PIX11 it’s everyone’s moment to shine on the runway for free at the Brooklyn Central Library FEMA cuts will threaten multiple flood mitigation projects in Queens Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said Dozens of cats are now up for adoption after other deceased cats were found -- some in a freezer -- in a home on Long Island A small dog named Penny was injured after being attacked by two pit bulls on the Upper West Side Newark Airport has been dealing with numerous delays and cancellations since last week due to staffing shortages and equipment trouble the executive chef of Hellbender in Queens The film "See Her Be Her" follows the life of seven women baseball stars from around the world that share their love of the game the MLB ambassador for girls' baseball and the player development coordinator for Latin America for the Oakland A's the superstars of the fashion and entertainment world will be walking the red carpet at the super-exclusive Met Gala in Manhattan shows us easy ways to be your best self going into spring Lifestyle expert Victoria Sophia talks about the growing popularity of Formula One and Nascar Tony Award winner and Grammy nominee Alex Newell brings their unmistakable charisma and powerhouse talent to the big screen in "Another Simple Favor," the stylish sequel to the 2018 hit Here's why 'meadowscaping' has become the latest gardening craze When Sara Weaner Cooper and her husband bought their first home in Pennsylvania they knew they didn't want a perfectly manicured front lawn like their neighbours They wanted something that was more than just turf – a flourishing wild meadow home to diverse species of plants and animals aiming to work with how they want to grow rather than forcing them into particular areas She grew up with a non-traditional garden curated by her father which she remembers as a "woodland wonderland" because it was designed to support large trees it's still heavily wooded and teems with other native plants that prefer a shadier plot (his property gets less light than the Coopers') Her father didn't plot it out or plant very much but did "intentionally engage with it" You are likely to spend more than seven times more to manage one hectare of traditional lawn compared to meadow – Shishir PaudelWeaner Cooper had always wanted to focus on native plants in her lawn and do less mowing so rewilding their front lawn felt like the right move But the Coopers' lawn is a different animal than her father's It's in full Sun and consisted of over 1,500 sq m (16,000 sq ft) of turfgrass – narrow-leaved grasses designed to look uniform that had to be dealt with before a meadow could fully take over Rather than rip everything up and live with a drab they decided to try strategically seeding and planting native plants into the existing turf hoping it would eventually weed the turf out naturally "It's easier in the sense that you don't need to be beating back as many weeds," explains Weaner Cooper "[The native plants] came in so thickly that [they] outcompeted a lot of the weed pressure that would have been there if we would have just made it brown." but eventually a medley of waist-high native plant species blanketed their vast front lawn which are keystone species on which ecosystems depend all while improving local biodiversity and soil and groundwater quality from interweaving aesthetics and ecology to addressing practical garden issues One of the most common questions from participants in the course "How should I handle my neighbours who might not appreciate how my meadow looks while it's in progress?"  The emissions from travel it took to report this story were 0kg CO2. The digital emissions from this story are an estimated 1.2g to 3.6g CO2 per page view. Find out more about how we calculated this figure here. She used a clever solution for her own property: a sign in her garden that reads "native meadow in progress" 'ask me questions,'" she says but cars sometimes stopped to take pictures In fact, Pennsylvania is one of a handful of states actively encouraging homeowners to transition their lawns to meadows. In 2020, the Pennsylvania Department of Natural Resources started a lawn conversion programme that in some cases helps finance meadow projects "They cannot keep up with the demand," says Shishir Paudel a plant ecologist at the Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh "It started in the eastern part of Pennsylvania and it [was] so successful that they expanded into western Pennsylvania last year." a seeded meadow is far more affordable to maintain "You are likely to spend more than seven times more to manage one hectare of traditional lawn compared to meadow," says Paudel Maintaining a meadow also typically involves less work than regularly mowing a traditional lawn "Every couple of weeks in the peak season I go out and trim things back or mow the paths through the meadow," says Weaner Cooper "And it looks very intentional." Still, meadowscaping doesn't have to look as wild as the Coopers' lawn. Take Marc Johnson's meadow in Toronto, Canada. A professor of biology at the University of Toronto, Mississauga, his research on how urban landscapes impact plant-pollinator interactions inspired him to create various pollinator gardens within his front yard (and label them accordingly) we started to convert that space into pollinator gardens of different themes and flavours," says Johnson "We just gradually took up the entire lawn." But within the first year of his lawn conversion Johnson says he began to see pollinators arriving to his flowering plants "You start to see pollinators that you have never seen in your yard before and you didn't even know were in the area," he says "One of the favourites for the bees and the butterflies would be purple coneflower easy-to-grow perennial that's very common in gardens I'd say it's one of the best species for people to start with." There are several ways to meadowscape a lawn and what works on one property might not on another Still, experts agree you should aim for mostly native plant species (above 70% is often cited) with the ideal plants varying based on location Johnson suggests finding a reputable nursery and asking them which are easy to grow and likely to come back "Even creating a diverse little garden on an apartment balcony can have an impact," he says If you're looking for a quicker turnaround you can remove the lawn with natural lawn and weed killer and you'll have a brown lawn for a time but it'll give your new native species more room and fresher soil to grow "[The holes in the wood] are for the more diverse and ecologically important solitary bees most of which are native," Johnson explains "There are many different species that are nesting in there right now but there is a lot of diversity in that one location." Johnson's yard certainly involves some upkeep especially as he tries to maintain the themes of his specific gardens "Every year is different because the species are competing sometimes a pathogen will come in and wipe it out and then other things start to come in." This natural cycling of species is part of what makes meadows more resilient. Plant and animal species may compete from time to time, but that's an element of a healthy ecosystem that encourages natural selection and adaptation A recent study at King's College at the University of Cambridge in the UK which measured the effects of rewilding half of the college's 300-year-old lawn saw similar ecological benefits to meadowscaping It found the meadow side was more climate resilient than the traditional side of the lawn which helps protect the inhabitants from heat damage "In those diverse systems with the deep roots [water] makes its way down into the bottom of the soil and then into the groundwater system," says Paudel it's filtered through [the vegetation] when it goes into the groundwater Similar plants can mitigate stormwater runoff, so Johnson planted some in a ditch on his property that was prone to flooding, creating a bioswale – a shallow trench designed to slow runoff with plants that help absorb the water into the ground • Meet Siku, the itchy polar bear: How allergies are affecting animals • Resurrection plants: The drought-resistant 'zombie plants' that come back from the dead • Elephants hate bees – here's why that's good news for Kenyan farmers "We put in plants that are especially adapted to wetlands but can also survive dry periods," he says "When I put water at one end of the ditch by the time it got to the right-hand side of that most of the water is gone," says Johnson Large-scale bioswales are even being implemented in cities like New York City to reduce flooding from sewer overflows and stormwater Doing the heavy lifting (lawn turnover and initial planting) of meadowscaping is easier during the winter months when most lawns are dormant anyway – a process called winter sowing a horticulturist and professional landscape designer in Canada "We scraped away all the sod with machinery, and then we put down a little bit of soil, and I got a 100% native wildflower mix and we spread it," she says. "You spread it in the fall after a couple of frosts. Then all winter, those seeds get their cold stratification [exposure to cold damp air that helps it germinate when it gets warm again] and the moisture they need like they've always been there."  As the Coopers demonstrated, however, you don't need to remove everything from your lawn to plant a meadow. Paudel suggests a process called solarisation where you cover your lawn with clear plastic in the summer which can overtake the native plants in a meadow if you don't keep an eye out for them "Keeping up with the weeding does take a little bit of time like they don't know where the border of [a] garden is," says Johnson it's changing and it's beautiful," says Weaner Cooper And while it takes a fair amount of intentional curating those who've rewilded their lawns seem to feel something beyond pride; rather more of a reverent stewardship of their local ecosystem "Imagine if half of an urban population took that view," says Johnson "We could dramatically change our ecosystems for the better making cities much healthier environments." For more science, technology, environment and health stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram. Seven images that transformed our world viewWatch how the maps and images of our planet from above have changed over the last two millennia. 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Over two hundred and fifty thousand people from all walks of life poured into St Peter’s Square and the adjacent areas on Saturday morning to bid their final farewell to Pope Francis at his Requiem Mass Over 150,00 others lined the streets of Rome as his coffin was taken in procession to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major The Solemn and moving celebration was presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re joined by some 250 Cardinals In his homily the Dean of the College of Cardinals delved into the many highlights of his remarkable and intense 12 years of Petrine Ministry marked by his style of closeness to the people and spontaneity of his gestures until the very end by his deep love for the Church which he wanted open to everyone Thanking all those present and extending his greetings to the numerous religious leaders Heads of Government and Official Delegations from across the world attending the Mass Cardinal Re noted that the outpouring witnessed in this week of mourning tells a lot on how much the pontificate of Pope Francis “touched minds and hearts” of many people Referencing the Gospel passage where Christ charges Peter with shepherding His flock Cardinal Re remarked that “Despite his frailty and suffering towards the end Pope Francis chose to follow this path of self-giving until the last day of his earthly life,” in which he “followed in the footsteps of his Lord wanted to give us his blessing from the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica He then came down to this Square to greet the large crowd gathered for the Easter Mass while riding in the open-top Popemobile.” He recalled how his decision to take the name Francis “immediately appeared to indicate the pastoral plan and style on which he wanted to base his pontificate seeking inspiration from the spirit of Saint Francis of Assisi.” With his temperament and form of pastoral leadership “he immediately made his mark on the governance of the Church.” but “also a Pope attentive to the signs of the times and what the Holy Spirit was awakening in the Church.” With his characteristic vocabulary and language he always sought to shed light on the problems of our difficult times with the wisdom of the Gospel encouraging Christians to live out their faith amid these challenges and contradictions which he liked to describe as an “epochal change." Evangelisation, Cardinal Re explained, remained central to his vision, most notably expressed in his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium. His image of the Church as a “field hospital” characterised a Church actively engaging with the world’s wounds was deeply symbolic of his solidarity with the suffering “His gestures and exhortations in favour of refugees and displaced persons are countless His insistence on working on behalf of the poor was constant.” stood out as both a “pastoral balm” and a call for interreligious dialogue His global travels often brought him to places of deep need and conflict culminating in his 2024 visit to the Asia-Oceania region which extended the Church’s presence to the farthest peripheries Cardinal Re also highlighted Pope Francis’ relentless emphasis on mercy—centred in his declaration of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in 2016—and his persistent advocacy for a “culture of encounter” against the prevailing “throwaway culture.” His call for human fraternity, notably in his Encyclical ‘Fratelli tutti’ and the 2019 Abu Dhabi joint Declaration on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together underscored his desire for global solidarity and peace Environmental stewardship, expressed in the Encyclical 'Laudato si’' further widened the scope of his moral leadership stressing the interconnectedness of all creation and our shared responsibility for the planet Pope Francis’ voice stood out as one of peace always insisting that “war is a defeat for humanity” Cardinal Re's words on the late Pope's efforts and appeals for world peace drew wide applause from the crowds present invoking the familiar words with which Pope Francis always ended his audiences and meetings: “Do not forget to pray for me.” With more applause rising from those present asking their beloved Pope to intercede for the Church and bless the whole world from heaven as you did last Sunday from the balcony of this Basilica in a final embrace with all the people of God but also embrace humanity that seeks the truth with a sincere heart and holds high the torch of hope.” Thank you for reading our article. You can keep up-to-date by subscribing to our daily newsletter. Just click here Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Even amid political chaos and rising prices what matters most to his supporters is a macabre form of payback and vengeance polling proves that the idea of “regretful” Trump voters is “more of a media creation than anything else” Very few of them regret what they did back in 2024,” Enten said on Wednesday Read moreOf course, polls aren’t always reliable. Indeed, I’m going to be a little cruel and refer you back to an Enten segment from five days before the election, where the data guru looked at three 2024 polling trends that pointed to a potential victory for vice-president Kamala Harris. “If Harris wins the signs were clear as day,” he declared In short: Mark Twain had the measure of polling when he said “there are three kinds of lies: lies Minton lived in a Florida town that had been ravaged by the double whammy of a hurricane and a Trump administration-instigated government shutdown and he’s the one who’s doing this,” Minton complained He’s not hurting the people he needs to be hurting.” And he has rounded up immigrants and protesters but you can’t stay here.” The cruelty is very much the point By the time Nelly Korda wrapped up her media obligations and finished signing autographs for the young fans who stuck around to meet the newest winner of the Chevron Championship, darkness had already descended on The Woodlands, Texas. “By having a great team around me full of positivity and working hard, hard work will always get you somewhere,” Korda told the media that Sunday. Korda and her team were riding high on adrenaline, perhaps the only chemical strong enough to keep them on their feet. It was 8:30 p.m., but the team had been up since 4 a.m. in preparation for a marathon day in which Korda had to complete the weather-delayed third round, leading to 24 holes Sunday. Inside the dining area of the ladies locker room, the champion ate with the four members of her team, in addition to her parents, Petr and Regina; her brother, Sebastian; and McDede’s wife, professional golfer Caroline Masson, and their son, Benton. Korda immediately withdrew from the next event on the LPGA schedule and the group started rebooking their flights. As the dinner unfolded over the next two hours, the energy that had propelled the group through an epic stretch slowly dissipated as the team was able to relax for the first time in months. They captured the moment by taking a group photo in which they all held up five fingers in celebration of Korda’s record-tying run. That’s the only win Korda has ever taken the time to celebrate. It’s been 12 months since Korda and her crew enjoyed that celebratory dinner in Texas and although it’s a new year and a new season, the team remains unchanged. Korda has granted me access to those she has deemed the forward-facing members of her team. There are others who make up Korda’s camp, like her parents, as well as additional coaches and trainers, but they provide support behind the scenes, and that’s where Korda prefers they stay. “I’ve always been a very private person, in every aspect of my life. That’s just kind of the way I grew up,” Korda tells me. “But, it’s nice to show people your appreciation.” “It’s very tight, close, compared to maybe some other teams that I see in the golf world, but in tennis you have a little bit of a bigger team and everyone’s very tightknit,” Korda says. “And that’s what I love, because this life is really hard, and it gets really lonely, and I know that I have my best friends, too.” “I always had [Jessica] as my safe space and then she left and I was like, well, what do I do now?” Korda says, which led her to foster greater friendships with her team. “That’s when we all grew very close.” It’s a bright, sunny morning in North Las Vegas and unseasonably cold when Korda’s team reunites for her 7:30 a.m. pro-am. It’s the first time the group has been together, in person, since Korda began her season in earnest after taking a prolonged break following the first two events of the year in early February. Korda’s blonde hair is knotted in her signature scrunchie, she’s bundled up in a long-sleeve white shirt and is wearing black pants. The world’s top-ranked player is flanked on the tee box by McDede, arguably the closest member of her team, who has been her caddie since 2018 and by her side for each of her 15 LPGA Tour victories. McDede has been known to drop whatever he’s doing at home to drive over and visit Korda if she’s struggling during an off week. THE WOODLANDS, TX - APRIL 21: Nelly Korda (USA) celebrates with her caddie Jason McDede after winning the Chevron Championship at The Club at Carlton Woods on April 21, 2024 in The Woodlands, Texas. (Photo by Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) “Jay is definitely one of my best friends,” Korda says about her caddie. “We just clicked immediately. He’s so outgoing, he brings me out of my shell a little.” Mulligan, Korda’s swing coach since 2021, is on the back of the tee box. The duo had a brief split because of scheduling constraints, but Mulligan has made himself more available in recent years to work with Korda on-site during tournament weeks, and the pair has since remained together. Mulligan stands directly behind Korda as she tees off on the first hole, crushing a driver down the fairway. “Having Jamie at events has been really, really nice because yeah, he’s a golf coach, but he also brings me so much from the mental side as well,” Korda says about Mulligan, who joined the team along with his colleague and instructor, Brett Lederer. “I just clicked with them immediately and I think when I trust someone, I trust them fully and I really give them a chance.” “Kim’s the one that keeps my body in line,” Korda says about her trainer. “She’s just so calm and happy all the time. She just puts me in a really good mood.” Mullhaupt is Korda’s agent and has represented her since she turned professional in 2016. This morning, he stands on the rope line until it’s time for his client to tee off. With one white earbud snuggly in place and his hand clutching his iPhone, he gives off all the signals that he’s on a call. Mindful of his ability to distract, he takes off on foot down the cart path, where he darts in and out of the trees during the nine-hole pro-am at Shadow Creek. “Chris, gosh, I’ve known him since I was like 5,” says Korda, who met Mullhaupt when he began representing her sister. “These are people that I’ve just always been really comfortable with.” “I’m the one hitting the shots and hitting the putts and getting the credit, but at the same time I believe that this is a – we’re a brand. We’re a company,” Spieth said about his team. “We’re competing together all for the same goal.” That’s a common refrain among Korda’s camp, too. While Korda tends to her putting, I join Mulligan, Mullhaupt, McDede and Baughman on a covered porch on the back of the clubhouse at Shadow Creek. “The common goal is, we just want to make Nelly perform the best,” Mullhaupt says about how the group works together. “We all trust each other and I think we do a good job of staying in our own lanes as well.” That’s not to say they don’t venture into each other’s areas of expertise as they seek advice and input for Korda’s greater good. All egos have been checked, which allows for a free flow of information between the team members as they work to achieve their objective of doing the best they can for the woman they affectionately refer to as “boss.” “We all trust what each other are doing,” McDede says about his teammates. “If Jamie has a suggestion about a golf course for me, it’s not that I take it offensively, like I’m not doing my job. It’s just that Jamie’s been to these places a million times. Why would I not trust his information?” Mulligan, often a source of information for the team as not only the veteran in years but also in experience, has emerged as the de facto leader of Team Nelly. NAPLES, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 20: Nelly Korda of the United States prepares to play her shot from the third tee as coach Jamie Mulligan looks on during a practice round prior to the CME Group Tour Championship 2024 at Tiburon Golf Club on November 20, 2024 in Naples, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) “I’m the CEO of a country club, so I think I act like CEO in this situation as well,” Mulligan says. “If it’s golf related and someone has a question, they’ll ask me the question about the golf, and then if I don’t have the answer, I’ll go find it for them.” “That really drives Jamie crazy, if I put it around my shoulders. I do it just to bother him,” Mullhaupt says with a laugh. “We all know our little idiosyncrasies of what bothers each other,” McDede admits with a smile. And that’s the vibe among Korda’s team members, who layer sarcasm onto their everyday dealings so heavily that sometimes they have to check with one another to make sure it’s all in jest. The jokes, however, are all part of the effort to keep the mood light, not just among themselves, but also for Korda. “[I’m] just trying to keep her laughing on the golf course. Obviously, she’s focusing on her golf, but in the little off moments you have in a day, trying to keep it light as possible,” McDede says about his interactions with Korda inside the ropes. “For my job, the more serious it gets, the more unserious I have to get because I have to kind of balance her out, out there.” McDede describes the team as good about switching the humor on and off and getting down to business when they need to. He adds that his schedule with Korda hasn’t changed since he began looping for her seven years ago. Maintaining that schedule means meeting at the same time, eating at the same time, while also hitting, chipping and putting for the same intervals every day. McDede says it keeps Korda from feeling too rushed or from having too much excess time, either. “Everything is very detailed,” McDede says about his job with Korda. “So, there’s no up-and-down range of emotions. And I think that’s a big key, to just trying to keep your emotions in check.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nelly (@nellykorda) Baughman maintains a regimented schedule with Korda as well working on not just her physical routine but also her mental agility Korda added to her team another trainer in Jason Riley whom Baughman will observe during his sessions with Korda and continue those same training blocks when they’re on the road Baughman says every training day with Korda is three to four hours “We keep focus on staying present,” a soft-spoken Baughman says about the mindset she discusses with Korda “Each week is a new tournament and staying in the moment focusing on what you have in front of you.” That ability to focus was tested early and often when Korda got off to an epic start to the LPGA Tour season in 2024 the pressure to keep that streak alive grew – along with the mounting expectation from the LPGA and the media that Korda would take up the tour’s mantle and field any and every request to help spur the growth and popularity of the women’s game 1 Stacy Lewis at last year’s Chevron Championship “Continuing to play great golf though is No There was a desire for Korda to be the outgoing face of the tour the one who would shepherd the women’s game into the mainstream and catapult the sport to a greater level of awareness but she made an effort to take on more than with which she was comfortable “Nelly fully understands and feels strongly about the game and wanting to be an ambassador for the sport and wanting to do her part,” Mullhaupt says about her media contributions “She does a lot behind the scenes that isn’t public that people aren’t aware of that we don’t share publicly because Nelly doesn’t want that to be known what she’s doing.” Mullhaupt says they haven’t changed how they’ve gone about filtering requests and he maintains that this focus has always centered on doing what’s essential for Korda to perform her best Mullhaupt says he tries to take as much off Korda’s plate as he can and while there are certain initiatives that Korda is passionate about making time for it often means saying ‘no’ to other outside requests Korda says the pressure to not just perform but to also meet the growing number of outside demands on her time reached a tipping point at last year’s U.S PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 29: Nelly Korda of the United States (R) talks with her coach Jamie Mulligan (L) walking to the 12th green during a practice round prior to the U.S Women’s Open Presented by Ally at Lancaster Country Club on May 29 Korda came into the year’s second major feeling completely disconnected from her game and describes how her mind and body were no longer working in unison Korda says the 10 that she carded at the par-3 12th during the opening round at Lancaster Country Club wasn’t what led to the disconnect she was already mentally exhausted by her start to the season and the subsequent challenges it provided “I was just fried,” Korda says about how she felt while competing at the U.S who was by Korda’s side as he watched her major hopes implode with three balls in the water on her third hole of the championship McDede says it was at that moment that he made the decision to shift from his role as caddie and jokester to big brother and friend It was obviously very heartbreaking to be right there and watch,” McDede says about what unfolded at the par 3 “I turned into Jay the friend and just helped her through the rest of the round because the world is watching.” It’s all part of the delicate balance that not just McDede tries to maintain in their day-to-day management of the world No which ranges from juggling practice time with media opportunities to regulating emotions on the golf course The team tells me that their biggest challenge is knowing what to say and when And like in the situation that unfolded at Lancaster McDede knew it was senseless to say anything at all “We do a really good job of not saying anything unless it needs to be said,” Mulligan provides Following the septuple bogey at the 12th hole Korda posted five bogeys and three birdies over her remaining holes for an opening 80 She headed to the driving range afterwards looking to reconnect with her game “I was almost more impressed with her that week than any week,” Mulligan says about Korda’s no-quit attitude as she recovered with a 70 in Round 2 but I think it was like so many high-pressure moments and I don’t think I was getting enough rest,” Korda says about the rough stretch she experienced mid-season and I think that took a toll on me mentally.” “I kept using the word ‘fresh,’ like let’s be fresh,” Mulligan says about the advice he gave Korda during that time “It’s just a bit of a balancing act that we all manage,” Mullhaupt adds Korda missed the cut in her next two starts as well she was bit in the leg by a dog while in a Seattle coffee shop following the KPMG The chance encounter forced Korda to withdraw from her next event on the Ladies European Tour but it also gave her a chance to reset mentally and physically “They told me I need to take a step back,” Korda says about her team’s intervention “They’re always in full support of me being fresh The forced hiatus also gave Korda time to reflect on what had changed since she began experiencing that feeling of disconnect She realized she had gotten away from what worked best – just being herself is not necessarily who everyone wants her to be screw it,” Korda says about trying to please everyone Korda and her camp thrive in a highly structured routine The group characterizes themselves as detailed and process-driven and they describe Korda in the same vein – highly focused But sticking diligently to a structure when it’s having unintended effects can be detrimental Korda says it took her months to recover from the exhaustion she experienced and acknowledged making some uncharacteristic mistakes at the Olympic Games in Paris in August She says she didn’t feel like herself again until the AIG Women’s Open at St “Sometimes you can keep doing your process you just don’t need to do as much of it,” Mulligan says about what the team learned “My main priority is always going to be myself and my game,” Korda explains about her focus moving forward my love for the game or the kind of [golf I] play lessens Nelly Korda continues the tradition of jumping in the pond after winning the Chevron Championship! 🌊🏆 pic.twitter.com/T3XnvDTQvU Korda’s schedule doesn’t allow much time for celebrating but her victory at the Chevron Championship was something that she and her team wanted to savor Continuing the championship’s tradition of leaping into the water off the 18th green wasn’t something Korda wanted to do alone – she wanted to share that with the people who made it possible ‘Of course we’re going in the water,’” Mulligan remembers Korda saying to him after her victory Having made the leap into Poppie’s Pond at Mission Hills Country Club alongside the originator of the jump Mulligan orchestrated how the team would take this plunge “Jamie was definitely the captain of the jumping situation and was advising and telling all of us what we needed to do,” Mullhaupt says with a laugh “It was really cold and not as deep as you think.” but it was pretty murky at the bottom,” McDede recalls having walked 24 holes that day with Korda “I looked up and Nelly was already out of the water.” “I was just glad we didn’t find any turtles or alligators,” says Baughman which drew a collective laugh from the team there are times where deviating from routine proves special especially when such moments are in celebration of what all that focus and dedication has wrought But it’s not just a jump or a dinner or an opportunity to reflect on individual achievement That’s the reason the ever-private Korda gave me access to her bubble inner circle within which she finds safety and comfort so that a shy superstar could shine the spotlight on the group that has contributed so much to her success say the words that don’t always come easily – thank you and I can’t be me without them,” Korda says “I would love to finish off my career with this team 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 Former Maine Governor Paul LePage has announced he is running for Congress The Republican is planning to run against Democratic Congressman Jared Golden in 2026 He filed paperwork and made formal announcement on Monday on his Facebook page LePage was a city councilor in Waterville from 1998 to 2002 mayor of Waterville from 2004 to 2011 and then elected governor in 2010 beating out Libby Mitchell and Eliot Cutler and then again in 2014 LePage has been mostly a Florida resident since leaving the Blaine House due to term limits in 2019 He lost his bid for a third term against Governor Janet Mills in 2022 Golden is currently serving his fourth term representing Maine’s Second District but the people who work there may not be OK You can't pay bills with the “fun” parts of the job the basic combined cash and tip minimum wage rate is $7.25 an hour The maximum tip credit against minimum wage is $5.12 Anyone employee making $30 or more a month in tips is subject to this and Wyoming all have a tipped minimum wage of $2.13 the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands The cost of hospitality burnout is not just human Sign up for the biweekly F&W Pro Newsletter and you'll get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox, along with insights, pep talks, and wisdom from some of the best people in the hospitality business. Learn more here Opposition lawmakers say resumption of war is for political not strategic reasons After the security cabinet approved the expansion of the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) activity in the Gaza Strip Sunday night the Hostages and Missing Families Forum accused the government of ignoring the wishes of the Israeli population and choosing territory over the hostages “The plan approved by the cabinet deserves the name 'Smotrich-Netanyahu Plan' for giving up on the hostages and abandoning national and security resilience,” the Forum said “The government admits this morning that it is choosing territories over abductees and this is against the will of over 70 percent of the people This choice will be remembered as a cry for generations.”  and a prominent protest leader over the past year complained about the decision to broaden the fighting in Gaza at a protest Saturday night “Netanyahu is calling up reservists to fight again in Gaza which will only bring about the death of hostages “He is sending soldiers into an unnecessary war a war he refuses to end,” Zangauker claimed she also spoke at a discussion at the National Security Committee asking for the government to say if it values land more than the hostages Zangauker said she had hoped to speak to Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana do you agree with the decision that was made by the Cabinet?” Zangauker stated "Yesterday it was decided to expand the fighting in Gaza which means that the terrorists holding Matan my son were instructed to shoot him in the head as soon as they heard the IDF forces approaching I want to know if the price of the lives of Matan and 58 other hostages is worth the price of the occupation of the Gaza Strip the people of Israel for the most part can't accept it.”  Zangauker also sparred with MK Simcha Rothman one of the leaders in the push for the Judicial Reform laws “Tens of thousands of people have received Order 8 [technical name for the reserve call-up notice],” Zanguaker stated with a desire not to abandon their fighters in enemy territory 'We have to be careful here with the call for refusal,' Zangauker shouted Don't attribute to me things I didn't say!'" She then shared that her daughter serves despite the ongoing situation “My daughter is serving even though Matan is in captivity On Sunday evening, Channel 13 news reported that IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir recently warned government ministers that renewing and expanding the military operations in the Gaza Strip could endanger the hostages we won’t necessarily reach the hostages,” Zamir was quoted as saying to the leaders Zamir also warned the ministers that the two goals of defeating Hamas and returning the hostages “are problematic in relation to each other.”  the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said: “The chief of staff’s warning should keep every Israeli awake at night An overwhelming majority of the nation is united around the understanding that an Israeli victory cannot be achieved without bringing the hostages home Losing the hostages would mean an Israeli defeat National security and social stability depend on the return of all the hostages – every last one.”  Opposition politicians also spoke out against the decision to renew fighting Chairman of the recently formed Democrats party Maj “The Cabinet decided tonight to expand the military operation inside the Gaza Strip – not to preserve Israel's security but to save Netanyahu and the extremist government but a move that legitimizes a permanent stay in the field as part of the realization of Ben-Gvir and Smotrich's fantasies.”  head of the right-wing opposition party Israel Beitenu called out the government for hypocrisy by sending out thousands of call-up orders to reservists who have served multiple tours of duty while also trying to pass a law to exempt tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from military service “Sending 60,000 conscription orders to reservists and promoting the Evasion Law [the Haredi Draft Law] is a severe blow to both security and national resilience,” Lieberman said “The Cabinet's decision yesterday to expand the war is also a political decision a purely coalition decision that also harms national security This government is willing to pay any price for the government even at the cost of the lives of the hostages or the lives of the soldiers.”  The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel in order to ask God to breathe the Spirit into the church and the world The people of God trust in the Holy Spirit In Italy, the feast of St. Joseph the Worker is a holiday gathered in Rome from across the world to discern the Roman pontiff But part of me wants them to get on with it I have never been in Rome during sede vacante It could be the jetlag or the stark contrast with the busy weekend It definitely feels like something—or someone—is missing One of my duties while in Rome is to get input from people on the street and Catholics in the pews It sounds fancier if you say it in Latin: I am reporting on the vox populi The approach is not scientific. At Pope Francis’ funeral Mass, for example, I talked to people before and after the liturgy I didn’t interview all 250,000 people who showed up Likewise, I went to Rome’s Basilica of Mary Major to interview those lined up to pay their respects to Pope Francis at his tomb I spoke to people in English or Spanish (or once what I think was a mix of Spanish and Portuguese) What I heard is quite different from the apprehensive commentaries speculating on the results of the upcoming conclave The people I interviewed don’t know who will be chosen or if the next pope will continue the work of Francis But listening to the vox populi gave me a great deal of comfort They want the next pope to build on and extend Francis’ initiatives Yet when I asked Rosa Guerra what she wanted from the next pope she told me she would like someone with the appeal of St She was emotional because she and her son had planned this trip to Rome last year to see Pope Francis she was crushed that she missed seeing the first pope from Latin America she was waiting to pay her respects to the late pope But I got the sense that her comment about Pope John Paul II had more to do with his charisma and athleticism when he was elected than any theological teaching The people of God certainly do see the bishop of Rome as a teacher but they also unquestionably see him as a father “I believe the Holy Spirit always intervenes in the choosing of the next pope,” the Rev the new pope will continue to give what the church needs in the circumstances in which we find ourselves.” people I’ve met have expressed this same trust in the Holy Spirit Here are the other stories you need to read today: Password reset instructions will be sent to your registered email address As a frequent reader of our website, you know how important America’s voice is in the conversation about the church and the world. We can't do it without you—America Media relies on generous support from our readers. Please visit our membership page to learn how you can invest in our work by subscribing to the magazine or making a donation If you’re already a subscriber or donor, thank you! If you login and register your print subscription number with your account, you’ll have unlimited access to the website. Please contact us at members@americamedia.org with any questions JOE KEEFE’s recent op-ed “You Didn’t Vote for This,” paints a vivid even frightening picture of President Donald Trump’s leadership and a profound misunderstanding of why millions of Americans support Trump — and continue to let’s be clear: Most Trump supporters are not blind followers They are Americans who are deeply frustrated with a broken political system that for decades ignored their concerns while enriching a narrow elite Trump gave a voice to their frustrations and forced an ossified political establishment to finally pay attention That’s not fascism; that’s democracy working as intended Keefe trots out tired accusations of “lawlessness” and “authoritarianism” as if disagreement with his preferred policies is synonymous with treason But Trump’s supporters do not believe in blind loyalty to a man and national security — issues that were often ignored or mocked by both parties in Washington Are some of Trump’s policies controversial Every administration makes controversial decisions But the idea that Trump’s voters endorsed tyranny is not only wrong — it’s insulting We voted for deregulation that unleashes small business growth We voted for nominating judges who will interpret the Constitution as written We voted for a president who challenges stale assumptions about foreign policy and stands up for America’s interests without apology and questioning America’s blank check to every global conflict are not betrayals of democracy — they are debates worth having Painting every deviation from the post-Cold War consensus as treason is a way of shutting down legitimate discussion Many Americans see Musk as a symbol of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit — exactly the kind of energy we should want influencing our government rather than more tired bureaucrats Suggesting that support for American innovation is equivalent to corruption is a gross distortion But a sober look at the past few years shows something else: the media-industrial complex and political elites fought tooth and nail to delegitimize a president who did not play by their rules and breathless accusations that ultimately went nowhere And they will not be lectured about democracy by those who spent years trying to overturn the results of an election they didn’t like America was never meant to be governed by fragile elites terrified of disruption Sometimes the people choose leaders the establishment doesn’t like That’s not a crisis — that’s the system working millions of Americans voted for Trump — not because they support every tweet or personnel decision — but because they support a vision of a strong Some may not like it but don’t insult our intelligence Hollie Noveletsky is CEO and president of Novel Iron Works Click for guidelines and instructions to contribute an op-ed column BOOK BANS and academic censorship are in clear opposition to our state’s proud Live Free or Die spirit New Hampshire lawmakers are considering two book banning bills right now — and they already passed one legislative chamber there are many indicators that can point the way for either a growth scenario or a recession but five are the most important — inflation EVERYONE criticizes lawyers — until they need one a murderous character Dick the Butcher intones as the current attacks by President Donald Trump suggest we take pride in knowing and caring for our neighbors At Ammonoosuc Community Health Services (ACHS) our mission is rooted in that simple truth: health care should be accessible AS A lifelong tree farmer (I bought my first woodlot in 1956 at the age of 11) it has been with great interest reading the recent spate of articles and letters to the editor regarding forest-carbon contracts These contracts have been characterized as tax “loopholes” or conspiracies by West… Cruel directives of the Trump administration from January 6th on have not been stopped by laws by judges and certainly not by we who have to watch and fear a new atrocity daily I am calling for us as individual Americans to act IT IS a bit upsetting that current relations with our northern neighbor are a bit strained right now we have a special relationship with Canada In the Granite State some 8,274 residents were born in Canada making Canada the most common birthplace for foreign-born re… YOU MAY have seen the headlines about President Donald Trump’s team exploring whether federal funding for Harvard University should be reconsidered the outrage from the left came fast and furious NEW HAMPSHIRE is on the cusp of becoming a leader in a patient’s “right to try” by providing them with nation-leading access to potentially life-saving experimental treatments for terminal illnesses through passage of HB 701 AS CITIZENS across New Hampshire exercise their Second Amendment rights it remains essential that here in the Granite State and across the country that our leaders foster a culture of responsible firearm ownership Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Would you like to receive our daily news? Signup today Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account Six silver stars shimmer in the sunlight as they hang above an ice chest overflowing with Jarritos and Jumex Freshly cut fruit and containers of chamoy sit in trays of ice in front of walls lined with Mexican sweets that tempt children into spoiling their dinners yet it feels like a slice of South Side San Antonio “Albert’s Mexican Products,” with “Mexican” painted in the colors of the flag Each of the the silver stars to the left represents one of Albert Núñez’s six children “Gracias por su preferencia de parte de la Familia Núñez,” which translates to “Thank you for choosing the Núñez Family.” Núñez greets every customer with a “¡Buenos días!” and a wide smile When I visited his stand at San Antonio’s Mission Open Air Market in March Núñez has run his family business nearly every operating day since 1999 Mission Open Air Market sprawls across sixty acres and hosts 1,800 vendors and 30,000 shoppers each week Originally founded in 1973 at the site of the old Mission Drive-In Theatre the market moved to its current location in 1985 I remember tugging at my mother’s hand desperate to dash ahead with the “big kids.” I was small then enchanted by the maze of rows filled with toys and color the buzz of Spanish chatter and the steady rhythm of the crowd feel familiar Mission has been a constant for families like mine—and vendors like Núñez and Núñez has been working the grounds since he was a teen has passed down the business legacy to his children “Ever since my dad showed me the ropes how to invest in your money and work and proceed I’ve never worked for anybody by the hour except for here at the market,” Núñez says “I don’t even think it’s my job no more I like it because it’s like a hobby to me He pointed down the aisles where he once steered a golf cart and sold snow cones Now he watches customers he’s known for decades browse his shelves their children growing alongside his business “I’ve seen kids in mamas’ stomachs; they come in strollers they’re adults with their own family,” he says to grow with the market cause it’s like a family The market has weathered storms both literal and figurative Many of them rely on the market to supplement their income but rising costs and other economic concerns persist Yet resilience runs deep at Mission Open Air Market One vendor shared that he arrives as early as 1 or 2 a.m After the city asked Jay in 1984 to move from the Mission Drive-In site away from the historic Mission San José the new market grounds opened near SE Loop 410 in January 1985 The debut market at that location welcomed 35 vendors—and a bitter surprise A rare snowstorm had swept through San Antonio heavy snow had piled up to knee height and blanketed the market Everyone was bundled up in jackets not meant for such weather and vendors fought against the wind to set up their stalls stood among the rows and booths and wondered if he’d made a terrible mistake I thought I was going to close shop,” he said It’s that spirit—warmed by grit and community—that continues to define the market kids clutching their new toys trail behind parents and tired families promise to return next week SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – Three people were found dead four were taken to the hospital and nine others were missing after a panga overturned in the waters off Torrey Pines State Beach Monday morning The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office said several agencies WATCH: ABC 10News' team coverage from our Midday newscast with the initial details on this crash four people were located and needed medical assistance and nine others were considered unaccounted for The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office says the people who died were all men three of the people taken to the hospital were in mid-moderate condition Both the City of Encinitas and California State Parks say that preliminary reports indicate 18 people were on the boat A City of Del Mar official told ABC 10News that the four people who were rescued were taken to Scripps La Jolla Hospital for treatment Although the Coast Guard has referred to the missing people as "aliens" in some of its communication with ABC 10News this incident has not been confirmed as a human smuggling operation as of 11:30 a.m The following agencies responded to search for any survivors: the Coast Guard was still searching for the nine people who were unaccounted for; coast guardsmen were flying a plane above the area for the search.Border Patrol and DHS agents were seen searching the streets in the area to see if anybody who may have survived ran into the neighborhoods near the crash site This story will be updated as more information becomes available TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need The 30 pieces of silver have already changed hands That’s what it feels like as a Pennsylvanian watching Penn State turn its back on the very communities that built it I’m here to speak plainly: If Penn State closes its branch campuses it is betraying the people of Pennsylvania I attended Penn State New Kensington from 2001 to 2008 I came in as a provisional student with a 1.14 GPA out of high school the fifth of six kids raised in public housing by a single mother earned grades that placed me in the top 1% of Penn State students and got into medical school — without even having a bachelor’s degree I’m now a practicing physician at one of Ohio’s top hospitals That transformation wasn’t some charity local grit and the access provided by Penn State New Kensington The branch campuses don’t just educate — they save lives the underestimated and the working-class Pennsylvanians And if Penn State chooses to go forward with these closures let me be absolutely clear: It will be doing to the people of Pennsylvania what Jerry Sandusky did to those children That abuse happened on the watch of the main campus the institution is violating the trust of the people who believed in it most It’s exactly what Penn State New Kensington — and every other branch campus — was meant to do These campuses are embedded in Appalachian towns and Rust Belt cities They’re in places where opportunity doesn’t just knock — it needs to be airlifted in And that’s what the branch system did Without legacy admissions or ivy-draped buildings Shutting them down is an admission Penn State no longer wants to be a land-grant university But let’s be honest — when the real scandal hit the betrayal of children by a predator protected by silence that didn’t happen in a branch campus parking lot It happened in the heart of the very system now claiming to know what’s best for us So don’t tell me this is about “enrollment” or “sustainability.” You don’t cut lifelines to struggling communities while inflating administrative salaries and recruiting out-of-state students like a for-profit diploma mill And don’t tell me this is about “strategic realignment.” We see exactly what it is: abandonment Let’s not pretend this wasn’t decided long ago The 30 pieces of silver have already been accepted But that doesn’t mean we go quietly Penn State was never meant to be an elite gated community for out-of-state tuition dollars and corporate interests who raised six kids alone in a housing project who graduated high school with a 1.14 GPA but clawed their way into medical school because a local campus existed just over the hill It was built for the families still living in New Kensington Mont Alto — people who don’t need a “global research hub.” They need a chance And you’re doing it while standing on the shoulders of the very Pennsylvanians who funded this university and bled blue and white when the brand was toxic right — they’ve washed their hands too let history show: You didn’t just close campuses you did to the working people of Pennsylvania what Jerry Sandusky did to its children It happened right here — on your watch William Dailey is a New Kensington native and graduate of Burrell High School Stay up-to-date on important news from TribLIVE 1-800-909-8742 © 2025 Trib Total Media | All Rights Reserved About Us Advertise Career Opportunities Contact Advertising Contact Circulation Contact Newsroom Contact Us Feedback Request Correction Resource Center Scholarship Opportunities Send Letter to the Editor Send News Tip Subscribe Subscriber Services Blog eFeatures Email Newsletters eTrib Facebook Home Delivery Instagram LinkedIn Marketing Minute Store Locations TribLIVE App - App Store TribLIVE App - Google Play X (formerly Twitter) Arts & Entertainment Best of the Best Business Directory Circulars Contests Coronavirus Lifestyles Local News YaJagOff Obituaries Opinion Our Publications Photos Real Estate Sports Video Weather Cookie Settings Privacy Policy Terms of Service ARIZONA NEWS 9:09 AM | Updated: 2:52 pm BY KTAR.COM PHOENIX – Three people were killed and five others were wounded in a shooting outside a Glendale restaurant Sunday night along with his 21-year-old brother Christopher Juaquin Sproule according to the Glendale Police Department “We still do have suspects that are outstanding in this situation but … this was an isolated incident,” Jose Santiago Officers responded to reports of gunfire at El Camaron Gigante Mariscos & Steakhouse at 6729 N. 57th Drive Police said the incident started when a group of people got into a fight during a concert at the venue Santiago said the people involved knew one another and had a history of “bad blood.” “Those individuals were escorted out of the venue,” Santiago said “That fight escalated out in the parking lot and those individuals began firing shots at one another That’s when this became a chaotic situation.” The crime scene is just across the street from Glendale police headquarters Officers were on the scene within minutes of the shooting and quickly had the situation under control “Had this not not been as close as it was to our department this could have been a much worse situation,” Santiago said there was a tragedy here where three people did lose their lives and five others were injured.” The 17-year-old and the 21-year-old are brothers (Note: Police originally reported that the 29-year-old man was the teen’s brother but later issued a correction.) Two women ages 20 and 21 were injured along with three males ages 16 “The 16-year-old was the most critically injured,” Santiago said “We can tell you that that individual did have surgery overnight Police said there was more than one shooter but no arrests were made as of Monday morning “We know that there’s a lot of social media videos that are being circulated,” Santiago said “A lot of them have made it into our hands We ask that you continue to go ahead and provide us with as much information as possible so we can get these individuals off the street.” An estimated 200-300 people attended the event Anyone with any information about the case is asked to call police at 623-920-3000 This is an updated version of a story originally published on May 4 Follow @KTAR923 Have a story idea or tip? Pass it along to the KTAR News team here MIAMI — Thirty-two people were safely rescued when a Lamborghini yacht began sinking off Miami Beach over the weekend The 63-foot boat began taking on water off Monument Island late Saturday afternoon Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and marine patrol units from local police agencies responded to calls for help The people were taken to the Miami Beach Marina and checked out by Miami Beach Fire Rescue and there was another yacht that was flipped over completely vertical in the water,” Rachel Miller Authorities said they don’t yet know why the yacht began taking on water It was later pushed out of the channel and did not pose a threat to boaters The fish and wildlife agency will lead an investigation with an air and sea show drawing large crowds to the beach in Fort Lauderdale and the Miami Grand Prix in nearby Miami Gardens young people worldwide are reporting unprecedented levels of anxiety Jeffrey Kluger reports for TIME. “It’s the people who have contributed the least to the problem who are facing the challenge of dealing with the consequences.” Climate Care Center lead at Imperial College London and study co-author Climate change is a growing public health crisis, especially for the young. The developing brains of children and adolescents are especially vulnerable to psychological distress, and the overwhelming exposure to climate-related disasters, dire predictions, and perceived adult inaction amplifies feelings of fear, helplessness, and anger. This distress can have long-term effects on mental health Researchers are documenting a surge in depression and PTSD symptoms tied directly to climate fears with some young people reconsidering life choices such as having children face additional mental health burdens due to fewer resources and support systems Related EHN coverage: How to address the looming crisis of climate anxiety Environmental Protection Agency is moving dozens of scientists from its research office to chemical review roles prompting fears of weakened environmental protections Lisa Friedman and Hiroko Tabuchi report for The New York Times. “This so-called ‘reorganization’ is a thinly veiled attempt to extinguish the agency’s world-renowned scientific expertise by shuffling scientists to process chemical reviews for industry.” The implications go far beyond the walls of the EPA. From hormone-disrupting plastics to “forever chemicals” in drinking water and drink is already loaded with synthetic compounds Gutting the EPA’s independence and burying its scientists in a flood of industry-backed chemical reviews risks letting even more toxic substances slip through the cracks Hawaii’s plan to sue fossil fuel companies over climate damages prompted the Trump administration to preemptively sue Hawaii and Michigan Karen Zraick reports for The New York Times. and the costs of surviving it are rising every day Hawaii taxpayers should not have to foot that bill.” states and cities increasingly turn to the courts to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for the rising costs of wildfires The Trump administration’s aggressive legal pushback represents a novel federal-state clash over who controls the narrative and legal remedies for climate change damages Lawsuits like Hawaii’s argue that the public has borne the financial and human costs of climate change while companies that profited from fossil fuels allegedly downplayed or concealed the risks As more states consider "climate deception" lawsuits and climate superfund laws the outcome of these legal battles could set national precedents Read more: Supreme Court pressured by far-right groups to protect big oil and parts of France has exposed the growing vulnerabilities of modern power grids as they adapt to climate change cyber threats and the renewable energy transition Jillian Ambrose reports for The Guardian. “Despite today’s high standards of reliability low-probability but high-impact blackout events can still happen.” head of the school of engineering at Cardiff University The blackout across the Iberian Peninsula is a stark reminder that energy resilience requires more than just green technology — it demands robust adaptive infrastructure capable of weathering both natural and human threats Learn more: Spain defends renewables amid major blackout investigation Bird populations across North America are plummeting with three-quarters of species in decline even in their most stable habitats Dino Grandoni reports for The Washington Post. “Those locations where species were once thriving and where the environment and habitat was once really suitable for them are now the places where they’re suffering the most.” The weakening health of bird populations often parallels human environmental challenges like worsening air quality and the spread of contaminants Understanding and addressing these complex interconnected threats is essential to protecting both wildlife and the human communities that share their habitats Donald Trump’s administration has moved to dismantle 145 environmental protections in just 100 days outpacing the entire first term’s rollbacks and targeting rules on pollution Oliver Milman reports for The Guardian. “What we’ve seen in this first 100 days is unprecedented – the deregulatory ambition of this administration is mind-blowing.” expert in climate law at Columbia University bypassing established legal procedures weakens democratic norms and may erode public trust in environmental governance Environmental Protection Agency under President Trump is cutting more than $2.4 billion in grants aimed at aiding disadvantaged communities Marianne Lavelle and Peter Aldhous report for Inside Climate News. They mentioned that these are no longer EPA priorities which shows a fundamental misunderstanding of what these grants were meant to do." and Economic Justice Lab at the University of Maryland Environmental justice grants fund projects like improving drinking water infrastructure, monitoring toxic air emissions, and reducing risks from hazardous substances — essential services in areas historically neglected by both public and private investment. Ending these grants could deepen environmental and health inequities especially in communities already struggling with high rates of asthma stand to lose critical support for climate adaptation and pollution mitigation The move also raises broader constitutional questions about the executive branch’s authority to override congressional appropriations which could reshape federal funding practices for years to come Learn more: Trump administration moves to dismantle environmental justice efforts has pledged to expand the nation’s energy production and fast-track extractive projects while promising to uphold Indigenous rights drawing both optimism and concern from Indigenous leaders Anita Hofschneider reports for Grist. “So-called Canadian sovereignty shouldn’t come at the expense of Indigenous sovereignty nor should it be an excuse to violate our inherent rights.” Canada sits atop some of the world’s largest fossil fuel reserves and vast renewable energy potential. How it navigates the tension between economic growth and environmental stewardship has global implications Extractive projects can provide jobs and revenue but often lead to deforestation Indigenous communities frequently bear the brunt of these harms while fighting for their right to self-determination and environmental protection Related: Canadian mayors call for climate-focused infrastructure over new oil pipelines “They're terrorizing these scientists because they want to keep them silent.” we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.” A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations “We cannot stand by and allow this to happen We need to hold this administration accountable.” “The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny We must prioritize minority-serving institutions BIPOC-led organizations and researchers to lead environmental justice efforts '#' : location.hash;window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery = location.search === '' && location.href.slice(0 location.href.length - window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash.length).indexOf('?') !== -1 '?' : location.search;if (window.history && window.history.replaceState) {var ogU = location.pathname + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash;history.replaceState(null "\/liveblog_entry\/hostage-families-government-going-against-will-of-the-people-by-choosing-territories-over-hostages\/?__cf_chl_rt_tk=nOFWOG53JOpCD_XdwIWpEzfM2whzKYGCd5HkHi4CXjE-1746484312-1.0.1.1-JIjHImkO9BViz3Skcm.7S5aSK3pqARIFkzziqLqe9Kw" + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash);cpo.onload = function() {history.replaceState(null ogU);}}document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(cpo);}()); (KGUN) — On Sunday people living at the Spanish Trail Suites still did not have electricity a day after a smaller building near the apartments caught fire The South Tucson Fire Department said the fire caused the electricity to go out KGUN 9 has reported on the Spanish Trail Motel right next door catching on fire three other times said they might not have electricity until at least Tuesday She said there’s a lot of electrical damage She said an abandoned shack right behind the apartments with electrical units caught on fire and two to three buildings don’t have electricity On Sunday the Southern Arizona Red Cross served breakfast and dinner to the people living there and helped with medical needs such as keeping insulin cool with ice packs Now they’re waiting to see if they will feed people on Monday and says their work is important with even something as simple as food making sure that they’re not hungry is the least we can do is the most important thing that we do,” Hammarstrom said The chief of the South Tucson Fire Department said they’re still looking into how the fire started Report a typo An Amazon boycott is planned for May 6-12 The grassroots advocacy group The People's Union USA organized the first Amazon blackout in early March Although The People's Union blackouts started at a similar time as other boycotts targeting companies that rolled back diversity Schwarz told The Arizona Republic that the actions of The People's Union USA are not directly tied to companies' DEI stances "The mission of The People’s Union USA is to hold corporations and corrupt systems accountable but with the one thing that actually affects them the money we spend," Schwarz said via email Amazon removed references to diversity and inclusion in its 2024 annual report in February and announced in an internal memo that it would be halting DEI programs These 6 Amazon-owned companies are part of boycottThe People's Union USA is urging people to boycott the tech company and its services The boycott also extends to these other popular companies that Amazon owns: Why are people boycotting Target? Here's what to know about protest and if it's working Schwarz shared a flyer on social media that lays out a series of upcoming boycotts: Reach the reporter at reia.li@gannett.com. Follow @reia_reports on Instagram authors and clergy converged on Birmingham Saturday for a daylong State of the People POWER Tour at the Carver Theatre was an important stop for the Tour as Black communities across the South organize against book bans “This is a grassroots movement intentionally designed to empower everyday people and hold current leaders accountable,” said Samantha Briggs “But for Birmingham — where would we be Birmingham has long since established itself as the bedrock of service and strategic action that forced the world to take note and for key legislation to be passed because of local efforts during the Civil Rights Movement.” Briggs pointed out that the Tour fell on the 62nd anniversary of two significant events within the 1963 Children’s Crusade: May 3 when Birmingham public safety commissioner Eugene “Bull” Connor ordered firefighters to attack over 1,000 children marching towards justice; and May 5 “Miracle Sunday,” when the white firefighters battalion finally stood up to Connor and refused his orders to release the water cannons once more on the children “Sixty-two years later the world is still watching Birmingham as we refuse to sit idly by and watch our triumphs be reversed and our history be erased … the world is still watching Birmingham as we join this nationwide tour to rally and reimagine the possibilities for Black communities across America.” More than 20 social justice organizations partnered with the national State of the People POWER Tour to host nine different events over the course of the day at Carver Theatre and nearby locations and full plenaries — speakers covered topics related to employment and worker rights; civil and human rights; education equity; public health; criminal justice reform; voting rights; mental health; economic empowerment; community resilience; and more “Saturday was more than just a series of conversations and soul-centered dialogues that I believe re-established hope in our community and left participants feeling inspired and focused on what’s possible as we work towards critical leadership and rebuild our democracy,” said Briggs who credited Birminghamians DeJuana Thompson and Deanna Reed for keeping the Magic City at the forefront of the event helping to bring the concept to reality In addition to the various sessions and workshops that went on throughout the day volunteers served the community by giving away free lunch and over $3,000 in free grocery gift cards to guests in attendance including Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin delivered a hot catered meal to residents in Freedom Manor a senior living facility located a few blocks over within the Civil Rights District During a conversation on the evolving role of the Black church in today’s freedom movements moderator Onoyemi Williams told attendees “this is People Power Tour [and] I want you to remember that every person that walks across this earth has power In my faith tradition in the book of Genesis it says ‘God created man’ and it also goes on to talk about the creation of women but we are the only beings where God gave a direct power transfer to He breathed [his power] into our nostrils.” Because of that transfer of power from God Williams asked those in attendance “to remember the power that was given to you on the day … stated on your birth certificate I ask you to go to your neighbor and remind them they are one of the most powerful beings that has ever stepped foot on the face of this earth And I encourage you to come outside with your power and help us build a world we want to see.” The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights; April Albright Black Women’s Mental Health Institute; Jefferson County Commissioner Sheila Tyson National President of the American Federation of Government Employees “Water for life” reads a large sign fastened to the side of Sataua Primary School on the Samoan island of Savai’i Those are words many Pacific Islanders understand all too well as they’re often faced with the reality of little to no fresh water for drinking They are also words Elder Brian and Sister Lori Bott understand all too well As a senior missionary couple serving in Samoa for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and entire villages that struggle to find and have enough clean water that all recently changed for a school and several villages on Savai’i It was there that  the Vaisigano Second District and the Church of Jesus Christ came together to provide two 10,000-litre water tanks for Sataua Primary School and an additional 206 2,000-litre water tanks for homes in the surrounding villages of Fagasa That means approximately 900 villagers and 1,000 students now have a reliable source of clean water the ability to capture and store this water is the difference between staying open and closing down,” said Elder Bott but anything to do with the health or education of the Samoan people and to let them know of God’s love for them – that’s what we’re about,” said Sister Bott that’s their objective every day and especially each time they take the one-hour ferry ride from the island of Upolu to Savai’i Sometimes that love means classroom desks so students can sit and have a surface to write on or shelves to make library books more accessible Other times it means having floor tiles installed to make school rooms more sanitary and easier to clean This time it was the Botts joining with school and village leaders to cut a violet ribbon wrapped around 20,000 litres of water “We know how important it is to have clean water little part of the Church’s efforts to bring water – to bring blessings to the people of Samoa,” said Elder Bott You are about to access Constant Contacts (http://visitor.constantcontact.com) You are now leaving a website maintained by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints We provide the link to this third party's website solely as a convenience to you and security practices that differ from those on our website By referring or linking you to this website we do not endorse or guarantee this content If you would like to stay on the page you are viewing please click Cancel To download media files, please first review and agree to the Terms of Use Download a photo or video by clicking or tapping on it To download all photos or videos related to this article select the links at the bottom of each section The University is currently operating under normal conditions Carolina works hard to make the dream of an excellent college education possible A key step is keeping Carolina affordable for all students Doing so bolsters our ability to build a strong community strengthen student success and serve North Carolina and beyond.Keep reading to learn about how Carolina works to make a world-class education accessible to all Expanding its long-standing commitment to access and affordability UNC-Chapel Hill will cover tuition and mandatory fees for in-state undergraduates whose family income is less than $80,000 “We want to make sure students know financial constraints should not stand in the way of their dreams,” said Chancellor Kevin M LEARN MORE ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY’S COMMITMENT TO N.C. FAMILIES. we serve our students by ensuring that finances are never a barrier to the world-class education we provide We live our values as a public institution allowing our student body to flourish while advancing the mission of the University discovering new interests and making their own mark at Carolina Check out a story below to learn about a Tar Heel making the most of their affordable education A Blue Sky Scholarship helped junior Heather Norland follow her dream without taking on a financial burden The Harvey Beech Scholar talks about challenges he’s faced balancing his duties and creating a more open and inclusive Carolina Emily Shipway belongs to the first cohort of this program which supports rural first-generation college students Through her health policy studies and skateboarding Louise Hoff is finding community in Chapel Hill Notice of Non-Affiliation: This site is maintained solely by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is not affiliated endorsed or in any way connected to the University of the People a private distance education university based in Pasadena © 2024 The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The 21-year-old conservationist spoke about his nearly-naked campaign for Australian brand Bonds Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight The Caribbean sun beats down on a small stage on a 32-square-mile island A grin crawls across his face — not of celebration Gone — Carnival Comics’ newest villain — standing tall ready to change the fate of an entire world with a single gesture the Virgin Islands Daily News — the territory’s last standing newspaper — begins to dissolve into dust An “evil and wicked death,” he once wished it in front of real people — to publicly scrutinize and attempt to discredit a free press institution in an official government forum That’s a direct threat to the First Amendment itself Because this isn’t just about the Virgin Islands Daily News This isn’t about liking every story or agreeing with every editorial choice This is about the chilling message being sent to every young journalist every citizen daring to speak hard truths: What do we tell the next generation of journalists growing up here dreaming of telling the whole story — not just the parts that make the powerful look good What do we tell the young writer who watches this governor — or any future governor — stand on a public stage and treat critical reporting like treason Do we tell them to print more wins than losses Or maybe — just maybe — we tell those in power: win more Give the people something undeniable to champion Because the Virgin Islands Daily News is just a vessel what you’re really trying to silence is us You’re trying to silence the people’s right to know — and their right to say The Governor has offered his justifications He claims it’s racist because the owner is Caucasian He says it’s wrong for a newspaper to survive by nonprofit means Discomfort isn’t a crime against leadership The Virgin Islands Daily News didn’t create the consequences They didn’t fabricate the federal indictments They didn’t imagine the empty promises made to the public Since when do we sit at the spades table and pretend red cards are black You don’t get to call foul on the dealer when it’s your own hand that’s busted Leaders are judged by what they deliver — not by how they spin the score the people would have celebrated them louder than any headline could the story of the Virgin Islands became a story about survival we will survive everything — except the silence we allow to grow They are the difference between a free people and a ruled people But if we let truth itself dissolve under the pressure of ego and political convenience The legendary country star and actress opens up about what gives her properties a personal touch while speaking to PEOPLE about her new Realtor.com partnership a Pullman-based nonprofit organization that restores endangered ecosystems on the Palouse stands to lose a $220,000 federal grant after the Trump Administration’s Department of Government Efficiency Service slashed $400 million in funding for AmeriCorps Executive Director Chris Duke said Wednesday have left the small organization scrambling to fill a quarter of its budget just the numbers don’t seem like it would make that much of a difference,” Duke said but $220,000 is just a drop in the bucket to some of the things that they’re choosing to spend money on now.” as it was the first time since it was founded in 2016 that it had received AmeriCorps funds with “enormous” fiscal oversight to ensure efficiency the group is focused on restoring the Palouse prairie by combating weeds and working to restore a habitat for pollinators The Phoenix Conservancy also works with local schools to teach students how to plant seeds and grow native plants it has restored more than 700 sites across 117,000 acres of land “The people being punished are the people that need help the most,” Duke said as the Trump administration began to gut grants and service programs across the country “We always kind of suspected that this was going to happen,” Duke said “But it is nonetheless extremely jarring and disappointing organizations across the country received the news they had long feared: They would lose their grant funding AmeriCorps has cut approximately 41% of its grant funding and placed 85% of its paid staff on leave The cuts to AmeriCorps programs sparked a lawsuit Tuesday from 25 states which allege they violate the Administrative Procedures Act and the separation of powers under the U.S “AmeriCorps provides hope and belonging in American communities nationwide It gives inspiration and purpose to the young people who join its ranks annually,” Attorney General Nick Brown said in a statement Tuesday “But the president thinks public programs and public dollars are his to do with what he will snatching them up through the same scheming that federal courts have already said is likely illegal.” AmeriCorps notified Washington on Friday that it would immediately cancel all but one program supported under AmeriCorps would “dismantle” around 800 service sites in the state administered through Serve Washington with approximately 1,300 volunteers “touching virtually every corner of our state.” the state stands to lose $21.6 million in funding for programs which will “impact critical services that benefit all Washingtonians but especially our most underserved residents.” Ferguson said the program aids various efforts on wildfire prevention Affected organizations in Spokane County include the United Way and NorthEast Washington Educational Service District 101 VISTA director for the United Way of Spokane County said the organization received word on Friday that it would lose the grant they’ve had for 10 years the grant allows the agency to be an intermediary with the Volunteers in Service to America program the five VISTA members were placed on administrative hold the grant required “kind of a leap,” Duke said as it largely reimburses costs already accrued with the organization only receiving a “very small portion” of the funds the organization has brought on seven AmeriCorps members and is working to add several others participants receive a small stipend to help pay for living expenses The rest of the funds are used for equipment is the way that it was already structured required nonprofits and anybody with AmeriCorps to basically take the plunge first and front the costs under the promise of being reimbursed,” Duke said “So we have a pretty substantial chunk of costs that we’ve invested So not only did we lose a fair portion of the funding we’ve incurred a bunch of costs that we may or may not be reimbursed for.” the hope is that donors help close the funding gap they can’t really stop us from planting seeds,” Duke said but the funding hole is a scary problem for a lot of groups.” Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible Get breaking news delivered to your inbox as it happens © Copyright 2025, The Spokesman-Review | Community Guidelines | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy As Australia compels voters to show up at the polls this weekend a scholar lays out the genesis of 'compulsory voting' and how it’s shaped the nation’s politics When Australia holds its federal elections on Saturday it’ll do so with the requirement that all eligible citizens head to the polls and vote the Australian Electoral Commission will fine them $20 AUD (that’s roughly $13 USD) The system, known as compulsory voting, was first implemented a century ago, in 1925. Turnout skyrocketed immediately from 60 percent in 1922 to 91 percent in 1925 And it has since stayed at roughly that level—which far surpasses U.S Bolts this week talked to Judith Brett, an emeritus professor of politics at Melbourne’s La Trobe University and the author of From Secret Ballot to Democracy Sausage: How Australia Got Compulsory Voting, a book that retraces the history and aftermath of her country’s adoption of compulsory voting emerged out of a commitment to majoritarian democracy that was stronger in Australia in the 1920s than in the United Kingdom and other former British colonies like the United States it has exerted an “egalitarian pressure on our politicians.” which has required that people register since 1911 compulsory voting has remained fairly uncontroversial which Brett says has helped develop a strong culture around voting “The parties don’t have to mobilize the vote,” she told Bolts Citizens who are at least 18 are eligible to vote in federal elections, with the exception of people who are presently serving a prison sentence of more than 3 years. But incarcerated Australians who are eligible to vote experience immense logistical barriers to actually casting ballots.  by the time Brett talked to Bolts on Tuesday she’d already cast her ballot and was preparing for a weekend getaway having fulfilled her duty—and evaded a fine.  Australia adopted compulsory voting in 1924 I think it was a commitment to majoritarian democracy that explains it when I read the parliamentary debates [of its adoption in 1924] you would know that the government that was elected had the support of the majority of voters in the electorate—not just the majority of the people who turned up.  “Where the United States favours liberty and rights over democracy and majorities we favour democracy and majorities over liberty and rights.” How did this difference inform Australia’s choice to adopt compulsory voting social contract theory was very important in the 18th century when establishing institutions This is the idea that the individual is sovereign and the government gets its authority from the individual giving a little bit of [his] sovereign authority over to the government so how can the government order them to vote The government doesn’t exist yet until the individual has voted.  the government is there from the beginning and the people are wanting more say in what its processes are So that whole idea that somehow it’s illegitimate for the government to make a law to compel you to vote doesn’t occur to anybody whereas that’s the sort of argument you hear in the United States compulsory voting is rarely discussed in the U.S but you hear the argument that people shouldn’t be forced to take part in public life on other matters for instance about automatic voter registration was there resistance along those lines when compulsory voting was adopted One of the striking things when I read the parliamentary debates is nobody raised any philosophical objections to compulsory voting There weren’t issues around the freedom and liberty to not vote There’s been a small section of the Liberal Party which has periodically run arguments against compulsory voting [Editor’s note: The Liberal Party and the National Party are Australia’s two main center-right parties and they typically run in alliance against the Labor Party.]  And public opinion shows there’s certainly majority support.  Your book maps this contrast as to how the countries conceive of rights and obligations on the distinctions between John Locke a thinker critical of the social contract whose ideas including by ending property qualifications for voting to set up universal manhood voting.] The colonies were not self-governing until the late 1840s or early-1850s so they were forming their constitutions when these sort of democratic ideas got a lot of popular purchase you don’t have the same fears of mass democracy built into the system.  Britain had property qualifications right up until the 1920s Australia got ‘manhood suffrage’ in the late 1850s in big states women got the vote in South Australia in the late 19th century and then at Federation [in 1902] So there was already a lot of commitment to democracy built into the electoral system and compulsory voting was a continuation of that commitment.  when policymakers propose changes to make participation more universal for instance via automatic voter registration they often present it in terms of justice; as in part of the stated rationale is to uplift groups that are less likely to vote Did that play any role in the thinking behind the adoption of compulsory voting in Australia It wasn’t the idea that we want to give the poorer a voice I think it was much more of a notion of an equality of citizens and the language of citizenship at that time was a language of duty: You should contribute to the building and operation of your society The big issue is around how Indigenous Australians were dealt with How does the fact that Indigenous voters were not allowed to vote until much later fit the rest of these conversations at the time and with the debates around compulsory voting The 1902 election law states that “no Aboriginal native of Australia Africa or the Islands of the Pacific except New Zealand shall be entitled to have his name placed on an Electoral Roll.”]  was that contradiction between trying to increase turnout and excluding Indigenous voters brought up?  It wasn’t really raised at that point. That law didn’t effectively change until 1962 when all Aboriginal people gained the right to vote How successful has mandatory voting been in boosting participation Turnout in Australia hovers above 90 percent and obviously that’s far higher than in the U.S but how much do you think this is attributable to compulsory voting a lot of effort is made in the schools to get kids on the electoral roll when they’re about to turn 18 Then they may not have much engagement for the first couple of elections what a nuisance,” but because voting is compulsory it increases the likelihood that there will be some level of engagement.  that strengthens the sense of political engagement.  are you saying that it’s less about the legal requirement than the culture it has created the fines that one pays are pretty minimal; you get a letter and you’ve got to give a reason why you didn’t vote I don’t think the fine is the reason people vote. I think they vote because everybody votes. It’s the political culture around voting. People get a coffee, they can get a ‘democracy sausage,’ as they’re now called I think that’s really important.  How do you think the electorate today would be different without compulsory voting the people least likely to vote are poorer people I think it means that there’s more of an egalitarian pressure on our politicians and I think we end up with more egalitarian policies.  The center-right has to realize, and I guess all politicians have to realize, that everybody is going to have a vote—the poor and the rich and the middle classes. The example I generally give is: We’ve got a sort of national health system called Medicare. It was introduced by the Labor Party in the middle 70s then abolished by the center-right party [in 1981] then reintroduced by the Labor Party [in 1984] That party was then in government for 13 years by which time it was embedded in people’s ideas about how they manage their health budgets the Liberal Party would have abolished it again; the people who are more likely to vote for them are less sympathetic to people for whom welfare benefits are really important You can’t afford to exclude a group or to think there’ll be so few of them that it doesn’t matter so we can run with abolishing a national health system I think you’re suggesting that what matters more is how compulsory voting is baked into the ways the parties develop their positions and their platform rather than how it affects outcomes in any given race People say that it means Australian elections are won in the center.  One of the differences with America is that the parties don’t have to mobilize the vote: The state And so there’s not the same benefit in highlighting these sorts of issues around sexuality so you don’t have to mobilize to get them out and the Australian Electoral Commission does not provide clear guidelines as to what would be valid reasons for not voting How does Australia approach compulsory voting to not add to the burden on some people In some countries, you have to vote at a polling booth that is near where you’re registered. [Editor’s note: That is largely, though not entirely, the case in the U.S..] In Australia, you can vote at any polling booth in the state where you’re registered And there’s also a lot of facilities for absentee voting; that was partly driven by the early success of the Labor Party because it was essentially a trade union based party and a lot of its political strength was in the rural labor force who were often far away from home and they wanted them to be able to vote.  So even if you’re not going to be near your residential address you don’t have to make special arrangements to vote and that’s made it easy to vote in Australia there was still a vestige of the sense that it was [only] the property owners that could vote.) And now, there’s pre-polling: You can vote [over the 10 days before] Election Day Are there partisan debates around these rules in Australia all of these issues surrounding how easy voting should be provoke very polarized debates between parties That’s one of the things we find shocking when we look at America what looks to us like voter suppression.  Every now and again, the idea that we have to provide ID when we vote gets raised—and it never gets anywhere You don’t have to provide ID when you vote; you just turn up people say this is a solution in search of a problem The interview has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity and length Bolts is a non-profit newsroom that relies on donations, and it takes resources to produce this work. If you appreciate our value, become a monthly donor or make a contribution. Two months into a devastating aid blockade of Gaza food has run out and people are fighting over water amid relentless bombing the UN’s humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA) said on Friday Speaking from Gaza City OCHA spokesperson Olga Cherevko told journalists in Geneva that a friend of hers “saw people burning a few days ago from the explosions – and there was no water to save them.” Since all entry points into the war-torn enclave were “sealed by the Israeli authorities for the entry of cargo” in March Cherevko said: supplies are depleting while the conflict rages on water access has become impossible,” she told journalists in Geneva she noted that a “very violent fight” for access to water was taking place downstairs from her with people throwing rocks and firing shots at a water truck which was pulling away The OCHA spokesperson said that every day she was seeing children “who have been deprived of their childhood for many months,” and elderly people “rummaging through piles of trash” in search of food and combustible material for cooking During a visit on Thursday to Patient Friends Hospital a paediatric hospital in Gaza City which had been attacked several times during the war she heard reports of rising malnutrition rates “Hospitals report running out of blood units as mass casualties continue to arrive,” Ms “Gaza is inching closer to running on empty,” she added Cherevko said that UN humanitarians are “in constant contact” with the Israeli authorities and are advocating for border crossings to reopen “We have mechanisms that mitigate diversion [and] ensure that aid reaches the people it’s intended to reach,” she said “We are ready to resume delivery at scale as soon as the crossings reopen “We stand by our pledge to remain principled and continue relieving people’s suffering In an appeal to the Israeli authorities on Thursday the UN’s top humanitarian official and OCHA chief Tom Fletcher said Fletcher reaffirmed the urgent need for the release of hostages taken by Hamas on 7 October 2023 who “should never have been taken from their families” and stressed that “aid Cherevko said that over the past one and a half months 420,000 people have been “once again forced to flee many of them with only the clothes on their backs as tents and other facilities where people seek safety we will look at our children and grandchildren in shame and we will not be able to explain to them why we could not stop this horror,” she concluded “How much more blood must be spilled before enough becomes enough?” The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights appealed on Friday for the world to prevent the total collapse of life-saving support in Gaza “As the complete blockade of assistance essential for survival enters its ninth week, there must be concerted international efforts to stop this humanitarian catastrophe from reaching a new unseen level,” said Volker Türk Bakeries have ceased operations as flour and fuel have run out and remaining food stocks are being rapidly depleted “Any use of starvation of the civilian population as a method of war constitutes a war crime and so do all forms of collective punishment,” he warned The High Commissioner and head of human rights office OHCHR denounced a reported Israeli plan to declare Rafah governorate in southern Gaza as a new “humanitarian zone.” Palestinians would be required to move there to receive food and other aid “Such a plan will almost certainly mean large parts of Gaza and those who cannot easily move – including people with disabilities and women supporting entire families – will be forced to go without food,” he said Israel continues to strike locations in Gaza where Palestinian civilians are sheltering OHCHR recorded 259 attacks on residential buildings and 99 on tents of internally displaced persons (IDPs) 40 reportedly took place in Al-Mawasi area where the Israeli army repeatedly directed civilians to seek refuge.  The UN’s top humanitarian official on Thursday issued a stark warning over the continuing blockade of aid into Gaza calling on Israel to lift restrictions that have left civilians without food Send tips here | Subscribe for free | Listen to Playbook and view in your browser will contribute either through direct financial input or new military assistance … Ukraine will retain “exclusive ownership” of its natural resources … profits will be “fully reinvested” in Ukraine’s economy for the first decade … and after that they can be split between the U.S The ball now appears to be firmly in the Kremlin’s court **A message from Google: Lack of training is the #1 barrier  hindering SMBs use of AI. Google's AI Works provided bespoke training, boosting productivity and unlocking potential. See how targeted skills training drives SMB success. Read the AI Works report: goo.gle/aiworks** Nigel Farage has the highest expectations on him of any leader by far — and these results will either puff up or puncture his much-hyped dream of becoming prime minister in 2029 Brave new world: We live in an era of multi-party politics now with the Lib Dems and the Greens looking to benefit Yet far fewer seats are up for grabs than in most years these factors mean the job of interpretation has seldom been more difficult but soon it’ll be in the hands of the spinners — who’ll be determined to set the narrative for the year ahead based on reading whichever results suit them best Playbook is here to guide you through all of it In play today … are 1,641 seats across 14 county councils … eight unitary authorities … and one metropolitan district. Then there are five regional mayoralties … one city mayoralty … and the Runcorn and Helsby by-election. This round of the electoral cycle was never set to be the most bumper, and it’s been slimmed down further by delays to nine elections That means Labour gets a pass in areas where the party would have had greater expectations to win All this is only happening in England — the Scottish and Welsh parliament elections (and the chaos they’ll bring) are another year away Keir owes Boris a thank you: These seats were last fought in 2021 — the height of the Conservative government’s vaccine bounce when Boris Johnson’s success was so extraordinary that a blimp in his image was flown over Hartlepool (a poetic climax to the decades he spent hovering over British politics) Labour got such a drubbing that Starmer considered quitting as party leader The hefty defeat that night will go some way in masking the now-prime minister’s unpopularity today Vying for control: Only one of the councils up today is run by Labour the Lib Dems 220-ish and Reform (not on the playing field last time) just a handful that it picked up due to defections Labour is doing its utmost to foreshadow this as a Tory-Reform “dogfight.” But first — breathe … It should be a slowish start to the day given the usual broadcasting rules on polling day means the parties aren’t sending their troops out onto the airwaves Have a leisurely breakfast under that sweet morning sunshine go vote (not forgetting your ID) and get ready for …  Defeat here would leave many of Starmer’s MPs rechecking the MRP polls and worrying about their futures Playing for time: The results of the by-election and four of the six mayoralties are all expected to be declared overnight — so if it’s a good night for Reform it will be Labour officials waking up/powering through to the bulk of the bad news on Friday Only on Friday afternoon will we start to see the scale of either the Tory bloodletting or Lib Dem triumphs A torrent through the town halls: Publicly Badenoch has been managing expectations into the ground Conservative officials are approaching seven feet under Advisers argue they could shed 700 seats (500 of them to Reform the bulk of the rest to the Lib Dems) and lose the 14 councils they control “It wouldn’t be unrealistic to say we could lose all of them,” one official told Playbook That level of catastrophizing would seem unlikely considering how true blue these heartlands are.  Having said that … it is a scenario even rivals aren’t ruling out One points out there’s been such a lack of an organized Conservative ground game that they’ve dubbed them the “tumbleweed Tories.” That ground game will suffer further — and raise alarming questions for CCHQ — if hundreds of councilors are blown out of town along with that tumbleweed.  Keeping the government on the hook: If winning back Hartlepool and other so-called Red Wall seats last July buoyed Labour hopes that its old heartlands may not be lost for good … then a warning may be on the way the party would hold onto the single council it controls and would take back the majority in Durham it held for a century until 2021 But any trace of Labour optimism has dampened as Farage’s has grown Speaking of which: Reform’s total lack of expectation management means even a big set of gains could still be a “bad” result But it’s been hard to put a finger on where exactly this threshold is No doubt every opponent will soon have an opinion they can be fairly certain that voting Labour is their best bet MPs who have campaigned in the area have fed back that some typical Tories have said they’d be voting Labour to keep out Farage’s candidate (it’s one reason why some Labour activists think the seat is on a “knife edge”) Let’s see if the tacticians can pull this off.  local councils and metro mayors hold vital powers in their own right to deliver social care Bins are pretty damn important and the very essence of governance in action (Just look at Birmingham.) But the real reason Westminster is tuning in with such vigor is to see whether Farage can credibly claim he’ll overtake the Tories as the main party on the right — and the results will intensify speculation in the years to come about pacts deals or dalliances with the Conservatives Keir’s silver lining: It’s not hard to find Labour insiders talking up how Reform taking control of some councils wouldn’t be such a bad thing for the government considering Farage’s lot would actually be on the coalface of running somewhere their every move will be scrutinized from outside Kemi’s silver lining: Even in the event of the unreasonable worst-case scenario for the Conservatives no one really expects Badenoch to be toppled just yet Tory officials reckon that’s more likely after the bigger tranche of elections coming next May But you can be sure the results from today will be key in not only setting the narrative in Westminster Onto the bigger picture: The pollsters will quite rapidly digest the data to provide estimates on how the parties are polling nationally The BBC should publish the “projected national share,” or PNS drawn up by John Curtice’s squad late on Friday afternoon Michael Thrasher and Colin Rallings’ rival “national equivalent vote” projection will run in the Sunday Times until the next general election due in 2029 Friday, 2 a.m.: Defeat for Labour in North Tyneside (red since 2013) would get Starmer’s side off to a particularly bad start, considering both its main Westminster seats are heartlands the party won last year by a landslide. The messy nature of Britain’s new multi-party politics will be on full display in the race to be the West of England’s next mayor It’s here that the Greens reckon they have their best chance of grabbing an office from the left.  3 a.m.: Labour carried Runcorn and Helsby by 14,696 votes at the general election — making it as safe on paper as Hackney South and Shoreditch But Reform now fancies its chances at landing a blow (ahem …) on Labour This Westminster by-election is sure to dominate early headlines 4 a.m.: Barring unforeseen circumstances, we should’ve learned by now whether Reform’s Andrea Jenkyns will get the chance to establish her own little DOGE in the east of England by becoming the mayor of Greater Lincolnshire.  5 a.m.: Reform winning the Doncaster mayoralty would be another upset for Labour — and wouldn’t make for comfortable reading for Ed Miliband since the energy secretary’s seat is in the city’s north Labour has typically held this office since its inception in 2002 (apart from a four-year interlude by the fringe right-wing English Democrats) Reform’s 30-year-old candidate is eying his chances battling Tory ex-MP Nick Fletcher for the right-wing vote Labour activists concede it’ll be “tight.” 7 a.m.: The first county hall result will be Northumberland Labour won all four MPs here at the last election and would expect to win control from a Tory minority administration if the party were to repeat its success of the Blair era But Reform also performed strongly and hopes to capitalize on national dissatisfaction.  Consider getting some kip: The spin war on the airwaves will now dominate as there’ll be a lull in results while daytime counts begin 1 p.m.: Durham is proper Labour heartland territory the party had controlled the county for a century After mopping up every seat here in the general election this was seen as Labour’s best chance of regaining control of a council But Farage has been campaigning hard here personally and hopes to make real inroads The Conservatives are likely to lose their slender majority in Lancashire in the coming hour 2.30 p.m.: Hull and East Yorkshire is a new mayoralty where four parties are vying for the title — the Lib Dems, Labour, Tories and Reform’s Luke Campbell, who was ahead of the pack in YouGov’s poll The 37-year-old Olympic boxing gold medalist could be one to watch 3 p.m.: Council candidates in Labour-held Doncaster will start to hear their fate before the really tricky times begin for the Tories Buckinghamshire is about as blue as it gets so if that slips into no overall control then the grimmest of Tory predictions could come true A slim silver lining for the Tories could come if former MP Paul Bristow takes the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayoralty from Labour 4 p.m.: The Lib Dems reckon on a good night they could take control of Shropshire but they’ll also be looking for gains in Gloucestershire and to do well in Oxfordshire It’s from this point that losses from numerous Tory-held councils could start picking up — starting with Staffordshire is where Farage chose to wrap up his campaign with a big rally 5 p.m.: Reform will hope to do particularly well on Lincolnshire council — one of the most Brexit-backing counties and home to the Commons seat of Deputy Leader Richard Tice.  Cambridgeshire and Devon are top places where the Lib Dems hope to make gains in what could be a golden hour for Ed Davey’s gang 7 p.m.: Kent should be one of the final councils to declare A loss of control in the once-true-blue Garden of England would be another humiliating result for Badenoch considering the Tories currently have 49 councilors more than the second-placed Lib Dems with another adding: “He has completely lost his touch.”  A tough call: Playbook confirms there were talks before the former PM’s think tank issued its statement to cool the political situation — but officials were trying to distance No 10’s leadership from the furious anti-Blair briefing it does seem there were officials in Downing Street who knew some sort of intervention on net zero was coming from the Tony Blair Institute this week though it seems they didn’t clock how much Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage (and other net zero skeptics) would seize on its contents Nor-way, pal: Energy Secretary Ed Miliband’s Norwegian counterpart was also driving a wedge on the Telegraph’s splash, telling the paper his country won’t be ordering an end to new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea. “It saves jobs and creates a lot of value for Norwegian society,” says Terje Aasland (an electrician by trade).   SCOOP — ABORTION VOTE: MPs look set to vote on decriminalizing abortion in England and Wales this summer Two Labour backbenchers are drawing up separate amendments to the government’s Crime and Policing Bill for when it hits its report stage in the Commons Vice President JD Vance hit out at “safe zones” around clinics in February We’ll see if that cools the bill’s high-profile critics DRAMA! Chancellor Rachel Reeves is under investigation by the parliamentary commissioner for standards for allegedly failing to properly register free tickets to the National Theatre just after Christmas (BBC report here) The argument is that Reeves did declare the freebies on her ministerial register but an oversight meant a delay in entering them on the MPs’ register you’d imagine the outcome would be mild — but it’s certainly an embarrassing revelation on the eve of the elections RUH ROH, FISH AGAIN: The EU could time-limit any agreement to remove red tape on U.K. food and drink exports into the bloc unless it gets long-term access to British fishing waters, the FT’s Andy Bounds, Peter Foster and George Parker report this morning TALKING POINT: The U.K. government will discuss the recognition of a Palestinian state at a June conference convened by France and Saudi Arabia, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said. The Guardian’s Patrick Wintour has a write-up CRISIS BOOK: My colleague Mason Boycott-Owen has spotted that the government very quietly updated its crisis handbook for the first time in over a decade Earlier this week the Cabinet Office published an update to the “Amber Book,” a guide for ministers and officials on how to respond to crises such as terrorist incidents Learning from Covid: The lessons from Covid-19 pandemic mean that there have been several changes when sh*t hits the fan, Mason writes in to say. Now, a single lead minister is in charge of the response, who is accountable to parliament, advised by a top official appointed by the Cabinet secretary. Find the manual here COURT CIRCULAR: A judge at Westminster Magistrates’ Court is expected to deliver a verdict at 2 p.m in the case of a woman accused of stalking Labour MP Emily Thornberry RANT-A-THON: Businesses have until the midnight deadline to register demands for Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds to tariff Harley-Davidsons and Levis to the hilt in retaliation at Donald Trump’s trade taxes Don’t expect the answers to the consultation to be published any time soon even if firms did end up being inclined to stoke a trade war TECH SUMMIT: My colleagues on POLITICO’s ace tech team are running a webinar at 11 a.m. about how U.K. tech policy is likely to change once (if?) the government bags a trade deal with the U.S. Sign up here and if you attend you can get a week’s free trial of our Pro Morning Tech UK newsletter.  with business and trade questions … business questions to Leader of the House Lucy Powell … a general debate on Parkinson’s Awareness Month (led by Labour MP Graeme Downie) … and a general debate on prisoners of conscience (DUP MP Jim Shannon) Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat has the adjournment debate on the education administration of Hadlow College with questions on the impact of changes to inheritance tax rules on rural businesses and economic growth Supreme Court judgment in For Women Scotland Ltd v issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission … and the second reading of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill IN NORTHERN IRELAND: The government is seeking to challenge a court ruling that found it acted unlawfully by not ordering a public inquiry into the 1997 murder of Gaelic Games official Sean Brown in Northern Ireland. PA has the details MONEY TALKS: More than half of EU countries plan to trigger an emergency clause allowing them to make defense investments that push them over the bloc’s budgetary spending limits, my colleague Giovanna Faggionato reports and Finland all want greater flexibility to boost their defense capacity PAPAL POLITICS: A group of hardline conservative Catholics are pushing for the next pope to be better aligned to their worldview, and these hardliners aren’t afraid to use smear tactics and intimidation to get what they want, my colleagues Hannah Roberts and Ben Munster report The hard-right candidates supported by some in this group include Athanasius Schneider who has claimed that refugees in Europe are a “mass invasion” leading to Islamization orchestrated by political elites STATE OF THAT: The U.S. Education Department is cutting about $1 billion worth of federal mental health grants approved by Congress in the wake of a 2022 Texas elementary school mass shooting, POLITICO’s Juan Perez Jr. reports On Nick Ferrari at Breakfast: Former Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations at the Metropolitan Police Andy Hayman (7.10 a.m.) … Unite Union General Secretary Sharon Graham (8.35 a.m.) … Labour peer Shami Chakrabarti (8.50 a.m.) On Good Morning Britain: Sharon Graham (7.10 a.m.).  On Times Radio Breakfast: Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Ukrainian parliament Oleksandr Merezhko and former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe Richard Shirreff (7.05 a.m.) … Sharon Graham (7.35 a.m.) … Children’s Commissioner for Wales Rocío Cifuentes (8.05 a.m.) On Sky News Breakfast: Save the Children’s Humanitarian Director in Gaza Rachael Cummings (7.15 a.m.) … The Institute of Export and International Trade Director General Marco Forgione (8.15 a.m.) POLITICO UK: UK local elections 2025 — how to watch like a pro Daily Express: King’s gratitude for ‘community of care’ defying cancer Daily Mail: Now unions reject Ed’s green lunacy Daily Mirror: Take risks . Daily Star: I’m top of the popes Financial Times: Trump trade was distorts US economy as banks win and consumer mood dims i: The King’s message of hope for fellow cancer patients on ‘frightening’ journey Metro: King’s cancer message of hope The Daily Telegraph: Don’t give up on oil The Guardian: US downturn amid Trump tariffs triggers fear of global slowdown The Independent: Ukraine and US on the brink of signing vital minerals deal The Times: Solar panels on all new homes in net-zero push The Spectator: Chamber of horrors.  The New Statesman: The War on Whitehall SPOTTED: At Bright Blue’s spring reception at the British Academy with a speech from Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Alex Burghart on the Conservative Party’s new Policy Commissions … Conservative MPs Damian Hinds Bernard Jenkin and Harriet Cross … Conservative Policy Forum Chair and former MP John Penrose … Next Gen Tories Managing Director James Cowling … and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung U.K Also spotted … an unfortunate member of the House of Lords getting shat on by a bird on the terrace … square on the forehead has joined Paris-based international risk advisory firm Forward Global to set up its London-based financial services practice IN LOVING MEMORY: The Larkhall Wanderers Cricket Club, founded by the late Telegraph journalist David Knowles, is playing a charity game in David’s memory to raise money for the British Heart Foundation. Donation link here.  NOW READ: PoliticsHome’s Zoë Crowther has looked into the government’s use of its Reddit account police and pubs in the first few months of posting … but there’s little sign of government missions like growth and clean energy WRITING PLAYBOOK FRIDAY MORNING: Sam Blewett HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: Spen Valley MP Kim Leadbeater … former Shadow Justice Minister Alex Cunningham … former Tory MP and Marks & Spencer Chairman Archie Norman … the R&A’s Robert Oxley … Public First’s Mike Crowhurst … Leigh Day partner Tessa Gregory PLAYBOOK COULDN’T HAPPEN WITHOUT: My editors Zoya Sheftalovich diary reporter Bethany Dawson and producer Dean Southwell If there’s one aftermarket brand that’s made a name for itself by cranking the dial up to 11, it’s Mansory The German tuning company is practically the embodiment of “more is more” It’s the automotive equivalent of wearing sequins to the grocery store Read: This G-Class Is So Over the Top, Even Mansory Thinks It’s Excessive Unveiled at the Shanghai Auto Show, the latest creation from the tuner is what your next airport shuttle wishes it could be, a reimagining of the ultimate Mercedes V-Class The body gets a chrome-plated Rolls-Royce-inspired grille and bumper and a heap of carbon fiber accents that decorate everything from the hood to the mirror caps and let’s not forget the bespoke wheels which also look like they could’ve been swiped off a Rolls-Royce (see pattern here?) Vans aren’t exactly known for making a splash but this one certainly turns that notion on its head it’s more ridiculous by a fair margin Consider this to be a vehicle tailored for VIPs who want S-Class levels of luxury but with vastly more headroom and legroom there’s a partition and an intercom system so you can talk to the driver only on your own terms Notably, the Mansory V-Class is specifically aimed at the Chinese market. There, large chauffeur-driven vans like this are a status symbol, and this one clearly belongs in the same class as Maybachs (which Mansory has also had a hand in modifying) and Rolls-Royces the big difference here is that it’s spacious Vans are already the most comfortable and practical way to move people. So when you take that form factor and coat it in Mansory’s brand of ostentation it’s a blending of two things that work really well together Everybody and their mother has seen a super-flashy supercar and most wouldn’t know the difference between one with aftermarket bits and one without Show up in this thing and nobody will miss that it’s unique In a world where so many cars are trying to be so many different things this Mansory V-Class just stole the show by leaning into everything it can be.  Pope Francis loved people being with other people You could see it every Wednesday morning when he held his weekly General Audiences It was even visible when he would appear at the window of his office in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace at noon on Sunday to pray the Angelus he would wave heartily and greeted countless groups of visiting Catholics His desire to be near others drove him to carry out 47 Apostolic Journeys the late Pope Francis’ love of people became most palatable exactly in the moment when physical separation was imposed on everyone the Covid-19 pandemic shuttered him in the Vatican just as the Popes of the late 19th and early 20th centuries were practically imprisoned upon election because the Vatican was not yet a city-state the Argentine Pope refused to be chained behind the Leonine Walls of the Vatican City State He embraced modern means of communication to reach out to the faithful as they huddled in their own homes afraid of coming into contact with an unknown contagion Every morning, at 6:00 AM, Pope Francis celebrated Mass in the chapel at his residence in the Casa Santa Marta which was broadcast to the world on social media and radio by the Dicastery for Communication (Vatican News’ parent organization) he prayed for a different sector of society that was affected in various ways by the coronavirus from nurses and healthcare professionals to teachers and prisoners As Catholics in the Philippines were finishing lunch and the faithful in California were getting ready for bed the Pope would reach into the homes of millions and offer a reminder that they were not alone he held his unprecedented Statio Orbis standing alone in a empty Holding a monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament the Pope blessed all the world in a moment of great despair presenting Christ as our only source of life and hope and the Pope started holding his weekly General Audiences as well as his private audiences with various groups Crowds became a familiar sight in Rome once more and those months of physical distance only drove Pope Francis to seek out people with greater determination Besides the heads of state that made their customary Vatican visits numerous celebrities came to meet the Pope from the ends of the earth and share a laugh or a handshake with him He shadow-boxed with Sylvester Stallone, joking with the star of Rocky that his three daughters reminded him of the three Marys of Biblical times He shook hands with Arnold Schwartzenegger of Terminator fame, who thanked the Pope for his advocacy for the care of Creation and the environment More recently, a cohort of comedians from around the globe made their appearance at a papal audience and he reminded them that playful fun and laughter keep spirits up and tensions down it was contact with the average Joes and Janes that really gave the late Pope Francis the energy to guide the Catholic Church for 12 years As he would descend from the popemobile and ascend the stage at his General Audiences the Pope of the people would nearly always stop to greet the Vatican employees who would read the summaries and greetings in various languages so that his words would be understood to all in St wonder aloud if a pair of newlyweds were really coming back to work after their honeymoon or even jokingly question the fashion choice of a scruffy reader’s beard the late Pope Francis took a keen interest in the lives of those he met never forgetting his admonition to all priests to be “shepherds with the smell of the sheep.” Just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters Peter’s Square at the Vatican after giving his Easter blessing April 20 I am not alone in having experienced the joy of watching Pope Francis travel through St Many thought that Pope Francis was lost to us far earlier I was interviewed weeks ago for what were to be obituaries that are only now appearing But to have Pope Francis at the helm to celebrate the most sacred moment in the liturgical calendar and then to lose him on the Monday following Pope Francis’ time as leader of the Catholic church was striking for his humility His encyclicals advocated for care and generosity He travelled to some of the most troubled spaces on the planet including a ground-breaking visit to Canada to issue a long-awaited papal apology to Indigenous peoples on Canadian soil but there can be little doubt that Pope Francis approached the papacy in a unique way He was accepting of our frailties and vulnerabilities He was not content with convention for the sake of the past to eschew self-interest for the common good I’ve had the wonderful opportunity of being president of a Catholic university throughout his 12-year papacy It allowed me to have a particular view of the Pope’s impact on young people Francis had a way of connecting with younger folk and of assuring them that the Church wanted to hear their voice I had the honour of meeting him in person on two occasions and it was so clear to see how he connected authentically with everyone he spoke to he began one audience I attended by hurriedly reading a formal text and he seemed to rush through it so that he could engage with the audience directly On one visit I met with the priest who robed him in the “Room of Tears,” a secret room adjacent to the Sistine Chapel where a new pope is clothed following the conclave The priest explained how they tried to convince him to wear an ornate red chasuble It was the start of a different approach to the papacy stripped of formalities wherever possible — a value that was continued at his funeral: buried in a plain wooden coffin outdoors at the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major Pope Francis himself revised the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificus — the liturgical instructions for a papal funeral — so that they celebrate the passing of a “pastor and disciple of Christ” rather that the passing of “a powerful person in the world.” Francis himself wrote the burial instructions: “The tomb should be in the ground; simple bearing only the inscription: Franciscus.” Mark’s College embrace the call from Pope Francis He provided a continual call to place people at the centre of the educational process especially in the poor and the marginalized in service to others and in academic rigor the building up of the common good” (address to the International Commission on the Apostolate of Jesuit Education The example set by Pope Francis will continue to inspire our mission to prepare students to be reflective leaders who serve society with integrity and compassion Mark’s extend our prayers for the soul of the blessed Holy Father We are immensely grateful for his years of insightful leadership of the Church (Turcotte is President and Vice-Chancellor at St A version of this story appeared in the May 04 issue of The Catholic Register with the headline "Francis As members of the College of Cardinals met May 5, all 133 cardinals who plan to enter the conclave to elect a new pope had arrived in Rome, the Vatican press office said. On the final day of official mourning for the death of Pope Francis, the late pontiff was remembered as someone who was determined to live out the mission entrusted to him and serve others, even when his health deteriorated. Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister, flourishing his “V for Victory” hand gesture to a crowd of 50,000 from the balcony of the Ministry of Health building in London, England. 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 4:58 PM EDTBookmarkSaveRepresentatives for Indian billionaire Gautam Adani and his companies met Trump administration officials about dismissing the criminal charges levied against him in an overseas bribery probe according to people familiar with the matter intensified in recent weeks and could lead to a resolution in the coming month or so asking not to be identified because the conversations are confidential Adani’s representatives are trying to make the case that his prosecution doesn’t align with President Donald Trump’s priorities and should be reconsidered FEMA.gov is being updated to comply with President Trump's Executive Orders Thank you for your patience and understanding An official website of the United States government IPAWS is FEMA's national system for local alerting that provides authenticated emergency and life-saving information to the public through WEA misperceptions and myths about IPAWS routinely find their way onto social media and even major news networks The Message Design Dashboard (MDD) allows Alerting Authorities to more rapidly draft effective messages – that is Alerting Authorities input pertinent information about their emergency into the MDD which will automatically produce a draft 90- and 360-character alert based on cutting-edge best practices in crisis psychology and social science research The MDD is informed by a database of content for more than 50 hazards across a range of domains and includes hazard impact statements and protective action guidance that has been vetted with subject matter experts and reviewed by communication scholars MDD version 2.0 includes categories to facilitate messaging for missing and endangered persons as well as all-clear messages plus improved functionality for both desktop and mobile users IPAWS is excited to announce that a refreshed version of IS-247: Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) for Alert Originators has been released The updates to IS-247 content align with real-world scenarios enhance interactivity and adapt assessments to increase learning engagement These revisions were driven by current practices in the emergency management field and valuable feedback provided by the alert and warning community Have a Question?Visit our Frequently Asked Questions page orEmail us If the recording is not available yet in the links below where it is authenticated and then delivered simultaneously through multiple communication pathways one message is created to reach as many people as possible to save lives and protect property Utilizing multiple pathways for public alerts increases the likelihood that the message will successfully reach the public IPAWS is structured to facilitate this functionality The Emergency Alert System (EAS) delivers alerts via AM Cell phones and mobile devices receive Wireless Emergency Alerts based on location even if cellular networks are overloaded and can no longer support calls The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) delivers alerts through NOAA Weather Radio Alerts are also available from internet service providers and unique system developers State, local, territorial, and tribal alerting systems such as emergency telephone networks, giant voice sirens, and digital road signs may also receive alerts from IPAWS-OPEN, and future alerting technologies and systems can easily be integrated into IPAWS find the tools you need for your role in the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System IPAWS is guided by its mission to provide integrated services and capabilities to federal, state, territorial, tribal and local authorities that enable them to effectively alert and warn their respective communities via multiple communications methods. To provide trusted timely alert and warning to people affected by threats to public safety in the preservation of life and property. Get real-time weather and emergency alerts, disaster news, and more with the FEMA app. ABC News News HomeThe key people timeline and evidence in Erin Patterson's mushroom murder trialShare The key people timeline and evidence in Erin Patterson's mushroom murder trialBy Judd Boaz Erin Patterson is accused of intentionally poisoning four people during a lunch at her home in 2023. (Supplied: News Corp) Link copiedShareShare articleErin Patterson has been charged with the murders of three people and the attempted murder of another, following a lunch held at her home in 2023.  Ms Patterson's parents-in-law, Donald and Gail Patterson, along with relatives Ian and Heather Wilkinson, became violently ill due to a meal consisting of beef Wellington that contained death cap mushrooms. Donald and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson died from their illnesses, while Ian Wilkinson survived. Erin Patterson has maintained her innocence since her arrest in November 2023, with her defence making the case that the poisonings were a "tragedy and a terrible accident". A six-week trial is currently underway at the Latrobe Valley Law Courts in Morwell, with global media descending on regional Victoria to cover the case.  Erin Patterson is accused of killing three people and attempting to murder a fourth person at a lunch at her home on July 29, 2023. She has maintained her innocence, stating that although she lied to police, she did not deliberately seek out death cap mushrooms and did not intend to harm or kill anyone. She is a university graduate and a qualified air traffic controller. She met her husband Simon Patterson when they both worked at Monash City Council. She remains married to Simon Patterson, with whom she shares two children. Her estranged husband described Erin as "very intelligent" and "quite witty". He says she was an atheist before meeting him, and has struggled with depression and self-esteem issues over the years. The court has heard that Erin has been financially stable for many years, and was the benefactor of an inheritance from her grandmother in 2006.  In 2019, Erin began making connections with other people online via a Keli Lane true crime Facebook group. Simon Patterson is the estranged husband of Erin Patterson, from whom he has been separated since 2015.  His parents, Donald and Gail, and aunt and uncle, Heather and Ian, attended a lunch hosted by his wife Erin on July 29, 2023. Simon says his relationship with Erin was mainly characterised by her leaving him multiple times.  In his testimony, Simon Patterson told the court Erin had said the way they related to each other was "toxic". Their relationship deteriorated in late 2022 over disagreements regarding child support payments. Donald Patterson is the father of Simon Patterson, and father-in-law to Erin Patterson.  He and Gail Patterson married in 1973 and had four children together. The couple settled in Korumburra in 1984 and lived there until their deaths in August 2023. The court has heard that of all her guests at the lunch in question, Donald was the one that Erin Patterson was closest to, sharing a love of science, knowledge and books. Donald was a high school teacher before retiring in the early 2000s. Donald died at 11:30pm on August 5, from multiple organ failure secondary to altered liver function due to clinically diagnosed Amanita mushroom poisoning. Gail Patterson is the mother of Simon Patterson, and mother-in-law to Erin Patterson. She and Donald Patterson married in 1973 and had four children together. The trial heard that Gail had suffered from encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) a few years prior to her death, and had been struggling with issues around her recovery. Gail died at 5:55pm on August 4, with multiple organ failure, resulting from altered liver function due to clinically diagnosed amanita mushroom poisoning. Ian Wilkinson was the husband of Heather Wilkinson, with whom he had four children.  He has served as the pastor at the Korumburra Baptist Church since 1999. Ian is the only member of the lunch party aside from Erin to have survived, and received a liver transplant after falling ill. He is expected to give evidence during the trial. Heather Wilkinson was the younger sister of Gail Patterson, and was married to Ian Wilkinson with whom she had four children.  She helped out at a local school as a teacher's aide. During the trial, Simon Patterson revealed that after guests began to fall ill, Heather had asked him about the crockery used at the lunch. "We didn't have much conversation but [Heather] looked a bit puzzled and she said, 'I noticed Erin served herself her food on a coloured plate, which was different to the rest'," Mr Patterson told the court. Heather was the first of the lunch guests to die, passing away at 2:50am on August 4 from altered liver function and multiple organ failure, with a clinical diagnosis of Amanita mushroom poisoning. Three friends that Erin Patterson met online have been called as witnesses in the trial. Christine Hunt, Daniela Barkley and Jenny Hay were all members of a Keli Lane true crime Facebook group along with Erin Patterson. This group eventually crystallised into a five-person private group chat, where members would talk about their personal lives. Ms Hunt told the jury that Erin had described her marriage to Simon as "controlling" and "coercive", and that she had major concerns about leaving the children with him due to his lifestyle. Cooking and recipes from RecipeTin Eats were also favourite discussion topics in the group. Ms Barkley and Ms Hunt described Erin posting to the group chat about her new purchase of a dehydrator and her use of it to dry mushrooms for use in food. They also detailed Erin asking the group about making a beef Wellington in the weeks before the lunch, and her difficulties in finding an appropriate cut of meat.  A Sunbeam food lab electronic dehydrator owned by Erin Patterson was a subject of the police investigation. Police say they found a Sunbeam food dehydrator with Ms Patterson's fingerprints on it dumped at the Koonwarra tip soon after the lunch. Defence lawyers for Ms Patterson say she admits she panicked and lied to authorities, claiming in her initial police interview she had never owned a dehydrator. Facebook friends of Ms Patterson told the court that Erin had posted about purchasing and using a dehydrator to a private group chat in the months before the lunch, explaining that she had been using it to dehydrate mushrooms. Text message communication between Erin Patterson and her estranged husband Simon Patterson, both via SMS and the messaging app Signal, has been tendered as evidence. Mr Patterson was asked to read many of these messages aloud to the court, including an exchange where he declined an invitation to the July 29 lunch. Simon: Sorry, I feel too uncomfortable about coming to the lunch with you, Mum, Dad, Heather and Ian tomorrow but I'm happy to talk about your health and implications of that at another time. If you'd like to discuss on the phone, just let me know. Further messages on Signal regarding childcare arrangements, financial matters and logistics around live-streaming from the local church were a focus for much of the first few days of the trial. The prosecution alleged in its opening argument that Erin Patterson was using two phones and two separate SIM cards in the weeks before and after the lunch on July 29. Police conducted a search warrant at Ms Patterson's home on August 5, taking her mobile phone. Around this time, the prosecution alleges Ms Patterson conducted factory resets on her phone repeatedly. It is alleged a second phone was in use by Ms Patterson, and this phone has never been recovered by police.  Both the prosecution and defence agree that medical testing of the poisoning victims showed it was death cap mushrooms that caused the deaths.  The death cap mushroom — or Amanita phalloides — is estimated to be responsible for nine out of every 10 mushroom poisoning deaths. While just one mushroom can kill an adult, death caps are said to taste pleasant and look similar to edible mushrooms used in cooking. The innocuous look, feel and taste of a death cap mushroom means it can be hard for someone who has eaten one to even know they've been poisoned. In its opening argument, the prosecution said all four lunch guests tested positive for toxins found in death cap mushrooms, or had autopsy findings consistent with pathology typically seen from ingesting death cap mushrooms. In its opening arguments, the prosecution introduced the website iNaturalist.org to the jury.  It was described as a website dedicated to "recording observations and citizen science uploads of plants, animal and fungi". The court heard of two posts made to the iNaturalist site, logging the sighting of death cap mushrooms in the Loch and Outtrim areas.  The prosecution argues that Erin Patterson travelled to both of these areas soon after the posts were made to the site. The plates used by Erin Patterson to serve her guests at the July 29 lunch have become a focus of questioning from both the prosecution and defence.  The court has heard Heather Wilkinson mentioned shortly before her death that Ms Patterson ate from a different-coloured plate than the rest of her guests. On cross-examination from the defence, Simon Wilkinson told the court that Erin did not own much crockery, which may have explained the discrepancy.  During the opening arguments, the prosecution charted the history of Erin and Simon Patterson's marriage, and her relationship with her four lunch guests. This is the timeline of events in 2023 before and after the lunch, as set out by the prosecution: Erin allegedly starts using two mobile phones, known as Phone A and Phone B, using a SIM card with the number 04XX XXX 783. Erin is told she has tested negative for cervical cancer after a self-administered screening test. A user on iNaturalist, a website for tracking plants and fungi, finds death cap mushrooms in the Loch area and posts about them online. The prosecution says Erin’s mobile phone data suggests she travels to Loch before returning to Korumburra. Two and a half hours later, Erin allegedly purchases a Sunbeam food lab electronic dehydrator from a Leongatha store. Erin allegedly starts posting about dehydrating mushrooms in a true crime Facebook group, detailing how she put powdered mushrooms into different foods. An iNaturalist user posts a photo and location of death cap mushrooms in Outtrim. The prosecution says Erin’s mobile phone data suggests she travels to Loch and Outtrim. Erin allegedly tells Donald and Gail that she has an appointment with St Vincent's Hospital on this date, and tells Gail the next day a biopsy was taken of a lump in her elbow. Erin allegedly connects a new SIM card with the number 04XX XXX 835. Erin attends a service at Korumburra Baptist Church and invites Don, Gail and Simon Patterson and Ian and Heather Wilkinson to lunch on July 29. Simon messages Erin, saying he will not be attending the lunch due to feeling too "uncomfortable". Erin Patterson serves a lunch of beef Wellington to four guests at her home in Leongatha. Don and Gail ring Simon, complaining of serious illness. They travel via ambulance to Dandenong Hospital. Simon picks up Heather and Ian, taking them to Korumburra Hospital, then Leongatha Hospital. Erin allegedly tells one of her children she feels unwell, and spends the day running errands with her children before serving them a meal she says is leftovers from the lunch. Doctors at Leongatha and Dandenong Hospital confer about the poisonings. Don, Gail, Heather and Ian are transferred to the Austin Hospital in Melbourne. Erin drops her children to school, then texts Simon and asks him to take her to hospital, but he tells her to get there herself. Erin presents to Leongatha Hospital around 8am, but allegedly declines a full examination and checks herself out. Erin returns to the hospital around 9:48am. She is transferred to Monash Medical Centre, and meets Simon and her children there. Heather and Ian arrive at Austin Hospital. Despite escalating medical treatment, Donald, Gail and Heather continue to deteriorate. Erin is assessed by a doctor at Monash, who says she appears clinically well and all her vital signs are within normal limits. She is discharged from hospital about 1pm. The Department of Health interviews Erin about the lunch. She says she bought dried mushrooms from an Asian grocer in Melbourne's south-east. Erin allegedly conducts a factory reset on Phone B, which she had been using before February 12. She allegedly drives to Koonwarra Transfer Station and Landfill, and deposits items into an e-waste bin. Monash Council begins visiting Asian-style grocery stores in Melbourne's south-east to find products matching Erin's description. A Victoria Police investigation is launched into the July 29 lunch. Erin allegedly moves her SIM card with the number 04XX XXX 835 into Phone B. Police travel to Koonwarra Transfer Station and find a black Sunbeam dehydrator in an e-waste bin. A search warrant is executed at Erin's Leongatha house, where police seize Phone B with SIM card number 04XX XXX 835. Erin is taken to Wonthaggi Police Station and interviewed. Erin allegedly remotely conducts a factory reset of Phone B, which is still held by police.  Erin allegedly continues to use Phone A with number 04XX XXX 783. Police say they never recover this phone. The Department of Health concludes its investigation, and is unable to find any store selling mushrooms matching Erin's description. Ian Wilkinson is moved into a rehabilitation ward after a successful liver transplant. Police arrest Erin and charge her with three counts of murder.  CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)