playThe team that Jordan Reid says has knocked the draft 'out of the park' (0:48)Jordan Reid explains why he is a big fan of what the Patriots have done in the 2025 NFL draft Let's look back at the 2025 NFL draft now that the dust has settled on all 257 picks both in the first round and further down the board Which teams made the most confusing moves based on value and/or needs What team will have the most impactful rookie class in the upcoming season We asked 17 of our NFL experts to weigh in with their opinions on everything that went down in Green Bay as we will continue to update this file with new questions for our analysts each day We will tackle the top Rookie of the Year candidates (Wednesday) fantasy sleepers in Year 1 (Thursday) and bold predictions for top draft picks for this season (Friday) But let's start with the teams that won draft week Then they added multiple offensive playmakers in subsequent rounds making for a well-constructed rookie roster that can yield immediate results Jeremy Fowler, national NFL reporter: Browns. They got starters out of their first four picks. Graham and Schwesinger will elevate the defense with playmaking. Judkins symbolizes a much-needed new era for the Browns' running game. Fannin is the perfect complement at tight end to David Njoku And the Browns could get meaningful snaps out of Gabriel or Sanders without spending an early pick on either QB adding depth at O-line and defensive tackle They wisely used their first four picks on offensive support for Maye Williams and Wilson should all play significant snaps while making an immediate impact as a three-down back who can protect Maye and produce big plays They landed a potential playmaker at left tackle in Campbell a big-time running back in Henderson and a receiver in Williams who brings downfield speed Both are likely to see playing time early on in their rookie seasons Campbell may not end up being a long-term All-Pro at left tackle but he certainly strengthens the Patriots at their weakest position Henderson gives the Patriots a receiving back in the Kevin Faulk/James White mold and he can also hit a home run with a long carry And don't be surprised to see a lot of pass-rushing defensive tackle Farmer I think we could see all four of their early-drafted offensive rookies taking a majority of the snaps at their respective positions can dramatically raise the floor of the Patriots' offense which will allow Maye to shine in his sophomore season Sampson and one of the rookie QBs will all contribute meaningfully this season They made a clear commitment to surround quarterback Maye with the tools he needs to improve the offense Expect all four offensive picks to be called upon immediately by Vrabel as they try to improve a unit that averaged a measly 16.5 points per game in 2024 (30th in the league) play1:34Nick Saban: Cam Ward a 'great start' for the Titans organizationNick Saban has high praise for Cam Ward and breaks down how his game will translate to the NFL I took a long look at the Patriots for this question But the possibility of Tennessee getting an average-ish starting QB performance out of Ward would be such a huge upgrade from last season Bell: Running back Ashton Jeanty to the Raiders (No I love when draft picks have an immediate impact The Raiders were last in the league in rushing yards in 2024 (1,357) His talent as both a pass catcher and runner offers versatility for new coach Pete Carroll who is looking to make the Raiders' offense more dynamic Bowen: Safety Malaki Starks to the Ravens (No. 27). With Starks playing opposite Kyle Hamilton in the secondary the Ravens have two interchangeable safeties to disguise coverages and change the picture post-snap Starks is a versatile defender with playmaking ability capable of impacting multiple levels of the field as a rookie Baltimore has built much of its recent success on being strong up the middle of the defense and Starks should be a perfect fit with that plan The Ravens had their eye on Starks predraft thinking his center-field abilities would allow them to play Hamilton closer to the line of scrimmage more often The pair should complement each other well Miller was a favorite developmental quarterback for several scouts He had a really impressive pro day and could prove to be a great pick Maldonado: Wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter to the Jaguars (No. 2). This trade up was bold and exactly what this team needed Hunter is a unicorn with his ability to be a shutdown corner and playmaker His infectious energy could reinvigorate Jacksonville's entire locker room Orlovsky: McMillan to the Panthers. He reminds me so much of Atlanta's Drake London and a QB loves a big-body wide receiver who catches everything Jason Reid: Simmons to the Chiefs. He could have been a top-five pick if he hadn't sustained a knee injury in October. He displays a rare combination of power and quickness at the position. The Chiefs expect him to be ready by training camp Carolina's receiver room consists of a lot of secondary options But Young needed a go-to playmaker on the perimeter for his crucial third season McMillan can develop into a true alpha WR1 play1:26The highlights that make Tetairoa McMillan an intriguing NFL prospectCheck out highlights from Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan as he heads to the Carolina Panthers Schatz: Edge rusher Jalon Walker to the Falcons (No We know the Falcons needed to improve their pass rush and Walker is a super-versatile player who can rush the passer or drop into coverage the Falcons got him a couple picks later than his position on consensus boards Solak: Cornerback Jacob Parrish to the Buccaneers (No. 84). Parrish is a classic Todd Bowles cornerback -- feisty, instinctive in zone, able to press and an excellent tackler in space. He reminds me of Tykee Smith a 2024 third-rounder who emerged as a key nickel defender for Tampa Bay The Bucs needed to add depth to their secondary and they got a perfect scheme and culture fit in Parrish This is a tone-setting pick for Carroll and GM John Spytek Jeanty gives the Raiders a much-needed explosive playmaker and he's an ideal fit in new coordinator Chip Kelly's offense Walder: Edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku to the Cowboys (No. 44). My sack model had Ezeiruaku essentially tied with James Pearce Jr Despite not playing for an elite team in college (which can sometimes boost a player's sack numbers) Dallas only had to use a second-round pick to get him Yates: Guard Donovan Jackson to the Vikings (No. 24). Jackson was 20th overall on my board as I am extremely bullish on his positional versatility The Vikings began this offseason saying they would get their trenches in order and have done it But their move to take a first-round slot receiver (where Godwin lined up over 60% of the time last season) suggests they are making contingency plans Download the ESPN app and enable Adam Schefter's news alerts to receive push notifications for the latest updates first. Opt in by tapping the alerts bell in the top right corner. For more information, click here Bowen: Wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa to the Lions (No He's a 6-foot-4 target with seam-stretching ability and he posted explosive testing numbers (4.43 40-yard dash and it cost the Lions two 2026 third-rounders to trade up for him Fowler: Wide receiver Jack Bech to the Raiders (No Bech has the ball skills and competitiveness to make a quick impact on the Las Vegas offense and the Raiders had a solid draft in Spytek's first year at the helm But several scouts from around the league -- even ones that really like Bech -- felt the second round was a bit high and the third round might have been a more sensible range Trading next year's first-round pick to get Pearce felt like a massive overpay especially after the Giants gave up only two third-round picks to trade up to No invites pressure and doesn't get through reads fast enough -- traits that only increase his risk of taking more hits Miller: Defensive tackle Kenneth Grant to the Dolphins (No This was both a poor value -- Grant was an early-Round 2 player for me -- and a luxury given the Dolphins' needs at cornerback and safety Moody: Linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II to the Bears (No This fourth-round selection was shocking because many analysts predicted Hyppolite could go undrafted I thought this was a major reach in the middle rounds by general manager Ryan Poles but they should have tried to find a secondary receiving option in any of the other early rounds Orlovsky in tears with his Cowboys' draft observationStephen A Smith has fun with the Cowboys drafting another offensive lineman named Tyler Two developmental rookie QBs with Flacco and Pickett under contract how will Gabriel and Sanders get enough reps to adjust to the NFL and prove they deserve roster spots but he had only 4.5 sacks in three college seasons I struggle to find a world where Gabriel really makes waves in that Browns QB room Tannenbaum: The Falcons trading up for Pearce giving up a future first-round pick is always risky especially since Pearce's predraft evaluations were all over the place Walder: The Falcons trading up for Pearce. Surrendering a future first-round pick to move up for a non-QB is almost always bad business, but it's a particularly poor move for the Falcons. That's because Michael Penix Jr so there are plenty of worlds where the Falcons gave up a top-10 or even a top-five pick in this deal (I'll also throw the Vikings in here because they could've made a deal with the Falcons (or Giants) and traded out of the first round Yates: Wide receiver Pat Bryant to the Broncos (No. 74). This was a reach relative to my own rankings as I thought Bryant was a Day 3 pick after posting a 4.61 in the 40-yard dash at the combine There are traits of Bryant's game I admire: He's a strong route runner has extremely reliable hands and was a clutch performer in college Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Its buildings dominate the craggy landscape of Alcatraz Island which lies about 1.5 miles north of San Francisco's famed Fisherman's Wharf Alcatraz once housed dangerous criminals such as the infamous mobster Al Capone under an incarceration strategy that sought to concentrate difficult prisoners in one facility segregating them from less dangerous inmates in the prison system Trump's message suggests he wants to restore Alcatraz to its original dual purpose. The twin goals for building the original prison, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons were "to deal with the most incorrigible inmates in Federal prisons and to show the law-abiding public that the Federal Government was serious" about stopping rampant crime in the 1920s and 1930s." AND OPEN ALCATRAZ!" the president said on Truth Social "The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law Trump did not provide details about a timeline for reopening the prison the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service referred NPR to the president's statement Asked on Monday about his idea to reopen Alcatraz "I guess I was supposed to be a movie maker," noting the prison's long history adding that no one ever successfully escaped from the prison Enacting Trump's proposal would come with a steep price tag both for constructing and operating a new prison facility on an island whose most plentiful natural resource is sandstone Alcatraz was shuttered "because the institution was too expensive to continue operating," according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons It said operating the island prison was nearly three times more expensive than any other federal prison at the time "This isolation meant that everything (food fuel...) had to be brought to Alcatraz by boat," the bureau says so nearly one million gallons of water had to be barged to the island each week." If the Trump administration tries to rebuild a prison on the island historian Jolene Babyak says it will need to solve long-running infrastructure challenges "My reaction was two words: water and sewage," she says "Those are two reasons why it would be impractical" to restore the facility as a working prison "All of the sewage in those days was dumped in the bay," she says of the years when hundreds of inmates and staff lived on the island It was depicted as being full of the country's worst criminals offering harsh conditions and virtually no hope of escape averaging 260 to 275 inmates — less than 1% of the total federal prison population at the time And while it was designed around strict rules the penitentiary's reputation was more nuanced "Many prisoners actually considered the living conditions (for instance always one man to a cell) at Alcatraz to be better than other Federal prisons and several inmates actually requested a transfer to Alcatraz," the bureau states The prison's staff lived on the island with their families, and children were ferried to San Francisco on school days, according to the National Park Service who grew up to become a historian studying the island prison where she once lived due to her father's work as an administrator there Everybody bragged about it," she tells NPR noting that an early warden at the prison had prioritized using the promise of good food as a way to motivate inmates to follow the rules The penitentiary did hold infamous criminals such as Capone; George "Machine Gun" Kelly; and Alvin Karpis and Arthur "Doc" Barker But while some inmates were sent to Alcatraz because they were considered dangerous and/or escape risks others spent shorter stints at the highly structured prison "Once prison officials felt a man no longer posed a threat and could follow the rules (usually after an average of five years on Alcatraz)," the prisons bureau says "he could then be transferred back to another Federal prison to finish his sentence and be released." Kennedy closed the federal penitentiary in 1963 Alcatraz is currently a museum administered by the National Park Service as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area since 1972 the NPS says it "represents the federal government's response to post-Prohibition Both the institution and the men confined within its walls reflect our society during this era." The original impetus for creating the Alcatraz prison, the park service says government's desire to create a "high-profile prison that represented the Justice Department's response to fears around public safety and organized crime." Alcatraz "served as an experiment" in handling problematic inmates "The model they developed on Alcatraz would later serve as a blueprint for the high security federal prison located in Marion Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has unveiled a string of high-profile initiatives that he says will protect public safety and also crack down on unlawful immigration. They include deporting immigrants — and potentially citizens — to a maximum security prison in El Salvador Alcatraz was initially viewed as a defense outpost in San Francisco Bay when it was brought under federal control by President Millard Fillmore in 1850 Groups housed there include: captured Confederates in the 1860s; members of the Hopi Tribe in the 1890s; and prisoners from the 1898 Spanish-American War In the early 1900s, it became the site of the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks for the U.S. Army. In 1933, "the island was transferred to the U.S. Department of Justice for use by the Federal Bureau of Prisons," according to the Bureau of Prisons Alcatraz Island is now a popular National Park Service site that's been open to the public since 1973 NPR's Scott Neuman contributed to this report Become an NPR sponsor As the world edges ever closer to authoritarianism it would be incredible to watch June fight back against a hellish returning for a final run of utter despair and soul-destroying misery The Emmy-winning take on Margaret Atwood’s novel is back for a sixth and last season having remarkably stretched out the first novel from a semi-faithful adaptation into a sprawling dystopian hellhole that never lets anyone win I find it one of the most frustrating series on television. It is well made, well acted and sits on the foundations of important conversations, particularly as the western world continues its steady turn towards authoritarianism. The first season’s most unforgettable scene is the one in which prior to being forced into a life of reproductive servitude June (Elisabeth Moss) and Moira (Samira Wiley) attend a protest marching against the removal of women’s rights to their own finances To an eerie remix of Blondie’s Heart of Glass the soldiers begin to beat those at the front before turning their guns on the civilians Just as the novel is rooted only in acts of violence corruption and autocracy that had already taken place the show was a compelling horror because it offered a vision of a near-future that seemed Yet as it continues to make the story go far beyond the novel June liberates herself from the barbarism of Gilead and the Sons of Jacob then chooses to return to that world to avenge some new or lingering personal injustice Serena Joy (an excellent Yvonne Strahovski) is allowed to develop complexities – has she been brainwashed by her own trad-wife propaganda or is she still a political operator so shrewd that she has everyone dancing to her own tune – but then is simply returned to where she began These attempts at normalising the abhorrent are the show’s most astute thread. Simultaneously, Gilead is attempting to smooth the edges of its own religious extremism by remaking its image with a more feminine touch: New Bethlehem is a place where Gilead’s refugees can return and live under a softer version of the same regime. Read moreThe show is not big on subtleties: when characters When the bad men of Gilead perform their political manoeuvres The angel and the devil are on the shoulders of the World of Interiors magazine the former commander’s wife and her former handmaid and they become even more prominent as it begins to bow out To watch these two women examining each other as each tries to figure out the other’s motives the show has ripped up its bleakly repetitive template and something about its horrors clearly keeps viewers coming back for more But don’t expect any radical departure from what it has always done The Handmaid’s Tale is on Prime Video and Channel 4 in the UK on SBS and SBS on Demand in Australia and Hulu in the US O's tie record for most solo HRs in MLB historyMay 4th BALTIMORE -- When the humidity settles in and a slight breeze picks up, Camden Yards has the potential to become a haven for home run hitters. Even more so this year, now that the left-field dimensions at the ballpark are no longer as cavernous. Sunday afternoon's seesaw slugfest between the Royals and the Orioles became simply ridiculous The two teams combined for 11 home runs -- a franchise-record seven for Kansas City and four from Baltimore -- before the Royals eventually held on for an 11-6 victory to take the set a rematch from last year’s American League Wild Card Series The ball was flying all day through the Baltimore air in a game that featured five lead changes and turned into a home run heavyweight fight "It was kind of like everyone was throwing punches," said O’s second baseman Jackson Holliday The result was a game unlike most have seen despite baseball’s long history "Certainly not often," Royals manager Matt Quatraro said "I don't want to say I never have Camden Yards historyEven when the left-field porch was closer to home plate Camden Yards rarely hosted contests like this The 11 home runs matched the most hit in a game in the history of the ballpark The two previous times that number was reached was a 16-7 Twins win on April 20, 2019, and a 14-7 O’s victory over the Angels on July 1, 1994 both teams squaring balls up like that -- it was a fun game in some respects Royals recordThe most surprising aspect of Kansas City hitting more homers than it has in any previous game is the fact that the club didn’t have many this year When the Royals arrived in Baltimore on Friday "That's fun for us," Garcia said hit our seven home runs for the first time in the franchise .. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball Two for the first timeGarcia and Holliday each recorded a multihomer game in the big leagues for the first time No Kansas City player had hit multiple homers this season. Garcia became the first since Salvador Perez had two on Aug. 26, 2024 Holliday’s home runs were the eighth and ninth of his young 88-game MLB career He also matched the career high of his dad (former All-Star outfielder Matt Holliday) who had 22 two-homer games over 15 seasons but just trying to put good swings on it," Holliday said "However I feel when I’m feeling smooth and free to deliver a good swing is kind of how I’ve been going about it." Nearly a unicornThere’s never been a game with 10 or more home runs in which all were solo shots Massey hit a two-run blast off Matt Bowman in the ninth to prevent an historical oddity "The vibe in the dugout today was good "I don't think any of us tried to go up there and hit home runs it's just a byproduct of getting a good pitch to hit and being on time." 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'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing We gather data from the best available sources including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers an impressive enterprise laptop with a lot to like but a few considerations that make it unique.  Also: This Asus laptop is my go-to pick for creative professionals and design teams - here's why This is a business laptop aimed at professionals, and it aims to combine the connectivity of a ThinkPad, the sleek form factor of a MacBook There are a few configurations of this laptop, the most premium featuring an AMD Ryzen AI 9 processor -- one of the most cutting-edge chips on the market right now -- and an OLED display, but the one I tested had the AMD Ryzen AI 7 Pro 360 processor, 32GB of RAM, and a 14-inch matte WUXGA IPS display.  ZDNET RECOMMENDS HP EliteBook X G1a HP's new lineup of enterprise laptops features powerful hardware and a sleek build it's minimalist and rather corporate-looking with a matte WUXGA display and an abundant selection of ports and opens up to a rather standard display with 400nit brightness and a compact and efficient keyboard.  with a snappy tactile feel with key travel that (almost) feels mechanical and the backlighting is effective and well-designed even if the clicks feel a little on the "heavy" side Kyle Kucharski/ZDNETI do wish it had a haptic trackpad as it would go a long way toward making it more premium especially as a device geared toward a sophisticated demographic: business leaders and tech experts When you consider the price of this laptop I found this laptop really enjoyable to use for long days at work and a big part of that was due to its well-designed ergonomics which require the user to adjust to bold or unorthodox design choices the EliteBook X G1a fits like a familiar glove right off the bat making it a solid long-day-at-work type of laptop Also: This budget Lenovo ThinkPad has no business being this good - especially for hybrid workers If the keyboard and trackpad contribute to an enjoyable physical form the abundant I/O selection solidifies its practicality three USB-C (one Thunderbolt 4 on each side -- thank you) one of the best combinations of ports you can ask for in 2025 the only thing that would make it better would be an SD card reader.  as video editing in industry-standard programs like Da Vinci Resolve was a breeze but I wouldn't recommend this as a dedicated gaming machine with the 60Hz display and its heat dissipation (more on that later).  I did encounter a hiccup connecting to an external monitor with the Thunderbolt 4 port Both displays would flicker and restart intermittently Issues like this can result from any number of things including issues with the operating system so I don't necessarily fault the EliteBook this was the first time it happened to me after using dozens of laptops with that connection and monitor.  Also: This laptop accessory has replaced standing desks for me - and it's easy to travel with A busy workday prevented me from troubleshooting for an extended period of time but this is where the generous port selection came in clutch allowing me to simply swap to an HDMI connection It's a perfect example of where redundant I/O access can solve tech problems the EliteBook X G1a is fast and responsive with benchmarking numbers that back its claim of being a powerful enterprise machine.  HP EliteBook X G1a (AMD Ryzen AI 7 Pro 360)  Dell XPS 13 (Intel Core Ultra 7 "Lunar Lake")  One thing I noticed during testing the EliteBook X G1a was that it ran a bit hotter than other laptops in its class kicking on the fans during sustained workloads in High Performance mode leading me to believe there's simply a threshold here with the hardware At no point did I see any evidence of throttling Continuing its specialization in the professional sphere the EliteBook X G1a features a 74.5Whr battery which is on the large size for a laptop of this size earning it just over 11 hours during our standard battery test but it didn't quite translate to the spectacular duration I was expecting Particularly when you compare this to competitors.  Also: I ditched my smartphone for this E Ink handset for two weeks, and it rewired my brain this is about the same as what we got during our testing of the MacBook Pro M4 while that laptop's price even comes in a little less HP's own OmniBook X 14 with the Snapdragon X Elite was an absolute marathon machine the hardware on the OmniBook is a bit more modest but its 65Wh battery overperforms in a way that can't be ignored I came to understand its intended use case as a device that trades in the ultrathin and light form factor for raw power There are no shortage of thin and light laptops out there with marathon batteries. The HP EliteBook X G1a is more focused on providing reliable muscle during working hours The beefy hardware takes full advantage of the large battery and the comfortable keyboard acts as an ergonomic command center so you can hunker down and get work done.  all that hardware can run warm when it's pushed If you're looking for a 14-inch device that's fully committed to the enterprise use case but keep in mind that it's quite specialized for that role.  The recent US tariffs on imports from countries like China and India aim to boost domestic manufacturing but are likely to drive up prices on consumer electronics and TVs may become more expensive as companies rethink global supply chains and weigh the cost of shifting production Also: Tariff war has tech buyers wondering what's next. Here's what we know Consumers may also experience notable price increases on robot vacuums and smart home products Manufacturers are exploring options such as relocating production to countries with lower tariffs but such transitions are complex and may not provide immediate relief shoppers should anticipate higher costs for robot vacuums due to these trade policies One of the most frightening aspects of the Trump administration’s gutting of the federal government is the war on science and knowledge the White House has taken a chain saw to a huge swath of scientific research particularly work that could advance our understanding of public health The administration last week sent an email to about 400 mostly volunteer researchers of the congressionally mandated National Climate Assessment letting them know they were “released” from their roles The action followed earlier cuts to funding and technical staffing for the report which is produced every four years so that communities can better prepare for the impacts of global climate change The first report was published in 2000 and the sixth edition was slated for early 2028 a professor at the University of Washington’s Center for Health and the Global Environment was one of the researchers released from the assessment work Ebi has been an author on all six of the National Climate Assessments She said she volunteers her time on the project because “it’s important for people to understand the current state of knowledge so that decisions are informed by the current understanding of the speed of climate change the extent to which it’s expected to change over coming decades and what it means for a whole range of sectors.” Unlike a report in a scientific journal, the National Climate Assessment is intentionally designed to be accessible for a lay person to read and to use Information is presented in clear language Ebi said research like the National Climate Assessment helps communities understand the adaptations needed to weather climate change.  One key message in the 2023 report’s section on the impacts of climate change on the Northwest notes that communities of color tribes and rural communities are exposed to disproportionate effects due to “ongoing systemic oppression.” For example, prior research in the assessment found previously redlined areas are hotter than surrounding areas, a phenomenon I wrote about after the devastating 2021 Northwest heat dome different building materials and houses that are closer together She said that information led to a big tree planting program in Seattle a solution that while not an immediate fix On Friday, two scientific groups said they would publish work intended for the assessment in their journals But Ebi said an effort like that would not likely have the same impact or reach as the U.S which has the weight of the federal government behind it plus the guidance of the project’s now-dismissed technical support unit which ensured all the coordination and scientific reviews happened for the report.  While scientific research might seem abstract or wonky the differences in heat distribution are a good illustration of the real-world utility of reliable knowledge and data.  we are left much less prepared to implement changes needed to protect the most vulnerable from an array of harms Since Trump took office, the administration has fired thousands of scientists, canceled billions in research grants and gutted the Institute of Museum and Library Services among a number of other actions attacking scientific knowledge.  the cuts have targeted the most vulnerable populations as part of the administration’s campaign to eliminate what it considers to be diversity equity and inclusion from the federal government.  An April 10 analysis by the journal Nature found that of the 770 research grants canceled by the National Institutes of Health 29% were related to studying HIV and AIDS and 24% were related to studying trans health More than half the NIH projects focused on LGBTQ+ communities were canceled the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities was the most targeted for cuts.  The Environmental Protection Agency canceled more than 400 environmental justice grants totaling more than $1.7 billion and the Trump administration shuttered the Office of Environmental Justice and the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity Despite the politicization of science that is happening now the environment does not distinguish between blue states and red states of which states have more exposure to weather and climate related hazards it’s the Republican states that have more exposure to hazards.” These scientific setbacks may last much longer than this administration’s term With scientists losing their funding and their jobs “now I’m in a situation where all the federal scientists I’ve worked with over the last 30 years are gone And I don’t know how programs are going to be rebuilt.” The most marginalized will suffer the most “It’s very difficult to try and take decisions when you don’t have information to inform those decisions,” Ebi said The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times Stay secure and make sure you have the best reading experience possible by upgrading your browser Industry says levies would hit supply chains making medicines potentially unaffordable for some US patients Americans would suffer most if Donald Trump imposed tariffs on imports of pharmaceuticals as medications would become more expensive and potentially unaffordable for some people Drugmakers have been braced for targeted border taxes – similar to the 25% levies on steel, aluminium and car imports – after the US president threatened to hit the sector and announced an investigation last month Trump hinted at a possible reprieve for companies saying they would be given time to move their operations to the US But “after that it’s going to be a tariff wall put up and they won’t be happy about it,” he added the global head of strategy and supply chain at the Swiss multinational Sandoz said tariffs would lead to supply disruptions and in the medium term price increases Sandoz is one of the world’s biggest makers of generic drugs – cheaper versions of branded medicines whose patents have expired The majority of prescription drugs sold around the world are generic “We are producing products on a very tight margin,” Barbella said He added: “There can be even more supply disruption because some players can leave the [US] market and focus on markets where they can make more business the risk is that the US patient will suffer the most.” There are already persistent drug shortages in the US and tariffs would potentially exacerbate that by disrupting the long and complex global supply chains which represents Britain-based generic drugmakers if medicine costs increase and insurance runs out then that does increase the risk that people either can’t afford to complete their cancer treatments or pay for it altogether.” A 25% US tariff on pharmaceutical imports would increase drug costs in the country by almost $51bn (£38bn) a year raising prices by up to 12.9% if passed on according to an analysis by the accountancy firm EY that was commissioned by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America the maker of diabetes and obesity drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound is spending at least $27bn to build four new manufacturing sites in the US Johnson & Johnson is putting $55bn into US manufacturing and research over the next four years The New Jersey-based company is more vulnerable to any US tariffs because of its significant manufacturing across Europe including the UK Sandoz said that while pharmaceutical companies – which command higher prices for their products – could shift production to the US it was much harder for generic drugmakers to do so The drugs they make are cheap – a small pack of paracetemol costs from 37p at UK supermarkets – and the companies operate on tighter profit margins About a quarter of generic medicines prescribed by the NHS are made in the UK a third come from India and the rest from the EU according to Medicines UK while China and India are the two main sources of medicine ingredients Free daily newsletterGet set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning Sandoz produces the main substance for antibiotics such as amoxicillin at its own sites in Austria it sources the active ingredient from suppliers in India or China Packaging is manufactured in Poland and Slovenia The company also has a US-approved site in India that makes finished product and packaging and a site in Brazil that produces for the local market Sandoz sources the main substance from its former parent company Novartis in Europe but is building its own manufacturing site in Slovenia has warned that lives could be lost if tariffs are imposed on medicines “These types of treatments can’t afford a disruption in the global supply chain,” he told the BBC recently If you have a 25% hike on chemotherapy and you can’t afford your treatment any more However, after traveling solo to all 63 US national parks and all 50 states I've discovered that some of the most stunning and underrated places aren't part of the national park system — they're state parks These hidden gems offer the same beauty or permit hassles that come with national park visits Despite being Wisconsin's most-visited state park I find that many people I talk to don't know about Devil's Lake in Baraboo it's my favorite of Wisconsin's 50 state parks the park's East and West Bluff trails offer some of the best panoramic views in the Midwest the massive rock formations — like Balanced Rock and Devil's Doorway — make it a favorite for hikers and rock climbers alike making it a perfect year-round destination Often nicknamed the "Grand Canyon of the East," Letchworth State Park is a natural wonder where the Genesee River carves through a deep gorge creating three stunning waterfalls framed by towering cliffs and endless opportunities for outdoor recreation Letchworth is a paradise for nature lovers The park is especially magical in the fall making it one of the most spectacular leaf-peeping destinations in the Northeast West Virginia is another one of my favorite states for outdoor recreation but I always recommend visiting Coopers Rock State Forest I love hiking in this park or simply enjoying a sunset at Coopers Rock Overlook which offers a panoramic view of the Cheat River Gorge The park also has many unique rock formations scattered throughout the forest along the miles of scenic trails Matthiessen State Park is a hidden gem known for its dramatic canyons With peaceful trails and fewer crowds than nearby Starved Rock State Park Matthiessen is a must-visit for nature lovers in the Midwest I especially love visiting in the fall to enjoy the changing foliage When visiting Utah, many travelers aim to see one (or all) of the state's "Mighty Five" national parks Utah is also home to 46 state parks — my favorite being Kodachrome Basin Just over 20 miles from Bryce Canyon National Park Kodachrome Basin feels like stepping into another world entirely The less-crowded landscape is a stunning mix of red thin spires of rock that the park is known for or drive through the rock formations of this hidden gem park for a peaceful adventure With four major national parks and over 40 state parks, Colorado is known for outdoor recreation many people don't know about one of my favorite places to visit — Eldorado Canyon State Park the park is known for its dramatic canyon views Its towering golden sandstone cliffs make it one of the top climbing destinations in the US Visitors can also choose to cross-country ski or snowshoe in the winter months I don’t have a solution for the parking pass prices Now that MJ Melendez has been safely demoted to terrorize Storm Chasers fans Royals fans have turned their icy gaze upon another underperforming Royal and though the Royals have won two of those and he still sports a 0-0 record he’s taking the brunt of the fan displeasure as the Royals have hovered around .500 for much of the season so you could make a reasonable argument that it isn’t his fault the team has lost seven of the nine games he has pitched in but on a staff where every other pitcher has shown flashes of being quite good the fact that he has allowed runs in six of those nine appearances it’s easy to see why Royals fans would like him gone it doesn’t make sense for manager Matt Quatraro to take the blame for all the times he’s pitched Q has limited input on which guys are on the roster he’s going to have to pitch him at least occasionally I think it’s a credit to Q that Stratton has primarily pitched in games where the outcome was already likely decided The only Royals pitcher with a lower Average Game Leverage Index (a stat that attempts to measure how uncertain the outcome is when a pitcher arrives to the mound) is Jonathan Bowlan Stratton probably isn’t hurting the Royals much he is still third-worst on the Royals in Win Probability Added (WPA which measures the difference in a team’s win probability before and after the player’s efforts) but they have also been given much higher leverage situations to pitch in When the Royals demoted Jonathan Bowlan before Noah Cameron’s Major League Debut on Wednesday I theorized on social media and on the Royals Rundown podcast that perhaps the Royals simply felt they had to hold on to Stratton because there weren’t enough major league-ready relief options in the minor leagues Here’s every pitcher the Royals could be using instead of Chris Stratton Clarke was the Royals’ next choice up from the minor leagues when they demoted Noah Cameron Evan Sisk or Jonathan Bowlan might have made more sense but there is a 15-day waiting period after optioning a player to the minor leagues before he can be recalled unless there is an injury He hasn’t pitched particularly well in Omaha Bowlan was demoted prior to Cameron’s debut That makes him eligible to return on May 15 Stratton would have been cut before that game and then they could have recalled Clarke without having to first move James McArthur to the 60-day IL Bowlan hasn’t been a particularly effective big league pitcher but a shift to the bullpen late last year had him showing some promise and in the two innings he pitched before being demoted again Something that does not appear to be true for the current iteration of Stratton This is the guy most Royals writers and many Royals fans would have rather added to the roster and recalled instead of Taylor Clarke he was shifted to a relief role late last season he has been dominant in Omaha with a 32.3% K-BB% and a 2.30 ERA across 15.2 innings in 11 outings He’s fairly demanding the Royals give him a shot but Chris Stratton continues to pitch instead Sisk has already been up once this season and was demoted to allow Bowlan to join the team when the Royals felt they needed more right-handed pitchers to face the Astros Sisk has bedeviled AAA hitters since the start of last season holding a sub-2.00 ERA all last year and so far this year His K-BB% isn’t quite as impressive as Hoffmann’s but he’s also struck out five in 2.1 innings He’s shown he won’t be overwhelmed by the moment; his debut was in Yankee Stadium a veteran arm who has pitched for KC before EDITOR’S UPDATE: Austin Cox was released over the weekend Brady came to the team when the Brewers traded for Taylor Clarke Taylor to the Twins for Sisk and Stephen Cruz he represents a bright future where the Royals seem to be able to get solid wins when trading marginal talent Brady hasn’t gotten much play as a prospect, but he made it on FanGraphs’ top 42 Royals prospects list from last July as a prospect of note He has been solid in Omaha this year after beginning the season in Northwest Arkansas and earning an early promotion but that suddenly changed when the Royals acquired him If you believe that’s likely a small sample-size fluke you’d think the numbers were even more impressive this problem is more one of annoyance than true damage to the club Hunter Harvey is beginning his rehab assignment this week Hopefully he won’t need a long time in Omaha and there’s no better than a 50/50 shot Stratton keeps his job once Harvey returns will the Royals really keep Bowlan and Sisk in Omaha after their wait periods end after how well they pitched and how poorly Stratton has pitched Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world 2025 at 9:42 AM EDTBookmarkSaveTakeaways NEWTaiwan’s dollar surged the most since 1988 as traders speculated that authorities might allow it to appreciate to help reach a trade deal with the US 1);}}@media screen and (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce){.css-wjxay9-SquareButton{transition-property:background-color;transition-duration:0ms;transition-timing-function:cubic-bezier(0 1);}}@media screen and (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce){.css-152q15n-SquareButton{transition-property:background-color;transition-duration:0ms;transition-timing-function:cubic-bezier(0 1);}}.css-x340e0-SquareButton{margin:0;padding:0;display:inline-grid;-webkit-column-gap:8px;column-gap:8px;grid-template-columns:repeat(3 1);}}@media screen and (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce){.css-x340e0-SquareButton{transition-property:background-color;transition-duration:0ms;transition-timing-function:cubic-bezier(0 1);}}.css-v6oqvx{margin:0;font-family:Lato,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:20px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0px;font-style:normal;text-transform:none;font-stretch:normal;padding:0.5px 0px;}.css-v6oqvx::before{content:'';margin-bottom:-0.4973em;display:block;}.css-v6oqvx::after{content:'';margin-top:-0.4463em;display:block;}Listen Her focus is on polling and California politics including the 2024 election and pro-Palestine protests at U.S Martha joined Newsweek in 2024 from The Independent and had previously freelanced at The Sun She is a graduate of Durham University and did her NCTJ at News Associates You can get in touch with Martha by emailing m.mchardy@newsweek.com either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content Homebuyers looking for bargains may want to set their sights on the Sun Belt cities where home prices are dropping the fastest sellers in these markets are increasingly slashing prices to attract buyers offering a rare opening in an otherwise tough housing market especially during the pandemic housing boom cities are seeing price corrections as inventory climbs and buyers pull back This has led some analysts to warn that the housing market could be heading into a prolonged downturn A fall in prices could help aspiring buyers the trend may signal tougher conditions ahead Realtor.com data shows that nine of the 10 U.S cities with the most home price cuts are in the Sun Belt about one-third of North Port and Tampa listings saw price drops followed by more than 28 percent in Cape Coral and over 27.5 percent in Jacksonville is the only city outside the Sun Belt to make the list Each of these cities has seen a sharp rise in housing inventory compared to last year ranging from nearly 28 percent in Palm Bay to 65 percent in Denver Phoenix tops the list with 31 percent of home listings seeing price cuts The city currently has nearly 19,981 properties on the market a 33 percent increase in inventory compared to last year and homes typically stay on the market for 52 days North Port follows with 30 percent of listings reduced in price and homes are averaging 70 days on the market 29 percent of listings have seen price reductions with 28 percent of homes seeing price cuts Homes in the area are taking longer to sell—about 81 days on average with a median list price of $399,995 and an average of 57 days on the market Denver reports 27 percent of listings with price reductions amid a sharp 65 percent jump in inventory with properties spending just 36 days on the market—the fastest among the top 10 cities Inventory rose 28 percent to 4,562 properties Deltona also saw 27 percent of homes marked down with a median asking price of $394,450 and an average market time of 70 days Twenty-six percent of Austin's 11,073 listings have been reduced in price Homes sell slightly faster than most on the list Charleston reports 26 percent of listings with price drops Inventory surged 42 percent to 3,542 homes; the median price is $525,000 Realtor.com senior economic research analyst Hannah Jones said: "As inventory builds up pushing sellers to reduce their asking price to drum up some buyer attention Buyers are in a good position to negotiate in these markets Sellers will likely be flexible and willing to negotiate price or terms to be favorable for both parties." formerly Twitter: "Florida's housing market is in a housing downturn and will likely continue to drop for years due to an oversupply of housing combined with record lack of affordability." Gerli previously warned that while house prices are rising in places such as New York they have dropped 2.4 percent in Florida in the past year He cited estimates from Reventure that house prices in Florida will drop a further 5 percent in the coming year Gerli also warned that home prices in Arizona are down 6.9 percent from their peak in June 2022 and trending down fast," he said in a recent YouTube video He added that the market correction in Arizona is "going to accelerate over the next 12 months due to a massive pileup of inventory and supply on the market that is now causing sellers to freak out." Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsweek is committed to journalism that is factual and fair We value your input and encourage you to rate this article Newsletters in your inbox See all It’s not often that a team on a 21-game losing streak is picked to be a playoff team much less a dark-horse district championship contender in a tough district that includes the likes of Cibolo Steele and Converse Judson But the 2025 San Marcos Rattlers may be that rare team that fits the bill the UIL State Executive Committee (SEC) ruled that 11 football players from San Marcos High School were ineligible for the next three seasons the Rattlers were able to make the playoffs in 2022 they've taken their lumps ever since including losing 23 of their next 24 games with most of those being lopsided losses Regardless of your personal feelings with the UIL’s ruling two-and-a-half years ago the fact that 10 of the 11 players stayed is quite impressive Their commitment to San Marcos and the coaching staff through an unprecedented ruling speaks volumes one graduated this year and nine will be seniors in the fall of 2025," San Marcos head coach John Walsh said. "I understand the UIL’s stance and when the UIL ruling was made all those kids had a chance to go back to the schools where they were eligible “Three years is a long time. I would have totally understood if they left I’ve watched their sacrifice for the past three years and they’ve stuck it out they have sacrificed for their brothers and they’ve turned into San Marcos Rattlers along the way.” While this group has been dominant during the period of the last two years (San Marcos’ junior varsity teams have rolled up an undefeated record with nearly every game being a blowout), they have yet to play a varsity football game Walsh knows that despite the talent (five seniors who have never played varsity football currently hold FBS offers) overcoming adversity on the field is inevitable all you can do is paint the picture," Walsh said "I’ve tried to paint a picture of how tough it is going to be playing 6A football They’ve been dominant their entire lives in football; failure is something they’ve never had to deal with That’s why we scheduled teams like Lake Travis and (Pflugerville) Weiss in non-district to get them ready. Our schedule is going to teach them some lessons. We are going to find ourselves in games our kids aren’t used to and I can’t wait to see how they react and respond to adversity I’m that weird coach that doesn’t mind losing in the regular season and teaching tough lessons on Saturday mornings. The goal is to be ready for the first round of the tournament.” There’s no question the 2025 edition of San Marcos Football will be the most unique ever. The only thing left is to see where the chips fall “There’s going to be a lot of eyes on us," Walsh said "There was a lot of publicity three years ago and it died down but it’s picking back up because people know how good these kids can be We aren’t trying to sneak into the back door. We want to come in through the front and hit the ground running.” We've been the Bible of Texas football fans for 64 years By joining the DCTF family you'll gain access to all of our exclusive content and have our magazines mailed to you Please press and hold the button until it turns completely green If you believe this is an error, please contact our support team 147.45.197.102 : e251a769-7924-4197-8658-2870632b KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos Researchers found that 96% of bites followed some form of “human attention or risk-taking” and that such incidents are largely preventable The findings stress the importance of caution as alligator mating season — which runs from April through June — increases activity Researchers analyzed nearly 300 years of data from 1734 to 2021 from the CrocAttack.org database categorizing bites by the level of human risk involved Most incidents occurred after moderate-risk behavior like swimming or wading in known alligator habitats while fatal bites often followed high-risk behavior such as deliberately entering alligator-inhabited waters Low- or non-risk behavior rarely led to bites Researchers found a high percentage of humans engaging in risky behavior are typically to blame for the vast majority of alligator bites lead author and a biology professor at Centre College Alligators respond to “attractive stimuli,” like splashing or swimming in alligator habitats While some attacks occurred without warning people unknowingly triggered the alligator’s natural response to defend itself or to hunt “The takeaway lesson from this study is that many bites can be prevented if humans are aware of their surroundings and minimize risky behaviors such as walking small pets near bodies of water or swimming where alligators are known to be present,” said Frank Mazzotti study author and professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Florida Researchers urged wildlife officials to promote safer behavior through targeted education which they said could reduce bites and limit the need to kill alligators after attacks The most valuable soccer teams on the planet have been calculated by CNBC and the Premier League has dominated the top 25 11 Premier League clubs are ranked in the top 25 most valuable on the planet in 2025 plus three MLS teams from the USA are also included The usual suspects in world soccer are all there with three of the top five featuring Premier League heavyweights and the Premier League’s ‘big six’ are all among the top 10 most valuable clubs on the planet CNBC Sport’s official valuations are listed below EBITDA and the debt each club is currently carrying The full list is intriguing viewing and shows that some of the big clubs in Spain and Italy are carrying some considerable debt while the EBITDA is lower for some of the more ambitious upstart clubs who are starting to make waves A Division of NBCUniversal DISCLAIMER: This site and the products offered are for entertainment purposes only and there is no gambling offered on this site This service is intended for adult audiences No guarantees are made for any specific outcome If you or someone you know has a gambling problem Car Tips Home » 5 of the Most Unreliable Modern BMWs On paper, the F10 550i looked like a winner: sleek, refined, and packing 400+ horsepower. But under the hood lurked the infamous first-gen N63 engine—a twin-turbo V8 with a habit of devouring its own internals BMW eventually launched a “Customer Care Package” that replaced timing chains it’s a phenomenal car—but the odds aren’t in your favor The E65 7 Series was BMW’s moonshot sedan—packed with futuristic tech it was also the poster child for “just because you can Owners often describe the E65 as a “tech demo that escaped the lab.” It may have helped shape BMW’s future and even BMW dealers struggled with early software bugs The E70 facelift brought new life to the X5—with more power a familiar disaster under the hood: the same problematic N63 engine found in the F10 550i the N63 engine’s flaws are even more exposed It’s not unusual to hear owners say they spent more on repairs in two years than the truck’s current value The E90 335i delivered near-M3 performance with room for tuning. But if you’ve spent any time on BMW forums, you’ll know the N54 engine is a reliability minefield Enthusiasts love the N54’s tuning potential—but it’s not a question of if something fails The E60 M5 is one of the most exciting cars BMW has ever built With a screaming 8,250 rpm V10 and 500 horsepower The S85 engine is essentially a detuned F1 engine with none of the race team support If you’re not changing the oil religiously and driving it like you’re on borrowed time—well Many of the most unreliable BMWs come from eras of rapid innovation and early N63-powered models all offer incredible driving dynamics—but owning one without a deep repair fund (or a second car) can be a recipe for frustration If you’re considering one of these vehicles don’t just check the Carfax—check the forums and make sure the major known issues have already been addressed More from Car Tips 2025 BMWBLOG | Change consent Dyson Daniels averaged career highs of 14.1 points Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels is the recipient of the George Mikan Trophy as the 2024-25 Kia NBA Most Improved Player Presented annually since the 1985-86 season the Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award is designed to honor an up-and-coming player who has made a dramatic improvement from the previous season or seasons Daniels is the second player to earn the honor with the Hawks In his third NBA season and first with Atlanta Daniels averaged career highs of 14.1 points 4.4 assists and 3.01 steals while shooting career highs of 49.3% from the field and 34.0% from three-point range in 33.8 minutes in 76 games He became the fifth player to average at least 14.0 points 1986-87 and 1988-89) and Michael Jordan (1987-88) assists by +1.7 apg and steals by +1.62 spg from last season He is the third player to have improvements of at least +8.0 ppg +1.5 apg and +1.5 spg from one season to the next (minimum 50 games played each season) joining Richardson (1978-79 to 1979-80) and Eric Murdock (1991-92 to 1992-93) Dyson Daniels talks with Inside the NBA about what it means to win the award and where he can improve in the coming seasons Daniels led the NBA in steals per game and total steals (229) He averaged the most steals per game in a season since Robertson in 1990-91 and recorded the most total steals in a season since Gary Payton in 1995-96 Daniels also paced the league in deflections per game (5.8) and total deflections (443) Daniels finished in second place in the voting for the 2024-25 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award He was named the Kia NBA Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month twice for games played in October/November and March A global media panel of 100 voters selected the winner of the 2024-25 Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP The finalists for the seven major regular season awards have been revealed Take a look back at every Most Improved Player award winner in NBA history The 4th-year guard set career highs in scoring (25.9) assists (6.2) and steals (1.0) while making his 1st All-Star Game Look back at the winners of every NBA award Aaron Gordon comes up clutch again for the Nuggets while the Thunder face the 1st big test of their 2025 playoff run Boston's reliance on 3-pointers backfires while New York's defenders come through in the clutch to clinch a massive comeback win Celtics announce Porzingis was questionable to return with an illness that they specified was non-Covid Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones glamour up alongside Angel Reese for the annual fashion event Kenny Atkinson experienced a setback on his coaching journey it fueled the 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year Beach.com released an analysis looking at affordable beach destinations 1 is a Texas destination just outside of Houston: Pasadena This area provides access to several nearby beaches and some well-known barrier islands I've already picked instant impact rookies maybe you can call this a more zoomed-out view How about instant-impact entire draft classes Now it's time to rank the top 10 instant-impact classes from the 2025 NFL Draft Impactful rookies: OT/OG Josh Conerly Jr., CB Trey Amos, WR Jaylin Lane, RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt The small class pushes the Commanders to the No yet it was the second-consecutive outstanding draft for general manager Adam Peters Conerly is as ready to go as any blocker in this class -- and he very well could become an All-Pro caliber guard if that's where he begins his career in Washington do-everything boundary corner with a fine blend of man and zone skills Lane may be deep on the receiver depth chart now Croskey-Merritt can have an Alfred Morris-type debut season in Washington behind Brian Robinson Jr explosiveness -- 4.45-second 40-yard dash and 41.5-inch vertical -- are rarely available in Round 7 A further step away from the Dan Snyder era in Washington Impactful rookies: TE Terrance Ferguson, RB Jarquez Hunter, EDGE Josaiah Stewart, LB Chris Paul Jr Ferguson was my TE2 because of the well-roundedness to his game in addition to his dynamic workout in Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine. He can block but is best suited to be a three-level winner down the seam and post-catch. As if Puka Nacua didn't eat in the middle of the defense already Behind what has become a revamped defensive line post-Aaron Donald Paul will be a magnet to the football against the run and make the occasional play in coverage Impactful rookies: DT Omarr Norman-Lott, EDGE Ashton Gillotte, CB Nohl Williams, WR Jalen Royals The Chiefs low-key had serious needs along the defensive front and addressed them in a big way with Norman-Lott and Gillotte in Rounds 2 and 3 The Tennessee product wasn't a high-volume player with the Volunteers it was bad news for the interior blockers in the SEC Impactful rookies: WR Tetairoa McMillan, EDGE Nic Scourton, EDGE Princely Umanmielen, TE Mitchell Evans The first three picks from general manager Dan Morgan were spectacular -- and all instant impact Nothing matters more than the development of a young quarterback for an organization like the Panthers and McMillan directly impacts said maturation process Scourton and Umanmielen were multiyear quality producers in the Big 10 and SEC and this defense woefully needed more serious talent at the defensive end position explosiveness and hand work will allow them to hit the ground running in Charlotte in Year 1 Evans was one of my favorite Day 3 picks in the entire draft Consummate overachiever -- because he's not a freaky athlete -- who does everything well at the tight end position He'll bounce off tacklers after the catch and rarely drop the football Impactful rookies: TE Colston Loveland, WR Luther Burden III, OT Ozzy Trapilo, DT Shemar Turner both rookies should get favorable matchups against safeties and linebackers somewhat often Turner can be a forceful interior rusher who plays at 100 miles per hour on every snap Impactful rookies: S Malaki Starks, EDGE Mike Green, LB Teddye Buchanan, DT Aeneas Peebles, CB Bilhal Kone He has a pro-ready game because of his length Impactful rookies: EDGE Abdul Carter, DT Darius Alexander, RB Cam Skattebo, OL Marcus Mbow, CB Korie Black If Jaxson Dart plays and looks like a hit, this could be one of the best rookie classes in Giants history, right up there with the 2007 class that was integral to Eli Manning's first Super Bowl: CB Aaron Ross TE Kevin Boss and RB Ahmad Bradshaw all were critical components of that historic run to a Lombardi Trophy Alexander is 24 years old and spent his time at Toledo wearing essentially every hat on the Rockets defense. Skattebo can be the thunder to Tyrone Tracy Jr.'s lightning, and his blend of balance and vision were the second-best in the class beyond Ashton Jeanty Mbow can be the utility man along the offensive line given his athleticism and balance and Black is the rare seventh-round cornerback with sub 4.40 speed and a nearly 40-inch vertical from a school in one of the Power 4 conferences General manager Joe Schoen did work in this draft Impactful rookies: OT Will Campbell, RB TreVeyon Henderson, WR Kyle Williams, S Craig Woodson, DT Joshua Farmer The first two picks are seminal selections to the Drake Maye era as they all directly impact New England's second-year starter Campbell won't have technical or athletic issues at left tackle He's a smooth operator on the edge with immense SEC experience for a relatively younger blocker even if Diggs will initially be ahead of him on the depth chart and in most of Maye's progressions Woodson is a handy secondary member who can match tight ends down the seam or thump against the run While the New England defensive backfield boasts an underrated collection of talent Woodson will make a name for himself early solid burst and serious speed en route to the ball-carrier in the backfield Defense was the top priority for the Bills this offseason -- and general manager Brandon Beane attacked it with serious vigor from the free-agent add of Joey Bosa to his first six selections on that side of the ball in the 2025 draft Hairston is a supercharged outside cornerback with scheme and role flexibility Sanders was probably the best pure pass-rushing interior defensive linemen in the draft when considering both athleticism and developed hand work at the point of attack Jackson won't be instant impact in the traditional sense for defensive end -- as a pass-rusher -- but at 6-feet-6 and 260 pounds with tentacles for arms Walker doesn't have to be the incredible 2023 version of himself to make noise on Buffalo's defense At 6-7 and 330-plus pounds and a lightning-quick first step plus pass-rush moves his girth and polish will lead to splash plays behind the line Hancock was the glue guy in the Ohio State secondary en route to the national title The Bills love legitimate versatility in the defensive backfield as much as any team in football and that's precisely what Hancock brings in a highly athletic planting and driving on the football on the perimeter This sentence feels like the opening line of an upcoming Batman movie the least-known of the fresh faces at the top of the organization hit a home run down the Vegas strip with his inaugural draft class Jeanty is lightning in a bottle at running back, Bech already possesses the fine details of the receiver position many NFL veterans don't have and Rogers played 4,300-plus snaps at four different positions at Texas Tech Thornton doesn't have to be high volume; he can erupt downfield for a few snags per contest with 4.30 speed at nearly 6-foot-5 Porter may actually take some time to mature into what he can fully become in the NFL athleticism and receiver-like ball skills will allow him to generate some splash plays for the defense in Year 1 given his long-standing productivity on the inside in the SEC The Raiders are coming in what has become a significantly more competitive AFC West Stun your friends and acquaintances with poetic recitation consider whether we need more male novelists S. Zainab would like to think she bleeds ink but the very idea makes her feel faint. She writes fantasy and horror, and is currently clutching a manuscript while groping in the dark. Find her on Twitter: @szainabwilliams View All posts by S. Zainab Williams our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics Uh oh. Mother’s Day is around the corner and you still haven’t decided what to get the maternal figure in your life. If that person is as bookish as you are, or striving to be, we’ve got you covered. Here’s your guide to bookish last-minute Mother’s Day gifts What are you reading? Let us know in the comments The comments section is moderated according to our community guidelines Please check them out so we can maintain a safe and supportive community of readers Join All Access to comment Linux shouldn't be considered a last-choice alternative because it's every bit equal to Windows or MacOS Also: Don't know how to quit Windows 10? This Linux distro is for you - and it's free I know: You want an operating system that looks and feels like Windows 10 That makes perfect sense because you've been using Microsoft's OS for a long time and change is often hard Which distribution is right for those seeking a seamless transition from Windows to Linux There are quite a few choices out there; I'll show you what I consider your five best options It's classy KDE Neon is the flagship distribution for highlighting the KDE Plasma desktop environment The great thing about KDE Plasma is that it can be configured to look and feel just about any way you like it KDE Plasma does bear a slight resemblance to Windows 7 but you can tweak it to look more like Windows 10 or Windows 11 if you like Also: The best Linux distribution of 2024 is MacOS-like but accessible to all KDE Neon benefits from an Ubuntu base so it's very user-friendly and handles hardware recognition like a champ And anyone coming from just about any version of Windows will feel right at home on the KDE Plasma desktop environment For those who'd like to eventually work with a desktop that looks nothing like Windows Turn the bottom panel into a dock and add a top bar Like nearly all Linux distributions, KDE Neon can be downloaded and installed for free LinuxMintLinux Mint might not be themed like Windows 10 or Windows 11 but it is certainly within the realm of Windows-ish desktops all on top of a very user-friendly operating system Also: How to replace Windows with Linux Mint on your PC Another reason to go the Linux Mint route is that it benefits from the same level of hardware recognition as Ubuntu Linux Mint uses the Cinnamon desktop environment by default but you can download editions that use MATE or Xfce I would recommend sticking with the default Cinnamon desktop as it will be the most familiar and reliable Linux Mint is a free distribution and has a very robust community You can download Linux Mint for free on as many machines as you need This is just one of the many desktop layouts available in Zorin OS Although the goal of Zorin OS isn't to replicate Windows 10 such as one that looks and feels like Windows 11 Also: Ready to ditch Windows? 5 factors to help you decide between Linux or MacOS Here is one of the primary reasons I am including Zorin OS: You can start out using the Windows 11-like layout and as you grow accustomed to the open-source OS you can switch it up to have a desktop that resembles MacOS or one of the straight-up Linux environments (such as GNOME or KDE Plasma) but the developers have made it far more flexible than your average GNOME desktop The free version of Zorin OS comes with four desktop layouts Zorin OS Core can be downloaded and installed for free, and the Pro license can be purchased from the official Zorin OS site The Deepin desktop environment makes blendOS a thing of beauty blendOS might not be on your radar Not only does this Linux distribution bear a slight resemblance to Windows 11 but it's also immutable (meaning it's very secure) and includes several options for installing apps and even blendOS's own unique "blend" tool you will find tons of applications to install You can also enable Android app support as well as dnf (the Fedora package manager) support from within the System app the chances of you wrecking the OS are slim Also: blendOS is the Swiss army knife of Linux distros but it's not for everyone I'd recommend either KDE Plasma or the Deepin desktop The one caveat to using blendOS is that I wouldn't recommend it for users with very little computer skills If you know your way around Windows well enough (as in you've used it for a long time and are comfortable with most aspects of the OS) you shouldn't have much trouble with blendOS The only thing you won't find out of the box is Wine (for Windows apps) or Steam (for games) AnduinOS is the new kid on the block but it also happens to be one of my favorites on the list This Windows-like desktop is based on Ubuntu and uses the latest version of GNOME to create a rather Windows 11-like desktop.  Also: This Windows 11-like Linux distribution is aimed squarely at developers One thing to keep in mind with this distribution is that it's not filled with tricks and whistles to fool you into believing you're using Windows AnduinOS is more about creating a desktop and workflow that Windows users can easily adapt to By using the combination of Ubuntu (currently version 25.04) and GNOME (currently version 48) AnduinOS creates a desktop that performs brilliantly and reliably If you want to use Windows apps on AnduinOS it's ready to go out of the box and is a treat to use Jack Wallen/ZDNETAlthough AnduinOS is marketed as a desktop Linux distribution aimed at developers it really can be used by average users as well I find the desktop to be similar enough to Windows 11 that anyone who's used that OS will feel right at home here Get the morning's top stories in your inbox each day with our Tech Today newsletter. The rates we publish won’t compare directly with teaser rates you see advertised online since those rates are cherry-picked as the most attractive vs Teaser rates may involve paying points in advance or may be based on a hypothetical borrower with an ultra-high credit score or for a smaller-than-typical loan The rate you ultimately secure will be based on factors like your credit score so it can vary from the averages you see here United States Census Bureau. "U.S. and World Population Clock." Congressional Research Service. "Federal Reserve: Tapering of Asset Purchases," Page 1 Federal Reserve Board. “Summary of Economic Projections, March 19, 2025,” Page 4 Our Universe, today, contains trillions of galaxies with sextillions of stars But 13.8 billion years ago, there were none at all It takes both time and gravity for modern cosmic structures to evolve we need to map cosmic structure throughout history Credit: C JWST’s first deep, wide-field survey — COSMOS-Web — was designed for exactly this expectations for novel discoveries were high Astronomers conducted simulations to help guide expectations Now, in 2025, the COSMOS-Web survey’s results have finally arrived The full 166 Megapixel image uses infrared data from Hubble and JWST, with X-ray data also available revealing a variety of fascinating details The eight-pointed diffraction spikes highlight stars within the Milky Way some sky patches remain almost completely dark reveal rich groups and clusters of galaxies The COSMOS-Web survey’s main feature is a galaxy cluster located 9.9 billion light-years away Many COSMOS-Web galaxies display huge, extended stellar halos gravitational lensing distorts the shape of background galaxies showcase cosmic evolution’s profound effects Mostly Mute Monday tells an astronomical story in images Queen City News (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Award-winning Gastonia K9 Bo and his handler Sgt David Rowland will appear on America’s Most Wanted on Monday night Host Josh Walso and his staff invited them to Atlanta for the taping last month and it’s finally making air Bo won National Hero Dog in November for his 2024 case when he and Sgt Rowland tracked a 7-year-old boy who was abducted at knifepoint by a family member The track was seven miles and Bo eventually found the boy in an abandoned shed The show airs at 9 before Queen City News at 10 these are the actual most popular baby names so far in 2025 Whether it’s a short vacation or they’re jetting off to begin their career show the future traveler you care with a meaningful graduation gift National Teacher Appreciation Week begins May 5 take advantage of these freebies and deals We may receive a commission on purchases made from links Flay shared that he likes the Shun Classic Western Chef's Knife "I pretty much use a chef's knife for everything and Shun is one of my very favorite brands." The Shun Classic Western Chef's Knife is handcrafted in Japan and will set you back about $180 It's definitely a pretty piece of artistry It has a hammered blade and walnut-colored PakkaWood handles and its 22-degree cutting edge gives it the power to cut through some of the denser veggies like carrots It's easy to see why Flay would be drawn to this chef's knife However, before you run out to purchase your own Shun, Bobby Flay also told Men's Health that while he uses this tool more than any other Shun is not the only brand that can get the job done You don't need to spend a lot of money unless you're making a lot of sushi." The Iron Chef is right; the most important aspect of your chef's knife is that the blade is sharp It will help narrow down just what type of knife you need words: would define drinking in the first quarter of the 21st century From 2000 until the present, tequila sales have grown over 300 percent, accounting for some $6.7 billion in revenue in 2024, according to the Distilled Spirit Council Though there are plenty of upstart independents (not to mention celebrities) that would completely change the industry this century as well To help determine the most important and influential tequilas of the past 25 years I spoke with multiple experts in the category ranging from tequila bar owners and restaurateurs to fellow journalists and authors to longtime tequila collectors and connoisseurs One final point to note: Important does not necessarily mean “tastes good”; likewise some of the best liquid ever produced is not inherently “important” to anyone outside of the cognoscenti that drinks it After the commercial failure of 1998’s Teporocho Tequila brand founder Arturo Lomeli went back to the drawing board to try and figure out how to create a tequila that would differentiate itself from the rest of the market The result was a high-quality spirit in a ceramic bottle so beautiful Lomeli hoped people would reuse them as candle holders or vases it retailed for an also-unheard-of $100 a bottle Essentially selling it door-to-door for over a decade it would take until 2013 or so for luxury bars “The brand itself has elevated the perception of tequila and Mexican culture as luxury and worth splurging on,” says Bay-Area-based Ernesto Hernandez a longtime tequila collector and connoisseur less agave-forward flavor profile as being a gateway for many newbies to the category “Though purists accuse it of being artificially sweetened it made consumers comfortable paying so much for tequila,” he says it was the distillery’s 2001 switch to a diffuser — a large industrial machine able to extract agave sugars much faster usually with less flavor) than traditional methods — that would ultimately change the legendary flavor profile for the worse noticed a change in the blanco profile,” says Hernandez an anti-diffuser movement would spring up among connoisseurs that still prevails today (Herradura reportedly quit using a diffuser by 2010) Herradura (and Brown-Forman) forged a return to its previous glory with the introduction of a 92-proof Blanco the González family would persevere and continue to release incredible tequila using agave sourced from the region and old-school methods “How many great tequilas are still produced by the families that started them?” asks Suro-Piñera “Most brands are now in the hands of transnationals.” Patrón opened its own distillery in Jalisco with just two tahona wheels and one roller mill; it eventually became the massive Hacienda Patrón By 2006 the brand was selling 1 million cases of Patrón Silver per year and began attracting attention from celebrities and early adopters — the first high-end tequila to truly become mainstream Patrón was sold to Bacardi for $5.1 billion and Patrón calls itself the world’s best-selling super-premium tequila (whatever that means) and has become one of the most recognizable and beloved “quality” tequila brands across the world showed the transition from Denton to Beam wouldn’t be as rocky as initially feared Fortaleza really began to pick up steam around this time,” says collector Hernandez He believes this was the first lot that truly turned tequila geeks onto the idea of there being slightly different flavor profiles from lot to lot “Since then most everyone started turning [Fortaleza] around to see which lot a bottle may be,” he adds The trend of lot-labeling and -seeking has spread to other brands as well to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Don Felipe Camarena’s founding of the La Alteña Distillery in 1937 the current distiller and Don Felipe’s grandson aged for seven years in ex-bourbon barrels released in a batch of only 12,042 bottles and believed to have the highest Brix content of any tequila ever released thanks to the then shocking $129.99 retail price it languished on shelves before being heavily discounted in many stores it is considered arguably the greatest extra añejo of all time and moves for over $1,000 per bottle Carlos Camarena is regarded as a distilling legend “It marked the end of tequila as a relegated spirit on shelves and demonstrates how hard it was for a great tequila to get traction not too long ago,” says Hernandez “It was the last ‘overlooked’ yet memorable release in tequila.” Tequila is inherently a product of the land but it would take until the aughts for a brand to be released based on organic farming methods Adolfo Murillo acquired his family’s farmland in Agua Negra and decided to begin growing agave; local farmers said that was impossible in the rugged But Murillo believed by using organic methods it might work and started planting blue Tequilana agaves in 1993 The results were incredible: high sugar content agaves that distilleries were eager to buy Murillo had proudly started his own 100 percent organic agave tequila brand Yet another Carlos Camarena project (along with co-founder Mexican restaurateur Tomas Estes) Ocho was the first brand to truly cite the importance of terroir in tequila via its “Single Estate” releases each batch of Tequila Ocho was produced from agave entirely sourced from one specific “rancho,” each with its own unique aromas and flavor profiles Today many other brands specify the location from where they harvested their agave but cristalino tequila has undoubtedly been one of the biggest innovations of the 21st century And the idea of fully aged yet colorless tequila — a blend of extra-añejos and reposados filtered via activated carbon — began in 2008 with this Proximo Spirits release just about every major brand has a cristalino even if the Consejo Regulador del Tequila (CRT) continues to refuse to recognize the category Tequila’s place in the pop culture firmament was radically accelerated when an imaginary TV character named Turtle decided to start hawking a brand called Avión as a side hustle. The show was HBO’s “Entourage,” and when the tequila appeared in a 2010 many viewers surely assumed it was a made-up brand — no different from the movies that protagonist Vinny Chase (Adrian Grenier) starred in As “Entourage” fans began to encounter Avión on retail shelves and back bars — with a slogan of “Yes Pernod Ricard bought a majority stake in Avión for $100 million The first tequila brand devoted to intentional experimentation in the category with Felipe Camarena (Carlo’s brother FWIW) acting as according to tequila collector and connoisseur Eduardo Urena “the mad scientist” at his Destilería El Pandillo until 2016; Hernandez thinks it changed the game in terms of how tequila distilleries look at water usage in particular “If your bottle is only 40 percent alcohol the rest of its contents are mostly water,” he says and well water ratios to confirm the big impact water choice has on tequila.” Today, high-proof blancos are de rigueur but this was the release that gave legitimacy to high-ABV tequila as it was bottled at the highest legal U.S Another brand from the La Alteña Distillery this was a unique collaboration between Carlos Camarena and the American father-and-son master distillers Miles and Marko Karakasevic of California’s Charbay Distillery It was an immediate cult hit “and the industry hasn’t looked back,” says Hernandez the brand you’ll most frequently hear “called” by customers if you sit at any given bar for the night Dozens of other celebrity tequilas have followed making many wonder if you are truly a celebrity if you don’t have your own tequila The son of an industry legend, master distiller Germán González would go his own way in 2014 and release one of the first extra añejos to play around with barrel aging. Aged for five years in brandy, sherry, and Scotch barrels — as opposed to the more typical ex-bourbon barrels — Tears of Llorona would become a cult hit it might very well have been the first release to be dubbed the “Pappy of tequila.” “We kind of initially brought it out thinking that it was going to be mostly sold to bars and restaurants as a kind of cheers at the end of the night to celebrate making it through an eight-hour bartending shift or whatever,” says Billy Erickson Sauza’s son and Fortaleza’s sales and marketing manager it created an entire (unofficial) sub-category with dozens of brands releasing still strength bottlings over the last decade Cascahuín would hardly seem influential this century And yet it would take until recently for this brand to take off in the States Tequila enthusiasts now go crazy for the traditionally made tequilas of Salvador Rosales Torres and his family knowing that a NOM 1123 on the back of any bottle is a guarantee of quality “Their blanco is the best basic tequila on the market — insane value,” says Lampert “[And] the distillery is behind many of the new projects that industry nerds go crazy for.” Those would include Cascahuín 11 Brix a blend of three different fermentation types a blanco blend highlighting unique cooking who wanted to know what tequila might have tasted like in the past He would achieve that through an agave roasting technique not used in the industry for a century with piñas cooked underground in earthen pits Fermented via ambient yeast and finally distilled (at Cascahuín no less) with copper and pine wood alembic stills and first released in 2016 slightly smoky blanco unlike any on the modern market “It was completely the opposite of the way the industry is going with mass production,” says Suro-Piñera portions of the industry have begun to move toward more “rustic” releases like Patrón Ahumado Still mostly unknown to all but the most savvy U.S drinkers — and only pursued by connoisseurs and collectors recently upon small distribution to the country starting in 2019 — Caballito Cerrero’s influence is predominantly legal and philosophical Santa Rita Fabrica’s Jimenez family decided to stop dealing with them (and stop paying them) altogether even though their wonderful spirits fit all of the parameters of tequila instead opting for “destilado de agave,” beginning in 2018 Not only has this given an added mystique to the cult brand it’s shown other small producers in both the tequila and mezcal world a different way of doing things tastable way that the world of agave spirits in Jalisco Cycling Finland’s Archipelago Trail was like riding through a postcard LOUISVILLE — As a young boy in Venezuela, Junior Alvarado wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and be a winning jockey He started as what he called a "backboy" in the racing stables in Barquisimeto He remembered hearing about this big race called the Kentucky Derby "We didn't have much access to watch any other races but the Kentucky Derby was the famous race," Alvarado said I thought my only chance to win that race — I had to go to the United States and I had to make it there Alvarado, 38, has now competed in the Kentucky Derby five times. He hoped to be the first to dart past the tall white "FINISH" post this weekend on a bay horse, No. 18 Sovereignty, during his sixth run. (He later ended up winning the race.) Most of those competing this weekend in Kentucky hail from around the world The American Business Immigration Coalition estimates jockeys on visas account for up to 70% of U.S Now, as the Trump administration aims to crack down on many forms of migration those in the industry bank their athletes will be spared from regulatory changes But some across the country are already feeling the pain of living in limbo Many riders come from Mexico, Panama and Venezuela where there are established jockey academies "In Venezuela as well as many other Central and South American countries It is equal to American football," said Ramon Dominguez a retired jockey from Venezuela and member of the U.S "A lot of the kids grow up with the dream of one day becoming a jockey." The Latino presence in American horseracing has evolved over the years From the grooms to some of the winningest jockeys Current and former jockeys said that to compete means sacrifice leaving families behind and training long hours to become the best of the best "Our racing scene has been very much enriched by jockeys from all countries," said Bonnie Smerdon an immigration attorney who helps jockeys with their visas and has been in the industry for almost 10 years "I'm doing more and more jockey visas than [when I] started out in my career." While many come on visas, Smerdon said there are other avenues. For example, she has one client from Venezuela on Temporary Protected Status, a parole program the Trump administration revoked risking the work authorization of hundreds of thousands of immigrants said the opportunities that are getting denied are "heartbreaking." He knows jockeys in limbo with their immigration status They want to better themselves," Alvarado said Smerdon said she has been able to get all her clients' visas approved to bring in more athletes to the U.S. despite the Trump administration's recent crackdowns Others in the industry agree their industry is untouched so far helps jockeys process their immigration paperwork She said it can already be complicated to request an athlete visa for a jockey because the sport is very unique — each athlete can compete for multiple different trainers and on several horses Those in the industry fear future restrictions on visas based on country of origin "I don't want there to be additional restrictions in reviewing those petitions when they are originally submitted," Coleman said noting she is thorough in providing background for the immigration agents wonderful week," she said about the races leading up to the Kentucky Derby "But quite frankly it takes people from all over the world in order to have this fastest two minutes in sports in Kentucky." One reason foreign athletes compete in the U.S is that many skew smaller and lighter than the average American Jockey schools in places like Panama also help shape a high-caliber talent pool "What Latin America is sending us is their highest-trained professionals and people who become influential associate professor at the University of South Carolina specializing in Latin American history and sports "What people don't realize is we're talking about winning trainers who apprenticed in competitions in Venezuela and came to the U.S won once in 2023 and is hoping to land another title on Saturday night there was a big scene for international equestrian opportunities and I wanted to try my luck here in the U.S.," Castellano said noting that his success in Venezuela was the launching point to compete in America "I had to go through the same process as any immigrant of not knowing the language; it's a different culture he came on a tourist visa and then secured a lawyer to help him complete the necessary paperwork to compete in the U.S offers more tracks and horses where jockeys can compete compared to some of the South American countries jockeys come from "God has blessed me with the gift of being able to ride horses and work in something I love," Castellano said. He will take to the track on No. 20, a three-year-old bay horse named Owen Almighty There are many pathways to the coveted track in Louisville. Martin Garcia, 40, riding No. 1 Citizen Bull and will compete in his fourth Kentucky Derby Garcia said he entered the country illegally about 15 years ago "I am really excited that I can ride a horse like those that are here and that I have the opportunity because there are many talented jockeys," Garcia said He grew up around horses on a ranch in Mexico but fell into being a professional jockey once in the U.S my mind is blank; you have to follow the rhythm of the horse," Garcia said were honored by the Louisville Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on stage — their many accolades listed off on stage we would not have a Kentucky Derby," said Hank Enright "So it's very important we take a pause and thank these unsung heroes for the most exciting two minutes of sports." One jockey honored was Joel Rosario, who will take to the track aboard No. 14 Tiztastic for another shot at winning (he won in 2013) Rosario started riding at the age of 13 in the Dominican Republic and about 20 years ago he came to the U.S I thought for a bit that it might be better to return to the Dominican Republic," Rosario told NPR at the event and was supported by the owners and trainers." Rosario said he has won more races than he ever thought possible He sees his story as a successful jockey as an immigrant story Rosario said he's noticed an increase in Latino jockeys over the last two decades Latinos have continued advancing and succeeding here in the U.S.," he said By most accounts, we are living in a golden age of dining here in Cincinnati. Our chefs are garnering more James Beard award nominations and national media nods than ever before We have very good spots for just about every cuisine Venezuelan and Sichuan restaurants that have turned our suburbs into dining destinations And the higher-end establishments in Over-the-Rhine and Downtown give lovers of Spanish Eastern European cuisine something to celebrate That said, many of us still long for places we've lost along the way Perhaps many of the spots from our younger years tug more at our heartstrings than our stomachs But whether it was a sophisticated French cuisine destination like the Maisonette or a hole-in-the-wall breakfast spot (a la Inn the Wood Tavern I've been thinking about eight specific restaurants that still loom large in my mind from a dollar-menu Mexican chain to a 19th-century Bavarian tavern I've done my best to track down their opening and closing dates The Rookwood Pottery was located in the famous pottery manufacturer's old factory in Mount Adams and known for its charbroiled burgers named after Cincinnati people and landmarks the Kroger-burger and an Erkenbrecher-burger Trollope's French onion soup (one of my favorites) and might have been the first Greater Cincinnati restaurant to serve drinks in mason jars a trend that would catch on like wildfire decades later Rookwood Pottery mixed the industrial with the funky and the austere Butcher block tables were surrounded by Windsor chairs The wall-to-wall carpet featured a mosaic pattern And barring any issues with claustrophobia you could eat inside one of the restaurant's four kilns Modern-day alternative: The Mount Adams Bar & Grill a casual but sophisticated Italian restaurant/American bistro including the tiny boxes of Trivial Pursuit cards placed on each table but I was a big fan of the one in Hyde Park (now home to E&O Kitchen) It was the kind of place where young families felt just as at home as young couples It was also an agreeable spot for special occasions It had a certain '80s preppiness to it ‒ the kind of place you could gather with friends and feel like you were living large in the "St The restaurant was most famous for its Zinover but there was much more to the menu than that Other items included a spicy meat lasagna and chicken teriyaki; gourmet pizzas with white or whole wheat crusts; a hot brown sandwich served on a silver platter and a burger au gratin where the chefs created a little pocket of cheese inside the burger Julie Grant and Meredith Monohan Deane tried to resurrect Zino's in Covington Aside from offering great pizzas and calzones But with its exposed brick walls and well-lit dining room The first time I ever had pasta carbonara was at Ciao Baby at Harper's Point It's also the first place I tried bruschetta (theirs was topped with pesto tomatoes and gorgonzola) and prosciutto-wrapped cantaloupe To a kid who grew up in the fast-food mecca of Beechmont Avenue Ciao Baby was introduced to Cincinnati in 1991 by the late Carl Bruggemeier who spent time managing such high-profile restaurants as the Tavern on the Green in New York City and Commander's Palace in New Orleans the two men turned their endeavor into a small but short-lived chain with locations in Washington While it wasn't around long, I credit Ciao Baby with opening my eyes to Italian food that went far beyond your average red sauce joints. As much as Cincinnatians loved it, the restaurant certainly didn't win over the Washington Post restaurant critic Phyllis C. Richman, who called it "an Italian restaurant for a generation that's graduated from a decade of Chuck E Modern-day alternative: Via Vite There was a time in the 1990s when Cincinnati was cool And if anyplace captured the zeitgeist of that era Opened by Sonya McDonnell and Mike Markiewicz in 1992 It's a place where I would sit sipping a bottle English bitter ale listening to jazz while reading a Hemingway novel I'd picked up off the shelf from scrappy old-school musicians and poets to mainstream kids who looked like they just walked off the set of "Friends." local bluegrass legend Katie Lauer broadcast her WNKU radio program live from Kaldi's with musical performances from the likes of Jake Speed and the Freddies and the Comet Bluegrass All-stars I remember thinking it was the most Cincinnati moment I'd ever experienced I can tell you that I've never found a place quite like Kaldi's Modern-day alternative: Iris Book Cafe this used bookstore and cafe on Main Street serves soups and sandwiches and features exhibits by local artists multiple locations – 1969 to 1986I sometimes wonder if Zantigo was as good as I think it was it was basically a local version of a Taco Bell But even after Taco Bell took it over in the 1980s I was a sophomore at Turpin High School when a senior named Jennifer offered to give my friend and me a ride to the Zantigo on Beechmont Avenue where most of the seniors hung out after school my first chilito (a little tube of seasoned beef cheddar jack and tomato sauce in a flour tortilla) Most of the menu items were less than a dollar Zantigo opened in 1966 in Minneapolis, making its way to Cincinnati sometime in the late '70s or early '80s. According to a quick Wikipedia dive, it was founded in 1969 as Zapata by Marno McDermott, the future co-founder of another beloved Mexican chain called Chi-Chi's. In 1974, McDermott sold Zapata to Heublein it was renamed Zantigo and once had more than 80 locations But why not get a real taco and one of the dozens of real taquerias in Cincinnati They are still on the menu at all Skyline Chili locations Over-the-Rhine – 1946 to 2021As far as I'm concerned Tucker's on Vine was the greatest restaurant Cincinnati has ever seen The greasy spoon diner that served the best burgers goetta and vegetarian fare in town was established in 1946 by E.G who abandoned the hills of Kentucky for the hills of Cincinnati looking for something a little bit better Their diner soon became the go-to mom and pop for Appalachian migrants and Black factory workers who you could always find in a back booth peeling potatoes Carla was known for helping the neighborhood kids with their homework And Joe would take her students to Reds games if their grades were good enough It would all sound so romantic if it wasn't so damn sad The modern-day alternative: Nothing comes close I can't remember how many locations the small local chain Darci's had but each one had the feel of a Parisian cafe plopped smack dab into the Cincinnati suburbs It's at the last one where my mother and I would go in my 20s usually after a shopping trip to replace my torn and tattered clothing with something more acceptable to her at the Beechmont Mall Opened by a former Arby's franchisee named William Beaty Darci's was the first place to introduce fast-French casual dining to Cincinnati The menu focused on croissant sandwiches (a big deal back then) soups (I ate their cream of broccoli at least once a week) and their famously addictive dill oyster crackers (if you know They also had a great dressed-up chicken salad with curry a barbecue chicken pizza and a delicious spinach quiche Darci's went out of business in 1995 and was purchased by M.F I'm not sure when that version of Darci's closed but I can find no mention of it after 1999 Modern-day alternative: French Crust at Findlay Market or Paris Baquette I walked inside and saw what looked like a thousand Avril-Bleh sausages laid out before me on several large buffet tables I went to the bar to order a beer and stared in wonder at the large leaded glass doorway thinking it was the most magnificent doorway I'd ever seen Behind me was a mural of the Rhine River Valley in Germany that let me know this wasn't just a bar it was a testament to the artistry of our city's German culture I stood with my friends watching a band called Lagniappe sing the Louis Armstrong classic "Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans?" I had just moved back briefly to Cincinnati from New Orleans the Crescent City was the furthest thing from my mind Modern-day alternative: Arnold's Bar & Grill We recently switched our login system from requiring display names to email addresses in order to log in You must use your email address instead of your display name in order to log in You need to be a member in order to leave a comment Sign up for a new account in our community