In an aerial view, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve storage is pictured at the Bryan Mound in Freeport, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)
In an aerial view, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve storage is pictured at the Bryan Mound in Freeport, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)
By Matt Egan, CNN
(CNN) — The amount of oil in the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve plunged last week to the lowest level since 1983 as the Trump administration continues to deploy emergency oil to minimize the damage from the war with Iran.
According to federal data released Monday, US officials released another 8.9 million barrels from the SPR last week alone.
That leaves the US emergency oil reserve with 340.3 million barrels of crude, taking out the prior low set in July 2023 under President Joe Biden after Russia invaded Ukraine.
The last time the SPR had less oil than today was July 1983, when the Reagan administration was filling the reserve for the first time and when the United States had a smaller economy.
The SPR has emerged as a key tool Trump officials have used to mitigate the harm of high energy prices to consumers, businesses and the economy at large.
“The Strategic Petroleum Reserve releases, combined with releases by other governments and China reducing its exports, have prevented the Armageddon scenario of $150 oil from happening to date,” said Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates.
Back-to-back wars have wiped out a large chunk from the SPR.
The SPR is down 75 million barrels, or 18%, since the war with Iran started in late February.
When he launched his third run for the White House in 2022, President Donald Trump blasted Biden for draining the SPR ahead of that year’s midterm. But now Trump officials are draining the SPR at an even faster pace ahead of this year’s midterms.
At current levels, the SPR is a little less than half full.
The SPR must be at least 20% full to be operational, warned Mike Sommers, CEO of the American Petroleum Reserve, last week.
“We’re raising alarm bells right now,” Sommers told CNN’s Phil Mattingly on The Lead. “We’re getting to levels where we are starting to be concerned.”
Lipow said he thinks SPR releases may have to slow once the Trump administration is done releasing the 172 million barrels it pledged in March to release.
The emergency oil released since the war with Iran start will have to get replaced over time – but that replacement will not happen in time for the height of hurricane season.
“If we were to get a major hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico that shuts production down for several weeks, that buffer would no longer be there,” Lipow said.
Packages are put on display in the CupNoodles Museum in Yokohama, Japan. (Franck Robichon/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock via CNN Newsource)
Packages are put on display in the CupNoodles Museum in Yokohama, Japan. (Franck Robichon/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock via CNN Newsource)
By Maggie Hiufu Wong, CNN
(CNN) — What’s the first thing that comes to mind when your health-conscious partner leaves town for a business trip?
For me, it means cancelling dinner plans and “foraging” in the kitchen for a few key ingredients: American cheese, thick slices of Spam and a handful of frozen dumplings — all destined for the bowl of whichever instant noodle flavor I’ve chosen for the night.
These colorful packages of salty goodness have fuelled the protagonists of “KPop Demon Hunters,” filled the stomachs of tired off-shift chefs and even helped a former colleague of mine save up for an engagement ring. (She said “yes,” and his cholesterol levels haven’t been the same since.)
Few foods occupy a space as unique as instant noodles, simultaneously worshipped as a junk food treat and a reliable staple for millions of people around the world.
What began as a post-war remedy for hunger in Japan has since evolved to become a global guilty pleasure, providing quick, affordable and satisfying meals for the masses.
But it’s no secret that instant noodles aren’t healthy. Every so often, new studies emerge explaining how they increase the risk of dementia, heart disease and hormonal imbalances — surprising pretty much no one.
I even received a sincere and concerned rejection letter from a food scientist who declined to be interviewed for this story, fearing their expertise might play a part in encouraging the noodles’ popularity.
Which makes it all the more surprising that in a world that increasingly yearns for clean eating, as plant-based diets and wellness become the focus for many, the notorious instant noodle market is still projected to grow tremendously. According to various estimates, the global industry is expected to swell from $64.67 billion in 2025 to $98.46 billion by 2032.
Scientists have an easy explanation for their popularity: addiction.
Researchers studying ultra-processed foods say their high energy density (the number of calories in each gram of food) and hyperpalatability (delicious combinations of salt, sugar, fat, and carbs) ensure we will never want to stop eating them.
The manufacturers, however, offer another explanation.
“The reason instant noodles have been widely embraced around the world as a ‘comfort food’ lies in their ability to offer universal values that people seek in food — namely, delicious taste, convenience, preservability, affordability and safety,” says a representative of Nissin Foods Group, citing the five original core values established by the group’s founder, Momofuku Ando, who is considered the father of instant noodles.
It all began in Ando’s modest wooden shed in Osaka, Japan, in the 1950s.
Witnessing the severe food shortages plaguing the country in the post-war era, Ando became obsessed with creating a food that would meet those five criteria.
In 1958, after months of trial and error, he had a lightbulb moment while seeing his wife deep-fry tempura.
He realized that flash-frying noodles quickly removed their moisture, creating a food that could be instantly rejuvenated by being soaked in hot water.
He called his creation “Chikin Ramen” — and the world’s first instant noodles were born.
In 1971, the company introduced its first cup noodles – instant noodles that came in a disposable container, accompanied by a fork for those who hadn’t mastered chopsticks.
The ingenuity quickly spread across borders. In just two years, Nissin opened its first overseas factory in the US, in Pennsylvania.
Today, global demand for instant noodles has reached an all-time high of 123 billion servings per year.
According to the latest data, China is the largest consumer overall, devouring some 43,802 million packs per year — outslurping Indonesia (14,680 million servings) and India (8,320 million servings), the other two countries in the top three.
But in terms of per capita, Vietnam’s love for the dish is unrivaled, with each citizen eating an average of 81 servings per year.
South Koreans closely follow in second place at 79 servings, while Thailand rounds out the top three at 58 servings annually per person.
“In Vietnam, noodles have long been rooted in the country’s culinary culture, and as the economy continues to grow, demand for quick and convenient meal options is also increasing,” explains a representative from the World Instant Noodles Association (WINA).
But the market in Vietnam is no longer just about affordability. WINA is noticing “a clear transition toward mid- to high-priced products that emphasize value-added convenience.”
Meanwhile, in the US, the instant noodle market has continuously expanded year by year, hitting 5.15 billion servings in 2024 to become the sixth-largest market in the world, as demand for Asian-inspired and spicy flavors continues to grow.
“While classic chicken flavor remains a staple, the market has evolved to offer a broader range of options, including beef, shrimp and vegetable-based varieties,” says WINA in a statement to CNN Travel.
“Reflecting local eating habits, products with shorter noodles designed for easy consumption with a spoon or fork have also gained traction.”
‘The ultimate comfort food’
In Neighborhood, an understated restaurant tucked away in a Hong Kong alley, chef David Lai is patiently scoring, marinating and curing a fresh pomfret he’s just picked up at the market. In a few hours, it will be smoked and grilled over an open flame.
Lai’s restaurant sits at no.24 on the 2026 Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list. He received the Chefs’ Choice Award — a peer-voted prize — at the 2022 World’s 50 Best Restaurants event.
But his latest accolade is his favorite so far — this year he became an ambassador for Nongshim, the South Korean giant famous for its spicy, red-packaged noodles that are rapidly scooped off shelves in the US and beyond.
“I love instant noodles. They are the ultimate comfort food when we are hungry but short on time or feeling lazy,” says Lai.
“They are also very democratic — everyone could afford it — a cheap dopamine hit. Even the packaging is so attractive. In just five minutes, you have this range of possibilities.”
Now, he’s collaborating with Nongshim on a new signature flavor.
“It’ll be my proudest achievement,” Lai says, wearing a wide grin on his face.
Inside his bistro, the menu is filled with brilliantly executed dishes utilizing fresh, prime ingredients like that morning’s pomfret — seemingly a world away from factory-made stacks of instant noodle blocks.
But to Lai, instant ramen is a legitimate ingredient.
“An instant noodle is a unique ingredient in itself. You have dry pasta in the south of Italy, for example. I don’t think any ingredient is intrinsically superior to the others,” he says.
“There’s a time for McDonald’s. There’s a time for fine dining. And there’s a time for instant noodles. It serves a really important purpose beyond the convenience. It’s a matter of the right time at the right place.”
New possibilities for noodles
For regulars in the know, Lai offers an off-menu glimpse of what that philosophy looks like.
In a wide pan, he adds the noodle blocks along with butter and beef fat, frying the mixture until it’s richly caramelized.
Next, he adds tomato pulp and purees.
Then, he slowly ladles some tomato and beef broth into the pan, allowing the noodles to soak up the liquid.
Periodically, Lai scrapes up the slightly crusted noodles from the bottom of the pan, adds a touch more liquid and repeats the process.
Finally, he tops it with slices of beef, tomatoes and the actual spice powder packet that comes with the noodles.
“It’s like the process of cooking spaghetti all’assasina — the noodles become this crispy and chewy tangled mess. It isn’t instant — it takes about 30 minutes to cook because I want to show people the possibilities of the noodles,” he says.
Back in the birthplace of the instant noodle, Japanese corporate producers are exploring their own versions of these possibilities.
While chawamushi — using the broth to make steamed egg custard — and instant noodle fried rice are two popular experimental recipes they’ve shared recently, Nissin is looking for breakthroughs beyond just flavor profiles.
The company is investing heavily in food technology, specifically their Kanzen Meshi (Complete Nutrition) product line, which packs 33 essential nutrients into a standard noodle.
The goal is to shift public perception.
“We aim to expand new possibilities in food that achieve both great taste and health — not by asking what can be done despite being instant food, but precisely by embracing what can be done because it is instant food,” said the rep.
The comforting culinary safety net
Lai, however, is not concerned about instant noodles becoming healthy.
For him, they aren’t meant to become a staple in one’s daily diet. The beauty lies in moderation — taking a moment to appreciate their comforting properties.
“Mental health is important too,” he adds.
But despite their differing outlooks on the noodles’ future, the chef and the instant noodle-making community share a similar reverence for how the creation has remained true to its original meaning.
Nearly seven decades later, Nissin says the group’s business decisions are still heavily directed by Ando’s founding principles: “Peace will come to the world when there is enough food”; “Create foods to serve society”; “Eat wisely for beauty and health”; and “Food-related jobs are a sacred profession.”
As of May 2026, the global members of WINA have delivered about eight million instant noodles as part of disaster relief efforts on 53 occasions.
Aside from providing a reliable and quick food option to those in affected areas, the organization thinks that a warm and satisfying meal like soup noodles could offer “comfort and reassurance” to people in difficult circumstances.
For others like Lai and me, instant noodles serve an important emotional and physical safety net in modern daily life.
“It’s still about serving people who don’t have enough food at the right time,” says Lai.
“When everything else in the city is shut, but you have a packet of noodles at home, it means you can just get a satisfying meal quickly.I think it still fulfills that primary criterion.”
In an era filled with high-stress schedules and endless invisible choices, these promising and reliable five-minute meals — whether it’s masala-flavored instant noodles in India or churrasco (Brazilian-style barbecue) ramen in Brazil — are something to be thankful for.
Maybe that’s why processed noodles, notorious as they are, continue to thrive as a collective culinary culture globally.
Or, as Nissin puts it: “We believe that long-selling brands increasingly belong not to the company, but to the memories and experiences of our consumers.”
No more backward thinkin’. Time for thinkin’ ahead
The world has changed so very much from what it used to be.
There is so much hatred, war and poverty.
The world won’t get no better If we just let it be.
Naw, naw, naw, naw, naw, naw, naw.
The world won’t get no better. We gotta change it, yeah – just you and me.
The words of the song, Wake Up Everybody, debuted by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes in 1975, still resonate today as those words are just as relevant more than a half century later.
In a rare, nearly somber moment, the group’s celebrated lead singer, Teddy Pendergrass, introduced the song on Soul Train, the weekly dance and live performance TV show that aired roughly between 1971 and 2006. Pendergrass told the attentive live audience and thousands watching by television, that Wake Up Everybody, the title tune of their latest album, was intended to inspire people to take action with a goal to change America for the better.
“I’m sure that you will all agree that there are things that need to be done in this country today,” he said. “So, what I’d like for you to do is listen very carefully to see what you can do to lend a hand.”
The song’s appeal worked.
“I played that song over and over and over again because it was a constant warning to keep ourselves prepared for the society that we were living in,” says A. Peter Bailey, then a 37-year-old former aid to Malcolm X. When “Wake Up Everybody” hit the airwaves, Bailey was working as an associate editor of Ebony Magazine. “It was a call to be aware of what we were dealing with in the country that we lived in, the world we lived in, the neighborhood we lived in, the cities that we lived in,” Bailey said in an interview with the Trice Edney News Wire.
He concluded that during Black Music Month 2026, such songs should be recalled and celebrated as a key to changes for the good across America; especially because such songs successfully encouraged people to deal with the issues that might otherwise denigrate the promises of America, including the promise that “All men are created equal”, as stated in the Declaration of Independence.
“The rhythms and blues expressed our joys, our sorrows and our fears,” Bailey recalls. “It was those songs and the singing of those songs by our people that attracted us to the campaigns for justice.”
With his life inspired by that song and others, Bailey, now 88, went on to establish and teach a Black Press class at Virginia Commonwealth University. Also, he has since written three books, including a memoir, Witnessing Brother Malcolm X, the Master Teacher, in which he expounded upon successful principles of social justice, some of which are reflected in “Wake Up Everybody.”
Long before the term “woke” became associated with campaigns for justice, Teddy Pendergrass led the song that reverberated across America and still holds deep meaning.
It concludes:
Wake up all the teachers, time to teach a new way. Maybe then they’ll listen to what you have to say ’cause they’re the ones who’s comin’ up and the world is in their hands. When you teach the children, teach ’em the very best you can.
Wake up, all the doctors, make the old people well. They’re the ones who suffer and who catch all the hell. But they don’t have so very long before their Judgement Day. So won’t you make them happy before they pass away.
Wake up, all the builders, time to build a new land. I know we can do it
if we all lend a hand. The only thing we have to do is put it in our minds.
Surely things will work out, they do it every time.
The world won’t get no better if we just let it be. Naw, naw, naw, naw, naw, naw, naw.The world won’t get no better. We gotta change it, yeah – just you and me.
This article is the first in a four-part series powered by AARP in commemoration of Black Music Month, June 2026.
Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr., president and CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus, has spent more than two decades at the intersection of environmental justice, public health, and civic organizing. He founded the Hip Hop Caucus in September 2004 to build a sustainable organization through which the Black culture could support communities that experience injustice “first and worst.”
From the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina to the petrochemical plants of Cancer Alley, he has connected the dots between corporate pollution and the targeted destruction of Black life.
As a minister, community activist, and Air Force veteran, Yearwood is one of the most influential people in Hip Hop political life. On June 4, he was a panelist at this year’s Hollywood Climate Summit, an annual conference for entertainment and media professionals to discuss climate and environmental issues.
Part of that discussion focused on the issues raised in the Netflix documentary “The Plastic Detox.” Yearwood is featured in the documentary and lent his expertise as a national leader who’s been engaged in bridging the gap between communities of color and environmental issue advocacy.
Produced by an Academy Award®-winning team, The Plastic Detoxfeatures commentary from leading scientists interwoven with personal stories of couples who bravely share their infertility journey and the steps they’ve taken to detox their homes and lives.
In this conversation, Yearwood explains why microplastics and the locations of petrochemical plants are frontline civil rights issues — and what every American can do right now to decrease the effects of microplastics on their bodies and lives.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
WIB: What do you believe is the first thing Black communities need to know about microplastics and their health?
It’s simple: stop plastics — particularly as they are impacting our community. For too long, our community has been seen as the path of least resistance. Companies have been looking to put things in our communities that they wouldn’t put anywhere else.
Plastics come from fossil fuels, from oil and gas, and these facilities are being placed specifically in Black communities, causing tremendous pain through toxic exposure.
I’m from Louisiana. For those who don’t know, there is an 85-mile stretch of land between Baton Rouge and New Orleans called Cancer Alley. It got that name because so many petrochemical facilities have been placed there to make plastics, and the result is the highest cancer rates in the country — particularly killing Black people in that community. The fact that a business plan exists that amounts to a death sentence for our communities means we must do everything to stop it.
Word In Black: Why should people be more aware of plastics, and what can they do about it?
Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr.: We figured it would be tough for people to understand petrochemicals. They may understand plastics, though — which is why we were part of the documentary The Plastic Detox. The film is literally about how plastic is having an impact on your life.
And let me be very clear: this isn’t about some faraway person who doesn’t live near you. The plastic in your kitchen, the plastic in your house that is breaking down — we are consuming roughly a credit card’s worth of plastic every single week. That’s the amount of plastic going into our bodies just through everyday ingestion as plastic breaks down around us.
If you have plastic cups, utensils, laundry packets, or takeout containers in your home, that has a huge impact. The film shows how that affects everything from sleep and asthma to reproduction. We actually looked at families who allowed themselves to be tested — we went into their homes, took urine and blood samples, removed the plastic, and tracked what happened. People lost weight. They slept better. Brain fog cleared. And in many cases, people who were essentially sterile were actually able to have children. It’s amazing how much plastic affects us.
Another key factor in this story is how women — and Black women in particular — are on the front lines and fence lines of the environmental justice movement. They are literally staying home to fight back against corporations. David and Goliath, in many cases.
WIB: Can you speak to the specific physical effects of plastic exposure?
Yearwood: Plastic is plastic — when it gets into your body, it hardens. It has a huge impact on heart disease. Plastic gets into the arteries, so it is very much connected to cardiovascular health. Beyond reproduction, which is certainly a major concern, it also affects breathing and can accelerate asthma and emphysema.
Now, people will say, “We need plastic for heart stents” — and they’re right. There are some uses for plastic that are genuinely important, from medical devices to aerospace applications. We are not saying get rid of all plastic. What we’re saying is that the fossil fuel industry right now is trying to maintain its margins by creating a gluttony of plastic that we don’t need, and that excess is what’s harming us.
WIB: What was the turning point — the moment or fact that made you say plastics and petrochemicals have to be part of this fight?
Yearwood: Cancer Alley. That’s ground zero.
I came into this work primarily through Hurricane Katrina. That’s the origin story. I was in DC when Katrina hit, and it was surreal to watch your community, your friends, drowning in the richest country in the world. I’m part of the Hip Hop Caucus and being in that position we were able to hit the ground — and we’ve been on the ground every single year since, for 21 years now.
But the thing that connected Katrina to petrochemicals was a realization: even if Katrina had never happened, we would still have a Cancer Alley problem. We would still have petrochemical and plastic facilities causing people to have the highest cancer rates in the country. Even without the hurricane, people are dying from this.
Sometimes when you’ve been living near the monster your whole life, you don’t even recognize it as a monster — especially if that same plant was the one that offered someone in your family a job. You don’t always have the information to understand what’s being taken from you. Life expectancy in these communities goes from 70 down to 50, down to 40.
When you do the research, you begin to see how insidious these companies are. They are literally putting their plants on former plantation sites — as if the same land that caused horror for our ancestors is now being used to harm their descendants. And ironically, that’s also one of the ways we’ve been able to fight back. Louisiana law prohibits building on burial grounds, and we were able to show that these plantation sites contained burial grounds. In essence, our ancestors came back and fought for us.
WIB: For someone who doesn’t live in Cancer Alley — who doesn’t think they’re in a high-exposure area — what do you suggest they do to reduce their plastic exposure?
Yearwood: Step one is what you’re doing right now: engaging with journalism and storytelling that tells these stories. We appreciate Black media especially, which has been critical for covering issues that mainstream outlets have ignored for too long.
Step two is the documentary. At Hip Hop Caucus, we’ve come to understand that we’re fighting differently than our parents did. Our parents fought for equality in the 20th century. Today, when it comes to plastics, petrochemicals, and environmental justice, we are fighting for existence in the 21st century. We have to tell the story differently — through documentaries, social media, town halls, every channel we have.
For people not living in Louisiana or Appalachia or Ohio or Pittsburgh or Houston — places with high concentrations of petrochemicals — it still affects you. Clean air and clean water are impacted everywhere. And on a personal level, we now have detectable plastic in the placentaIf it’s this bad in 2026, 100 years from now people will look back and ask: what were you doing? What kind of world were you leaving?
So, on a practical level: reduce the plastic in your home. Replace plastic cups and utensils where you can. Stop microwaving food in plastic containers. Be mindful of takeout packaging. And watch the film — it walks you through what to do, step by step.
WIB: Are you seeing data centers and AI infrastructure also being sited in these same communities? Is there a connection to the plastics and petrochemical fight?
Yearwood: Absolutely. What’s striking is the similarity: these companies look at predominantly poor Black communities and see them as the path of least resistance. They believe these communities can’t defend themselves. And so, they place the worst of the worst — petrochemical plants, data centers, pipelines — in those neighborhoods, destroying not only people’s current lives but their children’s futures.
Data centers consume enormous amounts of water and pollute air. Chemical facilities cause emphysema, asthma, and cancer. It is killing us. At some point, you have to call it what it is.
Our parents fought for equality in the 20th century, and we are still fighting for that — that hasn’t changed. But now, because of data centers and petrochemical facilities, we are also fighting for existence itself. Because the babies born in that Plastic Detox documentary — born in 2025, likely to live to see the year 2100 — deserve blue skies and clean water. Our job, like our parents before us, is to fight for their freedom to live well.
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson drives to the basket past San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie during Game 5 of the NBA Finals. (Geoff Burke/Pool/Imagn Images/Reuters via CNN Newsource)
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson drives to the basket past San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie during Game 5 of the NBA Finals. (Geoff Burke/Pool/Imagn Images/Reuters via CNN Newsource)
Analysis by Dana O’Neil, CNN
(CNN) — Once it was everything – a city rivalry that ran so deep it cleaved families in two. But by the time Villanova went to Broad Street to play Temple in 2017, the Wildcats had entirely disassembled the Big 5, turning it into their own personal playground.
Villanova would toss the Owls aside by 20 for its 22nd consecutive win against their Philly opponents, a walkover victory that barely moved the needle anywhere outside of the city limits.
But the Temple fans were there for a piece of flesh as much as a victory, eager to rip into then-sophomore Jalen Brunson because he chose Villanova over Temple, where his father, Rick, played under John Chaney. They called him a traitor and chanted that his father sucked. They cussed and catcalled every time he touched the ball. For every bad thing they had to say, he wordlessly drained a bucket.
By the time the night ended, not only had Villanova won; Brunson had 31.
Nine years later in a game that meant only everything, Victor Wembayama crowded into Brunson’s landing space on a 3-pointer during the third quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Refs opted to disregard the blatant flagrant foul and the usually stoic Brunson erupted, chasing after the officials before turning on his heel in a fury and returning to the bench. The Knicks at the time trailed the Spurs, 55-50 with 6:27 in the third.
Over the next 18 minutes, Brunson would score 24 of his 45 points to lead New York out of the history books and into the present. Denizens of the city that bills itself as basketball’s epicenter and renters of the World’s Most Famous Arena, the Knicks finally are the center of the sport’s universe once again: NBA champions for the first time in 53 years.
With New York greats including Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley watching from the stands, Brunson shoved them all aside, etching his name as the greatest Knickerbocker of all time with a heroic effort that even managed to erase Willis Reed from the record books.
At 29 years old, Brunson now has two college championships, a collection of National Player of the Year Awards, an NBA title, an NBA Finals MVP crown and the core of the Big Apple for eternity.
“I have no words,’’ an overcome Brunson told ESPN’s Lisa Salters after the game, his eyes welling with tears. “It’s everything I ever dreamed of. I don’t know what I’m feeling. I’m just, like, in awe.’’
The Knicks won because Brunson willed them to, not just in this game but in this season. He did what a team captain is supposed to do, imposing his personality on them. He turned a team gifted all of the advantages of being a professional athlete in New York City can offer into a group of underdogs, convincing them to believe in something greater than themselves. They absorbed his energy and assumed his persona, opting for grit and gumption over finesse and flair.
The Knicks trailed in every single game against San Antonio and were down as many as 10 in the fourth quarter of Game 5. Karl Anthony Towns fouled out. Landry Shamet left with a gimpy leg. Mitchell Robinson has one serviceable hand.
And yet they won, giving the young Spurs a lesson in the value of being an oldhead.
“Whenever someone counted us out, we found a way to do something about it,’’ Brunson said after the game.
Seeing the wires
That’s the crux of it all – of Brunson and now by extension, the Knicks.
If you just ran the numbers, San Antonio was the better team. The Spurs led for more minutes than the Knicks and built seemingly unconquerable leads. They lost one game on a turnover and another on a tip in. You could easily make a case, in fact, that San Antonio should have won every game that they lost.
Except it didn’t go that way, because San Antonio knew how to play games and Brunson taught the Knicks how to win them.
It’s funny really. Years ago, back when he was the head coach at Xavier, Chris Mack joked that if you yanked off Brunson’s face, you’d expose the wires. It might be more accurate to opine if he is more Secretariat than cyborg, gifted with an oversized heart that never stops beating.
How else to explain such relentlessness, such a refusal to stop even when most everyone would quit? Brunson is at his best when everything is at its worst, blessed with belief that seems at times desperate and determination that can feel almost manic.
It is a learned behavior, to be certain, taught first by an NBA journeyman father who never let his son forget that dreams were hard to realize, and then by a college coach who refused to reward him just because he came to school with a bunch of stars next to his name.
But it is also how he’s veined as well as wired.
Years ago, then-assistant coach Mikie Nardi was asked to rank Brunson in the pantheon of great Villanova guards.
“He has the calmness of Randy Foye, the toughness of Kyle Lowry, the energy of Scottie Reynolds and the competitiveness of Ryan Arcidiacono,’’ said Nardi, naming in order an All-American, first-round pick, All-American and Final Four most outstanding player.
To which head coach Jay Wright added, “Yeah. And he’s more mature than all of them.’’
It’s like he was both made and built to absorb the enormity of being the captain of the New York Knicks. Blessed with both the stoicism to handle the pressure and the energy to fuel the want, he also simultaneously crafted identity for a team of assembled parts (none of the Knicks started their careers in New York).
Late Saturday night, when 53 years of waiting finally ended, when every borough of New York erupted in cathartic joy and his teammates celebrated on the court, cameras caught Brunson giving a little fist pump before he walked down the bench to hug Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson. It felt reminiscent, actually, of Wright’s stone-bold “bang” when Kris Jenkins drained the 3-point buzzer-beater to win the national title in 2016.
Brunson then found his father, now an assistant with the Knicks. The two embraced and Rick dropped a kiss on his boy’s forehead.
Then and only then did Brunson wrap his head in a towel, double over at the waist and start crying.
The US Supreme Court is seen at dusk on May 28 in Washington, DC. The Supreme Court on June 15 agreed to decide if the government may hold noncitizens in detention for prolonged periods without a bond hearing, a case that could have significant implications for the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)
The US Supreme Court is seen at dusk on May 28 in Washington, DC. The Supreme Court on June 15 agreed to decide if the government may hold noncitizens in detention for prolonged periods without a bond hearing, a case that could have significant implications for the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)
By John Fritze, CNN
(CNN) — The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide if the government may hold noncitizens in detention for prolonged periods without a bond hearing, a case that could have significant implications for the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.
At the center of the dispute are two green card holders who had been convicted of aggravated felonies that immigration officials sought to deport to the Dominican Republic in one case and to Jamaica in the other. One of the men was held for seven months and the other for nearly two years as their removal cases were pending.
Neither received a hearing to assess whether they were a flight risk or could be released on bond.
A federal appeals court in New York ruled in 2024 that the due process clause requires a bond hearing for prolonged detention for noncitizens. The Trump administration appealed that decision to the Supreme Court in January, arguing that it was “seriously misguided.”
The law at issue requires mandatory detention for noncitizens convicted of a list of crimes. The Trump administration has reclassified certain types of immigrants to sweep far more people into mandatory detention — a move that has been repeatedly challenged in court and that is likely to be ultimately reviewed by the Supreme Court.
The two men at the center of the case are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, which argued that the Supreme Court should decline to hear the case. That’s partly because, the group said, one of the men had already left the country and the other was released and, according to his attorneys, ICE has not attempted to re-detain him.
In 2016, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a similar challenge and concluded that federal law did not require bond hearings. But the court’s divided decision, written by Justice Samuel Alito, declined to answer whether the Constitution would require those hearings after prolonged detention.
“The court reads the statute as forbidding bail, hence forbidding a bail hearing, for these individuals,” liberal Justice Stephen Breyer, who has since retired, wrote in dissent at the time. “In my view, the majority’s interpretation of the statute would likely render the statute unconstitutional.”
The Trump administration also appealed the 2nd Circuit’s holding that, in order to continue detention, the government must prove that a noncitizen poses a flight risk or is a danger to the community with a higher standard of evidence than is required in other cases.
Roku's offices are pictured in Times Square in New York. Fox is acquiring Roku, the popular streaming TV platform, in a massive $22 billion deal, the companies announced on June 15. (Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)
Roku’s offices are pictured in Times Square in New York. Fox is acquiring Roku, the popular streaming TV platform, in a massive $22 billion deal, the companies announced on June 15. (Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)
By Jordan Valinsky, CNN
New York (CNN) — Fox is acquiring Roku, the popular streaming TV platform, in a massive $22 billion deal, the companies announced Monday.
The transaction makes Fox a much more competitive streaming player, combining Fox’s sports, news and entertainment shows, as well its free Tubi streaming service, with Roku’s devices and popular services that reach 100 million people.
Fox has dabbled in streaming over the past few years — finally launching its Fox One competitor last August — but has lacked a serious streaming business with the ability to compete in a space dominated by YouTube, Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+ and Peacock. With CNN parent company Warner Bros. Discovery receiving initial US regulatory approval to combine with Paramount, Fox’s purchase of Roku became more urgent.
According to Nielsen’s metrics, YouTube is by far the top-viewed entertainment platform with Netflix in second.
Combining Fox and Roku creates the “third-largest player in US television by share of viewing,” the companies said a press release. Together, they will control more than a 5% share.
“This is a defining moment for Fox, and a natural extension of the deliberate and focused strategy we have been executing for nearly a decade,” said Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch. “Today, we take the next step: bringing together the most valuable live content portfolio in video consumption with the preeminent streaming platform through which America watches it.”
Roku’s platform also carries a number of competitor apps, a trend that will continue, Murdoch said.
“It’s essential that Roku remain open and partner-friendly business,” he said on a call with analysts. “We don’t see that changing at all.”
Fox will buy Roku for $160 per share, a roughly 20% premium of its Thursday’s closing price. On Friday, news of a potential deal elevated its stock with those gains continuing in premarket trading Monday.
Roku founder and CEO Anthony Wood will have an “ongoing role” at the company and will join Fox’s board of directors. He said on the call that the acquisition is “not only a terrific outcome for out shareholders, but a way for Roku to move faster and smarter with the support and resources of a strong partner.”
The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2027 with the companies forecasting $400 million in savings.
(Trice Edney Wire) – “This is an economic engine, not just for the South Side of Chicago … most certainly here, but it’s going to be an engine for the city and the region. It’s going to be a beacon of hope to the world at a time where I think we can all use a little hope.” – Valerie Jarrett
At a moment when a sitting president squanders resources on hollow symbols of personal aggrandizement, the Barack Obama Presidential Center stands as a transformative investment in community, economy, and civic life. I recently had the opportunity to visit the Obama Presidential Center – and I will attend the its grand opening on Juneteenth—and I found it to be a powerful testament to leadership, community, and the ongoing mission to create opportunity. Rooted in the values of service, democracy, and opportunity, this critical space reminds us what’s possible when we invest in people, in hope, and in shared progress. President Obama has called the Center “a living destination for people who refuse to accept the status quo”. In a democracy that demands active participation, a space dedicated to inspiring civic engagement is essential.
Economic projections tied to the Center estimate hundreds of thousands of annual visitors and billions in long-term economic activity, with thousands of jobs created during construction and ongoing operations. In communities that have endured decades of disinvestment, that level of economic investment represents opportunity for residents who have too often been left out of the wealth generated in their own neighborhoods.
Like Chicago, cities across the country are grappling with the challenge of attracting investment while protecting vulnerable communities from displacement. The Obama Presidential Center is unfolding in real time as an example that policymakers, advocates, and developers alike will study closely.
The Center has an opportunity to demonstrate that economic development and equity are not competing goals, but complementary ones. It can show that inclusive planning, community input, and enforceable protections can produce growth that benefits everyone.
Our own Urban League Empowerment Center was conceived in this very same spirit, with a projected economic impact of $300 million right here in Harlem.
But the Center’s mission, like our own, goes beyond its own economic impact. As Chicago Tribune art critic Lori Waxman wrote, “Visiting the OPC felt like being in an alternate reality. One where people of diverse origin, ability, and belief co-exist peacefully and productively; the value of the environment, public space, human health, and the arts finds expression everywhere, for everyone; and the future appears collaborative and hopeful.”
More than a traditional presidential library, the Center’s Forum includes the Hadiya Pendleton Atrium, a media suite for recording music and podcasts, and the Elie Wiesel Auditorium for performances and lectures. There’s a regulation-sized basketball court, a branch of the Chicago Public Library, the Eleanor Roosevelt Fruit and Vegetable Garden. The campus playground even includes a sledding hill; Michelle Obama had always wished for one when she was growing up in the largely-flat neighborhood.
The Obama Presidential Center is a reminder that development can be a catalyst for both growth and justice. When we center community, honor history, and invest with thoughtful intention, we can build institutions that uplift neighborhoods rather than displace them. At a time when our nation is searching for models of progress that are inclusive and sustainable, the Center offers a hopeful blueprint.
Seattle officially takes the global stage today as FIFA World Cup 2026 arrives in the Emerald City, bringing international visitors, worldwide attention and one of the largest sporting events in history to the Pacific Northwest.
Belgium and Egypt will meet at noon at Lumen Field in Seattle’s first World Cup match, marking the beginning of a month-long tournament that city leaders say could bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to the region.
Seattle is one of 16 host cities selected for the largest FIFA World Cup ever staged. The expanded tournament features 48 national teams competing in 104 matches across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The city will host six matches between June 15 and July 6, including a highly anticipated Juneteenth matchup between the United States Men’s National Team and Australia on June 19.
Local officials are encouraging residents to plan ahead, expect heavier-than-normal congestion and take advantage of Seattle’s extensive public transportation network.
“Seattle Stadium is positioned to be the most accessible venue in the FIFA World Cup 2026,” Seattle FIFA World Cup 2026 CEO Peter Tomozawa said during a regional transportation briefing. “Whether you’re a local, or a visitor arriving from across the globe, getting to the match can be one of the best parts of the experience — no car required.”
Transportation planners expect as many as 100,000 people to gather in and around the Stadium District on match days, creating significant activity throughout downtown Seattle, Pioneer Square, the Chinatown-International District and the waterfront.
To help manage crowds, officials are asking residents to avoid driving whenever possible.
Seattle is one of only a handful of World Cup host cities with a stadium located in the heart of downtown and connected directly to light rail, bus, ferry and bicycle networks.
Sound Transit Link light rail trains will operate every eight minutes on match days until 1 a.m. Additional service will be available throughout the tournament to accommodate increased ridership.
Transportation officials recommend that passengers use different stations depending on where they are traveling from. Riders arriving from north Seattle are encouraged to use Pioneer Square Station. Riders coming from south King County should use Stadium Station. Travelers from the Eastside are encouraged to use International District/Chinatown Station.
King County Metro is also expanding service during the tournament.
On Seattle’s six match days, Metro will operate a free Match Day Shuttle connecting Seattle Center, downtown Seattle and the Stadium District. Service begins three hours before kickoff and continues after matches conclude.
The region’s new Waterfront Shuttle will also provide free transportation between Seattle Center, Waterfront Park, Pioneer Square, the Chinatown-International District and the stadium area.
For fans without match tickets, organizers have created four official fan celebration sites throughout downtown Seattle.
Seattle Center will serve as the largest public gathering location, featuring watch parties, cultural programming, entertainment and family activities. Pacific Place will transform into Seattle Soccer House, an immersive fan experience featuring Seattle’s largest World Cup viewing screen, measuring 70 feet by 40 feet.
Additional celebrations will take place at Waterfront Park’s Pier 62 and Victory Hall in SODO, where fans can watch matches and participate in tournament-themed events.
All four locations are free and open to the public.
Residents should also be prepared for significant changes around Lumen Field and Pioneer Square.
Large sections of Pioneer Square will become pedestrian-only zones on match days. Street closures generally begin four hours before kickoff, while parking restrictions begin at 2 a.m.
There will be no public parking available at official stadium parking facilities during World Cup matches.
Officials say the pedestrian zones are intended to improve safety while creating a more welcoming environment for visitors and local businesses.
Seattle’s preparations have been underway for years.
City agencies, transportation providers, public safety officials and community organizations have coordinated efforts to prepare for what many expect will be the busiest summer tourism season in Seattle history.
Those preparations include transportation improvements, accessibility upgrades, expanded transit service, public art installations, cultural programming and neighborhood-based community events.
More than 100 soccer-themed community activities are planned throughout Seattle during the tournament, including youth programs, watch parties, arts events and cultural celebrations.
One of the tournament’s most significant local moments will take place June 19, when the United States Men’s National Team faces Australia on Juneteenth.
Seattle organizers are using the match as an opportunity to highlight Black history, celebrate Black athletes and support Black-owned businesses and cultural organizations throughout the region.
Several Juneteenth events, including ARTE NOIR’s Freedom + Futbol celebration in the Central District, are expected to draw residents and visitors looking to experience both the World Cup and Seattle’s rich cultural heritage.
Beyond the matches themselves, city leaders hope the tournament leaves a lasting impact.
The World Cup is expected to generate millions of dollars in economic activity while introducing Seattle to audiences around the world. Organizers also hope investments in transportation, neighborhood improvements and youth programming continue benefiting residents long after the tournament concludes.
For now, however, the focus is on opening day.
As the first fans make their way downtown and the first whistle approaches, Seattle joins the global celebration of the world’s most popular sport.
For the next month, the world will be watching.
Seattle World Cup Match Schedule
June 15 Belgium vs. Egypt Noon
June 19 USA vs. Australia Noon
June 24 Bosnia-Herzegovina vs. Qatar Noon
June 26 Egypt vs. Iran 8 p.m.
July 1 Round of 32 1 p.m.
July 6 Round of 16 5 p.m.
Four Free Fan Celebration Sites
Seattle Center
Watch parties, entertainment, food vendors and cultural programming.
Seattle Soccer House
Pacific Place 70-foot-by-40-foot viewing screen, games, giveaways and family activities.
King County Executive Girmay Zahilay used his first State of the County address to outline an ambitious agenda centered on housing affordability, expanded child care, transit investments, behavioral health services and public safety initiatives, framing the effort as part of a broader vision for a “more connected King County.”
Speaking June 10 at the Federal Way Performing Arts and Events Center, Zahilay announced plans to propose at least doubling the county’s investment in child care for children ages 0 to 3 through the next renewal of the Best Starts for Kids levy. If approved by voters, the proposal would increase the county’s total child care investment to more than $500 million over the life of the levy, making it the largest child care investment in county history.
The executive also reaffirmed his administration’s goal of opening 500 net new affordable or supportive housing units within the next 500 days while highlighting continued investments in behavioral health, homelessness response and public safety.
“The choices we make together will determine whether this region becomes more connected or more divided, more affordable or more out of reach, more inclusive or more unequal,” said Zahilay. “The future of this region is not something that happens to us. It’s something that we create together.”
The theme of the evening, “Building a More Connected King County,” reflected both physical infrastructure improvements and broader efforts to strengthen connections between communities, services and local governments throughout the region.
To organize his priorities, Zahilay presented what he called the “4 B’s for a Better Future.”
Under the banner of “Better Government,” Zahilay highlighted efforts to improve accountability and efficiency, including hiring an internal auditor director, launching countywide fraud prevention training for more than 3,000 employees, strengthening conflict-of-interest policies and beginning the first countywide base budget review in King County history.
The “Breaking the Cycle” initiative focuses on helping residents move out of recurring cycles of homelessness, addiction and incarceration. Zahilay pointed to the continued rollout of the voter-approved Crisis Care Centers Levy, which is expanding access to mental health and substance-use treatment throughout the county regardless of insurance status.
The Kirkland Crisis Care Center is already serving youth and adults in North King County, while the Seattle Crisis Care Center is expected to open next year. County officials have also selected a provider for a future South King County facility and are expected to announce providers for an East King County center and a youth-focused center in the coming months.
Through the “Building for Affordability” pillar, Zahilay reiterated the county’s commitment to opening 500 net new affordable or supportive housing units within the next 500 days. The plan includes a new 80-unit supportive tiny home village on county-owned property in Seattle.
He also announced the creation of a permitting advisory panel aimed at streamlining regulations and reducing barriers to housing construction and business development.
Transportation was another major focus of the address.
Zahilay unveiled Metro’s Next Stop, a long-range transit plan extending through 2038 that is designed to accommodate an estimated 244,000 new residents. The proposal includes nine new bus routes, four new RapidRide lines, expanded frequent-service routes and additional security and behavioral health personnel throughout the transit system.
He also reaffirmed support for completing the voter-approved Sound Transit spine, including the West Seattle Link Extension and Ballard Link Extension, while calling for stronger independent oversight to address Sound Transit’s projected $35 billion funding gap.
Public safety also featured prominently in the executive’s remarks. Zahilay announced a $4.9 million investment to sustain and strengthen the Regional Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which works to prevent violence, intervene with individuals most at risk and support communities impacted by gun violence.
Several recent county initiatives were highlighted as examples of the administration’s efforts to strengthen community connections. Zahilay pointed to the recent purchase of the former Skyway Bowl property, which will become the future home of Skyway’s first community center, as a significant investment in a historically underserved area of unincorporated King County.
He also announced development of the county’s first Tribal consultation policy, intended to strengthen government-to-government relationships and ensure Tribal sovereignty is incorporated into county decision-making processes.
Additional efforts include the recent launch of YouthWorks, which connects teens and young adults with paid internships and career opportunities, and the upcoming launch of the King County Volunteer Corps, a centralized volunteer initiative designed to connect residents with service opportunities throughout the county.
The decision to host the address in Federal Way underscored the administration’s emphasis on South King County and the role transportation plays in connecting communities.
Federal Way Mayor Jim Farrell highlighted the recent opening of the downtown Federal Way light rail station as a milestone for the region.
“A strong connection to the rest of King County is critical for building an environment where our communities can truly thrive,” said Farrell. “These connections matter because the challenges we face don’t stop at city boundaries. None of us succeeds alone.”
Kent Mayor Dana Ralph echoed those sentiments and praised the county’s collaboration with local governments during Zahilay’s first six months in office.
“People don’t experience government in a silo,” said Ralph. “They want to know that their government is working for them. Leadership today is about more than standing apart and standing our ground. It’s about staying connected.”
One of the evening’s most memorable moments came from Franklin High School junior Sam Peterson Spalding, who spoke about the importance of mental health support, community relationships and creating safe spaces for young people.
Peterson Spalding cited data showing that one in six Americans age 12 and older experiences addiction and that 1,338 people died from overdoses in King County in 2023.
“We have created a society that is so stigmatized that people struggling with addiction feel like they can’t even ask for support,” said Peterson Spalding. He also called for the creation of more “third spaces,” or safe environments for teenagers outside of school and home. “The strongest communities aren’t necessarily the communities with the most resources, but they are the communities with the strongest relationships.”
Throughout the evening, speakers repeatedly returned to the idea that challenges such as housing affordability, behavioral health, public safety and economic opportunity require coordinated solutions that extend beyond city boundaries.
For Zahilay, that vision of connection will shape the county’s priorities moving forward.
“The future of this region is not something that happens to us,” said Zahilay. “It’s something that we create together.”
