Citing ‘critical issues,’ SEC, Big Ten withhold support for bipartisan college sports bill

AUSTIN (AP) – The two biggest conferences in college sports released a statement Tuesday saying they do not support the current version of a bipartisan bill designed to regulate an industry struggling for answers in a quickly changing era in which some players make millions.

The Southeastern and Big Ten conferences said the “bill leaves critical issues unresolved,” including not “meaningfully” preempting state laws with a federal one, which has long been considered a key element for a measure to get support from the NCAA and the conferences.

In an interview last week, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who drafted the bill with Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., told The Associated Press “the bill is drafted to preempt state laws that conflict with the provisions in this bill.”

The SEC-Big Ten statement came out less than 24 hours before a scheduled hearing about the bill in front of the Senate Commerce Committee. Cruz chairs the panel and Cantwell is the ranking Democrat.

The legislation has received support from the Big 12 and Atlantic Coast Conferences, but the Big Ten and SEC, as the two richest leagues that also have decision-making power over the future of the College Football Playoff, hold the biggest cards.

One of the bill’s key provisions would give conferences an option to pool their media rights — an idea the Big Ten and SEC have long claimed would not result in a financial windfall that proponents suggest. The leagues’ statement did not speak to that issue.

A spokesperson for the Commerce Committee that Cruz chairs acknowledged the Big Ten-SEC position.

In brief: ‘Onslaught’ gets official trailer and more

A sequel to War Machine looks to be in the works. Deadline reports that Netflix is moving forward with a second installment with director Patrick Hughes back at the helm. Hughes will produce and co-write the movie with James Beaufort. The outlet reports that star Alan Ritchson is likely to return for the sequel to the original film, which follows the final recruits of a Special Ops boot camp as they encounter a mysterious deadly force ...

You can now watch the trailer for A24's upcoming film, Onslaught. The action movie stars Adria Arjona as an army sniper and a mother who lives in a desert trailer park and fights to protect her family from genetically engineered super soldiers. Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard helmed the film, which also stars Alex Pereira, Drew Starkey, Rebecca Hall, Reginald VelJohnson, Michael Biehn, Eric Wareheim and Dan Stevens. It arrives in theaters on Sept. 4 ...

The official trailer for America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders season 3 has arrived. The Netflix documentary series returns for its third season on June 16. It follows the 2025–2026 squad through auditions, training camp and the NFL season, offering a candid, behind-the-scenes look at the iconic cheerleading team ...

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The basketball-crazed Philippines will have a champion when these NBA Finals are over

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — No matter what, the basketball-crazed Philippines will have a champion to celebrate when these NBA Finals are over.

New York’s Jordan Clarkson and San Antonio’s Dylan Harper — who’ll face off in the Finals that start Wednesday — were both born in the U.S., but both have links to the Philippines through their mothers. And Clarkson raved about Harper, whose rookie year has been nothing but impressive.

“He’s been really good throughout the whole year,” Clarkson said. “I’ve been watching him, keeping up with him, as well. Him being so young and having so much poise throughout this whole playoffs, it’s a great sight to see a young star coming in this league and doing what he’s doing.”

The significance of this isn’t lost on Harper either.

“I think me and him get to do something really special, representing our country, where we’re from, represent everything on the biggest stage in basketball,” Harper said. “I feel like over there in the Philippines, basketball is probably the biggest thing. I think we’re very excited for that and we’re just very blessed and grateful to be in this position.”

Not a lot of Finals history

Only six players on the Knicks and the Spurs have appeared in previous NBA Finals games.

San Antonio’s Harrison Barnes played in 13 for Golden State, Luke Kornet played in six for Boston and Kelly Olynyk played in five for Miami.

For New York, Mikal Bridges played in six for Phoenix, Dillon Jones played in three for Oklahoma City and Jordan Clarkson played in two for Cleveland. Another member of the Knicks — OG Anunoby — was with Toronto for its run to the 2019 NBA title, but did not play in any of those six games.

Combined, those six players with past Finals experience have scored 265 points in the title round.
Don’t expect overtime. Or a lot of close games.

The last 44 NBA Finals games have all ended in regulation, the longest run without overtime in the title series in league history. There was a 34-game stretch without an overtime game from 1984 through 1990.

Of course, it’s tough to have a shot at going to overtime when games aren’t close down the stretch. Out of the last 81 Finals games, 50 have been decided by double figures.
The division champion stat

An annual reminder: Division championships mean nothing anymore … until the NBA Finals.

If San Antonio wins the NBA title, it will mark the 14th time in the last 15 seasons that a division champion has wound up winning.

The only exception in that span was Golden State in 2022. Before that, the last team to not win their division but win the NBA title was Dallas in 2011.

The Knicks were second in the Atlantic Division behind Boston this year, so they’re trying to buck this trend.

Welcome back, Mike Brown

It’s been 19 years, but Mike Brown is back in the NBA Finals as a head coach. The New York coach took Cleveland to the title round in 2007 — getting swept by San Antonio that year.

Just by getting here this year, Brown joins an exclusive club of coaches to take multiple franchises to the NBA Finals.

Pat Riley (Los Angeles Lakers, New York, Miami) and Alex Hannum (St. Louis, Philadelphia, San Francisco) took three franchises to the Finals. Brown joins Rick Carlisle, Phil Jackson, Larry Brown, KC Jones, Bill Fitch, Gene Shue, Bill Sharman and Red Auerbach on the list of those to take two different franchises to the title round.

Wemby’s amazing year

San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama has had a postseason like no one in league history, and his totals are only going to get more impressive.

So far in these playoffs, Wembanyama has 394 points, 183 rebounds, 100 made free throws, 60 blocked shots and 30 3-pointers.

That’s just the playoffs. Only 19 players — him included, of course — had those totals over the entirety of this regular season. (No Spurs player has ever had a regular season with all those numbers, except Wembanyama.)

And since 3-pointers came into play, nobody in NBA history has ever done all that in the same postseason, until now.

If this goes 7 games …

If this NBA Finals goes the seven-game distance, Spurs players Keldon Johnson and Julian Champagnie might tie an NBA record.

Or break it, depending on how you count.

Johnson and Champagnie both enter these NBA Finals with 100 games played so far this season. That’s seven shy of the NBA record for games played in a season — shared by Charles Oakley and Tayshaun Prince.

They both played 107. But Johnson and Champagnie also played in the NBA Cup title game, which means they would have technically played in 108 games this season — though the league doesn’t recognize the Cup final in any statistics.
Money matters

The Spurs and Knicks are playing for $5,157,417 in bonus money. That’s the difference between winning and losing the NBA Finals out of the league’s playoff pool, which topped $35 million this season.

The Spurs have already secured $6,594,508 out of that pool this season. The Knicks have clinched $6,438,024.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

As NYC’s Tribeca Festival turns 25, co-founder Robert De Niro wants it to go on ‘forever’

Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal speak during the 25th Tribeca Festival Bloomberg reception on June 1, 2026 in New York City. (Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival)

The 25th anniversary edition of New York's Tribeca Festival kicks off Wednesday night with a screening of a new Earth, Wind & Fire documentary, followed by a performance by the legendary band. The festival, which runs through June 14, features TV, movie and documentary screenings, plus premieres, panels, reunions and stars galore. Not bad for an event that started as a one-off.

The festival was founded in 2002 by Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal as a way to revitalize downtown New York City after the 9/11 terror attacks. "It was only, how could we bring people back downtown, how we could give our neighbors something to look forward to. As far as I was concerned, it was one and done," Rosenthal told ABC Audio. "Bob always believed we were gonna do it again, though."

"I felt very positive about it once it happened," De Niro said. "My feeling was it'd be great if it could be part of the fabric of New York, a New York tradition that just goes on forever, you know?"

De Niro will also appear at one of this year's special events: a 50th anniversary Taxi Driver screening and conversation with him, director Martin Scorsese and co-star Jodie Foster. De Niro said celebrating any of his films — even a classic like Taxi Driver — after the fact isn't something he ever thought would happen.

"When you're doing a movie, a project, you don't ever think that it would be received in the way you're saying Taxi Driver's been received, ever," he told ABC Audio. "You just don't think that. So it's nice, but you just don't ever expect it ... it's just, you do the project and that's it." 

The festival will close with the documentary Alicia Keys: Girl from Hell's Kitchen; Keys will appear after the screening.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Parks awarded $300,000 to improve trails

Parks awarded 0,000 to improve trailsSMITH COUNTY – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department awarded $6.17 million in statewide recreational trails grants to improve 21 parks and trail projects across the state. According to our news partner, KETK – $354,000 is set to be distributed between parks in East Texas. The parks will receive the grant money for much needed upgrades. Continue reading Parks awarded $300,000 to improve trails

New details released on Texas Children’s Hospital’s planned detransition clinic

Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston has to create a detransition clinic for transgender patients by this summer and keep a list of “potential” gender affirming care patients, according to new details released Monday by the Texas Attorney General’s Office.

According to a 10-page list of settlement terms, requested by The Texas Tribune, Texas Children’s has 90 days from the effective date of the settlement to set up the detransition clinic. The attorney general announced the settlement two weeks ago but because a final settlement has not been signed there is no effective date agreed upon yet.

The $10 million settlement, first announced on May 15, is the result of a 2023 investigation by the attorney general’s office into Texas Children’s. That same year, Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 14 that bars transgender children from receiving puberty blockers and hormone therapies. Previously, all that was known about the settlement was that the hospital agreed to pay $10 million to the state and permanently revoke the medical privileges of three current doctors and two former ones.

The settlement terms released Monday are the first details about the unusual agreement between the nation’s largest pediatric hospital and the attorney general that would set up the nation’s first “detransitioning clinic.” Detransitioning is the stopping or reversal of transitioning care by social, medical or legal means, and it is rare for people to regret transitioning after taking hormone therapy and surgical interventions.

Common reasons for detransitioning include lack of family support, financial barriers and social pressure.

Per the settlement, Texas Children’s must also create a website for the detransition clinic and create a donate page so those individuals wanting to donate money toward the detransition clinic’s efforts, can do so. The hospital must keep a “Potential GAC Patient List” that includes all diagnostic codes detailed by the AG and conduct an internal review of the list to confirm compliance with state and federal laws and the settlement agreement.

According to Texas Children’s, they have not been asked to share the list and noted to do so would not be legally permissible. “We abide by HIPAA and protecting patient privacy is one of our top priorities,” the hospital said in a statement.

The attorney general’s office released to the Tribune a “Settlement Term Sheet” and not the complete settlement document between the two parties, as originally requested because one has not been signed. “We’ve aligned on a term sheet and the next step is to finalize the settlement agreement per standard practice,” Texas Children’s said in a statement.

Other requirements include the removal of all hospital press releases from the Texas Children’s website related to gender transition services. The clinic will provide multiple services including access to endocrinology, surgery, primary care, fertility counseling, psychiatry and psychotherapy.

As previously announced, TCH must bar any gender-affirming care procedures, what the Texas attorney general’s office calls “sex-rejecting” procedures in the settlement, defined as pharmaceutical or surgical interventions that “attempt to align an individual’s physical appearance or body … that differs from the individual’s sex.” This includes puberty blockers and hormone treatments. Also previously announced was the permanent revoking of medical privileges to three current doctors and two former ones.

The hospital previously issued a statement insisting it complied with all laws and decided to settle to close a legal chapter that has been, in their words: “wrought with falsehoods and distractions.” The hospital also noted earlier that the services demanded as part of the settlement were already offered at the hospital. Late Monday, they emphasized that fact. “The detransition clinic will formalize the supportive, multidisciplinary services we already deliver to all patients who need our care,” the hospital statement said. “This simply provides structure and a name for the services we currently provide.”

A 2024 study of private insurance by Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that less than 1% of minors are transgender and received puberty blockers or hormone treatments.

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This story was originally published by The Texas Tribune and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.

Artist suing FIFA over destruction of Dallas whale mural before World Cup

DALLAS (AP) – The artist who painted a giant mural on a building in downtown Dallas of life-sized swimming whales has filed a $25 million lawsuit against soccer’s international governing body and others, saying they illegally painted over his work to promote the city’s upcoming World Cup matches.

The artist Wyland says he hand-painted the sprawling mural that covered roughly 17,000 square feet (1,580 square meters) across two of the building’s walls.

The mural stood for nearly three decades before workers began painting over it last month, causing an uproar among residents who admired the mural’s grand scale and message of ocean conservation.

The area’s World Cup organizing committee said in a statement that, in place of Wyland’s mural, new artwork is planned “that captures this current historical moment and reflects the energy, unity, and global spirit surrounding the World Cup 2026.” It said a portion of Wyland’s mural would be preserved.

Wyland filed suit Monday in U.S District Court in Dallas saying that World Cup organizers, along with the building’s owner and management company, painted over his mural without his consent or even notifying him. He says their actions violated a 1990 federal law passed to protect visual artists from destruction of publicly displayed works.

Wyland is seeking at least $25 million in damages. His lawsuit says world soccer’s governing body, FIFA, and other defendants “hastily and irrevocably destroyed a civic landmark” to promote the World Cup.

“Though FIFA claims they were working to develop art for the host city, in truth, they defaced an historic fixture of the host city,” the artist’s lawsuit says.

A FIFA spokesperson said Tuesday the federation “has no involvement in this whatsoever” and referred a reporter to the tournament’s local organizing committee.

A spokesperson for the North Texas FWC Organizing Committee declined to comment. The committee isn’t named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

A spokesperson for Slate Asset Management, which manages the building where the mural was painted over, said in a statement that local World Cup organizers asked Slate in March to donate the mural space for “a new public art installation.”

“Slate is not being compensated in any way for the use of the wall space and was told by the local groups that Mr. Wyland had been notified,” the management company’s spokesperson said in an email.

Dallas is hosting more World Cup matches than any of the other sites in the event co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with nine matches set to be played at AT&T Stadium in suburban Arlington, home of the Dallas Cowboys.

Wyland’s Dallas mural, titled “Whaling Wall 82,” was finished in 1999 and is among more than 100 similar murals known as Whaling Walls the artist painted around the world to promote the conservation of ocean life.

An online petition protesting the mural’s destruction and calling for protecting of public artwork in Dallas has received more than 2,600 signatures.

Wyland’s lawsuit alleges violations of the Visual Artists Rights Act, a 1990 federal law that protects artwork of “recognized stature” even if someone else owns the physical artwork.

A judge cited that law in 2018 when he ordered a property owner to pay a group of New York graffiti artists $6.7 million for whitewashing dozens of their spray-painted murals on buildings that once housed a factory in Queens. The ruling was upheld on appeal.

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Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia.

Toll 49 extension to reduce travel time

Toll 49 extension to reduce travel timeTYLER– A public meeting was held in Tyler on Tuesday to discuss the proposed extension of Toll 49, a project designed to relieve congestion and provide shorter travel times. According to our news partner KETK, during the meeting in Tyler community members had the opportunity to review project layouts and data detailing the potential positive impact on drivers.

The proposed extension would stretch from State Highway 110 to US 271 and aims to provide shorter travel times for both local and regional traffic. NET RMA Project Consultant Randall Dillard explained why he believes the extension is needed.

For those unable to attend the recent Tyler session, another public meeting is scheduled for next Thursday, June 9. This upcoming meeting will take place in Longview at the Maude Cobb Convention Center. If the project is approved, construction for the Toll 49 extension is expected to commence around 2033.

Lufkin City Council advances ordinance designed to protect children from sex offenders

LUFKIN, Texas (KETK) – The Lufkin City Council voted on Tuesday in favor of advancing a proposed ordinance that will work to keep children protected from registered sex offenders.

The ordinance, which was discussed at Tuesday’s city council meeting, is designed to restrict certain registered sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of locations where children frequently gather.

If the ordinance is passed, registered sex offenders whose victims were under 17 would be prohibited from living near schools, parks, childcare facilities, and churches.

According to the Texas Public Sex Offender Website, there are roughly 138 registered sex offenders within the City of Lufkin.

Investigation into park shooting

Investigation into park shootingLONGVIEW — An investigation has been launched after a teenager was shot near a park in Longview on Monday night. According to the Longview Police Department and our news partner KETK, at around 11:26 p.m. officers heard gunshots coming from the 400 block of Fair Street. Once arriving to the area, the officers found a teenager who had sustained gunshot wounds while attending a gathering at a nearby park, the department said.

The victim was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and the incident currently remains under investigation. Following the incident, the department is reminding residents that the city parks close at 11 p.m. and residents should refrain from visiting the parks after hours to ensure the safety of all community members.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the department at 903-237-199 or the Gregg County Crime Stoppers at 903-236-7867.

ETFB starts free summer meals for kids

ETFB starts free summer meals for kidsTYLER – The East Texas Food Bank (ETFB) kicked off its Free Summer Food Program on Tuesday afternoon, which aims to provide kids with free meals while they’re out of school for the summer.

According to our news partner KETK, the program was launched at 43 locations across East Texas and a special event was held at the Glass Recreation Center in Tyler, which was sponsored by the PepsiCo Foundation’s Food for Good. the program is expected to distribute over 100,000 meals to nearly 4,500 kids and teenagers throughout the summer and is open to anyone under 18. Continue reading ETFB starts free summer meals for kids

Smith, Gregg County early voting

TYLER – Early Voting for the City of Tyler mayor runoff election is set for June 1-9. Stuart Hene is currently serving as a Tyler City Councilmember and John Nix is a former City Councilmember are running for the position.

Early voting hours will be:
*8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, June 1-5
*9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 6
*8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, June 8-9. Continue reading Smith, Gregg County early voting

Tyler mayor runoff through June 9

Tyler – Early Voting for the City of Tyler mayor runoff election is set for June 1-9. Stuart Hene is currently serving as a Tyler City Councilmember and John Nix is a former City Councilmember are running for the position.

Early voting hours will be:
*8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, June 1-5
*9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 6
*8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, June 8-9. Continue reading Tyler mayor runoff through June 9

Waskom tabs finalist for superintendent

Waskom tabs finalist for superintendent WASKOM – The Waskom ISD Board of Trustees has named East Texas Native Lindsey Wood the finalist in the race for Superintendent following the unexpected death of previous superintendent, Christopher Guastella, in March.

According to our news partner KETK, Wood currently acts as the superintendent of academic services at Ferris ISD and has 19 years of experience in public education and 12 years in school administration.

The board conducted an extensive search focused on finding a leader who identifies with the district’s vision, values and commitment to student success. Continue reading Waskom tabs finalist for superintendent

Will Arnett to star alongside Kristen Stewart in ‘The Challenger’

A photo of Will Arnett. (Drew Herrmann/FOX)

Will Arnett is set to star with Kristen Stewart in The Challenger.

The actor will play George Abbey, the influential NASA official often referred to as the architect of the modern astronaut corps, in Prime Video's upcoming limited series, ABC Audio has confirmed.

Arnett joins Stewart, who, as previously reported, will portray Sally Ride in her TV debut.

The Challenger is created by Golden Globe winner Maggie Cohn. She also writes, executive produces and showruns the program, which is inspired by Meredith E. Bagby’s 2023 book The New Guys. James Hawes, who has worked on Slow Horses and Black Mirror, will direct and executive produce the show. Kyra Sedgwick, Stewart and Bagby also executive produce.

The series follows "the gripping story of one of the most defining moments in space history, both the unprecedented events leading up to the tragedy, and the shocking investigation that followed," according to Prime Video.

"As the members of the 1986 Rogers Commission interrogate the complex inner workings of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to find what, or who, was responsible for the Challenger's doomed fate, the show explores Commission member Sally Ride's personal journey," its description continues. "We follow Sally, and the rest of the diverse Astronaut Class of ’78, through the ranks of the shuttle program, through initial recruitment and training, professional and personal highs and lows, until Sally’s historic glass ceiling moment as she becomes the first American woman in space."

"There is no one better than Maggie Cohn to bring to life the complex story of the Challenger and the new class of astronauts recruited by NASA in the early 1970s, all through the eyes of an American hero, Sally Ride," Sedgwick said in a press release when the project was announced back in March.

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