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HHS redirects $500 million to Trump appointee’s vaccine project, bypassing reviews

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HHS redirects 0 million to Trump appointee’s vaccine project, bypassing reviews


The Department of Health and Human Services has transferred $500 million from research into next-generation COVID-19 vaccines, redirecting the money to a single vaccine project linked to the Trump administration’s former acting head of the National Institutes of Health.

Multiple federal health officials said they were surprised by the announcement, which bypassed the usual procedures overseen by career scientists at the NIH and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, known as BARDA. Those reviews are intended to ensure that federal research money goes to the projects with the greatest scientific merit. 

The HHS says the initiative, dubbed “Generation Gold Standard,” aims to start clinical trials next year for universal influenza vaccines that could protect against any strain of the virus. It hopes to get a vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration by 2029.

All of the money is being transferred to an influenza vaccine project called beta-propiolactone or BPL, according to emails seen by CBS News. Two officials said the decision to pour $500 million into a single vaccine platform is unusual, given the limited data on it. 

The transfer makes it effectively one of the largest awards to date from a BARDA effort to speed funding to new experimental vaccines and treatments, topping a previous award of $452 million to a company developing an experimental oral COVID-19 vaccine.

An HHS spokesperson told CBS News that “decision-making for project Generation Gold Standard was a collaborative process, between leaders of HHS, in an effort to direct funding for a BPL vaccine for all influenza threats, not just one.” 

The Wall Street Journal previously reported news of the project. 

The vaccine underwent testing for safety results earlier this year in a small study led by NIH researchers Dr. Matthew Memoli and Dr. Jeffery Taubenberger. The research was what scientists call a Phase 1 study, the first step to researching a potential vaccine in humans.

Memoli had served as the acting head of the NIH during a controversial transition in recent months, overseeing Trump administration directives like steep cuts to research funding and the medical research agency’s staff and leadership.

Taubenberger, who holds a patent for the BPL vaccine platform, was picked to be the acting head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, or NIAID, after the institute’s previous director was ousted.

BARDA and NIH officials were ordered to redirect the money to Memoli’s research by Noah Miller, a special assistant hired by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., according to emails seen by CBS News. Two officials said it was unusual for a political appointee to handpick a project or researcher to be funded without vetting from career scientists or outside review.

The money is coming from the “Project NextGen” initiative, a $5 billion effort launched under the Biden administration that had previously funded multiple research projects into studying potential COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.

The NIH had previously awarded $62.4 million in grant money to researchers at seven universities working on “pan-coronavirus” vaccines. 

From BARDA, the department had also backed four vaccine makers going into larger Phase 2B clinical trials to study experimental COVID-19 vaccines, in awards totaling $551 million.

Those followed requests by the NIH and BARDA for researchers and vaccine companies to submit proposals for backing from the federal government.

Another HHS spokesperson, Vianca Rodriguez Feliciano, said in an email that the department’s new initiative “realigns BARDA with its core mission: preparing for all flu viral pathogens, not just COVID-19.”

“It delivers a cost-effective, accountable alternative to the Biden administration’s wasteful Project NextGen, which spent $1.63 billion on COVID-19 vaccines and $1.19 billion on therapeutics, neglecting broader pandemic preparedness,” Feliciano said.

In its release, the department described the decision as a “decisive shift toward transparency, effectiveness, and comprehensive preparedness,” by focusing on “in-house development” of vaccines instead of projects from outside researchers.

It is also planning to develop other vaccines for COVID-19 using BPL, which it calls “traditional vaccine technology brought into the 21st century.”

“Our commitment is clear: every innovation in vaccine development must be grounded in gold standard science and transparency, and subjected to the highest standards of safety and efficacy testing,” Kennedy said.

Alexander Tin

Alexander Tin is a digital reporter for CBS News based in the Washington, D.C. bureau. He covers federal public health agencies.



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‘The Four Seasons’ Review: Tepid Trouble in Middle-Aged Paradise

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‘The Four Seasons’ Review: Tepid Trouble in Middle-Aged Paradise


Fey has depicted teenhood (“Mean Girls”), budding adulthood (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), established-and-working adulthood (“30 Rock”) and now the empty-nest era. Some of Fey’s signatures, like social neurosis and a respect for sandwiches, are present here, though deployed less for jokes than for realism. Another common theme in her work is the confinement of her lead characters, how much they bristle against the constraints of their station and yearn for more agency. There’s a through line of that in “Seasons,” too, but with less meaning.

High school is high school, and if you want the perks of being one of the Plastics, you have to play their game. Kimmy endures years in a literal bunker. Liz Lemon has to work with Jack and Tracy because that’s the only way she can make her show. Women have to follow all kinds of terrible rules at work, at home, at school, at large.

While Kate feels boxed in, too — “You are the one who wishes you could blow up your life and start over,” Jack says during a fight — it’s less clear why. She has money, looks, a good sex life, a child at Vassar, a gigantic S.U.V. and enough free time to take four vacations in nine months. The worst thing she says about herself is that she has dry skin. If there’s more to Kate — more tension, more anguish, more self-loathing, more fear, more ambition, more curiosity, more anything — we don’t see it. Her dissatisfaction, however legitimate and probably common, is diffuse and nonspecific.

That’s how most of the show is: legible but vague, relatable to many people but maybe not as many as it thinks. It’s a show about spouses and best friends, the closest bonds and deepest relationships, but the show itself doesn’t have any of that intimacy or intensity. It’s a casual acquaintance — perfectly fine for an afternoon, but shallower and more disposable than the real deal.



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Kennedy Issues Demands for Vaccine Approvals That Could Affect Fall Covid Boosters

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Kennedy Issues Demands for Vaccine Approvals That Could Affect Fall Covid Boosters


Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Thursday announced plans to require all new vaccines to be tested against placebos and to develop new vaccines without using mRNA technology, moves that extend his reach deep into vaccine development and raise questions about whether Covid boosters will be available in the fall.

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services called the requirement for placebo testing “a radical departure” from existing standards. But that will depend on how the department defines “new,” because most new vaccines are already tested either against placebos — inert substances — or, in some cases, against vaccines for other diseases.

Mr. Kennedy is one of the nation’s leading vaccine skeptics, and he has been vocal about his disdain for mRNA technology, which was used to develop coronavirus vaccines during the first Trump administration. He once wrote on social media that “mRNA jabs don’t stop infection, don’t block transmission, don’t block mutants, don’t last, don’t work at all.”

Mr. Kennedy’s activism in recent years included petitioning the Food and Drug Administration to pull the Covid vaccine off the market in 2021, during a deadly phase of the pandemic. He also urged the F.D.A. not to authorize Covid shots for children. Mr. Kennedy has also maintained that there could be a link between vaccines and autism, and hired a discredited researcher into his agency whose work aligns with that view.

Since becoming health secretary in February, Mr. Kennedy has made few high-profile pronouncements on vaccine policy, with the exception of his tepid endorsement of the measles shots in response to the outbreak in Texas that has killed two children and one adult. But he and the Trump administration have waded into the issue in other ways, by ordering a study on vaccines and autism and delaying approval of another Covid vaccine.

Mr. Kennedy’s announcements on Thursday represent an extraordinary use of his power as secretary to make decisions ordinarily left to career scientists at the F.D.A. The moves follow his recent instructions that parents of newborns considering vaccination should “do your own research.”

Mr. Kennedy has said he intends to restore trust in the vaccine approval process, but Dr. Jesse Goodman, a former F.D.A. official and an infectious diseases doctor at Georgetown University, said the changes could erode trust.

“Questions never bother me,” Dr. Goodman said, “but it’s really worrisome when it seems like they’re so ubiquitous and so constant that they sow a huge amount of doubt — not just about the one thing, but about everything.”

Most immediately, Mr. Kennedy’s move could affect the next round of Covid booster shots, expected to become available in the fall. Both flu shots and Covid boosters have been authorized without extensive human trials to target new strains of the virus as it has evolved.

Mr. Kennedy says the new policy will not affect flu shots, but the future of Covid boosters is now in doubt. Andrew Nixon, the department spokesman, said that because so many people have been infected and now have immunity to Covid, new studies are required.

“As we’ve said before, trials from four years ago conducted in people without natural immunity no longer suffice,” he said. “A four-year-old trial is also not a blank check for new vaccines each year without clinical trial data, unlike the flu shot, which has been tried and tested for more than 80 years. The public deserves transparency and gold-standard science — especially with evolving products.”

Mr. Kennedy’s plan for the placebo studies, first reported by The Washington Post, also raises ethical questions. It is considered unethical to deprive even a small group of patients of effective vaccines against deadly pathogens. In the case of Covid-19, new clinical studies could hold up authorization for boosters, which would leave the entire U.S. population vulnerable.

Dr. Ofer Levy, a Harvard vaccine researcher and a member of the F.D.A.’s vaccine advisory committee, said that would be “unacceptable,” and that officials must “thread the needle” to be sure the studies are done in a way that do not leave older and immunocompromised people unprotected from Covid.

“Tens of thousands of people can die without protection against Covid,” said Dr. Levy, who co-founded a company working on an opioid vaccine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported about 23,000 deaths from Covid since September, with as many as 1,000 a week that month and in January. Still, uptake of the Covid boosters has been low: About 23 percent of adults got the updated Covid shot released in the fall, according to the C.D.C.

One C.D.C. study of the Covid boosters used in 2023 and 2024 found that they averted about 68,000 hospital stays, and were most effective in people who were older than 65 or immunocompromised.

The health secretary’s familiarity with vaccine trials stems at least in part from his reviews of decades-old vaccine approvals, including for the polio vaccine and the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. Mr. Kennedy has also helped represent plaintiffs in lawsuits against manufacturers.

He and the organization he founded and once led, Children’s Health Defense, have repeatedly complained that vaccines are not tested against placebos in clinical trials when they are being developed. The organization has cited polio, hepatitis and meningitis vaccines as examples, all of which were introduced decades ago.

“Every other medicine is tested against a placebo,” Mr. Kennedy said on a podcast in January 2020, in claiming that vaccines are exempt from that requirement.

That, however, is not entirely correct. Cancer drugs and other medications authorized under the F.D.A.’s accelerated approval program are regularly authorized after trials without a placebo. And new vaccines, including the vaccines for Covid, were tested against placebos — inert substances, such as a saline injection, or in some cases against vaccines for other diseases.

“We’ve required placebo-controlled trials for most vaccines, and sometimes it’s an inert placebo, and sometimes it’s an irrelevant vaccine,” said Dr. Peter Marks, who was the Food and Drug Administration’s top vaccine official until he was forced out in March. “The claim that we have not done randomized trials for pediatric vaccines aside from Covid is not correct.”

Mr. Kennedy has also raised concerns in the past about testing a vaccine against what many scientists consider a reasonable placebo: the same formula, but without the immune-activating agents. Mr. Kennedy has noted that the practice leaves uncertainty about whether ingredients in the formula could cause harm.

In addition to the new placebo requirement, Mr. Kennedy also announced a National Institutes of Health initiative to turbocharge the development of new inoculations for Covid, bird flu and seasonal flu — an effort that appears to be part of a broader assault on mRNA technology, or “platform.”

Since they were developed, Mr. Kennedy issued numerous social media posts about the mRNA shots, including one positing that the F.D.A.’s assessment of the Moderna shot for children in 2022 was “dishonest, and evidence that the public health establishment has abandoned science, logic, reason, rationality, empathy, health and medicine.”

The N.I.H. under the Trump administration has subjected studies related to the mRNA platform to strict scrutiny. Bills restricting the use of mRNA vaccines have popped up in Republican-controlled state legislatures, including in Texas, Idaho and Kentucky.

The F.D.A. is also holding up approvals of a Covid vaccine that is not based on mRNA technology.

The agency was expected to issue a decision on April 1 regarding whether to issue a full approval of the more traditional protein-based Novavax Covid shot, which had been used under emergency authorization. The F.D.A. delayed the decision, though, asking the company to conduct additional research.

“I’m curious if this administration actually intends to just obliterate the Covid vaccine,” said Richard Hughes, a lawyer with the law firm Epstein Becker Green who represents some vaccine makers.

Pfizer and Moderna, makers of the mRNA Covid shots, did not respond to questions about whether updated shots will be available in the fall in the United States.

A spokesman for Moderna said the company has run clinical trials for its booster shots before and after their launch. During an earnings call Thursday, president Stephen Hoge said the company tests its vaccines against placebos. A policy change had not been communicated to the company directly, he said, but “we will absolutely engage constructively and making sure we understand what those needs are and that we fulfill them.”

The new N.I.H. initiative, meanwhile, would develop a “next-generation vaccine platform” that would be “fully government-owned,” the department said. The N.I.H. helped develop the mRNA platform, and the vaccine maker Moderna paid the government hundreds of millions of dollars to license a key patent on the vaccine, though the company and the government later got into a dispute over the patent rights.

The mRNA platform relies on small bits of genetic code, which generated online rumors and conspiracy theories that it was being used to insert microchips into vaccine recipients. The new platform, by contrast, would rely on a more traditional method of vaccine development, which uses inactivated viruses to provoke an immune response.

The department said the new platform would be developed using beta-Propilactone, which is already a component in vaccine development but is considered a hazardous substance by the Environmental Protection Agency when people are exposed to it in large doses.



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Dust does more than hurt your lungs, it hurts the snow – Deseret News

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Dust does more than hurt your lungs, it hurts the snow – Deseret News


Using 23 years of satellite data, University of Utah hydrologists studied how dust-darkened snow is hastening runoff and reshaping the future of water in the Southwest.

It matters. A lot.

The Colorado River, often described as the hardest working river in the West, delivers water to 40 million people across the United States and Mexico.

But drought and overuse have left the river in crisis. The need for water in an area of growing population far exceeds what’s available.

Although the headwaters of the Colorado River begin high in the mountains of Colorado, the river itself journeys 1,450 miles through many arid states.

That journey leaves it vulnerable because the snowpack that sustains the river is increasingly subjected to windblown events that accelerate snowmelt and the resulting runoff is compromised.

A University of Utah-led study debuts a powerful remote-sensing dataset that informs the timing and magnitude of snow darkening and the impacts on melt rates across the Colorado Basin. The research is the first to capture how dust affects the broad expanse of headwaters feeding the Colorado River system.

The new study found that dust deposition can speed snowmelt by up to 1 millimeter water-equivalent per hour when the sun is at its peak. In high-dust years, that adds up to 10 millimeters of melt per day that can be directly attributed to the darkening effect.

“It’s not just how much dust gets deposited over a season, but also the timing of dust deposition that matters,” said Patrick Naple, doctoral candidate of geography at the University of Utah and lead author of the study.

“Dust is very effective at speeding up melt because it’s most frequently deposited in the spring when days are getting longer and the sun more intense. Even an extra millimeter per hour can make the snowpack disappear several weeks earlier than without dust deposition.”

What went into the study

The authors analyzed 23 years of daily satellite images to observe patterns of snow darkened by dust deposition during the melt season during April and May from 2001-2023. The findings revealed that dust-driven melting tends to peak earliest and be most intense in the central-southern Rocky Mountains at mid-alpine elevations.

Researchers focused on the amount of the sun‘s energy reflected by a surface, known as albedo. The brighter the surface, the higher the albedo, and the more energy it reflects. The darker the surface, the lower the albedo, and the more energy it absorbs. Across all land cover types, snow naturally has the highest albedo.

The authors developed algorithms that did two things: quantified how dust lowers the albedo for every single pixel of satellite imagery; and calculated how the additional energy absorbed by dust impacted melt rates.

The dust on snow effect also includes what is happening at the drying Great Salt Lake.

The highest snowpack dust concentrations in 13 years at an Alta study site were recorded in 2022, accelerating snowmelt by 17 days — and dry beds at the Great Salt Lake were the chief culprit in terms of the widespread nature of the dust, another University of Utah study stressed.

This latest study, however, is the most comprehensive to date to probe dust impacts across the Colorado River Basin. It is designed to improve forecasting and water allocation for a system under extreme pressure from changing climate and populations.

“The degree of darkening caused by dust has been related to water forecasting errors. The water comes earlier than expected, and this can have real world impacts — for example if the ground is still frozen it’s too early for farmers to use. A reservoir manager can store early snowmelt, but they need the information to plan for that,” said McKenzie Skiles, associate professor at the University of Utah’s School of Environment and Society and the study’s co-lead author. “If we can start to build dust into the snowmelt forecast models, it will make water management decision-making more informed.”

Skiles said there is more work to be done.

“We know from sediment core records that dust deposition in this area skyrocketed following modern settlement of the West. That tells us that the level of dust we see today is directly related to human activity,” said Skiles. “If we could track ongoing land-use changes and surface disturbance in the region, we might have a better shot of predicting large dust events.”

Other authors include Otto Lang of the University of Utah; Karl Rittger and Sebastien Lenard of the University of Colorado, Boulder; Annie Burgess of Montana State University and Thomas Painter of University of California, Los Angeles.

The study was published in Geophysical Research Letters on March 9.

 



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Borderlands 4 State of Play April 2025: Everything Announced

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Borderlands 4 State of Play April 2025: Everything Announced


Gearbox Software just wrapped up its Borderlands 4 State of Play, revealing 20 minutes of new gameplay and details from its highly anticipated looter shooter.

The presentation hops right into the action with the promise that the 2025 Borderlands entry is the studio’s best and most grounded outing yet, promising major gameplay changes that range from new traversal abilities to loot drop formula changes. Gearbox managed to fill the 20-minute showcase with reveals about how Borderlands 4 ups the ante with new mechanics and refreshed existing features, and we’ve got all the highlights right here.

Movement Abilities

Every Borderlands title updates its traversal mechanics in new ways, and Borderlands 4 looks to be no different. We’ve seen hints of some of the new looter-shooter tools players will have at their disposal when its release date rolls around this September, but today’s gameplay footage gave us a clearer look at what’s to come.

Vault hunters can take advantage of a very Destiny-like midair hover this time around, giving players the freedom to shoot while airborne or reach faraway ledges. There’s also a grappling hook that can be used for both combat and exploration, as well as a dash for those last-second dodges. Vehicles, of course, continue to be a major component in Borderlands 4, too, and this time around, it appears we’ll have the freedom to spawn our rides, including the new Digirunner, wherever we please.

Guns and Manufacturers

We’ve gotten a taste of the new Vault Hunter traversal mechanics in previous showcases, but today’s State of Play really put the gun manufacturers in the spotlight. There’s a total of eight companies supplying players’ adventure this time around, meaning three new ones – Order, Ripper, and Daedalus – will be behind some of Borderlands 4’s new toys.

Like the other returning manufacturers, each newcomer features unique weapon designs and abilities. Borderlands 4 is taking things one step further, however, by introducing a new spin on its existing gun mechanics: the Licensed Parts System. Gun can now be comprised of a variety of different parts from different manufacturers, meaning you can find an assault rifle with elemental components developed by Maliwan, an ammo clip made by Torgue, and a shield from Hyperion. Higher rarity weapons come with more parts, making that quest for big loot drops more crucial than ever.

Story

The Borderlands 4 State of Play follows two Vault Hunters: Vex the Siren and an exosuit-wearing former Tediore soldier named Rafa. The former playable character uses Siren abilities to conjure beings to help in battle, while the latter builds tools like Ark Knives to tear enemies apart on the fly. Today’s gameplay sees the duo fighting through cold, open arenas throughout the Terminus Range, one of four zones to explore on the planet Kairos.

Borderlands 4 will follow the series’ trend of running into old faces while introducing new ones. Some familiar names that showed up during today’s State of Play include Moxxi, Zane, Amara, and, of course, Claptrap, though there were also a few hints that we might learn more about Lilith, too. New characters include a towering, armored individual named Rush and a helpful robot named Echo 4. The handy robot companion will follow players for the duration of Borderlands 4, aiding with exploration by scanning environments, hacking, and leading lost Vault Hunters to their next objective.

Multiplayer

Borderlands 4 players will be happy to hear Gearbox has made an attempt to streamline the co-op process this time around. In addition to what it calls “an improved lobby system,” it should be easier to join up with friends at a moment’s notice. Crossplay will be available at launch, too, with all loot instanced for each player and dynamic level scaling meaning you’ll have freedom with friends on any platform.

Customization within your parties goes even further, as Gearbox has implemented a feature that allows everyone to have their own difficulty settings separate from one another. Making the journey with friends easier is split screen couch co-op, which will be available at launch, as well as an addition that allows players to fast travel to their buddies if someone gets lost.

Borderlands 4 also features a lower chance for Legendary loot drops, dense new skill trees, and so much more. Rep Kit gear will have players choosing between a quick revive and temporary combat buff, while Ordnances give fans the option to fill a cooldown weapons slot with either grenades or unique heavy weapons. There’s also Enhancements, which replace Artifacts in favor of gifting bonuses to guns from specific manufacturers.

Borderlands 4 recently moved up its PC via the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S release date 11 days from September 23 to September 12. A Nintendo Switch 2 version is due out at an unspecified point later in the year, too.

Despite speculation from fans, Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford says the scheduled shake up has nothing to do with the long-awaited release date of Take-Two Interactive’s Grand Theft Auto 6. Expect to learn more about Borderlands 4 as we wait for Gearbox to reveal more about its upcoming hands-on gameplay event in June.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).



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Road to Garcia-Haney rematch runs through Times Square, where both box Friday in famed New York spot

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Road to Garcia-Haney rematch runs through Times Square, where both box Friday in famed New York spot


NEW YORK (AP) — The road to a Ryan Garcia-Devin Haney rematch runs right through the heart of Times Square.

When they fought last year, Garcia initially opposed bringing the match to New York, believing a bout between two California boxers belonged in the West. But Oscar De La Hoya, a superstar during his own career and now Garcia’s promoter, argued that to be really big, a fighter had to conquer the Big Apple.

Look at Garcia now.

It’s hard to miss him in the city, his face plastered on billboards towering high above Times Square — right below where the ball drops on New Year’s Eve and where he and Haney return Friday night in separate bouts in a ring set up in the center of the city’s famed tourist spot.

“I’m just excited to be back here in New York after such a historic event last time,” Garcia said. “It felt so sweet, so we’re going to have to do it again sooner or later, right?”

That’s the plan. If Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) beats Rolando “Rolly” Romero (16-2, 13 KOs) in the main event, after Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) meets fellow former 140-pound champion Jose Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs), a rematch of Garcia’s victory last year that was later overturned to a no-contest when he failed a test for performance-enhancing drugs is expected.

Garcia would be the fan favorite if it happened in New York, where locals booed Haney on Wednesday during the final news conference.

“When I dust Jose Ramirez off on Friday, I’m going to get to your boy Ryan after,” Haney shouted back.

Teofimo Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs) defends his junior welterweight title against Arnold Barboza Jr. (32-0, 11 KOs) in the opener of the tripleheader that will be streamed on DAZN pay-per-view. Six excellent fighters, but the talk of this card is the venue.

“It’ll be all about staying focused. The fighters have to be laser focused,” De La Hoya said while standing in the ring that was still being constructed Thursday as traffic passed by. “Don’t pay attention to all the noise outside of this ring. It’s going to be very difficult for every single fighter, because as you can imagine there will be people everywhere, thousands of people watching.”

Organizers still haven’t revealed all the details, and De La Hoya wasn’t sure how many people will have access to watch live from seats near the ring.

“They’re talking about having us be presented to the ring in a cab or something,” Lopez said.

Getting around in a taxi in Midtown Manhattan on a Friday night? Good luck with that.

“Tell me about it. I feel like they don’t understand,” said Lopez, who is from Brooklyn. “Especially in Times Square.”

But Ring Magazine wanted something unique for its first event in the U.S., bypassing the possibility of having the event at Madison Square Garden or Barclays Center.

It was at the latter venue in Brooklyn last April 20 when Garcia and Haney met in a event that turned into somewhat of a fiasco, largely due to Garcia’s erratic behavior in the buildup. He was more than 3 pounds over the limit the day before the fight, showing no care in the world as he chugged what appeared to be a bottle of beer while on the scale during the ceremonial weigh-in event after the official one had already been conducted behind closed doors.

That left him ineligible to take Haney’s title after he scored three knockdowns and won a majority decision. Eventually he didn’t even get the win, with the result changed and Garcia suspended for a year after his positive test.

Garcia said he was going through some personal problems at that time that included drinking and smoking but is in a much better state of mind these days.

“I’m just here living life,” he said, wearing a suit and tie. “Everybody goes through their ups and downs, everybody goes through their things, but it’s how you come back, it’s how you bounce back and I’m just here to show people that you can bounce back from anything.”

More than 100 screens are expected to be set up around Times Square. There were no details about contingencies for the weather, with the forecast calling for a chance of thunderstorms in the New York area Friday.

The elements are one reason why Lopez, who is normally in the main event, is content to fight a few hours earlier this time.

“It’s cool, man. It’s perfect. I don’t mind it,” he said. “Look, the weather is only going to get more chillier outdoors. I’ll be up first, I’m happy with it. I’ll get in and out.”

___

AP boxing: https://apnews.com/boxing





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Borderlands 4 Unveils Action-Packed Gameplay Deep Dive

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Borderlands 4 Unveils Action-Packed Gameplay Deep Dive


Today, during a dedicated PlayStation’s State of Play, 2K and Gearbox Software shared an extended look at the action-packed gameplay coming in Borderlands® 4, the next entry in the iconic looter-shooter franchise. Borderlands 4 will launch on September 12, 2025 on PlayStation®5 (PS5®) console, Xbox Series X|S, and PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store. It will also be coming to Nintendo Switch 2 later in 2025.

In the extended gameplay footage, players were treated to a first look at two of the four new Vault Hunters that will be featured in Borderlands 4. Vex the Siren is a powerful Siren who can empower herself or manifest deadly shades to fight alongside her, while Rafa the Exo-Soldier shines as a former Tediore trooper who wears an experimental exo-suit capable of digistructing an arsenal of weapons. Each Vault Hunter offers a unique playstyle, further augmented through the most advanced skill tree system in a Borderlands game to-date.

Across the vast and seamlessly connected planet of Kairos, players will face the oppressive Timekeeper. For thousands of years, he kept the planet hidden, controlling its inhabitants with cybernetic implants called Bolts and an army of synthetic soldiers known as The Order. Players will travel across the planet where they’ll encounter new and returning characters, creatures and inhabitants to battle, and unique factions spread across four distinct regions that seek freedom from the tyranny of the Timekeeper. The friends discovered along the way will be recruited by players to their cause while enemies will experience first-hand the arsenal of weapons and abilities wielded by the Vault Hunters.

As seen in the explosive footage shared during PlayStation’s State of Play, Vex and Rafa tear a path through a secret blacksite in Terminus Range, a frigid, mountainous region. This extended gameplay segment showcases the destructive power of the updated gear system in Borderlands 4, fueling the wildest loot chase ever, including:

  • Deadly weapons from across eight new and returning manufacturers, each boasting their own devastating strengths;
  • Licensed Parts system that combines the behaviors and abilities from multiple manufacturers into a single weapon;
  • Enhancements gear slot to augment weapons based on their manufacturer, rewarding extra firepower with an optimized gear loadout;
  • Ordnance, a shared slot for Grenades and Heavy Weapons like rocket launchers, recharges on a cooldown to keep you locked and loaded during especially tough encounters;
  • Rep Kit gear adds utility by letting players heal themselves or activate temporary buffs to help turn the tide of an intense battle.

Borderlands 4 makes it easier than ever for friends to jump into co-op multiplayer with a new system for players to form parties online and stay together when switching game modes.* The game is designed for co-op from the ground up, with instanced loot for each player, dynamic level scaling, and individual difficulty to keep the party together and having fun through the whole campaign.

Be sure to check out the full dedicated PlayStation’s State of Play for additional never-before-seen footage and behind-the-scenes insights from the development team.

For the latest information on Borderlands 4, wishlist the game, visit www.borderlands.2k.com, and follow the game across YouTube, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.

Borderlands 4 is currently rated RP for Rating Pending by the ESRB.

Gearbox Software is a 2K studio. 2K is a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).

*Online play requires an Internet connection and a SHiFT Account. Console online play requires a separate paid subscription. Terms apply.

About Take-Two Interactive Software

Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a leading developer, publisher, and marketer of interactive entertainment for consumers around the globe.  We develop and publish products principally through Rockstar Games, 2K, and Zynga.  Our products are designed for console gaming systems, PC, and mobile, including smartphones and tablets.  We deliver our products through physical retail, digital download, online platforms, and cloud streaming services.  The Company’s common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol TTWO.  For more corporate and product information please visit our website at http://www.take2games.com.

All trademarks and copyrights contained herein are the property of their respective holders.

About 2K

Founded in 2005, 2K develops and publishes interactive entertainment for video game consoles, personal computers, and mobile devices, with product availability including physical retail and digital download. The Company is home to many talented development studios, including Visual Concepts, Firaxis Games, Hangar 13, Cat Daddy Games, 31st Union, Cloud Chamber, Gearbox and HB Studios. 2K’s portfolio currently includes several AAA, sports and entertainment brands, including global powerhouse NBA®️ 2K; renowned BioShock®️, Borderlands®️, Mafia, Sid Meier’s Civilization®️ and XCOM®️ brands; popular WWE®️ 2K and WWE®️ SuperCard franchises, TopSpin®️ as well as the critically and commercially acclaimed PGA TOUR®️ 2K. Additional information about 2K and its products may be found at 2K.com and on the Company’s official social media channels.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

The statements contained herein, which are not historical facts, including statements relating to Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.’s (“Take-Two,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or similar pronouns) outlook, are considered forward-looking statements under federal securities laws and may be identified by words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “potential,” “predicts,” “projects,” “seeks,” “should,” “will,” or words of similar meaning and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the outlook for our future business and financial performance. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs of our management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to them, which are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks, and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Actual outcomes and results may vary materially from these forward-looking statements based on a variety of risks and uncertainties including risks relating to our combination with Zynga Inc.; the risks of conducting business internationally, including as a result of unforeseen geopolitical events; the impact of changes in interest rates by the Federal Reserve and other central banks, including on our short-term investment portfolio; the impact of inflation; volatility in foreign currency exchange rates; our dependence on key management and product development personnel; our dependence on our NBA 2K and Grand Theft Auto products and our ability to develop other hit titles; our ability to leverage opportunities on PlayStation®5 and Xbox Series X|S; factors affecting our mobile business, such as player acquisition costs; the timely release and significant market acceptance of our games; and the ability to maintain acceptable pricing levels on our games.

Other important factors and information are contained in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, including the risks summarized in the section entitled “Risk Factors,” the Company’s most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and the Company’s other periodic filings with the SEC, which can be accessed at www.take2games.com. All forward-looking statements are qualified by these cautionary statements and apply only as of the date they are made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.





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2025 PFL World Tournament 4 live results, highlights

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2025 PFL World Tournament 4 live results, highlights


PFL continued first-round action Thursday with 2025 PFL World Tournament 4, and MMA Junkie had you covered with live results and highlights throughout the event.

2025 PFL World Tournament 4 took place at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando, Fla., and was broadcast live on ESPN2 and ESPN+. The event featured opening-round tournament bouts in the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions.

In the main event, former Bellator light heavyweight champion Phil Davis (25-7) took on 2022 PFL champion Rob Wilkinson (19-4). In the co-feature, former Bellator interim heavyweight champion Valentin Moldavsky (14-4) faced fellow Russian Sergey Bilostenniy (13-4).

2025 PFL World Tournament 4 results

MAIN CARD (ESPN2, ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Phil Davis def. Rob Wilkinson via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 0:51
  • Valentin Moldavsky def. Sergey Bilostenniy via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Antonio Carlos Junior def. Karl Moore via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Simeon Powell def. Karl Albrektsson via TKO (elbows) – Round 2, 2:05

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 7:30 p.m. ET)

  • Alexandr Romanov def. Tim Johnson via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:53
  • Oleg Popov def. Karl Williams via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Sullivan Cauley def. Alex Polizzi via TKO (elbows) – Round 1 , 1:36
  • Rodrigo Nascimento def. Abraham Bably via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Phil Davis vs. Rob Wilkinson

Sergey Bilostenniy vs. Valentin Moldavsky

Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Karl Moore

Karl Albrektsson vs. Simeon Powell

Tim Johnson vs. Alexandr Romanov

Oleg Popov vs. Karl Williams

Sullivan Cauley vs. Alex Polizzi

Abraham Bably vs. Rodrigo Nascimento

2025 PFL World Tournament 4 weigh-in photos



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Salt Lake County sells piece of Salt Palace to Jazz, Utah Hockey Club owner

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Salt Lake County sells piece of Salt Palace to Jazz, Utah Hockey Club owner


Smith Entertainment Group buys 20% of the SLC convention center as part of a planned sports, culture and convention district.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Salt Palace Convention Center, on Saturday, March 1, 2025. Smith Entertainment Group bought 20% of the SLC convention center as part of a planned sports, culture and convention district.

  | April 30, 2025, 12:00 p.m.

| Updated: 1:16 p.m.

Salt Lake County will sell a chunk of the Salt Palace Convention Center to Ryan Smith’s Smith Entertainment Group, the owner of the Utah Jazz and Utah Hockey Club.

The Salt Lake County Council voted unanimously to approve the sale of 12 parcels of land that include the Salt Palace’s largest exhibit hall, along with a smaller exhibit hall and a connected parking garage, for nearly $55,433,000.

The exhibit halls included in the land sale make up nearly 195,000 square feet — about 20% — of the convention center’s total capacity, while the land beneath those structures spans about 6.5 acres. SEG will take possession of the land by February 2027, Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said.

Construction on the upgraded convention center and the downtown sports, entertainment, culture and convention district’s planned mid-block plaza is expected to begin sometime in 2027 or 2028, she added.

The council determined the property sale is a “necessary condition” for the Delta Center’s improvement, according to the resolution, because additional events at the overhauled center are projected to increase the value of its taxable sales to “more than $400 million annually” by 2034.

The sale, Wilson said during Tuesday’s County Council meeting, is “really more than just about land. … This step is a crucial step in defining our future downtown core and our economic future.”

Mike Maughan, spokesperson for SEG, issued a statement after the vote, expressing the company’s gratitude to the council “for their continued support in the mission to reimagine downtown Salt Lake City.”

Once sold, the property will provide for a “redevelopment that will connect premier downtown spaces,” such as the Delta Center, the Salt Palace, Abravanel Hall, Temple Square, City Creek Center, the Eccles Theater, the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art and “future 2034 Olympic Games venues,” according to the resolution.

“We know right now, when people go to enjoy a symphony, that perhaps they don’t know how to navigate around the Salt Palace to get over to the Delta Center,” Wilson said. “The connectivity and activation is really much of the reason that I have been excited about this project. ”

The sale will also change the 6.5-acre property from a county-owned and tax exempt set of parcels to nonexempt property, which will bring in an additional $4.9 million a year in property tax revenue once the area is redeveloped, according to the resolution.

Proceeds from the sale will go toward the county’s remodel of the Salt Palace, which, according to the resolution, is estimated to cost about $1.5 billion. But much of the funding for the facility’s renovation will come from additional future sales and property taxes generated by the redevelopment, the resolution states.

The remodel plans to add a second ballroom to the convention center, allowing the facility to host multiple major events simultaneously.

And with a second ballroom plus other upgrades, the convention center’s increased capacity will generate an additional annual tax revenue of $6.3 million in state sales tax, $4.2 million in county sales tax and $1 million in Salt Lake City sales tax, according to.the resolution.

As the county looks toward the convention center’s reconstruction, Wilson said the convention center will not close. The remodel will take place over “strategic phases” to ensure the facility can still host large events while construction crews get to work.

“Now we do have very large events that buy out the entire facility,” Wilson said. “We are immediately reaching out to them. We’re starting conversations with them. We’re going to be really creative in figuring out how we handle the impacts, and our team is already doing well on that. ”

The county is submitting a request for proposals this week to get an architect on board for the reimagined convention center, Wilson added. Once a firm is selected, there will be many chances for the public to speak out about the project — and the county plans, in particular, to get input from the Salt Palace‘s Japantown neighbors.

During the meeting’s hourlong public comment period, many members of the Japanese Church of Christ and the Salt Lake City Buddhist Temple — both located along 100 South, just west and south of the convention center — urged the county to ensure the area will be protected during construction.

Council member Natalie Pinkney told the commenters to keep in contact with their County Council members, and said they would serve as an advocates for any concerns that arise.

“This is a time for us to right a wrong,” Pinkney said, acknowledging a history of development that reduced Japantown to just a couple of blocks. “I’m excited about the reimagining of our downtown, and making sure that includes a revitalized, beautiful Japantown.”



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Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson Celebrate Their 37th Wedding Anniversary

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Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson Celebrate Their 37th Wedding Anniversary


  • Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson sweetly celebrated their 37th wedding anniversary on Thursday, April 30, by sharing social media selfies
  • Hanks wrote, “Love you, Mrs” alongside his swimming snap while Wilson shared “Happy 37th Anniversary my love,” with a string of rainbow heart emojis
  • The couple married in April 1988 and share sons Chet, 34, and Truman, 29.

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson are celebrating 37 years of marriage today with a splash.

Hanks, 68, shared a sweet snap of himself with Wilson, 68, on vacation together after a swim. “37 years married. Today! Love you, Mrs. -Mr.THanks,” he sweetly captioned the image.

Wilson meanwhile shared a cozy photo of herself with Hanks in which the actor wore a red scarf paired with a green beanie, while Wilson wore a cream fleece jacket and matched her man in a black beanie. Her caption read, “Happy 37th Anniversary my love!!! alongside a rainbow of different colored heart emojis.

The couple first met in 1981 on the set of the ABC sitcom Bosom Buddies. At the time, Hanks was still married to his first wife, Samantha Lewes. Hanks and Lewes — who share two kids, Colin, 46, and Elizabeth — now known by her initials E.A. — 41, together — officially divorced in 1987.

Hanks and Wilson reunited on the 1985 movie Volunteers, before their relationship took a romantic turn. The couple made their red carpet debut in 1986 at the premiere of The Three Amigos and married in 1988. They share sons Chet, 34, and Truman, 29.

The couple has appeared onscreen together numerous times since their 1988 nuptials. They starred as siblings in the classic 1993 Nora Ephron romcom Sleepless in Seattle, the 1996 film That Thing You Do!, in Wes Anderson’s 2023 film Asteroid City, and more.

Hanks and Wilson have also found success in producing films, notably the My Big Fat Greek Wedding franchise and two Mamma Mia films through Wilson’s Playtone production company.

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson Wedding Reception, April 1988.

Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection/Getty


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The couple recently celebrated another milestone — Wilson’s ten-year anniversary of being cancer-free. She praised her “loving, supportive husband” at the time of her diagnosis. The Instagram post, shared on March 31, 2025, read, “10 years. And I am so deeply grateful.”

She continued, “I’m so thankful to my doctors. To my friends, to my family. The gratitude is overwhelming. Didn’t always feel this way. And you know that, anybody who’s going through [it, or] who’s survived knows that it’s an up and down, like, hamster wheel. But then you get to this point.”

Wilson was 58 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, and as she told PEOPLE exclusively at the time, she underwent a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. The actress shared that she’d been living with LCIS (lobular carcinoma in situ), and monitoring it “vigilantly” through yearly mammograms and breast MRIs.

While Wilson does not disclose much about her previous cancer battle, she said that she was sharing the anniversary because  “I think it’s important to celebrate good news.”





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