Country music singer and songwriter Lainey Wilson has stepped into uncharted territory It has been reported that the Grammy-winning singer has been tapped to make her feature film acting debut with Universal’s adaptation of one of Colleen Hoover’s bestsellers The new addition to the upcoming movie will join the previously announced cast the country sensation has a familiar connection with the film as she previously bestowed Universal with the original song Out of Oklahoma to last year’s blockbuster Twisters The full soundtrack not only made it to the top spot on the Billboard country charts but was also nominated for a Grammy It is pertinent to note that the latest movie will not be the Wildflowers and Wild Horses singer's first acting project ever She previously showed off her acting chops in Yellowstone who is engaged to her longtime boyfriend and former NFL quarterback Devlin Hodges a recurring role of a musician introduced in season 5 The character was specifically written for Lainey after the hit series began featuring her music in the second season Universal plans to release the movie in theatres on February 13 Kim Kardashian Met Gala 2025 appearance unveiled Tom Cruise shares breath-taking sneak peaks from ‘Mission: Impossible’ set Meghan Markle faces new challenge as royal family grows close of Prince Harry's ex-girlfriend Madonna and many more stun onlookers at Met Gala 2025 Hailey Bieber returns to Met Gala alone amid Justin Bieber controversy Copyright © 2025. The News International, All Rights Reserved | Contact Us | Authors Time flies when you’re having fun, which is why the C8, the mid-engined Corvette that reinvented the Corvette and GM is already busy with its replacement And here’s our first potential taste of how it could look courtesy of GM’s brand new European design center in the UK This very hypercar-looking Corvette design study isn’t one of those concepts that’s essentially the production car but with a slightly sexier set of lights one that explores potential design directions but maybe drops a few hints about the future along the way GM hasn’t released any technical specs but they did say it was designed to be electric Related: Corvette Sales Plunge 21% In Q1, While Colorado Shoots Up 73% It’s one of three Corvette concepts coming this year from GM’s different studios spread across the world. The third version could make its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July and will take inspiration from this UK car and go on to help shape the look of the C9 production Corvette due in 2028 The images show a Corvette that seems to be a fanboy of hypercars like the Aston Martin Valkyrie (which was designed 11 miles / 18 km away) while also paying homage to the Vette’s past So while the dramatic cutaway section in the nose and another set of intakes ahead of each rear wheel means the lower half of the concept taps into the latest aero knowhow The peaked fenders nod to the lines of the 1965 Mako Shark Corvette concept which previewed the 1968 C3 production car – you’ll also find those fenders on the current C8 while again being reminiscent of the C3’s also looks like a tribute to the iconic split rear window of the 1963 C2 (the concept also has a split-rear-window treatment for good measure) Pushing the lower aero so hard means there’s no need for a clumsy big spoiler on the rear deck and although the images don’t show us the full interior from every angle we can see that gullwing doors provide access to a cabin in which drivers grasp a lozenge-shaped steering wheel GM has opened its new advanced design center in Royal Leamington Spa in the English Midlands because it’s determined to crack Europe with Cadillac and Corvette, having sold off its former European arms, Vauxhall and Opel, to Stellantis in 2017. The facility is headed by Julian Thomson, who we last heard of when he was design boss at Jaguar, but has previously worked for VW and Lotus, where he created his most famous car, the S1 Elise “As part of the Corvette creative study, we asked multiple studios to develop hypercar concepts, which we’ll see more of later this year,” GM’s senior VP of global design Michael Simcoe said “It was important that they all pay homage to Corvette’s historic DNA but each studio brought their own unique creative interpretation to the project That is exactly what our advanced design studio network is intended to do – push the envelope challenge convention and imagine what could be.” Simcoe said that despite its mid-engine proportions even if that doesn’t necessarily mean the next Corvette will follow suit “What we’ve done here doesn’t promise it [pure EV] in the next generation or anything close to that, it’s a concept, but giving it an EV propulsion system means you can do more with the aero – a more efficient underbody, and flow air through the body,” he told Top Gear. What do you think of this Corvette concept and would you like to see the production C9 taking cues from this Brit-designed study? The Mexico fighter, currently in possession of the WBA, WBC and WBO belts, heads to Saudi Arabia for his latest test as he bids two become a two-time undisputed king. Scull, who inherited the IBF title from Canelo when he vacated it last year, arguably represents the toughest challenge in years for the star, as he makes new ground abroad. The star seldom fights away from his home country and Las Vegas, but suggests the move to Riyadh for this bout offers a new opportunity for him to realise another dream. "I'm very excited," he told DAZN but they treat me really good and I appreciate that It's very important [to become undisputed again] because I want to be the first and only one." who recently welcomed a daugher to his family admits that he also strives to keep them apart from his career adding: "I think my personal life is apart from boxing DAZN Fight fans are in for a treat this week, with two amazing fight exclusively  DAZN PPV. Fight fans can purchase either these fight nights individually for  $59.99 US; £/€21.99 UK/IRE; ROW - $24.99 per PPV  or take advantage of the DAZN Knockout Weekend Bundle where both fight cards can be purchased for  $90 US; £34.99 UK and €34.99 Europe playBishop on Suryavanshi's record: 'That was mind-blowing' (4:33)Ian Bishop and Varun Aaron on the 14-year-old's 35-ball ton (4:33) "It's hard to really speak logic to this." It might have come as a surprise to many, but not to Vikram Rathour who has been watching the INR 1.1 crore auction buy up close for the past few months "We have been watching it in [the] nets the last few months. So we knew what he was capable of and what kind of shots he can play," Rathour said in the press conference after RR had beaten Gujarat Titans (GT) by eight wickets "But to do it in front of this kind of crowd and in a situation like this "Saw him maybe four months back when he came for the trials All of us knew we had found something special It was up to us to nurture him and bring him to this level He certainly did, leaving Bishop and Varun Aaron searching for words on ESPNcricinfo's Time Out show "They are allowing young players to come in with guys like Yashasvi Jaiswal and others," Bishop said "That's a big shift in Indian cricket - let's not look past that It's a culture that, in IPL 2025 alone, has thrown up future stars Priyansh Arya, Shaik Rasheed, Ayush Mhatre and now Suryavanshi "I don't care what GT served up [with the ball] on a platter He demolished what was served to him tonight." Bishop said [we can ask] how do they come at him in the next game how does he counter what's going to be thrown at him I don't care whether [the bowlers] served him oranges… "I hope we don't go too far with praising him but you cannot step back from the fact that tonight was absolutely mind-blowing As we have spoken about elsewhere on ESPNcricinfo there's a unique bat-swing in his game that could be the source of his power play5:27'Otherworldly' Suryavanshi wows Bishop Aaron try to make sense of Vaibhav Suryavanshi's 35-ball ton it starts here [near the back ear] and then it goes almost like a whip So he gets a little extra whip into his shots because it's not like a conventional up-and-down kind of backlift," Aaron said "It will be really cool to see one of those trackers which we have which track the backlift; it's a very different backlift and I think that's what makes his unique and he gets so much power into the shot with that effort for somebody who is that young." Visualise what Aaron said, or just revisit Suryavanshi's batting last night, and the name that pops up is that of Yuvraj Singh Now comes the question about the future. There are enough cautionary tales in Indian cricket about early success and all that can go wrong thereafter. Being around Rahul Dravid and Rathour can only help but that's only for a few months every year "He's lucky to be part of Rajasthan Royals and under Rahul Dravid because Rahul Dravid is one of those cricketers who almost symbolises how to keep it low-key," Aaron said play5:13What's the best way to handle Suryavanshi?Varun Aaron Suryavanshi's age makes things just that little bit tricky This is going to be new territory for the parents," Bishop said "The scrutiny on him when he plays the next game there are going to be detractors out there "Brian Lara was always one of the greatest guys I saw [when it comes to] dealing with failure We played against each other since we were 14-15 years old - he was able to take failure His parents are going to have to be so close to him and hopefully - I am sure they are great parents - you've got to surround this kid with proper people for the next five years to ensure this high that he's got so early in his career "This is going to take a special effort from his parents Truist Securities analyst Lorenzo Paoletti discusses the effect of HHS and CDC job cuts and restructurings with GEN Edge FDA Life Sciences Laboratory I in Building 64 which houses the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research and the Center for Devices and Radiological Health “You can’t tell the players without a scorecard,” is an especially fitting way of describing the effect of the overhaul in progress at the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the agencies it oversees that regulate biopharma—especially the FDA Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) HHS began eliminating some 10,000 jobs as announced in late March by HHS Secretary Robert F The 10,000 jobs include 3,500 positions at the FDA Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Yet within a week of partnering with the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to swing the proverbial axe Kennedy projected that up to 20% of the job cuts or roughly 2,000 jobs While defending the HHS-DOGE overall effort to eliminate redundancies such as “over 100” communications departments and dozens of IT and HR (human resources) departments Kennedy acknowledged: “There were a number of instances where studies that should not have been cut were cut And that was always the plan,” Kennedy said April 3 but 20% of those are going to have to be reinstated “We’re going to make it work for public health We’re going to make it work for the American people,” Kennedy vowed The staggering shrinkage of the department’s workforce and consolidation of programs led to dire predictions from some former officials and others about a bleak future for U.S “The FDA as we’ve known it is finished,” declared former commissioner Robert Califf who held the position in the administrations of Barack Obama (2016–2017) and Joe Biden (2022–2025) Biotech Investment Banking at Truist Securities discussed the effects of recent job cuts and restructuring of the regulatory agencies with GEN Edge (This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.) and restructurings of the regulatory agencies are reshaping the landscape for biotech business: Lorenzo Paoletti: We’re entering a very new territory for biotech several companies that operate in the vaccine or rare/genetic medicine space traded down on the back of this news Some companies that operate in these therapeutic areas have lost significant market cap “How are we going to get our products to the next stage of development What’s going to be the approval process What’s the implication for future study designs in this particular area Will average times to approval increase or decrease?” On the effect of tariffs on biopharma businesses: When you start thinking about the impact that tariffs can have we’re talking about actual components of drug manufacturing: It could be the box It could be the syringe among other key manufacturing elements the P&L [profit-and-loss] of these companies from revenue to Ebit [earnings before interest and taxes] to EPS [earnings per share] if you’re a CFO of a public biotech potentially affected by these dynamics you need to think very hard about what you’re going to say the next quarter On the effect of developments in Washington on merger-and-acquisition (M&A) activity in biopharma: Large pharmaceutical companies have generally been very active from an M&A perspective looking to replenish or augment their pipeline This is a healthy behavior that is part of our ecosystem But if you’re a CFO or a CEO of a large pharmaceutical company and you have all this uncertainty ahead of you maybe waiting to execute on M&A is the prudent business decision We have to see how things are going to pan out with the administration Kicking the can down the road—referring to a potential acquisition—might make more sense Some management teams at this stage are telling us that it’s more prudent to keep cash on hand vs deploying it for M&A Uncertainty around tariff policy and the actual financial mid-to-long-term impact is hindering M&A the administration had not yet articulated its plans around tariffs and FDA-related changes a lot has happened that has hindered volumes I don’t think we knew in January the extent of the repercussions and the actions that the Trump administration was going to take I don’t think we have visibility into that now We should be able to see smaller M&A deals given the opportunity for both the buy-side and corporates to absorb and digest these drastic policy changes we could see a bit more activity on the M&A side it will be more around the add-ons and deals in the sub $5 billion range On how the administration’s actions toward the FDA will affect biopharmas: The communication between a chief medical officer are those communications going to be limited because of the lack of personnel Is there going to be a lack of trust from executives toward the FDA now that we have lost talent at the agency The question is what type of guidance is the FDA now going to give such as endpoints and key scientific parameters as the biotech community might receive new guidelines Are they going to agree with those guidelines And what does that mean in terms of speed to get these drugs to the next inflection point On the effects of administration actions on IPO VC markets—even as several biotechs have reported strong which is different than what was happening in 2022 as we were coming off the COVID-19 bubble (when the biotech market entirely inflated and valuations came down) We have worked through those obstacles quite well and now we have more mature sound biotechs both on the private side as well as the public side there has been generally a valuation reset VCs and crossover investors have learned from the dynamics that led to the 2020–2021 overheated period and they’re holding on to private companies longer investors are holding private companies and the drug development risk associated with their pipelines longer Biotechs are going public with more human data in hands generally risk is transferred to public markets later All these dynamics point to better fundamentals for the space They are mainly driven by geopolitical macro external factors They’re not entirely external when you decide to change the entire FDA composition—that’s quite important here But it’s not because of the fundamentals On the likelihood of investors or startups holding off going public a little bit longer as a result: Some fund managers are managing LPs’ [limited partners] expectations I don’t think it’s entirely bad I think it’s rational for a biotech to be private for longer until the drug is showing meaningful human data the general philosophy was to keep emerging biotechs private longer until meaningful data was generated As the biotech goes through the private journey maybe it can change hands from early-stage VCs that are more focused on seeding companies to mid-stage VCs that can take the company to the first portion of human trials (Phase II/Phase IIb) This ecosystem is getting titrated quite well and investors are certainly getting ready for this type of value chain process Copyright © 2025 Sage Publications or its affiliates including those for text and data mining and training of large language models Natalie Venegas is a Weekend Reporter at Newsweek based in New York crime and politics while specializing on marginalized and underrepresented communities Natalie worked with news publications including Adweek She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor's in journalism either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content Mary Trump, the estranged niece of President Donald Trump, issued a warning on Friday as Trump's administration enters "new territory" with the confirmation of Kash Patel as the next director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Newsweek has reached out to the FBI via email for comment on Saturday morning Mary Trump, a psychologist and media personality, has long been a staunch critic of her uncle's often issuing dire warnings about the risk he poses to the government and the country she has built much of her personal brand around opposition to her uncle and his political movement Patel pledged to fire top agency personnel who investigated Trump during his first term and after While many Democrats and other Trump critics raised these concerns Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska In response to Patel's confirmation, in a Substack post on Friday titled, "Jack-booted Thugs," Mary Trump warned how the Trump administration is entering "new territory" as she condemned Patel and raised concern over the new state of the FBI "This is new territory—it's all new territory but I think it's apt: This is all going to get so much worse before it gets better Mary Trump continued: "The FBI is now in the hands of the man who for months now has claimed that the agency is part of the deep state; that he has an enemies list comprised of those who have stood up to and spoken out against his pathetic boss." Patel had a number of testy exchanges with Democratic senators during his confirmation hearing. Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii grilled him on reports that he had an "enemies list," asking him if he planned on investigating former FBI directors Christopher Wray and James Comey Patel responded that he has "no intentions of going backwards." Previously, Patel had called to root out government employees deemed insufficiently loyal to Trump in which he singled out many of those people in his book Patel also faced criticism over his alleged ties to Russia after he submitted financial disclosures which showed he was paid $25,000 last year by a U.S.-Russian film company tied to Kremlin-backed conspiracy content Documents obtained by The Washington Post show that Patel received the money from Global Tree Pictures, a Los Angeles-based company run by Igor Lopatonok, a Russian national who also holds U.S. citizenship, whose previous projects include a pro-Russian campaign funded by a program created by Russian President Vladimir Putin He has also produced programs promoting "deep state" conspiracy theories and anti-Western views advanced by the Kremlin This is not the first time Mary Trump has warned against Trump's incoming administration as she took to her Substack last week to warn of a possible "catastrophic outcome" following the confirmation of new director of national intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard "One of the most powerful people in the cabinet is a known Russian asset a defender of the murderous dictator Bashar al-Assad and enemy to our ally (?) Ukraine," Mary Trump wrote last week Gabbard has suggested that Russia was justified when it launched an invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has slammed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's government as a "corrupt autocracy." but they lead to one potentially catastrophic outcome—having her in such a sensitive position will give our allies pause," Mary Trump added last week on her Substack page In a statement announcing she would not support Kash Patel GOP Senator Susan Collins of Maine said that "recent personnel actions" at the Justice Department indicate that there is "a compelling need for an FBI Director who is decidedly apolitical." Patel has had 16 years of dedicated public service his time over the past four years has been characterized by high profile and aggressive political activity," she said Patel has made numerous politically charged statements in his book and elsewhere discrediting the work of the FBI the very institution he has been nominated to lead," the Maine senator continued in conjunction with the questionnaire sent to thousands of FBI employees Patel's ability to advance the FBI's law enforcement mission in a way that is free from the appearance of political motivation." told CNN that Patel's confirmation is a "radical" change to the bureau: "I served under four directors in 27 years in the FBI and no one came in with these few qualifications Just all of the things that he has said on podcasts and written in his book it makes you wonder where the bureau is going to be heading next Democratic Senator Peter Welch of Vermont told CNN of Patel's confirmation: "It's the end of the FBI as we know it. Patel is an instrument of Donald Trump Donald Trump's policy towards the Justice Department and the FBI is retribution and Kash Patel has signed onto that full throat." praised Patel on the Senate floor Thursday: "I look forward to working with Mr Patel to restore the integrity of the FBI and get it focused on its critical mission." Patel's confirmation tightens Trump's grip on the federal government placing a staunch loyalist in charge of the federal law enforcement agency of which Trump has been highly critical While there are still a few Cabinet picks yet to be confirmed those nominations are less likely to face strong opposition in the Republican-controlled Senate Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsweek is committed to journalism that's factual and fair Hold us accountable and submit your rating of this article on the meter. Newsletters in your inbox See all BREAKING: DoorDash Falls On Big Acquisitions, Mixed Results Insulin pump maker Insulet (PODD) is Monday's pick for IBD 50 Growth Stocks To Watch from Investor's Business Daily Insulet stock is forming a base while showing relative strength The medical device company reversed higher amid Monday's volatile market action after sinking at the session's open Insulet holds a 3-year earnings growth rate of 109% according… Trade war perils are swirling around ocean shippers and the ports that serve them Get instant access to exclusive stock lists expert market analysis and powerful tools with 2 months of IBD Digital for only $20 Learn how you can make more money with IBD's investing tools Real-time quote and/or trade prices are not sourced from all markets Ownership data provided by LSEG and Estimate data provided by FactSet MarketSurge and other marks are trademarks owned by Investor's Business Daily Martin Short is not a stranger to the spotlight and now he is bringing his charm and comedic brilliance to the world of game shows The Only Murders in the Building star is stepping into new territory as the host of the 2025 revival of the popular game show Match Game on ABC marking his first time hosting a traditional game show Though Short boasts an impressive resume of hosting roles Match Game will be the first time the Emmy and Tony winner anchors a competitive With a summer 2025 premiere on the horizon The new season will join ABC’s fan-favorite slate of unscripted offerings Dancing with the Stars-now heading into its 34th season and the comeback of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire ABC is reviving Match Game four years after its most recent run ended in 2021 premiered in 2016 and spanned five seasons The franchise itself dates back to 1962 and has aired across CBS The format remains a fan favorite: four contestants compete to win $25,000 by attempting to match wit and blanks with a panel of six celebrity guests in a lively game of fill-in-the-blank questions he has previously hosted daytime talk show The Martin Short Show which aired on Comedy Central for three years Short has hosted Saturday Night Live multiple times earning him a place in the prestigious Five-Timers Club Sign in Culture Beat is an arts & entertainment blog based in Providence, RI that also covers the New England region and other parts of the globe. Listen It’s officially out today (March 7) and it has Hull finding a balance between progressing her talents and staying true to her roots While bringing in the likes of Béla Fleck, Tim O’Brien, and Aoife O’Donovan among others A Tip Toe High Wire is also the first album she’s released on her own without the assistance of a record label it feels like stepping out into a different territory,” she says about the album via a press release “Leaning into that at this chapter of my career — the freedom of being able to be out on my own to create with no walls for what feels like the first time — has helped me grow.” the goal a majority of musicians have is to capture the essence of their live performance it can increase the quality of the both the recording and listening experience This approach was the catalyst for Hull’s vision and it comes through in the genuine complexities within the songs “There’s nothing like putting on a record that inspires me or going to a live show that blows my mind,” she mentions on the inspiration behind the album “It makes me want to go home and write songs or get on a stage and try to be better at giving that same kind of emotion in my own way to an audience.” There are a ton of great tunes off of A Tip Toe High Wire including “Come Out Of My Blues” featuring O’Brien Click on the link below to listen to these highlights off of the album and more while diving into an excellent array of music RI that also covers the New England region and other parts of the globe Editor-In-Chief & Founder of Culture Beat on Medium. Freelance Arts & Entertainment Journalist based in Providence, RI. Email: rob.c.duguay@gmail.com Help A 14-YEAR-OLD wunderkind has the cricket world in raptures after scoring an electrifying 35-ball century in the Indian Premier League Vaibhav Suryavanshi broke all sorts of batting records in Twenty20 cricket during the IPL game in Jaipur on Monday night The precocious batter seemed destined for stardom when he went to Rajasthan Royals during the IPL auction last year at the age of 13 He hit a six with the first ball he faced in the tournament It took Suryavanshi just three games in the sport’s richest ritziest league to grab global attention as he smashed 11 sixes and seven fours in his breathtaking 101 He plundered all those boundaries against an experienced Gujarat Titans bowling attack with a combined 694 games of international experience Suryavanshi’s fearless hitting stunned Rashid Khan who have carried Gujarat to six victories in nine IPL games this season which won the inaugural edition of IPL in 2008 has a history of nurturing cricketing talent Suryavanshi was born a year after Yousuf Pathan hit the then fastest century in IPL in 2010 off 37 balls for Rajasthan against Mumbai Indians Pathan was quick to congratulate the youngster for breaking his record for the fastest IPL hundred by an Indian “Even more special to see it happen while playing for (rajasthanroyals) There’s truly something magical about this franchise for youngsters,” Pathan posted on X Royals batting coach Vikram Rathore knew what Suryavanshi was capable of doing at top-level cricket after watching him practise a few months ago and quickly figured it was important to nurture him “To do it in front of this kind of crowd and in a situation like this against a really I think it was really special and a lot of credit to him,” Rathore said “He has a solid head on his shoulders Today was an extraordinary innings.” not to pile too much pressure on his young star by comparing him with the great Sachin Tendulkar on the kid to compare him to Sachin Tendulkar,” he told the post-game news conference He’s a special kid and he’s a special talent he’ll have a special place in Indian cricket I’m sure.” who transformed from teenage talent into an iconic figure and the leading international scorer in the sport was impressed with Suryavanshi’s innings praised the talent of the youngest player to score a century in a professional T20 league and the second-fastest in the history of the IPL “Witnessed this carnage of an innings by this youngster Absolutely insane!” Suryakumar Yadav of Mumbai Indians posted on X Former India batter Yuvraj Singh was impressed with the fearless attitude of Suryavanshi This kid is taking on the best bowlers in the world without blinking an eyelid!” Yuvraj posted to his 6.4 million followers on X “Vaibhav Suryavanshi – remember the name Playing with a fearless attitude Proud to see the next generation shine!” With the likes of Rahul Dravid and Rathore around him at Rajasthan Suryavanshi could easily be fast-tracked into international cricket IPL commentator and ex-West Indies international cricketer Ian Bishop said Suryavanshi needs to be surrounded by the right people so that he doesn’t fade out “The scrutiny on him when he plays the next game there are going to be detractors out there … this kid is going to be tested “His parents are going to have to be so close to him and hopefully – I’m sure they are great parents – you’ve got to surround this kid with proper people for the next five years to ensure this high that he’s got so early in his career Suryavanshi made his first-class debut for Bihar in northeast India in January 2024 “Vaibhav has shown the world the immense talent that lies hidden in the soil of Bihar,” his father Our entire family and people across Bihar are overjoyed by this accomplishment.” View the discussion thread. but as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night en route to a franchise-setting 61 wins it wasn't any less historic than it was Even beyond the years of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook the Thunder has reached a level of dominance not seen since the franchise was established in 2008 It has ran through the entire Western Conference all season long — making it a clear favorite for its second NBA Finals run the talent on the roster and the impressive wins Oklahoma City has picked up throughout the year points to it doing just that Being this much of a contender certainly puts the pressure on come playoff time that hasn't seemed to bother its personnel It is too early to say that this season's Thunder is better than the 2012 and 2016 squads but it is on a trajectory to accomplish what those teams didn't Neither of those years had MVP winners — though Durant and Westbrook won in Oklahoma City separately — but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is expected to be just that this season Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic has put up an impressive resume himself but Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder have been on a different playing field When Westbrook and Paul George were dealt away back in 2019 some hope from the franchise seemed to go away Gilgeous-Alexander and the astounding amount of draft picks changed the tune of the direction the Thunder was heading in A couple of seasons at the bottom of the West might've been tough to endure for Oklahoma City faithful All of the pieces have come together at the right time — with plenty of years left to grow and develop together The Thunder isn't a stranger to the playoffs or contending for championships CHASE GEMESChase is a junior at the University of Missouri studying journalism. He is a football and men’s basketball reporter for Missouri on SI. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER Arkansas community colleges will soon offer an armada of micro-credential pathways thanks to a new partnership with Education Design Lab the nonprofit focused on building education-to-workforce pipelines The lab’s Community College Growth Engine will spearhead the initiative by helping eight institutions develop seven to 15 stackable micro pathways within less than a year Despite boasting one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, Arkansas also suffers one of the most severe workforce shortages, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce The rare dichotomy is primarily driven by the hotbed of job growth in emerging industries in the state College leaders believe embedding micro-credentials in academic programming can bolster the state’s career pipeline while ensuring sustained growth and participation at its institutions “Using the Lab’s human-centered design process we’re crafting micro-pathways tailored to the needs of businesses throughout the state family-sustaining jobs and continued career growth,” said Stephanie Tully-Dartez The Lab ensures its micro-credential pathways prepare students for the workforce by collaborating with regional employers who are hiring roles for which the credentials are intended To guarantee certain skills and competencies are met the organization recruits employers as subject matter experts to create or modify curriculum More from UB: Reports: Trump now ready to dismantle Department of Education micro-credentials can also be stacked toward a degree through a pre-mapped framework helping students move through college at their own pace and earn a quick return on each of their studies director of the workforce development program at Arkansas State University described this flexibility as a “game changer.” “This approach allows students and workers to efficiently gain targeted expertise and enter high-demand high-wage jobs—without the potentially prohibitive expense and time commitment of a four-year degree,” Walker said But with the need for a high-skill workforce becoming a nationwide requirement systemic statewide investment in credential upskilling will need to grow senior director of the Lab’s Community College Growth Engine “This work is not unique to Arkansas There are aging populations across the country and as we move into a skills-based economy leveraging this micro-pathway model will allow for quick reskilling to ensure they’re prepared for these growing industries and sectors.” We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Click to view our cookie policy We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze how you use this website and provide the content and advertisements that are relevant to you These cookies will only be stored in your browser with your prior consent You can choose to enable or disable some or all of these cookies but disabling some of them may affect your browsing experience Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Brendan Cole is a Newsweek Senior News Reporter based in London He also covers other areas of geopolitics including China Brendan joined Newsweek in 2018 from the International Business Times and well as English You can get in touch with Brendan by emailing b.cole@newsweek.com or follow on him on his X account @brendanmarkcole John Feng is Newsweek's contributing editor for Asia based in Taichung He has covered foreign policy and defense matters especially in relation to U.S.-China ties and cross-strait relations between China and Taiwan John joined Newsweek in 2020 after reporting in Central Europe and the United Kingdom He is a graduate of National Chengchi University in Taipei and SOAS You can get in touch with John by emailing j.feng@newsweek.com Ukraine's military has released video it says shows its offensive in the Kursk region where its troops are said to be making gains The Command of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces said that its forces had "successfully conducted offensive actions" in the Russian region It comes amid reports that six months into its incursion into Russia Ukraine had seized new positions this month with what has been described as a "swift and unexpected maneuver." Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry for comment Ukraine said it made gains early into its incursion last August but Russian forces have managed to retake much of the territory in recent weeks Ukraine claiming that it was rejuvenating its campaign in Kursk shows it has not given up on its fight for territory in the Russian region The Command of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces published video on its Facebook page of what it described as new offensive operations in Kursk earlier this month The clip did not specify a date but it showed drone footage which has been sped up of military vehicles moving across roads and fields where explosions were seen The post was light on details but said that paratroopers of Ukraine's 82nd Air Assault Brigade had successfully conducted offensive actions in Kursk in coordination with support units It added that Ukraine's defense forces managed to secure new positions and "significantly improve their tactical situation." The Russian Ministry of Defense and Russian milbloggers on Telegram have acknowledged Ukraine's renewed push The Zapiski Veterana Telegram channel said around 500 personnel and 50 armored vehicles were deployed in the Ukrainian push Another milblogger said Russian troops had lost control over the settlements of Cherkasskaya Konopelka and Ulanok Russian sources said Ukrainian troops attacked southeast of Sudzha the city Kyiv had captured early in the incursion However, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) also noted Russian advances in Kursk and that there was fighting northwest Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine's forces had advanced over a mile and half in the Russian oblast He had previously said the incursion had forced Russia to redeploy forces from southern Ukraine preventing an attack which had been planned on the city of Zaporizhzhia Ukraine's Air Assault Forces Command: "Working closely with support units paratroopers of the 82nd Separate Air Assault Bukovyna Brigade successfully conducted offensive actions in one front within Kursk Oblast." Russian Defense Ministry statement: "Since February 6 Ukrainian armed formations have been launching counteroffensive actions toward the settlements of Cherkasskaya Konopelka and Ulanok in Kursk Oblast." Around 150,000 people have fled the Kursk oblast whose occupation by Ukraine delivers a blow to Vladimir Putin Ukraine's announcement of gains shows its operation in Russian territory remains a top priority which could be useful in the event of talks to end the conflict Ponant Explorations’ Asia Pacific division, part of the Ponant Explorations Group, has announced the start of a new partnership with Australian food rescue organisation, OzHarvest. This new initiative aligns with the company’s ethos that are built around giving back to the regions they visit as part of their small-ship operations. Having sailed in the Kimberley region and other parts of Northern Australia for over a decade, Ponant Explorations’ new commitment is a natural extension of the company’s involvement in the region and their sailing operations in close collaboration with the local communities. “Ponant Explorations’ concept of small ship adventures evolves around authenticity and connection,” Ponant Explorations Group for Asia Pacific CEO, Deb Corbett, said. “Working with local communities around the globe has been at the core of our vision since our beginning. “It is only natural we give back as an acknowledgement of their contribution to the humbling experiences we deliver at sea, all around the globe. We look forward to contributing to OzHarvest’s success in creating a sustainable future for many, the same way Ponant Explorations has led the way towards a more sustainable form of tourism. This alignment is an opportunity for our two organisations to make a great impact.” “Our partnership with Ponant Explorations is helping us do just that,” OzHarvest founder, Ronni Kahn AO, said. “Thanks to their support, our team in the Northern Territory can continue getting good food to those who need it most. Operating out of Darwin, we rescue and deliver 350kg of essential food hampers each week and run a pop-up store in the Jabiru community – ensuring remote communities have access to fresh, nutritious food close to home. For almost a decade, Ponant Explorations has been pioneering small-ship expedition voyages in Australia, with a strong presence in the iconic Kimberley region and additional itineraries over the years to Tasmania, the West Coast, and remote Macquarie Island. Founded in France and now a global leader in sustainable, small-ship cruising, the company positions two of its state-of-the-art vessels in the Asia Pacific region each year. With a deliberately limited capacity of around 200 guests per voyage, Ponant Explorations champions a low-impact, human-scale approach to exploration at sea, setting a benchmark for more sustainable practices in the luxury cruise industry. 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 President Donald Trump is taking an expansive view of his pledge to put “America First.” 10% off products and services for Chapman University students and faculty with school ID Selena Gomez, widely recognized as the witty protagonist of Disney Channel’s “Wizards of Waverly Place,” just expanded her style. Beginning her acting career on "Barney and Friends" and playing various roles on Disney Gomez surprised a Chapman audience with her latest performance.  An early screening of “Emilia Pérez” before a Master Class with Gomez allowed Chapman students to see the film before it hit Netflix The Spanish-language musical thriller about a lawyer who’s offered an unusual job to help a cartel boss transition into living as a woman left students eagerly chatting after the event Gomez plays a leading role in the film as Jessi Del Monte Del Monte is Gomez’s first Spanish-speaking role but such has been a goal of hers for a long time making this performance very important to her I wish there had been more time (to practice) but I equally was able to use that and collaborate and kind of set a tone of where (Jessi Del Monte) is,” Gomez said Gomez’s Hispanic heritage is a part of her identity she takes great pride in Her grandparents immigrated to America in 1972 and Gomez said that she owes them everything.  I have all of this because they chose to come here and give themselves and my father a better life,” Gomez said “And I don't think that's something to be dismissed lightly and I think that's why I try to make sure to be as involved as possible.”  This part of Gomez’s identity resonated deeply with  Johan Espinosa As a first-generation Mexican-American and a longtime fan of Gomez Espinosa felt moved by the way she spoke about her identity not many people know that she comes from a Mexican descent,” Espinosa told The Panther (It’s) something that strikes very strikes a chord in me emotionally.” paired with the way Gomez spoke about empowerment and her identity He told The Panther that this new film shows that Gomez’s capabilities range far wider than she is given credit for “I've never seen her do something like that and very proud that she represents Mexican culture and Mexico as a whole,” Espinosa said by talking about something that needs to be talked about.”  a sophomore animation and visual effects major said the film was unlike anything he had seen Gomez do before I thought it really tackled a bunch of different genres throughout the entire movie,” Chan told The Panther “Emilia Pérez” won multiple awards at the Cannes Film Festival with Gomez and co-stars Karla Sofía Gascón and Zoe Saldaña sharing the Best Actress award this recognition will allow Gomez to explore new opportunities “I think now that she won Best Actress and this is a film that has more serious meanings,” Chan said “I think that she's definitely going to be breaking out (of) the box.”  While making a constant effort to explore new realms of the industry Gomez still pays due to her formative years on Disney Channel After her success on “Wizards of Waverly Place,” she returned to work with the series that she said raised her “It was truly a time in my life that was before anything,” Gomez said “Those people that still work on the new version of our show now really raised me Since graduating from her Disney years, Gomez has always craved to do something out of the box. Her first film after child acting was “Spring Breakers.” Although controversial due to its subject matter the experience was important to Gomez nonetheless “I think I was just craving something different I was just wanting to feel something,” Gomez said “I wanted to have these experiences with great filmmakers and great writers As she tries to continue growing as an artist Gomez feels that she is often met with the challenge of people's negative preconceptions.  “I think that my life has this weird veil across me of what people may think of me so that actually prevents me from getting opportunities that I would love,” Gomez said “When I find great filmmakers or want to work with them I'm hoping that they just don't know much about me.” the director of “Emilia Pérez,” based his judgments on her capabilities and talent over preconceived notions about her This ultimately landed Gomez a leading role in the film Gomez now feels like she is in a position where she has the freedom to be picky about her projects and opportunities allowing her to work on things that align with her values “I think I just want to do things that make me happy And I am luckily in a position right now where I don't really want to take things I just really want to choose things wisely and be sure of something that I believe in,” Gomez said “My art is never really going to be for everyone and I'm proud of it and I couldn't love it anymore if I tried.” CP Communications and its Red House Streaming subsidiary have been invited back to the TCS New York City Marathon every year since 2014 for many reasons though they all correlate with one primary theme: a refusal to rest on their laurels The combined engineering and production teams continue to evolve and fine-tune their content acquisition networking and transmission strategies each year with execution under the direction of event producer FILM 45 on behalf of the New York Road Runners (NYRR) That was no different for the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon in November where the CP and RHS teams took on new technical challenges and improved previous elements 26.2-mile race these included a broader implementation of private LTE spectrum and a groundbreaking integration with Starlink that enabled IP-based aerial acquisition These content acquisition and networking innovations from the RHS side paved the way for CP technicians to expand the event’s streaming footprint to 48 outbound feeds originating from HD-21 CP’s flagship 53-foot expando production truck Those feeds were sent to multiple broadcast and streaming platforms we have gradually taken control of production elements where we can make a difference,” says Frank Rafka we took full responsibility for the TSC New York City Marathon App consumer experience That’s a big change from last year where we handed off select camera feeds to a third party We added two VMix systems to HD-21 and assigned a dedicated operator to each for live mixing and switching of all nine feeds We also added a dedicated encoding channel to our on-board Haivision Makito X4 video systems for low-latency transmission which ensured real-time delivery to the app.” the RHS team deployed REMI production systems to three locations slimming down the technologies to simplify setup and operation Haivision Pro460 5G mobile video systems were among the encoding and decoding technologies used to contribute live feeds to HD-21 from the three REMI sites leveraging both public mobile networks and special CBRS wireless spectrum from Citizens Broadband Radio Service RHS also deployed Pro460 systems to seven on-course motos including dual-stream Smartcars with Sony cameras and microphones to capture live POV feeds and commentary from on-course talent The CBRS spectrum proved especially useful for intercom communications particularly at the start and finish lines where public mobile spectrum can quickly reach capacity “We assigned a Green-GO digital intercom system to the CBRS spectrum which provides a private LTE cellular network for mission-critical needs with networking and communications,” says Aaron Segarra “That ensured clear spectrum for intercom at the start and finish lines where you have large crowds of spectators sharing their own pictures and live video feeds.” The Green-GO intercom network included 18 beltpacks at the starting line and 12 at the finish line along with six iPhones at each site with connectivity to a cloud server from Pente Networks to manage all technologies assigned to CBRS spectrum The communications strategy included a city-wide Unity radio system for field technicians and an RTS ADAM matrix with RVON connectivity between HD-21 and the three REMI sites The biggest change happened in the sky where RF technology was long exclusively used for aerial content acquisition and networking — until this year CP Communications established a partnership with Heli INC to provide a camera-equipped helo for aerial coverage of the race CP and RHS technicians designed a platform in collaboration with Heli INC to mount a Starlink satellite antenna and use that service for connectivity and Haivision for encoding “That was a huge accomplishment in our quest for uninterrupted connectivity,” says Rafka “We recently started using Starlink to embellish existing cellular coverage for sporting events as there are always spots with coverage caps and others where we can’t establish a reliable internet drop or run a cable across the street we equipped Starlink connectivity to a helicopter for the first time We still had a traditional RF microwave link on the helicopter for backup but we used Haivision encoders as our primary encoding links we provided uninterrupted coverage of the entire race from all locations via IP with sateliite-based Starlink connectivity.” © 2025 Sports Video Group. All rights reserved. Site by Brightgreen Design/Arturan/Sfera Interactive Home of Sanitary Maintenance, Contracting Profits, and Facility Cleaning Decisions magazines family-owned company that supplies products for installing maintaining and restoring premium floors – recently welcomed three new team members: Corey Norris as Territory Manager in Colorado Joseph Revord as Adhesives Territory Manager in Florida and Paul Wilke as Territory Manager in Chicago “We’re excited to welcome such a strong and experienced group of individuals to our roster,” said Matt Casey “With their nearly 100 years of combined industry experience we have no doubt they will help take Bona to the next level in their dedicated regions and beyond.”  Norris comes to Bona with 20 years of industry experience Starting his career at his father’s flooring company he then transitioned into the multifamily flooring sector and has held positions in wholesale flooring he led the window coverings division at his previous employer Recently relocating to Florida after raising his family in Colorado Revordhas more than 30 years in the hardwood flooring business He is passionate about market analysis and discovering ways to help customers and has been a member of the Bona Certified Craftsmanship Program for the past six years in Colorado Springs Wilke has more than 40 years of experience in the flooring industry He previously owned a flooring store for more than 20 years and holds several certified installer accreditations he has previously installed and finished floors across California for several notable names The Pittsburgh Penguins are not used to playing meaningless regular season games Including Thursday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Pittsburgh Penguins have 22 games remaining in the 2024-25 regular season Aside from what it means for draft lottery positioning (and they could mean a lot!) Or at least as close to meaningless as a professional game can be They are nine points out of a wild card spot while almost every team ahead of them has multiple games in hand remaining They are not going to the playoffs unless they do something crazy like go 20-2-0 the rest of the way They are more likely to have the worst record in the Eastern Conference This is relatively new and uncharted territory for a lot of people on the team and around the team Even though they missed the playoffs in each of the past two seasons there was still something to play for down the stretch Both of those seasons began with playoff expectations During the 2022-23 season they were in the playoff race until Games 80 and 81 of the regular season Even though they traded Jake Guentzel at the deadline a year ago they still went on a little bit of a run after the trade deadline and at least were able to hang around in the race Between the two years combined they missed the playoffs by a total of four points None of that is going to be the case over the next month-and-a-half because everybody knows this season is cooked you probably only have vague memories of meaningless Penguins games since the early 1990s there have only been three seasons where that was the case (those X Generation teams between the Jaromir Jagr trade and the selection of Sidney Crosby) It is also new territory for a lot of the older players on the team Kris Letang and Bryan Rust who have known nothing but winning and competitive hockey throughout their careers It is going to be fascinating to see how that translates onto the ice when everybody knows the situation After coming out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break and losing a pair of home games against the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers (where they probably deserved a better result based on the way the non-goalies played) things got downright bleak on Tuesday in Philadelphia They not only lost their fourth game in a row they were absolutely humiliated not only by a team that is not particularly good It was as close to a “going through the motions” game as you could get it is not exactly encouraging for the type of hockey that could be ahead I understand the importance of getting a premium pick But I also do not want to see an environment get created when losing becomes accepted That’s one of the reasons I am happy going through a re-tooling/rebuild with players like Crosby You need people that have won before and care about the team I still want to see them play well and let the lottery balls fall where they may Some other quick random thoughts on the Penguins at the moment A 60-foot-wide zone of New Mexico land that runs along the U.S border with Mexico has been deemed part of Fort Huachuca to allow troops to begin arresting people for trespassing on military territory — an escalation of the authority given active-duty service members deployed to the region to deter illegal activity enforce crowd control and provide medical treatment to anyone found on the land referred to as the New Mexico National Defense Area the combatant command overseeing the deployment of about 6,600 troops at the southwest border Northern Command will ensure those who illegally trespass in the New Mexico National Defense Area are handed over to Customs and Border Protection or our other law enforcement partners,” said Air Force Gen “Joint Task Force-Southern Border will conduct enhanced detection and monitoring which will include vehicle and foot patrols Troops in the area can also request help with temporary barriers The Department of Interior last week transferred the land to the Defense Department as directed by an executive order by President Donald Trump The Interior Department and Department of Homeland Security were directed to cede jurisdiction to the military runs along the border between New Mexico and Mexico military personnel will continue to work together with Customs and Border Protection personnel to establish and enforce a controlled perimeter and access to the area to prevent criminal activities across the border Border Patrol agents have encountered roughly 30,000 people suspected of crossing into the U.S without authorization at the southwest border in New Mexico since fiscal 2025 began in October More than 121,500 people were encountered during the previous fiscal year The increase in military authorities at the border with Mexico is building upon an ongoing mission for troops to monitor and report possible criminal activity or people crossing into the U.S without authorization to Customs and Border Protection It first began in 2018 during Trump’s first term and continued under former President Joe Biden with the National Guard he ordered the deployment of active-duty forces border crossings have dropped from an average of 5,100 migrants each day under Biden’s four years to 230 a day in the first four months of Trump’s second term according to Customs and Border Protection The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer: It seems incomprehensible that President Trump might seek territory from our neighbors and allies Trump as a dictator armed with a mighty military and the Panama Canal both are in his crosshairs The country of Panama was carved out of Colombia at the direction of President Theodore Rosevelt for the purpose of constructing an American-controlled canal to connect access between two great oceans the Canal remained under effective American control until President Carter relinquished control to Panama Did you ever hear the phrase “54-40 or fight” Did you ever hear that Baja California was considered for purchase by the United States Was the Maine boundary with Canada and the dividing up of 4 of the 5 Great Lakes permanently resolved to the satisfaction of America With Greenland and the Panama Canal already in Trump’s sights there likely will be more territory for Trump to lust after — when someone gives Trump a history lesson By the 1840s Americans had settled in Oregon Territory in significant numbers thereby setting up a border dispute with the British over the northern boundary line between the American and the British claims the current border between the state of Washington and the Canadian province of British Columbia would have extended north to a latitude of 54 degrees 40 minutes — virtually to the current southern tip of Alaska In other words virtually all of the current British Columbia coast Might Trump be interested in an American Pacific coast extending all the way to the California border with Mexico or even further south purchased a strip of land from northern Mexico for the best east-west southern railroad route across the U.S this strip of land became what later became parts of the states of Arizona and New Mexico initially wanted Baja as part of the purchase Half a century later there was another informal interest in the purchase of the Baja Peninsula Might Trump be interested in reviving the American expansionist interest in Baja some American mercenaries (“private militia” types) tried to take over Baja Might Trump want to manufacture some kind of pretext for blackmailing Mexico into selling Baja perhaps using the current border crossing difficulties with Mexico Trump has already threatened to use the military to cross into Mexico to go after the drug cartels Territorial expansion has always been on the agenda of dictators and autocrats Trump wants to Make America Great Again by turning the clock back to a perceived glory past of American growth and expanding power America grew its boundaries in the 19th century by two-thirds partly through war and partly through the weakness of those who had their own claims to the land Canada — all were no match for the “Manifest Destiny” American territorial expansion desire to expand its “borders” and “boundaries” Dictators almost uniformly desire territorial expansion a Danish-controlled semi-autonomous island his desire to regain control the Panama Canal and his not-so-funny threat to make Canada the 51st American state (repeated this week in Trump’s announcement of new tariffs against Canada) should not come as a surprise The quest for more and more power over people and territory is in the DNA of dictator-type bullies are one way to describe and define the evolution of humankind toward the relatively modern “nation state” system that replaced the Middle Ages system in Western civilization known as feudalism Feudalism was characterized by lords of manors (various-size tracts of land with boundaries) serfs bound to the manor soil by birth — poor ignorant peasants who had no land and no rights The lords defended their boundaries with the blood of serfs pressed into wars over “boundaries.” Eventually the descendants of the most powerful lords became the kings and the aristocrats of the “nation state” system that replaced Western feudalism The kings and aristocrats are mostly gone (except for ceremonial roles) but the nation states and their boundaries remain And the boundaries have been fought over and redrawn over and over for hundreds of years and the recent wars in Ukraine and Gaza are wars over borders and boundaries were (and are) wars over the drawing and redrawing of “boundary lines” for territorial protection or expansion there are extant unresolved disputes over borders Space exploration is about “turf” and territorial expansion On America’s own borders there are current border-related disputes most of the disputes have to do with trade and fishing (such as within the 4 jointly owned Great Lakes) the border disputes largely revolve around responsibility for controlling the border crossing of people A newly elected President Trump threatens the use of American power to resolve all border issues in favor of the United States An American autocracy with a territorial expansion agenda “Nationalists” love territorial expansion and the exercise of raw “masculine” “muscular” power behind it Follow these steps to easily submit a letter to the editor or guest opinion to the Arizona Daily Star Gerald Farrington is a retired community college professor of history and law and retired from the practice of law He is a member of the Arizona Daily Star’s editorial advisory board Respond: Write a letter to the editor | Write a guest opinion Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly As a disabled veteran whose life depends on the care I get from the Tucson VA I beg Representative Ciscomani to use his power as a member of … Rio Nuevo's decision to support eviction of Borderlands Brewery and Playformance in favor of a national chain is an affront to those local bus… The City Council needs to reinstitute bus fares for the good of their constituents Those who scrawled the words "End Apartheid" and "Abolish Israel" beneath a large Star of David on our wall could not have known that their ha… this is not the time to be wasteful with our water resources to support such a vanity project as this pond Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device The 35-year relationship between Major League Baseball (MLB) and ESPN will come to an end after the conclusion of the 2025 season signals a major shift in the sports broadcasting landscape as traditional television continues to cede ground to streaming platforms With MLB’s rise in fan engagement and ESPN’s evolving priorities both sides are charting paths that align more closely with their changing strategies and goals decided to terminate the partnership over a disagreement on fees The network cited “fiscal responsibility” as the main driver of its decision to move on from the annual $550 million contract ESPN’s investment priorities seem to be shifting with significant resources now allocated toward securing rights for the NFL ($2.7 billion per year) and NBA ($2.6 billion per year) the decision not to renegotiate reduced rights fees reflects confidence in its growth trajectory and a desire to secure a more dedicated and expansive partner “We have had a long and mutually beneficial partnership with ESPN that dates back to its first MLB game in 1990 we have seen ESPN scale back their baseball coverage and investment in a way that is not consistent with the sport’s appeal or performance on their platform and the exclusive right to cover unique events like the Home Run Derby ESPN’s demand to reduce rights fees is simply unacceptable.” This development comes at a key moment for MLB with the league seeing unprecedented interest due to new rule changes and a faster pace of play MLB has experienced growth across multiple metrics These advancements have bolstered the league’s value in the marketplace and could make the now-available broadcast rights highly attractive to potential buyers particularly streaming platforms with deep pockets Streaming giants Amazon and Netflix have already expressed interest in acquiring MLB rights Industry analysts believe this could be an opportunity for MLB to evolve further by tapping into audiences migrating to digital-first platforms it is very likely that a streaming service will step up to pick up its former package Most sports rights for pro leagues are locked up But this package will be available on short notice.” A move to streaming could mean greater promotional opportunities for MLB Partnering with platforms like Amazon or Netflix could introduce the sport to a wider tech-savvy audience through innovative content strategies streaming platforms have already begun experimenting with alternative broadcasting methods tailored to younger viewerships such as interactive features and personalized viewing This shift also reflects broader changes in sports broadcasting Advertisers are now faced with the challenge of navigating a fragmented media environment where sports are increasingly spread across multiple platforms “The MLB-ESPN split is yet another example of the ongoing fragmentation in sports media and brands with sponsorships tied to it will need to adapt,” said Oz Etzioni CEO of the advertising technology company Clinch Etzioni emphasized the importance of building flexible marketing infrastructures to manage campaigns seamlessly across various formats ensuring advertisers can connect with fans wherever the games are played While streaming services are well-positioned to take over MLB’s transition must carefully balance the needs of both traditional and digital audiences MLB needs to appeal to cord-cutters while retaining its traditional fanbase “MLB may be seeking a balance among linear networks and streamers as it moves into the future not wanting to alienate traditional linear subscribers,” Heger explained This balancing act could mean MLB continues partnerships with familiar networks like Fox and Turner Sports while exploring new digital ventures with Apple some streamers are willing to operate at a loss to secure major sports rights if it means boosting subscriptions and viewer engagement “When you look at streamers like Amazon or YouTube they’re big companies and have such strong balance sheets that they can even afford to take a loss for a while on [sports] as a means of driving traffic.” This gives platforms like Amazon and Netflix greater leverage compared to traditional media companies whose budgets remain firmly tied to ad sales and subscription revenue While ESPN may officially end its long-standing partnership with MLB after the 2025 season The network announced that it remains open to reintroducing MLB content into its lineup in more targeted ways especially as it doubles down on streaming Its flagship streaming service is set to launch later this year potentially creating new opportunities for baseball coverage that complement ESPN’s efforts to align with younger the 2025 season marks the end of an era but the beginning of a world of possibilities With new partnerships looming on the horizon the league appears ready to rewrite its broadcasting playbook MLB is enjoying tremendous momentum,” its statement highlighted “We will be exploring opportunities for a new agreement which would start in the 2026 season following the conclusion of ESPN’s agreement.” The future of sports broadcasting may be shifting rapidly but MLB’s ability to adapt ensures it will remain at the forefront of the game Send local sports tips and info to sports@reedermedia.com JP is an award-winning multimedia journalist and head of the Sports Department for the Valley News As a former Southwestern League head baseball coach and former President of the Temecula Youth Baseball league (TYB) JP was also a local on-air radio personality at All Pro Broadcasting and was a television host for the Outdoor Channel JP also works for the Media Technology Department for Major League Baseball The Valley News is made up of local residents dedicated to keeping our communities up-to-date with local issues Learn how to describe the purpose of the image (opens in a new tab) Leave empty if the image is purely decorative Metrics details Intra-specific interactions among top carnivores are among the most intriguing behavioural aspects and essential components of population dynamics while dynamic interactions involve spatio-temporal patterns influenced by social structure Previous studies have focused on static interactions successfully estimating spatial overlap but leading to a knowledge gap of dynamic interaction to be able to compute attraction and avoidance on similar spatio-temporal scales We fitted VHF and GPS collars to 13 tigers to study the static and dynamic interactions among the reintroduced tiger population in Panna Tiger Reserve we used Autocorrelated Kernel Density Estimator methods To capture dynamic interactions at different scales we calculated Benhamou’s Movement Interaction index and a Correlation Coefficient (Cr) at two critical distance thresholds (Δ500m and 100m) We documented 18 and 35 intra-sex dyads for males and females respectively We observed high spatial overlap in male*female dyads Dynamic interactions and similar movement patterns were noted in mother*cub dyads while male movements were predominantly independent We evaluated 23 male*female dyads and found moderate to strong dynamic interactions between individuals Spatial interaction largely depends on home-range shape and size and does not necessarily affect dynamic interaction Males and females moved independently to avoid intra-guild competition exhibiting unsynchronized movement patterns Female siblings showed philopatry and preferred to move jointly before establishing their own territories founder females had limited choice for mate selection with only one male females exhibited clear and consistent mate selection This indicates that founder populations for reintroduction should include adequate mate choices founders started to explore PTR and interact with each other We hypothesized that inter-sex dyads would demonstrate a high level of cohesive interactions with a mate choice pattern Our study represents the first attempt in Asia to quantify the multi-scale dynamic interactions and synchronized movement behavioural patterns among tigers based on fine scale telemetry data we observed a total of 126 dyads comprised of 18 and 35 intra-sex dyads for males and females Year-wise analysis allowed us to understand the patterns of interactions We identified the dyads (pair-wise) based on spatial overlap and observed relatively less spatial overlap female*female dyads exhibited moderate spatial overlap while male*female dyads demonstrated higher spatial overlap ranging from 3 to 93% according to the autocorrelated Kernel Density Estimator (aKDE; Table S4) As recommended by Benhamou35 we included only dyads with spatial overlap > 0.4 and identified 34 dyads and 23 male*female dyads for further investigation under the dynamic interaction framework none of the dyads showed significant interaction among male tigers and they exhibited poor encounter rates in both of the assigned distance thresholds a moderate encounter rate was recorded among dyads neither static nor dynamic interaction was recorded once the siblings moved apart and established their own territories we did not record any significant avoidance among females no interaction was recorded among founder individuals We did not record any interactions between mother*son or brother*sister dyads during the study period Figure showing the cumulative Correlation Coefficient (Cr) of different dyads factors such as the number of breeding females within the home range of a male can influence the spatio-temporal interaction of male dyads Sisters (F6*F7) showed a tendency to move together with synchronized movement coherence (Table S3) This exclusive behaviour was documented when the sub-adult cubs exhibited their philopatric behaviour before establishing their own territory Once the siblings separated to explore unclaimed areas to build their own territory they showed independent movement with no spatial overlap This study revealed that females exhibited preferences for specific mating partners over the years shown by a series of positive interactions (F1*M1 no attraction was observed between brother*sister or mother*son dyads clearly reflecting that tigers avoid mating with individuals from the same lineage Similarly to other field studies involving complex behavioural patterns The roles of non-collared individuals in this population in terms of interaction and avoidance remain unexplored in our analyses although we expect insignificant effects given the way the study was designed and executed Another limitation is from GPS-related errors We were unable to account for location errors in the VHF-collared individuals (data obtained through modified home-in method) so any forced change in the animal movements during the telemetry exercises could not be accounted for spatial interaction can be used as an initial filter to detect overlapping spatial extents for further dynamic analysis Our study is the first to investigate the dynamic interactions of tigers providing detailed insights into intra-specific interactions of a reintroduced tiger population This methodology and analysis can be replicated for any carnivore reintroduction programme Map showing the position of the study area (PTR) overlaid with elevation The map was prepared by using ArcGIS 10.5 (ESRI 2016 CA: Environmental Systems Research Institute) Collaring was carried out under the supervision of trained veterinary officers following the standard operating protocol issued by the National Tiger Conservation Authority No animals were injured or killed during collaring Capturing and collaring permission was granted under the rule and regulation of the Wildlife Protection Act Exp./2009/1205 dated 31/8/09 issued by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife Division) All methods are reported in accordance with ARRIVE guidelines HRα and HRβ denote the home range (HR) of each individual The following formula was applied to compute the static interaction (SI): We calculated two different dynamic interaction statistics i) Benhamou’s movement interaction statistic and ii) a correlation coefficient It measures the probability of overlap between two distributions we calculated the encounter rates between dyads at different distance thresholds This multivariate Pearson product-moment correlation approach indicates cohesive behaviour ranging from -1 to 1 -1 represents negatively correlated movement (repulsion) and + 1 denotes positively correlated movement Cr measures the difference in corresponding vectors with respect to the overall path to correlate while v and w are mean vectors representing the average speed and direction of travel The data are available in Supplementary Document 2 Dynamic interactions among badgers: implications for sociality and disease transmission Mechanisms and evolution of spacing in animals In Social Behavior and Communication 159–223 (Springer US Does interference competition with wolves limit the distribution and abundance of coyotes? Limitation of African wild dogs by competition with larger carnivores Black bear (Ursus americanus) functional resource selection relative to intraspecific competition and human risk Social interactions in a solitary carnivore Fighting and mating between groups in a cooperatively breeding mammal Grizzly bear associations along the eastern slopes of Alberta Lethal male-male interactions in Eurasian lynx Encounter frequencies between GPS-collared wolves (Canis lupus) and moose (Alces alces) in a Scandinavian wolf territory Tiger: The Ultimate Guide (Two Brothers Press Evaluating the responses of a territorial solitary carnivore to potential mates and competitors Documenting the demise of tiger and leopard and the status of other carnivores and prey in Lao PDR’s most prized protected area: Nam Et-Phou Louey The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015 Management and Conservation of an Endangered species 110–117 (Noyes Publications Status of Tiger and Its Prey Species in Panna Tiger Reserve Final Report submitted to Madhya Pradesh Forest Department Status of Tiger and Prey Species in Panna Tiger Reserve Madhya Pradesh: Capture-Recapture and Distance Sampling Estimates Technical Report 33 (Wildlife Institute of India Movement and home range characteristics of reintroduced tiger (Panthera tigris) population in Panna Tiger Reserve The social organization of tigers (Panthera tigris) in Royal Chitawan National Park In Comparative Socioecology: The Behavioural Ecology of Humans and Other Mammals 41–74 (Blackwell Tiger Moon: Tracking the Great Cats in Nepal (University of Chicago Press Reproductive success of female leopards Panthera pardus: The importance of top-down processes Kalahari Cheetahs: Adaptations to an Arid Region (Oxford University Press Breeding behaviour of the tiger Panthera tigris in Rajasthan Wild Tigers in Captivity: A Study of the Effects of the Captive Environment on Tiger Behaviour (Doctoral dissertation Welfare of a pair of captive tigers-a hand-reared female and a parent-reared male Effects of a combined enrichment intervention on the behavioural and physiological welfare of captive Asiatic lions (Panthera leo persica) Spatial structure of Amur (Siberian) tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) on Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Zapovednik Home ranges of the radio-collared Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris tigris L.) in Pench Tiger Reserve Female tiger Panthera tigris home range size and prey abundance: Important metrics for management Movement-based analysis of interactions in African lions Using GPS collars to investigate the frequency and behavioural outcomes of intraspecific interactions among carnivores: A case study of male cheetahs in the Maasai Mara Spatial and temporal overlaps between leopards (Panthera pardus) and their competitors in the African large predator guild Animal ecology meets GPS-based radiotelemetry: A perfect storm of opportunities and challenges Terrestrial animal tracking as an eye on life and planet Global positioning system and associated technologies in animal behaviour and ecological research The Deer and the Tiger: Study of Wild Life in India (University of Chicago Press Philopatry and dispersal patterns in tiger (Panthera tigris) Patchwork planet: The resource dispersion hypothesis Spatial density patterns of herbivore response to seasonal dynamics in the tropical deciduous forest of Central India A new general index of home range overlap and segregation: The Lesser Kestrel in Southern Italy as a case study The Deer and the Tiger: A Study of Wildlife in India 370 (University Chicago Press Cheetahs of the Serengeti Plains: Group Living in an Asocial Species (University of Chicago Press Spatial home-range overlap and temporal interaction in eastern coyotes: The influence of pair types and fragmentation Maternal grouping as a defense against infanticide by males: evidence from field playback experiments on African lions Genetic analysis reveals promiscuity among female cheetahs Ecology of the tiger: implications for population monitoring In Monitoring Tigers and Their Prey: A Manual for Researchers Managers and Conservationists in Tropical Asia 9–21 (2002) Significance of mate selection and adult sex ratio in tiger reintroduction/reinforcement programs Field observation of two males following a female in the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) during the mating season (2008) Comparability of three analytical techniques to assess joint space use The evaluation of home range size and configuration using radio tracking data In A handbook on biotelemetry and radio tracking 405–424 (1980) Non-parametric estimates of interaction from radio-tracking data In International Conference on Geographic Information Science 370–382 (Springer A review of quantitative methods for movement data Bioclimatology and Plant Geography of Peninsular India (Scientific Publication A Revised Survey of the Forest Types of India (Manager of Publications The antagonism of ketamine/xylazine anesthesia (“Hellabrunn mixture”) in wild zoo ruminants Quantifying home-range overlap: The importance of the utilization distribution Effects of parturition on home ranges and social affiliations of female white-tailed deer Tests of spatial and temporal interaction among animals Rigorous home range estimation with movement data: A new autocorrelated kernel density estimator R Core Team. R: A language and environment for statistical computing (R Foundation for Statistical Computing, 2022). https://www.R-project.org A comprehensive analysis of autocorrelation and bias in home range estimation A critical examination of indices of dynamic interaction for wildlife telemetry data Analyzing contacts and behavior from high frequency tracking data using the wildlifeDI R Package On a measure of divergence between two statistical populations defined by their probability distributions Download references This research was funded by the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department (MPFD) and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) No./Exp./2009/1205 dated 31/8/09 and National Water Development Agency (NWDA) No The authors declare no competing interests Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-83278-7 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Anthropocene newsletter — what matters in anthropocene research which debuted onstage at Denton’s Molten Plains Festival has an album release Saturday at Full City Rooster Coffee Roasting Studio in Dallas Trio Glossia began without much in the way of a concrete plan proud history of North Texas avant-garde jazz Trio Glossia — tenor saxophonist and drummer Joshua Canate acoustic bassist Matthew Frerck and vibraphonist and drummer Stefan Gonzalez — first coalesced in 2022 when we used to play with another saxophonist,” Gonzalez said during a recent conversation “But we met Joshua a few years later … and we both took great notice that not only is he a kick-ass drummer but he also wails on tenor saxophone in the moments where he’s not playing drums.” which made its first live appearances at the Molten Plains Festival in Denton “Those first two times were completely improvised with no formula whatsoever other than to let the chemistry occur where it might occur and the chaos occur where it would naturally occur,” Gonzalez said “But it all clicked really well; even without tunes and just being free improvisation The energy when we got really nasty with it and went into this screaming and glossolalia-type territory like we had all been playing in this trio for a long time.” The free jazz group celebrated Trio Glossia’s first album release with a performance Saturday at Full City Rooster Coffee Roasting Studio in Dallas “When we left [the recording session] we were all talking in the group chat I think we should have done a second take of this or that.’ … The way we played these songs immediately after we did the recording session we took them even further out than we could have ever imagined.” Gonzalez said that Trio Glossia intends to perform elsewhere in America “You have to have a level of self-determination playing this kind of jazz in North Texas,” Gonzalez said “I’m really grateful to people who have asked us to play shows [but] there’s also a lot of dry spells where we won’t … It’s hard to find too many places that we can call home regularly That’s the reason why we went with Full City Rooster who are notorious for talking over things.” PRESTON JONES is a North Texas freelance writer and regular contributor to KXT. Email him at preston@kxt.org or find him on Bluesky (@prestonjones.bsky.social) 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 Your essential companion for starting the day in Denton Delivered fresh to your inbox every morning Wake Up gives you a curated snapshot of local news for the day as well as the day’s e-edition and trending stories you may have missed Sign up for the Denton Record-Chronicle's absolutely free weekly newsletter highlighting winners and finalists from the 2024 Best of Denton awards Your weekly guide to surviving college and thriving in Denton local news and more exclusive content in your inbox every Tuesday afternoon There's always something going on in Denton Check out what's on the local events calendar and plan a fun weekend with friends Get a roundup of the 10+ puzzles and games available from the Denton Record-Chronicle for free Sudoku and other brain-busters are new every day the latest in puzzles and word games with a Wordle vibe From minor traffic accidents to neighborhood watch updates stay informed on public safety with the week’s top crime stories in your inbox every Wednesday morning Don’t miss out on breaking news in Denton from weather and traffic to big events and important headlines Be the first to know the latest on new stores restaurants and other businesses in Denton County so you can live better here Get the scoop on all the thrilling victories nail-biting games and standout performances — straight from the sidelines of Denton-area high schools we bring you the highlights and updates from our hometown college teams Prepare for the polls and stay informed on the candidates issues and deadlines for Denton County’s key races Save money and find what you need with promotions from local businesses and special DRC offers 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 Brand Experience Studio NewTerritory has designed a new bedding kit for Aeroméxico it will be exclusively available for Aeroméxico’s Premier One passengers The company says the design builds on NewTerritory’s ongoing relationship with Aeroméxico which previously included redesigning the airline’s cabin interiors to create an onboard social space The new bedding kits reflect Mexican culture craft and community in a fine hospitality setting reusable bag with a dedicated headphone pocket storing all soft furnishings in the kit and premium headphones designed for superior audio quality NewTerritory’s founder and director Luke Miles said: “Designing a bedding kit that is both practical and embodies the essence of Mexico We sought to create something authentic that defines modern Mexico “We collaborated with renowned Mexican architect Frida Escobedo and designer Concha Orvañanos to create a collection that captures the essence of a modern Mexican home or hotel while prioritising passenger comfort Partnering with John Horsfall to perfect the soft products and Linstol to deliver premium headphones we ensured that every element came together seamlessly to elevate the travel experience with unmatched style and thoughtful design.” Vice President of Product and Onboard Services at Aeroméxico said: “Collaborating with NewTerritory was a valuable and enriching experience Their dedication to honouring our Mexican heritage was evident in their approach and process while their deep understanding of our culture culminated in a meticulously designed experience “NewTerritory acknowledged cultural nuances through a blend of traditional and contemporary craftsmanship They created a brand experience that not only celebrates our rich past but also defines a future of excellence.” and website in this browser for the next time I comment Unlock discounted publishing that highlights your organization and the peer-reviewed research and clinical experiences it produces Find out how channels are organized and operated including details on the roles and responsibilities of channel editors Offering a variety of advertising and sponsorship options for reaching influential specialists from targeted demographic splits efficient publishing and peer reviewing experience without sacrificing publication times Generate broad awareness and deliver relevant peer-reviewed clinical experiences directly to potential customers Dedicated Cranial Radiosurgery: Clinical Experience with New & Innovative SRS Technologies Real-Time Adaptive Motion Management on Helical and Robotic RT Platforms Please note that by doing so you agree to be added to our monthly email newsletter distribution list Read CBIZ insights impacting publicly traded companies Support for mission-driven and education-based organizations Tips to manage risk and protect what matters most Trends and strategies shaping today’s tax landscape Geospatial data has become an important subject for litigators to understand and apply Litigation technology has seen the integration of advanced technologies that have altered traditional approaches and geospatial data has quietly become a central part of that approach highly accurate view of geographic information and any matter involving mobile device data are among the areas where lawyers now need to be highly adept at understanding and utilizing this data Geospatial data comes from an array of sources It includes information from latitude-longitude coordinates and geographic information system (GIS) data Geospatial data is analyzed and presented through maps and specialized software allowing attorneys to visualize complex information in a coherent and interpretable manner the data can be analyzed and quantified to determine the locations for key events Geospatial data is used in many types of cases it is routinely used in environmental law cases Different types of geospatial data can be harnessed depending on the nature of the case Geospatial data offers attorneys a powerful tool to enhance the evidentiary base of their cases By providing a visual representation and detailed analysis of geographic and spatial information and ultimately support more informed and effective arguments the role of geospatial data in litigation is poised to expand offering new opportunities and challenges for litigators Use of the material contained herein without the express written consent of the firms is prohibited by law This publication is distributed with the understanding that CBIZ is not rendering legal The reader is advised to contact a tax professional prior to taking any action based upon this information CBIZ assumes no liability whatsoever in connection with the use of this information and assumes no obligation to inform the reader of any changes in tax laws or other factors that could affect the information contained herein Material contained in this publication is informational and promotional in nature and not intended to be specific financial Readers are advised to seek professional consultation regarding circumstances affecting their organization “CBIZ” is the brand name under which CBIZ CPAs P.C (and its subsidiaries) practice as an alternative practice structure in accordance with the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and applicable law is a licensed independent CPA firm that provides attest services to its clients and its subsidiary entities are not licensed CPA firms and