Soto and Bichette go deep as slumping Mets break out at the plate in 8-0 win over Nationals

NEW YORK (AP) — Juan Soto hit a two-run homer that capped a seven-run fourth inning and the New York Mets breezed to an 8-0 victory over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night.

Nationals Mets Baseball

Bo Bichette also homered and drove in two runs, and Clay Holmes combined with two relievers on a three-hitter as the banged-up Mets (10-19) won for only the third time in 18 games — perhaps taking a little heat off manager Carlos Mendoza.

Before the game, Mendoza said Soto is dealing with left forearm tightness. An MRI came back clean, but the left fielder has been the designated hitter in all six games since he returned last Wednesday from a right calf strain.

The homer was Soto's second this season and first since the calf injury sidelined him for 15 games. In the second season of a record $765 million contract, the star slugger felt tightness while throwing prior to games against Colorado on Friday and Sunday.

Advertisement

Bichette launched a leadoff homer against Zack Littell (0-4) and added a sacrifice fly in the fourth, New York's biggest inning all year.

The Mets totaled four runs last weekend in a three-game sweep by the Rockies at Citi Field.

AP MLB:https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

byAdministrator

in

April 29, 2026

Soto and Bichette go deep as slumping Mets break out at the plate in 8-0 win over Nationals

NEW YORK (AP) — Juan Soto hit a two-run homer that capped a seven-run fourth inning and the New York Mets breezed to an 8-0 victory ove...

Read More

Top Trump figures at odds over future of Secret Service chief amid claims of lax security at dinner, report claims

New scrutiny is fallingon the shoulders of the Secret Serviceand its chief, Sean Curran, after Saturday night’sshooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

Publicly, members of the administration praised the Secret Service for agents’ quick response on Saturday after a suspected gunman charged the ballroom in the basement of the Washington Hilton, where hundreds of journalists and administration VIPs including the president and vice president were seated for the annual event. No persons inside the ballroom were injured, and the suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, was tackled before getting inside.

In private, however,Real Clear Politicsreports that seasoned security officials are raising alarms over the Secret Service and the agency’s ability to protect the president. Numerous sources familiar with presidential security protocolsbashed Saturday night’s security apparatusat the Hilton in comments to the publication, echoing some criticism leveled by attendees and politicians on social media after the event.

The report also claimed that White House chief of staff Susie Wiles plans to blame the president’s sons, who reportedly pushed for Curran’s appointment, if the president decides to fire him. Wiles, as Trump’s top aide, oversees the Secret Service and also faced some criticism for allowing Curran to remain in his job this long.

Curran took over the agency last year, just months after the president was nearly assassinated in Butler, Pennsylvania during a campaign event.

Multiple sources reportedly toldReal Clear Politicsthat Wiles has told other administration officials that “it’s on the boys” – supposedly referring to Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump – if Curran screws up.

“It’s failure after failure after failure, and she gets no blame,” one source complained to the publication.

Advertisement

The new report of a rift between Wiles and the presidents’ sons could be blown open if Saturday evening’s incident results in turnover at the Secret Service. Attendees at the White House Correspondents Dinner were required to show tickets and pass through a metal detector, but CNN’s Wolf Blitzer reported that the suspect appeared to make it through a metal detector with his weapon.

A witness who described the scene toThe Independenton Saturday eveningsaid that a man withdrew a “long gun”and began firing just inches away from where she and another worker were pushing a service cart into an elevator.

Wilesis currently undergoing treatmentfor breast cancer. She previously served as one of the heads of Donald Trump’s successful 2024 election campaign, where she earned a reputation for running a tight ship and being a no-nonsense boss.

The Secret Service, however, has been facing growing scrutiny and criticism for years. The near-assassination of Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024 was another incident wherein the agency was sharply criticized afterwards for not establishing a proper perimeter around a stage where Donald Trump was set to speak.

As Saturday night’s event concluded with a lockdown and confused attendees spilling out into the city, numerous pro-Trump figures and others described the Hilton’s layers of security as lax and porous, with some claiming they weren’t asked to show a ticket.The Independentattended the dinner, and its reporters were asked for tickets at multiple checkpoints.

That lax image is likely to prevail, however, given thatthe suspected gunman Cole Tomas Allenhimself is alleged to have written extensively about the Secret Service’s security failures in a purported manifesto obtained by authorities and published by news outlets on Saturday.

“The security at the event is all outside, focused on protestors and current arrivals, because apparently no one thought about what happens if someone checks in the day before. Like, this level of incompetence is insane, and I very sincerely hope it’s corrected by the time this country gets actually competent leadership again. Like, if I was an Iranian agent, instead of an American citizen, I could have brought a damn Ma Deuce in here and no one would have noticed shit,” Allenwrote in his alleged manifesto.

Another incident in recent weeks saw the Secret Service fail to locate a vehicle its officers were tracking after gunshots were reported near the White House. Rifle casings were recovered,according toReal Clear Politics,and a vehicle identified, but no images of the suspected shooter were recovered and the case reportedly went cold after agents were unable to track the vehicle due to it bearing stolen tags.

byAdministrator

in

April 29, 2026

Top Trump figures at odds over future of Secret Service chief amid claims of lax security at dinner, report claims

New scrutiny is fallingon the shoulders of the Secret Serviceand its chief, Sean Curran, after Saturday night’sshooting at the White Ho...

Read More

White House drafts guidance to bypass Anthropic's risk flag for new AI models, Axios reports

April 28 (Reuters) - The White House is developing guidance that could allow federal agencies to sidestep Anthropic's supply-chain risk designation ‌and onboard newartificial intelligencemodels, including Mythos, Axios reported ‌on Tuesday.

A draft executive action under consideration could provide the Trump administration with a pathway ​to de‑escalate its dispute with Anthropic, Axios reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

Anthropic declined to comment, while the White House did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request ‌for comment.

This development comes ⁠as Anthropic faced a fallout with the Pentagon earlier in the year after the startup refused to remove ⁠guardrails against using its AI for autonomous weapons or domestic surveillance, and the department designated the Claude-maker as a supply-chain risk.

U.S. President Donald Trump last ​week ​said Anthropic was "shaping up" in the ​eyes of his administration, after ‌CEO Dario Amodei met White House officials in an attempt to repair the strained relationship.

Advertisement

When asked if a deal was on the horizon with the Pentagon, Trump told on CNBC's "Squawk Box", "It's possible. We want the smartest people."

Trump's comments and the draft guidance come just weeks after Anthropic ‌unveiled Mythos, its most advanced AI system ​to date.

Experts have said the tool ​holds a potentially unprecedented ability ​to identify cybersecurity vulnerabilities and devise ways to exploit ‌them.

While key players in the Pentagon ​are dug in ​on the issue with Anthropic, other stakeholders believe the fight has been counterproductive and are ready to find an offramp, Axios ​said, citing multiple sources.

It ‌is possible that both sides could end up right back ​in contentious negotiations, according to the report.

(Reporting by Chandni Shah ​in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)

byAdministrator

in

April 29, 2026

White House drafts guidance to bypass Anthropic's risk flag for new AI models, Axios reports

April 28 (Reuters) - The White House is developing guidance that could allow federal agencies to sidestep Anthropic's supply-chain ...

Read More

Rescuers trying to reach 3 people trapped in damaged train car after crash in Indonesia

BEKASI, Indonesia (AP) — Rescuers were working to reach three people still trapped Tuesday in a badly damaged commuter train car after a crash outside Indonesia's capital that killed at least seven people.

APTOPIX Indonesia Train Crash

A long-distance train crashed into the rear car of a stopped commuter train Monday at Bekasi Timur Station outside Jakarta. The car was one designated for women only, a common accommodation to stop harassment.

A total of 81 injured people were taken to hospitals for treatment, said Bobby Rasyidin, CEO of state-owned railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia. “The evacuations are taking a long time ... and we’re doing it very carefully,” Rasyidin told reporters of the rescue efforts.

All 240 passengers on the Argo Bromo Anggrek long-distance train were safe, officials said.

Advertisement

Police were investigating the cause of the accident, Jakarta Police Chief Asep Edi Suheri told reporters at the scene.

Rasyidin said another commuter train struck a stalled taxi on a crossing near the station and a rail system disruption was suspected.

“As for the chronology of events, we are leaving it to the National Transportation Safety Committee to investigate the cause of tonight’s train accident in greater detail,” Rasyidin said.

Accidents are common on Indonesia’s aging railroad network. InJanuary 2024, two trains collided in West Java province, killing at least four people.

byAdministrator

in

April 29, 2026

Rescuers trying to reach 3 people trapped in damaged train car after crash in Indonesia

BEKASI, Indonesia (AP) — Rescuers were working to reach three people still trapped Tuesday in a badly damaged commuter train car after ...

Read More

‘It’s all hot air’: Starmer under attack from theft-hit shopkeeper for ‘tougher punishment’ pledge

A fed-up shopkeeperforced to physically fend off thievestargeting his store has hit back atSir Keir Starmer’s claimthe government could be beginning to win the battle against shoplifting, telling the beleaguered PM: “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Andrew Board runs a store in Co Durham where, frustrated over a lack of police presence,he often chasesdown criminals attempting to flee with stolen goods, dragging them back inside to seize back items and take names.

The 40-year-old, however, claims that even after arrest, the criminals regularly reappear after minor punishment for another shoplifting spree in the community days later.

On Monday,Sir Keir claimed“the tide could be turning” against shoplifters as he said an extra 3,000 neighbourhood police officers had been put on the streets and a rule scrapped which had meant thefts of goods worth less than £200 were “not properly investigated” by police.

He said the number of people charged over shop theft had increased by 17 per cent, while the number of offences had fallen slightly last year.

He also said his government had “toughened up punishment too” - although analysis of Ministry of Justice figures byThe Independentsuggests the ratio of convicted shoplifters being sent to prison has stagnated, at 27.5 per cent in the year ending September 2025.

The average length of a prison sentence handed out to shoplifters also remained unchanged at two months, and the average fine fell £2 to £105.

Mr Board said: “There will be no change in the situation until just punishment is given out to those caught shoplifting. There is no deterrent, and the sooner politicians understand that and get a proper grip this will only continue. Until then, it’s all hot air from Starmer.

“We on the front line, we have to face the regular threat from repeat shoplifters coming into our store. We have to deal with the loss of money, their behaviour. To some, it’s [stealing from a shop] become like winning a trophy.”

Several weeks ago, Mr Board said he caught a shoplifter attempting to steal “everyday” items while their accomplice distracted a staff member at the till. When they were stopped, the goods were seized, but later it was found they had eaten several stolen packets of crisps after leaving.

Advertisement

Mr Board said he tracked their identities using Facebook and passed on the information to Durham Constabularly. After eight weeks, he said, the force called him to report the pair had been dealt with via a community resolution, meaning they faced no conviction or criminal record from the offence.

A Durham Constabulary spokesperson toldThe Independent: “Officers spoke to the suspects – a man aged 41 and a woman aged 32 – who admitted the offence. They were dealt with through a community resolution and banned from entering several shops in the Durham area.”

As Sir Keir made his speech before the Usdaw shopworkers’ union on Monday, the Centre for Social Justice warned of a high street crime epidemic. The think tank shared analysis showing the average number of offences committed by shoplifters has nearly doubled in five years, rising from 5.5 to 9.1 offences per convicted thief.

Last week,it even emerged that Greggs had moved food and drinkbehind anti-theft counters in a bid to deter thieves.

Sir Iain, the CSJ’s chairman, said: “Communities across Britain are suffering from a high street crime wave. Set against years of economic difficulties, there is a risk that some of our town and city centres are left permanently hollowed out.”

Sir Keir’s comments come following uproarover the sackingof a Morrisons store manager who tried to stop a shoplifter.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp accused Sir Keir of “brazen cheek” in Monday’s speech.

He toldThe Independent:““Labour is giving up on shoplifting - as any shopkeeper will tell you. Labour certainly haven’t toughened up. They’ve cut overall police numbers by 1,300 in just the last year and now plan to abolish prison sentences under a year.

“That means that virtually no shoplifter will ever go to prison. This will unleash a huge further increase in shoplifting as thieves realise there will never be any real consequences under Labour.”

The Independenthas approached No 10 for comment.

byAdministrator

in

April 29, 2026

‘It’s all hot air’: Starmer under attack from theft-hit shopkeeper for ‘tougher punishment’ pledge

A fed-up shopkeeperforced to physically fend off thievestargeting his store has hit back atSir Keir Starmer’s claimthe government could...

Read More

'33rd Team' as sad as Bill Belichick's dwindling coaching twilight | Opinion

It was laughable on its face a year ago, when the declaration first arrived and provided humor.

Now it’s just sad.

Like everything else in Bill Belichick’sdwindling twilightas a football coach.

TOO-EARLY TOP 25:New No. 1 leads college football after spring practice

The 33rd Team — the outlandish, self-ascribed moniker Belichick and general manager Michael Lombardi gaveNorth Carolinawhen Belichick took control of everything in December of 2024 —whiffed in last week’s NFL Draft.

Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick struggling early on as North Carolina football coach

Apparently, the 32 NFL teams weren’t too pumped about Belichick’s gutting and rebuilding of the North Carolina roster in the 2025 season. That’s 257 players drafted, and not one selected from the program currently led by the greatest coach in NFL history.

More than 100 players on the UNC roster, and Belichick and his high-paid staff — including Lombardi and defensive coordinator Stephen Belichick — couldn’t manage to acquire and develop one lousy player the NFL deemed draft worthy.

Not even a flippin’ seventh rounder, where teams take flyers all the time on projects, players with legal issues, speed to burn, or players who just haven’t yet put it all together.

Not one North Carolina player.

This, of course, is the perfect ending to the first season of What You Get for $10 million annually. And it’s here where we start firing more facts about the 33rd team underBeli and The Muse.

EXCLUSIVE:Kyle Whittingham took Michigan sight unseen — to turn Sherrone Moore mess into his next great win

OPINION:Kalen DeBoer, Alabama extension is absurd and fiscally reckless

North Carolina won four games in Belichick’s first season as a college head coach, the lowest number of wins at the school since Larry Fedora’s back-to-back 3- and 2-win seasons in 2017-2018.

Fedora, one of the true good dudes in the coaching fraternity, is no longer in the business.

North Carolina lost to state rivals Duke, NC State and Wake Forest in the same season for the first time since 1989 — during Mack Brown’s first run of the program.

Brown, the best dude ever in the coaching fraternity, is no longer in the business.

North Carolina began the 2025 season with 70 new players, a roster Belichick and Lombardi constructed after running off players they didn’t feel could cut it.

Advertisement

They know talent, people. Don’t be ridiculous.

Not only did no one from the gutted and rebuilt roster get selected by the NFL to play at the highest level of football, but Belichick and Lombardi were at it again as soon as theTar Heelsskulked off the field with the last of three straight losses (to those same state rivals) to finish the season.

More than 30 players were sent packing, and 61 were added (41 high school/junior college recruits, 20 players from the transfer portal), and here we go again. Another reboot, another opportunity for the 33rd team to make its mark.

The recruiting class was ranked 17th by the 247Sports composite on quantity, not necessarily quality. Only three of the 41 were nationally ranked, and the transfer portal class was ranked 50th.

Trailing notable powers Northwestern, Purdue, Mississippi State, and … do I need to continue?

Football at all levels revolves around roster building. Getting the right players, and developing those players to reach their ceilings as quickly as possible.

North Carolina was 120th out of 135 FBS teams in scoring offense in 2025. The Tar Heels were 90th in turnover ratio, 111th in penalties, 97th in third down conversions, 104th in opponent third down conversions, and 123rd in long scrimmage plays.

Boy, it’s absolutely shocking why the NFL passed on the 33rd team.

But there’s hope on the horizon, and it has nothing to do with the 2027 recruiting class and it’s early sprint from the gate as the 50th-ranked class in the nation. Belichick may have found a quarterback, and more important, he finally realized he needed a real, legit college coach on his staff.

So hehired Bobby Petrinoto run the offense and coach the quarterbacks. A mercenary yes, but one helluva mercenary who knows how to coach quarterbacks and call plays as well as anyone in the game.

That leaves us with four-star freshman quarterback Travis Burgess, who enrolled early and competed in spring drills against a deep quarterback room that includes transfers Billy Edwards (Wisconsin/Maryland) andTaron Dickens(FCS Western Carolina).

Burgess is big (6-4, 200 pounds), has a live arm — and Petrino isn’t intimidated by playing a freshman.

“Last year, everyone was brand new,” Belichick said earlier this month. “There is no question we’re definitely better.”

Now it’s time to provide wins instead of sad humor.

And maybe a few draft-worthy players in 2027.

Matt Hayesis the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at@MattHayesCFB.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NFL sent a clear message to Bill Belichick’s UNC football project

byAdministrator

in

April 29, 2026

'33rd Team' as sad as Bill Belichick's dwindling coaching twilight | Opinion

It was laughable on its face a year ago, when the declaration first arrived and provided humor. Now it’s just sad. Like everythi...

Read More