Sapphire Pulse AMD Radeon RX 9070
Sapphire Pulse AMD Radeon RX 9070
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AMD’s Radeon RX 9070 falls right in line behind the Radeon RX 9070 XT in its Radeon RX 9000 series of graphics cards. Though a competent card in its own right, the $549 Radeon RX 9070 sits in the shadow of the generally better-value $599 Radeon RX 9070 XT, with the difference in price not big enough to make the Radeon RX 9070 stand out. In testing a Sapphire Pulse AMD Radeon RX 9070 for this review, we found that you can undoubtedly draw an enjoyable gaming experience from the Radeon RX 9070 at high-detail 1440p and lower-detail 4K resolutions. However, spending an extra $50 for the Radeon RX 9070 XT, an Editors’ Choice award winner, is much more worthwhile, so long as that card remains in stock and the price gap doesn’t grow.
The Navi 48 GPU: A Small Step Down From RX 9070 XT
The RX 9070 uses the RDNA 4 graphics architecture and the Navi 48 GPU die, just like the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, but AMD partially disabled portions of the RX 9070’s GPU in the binning process. The RX 9070 hasn’t lost much from a part-by-part analysis. The number of stream processors inside the RX 9070 is 3,584, a 14% reduction from the RX 9070 XT’s count of 4,096. This reduction comes with a decrease in the number of texture mapping units (TMUs) from 256 on the RX 9070 XT to 224 on the RX 9070, and the number of ray accelerators similarly dropped from 64 to 56.
That’s about it in terms of hardware changes. Technically, the number of AI accelerators dropped from 128 to 112, but those don’t impact gaming performance under normal conditions. The number of raster operation units (ROPs) was unchanged; same for the memory interface. AMD’s 16GB pool of GDDR6 memory operates at 20Gbps on both cards.
Arguably, the most notable differences between the RX 9070 XT and the RX 9070 come from their firmware. The RX 9070 XT is configured to operate with a max boost clock of 2,970MHz and is rated to mostly hover around 2,400MHz while gaming. AMD set the RX 9070’s turbo clock 15% lower at 2,520MHz, and the expected gaming clock speed dropped by 14% to 2,070MHz. These reductions in hardware resources and clock speed also pushed the expected peak power draw of the RX 9070 down to 220 watts from the RX 9070 XT’s peak of 304W.
These drops in performance create a sufficiently large performance delta between the Radeon RX 9070 and the RX 9070 XT to keep each card from directly competing on performance, but pricing is another matter. With the RX 9070 XT priced at $599 and the RX 9070 set at $549, that’s a price difference of just 9%. Keep this in mind when I get to the benchmarks: If the RX 9070 XT can outpace the RX 9070 by more than 9%, which these specs suggest it should easily do, then the RX 9070 XT is the better value.
Before moving on to the tests, it’s worth mentioning that the Radeon RX 9070 could have ample headroom for overclocking. The RX 9070 and the RX 9070 XT both use the Navi 48 graphics chip, but AMD clocked the RX 9070 XT much higher, suggesting that the RX 9070 could also go higher. However, if you are interested in overclocking, I wouldn’t bother buying a better-cooled RX 9070 model if it costs any extra. You won’t find enough room between the RX 9070 and the RX 9070 XT in price to support doing that when you could just buy an RX 9070 XT.
Design: Two Fans, Two HDMI, Zero RGB
Sapphire manufactured the test card that AMD sent us for review with a dual-fan thermal solution. The Sapphire Pulse AMD Radeon RX 9070 doesn’t have any RGB LEDs but makes up for this with an edgy ****** exterior covered in diagonal slits and red lines. A metal backplate helps give the card additional structural integrity while keeping the components on the back of the card’s PCB cooler.
This card requires only two conventional eight-pin PCIe power connectors. Display output options include two HDMI 2.1 ports and two DisplayPort 2.1a jacks.
Testing the Sapphire Pulse AMD Radeon RX 9070: Setup and Competition
Our 2025 graphics card testbed features a Gigabyte X870E Aorus Master motherboard and an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X processor with a large 360mm water cooler to test the Sapphire Pulse AMD Radeon RX 9070. We installed two 16GB sticks of DDR5 on the motherboard and configured them to operate under a 6,000MHz AMD EXPO memory profile. We also added two Crucial 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSDs to the system, one dedicated to games and the other holding Windows 11 and all other software. To ensure plentiful power delivery headroom, we used a 1,500-watt Corsair power supply.
AMD’s main Radeon RX 9070 competition is the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070, which is also priced at $549. Due to similar pricing, the RX 9070 will also have to compete with the RX 9070 XT, the last-gen Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super, and the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE.
Synthetic Benchmarks
The Radeon RX 9070 started strong in the 3DMark tests we conducted. It essentially tied with the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super while surpassing the RTX 5070 and the RX 7900 GRE in the Port Royal test. The RX 970 also performed this way in the Steel Nomad and Time Spy Extreme benchmarks.
In 3DMark’s Solar Bay and Speed Way tests, the RTX 5070 pulled into a close tie with the RX 9070. Unigine Superposition showed both scenarios, with the RTX 5070 tying with the RX 9070 in DirectX but falling behind in OpenGL.
AI Text Generation Benchmarks
AI performance could be a key measurement for graphics cards someday, but that remains somewhat questionable for the moment as software that can take advantage of this hardware is still in development. In these particular tests, Nvidia unquestionably has the advantage over AMD.
At least the AMD Radeon RX 9070 performed well enough for an AMD card, holding an edge over the RX 7900 GRE.
Content Creation Benchmarks
The AMD Radeon RX 9070 also performed reasonably well in content creation tasks. It essentially tied with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 and outpaced the rest of the AMD competition.
The Blender benchmark refused to work with the AMD Radeon RX 9070, but this will likely be a temporary issue that will disappear after the drivers or Blender software are updated.
Screen Optimization Benchmarks
We limit our DLSS, FSR, and XeSS testing to ****** Myth: Wukong due to the complications surrounding testing these technologies against each other. They all result in differing image quality, which makes comparing them solely on performance imprecise.
****** Myth Wukong supports DLSS 3 and FSR 3, which we test on Nvidia and AMD cards, respectively, with the super-resolution sampling set to 100%. We then rerun these tests with frame generation on for all cards to gauge how this alters performance.
This test notably does not show DLSS 4 or FSR 4 multi-frame-generation performance. With DLSS 4, Nvidia adopted a new AI model for DLSS work and AMD also made several changes to its fourth version of FSR technology. Of particular note is that these technologies can create more than one intermediary frame between each conventionally generated frame, though this has some trade-offs. To learn more about DLSS 4, check my article that closely examines DLSS 4 performance on the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090.
In this test, the RX 9070 performed about the same as the RTX 5070 with frame generation off but pulled ahead of the RTX 5070 with frame generation on. The RX 9070 was faster than the RX 7900 GRE in both tests, though.
Ray-Traced Gaming Benchmarks
The Radeon RX 9070’s performance in modern games that support ray tracing produced ups and downs. In Cyberpunk 2077, the RX 9070 was slightly slower than the GeForce RTX 5070 and lagged behind the RTX 5070 in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Returnal. However, the RTX 5070 never beat the RX 9070 by more than 10% in these titles, with its advantage typically in the single digits.
That contrasts with the RX 9070’s wins against the RTX 5070. The RX 9070 may not have beaten the RTX 5070 in every game, but when the RX 9070 was faster, it was typically ahead by double-digit percentages. The RX 9070’s advantage varied from as low as 6% in F1 2024 to as high as 27% in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III. It was also faster in Far Cry 6.
As for competing with other AMD cards, the last-generation Radeon RX 7900 XT and RX 7900 GRE were typically behind the RX 9070. And the RX 9070 XT was typically faster than the RX 9070, which makes sense. I didn’t calculate the percentage differences between the RX 9070 and the RX 9070 XT across the board, but the RX 9070 XT was ahead by at least 18% in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III at 4K and by 16% in the same game at 1080p.
The RX 9070 XT’s lead over the RX 9070 in other games looks roughly around these figures across the board. As those leads are greater than the 9% difference in price between these two GPUs, there’s no question: The Radeon RX 9070 XT presents a better value and more frames per dollar than the RX 9070, assuming the pricing holds.
Raster Gaming Benchmarks
Last generation, AMD’s greatest strength was in games that didn’t support ray tracing as its ray-tracing hardware was less potent than Nvidia’s. Instead, the average AMD GPU seemed to have a bit more muscle when it came to more traditional gaming workloads like those that don’t support ray tracing.
This generation’s situation appears to have been reversed, with the GeForce RTX 5070 performing better in Total War: Three Kingdoms than the Radeon RX 9070.
The Radeon RX 9070 pulled ahead in Shadow of the Tomb Raider at the 4K resolution, which shows that it can still be faster in older games. The RTX 5070 appeared slightly faster in this game at 1440p and 1080p, but the scores were realistically close enough to be a tie at those resolutions.
Power and Thermal Benchmarks
Using a Kill-A-Watt power meter, we measured the power consumption of our graphics card test bed as a whole while running some key benchmarks on each of the graphics cards shown in the table. The Radeon RX 9070 consumed a bit more power in the Adobe Premiere Pro test than the RTX 5070, but this is made up for by the RX 9070’s higher performance in that test.
Gaming power consumption was also notably lower on the RX 9070 than the RTX 5070. Given the RX 9070 typically tied with or performed better than the RTX 5070, this suggests the RX 9070 is the more energy efficient of the two. The RX 9070’s power consumption was also considerably better than the RX 9070 XT’s, which is likely due in large part to its reduced clock speeds and slightly reduced shader count.
The RX 9070 also stayed much cooler than the RTX 5070 during the testing process; the Sapphire’s thermal solution performed better than Nvidia’s Founders Edition cooler.
Verdict: Stuck in the Pack Leader’s Shadow
For its $549 asking price, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 gives you lots of performance and realistically little to complain about. Sure, its AI performance lags behind Nvidia, but seriously, is that why you are buying a midrange graphics card? When it comes to gaming, the RX 9070 is usually just as fast as the RTX 5070 or a fair bit faster. It is slightly slower in a few games, but not by a meaningful amount, whereas the RX 9070’s performance lead is more meaningful and noticeable when present.
The Radeon RX 9070 goes a long way to replace AMD’s aging Radeon RX 7900 GRE and Radeon RX 7900 XT, as it generally outpaces these cards. AMD only has one real issue as far as the RX 9070 goes: You can buy a Radeon RX 9070 XT for just $50 more.
AMD’s Radeon RX 9070 XT is generally better and well worth the added cost if the two cards remain $50 apart or less. The RX 9070 is a solid buy, but it would be easier to recommend if it were priced a touch lower, like $499. At $549, the Radeon RX 9070 is a fine graphics card that is worth its asking price, but think long and hard and make sure you can’t scrape together that extra $50 for the Editors’ Choice-award-winning Radeon RX 9070 XT.
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Myanmar’s military government says it will hold elections this year
Myanmar’s military government says it will hold elections this year
The head of Myanmar’s military government has said the country will hold a national election in December 2025 or January 2026.
General Min Aung Hlaing said the elections would be “free and fair” – adding that 53 political parties had already submitted their lists to participate.
It would be the first vote since his military junta seized power in a 2021 coup, arresting and imprisoning democratically-elected leader Aung San Sung Kyi and making unsubstantiated claims of fraud in the previous year’s elections.
Since then, the country has been in turmoil, with a protest movement against the junta turning into an armed rebellion across the country.
Critics have described the announcement as a sham designed to maintain the junta’s power through proxy political parties.
Human Rights Watch, an NGO, told the BBC: “The junta is delusional if they think an election under the current circumstances will be considered remotely credible.
“As a precursor to elections, they need to end the violence, release all those arbitrarily detained, and allow all political parties to register and participate instead of dissolving opposition parties.”
The military junta has carried out a violent crackdown on dissent since taking power, executing democracy activists and imprisoning journalists.
But it has struggled to contain a widespread insurgency involving pro-democracy and ethnic rebel groups, and has limited control outside major cities.
The UN, citing the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), said in January that at least 6,231 civilians have been killed by the military, including 1,144 women and 709 children, over the past four years.
It warned in September that Myanmar was “sinking into an abyss of human suffering”.
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Raw meat stored wrong, old salads, damaged walls: Wichita Falls restaurant inspections
Raw meat stored wrong, old salads, damaged walls: Wichita Falls restaurant inspections
The Wichita Falls-Wichita County Public Health District regularly monitors restaurants and food establishments for compliance with state food safety requirements.
Frequent inspections are essential in preventing the spread of foodborne illnesses through contamination and improper handling, storage and sanitation.
Scores for retail food establishments, food stores, mobile food units and school, daycare and church establishments inspected Feb. 25-March 7 are listed below.
Disclaimer: On any given day, an establishment may have fewer or more violations than noted in its most recent inspection. An inspection conducted on any given day may not be representative of the overall, long-term conditions at the establishment. A few more recent, follow-up inspections may not be included here.
Weekly restaurant inspection results
Locations are in Wichita Falls unless otherwise noted.
Retail food establishmentsPerfect scores
Chick-fil-A, 4101 Southwest Parkway
Crazy Horse Saloon, 1402 Old Iowa Park Road
Electra Lumberyard Pizza, 100 N. Electra St., Electra
High to moderate scores
Fresh Donuts, 3701 Fairway Blvd.: 97
The Feed Lot, 914 S. Red River Expressway, Burkburnett: 96
Firefly Bar & Grill, 2927 Southwest Parkway: 95
Luna’s Concession, 2820 Holliday Road: 93
Lower Scores and why
Delta by Marriott, 306 Travis St.: 89
Sandwiches, salads, etc. that are available for customer ************* in the cafe must have allergen labeling and require the facility to have a Texas food manufacturer permit.
Salads marked with a discard date 3/4 were on the shelf for customer ************* in the cafe.
Moist wiping cloths were stored on the counter in the cafe and on a food preparation surface by the plates in the kitchen. Moist wiping cloths must be stored in a labeled bucket of sanitizer when not in use to prevent pathogen growth.
Condensation from the condenser in walk-in freezer No. 4 is falling onto food.
The refrigerated drawers in the meat preparation cooler by the grill contained meats with core temperatures of 47-49 F (41 F or below required). The meats had been in the unit for at least five hours. The ambient temperature displayed on the thermometer of the unit was 55 F. Corrected during inspection.
The Burrito Shop, 907 Ninth St.: 75
Observed cheese, onions, and jalapenos sitting on counter of the main prep line without being cold held. Also observed salsa sitting out on front counter without being cold held. Corrected during inspection.
Observed employee only washing a food contact surface with soap and water without rinsing or sanitizing. Corrected during inspection.
Observed employee wash hands in three-compartment sink and then proceed to turn off faucet handles prior to drying hands with a paper towel. Corrected during inspection.
Observed an unlabeled spray bottle under the front counter. Corrected during inspection.
Observed prepped food items including beans and chicken marked with preparation dates only. Corrected during inspection.
Observed no paper towels available in the kitchen and in the female restroom for proper hand drying. Corrected during inspection.
Observed several employee drinks throughout the kitchen without a lid or a straw. Corrected during inspection.
Observed beans stored on the floor under the bean container. Corrected during inspection
Observed cracked plastic container used to scoop beans instead of a cleanable scoop with a handle. Corrected during inspection.
Observed several employee food handler certificates that are expired or not considered valid that must be updated.
No chlorine or quaternary testing strips observed at establishment.
Observed wiping cloths stored in three-compartment sink.
Observed heavy dust buildup on the in-use fan in the kitchen and above the stove on the ceiling.
Observed thawing raw meat stored a few shelves above ready to eat foods in bottom drawers.
Observed damaged ceiling tiles that require replacement in the seating area and the kitchen. Observed damaged walls in the kitchen that must be made cleanable.
Food storesPerfect scores
United Supermarket Deli, 2720 Southwest Parkway
United Supermarket Produce, 2720 Southwest Parkway
Wichita Falls Food Bank, 1230 Midwestern Parkway
High to moderate scores
United Supermarket Bakery, 2720 Southwest Parkway: 99
United Supermarket Fish Market, 2720 Southwest Parkway: 99
United Supermarket Meat Market, 2720 Southwest Parkway: 99
United Supermarket Snack Area, 2720 Southwest Parkway: 98
United Supermarket Grocery, 2720 Southwest Parkway: 97
Schools, churches and othersPerfect scores
First ******** Church of Wichita Falls, 1200 Ninth St.
Blue Skies/Pathway, 917 Midwestern Parkway
Burk Memorial VFW Post, 102 E. Third St., Burkburnett
Encompass Health, 3901 Armory Road
Haynes Head Start, 1705 Katherine Drive
Iowa Park High School, 1513 West Highway, Iowa Park
High to moderate scores
Fowler Elementary School, 5100 Ridgecrest Drive: 98
W.F. George Middle School, 412 E. Cash St., Iowa Park: 98
Little World Learning Center, 403 Ave. D, Burkburnett: 96
Hirschi Middle School, 3106 Borton Lane: 95
Senior Care Health & Rehab, 910 Midwestern Parkway: 94
Food trucks and mobile kitchensPerfect scores
Boomtown Snoball, 951 Cropper Road, Burkburnett
More: Wichita Falls restaurant inspections: How did they do Feb. 12-24?
More: Here’s why James Staley is to get a new trial
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Wichita Falls restaurant inspections: How did they do Feb. 25-March 7?
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Did Trump really order 280 million acres of national forest to be cut down?
Did Trump really order 280 million acres of national forest to be cut down?
It’s a viral Instagram post that makes a startling claim.
President “Trump has ordered over 100 million hectares of forest” — the equivalent of 280 million acres — “to be chopped down,” reads the text superimposed over a photo of towering redwoods. “That’s nearly three times the size of California.”
As of Friday afternoon, this particular post has been shared more than 100,000 times. Similar posts claiming that Trump has ordered logging companies to “cut 280 million acres of trees in National Forests and protected public lands” have surfaced on other social media sites as well.
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But are they accurate? Here’s everything you need to know.
Where is this coming from?
On March 1, Trump quietly signed an executive order called “Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production.”
In it, the president bemoaned “heavy-handed Federal policies” that have “forced our Nation to rely upon imported lumber, thus exporting jobs and prosperity and compromising our self-reliance.” He also claimed such policies have “contributed to wildfire disasters.”
“The United States has an abundance of timber resources that are more than adequate to meet our domestic timber production needs,” he continued. “It is vital that we reverse these policies and increase domestic timber production to protect our national and economic security.”
The rest of the order laid out Trump’s plan to accomplish that.
So what is Trump’s plan?
Trump directed the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to come up with ways to “facilitate increased timber production” and “improve the speed of approving forestry projects.”
He instructed the departments of agriculture and the interior to exempt “timber thinning” and “timber salvage” from the National Environmental Policy Act — meaning the government would no longer require environmental assessments or environmental impact statements before approving those activities.
And perhaps most important, Trump told the same agencies to use the emergency regulations of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to “the maximum extent permissible” under existing law.
On the same day Trump issued his “American timber production” order, he also put out another order launching an investigation into whether “imports of these products threaten to impair national security.”
Usually, the ESA shields about 400 species that live in America’s national forests — grizzly bears, spotted owls, wild salmon — from actions that would destroy their habitats. But the government can bypass those protections in certain situations, such as “acts of God, disasters, casualties, national defense or security emergencies.”
In theory, Trump could declare a national security emergency over, say, imported ********* lumber once his investigation concludes — and then use emergency ESA exemptions to help the logging industry cut down more trees on public land.
Roughly a quarter of the lumber used in the U.S. comes from Canada.
How many acres are at risk?
In Trump’s executive order, he targeted timber “from Federal lands managed by the BLM and the USFS.”
The USFS manages 193 million acres of forest and woodlands, according to its website.
The BLM manages 58 million acres, according to its website.
That’s 251 million acres in total — not quite the 280 million figure that’s been circulating on social media (and in some news reports), but still a lot.
Whether all 251 million acres are actually in danger of being “chopped down” or “clear cut,” however, is a different question. Even in the most extreme scenario, the U.S. logging industry wouldn’t have the sawmills or workers required to ramp up and raze forests “nearly three times the size of California” within the next four years.
The bottom line
Trump’s recent moves make it clear that he wants to reduce, streamline or circumvent environmental regulations in order to increase domestic timber production and reduce imported timber from places like Canada. Even Trump’s new Forest Service chief is a former timber industry lobbyist.
That signals more trees will be cut down.
How many more remains to be seen. Ultimately, Trump is unlikely to flatten hundreds of millions of acres during his second term. But whatever the scale, environmentalists warn that expanding logging while reducing oversight will damage fragile ecosystems, threaten old-growth forests, increase pollution and even worsen wildfires.
“This Trump executive order is the most blatant attempt in American history by a president to hand over federal public lands to the logging industry,” Chad Hanson, a wildfire scientist at the John Muir Project, told the Guardian. “Trump’s exact approach — logging in remote forests and telling communities that it will stop fires — is responsible for numerous towns being destroyed by fires in recent years, and hundreds of lives lost.”
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The history of the dog show in pictures
The history of the dog show in pictures
Alice Cullinane
BBC News, West Midlands
Getty Images
An English Mastiff is having sun ray treatment, before taking part in the Crufts dog show in 1929
The world’s most famous dog show is back, with pooches expected from all over the globe.
Thousands of canines take part in Crufts every March, with owners hoping to win the ultimate title Best in Show, which comes with a cash prize and a trophy.
The show, which is returning to its usual home at the NEC in Birmingham on Thursday, takes place over four days with more than 150,000 visitors expected.
Overseas entries have hit an all time high this year, with nearly 500 dogs from France alone. But how did the show all start?
Getty Images
In 1932, two golden retrievers were entered into the dog show by owner Mrs K Evers Swindell
Named after its founder Charles Cruft, the dog show took place for the first time in 1891 at the Royal Agricultural Hall in Islington, where more than 2,000 dogs were entered.
Mr Cruft was an ambitious man who left college to sell “dog cakes” – food filled with meat, wheat and vegetables – having no desire to join the family jewellery business.
He was soon promoted to a travelling salesman, working with sporting kennels before later managing a terrier dog show in Westminster.
Nearly five decades later, Crufts celebrated its golden jubilee five years early in 1936, after breaking the 10,000 entries mark for the first time.
Despite Mr Cruft dying two years later, his wife took over to ensure the dogs would keep on running with their prize-winning displays.
Getty Images
Pekingese dogs were all groomed ahead of judging at the Olympia Exhibition Centre in London, in 1959.
In the 1950s, Crufts became an obedience championship show for the first time, and working sheepdogs were entered, becoming the first crossbreeds to compete.
By this time, the show had moved to a new venue at Olympia and proved to be an immediate success, with 84 breeds entered.
Getty Images
Owners stand with their Pekingese dogs in 1976 as the competition started
Two decades later, the show took place with subdued lighting during 1972’s Winter of Discontent, a ******* of widespread strikes, economic turmoil and regular power cuts.
Its aim was to ensure every visitor could “forget the troubles of the world”, a commentator said.
Getty Images
In 1981, British student Collette Tutte stood with her dog Portia, an Irish red setter, which won Best in Show, in London
Getty Images
Three Dalmatian dogs jealously watch a woman eating a sandwich, in 1997
In 1991, Crufts’ centenary show moved venues again, this time to the NEC in Birmingham – the first time the show had moved from London, and where it has stayed ever since.
The show has now been extended to four days to accommodate further increases in the number of dogs and spectators.
Getty Images
All things grooming going on in 2003, as a Yorkshire Terrier is prepped for the show
In 2003, the show was attended by 21,000 top pedigree dogs competing for Best in Show prowess.
Getty Images
A handler parades his Irish Wolfhound during the 102nd Crufts show, in 2005
Getty Images
Yorkshire Terriers are preened in 2009 with their appearance topped off with red bows
Getty Images
It’s all about red and sequins in 2012, as this dog performs a routine with its owner
Getty Images
An owner poses for a photograph with his Yorkshire Terrier in 2015
Getty Images
Melanie Raymond and Viking from Solihull won Best in Show in 2024
An *********** shepherd called Viking was crowned best in show at the 2024 show, beating 24,000 dogs from around the world.
Viking, co-owned by Melanie Raymond, John Shaw and Kerry Kirtley, was also the winner of the pastoral group at the show.
Ms Raymond, a third generation dog breeder who lives just three miles from the NEC, said: “We all dream of winning best in show at Crufts.”
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Nvidia RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell GPU spotted with 24,064 CUDA cores, 96GB GDDR7, and 600W — 11% more cores than RTX 5090
Nvidia RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell GPU spotted with 24,064 CUDA cores, 96GB GDDR7, and 600W — 11% more cores than RTX 5090
Over two years after the RTX 6000 Ada GPUs launched, leaks have finally emerged surrounding Nvidia’s next-gen Blackwell workstation offerings, courtesy of a few shipping manifests and web scrapers. Cargo records from NBD show that Nvidia has been shipping two new workstation GPUs for testing and validation. Details and specifications of one of these GPUs were discovered on LeadTek’s website and subsequently extracted, as shown by Harukaze on X.
From the looks of it, Nvidia is dubbing its next-gen workstation cards with a new “Pro” label. The flagship reportedly continues to fall under the “RTX 6000” brand but with an added “X” identifier; is the ProViz equivalent of Super/Ti? Historically, Nvidia hasn’t been consistent with its workstation nomenclature, so it’s hard to say what this suffix represents.
Shipping data from NBD indicates that Nvidia is seemingly working on two new GPUs: the RTX Pro 6000 X Blackwell and the RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell. We’ve extracted all the specs we could from the given information, including preliminary data from LeadTek. Both GPUs reportedly carry 96GB of GDDR7 memory, suggesting a 512-bit interface coupled with thirty-two 24Gb (3GB) ICs in clamshell mode, where two ICs share a single 32-bit memory controller.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
GPU
RTX Pro 6000 X Blackwell*
RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell*
RTX 6000 Ada
Family
Blackwell
Blackwell
Ada Lovelace
CUDA Cores
?
24,064
18,176
SMs
?
188
142
% Die Enabled
?
97.92%
98.61%
Die Name
GB202-870
GB202-
AD102-870
RT Cores
?
188
142
Tensor Cores
?
752
568
Memory
96GB GDDR7
96GB GDDR7
48GB GDDR6
Bus-width
?
512-bit
384-bit
TGP
?
600W
300W
*Specifications are unconfirmed.
The non-X variant reportedly features 188 SMs equating to 24,064 CUDA cores or a 97.9% enabled GB202 die. LeadTek’s data mentions a 600W TGP, over twice what the RTX 6000 Ada mandates but enough to be fulfilled by a single 12V-2×6 power cable. Further details from NBD draw up what we believe are Blackwell GB20X dies for workstations. The kingpin RTX Pro 6000 X Blackwell seemingly carries the GB202-870 die, which is expected to feature all 192 SMs.
Workstation GPUs under Nvidia’s RTX lineup are tailor-made for professional applications. However, in most scenarios, 96GB of VRAM is overkill unless you’re looking for training or inferencing AI locally. While you wouldn’t typically use these GPUs for gaming, the added memory can be helpful in tasks involved with game development, content creation, ProViz, and computer-aided design.
Depending on where you live, the RTX 6000 Ada retails for between $6,000 and $8,000. We expect a similar MSRP for its Blackwell equivalent. Given their niche use case and reduced market demand, hopefully, these GPUs will not be struck by the same shortages that plague their GeForce counterparts. With GTC just around the corner, it’s reasonable to assume that Nvidia will debut these GPUs at the event.
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‘Hundreds killed’ in Syrian crackdown on Alawite region
‘Hundreds killed’ in Syrian crackdown on Alawite region
Gunmen and security forces linked to Syria’s new Islamist rulers have killed more than 340 people, including women and children from the Alawite *********, in the country’s coastal region since Thursday, the head of a war monitor says.
Reuters could not independently verify the reports.
Rami Abdulrahman of the ***-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the widespread killings in Jableh, Baniyas and surrounding areas in Syria’s Alawite heartland amounted to the worst violence for years in a 13-year-old civil conflict.
The new ruling authority on Thursday began a crackdown on what it said was a nascent insurgency after deadly ambushes by militants linked to former president Bashar al-Assad’s government.
Several dozen members of the security forces have been killed in heavy clashes with militants, a Syrian security official said.
One resident in Baniyas told the DPA news agency that fear and terror were rife, especially among Alawites.
“There are many transgressions and killings based on sectarian affiliation. There are also thefts,” he told DPA on condition of anonymity.
Officials have acknowledged violations during the operation, which they have blamed on unorganised masses of civilians and fighters who sought to support official security forces or commit crimes amid the chaos of the fighting.
A defence ministry source on Saturday told state media that all roads leading to the coast had been blocked to stop violations and help return calm, with security forces deploying in streets of coastal cities.
The source added that an emergency committee set up to monitor violations would refer anyone found not to have obeyed the orders of the military command to a military court.
The reported scale of the violence, which includes reports of an execution-style killing of dozens of Alawite men in one village, puts into further question the Islamist ruling authority’s ability to govern in an inclusive manner, which foreign governments have said is a key concern.
Assad was overthrown last December after decades of dynastic rule by his family marked by severe repression and a devastating civil war.
Syria’s interim president, Ahmed Sharaa, while backing the crackdown in a televised address late on Friday, said security forces should not allow anyone to “exaggerate in their response … because what differentiates us from our enemy is our commitment to our values”.
“When we give up on our morals, us and our enemy end up on the same side,” he said, adding that civilians and captives should not be mistreated.
Syrian Facebook pages on Saturday were filled with images and obituaries of people from the coastal area being mourned by family and friends who said they had been killed.
Abdulrahman, a leading critical voice against the Assad-led government who documented its alleged killings for more than a decade, said: “This is not about being pro or against the former Assad regime. These are sectarian massacres that aim to expel the Alawite population from their homes.”
The defence ministry and internal security agency said on Saturday they were trying to restore calm and order and prevent any violations against civilians in the coastal region.
Six residents of the coastal region said thousands of Alawites and Christians had fled their homes since Thursday, fearing for their lives.
Several hundred, mostly women and children and the elderly, sought refuge at a Russian Mediterranean military base at Hmeimim in Latakia, according to footage from the scene and two people familiar with the matter.
Abdulrahman and four people in the coastal region who spoke on condition of anonymity said killings, looting and burning of homes had continued overnight in Baniyas and in surrounding villages.
Reuters could not independently verify the assertions.
with DPA
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Trump’s golf resort in Scotland vandalized with pro-************ graffiti
Trump’s golf resort in Scotland vandalized with pro-************ graffiti
General view of the entrance to the clubhouse at Trump Turnberry golf resort in Turnberry, Scotland.
Tom Bergin | Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Scotland has been daubed with pro-************ graffiti, with a protest group claiming responsibility.
Local media on Saturday showed images of red paint scrawled across walls at the course with the slogans “Free Gaza” and “Free Palestine” as well as insults against Trump.
“Gaza is not for *****” was also painted on one of the greens and holes dug up on the course.
Palestine Action said it caused the damage, posting on social media platform X: “Whilst Trump attempts to treat Gaza as his property, he should know his own property is within reach.”
Last month, Trump enraged the Arab world by declaring unexpectedly that the United States would take over Gaza, resettle its over 2-million ************ population and develop it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
Police Scotland said it was investigating.
“Around 4.40am on Saturday, 8 March, 2025, we received a report of damage to the golf course and a premises on Maidens Road, Turnberry,” a Police Scotland spokesperson said, adding that enquiries were ongoing.
Separately on Saturday, a man waving a ************ flag climbed the Big Ben tower at London’s Palace of Westminster.
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Belfast to host All-Ireland music festival in 2026
Belfast to host All-Ireland music festival in 2026
The world’s largest festival of Irish music and dance is to take place in Belfast in 2026.
Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann – the All-Ireland Fleadh – is held for a week during August and, in the past, has welcomed up to 600,000 visitors to the host town or city.
Organisers Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann and Belfast City Council officially made the announcement at an event in City Hall on Saturday.
It will be the second time the event will be held in Northern Ireland.
Harp player Michael Rooney and fiddle player Neill Byrne perform on stage at the Fleadh Cheoil 2015 in Sligo [Getty Images]
In 2013 Londonderry hosted the event, attracting an estimated 400,000 people and 20,000 performers.
At the 2024 All-Ireland Fleadh in Wexford, more than 500,000 people visited and more than 1,500 people took part.
The 2025 event is scheduled to take place between 3 -10 August in Wexford.
Director general of Comhaltas Dr Labhrás Ó Murchú [BBC]
Dr Labhrás Ó Murchú, the director general of Comhaltas, told BBC News NI he has “been looking forward to this for many years”.
“It is the Olympics of culture and friendship, and with Comhaltas organised across 22 countries worldwide, I believe this will be one of the greatest gatherings of all time.
“The fleadh belongs to everyone and everybody will put their own mark on it.”
The chairperson of Ards Comhaltas has described the announcement as a “historic day for Belfast” and a “historic day for the north”.
Niall McClean said Belfast is the ideal city to host
“For the event, this city has got everything; the venues are incredible, and the streets will be buzzing with music.”
What is the Fleadh Cheoil?
Luke Kelly attended the Clones Fleadh in 1964 [BBC]
Fleadh Cheoil is an annual Irish arts festival and competition run by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann – the society of the musicians of Ireland.
The organisation was founded in 1951 by traditional musicians and Gaelic culture advocates from across Ireland.
They sought to enhance traditional Irish music, dance and language in Ireland.
Each year Comhaltas hosts numerous fleadhanna (festivals) across the island at county and provincial level.
In oversea regions where fleadhanna are also held they are sometimes known as “Féilte”.
The best-known of these festivals is Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, often simply known as the Fleadh.
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Temperatures set to be warmer than Ibiza this weekend
Temperatures set to be warmer than Ibiza this weekend
PA Media
This weekend will see “fine and sunny” skies for much of the ***, with some spots expected to be warmer than popular European holiday destinations.
Saturday could see temperatures of 18C or 19C in parts of East Anglia, north-west England, the north Midlands and north Wales, according to the Met Office.
Senior meteorologist Craig Snell, added there are a “few exceptions” to the warm temperatures in the far north of Scotland, but the weather will “generally be dry and sunny”.
The warm conditions will continue into Sunday, where temperatures in parts of central England could reach up to 20C.
“It’ll be more of the same and for the majority of the country it will be a similar day to Saturday,” Mr Snell said, explaining that it will be “a warm weekend, particularly for the time of year”.
Holiday hotspots such as Marbella in Spain or Italy’s Amalfi Coast – which are known for their sunny climates – could record lower temperatures than in the warmest parts of the ***.
Marbella on Spain’s south coast, has a forecasted high of 15C this weekend, Ibiza is forecasted 17C, and Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast, could reach a high of 18C.
BBC Weather Watcher / MrBlueSky
Felixstowe was glorious in Friday’s sunshine
But temperatures in the *** are expected to drop next week, in what Mr Snell described as “a bit of a shock to the system”.
“We’re expecting to see some cloud and rain coming in from the north and it will generally be much cooler.”
BBC Weather Watcher/Ruthy
A spring lamb enjoying the sunshine in Nantmel, Wales
In the meantime, make the most of the warmth this weekend and check the forecast for your local area on the BBC Weather website and app.
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Google will still have to break up its business, the Justice Department said
Google will still have to break up its business, the Justice Department said
Google will have to break up its business, the Justice Department said in a filing, upholding the previous administration’s proposal after a federal judge ruled last year that the company illegally abused a monopoly over the search industry. As The Washington Post and The New York Times have reported, the Justice Department reiterated in a new filing that Google will have to sell the Chrome browser. When the DOJ argued for its ***** last year, it said that selling Chrome “will permanently stop Google’s control of this critical search access point and allow rival search engines the ability to access the browser that for many users is a gateway to the internet.”
The Justice Department also kept a Biden-era proposal that seeks to ban Google from paying companies like Apple, other smartphone manufacturers and Mozilla to make its search engine the default on their phones and browsers. It did remove a previous proposal that would compel Google to sell its stakes in AI startups, however, after Anthropic told the government that it needs the company’s money to continue operating. Instead of banning AI investments altogether, the government wants to require the company to notify federal and state officials before making investments in artificial intelligence. Earlier this year, the Financial Times reported that Google was investing another billion dollars in Anthropic.
Google is expected to file its own proposal for its final set of alternative remedies. In the earlier one it filed in December, the company said that the Justice Department’s original remedies went “overboard” and that they reflected an “interventionist agenda” that “goes far beyond what the Court’s decision is actually about — [its] agreements with partners to distribute search.” Google suggested allowing it continue paying partners like Apple and Mozilla to offer Google Search, but also to allow them to form agreements with other partners across different platforms. Apple could, for instance, offer different default search engines for iPhones and iPads. Meanwhile, browser companies could change default search engines every 12 months.
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As The Post notes, the Justice Department’s filing could be an indicator of how the Trump administration will handle antitrust cases involving tech companies. It could be strict on big tech like the Biden administration was despite tech leaders supporting the new President and his policies. Google donated to the Trump campaign when he ran last year and just recently halted efforts to hire employees from diverse backgrounds. It said that it was “no longer set hiring targets to improve representation in its workforce.” The House also recently subpoenaed Alphabet and its CEO Sundar Pichai for communications between the company and the Biden administration regarding COVID-19.
Judge Amit Mehta, the original judge who ruled that Google was a monopolist and had “acted as one to maintain its monopoly,” will hear both the government’s and the company’s remedies and will decide on the final solutions for the case in April.
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Trump’s golf resort in Scotland vandalized with pro-************ graffiti
Trump’s golf resort in Scotland vandalized with pro-************ graffiti
General view of the entrance to the clubhouse at Trump Turnberry golf resort in Turnberry, Scotland.
Tom Bergin | Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Scotland has been daubed with pro-************ graffiti, with a protest group claiming responsibility.
Local media on Saturday showed images of red paint scrawled across walls at the course with the slogans “Free Gaza” and “Free Palestine” as well as insults against Trump.
“Gaza is not for *****” was also painted on one of the greens and holes dug up on the course.
Palestine Action said it caused the damage, posting on social media platform X: “Whilst Trump attempts to treat Gaza as his property, he should know his own property is within reach.”
Last month, Trump enraged the Arab world by declaring unexpectedly that the United States would take over Gaza, resettle its over 2-million ************ population and develop it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
Police Scotland said it was investigating.
“Around 4.40am on Saturday, 8 March, 2025, we received a report of damage to the golf course and a premises on Maidens Road, Turnberry,” a Police Scotland spokesperson said, adding that enquiries were ongoing.
Separately on Saturday, a man waving a ************ flag climbed the Big Ben tower at London’s Palace of Westminster.
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Trump’s Turnberry vandalised over his plans for Gaza
Trump’s Turnberry vandalised over his plans for Gaza
Pro-************ activists say they’ve vandalised US President Donald Trump’s prized golf resort at Turnberry in Scotland in response to his contentious proposals to empty the Gaza Strip of its ************ population.
Activists targeted the Trump-owned Turnberry, a British Open course, in southwest Scotland early on Saturday morning, painting “Gaza Is Not For *****” in giant letters on the lawn and using red spray paint on the clubhouse’s exterior wall.
The group Palestine Action said it “rejects Donald Trump’s treatment of Gaza as though it were his property to dispose of as he likes.”
“To make that clear, we have shown him that his own property is not safe from acts of resistance,” the group said in a statement.
Police Scotland said it received a report of damage to the golf course in the early hours of Saturday, and that inquiries are ongoing.
The future of Gaza is uncertain as the first phase of a ceasefire that paused the 15-month war between Israel and ****** ended with no clarity on what would come next because the agreement’s second phase has not yet been hammered out.
Meanwhile, Trump has called for Gaza’s population to be resettled elsewhere permanently so that the United States can take over the territory and develop it for others. Palestinians have roundly rejected calls to leave.
Turnberry is one of 10 courses on the rotation to host the British Open, the oldest of the four major championships in men’s golf.
However, it hasn’t staged the event since Trump bought the course in 2014 and renovated several holes.
In November, Martin Slumbers, who at that time was the chief executive of British Open organisers, the R&A, said there were no immediate plans for the event to return to Turnberry.
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Israeli tourist and local woman ****** in India: police
Israeli tourist and local woman ****** in India: police
A man has been killed and an Israeli female tourist and Indian woman were gang-****** by three men in an attack near a popular UNESCO World Heritage site in southern India, local police say.
The Indian man and two women were stargazing with two other male tourists in the town of Hampi when the three men attacked them following an altercation over money, police superintendent Ram Arasiddi told Reuters over the phone.
The assailants pushed the men into a river canal before raping the women, he said.
Two of the men, including a US citizen, survived and the third man’s body was recovered on Saturday morning.
Police have arrested two of the men accused of the attack and were carrying out further investigations, Arasiddi said.
Attacks on women in India gained international attention last year after the brutal *****-********* of a junior doctor at a hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata, sparking outrage and protests across the country over a lack of safety for women.
with AP
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NHL trade deadline winners and losers: Mikko Rantanen, Brad Marchand reshape Stanley Cup race
NHL trade deadline winners and losers: Mikko Rantanen, Brad Marchand reshape Stanley Cup race
The Athletic has live coverage of the 2025 NHL trade deadline.
What the 2025 NHL trade deadline lacked in quantity, it made up for in quality. After all, it’s not often we have a prolonged drama like the Mikko Rantanen saga, which took several twists and turns before ending deep in the heart of Texas. And the Panthers’ stunning acquisition of Brad Marchand is one of the great buzzer-beaters in deadline history.
GO DEEPER
NHL trade deadline: Grading every deal completed this trade season
Now that the dust has settled — and knowing full well that the true winners and losers won’t be known until mid-June — let’s take a look at who improved the most, who took the biggest chances and who fell flat on their face on deadline day.
Winner: Florida Panthers
Imagine going up against a line with both Brad Marchand and Matthew Tkachuk on it. Good luck with that. Panthers GM Bill Zito made the most of the cap space Tkachuk’s groin injury opened up, snagging Marchand at the very last minute after adding Seth Jones earlier in the week.
Marchand might not be the 100-point player he was six years ago, but he’s still an excellent all-around player and one of the game’s all-time great pests. You can count on The Rat being showered with fake rats after a big win in South Florida at some point this spring. Both Marchand and Tkachuk are hurt right now, but both are expected back for the postseason, which is all that matters in Florida. And while Jones was overpaid as the Blackhawks’ No. 1 defenseman, he can be an outstanding No. 3 in Florida (and potential No. 2 going forward as Aaron Ekblad hits unrestricted free agency this summer), and at a more manageable $7 million cap hit with Chicago retaining $2.5 million for the next five seasons.
Winner: Mikko Rantanen
Rantanen was a member of the Carolina Hurricanes for about six weeks. He spent his first week on the road. He spent the next two weeks with Team Finland in Montreal and Boston. He had all of six home games in Raleigh. It’s entirely reasonable that he wasn’t ready to commit the next eight years of his life to a franchise and a city he barely knows. And that he was pushing for a nine-figure deal, complicating matters further.
Then Rantanen went and signed an eight-year deal with Dallas, a team for which he’s never played, a city in which he’s never lived. And for $96 million, less than Carolina reportedly offered. As if there were any doubt that teams in tax-free states had an inherent advantage over the rest of the league.
Rantanen had total control of his situation, so he must be happy with the deal or it wouldn’t have happened. While it would have been fun to see what someone like Rantanen could have gotten on the open market — players like him so rarely get to that point — he’s joining one of the best and best-run teams in the league, and he’s earning generational wealth to do so. How could you look at that as anything but a win?
Winner: Dallas Stars
Jim Nill has painted himself into something of a corner, handing $96 million to Rantanen with Tyler Seguin coming off long-term injured reserve (LTIR) and Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnston and Thomas Harley all due significant raises in the next two years. Then there’s captain Jamie Benn, who is a pending unrestricted free agent. Whatever. He’ll get to that eventually, and given Nill’s history, he’ll surely make it all work. What matters is that this is now the Stanley Cup favorite, the best team in the NHL. Getting Rantanen — at significantly less than he’d get on the open market — is a massive coup for the Stars. The NHL’s center of gravity continues to shift south.
Loser: Carolina Hurricanes
There’s no spinning this as a positive for the Hurricanes. GM Eric Tulsky did well enough to salvage something tangible out of it — and if you go all the way back to the initial deal with Colorado, it might even be a net gain — but it’s a bad beat all the same. The Hurricanes gave up a premium talent with another year on a team-friendly contract in Martin Necas to acquire Rantanen, got 13 measly games out of him (won only seven of them), and then flipped him to Dallas for Logan Stankoven and two late first-round picks. Stankoven is an exciting young player, but will he even be at Necas’ level, let alone Rantanen’s? The fact is, this might have been Carolina’s best chance to break through in a wide-open Eastern Conference. Instead, they’re further from contention than they’ve been in years.
The Hurricanes broke from team tradition last year by getting Jake Guentzel as a rental, only to watch him leave for Tampa (another team in a tax-free state!). That apparently spooked Carolina enough that Rantanen’s ambivalence about Raleigh as a long-term home prompted this rather drastic course of action. It’s a shame. Rantanen’s production was subpar (six points in 13 games), but he was generating a massive amount of scoring chances. The goals were going to come, and Rantanen is a monster in the playoffs. Carolina could have gone for it, consequences be damned. Instead, the Hurricanes hedged and were left trying to make the best of a bad situation.
Winner: Mitch Marner
With Rantanen off the board, guess who’s the belle of the ball this summer in free agency? Get that bag, Mitch.
Winner: Colorado Avalanche
The trade deadline is typically an imperfect tool for filing holes, with teams scrambling and often settling to add something, anything, as the clock ticks down. There’s rarely a perfect fit out there for a team, and it’s even more rare for such a trade to happen. But Brock Nelson was the perfect fit for the Avalanche, giving them the second-line center they so clearly needed.
The price was high (a first-rounder and top prospect Calum Ritchie), and the Islanders can feel just as good about this deal as Colorado can. But the Avalanche can win the Stanley Cup this season. Nelson makes them that much better. Swapping Casey Mittelstadt for Charlie Coyle only helps. You won’t hear anyone complaining about the Avalanche’s lack of centers anymore.
Loser: Colorado Avalanche
Eight years, $96 million for Rantanen? That’s pretty much what the Avalanche reportedly offered him before they sent him to Carolina. There’s the tax-free aspect, obviously, but if Rantanen never wanted to leave and Colorado was willing to hit the same number, that initial trade to Carolina looks premature in hindsight.
Winnipeg made a tiny step forward today, adding sensible depth players in Brandon Tanev and Luke Schenn.
But the West shifted wildly under Winnipeg’s feet. A tiny step forward was a big step back. A week that began with the Jets as division favourites ends in disappointment.
— Murat Ates (@WPGMurat) March 7, 2025
Winner: Chicago Blackhawks
Trading Jones makes the Blackhawks worse; there’s no way around that fact. Yet again, it could get even worse before it gets better in Chicago. But Spencer Knight’s 41-save debut has Chicago fans feeling hope for the first time since the 2023 draft lottery, and it’s an undeniable victory for Kyle Davidson to only have to retain $2.5 million on Jones’ contract for the next five seasons.
With Jones forcing the issue and Chicago having no leverage, it seemed like a cap dump for futures with high retention was all the Blackhawks could hope for. Instead, they got a potential No. 1 goalie and a first-rounder, without an onerous retention. Unloading Petr Mrázek and landing a young, controllable, former first-rounder in Joe Veleno is a nice bonus that not only moves out a bad contract but averts an awkward three-goalie situation. Nice work by Davidson.
Loser: Chicago Blackhawks
Davidson, flush with cap space and desperate for a difference-maker up front, had his eye on Rantanen as an ideal linemate for Connor Bedard. Now that Rantanen is off the board, Davidson can only hope that Toronto doesn’t strike a deal with Marner — and that Marner’s up for a fixer-upper.
Winner: Tampa Bay Lightning
Some day, there will be a reckoning for Julien BriseBois and the Lightning, a day on which all their core players suddenly are tumbling down the aging curve and the cupboard is completely bare. But that day is not today.
Tampa has won 10 of its last 11 games and has muscled its way back into the true contender tier of the NHL. And when you have a chance to win, you go for it. BriseBois’ utter disregard for draft picks is almost comical at this point — Tampa has had one first-round pick in the last five drafts and has dealt away its 2025, 2026 and 2027 first-rounders (the last two with top-10 protection) — but it’s also absolutely the right attitude for a perennial contender.
Neither Yanni ******* nor Oliver Bjorkstrand is a franchise-changing needle-mover, but the Lightning know as well as anybody that it’s those second-tier depth additions that often make the difference in the postseason.
Every hockey fan should want their team’s GM to think this way.
Loser: Buffalo Sabres
As they hurtle toward a 14th straight spring without a playoff appearance, the Sabres had to do something. And they did something. But they did something that doesn’t really change anything.
At best, swapping Dylan Cozens (and depth defenseman Dennis Gilbert) for Josh Norris (and depth defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker) is a wash. At worst, it’s selling low on a player with a very high ceiling. That the Sabres sent a second-rounder to Ottawa for the privilege is baffling.
Instead of getting aggressive and truly remaking a talented but continually underperforming roster by dealing away the likes of Jason Zucker or even Alex Tuch, the Sabres are stuck running in place. And that place is last.
They are in the same position after the trade deadline as they were before the trade deadline — lost.
Winner: Toronto Maple Leafs
The Leafs didn’t have the splashiest deadline — at one point in the day, while chaos swirled, you wanted to poke Brad Treliving with a stick and see if he was still awake. But Scott Laughton and Brandon Carlo are sneaky good gets who make Toronto a better defensive team, first and foremost.
Laughton’s certainly an upgrade over Max Domi, who can shift to the wing. With the Flyers retaining half of Laughton’s salary, the Leafs get a reliable two-way, third-line center for two playoff runs at just a $1.5 million cap hit. And it didn’t cost them any of their top prospects or young players. Even the 2027 first-rounder is top-10 protected.
Laughton is good on the ice and great in the room. It’s not the most exciting move, but for a team that’s been done in by its lack of forward depth in previous postseasons, it’s a savvy one.
Loser: Vancouver Canucks
It sounds like there could be progress toward a Brock Boeser extension, but what are these Canucks? They’re not going for it, having traded J.T. Miller away earlier in the season and Carson Soucy to the Rangers for a third-rounder at the deadline. They’re not retooling, having held on to Boeser and Elias Pettersson. Their captain and best player is hurt, they’re on the periphery of the playoffs, and they seem to be going nowhere slowly.
Winner: San Jose Sharks
For absolutely nothing, Sharks GM Mike Grier got 50 solid games from Jake Walman, a second-round pick (from Detroit as a cap-dump sweetener last summer) and a first-round pick (from Edmonton for Walman on Thursday). Steve Yzerman could never.
Loser: Edmonton Oilers
Dallas went out and added the best player available in Rantanen and locked him up long-term. Colorado went out and added the top rental available in Nelson. Edmonton added a solid second-pair defenseman in Walman and a third-line forward in Trent Frederic. If this is an arms race, Edmonton is losing. The Oilers are the defending conference champion and were the preseason favorites to win it all. Now, they look like the fifth-best team in the West. It’s foolish to ever doubt Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, but the Oilers have an uphill climb to get back to the Final.
(Illustration: Kelsea Petersen / The Athletic; Bill Wippert, Mike Stobe, Josh Lavellee / Getty Images)
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Whatever the Seahawks’ plan is after trading Geno Smith, it sure better work
Whatever the Seahawks’ plan is after trading Geno Smith, it sure better work
What are the Seattle Seahawks doing?
You’ve probably been seeking an answer to that question since learning they agreed to send quarterback Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a third-round pick, according to league sources. The trade, which will be finalized next week, will save Seattle $31 million in cap space, giving the team more than $60 million to work with, days away from free agency.
Seattle will receive the lesser of Las Vegas’ two 2025 third-round picks. At a time when teams are leaving no stone unturned in their search for competence at quarterback, the Seahawks shipped their established starter away for a late Day 2 pick.
GO DEEPER
Seahawks trade Geno Smith to Raiders, expected to pursue Darnold: Sources
What’s going on in Seattle?
You’ve also probably been seeking an answer to that question since learning the team is entertaining offers for receiver DK Metcalf, who earlier this week requested to be traded. The Seahawks want a haul in return for him, and if they don’t get it, they’re prepared to keep him around in 2025. But the hope is that a deal, preferably before the NFL Draft, winds up being advantageous for all parties involved.
The Seahawks proudly boasted the fact that Mike Macdonald just completed a 10-7 season, making him the winningest first-year coach in franchise history. Yes, they were upset at missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season but were overall pleased with the foundation laid in Year 1. Ryan Grubb got the ax after one season, but replacing him with Klint Kubiak, who brought in a slew of familiar faces to help build Seattle’s offensive identity, spoke to the team’s urgent desire to become a contender again.
So, why ship out Pro Bowl players like Amazon packages?
Let’s start with the quarterback, since that’s most pertinent.
Smith has long viewed himself as a top-tier quarterback. His two head coaches in Seattle mostly agreed with that assessment. Drew Lock was the focus in the immediate aftermath of the Russell Wilson trade, but Pete Carroll had faith all along that Smith could be the guy — and he was right.
Macdonald inherited Smith and quickly started to sound like his predecessor, becoming a huge Smith advocate.
General manager John Schneider was seldom as effusive with his praise. After trading Wilson in 2022, Schneider didn’t re-sign Smith — who was a free agent and could have joined any team — until a few weeks before the 2022 draft. After Smith broke out in 2022, the GM signed him to what amounted to a creatively crafted prove-it deal. The team did not engage in extension talks last offseason, despite Smith’s interest in doing so.
It always felt as if the front office’s view of Smith was noticeably different than that of the coaching staff.
This is why I asked Smith in Week 18 if he was confident that the Seahawks saw him the way he saw himself — as a “top tier” quarterback. Smith answered yes. His confidence didn’t seem warranted then, and that’s only been confirmed two months later.
GO DEEPER
Geno Smith trade grades: Raiders secure stability at QB; Seahawks plot new course
It’s no surprise the front office balked at paying Smith what he believes he’s worth — even though Carroll and the Raiders appear willing to do so — nor that the divide led to Friday’s trade.
Geno Smith is expected to get a new deal with Las Vegas. He’s been looking to make between $40-$45 million a year.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) March 8, 2025
Seattle is now targeting impending free-agent quarterback Sam Darnold, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. Darnold is the best veteran quarterback available, so a plan to pivot to the Pro Bowl passer would make sense in that he’s a better fit than Justin Fields, Aaron Rodgers (and all that comes with signing him) or Daniel Jones.
Darnold turns 28 this summer and is coming off the best year of his career in his only season with the Minnesota Vikings. He threw for 4,319 yards with 35 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. He ranked 16th in dropback EPA (five spots ahead of Smith), fifth in touchdown percentage and sixth in yards per attempt, according to TruMedia, while leading five game-winning drives (including one in Seattle).
But Darnold was either sacked or threw an interception on 9.7 percent of his dropbacks, which was the 10th-highest rate in the league. He also had two of his worst games of the season in Week 18 and the wild-card round of the playoffs, when the stakes were highest.
Between Minnesota’s play caller, offensive line, skill players and defense, Darnold was in one of the league’s most quarterback-friendly situations last season. And that’s relevant regardless of whether Seattle ends up with him, Sam Howell, a different veteran or a rookie behind center in 2025. The dominant Wilson-led teams of the 2010s were so tough to beat in large part because of how well the quarterback was supported.
The pressure is on Schneider and Macdonald to recapture that magic — immediately. This was true before the Smith trade, but it’s become even more urgent now that the team has moved on from a proven commodity without a path to an obvious upgrade (Smith, for my money, is better than Darnold).
Supporting the quarterback is also paramount, regardless of whether Metcalf is on the roster. Metcalf’s trade request came Wednesday, and though a $30 million annual salary is on his wishlist, so is the opportunity to win. Metcalf reached the divisional round of the playoffs as a rookie. Seattle won the NFC West in his second season. The next year, Wilson’s finger injury torpedoed the season, but Seattle went back to the wild-card round with Smith in 2022. Now, it appears Metcalf no longer sees the Seahawks, after consecutive seasons missing the playoffs, as capable of a quick turnaround.
After the Smith trade, he’s probably not alone.
But here’s what the Seahawks are not doing: rebuilding.
The goal in 2025 is, as it has always been, to contend. That won’t change even if Metcalf is traded. It didn’t change when Marshawn ****** was no longer *******-grabbing in the end zone, nor when the Legion of ***** no longer headlined their star-studded defense, nor when a potential Hall of Fame quarterback was sent to Denver. As much as Seattle appreciated having Smith and Metcalf, parting with one or both players will not change the mission.
The question is, will Schneider and Macdonald complete that mission?
On Friday, I published a free-agent roadmap for Seattle, complete with contract proposals for ideal fits, including two on the offensive line. The bulk of the Seahawks’ savings from the Smith trade will likely be allocated to a new quarterback, but they still have money to improve the team. Now more than ever, the Seahawks must deviate from standard operating procedure, allocate more funds to the front line and fix the position group that has been the team’s Achilles’ heel for the last decade.
No more short-term solutions for a position group that directly correlates with sustained success. Putting Band-Aids over bullet wounds doesn’t stop the bleeding.
It’s fair to be skeptical of the current regime’s ability to do this while likely downgrading at quarterback (and, perhaps, receiver). Seattle has been drafting and signing offensive linemen, hiring and firing coordinators and position coaches and switching schemes for years, only to enter December without an established identity. Even if Macdonald has solved the defensive side of the ball — and I believe he has — it’s hard to fault any fan who simply wants the team to hit a hard reset and stop trying to talk itself into contention.
That is why this just became a monumental offseason for Schneider and Macdonald — mostly for the former, considering he’s going on Year 16 with the organization. There aren’t many reasonable explanations remaining if the Seahawks once again fall well short of their stated goals.
GO DEEPER
How culpable is John Schneider after another Seahawks disappointment?
Maybe you could blame a rough transition to a post-LOB world, all the Wilson drama, cycling through offensive and defensive coordinators, Carroll’s squads getting stagnant and the growing pains that come with employing a young, first-year head coach in 2024. But another short-of-expectations season in 2025 would make for a tough sell to a fan base that is thirsty to escape purgatory and just watched Seattle go 3-6 at home as visiting fans occasionally overtook parts of the lower bowl.
So, what are the Seattle Seahawks doing? What they’ve always done: retooling without fully resetting. And, in theory, they’re building a championship-caliber football team, which Schneider says every year is the plan. But that plan hasn’t actually come to fruition in over a decade.
The Seahawks must do everything in their power to make it happen in 2025. If they fail, how long before owner Jody Allen starts asking the same question fans are asking?
(Photos of John Schneider, left, and Geno Smith: Stacy Revere, Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
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Stephen A. Smith on viral postgame confrontation with LeBron James: ‘It was all about his son’
Stephen A. Smith on viral postgame confrontation with LeBron James: ‘It was all about his son’
LeBron James notched a double-double for the Los Angeles Lakers in Thursday’s overtime win over the New York Knicks, but a tense discussion with Stephen A. Smith courtside after the game proved to be the viral moment of the evening. The ESPN commentator addressed the confrontation Friday, saying James approached Smith to discuss his prior comments about James’ son, Bronny.
“That was LeBron James coming up to me, unexpectedly I might add, to confront me about making sure that I mind what I say about his son,” Smith said on Friday’s “First Take,” when discussing a clip of the moment. “Can’t repeat the words because they ain’t suited for FCC airwaves. That’s what he was doing.”
“That wasn’t a basketball player confronting me. That was a parent, that was a father,” Smith continued. “And I can’t sit here and be angry or feel slighted by LeBron James in any way in that regard. By all accounts, he’s obviously a wonderful family man and wonderful father who cares very deeply about his son. And based on some of the comments he had heard — or shall I say I think he thought he heard — he clearly took exception to some of the things that he heard me say. And he confronted me about it.”
Stephen A. Smith said on ESPN’s First Take Friday morning that he understands why LeBron James confronted him after the Lakers’ win on Thursday night. pic.twitter.com/KgNMqtVoSt
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) March 7, 2025
While Smith appeared to have no issue with James defending his son, he did take exception to James approaching him publicly, saying James did not call him or set up a meeting to discuss the matter, though James “knows how to get in contact with (him) if he wanted to.” Smith, who was sitting courtside with Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel and comedian Larry David during the game, added that “apparently (James) feels like (Smith) was slighting his son.”
Smith said if he had a one-on-one conversation with James, he would have told him that he’d “never speak negatively” about Bronny, who was drafted to the Lakers last year in the second round. “I was talking about you, meaning you, LeBron James,” Smith added.
“I have nothing but the best wishes for Bronny James,” Smith said. “I wish him nothing but the best. I hope he flourishes into an NBA star. … But in the same breath, in the time we were talking about him, he was percolating to such a degree that the Bronny James stories had gone viral. And so we had to talk about it (on “First Take”) and so when I said the things that I said, I wasn’t talking about Bronny James because my attitude is he’s a rookie, he’s gonna take some time to get himself together. He’ll be just fine, especially with J.J. Redick and the staff coaching him. I was talking about the position he was put in by his dad.”
Smith said during a January episode of “First Take” that he was “pleading with LeBron James as a father: stop this” and “we all know that Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad.”
During Friday’s show, Smith brought up prior quotes from James about his son’s talent, including James saying in past years that Bronny could play for the Lakers “right now” and that Bronny was better than current NBA players.
“My point months ago was that because of who you are — one of the top two players in the history of basketball in my estimation — (there) is an immense amount of pressure that comes with that for his son,” Smith said Friday. “And when he talked like that, and what have you, anything that goes awry, as it pertains to his son, there’s gonna be a microscopic eye even more intensified on Bronny James because of his dad and what his dad had said.”
Smith said “it was all about his son” regarding the recent conversation with James and, “As a father, I get it. I’m not offended. I’m not insulted. I don’t have animosity or animus toward LeBron James for this. Nothing like that.”
“I don’t think he cares but neither do I. … If I was in his position, I can’t definitively say I would not have done the same thing. I’m not blaming him one bit. I get it. I understand it. And there’s a part of me that aches and hurts because of it,” he continued.
Smith — who recently agreed to a new contract with ESPN worth at least $100 million for five years, in a deal that’s expected to free him up to talk more about politics — closed his comments by saying he’s “not upset” but that he wished the confrontation was in a private setting.
“I don’t blame LeBron James for being upset. I don’t blame him for being angry. I don’t blame him for wanting to confront me because that wasn’t a superstar basketball player. … That was a daddy,” he said.
Required reading
(Photo: Tim Heitman / Getty Images)
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Virtual reality in solitary confinement isn’t a ****** Mirror episode. It’s happening in California | Virtual reality
Virtual reality in solitary confinement isn’t a ****** Mirror episode. It’s happening in California | Virtual reality
One Monday in July, Samantha Tovar, known as Royal, left her 6ft-by-11ft cell for the first time in three weeks. Correctional officers escorted her to the common area of the Central California Women’s Facility and chained her hands and feet to a metal table, on top of which sat a virtual reality headset. Two and a half years into a five-year prison sentence, Royal was about to see Thailand for the first time.
When she first put on the headset, Royal immediately had an aerial view of a cove. Soon after, her view switched to a boat moving fairly fast with buildings on either side of the water. In the boat was a man with a backpack, and it was as if she were sitting beside him. With accompanying meditative music and narration, the four-minute scene took Royal across a crowded Thai market, through ancient ruins, on a tuk-tuk (a three-wheeled rickshaw) and into an elephant bath with her backpacked companion. For Royal, these vignettes felt real enough to be deserving of a passport stamp.
Creative Acts volunteers giving a virtual reality headset to a person. Photograph: Sam Richardson/Courtesy of Creative Acts
Before Thailand, Royal had been held in the facility’s “restricted housing unit”, or solitary confinement. There, the only opportunity incarcerated people typically have to speak with each other is through cell vents or across the yard during recreation. Typically for this program, participants in solitary sit inside individual cells the size of phone booths known as “therapeutic modules”. In Royal’s facility, she and fellow participants were separated by plastic dividers, and each participant was shackled to a metal seat attached to a table.
The VR stirs up the triggers and the trauma and the emotions – and then the art transforms
Sabra Williams, Creative Acts founder
In the seven-day intensive VR program, participants experience scenes from daily life, as well as some more adventurous ones such as traveling to Paris or paragliding, for four hours each day. Facilitators ask them to process emotions that come from these scenes through various art exercises involving theater tactics, poetry, painting, etc.
“The VR stirs up the triggers and the trauma and the emotions – and then the art transforms,” Sabra Williams, the founder of Creative Acts, the organization behind the program, shares. The non-profit conducts the program both in general population and in solitary.
Now released, Carlos Ortega went through the virtual reality program in March of last year while in solitary confinement at Corcoran state prison. At 6ft tall, he remembers needing to sit down on the provided stool within the solitary cage to immerse himself in the VR scenes, even though the headset’s 360-degree view was programmed to work within the cage’s confines.
“If you’re not mindful of your body in prison, that can lead to conflict. We’re always aware of the amount of space we have, so I didn’t fidget a lot,” he shares. Ortega rarely bumped into the walls, carefully moving his torso and neck in order to take in his surroundings. “It was difficult, but we worked with what we got.”
Freedom within – and from – a controlled environment
“The micro environment is really, really controlled,” Ortega goes on to explain. Even when he would try to initiate interaction with prison guards, he would get shut down. “I would always say, ‘Hey, good morning. How was your drive here? How are you doing?’ I’d mostly get a glare or a look like ‘Why do you care?’ It’s kind of humiliating.”
An incarcerated person uses a VR headset. Photograph: Sam Richardson/Courtesy of Creative Acts
Creative Acts seeks to work against this hardened environment. The California-based organization relies on the arts as a resource for behavioral change and practical preparation for coming home from prison. With VR in four institutions – Valley state prison (VSP), Kern Valley state prison, Corcoran state prison and the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) – the organization has more requests coming in from other California facilities. Plans to expand beyond the state, however, can not be fulfilled due to lack of funding, according to Williams.
Williams first had the idea to bring VR into prisons five years ago. After founding Creative Acts in 2018, she said she “got real tired of hearing people come home after life sentences, having done multiple decades inside, and literally landing on a different planet”. She felt there was an urgent need for her organization to visually puncture the concrete barriers separating incarcerated people from the outside world. “As the world was changing out here, we missed it,” said Star Van Pool, Creative Acts’ program facilitator, who was incarcerated for 17 years.
So when Williams heard about a rudimentary VR program led by correctional officers in another state, she began to workshop how her organization could safely and humanely adapt this work. “I was looking for something that would bring the outside world inside. I heard that VR works on your brain as if you’ve had the experience,” Williams said. “It seemed like an ideal tool.”
Breathing through the overwhelming emotions of the everyday
It took a year for Creative Acts to persuade Meta to donate 20 headsets and two of its Cleanbox headset sanitation machines for a VR pilot. Meanwhile, Creative Acts’ Alumni Lab worked with content makers including Unincarcerated Productions to produce scenes reflecting the collective fears and curiosities that arise when preparing to come home from prison, such as exiting the facility on release day, conducting a job interview or going on a date.
For Major Bunton, Creative Acts’ director of programming, the big fear was paying for groceries. “If I’m sitting in line, swiping my credit card, and I can’t get it done, the first thing that comes to my mind is ‘Oh my God, someone’s going to know I’ve been incarcerated,’” he said.
To film a Thanksgiving dinner scene, Williams made an entire meal – “I cooked a terrible turkey,” she quipped – and brought in actors to demonstrate various conflicts that could come up when interacting with a loved one who has just come home from prison. When a person puts on the VR headset to experience this scene, it is as if they are at the table. “When I came home, I had to realize that my family had changed. I had to learn how to adapt to their lives,” Bunton shares. “And conversely, they saw me as the person I was when I went in 20 years ago.” Williams’ goal is for participants to get a handle on the rollercoaster of emotions that comes after long-term separation through these family-conflict scenes.
Volunteers assist people with their VR headsets. Photograph: Sam Richardson/Courtesy of Creative Acts
Williams says that the programming is not about therapizing or diagnosing anyone; it’s about providing them with the tools to feel and be aware of their own emotions in an otherwise repressive environment. Daniel Garcia, a participant incarcerated at Valley state prison in rural central California, got upset experiencing a scene in which a person bumped into him on a crowded street in Los Angeles. Following a breathing exercise while still in VR, Garcia said he was able to calmly consider how he might better resolve this type of conflict. “A lot of us, when we do come to prison, we’re not aware of the triggers from traumatic experiences that we’ve had, so we just react. VR helped us recognize those triggers.” Introducing this level of emotional awareness supports participants in coping and responding differently because, as Van Pool shares, “if a person doesn’t even understand why they’re angry or where it came from, they can’t change their behavior”.
The transformative scene for Ortega was sitting around the Eiffel Tower. “You see tourists, regular people going to and from work,” he said. “And that’s when it hit me: I want to live life like that. I deserve it. I owe it to myself.”
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As a responsive exercise, Creative Acts gives participants physical masks to paint. On the outside o the mask they’re asked to portray how they believe society perceives them; on its inside, how they see themselves. On his mask, Garcia wrote “condemned” with cracks on the outside, to reflect his sentence of life without parole. “But I want to be ******* than that,” he said, “so on the inside I painted a sunset, full of life, so bright.”
Working through ‘a lot of pain’ in virtual reality
Reflecting on her experience in VR six months ago, Royal shares that she initially “saw a lot of pain” when the group started. “But by the end, I saw smiles on the faces of all these women and the ability to trust somebody again,” she said. Released from solitary confinement within two months after donning the headset, Royal still conducts unified breathwork she learned from the program with people in the prison if she senses conflict.
Some incarcerated people have reported transformative experiences when using the VR devices. Photograph: Sam Richardson/Courtesy of Creative Acts
Garcia similarly retains his meditation practice, oftentimes putting in earbuds to quiet his surroundings, slowly counting while envisioning a sunset. Matias Magana, another program participant at Valley State, shares that now he says hello to individuals he never would have spoken to had it not been for his Creative Acts group. For him, “we’re breaking cultural boundaries”. And Ortega, who spoke sporadically on a Tuesday when he had gone to Creative Acts’ office to pick up some of his old art, says that he now finds himself “being comfortable in the uncomfortable”. His birthday was the second to last day of his Creative Acts’ experience; he still has the sticky notes the facilitators put on his “therapeutic module” with birthday wishes from everyone.
Closing a solitary unit after virtual reality workshops
In response to Creative Acts programming, facilities are witnessing an immense change. “Prison is toxic. You become accustomed to it: the corruption, the duplicitousness. Hell is normalized,” Ortega said. But prisons that have piloted the VR program report a 96% reduction in infractions from incarcerated participants in solitary confinement, according to Creative Acts. Corcoran state prison in rural central California saw the number of infractions of the men in solitary go from 735 to one after one week-long session. One of Corcoran wardens commuted so many solitary confinement sentences that the facility closed one of its four buildings dedicated to the practice.
The organization attributes this level of transformation to the role that art plays in encouraging people to redirect their anger, share and process their trauma, and envision, quite literally with the help of VR, a world beyond the bars that confine them.
Pros and cons of tech in prisons
Introducing new technology into prisons has inspired skepticism as well as praise. Making available tablets with texting, email and books en masse in prisons has also made way for another predatory profit channel for companies, increased the ability to further surveil incarcerated people, and created false promises of more connection or education. Many argue that tech is just a bandage solution that only serves to maintain an inhumane carceral system. Others say that working with the same prisons that continue to incarcerate people in droves cannot possibly benefit those inside. Williams has grappled with these critiques.
I learned that, even if someone has nothing in common with me, I can find a way to connect with them
Samantha ‘Royal’ Tovar
“Anything can be used to cause harm, [and] people will always make money off of anything that goes into prisons, so the benefits for the people inside, to me, outweigh the issues,” Williams says when discussing the introduction of tablets and other technology inside prisons. For the Creative Acts’ founder, the key to administering VR is by utilizing team members who have endured incarceration themselves to thoughtfully facilitate the experience as well as providing trauma-informed art exercises paired with every scene. As for criticisms about working with the California department of corrections and rehabilitation rather than against it, Williams has a consistent motto: “Do you want to be right, or do you want to make change? You can’t make deep cultural change without including the people that work there.”
Critiques of the VR program have included that it helps maintain an inhumane carceral system. Photograph: Sam Richardson/Courtesy of Creative Acts
Still, the non-profit must go the financial and physical lengths of bringing VR inside prisons while many of the scenes that participants interact with in their headsets are just on the other side of their cell walls. However, participants said the small doses of virtual freedom and exposure to the outside world shifted their behaviors and perceptions more than solitary confinement ever did.
“I learned that, even if someone has nothing in common with me, I can find a way to connect with them,” Royal shares. She will parole from prison in May and feels more confident in her ability to build a community for herself. For Ortega, Creative Acts laid an emotional foundation that informs the work he’s doing upon release. “I feel content, I’m more tolerant, people call me reliable again. I go to AA and NA meetings, I’m in school. I actually started my own program. It’s called Dream Catchers. I’m trying to catch that dream that I didn’t catch before.”
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Jerome Powell says the ‘net effect’ of the Trump administration’s policies on trade, immigration, fiscal policy, and regulation will determine interest rates in the future
Jerome Powell says the ‘net effect’ of the Trump administration’s policies on trade, immigration, fiscal policy, and regulation will determine interest rates in the future
Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell reiterated the central bank’s view the economy was steady. However, he did acknowledge there was a higher sense of uncertainty among businesses and consumers because of the Trump administration’s latest policies. The Fed, he added, doesn’t intend to cut rates until it can assess the effect those policies will have on the economy.
The economy remains on solid footing as it has for several quarters. Inflation remains around 3%, the unemployment rate hovers around 4%, and generally the fears of a recession have not come to pass. Yet there is one change rippling through the American consumer: Will the stability continue?
“Recent surveys of households and businesses point to heightened uncertainty about the economic outlook,” said Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell at the University of Chicago’s Monetary Policy Forum on Friday. “It remains to be seen how these developments might affect future spending and investment.”
In his prepared remarks, Powell stressed the economy is steady at the moment. But the throughline of his remarks was that a heightened sense of unpredictability had permeated the economy in recent weeks. In fact, the first words of Powell’s speech were “despite elevated levels of uncertainty,” but he also sought to reassure the audience the U.S. economy was in a “good place.”
The latest jobs report showed the U.S. added 151,000 jobs in February. That was less than economists had predicted, though. The labor market remains good with an unemployment rate of 4.1%, although it was a jump from the month prior. Inflation, on the other hand, is sitting at 3%—still above the Fed’s 2% target—but drastically lower than its peak of 9% in summer 2022.
Much of the uncertainty stemmed from an unclear picture about what trade policies the U.S. might enact moving forward, Powell said. The newly inaugurated Trump administration has pledged a series of sweeping changes to everything from energy policy to immigration to tariffs, all of which could have significant impacts for the U.S. economy given the scale of the changes contemplated by the White House.
“Looking ahead, the new administration is in the process of implementing significant policy changes in four distinct areas: trade, immigration, fiscal policy, and regulation,” Powell said during his speech.
During the short time in office, the Trump administration has so far made the most headway on implementing tariffs, a key pillar of its trade policy. On several occasions since entering office in January, President Donald Trump has implemented—albeit briefly—a series of tariff policies that risk upending the U.S.’s current trade regimes.
Story Continues
Earlier this week, Trump implemented a series of tariffs on Mexico and Canada, among the U.S.’s most important trading partners. He suspended those tariffs a day later. Trump also placed 20% tariffs on ******** goods. Doing so appears to set the world’s largest and second-largest economies on a collision course for a trade war. In a recent statement, the ******** embassy in the U.S. said it was ready for a trade war with the U.S.
Powell cautioned the audience the Fed needed to consider the effect the totality of administration’s policies would have on the economy.
“It is the net effect of these policy changes that will matter for the economy and for the path of monetary policy,” Powell said. “While there have been recent developments in some of these areas—especially trade policy—uncertainty around the changes and their likely effects remains high as we parse the incoming information. We are focused on separating the signal from the noise.”
Until the outlook of those policies became clear, the Fed would sit tight before cutting or raising interest rates, according to Powell. Earlier this year, the Fed paused its rate-cutting cycle, citing a solid economy that did not necessitate intervention. That decision had greatly angered Trump, who regularly advocates for low interest rates regardless of other factors in the economy.
On Friday, Powell said the Fed could afford patience at the moment.
“The costs of being cautious are very, very low,” he said.. “The economy’s fine. It doesn’t need us to do anything, really. And so we can wait, and we should wait.”
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
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Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, March 9 (game #1140)
Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, March 9 (game #1140)
Looking for a different day?
A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing ‘today’s game’ while others are playing ‘yesterday’s’. If you’re looking for Saturday’s puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Saturday, March 8 (game #1139).
Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.
Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc’s Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers.
Quordle today (game #1140) – hint #1 – Vowels
How many different vowels are in Quordle today?
• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.
* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).
Quordle today (game #1140) – hint #2 – repeated letters
Do any of today’s Quordle answers contain repeated letters?
• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 2.
Quordle today (game #1140) – hint #3 – uncommon letters
Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?
• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today’s Quordle answers.
Quordle today (game #1140) – hint #4 – starting letters (1)
Do any of today’s Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?
• The number of today’s Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.
If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you’re not ready yet then here’s one more clue to make things a lot easier:
Quordle today (game #1140) – hint #5 – starting letters (2)
What letters do today’s Quordle answers start with?
• S
• I
• W
• R
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.
Quordle today (game #1140) – the answers
(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)
The answers to today’s Quordle, game #1140, are…
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My three start words today were completely random, but if I hadn’t included a word with the letter K (Flack was the best I could summon with the letters I had left), allowing me to guess SKILL, then I doubt I would have checked out after seven turns – still my Quordle PB.
I realize I’m a bit slow on the uptake, but Quordle feels more like a wordsearch than a Wordle roguelike when you have a good start like this. It almost feels like cheating.
How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.
Daily Sequence today (game #1140) – the answers
(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)
The answers to today’s Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1140, are…
Quordle answers: The past 20
Quordle #1139, Saturday 8 March: WATCH, LAPSE, WREST, HEFTY
Quordle #1138, Friday 7 March: GLEAN, SHINY, DECRY, MANGA
Quordle #1137, Thursday 6 March: TRICE, EIGHT, BELCH, RIPER
Quordle #1136, Wednesday 5 March: PLEAD, TWANG, MAJOR, RISKY
Quordle #1135, Tuesday 4 March: FLOWN, ETUDE, TOPAZ, JOKER
Quordle #1134, Monday 3 March: FRILL, KAYAK, REBAR, WORDY
Quordle #1133, Sunday 2 March: TUNIC, GLOSS, DEBUG, LARGE
Quordle #1132, Saturday 1 March: DENSE, BONEY, KITTY, SMEAR
Quordle #1131, Friday 28 February: PASTA, RAZOR, PLUMB, DROOL
Quordle #1130, Thursday 27 February: THIEF, CHAIR, ETHER, GRIME
Quordle #1129, Wednesday 26 February: LOVER, SPIED, VAPOR, METER
Quordle #1128, Tuesday 25 February: TWIST, TWEAK, MEANT, CLEAR
Quordle #1127, Monday 24 February: LEASH, LEVER, TOTEM, CREME
Quordle #1126, Sunday 23 February: RABID, RELIC, SCRAM, BASIS
Quordle #1125, Saturday 22 February: ETHER, SONIC, VAUNT, ROUSE
Quordle #1124, Friday 21 February: STIFF, PRIZE, SCOWL, DONUT
Quordle #1123, Thursday 20 February: HASTY, DRAPE, FICUS, CRAZE
Quordle #1122, Wednesday 19 February: ABATE, TROVE, VENUE, DRAPE
Quordle #1121, Tuesday 18 February: TAMER, SCRUB, BRICK, DRIFT
Quordle #1120, Monday 17 February: SADLY, WAFER, LITHE, IDIOM
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Forest beat ailing Man City 1-0 to boost Champs Lge bid
Forest beat ailing Man City 1-0 to boost Champs Lge bid
Nottingham Forest’s improbable bid for Champions League qualification has been strengthened by a 1-0 victory over ailing Manchester City in the Premier League, with winger Callum Hudson-Odoi scoring the winner in the 83rd minute.
City goalkeeper Ederson was beaten at his near post by Hudson-Odoi’s shot in one of few clear-cut chances in a tight game at the City Ground on Saturday lunchtime.
Third-place Forest, who battled relegation last season, moved four points clear of fourth-place City, winners of the last four Premier League titles.
Pep Guardiola’s team won’t be making it five in a row and have a fight on their hands just to finish in the top five in the league, which should be enough to qualify for the Champions League.
City have steadied after a dreadful end to 2024 but have still lost three of their last five league games, to the current top three of Liverpool, Arsenal and now Forest.
Forest have 10 games remaining as they look to get back into Europe’s top competition, which they famously won in 1979 and ’80 under Brian Clough.
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Google will still have to break up its business, the Justice Department said
Google will still have to break up its business, the Justice Department said
Google will have to break up its business, the Justice Department said in a filing, upholding the previous administration’s proposal after a federal judge ruled last year that the company illegally abused a monopoly over the search industry. As The Washington Post and The New York Times have reported, the Justice Department reiterated in a new filing that Google will have to sell the Chrome browser. When the DOJ argued for its ***** last year, it said that selling Chrome “will permanently stop Google’s control of this critical search access point and allow rival search engines the ability to access the browser that for many users is a gateway to the internet.”
The Justice Department also kept a Biden-era proposal that seeks to ban Google from paying companies like Apple, other smartphone manufacturers and Mozilla to make its search engine the default on their phones and browsers. It did remove a previous proposal that would compel Google to sell its stakes in AI startups, however, after Anthropic told the government that it needs the company’s money to continue operating. Instead of banning AI investments altogether, the government wants to require the company to notify federal and state officials before making investments in artificial intelligence. Earlier this year, the Financial Times reported that Google was investing another billion dollars in Anthropic.
Google is expected to file its own proposal for its final set of alternative remedies. In the earlier one it filed in December, the company said that the Justice Department’s original remedies went “overboard” and that they reflected an “interventionist agenda” that “goes far beyond what the Court’s decision is actually about — [its] agreements with partners to distribute search.” Google suggested allowing it continue paying partners like Apple and Mozilla to offer Google Search, but also to allow them to form agreements with other partners across different platforms. Apple could, for instance, offer different default search engines for iPhones and iPads. Meanwhile, browser companies could change default search engines every 12 months.
As The Post notes, the Justice Department’s filing could be an indicator of how the Trump administration will handle antitrust cases involving tech companies. It could be strict on big tech like the Biden administration was despite tech leaders supporting the new President and his policies. Google donated to the Trump campaign when he ran last year and just recently halted efforts to hire employees from diverse backgrounds. It said that it was “no longer set hiring targets to improve representation in its workforce.” The House also recently subpoenaed Alphabet and its CEO Sundar Pichai for communications between the company and the Biden administration regarding COVID-19.
Judge Amit Mehta, the original judge who ruled that Google was a monopolist and had “acted as one to maintain its monopoly,” will hear both the government’s and the company’s remedies and will decide on the final solutions for the case in April.
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How to use an RFID reader with a Raspberry Pi Pico
How to use an RFID reader with a Raspberry Pi Pico
RFID cards and tags are everywhere! We use them in buildings for access control. Printers and photocopiers can use them to identify staff members. Livestock tagging and **** identification tags all use a form of RFID. The tech to read an RFID device is cheap, for around $5 you can get the reader, and for $4, a Raspberry Pi Pico can read the IDs from the cards / tags.
In this how to, we will learn how to read RFID tags and cards using an MFRC522 reader and a Raspberry Pi Pico, the goal will be to create a fictional RFID access control system that will allow users into a building, or alert security to remove them. Before we can do that, we need to identify the ID of our cards / tags. The first section of this how to will do just that, and then we will insert some code to control two LEDs to simulate the locking mechanism.
For this how to you will need
Raspberry Pi Pico running MicroPython
MFRC522 RFID reader
Large breadboard
11 x Male to male jumper wires
Green LED
Red LED
2 x 100 Ohm resistors (Brown – ****** – Brown – Gold)
Building the Hardware
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The hardware build is split into two sections. First is the wiring for the MFRC522 RFID reader. The reader uses SPI to communicate with the Raspberry Pi Pico and it requires seven pins to do so. Two are for power (3.3V and GND) and the rest are for SPI.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
MFRC522
Raspberry Pi Pico
Wire Color
SDA
GP1
Blue
SCK
GP2
Orange
MOSI
GP3
Purple
MISO
GP4
Blue
GND
Any GND
******
RST
GP0
White
3.3
3V3 Out (Physical pin 36)
Red
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Second are our outputs. To see if the correct card has been presented, we need to add two LEDs. Red for an incorrect RFID card, green for a correct card. The LEDs connect to a GPIO pin which we control to turn the LED on/off, and to any available GND pin via a 100 Ohm resistor. You can use a 220 or 330 Ohm resistor, I just happened to have some 100 Ohm resistors on my desk. Need to work out the correct resistor? We’ve got a guide for you!
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Header Cell – Column 0
Raspberry Pi Pico
Wire Color
Red LED Anode (+)
GP14
Red
Red LED Cathode (-)
Any GND
******
Green LED Anode (+)
GP15
Green
Green LED Cathode (-)
Any GND
******
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Before moving on, check that your wiring is correct.
Installing the RFID Reader Software
The MFRC522 is a simple RFID reader, and to make it even simpler we are using a MicroPython module that will make short work of using the reader. The module, pico-rfid is from friend of Tom’s Hardware, Kevin McAleer, and is based on the work of Danjperron.
1. Connect your Raspberry Pi Pico to your computer, and open Thonny. We assume that you already know how to set up your Raspberry Pi Pico. If not, we have this handy guide.
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2. Create a new blank file and copy the contents of this link into the blank file. Then save it to the Raspberry Pi Pico as mfrc522.py. This is the Python module / library that will enable our code to talk to the RFID reader.
Writing the Project Code
With all the setup complete, we now get down to coding the project. For this we will again use Thonny, and write code to check the ID of any RFID card presented to the reader. For this first part, we will need to make a note of the ID, as we will later use it with a conditional test that checks if the ID matches a hard coded value, then it will allow entry. If not, then we will get an ACCESS DENIED message.
1. Create a new blank file in Thonny.
2. Import three modules (libraries) for using the MFRC522 RFID reader, controlling the pace of the code, and for using the GPIO.
from mfrc522 import MFRC522
import utime
from machine import Pin
3. Create an object, reader, to tell the code where the RFID reader is connected.
reader = MFRC522(spi_id=0,sck=2,miso=4,mosi=3,cs=1,rst=0)
4. Create two objects for the red and green LEDs, telling the code where the LEDs are connected and that they are output devices that we want to send current to.
red = Pin(14, Pin.OUT)
green = Pin(15, Pin.OUT)
5. Write a short message to the user, instructing them to present the card to the reader. The “\n” is Python’s syntax to introduce a new line at the end of the print() function.
print("Present the card to the reader\n")
6. Create a list called “PreviousCard” and store the value zero inside of it. We’ll use this list later to store the current card ID.
PreviousCard = [0]
7. Create a while True loop to continually run the code within it.
while True:
8. Initialize the reader so that it is ready for use.
reader.init()
9. Create a tuple to store the reader status and the RFID tag type.
(stat, tag_type) = reader.request(reader.REQIDL)
10. An if conditional will read the contents of the card if the reader is ready. Then it will update the stat and uid objects with details from the card.
if stat == reader.OK:
(stat, uid) = reader.SelectTagSN()
11. If the uid of the card is the same as the value stored in the PreviousCard object, then the code will continue. This will happen when the same card is repeatedly shown to the reader.
if uid == PreviousCard:
continue
12. Create an if conditional statement to check that the card read was ok.
if stat == reader.OK:
13. Print a message to the user, and then store the card’s UID to an object called “card”. Then print the card details to the Python shell.
print("The card details are as follows")
card = reader.tohexstring(uid)
print(card)
14. Update the PreviousCard object with the uid of the presented card.
PreviousCard = uid
15. Create an else condition which will run when no cards are presented. Updating the PreviousCard object. Then add a 50ms pause to the code before the main loop repeats.
else:
PreviousCard=[0]
utime.sleep_ms(50)
16. Save the code to the Raspberry Pi Pico as reader.py and then click on Run >> Run Current Script (or press the green play button). Follow the instructions and present the RFID card / tag to the reader.
17. Copy the entire card details, this is the uid of the RFID card and we will need that for the next part of this how to. The uid looks something like this, yours will be different.
[0x04, 0xBC, 0xA0, 0x9A, 0xB3, 0x43, 0x80]
Complete Code Listing
from mfrc522 import MFRC522
import utime
from machine import Pin
reader = MFRC522(spi_id=0,sck=2,miso=4,mosi=3,cs=1,rst=0)
red = Pin(14, Pin.OUT)
green = Pin(15, Pin.OUT)
print("Present the card to the reader\n")
PreviousCard = [0]
while True:
reader.init()
(stat, tag_type) = reader.request(reader.REQIDL)
if stat == reader.OK:
(stat, uid) = reader.SelectTagSN()
if uid == PreviousCard:
continue
if stat == reader.OK:
print("The card details are as follows")
card = reader.tohexstring(uid)
print(card)
PreviousCard = uid
else:
PreviousCard=[0]
utime.sleep_ms(50)
We’ve got the code, now we need to tell the project code that we want to use that code to give us access, and to light up the green LED. If another card / tag is presented to the reader, then the red LED will light up.
1. Between these two lines, create new lines of code.
print(card)
NEWCODE GOES HERE
PreviousCard = uid
2. Create an if condition that checks for your card’s uid. Note that it looks like a Python list, but in reality it is stored as a string, so we need to wrap the value in “ “. Don’t forget the [ ] brackets.
if card == "[0x04, 0xBC, 0xA0, 0x9A, 0xB3, 0x43, 0x80]":
3. If the value stored in the card object matches the hard coded value, print “ACCESS GRANTED” to the Python shell.
print("ACCESS GRANTED")
4. Create a for loop to toggle the green LED on / off ten times., with a 0.1 second gap between each change of state. Turn the green LED off at the end of the for loop.
for i in range(10):
green.toggle()
utime.sleep(0.1)
green.off()
5. Use an else condition for when an unrecognized card / tag is presented to the reader. This will toggle the red LED on and off just like the green LED.
else:
print("ACCESS DENIED")
for i in range(10):
red.toggle()
utime.sleep(0.1)
red.off()
6 .Save the code as reader.py to the Raspberry Pi Pico. Click on Run >> Run Current Script (or press the green play button). Follow the instructions and present the RFID card / tag to the reader. If the card is correct, then the green LED will flash and the Python shell will print “ACCESS GRANTED”. Try another RFID card / tag, this should make the red LED light up, and the Python shell will print “ACCESS DENIED”
Complete Code Listing
from mfrc522 import MFRC522
import utime
from machine import Pin
reader = MFRC522(spi_id=0,sck=2,miso=4,mosi=3,cs=1,rst=0)
red = Pin(14, Pin.OUT)
green = Pin(15, Pin.OUT)
print("Present the card to the reader\n")
PreviousCard = [0]
while True:
reader.init()
(stat, tag_type) = reader.request(reader.REQIDL)
if stat == reader.OK:
(stat, uid) = reader.SelectTagSN()
if uid == PreviousCard:
continue
if stat == reader.OK:
print("The card details are as follows")
card = reader.tohexstring(uid)
print(card)
if card == "[0x04, 0xBC, 0xA0, 0x9A, 0xB3, 0x43, 0x80]":
print("ACCESS GRANTED")
for i in range(10):
green.toggle()
utime.sleep(0.1)
green.off()
else:
print("ACCESS DENIED")
for i in range(10):
red.toggle()
utime.sleep(0.1)
red.off()
PreviousCard = uid
else:
PreviousCard=[0]
utime.sleep_ms(50)
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Are You a ‘Wealthy’ Retiree? How To Tell If You’re in the 1% Without a Salary
Are You a ‘Wealthy’ Retiree? How To Tell If You’re in the 1% Without a Salary
kate_sept2004 / iStock.com
Many people view retirement as a wonderful time, where years of hard work have hopefully led to a relaxed and financially secure life. But what does it mean to actually be wealthy in retirement? Is it just about how much money you have, or is there more to being rich in your golden years?
Find Out: How To Protect Your Roth IRA From a Stock Market ******
Read Next: 5 Types of Vehicles Retirees Should Stay Away From Buying
A 2024 study by the National Institute on Retirement Security indicated that there’s a high level of retirement anxiety among Americans, which is exacerbated by inflation. This is no surprise as retirees (and soon-to-be retirees) grapple with the financial reality of record-high inflation over the past several years.
In a YouTube video from “Holy Schmidt!,” award-winning author, international speaker and certified public accountant (CPA), Geoffrey Schmidt, discusses what “wealthy” means in retirement. Let’s explore the complexities of retirement wealth and help you determine which percentile you fall under.
Retirement wealth is not simple — the concept ranges from small savings to enormous fortunes. To see where you are on this scale, you must first understand percentiles and net worth.
Figuring out wealth depends on household net worth. This number equals all assets (like homes, investments, savings) minus debts (mortgages, loans), according to the Federal Reserve Board’s survey data. Let’s take a closer look at each of the wealth groups.
With a $10,000 net worth, this group struggles financially. Any assets are often offset by liabilities. Homeownership and investments are rare in this percentile.
Valued at $281,000, this cohort leads a secure middle-class existence. Home equity and moderate nest eggs facilitate occasional luxuries and social engagements.
Be Aware: Avoid This Retirement Savings Mistake That’s Costing Americans Up To $300K
With a net worth of $1.9 million, retirees in this percentile are deemed well-off, enjoying a lifestyle enriched by extensive savings and investments. This includes bucket-list travels, charitable endeavors and legacy planning.
At $3.2 million, individuals in this percentile are firmly entrenched in the wealthy category. They have the financial freedom to engage in comprehensive wealth planning, sometimes including multiple properties, advanced investment portfolios, and professional advisory services.
At $16.7 million, retirees here are the epitome of financial success. Their affluent lifestyles often define extravagance, from luxury travel to investments, reflecting a life of financial security and riches.
While your net worth percentiles define your financial standing in your golden years, true retirement wealth transcends just the money in your accounts. It encompasses a sense of security, freedom, and fulfillment derived from advanced financial planning and a life well-lived.
Whether you find yourself in the 20th or 99th percentile, retirement wealth is strongly affected by wealth management, thoughtful decision-making and a clear vision for the future. By understanding where you stand on the wealth spectrum, you can chart a course toward a retirement that aligns with your aspirations and values.
Are you ready to embark on the path to retirement wealth?
More From GOBankingRates
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Are You a ‘Wealthy’ Retiree? How To Tell If You’re in the 1% Without a Salary
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