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Is pot still legal? This is very time consuming.

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Is pot still legal? This is very time consuming.

Despite moves to loosen marijuana regulations over the years, cannabis remains illegal at the federal level (with some new exceptions). I’ll explain what’s going on.

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Despite years of momentum to loosen regulations on cannabis, including a recent order from the Trump administration’s Justice Department, there remains a wide gap between states and the federal government.

On April 23, the Department of Justice announced that it would ease federal regulation of some types of marijuana for medical use by moving them from Schedule I, the most heavily regulated drug under the Controlled Substances Act, to Schedule III, where they can be legally prescribed.

However, this measure does not apply to all marijuana, nor does it make it legal for recreational use at the federal level. The Trump administration said it was able to make this narrow change quickly while pursuing more sweeping schedule changes.

Heather Torella, director of operations and fellow at the Rockefeller Institute of Government, said the Justice Department’s latest action means people who use medical marijuana in states with medical use programs won’t violate federal law if they follow that state’s rules.

But experts told USA TODAY that the move to reclassify marijuana would not satisfy long-standing efforts to legalize marijuana for other uses or resolve conflicts between federal and state laws.

“It doesn’t make it legal for use under any circumstances,” Trella said. “This does not legalize medical marijuana in states that have not legalized medical marijuana.”

Despite federal law, many states have taken the unconventional approach of passing their own laws regarding marijuana, often with laws that are much more permissive than the federal government.

This leaves the country with a confusing patchwork of state laws. Most states had already approved marijuana for medical use before the date change, and nearly half of all states allowed recreational use. Few states ban it completely.

Polls show that Americans generally support legalization. Over the past decade, at least 60% have supported legalization.

Former President Joe Biden announced his intention to reschedule marijuana use and also announced federal pardons for certain marijuana-related crimes. President Donald Trump has also called for changes to the schedule.

President Trump said last year: “Some people love it, and some people hate it. Some people hate the very concept of marijuana.”

What do the Trump administration’s new orders bring?

The Justice Department’s April 23 action did not change the reopening schedule for all cannabis, as Biden and Trump showed support. Instead, it rescheduled products that fall into two categories: “FDA-approved products containing marijuana and marijuana products regulated by state medical marijuana licenses.”

These types of marijuana products have been moved from Schedule I to Schedule III.

The Controlled Substances Act classifies drugs from Schedule I to Schedule V based on their potential for abuse, addiction, and medical use. Schedule I drugs “have a high potential for abuse and can cause severe mental and/or physical dependence” and “have no currently accepted medical use,” the DEA said.

Marijuana has been considered since 1970, when it was first listed as a Schedule I drug, along with drugs such as heroin, LSD, and ecstasy.

Schedule III drugs, including Tylenol and codeine or anabolic steroids, can be legally prescribed as FDA-regulated drugs.

The move could also provide tax benefits to cannabis companies in states where medical marijuana is legal. Torella said it’s unclear how that will play out and whether these companies have reason to be concerned if they also sell recreational marijuana, which is still illegal under federal law.

Explaining cannabis laws in each state

As of June 2025, 40 states, three territories and Washington, D.C., all allow medical marijuana use, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, which monitors state laws. Twenty-four states, three territories, and Washington, D.C., have passed laws allowing recreational use with varying specific rules regarding legal restrictions. That’s an increase compared to just a few years ago.

Some other states allow “low THC, high cannabidiol” products for medical purposes.

Only one state, Idaho, has no legal use of marijuana products at all.

There is significant public support for full legalization. According to an October 2025 poll by Gallup, which has been conducting public opinion polls on cannabis for decades, about 64% of Americans think it should be legalized. The 2025 result was a slight decline from the 2023 peak approval rating of 70%.

See map: Where is medical and recreational marijuana legal in the United States?

Why is marijuana legal in states but illegal federally?

Technically, marijuana is illegal everywhere at the federal level, even though a growing number of states have announced that it is legal. The wave of medical and recreational laws passed at the state level has created a confusing disconnect.

Torella said the federal government could choose to prosecute someone for recreational use of marijuana at any time, even if they are in a state where marijuana is allowed and follow all state regulations.

But the federal government doesn’t do that, preferring instead to use its resources to pursue crimes it deems more important. Torella said they still sometimes charge someone with marijuana possession if their actions attract too much attention. This could include using weed on federal property, the U.S. Park Police recently announced.

For more than a decade, Congress has passed budget provisions that prohibit the Department of Justice from using taxpayer funds to interfere with states’ ability to implement medical marijuana programs.

4/20: The beginning of weed’s unofficial vacation

And the government has discretion over how to enforce the law. Obama-era policy stipulated that the Justice Department would not interfere with state laws allowing the use of marijuana for medical or recreational purposes, effectively blocking the prosecution of nonviolent users not involved in organized crime. These were rescinded during President Trump’s first term.

“The federal government’s attitude has always been that it’s not worth the time,” Torella said.

Trella said rescheduling all marijuana to Schedule III, which the Trump administration continues to evaluate, could reduce mandatory minimum penalties for people charged with marijuana use.

However, not all marijuana use is legal at the federal level. He said full legalization is unlikely in the near future.

Can the government legalize marijuana?

Torella said Congress could act on its own to reschedule marijuana or legalize it completely. Until now, there hasn’t been enough momentum in Congress to make much progress.

Otherwise, the executive branch could pursue a much longer and more complicated process to change how marijuana is classified.

The Department of Justice announced it will begin a broader marijuana rescheduling process, including administrative hearings, beginning in late June. By limiting the scope of the rescheduling order in April, the Justice Department could bypass some of the formal administrative rulemaking process and allow the order to take effect immediately.

Delayed cannabis could encounter opposition

A federal lawsuit has already been filed over the Justice Department’s authority to order limited schedule changes. On May 4, the group Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and the National Drug and Alcohol Testing Alliance filed a petition to block the April date change, arguing that it violates rulemaking requirements and is beyond the administration’s authority.

“With this move, we face the most pro-drug regime in history,” SAM said in a statement. “It’s certainly a drug that should be carefully studied, but it shouldn’t be legalized through the back door.”

The group said marijuana should remain in Schedule I until research proves it does not meet the standards.

Torella said the change would be very beneficial to research and is the main reason President Trump said he was in favor of changing the date.

When marijuana was strictly a Schedule I drug, that also meant there were major legal hurdles for those trying to conduct research on its effects, she said. It created something of a feedback loop. It was difficult to study marijuana to prove its medical value because the federal government claimed it had no medical value.

THC: What is it? Is it safe to buy?

Torella said previous studies were limited in scope and sample size.

Federal scientists said the main reason for the move to reschedule marijuana use is because of marijuana’s low public health risks. Medical uses include pain, anxiety, and glaucoma relief. However, some studies point to health and psychological risks, including lower IQ, heart problems, and temporary paranoia and hallucinations.

“What are the long-term effects? Are there any long-term effects? What does marijuana do to your body? What is marijuana good for? What is it not good for? Does it relieve anxiety or not?” Torella said. “We don’t know many of these things.”

Contributor: Eduardo Cuevas

This half of America owns 89% of the nation’s wealth.

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This half of America owns 89% of the nation’s wealth.

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To paraphrase the late jazzman Mose Allison, young Americans these days don’t have nothing in the world.

According to the Federal Reserve’s household budget data, 45-year-old Americans control just 11% of the nation’s wealth.

In other words, 9/10 of America’s assets belong to the older half of America. People over the age of 45 make up about 42% of the country’s population and about 54% of adults.

Boomers, the generation born between 1946 and 1964, own 51% of America’s wealth, with their mountains of real estate, stocks, pension benefits, personal businesses, and other assets set to total $90 trillion by the second half of 2025.

Generation X, those born between 1965 and 1980, own 26% of wealth, worth $46 trillion.

The dwindling group of Americans over 80 controls 12% of the nation’s wealth, worth $21 trillion.

The rest of America’s wealth, valued at about $19 trillion, belongs to Millennials born between 1981 and 1996, and others, the oldest members of Generation Z, born after 1997.

Older Americans are wealthier than ever

Older Americans are wealthier than ever and are getting wealthier. Empower estimates that the average 50-something is worth $1.4 million. The average person in their 60s is worth $1.6 million.

In contrast, the average 20-something has $139,243 and the average 30-something has $325,952.

This pattern seems obvious. Age creates wealth.

Boomers, the wealthiest generation, control $31 trillion worth of stocks and mutual funds, according to the Federal Reserve. They own $19 trillion in real estate. The combined value of these assets has ballooned over time due to soaring stock markets, rising home values, and the steady accumulation of home equity.

To some extent, the concentration of wealth among the elderly is related to the simple passage of time.

“Building wealth is like a snowball rolling down a hill,” said Richard Fry, a senior fellow at the Pew Research Center. “It takes time to grow into a big snowman.”

If you continue to invest in stocks and bonds for retirement over your lifetime, the value of your account can grow exponentially.

The company reports that the average retirement account balance for Americans 65 and older will be $299,442 in 2024. The average balance for savers between the ages of 25 and 34 was just $42,640.

If you buy a home and take out a 30-year mortgage, your home equity will steadily increase over time due to payments and property value appreciation.

“These are things that accumulate over the lifecycle,” said John Sabelhaus, senior economic research fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center.

The economics of building wealth are changing

But the economics of wealth are changing, potentially making it harder for young Americans to build wealth.

According to the National Association of Realtors, the typical age for first-time homebuyers is now 40, an all-time high. The median age of all homebuyers is 59 years.

“If you live in an affluent area of ​​this country, which is everywhere these days, and even if you have a lot of assets, even a very high income is not enough to buy a home,” says Dinon Hughes, a 25-year-old certified financial planner in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

American workers are expected to save for retirement over the course of their careers, a model intended to concentrate wealth at older ages. Previous generations relied more on workplace pensions.

Retirees are living longer, which means their heirs have to wait longer to inherit their wealth. Americans are most likely to inherit it between the ages of 56 and 65, according to a 2021 analysis from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

“I have a lot of clients who have lost their parents, and most of them are in their 60s,” said Laurie Allen, 43, a certified financial planner in Hermosa Beach, California.

It is difficult to compare different generations over time. But boomers clearly controlled more of America’s wealth in their (relative) youth than today’s millennials and zoomers.

In 1991, when the oldest baby boomers turned 45, the younger half of Americans held about 23% of all wealth, according to Brookings’ Frye.

(The complication is that in 1991, baby boomers made up a larger proportion of the population than millennials do today.)

Will Millennials and Gen Z ever catch up?

The good news for Millennials and Gen Z is that there are many encouraging signs that suggest they will accumulate a lot of wealth in the coming years.

Wayne Winegarden, a senior economics fellow at the Pacific Institute, said millennials “will inherit more from their parents than boomers.” But they may not see that money for another 20 or 30 years.

Several recent reports suggest that Millennials are building wealth faster than older generations and currently own more wealth than older generations managed at the same age.

Gen Z and Millennials typically started saving for retirement earlier than Gen X and Boomers and are avid savers.

Fidelity reports that Gen Z workers’ combined 401(k) savings rate is 11.3%, far behind the savings rates of Millennials (13.5%) and Gen X (15.4%). Because Gen Z will take decades to retire, young people’s savings rates are extremely high.

“We all know we have to save for our retirement, and we’re taking advantage of every benefit available,” said Hughes, a Gen Z financial planner.

Between saving for retirement, eventual home ownership, and inheritance, Millennials and Zoomers will end up amassing significant wealth, researchers say. But it takes time.

“They’re young. They haven’t had much time to accumulate yet,” Pew’s Fry said. “It’s the magic of compounding. And compounding is magic, but it takes decades for that magic to manifest.”

What Judge Gorsuch’s new children’s book says about this country

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What Judge Gorsuch’s new children’s book says about this country

“Standing up for what you believe in is always difficult,” Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch told USA TODAY, speaking about his new children’s book about the American Revolution.

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WASHINGTON – The history of this nation is on the walls of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch’s courtroom.

A portrait of James Madison, often referred to as the Father of the Constitution, faces paintings depicting Revolutionary War battles at Lexington and Bunker Hill.

For Gorsuch, these are reminders of Founding Father John Adams’ point that future generations will never know how much it cost to preserve our freedoms.

One-third of the homes of signers of the Declaration of Independence were destroyed by British troops. All risked rebellion to support a cause that deeply divided the colonists and even separated Benjamin Franklin and his son.

“Most of us would like to think we had the courage to stand on the side of freedom,” Gorsuch told USA TODAY in a written response to questions. “But the reality is that it’s always difficult to stand up for what you believe in.”

The courage and sacrifice of not only the Founding Fathers but also the lesser-known colonists are the subject of a new children’s book, “Heroes of 1776: The Story of the Declaration of Independence,” by Gorsuch and co-author Janie Nitze.

As the country prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary,th On his birthday, Gorsuch answered written questions from USA TODAY about the book, how his British-born wife views the revolution, what he read as a child and how humility was a virtue for the founding fathers and Supreme Court justices.

Below is an excerpt of that exchange.

superheroes are not superhumans

Gorsuch wants young people to understand that heroes are not superhumans.

“Most of us know George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin,” Gorsuch told USA TODAY.

One of them was Emily Geiger. At the age of 18, he volunteered to ride across enemy-held territory on horseback to deliver a message to a revolutionary general. When she was captured by British forces, Ms. Geiger memorized the message, swallowed the paper it was written on, and managed to escape to deliver the message.

James Armistead Lafayette was a slave who served as a double agent for Washington’s army, providing vital intelligence to the army during the Battle of Yorktown.

Richard Lord Jones joined the Continental Army as a sergeant at the age of 10 and experienced many of the same hardships that other soldiers faced.

“He wasn’t a superhero. He was just like any of us,” Gorsuch said. Gorsuch’s ancestry includes British colonists who fought for independence.

Why Gorsuch admires ‘fat, bald and obnoxious’ John Adams

Many of the people and stories he wrote about, even details about famous figures, were new to the judiciary.

Gorsuch was excited by the “friendly discussion” between Adams and Jefferson over who should write the Declaration of Independence. We both thought we should do it.

Adams was able to persuade Jefferson to undertake this monumental task for several reasons. Jefferson was from Virginia, the most populous colony. Jefferson was a better writer. And, as Adams himself admitted, it was “offensive, suspicious, and unpopular.”

“What a great story. The combination of humility and strategy on Adams’ part to get Jefferson to pick up the pen,” Gorsuch told USA TODAY. “And the rest, as they say, is history.”

In fact, Gorsuch said that of all the people profiled in the book, he would probably like to be Adams the most.

“Who wouldn’t want to be George Washington? And who wouldn’t want to be a fat, bald, obnoxious John Adams? But I think I’d choose John Adams anyway,” Gorsuch said during a recent discussion of his book at the Nixon Library. “I think he was looking ahead.”

Gorsuch’s own humble moment

The book humanizes the Founding Fathers by including personal details, such as Jefferson letting his pet mockingbird take food from his mouth. Adams was very frugal, so his friends bought him nicer clothes.

So USA TODAY asked justices who joined the Supreme Court in 2017 for personal details that should be included in a book about the court.

Gorsuch recalled that he joined the Colorado bar 20 years ago as a newly appointed appellate court judge. Unaccustomed to the standard black polyester choir uniform worn by American judges, Mr. Gorsuch tripped as he climbed the steps to the bench. Some of the documents he was carrying went flying, and his face “turned red with embarrassment.”

Later, when he told his wife Louise what had happened, she replied: “Oh, Neil, don’t you know? You have to pull your hem up when you go up the stairs.”

“Looking back, a little humility was the right way to start the job of a judge,” Gorsuch said.

Why Gorsuch’s British-born wife makes fun of him

Gorsuch said his wife, whom he met while studying abroad in England, is “proudly British by birth and proud to be an American by choice.” She became a citizen in 2002.

“That said, even though Louise has a deep love for America, she likes to tease me from time to time by pointing out how much we owe to England on various levels, right down to the names of states and cities like New Hampshire, Maryland, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, and Plymouth,” Gorsuch said. “After all, the colonists were British, and the two countries shared a common culture, language, and customs.”

These common characteristics, he added, “made the Declaration of Independence all the more difficult, difficult, and all the more remarkable.”

What Gorsuch read as a child

Gorsuch said she was lucky to have a Great Books program at her middle school. In addition to regular English classes, he read one book a month and met with students from other schools to discuss it.

“This show has introduced us to greats like CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien and George Orwell – authors that all young readers should explore,” he said.

“It’s up to each of us individually.”

Gorsuch was an elementary school student in Denver when the nation celebrated its bicentennial.th Anniversary.

He saw young people struggling when they returned from Vietnam. President Richard Nixon had just resigned due to the Watergate scandal.

“Yet people came together in remarkable ways for the 200th anniversary,” the judge said. “I remember my neighbors painting 13 American flags on their red Volkswagen buses, representing the original 13 colonies. ‘Schoolhouse Rock!’ inspired my generation to think about the Declaration, the Revolution, and the Constitution. Newspapers and books retold our history.”

Gorsuch said he hopes the country reaches 250.th The anniversary will similarly prompt Americans to consider the “three perfect ideals” of equality, liberty, and self-government embodied in the Declaration of Independence.

“These ideals speak to the heart of every human being and belong to each of us,” he said. “And it is up to each of us to hold onto them for a long time.”

Republican infighting in Congress slows progress on President Trump’s policies

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Republican infighting in Congress slows progress on President Trump’s policies

Speaker Mike Johnson defended the recent Republican discord as part of the “messy” process of making decisions on Capitol Hill. “He can’t perform miracles,” said Sen. John Kennedy (R-Louisiana).

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WASHINGTON – House Speaker Mike Johnson said the impossible is being done at the Capitol.

For the past few weeks, he has been hard at work negotiating with House and Senate Republicans to pass President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda in a critical midterm election year despite historically narrow vote margins.

That’s one way to look at it.

Republican Sen. John Kennedy, from Johnson’s home state of Louisiana, said otherwise: “Mike is going through a tough time.”

“He’s a good person,” the often outspoken lawmaker said in the halls of the Capitol last month. “But he can’t perform miracles.”

Kennedy’s observations came during a particularly difficult week in the House. Infighting in the Republican Party is in full swing as Prime Minister Johnson struggles to muster the votes needed to advance his farm bill, extend the government’s major spy program and end the record-long Department of Homeland Security shutdown.

The Republican family drama caused voting to drag on for hours in what is normally a painless process. At one point, Representative Zach Nunn, a Republican from Iowa, yelled at Johnson from the other side of the House chamber, saying the two needed to “have a talk.”

“It’s been a whirlwind,” Nunn said the morning after late-night negotiations over the stalled farm bill. Although the bill passed, it faces an uncertain future in the Senate, where provisions regarding cancer warnings on pesticides remain at odds with Republicans in agricultural states and supporters of “Make America Healthier.”

November traffic jams are dangerous for Republicans

The impasse within and between Republican-controlled Congresses is already having a tangible impact on the American people. Sharp disagreements between House and Senate Republicans are part of the reason the DHS shutdown dragged on, leaving tens of thousands of federal workers worried about paychecks and travelers worried about the reopening of long security lines at airports.

But as the midterm elections approach, public intraparty brawls pose a greater risk to Republicans. Democrats, who already have a strong advantage in taking back the House in November, are sure to do everything they can to undermine the Republican pitch to voters that Congress should remain under full conservative control.

Important months for politics: May is a busy month with midterm elections. Here’s what to look for:

At stake is Mr. Trump’s last, and perhaps only, chance to win a major victory in Congress.

“The process around here is sometimes messy. That’s how it works,” Johnson told reporters recently. “But despite their historically slim majority, House Republicans continue to serve the American people.”

Johnson’s Shrinking Room

Rep. Kevin Kiley said Congress has been intent on implementing the basics of the legislation “for some time.”

The Republican-turned-independent California congressman, who remains active with the party, insisted that no one (including Mr. Johnson) is to blame for the ongoing dysfunction.

“I would say he’s operating under particularly difficult circumstances,” Kyrie told USA TODAY.

Currently, the chairperson can only allow two defections on a given vote. This leaves little room for fine-tuning in the crowded legislative schedule. Not to mention the fact that yet another scandal-hit House Republican, North Carolina Rep. Chuck Edwards, could soon face a vote to lose his job.

With House and Senate Republicans at odds over several issues, from enacting voting restrictions to lowering the Senate’s 60-vote threshold, known as the filibuster, getting major legislation across the finish line between now and November won’t be that easy.

Even Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) hasn’t been able to fully hide his frustration with other chambers. On April 29, a reporter asked him outside his office how the Senate can continue to function amid the recent political turmoil in the House. Frustrated, Toon shook his head.

“We will do everything we can,” he said.

Meanwhile, there are many issues at stake in Congress, including a Republican plan to spend more than $70 billion on immigration enforcement and an additional $1 billion for security at the new White House ballroom. The Pentagon is also preparing additional defense spending requests amid the Iran war, which has already cost taxpayers about $25 billion.

Espionage law: How a sweeping law to monitor foreign nationals is dividing Congress

A bipartisan effort is also underway, with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle pushing for amendments to rein in the Espionage Act. Some want to move quickly to put more guardrails on online gambling. A major bipartisan housing reform bill is also on track to pass in both chambers, but has been stalled in the House for weeks due to concerns from some Republicans.

“Especially when you’re operating within such a small majority, that might be a good reason to try to do things in as bipartisan a manner as possible,” Kiley said. “Then the calculations are much easier. And it tends to lead to better policy as well.”

Zachary Schermele is a Congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can email us at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and on Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.

Charles Barkley responds to Draymond Green with joke about Warriors

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Charles Barkley responds to Draymond Green with joke about Warriors

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Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley has a knack for speaking his mind, whether it’s justified or not.

Barkley continued his exchange with Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green on Friday, which originally began during Green’s May 6 appearance on ESPN’s “Inside the NBA.”

Barkley expressed his opinion about the Warriors, saying that the Warriors’ dynasty is over and that Green and Stephen Curry should consider leaving if their career goals are to become more NBA champions.

“The Warriors are finished,” Barkley said on May 6. “I don’t mean any disrespect. It’s the same with all the old teams. You have your run, you get older…it just passed. Everybody had the best run of all time.”

“I think the goal is to not look like myself in a Houston Rockets uniform. That’s the ultimate goal,” Green said.

Barkley was later supported by those who had spent 30 years with him on the show. Later in the show, they discussed how James Harden had more turnovers than field goals against the Detroit Pistons.

Green defended Harden, but it was just a setup because the producers had statistics that surprised even Green. Green has had 43 playoff games with more turnovers than field goals, tied with Kendrick Perkins for the most since 2003.

The “feud” continued on Friday, with Barkley giving a radio interview. Here’s what he had to say to Mr. Green, further emphasizing his position:

Charles Barkley reacts to Draymond Green’s jab

Barkley stood by his statements about the Warriors and Green. He appeared on several radio programs on Friday, May 8, and reiterated his position.

During an appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7FM’s “Bickley & Marotta Morning Show,” he praised Green but said the two aren’t on the same level.

“Man, I never punch down,” Barkley said. “Draymond is a good player. We’re not on the same level. I hear it, but I don’t have to react every time someone says something about me. Draymond’s a really good player and he’s had a great career, but we’re not on the same level.”

Barkley also appeared on “The Dan Patrick Show” and went on to detail his attempts to film Hall of Famer Green in person.

“He fired at me, but I didn’t get angry, because I said something about the men and they made a personal attack against me,” Barkley said. “You know, it’s very funny. Last time you had me on the show, I said that I regret my time with the Rockets, especially the last two years, which were the worst years as a player. But I didn’t turn down free money. I had two years left on my contract.”

Turning attention back to the Warriors, Barkley, like Green, lamented that the Warriors’ losing streak appears to be over.

“He made it personal,” Barkley said. “The Warriors haven’t been relevant the last three or four years. They’ve been in the play-ins. When you’re in the play-ins, you’re not in the playoffs.”

he continued. “The play-in is just something they made up to add more games to another network. I think the Warriors have been in the play-in four years in a row, so they’re irrelevant. And I know he doesn’t want to say that… Golden State is over, they’ve had a great run. He attacked me personally, but I’m not sensitive. But I’m done with Golden State. If Golden State meant anything, he wouldn’t be in the studio with me. ”

Charles Barkley’s Houston Rockets stats

Here’s something that many people don’t realize. Barkley was traded to Houston at age 33 and played there for four seasons from 1996 to 2000, retiring at age 36. In those four seasons, he played in 152 games and averaged 16.5 points, 12.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.2 steals.

Barkley was selected to play in the 1997 All-Star Game, but did not play due to injury. Barkley joins Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon on the team. He played alongside Hall of Famers and averaged fewer than 20 points per game for the first time since his rookie season in 1984-85. That season, he averaged 19.2 points.

The 1996-97 season was Barkley’s last real chance to win a championship, as the Rockets lost in six games to the Utah Jazz in the 1997 Western Conference Finals. Barkley averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds in the series.

Injuries derailed Barkley’s career late, ending with a torn left quadriceps tendon during the 1999-2000 season.

Looking like Houston Barkley might not be so bad after all, if Green hadn’t mentioned the career-ending injury.

Ilona Maher explains how Olympic athletes used up 10,000 condoms

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Ilona Maher explains how Olympic athletes used up 10,000 condoms

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Ilona Maher is passionate about the condom shortage caused by the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Maher, who represented the United States in women’s rugby sevens at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics, took to Instagram on May 7 to “dispel rumors” and told viewers that “a large amount” of the rubber may have been used as memorabilia.

“There were rumors that more than 10,000 condoms were used in the past Winter Olympics,” Maher said in the video. “Well, some of them were probably used for that purpose, um, but what I’m getting here is that a lot of them were used as souvenirs.”

Madagascan alpine skier Mialitiana Clair offered a similar theory in February, telling USA TODAY Sports she doesn’t think they’re all just being taken advantage of.

“I got a handful when I went to the Olympics, and now I’ve had them forever,” Maher said. “I found a condom from Tokyo on my bedside table the other day. How cool is that?”

A week before the end of the tournament, organizers confirmed that a shortage of condoms in the Olympic Village in Milan-Cortina had been replenished.

USA TODAY Woman of the Year: Introducing Olympian Ilona Maher

The International Olympic Committee later acknowledged that supplies had been depleted “due to higher-than-anticipated demand” and that condoms “will be continuously replenished until the end of the Games to ensure continued availability.”

“That’s the real reason, guys. Okay, they’ve probably done a little bit there, but these are just things for us,” Maher added.

How many condoms were distributed?

According to a previous USA TODAY report, only 10,000 condoms were initially distributed to athletes.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams said: “I think 10,000 (condoms) were used. So to all the 2,800 athletes, as they say, do the numbers and do your best.”

This number pales in comparison to the 300,000 condoms provided for the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, thousands more athletes participated in the Summer Games.

Handing out free condoms to athletes in the Olympic Village has been around for decades, and has garnered public attention at every Games since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.

Ukraine, Russia, President Trump confirms 3-day ceasefire with hope of extension

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Ukraine, Russia, President Trump confirms 3-day ceasefire with hope of extension

Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Trevelyan, Steve Holland
|Reuters

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MOSCOW/WASHINGTON – Russia and Ukraine confirmed on May 8 that they had agreed to a three-day ceasefire brokered by the United States, from May 9 to May 11, and President Donald Trump said he wanted the ceasefire to be extended.

On the same day, President Trump announced a temporary ceasefire on Truth Social and said the countries, which have been at war for more than four years, would exchange 1,000 prisoners of war.

“I hope for a significant extension,” President Trump told reporters Friday night. “Maybe so.”

Both Kiev and Russia have accused the other of violating an armistice agreement declared separately this week, as Russia prepares to hold a Victory Day parade on May 9 to commemorate the 1945 victory over the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany.

The cessation of hostilities is a bit of good news for the U.S. president, who has grown frustrated with the lack of progress in ending the Ukraine-Russia war, and whose domestic approval rating has declined over Israel’s war with Iran. The Iran war is now in its third month, but efforts to end it appeared to be stalling amid a new escalation of fighting in the Gulf.

In a post on Truth Social, President Trump said the ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia would include a halt to all “movement activities” and an exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each country.

“This request came directly from me, and I am very grateful for the agreement reached by Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Hopefully, this is the beginning of the end of what has been a very long, deadly, and hard-fought war,” he said in the post.

Trump added that negotiations continue to move toward ending the war and are “getting closer every day.”

Writing in Telegram, President Zelenskiy acknowledged that the ceasefire was negotiated as part of US negotiation efforts and that humanitarian issues remain a key priority.

“Therefore, today, within the framework of the negotiation process mediated by the US side, we received Russia’s consent to conduct a prisoner exchange in the format of 1,000 for 1,000,” President Zelenskiy wrote.

President Zelensky also issued a tongue-in-cheek executive order “allowing” Russia’s May 9 military parade to proceed and stating that Ukrainian weapons would not target Red Square. Russia has warned that any attempt by Ukraine to disrupt the Red Square parade could trigger a major missile attack on Kiev.

The ceasefire comes after President Zelenskyy described substantive talks between U.S. and Ukrainian officials in Miami, and a U.S. envoy is expected to visit Kiev in the coming months.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters on Putin’s behalf that Russia also agreed to Trump’s initiative.

“We reached an agreement on this issue in a phone conversation with the U.S. government,” he said.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defense forces intercepted Ukrainian drones heading toward the capital for seven hours until around 8pm local time (17:00 Japan time). Since President Trump announced the ceasefire, the Russian government has issued one similar notice.

Previously, Russia and Ukraine had accused each other of violating ceasefire agreements they had declared separately.

Both countries are attacking each other with missiles, drones and artillery, and there is no end in sight to the war. Peace talks have stalled after Ukraine has rejected President Putin’s demands to surrender territory it has defended since 2022.

President Putin unilaterally declared a two-day ceasefire on May 8 and 9 to cover Victory Day, Russia’s most revered national holiday.

Kiev responded that a ceasefire for the holiday was inappropriate and instead called for an indefinite ceasefire to begin two days earlier, a request Moscow ignored.

The Soviet Union lost 27 million people in World War II, including millions in Ukraine, but it pushed Nazi forces back to Berlin, where Adolf Hitler committed suicide, and in May 1945 the red Soviet victory flag was raised over the Reichstag.

There will be no military equipment on display at this year’s parade in Moscow, which typically showcases Russia’s military might with intercontinental ballistic missiles and tanks.

Moscow’s forces have been fighting in Ukraine for more than four years, longer than the Soviet Union’s involvement from 1941-45 in what Russians call the Great Patriotic War.

Russia controls about 19.4% of Ukraine, but its advances have slowed this year, capturing just 700 square kilometers in the first four months of the year, according to pro-Ukrainian maps.

(Reporting by Steve Holland, Nandita Bose and Susan Heavey in Washington, Guy Faulconbridge in Moscow and Mark Trevelyan in London; Additional reporting by Olena Hamash in Kyiv; Editing by William McLean, Ron Popesky and Rosalba O’Brien)

Newly released Pentagon files reveal Texas UFO sightings

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Newly released Pentagon files reveal Texas UFO sightings

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Have you ever looked up into the vast Texas sky and seen something moving across the sky? It could be a shooting star, a satellite, or a UFO.

The Department of Defense released multiple documents on Friday, May 8, detailing sightings of unidentified flying objects, or “bogies,” in U.S. airspace, including a report from Texas.

The document was released by the US Department of Defense at the direction of President Donald Trump and marks the release of government files related to Al-Al.Yen and extraterrestrial life forms, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs) and UFOs.

“These files, hidden behind classified cover, have long fueled legitimate speculation, but now is the time for the American people to see for themselves,” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said in a statement. “The release of these declassified documents demonstrates the Trump Administration’s commitment to unprecedented transparency.”

Here we will look at files related to Texas.

UFO discovered over Abilene, Texas in 1948

According to a Department of Defense incident summary, on January 1, 1948, a man identified as “Mr. A. Schroeder” reported a UFO in the 1100 block of Highland Avenue in Abilene, Texas.

Dr. Schroeder reported seeing a bright blue-green bell-shaped object stationary in the western sky over Abilene at 1:25 a.m. and 1:30 a.m.

Fort Worth man sees UFO over Alaska

Also in 1948, Lieutenant Aitch Johnson noticed a flat silver disc in the sky over Fairbanks, Alaska.

According to an incident report, a Fort Worth man observed an object flying over Alaska at an estimated speed of 250 to 300 miles per hour on April 18, 1948, at approximately 1:06 p.m.

The report also noted that the sighting “may have been a reflection of sunlight off the wing” of an aircraft flying in the area at the time.

Possible UFO sighting during NASA Gemini 7 space launch

The Pentagon has released recordings and audio files from NASA’s Gemini 7 mission in 1965 in which astronaut Frank Bowman reported sightings of an unidentified object to NASA control, which he called “bogey.”

Although the launch did not take place in Texas, the report was returned to space control in Houston.

This conversation occurred on December 5, 1965, 4 hours and 24 minutes into the flight, when Bowman notified space control that there was a “bogey” on the left.

When asked to clarify what they were seeing, Bowman said they were seeing “hundreds of small particles” to their left about three to four miles away.

As a NASA spokesperson revealed, the bogey was an unidentified object along with the particles.

Department of Defense documents reports of other possible sightings in Texas

Some documents mention connections and reports of possible UFO sightings in Texas, but lack details to understand the situation.

For example, the Pentagon received a Yocum Times Record clipping reporting a UFO sighting by Mrs. Anna Banis in 1947, but it is unclear why she wrote the letter to the Pentagon.

This is a developing story. Check back for more updates.

Mateo Rosiles is a Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and local Texas newspapers. Do you have any news tips for him? Email us at mrosiles@usatodayco.com.

You can now get free Papa John’s pizza with Spirit Airlines points

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You can now get free Papa John’s pizza with Spirit Airlines points

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As travelers affected by Spirit Airlines’ sudden closure deal with canceled flights and lost loyalty points, Papa John’s is offering free pizza as a consolation prize.

In a news release on Friday, May 8, the chain announced a limited-time promotion called “Sky to Pie,” where former Spirit Loyalty members can convert proof of their reward status into a free large one-topping pizza in response to the airline’s sudden bankruptcy.

“Loyalty points don’t mean much if you can’t use them,” said Shivram Vaideswaran, Papa John’s senior vice president of brand marketing. “While we cannot solve canceled flights or lost membership points, we hope to provide a smile and some delicious pizza to those affected.”

How customers claim offers

To participate, customers must send a direct message to @PapaJohns on Instagram, prove they’re a member of Spirit’s loyalty program, and provide a screenshot showing they’ve joined Papa Rewards.

The first 250 verified participants will receive a code for a free Large One-Topping Pizza while supplies last.

Papa John’s framed the promotion as a playful response to the disruption in the airline industry, promising “no blackout dates” and “no middle seats.”

Spirit Airlines suddenly suspends operations

The campaign comes just days after Spirit Airlines announced it would cease operations effective May 2.

The airline canceled all flights on its network and suspended customer service operations, leaving travelers stranded and unable to rebook directly through the airline.

“For more than 30 years, Spirit Airlines has been a pioneer in making travel more accessible,” Spirit Airlines CEO Dave Davis said in a statement announcing the closure. “The sudden and sustained rise in fuel prices in recent weeks has ultimately left us with no choice but to pursue an orderly wind down of our operations.”

Passengers across the country were forced to make costly last-minute changes to their travels as flights were canceled overnight.

The airline’s bankruptcy comes after years of instability, a bankruptcy filing, an engine recall issue that affected its fleet, and a failed merger plan between Frontier Airlines and JetBlue.

USA TODAY reporters Zach Wichter and Mike Snider contributed to this report.

Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com or on Twitter @athompsonUSAT.

FBI questions Wisconsin election officials about 2020 presidential vote

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FBI questions Wisconsin election officials about 2020 presidential vote

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In recent days, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents have questioned top election officials in Wisconsin about the 2020 presidential election, according to people familiar with the conversations.

The agent met with Robert Kehoe, deputy administrator of the Wisconsin State Board of Elections, earlier this week and discussed with Kehoe how elections are conducted in Wisconsin and various election theories. Officials said Mr. Kehoe debunked false claims and revealed how elections work.

One of the sources called the conversation “a professional interview by a career FBI agent.”

An FBI spokeswoman did not immediately respond to questions. A spokesperson for the state election board declined to comment.

The interview came as election officials in Wisconsin and Milwaukee prepare for possible action from federal authorities over their administration of the 2020 election that President Donald Trump falsely claimed won.

Election officials have been on high alert for much of this year, since federal agents seized hundreds of boxes related to the 2020 election in Fulton County, Georgia, in January, and the FBI issued a grand jury subpoena seeking voting information in Maricopa County, Arizona, in March.

Like Georgia and Arizona, Wisconsin is at the center of President Trump’s baseless claims that he won the 2020 election. President Trump claimed without evidence that thousands of fraudulent votes gave former President Joe Biden a victory in that year’s Wisconsin election.

How about 180,000 Milwaukeeans voted in the 2020 presidential election could be at risk of becoming public if the FBI forces election officials to turn over voting data to justify Trump’s election defeat in key battleground states.

The ballots in question are part of a wave of votes in Wisconsin’s liberal-leaning Dane and Milwaukee counties that President Trump sought to destroy at his expense during a recount of the 2020 presidential election, which saw a surge in absentee voting due to the coronavirus pandemic.

more: ‘PO’d’ Evers vows to resist any FBI efforts to seize Milwaukee ballots

Trump lost re-election in Wisconsin, Arizona and Georgia in 2020, but continues to falsely claim he actually won, despite court rulings, audits and reviews showing he lost.

If federal authorities expand their investigation to include tracking voting data in Milwaukee, about 176,000 absentee ballots with registers and ID numbers could be turned over.

State law requires absentee ballots counted at central counting facilities to include a voting list number, which can be matched to information in the poll book to identify the voter.

Normally, ballots from elections held more than five years ago would have been thrown away by now. But those ballots still exist, in part, thanks to a lawsuit filed against the city by a New London man who has filed dozens of lawsuits against state and local election officials over the 2020 election and other voting issues.

The Justice Department is suing Wisconsin officials for refusing to turn over confidential voter information that state election officials say is protected under Wisconsin law.

The federal lawsuit is one of about 20 filed by the Trump administration across the country seeking to turn over voter rolls without redacted personal information.

Journal Sentinel reporter Mary Spicuzza contributed.

Molly Beck can be reached at molly.beck@jrn.com.

Mega Millions winning numbers for May 8th drawing

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Mega Millions winning numbers for May 8th drawing

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Mega Millions is back at $215 million with $95.2 million in cash at stake as the Friday, May 8th lottery drawing approaches.

One winning ticket can trigger a big decision. You can pay a lump sum upfront or lock in payments for 30 years that increase by 5% each year. The jump in jackpots comes after big wins earlier this year, including a $60 million prize in Ohio and a $533 million jackpot in Illinois.

With Friday’s Mega Millions drawing just hours away, here’s what you need to know.

What are the winning Mega Millions numbers for May 8, 2026?

USA TODAY will publish the winning numbers for Friday’s Mega Millions lottery after the drawing at 11pm ET.

more: Which states have the most lottery winners? What you need to know.

When is the next Mega Millions drawing?

The next Mega Millions drawing is scheduled for Tuesday, May 12th at 11:00 PM ET.

Top 10 Mega Millions Jackpots

  • $1.602 billion in Florida on August 8, 2023
  • $1.537 billion in South Carolina on October 23, 2018
  • $1.348 billion on January 1, 2023 in Maine
  • July 29, 2022, $1.337 billion in Illinois
  • December 27, 2024, $1.269 billion in California
  • $1.128 billion in New Jersey on March 26, 2024
  • $1.05 billion in Michigan on January 22, 2021
  • $983 million in Georgia on November 14, 2025
  • $810 million in Texas on September 10, 2024
  • March 30, 2012, $656 million in Illinois, Kansas, and Maryland

more: The man took a break during work. Then I won a million dollar prize in the lottery.

What is Mega Millions?

Mega Millions is a multi-state lottery game played in 45 states, Washington DC, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and is known for jackpots that can soar into the hundreds of millions.

Tickets cost $5. Players can select five numbers from 1 to 70 and one Mega Ball number from 1 to 24, or use Quick Pick/Easy Pick to let the lottery randomly select numbers. Match all 6 numbers to win the jackpot. If multiple tickets are won, the prize will be shared.

How to play Mega Millions

To play Mega Millions, purchase tickets online through a convenience store, gas station, grocery store, or, in some states, an official lottery retailer.

Players choose six numbers. Five white balls numbered 1-70 and one golden mega ball numbered 1-24. Don’t want to choose? Select (Quick Pick) or (Easy Pick) and a number will be randomly generated.

All tickets have built-in multipliers that increase non-jackpot prizes by 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, or 10x. Multipliers are automatically applied and included in the ticket price, replacing the previous add-on megaplier.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact us at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow us at X @fern_cerv_.

New movies streaming on Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, and Prime Video

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New movies streaming on Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, and Prime Video

Need to see a new movie? Stream these 10 movies for free in your home with Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, HBO Max, and Peacock.

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  • One of these movies is the one you should watch tonight.
  • There are also streaming originals, like the Netflix drama Remarkably Bright Creatures, starring Sally Field and Octopus.
  • Check out theatrical releases like Rachel McAdams’ survival thriller Send Help.

Do you like movies? Live for TV? USA TODAY’s Watch Party newsletter has all of our best recommendations, delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now and be one of the cool kids.

Whether you want to see Sally Field talk to an octopus or Rachel McAdams fight a killer boar, the streaming service has new movies for all kinds of different tastes.

Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Prime Video and more will debut theatrical releases, including Sam Raimi’s survival thriller starring McAdams and Dylan O’Brien and the action-packed sequel to Gerard Butler’s Greenland. There are also originals, including an Italian romantic comedy and a heartwarming drama starring Field, Lewis Pullman, and an opinionated mollusk.

Here are 10 hottest new movies you can stream right now.

‘vertex’

Charlize Theron is known for her action movies, but this survival thriller is full of natural wonders that make the high-stakes risks worth it. She plays a grieving rock climber who seeks solace in Australia after a tragic death, while Taron Egerton plays a sadistic serial killer who hunts and chases her through rivers and mountains, driving her insane.

Where to watch: Netflix

“Greenland 2: The Migration”

The post-apocalyptic sequel picks up engineer John Garrity (Gerard Butler) and his family five years after a comet wipes out much of civilization. When a survival bunker in Greenland becomes uninhabitable, they embark on a perilous journey fraught with climate change and human danger to find a chance of salvation in France.

Where to watch: HBO Max

“Hallow Road”

Rosamund Pike and Matthew Rhys star in this thriller as a couple who receive a worrying phone call from their daughter that she has hit a young girl on a secluded road. The action mostly takes place in the car as the parents head out to help, but certain revelations and some strange passersby lead to an unexpected dark and satisfying development.

Where to watch: Hulu

“Heartbreak Kid: Becoming Shawn Michaels”

If you’ve seen Netflix’s recent Hulk Hogan documentary series, this is a good tracker. This documentary delves into the origin story of longtime WWE fan favorite Shawn Michaels, how he reached the pinnacle of professional wrestling while battling drug addiction in the ’90s, and how he now passes on his knowledge to the next generation of performers.

Where to watch: peacock

“Marty Supreme”

Shoe salesman Marty Moser (Timothée Chalamet) will do anything to become a table tennis champion in director Josh Safdie’s brilliant sports comedy set in the 1950s world of table tennis. He is also a self-centered asshole, and his pursuit of glory draws a variety of players into his chaotic world, from a childhood friend (Odessa Azion) to a famous actress (Gwyneth Paltrow).

Where to watch: HBO Max

“There’s no place to be single.”

In the Italian romantic comedy, Elisa (Mathilde Gioli) is a single mother who runs a real estate business in a Tuscan town when her childhood friend Michele (Cristiano Caccamo) returns home. The reunion evokes new emotions and attraction, but when Michele and his brother stand to inherit the inheritance, he and Elisa have different plans for its future.

Where to watch: prime video

“Surprisingly bright creatures”

This heartwarming drama stars Sally Field as Tovah, an aquarium cleaner who cares for an octopus named Marcellus (voiced by Alfred Molina). After hurting her ankle, she trains Cameron (Lewis Pullman), a young, cash-strapped drifter, to work, but Marcellus believes that by working together they can find what’s missing in their lives.

Where to watch: Netflix

“I’ll send help.”

Rachel McAdams enjoys one of the funniest and most free-spirited roles outside of Regina George in Sam Raimi’s dark comedy/thriller. She stars as a strategy expert (and a big “Survivor” fan) who gets stranded on a deserted island with her sexist tech boss (Dylan O’Brien). She grows up, he struggles, and things get bloody and outrageous.

Where to watch: Hulu

“Exchanged”

In this mind-bending, body-swapping, fantastical animated comedy, small furry mammal Olly (voiced by Michael B. Jordan) and feathery bird Ivy (Juno Temple) are rival races. But when a mysterious orb allows them to see what each other’s existence is like, they form a bond vital to saving their ecosystem when a dire threat arises.

Where to watch: Netflix

“Wuthering Heights”

Emerald Fennell’s gothic and sassy take on Emily Bronte’s classic novel is best enjoyed by simply sitting back and soaking in the sensory overload. Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi star in a gorgeous, arrogant, bad romance about childhood friends who become passionate and annoying adult enemies.

Where to watch: HBO Max

Veteran NFL quarterback surprises NFL with retirement announcement

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Veteran NFL quarterback surprises NFL with retirement announcement

After being inactive last season, the longtime NFL quarterback is officially leaving the sport.

On Thursday, Taylor Heinicke, drafted by the Chargers during the preseason, lost a battle for a backup role and announced his retirement.

“For 25 years, I have had the honor of playing this great sport of football…It has taught me so much not only about myself, but also about life,” Heinicke said. “There have been a lot of ups and downs over the years, but the ups and downs have been 10 times bigger. I never thought I would have a life like this.”

“Thank you to everyone who supported me on this journey. Thank you to everyone who believed in me. And thank you to everyone who gave me the opportunity to fulfill my childhood dreams. I’m excited for the next chapter of my life! And always, Go Skins!”

Heinicke signed with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent and spent a total of nine seasons on the roster. His longest tenure with Washington was from 2020 to 2022, when he started 24 games and finished with a 12-11-1 record. In his career, he passed for 6,663 yards, 39 touchdowns, and 28 interceptions.

When is Mother’s Day in the United States?Why is it on May 10th?

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When is Mother’s Day in the United States?Why is it on May 10th?

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Mother’s Day 2026 will be celebrated on Sunday, May 10th in the United States. As usual, this day falls on the second Sunday in May. Following a national tradition established since 1914, this day honors mothers, grandmothers and maternal figures with a variety of gestures, from flowers to family gatherings.

Beyond gifts, experts and historical records agree that the original meaning of this celebration, promoted by Anna M. Jarvis in the early 20th century, was to emphasize heartfelt gratitude. Today, in the face of increased commercialization, many families are returning to a more personal and meaningful approach.

When is Mother’s Day in the US in 2026? Why does it change every year?

Mother’s Day 2026 will be celebrated on May 10th. This day may seem “early”, but it’s actually within normal range. According to the calendar, this holiday is always set on the second Sunday of every month, so it falls from May 8th to May 14th.

The system dates back to a formal proclamation signed by President Woodrow Wilson in 1914, following a years-long campaign led by Jarvis. Understanding this variation is important for the Hispanic community in the United States. Especially since many Latin American countries have fixed dates (such as May 10th in Mexico), which can cause confusion for bicultural families.

The history of Mother’s Day: From heartfelt homage to commercial celebration

The modern origins of Mother’s Day in the United States are associated with Anna Jarvis, who organized one of the first commemorations in West Virginia in 1908 after her mother’s death. Her purpose was clear. It was about creating a space to recognize a mother’s sacrifice and love.

However, as time went on, Jarvis himself criticized the direction of the celebration. He felt that the commercial approach, such as cards, expensive flowers, and gifts, detracted from the original purpose. That criticism still applies. Instead of making big purchases, many families choose more personal acts like handwritten letters and spending quality time together.

How to celebrate Mother’s Day 2026: Practical and economical ideas

Mother’s Day traditions vary, but a few remain popular.

  • Host a brunch at home. Make a quick breakfast or lunch with pancakes, fruit, quiche, yogurt, and more. There’s no need to complicate things. The less the better.
  • Add flowers or simple details. A bouquet of flowers and plants can be a meaningful gesture without spending a lot of money.
  • Write a letter by hand: Sincere messages usually have more emotional value than expensive gifts.
  • Share quality time: Watching a movie, taking a walk, or just talking can be a great gift.
  • Recreate family recipes. Cooking traditional dishes together connects generations and creates new memories.
  • Create an album of memories. Print your family photos or create a digital presentation of your special moments.
  • Give Mom a Rest: Do the housework, cooking, and cleaning so he can rest.
  • Apply the “Lazy Mom Day” concept. Let’s turn the day into a day when the mother is not responsible and others take care of everything.
  • Keep your menu simple and practical. Entrees, fruit options, and desserts are enough for a special, stress-free celebration.

How will Mother’s Day change in the United States?

Mother’s Day 2026 will be celebrated in a context in which many families seek to reconnect with the day’s original meaning: gratitude, presence, and true recognition.

This trend points towards more intimate, cheaper and more conscious celebrations.

In the coming years, the debate will continue to revolve around how to balance tradition and consumption.

For those celebrating, the question is not what to buy, but how to make the mother feel valued on that day, but this requires more intention than a gift.

contribution: america today

Boris Q’va is a national Spanish language trends news reporter for Connect/USA TODAY Network. You can follow him on X as @ByBorisQva or write to him at BBalsindesUrquiola@gannett.com.

ABC files suit with FCC alleging First Amendment violation

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ABC files suit with FCC alleging First Amendment violation

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Media giant ABC has accused the Federal Communications Commission of violating First Amendment rights, amid heightened tensions between regulators and television programs seen as negative to the Trump administration.

The station’s petition, filed May 8, says FCC Chairman Brendan Kerr’s scrutiny of the talk show “The View” is “unprecedented, exceeds the commission’s authority, and is counterproductive to the commission’s stated goals of promoting free speech and open political debate.”

Kerr has previously questioned whether talk shows like “The View” are “bona fide news programs,” a specific legal classification under FCC regulations that grants them certain First Amendment protections from government regulation.

This filing is one of the most decisive actions taken against the FCC’s actions targeting news organizations under the second Trump administration.

The commission, which is bound by a number of laws that require it to be neutral and uphold First Amendment principles, has come under scrutiny for targeting coverage deemed unfavorable to President Donald Trump.

more: What powers does the Federal Communications Commission have?

The FCC did not respond to requests for comment.

Submissions point to unjust enforcement of rules

The application was filed by ABC News in Houston. This follows months in which Kerr has suggested in public comments and online that major broadcast stations like ABC need to abide by the FCC’s “public interest” rules. The rule requires television entertainment programs on public airwaves to give equal airtime to political candidates for the same office.

Congress adopted a “genuine news” exemption to this rule in 1959. ABC said it received such an exemption for the show in 2002.

In early 2026, Kerr asked Houston Broadcasting to submit a formal request to determine whether “The View” actually qualifies for the exemption after Texas Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico appeared on the show.

more: ‘The View’ faces FCC ‘enforcement action’ over Talarico interview

ABC’s petition states, “‘The View’ is broadcast under a bona fide news exemption granted more than 20 years ago, consistent with the commission’s longstanding interpretation of the program, which aims to minimize the serious First Amendment problems inherent in the Equal Time System.”

The filing also said the FCC’s investigation primarily focused only on shows critical of Trump, and not similar programs supporting the conservative president, such as “The Glenn Beck Program” or “The Mark Levin Show,” which have shown no evidence of receiving such exemptions.

“‘The View’ and other similar programs uphold the public interest, as Congress envisioned when it adopted the true reporting exemption,” the petition says. “This goal of giving the public the broadest access to political and racial news by allowing broadcasters to report political news without fear of sanctions is especially important today.

“As the 2026 election approaches, Americans need more access to political news, not less contact with political candidates.”

The petition seeks a declaratory judgment confirming that The View “continues to be subject to the bona fide news interview exemption.”

“Doing anything else…would further exacerbate the uncertainty and resulting chilling of the First Amendment that the Committee’s recent actions have caused,” the filing states.

The New York Times, which first reported the case, noted that ABC is being represented by Paul Clement, who served as attorney general under former President George W. Bush and is a prominent Supreme Court litigator.

Will Creeley, legal director of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a First Amendment advocacy group, said ABC’s “not tacitly allowing the federal government to dictate the range of views that can be broadcast without fear of reprisal” is “welcome and commendable.”

“The Federal Communications Commission cannot and cannot be the nation’s chief censor, as its chairman once acknowledged,” Creeley said. “The First Amendment protects private institutions that fight back against the executive branch’s crackdown on speech. FIRE will fight to stop the government from determining what we are free to say, see, and hear.”

Network and Kerr remain at odds

NPR reports that ABC’s petition comes in the wake of an investigation into the station and its parent company Disney over alleged corporate diversity policies, as well as multiple phone calls from the FCC asking Disney-owned local stations to apply for early license renewals in April.

The calls came shortly after President Trump rallied to call for the firing of ABC late-night talk show host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel over jokes about first lady Melania Trump.

more: What did Jimmy Kimmel say? First lady Melania’s joke sparks backlash from the White House

Mr. Carr’s pressure on ABC “chilled critical protected speech, both on ‘The View’ and more broadly,” the agency wrote in its filing.

ABC has been at odds with the Trump administration. The network agreed to pay the president $15 million in December 2024 to settle a long-running defamation lawsuit he filed against the company.

Trump also called for Kimmel to be fired after his comments about the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk last year sparked a heated debate over the First Amendment.

USA TODAY Network – Coverage of First Amendment issues in the Southern region is funded through a collaboration between Freedom Forum and our journalism funding partners.

Want to talk? Email Angele Latham at alatham@gannett.com or follow @angele_latham on X.

Is Birch Gold Group suitable for a Gold IRA?

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Is Birch Gold Group suitable for a Gold IRA?

Founded in 2003, Birch Gold Group is a precious metals dealer specializing in helping customers diversify their precious metals portfolios and protect their retirement savings. This dealer may be suitable for budget-minded investors who value a wide range of precious metals options, including collector coins.

This Birch Gold Group review details this dealer’s pricing, service, and customer ratings, so you can consider this provider from all angles before making your investment.

Overview of Birch Gold Group

Birch Gold Group is a precious metals dealer that assists customers interested in establishing a gold IRA.

When compared to other precious metals dealers, Birch Gold Group is a low-cost option with a minimum investment of $5,000, significantly lower than other dealers that require $10,000 to $50,000 to get started. A typical customer is a retirement investor who wants to work with a professional instead of buying online.

However, Birch Gold Group itself is not a custodian or repository. This means the company does not personally manage your retirement accounts or store your precious metals. Birch Gold Group works with IRS-approved custodians to store your precious metals and third-party custodians to roll over retirement accounts and manage precious metals IRAs.

Birch Gold Group Snapshot

Birch Gold Group Products and Services

Birch Gold Group sells gold, silver, platinum and palladium in the form of coins, bars and proof coins. These have a limited mintage and are attractive to collectors.

In addition to selling precious metals, Birch Gold Group facilitates gold IRAs by helping customers roll over funds from existing retirement accounts, select precious metals, and arrange IRS-approved storage locations. The standard account setup fee is around $80, while the annual storage fee is around $235. However, customer service will waive the setup fee for new customers who deposit $50,000 or more.

How Birch Gold Group’s process works

If you are interested in investing in Birch Gold Group, please give us a call or fill out our contact form. It requires the following information:

  • First and last name
  • email address
  • telephone number
  • message

From there, a representative will contact you and guide you through the investment process. The investment process begins by discussing your options, financing your rollover, and choosing from Birch Gold Group’s carefully selected precious metals.

Birch Gold Group Fees and Pricing Considerations

Birch Gold Group receives compensation through commissions on completed purchases, which is common practice in the precious metals industry. As a result, Birch charges slightly higher prices than the current market price for precious metals to cover its costs.

The company also charges an average annual storage fee of $235. However, Birch Gold Group will waive all custodian fees for one year if you invest $50,000 or more in the first year.

Birch Gold Group Reputation and Customer Experience

Although Birch Gold maintains its Better Business Bureau (BBB) ​​accreditation and A+ rating, the majority of customer reviews since Fall 2025 have been negative. These Birch Gold Group customer reviews point out issues with overcharging for gold and silver coins, hidden fees, and lower-than-expected values ​​immediately after account creation.

That being said, other review websites such as Trustpilot have given Birch Gold Group excellent ratings of 4 stars and above. Positive reviews typically praise the helpful and patient staff who smoothly guided every step of the investment process. Many customers praised its education-centered approach and never felt pressured into purchasing gold by the customer service team.

Birch Gold Group Advantages and Disadvantages

Here’s a quick look at Birch Gold Group’s strengths and weaknesses.

Strong Points:

  • Unusual minimum investment amount as low as $5,000
  • For accounts over $50,000, storage fees are covered for the first year
  • We facilitate IRA storage of your precious metals at many vaults, including a global network of nearly 1,000 vaults in 120 countries.

Cons:

  • Not a flat free structure
  • No online purchases
  • Recent BBB customer reviews mention issues of hidden fees and confusion regarding investment value.

Birch Gold Group vs. Competitors

Birch Gold Group, like many other dealers, specializes in selling physical metals and guiding customers through the process of setting up a precious metals IRA. However, pricing, fee structures, minimum investment amounts, etc. vary by dealer.

Here we take a quick look at Birch Gold Group’s competitors and their advantages.

conclusion

Birch Gold Group is a well-known precious metals dealer and promoter of gold IRAs with high-profile backing from celebrities such as Ron Paul and Megyn Kelly. But the latest customer reviews on the Better Business Bureau give us pause, despite its high ratings. No matter which company you choose, keep in mind that returns are never guaranteed. So be sure to collect quotes from multiple dealers and consult a trusted financial advisor before moving your funds.

Frequently asked questions about Birch Gold Group

What is the minimum investment amount in Birch Gold?

The minimum investment with Birch Gold Group is $5,000, but this amount is subject to product availability and market conditions.

Where is Birch Gold Group located?

Birch Gold Group’s headquarters are located in Des Moines, Iowa.

Who is Rais Alsaraf?

Rais Alsarraf is an entrepreneur who founded Birch Gold Group in 2003. He is currently the CEO of a company that helps investors diversify their retirement portfolios with precious metal investments.

Alabama Republican Party asks Supreme Court to clear path for new voting map

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Alabama Republican Party asks Supreme Court to clear path for new voting map

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WASHINGTON – Alabama asked the U.S. Supreme Court on May 8 to allow Republican-led states to impose new congressional maps for this year’s midterm elections, the latest aggressive move by Southern states to take advantage of the court’s recent rulings weakening Voting Rights Act protections for minorities.

State officials said in an emergency filing that the high court’s decision on Louisiana’s congressional map should eliminate the need for Alabama to use a map that includes second-majority black districts to comply with civil rights laws.

“The Alabama case mirrors the Louisiana case and should have the same outcome. This year’s elections will be drawn based on legitimate policy goals, not race,” Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said in the state’s appeal. He asked for sentencing by May 14.

The state has been ordered by a lower court to preserve the maps until after the 2030 census.

The Alabama Legislature on May 8 approved new maps that could be used in special primaries if the court order is lifted.

This would make it even more likely that Republicans would retain their slim majority in the US House of Representatives.

Louisiana and Tennessee are also looking to take advantage of weakened civil rights laws to use Republican-friendly congressional maps as early as this year.

more: Supreme Court disadvantages black voters in blow to landmark civil rights law

Historically, midterm elections do not bode well for the party in the White House. However, the past intermediate years have not been subjected to the intense last-minute mapping that has occurred in this cycle.

Meanwhile, Democrats suffered a setback on May 8 when the Virginia Supreme Court overturned new voter-approved maps that would have given Democrats an advantage in the midterm elections.

more: In a shocking midterm blow to Democrats, Virginia Supreme Court strikes down new map

Tennessee became the first state to eliminate Democratic-held seats following a high court ruling on the Voting Rights Act, with the state legislature approving a new legislative framework that would divide majority-black Memphis into three districts.

In Louisiana, Governor Jeff Landry signed an executive order postponing the state’s primary election until at least July 15, or any other date set by the Republican-led state Legislature, citing an “election emergency resulting from an unconstitutional map.”

The state’s six-member delegation includes two Democrats. The map the Supreme Court invalidated included two majority-black seats, and Republicans hope to reduce Democrats’ advantage in at least one of them.

Contributors: Zachary Schermele and Bart Jansen.

GLP-1 changes shopping

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GLP-1 changes shopping

Good morning and Happy Friday! I’m Betty Lynn Fisher for the Friday consumer edition of Daily Money.

Megan McDonald, 36, of Boxford, Massachusetts, noticed a change in her shopping habits in the two years she started taking GLP-1.

Ever since MacDonald started using the GLP-1 drug Zepbound and lost 175 pounds, she’s turned her attention to produce and meat at the end of the supermarket. And she’s not interested in the snack aisle.

she is not alone. GLP-1 is changing the way consumers buy food, clothing, health and beauty products, and eat out.

One analyst said this was causing “upheaval” in the retail industry.

I’ll give my mom a treat this weekend.

Here we have put together some budget-friendly places where you can treat your mother, or the special person in your life, on Mother’s Day.

Gas price pain

Rising gas prices are causing consumers to rethink how much they’re driving and what they’re driving. Some places also rent electric cars.

📰 Consumer stories you can’t miss 📰

Betty Lin-Fisher is a consumer reporter for USA TODAY. Contact her at blinfisher@USATODAY.com or follow her at @blinfisher on X, Facebook and Instagram and @blinfisher.bsky.social on Bluesky.. Sign up for our free The Daily Money newsletter, breaking down complex consumer and financial news. Subscribe here.

Will President Trump’s tough approach work against Iran?

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Will President Trump’s tough approach work against Iran?

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WASHINGTON – Bombs had been falling for just six days as President Donald Trump spelled out his demands for an end to the Iran war.

He said there would be no peace agreement without Iran’s “unconditional surrender.”

But with soaring gas prices, low approval ratings and polls showing most Americans oppose war, Trump has signaled a peace deal may be possible.

President Trump predicted this week that “it will be over soon” as Iran considers a U.S. proposal that would halt fighting but leave many of the most contentious issues between the two countries unresolved. Since the war with Iran began on February 28, President Trump has said that the war with Iran would soon end and that Iran should quickly sign a peace deal or be annihilated.

Just this week, President Trump said peace talks to end the war were ongoing but needed to be resolved or Iran would face further military action and possibly a nuclear attack. Key elements of the negotiations are that Iran agree not to develop nuclear weapons and that commercial traffic be allowed through the Strait of Hormuz.

Regarding Iran, President Trump said, “Negotiations are progressing very well, but you need to understand that there will be great pain if we cannot sign the agreement.” However, he pointed out that he had no intention of abandoning the ceasefire agreement currently in effect. He said he thought it was clear that even if the deal were to be scrapped, “there would be a lot of light coming out of Iran.”

From the ancient Chinese general Sun Tzu to the Nobel Prize-winning Colombian novelist Gabriel García Márquez, military experts and philosophers have historically pointed out that starting wars is much easier than ending them. Trump and his team appear to be discovering the hard truth behind that theory as they seek a way out of a conflict that has already killed thousands across the Middle East.

“We went from a President Trump demanding total surrender to a President Trump essentially taking Iran at its word,” said Brett Bruen, a former diplomat who served as the White House director of international engagement under President Barack Obama.

Dina Esfandiari, Iran state and Middle East policy expert at Bloomberg Economics, a Geneva-based geopolitical analyst, said the Trump administration’s efforts to end the war and emerge from the conflict are not going as planned, with oil prices soaring and contrary to U.S. public opinion.

“We’re trying to see what we can do within the constraints of the domestic situation in the United States without incurring significant political costs,” she said.

President Trump’s early statements about war threatened complete destruction if Iran did not act quickly to comply with U.S. demands. “The whole civilization will perish,” he warned in April. But so far, Iran has not taken the bait, and President Trump continues to talk about annihilation in the context of a peace deal.

However, the tough negotiations did not lead to Iran’s surrender. This “reflects the dilemma he’s in right now,” said Daniel R. DePetris, a fellow at Defense Priorities, a Washington think tank that advocates reducing the footprint of U.S. troops worldwide.

“He remains reluctant to offer the Iranians the kinds of concessions that could actually end the war, and continues to believe that coercion will ultimately force Iran to sign a settlement on U.S. terms,” DePetris said.

In another development, Trump and his aides insist the war is over, even as bombs fly across the Strait of Hormuz and Israel continues airstrikes in Lebanon.

For example, the United States launched an attack on Iran on May 7 in response to an attack on a U.S. warship, the Pentagon said. The attack was described as a “self-defense attack” following attacks on three U.S. Navy ships. U.S. Central Command said in a statement that no warships were hit.

President Trump says ceasefire is still in effect US launches ‘self-defense attack’ on Iran

War Powers Act was ignored

President Trump informed Congress on Friday, May 1, that the two-week ceasefire reached on April 7 has been extended and hostilities have ceased, so authorization is not needed to continue operations in Iran. A federal law called the War Powers Act requires the president to seek Congressional approval if a military conflict lasts longer than 60 days.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio made essentially the same argument at a White House briefing on Tuesday.

“Operation Epic Fury is over,” Rubio said, using the war’s military code name. “We achieved the objective of that operation.”

Rubio also argued that the War Powers Act is unconstitutional, suggesting this is a position shared by “every president” since it was passed in 1973.

The truth is a little more hazy. According to the Congressional Research Service, the research arm of the Library of Congress, U.S. presidents have generally accepted parts of the law, although they have objected to certain mechanisms.

Still, analysts question how the war can end as the United States and Iran continue to exchange fire in the Strait of Hormuz. They also point out that there is little evidence that the United States achieved its goals, which changed many times during the war.

At the start of the military operation, President Trump indicated that the United States’ goal was to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

Iran’s ballistic missile program was severely damaged by the attack, reducing its operational capability by up to 60%. However, according to the Council on Foreign Relations, which analyzes U.S. foreign policy and international relations, Iran still has enough nuclear material to make about a dozen bombs if it decides to use its remaining nuclear facilities to make these weapons.

Just hours into the conflict, President Trump appeared to signal that his campaign goal was regime change. “The time for freedom is at hand,” he said in a message to the Iranian people. “Now is the time to take control of your destiny and unlock a prosperous and bright future,” he added.

Iran’s political and military leadership was decimated by the war. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in a joint US-Israeli airstrike that targeted his residence in the first salvo of the conflict. He was succeeded by his son Mojtaba Khamenei, who is considered more of an ideological extremist than his father. Other political and military leaders were also killed in the attack, but despite a change of leadership, Iran’s ruling regime continues to rule.

In some ways, Bruen said, the regime has become even more powerful. Before the war, he says, “the government seemed to be at a standstill and on the verge of collapse.” “They are now able to strengthen their position with key groups inside, and that will likely give them decades more power.”

Looking for a way out of Iran

In recent weeks, the Trump administration’s focus appears to have shifted to reopening the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil supplies must be transported to global markets. On May 4, the U.S. military launched an operation to escort commercial ships passing through the strait after Iran refused to reopen it. But President Trump suspended the mission the next day, citing “significant progress” in negotiating a final peace deal with Iran.

President Trump and his aides insist the operation should not be considered part of the war effort. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called it a “temporary mission.”

However, Bruen et al. do not accept that argument. “The closure of this strait was a direct result of our attack,” he said. “The war cannot be said to be over if the enemy captures maritime areas or territory.”

Meanwhile, Gregory Akhtandilian, a foreign policy professor at American University in Washington, said growing economic pain on both sides has increased pressure to stop the war, but neither side intends to “cry uncle.”

The challenge for Trump, he said, is to end an unpopular war that has led to soaring gas prices in a way that shows tangible benefits.

“Certainly he’s looking for a way out,” Akhtandilian said, one that the deal with Iran would bring in new concessions that would allow him to “tell the American people it’s worth it.”

Aftandilian said an agreement to lift the naval blockade imposed by the United States on Iran and open the Strait of Hormuz would be the easy part. An even more thorny issue is reaching a nuclear deal, which is central to the regime’s rationale for war. Deciding to negotiate later could be a political risk for Trump, he said.

“I don’t know if that’s acceptable to President Trump, because how is he going to sell that to the American people?” he said. “His critics will jump on that and say, ‘So what have you actually accomplished here? This strait was open before the war, and now you’re negotiating endlessly with Iran over the nuclear issue. So what was the point of the war?'”

Complicating matters is the nuclear deal the Obama administration negotiated with Iran in 2015 in conjunction with a handful of other countries. Under the deal, Iran agreed not to produce highly enriched uranium or plutonium for weapons. But despite a consensus among experts at nuclear watchdogs such as the International Atomic Energy Agency that the deal was working, President Trump derided it as a bad deal and withdrew from it during his first term.

Mr. Aftandilian said that President Trump’s decision to abandon the deal means that “he cannot accept Obama’s terms, even though probably whatever deal is made will be pretty close to Obama’s terms.”

Despite considering the Trump administration’s proposal to end the war, Iran is anticipating a new U.S. attack and believes it could come before the U.S. president leaves for a May 14-15 summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, said Tehran-based Iranian-American academic and political analyst Syed Mohammad Marandi. Marandi served as an advisor to the Iranian negotiating team during the 2015 nuclear negotiations and remains close to the Iranian government.

In a message on WhatsApp, Marandi said Iran is finding it difficult to understand the Trump administration’s changing war rhetoric.

“President Trump is impossible to decipher,” he said.

El Niño forecast for 2026. Here are the meanings of heat and hurricane:

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El Niño forecast for 2026. Here are the meanings of heat and hurricane:

Scientists are still figuring out how strong the changes are. Some think it could be “one of the strongest El Niños in recent history.”

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Weeks after the Pacific engine that drives the world’s weather shifted into neutrality, meteorologists and scientists are now focusing on El Niño, a signal that a warm period is underway.

What’s gaining attention is that global predictive models are showing early signs.

Virtually all models indicate that El Niño will occur within the next few weeks, and the median estimate across those models is “a pretty strong phenomenon,” said Zeke Hausfather, director of climate and energy at the Breakthrough Institute and a researcher at Berkeley Earth. “This would put us on track for the strongest El Niño event in recent history, but it’s too early to know for sure.”

The prospect of a strong El Niño event has raised concerns that further heat waves, including ocean heat waves, will be added to longer-term climate warming, given that it is expected to arrive at a time when much of the West and parts of the Pacific have already experienced several months of warmer-than-normal temperatures. The forecast has triggered global alarm as this pattern has a major impact on global weather, with strong events potentially having ripple effects for months to come.

El Niño has fueled wildfires, caused extreme flooding and severe droughts. These caused widespread coral bleaching and disrupted the migration and feeding of marine life.

However, uncertainties still remain. Spring is known to be a difficult time for El Niño models.

In its latest information for April, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration puts the probability of a strong El Niño at 1 in 4. Since then, sea surface temperatures have been rising in the El Niño region. NOAA’s next update will be on May 14th.

What is El Niño?

El Niño Southern Oscillation is “probably the most influential climate driver on Earth,” according to the Cooperative Research Institute for Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder.

The natural repeating pattern in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean cycles through three phases: El Niño, La Niña, and neutral. First recorded by fishermen off the west coast of South America in the 1600s, its effects extend far beyond the coast as it brought unusually warm seawater into the eastern Pacific Ocean around Christmas.

The Pacific Ocean is so large that disruptions there can have far-reaching effects. It affects where the world’s ocean heat is released into the atmosphere, atmospheric circulation, temperature, and precipitation.

NOAA once said of the rest of the world’s atmosphere: “The arrival of El Niño in the Pacific is like a giant bell ringing so loudly it knocks dishes off the shelves of houses down the street.”

What is happening now?

The cold spell of La Niña disappears as the sun sets in early April, and El Niño is widely expected to begin in the coming weeks, although drought impacts may remain in some parts of the United States. Satellite data shows sea surface temperatures rose sharply in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean in April.

But higher-than-normal water temperatures aren’t enough to meet NOAA’s criteria for declaring an El Niño. It would require water nearly one degree warmer than the average for the El Niño region over a period of time, weakening the trade winds and weakening the atmospheric response accordingly.

The western and southwestern regions of the country experienced their warmest winter on record. According to NOAA, the Northeast Pacific Ocean reached a record high average temperature of about 69 degrees Celsius on September 9, 2025, and a marine heatwave continued throughout the winter and spring. NOAA’s latest sea surface temperature measurements show that in March, seawater in parts of the West Coast was about 3 to 4 degrees warmer than normal.

And on March 8, NOAA announced that the past 12 months in the northern 48 regions of the continent have been warmer than any other 12 months, with more than 40% of the continental United States experiencing severe to exceptional drought.

How strong is El Niño?

Forecasters and global models are seeing factors that suggest a strong El Niño is becoming more likely, including a growing plume of warm water in the Pacific Ocean, but the potential strength of the event remains to be seen.

Like Housefather, Brian McNoldy, a senior research fellow at the University of Miami, is among those who maintain a website that regularly updates global predictive models. McNoldy also issued a warning in a recent social post.

“There’s been a lot of talk about the expected development of a strong #ElNino,” McNoldy said. The models are “in very good agreement in that respect. However, the consensus is that it is an ‘average’ strong El Niño, not a historical one.”

NOAA said in April that the final outcome would depend on wind patterns along the equatorial Pacific Ocean during the summer.

Several factors come into play. First, according to the Columbia Climate School at Columbia University, computer modeling skills improve from June to December compared to the beginning of the year. Therefore, the predictions are likely to become more accurate as the summer progresses.

Double jeopardy? Climate change and El Nino are pushing the planet ‘over the edge’

Other surrounding weather patterns moving through the atmosphere can also influence the formation and strength of El Niño. And this year, NOAA began using an adjustment index that takes into account warming from climate change before calculating intensity, Hausfather said. Although this method is controversial, it is certainly a better way to remove the effects of “human-induced global warming” so that El Niño does not appear to be getting stronger over time, he said.

Do all El Niño events produce the same phenomenon?

The three most severe El Niños are considered to be in 1982-1983, 1986-1987, and 2015-2016. They are blamed for climate disasters around the world, including floods in Africa, extreme droughts and famines, a rise in mosquito-borne virus cases on the East Coast, and the death of nearly a million seabirds in a large “clump” of ocean water in the Pacific Ocean.

Do past El Niño events demonstrate that it will occur later this year? Not necessarily. Years ago, NOAA scientist Dike Arndt humorously explained this in a 2015 blog post on NOAA’s former website, Climate.gov.

At your favorite establishment, the staff may bring you a specialty drink when you enter. But one night, you might walk in and the bartender might hand you something completely unexpected, writes Arndt, now director of the agency’s National Center for Environmental Information.

“El Niño is like that bartender,” he wrote. Meeting the bartender may increase your chances of getting your favorite drink, but it’s not guaranteed. “In other words, due to El Niño, the bartender may not bring you what you order.”

hurricane and el nino

One notable effect of El Niño is that tropical activity in the Atlantic Ocean tends to decrease. Changes in the path of the jet stream over the United States can cause downdrafts and sinking winds, which are known to reduce but not eliminate hurricane activity in key areas of the Atlantic Ocean where hurricanes occur frequently. These winds can prevent a storm from building the self-supporting structures needed to become a hurricane.

But the National Hurricane Center and others warn that storms, even large and devastating hurricanes, can and do occur in El Niño years, especially in the Gulf of America (formerly the Gulf of Mexico). Comparing 15 of the warmest El Niños on record, at least 37 named storms have made landfall in the continental United States, including 14 hurricanes.

La Niña and wildfires

Researchers warn that even if conditions change, the effects of La Niña could still contribute to an increase in wildfires.

A study by Cooperative Research Institute and NOAA researchers found a strong link between fall La Niña events and increased spring fire activity. It reported a two-fold increase in the relative risk of major burns in the South, Southwest, and Rocky Mountains during the summer, and in the Great Basin and Northern California regions. Fall El Niño appears to increase the risk of large fires in the eastern and northern Rocky Mountains in the spring.

Andrew Hoell, a NOAA researcher and lead author of the study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, said the El Niño oscillation “represents a powerful tool for predicting the likelihood of large wildfires in some regions of the United States up to a year in advance.”

Once the engine of the vast Pacific Ocean gets going again, scientists will be looking at satellites and other instruments to determine how the world’s weather will change in the coming months.

See NOAA’s predicted sea surface temperature anomalies.

Click the buttons labeled “SST Anomalies” and “Outlook” at the top of the graph to see the forecast for the next 16 weeks.

Dinah Boyles Pulver, a national correspondent for USA TODAY, writes about violent weather, climate change and other news. Contact dpulver@usatoday.com or @dinahvp on Bluesky or dinahvp.77 on X or Signal.

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