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Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Raiders Veteran Maxx Crosby Delivers Critical Message to Fernando Mendoza as QB Begins NFL Chapter

April 29, 2026
Raiders Veteran Maxx Crosby Delivers Critical Message to Fernando Mendoza as QB Begins NFL Chapter

Maxx Crosby has advice for Fernando Mendoza

People Maxx Crosby, Fernando MendozaCredit: Steph Chambers/Getty; Ethan Miller/Getty

NEED TO KNOW

  • The Las Vegas Raiders defensive end offered some insight about transitioning to the NFL, while on his podcast

  • Mendoza was selected first by the Raiders in the 2026 NFL Draft

Maxx Crosbyis offeringFernando Mendozaa little advice on the eve of the quarterback’s rookie season.

“It's a whole another game, coming to the NFL, it's the highest level — there's no other level higher,” the Las Vegas Raiders defensive end, 28, said on the Tuesday, April 28 edition of his podcastThe Rush. “And you have to realize that you're there for a reason. You can't let that be intimidating. It's easy to say, but harder to do.”

He continued, “And you just got to be 100% bought in on the process because your time, it's not on your timing. ... You don't know when it's going to be, your name's going to be called. And that's one of the toughest things in this league, you know what I mean? I've seen it break a lot of people.”For Crosby, his name was called after a tradenearly sent him to the Baltimore Ravenslast month.

Three days later, the Ravens canceled the deal after Crosby failed his physical, sending the Texas native back to Vegas — and setting the table for him to have Mendoza, 22, as a teammate.

All of which has him seemingly understanding where the Heisman Trophy winner is coming from.

Fernando Mendoza and his Indiana Hoosiers teammates after winning the national championship in January.Credit: David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty

“With Fernando, he didn't have the easiest road. He started at Cal, and then he transferred," Crosby said. "He wasn't considered the No. 1 pick going into this past season, but he handled the adversity incredibly. He goes and wins every single game, wins a natty, wins a Heisman and now look at what it's done for his life, you know what I mean? So anytime you get an opportunity to go out there and just compete and just put your best foot forward, that's what it all comes down to and that's where you earn respect from the guys.”As far as the former Indiana Hoosiers signal-caller is concerned, consider that a message already received.

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"Whatever everyone is ranking me, I don’t know those specifics, but I’m at the bottom of the totem pole right now, and I’ve got to first earn the respect to my teammates, earn that equity, and I’ve also just got to immerse,”Mendoza told reportersafter he was drafted No. 1 on Thursday, April 23. “And I’m just ready to do whatever the team needs and calls me to do to help them win.”

As the Raiders aim to pick up the pieces after last season's 3-14 campaign, Mendoza is poised to make an impact, but how much so is currently unknown.

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With veteran quarterbackKirk Cousinson the roster, the franchise could choose, at least initially, to let the Miami native watch and get acclimated to league.

“I think for him, just come in and just be himself. That's what I told him. Just just be yourself. Come in and do what you do,” Crosby said, sharing that Mendoza should “carry” himself like he’s the starter.He added, “Don't wait until you're out there on the field to go and lead. Like even if you're the second-string guy, if you're the third-string guy, whatever it is, still be 100% yourself and let your personality show and just be authentic. I think that's the most important thing.”

Read the original article onPeople

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Full-strength PSG raring to go against Bayern in Champions League semifinal

April 29, 2026
Full-strength PSG raring to go against Bayern in Champions League semifinal

PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique joked that picking his team against Bayern Munich will be like a “lottery” because he finally has a full-strength squad to choose from.

Associated Press PSG's head coach Luis Enrique reacts during the French League One soccer match between Angers and Paris Saint-Germain in Angers, western France, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Mathieu Pattier) Paris Saint-Germain's Vitinha during a training sessionin Liverpool, England, Monday April 13, 2026, one day ahead of their Champions League soccer match against Liverpool. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP) PSG's Vitinha kicks the ball during the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool in Paris, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) PSG's head coach Luis Enrique reacts during the French League One soccer match between Angers and Paris Saint-Germain in Angers, western France, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Mathieu Pattier)

France League One Soccer

That means midfielder Vitinha could start against the six-time champion in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal in Paris on Wednesday. He missed the last two Ligue 1 games with a right heel injury sustained during a2-1 loss to Lyon.

“It'll be a lottery. Everyone’s ready,” Luis Enrique said Tuesday at a pregame news conference. “But be warned, we'll need all the players who are apt to play, and on that point I think we’re more than ready.”

With so many players pushing for places, rather thanrecovering from injurylike earlier in the season, Luis Enrique was faced with a new task.

“It’s all about calming everyone down,” he said.

Midfield battle

Vitinha's presence alongside João Neves and the returning Fabián Ruiz is crucial in a contest pitting arguably the two best midfields in the competition.

Bayern boasts physicality, tactical assuredness and slick passing with Joshua Kimmich, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Leon Goretzka, allied to the goals and assists of right wing Michael Olise and the prolific scoring of burly striker Harry Kane. On the left wing is Luis Díaz, who scored both goals when Bayern won 2-1 in Paris in the league stage in November.

Holding midfield is key to stopping Bayern dictating the game like it did in the quarterfinalsagainst Real Madrid, and against PSG last time they met.

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Vitinha has been in sterling form and is on course for his best season in terms of goals, with seven so far, having scored nine for PSG two seasons ago. He was third in the men's Ballon d'Or vote last year.

Defense is the key

PSG is appearing in its third straight semifinal and faces a Bayern side which has not lost in any competition since Jan. 24 and scored 19 goals in the past five games.

“With two teams who attack so well the key will be defense,” Luis Enrique said. “Defensive statistics also matter, and these are the two best teams in Europe in that respect as well. In terms of consistency, Bayern are slightly ahead of us.”

PSG was sloppy at the back against Bayern in November, and a frustratedLuis Enrique criticized his playersafter that game.

But when PSG failed to qualify in the top eight teams and directly reach the last 16, Luis Enrique boldly predicted his team would come good later in the competition.

In an upbeat mood, he reminded journalists of that.

“There is no team better than us,” he said. “When we didn’t qualify in the top eight teams in the group stage I said I couldn’t see a team better than us.” ___

AP soccer:https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

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What we know about the suspect in shooting at White House Correspondents' Dinner

April 29, 2026
What we know about the suspect in shooting at White House Correspondents' Dinner

Alleged gunman wrote that he expected more security at White House Correspondents' Dinner 03:52

CBS News

Cole Tomas Allen, the suspected gunman whotried to attackthe White House Correspondents' Dinner Saturday night, left behind what officials are callinga written "manifesto"in which he clearly stated he wanted to target officials in the Trump administration, a senior U.S. official told CBS News.

The president and first lady Melania Trump weresafely evacuatedfrom the dinner, and none of the attendees were seriously injured, authorities said.

A Secret Service officer was struck by at least one round, believed to have been fired by the shooter, but the agent was protected by a bulletproof vest and is expected to be OK, officials said.

The suspect was apprehended at the scene. Allen, 31, was an educator from Torrance, California, with an engineering degree from a prestigious university.

The Free Press:The American Way Is Under Fire

Authorities found anti-Trump and anti-Christian rhetoric on the suspect's social media accounts, the senior official said.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" Sunday morning that investigators believehe was targetingmembers of the Trump administration.

The FBI is conducting a criminal investigation, and the Secret Service is investigating the suspect's background to shed light on what precipitated the shooting.

What we know so far about the shooting

A total of at least five to eight gunshots were fired during the incident, two law enforcement sources told CBS News.

In a late-night news conference, Jeff Carroll, interim chief of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, said the suspect was armed with a shotgun, handgun and multiple knives when he attempted to charge a security checkpoint outside the dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel.

President Trump posted a photo to social media showing the shirtless suspect on the floor of the hotel with his arms tied behind his back after being detained.

President Trump posted a photo of a suspect in custody after the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 25, 2026. / Credit: @realDonaldTrump/Truth Social

The suspect was not struck by gunfire, but was taken to a hospital for evaluation, Carroll said.

He said the suspect was a guest at the hotel. Law enforcement sources told CBS News he checked in on Friday, the day before the event. They said he traveled there via train from Los Angeles to Chicago and then Chicago to D.C.

Law enforcement sources also said investigators have retrieved his cellphone and additional electronics and are now obtaining search warrants for them. The sources said he is not cooperating but that people who knew him are speaking with investigators.

Investigators are reviewing the suspect's writings as part of the ongoing investigation into his motive for the attack, three federal law enforcement officials told CBS News. The materials were written on paper and were found in the hotel, the officials said.

Allen sent some of his writings to members of his family before the attempted attack on Saturday, and one of them alerted police about the writings, a senior U.S. official told CBS News. The writings sent to family members apparently did not specifically mention the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

"At this point, it does appear he is a lone actor, a lone gunman," Carroll said Saturday night, adding that the investigation is continuing.

President Trump alsotold reportersin a separate news conference at the White House that it was believed the suspect acted as a "lone wolf."

What we know about the suspect's background

Allen — who wasseen on surveillance videocharging through metal detectors outside the ballroom where the dinner was taking place — had a record of firearm ownership. He purchased the shotgun used in Saturday's shooting in August 2025, according to two law enforcement sources. He also owned another semiautomatic pistol, purchased in 2023, they said.

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The suspect had lived at multiple residences in the Los Angeles area from November 2010 to March 2026, according to the sources. He spent most of those years in Torrance, but also had an address in the city of San Gabriel between early 2018 and late 2019.

Driver's license photo of Cole Tomas Allen / Credit: Obtained by CBS News

Allen earned a degree in mechanical engineering at Caltech, the California Institute of Technology, in 2017, before going on to receive a master's in computer science at California State University, Dominguez Hills, in 2025, the sources said. Caltech confirmed to CBS News in an email that Allen graduated from the university in 2017.

Bin Tang, a professor in the computer science department at Cal State, said Allen was an exemplary student.

"He was a very good student indeed, always sitting in the first row of my class, paying attention, and frequently emailing me with coursework questions. Soft spoken, very polite, a good fellow. I am very shocked to see the news," Tang told CBS News.

A LinkedIn profile linked to suspect identifies Allen as a self-employed video game developer and part-time teacher.

He worked for a tutoring firm in Torrance called C2 Education, two law enforcement sources told CBS News. Hereceiveda "Teacher of the Month" award from the company in December 2024.

It was unclear if he was still employed by the company. The Torrance Unified School District told CBS News in a statement that Allen has never been an employee of their district.

Asian American Civic Trust President Dylan Wakayama said in a statement that some of the organization's volunteers had previously been tutored by Allen as recently as April 14 through C2 Education, "in their personal capacity and independent of our organization."

Wakayama said the students described Allen as "entirely normal and friendly in their interactions" and that they "expressed profound shock" when they heard he was the suspect in the attack.

"We wish to be clear that our knowledge of Mr. Allen is strictly limited to this account," Wakayama said. "We are not in a position to offer any additional insight, and any claims beyond the above characterization represent conjecture we are unable to support."

Another family member who was interviewed by investigators after the attack said Allen made radical statements and that he constantly referenced a plan to do "something" to fix the issues with today's world.

Family members told investigators Allen would regularly go to the shooting range to train with his firearms.

They said was part of a group called "The Wide Awakes" and attended a "No Kings" protest in California.

According to federal campaign finance records, Allen donated $25 to Democratic Party PAC ActBlue for Kamala Harris' presidential campaign in 2024.

CBS News has obtained a copy of Allen's drivers license photo, which was taken in October 2024.

Federal and local authorities were also seen late Saturday night at the suspect's home in Torrance. At about 10:30 p.m. Pacific Time, aerial video from CBS News Los Angeles showed federal agents entering the home.

FBI agents are seen outside the home of the alleged White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting suspect in Torrance, California, on April 25, 2026.  / Credit: Patrick T. Fallon /AFP via Getty Images

What charges will Cole Allen face?

Allen will be charged with one count each of using a firearm during a crime of violence, and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon, U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro announced Saturday night. Pirro said she expects him to face more charges as the investigation unfolds.

"It is clear, based upon what we know so far, that this individual was intent on doing as much harm and as much damage as he could," Pirro said.

Blanche said that whether the suspect faces additional charges will depend on what investigators find as they continue gathering evidence, especially as it pertains to his possible motive.

"There's a lot of federal charges that could be in play beyond those two charges, but it depends on us understanding his motive, his intent, his premeditation of what led into him deciding he was going to do what he did," Blanche said on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan."

Pirro said Allen will be arraigned Monday in federal court, and Blanche said he expects an indictment to follow.

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Kentucky Derby: The jockey who is too tall

April 29, 2026
Kentucky Derby: The jockey who is too tall

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Long before he earned his firstKentucky Derbyride on Pavlovian at age 43, Edwin Maldonado had to overcome an unusual problem for a jockey.

Yahoo Sports

At 5-foot-7, he’s slightly too tall for his chosen profession.

“When I first started, you don’t know how to control your weight and it was very hard,” he said. “You do all the wrong things. You starve yourself. Drinking too much soda, sugar. But now I know what I can eat and can’t eat. It’s second nature.”

But in a sport where the riders need to weigh in at around 110-115 pounds with enough strength to control a 1,200-pound animal, nothing can kill a career quicker than height. But as Maldonado journeyed from small tracks in Texas, Louisiana and Canada before establishing himself on the high-profile Southern California circuit, he developed a skill that came in handy for the specific situation trainer Doug O’Neill encountered with Pavlovian.

Kentucky Derby odds

If you need a rider who can get a horse to start quickly, Maldonado is your guy.

“It was just a huge addition,” O’Neill said. “He’s such a good gate rider, and you’ve really seen the asset of that on Pavlovian since they teamed up.”

While trainers typically want more decorated jockeys in the biggest races, O’Neill has historically had a different approach. In 2012, he gave the relatively inexperienced Mario Gutierrez his first Derby ride aboard I’ll Have Another and his second four years later with Nyquist.

They won the roses both times.

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - APRIL 26: Pavlovian, with jockey Edwin Maldonado aboard, trains on the track during morning workouts ahead of the running of the 152nd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on April 26, 2026 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

This situation is different in that Gutierrez was the regular rider back then for a lot of horses trained by O’Neill and owned by J. Paul Reddam at their home base in Southern California. These days, Emisael Jaramillo tends to get first call for O’Neill’s mounts.

But Pavlovian was a special case. After his first eight races, he was nowhere close to the Kentucky Derby mix with just one win and all kinds of trouble getting out of the gate cleanly. At the Cal Cup Derby in mid-January, Pavlovian hopped in the air with his first step, slightly veered to his left, bumped with another horse and was shuffled back to last before closing to a solid third.

A tactical change was needed — as well as a new rider.

When O’Neill brought the horse to New Mexico for the Sunland Derby in mid-Feburary, he said Maldonado was the “fourth or fifth” rider down their list but was willing to sacrifice a mount in a stakes race at Santa Anita the same day to make it happen.

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In that race, Pavlovian was throwing his head around a bit right before the gate opened but Maldonado managed to get him looking straight ahead and running from the first jump. Forwardly placed the entire way around, Pavlovian wore down Express Kid in the stretch and won by a nose, getting him on the path to Louisville.

“Credit to [Maldonado] for having faith in us that we weren’t putting him on a bum,” O’Neill said. “And it worked out great, him winning the way he did and Paul just being the most generous, loyal guy in the world immediately said, ‘Well, we’ve got a new rider for Pavlovian.’ So that was really cool.”

And Maldonado, who was born in Ohio but grew up in Puerto Rico, is grateful for the opportunity. While he has just shy of 1,700 wins to his credit, he has made his living largely in races far less glamorous. With just 20 graded stakes wins and only two Grade 1s on his résumé, it’s not easy to get rides in the biggest races.

“Just being here is a winner,” Maldonado said. “It really hasn’t hit me yet. We’ll see when the time comes. I tend to focus [under] pressure. I’m hard on myself. I love the game. I’m very competitive so it’s just a dream come true for me to be here. I have to slow down my excitement.”

Lack of Derby experience, however, doesn’t mean disaster. In 2022, Sonny Leon gave Rich Strike a picture-perfect ride to the winner’s circle in his one and only Derby mount. Stewart Elliott, a journeyman at smaller tracks in the mid-Atlantic, got the ride on Smarty Jones as a 2-year-old at Philadelphia Park and never looked back.

“It takes for you to believe in yourself,” Maldonado said. “Nobody’s going to believe for you. Mental toughness. It’s not easy. It’s a mental game, physical as well, but I think it’s more mental.”

That’s why Maldonado has spent a lot of time in his career reading, he said. Among the books he mentioned was “The Secret,” by Rhonda Byrne, a book that claims much of what happens to us is driven by our thoughts. While controversial and less than scientific, it’s the kind of thing Maldonado needed as he struggled with weight earlier in his career.

Though no fault of his own — he simply grew beyond the ideal jockey height of 5-foot-3 or 5-foot-4, making it hard to keep his weight down — it was a big challenge he had to overcome in an unforgiving sport where a pound or two on the back of a horse makes a huge difference.

“I eat fruits and vegetables,” he said. “Beyond eating, I take herbs, I take minerals. I cleanse my gut. After you do that once every six months, you’re good. It’s not [glamorous], but if you want to maintain a healthy lifestyle without doing it the wrong way or the bad way, that’s what you have to do. In a way, I’m glad I got the opportunity now after 25 years that I’m a little more seasoned in this sport. But it all goes together, the food you eat and your brain. Your gut is your second brain.”

Maldonado’s height hasn’t hurt his prospects on Pavlovian, who looks like a live longshot (30-1 current odds) after backing up the Sunland Derby win with a near wire-to-wire win in the Louisiana Derby when he just got beat at the wire by Emerging Market. Though many handicappers will dismiss Pavlovian based on his first eight races, he performed like a different horse once Maldonado got on his back.

“He’s so athletic and he’s so light, he’s like a lizard on a log,” O’Neill said. “He’s just so good and has a great ability to stay off the horse’s mouth leaving there and let them find themselves in good position. At the end of the day 99% of this is all about the horse and they make trainers look smart, owners look smart and jockeys look brilliant. I think Edwin is humble enough and smart enough to realize that. Though his abilities have definitely changed the tactics and we’re seeing newfound speed we didn’t see before, it’s really the horse is evolving and he’s getting better and better and he’s coming into the race in a great space.”

Though a true speed duel in the Kentucky Derby would compromise the chances of anyone close to the lead, Maldonado is likely to get Pavlovian out of the gate quickly and have him forwardly placed coming out of the No. 16 post. If he can get that done and put him in a clear position at a good cruising speed, it’ll simply come down to whether the horse is good enough.

“I think there’s no strategy,” Maldonado said. “I think you have to be there in the first flight. It’s not a secret. It’s 20 horses. It’s gonna go fast. But he did it already. The Louisiana Derby was a big race for him. He went through the fire and proved he can hang with them.”

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Tuesday, April 28, 2026

Drought Response Level 1 issued statewide in Georgia. What are rules?

April 28, 2026
Drought Response Level 1 issued statewide in Georgia. What are rules?

As the northern part of Georgia finally sees some rain, the rest of the state remains dry andwildfires burnacross the south.

USA TODAY

Hundreds of fires have started across southern and coastalGeorgia, with dozens ofnew fires every day, and officials say drought conditions provided the kindling. The water conditions have now warranted a more serious response statewide.

"On April 27, 2026, after consideration of the drought severity and the water resource impacts, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) declared a state-wideDrought Response Level 1for public water systems using surface water or groundwater," the agency said in a statement.

What is a Drought Response Level 1?

The designation sets into course a series of public information campaigns across the state aimed at informing Georgians about the drought conditions and what they can do to be good water stewards. This includes online ads, bill inserts, posts on social media and public notices.

"Outdoor water use between the hours of 4 p.m. and 10 a.m. is still allowable and unaffected by the Drought Response Level 1," the agency said. "Public water systems may not impose restrictions on outdoor watering that are different from state requirements unless they obtain a variance from EPD."

Watering isnot currently limited, but if drought conditions worsen or continue for an extended period of time before the heat of summer, there may be some water restrictions.

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How bad is the drought in Georgia?

According to data from the National Weather Service,98% of Georgiais now under what is considered severe drought or worse.

About one-fifth of the state is in exceptional drought, the highest level of drought designation.

In Atlanta, there would need to be more than 10 inches of rain in a single month to get within five inches of normal water levels, the NWS said. That would be a record rainfall for any month.

In Macon, there would need to be nearly a foot of rain within 30 days to get close to normal levels. Over the course of three months, Macon would need more than 20 inches of rain, or more than 30 inches of rain over six months.

Where are the fires in Georgia?

Tens of thousands of acres of land have burned in southern Georgia, ranging from outside Valdosta to south of Waycross and around Folkston, crossing the Florida-Georgia line. Other fires west of Brunswick have also grown.

Irene Wright is the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Level 1 drought response issued in Georgia. Here are the rules

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This Week in History: Labour landslide, LA riots, and an MI5 scandal

April 28, 2026
This Week in History: Labour landslide, LA riots, and an MI5 scandal

This week is marked by major political shifts. Tony Blair secures a Labour landslide in 1997, while over a million demonstrators in France protest against the electoral rise of the far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen. A newly published memoir exposes a 1974 MI5 plot against the former prime minister Harold Wilson. Across the Atlantic, widespread riots break out in Los Angeles following the acquittal of police officers involved in the beating of Black motorist Rodney King. Decades later, US politics takes a surreal turn as President Barack Obama is pressured into releasing his birth certificate. All this and more is charted across the front pages ofThe Independent.

The Independent US Retrospective: a week of turning points that shaped the world

27 April 1987 – MI5 plot against Harold Wilson revealed

According to the explosive memoirs of former intelligence officer Peter Wright, 30 senior MI5 staff engaged in a "politically-motivated and treasonable plot" to oust prime minister Harold Wilson in 1974. TheSpycatcherallegations, which included claims that top officials actively protected the conspirators, sparked an ultimately and unsuccessful legal battle by the UK government to ban the book's worldwide publication.

1 May 1992 – Riots break out in Los Angeles

National Guard troops deploy across Los Angeles to enforce a strict curfew as the city faces a second night of widespread looting and arson. The riots began after a jury acquitted four white police officers involved in the videotaped beating of Black motorist Rodney King. The unrest ultimately lasted six days, leaving more than 60 people dead and causing an estimated $1bn in property damage

2 May 1994 – Senna dies at San Marino Grand Prix

Three-time Formula One world champion Ayrton Senna dies in an Italian hospital at the age of 34 following a severe crash at the San Marino Grand Prix. Coming just 24 hours after the death of driver Roland Ratzenberger on the same track, the back-to-back tragedies immediately turn the spotlight onto the sport's safety standards and the recent removal of high-tech driving aids.

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2 May 1997 – Labour landslide at general election

Tony Blair secures a "devastating Commons landslide" to become prime minister, officially bringing an end to 18 years of Conservative rule as John Major concedes the election. Addressing supporters at his Sedgefield constituency count in the early hours of the morning, Mr Blair promises to serve with all his heart and energy, declaring, "I will not let you down."

1 May 1999 – Nail bomb explodes at Soho pub

A nail bomb explodes without warning inside the crowded Admiral Duncan pub in central London's Soho, killing two people and injuring 81 others. Sending shockwaves through the capital's historic gay community, the targeted attack marks the third bombing in consecutive weeks following similar blasts aimed at ethnic minorities in Brixton and Brick Lane.

2 May 2002 – Over a million protest against Le Pen in France

More than 1.3 million people take to the streets across France in a massive, peaceful protest against far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen. The widespread demonstrations, drawing over 400,000 people to Paris alone, decry the veteran National Front leader's controversial advancement to the second round of the presidential election.

28 April 2011 – Obama makes birth certificate public

In what the paper describes as an "absurdly surreal moment" in US politics, President Barack Obama officially releases his long-form birth certificate to the public. The unprecedented move follows relentless pressure from property magnate and reality TV star Donald Trump, who leveraged the baseless conspiracy theory to tease his own early presidential ambitions.

30 April 2011 – The royal wedding

The Independentmarks the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton by dedicating its front page to an exclusive, commemorative artwork by Tracey Emin. The highly anticipated ceremony at Westminster Abbey draws a massive global audience, as the couple officially became the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

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Passengers spring into action as baby delivered midair on Delta flight between Atlanta and Portland: ‘Pretty wild’

April 28, 2026
Passengers spring into action as baby delivered midair on Delta flight between Atlanta and Portland: ‘Pretty wild’

Please fasten your seatbelt, make sure your tray table is in an upright and locked position, and prepare for delivery.

The Independent US

A passenger on aDeltaAir Lines flight fromAtlantagave birth to a healthy 5 1/2 pound girl just before the Boeing 737 landed at Portland International Airport inOregonon Friday night. Two paramedics who happened to be on the flight assisted, borrowing blankets from other passengers and using a shoelace to tie off the umbilical cord.

Baby Brielle ReneeBlaircame in about two weeks ahead of schedule; the plane, about 20 minutes.

Baby Brielle Renee Blair came in about two weeks ahead of schedule; on board a Delta flight to Portland (Associated Press)

Her mom, Ashley Blair, who is from Tennessee, was flying to Oregon to be with her own mother for the birth, but didn't quite make it. She went into labor about half an hour from Portland.

One of the paramedics, Tina Fritz, told TheAssociated Presson Monday that she and the other paramedic, Kaarin Powell, were returning home after vacationing in the Dominican Republic. They had been helping a nurse attend to another passenger's medical needs at the back of the plane when a flight attendant asked them to check on Blair.

They found Blair was indeed in labor and contractions were getting close. It was a full flight with 153 passengers on board — soon to be 154 — so they began moving the passengers next to Blair back to their seats to make room for the delivery.

They asked flight attendants for blankets and an obstetrical kit, a sterile set of medical tools used in emergency childbirth. Fritz said they had to improvise when neither was available.

They got blankets from other passengers and a shoestring from a flight attendant to tie off the umbilical cord. Powell tore out one of her own shoelaces to use as a tourniquet to start an IV.

A paramedic who happened to be on board the flight said the mother gave three “really good pushes” and the baby was born (AP)

Then, Fritz recalled, the mother yelled: “OK, it’s time. I got to push.”

As she was doing so, flight attendants told Fritz and Powell they needed to sit because the plane was about to touch down.

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“We’re like, ‘No! No!’” she said.

Blair gave three “super, really good pushes, and the baby came out really quickly,” Fritz said. “It was nice.”

Powell cut the umbilical cord and sat down while holding the baby. Fritz sat down next to her, and the wheels hit the runway.

“Baby pinked up right away," Fritz said. "She was gorgeous. Mom was a rock star.”

After the plane began taxiing to the jetway, they handed the baby to Blair, and everyone celebrated by taking photos.

A responding crew from Portland Airport Fire &Rescue“found the mother and baby healthy, and the new family was transported to a local hospital for observation,” Port of Portland spokesperson Molly Prescott said in an email to TheAssociated Press.

In a statement, Delta said a doctor and two nurses assisted flight attendants, but Fritz said there was no doctor and the only nurse stayed with the first ailing passenger. Delta didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking clarification.

“We extend our sincere thanks to the crew and medical volunteers on board who stepped in to provide care to a customer onboard prior to landing in Portland. The health and safety of our customers is always our top priority, and we wish the new family all the best,” Delta said in the statement.

Blair didn’t return messages from theAP. Fritz, who has been keeping in touch with Blair since the birth, said she's been a little overwhelmed by all the attention.

“I feel like we’re friends now forever,” Fritz said.

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