Russia says NATO states can't enforce Ukraine peace, wants membership pledge scrapped – Reuters
Russia says NATO states can't enforce Ukraine peace, wants membership pledge scrapped – Reuters
Russia says NATO states can’t enforce Ukraine peace, wants membership pledge scrapped ReutersRussia hardens demands as it holds first talks with US and without Ukraine ReutersUkraine war latest: Russia won’t accept Nato troops in Ukraine as part of any peace deal, says Lavrov BBC.com‘Completely Unacceptable’ – Lavrov Rejects Proposed European Troop Deployments to Ukraine Kyiv PostUkraine-Russia war live: Moscow ‘won’t accept Nato peacekeepers’ The Times
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Top criminal prosecutor in U.S. Attorney’s Office in D.C. resigns
Top criminal prosecutor in U.S. Attorney’s Office in D.C. resigns
How Bondi is reshaping the Justice Department
How Pam Bondi is already reshaping the Justice Department
03:22
Washington — The head of the criminal division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C, has resigned her post, the latest in a string of Justice Department officials to leave under the Trump administration.
In an email obtained by CBS News, Denise Cheung notified her colleagues Tuesday morning that she is stepping down. “I took an oath of office to support and defend the Constitution and I have executed this duty faithfully during my tenure, which has spanned through numerous Administrations,” the email said.
Cheung did not specify a reason for her departure in her email.
Her decision follows a flurry of resignations by prosecutors in New York and officials at Justice Department headquarters last week, who stepped down to protest a directive from the acting deputy attorney general to drop the case against New York Mayor Eric Adams.
As leader of the criminal division at the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office, Cheung had sweeping oversight over national security cases, violent crimes prosecutions and other major investigations, including many of the cases related to the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Her resignation comes one day after President Trump announced he would nominate Ed Martin to become the U.S. attorney in the nation’s capital. Martin has been serving in the role in a temporary capacity since Mr. Trump took office.
Martin was a key figure in the “Stop the Steal” movement in 2020, and defended many Jan. 6 defendants. His social media posts have celebrated Elon Musk and other Trump allies since he has been in office, and he has vowed to investigate those who interfere with Musk’s work.
Martin has also helped expedite the closure of Jan. 6 cases, including those in which he once served as a defense lawyer. Multiple prosecutors in his office who worked on those cases were purged in the opening days of the Trump administration.
Scott MacFarlane
Scott MacFarlane is a congressional correspondent. He has covered Washington for two decades, earning 20 Emmy and Edward R. Murrow awards. His reporting has resulted directly in the passage of five new laws.
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Swiss man smuggles crocodile’s head, ********* pills
Swiss man smuggles crocodile’s head, ********* pills
Swiss authorities have nabbed a man returning from Thailand with some unusual souvenirs including a crocodile’s head and a large quantity of ********* pills.
Swiss customs officers also found fake luxury watches and two knives in the man’s luggage after he flew from Thailand to Switzerland in December.
Zurich Airport customs officers searched the man’s luggage after he got off a flight from Bangkok.
Customs waited until Tuesday to detail the discovery for investigative reasons.
The erectile stimulants may be imported, but not in the quantities the man had and the knives violated Swiss law.
The man was handed over to the police.
The crocodile head belongs to a protected species and is therefore ******** to trade.
Thailand is part of a hotspot of cross-border ******** wildlife trade, according to WWF.
Lax law enforcement has enabled wildlife trafficking to thrive.
A burgeoning middle class across Mekong countries and China have increased demand for wildlife parts and products, WWF says.
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DeVonta Smith: From Winning The Super Bowl To Facing Warzone Cheating Claims
DeVonta Smith: From Winning The Super Bowl To Facing Warzone Cheating Claims
On February 9, DeVonta Smith won the Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles in front of 127 million viewers. One week later, the superstar wide receiver was staring down accusations that labelled him a malicious cheater in Call of Duty: Warzone.
While streaming Warzone in the last few days, Smith came under fire from a slew of allegations across social media, being lambasted by folks hellbent on branding the athlete a lousy cheater. In clips that surfaced online, some suspicious sequences unravelled, but what’s the truth of it?
Does DeVonta Smith Cheat on Call of Duty?
The most talked-about clip of DeVonta Smith’s gameplay appeared on MLFootball on X. It was only a minute-long segment, and it was uploaded to showcase Smith’s humourous comms while streaming Warzone, but it was enough for Call of Duty sleuths to identify some strange goings-on.
Here’s the post with the full clip:
TRENDING: #Eagles star receiver DeVonta Smith live streaming playing Call of Duty has gone viral for how funny he is.
Smitty
In the video, you can see Smith – who streams under the guise ‘smityyyTV’ – gunning down the opposition on Rebirth Island. It’s plain as day that his accuracy and locks are scarily good, and even targets flying through the air or those appearing suddenly at long range are no challenge for the Eagles star.
The community is torn. If you take a look at the wider picture and check out his VOD content, it becomes less suspicious, and he starts to look like more of a well-rounded player than someone using a little extracurricular software to dominate lobbies.
Smith took advantage of the publicity to promote his content, inviting users to check him out in future streams:
Since yall think im cheating on COD just join the stream tonight
In an effort to vouch for the Super Bowl-winning athlete, Paradox Customs, a PC company, declared on social media that ‘He’s not cheating’. The vouch went hand-in-hand with a revelation that Paradox had built DeVonta’s last two PCs, but gamers were quick to jump on the post and explain how ridiculous a retort that is.
Unfortunately, allegations like this rarely go away. Take Nadia, for example. She became a prolific Warzone streamer off the back of ‘hackusations’ that surfaced a good few years ago that have followed her around like a bad stink ever since.
Do you think DeVonta Smith is cheating on Warzone? Let us know your observations in the comments or on the Insider Gaming forum.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out what Ubisoft’s VP of Esports has to say about Rainbow Six
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As if Nvidia’s RTX 5000 series launch couldn’t get messier, now a Redditor has received the RTX 5070 Ti days before its launch
As if Nvidia’s RTX 5000 series launch couldn’t get messier, now a Redditor has received the RTX 5070 Ti days before its launch
A Redditor has received a third-party RTX 5070 Ti before its launch on February 20
This comes before its February 19 review embargo
Recent reports suggest that the new GPU will suffer from similar stock issues seen with the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080
Nvidia’s RTX 5000 GPU series launch has been a tangled affair, due to numerous issues like limited retailer supply and scalping. Now, if it wasn’t bad enough for Team Green already, the RTX 5070 Ti is only two days away from its launch – but one of its third-party models is unfortunately already out in the wild.
Spotted by VideoCardz, a Redditor claims they have already received the Asus RTX 5070 Ti Prime OC GPU, before both the review embargo and the actual launch of the Founders Edition card, which are set for February 19 and February 20 respectively. Leaks and speculation circulating around the new Blackwell GPUs aren’t exactly anything extraordinary, but a card actually landing with a buyer days before launch is a pretty wild turn of events.
While it may not prove to be heavily detrimental to the RTX 5070 Ti’s launch, it does further underline exactly how messy Team Green’s latest GPU launch has been – more reports highlighted by VideoCardz suggest the upcoming GPU could also face the same supply issues seen with the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080, potentially leaving scalpers salivating once again.
The Redditor also mentioned paying more than the retail price, which doesn’t come as a surprise – multiple online retailers currently feature inflated prices for third-party RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 cards, so even though the recipient likely paid extra (with the unexpected benefit of getting the RTX 5070 Ti early), there’s a high chance the same price inflation will occur for the 5070 family.
(Image credit: Nvidia)
It’s probably best to stick with your RTX 4000 series GPU for now
Acknowledging the ongoing issues with RTX 5000 availability, the easiest solution is to stick with your RTX 4000 series GPU if you have one. If you’re lucky enough, you may even find third-party models of AMD’s Radeon RX 7900 XTX (which is only slightly weaker than the RTX 5080) at discounted prices, or you could just wait for Team Red’s new Radeon RX 9000 series lineup (assuming those don’t get the scalper treatment too).
The only disadvantage you may have with Team Red’s RX 7000 series flagship GPU, is potentially no access to FSR 4 – I say this with heavy emphasis on ‘potentially’, as the upscaling method might not end up being exclusive to the RX 9000 series forever.
While I’m not downplaying the effectiveness of DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation on the new Blackwell GPUs, it’s just not worth the hassle to overpay to pre-order any of the cards at this point. There will more than likely be restocking in order for RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 GPUs at some point (and likely the same once the 5070 family sells out), but who knows how long that will take.
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Right now, if you own an RX 7900 XTX or the likes of an RTX 4080 Super, rest assured, you’re not missing out…
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Teenager arrested after suspected ‘chilli spray’ attack at Costco
Teenager arrested after suspected ‘chilli spray’ attack at Costco
A teenage boy has been arrested on suspicion of spraying people with a homemade chilli spray in Costco.
Emergency services were called to the superstore in Avonmouth, Bristol, shortly after 6.30pm on Monday. The Costco was evacuated while Avon and Somerset Police investigated the incident.
The police force said said 10 people, including the boy, were complaining of stinging or itchy eyes and skin, but “responded well to treatment” at the scene.
Members of the public detained the boy and store staff gave first aid treatment until ambulance crews arrived along with police officers and firefighters.
The teenager has been arrested on suspicion of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm and administering a noxious substance, and remains in police custody.
Avon and Somerset Police said the liquid is believed to be “a type of home-made ‘chilli spray’ with no strong acid or alkaline ingredients”.
Police said the incident was over by about 8.30pm and the scene was cleared by 9pm.
The force said in a statement: “Emergency services were called to Costco in Avonmouth, Bristol, just after 6.30pm on Monday 17 February.
“A teenage boy was detained by members of the public after reportedly spraying people with an unknown liquid.
“Police, fire and ambulance crews attended in a coordinated multi-agency response.
“Ten people – including the boy – were complaining of stinging or itchy eyes and skin. Store staff provided first aid until ambulance crews arrived.
“People responded well to treatment and were discharged by the ambulance service at the scene.
“The liquid is believed to be a type of home-made ‘chilli spray’ with no strong acid or alkaline ingredients.
“A juvenile was arrested on suspicion of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm and administering a noxious substance, and remains in police custody.
“The incident concluded by about 8.30pm and police resources cleared the scene by 9pm.”
Avon Fire and Rescue Service tested the substance and said it was “found to be unharmful”.
The force has appealed for anyone who witnessed the incident to contact them on 101 and provide the reference 5225042707.
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Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Review | Hey Poor Player
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Review | Hey Poor Player
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a swashbuckling adventure that longtime fans and newcomers alike can treasure. Check out the HeyPoorPlayer review.
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Trump administration to continue Biden's strict scrutiny of corporate mergers
Trump administration to continue Biden's strict scrutiny of corporate mergers
Trump administration to continue Biden’s strict scrutiny of corporate mergers
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Leader of cultlike Zizians linked to 6 killings is due in a Maryland court – ABC News
Leader of cultlike Zizians linked to 6 killings is due in a Maryland court – ABC News
Leader of cultlike Zizians linked to 6 killings is due in a Maryland court ABC NewsTimeline of activities of ‘Zizian’ cultlike group tied to the killing of a Border Patrol agent ABC7 Bay AreaPolice arrest Jack LaSota, alleged leader of cultlike ‘Zizian’ group with Bay Area ties ABC7 Bay AreaMichelle Zajko case: Daughter of slain Delaware County couple arrested in Maryland; allegedly connected to cultlike ‘Zizian’ group 6ABC Philadelphia
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Big Time Sports brings microgame athletics to mobile, out now on iOS
Big Time Sports brings microgame athletics to mobile, out now on iOS
Hey batter batter…
Big Time Sports is one of two new releases from publisher Frost Pop on mobile
It sees you playing Track & Field-esque microgames
Each themed after a particular sport or athletic competition like bicycling, weightlifting etc.
When it comes to sports on mobile, although the emphasis nowadays has been on pushing the envelope technically it seems that there’s still a place for minimalism. And that’s clearly demonstrated with the latest release from publisher Frosty Pop, Big Time Sports.
The essence of Big Time Sports is in its spiritual predecessor Track & Field, which if you’ve ever encountered in the wild you’ll know is equal parts fantastic and frustrating. You have simple controls, with each sport functioning as a microgame where you need to perform a straightforward, repetitive movement to succeed. Not exactly complex, but as aforementioned Track & Field fans can attest it’s strangely enticing.
Again, these are all very straightforward. Playing baseball? Hold your finger down to pitch and release it at the right time to swing, hold to spin when high diving, etcetera etcetera. Breaking down sports simulation to its bare essentials it’s a wonder that Big Time Sports hasn’t found its way to mobile sooner.
I’m on my way I’m making it
It’s a fun contrast that one of Frosty Pop’s latest mobile releases, I Am Your Beast by Strange Scaffold, contrasts so well with Big Time Sports. On the one hand, high-octane, hardcore gameplay. On the other simple, casual microgames that even the least dedicated gamer has a chance at succeeding in.
I can’t necessarily see Big Time Sports being something people return to again and again, but for what it is it seems like a neat little, visually pleasing take on a genre that remains still quite niche.
Still, if you do like sports maybe you’re a dedicated fan of some top anime on the subject? And if so you’ll be excited to learn that the iconic volleyball series Haikyu!! has a new volleyball sim coming to mobile worldwide very, very soon!
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Andy Murray: Briton to continue working as Novak Djokovic’s coach ‘indefinitely’
Andy Murray: Briton to continue working as Novak Djokovic’s coach ‘indefinitely’
Novak Djokovic says the partnership with Andy Murray as his coach will continue “indefinitely”.
Three-time major winner Murray started working with his long-time playing rival on a trial basis at January’s *********** Open, where Djokovic reached the semi-finals but was was forced to retire with a leg injury.
After his Melbourne exit, the 24-time Grand Slam champion said he and Murray would need to “cool off” before discussing the future.
However, speaking on his return to competition at the Qatar Open, Djokovic confirmed the pair will continue working together.
“I expressed my desire to continue the collaboration with him so I am really glad he did accept,” Djokovic, 37, told the ATP Tour’s in-house media channel, external.
“It’s indefinite in terms of how long we are going to work together but we agreed we are going to work most likely in the [United] States and then some clay-court tournaments and see how it goes after that.”
Murray, who retired in August last year, took a surprise coaching role with Djokovic’s team in late November.
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George Russell has ‘no intention’ of speaking to Max Verstappen following row
George Russell has ‘no intention’ of speaking to Max Verstappen following row
Asked whether he had concerns about the situation, Russell said: “No concerns about him or his driving. I am not going to change my approach fighting him or other drivers.”
Verstappen is due to speak to the media later on Tuesday, before the live show at the O2, which starts at 20:00 GMT.
Russell also expressed his opinions about the decision by governing body the FIA to codify a system that could lead to drivers being banned for swearing or criticising race officials.
The 27-year-old, who is a director of F1 drivers’ body the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA), said: “It’s going quite far. As drivers we have to continue to show our personalities. We don’t want to be in a bubble. That’s pretty obvious.
“There is merit in saying you shouldn’t swear in an environment like this [a news conference]. But when it’s not your first language the first words you get taught are the swear words.”
Last year, Verstappen was ordered to do a form of motorsport community service after swearing in a news conference at the Singapore Grand Prix.
The four-time world champion responded by restricting his answers in an official FIA news conference the following day and speaking to journalists outside the room.
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri said: “In the car, we are in our zone and of course we are going to say things in the heat of the moment and not politically correct, but out of that situation we are role models and we should be setting an example.
“Whether that requires a big monetary fine to remind us of that? A talking-to is probably enough. I see it both ways and I will try to keep myself out of trouble.”
At the weekend, world rally driver Adrien Fourmaux became the first driver punished under the new ruling.
He was fined 10,000 euros (£8,300), with a further 20,000 euros (£16,600) suspended, for swearing in a TV interview after a special stage.
Last week, Williams drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon both said it was wrong to threaten drivers with bans for swearing – but agreed drivers should watch their language out of the car.
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LeBrun: A Canada-U.S. 4 Nations rematch had to happen. Now here’s what’s at stake
LeBrun: A Canada-U.S. 4 Nations rematch had to happen. Now here’s what’s at stake
It is the dream rematch the 4 Nations Face-Off needed.
“This is great for the game, no matter what country you are from,” Team USA general manager Bill Guerin told The Athletic on Monday after the championship matchup against Canada was set. “This has the makings for another incredible game.”
And we’re going to go out on a limb here and suggest we won’t see a Hanson Brothers redo at the start of the game Thursday night, at what should be a rocking TD Garden in Boston.
No, expect a tight-checking affair in which open ice will be hard to come by. Neither team will want to play too risky. Too much is on the line to open it up. Too much riding to lack discipline.
What’s at stake?
Team USA has a chance to finish the job this time, unlike at the Vancouver Olympics 15 years ago, when the Americans beat Canada in round-robin play but lost the game that mattered — for gold.
Former Team Canada mainstay Chris Pronger had an interesting comment last week when I asked him which of his Olympic gold-medal wins meant the most.
“Probably 2010, because they beat us in the round robin and there was a lot of maybe swelled heads on their side, thinking that they were going to run roughshod over us as we found our solid footing and figured out how we needed to play and come together as a unit,” said the Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman, also an Olympic champion in 2002 at Salt Lake City. “I thought, for the most part, we dominated that gold-medal game and had the better of the chances.”
There was a lot of exuberance among Team USA players Saturday night when they talked to reporters after beating Canada. There was a real sense of achievement in ending Canada’s 17-game win streak in best-on-best matchups, which dated 15 years. That is understandable. You can’t blame this generation of U.S. stars for feeling like what happened Saturday night was significant. Matthew Tkachuk called it the biggest moment in his career next to last June’s Game 7 win in the Stanley Cup Final.
All good. But the American players need to park it now.
If Team USA doesn’t win Thursday night in front of a home crowd, the only thing we’ll remember of that Feb. 15 round-robin matchup years from now will be the three fights in nine seconds. Because the final word will be, “Yeah, but Canada came back to win the big one. Again.” That’s what is truly at stake on Thursday night.
Canada captain Sidney Crosby has a chance to continue his remarkable era of dominance with a fourth best-on-best title (2010 Olympics, 2014 Olympics, 2016 World Cup of Hockey, 4 Nations), not to mention the fact that No. 87 can add to his already legendary reputation by having played this event with one good arm.
Just as importantly, a win for Canada would go a long way toward calming a religiously intense hockey country whose national pride has been dented with back-to-back quarterfinal losses in the World Junior Championship.
Not to mention current world events and political tensions between the U.S. and Canada. A win on Thursday night would be mighty sweet for many Canadians on a number of levels.
On the flip side, after winning back-to-back World Juniors titles for the first time in its history, USA Hockey can make quite a statement Thursday night with a win and announce itself as the king of the hockey hill 12 months before the Olympics in Italy.
The Miracle on Ice in 1980 is unmatched as a moment, and the 1996 World Cup of Hockey upset win was a landmark accomplishment, and both of those events obviously will remain ******* than whatever happens this week. But a win Thursday night to claim the best-on-best 4 Nations, given the Americans’ recent junior dominance, arguably would make this feel like the first time in the history of hockey that the United States is truly No. 1 in the men’s sport.
No question, the Olympics will be more important in that narrative, but until then, Team USA would carry some well-deserved swagger as the best in the world.
The other winners, regardless of Thursday night’s result, are the NHL and hockey itself. There were a lot of people who mocked the 4 Nations when it was announced. As colleague Chris Johnston wrote on Sunday, the event is already a home run, which probably has a lot to do with finally having best-on-best for the first time in eight-and-a-half years. But it’s also because of the players’ buy-in.
Never mind that many hockey fans have craved best-on-best — the current generation of NHL stars were begging for it.
“It’s one of those things that’s kind of escaped me throughout my career,” Team USA star goalie Connor Hellebuyck said last week. “I had a couple of world championships, but the NHL didn’t go to the last Olympics so we missed that opportunity. And then you never know; are you going to get another shot? You’ve got to stay in your prime for when that opportunity comes.
“Being able to put that jersey on now, it’s one of those things that almost felt like it would never happen. Now that it has, it’s pretty surreal.”
He speaks for every single player in the 4 Nations. They wanted this so badly.
Now a championship game awaits. Two intense rivals giving us one more best-on-best title fight.
Cannot wait.
(Photo of Canada’s Jordan Binnington and Sidney Crosby: Chase Agnello-Dean / 4NFO / World Cup of Hockey via Getty Images)
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Nintendo is killing its Gold Points loyalty program
Nintendo is killing its Gold Points loyalty program
In 2018, Nintendo introduced , which were earned when you purchased Switch games, either physical cartridges or digitally from the Nintendo eShop. While you needed many purchases to redeem something substantial, you still saved a few dollars regardless if you get a cheaper title or something more expensive. Unfortunately, Nintendo that you won’t be able to earn Gold Points after 9:30 PM PDT on March 24 if you buy digital copies of games.
All eShop purchases made after that time won’t earn Gold Points anymore, though pre-orders for content made before then will still earn Gold Points as long as the pre-order is put in before the deadline. The points will be awarded within the day after each processed transaction.
It’s more tricky for physical releases. If you buy a game released on or before March 24, you still earn Gold Points even after that day, but only for games bought within a year of their release dates. Naturally, physical versions of games released after March 24, 2025, won’t let you earn any Gold Points. It’s also worth noting that significantly fewer Gold points for physical purchases.
Most people are likely unaware, but you can by shopping at the Nintendo New York store. This will remain the case until March 24, and the rules for physical releases mentioned above apply after checkout.
Nintendo’s decision to end the Gold Points loyalty program is possibly due to the ’s upcoming announcement and release. It’s unknown whether Nintendo will have a new loyalty program, but we’ll probably find out after the April 2 Nintendo Direct where we’ll finally get more details on the long-awaited console.
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New DOJ Reverses Biden-Era Position in Major Supreme Court Trans ‘Experimentation’ Case
New DOJ Reverses Biden-Era Position in Major Supreme Court Trans ‘Experimentation’ Case
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has notified the Supreme Court that it is dropping its support of a lawsuit against the state of Tennessee for its ban on gender-altering medical “experimentation” on minors.
The Trump administration announced last week that the government is no longer supporting plaintiffs who are challenging the law in United States v. Skrmetti.
It’s an about-face from a position taken by the Biden administration which inserted the full legal force of the federal government into the legal challenge against the state.
As CBN News reported, Tennessee’s “Save Adolescents From Experimentation (SAFE) Act,” also called SB1, prohibits doctors from performing gender transition surgery and related procedures on minors.
A lawsuit was originally filed by three gender-confused teenagers and their parents against the state attorney general claiming that SB1 violated the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.
The Biden administration stepped in to take part in the lawsuit because of a federal law that allows it to do so if the Attorney General certifies that the case has equal protection implications and is of “general public importance,” Liberty Counsel, a non-profit legal group, explained.
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Liberty Counsel filed an amicus brief in the case arguing the states have the authority to regulate certain conduct, such as invasive medical interventions.
“The Biden administration should have never intervened in this case. The Constitution does not guarantee a right to mutilate children with experiments and irreversible procedures. The Trump administration has made a commonsense move to reverse an agenda harmful to children,” said Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver.
The Tennessee Solicitor General defended SB1 arguing the law does not draw a sex-based line but a line on risky medical practice.
A lower court had issued a preliminary injunction against the new law, but then a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit allowed the law to take effect.
The case was taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court which heard oral arguments on the case last December.
Liberty Counsel noted, that normally the federal government maintains its legal positions when a presidential administration changes from one party to another after legal cases have already been argued before the Supreme Court.
However, the Trump administration has decided to stand in line with its stated values of protecting gender-confused minors from irreversible medical interventions.
As CBN News reported, Trump signed the “Protecting Children From Chemical and Surgical Mutilation” order just 10 days after taking office.
“Across the country today, medical professionals are maiming and sterilizing a growing number of impressionable children under the radical and false claim that adults can change a child’s sex through a series of irreversible medical interventions,” reads the order.
“It is the policy of the United States that it will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures,” it continues.
The DOJ has changed its position to reflect the White House’s stance.
“The [DOJ] has now determined that SB1 does not deny equal protection on account of sex or any other characteristic,” wrote Deputy U.S. Solicitor General Curtis Gannon. “Accordingly, the new Administration would not have intervened to challenge SB1.”
The case will remain active because of the other parties challenging the Tennessee law. In his letter, Gannon recommended for the case to continue noting a “prompt resolution” of the equal protection issue “will bear on many cases pending in the lower courts.”
The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the case this summer.
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Why Real Madrid-Manchester City remains a ‘modern Clasico’ – despite mixed fortunes this season
Why Real Madrid-Manchester City remains a ‘modern Clasico’ – despite mixed fortunes this season
This is an updated version of a piece that was originally published in April 2024.
“Real Madrid vs Manchester City is a modern Clasico,” former Real Madrid coach Jorge Valdano said last April, previewing the two clubs’ 2023-24 Champions League quarter-final first leg at the Bernabeu.
The tie that followed did not disappoint. Madrid and City drew 3-3 in the Spanish capital before a 1-1 draw at the Etihad led to a penalty shootout that Los Blancos won en route to lifting a record-extending 15th European Cup/Champions League title.
The sides have experienced mixed fortunes in this season’s competition — but even meeting in the new play-off round cannot dull the rivalry’s shine. Madrid came from behind at the Etihad late on to beat City 3-2 last week, meaning they have now exchanged 30 goals in their past seven meetings. It also sets up an intriguing second leg at the Bernabeu tomorrow (Wednesday).
GO DEEPER
Real Madrid’s stars needed to show a collective effort to beat City – and they did
This season is the fourth in a row that Madrid and City have met in the knockout stages of Europe’s elite club competition. Fans continue to be gripped, with that first play-off game setting a new streaming record for Amazon’s Prime Video service in the *** with figures of well over four million viewers.
There was an extra layer of intrigue in that match. City fans held up a banner that read, “Stop crying your heart out” in reference to Madrid forward Vinicius Junior being beaten to the Ballon d’Or award by Rodri and Madrid snubbing the ceremony in October. The Brazil international played a key part in the win and afterwards told Spanish TV station Movistar that the banner had given him “more strength to play a great game”.
In 2021-22, Madrid’s magical comeback in the semi-final second leg at the Bernabeu drove them into the final, where Liverpool were defeated 1-0. The following season, at the same stage of the competition, City produced a dominant home display to beat Carlo Ancelotti’s side 4-0 in the second leg before claiming their first Champions League title against Inter. Then there was that epic win on penalties for Madrid in the quarter-final at the Etihad last season.
The circumstances are different this campaign, with a win in this tie granting progress to the round of 16. Madrid only made the play-offs after finishing 11th in the inaugural league phase following defeats to Lille, Milan and Liverpool. City have struggled throughout the season and scraped through in 22nd place.
Madrid have long held European success in the highest possible regard, perhaps at times to the detriment of their domestic progress (for example, they have won the Copa del Rey, Spain’s equivalent of the FA Cup in England, just three times since lifting the trophy in 1993).
The story the club like to tell about themselves centres around this more than anything. Madrid have suffered damaging defeats to Barcelona in La Liga (4-0) and the Supercopa de Espana (5-2) this season — but those would surely be forgotten if they lifted another Champions League trophy at Munich’s Allianz Arena in May.
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Valdano’s point was not to totally discount the history of Madrid’s rivalry with Barcelona; he believes the recent meetings with City have taken on a greater importance recently in part because of familiar connections. It is also true that Barca appear better placed than either side to go all the way this season after finishing second in the league phase, automatically qualifying for the round of 16.
“Clasicos are built on rivalry and (City’s manager and former Barcelona player and coach Pep) Guardiola is the favourite enemy of Madridismo (Madrid fans),” Valdano told The Athletic last year. “It was enough to hear the response from the fans at the Santiago Bernabeu (in the 2023-24 first leg) after the speaker announced his name over the PA system. He was the most whistled.
“But 10 years ago and five years ago, we were all talking about Barcelona-Madrid. Now the footballing importance leads us to talk about Madrid-City as the best in the world.
“It’s very good, because history is being renewed. City are getting to know glory, which is difficult without having a previous context. City are new and economically influenced. Madrid are new in any era. They can always adapt to hitch a ride.”
Guardiola usually gets a hostile reception at the Bernabeu (Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Since Guardiola arrived in Manchester in summer 2016, the two teams have met a total of nine times (Wednesday’s game will be the 10th), with Madrid winning three to City’s four.
City’s sole Champions League triumph is dwarfed by Madrid’s 15. But Madrid still see City as one of their main rivals for European success.
“Surely, in the last seven or eight years, Madrid and City were the two most successful teams,” said a dressing-room source — who, like others cited here, preferred to remain anonymous because they did not have permission to speak.
“It’s true that City only won it (in 2023), but they came close to winning it many more times.”
Those behind the scenes at Madrid saw the play-off draw against City as an “early final”. Ancelotti’s coaching staff see Guardiola as very difficult to analyse and they rarely trust the line-ups and systems he uses in the weeks leading up to their encounters. City are fourth in the Premier League and Madrid’s coaches have been surprised by how much the loss of Ballon d’Or-winning midfielder Rodri to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury has affected them.
Vicente del Bosque, another former Madrid head coach and a World Cup-winning manager with Spain in 2010, agrees that Madrid and City have become the biggest draw in European football.
“I think both teams have dominated football in recent years and Madrid have maintained an extraordinary level,” Del Bosque says. “I remember 2022, with the 14th title and the comeback against City as the most spectacular.
GO DEEPER
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“City are one of the few teams that dominate Madrid with the ball, even though they have players to counter-attack. And Madrid look comfortable without the ball, taking advantage of transitions, even though they have players to control possession.
“Now there is a debate about the European Super League, I think playing these games as a knockout is better. I look at the sporting aspect, not the economic aspect, and it makes it more entertaining and more of a rivalry.
Madrid’s Champions League comeback in 2022 made for spectacular viewing (Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
“When I was a player, and also as a coach, the great opponent was Bayern Munich. The Netherlands, with Ajax, and Italy, with Milan, also had teams that rivalled us, but not so much any more. Now the range has opened up.”
For their part, sources on Madrid’s board still see City as the team to beat. This is also due to the fact that, since the arrivals of Ferran Soriano as chief executive and Txiki Begiristain as sporting director (both, like Guardiola, formerly of Barcelona), City have grown as a club and earned the respect of Madrid, with whom they maintain a relationship of great admiration.
In this sense, Valdano dares to draw another parallel in the way both teams are structured centrally around one figure.
“Both at Madrid and at City, it is clear who is in charge,” he concludes.
“At Madrid, it’s (club president) Florentino Perez. At City, everybody knows it and nobody says it — but Guardiola won’t find he can work without a boss at any other club.”
(Top photo: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
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Fairgame$ Release Window, Story, Trailer, And Everything We Know About Sony’s New Live-Service Game
Fairgame$ Release Window, Story, Trailer, And Everything We Know About Sony’s New Live-Service Game
Sony’s big push into the live-service market has been hit and miss, and the company is continuing to invest in the space with the next game from former Assassin’s Creed boss ***** Raymond. Her team at the PlayStation-owned Haven Studios is making a heist-themed competitive game for PS5 and PC called Fairgame$–and yes, it’s really styled that way.
Described as a “fresh, modern take on the heist genre,” Fairgame$ aims to be a competitive heist game where people steal from the rich to “rebalance the scales” in a society where billionaires hold an increasingly large share of the wealth. While the game was conceived of years ago, this setup is certainly something that remains topical today.
Not much has been said or shown of the game, but there have been some details released so far, which we’re compiling together in this post.
When will Fairgame$ be released?
Fairgame$ was announced in 2023 but was not given a release date, or window, at the time or since then. Recently, however, Jeff Grubb of GameSpot sister site Giant Bomb reported that the game slipped internally and is now tentatively set for release in 2026.
Fairgame$ is the debut title from Haven Studios. As for Raymond, she’s had a turbulent career after leaving Ubisoft. She joined Google in 2019 to head up a new internal game team, but in 2021, Google closed its game studios and Raymond departed. In 2021, she founded Haven. Sony bought the company in 2022.
Preorder Fairgame$
Fairgame$ is not yet available to preorder. In fact, we don’t even know if it’s going to be paid game at all.
Fairgame$ trailer
The debut trailer for Fairgame$ was striking and impressive, but it didn’t have any gameplay footage. Instead, the CG trailer was focused on setting the mood and tone for the game, which involves stealing from the rich as part of a heist-themed multiplayer experience. Check out the trailer below.
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Fairgame$ platforms
Fairgame$ is coming to PS5 and PC. Sony doesn’t bring its single-player games to PC simulataneously with PS5, but it does do that for live-service games. As such, Fairgame$ would be expected to launch at the same time across PS5 and PC.
Fairgame$ story, setting, and characters
Creative director Mathieu Leduc said in a blog post that Haven was founded with the goal of making games that its staffers wanted to play, and that’s why the team chose a competitive multiplayer game.
“Fairgame$ came from a desire to create a new type of PvP game with emergent sandbox gameplay. We want to deliver a fresh multiplayer experience that rewards creativity and mastery and delivers surprising stories each and every time you play,” Leduc said.
“In a nutshell, this is a thrilling competitive heist game where you join an underground movement to rob the ultra-rich and rebalance the scales,” Leduc said.
As you can see in the announcement trailer, Fairgame$ has players going after billionaires who have “too much money and too much power.” In the trailer, we see a squad of players infiltrating some kind of compound, working together to take down security guards with the apparent aim of sticking it to the man.
“Fairgame$ will give you an opportunity to break the rules as a modern-day Robin Hood, a thrill seeker, or just someone who wants to collect cool loot,” Leduc said. “Trespass inside forbidden locations around the world, fill your pockets like a kid in a candy store and unravel the nefarious plans of untouchable billionaires.”
What’s going on with Sony’s live-service push?
Back when Fairgame$ was announced in 2023, Sony was in the midst of a huge push and investment into the live-service market. At one point in time, Sony wanted to release 12 live-service games over the coming years (alongside its commitment to single-player games). However, in May 2023, Sony announced that it was halving its planned live-service game output, with management stressing it wanted to focus on quality over quantity. After this announcement, Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us multiplayer game was canceled in December 2023.
At the beginning of 2024, though, Sony found its biggest success to date in the live-service market with Helldivers 2–the game went on to smash sales records and become the No. 3 overall best-selling game of 2024 in the US.
In July 2024, Sony’s Destiny developer Bungie announced mass layoffs and major structural changes. A month later, Sony launched the multiplayer game Concord. It had such a dismal performance out of the gate that Sony quickly took the game offline and refunded all players. Its developer, Firewalk, was later closed.
At the end of 2024, Sony confirmed that it canceled multiple projects, including a live-service God of War and another live-service title from Bend.
It was reported in 2023 that PlayStation boss Jim Ryan, who left Sony in 2024, had a mandate that Sony’s teams should make more games-as-a-service titles. A number of PlayStation developers were reportedly upset with this, and the blame was said to have fallen not on Ryan but Connie Booth, one of the most important and veteran PlayStation developers, leading to her eventual departure.
Another former PlayStation boss, Shuhei Yoshida, recently said the chance of finding success in the competitive live-service market was “small,” but his replacement, Hermen Hulst, was given the resources to fund both single-player games and live-service titles at the same time. However, had Yoshida stayed in that role, he said he would have “tried to resist” the push into the live-service market. He joked, “That’s one of the reasons they removed me.”
For more on Sony’s live-service games, check out the gallery below to get the latest on the status of all the projects in the works.
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Are NFL players as college coaches here to stay? Why DeSean Jackson, Michael Vick can work
Are NFL players as college coaches here to stay? Why DeSean Jackson, Michael Vick can work
Rodell Rahmaan has seen enough man-on-the-street interviews on social media to know he wants to do one. He’d love for a stranger with a camera to ask him the most famous person on his phone.
“I can’t wait,” Rahmaan said, “to tell them it’s Eddie George.”
The 1995 Heisman Trophy winner is in Rahmaan’s contacts list because of George’s second football life as the head coach at Tennessee State. Players at Norfolk State and Delaware State can relate after their programs hired Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson, respectively, this winter.
The trio entered those jobs with a combined 11 Pro Bowl appearances … and one season of coaching: Jackson’s eight-month stint as a high school assistant.
George, Vick and Jackson aren’t the only high-profile NFL alumni strolling college sidelines. Hall of Fame player Deion Sanders electrified Jackson State, then Colorado. Super Bowl-winning quarterback Trent Dilfer is trying to turn around his tenure at UAB. Another Super Bowl champion, Terrell Buckley, is a few weeks into his new job leading Mississippi Valley State.
But the depth of their experience differs. Sanders coached in Texas high schools and worked with top recruits at the Under Armour All-America Game before taking over his first college program. Dilfer spent four years as head coach at a Tennessee high school and tutored top quarterback prospects in the Elite 11 camp series. Buckley’s resume includes a decade as a position coach at programs like Ole Miss and Louisville plus a year as the head coach of the XFL’s Orlando Guardians.
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In a profession where coaches grind for years to climb the ladder, George skipped a few rungs when Tennessee State hired him in April 2021. Jackson and Vick did the same. Is the trend a reflection of the growing importance of money and celebrity in college football’s new era? Schools treating a marquee position as an entry-level job? Or merely Football Championship Subdivision programs with fewer resources and little to lose thinking outside the box?
“Everybody’s gotta start somewhere,” said Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference commissioner Sonja O. Stills, whose conference includes Vick’s Spartans and Jackson’s Hornets. “So why not start at an HBCU?”
The identity of HBCUs — historically ****** colleges and universities — is central to understanding the moves. HBCUs like Tennessee State, Norfolk State and Delaware State were founded to provide higher education to ****** students when no other options existed. It’s a mission Norfolk State rector Kim W. Brown highlighted while introducing Vick in December.
“We provide opportunity,” Brown said.
The hires provided a different opportunity when other head coaching doors were closed. Sanders tried and failed to land jobs at Florida State, Arkansas and TCU before an HBCU, Jackson State, gave him a chance in 2020. His Tigers went 27-6 — the program’s best run in more than four decades.
Though Sanders’ previous experience and one-of-one personality make him an unfair comparison to anyone else, he was a starting point in the trend. “The blueprint,” Buckley called him on social media.
Thank you brother! Proud of you too. Thanks for the support. You are the blueprint
— Terrell Buckley (@27TBuck) January 31, 2025
Seven months after Sanders’ hiring, George inherited a Tennessee State program that went 5-14 in its two previous seasons. This fall, his Tigers finished 19th in the FCS coaches poll and won their first conference championship in 25 years. The industry noticed.
“With the success Prime and Eddie George and guys like that have had, I think ADs now are starting to really open up to the idea of how prominent NFL players are serious about coaching,” said ******* Simmons, who spent eight seasons as an HBCU head coach before earning the Florida International job at the FBS level this cycle.
Simmons said the lack of coaching experience for Vick and Jackson won’t necessarily show up on the field because both have been around elite players and coaches and stayed around the game in retirement. The ******* potential bumps envisioned by Simmons — who has been in touch with both rookie coaches — are administrative: building staffs with limited resources, mastering the NCAA rulebook and bylaws, figuring out fundraising and recruiting.
The trade-off is a climate where big-name coaches can thrive as the transfer portal and name, image and likeness payments disperse talent across a wider array of schools. At Jackson State, Sanders signed better recruiting classes than a few power-conference FBS programs and poached the nation’s top recruit, eventual Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, from Florida State.
George’s name resonated immediately as Rahmaan sat in the transfer portal after deciding to leave Bowling Green. The Columbus, Ohio, native figures he stuttered and stammered through the first five minutes of his initial phone conversation with the Ohio State legend. Rahmaan agreed to switch from defensive end to tight end and led George’s first Tennessee State team in receiving.
“It’s like you’re reconnecting with your childhood self,” Rahmaan said. “I felt like a child sitting in the first row in the meeting. When he’s talking, I’m sitting there smiling.
“It’s Eddie George talking. Eddie George, he’s calling me by my nickname.”
Eddie George is 24-22 in four years at Tennessee State. (Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
The local impact is significant. George is in the Tennessee Titans’ ring of honor after starring at the facility (now called Nissan Stadium) where his Tigers play. Vick grew up 30 miles north of Norfolk and took Virginia Tech to the national title game. Jackson played for three NFL teams (Philadelphia, Washington and Baltimore) within 100 miles of Delaware State; an “E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES” chant even broke out during his introductory news conference.
Though it’s too soon to judge the full roster overhauls at Norfolk State and Delaware State, both have seen early bumps. Jackson has added his program’s top two high school signees of the modern recruiting era in three-star receiver Jadyn Robinson and three-star running back Deuce Weston, both of whom had Power 4 interest. He also landed Michigan State transfer Antonio Gates Jr., a former four-star prospect and the son of Jackson’s NFL contemporary.
Vick’s initial portal pickups included a former top-300 national recruit and Clemson signee (David Ojiegbe), one of the SWAC’s top linebackers (Jaden Kelly) and a promising three-star quarterback (South Florida’s Israel Carter).
It’s hard to ignore Vick’s status in Carter’s announcement. His social media graphic featured Vick in the background, as the Norfolk State coach on one side and the Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback on the other. Carter was in the center in a Spartans jersey. He, like Vick, wore No. 7.
Couldn’t Thank God enough for opening this door for me. All Glory To The King Most High! #Committed #7Era #AllGod @MichaelVick @NorfolkStateFB pic.twitter.com/2DtmnYMIYF
— Israel Carter (@Isr8ael) January 17, 2025
If star power can lead to exposure in recruiting, the programs are also counting on it boosting exposure for the entire university, as Delaware State president Tony Allen acknowledged directly during Jackson’s introductory news conference. Allen said his three goals were to hire a leader of young men, a coach with tactical prowess and someone who could “continue to raise the profile” of a fast-growing HBCU.
The effects are real:
• Sanders’ Jackson State teams appeared on ESPN, ESPN2 and the cover of Sports Illustrated. Google searches for the team during his first fall were more than seven times what they were before his hire. Even after his departure, they’re still higher than they were before his arrival.
• Tennessee State’s football revenue and expenses have doubled since George’s hiring. Both figures totaled almost $7.1 million in the 2022-23 fiscal year, according to data submitted to the U.S. Department of Education. The Tigers’ football budget soared from average in the Ohio Valley Conference in 2018 to first, by far, in 2022.
• Over the past 20 years, the only times “Norfolk State” was googled more than December (the month of Vick’s hiring) were its NCAA Tournament runs in 2012 (an upset of second-seeded Missouri) and 2021 (a one-point First Four win over Appalachian State).
At the MEAC, Stills said she received an immediate, initial influx from potential sponsors who wanted to “ride the wave right now.”
“Because HBCUs have always been underfunded, overlooked, they give us an opportunity to get more national exposure,” Stills said. “It gives us an opportunity to show a look into the institution — how we graduate more ****** doctors, lawyers, engineers.”
And, if Vick and Jackson are successful, perhaps a new way to graduate ****** coaches to the highest level.
Minorities remain underrepresented as FBS head coaches, and Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman just became the first ****** head coach to lead his team to the national title game. Stills said she can envision HBCUs becoming feeders to the FBS as former pros learn the ropes in the FCS.
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‘It’s monumental’: Marcus Freeman’s moment is significant for ****** coaches
The cynical read in the profession is that the exposure and financial impact of hiring green NFL stars trumped on-field possibility — the idea that, as one coaching agent put it, “Mike Vick’s gonna put butts in seats” matters more than winning games.
“It’s incredibly frustrating,” said the agent, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect his relationships in the industry.
The traditional path has been to grind your way up from grad assistant to position coach to coordinator to head coach. The MEAC’s other four head coaches were all hired with at least 15 years on college staffs. Two had college head coaching experience, and a third (Howard’s Larry Scott) had an interim stint leading Miami. Vick and Jackson fast-forwarded ahead as if the most visible positions on campus were entry-level gigs.
“It’s like they’re learning on the job at a major D-I institution where so many of these guys are fighting for years to become the head coach, and now they’re just thrown into it because they have the NFL label next to them,” the agent said.
Then again, the profession has never been a true meritocracy. Coaches fill out their staff by hiring buddies or agents’ connections. A famous name can help a coach’s son or nephew land a first job. Is a famous name from NFL stardom any different?
The worst-case scenario for Vick and Jackson is what happened in the 2022-23 cycle at another HBCU, Bethune-Cookman. The school was set to hire Baltimore Ravens legend Ed Reed — who spent three seasons as a Miami support staffer — before he went on a profane social media rant about the program’s resources. The deal collapsed, and the Wildcats hired alumnus Raymond Woodie Jr. His quarter-century of coaching experience included more than a decade as an FBS assistant.
A more optimistic possibility is George’s Tennessee State tenure. Ohio Valley commissioner Beth DeBauche said she was initially curious about how George would fare in her league. Since then, she has seen a professionally run team — “a program that has had its house in order,” she said — with no disciplinary issues or other problems.
And after starting with two losing seasons, George improved to 6-5 in Year 3 and went 9-4 with an FCS playoff appearance last fall. That was good enough to earn him an interview with the Chicago Bears last month.
“There’s proof in the pudding,” DeBauche said. “We’ve seen the success, and others have seen this success in being able to build a program.”
There’s a risk, of course, just like any coaching move. But the risk is relative, as former Norfolk State administrator Glen Mason knows.
Mason is a longtime resident of Virginia’s Tidewater area and graduated from Norfolk State in 1983. He watched his alma mater’s past two coaches go a combined 36-65. The Spartans’ lone conference championship in the past four decades (2011) was vacated for NCAA violations. Mason was the program’s sports information director when the school filled its 30,000-seat on-campus stadium in its 1997 debut; the venue has had only one crowd larger than 28,000 since then (though Norfolk State did rank 11th in the FCS in average attendance in 2024 at 14,544 despite its 4-8 record).
The challenges may be even greater for Jackson at Delaware State. The Hornets have lost 23 of their past 25 games. They haven’t had a winning conference record since 2013 and have won the MEAC championship only once since 1990. Their average attendance last season (3,333) ranked last in the conference and No. 102 out of 130 FCS teams.
With that as the floor, what does anyone have to lose?
“There is no risk/reward for me,” Mason said.
If the potential risk is more losing, then the potential reward is what Rahmaan experienced firsthand at Tennessee State. He credits the extra attention George brought for getting him a spot at a Seattle Seahawks camp and stints in the UFL/USFL. He still beams when George texts him on his birthday.
Rahmaan doesn’t know Vick or Jackson personally, but he knows enough to think their new players are set to benefit, too.
“I love to see all that happening,” Rahmaan said. “I love to even think about the opportunities those kids are going to have.”
— The Athletic’s Ralph D. Russo contributed to this report.
(Top photos of DeSean Jackson and Michael Vick: Eric Hartline / Imagn Images and Sean Gardner / Getty Images)
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Songs of Conquest Gets Mobile Release Date
Songs of Conquest Gets Mobile Release Date
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February 18, 2025
Fantasy turn-based strategy game Songs of Conquest has an official mobile release date. Publisher Coffee Stain and developer Lavapotion have announced that Songs of Conquest will release on iOS and Android on March 13.
The game will be available for a one-time purchase of $11.99/£11.99.
Despite it being released on mobile, Coffee Stain says that it will be a full port of Songs of Conquest’s PC version.
“The teams at Coffee Stain and Lavapotion have worked hard to make sure that the experience of playing Songs of Conquest on mobile is seamless and immersive,” Christian Knutsson, Art Director at Lavapotion, said back when the mobile version was first announced in September.
Songs of Conquest first release in Early Access in May 2022. The game’s 1.0 launch on PC took place in May 2024, and has since released on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Lavapotion also has multiple expansions and DLC plans in development for the game, the latest being the recently revealed Roots faction for this summer.
Are you going to check out Songs of Conquest on mobile now that its March release date is confirmed? Let us know down below, and join more discussions in the official Insider Gaming forums.
For more Insider Gaming, read our full review of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage and check out the latest on the potential return of the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series. And don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter
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Court dismisses Assange visitors’ lawsuit against CIA
Court dismisses Assange visitors’ lawsuit against CIA
A US judge dismissed a lawsuit against the CIA by journalists and lawyers who said the intelligence agency illegally spied on them when they visited Wikileaks founder Julian Assange while he was holed up at Ecuador’s embassy in London.
In a decision made public on Tuesday, US District Judge John Koeltl in Manhattan said the Central Intelligence Agency could invoke the state secrets privilege in refusing even to acknowledge whether a private security contractor copied and provided data from the plaintiffs’ mobile phones.
The journalists, Charles Glass and John Goetz, and the lawyers, Deborah Hrbek and Margaret Kunstler, both of whom represented Assange, said the data collection by Undercover Global in 2017 violated their privacy rights under the US Constitution.
They sought an injunction requiring the CIA to destroy the data.
But the judge said forcing the CIA to reveal whether it gathered intelligence in a foreign embassy “could have serious national security repercussions for the United States, even though Assange no longer lives at the embassy and UC Global no longer provides security there”.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The US Attorney’s office in Manhattan, which represented the CIA, declined to comment.
Koeltl’s decision is dated February 15.
The judge dismissed other claims in December 2023.
Assange, 53, returned to Australia after pleading guilty last June, under an agreement with US officials, to one count of illegally obtaining and disclosing national security materials.
The plea ended Assange’s five-year stay in a British prison, which followed seven years at the Ecuador embassy as he sought to avoid extradition to Sweden on ******* assault allegations.
Assange denied those allegations and called them a pretext to extradite him to the United States over WikiLeaks.
State secrets released by WikiLeaks included classified materials from US military activity in Afghanistan and Iraq, highlighting issues such as abuse of prisoners in US custody, human rights violations and civilian deaths.
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Leader of cultlike Zizians linked to 6 killings is due in a Maryland court – Yahoo
Leader of cultlike Zizians linked to 6 killings is due in a Maryland court – Yahoo
Leader of cultlike Zizians linked to 6 killings is due in a Maryland court YahooMichelle Zajko case: Daughter of slain Delaware County couple arrested in Maryland; allegedly connected to cultlike ‘Zizian’ group 6ABC PhiladelphiaPolice arrest Jack LaSota, alleged leader of cultlike ‘Zizian’ group with Bay Area ties ABC7 Bay Area3 figures in sprawling network of people linked to violence arrested in Maryland VTDigger
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Massive Continent-Sized Blobs Deep in Earth’s Mantle May Be Over a Billion Years Old
Massive Continent-Sized Blobs Deep in Earth’s Mantle May Be Over a Billion Years Old
Massive structures buried deep within the Earth’s mantle have been found to be more than a billion years old, according to recent research. These continent-sized formations, referred to as large low-seismic-velocity provinces (LLSVPs), are believed to be both older and hotter than their surrounding mantle. Situated at the boundary between the mantle and the outer core, approximately 3,000 kilometres beneath the Earth’s surface, these formations have puzzled scientists for decades. Their nature and origin have remained unclear, with seismic waves slowing down significantly when passing through them, suggesting distinct physical and compositional properties.
Blobs Deep Beneath Earth’s Surface
According to the study published in Nature, seismic data from over 100 significant earthquakes were analysed to understand these structures. As reported by space.com, Arwen Deuss, a seismologist at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, told Live Science that the primary observation has been the reduction in speed of seismic waves passing through these regions. However, an unexpected result was the reduced energy loss of these waves compared to the surrounding mantle, suggesting that factors beyond temperature influence these massive formations.
Role of Crystal Size in LLSVPs
Computer models have indicated that the mineral composition of these formations may be responsible for the observed phenomena. It has been proposed that the size of crystalline minerals within the LLSVPs plays a significant role. The research suggests that seismic waves lose energy when encountering grain boundaries between crystals. Smaller crystals result in increased energy loss due to the presence of more boundaries, whereas larger crystals cause lesser resistance. Deuss explained to Live Science that the surrounding mantle is composed of older tectonic plates that have broken into smaller fragments over time, whereas the LLSVPs contain much larger crystals that have remained undisturbed for extensive periods.
Implications for Earth’s Mantle and Surface
It has been suggested that these deep mantle structures have played a role in shaping the Earth’s surface. LLSVPs are believed to contribute to volcanic activity, with mantle plumes originating from these regions, bringing deep material to the surface. The composition of volcanic rocks worldwide could potentially be linked to these mantle formations, according to the study.
The age of these structures has been a subject of speculation, but the study provides substantial evidence supporting their billion-year existence. Deuss stated to Live Science that confirmation of their age allows for further exploration of their origins, stability, and long-term impact on Earth’s geological processes. Additional studies are expected to investigate how these formations have influenced the movement of tectonic plates and the overall behaviour of the mantle.
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Blow it Up brings the Angry Birds-like genre roaring into the late 2020s, coming soon to mobile
Blow it Up brings the Angry Birds-like genre roaring into the late 2020s, coming soon to mobile
Blow It Up is a newly-released, physics-based puzzler
Similar to Angry Birds you blast apart structures filled with enemies
But now you’ll be able to enjoy gorgeous voxel-based graphics and particle effects
I think it’s undeniable that Angry Birds is one of the most important mobile games of all time. Whether that’s in its gameplay innovations or in the business success that it brought Finland and developer Rovio, Angry Birds is a landmark for a reason. Little surprise then we’ve seen successors and imitators, but today’s topic Blow It Up may be what takes this sub-genre(?) to the next level.
On the surface, Blow It Up is very much what you’d expect from a release emulating the aforementioned Angry Birds. You launch small figures and hit a larger structure full of enemies (helpfully colour-coded a snotty green) to bring them crashing to the ground. Certain figures have distinct abilities that let you bring even ******* and more complex structures down too.
So, what makes Blow It Up stand out? Well, a glance at the trailer should tell you, but in effect, this is very much Angry Birds with a healthy dose of glorious particle effects. If there’s one criticism you could levy on Rovio’s long-running series it’s that it has hardly kept up with the increased appetite we all have for mayhem.
Blown away
Blow It Up is arriving on consoles and PC today, but happily, I can also confirm that there’s a mobile version set to arrive sometime soon. I’d hazard a guess it’d be sometime this year, and by the looks of it, we’ll hopefully have a well-optimised port to deal with all the massive falling structures and scattered blocks in this blow-em-up puzzler.
In the meantime though if you’re looking for for ways to keep up with intriguing new releases without checking in on the news every day, why not dig into our regular feature Off the AppStore that shows you new games that you can only find on alternative storefronts or as downloadable APKs.
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#Blow #brings #Angry #Birdslike #genre #roaring #late #2020s #coming #mobile
Pelican News
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Europe’s leaders divided over their tactics with Trump
Europe’s leaders divided over their tactics with Trump
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Nato and European leaders held emergency talks in Paris to discuss the war in Ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron got straight on the phone to Donald Trump and, separately, to Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday night, after fellow leaders of Europe’s biggest military powers left the glittering Élysée Palace in Paris.
What achievements could the French president boast? Was his emergency security summit a success?
What frustrates Europe’s detractors is there’s rarely a clear answer. Different European nations speak with different voices, though they share many values and goals.
But in the current climate of ******-and-white thinking prevalent in Washington and Moscow, where the world is divided into the powerful and the weak, European nuance can count as weakness.
Under that unforgiving spotlight, Monday’s meeting failed.
No 10 Downing Street handout
European leaders fear being sidelined by Donald Trump in negotiations with Russia
Leaders had raised expectations. The summit dominated headlines as soon as it was called.
The head of the West’s defence alliance Nato, European Union chiefs and leaders of Europe’s most influential military nations scrambled together at speed.
They wanted to ******* Donald Trump’s attention. To impress him. To elbow themselves a seat at the negotiating table at the peace talks he plans with Russia’s Vladimir Putin to discuss the future of Ukraine.
Europe was – it still is – smarting at being sidelined.
Ukraine is a European nation. Its fate will impact the whole continent.
Depending how bullish President Vladimir Putin emerges from any peace talks, Europe’s security services fear he could turn his attention to upending the sovereignty of other nations.
The Baltic states that neighbour Russia feel particularly exposed.
But leaders didn’t help their case on Monday.
Getty Images
The US president has already spoken by phone to Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and aims to meet him soon
Yes, they say they’ll spend more on their own defence, as Donald Trump demands. Despite domestic concerns about limited government budgets and a cost of living crisis.
The Paris meeting even discussed the possibility of sending European troops to Ukraine to oversee an eventual ceasefire – unthinkable even a few weeks ago for Europe.
That’s what the US president wants.
But ultimately those leaders in Paris failed to deliver a strong, united, sum-it-up-in-a-line-tweet response, that might have made the impatient businessman-****-US president sit up and really take notice.
The reasons for this are many, despite the sense of urgency in Europe about Ukraine and European security more broadly.
A number of Europe’s leaders are furious at feeling they have to dance to Donald Trump’s tune.
The frustration that poured out of the mouth of the normally phlegmatic ******* Chancellor Olaf Scholz was palpable when he left the Paris meeting.
“It is completely premature and a completely wrong time to have this discussion [on sending European troops to Ukraine] now. I’m even a little irritated by these debates.”
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With an election looming, Olaf Scholz may soon be out of office
He insisted that there must be equal division between the US and Europe on responsibilities in Ukraine.
Scholz is likely to be out of a job soon. There are elections in Germany on Sunday, which he is widely expected to lose.
He’s had a couple of uncharacteristically emotional outbursts at home too of late, presumably under the strain.
Still, it’s important to note that he is far from alone amongst European leaders, who suspect Donald Trump is in a hurry to wash his hands of Ukraine and pivot his attention elsewhere. Perhaps China?
They worry too that the US president not only intends to deplete the defence umbrella his country has offered its European allies since the end of World War Two, but that Europe may now need to defend itself against him and his policies.
The tone the *** prime minister struck after the Paris meeting was in stark contrast to these darker European broodings.
He is openly keen to use the “special relationship” the *** hopes it still has with Washington as a bridge between Europe and the US.
One that Sir Keir Starmer is determined not to burn, telling voters at home that European security was in their national interest .
He appeared determinedly unfazed at Russia’s face-to-face preparation talks with the US in Saudi Arabia.
Getty Images
Sir Keir Starmer (right) will meet Donald Trump soon in Washington
No date for that big-ticket summit between Trump and Putin has yet been set.
Sir Keir hopes to grab a window of opportunity to press Europe’s case when he heads to Washington for a meeting of his own with the US president next week.
The US must stay by its allies’ side, the Prime Minister has declared.
If it doesn’t, Europe’s leaders will have to keep meeting till they can agree a way forward for Ukraine and their common security.
Should they fail again, long shadows over the stability of this continent will grow.
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#Europes #leaders #divided #tactics #Trump
Pelican News
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