intersection
with MD-84 Union Bridge Road. Here, a couple dozen trees fell in
opposing directions (southeast, northeast, east, northwest, and
north). One large tree toppled onto power lines taking down a power
pole and briefly trapping a motorist between the downed wires, pole,
and downed trees. Several large pine trees at the intersection had
their tops sheared off, falling toward the north, northeast, and
east. Two trees on a hill just east of Mill Dale Lane fell toward
the north-northwest, likely just outside the circulation but in its
inflow as it passed across MD-84 Union Bridge Road. Meanwhile, an
outbuilding just to the southwest of MD-75 Green Valley Road
suffered a near total roof collapse, with the west-northwest facing
walls partially collapsed inward. Similar to the trees off Mill Dale
Lane, this outbuilding may have been just outside the tornadic
circulation, with the damage a result of inflow winds into the
vortex as it passed. It is at this point where the tornado reached
its largest and strongest, with an estimated path width of 150 yards
and peak winds of 80 mph. Despite the extent of the damage, only
about one-third of the trees in its path at this point sustained
visible damage, with no other visible damage to other outbuildings
or the farmhouse at the nearby farm.
A video taken from the Carroll County Emergency Operations Center
showed a swiftly rotating lowering, likely the tornado in progress
as it approached and crossed the intersection of MD-75 Green Valley
Road and MD-84 Union Bridge Road, just northwest of their facility.
Although trees in the foreground obstructed the view and could not
confirm ground contact, the video was directly coincident with radar
and the observed (convergent) damage.
A few trees had their tops snapped off just northeast of MD-84 Union
Bridge Road, but no visible damage was noted beyond this point. It
is possible, based on the rotation signature on TBWI, that the
tornado could have persisted for up to another mile over open
fields, but the path length in this survey can only confidently
conclude a path up to this point, approximately 1.68 miles in length.
The National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington Weather Forecast
Office thanks Carroll County Office of Emergency Management for
their assistance. Additionally, thanks to the trained spotters,
media, and public that sent in reports of damage.
EF Scale: The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the
following categories:
EF0.........65 to 85 mph
EF1.........86 to 110 mph
EF2.........111 to 135 mph
EF3.........136 to 165 mph
EF4.........166 to 200 mph
EF5.........>200 mph
NEW YORK, March 18 – Syria’s new leadership announced Wednesday the launch of a comprehensive initiative to locate and destroy chemical weapons remaining from Bashar al-Assad’s regime, with backing from the United States and international allies.
Assad’s government operated an extensive chemical weapons program for many years, deploying these banned substances against Syrian civilians throughout the nation’s prolonged civil conflict, resulting in thousands of casualties.
Although Damascus became a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013 and reported possessing 1,300 tons of such materials, the prohibited weapons continued to be deployed, and the full scope of the program has never been determined.
According to Syria’s UN Ambassador Ibrahim Olabi, a multinational coalition including the United States, Germany, Britain, Canada, and France will work to locate all remaining components of the weapons program and eliminate them under oversight from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
Chemical weapons experts estimate that approximately 100 locations throughout Syria require examination to assess what dangerous materials still exist and determine appropriate disposal methods.
The operation will demand significant time and resources to prevent weapons of mass destruction from spreading throughout a region already experiencing conflict and instability. Officials note that ongoing tensions, including the expanding U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran and broader security issues, create uncertainty about mission timing while making the work even more critical.
Following Assad’s removal from power in December 2024, Syria’s current administration under President Ahmed al-Sharaa has committed to completely eliminating prohibited chemical weapons and providing investigators unrestricted access.
Olabi described this transformation as Syria moving from a nation that previously concealed chemical weapons usage to one now “leading the resolve” to eliminate them entirely.
Multiple international investigations determined that Assad’s forces deployed sarin nerve agent, chlorine, and sulfur mustard gas, though these probes never uncovered the complete extent of the covert program.
“We don’t know what’s remaining. It was a secret program,” Olabi explained. “The job is on Syria to basically look for these things and then declare them.”
A diplomatic source, speaking anonymously due to the matter’s sensitivity, indicated the 100 locations could include anything from military installations to research facilities or administrative offices.
“It will probably take many months if not years to get it done, and of course the current situation in the Middle East doesn’t help the process to move forward to the actual destruction of any remnants of Assad’s chemical weapons program,” the source stated.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell acknowledged Wednesday that the central bank’s newest economic projections carry extraordinary uncertainty because of the ongoing conflict involving Iran.
Speaking about the Federal Reserve’s Summary of Economic Projections that accompanied Wednesday’s policy meeting results, Powell revealed the difficulty officials faced in making predictions. “This is one of those SEPs where a number of people mentioned, if we were ever going to skip an SEP, this would be a good one, because we just don’t know” what developments may occur due to the war’s unpredictable nature, Powell stated.
The Fed chair’s comments highlight how global conflicts can complicate the central bank’s ability to chart the course of the U.S. economy and monetary policy decisions.
A powerful line of storms swept across the Delmarva region Monday evening, leaving behind a trail of damage now confirmed by the National Weather Service as a mix of tornadoes and destructive straight-line winds.
According to storm survey teams from the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey, at least two EF-1 tornadoes touched down in the region, along with several corridors of intense wind damage reaching up to 100 mph.
One tornado was confirmed near Ridgely, Maryland, where winds between 90 and 100 mph carved a nearly one-mile path. Significant damage was reported, including a barn that was completely destroyed, debris thrown hundreds of yards, and numerous large trees uprooted or snapped.
A second EF-1 tornado was confirmed near Frederica, Delaware, with a shorter path of about 0.7 miles. Damage in this area was primarily to trees, along with a shed that was destroyed after being struck by a falling tree.
In addition to the tornadoes, multiple areas experienced intense straight-line wind damage, some of which rivaled tornado strength.
Photo from Magickal Mal
Near Camden, Delaware, winds were estimated between 90 and 100 mph, where several trees were snapped and fell onto mobile homes. One injury was reported in this area.
Further west in Queen Anne’s County, Maryland, a large swath of wind damage stretched nearly two miles from near Sudlersville toward Millington Road. Here, winds between 80 and 90 mph snapped power poles, tore metal roofing from farm buildings, and caused widespread tree damage.
Another concentrated pocket of wind damage was observed just south of Ridgely, Maryland, where winds up to 90 mph destroyed part of a farm outbuilding and scattered debris across nearby fields.
Outside of these hardest-hit areas, much of the region experienced widespread wind damage in the 60 to 70 mph range, consistent with the passage of a strong cold front.
Fortunately, no fatalities were reported, though the storms serve as a reminder of how quickly severe weather can intensify across the Mid-Atlantic.
The National Weather Service notes that this information remains preliminary and could be refined further as additional analysis is completed.
Maryland officials have greenlit more than $747,000 in state funding to support recreational improvements and environmental conservation projects spanning four counties, including areas on the Eastern Shore.
The three-member Board of Public Works, consisting of Governor Wes Moore, Treasurer Dereck E. Davis, and Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman, authorized the grants from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources during their March 18, 2026 meeting.
The largest single allocation directs $200,000 through the Community Parks and Playgrounds Program toward renovating athletic courts and playground equipment at Berwyn Heights Elementary School in Prince George’s County. These upgraded facilities will serve both students and community members.
In Talbot County, officials approved $3,000 for installing a specialized communication board at the Home Run Baker Sports Complex. The board will feature visual aids including photographs, symbols, and illustrations designed to help individuals with communication challenges participate more fully in recreational activities.
Environmental conservation efforts received substantial backing through two separate easement acquisitions. Somerset County will benefit from $125,000 allocated for securing a permanent conservation easement within the Dividing Creek Rural Legacy Area through the Rural Legacy program. This protection will safeguard working farmland that supports the regional economy while maintaining 1,500 feet of scenic roadway views.
The largest conservation investment totals $420,000 for acquiring a Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program easement covering 59 acres in Queen Anne’s County. This project will establish 2,000 feet of forested buffers along a waterway that feeds into Southeast Creek within the Chester River watershed, helping maintain water quality standards.
The Community Parks and Playgrounds Program has channeled over $90 million into more than 900 recreational projects statewide since its inception in 2002, providing competitive grants to help local governments upgrade existing parks and develop new recreational spaces.
Maryland’s Rural Legacy Program, established in 1997, focuses on preserving large-scale working landscapes across 36 designated areas throughout the state. The program recently earned national recognition from the American Farmland Trust alongside the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation.
The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program’s permanent easement component, active since 2009, works with voluntary landowners to maintain conservation practices beyond the expiration of federal contracts.
Complete details regarding all approved funding items can be found in the official Board of Public Works meeting documentation from March 18, 2026.
Federal aviation regulators have given Boeing the green light to move its troubled 777-9 aircraft into the fourth phase of certification testing, according to a Wednesday report from the Air Current citing sources with knowledge of the matter.
The development follows comments made Tuesday by Boeing’s Chief Financial Officer Jay Malave at an investor conference, where he confirmed the company had received clearance for the third certification phase.
“There are two more that we need to get approval for, and we’re waiting for the next one very shortly here,” Malave said.
The 777-9 represents the initial variant of Boeing’s troubled 777X aircraft family, a program that has cost the aerospace manufacturer $15 billion in development charges and is running six years past its original timeline.
The new 777X series is designed to replace Boeing’s 747 and 777 models and will join the 787 Dreamliner as part of the company’s wide-body aircraft offerings for international routes.
Iceland’s top diplomat believes her nation could become a member of the European Union within four years if citizens vote to restart membership discussions that have been on hold for over a decade.
Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir shared her confidence during a Wednesday interview with Reuters in Brussels, stating that fishing rights and agricultural policies would likely present the biggest challenges during negotiations.
Voters in Iceland will decide on August 29 whether to resume EU membership discussions through a national referendum. The previous government halted these talks in 2013 after more EU-skeptical leaders came to power in Reykjavik.
“We have seen that it’s beneficial to have a voice at the table,” Gunnarsdottir stated during her Brussels interview.
The minister anticipates that fishing industry negotiations will prove most challenging, given Iceland’s history of disputes with the EU over fishing quotas that significantly impact the country’s economic foundation.
Gunnarsdottir emphasized that renewed negotiations should immediately address the most contentious areas, including fishing rights, agricultural policies, and labor market regulations.
“If we do that, then I’m pretty optimistic then we will be, before the end of the year 2028, a member of the European Union,” she added.
The island nation, with nearly 400,000 residents, helped establish NATO and currently participates in the European single market and Schengen border-free travel agreement.
Polling data indicates that rising living costs and Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine have sparked renewed interest among Icelanders in EU membership.
President Donald Trump’s repeated statements about potentially annexing Greenland, positioned between Iceland and the United States, have also highlighted potential EU membership benefits.
“Iceland is there in the middle, a kind of link between those two continents,” she said.
Citizens would need to approve membership through a second referendum if initial talks receive voter support.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas expressed support, stating: “Should you choose to pursue EU membership, Iceland would certainly be a frontrunner in this process.”
The United States poultry industry is experiencing steady growth, with new federal data showing a 2% uptick in broiler-type egg production and chick placements across the country.
According to the latest report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, both key indicators of chicken production have risen compared to previous periods, signaling continued expansion in the nation’s poultry sector.
The statistics track broiler-type eggs being set for hatching as well as newly placed chicks, both critical measurements for forecasting future chicken meat availability and industry health.
This modest but consistent growth reflects ongoing demand for poultry products and suggests stable conditions within the agricultural sector that produces chicken for American consumers.
A tortilla manufacturing company based in Mission, Texas has initiated a product recall for two sweet treats that contain hidden allergens not listed on their labels.
The recall from Mama Grande Tortilla Factory affects their Gorditas de Azucar and Doraditas de Azucar products, which were found to contain wheat and soy ingredients that weren’t disclosed on packaging.
Health officials warn that consumers with wheat or soy allergies face potential serious or life-threatening reactions if they eat these products. The undeclared allergens pose significant health risks for those with sensitivities to these ingredients.
The company is working to remove the affected products from distribution while investigating how the unlabeled allergens ended up in the sweet treats.
A Utah woman who penned a children’s book about coping with loss has been found guilty of murdering her own husband.
Kouri Richins was convicted by a jury on charges of aggravated murder along with four additional counts including forgery and fraud. The verdict came after prosecutors presented evidence that she intentionally poisoned her husband’s beverage with a lethal dose of fentanyl in 2022.
According to court proceedings, investigators believe Richins’ motive centered around financial gain from several life insurance policies worth millions of dollars that she stood to inherit following her husband’s death.
The case drew significant attention due to the disturbing irony that Richins had authored a children’s book focused on helping young people process grief and loss, even as she allegedly orchestrated the very tragedy that would create such grief for her own children.
The jury’s decision followed extensive testimony and evidence presented during the trial, ultimately concluding that Richins deliberately caused her husband’s fatal overdose through the contaminated drink.
TAMPA, Fla. — New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole made his highly anticipated return to competitive pitching Wednesday, taking the mound for the first time in 377 days following Tommy John surgery.
The right-handed pitcher delivered a clean first inning against the Boston Red Sox in spring training action, throwing 10 total pitches with seven finding the strike zone. Cole’s fastball showed encouraging velocity, averaging 97.1 mph across six four-seam fastballs, with his hardest reaching 98.7 mph and his softest clocking 96.1 mph. He also mixed in two sliders and two knuckle-curve pitches.
The inning began with Braiden Ward bunting Cole’s opening pitch — a 96.6 mph fastball — down the right field line for a base hit as the pitcher attempted to make the defensive play. Ward advanced to second base on a steal but was later thrown out attempting to swipe third by Yankees catcher Austin Wells, with Kristian Campbell flying out in between.
Jason Delay managed to line a 1-2 fastball into left field for a single before Nathan Hickey ended the frame by grounding out on Cole’s first-pitch knuckle-curve.
Cole showcased a modified pitching motion, raising his hands above his head during his windup, and sported facial hair thanks to the Yankees’ relaxed grooming standards implemented last season.
The 35-year-old underwent the elbow reconstruction procedure on March 11 of last year under the care of renowned Los Angeles Dodgers team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
Cole’s most recent competitive appearance came during Game 5 of the 2024 World Series on October 30. The All-Star had participated in two spring training contests in 2025 before his surgery, with his final outing occurring on March 6.
His spring preparation began with a bullpen session on February 13, followed by his first live batting practice seven days later.
Yankees skipper Aaron Boone anticipates Cole will rejoin the regular season rotation sometime between late May and early June.
Cole’s 2024 campaign was also delayed, with his season opener pushed back to June 19 due to nerve inflammation and swelling in his pitching elbow. Despite the late start, he compiled an 8-5 record with a 3.41 ERA across 17 regular season starts and posted a 1-0 mark with a 2.17 ERA in five playoff appearances.
The veteran pitcher is currently working under a massive nine-year, $324 million deal that runs through 2028. Throughout his career with Pittsburgh (2013-17), Houston (2018-19), and New York (2020-present), Cole has accumulated a 153-80 record with a 3.18 ERA over 317 starts.
ORLANDO, Fla. — A woman occupying Room 373 at a Florida hospital has sparked an unusual legal battle by refusing to leave five months after doctors cleared her for discharge.
Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare filed a lawsuit this month against the patient, claiming she has remained in her hospital room since receiving discharge papers last October. Hospital officials are asking a state judge to issue an injunction forcing the woman to leave and giving the county sheriff’s department authority to remove her if needed.
Hospital administrators say the woman’s extended stay is interfering with their ability to care for other patients who need the room.
“Defendant’s continued occupancy prevents use of the bed for patients needing acute care,” the hospital stated in court documents.
The lawsuit reveals that the woman was initially hospitalized for medical treatment before receiving an official discharge order on October 6, when doctors determined she no longer required intensive hospital care. Hospital staff have made multiple attempts to work with her family members to arrange her departure and even offered help with transportation to get required identification documents, according to the legal filing.
Rachel Givens, the hospital’s attorney, declined to provide additional details when contacted Wednesday. The hospital also did not respond to questions about what identification the patient needed. The court documents don’t specify her original medical condition, her hospital charges, or explain how she managed to remain at the facility for over five months after being medically cleared to leave.
The patient is representing herself in the case and no lawyer has been assigned to her. Attempts to reach her were unsuccessful, as phone numbers found in public records were no longer in service, and calls to her hospital room went unanswered.
A virtual court hearing regarding the lawsuit is set to take place at the end of this month.
Federal law requires hospitals that accept Medicare funding to provide emergency treatment to stabilize any patient who arrives at their emergency department with a medical emergency, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services can investigate hospitals for violations of this requirement.
According to federal guidelines, patients may be discharged once medical staff determine that any additional care can be handled on an outpatient basis, “provided the individual is given a plan for appropriate follow-up care as part of the discharge instructions,” the federal agency states in its operations manual.
Shocking new allegations have emerged against the late Cesar Chavez, the celebrated civil rights and labor leader who became an icon for his work organizing farm workers in California.
According to a recent New York Times investigation, the renowned activist is accused of sexually abusing young women and girls throughout his career. The investigation also alleges that Chavez raped Dolores Huerta, his longtime collaborator and co-founder of the United Farm Workers union.
These disturbing claims cast a dark shadow over the legacy of a man widely revered for his dedication to workers’ rights and social justice. Chavez, who died in 1993, led the famous California grape boycotts and became a symbol of peaceful resistance and advocacy for marginalized communities.
The investigation’s findings represent a significant challenge to how history remembers one of America’s most prominent civil rights figures. Chavez’s work organizing farm laborers and fighting for better working conditions had made him a hero to many, with schools, streets, and holidays named in his honor across the country.
French President Emmanuel Macron revealed Wednesday that his nation’s upcoming nuclear-powered aircraft carrier will bear the name ‘France Libre’ (‘Free France’), positioning the vessel as a representation of national sovereignty while boosting the country’s maritime military strength amid significant naval operations in Middle Eastern waters.
During a visit to the Indret shipyard in western France, where the carrier’s dual nuclear reactors will be constructed, Macron announced the warship’s designation. The France Libre is scheduled to begin operations in 2038 and will accommodate 30 Rafale fighter aircraft along with 2,000 crew members, carrying a price tag of approximately 10 billion euros ($11.5 billion).
This announcement coincides with France’s current naval deployment to the eastern Mediterranean and broader Middle East region, including eight frigates, two helicopter carriers, and the existing nuclear aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. Macron characterized this extensive French naval presence as having no historical precedent, establishing France as the European country with the strongest military footprint in the area.
According to Macron, the France Libre name pays tribute to General Charles de Gaulle’s resistance organization that fought alongside Allied forces to free France and Europe from Nazi occupation during World War II.
“In this name lives the memory of the women and men who stood up against barbarity, united to save the homeland, determined to defend a certain idea of our nation,” he said. “This name therefore seals a pledge for the future: to remain free, we must be feared. To be feared, we must be powerful.”
The new carrier will measure 310 meters (1,017 feet) in length with a displacement of approximately 80,000 tons, significantly larger than the Charles de Gaulle’s 261-meter (856-foot) length and 42,000-ton displacement.
Despite its impressive size, the France Libre will remain smaller than the world’s largest warship, the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier, which displaces over 100,000 tons and stretches 1,100 feet (334 meters).
Macron emphasized that the France Libre will bolster France’s nuclear deterrent capabilities by carrying nuclear-equipped aircraft, similar to the Charles de Gaulle’s current role.
This month, Macron revealed plans to expand France’s nuclear weapons stockpile and, in an unprecedented move, permit temporary deployment of nuclear-armed aircraft to partner nations as part of a new approach designed to increase European strategic autonomy.
Following Britain’s departure from the European Union in 2020, France remains the bloc’s sole nuclear-armed member state.
RIO DE JANEIRO — Eight people died during a major police raid Wednesday targeting drug trafficking operations in multiple Rio de Janeiro favelas, according to law enforcement authorities.
Among the casualties was Claúdio Augusto dos Santos, a high-ranking narcotics trafficking leader affiliated with the Red Command criminal network, Military Police Secretary Col. Marcelo de Menezes announced during a news briefing.
The operation also claimed the life of an innocent local resident who became trapped in the violence, while seven suspected drug dealers were killed during confrontations with police.
Following the raid, criminals responded with acts of revenge, torching a public bus and creating roadblocks throughout Rio’s downtown area, resulting in four additional arrests, police reported.
Bus operator Márcio Sousa described how attackers boarded his vehicle carrying two containers of gasoline before setting it ablaze.
“It all happened very fast,” Sousa told The Associated Press during an interview. “There is no security. Rio de Janeiro is like this — it is not for amateurs.”
The large-scale enforcement action was launched after authorities tracked down dos Santos through intelligence gathering, de Menezes explained.
Approximately 150 military police personnel participated in the coordinated strike across six sprawling neighborhoods: Prazeres, Fallet, Fogueteiro, Coroa, Escondidinho and Paula Ramos. Officers confiscated various firearms including rifles, handguns and revolvers, military police announced on social media.
During the violence, criminals took a local married couple hostage, killing the husband in the subsequent gunfight while the wife was successfully freed by authorities.
Military police forces will maintain an ongoing presence in these communities to preserve safety and ensure residents can move freely, Menezes stated. He characterized the drug traffickers as “narco-terrorists,” echoing terminology employed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
News organization UOL reported March 8 that the current U.S. government is weighing whether to officially designate Brazilian crime syndicates PCC and Red Command as terrorist groups.
A previous major assault on Red Command positions last year led to over 120 fatalities in the Penha and Complexo de Alemao neighborhoods, marking Rio’s deadliest police operation on record. The massive casualty count triggered public demonstrations and demands for Governor Cláudio Castro to step down.
NEW YORK — Defense attorneys for Luigi Mangione submitted a request Wednesday asking a federal judge to push back his trial for the UnitedHealthcare CEO murder until early 2027, while also planning to request a delay of his state murder case until September.
In their written request to U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett, Mangione’s legal team explained that the existing timeline — with the state case scheduled for June and federal proceedings in September — would force their client “in the position of needing to prepare for two complicated and serious trials at the same time.”
The defense is asking Garnett to reschedule the federal case to January 2027, which would give them time to petition state trial judge Gregory Carro to move that proceeding from its June 8 start date to September 8. Mangione has entered not guilty pleas in both matters.
Judge Carro had previously suggested the possibility of shifting the state case to September — but only if federal attorneys challenged Garnett’s ruling that blocked them from pursuing capital punishment. Since prosecutors chose not to appeal, both the June state proceedings and September federal case remained on the calendar.
The defense team contends that maintaining the existing timeline would compromise Mangione’s constitutional protections.
They expressed particular worry that federal jury selection preparations would coincide with the state trial, hampering Mangione’s capacity to examine questionnaires completed by hundreds of prospective jurors — thereby undermining his right to take part in his defense strategy.
Consecutive trials would also deny Mangione proper legal representation, his attorneys argued, since they would need to handle federal case preparation while simultaneously representing him during the state proceedings.
“Though fierce advocates for their clients, defense counsel cannot be in two places at once,” the legal team of Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Marc Agnifilo and Jacob Kaplan stated in their filing.
Federal prosecutors are fighting the postponement request, according to the defense.
The Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office handling the federal charges refused to provide comment. The Manhattan district attorney’s office overseeing the state case did not respond to requests for comment.
The 27-year-old Mangione could receive a life sentence if found guilty in either proceeding. During a February court appearance, he voiced opposition to facing dual trials, telling the judge: “It’s the same trial twice. One plus one is two. Double jeopardy by any commonsense definition.”
Thompson, age 50, was fatally shot on December 4, 2024, while walking to a midtown Manhattan hotel where UnitedHealth Group was hosting its yearly investor meeting. Security footage captured a masked shooter firing at him from behind. Authorities report that the ammunition bore the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose,” echoing terminology used to criticize how insurance companies dodge claim payments.
Mangione, who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and comes from an affluent Maryland family, was taken into custody five days afterward when someone recognized him at a McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, approximately 230 miles west of Manhattan.
His legal representatives have claimed that law enforcement damaged his case by transforming his arrest into a “Marvel movie” spectacle, including having armed personnel escort him along a Manhattan pier following his flight to New York and by publicly announcing their intention to pursue the death penalty before formal charges were filed.
In January, Judge Garnett threw out a federal murder charge — murder through firearm use — that would have allowed prosecutors to seek execution, ruling it was legally defective. She explained her decision was meant to “foreclose the death penalty as an available punishment to be considered by the jury” during deliberations on Mangione’s guilt.
In their recent filing, Mangione’s lawyers maintained that postponing the federal trial would create necessary separation between his state case and the start of the juror questionnaire phase that comes before federal jury selection.
Without such a delay, they argued, “Mr. Mangione’s potential federal jurors will be constantly bombarded with news reports and social media posts relating to the allegations and evidence against Mr. Mangione as they fill out juror questionnaires and in the subsequent weeks before they are empaneled in the federal case.”
A groundbreaking research study has revealed that the coronavirus pandemic claimed significantly more lives than official records show during its first two years in the United States.
Researchers utilizing artificial intelligence technology determined that roughly 155,000 COVID-19 fatalities went unrecorded between 2020 and 2021, beyond the 840,000 deaths officially documented on death certificates during that period. This suggests approximately 16% of coronavirus deaths during those critical years were never officially counted.
The findings, released Wednesday in Science Advances journal, align closely with previous research on pandemic mortality rates. However, this new investigation went further by identifying specific patterns among the unreported deaths.
The study found that unrecorded fatalities disproportionately affected Hispanic individuals and other communities of color, particularly during the pandemic’s initial months. These deaths were concentrated in certain Southern and Southwestern states, including Alabama, Oklahoma, and South Carolina.
“People on the margins continue to die at disproportionate rates because they can’t access care,” explained Steven Woolf, a researcher at Virginia Commonwealth University who was not part of the study team.
University of Minnesota researcher Elizabeth Wrigley-Field, one of the study’s authors, noted that while hospitals consistently tested patients for COVID-19, many individuals who became ill and died at home or in other non-hospital settings never received testing. This was especially common early in the pandemic when home testing options were scarce or unavailable.
The research also highlighted problems with America’s death investigation system. In many regions, elected coroners without specialized medical training handle death investigations, unlike trained medical examiners. Some studies suggest political beliefs may have influenced whether families sought COVID-19 testing or whether coroners pursued posthumous coronavirus testing.
“Our antiquated death investigation system is one key reason why we fell short of accurate counts, particularly outside of big metropolitan areas,” stated Andrew Stokes from Boston University, the study’s lead author.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention records, more than 1.2 million Americans have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began in early 2020, with over two-thirds of those deaths occurring in 2020 and 2021.
The death count has been a source of ongoing controversy, with false social media claims suggesting COVID-19 fatalities were exaggerated. Former President Donald Trump amplified these disputes in August 2020 by sharing a post claiming only 6% of reported deaths were actually caused by COVID-19, which Twitter subsequently removed.
The researchers acknowledged that the pandemic caused additional deaths beyond direct COVID-19 infections, including people who died from other conditions because hospitals were overwhelmed with coronavirus patients, and individuals who died from drug overdoses due to isolation and reduced access to treatment services.
However, Stokes and his team specifically focused on deaths directly caused by coronavirus infection. They employed machine learning technology to analyze death certificates of infected patients who died in hospitals, then applied those patterns to evaluate certificates of people who died outside hospitals from conditions like pneumonia or diabetes.
Woolf described the team’s application of machine learning as “intriguing,” noting that scientists are still developing their understanding of the capabilities and limitations of such research methods.
Marshall University has reversed its decision to cut the women’s swimming and diving program following a student-led legal challenge that raised questions about federal gender equity compliance.
The about-face was revealed Wednesday during a special Marshall Board of Governors meeting, just one week after team members filed suit to preserve their sport.
“Leadership is about making difficult decisions and tradeoffs, and sometimes those decisions are unpopular,” Marshall President Brad Smith stated during a press conference. “But leadership is also about having humility to listen, to learn, and to adjust course if new facts and information emerge. And that’s what we have done here.”
Swimming coach Ian Walsh expressed his admiration for the program participants, particularly the student-athletes. “How you’ve navigated the past month has been nothing short of exceptional,” Walsh commented.
The controversy began last month when Marshall announced it would discontinue swimming while adding stunt — a discipline combining cheerleading elements — to its women’s athletic offerings. Team members learned of the program’s termination just one day before their conference championship competition, ending what would have been a 23-year run.
During a February 17 presentation to the Marshall Board of Governors, Athletic Director Gerald Harrison outlined the swimming program’s $819,000 yearly budget and noted that current facilities fail to meet NCAA competitive standards. He explained the athletic department lacked resources to upgrade facilities and maintain the program long-term. The proposed stunt program, accommodating up to 65 student-athletes, would require approximately $320,000 annually, according to Smith.
Title IX mandates gender equality in educational settings and forbids sex-based discrimination in any federally funded educational program or activity. Universities can demonstrate compliance through various methods, including maintaining athletic participation rates that reflect the overall student body’s gender composition.
The swimmers’ legal action highlighted an independent assessment from last fall revealing Marshall’s difficulties in providing adequate Title IX athletic opportunities for female students. Smith referenced this audit Wednesday, explaining that cutting women’s swimming “could potentially place our university outside the safe harbor framework of Title IX.”
Smith acknowledged this information differed from earlier guidance the university had received. He noted that potential costs from extended litigation also influenced Wednesday’s reversal.
The university will proceed with plans to establish stunt as a varsity sport, Smith confirmed.
This situation reflects broader changes affecting college athletics nationwide, as increasing numbers of universities modify their sports programs amid significant shifts driven by a $2.8 billion NCAA settlement.
Two standout players from the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team have earned spots on the Associated Press All-America First Team, announced Wednesday, as the Huskies head into March Madness with a perfect record.
Sophomore forward Sarah Strong received every vote from the selection panel, making her a unanimous choice for the prestigious honor. This recognition adds to Strong’s growing collection of accolades this season, including her Tuesday selection alongside teammate Azzi Fudd to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association First Team. Strong has also been recognized as National Player of the Year by both The Athletic and ESPN.
Rounding out the first team alongside the UConn pair are Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes, Lauren Betts from UCLA, and Texas player Madison Booker. Both Blakes and Betts earned recognition from 29 of the 31 voting panel members.
The schools represented on the first team reflect tournament strength, with UConn, UCLA, and Texas all earning No. 1 seeds for the upcoming NCAA Tournament, while Vanderbilt secured a second seed position.
This marks the seventh time two teammates from head coach Geno Auriemma’s program have both earned first-team recognition. They represent the 10th overall pair of teammates to achieve this distinction and the first duo since Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu and Ruthy Hebard accomplished the feat in 2020.
Strong’s statistical dominance becomes even more impressive considering her limited playing time. She posts 18.5 points per game despite averaging just 26.3 minutes on the court. With UConn’s commanding 38.4-point average margin of victory, Strong typically sits out fourth quarters.
Her shooting efficiency stands out with a 60.1% field goal percentage and 42.7% accuracy from beyond the three-point line. Strong paces the Huskies in scoring, rebounding, steals, and blocked shots while ranking second in assists. Her scoring consistency includes reaching double figures in 47 straight contests.
Graduate student Fudd has posted career-best numbers with 17.7 points per game across 28.2 minutes of action. Like her teammate, fourth-quarter minutes remain scarce for the guard due to the team’s dominant performances. Fudd leads the squad with 44.6% three-point shooting, ranking seventh nationally, while converting 95.1% of her free throw attempts.
Blakes becomes the first Vanderbilt player in more than two decades to earn AP All-America first-team status. The sophomore guard has collected five first-team All-American selections this season from various organizations, including The Athletic and ESPN.
Leading all Division I players with 27.0 points per game, Blakes has recorded 12 games with 30 or more points, tops in the nation. She stands as the only NCAA player averaging better than 4.0 assists, 2.9 steals, and 2.8 made three-pointers per contest while shooting 45.8% from the field.
Betts earns her second consecutive first-team selection, becoming UCLA’s first repeat honoree since the program’s initial first-team selection last season. The senior center contributes 18.5 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 56.2% from the field. Her 26.9-minute average reflects the Bruins’ 28.1-point average victory margin.
Booker also returns to the first team for the second straight year. The junior forward averages 18.9 points and 6.5 rebounds with 51.6% field goal shooting. She joined Strong and Betts as preseason AP All-Americans.
The second team includes Ohio State’s Jaloni Cambridge, Iowa State’s Audi Crooks, South Carolina’s Joyce Edwards, Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, and TCU’s Olivia Miles.
Third-team selections feature Duke’s Toby Fournier, LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson, South Carolina’s Raven Johnson, Michigan’s Olivia Olson, and UCLA’s Kiki Rice.
Honorable mention recognition went to Oklahoma’s Raegan Beers, Navy’s Zanai Barnett-Gay, USC’s Jazzy Davidson, Richmond’s Maggie Doogan, LSU’s MiLaysia Fulwiley, Texas’s Rori Harmon, Iowa’s Ava Heiden, UCLA’s Gianna Kneepkens, North Dakota State’s Avery Koenen, South Carolina’s Ta’Niya Latson, Florida’s Liv McGill, Ole Miss’s Cotie McMahon, South Dakota State’s Brooklyn Meyer, Maryland’s Oluchi Okanawa, North Carolina State’s Khamil Pierre, TCU’s Marta Suarez, Kentucky’s Clara Strack, Columbia’s Riley Weiss, and LSU’s Mikaylah Williams.
Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez announced Wednesday a major shake-up in the country’s military leadership, naming General Gustavo Gonzalez Lopez as the new defense minister to succeed General Vladimir Padrino, who has served in the role for over a decade.
Rodriguez expressed gratitude to Padrino through a Telegram message, acknowledging his dedication and commitment to the nation while indicating he would transition to different duties within the government.
Padrino’s military career began with overseeing ceremonial duties for the presidential guard during the late President Hugo Chavez’s administration, but he gained prominence under former President Nicolas Maduro, who appointed him to lead the defense ministry in late 2014.
Reuters sources had previously indicated that Padrino’s replacement was anticipated, noting that his continued service following Maduro’s removal was intended to maintain order within Venezuela’s military structure, which includes approximately 2,000 generals overseeing underfunded forces and significant commercial enterprises.
Several of America’s key European partners are declining President Donald Trump’s call to participate in military action against Iran, marking a significant rift in transatlantic relations.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who typically supports strong U.S.-European cooperation, delivered unusually sharp criticism when addressing lawmakers Wednesday about Trump’s request for naval assistance in reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
“To this day, there is no convincing plan for how this operation could succeed. Washington has not consulted us and did not say European assistance was necessary,” Merz stated to German parliament members.
“We would have advised against pursuing this course of action as it has been pursued. Therefore, we have declared that as long as the war continues, we will not participate in ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, for example, by military means,” he added.
European officials are hesitant to become involved in what they view as an unpredictable military campaign with unclear goals that lacks support among their populations.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius echoed his chancellor’s position Monday, declaring: “This is not our war, we have not started it.” French President Emmanuel Macron similarly stated “We are not party to the conflict.”
The European resistance comes despite concerns that refusing Trump could jeopardize American support for Ukraine or threaten NATO relationships, especially after Trump’s earlier suggestions about acquiring Greenland from Denmark.
Trump criticized the European decision as a “very foolish mistake” and specifically targeted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, saying he was “no Winston Churchill.”
However, public sentiment supports the European leaders’ stance. British polling by YouGov shows 49% opposition to the Iranian strikes compared to 28% support.
Even typically pro-American British politicians defended Starmer against Trump’s criticism. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch called the White House rhetoric “childish,” while Reform UK’s Robert Jenrick said “I don’t like to see our Prime Minister be berated by foreign leaders.”
Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez condemned the Iranian operations as reckless and illegal, dismissing Trump’s trade threats. Deputy Prime Minister Maria Jose Montero declared: “We are certainly not going to be anybody’s vassals, we won’t tolerate any threats and we’ll defend our values.”
Spanish public opinion strongly backs this position, with 68% opposing the conflict according to polling firm 40db. German surveys show 58% opposition versus 25% support.
An unnamed European official explained that American military objectives remain undefined and potentially conflict with Israeli goals, particularly regarding regime change in Iran.
European nations are developing their own response strategies. Britain is collaborating with partners on plans to reopen the crucial shipping lane, through which one-fifth of global oil passes.
France is organizing a coalition to secure the strait once conditions stabilize, deliberately excluding American participation. President Macron explained this approach would involve “discussions and de-escalation with Iran” along with talks involving maritime industries and insurers.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told Reuters the bloc has adapted to Trump’s governing style, saying they are “now more calm, because we are expecting unpredictable things to happen all the time and take it as it is, put some ice in our hats, and be calm and stay focused.”
The dispute highlights growing tensions over Trump’s decision to ease Russian oil sanctions to address rising global energy prices, which European leaders say caught them off guard.
