The media centre came equipped with a massive stage and podium, but 10 hours into the talks, it had not been used once

It's a bitter pill for video gamers: a growing number of older but still-popular titles are being dropped by publishers -- with servers going dark overnight -- in a practice the EU is being urged to outlaw.

More than a million people from across Europe have backed a citizens' petition called "Stop Destroying Videogames", and are now pressing for action in Brussels.

At the heart of the issue: in the past decade, hundreds of video titles have been rendered unplayable at the whim of their publishers, for a variety of reasons ranging from profitability to changes in strategy.

A significant part of popular culture is being wiped out in the process, with no compensation for gamers who in many cases have invested substantial sums, notably on microtransactions inside the playing environment.

The phenomenon has concerned older versions of hugely popular franchises such as the FIFA football simulation series.

But it was the shutdown of car-racing game The Crew that proved the final straw in 2024, prompting players to mobilise with a European petition.

"It's a bit like buying a book from a publisher and then suddenly opening it to find the pages have gone blank because they've decided you can't play your game anymore," Brendan Fourdan, organiser of the French chapter of the petition, told AFP.

- Lawmakers 'listening' -

Buoyed by the success of the citizens' initiative, gamers' rights campaigners have been lining up meetings to persuade the EU's different institutions to step in.

After meeting in February with the European Commission's digital chief Henna Virkkunen and consumer protection head Michael McGrath, they made their case to members of the European Parliament at a hearing on Thursday.

"MEPs were listening to our demands, and their interventions largely went in our direction, with lawmakers who understood the problem and seemed determined to put an end to what we are denouncing," Fourdan said.

Campaigners are calling for existing consumer protection rules to be enforced when it comes to gaming -- but also for EU legislation to be updated, a far bigger challenge.

"Our movement has no intention whatsoever of preventing publishers from stopping the sale of a game," Fourdan said.

"What we want is simply that when they shut down a game, they leave it in a state where it can still be played," for example on private servers run by volunteers.

Failing that, the idea is to require publishers to systematically refund players.

The issue is far from trivial: video games are Europe's largest cultural industry, generating billions of euros in revenue each year.

"It's an industry with a huge amount of revenue, with a lot of cultural and technological importance," said Moritz Katzner, head of the advocacy group Stop Killing Games.

"It most definitely should be on the radar of the European Commission and the European Parliament."

Green EU lawmaker Catarina Vieira says the issue is resonating among lawmakers.

"The desire is there for all political groups to come to a good solution for those who buy games and deserve to use them for a long term," she told AFP.

The European Commission, which has until the end of July to respond to the petition, has already warned solutions would not be easy to implement, due to intellectual property issues in particular.

Gaming companies, for their part, have rejected the solutions proposed by campaigners.

"Private servers are not always a viable alternative option for players," industry group Video Games Europe said in a statement.

It argues that without the protections publishers put in place to secure players' data, remove illegal content, and combat unsafe community content, such a system would "leave rights holders liable" for abuses.

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In a wooded area outside Virginia's state capital Richmond, the sounds of gunshots resonate. Collin is learning how to use a firearm.

The semi-automatic weapon in the 38-year-old's hand is the first he has ever owned. 

He is one of many left-leaning Americans who are embracing guns because of their fears about President Donald Trump's administration -- upending conventional wisdom about who owns firearms in the United States.

"I feel a lot more threatened by my government than the citizens around me," said Collin, who asked to be only identified by his first name for privacy concerns.

He said the deaths in Minneapolis of Renee Good and Alex Pretti -- both fatally shot by federal agents amid a sweeping immigration crackdown in the northern city -- had tipped the scales for him.

"We have government-empowered, essentially a private army, running around, assaulting and shooting people. That scares me a lot more than the fact that, yes, there is some person-to-person crime too," he told AFP.

The gun debate in the United States is fraught -- and very political.

Gun rights advocates -- who generally lean to the right -- frame the issue as one about personal freedom, as the US Constitution guarantees the right to bear arms. 

Liberals tend to emphasize more strict gun controls in a country plagued by mass shootings.

But several high-profile Democrats, including former lawmaker Gabby Giffords -- who nearly died when a gunman tried to assassinate her -- and former vice president Kamala Harris have proudly said they are gun owners.

After buying a weapon, Collin and his wife Danni signed up for a class given by certified handgun instructor Clara Elliott, who says her business "doubled" after Trump was elected to serve a second term in the White House in November 2024.

Since that time, her classes -- which are tailored to women, minorities and the LGBTQ community but open to everyone -- have largely been sold out.

"It's been incredibly busy," said Elliott, who sports a large tattoo on the inner side of her arm of Snow White...carrying a sub-machine gun.

- 'Be prepared' -

About a dozen people are taking Elliott's class, which first goes over the fundamentals of gun shooting and safety before progressing to the actual practice range. 

Most of the students have never even touched a firearm before.

Many say they became interested in the class because of the current political climate in America -- including immigration raids, the dismantling of DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) policies and the mounting polarization of society as a whole. 

"There's a lot of things happening in the US that have been alarming," said 28-year-old Cassandra who, like everyone in the class, declined to share her last name. "So it seemed good to be aware and to be prepared."

Akemi, a 30-year-old Latina, said she feared "right-wing violence" and did not have faith that the police would protect her.

"As much as I can avoid interaction with the police, the better it is," said Akemi, who wore protective headphones as her classmates fired at targets drawn in the form of ice cubes -- a wink at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

- 'The whole spectrum' -

Elliott is not alone in seeing more business since the deadly shootings in Minneapolis.

The Liberal Gun Club -- a national organization which says its mission is to "provide a voice for gun-owning liberals and moderates" -- says it registered 3,000 new requests for firearms training in the first two months of 2026, more than in all of 2025.

Executive director Ed Gardner says such spikes are not rare after major political events or shocking acts of violence such as mass shootings.

But unlike in the past, when public interest came mainly from women and minorities, today's new members "cross the whole spectrum" -- young and old, rural and urban. 

For David Yamane, a professor of sociology at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, the shift comes in what is motivating people to buy guns.

"There is a specific concern about a kind of tyrannical, authoritarian government, possibly depriving people of their rights, or inspiring followers to deprive people of their rights," he said.

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In communist Cuba, where priests were once persecuted, churches are acting as a lifeline for the needy during a severe economic crisis aggravated by a crippling US oil blockade.

Dozens of people queue outside Santa Cruz de Jerusalen Catholic church in Havana twice a week for free medicine, which, like food and electricity, is in short supply on the island.

The crisis, which began six years ago during the Covid pandemic, has deepened since January, when the United States began piling pressure on its arch foe after overthrowing the leader of Cuba's closest ally, Venezuela.

To force Cuba's leadership to the negotiating table, President Donald Trump cut off oil exports to the island, pushing the already teetering economy to the brink of collapse.

Churches, which for the first three decades after Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution were hounded by atheist authorities, are increasingly filling the vacuum left by a cash-strapped state.

Juana Emilia Zamora, a 71-year-old retiree who suffers from hypertension, came to Santa Cruz de Jerusalen because the state-run pharmacy is out of the drugs she needs. 

"The other way to get them would be from people who sell them (on the black market), but the prices are very high," Zamora, who survives on a monthly pension of 2,000 Cuban pesos (under $4), told AFP. 

The aid comes with no strings attached but before the donated medicine is handed over, Friar Luis Perna, one of the church's Franciscan priests, recites an "Our Father."

- Bare necessities -

When the church began the distributions in 2022, only one or two people came each week, Gretel Agrelo, a lay volunteer, recalled.

But in recent months, up to 300 people have begun seeking assistance, leaving the congregation struggling to meet demand.

Perna said that a growing number of Cubans were "deprived of the bare necessities of life."

Some leave crumpled, virtually worthless pesos in a donation box as a gesture of gratitude. 

- A line to Washington -

The Catholic Church had a fraught relationship with the state in the early years of communist rule.

In 1961, its schools and other social programs were confiscated by the State, eager to maintain control over the two main planks of the revolution: education and healthcare. 

The end of state atheism in the 1990s and a succession of economic crises gave the Catholic Church room to play a bigger role, both in social upliftment and as the Vatican's mediator in talks between Havana and Washington. 

It was to the church and its NGO Caritas that Washington turned to when seeking a non-state partner to distribute $9 million in humanitarian aid for the victims of Hurricane Melissa.

The hurricane struck eastern Cuba in October but the US aid is still slowly making its way to remote villages.

- Meat and beans - 

Protestant congregations have also stepped up their charitable operations in response to the crisis.

Three times a week, around 400 people -- up from 90 two years ago -- attend a service at Nazareth Baptist Church in Havana, after which lunch is served and those who need can see a doctor.

"Most are elderly people who live alone or come from very low-income families, but we also have single mothers and people with disabilities," pastor Karell Lescay, a 52-year-old pediatrician, told AFP.

The aroma of meat and black beans served with rice and coleslaw -- mostly donated by families living on the island -- fills the pews.

Keeping the soup kitchen running is "a huge challenge," said Lescay, pointing to prolonged power outages and "exorbitant" prices for food.

With supplies of subsidized rice, sugar, oil, bread and other basics dwindling, these meals are a lifeline for the diners.

"In these difficult times...the church is here, steadfast, strong, and helping," said 84-year-old Aleida Rodrigue.

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Pope Leo XIV arrives on Saturday in Angola, the third leg of a landmark African tour marked by a war of words with US President Donald Trump over the Middle East conflict.

Leo is set to become the third pontiff to visit the fossil fuel-rich country, where around 44 percent of the population identifies as Catholic, after John Paul II in 1992 and Benedict XVI in 2009.

Before his expected arrival at 1400 GMT in the capital Luanda, where billboards bearing his beaming likeness have been put up to welcome him, Leo will wrap up his three-day trip to Cameroon with an open-air Mass at Yaounde airport.

The first pope from the United States will then meet Angola's President Joao Lourenco and deliver a speech, the latest on a trip which has seen him sharpen his rhetoric after being targeted by Trump.

As in Cameroon, tens of thousands of worshippers are expected to flock to catch a glimpse of the head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics before his departure on Tuesday morning.

"It's as if God were very close to us," 40-year-old human resources manager Helena Maria Miguel said of the pope's visit.

Leo's increasingly vigorous calls for world peace are likely to resonate in Angola, which emerged in 2002 from a 27-year civil war that erupted in the wake of independence from Portugal in 1975.

Throughout his 11-day four-nation Africa visit, the pope has delivered pointed warnings against corruption, the plunder of the continent's resources and the dangers of artificial intelligence, as his tussle with Trump drags on. 

Without mentioning his fellow American by name, Leo has in recent days abandoned his previous restraint to adopt a more forceful tone.

- 'Needs of the youth' -

After Trump's Catholic Vice President JD Vance urged the Vatican to "stick to matters of morality", Leo on Thursday said the world was "being ravaged by a handful of tyrants" and piled on more criticism of those who use religion to justify war.

During his stop in Cameroon, Leo demanded the country's leaders tackle corruption and condemned "those who, in the name of profit, continue to seize the African continent to exploit and plunder it".

Like his calls for peace, Leo's warnings against graft and exploitation are likely to strike a chord in Angola, where a third of the population live below the poverty line despite its vast fossil fuel reserves. 

The country's economy is heavily dependent on oil, leaving it exposed to price fluctuations, while rampant corruption has even spread to the family of former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos.

His visit comes after torrential downpours have left nearly 50 dead in the coastal Benguela region since early April.

And it comes less than a year after a deadly crackdown on protests over the high cost of living killed 30 people and saw hundreds arrested.

"There is a lot of suffering, a lot of poverty in Angola. I hope the pope will see with his own eyes the needs of the youth here," said Antonio Masaidi, a 33-year-old engineer.

- 'Moment of grace' -

On Sunday, Leo will celebrate a giant open-air Mass in Kilamba on Luanda's outskirts, where facilities including a large food court are being built to host tens of thousands of worshippers.

In the afternoon, the pope will travel by helicopter to the village of Muxima, about 130 kilometres southeast of Luanda, home to a 16th-century church overlooking the Kwanza River that has become one of southern Africa's most important pilgrimage sites.

A basilica is under construction in Muxima, where slaves were once baptised before being shipped out of Africa, as part of a multimillion-dollar government project to turn it into a major tourism destination.

"It is a historic moment of grace, a moment of profound emotion, with tears in our eyes and gratitude in our hearts," the rector of the shrine, Father Mpindi Lubanzadio Alberto, told the Catholic news site ACI Africa.

On April 20, the pope is due to travel more than 800 kilometres from the capital to visit a retirement home in Saurimo and celebrate another mass before departing the following morning.

Leo will then fly to Equatorial Guinea, the final stop of a whirlwind 18,000-kilometre journey that began in Algeria.

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GREAT FALLS, Mont. — A community traffic advisory from the Great Falls Fire Rescue, announced traffic impacts in Great Falls on Saturday, April 18, for the funeral procession honoring Chief Karsten Hovland.

Emergency vehicles, semi-trucks, farm equipment and other apparatus will gather Saturday morning. Beginning around 8:00 a.m., vehicles will stage along Central Avenue in front of Croxford Funeral Home, occupying the northbound lane.

Following the funeral service, the procession will travel west on Central Avenue, south on 9th Street and west on 10th Avenue South before continuing toward Ulm.

The advisory urged people in the area to use caution. Additionally, drivers should watch for large vehicles and people on foot and expect traffic delays and temporary congestion.

If drivers encounter the procession,  they should yield to all vehicles in it. Drivers should not cut into or pass the procession unless on the interstate and should wait until the final vehicle had passed before resuming normal travel.

"We appreciate the community’s patience and respect as we honor Chief Hovland’s service and legacy," the Great Falls Fire Rescue said.

Former champion Matt Fitzpatrick fired a bogey-free eight-under-par 63 on Friday to surge to a one-stroke lead over Victor Hovland at the US PGA Tour RBC Heritage.

England's Fitzpatrick, who holidayed on Hilton Head Island as a youngster, conjured eight birdies at Harbour Town Golf Links, including runs of three in a row on each side, to build a 36-hole total of 14-under-par 128.

"Good play, good breaks, took advantage of them is probably the best way to describe it," Fitzpatrick said.

The good breaks included an unlikely birdie at the par-three 14th, where his tee shot hit a tree right of the green, skidded across the putting surface and came to rest on the fringe after threatening to roll into the water.

Fitzpatrick, the 2022 US Open champion, stepped up to roll in a 33-foot birdie putt.

"Didn't quite do what we anticipated," he said. "Felt like the shot I hit wasn't great but it wasn't that bad. It's obviously nice to get those breaks. You need those in golf. Nice to get the break and then nice to take advantage of it."

Fitzpatrick followed up with a 36-foot birdie putt at 15 to cap a trio of birdies that started with a four-footer at 13.

He had kickstarted his round with birdies at the fourth, fifth and sixth holes and added birdies at nine and 17.

Fitzpatrick won his third PGA Tour title, and his first since the 2023 RBC Heritage, at the Valspar Championship last month.

But he was particularly disappointed with his putting in a tie for 18th at the Masters last week and said he'd taken steps with coach Phil Kenyon to improve on the greens.

"We touched on a few things and just feel like it's given me a little bit more freedom, more than anything," said Fitzpatrick, who ranks third this week in strokes gained putting.

Norway's Hovland fired eight birdies with two bogeys in his six-under 66 for a 13-under total of 129.

"It was definitely a bit more eventful today than yesterday," Hovland said. "Today I was a bit more squirrelly, especially off the start, but got away with some great scores ... just kind of got away with some really poor tee shots."

It was a further three strokes back to American Harris English, who was alone in third on 132 after a three-under 68.

Overnight leader Ludvig Aberg had four birdies and three bogeys in his one-under 70 that left him tied for fourth on 133.

American Kurt Kitayama carded a six-under 65 to join a group of seven players on 134 and world number one Scottie Scheffler headlined a group sharing 14th on seven-under 135.

Scheffler, whose weekend surge at the Masters saw him come up one stroke short of repeat winner Rory McIlroy, had four birdies without a bogey in his four-under-par 67.

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The Center Square) - The Los Angeles Unified School District managed to avoid a strike this week after reaching 11th-hour agreements with three unions. Now the district is asking for the state's help to fund those agreements.

LAUSD's request comes as critics question how the district or the state can afford pay increases in an era of staggering deficits. One critic compared LAUSD's approach to gambling.

"Rolling the dice with big spending when you don't know where you're going to find the money is an appalling way to run the second-largest school district in America,” said Susan Shelley, vice president of communications at the Los Angeles-based Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

“It looks like LAUSD is intentionally creating a fiscal crisis that it can exploit to demand higher taxes," Shelley told The Center Square.

She said it was "appalling" that the LAUSD was seeking the state's help.

LAUSD told The Center Square in an email that it is taking a targeted approach to its budget to ensure every dollar is aligned to student needs and long-term sustainability.

“We are closely examining all areas of spending, including contracts and operational costs, to identify where reductions and efficiencies can be made while mitigating the impact on the classroom experience for students,” a school district spokesperson said. “At the same time, we will continue to advocate at the state level for additional, stable funding that reflects the real costs of educating students in large urban districts facing declining enrollment and rising expenses."

To avert a strike on Tuesday, LAUSD dealt with three unions: United Teachers Los Angeles, Associated Administrators of Los Angeles Teamsters Local 2010 and Service Employees International Union Local 99. The district secured tentative agreements with UTLA and AALA first, then reached one with SEIU overnight before the deadline to strike.

"It's estimated that the three agreements will cost about $1.17 billion annually," Aaron Smith, director of education reform at the Reason Foundation, told The Center Square Friday.

Further numbers on the costs to taxpayers, such as the amount being requested from the state, were not provided by various sources on Friday.

As reported this week by The Center Square, the tentative agreement with SEIU includes a 24% wage increase that the union said “will make a significant difference in workers’ livelihoods." Health care benefits will be expanded for teacher assistants, after-school workers and community representatives. Meanwhile, layoffs for hundreds of information technology employees are being rescinded, and LAUSD will have no subcontracting of work to outside vendors.

The tentative agreement reached with UTLA would increase its members’ salary scales by 11.65%. The tentative agreement would also increase the beginning salary for a teacher to $77,000 per year.

AALA’s tentative agreement called for increases to school administrators' salaries of 11.65% over two years.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, the district's Acting Superintendent Andrés E. Chait and union members called the agreements a win for members and students.

Smith of the Reason Foundation does not see it that way. He considers the tentative agreements to be fiscally irresponsible.

“LAUSD has a structural deficit, meaning they spend more money than they take in each year,” Smith told The Center Square.

Even before this new spending, Smith said LAUSD was projecting a $1.5 billion budget deficit next year.  

“One reason is that they have too many staff on payroll,” said Smith. “Since the start of COVID-19, LAUSD has lost 75,000 students but has only reduced staff by just over 300 employees. That’s why the district’s board recently approved a plan to lay off up to 3,200 staff.”

Smith said LAUSD could now be looking at even more layoffs in the coming years, plus widespread school closures.

“LAUSD is hoping the state will bail them out with an influx of new funding, but the state is also on shaky financial footing, as California’s Legislative Analyst’s Office recently warned," Smith said.

As Smith explained, the state is spending more than it is taking in and is vulnerable to revenue shocks. A downturn in the stock market, for example, would wreak havoc on California’s budget and K-12 dollars, he noted.

“The agreements are bad for kids, teachers and taxpayers,” said Smith. “In the long run, they’ll make a bad fiscal situation even worse.”

Smith is not the only one sounding an alarm or casting doubt on the idea of state assistance to fund LAUSD’s agreements.

Lance Izumi, senior director for education studies at Pasadena-based Pacific Research Institute, said he does not know where LAUSD officials think they're going to get more money from the state. 

“In the press conference that Karen Bass and the superintendent held down there in L.A., they said they were saying that ‘Oh, well, Los Angeles has the most powerful delegation in the state Legislature.' And while that might be, they still can't wave a magic wand and produce money that's not there,” said Izumi.

“I don't care how powerful they are. And in fact, the word is that [Gov.] Gavin Newsom is going to be telling legislators come May when they when he releases his revised state budget, based upon newer revenue data, that things are things are pretty desperate and that there is no money, that there's going to be some very significant cuts that they're going to have to endure.”

As a result, Izumi said, “It is fantasy thinking on the part of LAUSD to believe that this money is going to somehow magically appear” from the state.

“I think that they wanted to kick the ball to Sacramento in the hopes that they would take care of their problem, but it's not going to work that easy," said Izumi.

Another person not surprised by LAUSD’s financial problems is Maria Luisa Palma, executive director of Oleada Inc., a nonprofit advocating for parents and holding LAUSD accountable for academic results.

Palma told The Center Square that “it was publicly documented since the Second Interim Budget presentation in March that more state funding would be needed” to cover expenses.

“The Board of Education March presentation showed that additional state funding would be needed just to meet the initial compensation offers already made to UTLA, SEIU Local 99, and AALA/Teamsters at that time,” said Palma. “Multi-Year Projections, which included Gov. Newsom’s January Proposed Budget revenues and those initial compensation offers, documented the 2027-28 school year would end with an unrestricted/unassigned General Fund balance of -$235 million and -$1.8 billion for 2028-29.”

Given the additional raises negotiated in the three new tentative labor agreements, Palma said those negative balances are sure to increase.

Meanwhile, Palma and Izumi do not see how this will help academics.

“People talk about getting a bang for your buck,” said Izumi. “There’s no bang here.”

Mizzou softball faced No. 25 South Carolina in a game that could have been an offensive showdown. However, things went south as the Gamecocks stunned the Tigers, coming away with a 5-2 victory on Friday in Columbia.

It marked South Carolina's first win over Mizzou since 2019. With the exception of the first inning, the Tigers struggled with both hitting and pitching.

Stefania Abruscato and Abby Hay delivered a pair of solo homers in the first to secure Mizzou’s run count for the afternoon. As a team, the Tigers logged just five hits off of South Carolina pitcher Jori Heard, who pitched a complete game.

“(Heard) threw predominantly outside, and that's not a lot of our hitters’ strengths,” Missouri coach Larissa Anderson said. “We have to stay disciplined to that pitch and put a good swing on that pitch. If it's to drive it through the three-four hole, that's all we can do with that pitch. But you can't try to pull it.”

With the game tied, South Carolina's Jamie Mackay smashed a two-run homer in the fifth inning, giving the Gamecocks a 4-2 lead.

Abby Carr issued multiple free bases that allowed the Gamecocks to catch up. She took the loss, walking five batters while allowing two hits and three runs.

“I think that after Carr gave up that home run on her change-up, she got outside of herself a little bit,” Anderson said. “She didn't do what she is very competitive at doing.”

South Carolina managed to get one more run to claim the 5-2 win.

Despite struggling offensively, Missouri's defense minimized a lot of damage from South Carolina. Kayley Lenger patrolled the outfield and made two crucial catches in the second inning to slow down runners. She completed the game with five putouts.

Sophie Smith ran down a runner attempting to steal second base and got her out at first to prevent South Carolina from taking the lead in the fourth. Haidyn Sokoloski climbed the left field wall in the seventh to prevent a grand slam from the Gamecocks.

The Tigers (23-23, 6-10 Southeastern Conference) will attempt to recover at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Mizzou Softball Stadium.

The NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder say they can't afford to look too far ahead -- or back -- as they chase the league's first title repeat since 2018.

The Thunder, led by reigning NBA Most Valuable Player and Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, are heavy favorites after powering to the top seed in the Western Conference and best record in the league at 64-18.

But the young squad that was touted as the league's next dynasty as soon as they hoisted their first Larry O'Brien trophy insist they aren't yet focused on pulling off the first back-to-back since the Golden State Warriors won in 2017 and 2018.

Gilgeous-Alexander said that's "not much" of a motivating factor as the Thunder waited for their first-round opponent to emerge from the final play-in clash between Golden State and Phoenix on Friday.

"It's cool, it's an opportunity," Gilgeous-Alexander said but added: "That's so far down the line. So many things are gonna happen before we get to the Finals clinching game.

"To have the opportunity to repeat means you won before, so it's cool. I'll keep it there."

The Thunder led the West all season, opening their campaign with a 24-1 start and closing it on a 19-3 run.

But they were challenged for the top seed by the San Antonio Spurs, who eventually settled for the number two spot but won four of five regular-season matchups to signal the threat they could pose in the playoffs.

The Thunder certainly have the advantage in experience, with all of their championship squad still on board.

Gilgeous-Alexander delivered another MVP-worthy campaign, finishing as the league's second-leading scorer behind Luka Doncic with 31.1 points per game and putting together a record-breaking streak of 140 straight games of 20 points or more from November through the end of the regular season.

Center Chet Holmgren earned his first All-Star nod, averaging a career-high 17.1 points per game even as he stepped up his already formidable defensive presence.

Holmgren, who averaged 1.9 blocks per game, keys a dominant Thunder defense that allowed the second-fewest points this season and held opponents to the worst shooting percentage on average.

OKC proved themselves master disruptors, averaging 9.7 steals per game.

Holmgren was still feeling the effects of a broken pelvis suffered months earlier when the playoffs started last year and says he's "extremely excited" to be entering the post-season feeling "really good."

Like Gilgeous-Alexander, he's keeping his focus on the moment.

"The goal is always to win the last game of the season," Holmgren said. "You have to try to carry over the experiences that you learned from, but you can't carry over the result ...

"If you're sitting here in the playoffs saying, 'Oh, you know, we won last year', that's not gonna win you a playoff series or a game or get a stop on a possession."

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(The Center Square) – Six months out from fiscal year 2027, U.S. lawmakers are making progress on the annual 12 appropriations bills that will fund the federal government.

The House Appropriations Committee advanced the first two bills – one funding general government services and the other funding military construction and Veterans Affairs – in a set of congressional hearings Friday.

With a topline of $25.4 billion, the Financial Services-General Government bill funds the departments of Treasury, Judiciary, and Executive, as well as the IRS, U.S. Postal Service, and the District of Columbia.

The bill reduces federal spending by roughly $1 billion via cuts to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Election Assistance Commission, and the Small Business Administration, though SBA does receive $143 million in new disaster funding.

“The bill eliminates wasteful spending, reins in bureaucratic overreach, and restores accountability across government,” committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., said. “Americans expect us to be responsible stewards of their tax dollars. This is a smart, principled bill that delivers a government that works smarter, faster, and more efficiently."

Multiple Republican priorities are included, including shrinking the size of the federal workforce to pre-pandemic levels, banning D.C.’s needle exchange program, and reversing D.C.’s legalization of assisted suicide.

It also prohibits the Treasury from establishing a Central Bank Digital Currency or discontinuing paper currency, as well as codifies several of President Donald Trump’s executive orders.

Those include EOs ending cashless bail and addressing crime in D.C., combatting fraud within federal offices, and consolidating federal procurement under one government office.

Committee Democrats spoke out against the cuts, which they argued would weaken election infrastructure, enable further market consolidation by big corporations, and underfund federal agencies that combat scams and tax fraud.

Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., called the bill “a boon for the very rich and large corporations.”

“It does nothing to alleviate the strain on working families who are struggling just to get by as the cost-of-living crisis continues unabated,” she added. “In fact, it makes this problem even worse.”

Democrats generally supported the Military Construction-Veterans Affairs bill, however, which allocates $19 billion for military construction and over $450 billion in Veterans Affairs spending, including veterans’ benefits and health care.

While the bill increases funding for Suicide Prevention and Treatment Programs and Rural Health and Substance Use Disorder Programs, it also cuts NATO’s infrastructure program.

“We have a moral responsibility to take care of our veterans and servicemembers. It is part of our job in Congress, and on this Committee, to make sure that their devotion to our country is matched by their country’s devotion to them,” DeLauro said. “This is only the first stage of this bill, and I look forward to continuing to work with our colleagues to address some of the issues that still remain.”

The annual appropriations process is generally undertaken in a spirit of bipartisanship, given the economically and politically expensive fallout of government shutdowns.

Yet the 119th Congress has already weathered two record-breaking shutdowns – the second of which is still ongoing – due to multiple dramatic breakdowns in funding negotiations.