Mizzou softball faces Auburn to kick off SEC Tournament

After a successful rookie minicamp in Kansas City, Xavier Loyd was one of three players signed from the event this past weekend. He made several impressive plays during the camp that led to his signing, according to Kansas City Star reporter PJ Green.

Loyd played his final season at Mizzou after transferring in from Southern Illinois. In 2025, he recorded two catches for 21 yards as a Tiger. He is originally from the Kansas City area, playing football at Blue Springs High School.

He is the second-former Tiger joining the Chiefs roster alongside Nick Bolton, who is entering his sixth season in Kansas City.

Loyd was one of 104 players invited to the camp, including fellow former Tiger Tristan Newson, who was not signed following the event. He will compete at the Falcons’ rookie minicamp in Atlanta starting on Friday.

Sterling Webb and Connor Tollison are the other former Tigers who will be competing in rookie minicamps with Buffalo and San Francisco, respectively, which also begin Friday.

China's Wu Yize won the World Snooker Championship for the first time with a dramatic 18-17 victory over Shaun Murphy in the final on Monday.

Wu held his nerve to seal his thrilling triumph in a tense last frame shoot-out at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre.

The 22-year-old is the second Chinese player to win the world title after Zhao Xintong beat Mark Williams to make history as the first Asian to lift the trophy last year.

Wu is also the second youngest player to be crowned world champion at the Crucible after Stephen Hendry, who was 21 when he won in 1990.

"I have been trying to go for this for ages. For the past few months, I have been living the same life. I'm so happy that I could play well today," Wu said.

Wu's father and mother wiped away tears of joy before joining him for the trophy presentation.

"My parents are the true champions. Since I made the decision to drop out of school, my dad has been by my side," Wu said. 

"My mum has also been going through a lot over the years, they are the source of my strength, I love them so much."

Asked how he will celebrate, Wu said: "I just want to have a good sleep. I have been feeling nerves all the time since before the match, so now I just want to go to bed!"

Murphy, who has lost four World Championship finals since winning in 2005, added: "I hate being right, but we had a great game in China earlier this season. I came out afterwards and said he would be world champion one day. 

"It's just a real shame that it was today, but I couldn't have given it any more. I played the best shots I could. I just didn't get my chance."

- Wu's title march -

Wu led 10-7 after Sunday's play and was 13-12 up following the first session on Monday.

But England's Murphy pushed Wu all the way to the finish line, levelling at 16-16 with a gritty century break.

Wu recovered from 45-0 down to record a brilliant 91 clearance to go 17-16 ahead.

He moved 43-0 up with the title in his sights, but a missed black gave Murphy the chance to draw level again with a 75 break.

The balance of power in the final frame tipped Wu's way when Murphy left a difficult red that the Chinese player stroked into the middle pocket, kick-starting a break of 85 that took him to the title.

It was the first World Championship final to go to the deciding frame since Peter Ebdon beat Hendry 18-17 in 2002.

From Lanzhou in the north-west of China, Wu turned professional aged 17 and made a transformative move to England three years ago to join the growing stable of Chinese players based in Sheffield.

Initially living in a windowless flat and sleeping on the same bed as his father, Wu's switch eventually paid dividends.

Runners-up finishes at the English Open and Scottish Open in 2024 laid the foundations for the emerging star's march to the world title.

He beat John Higgins in the International Championship last year to clinch his first ranking title.

The youngest player in the world's top 16, his run at this year's World Championship included eye-catching wins against Mark Selby and Mark Allen.

Ronnie O'Sullivan once labelled Wu a "more dynamic" version of the legendary Steve Davis.

Like O'Sullivan and Davis, Wu can now call himself a world champion.

smg/lp

Jeremy Doku's stoppage-time strike salvaged Manchester City a 3-3 draw at Everton, but a second half collapse handed the destiny of the Premier League title back to Arsenal on Monday.

The Gunners now just need to win their final three games to end a 22-year wait to become the champions of England.

City remain five points adrift of Mikel Arteta's team, with a game in hand, and will struggle to recover from the manner of their implosion at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Pep Guardiola's side appeared to be cruising to victory when Doku opened the scoring at the end of a dominant first half.

However, an error-strewn second period was punished as Thierno Barry scored twice for the Toffees, either side of Jake O'Brien's header.

Erling Haaland and then a sensational effort from Doku in the 97th minute did however rescue a point which could ultimately keep City in the race.

"It's better than losing, It shows what type of team they are," said Guardiola on City's fightback.

"It's not in our hands. Before it was, now it's not. We have games left. We will see what happens."

Arsenal visit relegation-threatened West Ham on Sunday before hosting Burnley and visiting Crystal Palace on the final day of the campaign.

- Keane escapes red -

Two Arsenal victories since City last played in the league had ramped up the pressure on Guardiola's side.

City's first team had gone the best part of two weeks without a proper outing after Guardiola heavily rotated for last weekend's FA Cup semi-final win over Southampton.

The visitors looked fresh rather than rusty as Everton were penned back inside their own box for practically the entire first half.

City's pressure finally found its reward two minutes before half-time when Rayan Cherki found Doku, who curled a shot into Jordan Pickford's top right-hand corner.

Things could have been even worse for the Toffees before the break as Michael Keane escaped with just a yellow card for a wild lunge on Doku.

That decision proved to be vital as City paid a heavy price for a serious of basic defensive errors.

Twice Guardiola's men did not heed a warning that an Everton equaliser was coming.

Gianluigi Donnarumma parried Iliman Ndiaye's effort back into the danger area but Merlin Rohl was not alive to the rebound.

Ndiaye then had a glorious chance after an error from Matheus Nunes but again could not beat the giant Italian in the City goal.

When the equaliser finally arrived, City were again architects of their own downfall.

Marc Guehi's underhit passback handed Barry the simple task of slotting past the stranded Donnarumma.

Another casual City mistake moments later led to Everton's second.

This time Abdukodir Khusanov was caught in possession by Ndiaye and bailed out by a last-ditch challenge from Guehi.

But from the resulting corner, O'Brien rose highest to power home a header.

Barry prodded home a third for Everton from Rohl's deflected cross with City all at sea from a rapid counter-attack.

Within seconds they had a lifeline, though, as straight from kick-off Mateo Kovacic played in Haaland to halve the arrears.

Doku delivered a dagger to Everton's hopes of European football next season right at the death.

But it may have come too little, too late to rescue City's chances of a seventh title in nine years.

kca/lp

(The Center Square) – Roughly one week after the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals handed Texas a win on its border security law, SB 4, the law is facing a second legal challenge. 

The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Texas, and the Texas Civil Rights Project filed a class-action lawsuit on Monday seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to block the law from going into effect. 

The law, which makes illegal entry into Texas a state crime, is set to go into effect May 15. It gives Texas law enforcement the authority to return illegal foreign nationals to a port of entry and/or arrest them for unlawful entry, among other provisions. 

After the bill was signed into law in 2023, multiple groups sued, arguing the law is unconstitutional. A district court and panel of Fifth Circuit judges agreed. 

The full Fifth Circuit disagreed and reversed the lower court’s ruling – but solely on procedural grounds. The court held the plaintiffs didn’t have standing to sue, enabling a door to remain open challenging the law on its merits. As expected, another lawsuit was filed.  

The class action lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas Austin Division and names the Texas Department of Public Safety and its director as defendants.  

SB 4 “is one of the most extreme anti-immigrant laws ever passed by any state legislature in the country” and will “separate families and directly lead to racial profiling,” the ACLU argues. 

It will also “transform our police and judges into immigration agents – threatening neighbors who have families here, who have lived here for years, even those who have legal status,” ACLU of Texas legal director Adriana Piñon said. “Immigration enforcement is exclusively the federal government's arena, and no state has ever claimed the power Texas threatens to wield here. We are taking this back to court to defend our Texas communities.”

The groups said they “seek to represent thousands of people across the state who may be held liable for violating the reentry provision” of SB 4. They currently represent a lawful permanent resident and visa holder they say would be impacted by the law if it were go to into effect. 

“Every court to have reached the merits of laws like S.B. 4 has found them to be unconstitutional,” Cody Wofsy, deputy director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, said. “The en banc Fifth Circuit did not reach the constitutional questions at the heart of this case: whether S.B. 4 violates the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution and unconstitutionally strips the federal government of its exclusive authority over immigration enforcement,” the ACLU added.

The lawsuit was filed as Texas DPS is implementing Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security plan, Operation Lone Star 2.0. Since Abbott launched OLS five years ago, from March 2021 through February 2026, OLS officers have apprehended 538,141 illegal foreign nationals, including those referred to Border Patrol. They’ve also deterred 157,112 illegal entries, according to OLS data obtained by The Center Square. 

OLS officers have made 63,659 criminal arrests and 12,392 criminal trespass arrests. These include arrests of U.S. citizens and illegal border crossers.

Human smuggling arrests total 10,552 with 23,717 human smuggling charges reported, according to the data. 

Total felony charges were 51,091 with 11,950 federal or other charges, with some arrests involving multiple felony charges, according to the data. 

“OLS is more critical now than ever because we face more threats than we've ever faced before especially from Special Interest Aliens and suspected terrorists who are still coming across the border,” DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez told The Center Square. DPS troopers are arresting illegal foreign nationals with potential ties to terrorism, including Special Interest Aliens from Afghanistan, Egypt, the Congo, Mali, Pakistan, Syria, Turkey, Iran and other countries, The Center Square reported. 

OLS officers are also targeting South American Theft Groups and criminal actors designated as foreign terrorist organizations like Tren de Aragua, among other violent criminals, The Center Square reported.

Abbott maintains the position he held several years ago as to why SB 4 is necessary. Former President Joe Biden’s "deliberate inaction … left Texas to fend for itself." He also maintains that Article 1 Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution empowers states "to take action to defend themselves and that is exactly what Texas is doing." 

His press secretary, Andrew Mahaleris, told The Center Square, “Governor Abbott signed SB 4 into law to protect Texas and America from President Biden’s open border policies, the effects of which did not disappear overnight. Texas will not back down from its constitutional right to self-defense.”

The man accused of deliberately setting a deadly fire that torched an upmarket swathe of Los Angeles last year harbored a grudge against the wealthy and admired Luigi Mangione, the man accused of shooting dead an insurance company CEO, federal prosecutors said.

Jonathan Rinderknecht is set to stand trial on June 8 for starting the "Palisades Fire," which claimed the lives of 12 of the 31 people who perished as blazes tore through the Los Angeles area in January 2025. 

In court documents filed last week, prosecutors portray him as an Uber driver outraged by capitalism, who allegedly set fire to the Pacific Palisades neighborhood -- a celebrity enclave where ocean-view villas are worth millions -- as an act of revenge. 

Two weeks before the act, the suspect's internet search history listed queries such as "let's take down all the billionaires."

He also searched using the slogan "Free Luigi Mangione" —- the man federal prosecutors say gunned down the chief executive of United Healthcare. 

Mangione has been hailed in some quarters of the internet as a latter-day Robin Hood, fighting against a rigged system on behalf of working people.

"Many of defendant’s Uber passengers on December 31, 2024 and January 1, 2025, described defendant as angry, intense, driving erratically, and ranting about being 'pissed off at the world' and Luigi Mangione, capitalism, and vigilantism," documents said.

Rinderknecht has denied all charges.

Prosecution documents say that during an interrogation in late January 2025, investigators asked him why someone might commit arson in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. 

The suspect allegedly replied that a potential arsonist might be motivated by resentment toward the wealthy, given that "we’re basically being enslaved by them."

Rinderknecht was arrested in Florida in early October.

He is a former resident of the Pacific Palisades neighborhood who grew up in France. 

He is accused of starting a fire on New Year's Eve 2025 in the mountains overlooking the ritzy neighborhood.

It was this initial fire -- which firefighters believed they had extinguished -- that subsequently reignited on January 7, devastating the neighborhood and parts of the city of Malibu, according to federal prosecutors. 

rfo/hg/ksb

(The Center Square) - Psychedelic drugs are experiencing an unprecedented wave of support across the U.S. for their potential therapeutic benefits.

President Donald Trump’s recent executive order to research ibogaine, used in opiate and substance abuse treatment, is the latest move to explore the once taboo hallucinogenic effects of psychedelic drugs. In Colorado, a bipartisan group of state legislators, who are veterans, is looking to squeeze an ibogaine pilot program into the already tight $46.8 billion state budget.

“As a veteran myself, I have a lot of friends and former colleagues in the military who have dealt with mental health issues, have dealt with PTSD,” Colorado House Minority Leader Jarvis Caldwell, R-El Paso County, told The Center Square. “They've tried different treatments and sometimes those treatments work, and sometimes they don't. I really believe in an all-of-the-above approach.”

But at the moment, the all-of-the-above approach does not include ibogaine, which is listed as a schedule 1 drug in the U.S. That means the Food and Drug Administration finds it has no medicinal benefit and a high potential for abuse, making it illegal to sell or possess, with any potential research tied up behind layers of red tape.

Despite ibogaine’s illicit status, Caldwell, along with two Democratic state legislators who also served in the military, are looking to work an ibogaine research bill into the Colorado budget ahead of next week's deadline for the end of the regular session. House Bill 26-1325 would create a pilot program to research ibogaine’s potential to treat mental health conditions and substance abuse.

HB 1325 has already found bipartisan support and backing from Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat who last year said he wanted ibogaine treatment in healing centers, “as efficiently as possible.” The Center Square reached out to Polis Monday for an interview, but did not hear back by press time.

The ibogaine legislation, with a $150,000 price tag, is stalled in the session amid a financial shortfall in the state’s $46.8 billion budget that has seen deep cuts to Medicaid and other programs.

“The state of Colorado is in a $1.5 billion budget deficit, so right now where we're at is that the bill is held up in the Appropriations Committee,” said Caldwell. “We’re trying to work with the governor's office to find the $150,000 in order to get this through the Appropriations Committee.”

The past year has been a renaissance for ibogaine research, with legislation introduced in 19 states across the political spectrum since the beginning of 2025, according to Americans for Ibogaine.

The most significant support for ibogaine may have come in April when Trump issued an executive order aimed at loosening regulations around psychedelic drugs. 

The executive order, which comes after widespread support for the drug within the Make America Healthy Again movement, called for a review of the substance schedule status of ibogaine and other psychedelic drugs, and for the FDA and DEA to “establish a pathway for eligible patients to access psychedelic drugs, including ibogaine compounds.”

One ibogaine rehab clinic said the president’s announcement was a game changer.

“He’s got his scrutiny, but we’re very pleased with Trump’s latest policy,” Gavriel Dardashti, a data scientist for his father’s rehab center, Ibogaine by David Dardashti, told The Center Square. “It’s bringing us a lot of business.”

Along with dozens of other rehab and therapy centers, David Dardashti operates the ibogaine clinic in Mexico to avoid the U.S. prohibition. Gavriel Dardashti said the center started because his mother had been overprescribed opiates and took ibogaine to treat the addiction.

Ibogaine is a psychedelic drug that comes from the iboga shrub in Gabon and Central Africa, where it is used by the Fang ethnic group for ritual and spiritual purposes. A 2022 report by the Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment found that ibogaine can treat opioid addiction. 

Gavriel Dardashti said that while their treatment program is not cheap at anywhere from $5,000 to $25,000 per person, it is often a welcome change for people who have been unable to escape their opioid addiction. “Most people have tried every other option, and it's failed.”

Still, ibogaine treatment has not been without scrutiny. A 2021 death by a Colorado man was found to have been caused by ibogaine, resulting in a four-year prison sentence for the distributor who left him alone while using the substance. Gavriel Dardashti said the worst symptom patients show at their clinic is “excessive vomiting.”

Gavriel Dardashti also said that his excitement for Trump’s executive order was tampered.

“One of the things that is a big concern is that Trump's administration is going to be over soon,” he said. “So by the time all of that comes into play with the policies and whatnot, I think once he's out of office, there might prove to be a lot of technical difficulties.”

While the president’s executive order can be quickly repealed by the next administration, laws in Colorado and other states have a chance for more lasting change. According to Caldwell, support among veterans groups has been a significant boost toward the lasting impact of ibogaine. 

“Just recently the Disabled American Veterans national organization reached out, and they're fully in support of it [HB 1325],” said Caldwell.

Veterans face higher rates of mental illness and are more than twice as likely to die by suicide than the general U.S. population, according to RAND.

“I think you're really starting to see more and more state and national veterans groups coming together to support legislation like this," Caldwell said.

(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump told a group of small business owners Monday that tariffs should be higher, even as polling is mixed on the issue.

"You actually said thank you for the tariffs, but the tariffs really aren't high enough in my opinion," Trump said at a White House Small Business Summit held during National Small Business Week.

The comments come as the administration is processing about $166 billion in court-ordered tariff refunds while also preparing for a new round of higher tariffs as early as July. Those tariffs would be implemented under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows the president to impose duties following investigations into unfair trade practices. Hearings on the proposed measures are scheduled for May 5.

A survey conducted by Echelon Insights for Advancing American Freedom — an advocacy group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence — found that 46% of small business owners somewhat or strongly oppose Trump's tariffs, compared to 41% who support them. About 42% said tariffs have increased the cost of goods needed for their businesses. The survey was conducted March 4-11.

A separate April survey by the National Federation of Independent Business found a more favorable split, with 53% of small business owners favoring the tariffs to some degree and 29% opposed. However, 56% of respondents in the same survey said tariffs have negatively impacted their operations, suggesting that support for the policy does not always translate to positive business outcomes. Of those negatively impacted, 78% reported higher prices for supplies or inventory.

Support for tariffs remains strong among Trump's political base. A survey of attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference in late March found 91% backed the policy, according to a McLaughlin & Associates poll. In contrast, a January Pew Research Center survey found that 60% of Americans overall disapprove of tariff increases.

Some Republican lawmakers have also raised concerns. During an April hearing of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, told U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer that the policy is hurting smaller firms that cannot pass higher costs on to consumers.

"This tariff policy isn't working for them," Miller said. "It is not a net positive. It is a net negative."

Greer defended the administration's approach, pointing to a 24% decline in the U.S. goods trade deficit between April 2025 and February 2026 compared to the same period a year earlier, as well as record exports of $315 billion in February 2026.

Businesses across multiple industries have submitted comments ahead of the May 5 hearings urging restraint. Ford asked that any new tariffs not be layered on top of existing ones, while Trek Bicycle warned that broad duties would raise costs for both businesses and consumers. The National Corn Growers Association called for duty-free treatment of agricultural inputs.

One ongoing concern for businesses is the lack of a formal exclusion process under Section 301. A Congressional Research Service report highlighted uncertainty over whether the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will create a new mechanism for exemptions in current or future tariff actions.

The White House has defended the policy's broader economic impact.

"In the past year, President Trump has used tariffs to renegotiate broken trade deals, lower prescription drug prices, cut our trade deficit, and secure trillions in investments to reshore manufacturing," said White House spokesman Kush Desai.

Legal challenges continue to shape Trump's use of tariffs. In February, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that Trump exceeded his authority by using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs. A federal trade court later ordered about $166 billion in refunds to the importers who paid the duties. Hours after the Supreme Court ruling, Trump imposed a 10% global tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which is now being challenged in the U.S. Court of International Trade.

Public opinion remains divided on who ultimately bears the cost of tariffs. A Center Square Voters' Voice Poll conducted in March found that 42% of voters believe American consumers primarily pay for tariffs, while 12% say foreign countries bear the cost. The Yale Budget Lab estimated that the Section 122 tariffs could cost the average U.S. household between $600 and $800 per year.

Phillip Magness, a senior fellow at the Independent Institute, said the economic effects may become more visible in the coming months.

"Not all have made the connection yet that tariffs are tantamount to a tax increase on affected goods," Magness previously told The Center Square. "I suspect this connection will become more pronounced as the election approaches."

(The Center Square) – As Democrats ramp up their efforts to flip the U.S. House in November, four candidates from the Keystone State have been named to a program that seeks to help and invest in them to win their races.

On Monday morning, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, known as the DCCC, added Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie and Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association, PPFFA, President Bob Brooks to its ‘Red to Blue’ program.

In February, the DCCC announced that Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti and former television anchor Janelle Stelson were also on the list for their respective bids for the 8th and 10th congressional districts. 

The DCCC, the official campaign arm of the Democrats in the House of Representatives and the only political committee in the country “whose principal mission is to support Democratic House candidates every step of the way,” has named four candidates in Pennsylvania to its ‘Red to Blue’ program, which is more than any other state.

DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene described Brooks and Harvie, who are both running against other Democrats for the party nomination, as the “strongest” candidates for their respective races.

“Bob Harvie is a proud son of Bucks County who has an undeniable record of showing up and serving the community that raised him,” said DelBene. “Bob is the strongest candidate to take on Brian Fitzpatrick and finally give Bucks and Montgomery County families a leader in Congress who will stand up to Donald Trump and make life more affordable.”

“As a 20-year Bethlehem firefighter and union president, Bob Brooks has been on the frontlines serving the community he loves. He understands the challenges that hardworking Lehigh Valley families are facing because he’s lived them himself, and he has the callouses on his hands to prove it,” DelBene said. “He’s the strongest candidate to flip this must-win seat in November and deliver real results for his community.”

The focus on Pennsylvania races suggests Democrats are playing offense after Republicans secured wins up and down the ballot in 2024.

In addition to Donald Trump winning the state’s 19 electoral votes and Republicans sweeping all of the statewide races on the ballot, the GOP also flipped two congressional seats from blue to red last cycle.

Cognetti is the only Pennsylvania candidate who has a clear path to the Democratic Party nomination among the four in the program. She is slated to face U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-8th District, for the northeast Pennsylvania-based seat in November. 

Stelson, who is attempting to challenge U.S. Rep. Scott Perry for the 10th Congressional District, is going up against Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas for the Democratic Party nomination. 

Harvie and Lucia Simonelli, a scientist, are vying for the Democratic Party nomination for the 1st District seat held by GOP U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick. 

In addition to Brooks, the 7th Congressional District Democratic primary includes Ryan Crosswell, a former federal prosecutor; Carol Obando-Derstine, a former aide to U.S. Sen. Bob Casey; and Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure. The winner of that primary will challenge freshman GOP U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie.

At least two candidates are voicing their opposition to the DCCC’s latest decision to weigh in on these races prior to the primary election on May 19. 

"Hand-picking a party loyalist did not work for the Democratic establishment during the Harris campaign, and it will not work for PA-01,” Simonelli’s campaign said to the Center Square. “After nearly a decade of Fitzpatrick, voters deserve a candidate who will go to bat when working people are on the line - not another representative who embodies the status quo of lukewarm, pre-approved Party politics.”

“Lucia Simonelli's background, experience, and commitment to working people are exactly the kind of representation constituents in this district need in Congress,” the campaign added. “Voters decide elections, not Washington insiders.”

Obando-Derstine’s campaign also blasted the DCCC. 

“Instead of letting local voters decide, DC insiders and the political establishment are trying to handpick our next Representative and buy this seat,” her campaign said. “The establishment is pushing Bob Brooks — a candidate who has repeatedly endorsed election deniers, downplayed the deadliest attack on the Latino community in modern U.S. history, and shown he’s willing to lie to voters.” 

“Our district deserves better than another John Fetterman,” the campaign added. “We need a candidate who can win this race and defeat Ryan Mackenzie in November.”

Also going to bat for Obando-Derstine is the BOLD PAC, the campaign committee of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, according to Semafor.

While the DCCC is the latest group to put their efforts behind Brooks, Cognetti, Harvie, and Stelson, all have racked up significant endorsements in their respective races. 

Brooks is being backed in his race by Gov. Josh Shapiro, U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and a bevy of unions. Harvie has the support of a majority of local elected Democrats in Bucks and Montgomery Counties, as well as the endorsements from multiple U.S. House members. Stelson and Cognetti also have the support of Shapiro and various lawmakers across the Commonwealth and beyond. 

National ratings outlets signal that the four races are expected to be competitive in November. 

The Cook Political Report rates three U.S. House races in Pennsylvania as “toss ups” which is more than any other state for the midterm election. Those races are the seats held by Bresnahan, Mackenzie, and Perry. However, they describe the 1st Congressional District contest as “likely Republican.”

Republicans currently hold a slim majority over Democrats in the U.S. House, putting these races in battleground districts in Pennsylvania in the spotlight in November.

Actor Blake Lively and "It Ends with Us" co-star Justin Baldoni settled on Monday their acrimonious court battle, sparked when Lively accused Baldoni of inappropriate on-set behavior, meaning they will avoid a costly civil trial. 

US entertainment media including People and Variety reported that lawyers for the two stars, who have been embroiled in a years-long public spat, had agreed to settle the case, with no settlement figure publicly disclosed.

Lively's initial complaint had said Baldoni -- who also directed the film -- had spoken inappropriately about his sex life and sought to alter the film to include sex scenes that were not in the script and had not been agreed to.

It also said producer Jamey Heath had watched Lively while she was topless, despite having been asked to turn away. It further said Baldoni waged a PR campaign to wreck Lively's reputation.

"The end product -- the movie 'It Ends with Us' -- is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life," Baldoni and Lively's attorneys said in a joint statement reported by US media. 

"We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard... It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace."

Baldoni and the studio Wayfarer had previously countersued Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds with claims of extortion and defamation -- but a judge dismissed those claims last year.

Wayfarer previously insisted that neither the studio, its executives, nor its PR team did anything to retaliate against Lively.

A judge dismissed some of Lively's claims, but upheld her allegations of retaliation, which would have proceeded to trial on May 18.

Based on a best-selling novel by the US writer Colleen Hoover, "It Ends with Us" made more than $350 million at the box office in 2024, making it one of the biggest hits of the year.

gw/ksb

(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump spoke to small business owners at the White House Monday, enumerating a number of policies he said have created a favorable environment for small business growth.

Sunday marked the start of National Small Business Week, which honors the businesses that make up roughly 40% of all economic activity in the U.S., according to Trump.

“[As] a group of people added together, you’re essentially the most important factor business-wise in the whole country, and this country is leading the whole world,” Trump said. “I always say that small business is a giant business, because when you add up your whole department, that's not a small business, that's a really big business.” 

The president highlighted policies advanced by his second-term signature One Big Beautiful Bill Act that have improved conditions for small businesses, according to Trump.

The bill made the small business deduction permanent, which allows eligible business owners to deduct up to 20% of qualifying business income from their taxable income. It also extended 100% bonus depreciation, enabling businesses to immediately deduct the full cost of qualifying investments — including equipment and machinery — from their taxable income. Both provisions were enacted under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 but were either set to expire or being phased out prior to the OBBBA’s passage.

The TCJA’s estate and gift tax exemption, which doubled what the exemption had been at the time, was extended and expanded through the OBBBA. Under the TCJA, the single filer exemption was $11.18 million and joint filers’ was $22.36 million. The OBBBA raised those exemptions to $15 million and $30 million, respectively. This allows children of small business owners who inherit their parents’ business to keep more of the estate.

“To ensure that you and your family can keep your businesses in the family, we virtually eliminated the unfair estate tax or death tax for farmers and for small businesses,” Trump said. “I hope everyone's appreciative of it. Now, if you don't like your children, it doesn't mean anything, but if you do like to leave them to somebody that you love, then it's a big deal for them.”

The president also spoke about the regulatory relief that has been a focus of his administration. Not long after starting his second term, Trump issued an executive order directing federal agencies to cut 10 regulations for every new one created. According to the administration, instead, an average of 129 regulations have been eliminated for each new regulation.

“Almost as important as the tax cuts, we've slashed a record number of job crushing regulations. That includes tremendous numbers of environmental regulations, which stopped your businesses… [and] if anything, they made the environment worse,” Trump said. 

He also boasted of his administration’s tariff policies, which he said have in some cases, protected American small businesses from competition. As of early April, 56,000 U.S. importers had registered for tariff relief from the federal government, according to CBS News.