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Newest Fever eager to play with Caitlin Clark: ‘Couldn’t be more excited’

Consider no hard feelings between new teammates DeWanna Bonner and Caitlin Clark.

Bonner signed a one-year deal with the Indiana Fever this offseason and was formally introduced by the team on Monday. And of course, the six-time WNBA All-Star was asked about the little incident she had with the Fever star during the 2024 WNBA playoffs.

During Game 2 of the first-round series between the Fever and the Connecticut Sun, Clark complained to a referee after she felt like she was fouled by Bonner. The 15-year veteran didn’t appreciate it, and Bonner had some words for Clark before the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year shoved Bonner with one hand. Bonner responded by swiping at Clark’s arm.

Bonner and Clark continued to chirp at one another following a timeout, and officials eventually separated them to prevent any escalation.

When asked about the incident on Monday and whether it had any impact on her decision to sign with Indiana, Bonner couldn’t help but laugh.

‘I’m glad you asked that question, because my inbox has been going crazy about that moment,’ Bonner said.. ‘I think it’s just two competitive players that want to win and push their team to get over the finish line. It was the playoffs, so emotions are high, tensions are high.’

It’s been quite the offseason for Indiana, which also added forwards Sophie Cunningham and Natasha Howard to a team attempting to take the next step in the WNBA hierarchy. Bonner, who is a two-time WNBA champion with the Phoenix Mercury and twice named to an All-WNBA team, said she ‘couldn’t be more excited’ to play alongside Clark.

The two already got a workout in together.

‘I think we just feed well off each other. I’m just here to hopefully give my leadership advice,’ Bonner said. ‘I don’t think I need to push her to be any type of player that she isn’t already is, and I’m just happy to be here and I hope I can give her some knowledge to bring her game to a different level.’

Clark also praised the moves the teams made, noting Bonner adds much-needed championship experience.

‘I think it’s exactly what we needed in our locker room. But also they’re not just really good basketball players, they’re great leaders and great people and I know the front office prioritized that,’ she said.

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Eagles QB’s journey to Super Bowl MVP was forged by adversity

NEW ORLEANS – Never forget where you came from.

Jalen Hurts won’t forget. He was benched in college in the middle of a national championship game. Lost a Super Bowl. Shoot, not too long ago, while his Philadelphia Eagles were only in the midst of winning 16 of their past 17 games, ridiculed for not connecting better with star receiver A.J. Brown. Always something.

Yet on the morning after Super Bowl 59, after the Eagles quarterback capped his phenomenal season with a clutch performance for the ages, there was nothing else to knock. As Hurts posed with the Lombardi Trophy and the Pete Rozelle Trophy, a sterling silver football awarded to the Super Bowl MVP for the definitive photo op, he looked to be so at peace.

“When you hoist those trophies, it’s more so about the journey and less about the results,” Hurts said during the last news conference of the Super Bowl 59 hype program. “Obviously, we’re going to be judged for results, but that’s for everyone else to talk about. But the journey is what builds us, it makes us who we are.”

As I sat there in the New Orleans Convention Center listening to Hurts drop philosophy while accompanied by Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, I was struck by how much he resembled the man who met with the media during the middle of the week at the team’s hotel. Or the man seen last year. Or at his last Super Bowl, two years ago. So consistent. Low-key. Mellow. Thoughtful. Hurts is just 26. But he sounds like he could be going on 50, an old soul wrapped in wisdom.

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Someone asked if he felt validated, which might have also been another way of suggesting that his critics are silenced with Hurts becoming the newest member of an elite club of Super Bowl MVPs.

“What’s the quote?” Hurts replied. “I had a purpose before anybody had an opinion. That thing is still true. My purpose is being who God called me to be. It’s never been about anybody else. It’s just been about the journey and embracing everything and trying to grow and be the best that I can be.

“I wouldn’t be here without that journey. And that’s something I embrace along the way and I think it’s just something to continue to build on…I’m just thankful for the highs and lows, because I know God is greater and has his hands on me, through the highs and the lows.”

Amen.

On Sunday night, Hurts changed the narrative about his career arc. Maybe the blowout triumph – backed by the NFL’s top-ranked defense – that prevented the Kansas City Chiefs from becoming the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls wasn’t so much about avenging the loss to Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl 57, but that happened, too.

In the last Super Bowl, Hurts lost a fumble that Nick Bolton returned 36 yards for a touchdown. It was a pivotal moment in a 38-35 setback. This time, the multi-dimensional Hurts was nearly flawless as the first player in Super Bowl history to complete at least 75% of his passes (17-of-22, 221 yards) with 2 TDs while rushing for least 70 yards with a score.

Sure, we’ve seen quarterbacks dominate in Super Bowls or otherwise with bigger passing numbers. Yet with Hurts, who had just one 300-yard passing game all season (Week 3, at New Orleans) it’s a different type of flow.

“When it’s all said and done for me, I won’t measure my success off of any numbers, or statistics, or passing yards, or touchdowns, or anything like that,” he said. “I measure it off rings and championships.”

“The one thing I’ve always respected about Jalen is that he’s a winner,” Mahomes said afterward. “I know it sounds…some people take that as if it’s not a good thing, but you have to find ways to win with your football team around you. That’s what I’ve learned my entire career, and that’s what he’s come into the NFL and done his entire career. If he needs to make a big play, he’ll make a big play. That’s stuff that not everybody has.

“I have a lot of respect for Jalen. I said it after the first Super Bowl we played against them. I said he would be back and he was, and he got the better of me today. I’m sure we’ll face off against (each other again) at some point in our careers in a big game like this.”

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You can believe that Hurts, who left the Super Bowl site for a trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando before returning to Philadelphia, will keep it in perspective.

“My entire career, I’ve been challenged by different things, and it’s put me in a place where I try to improve, improve, improve, so I could be the best that I can be,” he said. “Then there’s the other side of it, where you experience a shortcoming and a failure, and you now see the importance of winning. I think both of those components are essential to being great and achieving success.”

Especially when the winding path leads to the place where Hurts is standing now at the top of the NFL mountaintop.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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DAVID MARCUS: Elon Musk heads to the backwoods of West Virginia in search of the national debt

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

PARKERSBURG, W.V – This darling little town of 30,000 holds an astounding $36 trillion dollars of debt, but it’s not the people’s fault. Allow me to explain.  

Back in 1957, the Bureau of the National Debt was placed in this remote Appalachian city in case of national emergency, which presumably meant nuclear war. So, while New York, Chicago ,and DC were mushroom clouded, the federal government could continue banking. 

This is why, on Tuesday morning, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency will arrive in this pleasant hamlet to gain access to more of the comings and goings of America’s money.

The actual thing that exists here in Parkersburg is called the Central Accounting Reporting System (CARS). Some locals told me is resides in the basement of an old building in town. It’s all a little vague and spooky. 

What Musk and his team want is access to the real numbers, the payouts on our debt, our collections, what money is going where. This is where the answers reside. Every single day, the thousand or so federal employees in Parkersburg track and report on that debt.

On Monday evening at the Hotel Blennerhassett, built in 1889 and still an imposing and elegant centerpiece of the area, the impending visit from DOGE was already the talk of the town.  

‘This is a huge part of this city’s economy,’ one local retired attorney told me, adding, ‘We don’t know what’s going to happen to it.’ 

Local Democratic officials have been raising similar alarm bells, as well. Jeff Fox, the Wood County Democratic Party Chair said, ‘Our community relies heavily on the employment provided by the U.S. Treasury here in Parkersburg. The prospect of DOGE’s intervention raises serious questions about job security for our residents.’ 

Fair enough, except that all Musk’s DOGE team is seeking is access to data. There is nothing to suggest that the plan here is to fire anyone, except maybe for Musk’s sometimes overzealous rhetoric. 

And honestly, it is that trolling rhetoric that seems to be leading to the confusion. 

Musk and his team have taken to using a signature scene of the Gen X classic Office Space to explain DOGE. It is the Bobs, brought in to fire people, interrogate them as to ‘what they actually do here.’

But the point of those scenes was not that it was vital that Initech become more efficient, as the tech bros would have it. It was that Peter, the protagonist, wanted more than efficiency for his life. That is precisely why he confused them. 

On the ground in Parkersburg, I cannot provide you with a black and white story of good and evil, of graft and honesty. It’s more complicated than that. It always is. 

There is no apparent reason to think that Musk’s minions are rolling up to the Bureau of Fiscal Service, right across the street from the hotel, with a briefcase full of pink slips. What I saw today was a full parking lot of federal employees’ nice cars outside the building. These are people showing up.

Instead, what Musk really wants is a look under the hood of federal debt, and Parkersburg is absolutely its service station. There may be legitimate concerns about sensitive information contained within, but if President Trump has tasked Musk to suss it out, then he’s allowed to do that. 

I drove across the mountains to Parkersburg in my spunky red Mitsubishi Lancer because it’s the kind of place I like to report on. This DOGE intervention was icing on the cake. 

I don’t know what, if anything, local reaction will be to Musk’s DOGE invasion of Parkersburg Tuesday, but I’m here so I can find out.

Our federal government is probably the biggest and most important thing that has ever existed in the world. It won global wars hot and cold, it landed on the Moon, its glory knows no bounds. 

But all of that was funded in Parkersburg, West ‘By God’ Virginia, and this week, Donald Trump and Elon Musk will be going through the receipts. 

Nobody likes an audit, but maybe it’s time.

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Democrat lawmaker freezes on House floor after suffering adverse reaction to medication

Rep. John Larson, D-Ct., appeared to freeze mid-remarks on the House floor on Monday. In the middle of impassioned remarks aimed against President Donald Trump and his team, including Elon Musk, Larson took a long pause and when he resumed speaking his speed was noticeably slower. The lawmaker was also slurring his words.

Following the incident, Larson’s D.C. office put out a statement expressing the congressman’s gratitude to those who reached out and clarifying a possible reason for the lawmaker’s long pause.

‘Congressman Larson appreciates the well wishes from everyone who has reached out. This afternoon, he had what was likely an adverse reaction to a new medication and is having tests administered by the House Attending Physician out of an abundance of caution,’ Larson’s office wrote in a statement.

 ‘He later participated in multiple meetings in his office and was alert and engaged. The Congressman remains in touch with his staff and in good spirits.’

The 76-year-old lawmaker’s office, however, did not provide details on what the medication was or why the congressman was purportedly taking it. Larson also reportedly skipped two House votes held on Monday night, according to Axios.

American voters have grown increasingly concerned over lawmakers’ ages. The issue of age in politics is not new, as former President Ronald Regan combated questions about his age when running for re-election in 1984. Reagan famously joked about the issue in a debate against former Vice President Walter Mondale.

‘I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience,’ Reagan joked during the debate, eliciting laughs from the audience and Mondale.

However, the 2024 election brought age back into the spotlight as many questioned then-President Joe Biden’s cognitive abilities. When the president dropped out of the race in July 2024, some Democrats tried to flip the age question onto Trump, but this mostly fell flat.

Additionally, just days before Larson’s incident, Senator Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who will turn 83 later this month, left the Capitol in a wheelchair as a precautionary issue after falling twice.

‘Senator McConnell is fine. The lingering effects of polio in his left leg will not disrupt his regular schedule of work,’ a spokesperson for the senator said in a statement.

The average age of America’s lawmakers is changing, according to a report from the Pew Research Center. In January, Pew reported that the average age of voting members in the House and the median age in the Senate had dropped. The House’s median age went from 57.9 years in the 118th Congress to 57.5 years in the 119th, while the median age in the Senate went from 65.3 to 64.7 years.

Pew shows that the majority of the House in the 119th Congress is made up of Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, with the younger generation slowly outpacing the older one. Baby Boomers are no longer the largest generation in the House, now accounting for just 39% of the legislative body. Their numbers have also dropped in the Senate, despite Baby Boomers still making up a majority of the chamber.

Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., is the only Gen Z lawmaker in Congress. Members of Frost’s generation are not yet eligible to run for Senate, where the minimum age to serve is 30 years old.

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Trump has higher approval rating than at any point during first term: poll

President Donald Trump has the highest approval rating now compared to any point during his first term in office, according to a new poll. 

Forty-seven percent of Americans approve of Trump’s job performance in the less than a month since he was sworn in as the 47th president, the latest national survey by the Pew Research Center found. 

While that’s higher than at any point while he served as the 45th president, Trump’s inaugural approval rating sinks below that of most other presidents since Ronald Reagan. George W. Bush’s approval rating early in his second term, however, was about the same as that of Trump now. 

The poll, conducted Jan. 27 to Feb. 2 among 5,086 adults, found nearly three in ten adults, or 28%, view Trump’s actions as better than expected, while 36% said they have been what they expected. 

His actions are viewed as worse than expected by 35% of adults. 

Americans are fairly evenly split over how they believe Trump’s White House will affect the federal government. The survey found 41% of adults said they believe Trump’s administration will improve the way the federal government works, and 42% said they believe the state of the federal government will worsen with him in office. 

Public opinion on Trump’s agenda remains starkly divided along partisan lines. The poll found 67% of Republicans, including those who lean red, support all or most of Trump’s plans and policies. For Democrats and those who lean blue, 84% support few or none. Almost an identical share of Republicans, 76%, said Trump will improve the way the federal government operates, as Democrats, 78%, said Trump will make the federal government run worse. 

For Republicans, 53% viewed Trump’s recent actions as better than expected, while the poll found 60% of Democrats view the president’s accomplishments as worse than expected. 

As Trump enters his fourth week back in office, his efforts to slash wasteful federal government spending through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have caused a stir in Washington. 

His threat of tariffs against Canada and Mexico and levied against China over the flow of deadly fentanyl across American borders has similarly raised concerns. Trump’s angling for the Panama Canal and Greenland amid the increasing Chinese presence in the Western Hemisphere, as well as his administration overseeing a collapsing ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel in the Middle East have put the world on notice. 

Trump’s advisers are expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week in Munich as the war with Russia stretches into its third year. Raging wildfires in California, a deadly military helicopter-passenger jet collision in D.C., and the continuing aftermath of last year’s hurricane devastation in the southeast, particularly in North Carolina, are putting Trump’s new Cabinet chiefs to the test on the domestic front, as is Trump’s crackdown on criminal illegal immigration. 

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Russia says US relations ‘on the brink of a breakup,’ won’t confirm Trump-Putin talk

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime suggested relations between Washington, D.C., and Moscow are on ‘the brink’ of collapse this week.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov made the announcement during a Monday press conference. Ryabkov reiterated Putin’s stance that there would be no peace in Ukraine unless the country dropped its ambitions to join NATO and ceded Russian-occupied regions.

‘We simply imperatively need to get … the new U.S. administration to understand and acknowledge that without resolving the problems that are the root causes of the crisis in Ukraine, it will not be possible to reach an agreement,’ Ryabkov said.

While President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he has spoken to Putin, a spokesman for the Russian leader declined to confirm the call this week.

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday that he expects to have ‘many more conversations. We have to get that war ended.’

‘I hate to see all these young people being killed. The soldiers are being killed by the hundreds of thousands,’ he added.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is preparing to meet with Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference later this week after confirming on Friday he is ready to ‘do a deal’ with President Donald Trump.

According to an interview with Reuters, Zelenskyy said he was ready to supply the U.S. with rare-earth minerals in exchange for Washington’s continued backing of its war effort.

‘If we are talking about a deal, then let’s do a deal, we are only for it,’ Zelenskyy said. 

The Ukrainian president has made clear he is also open to engaging in peace talks with Russia to end the three-year-long war, though possible terms for securing a peace deal remain varied and unknown. 

Though Zelenskyy has said he is looking for ‘guarantees’ when it comes to future security assurances for the war-torn country.

These security assurances will likely need to be more than a formal handshake paired with a signed document, as Russia has twice violated its last agreement with Ukraine, known as the 1994 Budapest Memorandum.

Zelenskyy apparently first floated the idea of trading Ukraine’s mineral resources – roughly 20% of which are located in now Russian-controlled territory, including half of the rare-earth variety – under his ‘victory plan’ first presented to Western allies last fall, reported Reuters. 

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Police suspect Super Bowl reporter was drugged before death in New Orleans

A Kansas City sports reporter may have been drugged by a Louisiana woman known as a ‘career criminal’ before he died near New Orleans while covering Super Bowl 59, police said.

Days after Manzano’s death was announced by Telemundo Kansas City, Kenner police announced that they arrested 48-year-old Danette Colbert on Thursday night. Police said Colbert has only been charged with property crimes as of Monday, including fraud and theft-related offenses, but more charges could be forthcoming pending a toxicology report and further investigation by forensic experts.

While the toxicology report could ‘take several weeks to become available,’ police said on Monday that available evidence in the case has led to investigators exploring the possibility that Manzano may have been drugged before he died. Colbert also has an arrest history that includes allegations involving drugging and subsequently robbing people, police said in a news release.

Here is what else Kenner police said about the case on Monday, and where their investigation currently is.

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Kenner police contacted by alleged victims of Danette Colbert’s

Since Colbert’s arrest, Kenner police have been contacted by people claiming to be victims of hers or individuals reporting suspicious deaths under similar circumstances, according to the department. All these complaints will be investigated further by the appropriate jurisdictions, police added.

Colbert is still in custody at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center, where she awaits criminal proceedings, police said. Police have also seized multiple electronic devices that are being forensically examined to determine whether they contain digital evidence related to Manzano’s death, according to the department.

Investigators have identified other locations where Colbert and Mazano were seen together in New Orleans, and they are reviewing security footage in those areas, police said. A video led police to Colbert after she was caught on camera leaving Manzano’s hotel room early Wednesday morning, Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley said during a press conference Friday.

More incriminating evidence was found when investigators discovered Manzano’s cellphone and credit card while searching Colbert’s home, Conley said. The credit card was fraudulently used at ‘several stores in the New Orleans area,’ the chief added.

Police Chief Keith Conley: ‘She’s definitely a career criminal’

Colbert’s criminal history includes ‘two instances where she drugged a victim and stole his access device and cards,’ Conley said. Both incidents occurred in 2022 in Las Vegas, on July 9 and Jan. 17, and involved Colbert allegedly meeting men at casinos, either drugging or assaulting them, and then stealing more than $50,000 worth of cash, thousands of dollars worth of casino chips, expensive jewelry, a credit card or electronic devices, The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

‘She plays a confidence game. She’s definitely a career criminal,’ the chief said. ‘All of her crimes are against persons, such as access device frauds (such as illegal use of credit and debit cards), simple robberies, thefts, things of that nature.’

Both cases were later dismissed because the victims did not want to testify in court, Daniel Lippmann, the attorney who represented Colbert, told The Associated Press.  He told USA TODAY that he had no comment on the current allegations against Colbert.

After being charged with two counts of administering a drug to aid in the commission of a felony and two counts of felony theft, all charges against Colbert were dropped in October 2022 without a clear reason from prosecutors as to why they did not move forward with the cases, The Times-Picayune reported.

Danette Colbert pleaded guilty in 2019, 2016, and 2015 to similar crimes

Colbert has pleaded guilty in the past to similar crimes, including in 2019, 2016 and 2015. Each incident involved her stealing a credit card or cash, and all three cases resulted in her either receiving less than 10 years of probation or a suspended sentence, according to The Times-Picayune.

‘She was stopped quite frequently in the French Quarter and she’s known for these fraud schemes,’ Conley said. ‘This brings to light that there are people out there that prey on other people and bring them into their confidence and victimize them. It’s something that people really need to be aware of.’

Adan Mazano remembered as ‘rising star’ and ‘devoted father’

Kansas City Telemundo called Manzano a ‘true professional and rising star who exemplified excellence in his work.’ This was Manzano’s third-straight season covering the Super Bowl for the TV station.

‘We will deeply miss Adan and his passion for sports, and the contributions he made to the local community,’ the TV station said. ‘Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences go out to his family and loved ones during this difficult time.’

Manzano is survived by his younger daughter. His wife, Ashleigh LeAnn Boyd Manzano, was killed in a car accident in Topeka, Kansas on April 11, 2024.

In Tico Sports’ statement, the media company said, ‘Adan was a devoted father to his young daughter, a helpful colleague, and loyal friend. He will be greatly missed by our TICO Family and will live on in our hearts and memories.’

A GoFundMe was created by Manzano’s family, and so far, more than $3,500 has been raised.

‘Adan was a kind, loving, and hardworking person who touched the lives of many with his warmth and generosity,’ the GoFundMe description says. ‘He was a dedicated sports reporter and a true fanatic at heart. His passion for sports and storytelling connected people from Kansas City all the way to his home in Mexico. Through his work, he brought communities together, sharing the excitement, emotion, and love for sports that he held so dearly.’

Jonathan Limehouse covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at JLimehouse@gannett.com.

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Alex Rodriguez, Marc Lore get win toward becoming majority NBA owners

Arbitrators have ruled in favor of Marc Lore and former MLB star Alex Rodriguez becoming the majority owners of the Minnesota Timberwolves, a major win for the group that has been attempting to purchase the team for several years.

With the ruling, the NBA’s board of governors will now vote on Lore and Rodriguez becoming the majority owners over current owner Glen Taylor.

‘We are extremely pleased with today’s decision’ Lore and Rodriguez said in a statement to ESPN. ‘We look forward to working with the NBA to complete the approval process and close this transaction so that we can turn our attention to winning championships in Minnesota for our incredible fans and the Twin Cities community.’

Taylor said in a statement that he and his wife Becky were disappointed by the ruling, which was a 2-1 decision.

‘We will review the decision thoroughly prior to making any further comment. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to Timberwolves and Lynx players, staff, and loyal fans for their support,’ Taylor said.

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The process of Lore and Rodriguez becoming majority owners started in 2021 when Taylor agreed to sell the Timberwolves and the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx to Rodriguez and Lore. Rodriguez and Lore planned to buy a majority of the team in three payment installments of 20%, 20% and another 40%.

However in March, Taylor called off the sale of the final 40% payment, citing the closing of the deal was to be done within 90 days following the exercise notice from Lore and Rodriguez. As a result, Rodriguez and Lore own 40% while Taylor and other limited partners own the remaining 60% of the franchise.

‘That 90-day period expired on March 27, 2024. Under certain circumstances, the buyer could have been entitled to a limited extension. However, those circumstances did not occur,’ Taylor said in a statement. ‘The Timberwolves and Lynx are no longer for sale.’

Rodriguez and Lore missed financial and documentation deadlines repeatedly throughout the process, a person familiar with the deal told USA TODAY Sports. The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the situation. Rodriguez and Lore said that is not the case, claiming Taylor had seller’s remorse.

With the victory in arbitration, Rodriguez and Lore now need approval from NBA owners to purchase the other 40%. They will need 75% of owners to approve the sale of the team.

Since starting the process of the sale, Lore and Rodriguez have frequently been at the Target Center supporting the Timberwolves. Minnesota is coming off one of its most successful season in decades, reaching the 2024 Western Conference Finals for the first time in 20 years. This season, the Timberwolves are 30-23 and are in sixth in the Western Conference.

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Gauntlet thrown: First match for WrestleMania 41 is set

The first match of WrestleMania 41 has been confirmed.

Jey Uso will take on Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, as Uso cashes in his Royal Rumble opportunity against ‘The Ring General.’

Uso was granted the championship opportunity after he emerged as the winner of the 2025 men’s Royal Rumble, allowing him to choose to face Gunther or Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes at WWE’s premier event. Two days after winning the match, Uso was met by Gunther on Monday Night Raw, and the champion said he didn’t want to face Uso at WrestleMania because it wouldn’t add to his legacy.

One week later, Uso kicked off Monday Night Raw, and during his signature, hyped entrance, Gunther emerged from the crowd for a vicious sneak attack on Uso. Gunther threw Uso onto the announcer’s table and delivered several power bombs despite the pleas to stop from WWE officials. As Gunther was walking away from the ring, Uso took the microphone and made his match official.

‘Me and you at WrestleMania,’ Uso said before launching a counter attack on the champion.

The first announced match of WrestleMania 41 will be a rematch of a bout that took place not too long ago. At Saturday Night’s Main Event on Jan. 25, Uso challenged Gunther for the title in an unsuccessful effort. They’ve had plenty of experience in the ring before, and it’s all been in Gunther’s favor. Since their first televised match against each other in February 2024, Gunther is 3-0 against Uso. Now Uso will try to get his first pinfall against Gunther on the grandest stage of them all.

Uso’s decision also ensures the winner of the men’s Elimination Chamber match on March 1 will face Rhodes at WrestleMania 41.

WWE’s premier event will take place April 19-20. The date for Gunther vs. Uso has not been announced yet.

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Murkowski and Cassidy announce they’ll vote to confirm Tulsi Gabbard to Trump cabinet post

Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Bill Cassidy, R-La., both announced that they would vote to confirm former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to serve as Director of National Intelligence.

In a party-line vote on Monday, Murkowski, Cassidy, and the other Republican senators who voted opted to move forward with the confirmation process by supporting cloture, while the members of the Senate Democratic caucus who voted opposed cloture. 

‘I will vote to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence,’ Murkowski declared in a post on X. 

‘While I continue to have concerns about certain positions she has previously taken, I appreciate her commitment to rein in the outsized scope of the agency, while still enabling the ODNI to continue its essential function in upholding national security,’ the senator continued. 

‘As she brings independent thinking and necessary oversight to her new role, I am counting on her to ensure the safety and civil liberties of American citizens remain rigorously protected.’

Murkowski voted against confirming Pete Hegseth to serve as Defense Secretary last month. 

‘President Trump chose Tulsi Gabbard to be his point person on foreign intelligence,’ Cassidy said in a statement. ‘I will trust President Trump on this decision and vote for her confirmation.’

Gabbard, who served in Congress from early 2013 to early 2021, announced in 2022 that she was leaving the Democratic Party. 

Last year she backed Trump in the 2024 presidential contest and announced she was joining the Republican Party.

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