Ex-NBA player Damon Jones to plead guilty in US gambling case

Victoria Beckham said Thursday she and her husband David have always sought to "protect" their children, months after eldest son Brooklyn attacked his famous parents in an explosive social media rant. 

In the January post, 27-year-old Brooklyn alleged his parents tried to "ruin" his relationship with his wife Nicola Peltz Beckham and said he had no wish to reconcile with his family. 

He said his parents, seeking to protect the "Brand Beckham," tried to "bribe me into signing away the rights to my name" before he married the American actress in 2022. 

Victoria Beckham, a Spice Girls pop star turned fashion designer, told the Wall Street Journal that she and ex-England footballer David have "always tried to be the best parents that we can be."

"We've been in the public eye for more than 30 years right now, and all we've ever tried to do is protect our children and love our children," she said. 

"Being a parent of young adult children and adult children, gosh, I mean, it's very different from having little children. I think that we're trying to do the best we can."

Brooklyn's surprise criticism of his parents made front-page news in UK tabloids. 

"Since the moment I started standing up for myself with my family, I've received endless attacks from my parents, both privately and publicly, that were sent to the press on their orders," he said. 

International soccer phenom David Beckham has not directly answered questions about the tensions, but when asked by US broadcaster CNBC about children using social media, he said parents should let children "make mistakes."

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(The Center Square) – After Kansas passed legislation to prevent “lawfare” – or the making of policies apart from the legal process – a consumer protection organization said other states following Kansas’ lead is “imperative” for the sake of consumers and the legislative process.

Executive director of Alliance for Consumers Action O.H. Skinner told The Center Square that “following Kansas' example and passing this legislation is imperative to protect consumers from a political agenda and ensuring legislation happens outside the courtroom."

"Trial lawyers and activists have been able to game the system and push lawsuits that feed into a political money machine and push a political agenda through the courts,” Skinner said.

“Thanks to the Kansas legislature, the state enacted first-of-its-kind legislation that takes away key pillars of woke lawfare and sets a model that other states should follow in order to protect consumers,” Skinner said.

“The legislation protects homeowners and small business owners from paying out money to criminals and wrongdoers and prevents consumers from having their choices decided by activists who push lawfare in court,” Skinner said.

The Center Square previously reported on recent Kansas legislation – Senate Bill 462 – in which “Kansas lawmakers overrode Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto” of the bill thereby “enacting a measure supporters say will limit the use of courts to advance political agendas.” 

Skinner explained that legislation similar to Kansas’ SB 462 “restores the balance of power and makes it clear that consumers should decide which they want to purchase, not progressive ideologues.”

“Activists shouldn’t be able to use woke lawfare as a backdoor for policies that can’t pass at the ballot box or through the legislation process,” Skinner said. 

“Only by understanding the playbook being used by woke activists can public officials begin to reestablish the proper role of courts in our democracy and ensure that major policy decisions are made through democratic processes accountable to the American people,” Skinner said.

When asked how Kansas’ SB 462 will affect the average American, O.H. Skinner replied that "there are two key provisions in the Kansas legislation that includes protection from public nuisance and criminals.”

“The public nuisance provisions protect Kansas consumers by stopping activists from being able to stretch public-nuisance law and turn it into an ideological tool,” Skinner said.

“Whether it’s cars, firearms, household appliances, or energy production, this legislation protects consumers in Kansas and across our nation by preventing the activist lawfare schemes that attempt to wipe consumer products off the shelf simply because leftwing activists disapprove of them,” Skinner said.

“Similarly, the criminal provisions align the legal system with what citizens think is logical and fair: criminals should never be allowed to profit from illegal activity through bogus lawsuits,” Skinner said.

Skinner noted Kansas’ SB 462 “ensures that this basic level of fairness is returned to the judicial system and stops trial lawyers from enriching themselves.”

“Thanks to Kansas lawmakers, consumers in their state will now be protected from these ideological agendas being pushed through the courts,” Skinner said.

The Center Square previously covered a report that exposed how the American Left pushes its agenda through lawfare in the courtroom “outside of the established legislative process.”

Netflix shares plummeted more than 8 percent on Thursday as the TV streaming titan reported quarterly revenue of $12.25 billion, which slightly topped expectations.

An earnings letter to investors came with word that co-founder Reed Hastings will step away from the company when his term as chairman of the board of directors ends in June.

"Netflix changed my life in so many ways," Hastings wrote in the letter.

"My all‑time favorite memory was January 2016, when we enabled nearly the entire planet to enjoy our service."

Netflix faces increasing competition from rival streaming services as well as short-form video platforms like TikTok that vie for people's attention.

The share price plunge came despite Netflix reporting profit of $5.28 billion, which was boosted by a fee received for the termination of a deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery.

During the recently ended quarter, Netflix declined to sweeten its takeover offer of Warner Bros, effectively ceding the media giant to a rival bid from Paramount Skydance after deciding the deal was no longer financially attractive.

Netflix logged a termination fee of $2.8 billion related to the nixed deal, according to its earnings report.

Netflix not following through on the arrangement will likely see the storied Hollywood studio and a group of TV properties which includes CNN fall into the hands of Paramount, fundamentally reshaping US media.

Paramount's deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery is in a regulatory and shareholder approval phase.

The bidding war had drawn White House attention, with President Donald Trump insisting he had a say in the outcome.

Oracle founder Larry Ellison is the father of Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison.

Larry Ellison, a longtime Trump ally, largely financed his son's takeover of Paramount and his subsequent bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.

A victory by Paramount would see CNN -- often the target of Trump's threats and criticism -- pass to Ellison family control, amid backlash that a Paramount-owned CBS would see changes to the White House's liking.

Netflix shares climbed after it stepped away from the Warner bidding, with analysts noting that the money it saved could be invested in audience-drawing shows and its potentially lucrative advertising business.

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Victor Wembanyama, whose rapid rise from teen phenom to superstar has transformed the San Antonio Spurs into legitimate title contenders, is relishing his first shot at NBA playoff glory.

"This moment is what you work on all year, but also your whole career," Wembanyama said as the Spurs looked forward to their Western Conference first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers -- the five-time champion franchise's first playoff appearance in seven years.

Wembanyama, 22, has been the driving force of that resurgence which saw the Spurs claim the Western Conference second seed behind the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

Drafted at 19, Wembanyama enjoyed a dazzling rookie campaign on a still struggling Spurs team that finished with 22 victories and 60 defeats.

An outstanding sophomore season was brought to a premature close because of blood clots in his shoulder.

The frightening diagnosis was just another blow for a Spurs team that had seen longtime coach Gregg Popovich step away after suffering a stroke.

"It means a lot, coming back from a terrible place," said Wembanyama, who in his third campaign has placed himself unquestionably among the game's elite.

He averaged a career-high 25 points per game and a league best 3.1 blocks to help the Spurs, who had 34 victories in 2024-25, pile up 62 wins.

A front-runner for Defensive Player of the Year honors and in the Most Valuable Player mix, Wembanyama has been complemented this season by All-Star point guard De'Aaron Fox and explosive shooting guard Stephon Castle.

Fox is the only member of their starting five who has previous playoff experience, but reserves Harrison Barnes and Luke Kornet have won NBA titles, Barnes with Golden State in 2015 and Kornet with Boston in 2024.

Wembanyama himself is no stranger to high-stakes games.

He likened the playoff anticipation building in San Antonio to the 2024 Olympics, where France won silver in front of home fans in a final against a USA team stacked with NBA superstars.

"You can feel it, for sure," Wembanyama told reporters after practice on Wednesday. "Everybody is a little bit more locked in. Everybody is a little bit more involved."

Wembanyama, who missed several games with a bruised rib in the waning days of the regular season, says he is "very close" to full fitness.

"There's always something going on," he said. "In terms of regular-season shape, I'm very close."

The Spurs go in as heavy favorites for the series starting this Sunday against the Trail Blazers, whose coach Tiago Splitter won an NBA title with San Antonio in 2014.

Wembanyama says he's trying to stay focused on the first task in hand but admits it's tempting to look ahead to a possible championship.

"I can't really help but dream about it, but we have to stay grounded, stay in the moment," he said.

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If you still feel the need for speed, Paramount Pictures has good news for you -- "Top Gun 3" is officially happening, with Tom Cruise back as daring pilot Pete "Maverick" Mitchell.

The announcement came Thursday at the studio's showcase at CinemaCon, an annual week-long summit at which Hollywood studios present their biggest upcoming movies to theater owners and press.

Paramount film co-head Josh Greenstein said "Top Gun 3" was "officially in development with a script well underway," adding that Cruise would reunite with producer Jerry Bruckheimer on the project.

The original 1986 film helped propel Cruise to superstardom, and the 2022 sequel earned $1.5 billion worldwide.

Legendary director Steven Spielberg publicly credited Cruise with helping to get moviegoers back into theaters after the Covid-19 pandemic with the long-awaited sequel.

Cruise was not present at the presentation, but did narrate a film used to open the event, which focused on the studio's commitment to releasing films on the big screen.

At the end, Cruise -- sitting atop the water tower on the studio's lot -- says, "The future looks great from here."

Paramount Skydance chief David Ellison told attendees that the studio would guarantee a 45-day theatrical release window for its films before moving them to streaming platforms.

"Once we combine with Warner Brothers, we're going to make a minimum of 30 films annually," Ellison said in a pledge to theater owners. "Long live the movies."

Paramount has launched a massive $111 billion bid to take over Warner Bros, topping a rival bid from Netflix.

But many in Hollywood fear the mega-merger will lead to cuts that will forever change the film industry.

Also on Paramount's upcoming slate is a film adaptation of the popular video game "Call of Duty," due in theaters in June 2028.

Attendees also saw early footage from "Heart of the Beast," a thriller starring Brad Pitt as a military veteran who must survive a plane crash in Alaska with his combat dog.

And Johnny Depp showed up to offer a preview of "Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol," the latest adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens tale, in which he plays the grumpy Scrooge.

CinemaCon continues later Thursday with Disney's presentation.

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Spain's Vice President Carlos Cuerpo said Thursday that the resumption of relations between the International Monetary Fund and Venezuela should take place shortly.

"I believe we will secure a sufficient majority to make this happen," Cuerpo, who is also his country's economic minister, told reporters on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington.

"We will know in the coming days," he added.

The fund has undertaken internal consultations with its member states to decide whether it should recognize the government of interim President Delcy Rodriguez, who assumed power following the ouster of leftist strongman Nicolas Maduro by US forces in January.

Although the IMF continues to include Venezuela in its regular reports on Latin America and the Caribbean, relations were suspended in 2019, when the fund recognized the opposition -- which controlled the parliament -- as the legitimate government.

Even after recognition by the IMF, any new engagement between it and Venezuela would have to come at the request of the Venezuelan government.

US President Donald Trump's administration quickly began working with the Rodriguez government in January, and Washington recently recognized it as legitimate.

On Tuesday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said "the IMF is working on bringing Venezuela back in -- to make it look more like a normal economy."

At the heart of the negotiations lies access to Venezuela's reserves held at the IMF, a key issue for negotiating loans and aid programs.

Cuerpo explained that he has no meetings scheduled with members of the US government during his stay in Washington.

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French Finance Minister Roland Lescure told reporters Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz needs to reopen "but not at any price," adding that G7 leaders stand ready to mitigate the economic fallout from war.

The Middle East war erupted after US-Israeli strikes targeting Iran on February 28, prompting Tehran to virtually block the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation.

Energy prices have soared since, with the strait being a key waterway for oil and gas transit.

The conflict, alongside support for Ukraine and cooperation on critical minerals, were key topics discussed by the Group of Seven advanced economies at their first in-person meeting this year held in Washington.

"We need to make sure that we understand where the balance of risks is tilting in the next few weeks," Lescure said Thursday.

"We are meeting again in a month's time in Paris and we want to make sure that we monitor the situation, we evaluate the impact," he added.

"If we need to act, as we did with releasing inventories a few weeks back, we will," he said.

Lescure spoke on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank spring meetings, which bring together finance ministers, central bankers and other leaders in the US capital this week.

Last month, the International Energy Agency, which includes G7 nations, released a record amount of oil from their strategic reserves to ease market turbulence.

Lescure said "the general feeling was gravity" among the G7 when it came to the war.

But he added of the Strait of Hormuz blockage: "We need this to open, but not at any price."

His comments come as French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting talks in Paris on Friday with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on navigation through the Strait of Hormuz once there is a ceasefire.

"I don't want to pay $1 to go through the Strait of Hormuz," Lescure added.

"We value the fact that negotiation seems to be going on, and I hope they produce a result," he said.

- 'Collateral damage' -

The G7 also vowed to support Ukraine ahead of next winter, following Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine, launched in 2022, has become the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II.

"Russia mustn't be getting benefits from what's happening in Iran," Lescure said, adding that Ukraine should not be "collateral damage" either.

The United States in March temporarily allowed the sale of Russian oil that was at sea, a move to soften global supply shocks from its war on Iran.

But US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday that Washington will not extend the waiver, which has expired.

Bank of France governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau added Thursday that central banks will act "without hesitation" to deal with the war's economic impact, but stressed that officials are not in a rush.

Besides France, which holds the rotating G7 presidency, the grouping comprises the United States, Canada, Britain, Germany, Italy and Japan.

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(The Center Square) – Federal funds totaling $73 million will be withheld from New York by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation said Thursday.

Secretary Sean Duffy said the state failed to revoke “illegally issued nondomiciled commercial learner’s permits and commercial driver’s licenses.” An audit of 200 sampled records found 107 – 53.5% – were issued in violation of federal law.

New York defaulted to eight-year licenses to foreign drivers for non-REAL ID licenses, regardless of when legal status for the individuals expired. In a Dec. 12 release, the state was ordered by the federal agency to begin revocations; on March 13, the motor carrier administration said again the state failed to complete required corrective actions.

Derek Barrs, administrator of the motor carrier administration, said, ““FMCSA’s mission is safety. That means ensuring that every commercial driver on the road is properly vetted and qualified. New York’s continued refusal to fix these failures undermines that mission, and we will not allow federal dollars to support a system that falls short of the law.”

Added Duffy, “I promised the American people I would hold any state leader accountable for failing to keep them safe from unvetted, unqualified foreign drivers. I’m delivering on that promise today by refusing to fund Governor Hochul’s dangerous, anti-American policies. My message to New York’s far left leadership is clear: families must be prioritized on American roads.”

Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration is losing 4% of its National Highway Performance Program and Surface Transportation Program Block Grant Funds with the loss of $73,502,543, says Thursday's letter to Hochul and Commissioner J.F. Schroeder of the New York Department of Motor Vehicles.

Sean Butler, from Hochul's office, told The New York Post on Thursday afternoon. "These charges are a baseless attempt to attack blue states, because as everyone knows New York simply follows federally-issued rules when issuing commercial drivers licenses, something that even the Trump administration has acknowledged.”

Litigation could be in the offing. For example, Hochul’s administration challenged the Trump administration over withheld funding for the Second Avenue Subway in East Harlem.

President Todd Spencer of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has applauded efforts to eliminate loopholes for unqualified drivers. The issue has been prevalent coast to coast, from Florida and California triple fatal crashes last year involving people driving big rigs illegally in America to February’s quadruple fatal in Indiana.

“The days of exploiting cheap labor on the basis of false ‘driver shortage’ claims are over,” Spencer said. “OOIDA and truckers across America applaud Secretary Duffy and FMCSA Administrator Barrs for responding to our concerns by taking substantial actions to crack down on the irresponsible issuance of nondomiciled CDLs, particularly in New York.”

(The Center Square) – Department of Homeland Security agencies are requesting a total of $63 billion in fiscal year 2027 appropriations from Congress – even as Congress continues to withhold DHS funding for the current fiscal year.

The Homeland Security bill is the only fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill to remain unpassed. As of Thursday, DHS has remained shut down for over 61 days, yet U.S. lawmakers are still squabbling over the details of how to fund the department.

Given Senate Democrats’ refusal to pass any Homeland Security funding bill that fails to restrict ICE and Border Patrol operations, Senate Republicans finally passed an appropriations bill stripped of immigration enforcement funding and sent it to the House.

House Republicans, however, are waiting to approve that bill and reopen DHS until Senate Republicans move forward with a filibuster-proof budget reconciliation package that addresses annual ICE and CBP funding.

In the meantime, the House Appropriations Committee is already considering next fiscal year’s DHS funding, meeting Thursday with agency heads to discuss their annual budgetary needs.

The Trump administration’s fiscal year 2027 budget proposal requests $10 billion for ICE and $18.5 billion for CBP. Officials from those agencies not only reiterated those requests but also urged lawmakers to reopen DHS as soon as possible.

ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons told the committee that immigration detention and removal operations have continued under the current funding lapse due to an extra cash boost from Republicans’ “One Big Beautiful Bill” last year.

But to “assert that ICE is somehow unimpeded by the lapse in annual appropriations,” Lyons said, is “categorically false,” since the agency “cannot rely solely on the funding [the OBBB] provides.”

“The law provides resources for specific programs and activities — namely, to surge or expand ICE’s detention and removal operations. However, this is just one aspect of ICE’s mission and programs,” Lyons wrote in his prepared statement.

“The impacts of the ongoing failure to fund ICE through the appropriations process have been dire, as numerous ICE personnel and operations have gone unfunded, including much of ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations.”

Lyon added that ICE also hasn’t been able to pay its contractors due to the shutdown.

While committee Republicans praised the agencies for successfully reducing border encounters by 96% since the Biden administration, most Democrats took a harsher tone.

Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-N.C., told Lyons and CBP Acting Director Rodney Scott that “your agencies are out of control” and “display patterns of reckless, incompetent, cruel, illegal, corrupt, and unconstitutional behavior.”

Underwood pointed to the 44 migrant deaths that have occurred in ICE detention centers since the second Trump administration began, as well as the deaths of two American citizens involving immigration enforcement officers during the Minneapolis protests.

“In my opinion these are leadership problems, not funding problems,” Underwood said. “Why would we appropriate more funding[?] …Now you’re here with your hand out, asking the American taxpayers for even more money. Enough is enough.”

Democrats took a softer stance toward the remaining major DHS agency directors – including TSA, FEMA, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Secret Service, and CISA – that testified before the committee Thursday afternoon.

Those agencies have felt the brunt of the shutdown’s impacts, having received no extra funding in advance like ICE and CBP did.

TSA Acting Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill told lawmakers that the current funding lapse and the full government shutdown Democrats triggered last October together resulted in nearly $1 billion in delayed paychecks to TSA employees.

“Due to our national security mission, 95% of our workforce was required to work without pay during the multiple shutdowns, causing great strain and financial hardship,” McNeill said.

“Paying these dedicated employees for the work they perform should never again be a point of debate,” she added pointedly.

TSA is requesting $11.7 billion for fiscal year 2027, while FEMA is requesting $38.5 billion and CISA is requesting $2.5 billion. The Coast Guard and the Secret Service are requesting $12.5 billion and $3.5 billion, respectively.

US President Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon Thursday, adding that he hoped to host a historic meeting between the leaders of the two countries in coming days.

Trump said that Hezbollah was included in the ceasefire, but according to the US State Department the truce committed Lebanon itself to dismantle the Iran-backed militant group.

The US leader announced the ceasefire would start within hours, after what he said were "excellent" phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

"These two Leaders have agreed that in order to achieve PEACE between their Countries, they will formally begin a 10 Day CEASEFIRE at 5 P.M. EST," or 2100 GMT, Trump said on his Truth Social network.

Netanyahu said the ceasefire with Lebanon offered an opportunity for a "historic peace agreement" with Beirut -- but insisted disarmament of militant group Hezbollah remained a precondition.

The Middle East war began when the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, and Lebanon was pulled in when Hezbollah then attacked Israel on March 2.

Since then, Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed more than 2,000 people and displaced upwards of a million, while Israeli ground forces have invaded the country's south.

- 'Very exciting' -

Trump spoke about the ceasefire with reporters as he left the White House for a trip to Las Vegas.

"It's very exciting," Trump said in response to a question from an AFP reporter. "Today they're going to be having a ceasefire, and that'll include Hezbollah."

Trump later said Lebanon would "take care of Hezbollah," adding that he believed the Tehran-backed group would stick to the ceasefire.

The State Department said the ceasefire entails a committment by Beirut to prevent any Hezbollah attacks.

A Hezbollah lawmaker told AFP it would "cautiously adhere" to the ceasefire if Israel stopped attacks.

Ibrahim al-Moussawi thanked Iran for having applied pressure in Lebanon's favor -- adding that "the ceasefire would not have happened without Iran considering the ceasefire as equal to closing the Strait of Hormuz."

Netanyahu said Israel agreed to the truce but will maintain a 10-kilometre (6.2-mile) "security zone" along the border in southern Lebanon.

He added that Israel maintained two conditions for the ceasefire: Hezbollah's disarmament, and a lasting peace agreement "based on strength."

With the truce yet to take effect, Trump said he would be inviting Netanyahu and Aoun to the White House following the ceasefire deal.

It would be the first time the leaders of Israel and Lebanon have ever met.

"They'll be meeting -- probably coming to the White House -- over the next four or five days," Trump said.

- Iran deal 'very close' -

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam welcomed Trump's announcement of a ceasefire, saying a truce was a "key Lebanese demand that we have pursued since the very first day of the war" between Hezbollah and Israel. 

Ahead of the ceasefire, Aoun's office thanked Trump for his "efforts" to secure the truce. But the Lebanese president rejected Trump's request for a direct call with Netanyahu, an official source told AFP.

The ceasefire comes after the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors met in Washington this week -- the first meeting of its kind since 1993.

That truce could also boost Trump's continuing efforts to reach a deal to end the war with Iran.

Tehran has insisted that a Lebanon ceasefire must be part of any agreement.

Trump said Washington was "very close" to a peace deal with Iran after six weeks of war and might travel to Pakistan to sign any agreement.

But fighting continued right up until Trump's announcement.

The Lebanese army said Thursday that Israeli strikes which destroyed the Qasmiyeh bridge over the southern Litani River have cut off the area from the rest of the country.

Israel's military again urged civilians to evacuate the entire area of southern Lebanon up to the Zahrani River, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the border.

Meanwhile, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported clashes in Bint Jbeil, a town near the border where Hezbollah fighters are battling Israeli forces.

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