A law firm hired by Indiana University has concluded that former basketball team doctor Bradford Bomba Sr. did not act “in bad faith or with an improper purpose” when he performed rectal exams on hundreds of young players during routine physicals.
But the medical experts brought on by the Jones Day law firm to help conduct an independent investigation into the allegations against Bomba wrote that “it was uncommon” for physicians to perform invasive exams like this on “college-age student athletes without pertinent history of complaints.”
Still, the experts wrote in the 874-page report, Bomba’s method of doing these exams was “professional and clinical.”
“We uncovered no evidence — no witness interview, player account, documentation, or evidence regarding any general predilection of Dr. Bomba — that indicated Dr. Bomba had any sexual purpose or derived any sexual gratification from administering the DREs,” the report states, using the acronym for digital rectal exams.
IU hired Jones Day in September to look into the allegations against the now 88-year-old retired doctor after a former player named Haris Mujezinovic sent the school a letter accusing Bomba of performing unnecessary rectal exams on heathy young athletes and saying school officials did nothing to stop him.
“The report did not help me understand the rationale for Dr. Bomba Sr.’s actions or for IU’s failure to act,” Mujezinovic said in a statement released by his lawyers Kathleen DeLaney, Matthew Gutwein and Alexander Pantos after the Jones Day report was released Thursday. “It seems to me that IU stayed quiet at the expense of me and the other players.”
Mujezinovic is one five former Indiana players, including one-time NBA player and former Toronto Raptors coach Butch Carter, who are suing the university trustees and former athletic trainer Tim Garl for allegedly ignoring warnings about Bomba, who they allege performed medically unnecessarily rectal exams on the young men.
Delaney, in an email Friday to NBC News, said “this report helps our litigation case and we are continuing to pursue the case with vigor.”
“The Jones Day report is flawed in many respects, but it unequivocally confirms that Dr. Bomba, Sr. routinely abused IU student athletes for decades and that the university’s Head Athletic Trainer knew about it at the time and did nothing to stop it,” Delany wrote. “Even the hired experts Jones Day engaged — two out of three of them — stopped short of endorsing Dr. Bomba, Sr.’s digital rectal examinations as ‘medically appropriate.’”
The Jones Day report, Delaney added, also called Garl’s behavior “unprofessional” for “razzing” players about the rectal exams at the hands of Bomba.
Garl, who had been the head men’s basketball trainer at the school since 1981, was informed last month that IU would not be renewing his contract.
NBC News has reached out to attorneys for Bomba, Garl and IU spokesperson Mark Bode for comment on the findings in the Jones Day report.
Bomba, who is not listed as a defendant, provided medical care to all its sports teams from 1962 to 1970 and was the Hoosier’s men’s basketball team physician from 1979 until the late 1990s.
Mujezinovic and Charlie Miller, who played for the Hoosiers in the 1990s under the late and legendary coachBob Knight, were the first of the former players to file a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for Southern Indiana alleging that their coaches and trainers were aware that Bomba was subjecting basketball players to unnecessary prostate examinations and did nothing to stop him.
They sued under Title IX, a federal law that requires all colleges and universities that receive federal funds to put safeguards in place to protect students from discrimination based on sex, including sexual harassment and sexual violence.
“Dr. Bomba, Sr.’s routine sexual assaults were openly discussed by the Hoosier men’s basketball players in the locker room in the presence of IU employees, including assistant coaches, athletic trainers, and other Hoosier men’s basketball staff,” according to the lawsuit.
Former “Project Runway” production assistant Miriam Haley stormed out of a New York criminal courtroom Friday, moments after breaking down in tears and cursing on the stand during her fourth day at Harvey Weinstein’s sex crimes retrial.
Haley, 48, was about 30 minutes into her testimony when Weinstein’s lawyer Jennifer Bonjean began grilling her on what she was wearing the night she alleges Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her at his SoHo home in July 2006. She had previously testified that, weeks later, Weinstein raped her in a Tribeca hotel room.
“He took my clothes off … I didn’t take my clothes off,” Haley testified about the apartment incident. “He was the one who raped me, not the other way.”
“That’s for the jury to decide,” Bonjean responded, escalating the exchange.
As tears began to stream down her face, Haley stressed it was her experience and yelled: “Don’t tell me I wasn’t raped by that f––ing a––hole!”
The outburst prompted Haley to request a break, which Judge Curtis Farber allowed. The jurors were sent out of the courtroom for a 10-minute recess before Haley briskly walked out through a side door.
When court resumed Friday afternoon, Haley was not crying as Bonjean once again began to question her about the clothes she was wearing and how they were removed.
“I did not remove my clothes,” she responded. “I was on my period … I did not remove my clothes.”
This is the second time that Haley has faced Weinstein in criminal court. In 2020, Haley testified in Weinstein’s first trial, which resulted in a landmark 2020 conviction that was overturned last year.
“He put his mouth on my vagina, before and after he pulled out the tampon, he put his mouth on my vagina forcefully,” Haley testified earlier this week about the 2006 encounter. “I was mortified, I was embarrassed, in disbelief.”
Weinstein, 73, has pleaded not guilty to one count of engaging in a criminal sex act in connection with Haley’s allegations that he forcibly performed oral sex on her in 2006. He is also charged with one count of third-degree rape in connection with an alleged assault on actress Jessica Mann, who is expected to testify, in 2013.
He is also facing a charge in connection with the alleged 2006 assault of a Polish former model named Kaja Sokola, who is expected to testify.
“He knew how addictive Hollywood dreams were,” Assistant District Attorney Shannon Lucey said during opening statements, alleging that Weinstein used his power to lure young women. “He knew how the promises of success worked.”
Weinstein has denied all allegations, and his lawyers argued the sexual encounters with the accusers were all “transactional” and “consensual.”
Andy Le, now the sole survivor of his family and the brother of Katie Le, the 5-year-old who was killed in the Vancouver festival attack, is donating half the proceeds from his GoFundMe to other survivors and their families.
Andy Le — the 16-year-old whose stepmother and father were also killed in the deadly attack on the Filipino festival last weekend — announced in a video released this week that he is giving away more than $266,000 Canadian dollars from a fundraiser set up for him. It had raised over half a million Canadian dollars as of its close on Tuesday.
Le’s uncle, Toan Le, told NBC News the funds would be donated in the coming weeks and that they are searching for an organization to give to.
“From the bottom of my heart, thank you all so much. I truly appreciate each and every one of you,” Andy Le said. “I know that many other families are hurting too, which is why I would like to donate $266,000 to the other victims from my GoFundMe campaign.”
The Saturday attack killed 11 people and injured more than two dozen others. The victims ranged in age from 5 to 65, officials said at a news conference Sunday, adding that the death toll could rise. So far, law enforcement has not given a motive, but it has ruled out terrorism as a possibility.
Officials said the suspect, Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, who has been charged with eight counts of second-degree murder, had a history of mental illness and was known to police. Lo was under the care of a mental health team at Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), the facility said in a statement Tuesday. But he was on an extended leave under the Mental Health Act at the time of the attack.
Toan Le told NBC News that his brother, Richard Le, 47; his sister-in-law, Linh Hoang, 30; and his niece, Katie Le, 5, were killed. Andy Le survived, the GoFundMe said, because he opted to stay home to finish his homework instead of attending the festival with the rest of his family.
The fundraiser was initially started to pay for Andy Le’s college education in addition to final expenses for his three family members. In a post on the GoFundMe page, Toan Le said that the funds would now also go toward direct or indirect victims and cover expenses including funeral costs, education, counseling and medical expenses.
“Our hearts go out to all of the families affected by this tragedy,” Toan Le wrote on the GoFundMe page. “Stay strong—we are with you.”
Toan Le also shared details about Andy Le’s late family members, writing on the GoFundMe that Richard Le was a dedicated father, badminton and tennis coach and real estate professional.
“He devoted his life to teaching young people the values of sportsmanship and team spirit,” Le wrote on the GoFundMe. “He served his community and clients with pride and always went out of his way to help others.”
Le went on to say that Linh Hoang, Andy Le’s stepmother, was “known for her kindness and gentle spirit.” And Katie was just about to graduate from kindergarten.
“She was vibrant, joyful, and full of life,” Toan Le said of Katie, who was among the youngest of the attack victims.
In his video, Andy Le said that he plans to continue living with his grandparents.
Locals previously told NBC News that the festival that was attacked is one of the largest Filipino celebrations of the year. It honors the 16th century Filipino chieftain Datu Lapu-Lapu, who defeated Spanish forces and remains a symbol of resistance against colonialism.
Diana Silva, a vendor at the festival who left just 30 minutes before the attack, said that during a vigil for the victims, community members didn’t hesitate to start brainstorming ways to support survivors and help grieving community members.” Silva said it was reflective of the spirit of the chieftain himself.
“Lapu-Lapu is all about resilience, and he stood up for the Philippines,” Silva said. “I think that’s what our community is doing now.”
Gregg Popovich will no longer coach the San Antonio Spurs and will transition to be the president of basketball operations, the team announced Friday.
Popovich, 76, suffered a stroke in November. He has not coached a game since Oct. 31.
“While my love and passion for the game remain, I’ve decided it’s time to step away as head coach,” he said in a statement.
“I’m forever grateful to the wonderful players, coaches, staff and fans who allowed me to serve them as the Spurs head coach and am excited for the opportunity to continue to support the organization, community and city that are so meaningful to me.”
Popovich has 1,422 regular season wins, the most in league history, and five NBA championships. That mark is tied for third all-time behind Phil Jackson (11) and Red Auerbach (9). He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.
Spurs owner Peter J. Holt called Popovich’s impact on the team and community “extraordinary” and “profound.”
“His accolades and awards don’t do justice to the impact he has had on so many people,” Holt said in a statement. “He is truly one-of-one as a person, leader and coach. Our entire family, alongside fans from across the globe, are grateful for his remarkable 29-year run as the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs.”
Blake Lively is speaking out about what she’s going through.
The “Another Simple Favor” star made an appearance on the May 1 episode of “Late Night With Seth Meyers” and spoke about the highs and lows she’d experienced.
Host Seth Meyers first mentioned to Lively that he was “not totally informed” about the details of what she said was an “intense” year.
“I’m thrilled you’re not doing ‘Weekend Update’ right now, because you’d be totally informed,” Lively joked.
Meyers followed with a prompt to see what Lively was willing to share. “But were I to ask you about it I’d imagine you’re in a situation where you can’t say much,” he said.
Lively characterized using her “voice” as a fight to “make the world safer for women in girls.”
“What I can say without going too into it is that this year has been full of the highest highs and the lowest lows of my life. I see so many women around afraid to speak, afraid to share their experiences. Fear is by design. It’s what keeps us silent,” she said.
“I acknowledge that many people don’t have the opportunity to speak,” Lively continued. “I feel fortunate that I have been able to. It’s the women who have had the ability to use their voice that have kept me strong and have helped me in my fight to make the world safer for women and girls. It’s a pretty simple thing,” she said.
Following her comments, Lively received a round of applause from the audience.
Back in January, a New York judge announced that both Lively and Baldoni’s lawsuits against each other would be addressed in a trial set for March 9, 2026.
Lively starred and produced “It Ends With Us,” while Baldoni directed and co-starred. The film premiered in August 2024, yet before its release, people began speculating that there was tension between the cast.
By December 2024, Lively filed a sexual harassment complaint against Baldoni, with her attorneys stating that, in multiple incidents, Baldoni harassed Lively on set and crossed boundaries during intimate scenes, according to an administrative complaint filed Dec. 20, 2024 and obtained by TODAY.com.
Attorneys for Baldoni denied the accusations at the time.
On Dec. 31, Baldoni sued the New York Times for libel, seeking $250 million in damages, over the newspaper’s coverage of Lively’s accusations of sexual harassment and being the target of a smear campaign.
Also on Dec. 31, Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios, producer Jamey Heath, Baldoni’s publicist Jennifer Abel, crisis publicist Melissa Nathan and others connected to Baldoni and “It Ends With Us,” in which her legal team argued she had been a victim of sexual harassment and a smear campaign, according to court documents obtained by NBC News.
In response, in January 2025, Baldoni sued Lively, accusing her, her husband Ryan Reynolds, publicist Leslie Sloane and Sloane’s PR firm of defamation and other contractual claims.
In a statement to NBC News in Jan. 16, 2025, Lively’s legal team said the lawsuit was “another chapter in the abuser playbook,” denying the allegations.
Baldoni and his team would go on to create a website about the lawsuit against Lively, filled with their complaint and alleged emails and texts from those involved in the creation of “It Ends With Us.” Lively’s
By February, the judge overseeing their trial didn’t restrict what their attorneys could say publicly but he did issue a warning about public comments, according to NBC News. Later that month, Lively amended her original complaint, alleging that other women had complained about Baldoni’s misconduct, as well as added a new claim for defamation.
Attorneys for Baldoni did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News about Lively’s amended complaint at the time.
Voters will also be choosing the first mayor of Starbase and two city commissioners. The candidates for all three positions are employees of SpaceX and are running unopposed.
As of Tuesday, 181 people had already cast early ballots, according to county election records, including the candidates for mayor and city commissioners. Musk, who is eligible to vote in this Cameron County special election, has not yet shown up in early voting data.
It’s not clear why Musk or SpaceX want to turn the area into their own city. The company did not respond to a request for comment.
SpaceX’s mega rocket Starship is prepared for a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on Jan. 12.Eric Gay / AP file
Remi Garza, head of elections for Cameron County, said counties are usually more limited in their authority over cities.
“They don’t have the ability to sort of control growth or set standards the same way the municipality could, where they could adopt city codes, building codes and things like that,” he said, adding that cities can exert greater influence over planning and development.
Musk first publicly discussed the idea of a city named Starbase in 2021. The coastal spot is where SpaceX builds its boosters and engines and launches its huge Starship rocket on test flights.
A visitor photographs a large bust of Elon Musk near SpaceX’s Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on March 5.Eric Gay / AP file
Having greater municipal control could ease some of the red tape around those activities. Earlier this week, however, Texas lawmakers voted against a bill that would have given SpaceX great control over public beach access near its launch facility.
Normally, SpaceX must obtain permission from authorities in Cameron County to close a highway and shut down public access to Boca Chica Beach and Boca Chica State Park to keep people safe during rocket launches.
The frequent closures have contributed to legal complaints against SpaceX, and have drawn protests from local residents and activists, including the Carrizo Comecrudo Tribe of Texas, the South Texas Environmental Justice Network and Border Workers United, as reported by CNBC.
Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the aid group running the mission, blamed Israel for the attack but did not provide evidence for that allegation. NBC News’ reached out to the Israel Defense Forces and the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but did not immediately receive any response.
The attack came exactly two months after Israel, on March 2, imposed a full blockade on the entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza including food, medicine, and other critical supplies.
Freedom Flotilla Coalition posted video footage on X early Friday showing a fire on the Conscience — the name of the vessel hit by the alleged drone attack — with volunteers from over 21 countries having boarded in Malta for the mission to Gaza.
A tugboat extinguishes a fire onboard an aid vessel bound for Gaza in Maltese waters Friday.Malta Government Department of Information
“On the morning of their scheduled departure, the vessel was attacked,” the organizers said in a statement Friday, adding that the ship issued an SOS distress signal shortly after armed drones caused a fire and a substantial breach in the hull.
“Israeli ambassadors must be summoned and answer to violations of international law, including the ongoing blockade (of Gaza) and the bombing of our civilian vessel in international waters,” the group added.
The Maltese government said everyone involved in the aid mission was “confirmed safe” after it carried out a rescue operation. “The vessel had 12 crew members on board and four civilian passengers; no casualties were reported,” it said in a statement Friday.
Images released by the Maltese government showed a tug vessel putting out a fire on a vessel following the alleged drone attack.
The Conscience was “17 kilometers from the shore of Malta, [when it] was attacked by two drones,” Yasemin Acar, one of the organizers of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, told NBC News from Malta shortly before the group posted the video online and a rescue operation was carried out on the vessel.
Acar said the struck vessel had initially been sailing with a flag registered to the Pacific island nation of Palau, but that the country’s government had removed permission for its flag’s use.
Before the rescue of those on board was successfully executed, Acar said that “there is panic… Of course, everyone is in shock. Everyone is scared.”
Francesca Albanese, the U.N. Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, said in a post on X Friday that she “received a distressed call from the people of the Freedom Flotilla that is carrying essential food and medicine to the starving Gaza population.”
“I call on concerned state authorities, including maritime authorities, to support the ship and its crew as needed,” she added.
Senior Palestinian lawmaker Mustafa Barghouti accused the Israeli government of “behaving like a pirate” and “violating all international law with impunity” in a post on X Friday.
While Freedom Flotilla Coalition did not cite evidence for its allegations against Israel and the country’s government did not respond to the accusations, there have been previous instances of Israeli forces preventing activists from shipping aid to Gaza.
In 2010, a flotilla on a similar mission was stopped and boarded by Israeli troops near the coast of Gaza. Israeli forces’ use of force resulted in the deaths of nine people on board and multiple others were wounded, a panel established by the U.N. Secretary General said.
Since Israel launched its offensive in the enclave following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorist attacks, morethan 51,000 people have been killed in Gaza, including thousands of children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, whose numbers are described as reliable by the World Health Organization.tt
Some 1,200 people were killed during the militant group’s attacks in southern Israel, with around 250 taken hostage, marking a major escalation in a decadeslong conflict.
International aid groups and NGOs have said that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached its worst level in 18 months and that aid systems are on the verge of collapse.
While Israel is obligated to meet the basic needs of the civilian population in Gaza under its control under international humanitarian law, the United Nations-run World Food Programme last week said it had run out of food in its warehouses in Gaza and warned of mass starvation in the besieged enclave that is home to more than 2 million Palestinians.
In video footage by NBC News’ crew on the ground in the Mawasi neighborhood in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis, children stood in a narrow alley holding empty pots at the Rafah Charitable Kitchen — the only soup kitchen serving the displaced in the area.
“We sleep hungry and wake up hungry. We eat nothing, only water to fill our stomachs,” 10-year-old Asmaa Al-Kurd told NBC News.
“I spend all my time waiting in line just to bring food for my family,” she added.
Astha Rajvanshi
Astha Rajvanshi is a reporter for NBC News Digital, based in London. Previously, she worked as a staff writer covering international news for TIME.
Marco Rubio’s reaches new heights in the Trump administration. The latest jobs report is expected to reflect the uncertainty surrounding Trump’s sweeping tariffs. Plus, a look ahead at the biggest storylines of the Kentucky Derby.
Here’s what to know today.
Marco Rubio’s swift rise to a central spot in Trump’s orbit
Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s position in the Trump administration expanded again yesterday when the president announced he would take on the role of interim national security adviser. Rubio’s predecessor, Mike Waltz, will be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Trump said.
Waltz, a former Florida congressman, has been on shaky ground since he inadvertently added a journalist to a private Signal chat with other top national security officials to discuss military strikes in Yemen. Trump had initially nominated Rep. Elise Stefanik for the high-profile U.N. ambassador post but withdrew her nomination a few weeks ago, citing Republicans’ thin House majority.
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For Rubio, the new role adds to his list of responsibilities. He’s also the acting administrator for the diminished U.S. Agency for International Development, as well as acting archivist of the National Archives and Records Administration. Also noteworthy: No one has been secretary of state and national security adviser simultaneously since Henry Kissinger 50 years ago.
Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images
It’s a remarkable shift in fortunes for Rubio, who sparred sharply with Trump in the past and who risked being overshadowed early on in his second White House term.
Remember a few months ago, when Rubio took his first trip as secretary of state to Latin America? Then, he was caught off guard by drastic changes to foreign aid and Trump’s public backing for turning the Gaza Strip into a Middle East Riviera. Over the next 10 days, he was also blindsided by foreign policy pronouncements from top administration officials.
But things have changed since then as Rubio figured out a strategy to minimize such frustrations, adapting some of his foreign policy positions while endearing himself to Trump and his allies. He’s eating at noteworthy restaurants, attending high-profile events and making it a point to spend more time at the White House and Mar-a-Lago, according to more than a dozen senior current and foreign administration officials, congressional officials and others who are close to Rubio or the White House.
More than 20 state-level DOGE organizations have been rolled out, but they’ve so far taken a far lighter touch than Trump’s federal DOGE launch. Here’s why.
Trump’s poll numbers are currently lagging. Come 2026, Republicans hope to rekindle the kind of energy he brings when he is on the ballot as the party tries to retain its majorities in Congress.
Prominent Washington defense attorney Abbe Lowell and two vocal critics of big law firms’ deals with Trump are starting a new firm.
Jobs growth is likely slowing
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is set to release its latest data today, with forecasts predicting 133,000 jobs added in April, lower than the previous month’s 228,000. The unemployment rate is anticipated to remain unchanged at 4.2%.
Trump’s major “Liberation Day” tariff announcement exactly a month ago generated massive uncertainty and sent stocks tumbling in the weeks that followed, though markets have largely recovered from initial losses and major tech companies like Microsoft have sailed through relatively unscathed. Still, some of the worst impacts have only recently begun to appear.
Tariffs aside, Trump’s other policies — from DOGE staffing cuts to immigration crackdowns — may be hindering job growth.
Inside the slow-grinding criminal case that let a man languish in jail for 940 days
Sinatra Jordan in court on March 10, 2025.Imani Khayyam for NBC News
A Mississippi man spent two and a half years in a county jail waiting for a trial that would never come, even after the police who accused him were arrested in the case. Reporter Jon Schuppe, who has covered the Mississippi Capitol Police extensively in recent years, shared his experience putting together this story:
“This is a story I never expected to write. In early 2023, while investigating a string of shootings by the Mississippi Capitol Police, I wrote to Sinatra Jordan, who was in jail on charges alleging he shot at police officers during a chase through downtown Jackson that ended with his friend shot in the head. He told me in a letter and in phone calls that he never had a gun. But it was his word against the officers’. I wrote a story about the case and moved on.
“Jordan kept calling me, though. Months, then years, passed, and he remained in jail without any progress in his case, or any clue when he might get a day in court. I began to see his ordeal as an emblem of our deeply flawed criminal justice system. Despite the constitutional right to a speedy trial, people all over Mississippi, and in other parts of the country, spend years in jail without being deemed innocent or guilty. Two years after we first spoke, I decided to return to Jordan’s story.
“Around that time, the case took an extraordinary turn. A grand jury indicted the two officers, charging them with aggravated assault for allegedly shooting Jordan’s friend and firing at Jordan. That led prosecutors to drop the shooting charges against Jordan, who pleaded guilty to another offense and was released after 940 days behind bars. When he finally walked out of jail, I was there to greet him. And with his help I obtained copies of evidence which showed investigators never found proof that he shot at the officers. Now the officers — who were released on bail — are waiting for a trial.”
The 151st Kentucky Derby has a tough act to follow after last year’s three-way photo finish. But tomorrow’s race looks to have some excitement of its own. NBC News and MSNBC’s numbers guru (and horse racing enthusiast) Steve Kornacki looks at the big storylines heading into the race:
⭐ The favorite: His name is Journalism and he towers above the field in at least one notable metric: speed figures. But his success in two key Kentucky Derby prep races were against tiny fields — just four rivals in each race. How will he perform against 19 foes?
🔁 Bob Baffert is back: The best-known trainer in horse racing will make his return to Churchill Downs after a three-year ban, and he has the backing of some of the sport’s most ambitious and deep-pocketed owners. But his crop of horses is down to just one: Citizen Bull, who likes to be in front but could be compromised if a hot pace develops. Baffert’s other entry, Rodriguez, was scratched late yesterday.
🏇 The best storyline: Lonnie Briley was never supposed to be here. The folksy 72-year-old Louisianan has been training horses since 1991 and has had success, but mostly with cheap horses running for small prizes in racing’s backwaters. Until now. His horse, Coal Battle, has long odds in this race, but even Briley’s rival trainers will probably be smiling if he can pull off this one.
Diddy on trial: Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial begins Monday. Sign up to receive a newsletter with exclusive reporting and analysis throughout the trial.
Read All About It
The rollout of updated Covid vaccines this fall may be in jeopardy after a rule change by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in how vaccines are tested.
Sean “Diddy” Combs confirmed at a hearing that he rejected a plea deal in his sex trafficking case, paving the way for his trial to begin next week.
Singer Jill Sobule, known for the 1995 song “I Kissed a Girl,” died in a Minnesota house fire Thursday morning, her representatives said. She was 66.
The coach of a high school lacrosse team in New York where at least 11 players are accused of hazing younger members denied the team’s staff knew anything about the alleged incident before it happened.
Staff Pick: Pope Francis’ faithful followers
Daniel Sanz traveled from Spain for the pope’s funeral. Sam Gregg for NBC News
I am so delighted to publish these spectacular images taken by photographer Sam Gregg of the faithful congregants who attended Pope Francis’ funeral in Vatican City last weekend. Sam is a native of Naples and has spent many years documenting themes of religion and death in Italy. When the news of Pope Francis’ death was announced, I knew I had collaborate with him in some way.
Sam predominantly works in film, which presented those of us who work in a fast-paced digital news environment with a dilemma, given the time constraints of developing and printing the work. But with this story, I wanted to take the time to focus on the everyday people who traveled to see their leader be laid to rest and tell their story through their own words. The end result is a beautiful gallery of rich, colorful portraits from a special event that meant so much to so many. — Max Butterworth, deputy director of photography
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President Donald Trump signed an executive order late Thursday to end public funding of National Public Radio and PBS to stop what he called “biased and partisan news coverage.”
The order directs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to “cease federal funding for NPR and PBS” to the extent allowed by law. The order could be challenged in court.
“Unlike in 1967, when the CPB was established, today the media landscape is filled with abundant, diverse, and innovative news options,” the Thursday night executive order reads. “Government funding of news media in this environment is not only outdated and unnecessary but corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence.”
Trump and his loyalists, including Elon Musk, have long complained that NPR and PBS are biased and promote left-wing causes, an allegation staunchly denied by executives at both organizations. Last month, Trump called for their defunding on Truth Social, calling them “RADICAL LEFT ‘MONSTERS’ THAT SO BADLY HURT OUR COUNTRY!”
To date, NPR and PBS receive roughly half a billion dollars each in public money and earn money from sponsorship. NPR says less than 1% of its funding comes from public sources.
However, Trump said in the order that the CPB failed to follow the principles of fairness and impartiality that underpin its public role.
“Which viewpoints NPR and PBS promote does not matter. What does matter is that neither entity presents a fair, accurate, or unbiased portrayal of current events to taxpaying citizens,” he said.
PBS and NPR did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment.
The headquarters for National Public Radio in Washington, D.C., on March 26.Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images
In a statement last month, in response to a draft memo to Congress outlining the funding cut, an NPR spokesperson said: “Eliminating funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting would have a devastating impact on American communities across the nation that rely on public radio for trusted local and national news, culture, lifesaving emergency alerts, and public safety information.”
Paula Kerger, CEO and president of PBS, said last month that an order to defund the organization would “disrupt the essential service PBS and local member stations provide to the American people.”
“There’s nothing more American than PBS, and our work is only possible because of the bipartisan support we have always received from Congress,” she added.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said in a Wednesday report that Trump’s executive orders in his first 100 days in office had created a “chilling effect and have the potential to curtail media freedoms,” including by restricting access to the regular pool of reporters who follow the president and reopening FCC investigations into networks, including NBC News.
Former NPR editor Uri Berliner resigned last month and wrote an essay for a right-leaning publication criticizing the network’s liberal position and lack of political diversity. However, he stressed he didn’t support defunding NPR.
The Trump administration has repeatedly blocked reporters from covering news at the Oval Office and ousted journalists from their working spaces at the Pentagon, in a string of actions critics called an attack on independent news organizations’ efforts to report on his administration.
Iran has to “walk away” from uranium enrichment and long-range missile development and it should allow American inspectors of its facilities, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday as a round of nuclear talks was postponed.
Rubio’s comments underscore the major remaining divisions in talks between the countries to resolve the long-running dispute over Iran’s nuclear program, with President Donald Trump threatening to bomb Iran if there is no agreement.
“They have to walk away from sponsoring terrorists, they have to walk away from helping the Houthis (in Yemen), they have to walk away from building long-range missiles that have no purpose to exist other than having nuclear weapons, and they have to walk away from enrichment,” Rubio said in a Fox News interview.
Iran has repeatedly said it will not give up its missile program or its uranium enrichment — a process used to make fuel for nuclear power plants but which can also yield material for an atomic warhead.
On Thursday, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that the scheduled fourth round of talks due to take place in Rome on Saturday had been postponed and that a new date would be set “depending on the U.S. approach.”
Rubio said Iran should import enriched uranium for its nuclear power program rather than enriching it to any level.
“If you have the ability to enrich at 3.67%, it only takes a few weeks to get to 20%, then 60%, and then the 80 and 90% that you need for a weapon,” he said.
Iran has said it has a right to enrich uranium under the terms of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It denies wanting to build a nuclear bomb.
Rubio also said Iran would have to accept that Americans could be involved in any inspection regime and that inspectors would require access to all facilities, including military ones.
