Jordon Hudson, girlfriend of former NFL football coach Bill Belichick, placed second runner-up in the Miss Maine USA pageant over the weekend.
With Belichick, 73, in the front row, Hudson, 24, competed in the two-day pageant — which was held in Portland, Maine, on Saturday and Sunday — for the second year in a row. In 2024, she placed first runner-p.
Shelby Howell of Bangor won Miss Maine USA 2025.
Hudson was representing her hometown of Hancock in the state pageant, which features three different areas of competition: interview, swimsuit and evening gown. The winner of Miss Maine USA advances to the Miss USA competition.
During the contest, Hudson was awarded “Most Stylish” and finished among the top three.
“I’m feeling an immense amount of pride right,” Hudson said during the question portion of the event. “I’m hoping anyone who’s watching this finds the strength to push through whatever it is they are going through and embodies that hate never wins.”
Hudson was asked: “If you could relive one moment in your life, what would it be and why?”
She answered, “I would go back to the days when I was on my family’s fishing boat in Hancock, Maine.”
“I think about this very often because there’s a mass exodus in the rural areas of Maine, and I don’t want to see more fishermen displaced,” she said. “As your next Miss Maine USA, I would make it a point to go into the communities, to go to the legislator and go to the government to advocate for these people so they don’t to think about these memories as a past moment.”
Hudson has been in the spotlight due to her public relationship with Belichick, the current head football coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. They met in 2021 on a flight, and now, in addition to maintaining a “personal relationship,” she manages Belichick’s “personal brand,” UNC has said.
Seemingly in that capacity, Hudson recently made headlines for interrupting an interview Belichick sat for with CBS News’ “Sunday Morning,” which aired April 27.
When asked how he and Hudson met, she was shown on camera interjecting with, “We’re not talking about this.”
Belichick defended Hudson in a statement: “She was not deflecting any specific question or topic but simply doing her job to ensure the interview stayed on track.”
“While Jordon Hudson is not an employee at the University or Carolina Athletics, she is welcome to the Carolina Football facilities,” Carolina Athletics said in a statement. “Jordon will continue to manage all activities related to Coach Belichick’s personal brand outside of his responsibilities for Carolina Football and the University.”
Sabu, a “hardcore” professional wresting legend whose real name was Terry Brunk, has died at 60 years old, World Wrestling Entertainment announced Sunday.
“WWE is saddened to learn that Terry Brunk, known to wrestling fans as Sabu, has passed away,” the company said in a statement.
All Elite Wrestling also announced the news in a post on social media.
“From barbed wire battles to unforgettable high-risk moments, Sabu gave everything to professional wrestling,” AEW wrote on X. “Our thoughts are with his family, his friends and his fans.”
Sabu’s cause of death was not released Sunday, and it was not clear when he died.
Sabu rose to fame while wrestling for Extreme Championship Wrestling in the 1990s, where he was “a pioneer of hardcore wrestling, leaping from chairs and driving his opponents through tables and even barbed wire,” taking after his uncle, Hall of Famer Ed “The Sheik” Farhat, WWE wrote.
As a part of ECW, Sabu wrestled contemporaries like Rob Van Dam, Mick Foley and Taz. In a company known for pushing the envelope in terms of the risks wrestlers were willing to take, Sabu still managed to stand out.
Whether he was leaping off the ring ropes to his opponents on the outside or delivering double leg-drops through tables and ladders, his style of wrestling — not always pretty but certainly impressive and eye-catching — made him a fan favorite.
He signed with WWE as part of the company’s revival of the ECW brand in 2006. The next year, at WrestleMania 23, he and fellow ECW originals Van Dam, Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman defeated the New Breed in front of 80,000 fans in Detroit. He departed the company that same year.
Both before and after WWE, Sabu wrestled for top promotions across the globe, including New Japan Pro-Wrestling, AAA and CMLL, as well as dozens of other independent promotions.
He continued wrestling long after many of his contemporaries had already retired. His final match — and first since 2021, according to Cage Match — was April 18, when he defeated Joey Janela, getting driven through a table and landing on barbed wire in the process.
Janela called Sabu “my idol, a trailblazer, a gamechanger and an icon,” in a memorial post on X that featured photos and videos of he and Sabu.
Wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer called Sabu the “king of the death matches” on Wrestling Observer Radio on Sunday, and credited him with popularizing hardcore wrestling in the U.S.
“He was the godfather of it in every way,” Meltzer said.
Big names from across the wrestling world took to social media to remember Sabu as a legend in the field and as a friend.
In a video posted to X, Taz said Sabu’s death “breaks my heart,” and added that he had watched an old interview of Sabu’s as recently as Saturday night.
“I would not have had the career that I have had and I’ve been blessed to have if it wasn’t for Sabu,” Taz said, noting the pair debuted against each other for ECW in 1993.
The X account for docu-series “Dark Side of the Ring” said Sabu’s death “comes as a shock,” as he is featured in the episode airing Tuesday that pays tribute to his uncle.
“Sabu was a trailblazing groundbreaker who played a major role in the expansion of what a pro wrestling match could be,” wrestler Matt Hardy said on X. “The fact that tables are commonly utilized in pro wrestling is because of Terry Brunk & how he made an inanimate object like a table a must see component in his match.”
Hardy also called Sabu “heavily influential on today’s current style, even though his contributions are still under appreciated by most.”
In an X post, AEW wrestler Mark Briscoe said, “Nobody made me want to be a wrestler more than Sabu. R.I.P. to a true hardcore legend.”
People taking Eli Lilly’s obesity drug, Zepbound, lost nearly 50% more weight than those using rival Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy in the first head-to-head study of the blockbuster medications.
Clinical trial participants who took tirzepatide, the drug sold as Zepbound, lost an average of 50 pounds (22.8 kilograms) over 72 weeks, while those who took semaglutide, or Wegovy, lost about 33 pounds (15 kilograms). That’s according to the study funded by Lilly, which was published Sunday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Both drugs are part of a new class of medications that work by mimicking hormones in the gut and brain that regulate appetite and feelings of fullness. But tirzepatide targets two such hormones, known as GLP-1 and GIP, while semaglutide targets GLP-1 alone, said Dr. Louis Aronne, director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Center at Weill Cornell Medicine.
“Two drugs together can produce better weight loss,” said Aronne, who led the study and presented the findings Sunday at the European Congress on Obesity in Spain.
While tirzepatide won out in what Aronne said many view as “a drag race of efficacy,” both are important tools for treating obesity, which affects about 40% of American adults.
“The point of these medications is to improve health,” he said. “The majority of people won’t need the most effective medication.”
The trial included 751 people from across the U.S. who were overweight or had obesity and at least one other weight-related health problem, but not diabetes. Participants received weekly injections of the highest tolerated doses of Zepbound, either 10 milligrams or 15 milligrams, or Wegovy, 1.7 milligrams or 2.4 milligrams.
By the end of the trial, those who took Zepbound lost about 20% of their body weight on average, compared with a nearly 14% loss for those who took Wegovy. The tirzepatide group trimmed about 7 inches (17.8 centimeters) from their waist circumference, compared to about 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) with semaglutide. In addition, nearly 32% of people taking Zepbound lost at least a quarter of their body weight, compared to about 16% of those taking Wegovy, the study found.
Weight loss was about 6% lower in men than in women in both groups, the authors noted. As participants in both groups lost more weight, they saw improvements in health markers such as blood pressure, blood fat and blood sugar levels.
More than three-quarters of patients taking both drugs reported at least one side effect, mostly mild to moderate gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, constipation, diarrhea and vomiting. About 6% of participants taking Zepbound left the trial because of adverse events, compared with 8% of those taking semaglutide.
The GLP-1 drugs have become increasingly popular, with at least 1 in 8 U.S. adults reporting their use, according to a 2024 survey by KFF, a independent health policy research organization. Zepbound generated $4.9 billion in global sales last year. Wegovy brought in nearly $8.8 billion (58.2 billlion Danish kroner).
Access and affordability have limited wider use of the drugs. Tirzepatide and semaglutide were removed recently from a list of drug shortages by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Both manufacturers recently released programs that cut costs to about $500 per month or less, depending on the dose.
It’s important to have a range of drugs to treat a disease as widespread as obesity in the U.S., said Dr. Angela Fitch, chief medical officer of knownwell, an obesity care company. Wegovy has been found to cut the risk of serious heart problems by 20%, she noted. A drug may work well for one patient, but not for others.
“We’re going to need to use them all just because we have so many patients who need treatment,” she added.
The White House on Sunday touted a “China trade deal” — without providing details — after two top U.S. officials alluded to a potential agreement with China following talks between the two countries in Switzerland over the weekend.
“U.S. Announces China Trade Deal in Geneva,” read the White House’s headline for a transcript of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer’s remarks to reporters.
Bessent and Greer had struck an optimistic tone regarding the state of a potential trade agreement with China, noting that the administration would provide additional details on Monday. While Greer referred to an “agreement” and “deal,” neither official provided details. China has not yet publicly weighed in on whether the two countries have struck a deal.
“I’m happy to report that we made substantial progress between the United States and China in the very important trade talks,” Bessent told reporters, adding that “the talks were productive.”
Hamas says it will release American hostage
Relatives and supporters hold placards of Israeli hostages, including Edan Alexander, in Tel Aviv on Dec. 30, 2023.Ahmad Gharabli / AFP via Getty Images
Hamas agreed to release Edan Alexander, a dual U.S. and Israeli citizen believed to be the last living U.S. citizen who remains captive in Gaza, weeks after saying it had lost contact with the group holding him hostage.
His release is part of “the steps being taken to achieve a ceasefire, open the crossings, and allow aid,” Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas’ negotiating team, said in a statement. Al-Hayya did not provide information on Alexander’s condition.
Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, confirmed the agreement to NBC News and said he is traveling to Israel to secure Alexander’s release.
While Netanyahu wants to continue a military approach, Trump sees an opportunity to make a deal with a now-weakened Iran, the sources told NBC News.
‘Meet the Press’
Top Trump adviser Stephen Miller on Friday said the administration is “looking at” ways to end due process protections for unauthorized immigrants in the U.S.
When asked whether he would supportsuspending habeas corpus for undocumented immigrants, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., dodged the questions, ultimately telling NBC News’ “Meet the Press” he did not think the issue would come before Congress.
Klobuchar reflected on Joe Biden suspending his re-election campaign last year and endorsing Kamala Harris just months before the election.
“Yes, we would have been served better by a primary. But we are where we are,” Klobuchar said. “I’m not interested in going backwards in time. I’m interested in going forward.”
Politics in brief
Special delivery: The Trump administration is preparing to accept a superluxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the royal family of Qatar as a gift to be used as the new Air Force One for presidential travel until shortly before Trump leaves office.
Musk’s reprieves: Regulatory problems that have dogged tech billionaire Elon Musk and his business empire in recent years have begun to melt away under the Trump administration.
Lost in translation: Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff broke with long-standing protocol by relying on Kremlin-provided translators during three high-level meetings with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, officials told NBC News.
How Leo became the unexpected pope
Once the Sistine Chapel’s doors are sealed, cardinals attending the conclave swear an oath of “absolute and perpetual secrecy,” as do all Vatican staff assisting them, including cooks, cleaners and drivers.
But there have since been some clues from insiders as to how a relatively obscure American Augustinian, who was not widely discussed ahead of the event, moved minds and ended up as pope.
Cardinal Wilton Gregory said that “a lot of dialogue occurred at mealtime, coffee breaks, those moments when you can engage in smaller groups,” hinting that it was in these moments that Cardinal Robert Prevost, soon to become Leo, thrived.
“It wasn’t that he stood up and made this overwhelmingly convincing speech that just wowed,” said Gregory. “I don’t remember any particular intervention, but I do believe he engaged quite effectively in the smaller group conversations.”
Notable quote
This wasn’t our first rodeo. We’ve been through this 268 times.
After peaking at $6.55 in mid-March, a dozen eggs sold for an average of $5.45 nationwide as of the week ending April 19, according to the latest data available from the market research firm NIQ. The ongoing decline is welcome news for consumers, but it comes amid higher prices for a number of pantry staples even as inflation overall has cooled.
And it isn’t just eggs: Many shoppers are bracing to pay more for groceries overall as they shift focus toward covering essentials.
Many are now planning to trim their spending this summer on everything from clothing and furniture to travel, according to a survey the consulting firm KPMG released in late April. Groceries were one of just two categories where shoppers said they expect to spend more.
Black college seniors are graduating into a job market that has seen DEI rollbacks, less outward enthusiasm for recruiting Black workers and signs of a cooldown in hiring for everyone.
Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Junior Alvarado has been suspended and fined $62,000 for striking his horse too many times during the race. Alvarado used his riding crop on Sovereignty “more than the permitted amount,” according to officials.
Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested restarting direct talks with Ukrainestarting May 15, as other world leaders threaten increased sanctions on Russia.
WNBA all-stars Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley have apparently welcomed their first child together.
Their daugher, Jana Christine Vandersloot Quigley, was born on April 8, according to People magazine.
“We are over the moon to welcome our baby girl to the world,” Vandersloot and Quigly, told People in an exclusive interview. “We have been dreaming of this moment for a long time, and it’s better than we could have ever imagined!”
Representatives for the couple did not immediately reply to a request for comment to confirm the news of their daughter’s birth.
Photos shared with People show the family, including their dog, posing at the foot of a white bed.
Vandersloot and Quigley were married in 2018, years after meeting on a flight home from Slovakia at the conclusion of the 2012-2013 Euroleague season, People reported. They were both en route to Chicago to prepare for the upcoming WNBA season with the Sky.
2013 marked Quigley’s debut season with the Chicago Sky, where she remained until 2022. She opted out to sit out the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Vandersloot has been playing for the Sky since 2011, save for two seasons in New York in 2023 and 2024.
At least 10 people have been hospitalized in California and Nevada following a listeria outbreak under investigation by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the FDA said in a release Saturday.
Ready-to-eat foods produced by Fresh & Ready Foods LLC of San Fernando, California, are being voluntarily recalled, according to the company.
More than 80 products are included in the recall, ranging from snack boxes to sandwiches and pastas. The recalled products have best-by dates between April 22 and May 19 and brand names Fresh & Ready Foods, City Point Market Fresh Food to Go and Fresh Take Crave Away.
The recalled products were distributed throughout Arizona, California, Nevada and Washington at various locations including hospitals, hotels, corporate offices, convenience stores, airports and airlines.
“FDA and CDC began investigating this cluster in 2024, however, there was not enough evidence in the previous investigation to identify a source for the outbreak,” the FDA said. “The investigation was reopened in April 2025 after FDA investigators found listeria in environmental samples collected from Fresh & Ready Foods, LLC during a routine surveillance inspection.”
The agencies used whole genome sequencing to match the strain of listeria found at Fresh & Ready Foods with the outbreak causing illnesses.
“Fresh & Ready Foods has taken immediate corrective actions including removing equipment to address this issue to ensure ongoing food safety and compliance with FDA guidance,” the company said in a release.
Of the 10 known illnesses, eight of the hospitalizations occurred in California and two in Nevada.
Symptoms of listeriosis, or a listeria infection, typically begin within two weeks of eating contaminated food, but can start anywhere from the day of consumption to 10 weeks later, the FDA said.
Retailers and consumers who purchased or received the recalled products are advised by the FDA to clean and sanitize any areas they may have touched, as listeria can spread easily to other foods and surfaces.
At-risk groups, including pregnant women and newborns, people age 65 or over and those with weakened immune systems, are encouraged by the FDA to contact a health care professional if symptoms begin, such as fever, nausea, muscle aches, vomiting or diarrhea.
Hamas agreed to release Edan Alexander, a dual U.S. and Israeli citizen believed to be the last living U.S. citizen who remains captive in Gaza, weeks after saying it had lost contact with the group holding him hostage.
His release is part of “the steps being taken to achieve a ceasefire, open the crossings, and allow aid,” Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas’ negotiating team, said in a statement Sunday. Al-Hayya did not provide information on Alexander’s condition.
Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, confirmed the agreement to NBC News and said he is traveling to Israel to secure Alexander’s release.
“We are picking him up probably tomorrow,” Witkoff said. “There was a long negotiation with lots of people to thank.”
Adi and Yael Alexander, parents of Edan Alexander, in New York City in 2024.Lev Radin / Pacific Press / LightRocket via Getty Images file
He went on to describe this as a gesture of goodwill toward President Donald Trump, adding that it is a big moment “in large part” because of Trump.
“The family is ecstatic,” Witkoff said.
Alexander was serving in the Israel Defense Forces when he was taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023, along with roughly 250 others.
At the time, Hamas blamed the issue on Israeli strikes that hit the area where Alexander was allegedly being held.
Hamas and Israel agreed to a temporary ceasefire in January, which led to the release of hostages in exchange for freeing Palestinians in Israeli custody. It also saw an influx of aid for Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
But the fragile ceasefire fell apart in March after negotiations stalled on how to expand the pause in hostilities into a sustainable end to the war.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. says he is receiving death threats directed at both himself and his children after Saturday’s loss against the Cincinnati Reds.
McCullers, who says he became a target of harassment from baseball fans after he allowed seven runs during a 10-run first inning, told reporters after the game that people have been sending threats to him about his performance, with some implying that they would seek to harm his two young daughters.
“I understand people are very passionate and people love the Astros and love sports, but threatening to find my kids and murder them is a little bit tough to deal with just as a father, I think,” McCullers said.
McCullers, 31, had recently returned to the field for his second major-league start after missing the last two MLB seasons to recover from injuries in his pitching arm.
Saturday’s 13-9 loss at Houston’s Daikin Park was his second MLB game and first home game of 2025, marking his return after last pitching at Game 3 of the 2022 World Series.
“There have been many, many threats over the years aimed at me, mostly,” McCullers said. “But I think bringing kids into the equation — threatening to find them, or next time they see us in public they’re gonna stab my kids to death, things like that — is tough to hear as a dad.”
At a post-game press conference Saturday night, Astros manager Joe Espada expressed his frustration over the death threats, noting that he was “really upset” to hear about them.
“It is very unfortunate that we have to deal with this,” Espada said emphatically. “After all he’s done for this city, for this team, the fact that we have to talk about that in my office — I got kids too, and it really drives me nuts that we have to deal with this. Very sad. Very, very sad.”
Espada added that McCullers hadn’t pitched in two and a half years, and that fans should remember that he may need some time to adjust.
“Come on, we are better than that,” he said. “We are better than this.”
Pope Leo XIV revealed that his papal name was partially inspired by the looming challenges of a world increasingly influenced by artificial intelligence.
In his first formal address as the Vatican’s newly elected pope on Saturday, Leo told the College of Cardinals that he chose to name himself after Pope Leo XIII, who led the Catholic Church from his election in 1878 to his death in 1903. During his papacy, Leo XIII maintained a dedication to social issues and workers rights after much of the world had just been reshaped by the Industrial Revolution.
Though he said there are various reasons for the name he chose, Leo XIV primarily pointed to Leo XIII’s historic encyclical “Rerum Novarum,” also known as “Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor,” which laid a foundation for modern Catholic social teachings.
Issued in 1891, the open letter emphasized that “some opportune remedy must be found quickly for the misery and wretchedness pressing so unjustly on the majority of the working class.”
“In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice and labour,” Leo XIV, previously known as Cardinal Robert Prevost, said in his address on Saturday, according to a transcript.
Much like the Industrial Revolution, the acceleration of generative AI in recent years has already transformed the world and raised a flurry of concerns over how these new technologies will impact human labor. AI, still unregulated in much of the world, has given rise to misinformation (including by using stolen human likenesses) as well as conflicts over intellectual property and job displacement.
Francis himself was the subject of AI disinformation in 2023 when an AI-generated image depicting him wearing a trendy puffer jacket went viral online — one of the first widespread incidents showcasing the potential of AI to mislead and misinform.
In a warning issued by Francis early last year, the pope addressed the potential of AI to push out “partially or completely false narratives,” further cement “echo chambers” and create “new castes based on access to information and thus giving rise to new forms of exploitation and inequality.”
Leo, the first pontiff born in the U.S., indicated in his Saturday address that he aims to continue furthering the work of Francis, who was known for his commitment to social justice.
“It has been clearly seen in the example of so many of my Predecessors, and most recently by Pope Francis himself, with his example of complete dedication to service and to sober simplicity of life, his abandonment to God throughout his ministry and his serene trust at the moment of his return to the Father’s house,” the transcript said. “Let us take up this precious legacy and continue on the journey, inspired by the same hope that is born of faith.”
Adarius Hayes, a University of Miami linebacker, was involved in a fatal crash that killed a 10-year-old and 4-year-old in Hayes’ hometown of Largo, Florida.
The crash occurred at 1:45 p.m. on Saturday when it appears a Dodge Durango collided with a Kia Soul while the Soul was making a left turn, according to the Largo Police Department. A police spokeswoman confirmed to NBC News that Hayes was involved in the crash.
Two children — 10-year-old Jabari Elijah Solomon and 4-year-old Charlie Herbert Solomon Riveria — were killed in the crash.
Police said several others were taken to the hospital with “serious” injuries. It does not appear that alcohol was a factor in the crash, according to police.
“This is an ongoing and active investigation, and no further information is available for release at this time,” police said.
Representatives for the University of Miami’s athletics department did not immediately respond to an inquiry about Hayes’ condition. The University of Miami’s spring semester ended on Wednesday following the last day of final exams.
Hayes played in 12 games for the university as a freshman last year and was described as a “key factor” on special teams on his team profile page. He had four tackles and one interception in first season as a freshman on the team.
According to his profile, he saw time on the field in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in September. The University of Miami lost by one point against Iowa State in a 42-41 nail–biter game.
Hayes played for Largo High School prior to attending the University of Miami. He was considered a “four-star prospect” and one of the nation’s top-ranked linebackers, Hayes’ university profile said.
