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Way-too-early Top 25 men’s basketball rankings for 2025-26

Another men’s college basketball season has wrapped up, and Florida has been crowned national champion. Even as the Gators bask in the glow of their title, most teams have already started to turn their attention to the 2025-26 campaign.

So who will be the top teams next season?

But that doesn’t mean we won’t give our best guess for the too-early Top 25 rankings ahead of the start of the preseason, which is just six months away. In most cases, we have presumed players expected to be taken early in the draft to depart and left the door open for others to return.

1. Houston (35-5)

The defending national runner-up will lose stalwarts L.J. Cryer and J’wan Roberts but is poised to make another run to the title game behind one of the top recruiting classes in the country, led by five-star forward C.J. Cenac and guard Isiah Harwell. The Cougars will also return several key contributors: forward Joseph Tugler and perimeter threats Milos Uzan and Emmauel Sharp. Kelvin Sampson will also attack the transfer portal starting this week, looking for help near the rim and on the wing.

2. Duke (35-4)

It will be another offseason of reloading for coach Jon Scheyer with Cooper Flagg and fellow freshmen Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach almost certainly headed for the draft. Next year’s group of high-end recruits will be led by forwards Cameron and Cayden Boozer, the twin sons of former Blue Devils star Carlos Boozer. Also arriving is Shelton Henderson, another five-star forward. Several major contributors have options to return to Duke, including veteran guard Tyrese Proctor, freshman Isaiah Evans and sophomore Caleb Foster.

UPS AND DOWNS: Winners and losers of NCAA men’s tournament

3. Connecticut (24-11)

Three in a row wasn’t in the cards, but a third title in four years isn’t out of the question for UConn. Liam McNeeley will be off to the NBA after an outstanding freshman year in Storrs. But reinforcements are coming for Danny Hurley, whose top-five recruiting class features a trio of McDonald’s All-Americans and an international prospect from Down Under. Post man Eric Reibe and guards Braylon Mullins and Darius Adams comprise the domestic talent, and Australian wingman Jacob Furphy will arrive in the States this summer. Georgia transfer Silas Demary will provide even more backcourt depth. Veteran forward Alex Karaban and rising junior Solo Ball could return or explore professional options.

4. UCLA (23-11)

After an up-and-down season that saw UCLA get bounced in the second round, Mick Cronin has amassed a transfer class that should make the Bruins one of the best teams in the Big Ten. The biggest addition is former New Mexico point guard Donovan Dent, who led the Mountain West with 20.4 points per game this season and may have been the best overall player in the portal. Also set to join UCLA is big man Steven Jamerson (San Diego), forward and former five-star recruit Xavier Booker (Michigan State), and sharpshooter Jamar Brown (Missouri-Kansas City).

5. Brigham Young (26-10)

After making the Sweet 16 for the second time since 1981, BYU is poised for a big year with the arrival of hyped freshman AJ Dybantsa. He’ll join a rotation that should lose point guard Egor Demin to the NBA but is set to bring back guards Keba Keita and Dawson Baker and forwards Richie Saunders and Mihailo Boskovic. If Dybantsa is as good as expected, the Cougars could be a serious threat for the Final Four.

6. Alabama (28-9)

Losing catalyst Mark Sears puts pressure on the backcourt to replicate his scoring production and leadership. Aden Holloway should take up much of that slack along with Miami (Fla.) transfer Jalil Bethea. A bonus would be the return of guard Lebaron Philon and make the Crimson Tide one of the SEC favorites. Inside additions Noah Williamson (Bucknell) and Taylor Bol Bowen (Florida State) should take on big roles.

7. Texas Tech (28-9)

After winning 28 games and making the Elite Eight for the third time in program history, Texas Tech’s roster for next season is only beginning to take shape and will be heavily influenced by NBA draft decisions. The Red Raiders will lose guards Chance McMillian and Elijah Hawkins to graduation. Both JT Toppin and Darrion Williams could return as All-America candidates or opt to turn pro. Expect transfer additions to join a lineup set to be headed by guards Kevin Overton and Christian Anderson.

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8. Florida (36-4)

There will certainly be a transition from a team led by All-America guard Walter Clayton, and he will be hard to replace. However, the Gators still should have most of the inside players returning, with Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu all poised for increased production. Denzel Aberdeen should be a consistent perimeter scorer and will get boosted by incoming freshman Alex Lloyd.

9. Michigan (27-10)

A great start that included a Big Ten tournament title under coach Dusty May should get even better in 2025-26 thanks to the addition of three likely starters from the portal in point guard Elliott Cadeau (North Carolina) and forwards Morez Johnson Jr. (Illinois) and Yaxel Lendeborg (Alabama-Birmingham). Lendeborg could declare for the draft, however. Michigan also brings in an impact freshman in combo guard Trey McKenney. Even if center Danny Wolf enters the draft as expected, the Wolverines have the pieces to contend for the national title.

10. Louisville (27-8)

Pat Kelsey needed just a year to bring the Cardinals back to relevance. A lot of the key pieces from the rebuild will be lost to graduation, but it’s not surprising that Louisville has become a sought-after destination for year two. The impact portal arrivals include Isaac McNeeley from Virginia, Ryan Conwell from Xavier and Adrian Wooley from Kennesaw State. The recruiting class will be led by Mikel Brown, yet another perimeter threat. Cardinals’ fans should also finally get a look at big man Aly Khalifa, who redshirted this season following knee surgery.

11. Purdue (24-12)

Will rising senior guard Braden Smith return and continue his record-setting career with the Boilermakers? What about forward and leading scorer Trey Kaufman-Renn? Those questions loom large over Purdue’s 2025-26 season and the potential pecking order at the top of the Big Ten. If so, the Boilermakers will have a veteran-laden team capable of winning the league and getting to the Final Four. If not, Purdue will have to rally around Fletcher Loyer, C.J. Cox, Gicarri Harris and new center Oscar Cluff (South Dakota State).

12. Arkansas (22-14)

John Calipari and the Razorbacks are expecting big things after a run to the Sweet 16 in his first season. There’s the potential for most of the core group to return. Much will depend on the decision of Adou Theiro regarding the NBA draft. But there are still D.J. Wagner and Karter Knox to provide scoring and a strong group of freshmen that got time this season. Add five-star recruits Darius Acuff Jr. and Maleek Thomas as part of the backcourt and next year’s group shouldn’t have any worries about making the NCAA Tournament.

13. St. John’s (31-5)

Now that Rick Pitino has instilled the work ethic needed to bring the Red Storm program back to prominence, he’ll look to add some actual shooters. Incoming transfers Bryce Hopkins (Providence) and Joson Sanon (Arizona State) should provide an immediate boost in that regard. Big East player of the year R.J. Luis is departing, but key cogs Zuby Ejiofor and Simeon Wilcher are back.

14. Iowa State (25-10)

The Cyclones were expected to push for the Final Four this season, but the pieces never came together and injuries helped cause an early exit from the tournament. T.J. Otzelberger will start again with another talented roster in the fall. An early investment in the portal resulted in the arrival of center Blake Buchanan (Virginia), forward Eric Mulder (Purdue-Fort Wayne) and guard Mason Williams (Eastern Washington). The trio will team with stalwarts Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson and Milan Momcilovic – all double-digit scorers – to complete a deep roster that will also welcome heralded freshman Jamarion Batemon.

15. Michigan State (30-7)

How the roster will take shape won’t be known until Tom Izzo starts actively digging through the portal. For now, the biggest question is whether shooting guard Jase Richardson leaves after his freshman season. If not, he’ll be one of the best guards in the Big Ten and give the Spartans a huge piece to build around. Look for Michigan State to lean on point guard Jeremy Fears Jr., forward Jaxon Kohler and center Carson Cooper. But the Spartans desperately need help on the perimeter.

16. Kentucky (24-12)

The rebuild for Mark Pope will be much easier after having to replace the entire roster before his first season. Otega Oweh led the team in scoring (16.2 ppg), and his return would make the transition to Year 2 smoother. Pope has already landed Kam Williams (Tulane) from the transfer portal to provide perimeter scoring. Five-star recruits Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno should have an immediate impact on the perimeter and frontcourt, respectively.

17. Kansas (23-12)

KU already got some good news with the return of sophomore forward Flory Bidunga, who spent about a week in the portal before recommitting to the Jayhawks. He’s the one established contributor set to be back on the 2025-26 roster, which will be updated by the arrival of five-star guard Darryn Peterson and incoming transfer guards Tre White (lllinois) and Jayden Dawson (Loyola-Chicago). Another two freshmen could fight for playing time in forward Bryson Tiller and Samis Calderon. But the final make-up of KU’s roster won’t be determined until Bill Self fills the final handful of scholarship spots in the portal.

18. Tennessee (30-8)

It will be a major overhaul for the Volunteers with several key components departing. The first steps were the additions Maryland transfer guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie to help fill the void at point guard and also bringing in forward Jaylen Carey of Vanderbilt. Big man Felix Okpara – the team’s second-leading rebounder – is the lone starter back. Big leaps are expected by interior players Cade Phillips, who averaged 15 minutes in all 38 games, and J.D. Estrella, who missed all but three games due to foot surgery.

19. Wisconsin (27-10)

With three projected starters coming via the portal, the Badgers are waiting for rising junior guard John Blackwell to decide whether he’ll come back next season or keep his name in the draft. If he does return, Blackwell and former Florida Atlantic and San Diego State guard Nick Boyd will form one of the top backcourts in the Big Ten. The Badgers also brought in a deep threat in wing Andrew Rohde (Virginia) and a very promising young big man in sophomore Andrew Rapp (Portland), the reigning West Coast rookie of the year.

20. Gonzaga (26-9)

The Bulldogs will have to rework their roster. Just how much will hinge on a couple of key decisions. Forward Graham Ike could choose to return, though he’ll likely go through the professional evaluation process before making a determination. There will be other holes to fill with the starting backcourt of Ryan Nembhard and Nolan Hickman as well as key reserve guard Khalif Battle, lost to graduation. Those spots could go to Braeden Smith, a redshirt this season, incoming Virginia transfer Jalen Warley and freshman Davis Fogle.

21. Creighton (25-11)

Filling the big shoes of Ryan Kalkbrenner, a mainstay in the middle over several productive seasons at Creighton, will not be easy. But Greg McDermott will have a couple of options in the post, including incoming Serbian 7-footer Aleksa Dimitrijevic and Iowa transfer Owen Freeman. The Bluejays will add another former Hawkeye, winger Josh Dix, as well as Charlotte transfer Nik Graves to the lineup that should again be productive.

22. North Carolina (23-14)

To say next year is make-or-break for coach Hubert Davis isn’t exactly going out on a limb. The good news is the Tar Heels have made inroads in the transfer market with Henri Veesaar coming in from Arizona to help fill the gaping hole in the middle and Jonathan Powell arriving from West Virginia to pair with Seth Trimble for another perimeter scoring option. The freshmen class features 6-9 forward Caleb Wilson, but the backcourt will be young with R.J. Davis out of eligibility, Ian Jackson entering the portal and Elliott Cadeau also transferring out.

23. Arizona (24-13)

The foundation for the Wildcats starts with guard Jaden Bradley, who should be one of the top players in the Big 12. They also return several important role players from the Sweet 16 group, including forwards Tobe Awaka and Carter Bryant and guard Anthony Dell’Orso. Reinforcements will come from prized freshmen Dwayne Aristode and Koa Peat.

24. Auburn (32-5)

It’ll be an expected step back for the Tigers after having such a senior-laden team reaching the Final Four. However, there is an opportunity for Chad Baker-Mazara and possibly Chaney Johnson to return. Getting another year from freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford would be a massive bonus. Auburn has already landed guard Keyshawn Hall of Central Florida, who led the Big 12 in scoring.

25. Baylor (20-15)

The Bears were expected to build around Robert Wright before his surprising decision to enter the portal. Still, Scott Drew should be able to assemble a roster with enough talent to fight for a top finish in the Big 12. Arriving through the portal are JJ White (Nebraska-Omaha), Obi Agbim (Wyoming) and Michael Rataj (Oregon State). Incoming freshman Tounde Yessoufou is one of the nation’s top recruits and should make an immediate impact.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Future of Trump budget bill uncertain as House GOP rebels mutiny over Senate plan

House Republicans are divided over how to proceed on a massive piece of legislation aimed at advancing President Donald Trump’s agenda as a possible vote on the measure looms Wednesday afternoon.

Fiscal hawks are rebelling against GOP leaders over plans to pass the Senate’s version of a sweeping framework that sets the stage for a Trump policy overhaul on the border, energy, defense and taxes.

Their main concern has been the difference between the Senate and House’s required spending cuts, which conservatives want to offset the cost of the new policies and as an attempt to reduce the national deficit. The Senate’s plan calls for a minimum of $4 billion in cuts, while the House’s floor is much higher at $1.5 trillion.

‘The problem is, I think a lot of people don’t trust the Senate and what their intentions are, and that they’ll mislead the president and that we won’t get done what we need to get done,’ Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., told reporters on Tuesday. ‘I’m a ‘no’ until we figure out how to get enough votes to pass it.’

McCormick said there were as many as 40 GOP lawmakers who were undecided or opposed to the measure.

A meeting with a select group of holdouts at the White House on Tuesday appeared to budge a few people, but many conservatives signaled they were largely unmoved.

‘I wouldn’t put it on the floor,’ Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, told reporters after the White House meeting. ‘I’ve got a bill in front of me, and it’s a budget, and that budget, in my opinion, will increase the deficit, and I didn’t come here to do that.’

Senate GOP leaders praised the bill as a victory for Trump’s agenda when it passed the upper chamber in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Trump urged all House Republicans to support it in a Truth Social post on Monday evening.

Meanwhile, House Republican leaders like Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., have appealed to conservatives by arguing that passing the Senate version does not in any way impede the House from moving ahead with its steeper cuts.

The House passed its framework in late February.

Congressional Republicans are working on a massive piece of legislation that Trump has dubbed ‘one big, beautiful bill’ to advance his agenda on border security, defense, energy and taxes.

Such a measure is largely only possible via the budget reconciliation process. Traditionally used when one party controls all three branches of government, reconciliation lowers the Senate’s threshold for passage of certain fiscal measures from 60 votes to 51. As a result, it has been used to pass broad policy changes in one or two massive pieces of legislation.

Passing frameworks in the House and Senate, which largely only include numbers indicating increases or decreases in funding, allows each chamber’s committees to then craft policy in line with those numbers under their specific jurisdictions. 

Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus have pushed for Johnson to allow the House GOP to simply begin crafting its bill without passing the Senate version, though both chambers will need to eventually pass identical bills to send to Trump’s desk.

‘Trump wants to reduce the interest rates. Trump wants to lower the deficits. The only way to accomplish those is to reduce spending. And $4 billion is not – that’s … anemic. That is really a joke,’ Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., told reporters.

He said ‘there’s no way’ the legislation would pass the House this week.

The measure will likely go through the House Rules Committee, which acts as the final gatekeeper for most legislation getting a chamber-wide vote.

However, tentative plans for a late-afternoon House Rules Committee meeting on the framework, which would have set up a Wednesday vote, were scrapped by early evening on Tuesday.

The legislation could still get a House-wide vote late on Wednesday if the committee meets in the morning.

As for the House speaker, he was optimistic returning from the White House meeting on Tuesday afternoon.

‘Great meeting. The president was very helpful and engaged, and we had a lot of members whose questions were answered,’ Johnson told reporters. ‘I think we’ll be moving forward this week.’

Fox News’ Ryan Schmelz and Aishah Hasnie contributed to this report.

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Trump trade rep takes bipartisan fire over tariffs as Dem launches bid to halt them

Wall Street rebounded into the green as multiple foreign countries came to the tariff negotiating table with President Donald Trump – but that was not enough to assuage some lawmakers’ critiques of the ‘alla prima’ tariff actions, as one Republican put it.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer testified Tuesday the U.S. has long-suffered from ‘China Shock’ – the surge in manufacturing outputs from the Communist nation since the turn of the century – and that the U.S. had to do something substantive but strategic about the 5 million manufacturing jobs lost and 90,000 factories closed since the middle of the Clinton administration.

‘President Biden left us with a $1.2 trillion trade deficit-in-goods – the largest of any country in the history of the world,’ Greer said.

‘During COVID, we were unable to procure semiconductors to build our cars or materials for pharmaceuticals and personal protective equipment. During World War II, we built nearly 9,000 ships. Last year, the United States built only three ocean-going vessels,’ he said.

Greer said the U.S. historically was on the surplus side of agriculture trade but that, as of late, purportedly friendly countries like Australia have essentially rejected beef and pork exports, while America has not reciprocated with their livestock.

That became a sore subject during a particularly heated exchange between Greer and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., as the lawmaker claimed Trump unnecessarily ‘clobbered’ Canberra with a 10% tariff.

‘We have a free trade agreement with Australia,’ he said, questioning Trump’s ‘fancy Greek formula’ for determining tariffs.

Democrats and media figures previously mocked Trump for tariffing uninhabited Australian islands in the Indian Ocean – which Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick suggested over the weekend was to close any potential loophole to circumvent tariffs on such countries’ mainland.

Greer argued the ‘lowest rate available’ was imposed on Australia, leading Warner to ask again ‘why did they get whacked in the first place.’

‘Despite the [free trade] agreement, they ban our beef, they banned our pork, they’re getting ready to impose measures on our digital companies – It’s incredible,’ Greer said.

Warner later acknowledged markets had rebounded a ‘blip’ by midday but said a Wall Street contact equated it to a ‘good day in hospice.’

Meanwhile, during his opening remarks, Senate Finance Committee ranking member Ron Wyden said he has drafted a bipartisan resolution to ‘end the latest crop of global tariffs that are clobbering American families and small businesses.’

‘Members on both sides of the aisle ought to know that this is a call to action and Congress must step in to rein this president on trade,’ Wyden said.

He called the tariffs ‘aimless’ and ‘chaotic’ and said it showed Congress ceded the executive branch too much constitutional power.

In his testimony, Greer called trade imbalance an indicator of both an economic and national security emergency.

He also suggested America’s allies have been foisting unfair policies on the American consumer – including the European Union.

‘[They] can sell us all the shellfish they want, but the EU bans shellfish from 48 states. The result is a trade deficit in shellfish with the EU,’ he said.

‘We only charge a 2.5% tariff on ethanol, but Brazil charges us an 18% tariff. The result? We have a large trade deficit in ethanol with Brazil.’

‘Our average tariff on agricultural goods is 5%, but India’s average tariff is 39%. You understand the trend here.’

In response to some of Wyden’s concerns, Greer said Vietnam has already negotiated a lower tariff on U.S. cherries and apples exported from Oregon and the Northwest.

‘This is exactly the right direction that we want to go in,’ Greer said.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., struck a more middling tone on tariffs, saying that he has never been a ‘great fan of free trade,’ and cited his work ending NAFTA and opposing normalized relations with China.

He also cited the outsourcing of manufacturing to Mexico, saying it killed hundreds of thousands of American jobs and has many Mexican workers ‘living in cardboard boxes.’

‘That is the type of trade policy which I detest. But I want to move to an area, to talk about the legal basis of what President Trump has done,’ he said.

Sanders said he lives 50 miles from Canada and does not see the same empirical data on illegal immigration and fentanyl smuggling that Trump accused Ottawa of failing to act on – and incorporated into his tariff calculations.

On the Republican side, Chairman Michael Crapo, R-Idaho, was largely deferential to Trump and Greer, while some other Republicans voiced concerns.

Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa questioned whether Congress ‘delegated too much authority to the president’ but said he supports the president so long as his mission is to ‘turn tariffs into trade deals to reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers’ versus any plot to ‘feed the U.S. Treasury through them.’

‘I made very clear throughout my public service that I’m a free and fair trader. The Constitution gives Congress the authority to regulate interstate and foreign commerce. I believe that Congress delegated too much authority to the president in the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 and Trade Act of 1974,’ he said.

Additionally, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., pressed Greer on who should be considered the person that will take ultimately responsibility for either praise or accountability depending on the outcome of the tariff actions.

‘Whose throat do I have to choke,’ he said, underlining that the phrase was borrowed from a management consulting mantra.

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Women’s college basketball’s top scorer heads to South Carolina from portal

South Carolina women’s basketball on Tuesday landed a commitment from former Florida State guard Ta’Niya Latson, by way of the NCAA transfer portal.

Latson is coming off a big junior season with the Seminoles, finishing as the nation’s leading scorer at 25.2 points per game while averaging 4.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. She also shot 45.1% from the field this past season, just 0.4% off her career-high of 45.5% from the field that she set in her freshman season.

‘Feelin’ cocky!’ Latson wrote on a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday.

Latson entered the transfer portal on March 27 after Florida State lost to LSU in the second round in the women’s NCAA Tournament.

Landing Latson is a big one for South Carolina, as it gives Staley and her staff a new go-to scorer to pair with Raven Johnson, Joyce Edwards and MiLaysia Fulwiley. The Gamecocks are set to lose Te-Hina Paopao, Bree Hall and Sania Feagin, with all three players being out of eligibility.

Shortly after Latson announced her decision to transfer to South Carolina, who has made five consecutive Final Four appearances, her new coach took to social media to break her silence and welcome her newest player to Columbia, South Carolina.

‘A birdie just flew in nest!!’ Staley wrote on X.

As noted by The Greenville News’ Lulu Kesin, it is also a reunion for Latson with Johnson, Fulwiley and Edwards, as Latson played high school basketball in Florida with Johnson and played AAU basketball with both Fulwiley and Edwards.

In three seasons at Florida State, Latson averaged 25.2 points per game while shooting 44.8% from the field. The Miami native on Feb. 27 became the third player in ACC history to score 2,000 career points in her first three seasons during Florida State’s win over then-No. 3 Notre Dame.

Latson was the No. 1-ranked player in the transfer portal on ESPN per Charlie Creme, ranking one spot higher than former Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles, who reportedly committed to TCU on Tuesday.

South Carolina finished 34-4 overall on the season while finishing as the national runner-up in the women’s NCAA Tournament after falling 82-59 to UConn in the national championship game on April 6.

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Trump, Hegseth reveal whopping figure they want for the next Pentagon budget

President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed to hike the Pentagon budget to over $1 trillion for the first time ever. 

Speaking to reporters alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said the upcoming budget would be ‘in the vicinity’ of $1 trillion, a major boost from this year’s $850 billion budget. 

‘COMING SOON: the first TRILLION dollar @DeptofDefense budget,’ Hegseth posted on X. 

He said Trump is ‘is rebuilding our military – and FAST.’

The budget for all national security programs, including the Department of Defense, nuclear weapons development and other security agencies, is at $892 billion for this year. 

Moving to a $1 trillion Pentagon budget would be a 12% increase over current levels. 

But the $1 trillion budget idea comes just as the Pentagon has moved to cut 8% each year for five years from each program to reinvest in modernization. The department is also planning to slash tens of thousands from its civilian workforce and consolidate bases across the world. 

‘We’re going to be approving a budget, and I’m proud to say, actually, the biggest one we’ve ever done for the military,’ he said. ‘$1 trillion. Nobody has seen anything like it.

‘We are getting a very, very powerful military. We have things under order now.’

White House officials are expected to unveil their budget proposal for fiscal year 2026 later this spring before Congress hashes out the appropriations process. 

Even a $1 trillion budget would not put the U.S. at Trump’s stated target for NATO countries to spend on defense: 5%. 

But the president said the cash influx would be used to kickstart production on new equipment and technologies. 

‘We’ve never had the kind of aircraft, the kind of missiles, anything that we have ordered,’ he said. ‘And it’s in many ways too bad that we have to do it because, hopefully, we’re not going to have to use it.’

The Trump administration recently unveiled a Boeing contract for the Air Force’s sixth-generation fighter jet, the F-47, which the service branch expects to cost around $20 billion from 2025 to 2029. 

‘We know every other plane,’ Trump said. ‘I’ve seen every one of them and it’s not even close. This is a next level.’

An announcement on the Navy’s next-generation fighter jet, F/A-XX, has been stalled, while chief of naval operations Adm. James Kirby told reporters Monday work on the new jet’s contract was taking place at ‘secretary-level and above.’ 

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White House: US will lead in AI, but China is catching up

China’s innovation in artificial intelligence is ‘accelerating,’ according to Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology. He told Fox News Digital that the United States’ ‘promote and protect’ strategy will solidify its standing as the world’s dominant power in AI.

Kratsios, who served as chief technology officer during the first Trump administration, sat for an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital on Monday.

‘The White House in the first Trump administration redefined national tech policy to focus on American leadership in emerging technologies, and those were technologies like artificial intelligence, quantum computing and 5G, [which] were big back then,’ Kratsios said. ‘The president, at that time, signed the executive order prioritizing U.S. leadership in AI, back in 2019 when people weren’t even talking about it.’

‘He recognized that it was critical for the U.S. to lead in AI,’ Kratsios said. ‘We got the ball rolling on what the U.S. national strategy is and how we would win.’ 

During his first administration, Trump signed the first-ever executive order on AI in 2019. He also took executive action in 2020 to establish the first-ever guidance for federal agency adoption of AI to deliver services to the American people and ‘foster public trust’ in the technology. 

But Kratsios said that when former President Joe Biden took office, the attitude of his administration toward AI shifted to ‘one of fear and one of over-regulation.’ 

‘There was a fixation on what I would call harms, so, spending time and energy thinking about all the things that could go wrong with this technology, versus having a balanced approach, where you try to minimize things that could go poorly, and more importantly, look at ways this technology can transform America for the better,’ Kratsios explained, noting that Biden officials were ‘harms focused,’ which he said was ‘manifested in a lot of the policies that they did, in the way that they were very reticent to applying some of this technology to a lot of the issues that government faced, like how you make agencies more efficient.’ 

Kratsios reflected on Trump’s AI message during the campaign, saying he ‘made it very clear that we as a country need to win and be dominant in artificial intelligence.’ 

‘And he acted very decisively,’ Kratsios said, pointing to Trump’s move on his third day in office to direct him and other officials to develop an AI action plan. 

‘It was a way to review everything that had been done under the Biden administration and turn the page with an agenda that’s focused on sustaining and ensuring continued U.S. leadership in this particular technology, and that’s what we’ve been working on,’ Kratsios said. 

Kratsios explained that the U.S. is ‘the leader’ in AI, specifically when it comes to the ‘three layers of technology,’ which he said are chips or high-end semiconductors, the model itself and the application layer. 

‘If you look at all three of those layers, the U.S. is the leader,’ Kratsios said. ‘We have the best chips. We have the best models. And we have the best applications to date.’ 

But he warned that the Trump administration is ‘seeing the velocity of innovation’ from China.

‘We’re seeing the speed at which the PRC is catching up with us is actually accelerating,’ he explained. 

Kratsios referenced DeepSeek, which was released by a Chinese firm earlier in 2025 and develops large language models.

‘I think what DeepSeek revealed is that the Chinese continue to make progress and are trying really hard to catch up with us on those three layers,’ Kratsios said. 

But the key to maintaining U.S. dominance in the space is the Trump administration’s ‘promote and protect’ strategy, Kratsios explained. 

Kratsios said the Trump administration will ‘promote’ by continuing to accelerate the development of technology and encouraging more Americans, American companies and countries around the world to use that technology. 

‘And then on the protect side, what is it that the U.S. has which could be useful to the PRC to accelerate their efforts in AI? We protect that technology from access by the Chinese,’ Kratsios said, pointing to high-end semiconductors and chips that the Chinese ‘shouldn’t have access to, because that would make it easier for them to accelerate their efforts.’ 

‘How do we speed up innovation here at home and slow down our adversaries?’ Kratsios said. 

The answer, Kratsios said, is AI research and development that continues to drive innovation. He also said the Trump administration needs to continue to remove regulations and barriers to AI innovation, and also prepare and train Americans in the workforce to ‘better leverage this technology.’ 

Kratsios said another step is ensuring that foreign allies partner with the U.S. to ‘make sure that they are also keeping the PRC at bay and that they continue to use the American AI stack.’ 

‘So, if you’re any country in the world that wants to use AI, you’d want to use an American stack,’ he explained. ‘So we should make it as easy as possible in order for us to export our technology to like-minded partners.’ 

As for China, Kratsios said the PRC ‘is probably one of the most sophisticated surveillance states in the world, and that is underpinned by their own artificial intelligence technology.’ 

‘I think the goal of the United States should be to continue to be the dominant power in AI. And there are certain inputs to the development of AI which we can control, and which we would not want the PRC to have access to,’ he said. ‘And the most important pieces are sort of these very high-end chips that they can use to train models, and also certain equipment that would allow them to build their own very high-end chips.’ 

He added: ‘And if we can kind of continue to make it challenging for them to do that. I think it’ll be the benefit of the U.S.’ 

Looking ahead, Kratsios echoed the president, saying the U.S. is in the ‘golden age’ and that this special moment in time is ‘underpinned by unbelievable science and technology.’ 

‘We want to put an American flag on Mars,’ Kratsios said. ‘We want to fly supersonic again. We want drones to be delivering packages around the world. We want AI to be used by American workers to allow them to do their jobs better, safer and faster.’ 

He added: ‘We have an opportunity to all these things, like so much more, in these four years. And this office is going to be the home for driving that innovation across so many technological domains.’ 

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US, Panama ‘taking back’ canal from ‘China’s influence,’ says Hegseth

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Tuesday said the U.S. will take back the Panama Canal from ‘China’s influence’ as Washington tries to reassert control over the major trade route. 

‘The United States of America will not allow communist China or any other country to threaten the canal’s operation or integrity,’ he said during a press event from the Central American nation. ‘To this end, the United States and Panama have done more in recent weeks to strengthen our defense and security cooperation than we have in decades.

‘Together we will take back the Panama Canal from China’s influence,’ he added.

Panama has repeatedly rejected the Trump administration’s claims that China effectively controls the canal as it operates two major ports on either end of the waterway. 

However, the Central American nation withdrew from its 2017 Belt and Road Initiative agreements with Beijing earlier this year in a signal that Panama has chosen to side with the Trump administration in this geopolitical spat.

Hegseth laid out a litany of joint exercises, operations and the general presence of the U.S. military in and around the canal in a move to counter China, though Fox News Digital could not immediately reach the Pentagon to confirm whether this signified an increase in U.S. presence in the region.

‘Our relationship with Panama, especially our security relationship, will continue to grow in the months and years ahead,’ Hegseth said. ‘Our relationship is growing in part to meet communist China’s rising challenges.’

The defense secretary said China-based companies continue to install ‘critical infrastructure’ in the canal, which gives China the ‘potential’ ability to ‘conduct surveillance.’

‘This makes Panama and the United States less secure, less prosperous, less sovereign,’ he added.  

‘I want to be very clear. China did not build this canal. China does not operate this canal, and China will not weaponize this canal,’ Hegseth said.

The Chinese embassy in D.C. did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

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Mike Huckabee nomination advances in Senate, one step closer to becoming ambassador to Israel

Mike Huckabee, President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to Israel, cleared a key hurdle Tuesday after the Senate voted to end debate on his nomination.

The Senate voted 53 to 46 to advance Hucakbee’s nomination. He now awaits a final confirmation vote as Israel continues its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

While Republicans have championed Huckabee as an ardent supporter of Israel, Democrats have questioned his previous ‘extreme’ position on Palestinians.

The former Arkansas governor has previously argued it is Israel’s right to annex the West Bank and has flatly rejected the push to establish a two-state solution when it comes to the Gaza Strip. 

Huckabee has not commented on whether he still views the West Bank as Israel’s right to claim, or where he stands when it comes to Trump’s position on the Gaza Strip, which the president said he would like to turn into the ‘riviera of the Middle East’ and called for the ‘relocation’ of more than 2 million Palestinians.

During his confirmation hearing, the former governor pushed back on claims that Trump wants to take over the Gaza Strip, insisting the president has not called for the ‘forced displacement’ of Palestinians from Gaza – ‘unless it is for their safety.’

‘If confirmed, it will be my responsibility to carry out the president’s priorities, not mine,’ Huckabee said in response to questions levied at him from Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.

But Huckabee’s testimony during Senate questioning is unlikely to have garnered much new support from Democrats in Congress. 

‘Huckabee’s positions are not the words of a thoughtful diplomat – they are the words of a provocateur whose views are far outside international consensus and contrary to the core bipartisan principles of American diplomacy,’ New York Rep. Jerry Nadler, a senior Jewish Democrat, said in a statement last month. ‘In one of the most volatile and violent areas in the world today, there is no need for more extremism, and certainly not from the historic ambassador’s post and behind the powerful seal of the United States.’

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Masters 2025 tee times, groups, golfers to watch in opening rounds

There are marquee groups starting in both the morning and afternoon when first-round action begins Thursday.

The headliners teeing off before noon include Collin Morikawa, playing alongside current LIV Golf standings leader Joaquin Niemann, and rising star Min Woo Lee, who recently won his first PGA Tour event at the Texas Children’s Houston Open less than two weeks ago. Less than 30 minutes later, Scottie Scheffler will start his quest to join Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as the only golfers to win the Masters in back-to-back years in a group with Justin Thomas, who has surged back into the top 10 of the world golf rankings this season.

The afternoon groups are also packed with big names, in conjunction with ESPN’s broadcast window. Brooks Koepka will play in a group with popular sleeper pick Russell Henley, while Rory McIlroy is slated to play alongside fellow tournament favorite and Ryder Cup teammate Ludvig Åberg on Thursday and Friday. LIV Golf stars Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau follow in the ensuing two groups.

It’s shaping up to be a memorable Masters in Augusta, Georgia. Here’s a look at all the tee times and groups for the first and second rounds of this year’s tournament, including a complete schedule and how to watch:

Masters 2025: First-round tee times, groups

All times Eastern

7:40 a.m. — Davis Riley, Patton Kizzire
7:51 a.m. — Kevin Yu, Jhonattan Vegas, Nicolai Højgaard
8:02 a.m. — Mike Weir, Michael Kim, Cameron Young
8:13 a.m. — Zach Johnson, Joe Highsmith, Chris Kirk
8:24 a.m. — Danny Willett, Nicolas Echavarria, Davis Thompson
8:35 a.m. — Bernhard Langer, Will Zalatoris, Noah Kent (A)
8:52 a.m. — Cameron Smith, J.T. Poston, Aaron Rai
9:03 a.m. — Fred Couples, Harris English, Taylor Pendrith
9:14 a.m. — Corey Conners, Brian Harman, Stephan Jaeger
9:25 a.m. — Patrick Reed, Max Greyserman, Byeong Hun An
9:36 a.m. — Robert MacIntyre, Billy Horschel, Nick Dunlap
9:47 a.m. — Collin Morikawa, Joaquín Niemann, Min Woo Lee
9:58 a.m. — Phil Mickelson, Jason Day, Keegan Bradley
10:15 a.m. — Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Jose Luis Ballester (A)
10:26 a.m. — Jordan Spieth, Tom Kim, Tyrrell Hatton
10:37 a.m. — Tony Finau, Maverick McNealy, Thomas Detry
10:48 a.m. — Cameron Davis, Rafael Campos, Austin Eckroat
10:59 a.m. — Angel Cabrera, Laurie Canter, Adam Schenk
11:10 a.m. — José María Olazábal, Thriston Lawrence, Brian Campbell
11:21 a.m. — Bubba Watson, Matthieu Pavon, Evan Beck (A)
11:38 a.m. — Tom Hoge, Matt McCarty, Christiaan Bezuidenhout
11:49 a.m. — Charl Schwartzel, Denny McCarthy, Hiroshi Tai (A)
12 p.m. — Max Homa, Justin Rose, J.J. Spaun
12:11 p.m. — Dustin Johnson, Nick Taylor, Justin Hastings (A)
12:22 p.m. — Sergio Garcia, Lucas Glover, Daniel Berger
12:33 p.m. — Patrick Cantlay, Rasmus Højgaard, Matt Fitzpatrick
12:50 p.m. — Brooks Koepka, Russell Henley, Sungjae Im
1:01 p.m. — Adam Scott, Xander Schauffele, Viktor Hovland
1:12 p.m. — Rory McIlroy, Ludvig Åberg, Akshay Bhatia
1:23 p.m. — Hideki Matsuyama, Bryson DeChambeau, Shane Lowry
1:34 p.m. — Jon Rahm, Wyndham Clark, Tommy Fleetwood
1:45 p.m. — Sahith Theegala, Sepp Straka, Sam Burns

Masters 2025: Second-round tee times, groups

7:40 a.m. — Cameron Davis, Rafael Campos, Austin Eckroat
7:51 a.m. — Angel Cabrera, Laurie Canter, Adam Schenk
8:02 a.m. — José María Olazábal, Thriston Lawrence, Brian Campbell
8:13 a.m. — Bubba Watson, Matthieu Pavon, Evan Beck (A)
8:24 a.m. — Tom Hoge, Matt McCarty, Christiaan Bezuidenhout
8:35 a.m. — Charl Schwartzel, Denny McCarthy, Hiroshi Tai (A)
8:52 a.m. — Max Homa, Justin Rose, J.J. Spaun
9:03 a.m. — Dustin Johnson, Nick Taylor, Justin Hastings (A)
9:14 a.m. — Sergio Garcia, Lucas Glover, Daniel Berger
9:25 a.m. — Patrick Cantlay, Rasmus Højgaard, Matt Fitzpatrick
9:36 a.m. — Brooks Koepka, Russell Henley, Sungjae Im
9:47 a.m. — Adam Scott, Xander Schauffele, Viktor Hovland
9:58 a.m. — Rory McIlroy, Ludvig Åberg, Akshay Bhatia
10:15 a.m. — Hideki Matsuyama, Bryson DeChambeau, Shane Lowry
10:26 a.m. — Jon Rahm, Wyndham Clark, Tommy Fleetwood
10:37 a.m. — Sahith Theegala, Sepp Straka, Sam Burns
10:48 a.m. — Davis Riley, Patton Kizzire
10:59 a.m. — Kevin Yu, Jhonattan Vegas, Nicolai Højgaard
11:10 a.m. — Mike Weir, Michael Kim, Cameron Young
11:21 a.m. — Zach Johnson, Joe Highsmith, Chris Kirk
11:38 a.m. — Danny Willett, Nicolas Echavarria, Davis Thompson
11:49 a.m. — Bernhard Langer, Will Zalatoris, Noah Kent (A)
12 p.m. — Cameron Smith, J.T. Poston, Aaron Rai
12:11 p.m. — Fred Couples, Harris English, Taylor Pendrith
12:22 p.m. — Corey Conners, Brian Harman, Stephan Jaeger
12:33 p.m. — Patrick Reed, Max Greyserman, Byeong Hun An
12:50 p.m. — Robert MacIntyre, Billy Horschel, Nick Dunlap
1:01 p.m. — Collin Morikawa, Joaquín Niemann, Min Woo Lee
1:12 p.m. — Phil Mickelson, Jason Day, Keegan Bradley
1:23 p.m. — Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Jose Luis Ballester (A)
1:34 p.m. — Jordan Spieth, Tom Kim, Tyrrell Hatton
1:45 p.m. — Tony Finau, Maverick McNealy, Thomas Detry

(A) amateur

Watch the 2025 Masters with Fubo

How to watch 2025 Masters: TV, streaming for golf’s first major

Live coverage of this year’s Masters tournament will be split by ESPN and CBS, with the first and second rounds broadcast on ESPN and the final two rounds on CBS.

Thursday, April 10 – Friday, April 11

TV: ESPN
Time: 3:30-7 p.m. ET
Streaming coverage: ESPN+, Masters.com, the Masters YouTube page and Fubo, which offers a free trial subscription for new users

Saturday, Apil 12 – Sunday, April 13

TV: CBS, Paramount+
Time: 12-7 p.m. ET (12-2 p.m. streaming on Paramount+, 2-7 p.m. on both CBS and Paramount+ )
Streaming coverage: Paramount+, Masters.com, the Masters YouTube page and Fubo, which offers a free trial subscription for new users

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When will Shohei Ohtani pitch? Two-way star touts ‘conservative’ route

WASHINGTON — Shohei Ohtani laid out both his and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ mindset regarding his return to the pitching mound: Better safe than sorry.

Ohtani, the greatest two-way player in baseball history, hasn’t thrown a competitive pitch since August 2023, though he won the National League MVP and a World Series title nonetheless a year ago.

Now, his battle back from a second Tommy John surgery has transitioned from recovery to return. He’s ramping up his bullpen sessions yet still limiting both how hard and what type of pitches he’s throwing.

And there’s lots of underlying reasons for that.

‘The Dodgers are consulting with doctors just to make sure that since this is my second operation, it’s really important to be conservative and be on top of things,’ Ohtani said Monday night via club interpreter Will Ireton.

The Dodgers have raced out to a 9-3 start, although they’ve lost three of their past four games. And the ludicrous amount of pitching depth they began the season with has thinned just a bit.

Left-hander Blake Snell, on the 15-day injured list with shoulder inflammation, underwent an MRI on Monday that revealed no structural damage. He acknowledged Monday that the injury affected him in his first two starts, then became untenable as he threw an off-day bullpen session.

Franchise icon Clayton Kershaw threw another bullpen session Monday in his climb back from a toe injury and will face live batters at the Dodgers’ Arizona complex on Thursday. He says that ‘when my toe’s ready to go, I’m ready to go.’

With Tony Gonsolin also on the shelf with back discomfort, the Dodgers have to cover the last two games at Washington with spot starters; Justin Wrobleski will get the call Tuesday, with Landon Knack a possibility for Wednesday.

So the Dodgers are getting by. But wouldn’t a global icon with a 98-mph fastball and devastating sweeper be nice?

Well, maybe pump the brakes a bit.

‘I feel pretty good with where I’m at physically,’ says Ohtani. ‘There’s some limitation on how hard I’m supposed to throw, or the type of pitches I’m allowed to throw, so once I’m pretty clear of being able to do all of the above, I feel pretty good about throwing live BP.’

Yet it’s clear the Dodgers might keep those governors on Ohtani’s prized right arm a bit more. It would also make a lot more sense to slot his debut later in the season, since, given his recovery from a second Tommy John surgery, his innings count will be limited.

Playoff Ohtani would be far more impactful on the mound than June Ohtani. So the Dodgers will soldier on and await the true arrival of their two-way star, in his second year at Chavez Ravine.

Besides, Ohtani the hitter is doing OK: A .311 average, 1.080 OPS, four homers and missing just a double for his second career cycle on Monday. That’ll play, even if he won’t, right now, on the mound.

‘You want to keep everybody healthy,’ says manager Dave Roberts. ‘Putting Blake on the IL certainly isn’t ideal. But I feel good about the pitching depth.’

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