Senate approves deal to end DHS shutdown without Democratic immigration demands

Senators approved a compromise measure early Friday to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security through the end of September, taking a major step toward ending the 42-day partial shutdown that has seen hundreds of airport security workers quit after missing paychecks and snarled travel nationwide. The agreement, passed by voice vote before senators departed Washington for a two-week recess for Easter and Passover, will be considered by the House later Friday morning. The last-ditch deal does not include any of the demands Democrats have placed on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — including that agents be barred from…

Professors slam Dem governor candidates’ racism accusations in USC debate fiasco

Professors have accused California Democrats of chilling academic freedoms and engaging in unfounded racial identity politics after the University of Southern California’s last-minute cancellation of a gubernatorial debate that didn’t include low-polling candidates of color. Four of race’s lowest-polling Democrats, who all are candidates of color, complained about being excluded…

Illinois knocks off Houston to advance to March Madness Elite Eight

HOUSTON — David Mirkovic had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and third-seeded Illinois flexed its defensive muscles to eliminate last year’s national runner-up from the NCAA Tournament, beating Houston 65-55 in the South Region semifinals on Thursday night. Next up is a meeting Saturday with ninth-seeded Iowa to see which…

USMNT confident they can end recent struggles vs. Europeans

ATLANTA — The United States enters this weekend’s friendlies against Belgium and Portugal in fine form. But fine enough to upend their recent struggles against European (UEFA) competition? “We have a lot of guys on the team all playing in top European clubs. So we play these players every single…

Trump insists MAGA ‘loves’ his war on Iran: ‘MAGA people are smart’

President Donald Trump said the Make America Great Again base “loves” his aggressive military campaign on Iran in a wide-ranging interview Thursday on “The Five.” “MAGA loves the fact that they’re not going to have somebody with a nuclear bomb over their head,” Trump said on “The Five.” “We have people that…

Trump taps David Sacks for powerful new White House AI, crypto role

White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks was appointed as co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), expanding his role within the Trump administration. President Donald Trump established PCAST through an executive order on Wednesday, aimed at bringing together leading figures in science and technology to advise…

Tony DeAngelo to miss 1-2 weeks in Islanders crusher during playoff push

Tony DeAngelo will miss 1-2 weeks with a lower-body injury, the Islanders announced before their match Thursday against the Stars.  DeAngelo hurt himself while getting back to defend an odd-man rush against the Blackhawks on Tuesday, leaving the eventual 4-3 loss in the first period and not returning.  The Islanders…

Gavin Newsom floats idea of mandatory national service

California Gov. Gavin Newsom —  an expected Democratic presidential candidate in 2028 — is raising the prospect of requiring Americans to complete a set period of national service, suggesting commitments ranging from at least six months to as long as a year and a half. During a taped interview at…

Five Guys CEO rewards workers with .5M after anniversary deal chaos: ‘We really screwed it up’

Five Guys is rewarding employees after an unexpectedly overwhelming promotion put heavy pressure on store crews. The burger chain said it was distributing about $1.5 million in bonuses to workers after a buy-one-get-one (BOGO) deal on Feb. 17, which was launched to celebrate its 40th anniversary but quickly exceeded expectations. “The promotion spread far beyond what…

Dodgers rout Dbacks to kick off pursuit of third-straight World Series

It took the Dodgers four innings to knock the rust off. Then, the two-time defending World Series champions finally started looking like themselves. In an 8-2 Opening Day win against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday, the Dodgers began their season exactly as advertised –– riding a relentlessly deep lineup and…

Pentagon considering sending 10K troops to the Middle East: report 

The Pentagon is reportedly considering a plan to send an additional 10,000 troops to the Middle East amid the war with Iran.  The potential deployment would likely include infantry and armored vehicles and would be on top of the 5,000 Marines and members of the 82nd Airborne Division who have…

Why do some people still believe that aliens shaped ancient civilizations?

Could ancient humans really have built the pyramids without extraterrestrial help? Or do such questions reveal more about modern anxieties than the past itself?The idea that aliens assisted the builders of ancient monuments was promoted by the Swiss author Erich von Däniken in his bestselling book Chariot of the Gods…

A secret weapon to fight carbon emissions was just discovered: Beavers

Beavers’ dams and ponds can turn a stream corridor into a net annual carbon sink, drawing in more carbon than it released over the course of a year, a new study finds.The finding has big implications for the reintroduction of Eurasian beavers (Castor fiber) across Europe after centuries of being…

Why do animals have different pupil shapes?

It’s easy to think of pupils as simple holes that widen in the dark and shrink in the light. But if you look across the animal kingdom, you’ll see a variety of pupil shapes: vertical slits in cats and snakes, horizontal rectangles in goats and horses, and W-shaped crescents in…

Yankees’ Cam Schlittler has strong final spring start as season nears

Observations from Yankees spring training Friday: Cam do Cam Schlittler looked sharp in his final start of the spring, building up to 62 pitches across 3 ²/₃ scoreless innings while averaging 97.5 mph on his four-seam fastball. No ‘Brough Ryan Yarbrough got roughed up while piggybacking Schlittler, giving up three…

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