The Vancouver Canucks announced Monday evening that they have selected Manny Malhotra as their new head coach.
The former NHL forward replaces Adam Foote, who was dismissed last month following Vancouver’s last-place finish in the NHL during his sole season leading the team.
Malhotra will serve as the franchise’s 23rd head coach and represents another former player being elevated within the organization as it undergoes reconstruction.
“Manny and I have been in the battle together before, so I know firsthand what a good teacher, leader, and quality person he is,” general manager Ryan Johnson said in a statement.
The two previously collaborated in the minor leagues with the American Hockey League’s Abbotsford Canucks.
“Manny is a great coach who has the right skill set and mentality to help players develop and get better each day,” Johnson said. “We both believe that pressure is a privilege, and learning to become a good pro takes patience, dedication and a ‘be better than yesterday’ mindset.”
Foote was dismissed on May 19 following the Canucks’ 25-49-8 record last season. Malhotra quickly became a leading contender for the position, with Johnson indicating he would meet with the 46-year-old former NHL player to “talk about the future.”
Malhotra’s coaching background includes roles as a development coach and assistant coach for the Canucks, followed by four seasons as an assistant with the Toronto Maple Leafs before taking the head coaching position at Abbotsford.
During his tenure there, he led the AHL squad to a Calder Cup championship in the 2024-25 season. The team failed to reach the playoffs the previous season while dealing with numerous long-term player injuries.
Johnson emphasized that Malhotra’s leadership during Abbotsford’s difficult season demonstrated his character as both a coach and individual.
“To see that when you can rely on the foundation of the consistent environment and the coaching through the worst of times and really continue to propel players forward, even though the wins and losses aren’t there, it tells you a lot about him,” he said.
“That entire staff showed that they’re champions based off of not the year before, but of what they did last year, and what people around them took out of a pretty tough season.”
The appointment brings Malhotra back together with former teammates Daniel and Henrik Sedin, who were appointed Vancouver’s co-presidents of hockey operations on May 14.
The Ontario native played 16 NHL seasons after being selected by the New York Rangers in 1998.
His career statistics include 116 goals and 295 points across 991 regular-season contests with Vancouver, New York, the Dallas Stars, Columbus Blue Jackets, San Jose Sharks, Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes.
During his time with the Canucks, Malhotra suffered a serious facial injury from a puck in March 2011, resulting in permanent vision impairment in his left eye. The injury caused him to miss significant time during the team’s Stanley Cup Final appearance that year and led to a diminished role the following season.
“He loves the game and getting to know what makes his players tick, and I am very confident Manny will help us ice a competitive and hard-working team that our fans will be proud of moving forward,” Johnson said.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark’s Social Democrat leader Mette Frederiksen will begin her third tenure as the nation’s prime minister, heading a center-left alliance of four political parties following two months of coalition talks.
The newly formed government consists of Frederiksen’s Social Democrats alongside three other parties: the centrist Moderates led by departing Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, the Green Left (SF), and the Danish Social Liberal Party, according to a Monday announcement from the Danish Royal House.
Speaking Monday evening, Frederiksen described the new administration as one that will serve “the people of Denmark, for the generations to come and for the animals.”
Frederiksen had triggered early elections in February, seemingly anticipating her party would gain support from her direct approach during tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump regarding Denmark’s semiautonomous Greenland territory.
The March parliamentary elections failed to deliver a clear majority for either progressive or conservative political blocs. Denmark’s proportional representation electoral system regularly results in multi-party coalition governments drawn from either the left or right side of the political spectrum.
This ruling coalition emerged after two unsuccessful government formation efforts — one led by Frederiksen herself and another by former Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen, who had attempted to establish a center-right administration.
The coalition’s policy agenda will be unveiled Tuesday, with cabinet appointments scheduled for announcement Wednesday.
The 48-year-old leader has governed the EU and NATO member nation since mid-2019. In the recent election, her party secured 38 seats in the 179-member unicameral legislature, representing a decline of 12 seats compared to the 2022 contest.
Frederiksen has gained recognition for her robust backing of Ukraine against Russia’s military aggression and for implementing strict immigration policies.
Responding to pressure from conservative opposition and citing concerns about potential migration increases due to the Iran conflict, Frederiksen proposed measures this year including a possible “emergency brake” on asylum applications and enhanced oversight of undocumented criminals. Her administration had previously announced plans allowing deportation of foreign nationals sentenced to one year or more for serious offenses.
During her second term, public approval declined amid rising living costs. However, she experienced renewed popularity while managing the diplomatic crisis over Trump’s interest in Greenland, which reached its peak in January with brief threats of European tariffs for nations opposing U.S. control of the Arctic territory.
The Greenland situation, which dominated government attention in recent months, played a minimal role in the campaign due to widespread consensus regarding its status within the kingdom.
In January, Frederiksen cautioned that American acquisition of Greenland would effectively destroy NATO. The crisis has since subsided.
Following Trump’s withdrawal of tariff threats against Denmark and other European nations opposing U.S. control of the Arctic island, the United States, Denmark, and Greenland initiated technical discussions for an Arctic security agreement.
Campaign discourse ultimately centered on living expenses, retirement benefits, and possible wealth taxation rather than foreign policy concerns.
A white South African political figure has sought refuge in the United States through a program established by President Donald Trump, driven by concerns about potential future persecution in his home country.
SJ Du Venage, a 56-year-old council member representing the Freedom Front Plus party in the Western Cape province, grew up with concerns about what might happen to white South Africans if political control shifted. Despite not experiencing direct mistreatment, these worries have remained with him throughout his life.
Du Venage previously served as a youth leader in the far-right Conservative Party, which had opposed ending apartheid. He is now among several Afrikaners seeking entry to the United States under Trump’s program designed to assist South Africa’s white minority, whom Trump alleges face racial persecution – claims the South African government dismisses as unfounded.
While Trump’s specific accusations about state-sponsored violence and widespread land confiscations have been debunked, Du Venage continues to feel threatened in his homeland.
“When Trump’s offer came, it was an opportunity from heaven,” Du Venage stated during an interview from his temporary residence in Saint Helena Bay, located north of Cape Town.
The life coach and former personal trainer underwent a seven-hour evaluation with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in Pretoria this past February. He has since disposed of his property and fulfilled medical and security screening requirements mandated by American officials while awaiting a decision on his application.
Du Venage explained that his refugee petition centers on apprehension of future harm rather than past incidents, both of which can serve as grounds for acceptance according to the U.S. embassy. He referenced a menacing communication he received from an unknown individual after he organized a commemoration for a white farmer whose 2020 death became a source of racial tension.
“I was asked in the questionnaire who do I think wants to kill me, and I don’t really know,” he explained, believing his involvement in farm murder advocacy has made him a potential target.
While killings of white farmers represent only a small portion of South Africa’s elevated murder statistics, which predominantly impact Black citizens, these incidents have become rallying points for right-wing movements both locally and globally.
According to State Department figures, the United States has accepted over 6,000 South Africans as refugees since the previous year and recently increased the yearly limit to 17,500 to accommodate more white South Africans, even while other refugee initiatives remain suspended.
South African authorities view this arrangement as preferential treatment for Afrikaners – white South Africans primarily of Dutch ancestry – and challenge assertions that they experience widespread persecution.
“There is a very well-organised lobby in South Africa that is emphasising white victimhood, and that is being hugely emboldened by Donald Trump,” commented Fanie Du Toit, executive director of the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, a South African research organization.
Du Toit, who belongs to “Afrikaners for South Africa,” a coalition opposing this narrative, noted that available information does not substantiate claims that white South Africans face group-based oppression or danger.
Research conducted by the institute in 2022 revealed that approximately three-quarters of white participants reported rarely or never feeling unsafe in their neighborhoods, with a comparable percentage rating their living situations favorably. In contrast, only one-third of Black participants described their living circumstances positively.
Support for emigration remains minimal even among Afrikaner political groups. Freedom Front Plus leader Corne Mulder expressed to Reuters that while he values Trump’s interest, he would prefer American assistance for Afrikaners remaining in South Africa, since few actually wish to relocate.
Du Venage, who holds a position within the party’s internal organization rather than as an elected official, anticipates challenges in adapting to American life and hopes for placement in an area with climate conditions similar to Cape Town’s.
“The feedback that we get is there is a small percentage that’s very lucky, that land in a nice place with a lot of support, but a lot of our people are really struggling,” he observed.
MOSCOW — Russian military officials announced Tuesday that their extensive nighttime bombardment of Ukraine served as retaliation for what they characterized as “terrorist acts” by Ukrainian forces, claiming they successfully hit numerous Ukrainian military installations.
Officials in Ukraine reported that Russian aerial weapons and missiles hammered the capital city and additional locations during the early morning hours Tuesday, resulting in no fewer than 11 deaths and over 100 injuries after several days of alerts regarding Moscow’s preparations for a large-scale offensive.
“Overnight, in response to terrorist acts of the Kyiv regime, the armed forces of the Russian Federation carried out a massive strike using high-precision long-range air-, land-, and sea-based weapons,” the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement.
According to Russian officials, the military deployed advanced hypersonic weapons and unmanned aircraft to strike seven regions across Ukraine, including Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv, claiming successful hits on locations valuable to Ukrainian military operations including energy infrastructure, transportation hubs, and aviation facilities.
Moscow issued a warning the previous week that it would begin conducting “systematic strikes” against targets in Kyiv as payback for what it described as a catastrophic Ukrainian drone assault on student housing in Russian-controlled Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, resulting in 21 fatalities.
Ukrainian officials maintained they had aimed at a drone operations center in that area rather than students. Putin stated Monday night that Kyiv had “opened a new page in a series of crimes” through the dormitory attack and a subsequent strike on residential buildings in a Russian-controlled section of Ukraine’s Kherson region. Each side rejects accusations of intentionally attacking non-combatants.
NAIROBI, June 2 – Fatal violence broke out Monday in central Kenya as demonstrators rallied against a proposed United States Ebola quarantine facility planned for a military installation in the area, according to protest organizer Patrick Wahome and a security source who spoke with Reuters.
Details surrounding how the two fatalities occurred have not been disclosed. Attempts to reach Kenya’s national police spokesperson for comment were unsuccessful.
Kenya’s leader is standing firm on his decision to allow an American-supported Ebola isolation facility at a military installation in the country’s central region, describing it as part of broader national emergency planning and ongoing health cooperation with Washington.
The East African nation gave approval last week for an American proposal to build the facility at a central Kenya military airfield for U.S. citizens who might have encountered Ebola exposure.
Community members and area officials in Nanyuki, located close to the installation, organized demonstrations on Monday opposing the proposed facility. Protesters expressed concerns about potential community exposure to Ebola and challenged the decision to provide quarantine services for American nationals. The demonstration came amid increasing public opposition and court proceedings aimed at stopping the project.
In his first public comments regarding the facility, the president said such arrangements were routine and comparable to other installations already operating throughout Kenya.
“The facility that is at Laikipia Air Base is not a facility different from all the other facilities that we have across Kenya,” the president told media representatives in northern Kenya late Monday, encouraging citizens not to question the government’s emergency planning.
The Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda are currently fighting the uncommon Bundibugyo variant of the Ebola virus in an outbreak that has claimed 48 lives and been designated a public health emergency of international concern by the WHO. The outbreak is advancing faster than the international response, which began slowly.
The Kenyan leader said he authorized the facility following a request from U.S. President Donald Trump for Kenya’s support, referencing decades of collaboration with Washington on health initiatives including HIV/AIDS, Ebola and COVID-19.
The president explained that Kenya had established isolation, monitoring and treatment centers in 23 counties, noting the facility would assist Kenyans along with international partners, including Americans, when necessary.
He rejected opposition to the proposal, stating Kenya had an obligation to prepare for potential Ebola cases, including among Kenyans residing or working in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
A court temporarily halted the plan last week following a legal challenge that argued the location could threaten public health. The president did not reference the court’s decision.
A U.S. military C-130 cargo aircraft landed in Nanyuki as late as Friday afternoon, based on flight-tracking service Flightradar24 data.
Two Nanyuki locals also reported observing military planes heading toward the base during the weekend, although Reuters could not verify whether they were American aircraft.
Kenya has strengthened border screening procedures at land and air entry points and is examining approximately 3,000 individuals daily, the president reported, noting that no Ebola cases have been found in the nation.
“We are a responsible government. We know what we are doing,” he stated.
A former U.S. submarine commander is working to solve a critical challenge facing Ukraine’s military: preventing Russian drones from crossing the Black Sea undetected to strike the port city of Odesa.
Charles Maher, who established maritime intelligence and security firm BlueShadow, has partnered with Ukraine’s defense forces to create a system managing fleets of autonomous naval vessels that would establish a defensive perimeter along the Ukrainian coastline.
“When fully deployed, there’ll be four squadrons of 12 vessels … And these squadrons will operate 10 to 12 kilometres offshore,” Maher told Reuters. He noted that the initial squadron — equipped with missiles and interceptor drones — could become operational by early 2027.
The Danish company BlueShadow joined seven other startups in showcasing innovative systems and technologies to military personnel during a recent weekend demonstration. These companies represent part of a growing network of small businesses and investment organizations that have emerged to strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities.
All participating companies collaborated with Defence Builder, a private sector accelerator that offers funding, guidance, and resource access to help defense technology startups expand into larger enterprises.
Line Rindvig, CEO of Defence Builder, explained that the organization provides companies with initial funding of $10,000 and a four-month acceleration program. This includes guidance on establishing solid business foundations to attract investors and military connections for product support and feedback.
In exchange, the military receives potentially affordable weapons or systems to deploy against a much better-funded adversary, while the accelerator acquires a small ownership stake in the startup.
“Business is business, but we also all serve a bigger purpose,” Rindvig said. “And it is to make sure that the solutions that are needed to win this war are getting the financial backing they need.”
Defence Builder operates as part of the Ukrainian Council of Defense Industries Investor Club, which includes approximately 25 institutions working to stimulate investment in Ukraine’s defense sector and coordinate deals.
The organization reports that publicly disclosed defense investment in Ukraine surged from merely $1.1 million in 2023 to $105 million in the previous year.
To accelerate procurement processes, military brigades can purchase products directly from manufacturers through the Brave1 Market online platform and DOT-Chain — functioning like an Amazon marketplace for weapons featuring 800 products from 200 manufacturers.
Similar to typical consumers, military units can provide product reviews.
According to Rindvig, one key focus for Defence Builder involves remote-controlled vehicles capable of operating in the “Kill Zone” surrounding the front lines, where numerous drones create increasingly hazardous conditions for human personnel.
Estonian startup Telearmy has been installing remote-control systems in frontline trucks since 2023, enabling operators to drive them from hundreds of kilometers away, according to founder Enn Laansoo.
Positioned next to a modified BRDM-2M — a Soviet-era armoured vehicle — Laansoo explained that Telearmy could retrofit virtually any battlefield vehicle.
“You cannot send any more soldiers to the front line and our technology provides that layer so the soldier doesn’t have to be there,” said Laansoo, whose company seeks capital for expansion.
Recently, Ukraine’s military has deployed “mid strike” drones to attack Russia’s supply bases, air defense systems, and critical transportation routes to the front lines. Addressing a shortage of such drones, startup Wingtech created a reusable fixed-wing bomber called the Haba, which reportedly can travel 300km (190 miles) on missions and resists jamming attempts.
After operating on the battlefield for over a year, Wingtech sought working capital to boost production and meet military demand. Rindvig noted they secured funding when an established Ukrainian defense manufacturer provided financing.
Cambodia announced Tuesday that it has notified both the United Nations and Thailand of its decision to begin a mandatory conciliation procedure under international law to resolve an ongoing maritime boundary disagreement with Thailand.
This action comes after Thailand’s government chose last month to unilaterally end a 2001 accord with Cambodia that had established a negotiation framework for the contested region in the Gulf of Thailand where both nations’ maritime territories overlap.
“We have taken this step to protect Cambodia’s sovereignty and maritime rights in accordance with international law,” Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said.
Thailand’s foreign ministry has not yet responded to requests for comment.
Thailand’s decision to cancel the agreement was part of a campaign promise made by Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who secured re-election in February amid rising nationalist feelings, following two deadly military confrontations between the nations last year along their contested border.
$300 BILLION IN ENERGY RESOURCES
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, known as UNCLOS, permits a mandatory conciliation procedure where a group of independent specialists can review a disagreement and provide recommendations, though their conclusions are not legally enforceable for either nation.
Thailand has previously stated it would reference UNCLOS while pursuing direct talks with Cambodia regarding maritime boundary determination.
Both nations claim roughly 26,000 square kilometers of ocean in the Gulf of Thailand, called the Overlapping Claims Area (OCA), which experts believe contains nearly 12 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and substantial oil reserves, valued at approximately $300 billion.
The oil shock from the Iran conflict has heightened the need to resolve the disagreement and access the underwater energy reserves, Cambodia’s energy minister told Reuters last week.
PROCESS TO BE OVERSEEN BY UN CHIEF
Cambodia has designated Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn as its representative for the proceedings, along with Danish diplomat Peter Taksøe-Jensen and French academic Jean-Marc Thouvenin to serve as conciliators, according to a government statement.
“Thailand now has 21 days to appoint two of its own conciliators. The conciliators will then select a chair to finalize a conciliation commission, overseen by the UN Secretary-General,” the statement added.
Thailand has consistently refused Cambodian attempts to resolve disagreements through international bodies, including the International Court of Justice, maintaining that such matters should be addressed through direct bilateral discussions.
A truce has remained in effect between the two nations since late December after two periods of combat along portions of their 817-kilometer (508-mile) border last year, with the first ending following intervention by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Each side has blamed the other for starting the violence, which resulted in nearly 150 deaths and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.
A senior executive from Japan’s second-largest banking institution is urging the country’s central bank to provide transparent guidance on future monetary policy following an anticipated interest rate increase this month.
Arihiro Nagata, who serves as global markets chief at Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, shared his views with Reuters as Japan faces significant financial market pressures. The nation’s 10-year government bond yields have climbed to three-decade peaks, while the yen has declined back toward the critical 160-per-dollar threshold despite substantial government intervention efforts.
“The BOJ should raise interest rates in June, and I expect it will – surely this time,” Nagata stated during an interview. He emphasized that the crucial aspect of the central bank’s upcoming June 15-16 gathering will be the clarity of signals regarding the path toward policy normalization.
“The more clearly it lays out that path, the more the room for further increases in long-term interest rates will likely diminish,” he explained.
According to Nagata, it would be adequate for the central bank to simply indicate alignment with market expectations, which currently anticipate approximately two rate increases this year along with additional tightening measures beyond that timeframe.
Japan’s central bank maintained unchanged interest rates in April while strongly indicating the possibility of an imminent increase due to growing inflationary pressures.
The ongoing Middle East conflict has created additional complexity for monetary policy decisions, as elevated energy costs simultaneously drive up inflation while placing burden on Japan’s import-reliant economy.
During the upcoming June meeting, the central bank will examine its current bond reduction plan extending through March of next year and establish a new framework for fiscal 2027.
With no modifications expected to the existing reduction plan, financial markets are concentrating on whether the central bank will continue decreasing monthly bond purchases in fiscal 2027 or maintain current levels.
Nagata revealed that his institution has recommended the central bank cease further reductions and maintain monthly purchases at approximately 2.1 trillion yen ($13.15 billion) beginning next April.
Scaling back purchases to that amount “would be manageable without causing stress in the market, while allowing market functioning to recover,” he noted.
Concerning his company’s investment strategy, he mentioned the firm would consider purchasing long-term bonds if yields approach 3%, though investment choices will be made cautiously by evaluating overall market supply and demand dynamics.
A recent examination of European corporate earnings reports shows that major companies across the euro zone are finding it difficult to increase prices despite rising costs from the Iran conflict, signaling weakened economic conditions that are restraining their ability to charge more.
Financial analysts and European Central Bank officials have been monitoring whether the region might experience another significant wave of conflict-related inflation similar to what occurred after Russia’s Ukraine invasion.
Current evidence suggests this is unlikely to happen.
An examination of 175 euro zone earnings discussions, conducted with artificial intelligence assistance, revealed that just 56 companies had implemented or were planning price increases in the near future, indicating weak consumer demand throughout the 21-nation monetary union.
This represents a dramatic shift from the nearly two-thirds of companies that raised prices immediately following the Ukraine invasion, when energy disruptions combined with post-pandemic recovery and significant government spending drove inflation to double-digit levels.
“There is a clear difference between spring 2022 and spring 2026,” ECB policymaker Olli Rehn said while discussing the findings in an interview.
“This time around, the labour market is less tight, growth is clearly more subdued, and we don’t have such strong fiscal policy stimulus for the moment,” the Finnish central bank governor added.
Euro zone inflation stood at 5.9% when Russia began its Ukraine invasion in February 2022, compared to just 1.9% at the beginning of the Iran conflict four years later. Upcoming data is anticipated to show inflation climbing to 3.2% in May.
The more challenging economic environment should reduce pressure on the ECB to implement substantial interest rate increases beyond an anticipated initial hike next week, which economists believe is primarily designed to demonstrate commitment to preventing energy-related inflation from spreading to other sectors.
“For monetary policy, the implication is that the ECB can likely afford a bit more patience,” Allianz Global Investors’ chief economist Christian Schulz said of the results.
“The case for further tightening is less clear-cut and will require additional evidence on pass-through and underlying inflation dynamics.”
The analysis examined transcripts from 175 earnings discussions held between April 2 and May 15, using an artificial intelligence system called Claude Cowork with the Opus 4.7 model to identify whether companies mentioned increased energy expenses and plans to transfer these costs to customers.
Among the 175 companies studied, 105 addressed energy costs during their earnings presentations and 91 connected these issues to the Iran conflict.
After removing financial companies, which typically view energy disruptions as broader economic issues rather than pricing concerns, 136 companies remained for analysis. Of these, 55 indicated they had implemented or were planning price increases in coming months.
Most price adjustments were concentrated among businesses directly affected by the conflict’s impact on energy and raw materials, or in industrial sectors. These included German chemical group BASF and French cablemaker Nexans.
Companies serving consumers directly have shown greater reluctance to transfer higher costs to customers. Retailers such as Delhaize have pledged to maintain low prices, while automakers including Volkswagen are focusing on reducing expenses instead.
This differs significantly from spring 2022. Using the same AI-assisted approach for earnings calls from that time period, 108 of 132 non-financial companies passed along increased costs, including many consumer goods businesses, as accumulated demand and government support strengthened the economy.
The study indicated that businesses selling to other companies found it easier to implement price increases than those dealing directly with consumers.
Among 33 industrial companies, 11 reported passing on costs, three were planning to do so, and two were implementing partial increases.
In contrast, Italian tire manufacturer Pirelli was the only company among 26 consumer goods businesses to confirm cost pass-through, with just four others considering similar actions.
Karsten Junius, chief economist at Switzerland’s Bank J. Safra Sarasin, said this difference reflected growth patterns driven more by business investment than household spending.
“The AI development and adoption race may make some companies less price sensitive such that higher input costs can be passed on more easily,” he said.
Nevertheless, economists observed that price pressures continue building in certain economic sectors and should not be overlooked.
Price increases announced by transportation companies such as Lufthansa and Deutsche Post — often through fuel surcharges — will likely contribute to broader business costs over time.
“The jury is still out on how persistent the price effects will be, and it’s far too early to sound the all-clear,” Spyros Andreopoulos, founder of the Thin Ice Macroeconomics consultancy, said.
Research from the Bank of Finland indicates that price increases in specific sectors can take between two and 15 months to affect overall consumer inflation.
The analysis also indicates that companies have learned from the Ukraine crisis experience.
Risk management strategies — securing prices through long-term or derivative agreements — have become more common since 2022, reducing the immediate need for price increases.
Leadership at 74 companies in the study reported having hedging strategies in place, compared to 68 four years earlier.
A slightly higher percentage of companies were utilizing indexation provisions, which enable automatic price adjustments when input costs such as fuel increase.
Twenty-five percent of companies planning price increases were using such provisions, compared to 22% in 2022.
The companies examined are typically large, internationally active corporations listed on the Euro STOXX stock market index, meaning they may not represent the situation of smaller businesses.
However, the results align with a European Commission survey of companies’ selling price expectations, which declined in May after rising in April and remain well below levels reached in spring 2022.
Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom delivered a memorable birthday present for his family Monday night, reaching a career milestone that will forever be tied to his son’s special day.
The veteran right-hander secured his 100th major league victory by throwing five shutout innings in the Rangers’ 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, achieving the feat on his son Nolan’s third birthday.
“It’s really cool,” deGrom said. “As a kid, your goal is to just play major league baseball and for it to become a reality and win 100 games in the major leagues, it’s kind of crazy to think about. Today was Nolan’s third birthday, so I’ll always remember that being my 100th night on his third birthday.”
The two-time Cy Young Award winner had been stuck at 99 victories since his May 10 performance against the Chicago Cubs, where he delivered seven scoreless frames. His pursuit of win number 100 proved challenging, as deGrom struggled through his next three outings, posting an 0-2 record while surrendering 12 runs across 15 innings pitched.
May was particularly difficult for the 37-year-old pitcher, who compiled a 1-3 record with a 5.72 ERA over five starts. However, Monday’s performance marked a return to form as he limited the Cardinals to just four hits while recording eight strikeouts, helping Texas capture their fourth consecutive victory.
“I was trying not to do too much,” deGrom said. “Having the meeting, talking to (catcher) Danny (Jansen) I was like, ‘Hey, tonight we’re hitting the glove as many times as we can. Mechanics are what they are. We’re throwing everything else out the window. We’re going back to how I used to pitch.’”
DeGrom’s professional journey began when he was chosen in the ninth round of the 2010 amateur draft. He made his major league debut with the New York Mets in 2014, earning NL Rookie of the Year honors.
Throughout his career spanning 260 starts, deGrom has compiled a 100-69 record with a 2.61 ERA. However, injuries have limited his availability, as he has reached 30 starts in a season only five times during his first 12 big league campaigns. The 2025 season marked his first time making 30 starts since 2019.
“He’s never really felt 100%,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. “I’ve said it before, he should be a Hall of Famer. I think he’s going to be a Hall of Famer. That’s how dominant he’s been throughout his career, and he’s still got a couple of years left in him, too.”
With his milestone achievement, deGrom becomes the 16th active pitcher to reach 100 career wins, following Texas teammate Nathan Eovaldi, who became the 15th on July 30, 2025, against the Los Angeles Angels.
BIRAO, Central African Republic — When labor pains struck Maude Ahmad Fadala just after dark, she faced an impossible situation.
Her child was ready to be born, but she was trapped in a refugee camp, weakened by typhoid fever. The camp offered no birthing facilities, and she lacked funds for transportation. Despite her condition, she rose and began walking toward help.
Every few steps, contractions forced her to pause in agony until she could move no further.
“I gave birth in the street,” she said. “There was no doctor, no midwife, and no one holding my hand.”
This tragic experience reflects a broader crisis across sub-Saharan Africa, which faces the world’s highest population growth alongside devastating maternal mortality rates. The region accounts for 70% of pregnancy-related deaths globally, claiming approximately 182,000 mothers annually.
According to the World Health Organization, nearly two-thirds of maternal deaths worldwide happen in nations experiencing conflict or instability. For women like Fadala, who escaped Sudan’s ongoing war to seek refuge in Central African Republic, crossing borders doesn’t end their peril.
Being displaced often means skipping prenatal care, undertaking dangerous travel, and relying on weakened healthcare systems in isolated areas.
The United Nations reports that women in Central African Republic face 40 times greater risk of dying during pregnancy or delivery compared to those in the United States. The nation loses 829 mothers for every 100,000 births, making it among the world’s deadliest places to give birth.
Decades of internal warfare have left Central African Republic and its medical infrastructure in shambles. Despite abundant gold reserves, healthcare remains virtually absent outside major urban centers. One-third of residents survive on under $2 daily.
Recognizing the maternal mortality emergency, the government unveiled a 2024 initiative to boost funding for trained birth attendants and related resources. Officials haven’t responded to inquiries about the program’s progress.
Recent dramatic reductions in humanitarian funding from major donors, including the United States, have further complicated women’s access to medical care.
In Birao, a remote border town near Sudan where Fadala now lives, four local midwives supported by the U.N. Population Fund lost their positions last year when the Trump administration terminated all U.S. funding agreements with the U.N. sexual and reproductive health agency.
Across from Fadala’s tent sits an abandoned “safe space” that previously provided transportation for expectant mothers to the district hospital. This facility was among four such centers in Birao that served nearly 50,000 women. All have shuttered due to lost U.S. funding, along with two American-supported health clinics.
“Some women run the risk of dying in pregnancy situations that are not medically managed,” said UNFPA program officer Marie Justine Mamba Ibingui.
UNFPA’s Central African Republic budget has been cut in half over two years to $6.5 million, according to country director Victor Rakoto. The organization was Birao’s sole provider of reproductive health supplies.
“The risk of maternal death is going to increase if there is no solution,” Rakoto said.
The U.N. reports that conflict-affected areas like Birao account for six of every 10 maternal deaths worldwide.
The district hospital Fadala attempted to reach sits several kilometers away over unpaved roads.
During a recent visit, birthing assistant Delphine Zanabe moved between patients as dozens of women waited, packed together on hard benches in oppressive heat. Some had walked for hours to arrive. Others had endangered their pregnancies by riding motorcycles across rough terrain.
From the border area, adjacent to Sudan territory controlled by paramilitary forces battling the Sudanese military, it’s a 65-kilometer journey to the refugee camp.
“They only come when they are about to give birth,” Zanabe said. “It’s a struggle and it’s either the baby or the mother who suffers.” WHO guidelines recommend at least eight prenatal visits during pregnancy.
For refugees living in survival mode in unfamiliar territory, poverty and lack of education create additional complications. Zanabe explained these factors frequently increase women’s risk for pregnancy and delivery problems.
The maternity ward contains eight beds crammed into such a small space they nearly touch. This serves approximately 70,000 local residents plus 22,000 Sudanese refugees.
Medical staff report that 12 employees have been laid off due to aid reductions, with most coming from the maternity department.
Amna Adam Hessen had arrived the previous day with malarial fever. Her unborn baby was discovered to be in breech position, detected late because she had missed prenatal appointments. Transported by motorcycle from the refugee camp, she hemorrhaged during delivery and lost her child.
The following day, her mother, Salet, fanned her in the stifling heat.
“Giving birth here is exhausting,” she said, describing the long and difficult night.
Amna twisted with fever on the bare foam mattress, crying out, “Mama, mama.”
Zanabe expresses concern about additional humanitarian aid reductions affecting expectant mothers.
The United Nations estimates that over 40% of births in Central African Republic already happen outside medical facilities — a traditional practice that risks otherwise preventable complications.
Clara Abessendé was among the four midwives who lost their positions.
She witnessed the daily number of women arriving at the hospital triple after Sudan’s war erupted in early 2023, while staff ran short of essential supplies like antibiotics and malaria medications.
“As a result, there were more cases of infant and maternal deaths,” she said. Abessendé described feeling burdened by guilt over having to abandon her work.
“The children born in my hands … I abandoned them like that,” she said.
Katidje Idrisse Tahire represents one of the women she can no longer assist.
Tahire moved slowly through the refugee camp collecting water, carrying one child while two others walked beside her. In her ninth month of pregnancy, she was preparing for another birth.
She explained that she fled Sudan four months earlier on foot. At the border, armed men stole everything she owned. Her husband hasn’t been seen since they escaped Darfur.
“My whole body aches,” she said. “I am very tired and unwell.”
Without money, she remains uncertain whether medical care will be available when her baby arrives.
ISTANBUL (AP) — Thousands of miles away from the Argentine and Uruguayan neighborhoods where tango first emerged in Buenos Aires and Montevideo, a dedicated group of dancers in Istanbul has created their own thriving and tight-knit community.
Nightly gatherings called milongas — traditional Argentine ballroom dance sessions — take place throughout this sprawling metropolis that spans two continents, bringing people together through rhythm, motion and the intimate connection of tango dancing.
The city’s dance scene remains vibrant thanks to Turkish residents, expatriates, visiting instructors from around the world and tourists, all supported by numerous dance academies and practice spaces.
Gonca Çetin, who began as a student and has become an instructor, characterizes Istanbul’s tango scene as both inclusive and varied.
“It’s possible for everyone to find a tango environment that suits them. There’s a constantly growing and developing community,” she says.
During Istanbul’s milongas, where switching partners throughout the evening is customary, both familiar faces and newcomers enthusiastically share the same dance space.
“I believe tango is a conversation without words,” Çetin added. “What draws me to it is the unique balance between connection and freedom. Through music and embrace, I am able to communicate, create, and express my emotions in a way that feels both deeply personal and profoundly shared.”
The influence of tango in the city reaches beyond just the dancing itself.
Master craftsman Ercan Umay creates custom tango footwear by hand in his small Istanbul atelier, serving the dancers who frequent the city’s milongas and maintaining another vital aspect of tango tradition.
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian authorities report that an overnight Russian assault using missiles and drones has claimed the lives of at least 11 people while injuring dozens more and leaving others trapped in damaged structures.
The capital city of Kyiv bore significant casualties, with four fatalities and 58 wounded, including three children, according to Ukraine’s state emergency service statement released on Telegram. Eight districts throughout the capital sustained damage to residential buildings and civilian infrastructure.
The violence extended beyond Kyiv to other regions throughout the country. In the central Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian strikes on the city of Dnipro resulted in six deaths and 36 injuries, the emergency service reported. A subsequent strike targeting first responders who had arrived at the initial attack site claimed the life of one rescue worker.
The assault damaged a two-story home and portions of a four-story apartment complex, leaving residents buried under debris from the larger structure.
Explosive sounds reverberated throughout most of the nighttime hours and continued into dawn. The capital had been preparing for another large-scale offensive for several days, following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s warning that Russia was organizing a fresh assault and his appeal for citizens to stay alert and take cover during air raid warnings.
Within the Podilskyi district, the upper levels of a nine-story structure suffered partial destruction, leaving occupants buried beneath rubble. Emergency crews continued their rescue efforts during the early morning hours while air raid sirens remained active.
Two high-rise buildings in the Solomianskyi district — one with 20 floors and another with 24 floors — sustained damage during the bombardment.
Ukrainian leadership has been appealing to international partners for additional air defense missiles to defend against Russia’s ballistic missile strikes. Although Ukraine successfully intercepts most drone attacks, ballistic missiles continue to pose a significant challenge to the nation’s defensive capabilities.
ŌAMARU, New Zealand (AP) — A rural community in New Zealand has transformed into an unexpected global destination for steampunk enthusiasts and their elaborate Victorian-inspired fantasies.
Each year during a four-day celebration, thousands of costumed participants descend upon this South Island town of 14,000 residents, portraying characters ranging from airship pilots to imaginary nobles. Many attendees dedicate months or years perfecting their elaborate outfits and fictional identities.
The annual gathering unfolds along a historic Victorian boulevard in Ōamaru, which has welcomed its role as an international steampunk destination.
The steampunk movement, which emerged as a recognized term during the 1980s, blends Victorian-era design elements with fantastical science fiction concepts. Enthusiasts envision an alternate reality where steam-powered technology never gave way to modern innovations, continuing to drive scientific progress and exploration. The culture emphasizes repurposed materials and handcrafted items, encouraging followers to master skills like tailoring and various handicrafts to create unique and unusual costumes.
This creative movement provides freedom to reimagine Victorian-era social norms, creating an environment where creativity knows no bounds. Festival-goers showcase brass firearms concealing toy ray guns, leather belt pouches holding delicate porcelain tea sets, and towering decorative headwear.
Unique festival attractions feature teapot races, parasol combat demonstrations, and a procession of ornately dressed participants that draws hundreds of onlookers.
ŌAMARU, New Zealand — A woman wearing a bright pink coat introduced herself as steam billowed from an unusual brass device strapped to her back.
“I am Lady Sarsaparilla Ovabyte, of the Coventry Ovabytes,” she declared. “We are purveyors of fine cordials.”
Standing beside her, a man looked through eyewear crafted from welded forks.
“Captain Bob McSpoon, inventrepreneur,” he announced.
Along a historic Victorian street in rural Ōamaru, New Zealand, these costumed characters — known in everyday life as Juliet and Greg Thorn — blended seamlessly with hundreds of other goggle-wearing, steam-emitting festival-goers. They had traveled to this small community for the yearly steampunk celebration, a four-day tribute to creative eccentricity that attracts thousands of participants from across New Zealand and beyond.
The steampunk movement combines Victorian-era design and engineering with futuristic science fiction elements, creating an alternative reality where steam-powered technology evolved to modern times. This artistic genre thrives on boundless creativity, with more unusual concepts earning greater appreciation.
Festival participants take pride in their recycling abilities and hands-on craftsmanship, developing expertise in tailoring, metalwork, millinery and steam engineering while creating elaborate fictional identities complete with matching costumes. Throughout the year, these enthusiasts work as construction workers, engineers, artists and agricultural workers, with many describing their typical personalities as introverted or quiet. However, they traveled to this festival seeking the spotlight.
“The first time you dress up and go out in public is really scary and then people get such a buzz out of it,” Juliet Thorn explained. “It’s so cool that you take on a different personality.”
Now in its 17th year, the steampunk festival has spawned entire traditions and competitive activities, earning recognition as one of the world’s most prominent events of its kind.
Hundreds gathered in second-floor venues and vintage community centers for steampunk-themed competitions. Contestants rushed to dip biscuits in tea cups and stuff the soggy treats into their mouths faster than their rivals. A parasol-fighting tournament resembled competitive dance moves evaluated on quickness and flair.
Michele Cotten claimed victory in a fashion competition showcasing elaborate and repurposed garments that participants had perfected over months. Cotten merged steampunk elements with the Star Trek franchise to design a bell-shaped gown styled after a navy Starfleet uniform. She equipped it with holiday lights to suggest a cosmic theme, and Cotten, a spectator favorite, walked and posed to cheers from the audience.
The event also featured teapot racing, where participants guided remote-controlled machines topped with teapots through a challenging obstacle course while spectators gasped and groaned.
“If you go out of bounds, that’s a disqualification,” explained Ross McKay, one of the competition’s inventors, who developed it alongside his deceased wife and a friend. He has since brought teapot racing to additional steampunk gatherings around the globe.
“It’s lots of fun and the judges will take bribes,” he joked.
When McKay’s wife first shared photographs of steampunk enthusiasts with him, he remembered thinking, “What a bunch of weirdos,” but the self-described “history geek and science fiction nerd” discovered much to appreciate about the movement. The former banking professional soon registered for evening sewing courses.
Today he performs as Captain Roscoe Dangerfield, Inspector of Nuisances to Her Majesty Queen Victoria III, which blends the historical aspect of an authentic Victorian position with the fantasy of a ruler who never existed.
The steampunk community had become his chosen family, he noted.
Ōamaru serves as the peaceful residence for 14,000 residents and 3,000 threatened native penguins, with the birds inhabiting a colony at the town’s edge that produces such strong odors they can be detected from the overlooking hillside. This South Island community lacks the dramatic landscapes featured in the Lord of the Rings movies that draw tourists to neighboring areas, and for many years served primarily as a rest stop between the larger cities of Christchurch and Dunedin.
A unique architectural feature has established Ōamaru’s reputation as what residents call the global steampunk headquarters. The community boasts a completely intact Victorian street near the waterfront, remaining from the 1800s when Ōamaru functioned as a commercial and trading center, serving as a shipping hub for meat, wool and grain exports from New Zealand to Britain.
These pale stone structures now provide the setting for the festival’s steampunk activities. During other times of the year, the town hosts a Victorian celebration honoring a historically faithful version of that period, with both events coexisting harmoniously after steampunk and Victorian enthusiasts agreed the community could accommodate everyone.
Steampunk, a label created in the 1980s, offers participants a chance to reimagine Victorian social rules based on the principle that if you’re traveling on flying carpets or moving through time, conventional restrictions no longer apply.
“We’re an equal opportunity society,” stated Iain Clark, who helped establish the festival and is recognized throughout the community as Agent Darling. “Women, unlike in Victorian times, can be anything. We have female engineers, captains of industry, captains of airships, adventurers, explorers, scientists.”
Sometimes within the same week. Bringing multiple outfits for each festival day is typical, and changing areas at the event’s headquarters enable rapid costume switches, with nothing too bizarre to surprise anyone.
On the street, a Star Wars soldier walked by, trailed by a group of wolves. A French visitor nervously adjusting his knitted and leather gloves had only learned about steampunk three days prior and instantly embraced the movement.
“You can be creative and you can be somebody else and no one cares,” said John Syben, who was attending his fourth festival.
His partner, Chris Sinclair, explained that the couple had previously been “far too tame, so we’ve gotten more and more outrageous every year.”
“There’s always someone who’s more nuts than you,” she added.
TOKYO (AP) — Stock markets throughout Asia fell on Tuesday as fresh military confrontations between the United States and Iran raised concerns about the stability of their ceasefire agreement.
American market futures also dropped.
Japan’s primary Nikkei 225 index fell 1.6% to close at 65,833.49, while South Korea’s Kospi index declined 1.7% to finish at 8,642.82.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng bucked the trend, rising 1.2% to 25,698.75, though China’s Shanghai Composite edged down less than 0.1% to 4,056.56.
The S&P/ASX 200 in Australia dropped 0.4% to 8,692.20.
Wall Street saw continued gains on Monday, with U.S. markets reaching new record highs.
The S&P 500 climbed 0.3% to finish at 7,599.96, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 0.1% to 51,078.88. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite advanced 0.4% to 27,086.81.
Treasury bond yields saw volatility, with the 10-year yield temporarily nearing 4.52% before pulling back to 4.46%, higher than Friday’s close of 4.45%.
Airlines faced pressure as oil prices surged, with United Airlines declining 2.6% and Alaska Air Group dropping 3.3% following overnight increases in Brent crude prices.
During Tuesday’s Asian session, U.S. crude oil fell 39 cents to $91.77 per barrel, while Brent crude decreased 28 cents to $94.70 per barrel. These prices remain significantly above pre-war levels of approximately $70.
Market stability largely depends on whether Washington and Tehran can negotiate an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which would restore Persian Gulf oil shipments and reduce inflationary pressures.
Countries like Japan, which relies on imports for nearly all its petroleum needs, have managed to limit price impacts through strategic reserve releases, though this buffer may not last indefinitely.
“Crude shortages have already forced refiners across Asia and Europe to aggressively reduce runs,” said analyst Stephen Innes. “The result is that the squeeze is no longer confined to crude inventories. It is spreading into the fuels that actually power economies: gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, LPG, and naphtha.”
Military tensions escalated Monday when the United States conducted airstrikes on Iranian radar installations and drone facilities following Iran’s downing of an American unmanned aircraft. Iran responded by launching missiles at U.S. personnel in Kuwait, which American forces reportedly intercepted.
Despite these developments, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to reduce hostilities after his discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and indirect communications with the Lebanon-based militant organization.
Technology giant Nvidia provided the biggest boost to Wall Street, surging 6.2% after CEO Jensen Huang revealed multiple product announcements at an industry conference. Nvidia’s performance carries outsized influence on broader market movements due to its position as the largest company by market capitalization.
Currency markets saw the dollar strengthen to 159.70 Japanese yen from 159.66 yen, while the euro held steady at $1.1631.
PARIS — Tourists standing in line under the summer heat to visit Notre Dame cathedral have no idea what’s happening just below their feet.
About 13 feet underground, archaeological teams are working their way down through layers of history, uncovering remnants of Roman Paris from 2,000 years ago.
The famous cathedral suffered devastating fire damage in 2019 when its spire collapsed in front of a global audience. After rebuilding efforts, Notre Dame reopened to the public in late 2024. Now city officials want to add trees and cooling shade to the hot, exposed plaza surrounding it.
However, in such an ancient city, construction crews can’t break ground until archaeologists first examine what’s buried below to prevent any damage to historical artifacts.
A section of Notre Dame’s front courtyard has been transformed into an excavation zone — a deep pit surrounded by safety barriers and crossed with wooden walkways, just steps away from the tourist queue.
French news outlets are calling it the “dig of the century.”
“It’s a rare opportunity for us to work on something that’s tangibly going to make a difference to the history of Paris,” Lucie Altenburg, a conservator with the Paris archaeology unit, told The Associated Press.
The hundreds of discoveries include a coin from the 4th century bearing Emperor Constantine’s image, plus fragments of medieval pottery decorated inside with mysterious symbols that researchers haven’t yet decoded — resembling a real-life Da Vinci Code puzzle.
“It makes Notre Dame feel alive again,” said Emily Carter, 34, a tourist from Manchester waiting in line with her two children. “You come to see the cathedral, then realize there’s another city under your feet. That’s almost more moving.”
Archaeological evidence begins appearing just 20 inches down, and the team continues extracting historical items from depths of 13 feet. On productive days, they collect 15 boxes of artifacts from soil that hasn’t been disturbed for decades.
This represents the reality of any ancient city: history isn’t confined to museums — it exists buried beneath the streets.
Urban areas grow upward over time. Every generation constructs new buildings on top of previous ruins, gradually raising the ground level; Rome’s surface has climbed approximately 30 feet since the empire’s fall in the 5th century.
When Athens constructed its subway system for the 2004 Olympics, the project triggered Greece’s most extensive archaeological dig ever, yielding tens of thousands of artifacts now displayed in the metro stations. Paris follows the same pattern.
Everything originates from the Seine river island called Ile de la Cite, where Paris first began.
Notre Dame was later built on this same location.
When the cathedral’s construction started in 1163, the entire plaza was crowded with medieval homes divided by one narrow road, explained Camille Colonna, the archaeologist directing the excavation.
By digging deeper, her team has reached those ancient house foundations — and consequently the historical periods they represent.
Underneath lie grain storage pits from the Merovingian and Carolingian eras spanning the sixth through tenth centuries; even deeper sits a concentrated Roman neighborhood from the fourth and fifth centuries.
Two thousand years of history are compressed into 13 feet of earth — roughly equivalent to stacking two-and-a-half Napoleon Bonapartes on top of each other.
“Here you can see the layers — medieval Paris, Roman Paris, maybe even before that,” said Yasmine Benali, 22, an archaeology student observing from behind the barriers. “It makes the city feel less like a postcard and more like something still being discovered.”
The most valuable discoveries emerge from the most unpleasant locations: deep pits underneath medieval houses that served as both toilets and garbage disposal sites.
From these areas, the team regularly recovers complete jugs and cups — discarded centuries ago but remaining unbroken — mixed among shattered dishes and animal remains.
Finding “complete ceramics” is “rare,” noted Valentine Breloux, an archaeologist with the unit.
The soft waste materials protected these items, allowing them to survive intact through the centuries.
Some discoveries have puzzled experts completely. While cleaning what appeared to be ordinary medieval pottery, conservators discovered faint red writing painted inside — identical mysterious markings appearing on multiple pieces.
The meaning of these symbols remains unknown.
Among everything she’s restored from Notre Dame, Breloux described these as the most “astonishing.”
Coins emerged as blackened circles, corroded by rust. However, X-ray examination revealed a face: Constantine, the Roman emperor who reigned in the early 300s.
Such artifacts also “can be invaluable in giving us the date of the (underground) layer,” Altenberg explained.
The Roman discoveries hold the greatest significance for archaeologists — representing the deepest, oldest, and least understood findings. During Roman occupation, the settlement was named Lutetia, with its main area located across the river on the Left Bank.
When the Roman empire crumbled, residents retreated to the Ile de la Cite, where Notre Dame would eventually stand, and strengthened the island using stone walls salvaged from earlier structures.
Colonna’s team discovered evidence of this: a Roman doorstep unearthed during excavation, originally from a much larger building, transported to the island, flipped over, and installed as street paving.
All discoveries leave the excavation site and travel north to the city’s archaeology center — what Colonna describes as “a huge archaeological store,” serving as Paris’s treasure repository.
For archaeologists, the cathedral dig represents an unusual opportunity. In France, like other countries, they typically work only where construction projects are planned — similar to how quarry workers sometimes accidentally discover dinosaur fossils.
“This only happens because the city of Paris decided it wanted to beautify the area,” Altenburg explained.
The renovated plaza should be largely completed by 2028: designed as a forest-like clearing featuring 160 new trees and a thin water film flowing over stone surfaces for summer cooling — part of Paris’s preparation for increasingly hot summers caused by global warming.
Tourists currently waiting in direct sunlight beneath the gargoyles will soon queue in shaded comfort.
The former underground parking garage will reopen as a visitor center overlooking the Seine.
Meanwhile, the Notre Dame team hopes to dig even deeper — beyond the Romans, toward the earlier inhabitants, the Gauls who first named the city.
“The hope is that we are able to go back in time even further than we’ve ever been before,” Altenburg said.
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans are planning a Tuesday meeting to chart their course forward after the Justice Department announced it will follow a court ruling that temporarily suspends a $1.776 billion settlement fund intended to provide compensation to President Donald Trump’s political supporters.
GOP lawmakers who opposed the settlement before departing for Memorial Day break two weeks earlier are demanding additional details from the administration regarding the fund’s future. The money could potentially benefit Trump backers who assaulted law enforcement officers and stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Sources close to Trump indicate he is now questioning whether to proceed with the entire settlement.
Immigration enforcement funding legislation has become entangled in this controversy. The bill would provide three years of funding for Trump’s immigration agencies, but Republicans suddenly departed Washington without voting on it. Democrats had threatened to propose amendments eliminating or reducing the settlement fund, which would have forced Republicans to take public positions on the matter and potentially jeopardized funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol.
Upon returning to Washington Monday night, Senate Majority Leader John Thune expressed uncertainty about whether the immigration spending measure would advance this week.
“To be determined,” he said to reporters.
This unprecedented conflict emerged after Trump revealed the fund without informing Congress, announcing it as part of a settlement resolving his legal action against the IRS regarding leaked tax documents. When news of the settlement surfaced, the Senate was already managing difficult negotiations on immigration legislation that included an additional $1 billion for White House security expenses, including Trump’s ballroom project.
Angered Senate Republicans removed the White House security funding from the bill and declared they would block the entire legislation unless the administration significantly modified the settlement.
“I do think the best way to handle it is if the administration decides to shut it down themselves,” Thune told reporters Monday, speaking about the fund.
He indicated Republicans will have clearer direction on how to move forward following their weekly conference lunch meeting Tuesday.
The Justice Department confirmed it will honor Friday’s decision by U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema, who imposed a two-week temporary suspension on the fund. The judge has set a June 12 hearing to consider arguments about extending her injunction.
The department issued a statement expressing strong disagreement with the ruling while pledging compliance.
Republican senators remained unsatisfied Monday evening, stating they require more comprehensive information from the administration about post-deadline plans before determining their response.
“It’s pretty clear that the president has to say very explicitly that there’s not going to be a weaponization fund,” stated Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.
Oklahoma Sen. Jim Lankford emphasized that Trump administration officials “need to say what they actually mean.”
“They need to say, we’re setting this whole thing aside,” Lankford stated.
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski indicated that complete withdrawal of the settlement would satisfy her concerns. “But I haven’t heard anybody say that,” she noted.
Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana pointed out that the administration must already follow the court ruling, “that’s in the Constitution. I have to know more about their position.”
“Right now, the reconciliation bill looks like a broken arm with the bones sticking out,” Kennedy observed. “It won’t move this week, in my opinion, unless we have some resolution on the weaponization account.”
Opposition to the fund reached a breaking point last month during a private meeting between senators and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas characterized it on a recent podcast episode as “one of the roughest meetings I’ve seen in my entire time in the Senate.”
GOP senators had been exploring various approaches to restrict the fund, including limitations on recipient eligibility, restructuring the commission overseeing settlement decisions, implementing judicial review for applicants, or eliminating the fund entirely.
Following the intense criticism, a source familiar with the situation, who requested anonymity to discuss the president’s deliberations, revealed Monday that Trump was reassessing whether to continue with the fund. However, the president has not made any public statements about his intentions.
The situation is further complicated by Trump’s campaign-year effort to challenge GOP legislators he considers disloyal, including some of Thune’s most dependable Republican supporters in the closely divided 53-47 Senate. Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and John Cornyn of Texas both suffered primary defeats in May after Trump backed their opponents, raising questions about their future support for the president’s legislative priorities.
“I think it’s hard to divorce anything that happens here from what’s happening in the political atmosphere around us,” Thune commented before the Senate’s departure from Washington.
California’s Democratic Party convinced state voters to allow redistricting changes aimed at potentially securing five additional U.S. House seats as a response to Republican map changes in Texas. The upcoming Tuesday primary will serve as the initial test of whether this strategy will succeed.
The state uses an unusual primary format where the two highest vote recipients move forward to the general election, regardless of their party affiliation. This system creates a risk for Democrats in the San Diego suburban area, where former Republican Rep. Darrell Issa’s district received new boundaries favoring Democratic candidates.
Following Issa’s retirement, Republican San Diego County supervisor Jim Desmond entered the race. Nine Democratic candidates also joined the contest, creating concerns that vote splitting could result in Desmond and fellow GOP candidate Jim O’Neil becoming the top two finishers. Such an outcome would prevent any Democratic candidate from reaching the November election.
“After millions of dollars and a nationwide effort to redraw these districts in response to Texas, Democrats being shut out would be a nightmare,” said Ammar Campa-Najjar, a former Obama administration official who is one of the Democrats running.
The Golden State has provided Democrats with their most successful outcome in a redistricting battle initiated by President Donald Trump to maintain his party’s House control. Following Texas’s map changes that could make five additional seats favorable for the GOP, California voters permitted Democrats to bypass their state’s independent redistricting commission and develop a retaliatory map.
However, when Virginia Democrats attempted similar action, their state Supreme Court prevented them. Additionally, the conservative-controlled U.S. Supreme Court weakened an important Voting Rights Act provision, enabling Republicans to eliminate certain majority-Black congressional districts across the South.
Leading Democratic contenders for Issa’s former seat include Campa-Najjar, San Diego City Councilwoman Marni von Wilpert, and self-funding investor Brandon Riker. Many party members remain hopeful that Democratic voters will unite behind a single candidate, creating a competitive November race against Desmond.
The 48th district represents just one of several potentially competitive fall contests for Democrats.
In the Central Valley region, party leaders modified Republican Rep. David Valadao’s seat to increase Democratic advantages. Valadao has withstood multiple targeted Democratic campaigns and remains one of only two Republican House members who supported Trump’s impeachment following the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
Valadao’s advancement to the general election appears likely, making the primary a contest to determine his Democratic opponent — either state Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains, a moderate receiving Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee support, or Randy Villegas, a College of the Sequoias political science professor and school board member representing the party’s progressive faction.
The divide between establishment Democrats and younger progressive challengers characterizes numerous primaries this election cycle.
In a secure Democratic San Francisco district, state lawmaker and former San Francisco Board of Supervisors member Scott Wiener appears positioned to advance to November’s race for retiring former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s seat. The question remains whether he’ll compete against Saikat Charkrabati, a wealthy former technology entrepreneur who backed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez’s 2018 insurgent primary, or Supervisor Connie Chan, who received Pelosi’s endorsement.
In Sacramento, city council member Mai Vang is challenging 81-year-old Rep. Doris Matsui, who assumed office following her late husband’s death in 2005.
Rep. Brad Sherman, representing a Southern California district spanning from the San Fernando Valley to Malibu, faces opposition from Democrat Jake Levine, a 42-year-old attorney arguing for change from the 15-term incumbent.
In a reconfigured district extending from Napa Valley into conservative Northern California agricultural areas, 14-term Democratic Rep. Mike Thompson confronts a younger opponent, former venture capitalist Eric Jones.
California’s congressional primaries will also decide the future of Republicans targeted through Democratic redistricting efforts.
In Southern California, incumbent Republican Reps. Ken Calvert and Young Kim were placed within the same conservative district and are competing based on their pro-Trump positions.
In Sacramento’s suburban areas, Rep. Kevin Kiley, who departed the GOP to become an independent critic of partisan gerrymandering, seeks survival in one of two Democratic-leaning districts where his previous conservative district’s voters were redistributed.
In the San Francisco suburbs, six Democrats and two Republicans are seeking the seat previously held by Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, who resigned and abandoned his gubernatorial campaign amid sexual harassment allegations. The top two candidates will advance to November’s ballot for the seat beginning in 2027, while a special election scheduled for June 18 will fill Swalwell’s remaining term.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Voters in California concluded their gubernatorial primary election Tuesday, selecting from approximately 60 candidates seeking to succeed term-limited Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.
The voting period, which started in early May, wrapped up a disorganized campaign without an obvious leader. Contenders pushed against one another in the campaign’s final days as each attempted to persuade voters they were most qualified to govern the nation’s most populous state and one of the globe’s biggest economies.
The state uses a system where all candidates appear on one primary ballot regardless of political affiliation, with the two highest vote-getters moving forward to the November general election. Around 60 candidates appeared on the ballot, with most remaining largely unfamiliar to the state’s approximately 23 million voters.
Among Democratic frontrunners are Xavier Becerra, a former state attorney general and U.S. health secretary; Tom Steyer, a billionaire climate activist; Katie Porter, a former member of Congress; and Matt Mahan, the mayor of San Jose.
The most notable Republicans in the race are conservative commentator Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.
Democratic candidates focused their campaigns on resisting Trump administration attacks on the state’s progressive policies, while Republican hopefuls promised to bring change following more than 15 years of Democratic control in Sacramento. However, the central theme throughout the campaign was addressing the state’s famously expensive cost of living.
Gas prices reached $6.08 per gallon by the end of May, exceeding the national average by $1.65, according to AAA data. The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office calculated that typical homes cost approximately $775,000, more than twice the national average. California residents also face the nation’s second-highest residential electricity costs, trailing only Hawaii, based on U.S. Energy Information Administration figures.
Various candidates suggested pausing the state’s gas taxes, which amount to roughly 70 cents per gallon, while others considered subsidizing in-state tuition at public universities. Several Democrats proposed eliminating private health insurance in favor of a government-operated system without premiums, while Republican candidates pledged to boost oil and gas production and cut regulations.
“The truth is that we’ve gone off track — we’ve got one-party rule,” Hilton stated during a May debate. “The results have been such a disappointment. It is time for some balance.”
Early in the campaign, Democrats expressed concern about potentially being excluded from the general election despite representing 45% of the state’s registered voters compared to Republicans’ 25%.
The worry centered on their relatively large candidate pool potentially dividing Democratic support enough for both Republicans to advance under the single primary format, which debuted at the statewide level in 2014.
California has never seen two candidates from the same party reach the general election in a gubernatorial race, though this occurred twice in U.S. Senate contests in 2016 and 2018.
Recent developments, however, reduced Democratic concerns as several candidates emerged as frontrunners. In the campaign’s closing days, Hilton cautioned that Republicans might be excluded if they didn’t unite behind his candidacy.
Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell’s resignation and exit from the race following sexual assault allegations created an opportunity for Becerra, who had previously struggled to build momentum.
Emphasizing his extensive political background, Becerra began increasing fundraising and secured endorsements from influential labor organizations and Latino legislative leaders.
However, this progress also made him a target, with opponents criticizing his tenure as health secretary, including his management of an influx of unaccompanied migrant children at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2021, when Becerra’s Department of Health and Human Services oversaw shelters housing them. Some facilities faced criticism for inadequate living conditions, and concerns arose about authorities failing to properly screen sponsors who received some children.
“The secretary has never met a crisis that he couldn’t ignore,” Mahan remarked during an April debate.
Steyer’s campaign invested or reserved more than $203 million for broadcast television, cable, and radio advertisements, according to AdImpact tracking. During campaigning, he faced criticism over previous investments in fossil fuels and private prisons through a hedge fund he established in the 1980s and departed over a decade ago. Some critics accused him of attempting to purchase the election.
“This race will come down to those who’ve earned it versus those who are trying to buy it,” Becerra told CNN in April.
Republicans never unified around a plan to advance both Hilton and Bianco to the general election, with the two competing to consolidate support. President Donald Trump’s April endorsement of Hilton, a former political adviser to a conservative British prime minister, likely strengthened his position among GOP voters and weakened Bianco’s advancement prospects.
Trump reiterated his support for Hilton Monday evening, claiming Democrats have performed an “absolutely horrendous job” governing the state.
“Steve can turn it around, before it is too late, and, as President, I will help him to do so!” Trump wrote on his social media platform.
Every California voter receives a mail ballot, and election officials tally those received up to one week after Election Day provided they bear proper postmarks. This frequently creates extended counting periods, with winners sometimes not declared for days or weeks.
This marks the first time in over twenty years without a political celebrity in the governor’s race. In 2003, A-list actor and Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger surged to victory in a recall election removing then-Governor Gray Davis; in 2010, former Democratic Governor Jerry Brown secured a political comeback by winning nearly three decades after his initial two terms; and in 2018, Newsom had already built a national reputation through roles as lieutenant governor and San Francisco mayor before winning decisively.
Democratic voters in New Jersey headed to the polls Tuesday to select their candidate for a competitive congressional race against Republican incumbent Tom Kean Jr., who has been away from his duties in Washington for several months while addressing an undisclosed health matter.
The contest is taking place in New Jersey’s 7th District, an area that encompasses suburban communities and rural farmland, along with one of President Donald Trump’s golf properties. This primary has drawn significant attention as both political parties view the district as crucial for control of the closely divided House of Representatives.
Four Democratic contenders are seeking the nomination to face Kean, whose staff has indicated he intends to run for a third term. The candidates include Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot whose background mirrors Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s, Michael Roth, a former Small Business Administration official, Tina Shah, an intensive care unit doctor, and Brian Varela, a businessman with backing from progressive groups.
Kean’s prolonged absence from Congress, with his most recent vote occurring in early March, has intensified focus on this race. The congressman posted on X last month that he’s addressing a “personal medical issue” and expects to return shortly, though he offered no specifics about his condition and his team has refused to provide additional information.
The Democratic primary has been fiercely competitive, with all four candidates raising seven-figure sums while trying to balance appeals to party loyalists and more moderate voters who will be crucial in November.
Bennett’s campaign has faced criticism from a political action committee that has invested approximately $650,000 in attacking her from the left. In a recent interview, Bennett expressed her belief that the organization, which has not revealed its funding sources, is backed by Republicans attempting to damage her prospects because they consider her a formidable general election opponent.
The Democratic candidates are focusing on increasing prices for food and fuel resulting from the Iran war and Trump’s extensive tariff policies. They’re directing criticism toward Republicans, particularly Kean, whom they characterize as unsuitable for the district while highlighting his endorsement of the president’s major tax reduction package.
This district has experienced significant political shifts in recent cycles. Following redistricting after the latest census, the boundaries were adjusted to favor Republicans, though control has alternated between parties. Kean defeated incumbent Democrat Tom Malinowski in 2022, after Malinowski had previously beaten Republican Rep. Leonard Lance in 2018. District voters have removed two sitting representatives during midterm elections in the past ten years.
Tuesday’s elections also feature a Republican Senate primary that political observers are monitoring closely. The party has struggled to find direction in New Jersey following last year’s defeat when its Trump-endorsed gubernatorial candidate lost by a substantial margin. Four candidates are competing: attorney Justin Murphy, surgeon Robert Lebovics, Army veteran Richard Tabor, and former TV reporter Alex Zdan.
The Republican Senate nominee will challenge Democratic Sen. Cory Booker, who is campaigning for a full third term.
Additional House races could generate significant attention during the fall campaign season.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew is pursuing a fifth term representing southern New Jersey’s 2nd District. Originally elected as a Democrat, Van Drew switched his party affiliation to Republican during Trump’s initial presidency.
Rep. Bonnie Watson is stepping down from the strongly Democratic 12th District, where numerous candidates are competing in a crowded primary to replace her.
Dr. Adam Hamawy, a surgeon and Army veteran, has gained prominence through endorsements from independent Sen. Bernie Sanders and other progressive leaders. Recently, some of his primary opponents have criticized his past connection to Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, a blind Egyptian cleric who was convicted in 1995 of plotting to bomb the United Nations and other New York-area targets.
Hamawy served as a defense witness during the sheik’s trial but faced no accusations of misconduct. Throughout his campaign, he has denounced violence and separated himself from the sheik’s actions. Abdel-Rahman passed away in federal custody in 2017.
In northern New Jersey’s 9th District, Republicans are selecting between attorney Tiffany Burress and Clifton City Councilwoman Rosie Pino to challenge first-term Democratic Rep. Nellie Pou. Pou’s victory margin in 2024 was smaller than her long-serving predecessor, Rep. Bill Pascrell, achieved, and occurred as Trump carried a county within the district.
STARKE, Fla. — A Florida man who admitted to fatally harming his girlfriend’s 5-month-old daughter and disposing of her body in a pond 30 years ago faces execution Tuesday night.
Andrew Richard Lukehart, 53, is slated to receive a lethal three-drug injection beginning at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke. A jury convicted him of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse in 1997 for killing baby Gabrielle Hanshaw in 1996, leading to his death sentence.
The execution would mark Florida’s eighth this year, coming after a record-breaking 19 executions in 2025. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis presided over more executions in 2025 than any Florida governor since capital punishment resumed in 1976. The prior record stood at eight executions in 2014.
Court documents reveal that in February 1996, Lukehart was babysitting his girlfriend’s infant while she tended to her sick older daughter at their Jacksonville residence. The girlfriend reported that Lukehart left the home in his vehicle, and baby Gabrielle was nowhere to be found. About half an hour later, Lukehart contacted his girlfriend and instructed her to contact authorities, claiming the infant had been abducted and he was pursuing the kidnapper.
That same evening, authorities located Lukehart in an adjacent county after his vehicle had crashed off the roadway. During interrogation the following day, Lukehart admitted to investigators that Gabrielle died when he dropped her on her head and subsequently shook her. He told officers he became frightened and disposed of the baby’s body in a pond. Authorities searched the water and recovered the child’s remains.
Last week, the Florida Supreme Court rejected Lukehart’s appeals. His legal team argued that kidney disease medication he was taking might interact dangerously with the execution drugs. They also contended that scheduling the execution just one month after the death warrant was signed violated his due process rights.
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court turned down Lukehart’s final appeal.
Nationwide, 47 individuals were executed in 2025. Florida topped the list with numerous death warrants issued by DeSantis. Alabama, South Carolina and Texas each carried out five executions, tying for second place.
Florida has another execution scheduled later this month. Dusty Ray Spencer, 74, received a death sentence for the fatal stabbing of his wife in 1992.
The state Department of Corrections reports that all Florida executions use lethal injection involving a sedative, a paralytic agent and a drug that stops the heart.
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to appear before congressional committees Tuesday, marking his first testimony since the Iran conflict commenced, where he’ll encounter numerous inquiries about the Trump administration’s struggling diplomatic initiatives worldwide.
The former Republican senator will address both House and Senate panels to present the State Department’s yearly budget proposal. However, attention will likely turn rapidly to the fragile truce between Washington and Tehran, which has faced additional strain from recent reciprocal attacks.
Cabinet officials, including Rubio, have supported President Donald Trump’s choice to initiate the conflict, despite previous commitments to avoid “forever wars” in the Middle East. This defense has become more challenging due to Trump’s changing objectives for the conflict.
Although Rubio is appearing before Congress for his first public testimony since the Iran war started on Feb. 28, he participated in a confidential briefing for legislators following the initial U.S. and Israeli strikes. He encountered Democratic criticism regarding the absence of congressional authorization while receiving strong backing from most Republicans for confronting one of America’s long-standing enemies.
In the two months following the war’s beginning, a small yet expanding group of Republicans have aligned with Democrats in challenging the enormous cost and broader economic impact of the conflict as they approach fall midterm elections.
Last month, the Senate succeeded in advancing legislation for the first time that would have compelled Trump to exit the conflict after GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy — following a primary election defeat where Trump supported his rival — united with Democrats to move it forward.
The House had also planned a vote on a war powers resolution, but GOP leadership prevented it from reaching the floor after determining the majority party lacked sufficient votes to block it.
These developments demonstrate the GOP’s difficulty in sustaining political support for Trump’s war management as rank-and-file Republicans increasingly oppose the president regarding the conflict.
After his Tuesday appearances before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Appropriations subcommittee overseeing the State Department, Rubio will return to Capitol Hill Wednesday to testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee and corresponding Senate Appropriations subcommittee.
Rubio — the son of Cuban immigrants — will likely face questions about the administration’s aggressive stance toward Cuba, as Trump has suggested the small island nation might become the next U.S. target once Iran operations conclude.
Despite multiple meetings between U.S. and Cuban officials, Trump and Rubio have renewed warnings against the island’s government, which carry additional significance following the administration’s announcement of criminal charges against former President Raúl Castro.
Throughout his congressional tenure and now as America’s chief diplomat, Rubio has insisted that Cuba poses a national security threat due to its connections with U.S. adversaries and that Trump is determined to address it.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Following a turbulent first term marked by catastrophic wildfires and persistent homelessness challenges, Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is seeking re-election Tuesday while confronting opposition from across the political divide.
Republican candidate Spencer Pratt, formerly of the reality show “The Hills,” has criticized Bass for inadequate fire response and insufficient progress addressing homelessness. His campaign has gained national notice as a measure of frustration with progressive city leadership and due to supporter-generated artificial intelligence videos that went viral.
Progressive city council member Nithya Raman, a Democrat who previously supported Bass and won office with backing from the Democratic Socialists of America, is running on a platform to address inequality, revitalize the struggling entertainment sector, and increase housing development.
Bass, who previously served in Congress and became the city’s first Black female mayor, has secured endorsements from most Democratic establishment figures, including former Vice President Kamala Harris and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, plus major labor organizations.
Should Bass fail to capture a majority, the contest will advance to a November runoff. Political analysts expect this outcome given the crowded field of 14 candidates, which includes technology entrepreneur Adam Miller and community activist Rae Huang.
The election comes during a period of uncertainty for Los Angeles.
Bass continues dealing with criticism over her absence when the city’s most destructive wildfire erupted in an affluent coastal area in January 2025. The mayor was traveling in Ghana as part of a presidential delegation during the crisis. Pratt’s residence was destroyed in the Palisades Fire, which claimed 12 lives, and some residents believe recovery efforts are progressing too slowly.
Though data indicates Bass has achieved some success reducing homelessness, temporary camps and deteriorating recreational vehicles remain visible throughout the city. Citizens regularly voice concerns about increasing living costs for housing, taxes, and food. Damaged and dirty streets and walkways are widespread.
Additionally, Hollywood employment has been relocating to less expensive production locations for years. Immigration enforcement actions under the Trump administration have also impacted the community.
The previously growing region is experiencing population decline — Los Angeles County saw approximately 54,000 residents leave between July 2024 and July 2025, representing the country’s largest numerical population decrease, according to federal data.
While crime figures have dropped, public safety remains a concern. World Cup matches are scheduled to begin in Southern California in June, and Los Angeles is preparing to host the 2028 Olympics. Although federal authorities lead Olympic security, there are already worries that the Los Angeles Police Department lacks sufficient funding and staffing for its responsibilities.
Bass has admitted to making errors but contends that reduced homelessness and a record-low murder rate demonstrate her effectiveness. “I’ll keep fighting for LA,” she said.
Pratt has centered his campaign on homelessness reduction and police force expansion, claiming an outsider perspective is necessary to reform city government. Appealing to voter dissatisfaction, he describes himself as “an Angeleno who’s had enough” and condemns “homeless drug zombies” in public spaces.
He gained recognition — though not a formal endorsement — from President Donald Trump, who recently stated, “I heard he’s a big MAGA person.”
This comment could damage Pratt’s prospects in a city where Trump lacks popularity outside conservative circles and Republicans comprise fewer than 15% of registered voters.
WASHINGTON — While California has produced Hollywood legends and political superstars, this year’s gubernatorial contest lacks the typical celebrity appeal. Meanwhile, Los Angeles voters will decide whether a reality TV star can challenge the current mayor in a city gearing up for Olympic hosting duties.
Tuesday brings additional primary contests across the nation. Democratic leaders see a unique opportunity to reclaim territory in Iowa, a predominantly rural state that has consistently rejected their candidates in recent election cycles. On the Republican side, concerns mount over a New Jersey representative whose mysterious prolonged absence threatens their fragile House majority.
Voters in six states — California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota — will make their choices today.
Ronald Reagan. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Jerry Brown. Gavin Newsom.
California’s gubernatorial position has historically drawn some of the most prominent political figures, but this cycle breaks that pattern.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Alex Padilla declined to enter the contest. With Newsom prohibited from pursuing a third consecutive term, the succession battle became an expansive and frequently chaotic affair.
As the campaign concludes, focus has centered on Democrats Xavier Becerra, the former congressman and state attorney general who also served as health secretary under President Joe Biden, and Tom Steyer, a billionaire recognized for his environmental advocacy. Republican Steve Hilton is campaigning with President Donald Trump’s endorsement.
California’s primary structure places all contenders on one ballot, with the leading two vote-getters proceeding to November’s general election regardless of party affiliation. The lack of a clear frontrunner encouraged nearly every politically ambitious individual with basic campaign infrastructure to enter, sparking Democratic concerns about vote splitting that could eliminate their candidates from the autumn race. However, these worries have diminished in recent weeks, with party officials now confident of securing at least one November position.
The outcome may reveal voter sentiment in a state where Democrats have controlled statewide offices for twenty years.
In a community still healing from its most catastrophic wildfire, Mayor Karen Bass faces a challenging reelection battle.
The mayor, who frequently draws Trump’s criticism, was traveling in Ghana with a presidential delegation when the fire started. She has admitted to errors but has built her campaign on themes of rebuilding and advancement.
Bass confronts a vigorous challenge from reality television personality Spencer Pratt, who holds Bass responsible for overseeing devastation that destroyed his residence. Pratt, who gained recognition on “The Hills,” has posted artificial intelligence-generated videos depicting himself as a superhero fighting street crime and Democratic officials.
While officially nonpartisan, the race features Bass as a Democrat, along with progressive city council member Nithya Raman, who recently decided to oppose her former ally. Pratt is a registered Republican who has gained Trump’s approval, though not a formal endorsement.
Without a primary majority winner, the top two candidates will compete in November’s general election.
Los Angeles hasn’t chosen a Republican mayor since Richard Riordan secured his second term in 1997, and observers will scrutinize results for signs of discontent with progressive city leadership. The victor will assume national and international prominence as the city prepares for the 2028 Olympics.
Iowa wasn’t always Republican territory.
Prior to Trump’s political transformation, this state launched Barack Obama’s career and sent Tom Harkin to the Senate for five consecutive terms.
Party leaders are especially enthusiastic about Rob Sand, who faces no opposition for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. A Decorah, Iowa native, he possesses the rural background increasingly uncommon among Democrats. Most significantly, he’s demonstrated electoral success in Republican-leaning territory, winning auditor races twice.
Republicans enter their primary with five contenders. Trump endorsed Rep. Randy Feenstra last week.
This marks the first open gubernatorial competition since 2006. Democrats believe a combination of economic damage from Trump’s tariff strategies, increased gas costs from the Iran conflict, and the absence of a Republican incumbent creates their strongest chance in years. Sand also maintains a fundraising edge over Republicans, including Feenstra.
State Rep. Josh Turek and state Sen. Zach Wahls are battling in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate position being left by incumbent Republican Joni Ernst. The contest has split partly over questions of Washington leadership, with Wahls openly criticizing Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. Republicans have largely united behind U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson for the Senate position.
During typical pre-election periods, voters sometimes tire of constant candidate messaging. However, in New Jersey’s 7th congressional district, they’re hearing nothing from one candidate.
Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. runs uncontested in Tuesday’s primary. Yet he faces increasing criticism for an unexplained medical absence lasting three months, causing him to miss over 100 congressional votes.
This statistic troubles any legislator, but proves particularly damaging for someone seeking reelection in a genuinely competitive district. While redistricting has made most House seats safely Democratic or Republican, Kean’s district has changed parties in both recent midterm cycles. Republican Leonard Lance lost to Democrat Tom Malinowski in 2018. Malinowski fell to Kean in 2022.
With Republicans maintaining a thin House majority, they cannot afford losing districts like Kean’s. Multiple Democrats seeking to challenge Kean this fall have emphasized his absence and the surrounding mystery as core campaign themes.
New Jersey provided early evidence of anti-Trump sentiment last year when Democrat Mikie Sherrill captured the governor’s office by over 14 percentage points. Tuesday’s 7th district turnout may indicate whether Democratic momentum continues.
Democrats hope to seriously challenge Republican Senate candidates in solidly red South Dakota and Montana this fall. However, their strongest prospects may not appear on Tuesday’s primary ballots.
Both states feature prominent independent candidates who, lacking party representation, skip primary competitions.
In Montana, five Democrats seek their party’s Senate nomination. Yet independent Seth Bodnar, the former University of Montana president, has raised more funds than all of them together. He’s also significantly out-fundraised Trump-backed Republican candidate Kurt Alme.
In South Dakota, three-term incumbent Republican Mike Rounds expects easy primary victory Tuesday. He’ll meet Democrat Julian Beaudion, a former highway patrol trooper and small business owner, in November. But former Democrat Brian Bengs, a military veteran now running independently, may pose the greater threat.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Voters across New Mexico headed to the polls Tuesday to select their party’s candidates for governor while the state faces ongoing struggles with violent crime rates, struggling educational systems, and reductions in federal assistance programs that serve as crucial support for many residents.
Even with these ongoing issues, the primary election occurs during a period of financial opportunity for whoever wins the governor’s office, most likely a Democratic candidate. Global oil prices have risen due to the Iran conflict, bringing significant tax revenue into state accounts. As the country’s second-largest oil producer after Texas, New Mexico uses industry profits to support various progressive social initiatives, including universal childcare programs.
This marks the first primary election where independent voters can participate. The state’s semi-open primary format, enacted by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham last year, permits approximately 23% of New Mexico voters who lack party affiliation to choose either a Democratic or Republican ballot.
Although voters will determine nominees for three congressional positions, one U.S. Senate seat, and numerous statewide positions, the gubernatorial contest draws the most attention.
Former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who previously served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives, and Albuquerque-based district attorney Sam Bregman are competing for the Democratic nomination to succeed Lujan Grisham, who has reached her term limit.
Haaland, a member of Laguna Pueblo, has the potential to become the nation’s first Native American woman elected as governor. Her campaign centers on lowering family expenses, highlighting her deep state connections, and promoting her Washington, D.C. experience.
She maintains a substantial fundraising advantage over Bregman in what has become an increasingly hostile campaign. Haaland’s team has spotlighted Bregman’s personal wealth, portraying him as disconnected from ordinary New Mexico families. Haaland avoided multiple debate invitations from Bregman, who contends his prosecutorial background makes him the strongest Democratic choice to address the state’s persistent high crime problems.
His campaign also attacked Haaland following her appearance in the Jeffrey Epstein documents. She traveled on a private aircraft arranged by one of Epstein’s businesses during her failed 2014 lieutenant governor campaign. Gary King, her running mate then, paid for that flight to a Washington, D.C. fundraising event. King’s family had previously sold Epstein a New Mexico ranch twenty years before.
Haaland stated she had no knowledge of Epstein’s involvement in the flight arrangements and never encountered him.
Bregman, who prosecutes cases for Bernalillo County and is the father of Chicago Cubs All-Star Alex Bregman, has pledged to oppose the Trump administration on matters including healthcare and immigration.
Three contenders are seeking the Republican nomination, with the victor facing difficult odds in a state that has shifted increasingly leftward recently. Democrats have captured every statewide office since 2017, and Republican presidential candidates haven’t won the state in decades.
Gregg Hull previously served as mayor of rapidly expanding Rio Rancho and cites his leadership experience there as a model for his potential governance, vowing to bring major employers to the state. Duke Rodriguez, a former state Cabinet secretary under former Republican Gov. Gary Johnson who now leads a cannabis company, has concentrated on stabilizing the state’s troubled healthcare system, which confronts financial difficulties and a critical physician shortage. Public relations professional Doug Turner has emphasized plans to improve the state’s public education system from its position at the bottom of national rankings.
While Hull and Turner have kept their campaigns separate from the MAGA movement, Rodriguez recently received a cease-and-desist notice from attorneys representing President Donald Trump for “deceptive use” of Trump’s image in campaign materials.
November’s general election winner will receive the oil revenue windfall in the state budget, which has generated competing proposals for its use — ranging from direct taxpayer payments to funding tax credits primarily benefiting low-income residents to completely eliminating the state’s income tax.
The state’s dependence on fossil fuel revenues to support its programs has also created political challenges for Democrats.
Premium fashion companies across Europe have intensified their efforts to capture America’s affluent market, launching numerous boutique locations and high-profile runway presentations to attract wealthy consumers who have benefited from artificial intelligence and technology sector growth, while addressing declining consumer confidence worldwide.
Following a two-year downturn, the premium goods industry had begun showing recovery signals until conflict involving Iran started in late February, disrupting international travel and reducing luxury purchases well beyond Middle Eastern borders.
China, which had driven luxury market expansion for twenty years, continues grappling with deflationary pressures and ongoing real estate sector difficulties, making affluent American consumers more crucial than ever for the industry.
“The U.S. high-end consumer has been much more resilient than we are seeing elsewhere, especially in Europe,” stated Marcus Morris-Eyton, portfolio manager at AllianceBernstein in London, noting that the ongoing AI market surge and strong wage increases have strengthened this spending demographic.
Premium brands including LVMH, Moncler and Gucci have responded swiftly to this opportunity.
Dior and Gucci presented their cruise collections in America last month, while Italian label Zegna plans to unveil its Summer 2027 collection this Friday in Los Angeles.
North America claimed the leading position for new boutique launches for the first time last year, based on real estate company Savills’ international luxury retail analysis, which has monitored this data since 2016.
The analysis revealed North America represented approximately 27% of worldwide luxury boutique openings in 2025, versus 26% in Europe and 19% in China. Internationally, new luxury store launches dropped to their lowest point since 2020.
America maintains fewer luxury boutiques relative to its ultra-wealthy population compared to China, according to Savills analysis.
“Many brands still view the U.S. as unpenetrated relative to the scale of its wealth base,” explained Todd Siegel, Chicago-based president of U.S. retail at real estate company Savills.
Store investments target not only primary East and West Coast metropolitan areas, but extend to secondary states and cities where wealthy individuals have relocated, drawn by more favorable tax structures than California or New York, Siegel noted.
Italian premium outerwear company Moncler, for example, announced most of its new locations will be in America this year.
The company launched a boutique in luxury ski destination Aspen in January and intends to open its largest flagship location worldwide on New York’s Fifth Avenue during the year’s second half, plus new sites in California’s Valley Fair and Dallas, Texas, among other cities.
French luxury company Hermes established its inaugural stores in Nashville, Tennessee, and Scottsdale, Arizona, last year. The brand plans to open in Plaza del Lago shopping center in Wilmette, north of Chicago this summer, and in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in September.
Consulting firm Bain described the luxury industry as reflecting a “two‑speed world” with the United States and certain Asian regions expanding, while Europe and the Middle East face reduced tourist spending amid the continuing Iran conflict.
Most luxury companies do not publish U.S. data separately, but their first-quarter earnings demonstrate growth in the broader Americas region significantly exceeded other areas.
Cartier parent company Richemont’s revenue increased 18% in the Americas from January through March, marking the company’s ninth straight quarter of double-digit sales expansion in the region.
The robust U.S. luxury market has also benefited American companies Ralph Lauren and Coach parent Tapestry, whose revenue has surpassed competitors.
“Our core customers are loyal and resilient,” Ralph Lauren Chief Product & Merchandising Officer Halide Alagoz told Reuters. “What we see so far is that their behaviours are not changing. On the contrary, consumers during these turbulent times want to come to brands that they can trust.”
Tapestry CEO Joanne Crevoiserat indicated growth opportunities exist in North America. “We’re building emotional connections and bringing new, younger consumers into the market in North America and beyond,” she stated.
Morgan Stanley analyst Edouard Aubin suggested forthcoming U.S. IPOs might stimulate spending on premium timepieces and jewelry, but warned that U.S. citizens represent approximately 20% to 22% of global luxury expenditure.
“It’s nice, it’s helpful, but you need China to get better as well for the sector to really recover,” he concluded.
A major chip design company revealed Tuesday that two technology giants are using its artificial intelligence processors for their data center operations.
During remarks at the Computex technology conference in Taipei, Arm’s chief executive Rene Haas disclosed that ByteDance, the Chinese technology company, and Oracle, the American data center firm, are both purchasing the company’s AGI central processing units.
The announcement highlights the growing demand for specialized AI chips as companies expand their data center capabilities.
The Minnesota Twins completed a cash deal Monday to acquire relief pitcher Justin Lawrence from the Pittsburgh Pirates, who had placed the right-handed pitcher on waivers last Friday.
The 31-year-old Lawrence struggled during his time with Pittsburgh this season, recording no wins against two losses while posting a 5.32 ERA across 23 relief outings. During his 22 innings of work, he recorded 25 strikeouts while issuing 12 walks.
Prior to joining Pittsburgh, Lawrence spent four years with the Colorado Rockies from 2021 through 2024. The Pirates picked him up on waivers this past March.
Throughout his major league career, Lawrence has appeared exclusively as a reliever in 222 games, compiling a 13-14 win-loss record with 14 saves and a 5.05 ERA. Over 233 2/3 innings pitched, he has recorded 236 strikeouts against 130 walks.
Minnesota officials indicated they will make room on their active roster for Lawrence before Tuesday’s home matchup against the White Sox. The Twins ended a five-game skid Monday night with a 9-6 victory over Chicago in the opening game of their series.
Seven people are dead following a series of shootings that occurred across multiple locations in Muscatine, Iowa on June 1, according to local authorities.
The violence ended when the shooter took his own life after killing six others in the Mississippi River community, which sits along the border with Illinois.
According to a statement from the Muscatine Police Department, early findings from their investigation suggest the shootings “stemmed from a domestic-related dispute.”
Texas Rangers starter Jacob deGrom reached a significant career milestone Monday night, recording his 100th professional victory during a 2-1 triumph over the St. Louis Cardinals in the opening game of their three-game series.
The veteran right-hander delivered five innings of shutout baseball, surrendering just four hits while walking one and recording eight strikeouts to secure the historic win.
Ezequiel Duran led the offensive charge for Texas with three hits, including a run-scoring double, while Joc Pederson contributed an RBI single. The victory marked the Rangers’ fourth consecutive win, tying their season-best winning streak. Nicky Lopez chipped in with two hits.
DeGrom (4-4) had fallen short of the milestone in his previous three starts before finally breaking through against St. Louis. The two-time Cy Young Award recipient joins an exclusive group as the 16th active pitcher to achieve 100 career victories and the first since teammate Nathan Eovaldi accomplished the feat on July 30, 2025.
Jacob Latz, working as the fourth Rangers reliever, closed out the Cardinals in order during the ninth inning to secure his eighth save of the season.
Texas pitchers dominated throughout the contest, striking out 14 St. Louis batters. Jordan Walker particularly struggled, going down on strikes in all four plate appearances.
The Cardinals managed only one hit across the final five innings, with Masyn Winn’s sixth-inning home run providing their sole scoring. St. Louis has now dropped six of their past eight contests.
St. Louis mounted an early threat in the second inning, placing two runners on base with one out before deGrom escaped by striking out Walker and Bryan Torres.
Texas broke the scoreless deadlock in the fourth inning against Michael McGreevy (3-5) when Brandon Nimmo crossed home plate on Duran’s two-out double that found the left field corner.
The Rangers extended their advantage in the fifth frame. Danny Jansen worked a one-out walk, successfully stole second base, advanced to third on Lopez’s single, and scored when Pederson delivered a single to center field. With runners positioned at first and third, McGreevy prevented additional damage when Josh Jung hit into a double play.
McGreevy completed six innings for St. Louis, allowing two runs on five hits with two walks and one strikeout.
Peyton Gray took over for deGrom at the start of the sixth inning and recorded two outs before Winn connected for the Cardinals’ only run with a solo blast to left field. The 384-foot shot marked Winn’s second home run of the campaign.
A top college basketball talent has chosen his next destination after stepping back from professional basketball consideration. Milan Momcilovic, who previously played for Iowa State, announced his commitment to the University of Kentucky through social media on Monday.
The decision came less than one week after Momcilovic withdrew his name from consideration for the NBA draft. His commitment provides coach Mark Pope with one of the most sought-after players available in the transfer portal.
Standing 6-foot-8, Momcilovic dominated from beyond the arc during his time with the Cyclones. He topped all college players in three-point accuracy last season, connecting on 48.7% of his attempts while taking 7.5 shots per game from long range. His three-point production ranked fifth nationally among all players.
The forward demonstrated remarkable consistency from deep, sinking five or more three-pointers in 10 different games during the 2025-26 season. His most impressive performance came against Arizona in the Big 12 tournament, where he made eight three-pointers despite his team’s narrow defeat.
During his final season at Iowa State, Momcilovic contributed 16.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per contest. His performance helped guide the Cyclones to their third Sweet 16 appearance in five seasons. Throughout his three years with Iowa State, he maintained a 43% success rate from three-point range.
In April, Momcilovic had announced his intention to explore both the transfer portal and professional basketball opportunities. He ultimately decided against the NBA route, withdrawing his name just before last Wednesday’s deadline.
A judge has approved a mental health evaluation for a man facing murder charges in connection with three brutal deaths on Hawaii’s Big Island that prosecutors are calling extraordinarily vicious and cruel.
Jacob Baker, 36, made a court appearance Monday where the judge approved his defense team’s request for a psychological fitness assessment. Baker stands accused of killing three elderly victims: two men aged 69 and another aged 79.
Court filings describe the murders as demonstrating “exceptional depravity,” with prosecutors characterizing them as “especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel.”
The victims were discovered over several days last week in the remote Puna area. Robert Shine, 69, was discovered submerged in a concrete pond. A day later, authorities found the body of 79-year-old Frederick Morse, known to friends as “Chitta,” located several hundred feet from where Shine was found. Police later that same day discovered 69-year-old John Carse deceased at a location 19 miles away from the other crime scenes.
Authorities conducted an extensive search across the expansive island before capturing Baker. The Puna region where the victims were located is characterized by dense vegetation and volcanic terrain, attracting residents who prefer alternative lifestyles and often exchange labor for housing.
The violent deaths have created anxiety among community members in this area surrounded by tropical forests and hardened lava flows.
Investigation records reveal disturbing evidence, including that Morse was discovered in his bed with multiple severed fingers. Shine suffered broken ribs and additional trauma, having been strangled before being placed in the concrete fish pond where investigators found him floating face-down. Carse was located face-down beneath metal roofing, with an autopsy revealing facial lacerations, damaged neck tissue, a fractured jaw, and other wounds.
A female witness informed police she had transported Baker to a retail location in Hilo, the largest city in eastern Hawaii, prior to the discoveries of the bodies. During their return trip, she reported that Baker displayed a recently bought knife and stated he would “shank all the rapists in Pahoa and anyone who messed with him.” Baker “reportedly spoke about the island being full of rapists and pedophiles and stated that he wanted to ‘chop them up with machetes.’”
The woman characterized Baker’s behavior as unstable, hostile, and excessively talkative, telling authorities he used the Spanish term for assassin when referring to himself. Investigators determined he also bought two sets of brass knuckles.
Following their shopping trip, she accompanied him to a tattoo parlor, where Baker received ink work beneath his left eye.
Baker remains in custody without bond. His psychological evaluation report is scheduled for completion by August 4, with a court hearing set for August 11.
If found guilty and if jurors determine Baker was aware his victims were elderly, or that the killings were particularly savage, he could receive a maximum penalty of life imprisonment without any chance of release. Without these aggravating factors, the possibility of parole would remain.
Minnesota ended their five-game skid Monday night with a 9-6 victory over Chicago, powered by Tristan Gray’s grand slam that drove in five runs total during the contest in Minneapolis.
Josh Bell contributed with a 2-for-4 performance that included a double for the Twins, while Trevor Larnach went 2-for-3 and knocked in one run.
Chicago’s offense was led by Miguel Vargas, who recorded three hits in five at-bats with a pair of home runs and four RBIs. Andrew Benintendi added two hits in four trips to the plate, including a homer and two RBIs for the White Sox, whose five-game winning streak came to an end.
Minnesota’s starting pitcher Joe Ryan (4-3) allowed four runs on eight hits across six innings of work. He issued no walks while recording nine strikeouts.
Chicago starter David Sandlin (1-1) was charged with eight runs on eight hits in four-plus innings. He walked four batters and struck out four.
Minnesota took an early 1-0 advantage in the opening frame when Larnach drove in a run with a single to center field.
Chicago tied the game 1-1 in the third inning. Sam Antonacci reached second base with a double to right field, moved to third on a fly ball, then came home on Benintendi’s two-out single to right.
Gray’s grand slam in the fourth inning put Minnesota ahead to stay. His blast sailed over the right-center field wall for his second grand slam this season, tying him for the major league lead.
Chicago narrowed the gap to 5-4 in the fifth frame. Vargas connected for a two-run homer, followed immediately by Benintendi’s solo shot.
The Twins responded with a four-run rally to extend their lead to 9-4. Minnesota loaded the bases without recording an out on a pair of walks surrounding a single, prompting Chicago to remove Sandlin from the mound.
Relief pitcher Tyler Davis entered for Chicago but struggled as well. He surrendered consecutive RBI singles to Austin Martin and Victor Caratini for the first two runs of the inning, then allowed sacrifice flies to Luke Keaschall and Gray in the following two at-bats.
Vargas pulled Chicago within 9-6 with another two-run home run in the ninth inning, his second homer of the contest and 15th this season.
Detroit built an early six-run advantage but needed to survive a furious late charge from Tampa Bay to secure a thrilling 10-9 victory Monday night in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The Tigers ended a four-game skid by connecting on a season-high five long balls. Dillon Dingler delivered a stellar 4-for-5 performance that included his first career two-homer game. He added a double while matching his career-high four RBIs and setting a personal record with four runs scored.
Riley Greene contributed a 3-for-4 showing with one homer, one double and three RBIs. Kerry Carpenter also had a productive 3-for-5 night featuring a homer and double while driving home two runs.
For Tampa Bay, Yandy Diaz managed a 3-for-5 effort as the only Ray with multiple hits. Junior Caminero finished 1-for-3 but drew two walks while scoring three times and driving in two.
The offensive fireworks began in the third when Dingler launched his first homer of the contest, a towering two-run blast to center field. Carpenter and Greene immediately followed with back-to-back solo shots, staking Detroit to a 6-0 advantage. The consecutive home runs marked the first time three Tigers batters went yard in succession since August 8, 2020.
Rays starter Griffin Jax (1-4) absorbed all that early damage, surrendering six runs on seven hits and one walk across four innings while fanning five batters.
Tampa Bay began mounting their comeback in the fourth when Caminero connected on a two-run homer. Ryan Vilade added a three-run blast in the sixth. However, Detroit answered both rallies as Dingler hit his second homer in the fifth and Hao-Yu Lee contributed a solo shot in the sixth.
RBI doubles from Dingler and Carpenter extended Detroit’s cushion to 10-5 in the eighth inning, which proved crucial as the Rays plated four runs in their half of the frame.
Tampa Bay narrowed the gap to one run in the eighth on a two-run double by Nick Fortes and a two-run single from Ben Williamson. With the go-ahead run on base and just one out, Will Vest escaped the jam by getting Jonathan Aranda on a groundout and Richie Palacios on a fly ball.
Tyler Holton (1-4), one of seven hurlers used by Detroit, earned the victory after tossing 1 2/3 scoreless innings during the fourth and fifth frames. Tigers pitching surrendered only eight hits but issued eight walks.
Vest replaced Beau Briske, who walked three of four batters to open the eighth, then retired the side in order during the ninth to earn his first save of the season and preserve the victory.
A motor coach operator is facing multiple manslaughter charges after a devastating multi-vehicle collision on a Virginia interstate that claimed five lives in a fiery chain-reaction accident.
Jing Sheng Dong, 48, of Staten Island, New York, was initially hit with two felony involuntary manslaughter charges on Saturday following the Friday morning crash. A Stafford County Circuit Court grand jury has now expanded the charges, adding three more manslaughter counts and one misdemeanor reckless driving charge on Monday.
The tour bus operator is being held without bail while receiving medical treatment for injuries sustained in the accident, which took place in the early morning on Interstate 95 approximately 45 miles southwest of Washington, D.C.
Investigators determined that Dong did not reduce speed when encountering slower traffic near a construction work area, causing his bus to crash into the rear of a Chevrolet Suburban. The impact pushed the Suburban into an Acura SUV and additional vehicles in the area.
The Acura burst into flames, and four victims, including two minors, died in that vehicle, state police reported. The fifth fatality occurred in the Suburban that received the initial impact from the bus.
State police confirmed that all five deceased victims were Massachusetts residents. The collision left more than 40 additional people with injuries, according to officials.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman revealed Monday that fixing the damaged Blue Origin launch facility following last week’s massive rocket explosion could require years of work, potentially stretching repairs until 2028.
Speaking during an interview at CNBC’s CEO Council Summit, Isaacman indicated that restoring the launch pad would “take some serious time,” with a 2028 completion date falling “within the realm” of possibility, according to the network’s coverage.
The catastrophic incident occurred Thursday when Blue Origin’s massive New Glenn rocket burst into flames during what should have been a standard engine test while secured to the launch structure. The rocket was being prepared for its fourth orbital mission since January 2025 through a routine static “hot-fire” examination.
The timing of this setback poses significant challenges for billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket program and Amazon satellite operations, as the company works to establish stronger competition against Elon Musk’s SpaceX, currently the dominant private space launch provider globally.
Sources within the company and industry reported over the weekend that the blast left the launch facility “practically destroyed,” with engineering assessments suggesting repairs will halt operations for a minimum of six months.
The accident at the U.S. Space Force facility in Cape Canaveral, Florida resulted in no personnel injuries. Additionally, the Amazon Leo satellites intended for the rocket’s payload had not yet been installed when the explosion occurred.
The New Glenn rocket, which honors late astronaut John Glenn, the first American to achieve Earth orbit, serves as a key component in NASA’s Artemis lunar program for transporting moon landers and supplies.
Detroit Tigers left-handed pitcher Tarik Skubal, who has claimed the American League Cy Young Award twice, completed a four-inning simulated game Monday at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, marking significant progress in his recovery and positioning him for a potential rehabilitation assignment this weekend.
During the practice session, Skubal delivered 64 total pitches with 45 finding the strike zone while recording six strikeouts.
“It was obviously a step in the right direction and continuing to show progress and throw with freedom,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “Velo was normal, which means high. And his reactions are starting to get even more and more competitive. To me, that’s signaling that he’s getting closer to pitching competitively than he is rehabbing.”
Through seven appearances in 2026, Skubal has compiled a 3-2 record alongside a 2.70 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. His dominance continues with 45 strikeouts across 43 1/3 innings pitched while issuing just six walks, maintaining his rate of more than one strikeout per inning.
Following his seven-inning performance on April 29 in Atlanta, the pitcher was sidelined and placed on the 15-day injured list May 4, with the designation backdated to May 1, due to loose bodies discovered in his left elbow. On May 6, he underwent arthroscopic surgery to clear the debris, with medical professionals confirming no additional ligament damage was present.
“I think it was another good day, another positive day,” Skubal said after the sim game. “I feel great now, went through all my post-throw stuff in the weight room and the training room and I feel good. Now I just need to sleep well, wake up and see how I feel tomorrow.
“But like I said last time, don’t expect anything to be different. I’m going to be general pitching sore, but that’s a good thing.”
Since Skubal’s most recent mound appearance, the Tigers have struggled significantly, posting a 7-22 record entering Monday’s matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays. Their overall 22-28 mark represents the American League’s poorest record.
Motorists traveling on northbound Interstate 95 should expect delays this morning as construction crews have closed the two left lanes in the area between the toll plaza and State Route 72.
The lane restrictions are part of ongoing construction work and are expected to remain in place until 7 a.m. today.
Drivers are advised to plan for extra travel time and use caution when approaching the work zone area.
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory announced Monday that Kilauea volcano has achieved a historic milestone, recording 48 separate lava fountaining episodes since its current eruption cycle started in December 2024.
According to Katie Mulliken, a geologist and spokesperson with the observatory, this marks the highest number of fountaining episodes ever documented during a single eruption at Kilauea.
“Episodes are separated by periods during which little to no lava erupts. Since lava is coming from the same vents in a crater at Kilauea’s summit, it is the same overall eruption,” she explained in an email statement.
The current volcanic activity stands out for multiple reasons, Mulliken noted, particularly because of its accessibility to both local residents and visitors. She contrasted this with a previous eruption in the 1980s that produced 47 lava fountaining episodes across approximately 3½ years but occurred in a much more isolated location.
“The ongoing eruption is also reshaping the topography at the summit,” she said.
However, the spectacular lava displays come with potential risks, as the fountains can affect surrounding communities through the dispersal of volcanic debris and ash, scientifically referred to as tephra.
Situated on Hawaii’s Big Island, Kilauea ranks among the planet’s most active volcanic sites.
LAS VEGAS — Authorities arrested a 17-year-old barrel racing participant over the weekend following accusations that she attacked three competing horses with a pocketknife at a Las Vegas venue, police and event officials reported.
Officers responded to reports of an injured animal early Saturday at South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa, located approximately 8 miles from the Strip and featuring an extensive equestrian facility. Investigators discovered that three horses had sustained injuries, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department stated.
Animal cruelty investigators identified the teenage girl, who had barn access, as a potential suspect. Police did not release the 17-year-old’s name but confirmed she faces 12 charges connected to animal maiming and torture, plus three counts of malicious destruction of private property, according to law enforcement and the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa.
The injured animals underwent medical care from the event’s on-site veterinarian for wounds that were not life-threatening. While the horses are anticipated to make full recoveries, they will be unable to compete in upcoming events.
The incident occurred during a National Barrel Horse Association competition where top performers earned substantial cash prizes. Barrel racing involves riders guiding their horses around barrels positioned in a cloverleaf formation within a timed format. The National Barrel Horse Association verified the teenager was participating in the Las Vegas competition.
“The safety and well-being of all guests, participants and equine athletes on property is our highest priority, and we are thankful that all the horses involved are safe,” the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa said in a statement to The Associated Press. “In over 20 years of having over 35 equestrian events each year, no horses have ever been purposely injured by a contestant at the South Point Arena.”
Three competitors shared their experiences on social media, describing how they discovered their horses with multiple stab wounds.
Arielle Phillips reported on Facebook that she observed the suspect near the barn housing her horse, Detail, shortly after midnight. Phillips explained she departed and returned moments later to discover the girl washing blood from her horse’s wounds.
A veterinarian confirmed Detail had been stabbed repeatedly, she stated.
“She is traumatized,” Phillips wrote of her horse. “Everytime she runs away from the approach of my hand, I burst into tears.”
Hailey Krahenbuhl’s horse, Saaul Good, nicknamed “Sully,” also suffered multiple stab wounds, she shared on Facebook. The pair had dominated U.S. barrel racing and claimed first place in their category Friday, just hours before the attack, the National Barrel Horse Association confirmed. Krahenbuhl earned $1,805 for the victory, organization records showed.
A third horse, Rocket, was stabbed three times, the owner reported.
The White House announced Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a proclamation modifying import tariffs on certain copper, aluminum and iron products.
Under the new directive, tariff rates on specific agricultural machinery will decrease from 25% to 15%. Additionally, mobile industrial equipment including bulldozers and forklifts will face a 15% tariff rate “when imported from trade deal countries that are entitled to such treatment,” according to the White House statement.
The proclamation also establishes a pathway for international companies to receive a 10% tariff rate provided “their capital equipment include at least 85% U.S. melted and poured or smelted and cast steel or aluminum by weight.”
These tariff modifications will remain in effect through December 31, 2027 “to spur near–term investments that will rebuild the Nation’s industrial base,” the White House stated.
A prominent Chinese artificial intelligence company announced Monday evening its intention to go public through Shanghai’s technology-focused stock exchange.
Knowledge Atlas Technology JSC, which operates under the name Zhipu AI, revealed plans to offer shares on the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s Sci-Tech Innovation Board. The AI firm stands among the top competitors in China’s competitive artificial intelligence marketplace.
According to the announcement, Zhipu AI would offer A shares valued at 0.10 yuan each, totaling anywhere from 9.1 million to 38.8 million shares. This offering would account for between 2% and 8% of the company’s complete share ownership.
The company did not reveal how much money it expects to generate through the stock offering.
Zhipu AI outlined plans to complete the share issuance within one year of receiving approval documentation from the China Securities Regulatory Commission. Following the completion of share distribution, the company will seek to have its stock listed and traded on the exchange.
The firm also announced it will rebrand its English corporate name from Knowledge Atlas Technology Joint Stock Co to Z.AI Co to better match its business operations.
Two Tampa Bay Rays players were forced to leave Monday’s game against the Detroit Tigers due to separate injuries that sidelined key members of their lineup.
Shortstop Taylor Walls departed in the bottom of the third inning because of tightness in his left hamstring, with team officials describing his removal as a precautionary decision. Walls had not yet stepped into the batter’s box for his first plate appearance when he was pulled from the contest. The infielder had previously dealt with hamstring problems last week that caused him to miss a pair of games.
Oliver Dunn came in as a pinch-hitter for Walls during the third frame and assumed shortstop duties in the fourth inning. Ben Williamson later entered the game to replace Dunn.
During the fourth inning, Simpson encountered an unfortunate mishap while attempting to steal a base.
Simpson was running from first to second base when Detroit pitcher Ty Madden delivered a wild pitch. However, Simpson’s helmet came loose, bounced off the ground, and struck him in the mouth as he slid headfirst into the bag. Medical staff could not immediately determine if the impact damaged his teeth or caused a lip laceration.
Ryan Vilade entered as a pinch-runner for Simpson and remained in the game to cover left field.
Simpson brings significant speed to the Rays’ offense, having swiped 14 bases this season following his impressive 44 stolen bases during his first year in the majors. The outfielder also leads the American League with four triples this season. His performance on Monday, going 1-for-2 at the plate, maintains his .284 batting average.
Walls carries a .208 batting average across 44 games this year in his sixth season with the Tampa Bay organization.
Australia’s current account deficit exceeded expectations during the first quarter, as the nation experienced its first trade shortfall in seven years, creating substantial pressure on economic expansion.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics released figures on Tuesday revealing the current account posted a A$27.1 billion ($19.41 billion) deficit for the March quarter, an increase from the revised A$23.0 billion deficit recorded in the prior quarter. Economists had predicted a smaller A$23.2 billion deficit.
According to the ABS, net exports will reduce gross domestic product by 0.8 percentage points during the first quarter, exceeding analyst predictions of a 0.5 percentage point reduction.
The chief executive of Nvidia stated Tuesday that his company possesses sufficient manufacturing capacity to handle strong demand growth for both central processing units and graphics processing units as the artificial intelligence industry continues expanding.
Jensen Huang made these remarks during Nvidia’s GTC press conference at Computex week in Taiwan, one day after the $5 trillion semiconductor company revealed a new processor that brings AI functionality directly to devices.
The company’s latest processor, scheduled for release this fall, will integrate AI capabilities straight into laptop and desktop computers, creating competition with companies like Advanced Micro Devices, Intel and Apple.
According to Huang, the RTX Spark PC processor represents Nvidia’s collaboration with Microsoft to “reinvent the PC” for the artificial intelligence age.
The Nvidia chief executive, who was born in Taiwan’s southern city of Tainan, revealed plans last week for approximately $150 billion in annual investment in Taiwan, calling the island nation the center of the AI revolution.
Drivers traveling on northbound Interstate 95 should expect delays due to a lane restriction currently in effect. The right lane is blocked between Route 141 and the point where I-95 northbound connects with I-495 northbound.
According to traffic officials, the lane closure will remain active until 5 AM. Motorists are advised to plan for extra travel time and use caution when navigating through the affected area.
No additional details about the reason for the closure were immediately available.
Motorists traveling on I-95 and Route 896 should expect periodic lane restrictions as work crews install rumble strips throughout the area.
Both northbound and southbound lanes on I-95 are experiencing intermittent closures, along with Route 896 traffic in both directions. The mobile construction unit is also affecting all entrance and exit ramps within the work zone.
Drivers are advised to allow extra travel time and exercise caution when passing through the construction area while the rumble strip installation continues.
Motorists traveling southbound on Coastal Highway should expect delays tonight due to construction activity near Fred Hudson Road.
The right lane closure on Route 1 southbound at Fred Hudson Road is currently in effect for ongoing construction work. Traffic restrictions will remain in place until 3:00 AM.
Drivers are advised to use caution when traveling through the construction zone and allow extra time for their commute during the overnight hours.
The American dollar maintained stability on Tuesday as financial markets adopted a cautious stance regarding Middle East peace negotiations, following Lebanon’s declaration of a restricted ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, though continuing regional tensions kept investors wary.
Market participants have approached any advancement toward resolving the Iran conflict with careful consideration, considering the delicate nature of a U.S.-Iran ceasefire established in early April.
The dollar index, which tracks the currency’s performance against six major counterparts, retreated from previous increases following Monday’s Lebanon announcement. Though the agreement indicated some reduction in tensions, it remains constrained within the context of a broader regional war that has interfered with oil transportation through the Strait of Hormuz.
“We expect the U.S. and Iran to agree to gradually re-open the Strait of Hormuz and a 60-day extension of the ceasefire to negotiate Iran’s uranium enrichment sometime this week,” Kristina Clifton, a senior currency strategist at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, wrote in a note.
“Good news about the war ending will weigh on the USD because it is a safe haven currency,” she added.
The dollar index remained unchanged at 99.17, with the euro climbing 0.03% to $1.1634 and sterling rising 0.07% to $1.346.
The American currency had strengthened when the conflict commenced on February 28, supported by safe-haven interest and the U.S. economy’s comparatively minimal vulnerability to energy-related price increases. Nevertheless, it has surrendered some of those advances due to questions about the conflict’s direction.
In Japan, Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama stated Tuesday that officials remained prepared to act in the foreign exchange market when necessary and avoided discussing recent currency fluctuations.
The Japanese yen declined 0.02% versus the dollar to 159.66 per dollar after Katayama’s comments, with the 160 threshold broadly viewed by markets as a point that could trigger intervention.
“If dollar/yen breaks above 160, the risk of surpassing the April 30 high would increase markedly, raising the likelihood of stronger verbal warnings and a renewed round of rate checks or actual intervention,” said Mizuho Securities chief currency strategist Masafumi Yamamoto.
Financial markets are also eagerly anticipating a presentation by Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda on Wednesday for potential indications about whether the central bank will move forward with a rate increase the following week.
Later Tuesday, the U.S. Labor Department will publish job openings information before Friday’s highly anticipated monthly employment data, while the euro zone’s May consumer price index will also be released.
Markets are predicting the U.S. central bank’s next action will be to increase its benchmark interest rate, contrasting with expectations for a reduction before the Iran war began, given escalating energy costs and their anticipated effect on inflation.
Friday’s release of the monthly U.S. employment data could influence the Fed’s policy direction in the immediate future. The figures are projected to reveal an increase of 85,000 jobs in May and no modification in the existing 4.3% unemployment rate, based on a Reuters survey of economists.
The Australian dollar increased 0.1% to $0.7162 against the dollar, while New Zealand’s currency advanced 0.07% to $0.5933.
In digital currencies, bitcoin dropped 0.13% to $71,277.59. Ethereum fell 0.04% to $2,001.94.
Emergency crews and charitable organizations worked with heavy machinery Monday to retrieve victims following a devastating explosion of stored mining explosives in northeastern Myanmar that claimed dozens of lives.
The deadly blast happened at noon on Sunday in Kaungtup village, located in Namhkam township within Shan state close to the Chinese border.
According to a Monday evening statement from the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, the ethnic rebel organization governing the region, fatalities from the explosion have climbed to 43, with seven of those victims being children. Earlier casualty reports from emergency responders had varied between 38 and 45 deaths. Confirming precise numbers has proven challenging due to the explosive force that dismembered victims’ remains.
The organization reported that 112 individuals sustained injuries, including 25 children, with 37 people in critical condition, sparking fears the death count may rise further.
“Rescue operations and the compilation of casualty figures were still underway,” said the statement.
Numerous resource-abundant regions of Myanmar, where mining activities operate with minimal oversight, fall under the authority of various armed groups engaged in periodic conflicts with the central government while pursuing increased independence. Fatal incidents, including catastrophic landslides, occur with notable frequency.
The TNLA reported that Sunday’s explosion involved gelignite utilized for local mining and stone quarrying operations. While gelignite sees widespread use, it becomes extremely dangerous when stored incorrectly over extended periods.
Village inhabitants from the community of 200 households stated they received no notification that explosive materials were being housed in their area.
The TNLA announced that an investigation into the explosion’s specific cause is currently in progress.
This tragedy has drawn attention to Myanmar’s profitable yet minimally regulated mineral sector and Chinese financial involvement in the nation’s resource extraction operations.
Two area residents informed The Associated Press on Monday that mining facilities producing silicon metal raw materials — an essential industrial component for semiconductors, solar panels, and aluminum alloys — operate in mountainous terrain approximately 15 kilometers southwest of Namhkam town.
The residents, speaking anonymously for personal security reasons, stated these mining operations are jointly managed by the TNLA and Chinese business interests and remain off-limits to most local people. The AP could not independently confirm these claims.
Myanmar’s mining sector serves as a significant global source of rare earth materials, copper, tin, and valuable gemstones, particularly jade and rubies, functioning as China’s primary supplier for materials that undergo processing and refinement there.
China maintains a complicated relationship as Myanmar’s military-backed government’s leading ally while simultaneously building connections with ethnic minority organizations.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian in Beijing offered profound sympathies and confirmed that a Chinese citizen hurt in the explosion is receiving medical care. Beijing has offered support for managing the incident’s consequences.
The TNLA, which belongs to the Three Brotherhood Alliance, gained control of the Namhkam region in late 2023 during a significant campaign against the military government. This fighting represents part of the wider chaos following the February 2021 military takeover, which removed Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected administration and sparked extensive armed opposition.
Although the TNLA agreed to a China-brokered ceasefire with the military in late 2023, regional stability remains fragile, and mineral and gemstone extraction provides essential revenue for both the central government and the rebel organizations opposing it.
Golden State Warriors basketball star Stephen Curry revealed Tuesday through social media that his Curry Brand has entered into a new partnership with Li Ning, a major Chinese athletic apparel company.
Li Ning, established by an Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast of the same name, operates as one of China’s largest sportswear retailers with over 7,600 retail locations across Asia.
“It’s amazing to see how he’s grown his namesake company as an athlete founder, knowing I have those same hopes and aspirations for Curry Brand,” Curry said.
While Curry characterized the agreement as a “long-term” collaboration, he did not reveal financial details or the specific value of the contract.
The partnership will involve establishing Curry Brand retail outlets in both China and the United States, according to Curry’s announcement.
Li Ning has previously pursued becoming a major force in global basketball, having secured sponsorship agreements with NBA players Dwayne Wade and Jimmy Butler in the past.
The Chinese company did not immediately provide a response when asked for comment regarding the new partnership.
Petroleum markets retained most of their substantial gains from Monday during early Tuesday trading, driven by ongoing confusion about diplomatic discussions between Washington and Tehran and potential reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Conflicting reports emerged Monday about the status of negotiations, with the president stating that discussions with Iran were continuing, while Tasnim news agency reported Tehran had paused indirect talks with Washington.
Brent crude futures climbed 6 cents, representing a 0.06% increase to $95.04 per barrel at 0001 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate dropped 17 cents, or 0.18%, to $91.99 per barrel.
Both petroleum benchmarks had surged over 5% during Monday’s session but reduced those increases after the president indicated he hadn’t received confirmation that Iran was halting discussions with Washington and that Israel had committed to withdrawing forces preparing for potential attacks on southern Lebanon.
During a Monday CNBC interview, the president expressed indifference about whether negotiations concluded.
Later, the president posted on social media that talks with Iran were ongoing and told ABC News Monday he anticipates an agreement to extend the ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz “over the next week,” according to the outlet’s X post.
“The market is currently focused on whether there’s any concrete progress or setbacks in U.S.-Iran negotiations, the tone and substance of statements from both sides (particularly Iran’s threats regarding the Strait of Hormuz), and actual physical tanker movements through the waterway,” said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade.
Waterer noted that the diplomatic negotiations’ status will ultimately decide whether current risk premiums remain in oil pricing or begin to decrease.
Lebanon announced Monday a partial ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, representing a limited reduction in tensions that have intensified the broader conflict with Iran.
“With headlines continuing to fly out of the Middle East, oil prices are set to remain volatile until clearer evidence of progress towards a peace deal emerges,” said Tony Sycamore, market analyst at IG.
Iran has essentially stopped nearly all non-Iranian maritime traffic entering and leaving the Gulf since hostilities began, restricting approximately one-fifth of worldwide oil and liquefied natural gas shipments and pushing prices up by 50% or higher.
American crude exports reached a record 5.6 million barrels daily in May as the Middle East crisis increased demand for the nation’s petroleum from Asian and European refineries, ship tracking data revealed Monday.
A preliminary survey released Monday indicated U.S. crude reserves likely decreased by roughly 3.6 million barrels during the week ending May 29, continuing the previous week’s decline, while distillate and gasoline supplies also probably dropped.
Shipping industry leaders meeting in Athens Monday emphasized that any peace agreement between the U.S. and Iran must establish clear guidelines allowing vessels to resume standard operations through the Strait of Hormuz.
Asian financial markets displayed hesitant trading patterns Tuesday morning as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East region tempered investor enthusiasm sparked by artificial intelligence developments.
The MSCI Asia-Pacific stock index excluding Japan wavered between positive and negative territory during early trading hours, ultimately falling 0.5%. Korean equities led the decline with a 2% drop after opening higher, while S&P 500 electronic mini futures decreased 0.3% and Japan’s Nikkei 225 tumbled 0.7%.
Market analysts from Westpac explained the volatility in a research report: “Conflicting news coming out of the Middle East left markets whipsawing, with Iran stating that negotiations with the U.S. have been suspended, only for President Trump to follow up in recent hours with reassurances that talks are continuing ‘at a rapid pace’.”
Brent crude oil maintained stability near $95 per barrel following Lebanon’s announcement Monday of a partial ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel, potentially opening doors for renewed diplomatic efforts to conclude the three-month conflict between the United States and Iran.
Energy prices had surged more than 4% Monday after reports emerged that Tehran had paused indirect diplomatic discussions with the U.S.
During Monday’s session, the S&P 500 gained 0.3% after the ISM manufacturing PMI climbed to 54.0 in May from the prior month’s 52.7, surpassing forecasts to achieve a four-year high, apparently fueled by companies accelerating orders due to rising costs and supply shortages related to the Iranian conflict.
David Rosenberg, founder and president at Rosenberg Research in Toronto, noted in a client communication: “That the equity market is in boom mode is not up for debate,” despite elevated energy costs and climbing real interest rates. “The S&P 500 is now up nine weeks in a row, a streak we last witnessed in late 2023.”
Asian artificial intelligence suppliers posted gains following news that AI company Anthropic had privately submitted paperwork for a U.S. initial public offering, potentially achieving a trillion-dollar market value.
Alphabet stock declined 0.7% after the technology company announced plans to pursue $80 billion in equity fundraising, including investment from Berkshire Hathaway, as part of an ambitious strategy to finance AI infrastructure expansion.
The U.S. dollar index, tracking the currency’s performance against six major counterparts, remained stable at 99.18, staying within the narrow trading band established over the past three weeks.
The 10-year U.S. Treasury bond yield dropped 2.0 basis points to 4.455%. Gold prices fell 0.1% to $4,479.17.
In digital currency markets, bitcoin decreased 0.2% to $71,232.83, while ether held steady at $2,002.03.
Basketball Hall of Fame coach Rick Adelman has passed away at age 79, according to an announcement Monday from the National Basketball Coaches Association.
With 1,042 career victories, Adelman holds the 10th spot among all-time NBA coaching wins. He achieved his most notable success while leading the Portland Trail Blazers, an organization where he had previously played during the 1970s. Under his guidance, the Trail Blazers captured Western Conference championships and reached the NBA Finals in both 1990 and 1992.
During his 23-season coaching tenure spanning five franchises – the Trail Blazers (1988-94), Golden State Warriors (1995-97), Sacramento Kings (1998-2006), Houston Rockets (2007-11) and Minnesota Timberwolves (2011-14) – Adelman compiled a 1,042-749 record with a .582 winning percentage. His squads qualified for postseason play 16 times, posting a 79-78 playoff record.
The basketball community recognized his contributions with his 2021 Hall of Fame induction and the NBCA’s Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023.
“Adelman will be remembered not only as a coach and a player, but also as a mentor to so many in the basketball community,” the NBCA said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Adelman family during this difficult time.”
As a player, Adelman suited up for five different teams during seven NBA seasons from 1968-1975, spending his longest stretch in Portland from 1970-73.
Among his six children, Adelman’s son David currently serves as head coach of the Denver Nuggets.
The Portland Trail Blazers issued their own tribute Monday.
“The Portland Trail Blazers organization is deeply saddened by the passing of Rick Adelman, a franchise legend and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer. Rick was one of the most influential figures in franchise history, a member of the inaugural 1970 team and integral coach throughout the 80s and 90s, guiding the team to Finals appearances in 1990 and 1992.
“Rick’s basketball brilliance helped shape multiple eras of Trail Blazers basketball, earning the respect and admiration of the basketball community and cementing his legacy. His thoughtful leadership, integrity, and kindness impacted all those around him on and off the court. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the entire Adelman family, and all those in the world of basketball who were touched by his impact.”
The upcoming 2026-27 College Football Playoff will span more than a month, with 11 total games beginning December 18 and wrapping up with the national championship game on January 25 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Officials from the CFP, ESPN and TNT Sports revealed the complete schedule on Monday, including start times and television coverage details. ESPN’s expanded broadcast package will include five games that have been sublicensed to TNT Sports and its affiliated networks.
Viewers will be able to watch all ESPN network games through the ESPN App, while first-round matchups broadcast on TNT and truTV will also stream on HBO Max.
Officials will announce the campus locations for first-round CFP games on December 6.
Three quarterfinal matchups will also receive their time slots on December 6 and will take place on January 1, hosted by the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The remaining quarterfinal game at the Fiesta Bowl is scheduled for December 30 in Glendale, Arizona.
Following a two-week intermission, the semifinal rounds will occur at the Orange Bowl on January 14 in Miami Gardens, Florida, and the Sugar Bowl on January 15 in New Orleans.
The complete 2026-27 College Football Playoff timeline:
(All times Eastern)
Friday, December 18 — One first-round matchup at campus location, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Saturday, December 19 — Three first-round matchups at campus locations, noon (ABC, ESPN), 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. (TNT, truTV, HBO Max)
Wednesday, December 30 — quarterfinal at Fiesta Bowl, Glendale, Arizona, 7:30 p.m. (TNT, truTV, HBO Max)
Friday, January 1 — three quarterfinals, venues to be determined, noon (TNT, truTV, HBO Max), 4 p.m. (ABC, ESPN), 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Thursday, January 14 — semifinal at Orange Bowl, Miami Gardens, Florida, 7:30 p.m. (TNT, truTV, HBO Max)
Friday, January 15 — semifinal at Sugar Bowl, New Orleans, 7:30 p.m. (ABC, ESPN)
Monday, January 25 — CFP National Championship, Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, 7:30 p.m. (ABC, ESPN)
Drivers traveling westbound on Kirkwood Highway should expect delays due to an ongoing construction project that has closed the right lane between Cleveland Avenue and Main Street.
The lane closure affects the stretch of Route 72 and will continue through early Tuesday morning, with the restriction scheduled to lift at 5:00 AM.
Motorists are advised to allow extra travel time and use caution when driving through the construction zone.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Several pivotal days in early March 2025 altered the trajectory of the NHL season, with Mitch Marner standing at the center of those changes.
As Marner approached the final months of his Toronto contract, indicators suggested he wouldn’t extend his stay. Meanwhile, Carolina had obtained soon-to-be free agent Mikko Rantanen from Colorado through a three-team deal in late January, though it became apparent after weeks that this arrangement wouldn’t become permanent.
Toronto and Carolina explored the potential for swapping Marner and Rantanen. However, Marner controlled his fate through a complete no-movement clause, ultimately choosing to remain in Toronto for another playoff attempt before selecting Vegas through a sign-and-trade arrangement in late June rather than entering free agency.
This choice by Marner created a chain reaction that brought Vegas and Carolina to their current position, facing each other in the Stanley Cup Final that begins Tuesday evening. Carolina responded by trading Rantanen to Dallas for Logan Stankoven — who became one of their top performers in this playoff run — plus a draft pick they later used to acquire K’Andre Miller last summer, while preserving cap space to sign premier free agent Nikolaj Ehlers.
Vegas secured Marner, who now tops all playoff scorers and demonstrates why Carolina had shown interest. When asked about the team’s attraction to Marner, general manager Eric Tulsky refused to comment since Marner plays for a different organization.
“I can answer that one,” coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “What don’t you like about him?”
During last spring’s speculation about a potential Marner-Rantanen exchange, personal factors extended beyond hockey considerations. Marner’s wife, Stephanie, was expecting their first child, and Marner calls the Toronto region home.
Toronto advanced to the second round before surrendering a 2-0 series advantage to defending and eventual repeat champion Florida. Carolina was swept by the Panthers in the Eastern Conference final, still lacking a crucial element.
Throughout this season, Marner maintained a point-per-game pace. He’s recorded seven goals and 14 assists for a playoff-leading 21 points.
“Mitch is playing with tremendous confidence,” GM Kelly McCrimmon said. “I think he’s really savoring the moment.”
Marner praised the coaching staff for positioning him for success and his teammates for converting scoring opportunities. Sporting a Vegas hoodie during Cup final media day, he maintains he’s not considering alternative scenarios like playing for Carolina.
“No, I’m not a guy that lives in the past,” Marner said. “I’m in the present. I’m here in the moment.”
Tulsky referenced Rantanen when discussing risk-taking, stating “Sometimes it doesn’t go the way you hoped, and you’ve got to be ready to figure out how you’re going to move forward from there.” While trading Martin Necas to Colorado for Rantanen didn’t succeed, acquiring veteran winger Taylor Hall from Chicago in the same transaction certainly has.
Pursuing Marner falls into the same category, but their backup plan succeeded remarkably. Stankoven has made a significant impact for Carolina as the second-line center alongside Hall and Jackson Blake, proving why he was the primary asset received from Dallas for Rantanen.
If Marner had chosen Carolina, Stankoven might still be playing for Dallas. Instead, he had to process the unusual experience of being traded.
“I didn’t see it coming,” Stankoven said. “Everything kind of happens for a reason. Obviously, Dallas got their player, and I just want to become the best version of myself here in Carolina. Just how welcoming everyone has been here, the fans, my teammates, I absolutely love the city and couldn’t be happier that I was able to sign long term here.”
On the same day Stankoven signed an eight-year, $48 million deal, Tulsky utilized one of the first-round selections from the Rantanen trade to obtain Miller from the New York Rangers and secure him long-term. By week’s end, Ehlers selected Carolina from multiple attractive options.
Miller has flourished with his new environment, and Ehlers, alongside Stankoven, has provided Carolina with the offensive production they missed during previous playoff campaigns that concluded before the final.
“(Ehlers) adds things to it that aren’t what we would ask a lot of players to do,” Tulsky said. “Having that kind of ability on the team — someone who could just create scoring chances out of thin air — it always makes you more dangerous.”
The basketball world is mourning the loss of Rick Adelman, a Basketball Hall of Fame coach who passed away at age 79, according to an announcement Monday from the National Basketball Coaches Association.
Adelman, whose son David Adelman currently coaches the Denver Nuggets, accumulated 1,042 victories during his NBA coaching career, ranking him 10th all-time in league history. No cause of death was immediately released.
His impressive coaching record places him among elite company – only four other coaches have managed more games while maintaining a superior winning percentage compared to Adelman. Those coaches are Pat Riley, Gregg Popovich, Jerry Sloan and George Karl. During his career, Adelman guided the Portland Trail Blazers to two NBA Finals appearances and served as head coach for teams in Sacramento, Houston, Minnesota and Golden State.
The coaches’ association, which presented Adelman with its Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023, released a tribute statement saying: “Adelman will be remembered not only as a coach and a player, but also as a mentor to so many in the basketball community.”
When the award was presented three years ago, Indiana coach Rick Carlisle praised Adelman’s impact, stating: “Rick Adelman’s NBA coaching career has been highlighted by innovation, integrity and excellence. His teams always played to their strengths, and Rick always found subtle ways to reinvent NBA basketball to help his players thrive. His quiet, unassuming nature belies his impact as one of the great NBA coaches of all time.”
Before his coaching success, Adelman spent six seasons as an NBA player from 1969 to 1975, serving as a point guard for five different franchises. However, he discovered his true passion behind the bench.
In their tribute, the Kings organization noted that Adelman “will be remembered for the way he inspired those around him — with humility, integrity, kindness, and an unwavering belief in the power of teamwork.”
Adelman’s journey to NBA coaching began unexpectedly. Initially planning to coach at the high school level, he found his lack of experience challenging. Instead, he launched his coaching career at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Oregon.
During his Hall of Fame induction speech, Adelman recalled: “We had great success there. The one thing I did not realize is Jack Ramsey was following my team.”
Ramsey, who was leading the Portland Trail Blazers at the time, brought Adelman in for an interview when a coaching position became available. Adelman spent three seasons under Ramsey’s guidance, followed by 2 1/2 additional seasons working with Mike Schuler. He stepped into the interim head coach role with 35 games remaining in the 1988-89 season.
Reflecting on that period in 2021, Adelman said: “We had a team that was ready to win.”
Blazers owner Paul Allen gave Adelman the opportunity to coach the full 1989-90 season, launching a remarkable coaching journey. Portland achieved 59 victories that year behind stars Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter, Jerome Kersey and Buck Williams, advancing to the NBA Finals before losing to Detroit.
This success propelled Adelman forward. He returned to the NBA Finals with the Blazers two seasons later, this time falling to Chicago. Following his Portland tenure, Adelman spent two years coaching at Golden State before moving to Sacramento, where he compiled eight consecutive winning seasons during an eight-year period. His Sacramento teams featured notable players including Vlade Divac, Peja Stojaković, Mike Bibby, Chris Webber, Jason Williams, Bobby Jackson and current Kings coach Doug Christie.
Throughout his coaching career, Adelman worked with 210 different players who appeared in at least one NBA game under his guidance.
Veteran guard Kyle Lowry, who played for 20 seasons, shared his appreciation Monday night: “He actually challenged me and poured into trusting me. That was important for me. He didn’t have to. He could have done everything else, he could have played other players, but he believed in me. … He just trusted his players. He just wanted to win. And if it wasn’t for him, I don’t know what career I would have. It’s a sad day.”
A thunderous double boom echoed across New England this past weekend, rattling houses and causing pets to scatter in fear while residents turned to social media for answers.
“Did anyone else hear that boom?”
“Anyone feel that?”
NASA initially confirmed over the weekend that a meteor caused the disturbance, but the space agency shared far more remarkable information on Monday.
The space rock weighed as much as an elephant and measured 5 feet (1.52 meter) across, hurtling through space at 42,000 mph (67,592.5 kph) before hitting Earth’s atmosphere. The object disintegrated high above New England on Saturday, releasing energy comparable to roughly 230 tons of TNT, which NASA said explains the loud booms.
NASA shared these extraordinary facts through a social media update Monday, along with additional data.
The space object consisted of natural materials — not satellite parts or space junk — and streaked through the atmosphere for approximately 26 miles (41.8 kilometers), NASA reported, before plunging into Cape Cod Bay off southeastern Massachusetts.
The space agency emphasized that while meteors happen frequently, most don’t attract this level of attention.
“They often occur over the ocean or unpopulated areas with no witnesses, or during the daytime, making them difficult to spot,” NASA stated.
The incident sparked immediate theories and confusion.
The thunderous sound led residents in Massachusetts and Rhode Island to wonder if an earthquake had struck or if a tree had crashed down. Many shared stories of their dogs becoming agitated. At least one person suggested extraterrestrial activity.
A resident in Peabody, Massachusetts, described thinking a massive tree had struck his home due to the windy conditions that day. After stepping outside, he discovered most of his neighbors gathered in the street with identical questions.
Multiple people submitted reports to the U.S. Geological Survey, documenting the tremors they experienced through the National Earthquake Information Center, agency spokesman Steve Sobie confirmed.
The organization created an event page after receiving numerous “Did you feel it?” submissions on its website. However, Sobie noted that no activity appeared on the agency’s seismographs, confirming the shaking wasn’t earthquake-related.
The American Meteor Society collected dozens of accounts from Delaware to Montreal from people who either heard the double boom, felt ground vibrations, or witnessed the fireball, according to program monitor Robert Lunsford.
TORONTO (AP) — Prime Minister Mark Carney declared Monday that his nation is not protecting Jewish citizens, who face unprecedented levels of targeted hatred.
Speaking at Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto, Carney acknowledged that anti-Jewish sentiment has reached heights unseen since the end of World War II throughout Canada. He pointed to statistics showing that more than two-thirds of all hate crimes motivated by religion last year were aimed at Jewish Canadians, despite Jews representing just 1% of the nation’s population.
“The horror and shame are global. Our actions must be local. They start with clearly admitting that Canada’s civic compact is failing Jewish Canadians,” Carney stated during his address.
The prime minister detailed violent acts committed by antisemites across the country, including gunfire directed at Jewish schools, firebomb attacks on synagogues, assaults on community centers, targeting of Jewish-owned businesses, and forcing Jewish students away from shared campus areas at universities.
While acknowledging that antisemitism affects Europe, Australia and the United States, Carney emphasized that Canada’s antisemitism crisis is “specific, severe and demands a targeted response.”
Global antisemitic incidents have increased dramatically since the Israel-Hamas conflict started on Oct. 7, 2023.
Noah Shack, the CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, stated before the speech that the Canadian government needs to strengthen efforts to protect community security and fight hatred.
Carney outlined his government’s recent legislative efforts to address antisemitism and other forms of hate over the past year. He announced $75 million (US $54 million) in funding to help faith-based institutions obtain security infrastructure and hire additional security staff.
“It pains me that we had to commit $75 million to this, any dollar to this,” Carney remarked.
The prime minister revealed plans for a new Ministerial Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion that will study the causes, scope and factors behind antisemitism. According to his office, the council will assess the impact and guide future investments in education, prevention and community safety initiatives.
“I want to be clear about what these potential measures are, and what they are not. They are not curtailments of freedom of expression. They are not constraints on legitimate criticism of any government on any subject anywhere,” Carney explained.
“They are the basic standards we owe one another, in our shared public institutions, to ensure that no Canadian community is driven from those institutions by hatred.”
The Democratic Party filed court documents on Monday signaling their intention to challenge a federal judge’s refusal to immediately halt President Donald Trump’s executive order that restricts mail-in voting procedures.
Trump issued the executive order on March 31, instructing federal agencies to create a registry of verified U.S. citizens and mandating that the U.S. Postal Service only deliver mail-in ballots to individuals appearing on state-approved voter rolls.
The Democratic Party contested the directive, claiming it violates constitutional protections and threatens to prevent millions of Americans from exercising their voting rights.
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, based in Washington, rejected the Democrats’ request for an emergency halt to the order in his May 28 decision, stating the request was too early since federal departments had not yet begun implementing Trump’s directive.
Judge Nichols’ decision avoided ruling on the legality of Trump’s March 31 order and currently leaves existing voting procedures unchanged for Americans.
The Justice Department has not yet provided a response regarding the Democratic Party’s appeal filing.
The Postal Service announced a proposed regulation on May 29 that would mandate states supply voter lists for those receiving mailed ballots. The public comment period extends 30 days before the Trump administration can implement the final rule.
Another federal court in Boston is scheduled to consider arguments Tuesday in a separate legal challenge to the executive order filed by a group of Democratic-led states.
Trump has consistently promoted unsubstantiated allegations that his 2020 electoral loss resulted from extensive voting irregularities and has repeatedly attacked mail-based voting systems.
Voting by mail is widely recognized by election experts as a reliable and secure method for casting ballots.
Trump’s Republicans face competitive races as they work to maintain their congressional majority in November’s midterm elections.
The Securities and Exchange Commission is pushing back against judicial criticism of its settlement agreement with Elon Musk concerning his Twitter stock purchases, arguing the deal represents legitimate negotiations rather than improper coordination.
In court documents filed in Washington D.C. federal court, the SEC responded to concerns raised by the presiding judge about the settlement terms, which would require a trust bearing Musk’s name to pay $1.5 million.
The regulatory agency claims Musk violated disclosure rules by waiting 11 days beyond the required timeframe in March and April 2022 to report his Twitter stock acquisitions, allegedly allowing him to continue purchasing shares at lower prices before the market became aware of his activity.
Musk has maintained the late disclosure was unintentional. He eventually acquired Twitter for $44 billion in October 2022, subsequently rebranding the platform as X.
During a May 13 court session, U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan expressed skepticism about approving the agreement without thorough review.
The judge questioned the SEC’s decision to impose the fine on the trust rather than directly on Musk, and expressed concern that the penalty represented only 1% of his alleged $150 million in improper profits. She emphasized her responsibility to ensure the settlement serves public interests and is free from collusion or corruption.
In Monday’s court filing, the SEC characterized the settlement as “fair, reasonable, and appropriate,” stating it “was not the result of any improper collusion between the parties” but instead “arose from arm’s length negotiations among counsel of record, and reflects compromises from each side.”
The agency also argued that the $1.5 million penalty represents the largest fine of its kind, and that targeting the trust follows established SEC precedent in similar cases.
“The public benefits from an injunction that has the practical effect of binding Musk whenever he acts through the Revocable Trust, an investment vehicle that he appears to use to manage much of his wealth,” the SEC stated.
Musk’s legal representatives have not yet provided comment on the SEC’s latest filing.
The billionaire, who previously served as an adviser to Republican President Donald Trump, has accused the SEC of political motivation and violating his free speech rights by filing the lawsuit six days before Democratic President Joe Biden left office.
The current administration has scaled back certain corporate enforcement activities as SEC Chair Paul Atkins reshapes the agency’s regulatory focus.
Former SEC enforcement chief Margaret Ryan, who departed unexpectedly in March after only six months in the position, had disagreed with agency leadership regarding the enforcement program’s direction.
The beverage giant announced Monday that it’s weighing an initial public stock offering for Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, which operates as the company’s primary bottling facility in India.
Officials indicated they’re preparing to list shares on the BSE and the National Stock Exchange by 2027, while also considering selling part of their ownership stake in the operation.
The Indian conglomerate Jubilant Bhartia Group finalized its acquisition of a 40% ownership interest in Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages during 2025.
“The Coca-Cola Company will stay invested in this important bottler and focus on growing our portfolio of global and local brands in India,” said Sanket Ray, Coca-Cola president for India and Southwest Asia and emerging large markets lead.
The soft drink manufacturer has encountered rivalry in India from Reliance’s consumer products brand Campa Cola. Bloomberg News previously reported that such a public offering could assign the bottling operation a value of $10 billion.
A legislative panel investigating Jeffrey Epstein’s activities in New Mexico announced Monday that it has issued subpoenas to 14 organizations as part of its probe into the late convicted sex offender.
The New Mexico Truth Commission, meeting for the second time since its creation in February, requested evidence from various entities including federal law enforcement, the state governor’s office, and a scientific institute located in Santa Fe.
During Monday’s session, the commission received testimony from Rachel Benavidez, who says she survived sexual abuse at Epstein’s ranch in New Mexico. Family members of the late Virginia Giuffre, another survivor, also provided testimony.
The commission was formed after the Justice Department released millions of documents related to Epstein that revealed new details about what occurred at his New Mexico property.
State Representative Andrea Reeb, who serves on the bipartisan panel, explained that investigators plan to examine how state and federal agencies handled the Epstein matter before issuing subpoenas to specific individuals.
“Let’s say, for example, we decide to pull in the former attorney general, we need to have that information of what their office has in order to properly question them,” Reeb explained to reporters following the meeting.
The organizations receiving subpoenas include Deutsche Bank, the FBI, the New Mexico Department of Justice, the New Mexico State Land Commission, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, and the Santa Fe Institute, a scientific foundation in the state capital, according to New Mexico Representative Andrea Romero, who chairs the commission.
Ukraine’s capital city came under intense bombardment from Russian forces during the early hours of Tuesday, with witnesses reporting a massive column of smoke billowing from the city as officials instructed citizens to take cover immediately.
The city’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, reported that flames erupted in the Podil district at a non-residential site, while a nine-story residential building caught fire after what appeared to be debris impact on its rooftop.
“In the Obolon district, cars are burning after being struck by falling missile debris. There are also fires at two locations in open areas, including one near a kindergarten,” Klitschko said on Telegram.
On Monday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had renewed his calls for caution regarding potential large-scale Russian bombardment and emphasized the importance of heeding air raid warnings.
“Intelligence warnings regarding Russian strikes remain in effect. A massive strike is possible, they have prepared one,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.
“Our defenders are ready 24/7 to the fullest extent possible with the supplies currently available.”
Russian officials announced last week their plans to conduct “systematic strikes” against Ukrainian military installations and command centers in the capital, while advising foreign nationals to evacuate.
The threatened escalation was described as retaliation for a drone attack the previous week on housing facilities in Ukraine’s Russian-controlled Luhansk region that resulted in 21 deaths. Ukrainian officials have rejected responsibility for that incident.
Motorists traveling eastbound on Kirkwood Highway are facing traffic restrictions due to a lane closure affecting the right lane between Library Avenue and Anna Way.
The lane closure is expected to remain in place until 6AM, according to traffic officials.
Drivers are advised to plan for potential delays and consider alternate routes when possible during the closure period.
SEATTLE (AP) — Billionaire philanthropist and business leader Melinda French Gates is set to become a minority owner of the Seattle Kraken hockey team, subject to approval from the NHL.
The 61-year-old French Gates, who was formerly married to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, brings a net worth of $30 billion according to Forbes to an ownership consortium led by majority owner and managing partner Samantha Holloway. Other investors in the group include David Wright, Andy Jassy, and veteran Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer.
“As a longtime Seattle resident, it means a lot to me to have the chance to make this investment in our city and its future,” French Gates said in a statement. “I’m a big believer in the power of sports, and after many years of cheering on Seattle from the sidelines, I’m excited to have an even deeper connection to the Seattle sports community.”
This marks French Gates’ first ownership position in a major professional sports organization. Her investment comes as the Kraken ownership team works to position itself for potential ownership of an NBA team, should professional basketball return to the Emerald City for the first time since the SuperSonics departed for Oklahoma City almost two decades ago.
The Kraken ownership group announced the formation of One Roof Sports and Entertainment in March, creating an umbrella organization to “oversee a growing portfolio of properties and fuel new opportunities.” During that announcement, Holloway stated that One Roof would pursue bringing an NBA franchise to Seattle if the league decides to expand.
Holloway also revealed in March that the group had reached an agreement to purchase additional ownership shares in Climate Pledge Arena from Oak View Group, making the organization the majority owner of the venue. OVG maintains a minority ownership position.
French Gates, who was raised in Dallas and earned degrees in computer science and economics along with an MBA from Duke University, currently leads Pivotal, an organization she established to advance social progress for women and young people both domestically and internationally.
She previously established and co-led the Gates Foundation, recognized as the world’s largest philanthropic organization.
“I am excited to welcome Melinda to our ownership group,” Holloway said in a statement. “Melinda is an impressive business leader, philanthropist and importantly, a Seattle sports fan. We share many of the same values, including a deep commitment to Seattle and a belief in building organizations that create lasting impact.”
SAN FRANCISCO — Basketball superstar Stephen Curry has signed a major new footwear and clothing contract with Chinese athletic brand Li-Ning.
The Golden State Warriors player’s Curry Brand revealed Monday the extended partnership designed to expand Curry’s international presence across basketball, golf and lifestyle markets. The collaboration between Curry and Li-Ning will focus on brand development and product creation, along with sports culture programs driven by what they described as “a shared commitment to inspiring the next generation of athletes around the world.”
Curry described the agreement as “the partnership of a lifetime.” During what many viewed as his sneaker free-agency period earlier this year, he tested Li-Ning footwear previously worn by both Dwyane Wade and teammate Jimmy Butler.
The 38-year-old basketball star ended his relationship with Under Armour last November following more than ten years together, then spent the remainder of the season rotating through different sneaker brands nearly every game — selecting pairs from a large container stationed beside his locker at Chase Center.
The Defense Department has banned reporters from accessing its press office, marking another step in a series of measures that limit media access to the Pentagon facility.
Acting Pentagon press secretary Joel Valdez announced the decision on X, explaining that the office space has been reclassified as restricted because speechwriters who work with sensitive materials now use the area.
“The Pentagon Press Office has been redesignated as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility due to speechwriters from the Office of the Secretary of War sharing the facility,” Valdez wrote.
“These speechwriters routinely handle classified material … as a result, journalists will no longer be permitted to enter the office space. There’s nothing controversial about that.”
The Washington Post was first to report this development, which occurs during heightened friction between news media and the second Trump administration that has extended into courtroom disputes.
Defense reporters previously held credentials allowing broad access throughout the Pentagon building for interactions with press staff. However, in October, most media organizations surrendered their access passes and departed the Pentagon rather than accept government-imposed limitations on their reporting activities.
The New York Times filed its second lawsuit against the Defense Department on May 18, following an earlier legal action in December. The newspaper contends that mandatory escort requirements for journalists on Pentagon property breach First Amendment protections and represent “an unconstitutional attempt by the Pentagon to prevent independent reporting on military affairs.”
The publication initiated the second legal challenge after suing over new regulations established by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, targeting an emergency policy “that the Pentagon hastily put into place after a federal judge ruled in The Times’s favor in its original lawsuit.” The updated rules mandate constant supervision of journalists while inside Pentagon facilities.
These restrictions took effect in March after U.S. District Court Judge Paul L. Friedman overturned previous limitations. The judge subsequently determined in April that the temporary policy violated his March decision. Despite this ruling, escort requirements continue under an appeals court order that suspended portions of Friedman’s directive pending the government’s appeal, which remains active.
An Iraqi citizen facing charges for allegedly orchestrating at least 18 attacks across Europe entered a not guilty plea Monday in a Manhattan federal courtroom, where he declared himself a “prisoner of war” and made statements about civilian casualties.
Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi eventually took his seat in the federal courthouse after two marshals approached him at the judge’s direction. One marshal placed a hand on his shoulder to guide him to his chair.
Al-Saadi appeared cooperative rather than disruptive as he made comments beyond his plea response. The charges allege he conspired to provide material support to Kata’ib Hizballah, an Iran-backed Iraqi Shia militant group, and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“I’m not guilty in a war situation,” Al-Saadi stated, before adding through an Arabic translator: “I’m a prisoner of war. I’m not a threat. Children and women are being killed by your rockets.”
Judge Colleen McMahon responded by saying: “The defendant will be seated please,” which prompted the marshals behind Al-Saadi to move up to where he was seated.
The U.S. government has designated both Kata’ib Hizballah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as foreign terrorist organizations. Federal prosecutors allege Al-Saadi served as a Kata’ib Hizballah commander.
However, his attorney, Andrew Dalack, informed the judge that his client was employed by the Iraqi government, though he did not elaborate on the specific role.
The defense attorney revealed Al-Saadi spent two weeks in an underground Turkish prison before being transferred to FBI custody.
“I’m sure it was unpleasant, to say the least,” the judge said.
Dalack explained Al-Saadi has been held in solitary confinement at a federal detention facility in Brooklyn but hopes to contact Iraqi diplomatic counsel and his mother and siblings, though he anticipates the U.S. government will severely restrict his communications.
When charges against Al-Saadi were announced last month, Dalack told reporters that his client believed he was being persecuted for his relationship with Qasem Soleimani, the Revolutionary Guard leader who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2020.
The 18 European attacks Al-Saadi is charged with include the firebombing of a bank in Amsterdam and with stabbing Jewish men in London.
Federal authorities also stated in court documents that he attempted to attack a New York City synagogue last month and provided an undercover law enforcement officer with photos and maps of Jewish centers in Los Angeles and Scottsdale, Arizona, that he planned to target.
Al-Saadi is also accused of involvement in two recent attacks in Canada: an attack on a synagogue and a shooting at the U.S. consulate in Toronto in March. U.S. prosecutors said he directed and urged other people to attack U.S. and Israeli interests, including by killing Americans and Jews.
Al-Saadi posted about the attacks on Snapchat and Telegram and spoke about them in phone calls recorded by an FBI informant whose help he solicited in planning attacks in the U.S., according to court papers.
NEW YORK (AP) — Despite reaching a settlement just one month ago, the courtroom drama between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni continues.
The two performers recently announced they had resolved their dispute without going to trial, ending Lively’s allegations that Baldoni orchestrated a reputation-damaging campaign against her following her accusations of sexual harassment during production of their 2024 movie “It Ends With Us.”
However, on Monday, Lively’s attorneys appeared before a judge seeking to force Baldoni to cover her attorney costs and additional penalties. Her legal team argued she deserves compensation under California legislation because a judge dismissed Baldoni’s countersuit last year, which had accused her of defamation and extortion.
Both performers were absent from the proceedings in front of U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman in New York.
Baldoni’s attorney, Ellyn Garofalo, criticized Lively’s team for attempting “an end run” around the trial that was avoided through their settlement agreement. Though the monetary details of their resolution remain confidential, Garofalo informed the court it concluded without Baldoni or his production company “paying a cent of the $300 million in damages she was demanding.”
“Reopening this for basically what is an alternative trial would involve reopening discovery, new experts, new expert depositions,” she said.
Michael Gottlieb, representing Lively, contends that Baldoni’s legal action against Lively exemplified exactly the type of case the California statute aims to prevent. The legislation seeks to shield sexual harassment survivors from lengthy and harmful court battles.
Following more than an hour of legal arguments, Liman withheld an immediate decision.
The performers have been engaged in litigation since the end of 2024 concerning the troubled production of “It Ends With Us.”
Lively had alleged that Baldoni made unwelcome remarks about her physical appearance during filming, crossed physical boundaries while shooting intimate scenes, and insisted on nudity during a childbirth sequence despite her objections.
She further claimed Baldoni and his production company then coordinated a campaign to harm her public image and undermine her credibility, anticipating she might publicly reveal her grievances.
Baldoni, who both directed and appeared in the dark romantic drama alongside Lively, rejected claims of harassment or orchestrating any smear tactics. He maintained that her allegations were fabricated as part of her scheme to gain creative authority over the film. His countersuit targeted both Lively and her spouse, “Deadpool” star Ryan Reynolds, alleging defamation and extortion.
The court eventually threw out Lively’s sexual harassment allegations, determining she couldn’t pursue them under federal statutes since she worked as an independent contractor rather than an employee on set. Her retaliation claims were proceeding toward trial before the settlement was reached.
Following their agreement, both parties issued a joint statement acknowledging that Lively’s concerns “deserved to be heard” and expressing their shared commitment to “workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments.”
“It Ends With Us,” based on Colleen Hoover’s popular 2016 novel exploring a relationship that becomes abusive, hit theaters in August 2024 and performed better than anticipated at the box office.
Lively gained recognition through the 2005 movie “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and starred in “Gossip Girl” from 2007 to 2012, later appearing in films such as “The Town” and “The Shallows.”
Baldoni gained fame through the television comedy “Jane the Virgin,” helmed the 2019 movie “Five Feet Apart,” and authored “Man Enough,” examining contemporary masculinity concepts.
Motorists traveling on northbound Route 13 will encounter a lane restriction due to ongoing construction activity. The right lane is currently blocked between Voshell Mill Road and Shamrock Avenue.
According to traffic officials, the lane closure will continue until 5:00 AM. Drivers are advised to use caution and expect potential delays while traveling through the construction zone.
The head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced Monday that international flight operations at Newark Liberty International Airport will continue without interruption, thanks to cooperation from New Jersey law enforcement agencies working near a detention facility.
Secretary Markwayne Mullin made the announcement during a Dallas press conference, stating: “As long as we continue to have this partnership with local and state law enforcement, then there’ll be no need to do so.”
The comments follow last Friday’s action by New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, who deployed state police to take charge of the area surrounding a migrant detention center in Newark. The facility had been the site of ongoing confrontations between demonstrators and federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel for a full week.
Governor Sherrill, a Democrat, explained her decision was meant to reduce growing tensions and violent incidents occurring outside Delaney Hall, a detention facility with 1,000 beds run by private contractor Geo Group.
While Mullin confirmed he had developed contingency plans to reassign customs personnel from the airport to help with security operations at Newark Airport – which serves as a primary hub for United Airlines near New York City – he emphasized such measures aren’t necessary due to state and local law enforcement involvement.
Last Thursday, Mullin had issued a warning that the Trump administration might suspend processing of international travelers and freight at Newark Airport. Following that announcement, major airline companies, travel organizations, and business groups cautioned on Friday that blocking border processing at Newark or other significant U.S. airports could create widespread disruption, leaving thousands of tourists and American citizens stranded while preventing essential cargo deliveries.
Mullin has consistently indicated he could similarly suspend immigration processing at over a dozen additional airports located in designated sanctuary cities, including Boston, Denver, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle and San Francisco.
According to the U.S. Travel Association, completely shutting down international flight operations at the 18 airports serving sanctuary cities would cause economic losses exceeding $70 billion and affect 68 million international travelers annually.
International visitors are anticipated to arrive in large numbers for this month’s soccer World Cup, which the U.S., Canada and Mexico are hosting together. The championship match is scheduled for July 19 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, located approximately 12 miles from Newark Airport.
A powerful earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale occurred in waters near southern Italy during the early morning hours on Tuesday, according to the German Research Centre for Geosciences.
The seismic event was recorded at a depth of 253 kilometers (157.21 miles) below the surface, the German Research Centre for Geosciences reported.
Officials in Australia announced Tuesday that the nation’s wheat production this year will reach its lowest point in three years, driven by elevated fertilizer expenses and drought conditions affecting certain regions.
As one of the world’s leading wheat exporters, Australia’s diminished crop output will tighten global grain supplies, potentially driving up food costs that already hit two-year peaks last month following crop damage in the United States.
The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) released quarterly projections showing wheat production will total 26.7 million metric tons this harvest season.
This represents a decline of approximately 9 million tons compared to the previous season and falls roughly 8 million tons below the five-year average, based on agency data.
Fertilizer expenses have surged dramatically since the conflict in Iran disrupted shipments from Gulf region suppliers. These elevated costs will likely lead farmers to reduce fertilizer application, limiting crop yield potential, according to ABARES, which operates under the agriculture ministry.
Additionally, eastern regions of Australia have experienced extended periods of insufficient rainfall over recent months. While May brought beneficial precipitation that improved growing conditions, the national weather service continues forecasting El Nino patterns and below-normal rainfall in upcoming months.
“It will be crucial that adequate and timely supply of fertiliser is available and adequate rainfall is received to meet current yield projections,” ABARES said.
The agency projects wheat planting areas will decrease 12% from last season to 10.9 million hectares, marking the smallest planted area since the 2019/20 growing season.
Barley cultivation, which demands less fertilizer than wheat, is expected to expand 4% from the previous season to 5 million hectares, though total production will still decline 15% to 14.1 million tons, ABARES reported.
Canola planting areas, requiring substantial fertilizer but commanding higher market prices than wheat, should contract 6% to 3.5 million hectares, with harvest volumes dropping 20% to 6.2 million tons.
Australia’s planting season is concluding, with harvest operations scheduled to begin near year’s end.
A Newark resident is facing stalking and indecent exposure charges after police say he was caught peering into someone’s apartment windows on multiple occasions.
According to Newark Police, the man was taken into custody after being identified as the person responsible for several incidents involving a victim’s residence. Investigators say the suspect was observed looking through the windows of the victim’s apartment building on different occasions.
Police report that during at least one of these incidents, which occurred on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, around 9:45 a.m., the man allegedly exposed himself while engaging in this behavior.
The arrest came after police were able to identify the suspect in connection with the multiple window peeping incidents. Authorities have not released additional details about how the suspect was identified or whether there may be other victims.
The case remains under investigation by Newark Police.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Rod Brind’Amour can pinpoint precisely when he believed the Carolina Hurricanes had what it takes to compete for the Stanley Cup.
“Eight years ago,” he stated. That marked the beginning of Brind’Amour’s tenure as head coach, starting a path of consistent playoff appearances and near-misses at reaching the final until this season.
The Vegas Golden Knights entered the league nine years ago, and from their aggressive expansion draft strategy to this spring’s run, they’ve maintained championship aspirations. Their inaugural season ended with a final appearance, and they captured the title in 2023. This third Cup Final appearance may be their most unexpected.
This matchup between Vegas and Carolina represents nearly ten years of development for two franchises in non-traditional hockey markets that have emerged as elite teams. Their paths have converged for this moment, a best-of-seven championship series starting Tuesday evening.
“It’s for all the marbles,” Golden Knights forward Cole Smith commented. “Just the way they play, they play a really fast game. So do we. It’s going to be a really great series.”
Carolina claimed their sole Stanley Cup title in 2006, when Brind’Amour served as team captain. He spent 9 1/2 seasons as a player with the organization and seven additional years as an assistant coach before his 2018 promotion. He has participated in 98 of Carolina’s 100 playoff wins since the franchise relocated from Hartford in 1997.
“Roddy’s been at the helm of it the whole time and just establishing the culture that we do have here,” said defenseman Jaccob Slavin, currently in his 11th campaign with the club. “It’s been building and building and we’ve been close and knocking at the door. I think we finally just have the right personnel, the right commitment, the right buy-in because our game really hasn’t changed.”
Slavin, captain Jordan Staal, grinder Jordan Martinook and center Sebastian Aho have remained together since Brind’Amour’s promotion, while wingers Andrei Svechnikov and Seth Jarvis and goaltender Frederik Andersen joined the established core over time. The Hurricanes captured at least one playoff round annually but had never managed three consecutive series victories.
“We’ve been trying really hard for eight years, and it’s not anybody’s fault,” Martinook explained. “It’s just we’ve fallen short.”
Logan Stankoven, obtained at the trade deadline last year when Mikko Rantanen was sent to Dallas six weeks after Carolina got him from Colorado, has excelled at center on the second line between Taylor Hall and Jackson Blake. Stankoven paces the squad with nine goals.
Hall, who arrived from Chicago in that initial three-way trade with Rantanen, leads the Hurricanes with 16 points. Nikolaj Ehlers, signed last summer as a free agent, had a monster Game 2 of the East final after they lost the series opener, including scoring the overtime winner.
“I don’t think I’ve done anything special to get this group (here),” Ehlers said. “This group was ready for it.”
Carolina stands 12-1 this postseason, the fewest defeats to reach the final since 1983. Brind’Amour believes this is where his squad has deserved to be for an extended period but acknowledges remaining work.
“I don’t think we have broken through,” Brind’Amour said. “You’ve got to win. I know everyone makes a lot about getting this far, but nobody’s going to remember who comes in second.”
Vegas finished second during its inaugural campaign when nobody anticipated the expansion franchise would compete. The Golden Knights advanced to the final before falling to Washington in five games.
“Set the tone right away,” said center William Karlsson, one of three original “Misfits” remaining from the franchise’s start. “That came out of nowhere.”
Initial general manager George McPhee’s selections of Karlsson, defensemen Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb and winger Reilly Smith — back after a year and a half absence — from other organizations positioned Vegas for success. Intelligent draft choices, free agent acquisitions and trades by McPhee and current GM Kelly McCrimmon created a culture of winning at any cost.
“It’s what you want to be as an athlete,” McNabb said. “You want to be on a team that does that.”
Additions like Mark Stone, Jack Eichel, Ivan Barbashev and Alex Pietrangelo helped the Knights capture the Cup in their sixth season. They’ve reached the playoffs in all but one year.
Pietrangelo’s career-ending injury created room to acquire Mitch Marner on June 30. Marner tops all playoff scorers with 21 points, finding success during a time of year that eluded him through nearly a decade with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“I think our team is deeper and a better team than what he had played on in Toronto,” McCrimmon said. “Not that Toronto didn’t have real good teams, but you have to have that depth throughout your roster because to go through three rounds or ultimately, hopefully, four rounds, everybody’s got to take their turn.”
Pavel Dorofeyev has emerged as a breakout performer in that regard, and he and teammate Brett Howden share the lead for most postseason goals with 10 each. Karlsson returned in the second round after missing the previous six months with an undisclosed injury.
Goaltender Carter Hart, a controversial signing last fall after he and four other Hockey Canada junior players were acquitted of sexual assault, has found his rhythm. Hart stopped 118 of 125 shots in a West final sweep of Colorado.
Most significantly, Vegas has won 19 of 24 games since McCrimmon dismissed coach Bruce Cassidy in late March and hired John Tortorella, whom he had never met or spoken with previously.
“We asked ourselves, ‘Who can come in and give us that kind of a bump?’” McCrimmon said. “John was the guy that we really felt strongly could do that.”
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Back in December 1949, the marquee outside Madison Square Garden advertised an upcoming event simply as “Geo Mikan vs Knicks.”
The sign didn’t read “Minneapolis Lakers vs. Knicks.” It highlighted just George Mikan. The league’s original extraordinary big man.
That scenario feels familiar today. Wednesday marks the beginning of the NBA Finals, with San Antonio taking on the Knicks for the championship. And the advertising for this matchup — whether in San Antonio, New York, Paris or anywhere else across the world — might as well read “Wemby vs Knicks.”
Victor Wembanyama continues advancing to increasingly prominent platforms. The current version of the NBA’s exceptional big man — a designation previously belonging to players like Mikan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal — will command global attention throughout this series, and likely for every contest he participates in going forward. He’s already achieved superstar status. This series provides his initial opportunity to add championship to his accomplishments.
“This is the best basketball on the planet that’s being played right now,” Wembanyama said after San Antonio won Game 7 at Oklahoma City to capture the Western Conference title. “And the crazy thing is … I want to do that 15, 20 more times. Let’s hope it doesn’t become an addiction. Maybe it is already.”
The addiction comparison seems appropriate. San Antonio has become completely devoted to him.
The city lacks Major League Baseball, NHL, or NFL franchises. When it comes to major professional sports, only the Spurs exist. Anyone traveling just five minutes in any direction throughout this city will witness the evidence.
Summer has arrived with school out in San Antonio. Monday found the city’s public library bustling with activity, and several children discovered a new exhibit near the entrance. “Read Like Wemby,” the display announced, showcasing five books that Wembanyama has reportedly enjoyed reading. An Instagram account — wembybooks — began sharing photos of him with various books, local San Antonio media picked up the story, and the library developed their concept.
“We want to make sure people have access to those and people can read them,” said Scott Williams, the marketing manager for the San Antonio Public Library. “And so, we thought, ‘Let’s do a display and let’s do a book list and make sure that people can easily find what Wemby’s reading so that they can read it too.’”
The outcome?
“The interest has been huge,” Williams said. “Ultimately, we’re looking at two things. We want people to pay attention to the library, we want people to come here and notice us, and we want people checking out these books and reading. It’s been a success on both fronts.”
Therefore, Wemby encourages literacy.
He also draws visitors to seafood establishments — even during closed hours.
Rudy’s Seafood remains closed on Mondays. During a 15-minute period Monday afternoon, four vehicles arrived. They weren’t seeking meals. They came to view the Spurs artwork — featuring current players and coaches alongside a recently refreshed Gregg Popovich, plus newly added George Gervin and Manu Ginobili, among others.
Mark and Christina Lerma have relatives in San Antonio but reside in Nebraska. They won’t attend the NBA Finals — ticket costs are prohibitively expensive — but they visited Rudy’s to honor their beloved team. Mark sported a recently purchased Spurs NBA Finals cap and Wembanyama jersey; Christina wore all black and displayed footage of a Spurs dress she had worn Sunday.
Their Spurs loyalty spans many years. And Wembanyama, predictably, has rapidly earned a special position in their devotion.
“He’s dominant,” Mark Lerma said. “He changes the game.”
They enthusiastically mentioned that Wembanyama has visited the restaurant to view the Spurs tribute, which has existed for years and receives updates when necessary.
“A lot of people stop and do selfies,” said Roland Ramirez, who owns the restaurant. “They’re doing graduation pictures with the backdrop. It’s pretty nice for the community. You know, the Spurs are pretty big right now here in San Antonio.”
He has previously met Wembanyama and was impressed by his demeanor.
“The first vibe I got off of him was he was just very humble,” Ramirez said. “He talked to my wife … he was very humble with everybody. You could see all the emotion he had when he won the Western Conference finals and the crying, he’s just a very emotional guy, very humble, very, very nice guy. That’s what people are really feeding off. He’s humble, but he’s hungry for a championship. And when he gets on the floor, he’s a whole different monster.”
He’s unique. Just as Mikan was 77 years ago. Wemby vs. the Knicks. A premier showdown awaits.
Motorists should plan alternate routes as a portion of Paper Mill Road remains inaccessible to westbound traffic due to construction work currently underway.
The affected roadway spans from Corner Ketch Road to North Star Road, with the closure expected to continue until 5 AM.
Drivers are advised to seek alternative routes during this time period to avoid delays and potential traffic backups in the area.
A blockbuster Monday trade sending two-time AP Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett from Cleveland to Los Angeles has added him to a growing list of elite NFL players moved during their prime years.
The surprising Garrett trade occurred approximately nine months following another shocking move involving a premier pass rusher, when Micah Parsons was transferred from Dallas to Green Bay just prior to last season’s opening.
Los Angeles will surrender 2024 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse, along with draft selections including a 2027 first-round pick, 2028 second-round choice, and 2029 third-round selection to Cleveland in the transaction, which remains contingent on a physical examination.
Monday’s activity included additional star movement, as Philadelphia shipped receiver A.J. Brown to New England in exchange for a 2028 first-round selection and 2027 fifth-round pick.
Green Bay surrendered two first-round selections and defensive tackle Kenny Clark last August to acquire Parsons from Dallas. Parsons recorded 12 1/2 sacks across 14 contests with the Packers before suffering a season-ending knee injury that damaged Green Bay’s campaign.
Dallas utilized their initial first-round selection to move down three positions in April’s draft, selecting defensive end Malachi Lawrence in round one, plus cornerback Devin Moore and defensive end LT Overton in the fourth round.
Several other NFL superstars have been moved during their peak performance years:
Immediately before the 2018 season began, Oakland and Chicago completed a transaction resembling the Parsons deal. The Raiders sent two-time All-Pro and former Defensive Player of the Year winner Mack to the Bears for two first-round selections after contract negotiations failed.
The 2018 deal ultimately disappointed both franchises. While Mack performed excellently in Chicago, earning All-Pro recognition in his debut year, he couldn’t help the Bears capture a playoff victory during his four seasons before moving to the Chargers.
Oakland selected running back Josh Jacobs with their first pick, who performed well before departing via free agency after 2023. Their second first-round choice was squandered on cornerback Damon Arnette, who was released midway through his sophomore campaign.
Dallas history’s most renowned trade occurred during Jerry Jones’ inaugural ownership season in 1989, when the Cowboys sent Herschel Walker to Minnesota for a package eventually yielding eight draft picks, including three first-rounders. Dallas utilized those selections to draft Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith and key contributors to three Super Bowl championships like Darren Woodson, Kevin Smith and Russell Maryland.
Minnesota failed to win a playoff contest during Walker’s two-plus seasons there.
Jones completed another famous transaction that powered Dallas’ 1990s dynasty by acquiring the pass rusher from San Francisco for second- and third-round picks in 1992. Haley became the defensive piece Dallas needed to capture three Super Bowls during his initial four seasons, defeating the 49ers in the NFC championship en route to the first two titles.
Moss was a three-time All-Pro and the league’s most feared deep threat when Minnesota dealt him to Oakland in 2005 for a package including the No. 7 overall draft selection. The move benefited neither franchise as Minnesota chose Troy Williamson, who managed 79 receptions across three seasons, while Oakland won six games over two years.
Moss was subsequently dealt to New England in 2007, establishing an NFL record with 23 touchdown receptions in his debut season as the Patriots became the sole team to achieve a 16-0 regular season.
Six years after Minnesota traded him to the New York Giants, Tarkenton returned to the Vikings in 1972 following four Pro Bowl appearances in six New York seasons. Tarkenton guided Minnesota to three Super Bowl appearances across seven seasons in his second tenure — losing each time — and earned NFL MVP honors in 1975.
The unhappy Dickerson was moved from the Los Angeles Rams to Indianapolis in 1987 through a major deal that also sent Cornelius Bennett to Buffalo. Dickerson helped the Colts reach the playoffs for the first time in a decade during his debut season, then led the NFL in rushing during 1988.
Faulk topped the NFL with 2,227 yards from scrimmage in 1998 when Indianapolis surprisingly decided to trade him to St. Louis. The Colts drafted Hall of Famer Edgerrin James in the first round as Faulk’s successor, but the Rams clearly won the exchange.
Faulk helped create the “Greatest Show on Turf” offense as St. Louis captured the Super Bowl in his first season. Faulk accumulated nearly 1,500 more yards from scrimmage and 18 more touchdowns than any other player from 1999-2001, winning AP Offensive Player of the Year all three seasons and MVP in 2000.
McCaffrey transformed San Francisco’s offense after being acquired from Carolina during the 2022 season for a four-pick package. McCaffrey accumulated 3,233 yards and scored 31 touchdowns across his first 27 regular-season games for the Niners before injuries limited him last season.
He earned AP Offensive Player of the Year in 2023 when he helped San Francisco reach the Super Bowl.
Dean was coming off an All-Pro campaign in 1980 when he was traded the next year to San Francisco for a package including a first-round pick. His arrival helped launch the 49ers dynasty. He earned All-Pro honors in 1981 when San Francisco won its first of five championships across a 14-season span and recorded a 17 1/2-sack season in 1983 before Hall of Fame induction.
In a major star-for-star exchange, Denver obtained Bailey from Washington for star running back Clinton Portis. Portis achieved four 1,000-yard rushing seasons with Washington, but the Broncos emerged as the clear winner.
Bailey played 10 additional seasons, earning All-Pro recognition his first three seasons, leading the league with 10 interceptions in 2006 and gaining Hall of Fame entry.
Warfield had achieved consecutive Pro Bowl selections for Cleveland when Don Shula acquired him during his first season as Miami’s head coach. Warfield provided a crucial deep threat for the Dolphins, making five straight Pro Bowl appearances. Warfield earned All-Pro honors twice and helped Miami win consecutive Super Bowls, including the perfect 17-0 season in 1972.
Traditional healers in Peru conducted a spiritual ceremony Monday to offer blessings for the two contenders in this weekend’s decisive presidential election, as the South American nation prepares to choose a new leader amid ongoing political turmoil and corruption issues.
The ceremonial blessing represents a customary practice performed at the beginning of each year and prior to major elections.
The spiritual leaders assembled at Herradura Beach in Lima’s Chorrillos district, displaying images of both presidential hopefuls during the seaside ceremony.
The final contest features Keiko Fujimori, a conservative politician and daughter of former disgraced President Alberto Fujimori, against Roberto Sánchez, a nationalist congressman and ex-minister. Current polling shows the race extremely close ahead of Sunday’s vote.
During April’s initial voting round, Fujimori secured slightly more than 17% of ballots cast, while Sánchez captured approximately 12% among a large group of contenders. The first round experienced significant operational difficulties that prevented thousands of citizens both domestically and internationally from voting. The country’s election officials required several weeks to confirm the final two candidates for the decisive round.
The ceremonial blessing incorporated flower petals, fresh fruit, coca leaves, and aromatic palo santo wood pieces, along with black tobacco, ceremonial swords, and ritual dolls. The shamans also ignited bright-colored flares and played traditional drums.
“The ritual we perform is primarily intended to ensure that the best candidate is the one who represents our Peru,” said shaman Andrés de los Santos, who had traveled to Lima from the north of the country.
While the spiritual leaders offered no predictions during this ceremony, they have made forecasts previously. At the conclusion of 2025, they predicted Venezuela’s then-President Nicolás Maduro, now facing drug trafficking charges in the United States, would no longer be in office by the end of 2026.
Sunday’s victor will become Peru’s ninth president within a 10-year span, taking over from José María Balcázar, who assumed the interim presidency in February. Balcázar succeeded another temporary leader, José Jerí, who was removed due to corruption accusations after serving only four months.
Peru’s incoming president will take the oath of office on July 28 for a five-year term.
Five American passengers who were quarantined at a Nebraska medical facility following hantavirus exposure on a cruise ship have been cleared to return home, federal health authorities announced Monday.
The individuals will finish their monitoring period at home after staying healthy and fulfilling requirements for supervision outside the isolation unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
These five passengers are departing Omaha approximately three weeks after they and 13 other Americans were transported to Nebraska following a fatal hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise vessel in the South Atlantic Ocean.
While hantaviruses typically transmit through inhalation of contaminated rodent waste particles, the strain responsible for this outbreak, known as the Andes virus, may occasionally spread between humans.
According to the World Health Organization, 13 confirmed or suspected hantavirus infections, including three fatalities, have been connected to the cruise ship.
Health authorities stated that no Andes virus infections have been verified in the United States, and public risk remains minimal.
A spokesperson for Nebraska Medicine confirmed Monday that none of the American passengers has displayed any symptoms.
Previous outbreaks have shown hantavirus symptoms can emerge up to 42 days after exposure, though medical professionals note most individuals who become ill develop symptoms within 21 days.
Omaha physicians overseeing the passengers had previously indicated they would evaluate each individual case to determine suitability for completing the recommended 42-day isolation period at home.
Government officials coordinated transportation for the five departing individuals, working with state and local agencies. Authorities specified the travel would not involve commercial airlines, with proper containment protocols implemented. State health departments will maintain daily symptom tracking, round-the-clock supervision and advisory services.
Two of those returning to their residences live outside New York City, according to city Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin.
Jake Rosmarin, one of the passengers remaining in quarantine, wrote on his blog Sunday that he intends to complete his final three weeks at the Omaha facility to ensure immediate medical access if needed and to avoid potentially exposing others.
Rosmarin, who shares daily updates about his situation, said he respects others’ decisions to leave.
“For me personally, this experience has been incredibly traumatic,” Rosmarin said. “I don’t think I’ve fully processed everything yet, and right now I don’t want to leave until I know there is no risk of me getting sick or putting my family, friends, or the general public at risk.”
Not all quarantined individuals in Nebraska have been satisfied with the arrangement. Approximately one week after the 18 passengers arrived, federal health officials issued mandatory quarantine orders requiring two passengers who wished to depart to remain at the facility.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders announced Monday his continued endorsement of Graham Platner, despite recent news coverage regarding the Maine Democratic Senate hopeful’s inappropriate text communications with multiple women during his marriage.
Over the weekend, Platner released a video featuring his spouse, Amy Gertner, who had previously informed his campaign about the text exchanges last year. In the recording, Gertner dismissed the media attention as mere “gossip” and commented that “being married is hard.”
Sanders, who provided crucial early support for Platner’s campaign, confirmed to The Associated Press Monday that he continues backing the former military service member and oyster farmer in his bid to challenge incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins.
“People can’t afford healthcare. Can’t afford groceries. Can’t afford to put gas in their cars. And I think it might be a good idea if we focused on the important issues facing the working families of Maine and this country,” Sanders stated.
The Vermont lawmaker mentioned plans to meet with Platner during his Washington visit this week, expressing his belief that the nation should “focus on issues more important than the Platner marriage.”
Platner will also participate in a fundraising event co-organized by Ron Klain, President Joe Biden’s former chief of staff.
The Democratic candidate seeks his party’s nomination in what observers consider one of the nation’s most significant Senate contests, as Democrats aim to defeat the long-serving Republican Senator Susan Collins and reclaim chamber control. Maine’s primary election occurs June 9, with Platner’s main Democratic opponent, Governor Janet Mills, having ended her campaign in April.
This Friday evening, Platner will join California progressive Representative Ro Khanna and two Maine Democratic candidates at a “get out the vote” event in Bar Harbor’s historic theater in the coastal community.
A motorcoach operator who had faced previous speeding violations received additional criminal charges Monday following a deadly multi-vehicle collision in Virginia that claimed five lives and left dozens injured.
Jing Sheng Dong, 48, of Staten Island, New York, originally faced two involuntary manslaughter charges after the early Friday morning collision on Interstate 95. Monday’s grand jury decision added three more involuntary manslaughter charges plus one reckless driving charge, the Stafford County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office announced.
Officials report that Dong was operating a motorcoach traveling from New York to North Carolina when he collided with multiple vehicles that had reduced speed in a construction area. The victims included a Massachusetts family of four from Greenfield who were traveling to attend a wedding, along with a 25-year-old woman from Worcester, Massachusetts.
While Dong remained in the hospital Monday, court records reveal he had previously faced speeding allegations in Colonial Heights, Virginia, during November 2024 and in Annapolis, Maryland, this past March. The Maryland incident involved accusations of operating a motorcoach at 72 mph in a 50 mph zone.
The Virginia speeding case resulted in a conviction for traveling 73 mph in a 55 mph zone, with Dong paying $219 in fines and court costs. He also faces a pending trespassing charge in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, from July.
E&P Travel Inc., headquartered in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, operated the bus involved in Friday’s collision. A board member confirmed the National Transportation Safety Board is conducting an investigation into the crash.
Legal documents from the bus crash case do not identify an attorney representing Dong. Attorneys handling his trespassing case and Maryland speeding case did not respond to Monday requests for comment.
Prosecutor Eric Olsen stated that Dong will be transferred to jail following his hospital discharge.
A major electric utility company announced Monday that it has entered discussions with large technology firms about potential partnerships for nuclear power plant construction, with the tech companies sharing financial responsibility for the projects.
The utility, headquartered in North Carolina and providing electricity across much of the southeastern United States, has experienced unprecedented demand from companies constructing data centers that require massive amounts of energy, pushing national electricity usage to historic levels.
During a recent interview, the company’s chief executive officer Harry Sideris explained that the utility has explored expanding its nuclear energy capacity to meet this surging demand. The company currently operates more nuclear facilities than any other regulated utility in the nation.
Nuclear plant construction projects have historically faced significant challenges, frequently exceeding initial budget projections and timeline estimates. This track record has made electric utilities reluctant to shoulder the complete financial burden of new reactor construction independently.
A private wealth manager who was identified in federal documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has departed from Merrill Lynch, according to a company representative.
Paul V. Morris, whose name surfaced in Department of Justice files concerning Epstein, is no longer with the Bank of America subsidiary, a company representative confirmed. The departure was initially disclosed by Bloomberg News.
The representative would not reveal the timing of Morris’s exit or clarify whether his departure was connected to his documented connections with Epstein.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Morris began working at Merrill in August 2016. Federal documents revealed that while employed there, Morris communicated with both Epstein’s personal assistant and his accountant during 2017 and 2018.
Department of Justice records indicate Morris previously worked at JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank. His name surfaces multiple times throughout the Epstein documentation. One document shows he was part of a JPMorgan team that gave approval for Epstein to become a client in 2011.
The nation’s largest bank, JPMorgan, currently faces legal action from women alleging Epstein sexually abused them, along with separate litigation from the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Epstein owned property.
A source with knowledge of the situation confirmed that Epstein was never a client of Merrill Lynch, Bank of America’s wealth management division.
Attempts to contact Morris by phone were unsuccessful, and he did not respond to messages sent through LinkedIn or his Merrill Lynch email address.
According to Bloomberg’s reporting, Morris maintained regular contact with Epstein following his employment at Bank of America.
Morris’s LinkedIn profile indicates he headed the Morris Group within Merrill Private Wealth Management.
Major financial institutions are facing increased examination regarding their connections to Epstein, who died in a New York City jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Officials ruled his death at the Metropolitan Correctional Center a suicide.
The Wall Street Journal had previously disclosed that JPMorgan Chase executives continued meeting with Epstein even after the institution chose to terminate his accounts in 2013.
In a similar pattern, Department of Justice documentation showed that Deutsche Bank kept managing Epstein’s accounts after notifying him in late 2018 that their business relationship would end, finally cutting all connections only after his arrest in July 2019.
An Israeli networking software company announced Monday it has completed a $410 million funding round, bringing its total fundraising to $1 billion since inception.
DriveNets said the investment was spearheaded by Bessemer Venture Partners and Atreides Management. AMD and Red Dot Capital came aboard as fresh investors, while current backers Pitango and D1 Capital Partners continued their support.
According to CEO Ido Susan, the funding will help the company address rapidly growing demand for large-scale artificial intelligence infrastructure solutions.
The company chose not to reveal its current valuation following this investment round and did not respond immediately to requests for additional details.
Venture capital has been flowing heavily into AI infrastructure companies in recent years, allowing these firms to grow while avoiding the ups and downs of public stock markets.
The company’s technology enables telecommunications companies and data centers to create and operate networks using standard, commercially available equipment instead of expensive specialized systems. This approach supports both high-speed connections and AI processing needs.
Since its establishment in 2015, DriveNets has formed partnerships with technology company Broadcom, Japan’s Fujitsu, and Indian IT services company Wipro.
Charlie Kawwas, president of Broadcom’s semiconductor solutions group, commented on the significance of network performance in AI development.
“As AI systems reach unprecedented scale, the performance of the underlying network fabric has become a primary driver of AI economics,” Kawwas said.
Aryna Sabalenka secured her spot in the French Open quarterfinals on Monday with a commanding 7-5, 6-3 victory over Naomi Osaka in an electrifying night session encounter at Roland Garros.
The Belarusian tennis star faced one of her toughest challenges yet in her quest for a first French Open title, but demonstrated the relentless power that has made her a dominant presence in women’s tennis this season. The match marked the first women’s night session contest at the tournament in three years.
“She is such a great player, she plays super aggressive tennis,” Sabalenka commented courtside, later entertaining spectators with a playful moonwalk. “I’m happy with how I was able to put back the pressure on her. It’s amazing to play the night session in front of all of you guys.”
“I’m super happy with my serve. I’m super pleased overall with the performance today,” she added.
Osaka, competing in her first French Open fourth round, started aggressively and jumped to an early 2-0 advantage following a double fault from her opponent. However, the world number one quickly regained momentum, using her signature powerful groundstrokes to fight back into contention.
The turning point came at 5-5 in the first set when Sabalenka delivered a crushing return that forced Osaka into a backhand error, securing the crucial break. In the second set, Sabalenka’s consistent heavy hitting gradually wore down her opponent, culminating in a delicate half-volley winner that gave her a 4-3 lead and ultimate control of the match.
Sabalenka’s victory extends her remarkable run of reaching at least the quarterfinals in her past 14 Grand Slam tournaments. Her next opponent will be Russia’s Diana Shnaider, who upset American Madison Keys 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 in another surprising result at this year’s clay court major.
In other women’s action, Anna Kalinskaya advanced to her first French Open quarterfinal with a hard-fought 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(7) triumph over 28th seed Anastasia Potapova. This marks only the second time the Russian has reached the quarterfinal stage of any Grand Slam event.
“I was definitely nervous,” Kalinskaya admitted after her victory.
“I meant like some moments when after losing my serve, at 5-5 in the third set, being 40-love up and then losing the game. I was frustrated because I wanted to win that game and to be up in the score and have a bit of advantage to finish the match.”
“When it didn’t work, I was upset. But it was a very fast changeover, so I had to reset and continue to play,” she continued.
Potapova acknowledged missing several key opportunities in what she characterized as a “mental” battle on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
“She played great and she held her nerve better than me in some moments,” Potapova reflected.
“I know what I need to work on to make sure that it’s not going to happen again,” she said.
Tournament officials also announced that Paraguayan player Adolfo Daniel Vallejo received a $65,000 fine for comments suggesting female umpires lacked the courage to manage unruly crowds after his Friday loss.
French hopes ended when Diane Parry, the final home player remaining in the women’s draw, fell 6-3, 6-2 to Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska.
Despite the tennis disappointment for local fans, there was celebration as Paris St Germain stars Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola displayed their two Champions League trophies to the Roland Garros crowd on Monday, following their team’s second consecutive European title with a victory over Arsenal two days earlier.
In tennis news beyond Paris, Serena Williams announced her return to competition next week at the Queen’s Club Championships, where the 44-year-old American will compete in doubles after receiving a wildcard. British media reports indicate she will partner with Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko in the June 8-14 event.
On the men’s side, Italian players maintained their country’s presence in the quarterfinals after world number one Jannik Sinner’s elimination. Flavio Cobolli defeated American Zachary Svajda 6-2, 6-3, 6-7(3), 7-6(5), while Matteo Berrettini overcame Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-3, 7-6(2), 7-6(6).
Canadian fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime completed his collection of Grand Slam quarterfinal appearances with a convincing 6-3, 7-5, 6-1 victory over Chilean Alejandro Tabilo.
Drivers traveling on Elderon Drive should prepare for temporary lane restrictions as construction work continues throughout the day.
The ongoing construction activities are causing periodic lane closures that will remain in effect until 5 PM today. Motorists are advised to plan for potential delays and consider alternate routes if possible.
The construction work is expected to impact traffic flow intermittently as crews complete their scheduled activities in the area.
Denmark’s Social Democratic leader Mette Frederiksen announced Monday that she has successfully negotiated a centre-left coalition government, allowing her to retain leadership during ongoing diplomatic tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump regarding Greenland’s status.
The agreement to establish a minority government provides Frederiksen with her third straight term leading the country, bringing closure to months of political uncertainty following March elections that saw 12 different parties gain representation in Denmark’s parliament.
“I have been to see His Majesty the King and announced that a government can be formed after long negotiations,” Frederiksen told reporters.
Frederiksen’s centrist alliance lost parliamentary control during the March 24 elections as Danish voters expressed frustration with rising living costs, though her Social Democratic Party maintained its position as the largest parliamentary faction with 38 seats out of 179 total, a decrease from their previous 50 seats.
Following over two months of political negotiations between the Social Democrats and the right-wing Liberals, both seeking to lead a new administration, the 48-year-old Frederiksen ultimately obtained sufficient parliamentary support to form her government.
The new administration faces pressing priorities including managing diplomatic discussions concerning Greenland, which Trump has suggested annexing, along with accelerating Denmark’s military expansion as European security concerns mount due to Russia’s ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Drivers using Vines Creek eastbound should be aware of ongoing construction affecting traffic flow this afternoon.
The left shoulder is currently blocked between Maine Street and Armory Road (Route 20) as crews perform construction work in the area.
The shoulder closure is scheduled to remain in effect until 3 PM today. Motorists are advised to use caution when traveling through the work zone and allow extra time for their commute.
DOVER, DE – Delaware State University Athletics has announced that season ticket packages are now available for purchase for the upcoming 2026 football season.
The Hornets are gearing up for what the athletics department expects to be another memorable campaign, with head coach DeSean Jackson entering his second year at the helm of the program.
According to the university’s athletics department, multiple season ticket options have been made available to give supporters the best chance to back the Hornets and Coach Jackson throughout the upcoming season.
Fans interested in securing their seats for the 2026 season can choose from several different ticket package options that have been designed to accommodate various supporter needs.
Listen to the Evening Delmarva Farm Report Update — June 1, 2026
DELMARVA — The USDA’s first seasonal assessment shows the nation’s major crops in solid shape, with 67% of U.S. corn rated good to excellent, though that’s down 2 points from last year. Soybeans are tracking at 66% good to excellent.
While those numbers look strong nationally, growing conditions vary sharply by region. Some areas are dealing with drought stress while others are getting too much rain, creating challenges for Delmarva growers as well.
A crop consultant in northwest Missouri is warning that heavy rainfall is fueling weed pressure, especially waterhemp, and raising concerns about nitrogen loss in fields.
Policy
The USDA opened applications today for its Farmer Bridge Assistance Program targeting specialty crop growers. The initiative delivers more than $1.6 billion calculated on 2025 planting plans and covers almost 270 different specialty crops.
Markets
Livestock futures posted solid gains Monday. August live cattle rose $1.55 to close at $240.60. October contracts climbed $1.90 to $232.32. Feeder cattle showed even stronger performance with August contracts jumping $3.12 to $351.55.
On the grain side, corn at Laurel Grain Company in Laurel, Delaware is bringing $4.89 a bushel for July delivery. Soybeans are $11.39 for November.
Forecast
Partly cloudy skies are expected tonight with a low of 52° and northeast winds 10 to 15 mph. Tuesday brings sunny skies and 71° with light south winds.
This article is based on the Delmarva Farm Report Update Evening Edition, June 1, 2026. Hosted by Tom Bradley.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Wide receiver A.J. Brown is departing Philadelphia after a disappointing stint with the Eagles to rejoin his former coach in New England.
New England completed the acquisition of the standout pass-catcher from Philadelphia on Monday, finalizing a deal that had been widely speculated about for months.
Philadelphia announced they will get a 2028 first-round draft selection and a 2027 fifth-round pick in exchange for the receiver who has made three Pro Bowl appearances.
The move follows Brown’s difficult 2025 campaign in Philadelphia, where he became increasingly dissatisfied with an Eagles attack that struggled with consistency as the franchise was unable to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
Brown spent three years playing for Vrabel after Tennessee selected him in the 2019 draft.
The 28-year-old Brown became Philadelphia’s primary receiving target following his acquisition from Tennessee by the Eagles in 2022.
Brown delivered consecutive Pro Bowl performances in his initial two Philadelphia seasons, hauling in 88 receptions for 1,496 yards and 11 scores in 2022, followed by 106 catches for 1,456 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023.
Brown captured a Super Bowl championship during the 2024 campaign, but his satisfaction declined last season as Philadelphia’s offensive production faltered — resulting in a coaching change at offensive coordinator after a wild-card playoff defeat to San Francisco.
This situation sparked increased speculation about a potential trade during the current offseason. The move was delayed past April’s NFL draft likely because Philadelphia would have faced approximately $43 million in dead salary cap penalties for 2026 versus roughly $16 million this year and $27 million next season if the trade occurred after June 1.
In the end, a valuable draft selection proved sufficient to convince Philadelphia to part with a talent of Brown’s stature.
New England had been considered a logical destination for Brown since the team cut receiver Stefon Diggs in March. Diggs topped New England with 85 catches and 1,013 receiving yards plus four scores in his lone 2025 season with the Patriots, contributing to their Super Bowl appearance where they fell to the Seattle Seahawks.
Losing Diggs made securing a top receiving threat for quarterback Drake Maye an urgent need. New England did sign former Green Bay Packers receiver Romeo Doubs during free agency. However, he doesn’t provide the immediate offensive transformation that Brown’s arrival could deliver.
Maye confirmed last week that he had heard the speculation linking Brown to New England.
“If he ends up being on our team, great. What a great player. And if he doesn’t, we’ve still got to work these guys here,” Maye said. “It’s a tough balance, but I know he’s a phenomenal player.”
Patriots defensive tackle Milton Williams, who was teammates with Brown on Philadelphia’s 2024 Super Bowl-winning squad, believes the receiver would make a significant impact.
“He can definitely help our team,” Williams said. “Great dude. Monster on the field, great in the locker room, holding guys accountable and holding himself accountable. That’s everything you want in a player of his caliber.”
Brown departs Philadelphia among the most productive receivers in team history. He surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in each of his four seasons with the Eagles. Brown accumulated 339 total catches and 32 touchdowns while serving as a key contributor on two Eagles squads that reached the Super Bowl during his time there.
Vrabel was beginning his second year as Tennessee’s head coach when the franchise chose Brown in the second round of the 2019 draft.
Brown recorded 185 catches for 2,995 yards and 24 touchdowns during the following three seasons, reaching his peak with a 2020 campaign that earned him Pro Bowl recognition after recording 70 receptions for 1,075 yards and 11 touchdowns.
However, Tennessee ultimately dealt Brown to Philadelphia on the second day of the 2022 draft despite having one year remaining on his rookie contract. The organization insisted it preferred to keep him but believed his contract extension demands were excessive.
Vrabel repeatedly said during that offseason that Brown would remain on the team as long as he was the head coach, but circumstances forced a different outcome.
“Unfortunately, we understand that if we’re going to be here awhile we’re not going to be able to keep every single player that we draft and develop,” Vrabel said at the time.
