Temperatures will stay mild and unseasonably warm through Thursday before a storm system brings rain and mountain snow to New Mexico Friday into early Saturday. A backdoor cold front knocked high temperatures down 5° to 20° across eastern New Mexico Tuesday afternoon. Elsewhere, highs changed little from Monday as well above-average warmth continues. Temperatures will […]
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Jimmy Eat World are going big for the 25th anniversary of Bleed American. Today, the Arizona rock staples announced a massive tour celebrating the landmark 2001 album, launching June 9 in Denver, CO, with a career-defining show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre and wrapping up in November at Vans Warped Tour in Orlando, FL.
The trek marks Jimmy Eat World‘s long-awaited return to the Vans Warped Tour stage — in all five cities — for the first time in 25 years. The North American run follows a trio of previously announced U.K. dates, including sold-out shows on August 14 at The Piece Hall in Halifax and August 15 at Cardiff Castle, capped by the largest U.K. headline show of the band’s career on August 16 at London’s Gunnersbury Park.
As they revisit Bleed American a quarter-century later, the band say the tour is driven by a perspective they didn’t have back in 2001: gratitude. Drummer Zach Lind describes the anniversary run as a chance to fully appreciate the fans who have sustained the band for decades. Frontman Jim Adkins echoes that sentiment, framing the tour as both a celebration and a creative evolution.
“I feel like at this time in our lives, especially for me, it’s important to get back to a place that you can savor,” Adkins says. “This tour is designed to be an elevated version of our show, a heightened experience with production that reflects 25 years of learning how to stretch artistically in the live environment.”
Fans can expect to hear Bleed American in its entirety each night, along with additional material the band is keeping under wraps for now.
The tour will feature an impressive rotating cast of special guests on select dates, including Rise Against, Hot Mulligan, Sunny Day Real Estate, Thrice, Motion City Soundtrack, Mom Jeans, Minus the Bear, The Get Up Kids, PUP, Sparta, Hey Mercedes, Girls Against Boys, Illuminati Hotties, Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, Jay Som, and more. Get your tickets here.
6/9 Denver, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre (w/ Sunny Day Real Estate & The Get Up Kids)
6/11 Chicago, IL Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island (w/ The Get Up Kids & Sunny Day Real Estate)
6/12 Detroit, MI Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill (w/ The Get Up Kids & Sunny Day Real Estate)
6/13-14 Washington, DC Vans Warped Tour
6/16 Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn Paramount (w/ The Get Up Kids & Hey Mercedes)
6/17 New York, NY The Rooftop at Pier 17 (w/ Thrice & Girls Against Boys)
6/19 Philadelphia, PA Highmark Skyline Stage at Mann (w/ Thrice & Hey Mercedes)
6/20 Boston, MA MGM Music Hall at Fenway (w/ Thrice & Girls Against Boys)
7/3 Calgary, AB Spruce Meadows
7/4 Fort McMurray, AB Hello Summer Festival
7/17 Bend, OR Hayden Homes Amphitheater (w/ Motion City Soundtrack & Illuminati Hotties)
7/18 Seattle, WA WAMU Theater @ Lumen Field (w/ Motion City Soundtrack & Illuminati Hotties)
7/19 Vancouver, BC Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre (w/ Motion City Soundtrack & Illuminati Hotties)
7/22 Sandy, UT Sandy Amphitheater (w/ Motion City Soundtrack & Illuminati Hotties)
7/24 Concord, CA Toyota Pavilion at Concord (w/ Mom Jeans, Motion City Soundtrack & Illuminati Hotties)
7/25-26 Long Beach, CA Vans Warped Tour
8/14 Halifax, UK The Piece Hall (w/ Rise Against & The Get Up Kids)
8/15 Cardiff, UK Cardiff Castle (w/ Rise Against, The Get Up Kids & Jay Som)
8/16 London, UK Gunnersbury Park (w/ Rise Against, The Get Up Kids & Jay Som)
8/22 Montreal, QC Vans Warped Tour
8/23 Toronto, ON RBC Amphitheatre (co-headline w/ PUP)
9/6 Phoenix, AZ Chase Field (supporting My Chemical Romance)
9/9 Austin, TX Moody Amphitheater (w/ Minus the Bear & Sparta)
9/10 Dallas, TX The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory (w/ Minus the Bear & Sparta)
9/12-13 Mexico City, MX Vans Warped Tour
11/12 Nashville, TN TBA
11/14 Tampa, FL MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre (w/ Hot Mulligan & Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers)
11/14-15 Orlando, FL Vans Warped Tour
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The miner plans to avoid hoarding cash, preferring to distribute it to shareholders and invest in growth projects.
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A memorable UEFA Women’s Champions League season resumes this week with the first leg of the knockout phase playoffs, headlined by Arsenal’s attempts to defend their title and a batch of first-timers who hope to extend their stay in Europe’s top club competition.
The Gunners will face Belgium’s OH Leuven, who have become the Champions League’s Cinderella story during their first-ever stint in the competition proper. Leuven went undefeated against a handful of well-regarded sides during the league phase, proving their worth against some Champions League regulars in the process. How they match up against one of the game’s elites in Arsenal, who are in the midst of a resurgence after a poor start to the season, is another question entirely, though.
Fellow UWCL newcomers Manchester United also return to action with a tie against Atletico Madrid, one that will offer a litmus test of their progress in the midst of a memorable season. Two-time Women’s Champions League winners Wolfsburg, meanwhile, will take on six-time Italian champions Juventus and the fixture list is rounded out by Real Madrid’s faceoff with Paris FC.
The winners of these ties await meetings with Barcelona, OL Lyonnes, Chelsea and Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals after that quartet secured direct passageway to the final eight with a top four finish in the league phase.
Here’s what you need to know before tuning in.
Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network will each be a one-stop shop for the first leg of the Women’s Champions League knockout phase playoffs, with both platforms simulcasting all coverage and every minute of the action. Coverage will begin with a new edition of the UEFA Women’s Champions League Today pre-match show before the early match, while studio coverage resumes in between matches and concludes with the post-match show to recap the action on Wednesday and Thursday.
All times U.S./Eastern
Are Arsenal turning things around?: The reigning European champions got off to a slow start this season, so much so that they missed out on a direct berth to the Champions League quarterfinals and currently sit outside the top three in the Women’s Super League as things stand, meaning qualification for next season’s competition is no sure thing. They may have officially corrected course, though – they have just one loss in their last 14, a stretch that includes lifting the inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup. The list also includes impressive wins over Chelsea and Women’s Super League leaders Manchester City in recent weeks, a signal that the Gunners might be peaking at just the right time as the business end of the European season begins.
They have an intriguing obstacle in front of them in OH Leuven, the Belgian side that have become everyone’s favorite underdog and reached the knockouts in their first-ever Champions League season. They went unbeaten against Paris FC, Twente, Roma and Paris Saint-Germain but their two losses in the league phase might be telling. Defeats to Barcelona and Arsenal, who breezed through a 3-0 win on Matchday 6, indicate that Leuven may still be a step behind the elites of the game.
Can Manchester United keep going?: Manchester United have been on a steady upward trajectory since they were officially founded in 2018, a path that has allowed them to reach new heights this season. They currently sit second in the WSL, eight points adrift of league leaders Manchester City but rising above the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal in the process, and finished just one point short of a direct berth in the UWCL quarterfinals, returning to their first-ever European season as a true dark horse. Their knockout phase playoff tie against Atletico Madrid, though, will test them in more ways than one as United continue a memorable season.
United got the better of Atleti in a 1-0 win on Matchday 2 thanks to a goal from Fridolina Rolfo, who has been a boon since her summer move from Barcelona. Rolfo has three goals for United in the Champions League so far, doing her best to contribute to a goal-shy attacking unit that scored just seven times during the league phase. United are also one of three teams that qualified for the knockouts with a negative goal differential, though U.S. women’s national team goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce will be counted on to come up big. Atleti, though, have their own attacking star in Spain international Fiamma Benitez, who has four goals in the UWCL this season. The Spanish side also have the benefit of experience – they have four of their last five two-legged ties in UEFA competition, while United have one win and one loss, a signal of their lack of experience at this level.
DHAKA, Bangladesh — When Tarique Rahman, the son of a former prime minister of Bangladesh, returned to the country in December after 17 years of self-imposed exile, he declared to his supporters: “I have a plan.”
Rahman returned at a time of upheaval. Bangladesh was seemingly adrift under an interim administration as it inched closer to a nationwide poll. Many Bangladeshis felt his return offered the country a new chance. His fiercest rival, the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, would be absent from the election after being toppled by a violent student-led revolt in 2024.
Barely two months later, Rahman is widely seen as the front-runner in Thursday’s election. He restated his ambitions at a campaign rally in Dhaka on Monday, arriving at the podium under heavy security as supporters spilled into a public park, dancing and cheering.
“The main goal and objective of this plan is to change the fate of the people and of this country,” he told the crowd.
That task will not be easy for whoever wins.
The election in Bangladesh follows a tumultuous period that has been marked by mob violence, rising religious intolerance, attacks on the press, the rise of Islamists and the fraying of the rule of law. A fair election will be a major challenge. Governing in its aftermath may prove an even sterner test for democratic institutions weakened by more than a decade of disputed polls and shrinking political space.
“An election with relatively little violence in which people are able to vote freely and all sides accept the outcome would be a significant step forward,” said Thomas Kean of the International Crisis Group, a think tank devoted to resolving conflicts. Yet he cautioned that the restoration of democracy, after facing severe strains under Hasina’s rule, would be a long-term challenge.
That process, Kean said, has “only just started.”
Rahman — the 60-year-old son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia — has been promising job creation, greater freedom of speech, law and order, and an end to corruption. His campaign seeks to portray him as a bulwark of democracy in a political landscape long dominated by entrenched parties, military coups and vote rigging.
Though Rahman never held office in his mother’s governments, many Bangladeshis saw him as wielding considerable influence within her Bangladesh Nationalist Party until her death in December.
BNP’s main opponent is an 11-party coalition led by Jamaat-e-Islami, the country’s foremost Islamist party, still shadowed by its collaboration with Pakistan during the 1971 war of independence. On Monday, its chief Shafiqur Rahman told supporters at a rally that the alliance has come together “with the dream of building a new Bangladesh.”
With Hasina’s Awami League party absent from the poll and calling on its supporters to stay away, Jamaat-e-Islami is seeking to expand its reach. The conservative party claims it would govern with restraint if elected to power, but its ascent has sparked unease, particularly over its views on women. The party chief has said women are biologically weaker than men and should not work eight hours a day like men, raising fears it could restrict the fundamental rights of women.
Anxieties over Bangladesh’s future are echoed particularly by those who were part of the uprising that paved the way for the election.
When Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus assumed office three days after Hasina’s ouster, there was optimism among many. Later, student leaders of the uprising launched a new political outfit, the National Citizen Party, styling itself as a clean break from the old political order.
That promise faded after the party joined the Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance, leading to disillusion among some leaders, several of whom quit.
Tasnim Jara, a public health expert who resigned from the NCP and is running as an independent candidate, said the uprising had “opened a window” for people like her to enter politics and help reshape its culture. But that hope faded once the NCP aligned itself with the Islamists.
She said it became hard for her to see how a genuinely new political culture that many in Bangladesh have long sought could emerge from such an arrangement.
“I struggled to see how a new political culture could genuinely thrive within that framework,” she said.
Arafat Imran, a student at Dhaka University, said he joined the uprising expecting change, but feels that the aspirations that led to the protests “have not been realized.”
Imran noted that though the uprising brought new political faces, the core machinery of the state — the military, police and bureaucracy — remains largely unchanged.
True reform or meaningful change, Imran said, would require overhauling the entire system, adding that “holding elections every five years alone cannot sustain democracy.”
“Alongside elections, it is essential to guarantee the rule of law and civil rights. Had these been ensured, there might have been grounds for satisfaction regarding the elections,” he said.
Worries have also spilled into other areas crucial to a healthy democracy.
Roksana Anzuman Nicole, a popular Dhaka talk-show host, became a rare media voice during the uprising, challenging security forces as hundreds were killed on the streets.
After Hasina’s ouster, hopes that such freedoms would expand also faded. Nicole is now off air, confined to her home, and fearful for her safety after a heated debate with a guest defending mob attacks led to threats against her, her family and colleagues.
“A major pillar of that movement was the belief that everyone would be able to speak freely, that people would enjoy freedom of expression. Sheikh Hasina left on August 5, and just 10 days later, my dreams collapsed,” she said.
Her experience is shared by others too. In December, a pro-uprising cultural activist was shot dead in central Dhaka, and protesters set fire to the offices of the country’s two largest newspapers, trapping staff inside. Last week, 21 journalists from an online outlet reporting critically on the military were briefly detained.
Many journalists told The Associated Press they have curtailed their movements or stopped going to work altogether. Many have lost their jobs as they have been branded by pro-uprising activists as collaborators of Hasina. Global human rights groups have expressed their concerns over press freedom under the Yunus-led administration.
“A free press is vital for a flourishing democracy,” said Catherine Cooper of the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center, one of the groups observing the election. “Protecting freedom of expression should be a top priority.”
Many Bangladeshis are putting their trust in the election. The vote will also include a referendum for political reforms that include prime ministerial term limits and stronger checks on executive power.
There is, however, uncertainty over how the nation’s democracy would look in the years to come.
Iftekhar Zaman, a Bangladeshi political analyst, said for the first time in 16 years, Bangladeshis will have a genuine chance to vote, after three elections under Hasina were marred by allegations of rigging or opposition boycotts. He described the poll as “extraordinary,” but warned that reinforcing democratic institutions would take time.
Kean of the International Crisis Group said while some of the proposed reforms are “significant and meaningful,” they won’t be enough.
“The political culture has to change as well, and we are only seeing the first signs of that,” he said.
ACTION SEVEN NEWS AT SIX STARTS RIGHT NOW. THE DWI SCANDAL CONTINUES TO GROW. OFFICERS ACCEPTING BRIBES TO NOT SHOW UP IN COURT. AND WE NOW KNOW ATTORNEYS WERE WORKING WITH THEM TO INTENTIONALLY GET PEOPLE DRUNK. TONIGHT, TARGET 7 JASON MCNABB HAS UNCOVERED MORE DETAILS ON HOW THIS SCHEME WAS CONDUCTED. WELL, YEAH. THAT’S RIGHT. DUGAN DARNELL. WE FOUND ONE OF THE VICTIMS WHO WAS SET UP. HIS ATTORNEY TELLS US HE GOT A CALL ON HIS BIRTHDAY FROM HIS ATTORNEY TO GO OUT FOR DRINKS. AND THIS IS HOW IT ENDED. DO ME A FAVOR. STEP OUT REAL QUICK. THIS MAN HAS JUST BEEN PULLED OVER FOR RIDING BETWEEN THE LANES. OFFICER JUSTIN HUNT IS THE ONE CONDUCTING THE TRAFFIC STOP. OKAY, SIR, I’D LIKE TO GIVE YOU SOME TESTS, IF YOU’RE SAFE TO KEEP DRIVING YOU AND YOUR PASSENGERS TONIGHT. ALRIGHT? YES, SIR. THE MAN APPEARS TO HAVE A HARD TIME WITH SOBRIETY TESTS. OR WHAT? GO AHEAD. SIR, I’M NOT GOING TO EXPLAIN IT AGAIN. IT’S NOT LONG BEFORE HE’S PLACED INTO CUFFS FOR DWI. THE BEST THING I CAN TELL YOU IS YOU GOT YOURSELF INTO THIS SITUATION, NOT ME. BUT WHAT? THE MAN ABOUT TO BE HEADING TO JAIL DOESN’T KNOW. THIS ENTIRE TRAFFIC STOP WAS A SETUP. THIS WAS ENTRAPMENT. ABSOLUTELY. HE KNEW EXACTLY WHERE HE WAS GOING TO BE. ATTORNEY FRANCIS CARPENTER NOW REPRESENTS A MAN WHO GOT THAT DWI OVER A DECADE AGO. A PRIOR ARREST LED TO HIM HIRING ATTORNEY THOMAS CLEAR WITH HIS PARALEGAL, RICARDO MENDEZ, STANDING CLOSE BY. HE MET RICK MENDEZ AND TOM CLEAR AS A RESULT OF DWI THAT HE HAD RECEIVED. CARPENTER SAYS IN 2014, MENDEZ GAVE HER CLIENT A CALL ON HIS BIRTHDAY. HE KNEW THAT IT WAS HIS BIRTHDAY FROM OBVIOUSLY THE LEGAL PAPERWORK AND SAID, HEY, DO YOU WANT TO HANG OUT? LET’S GO OUT. AND, YOU KNOW, MY CLIENT WAS NOT GOOD FRIENDS WITH HIM. HE DIDN’T SOCIALIZE WITH HIM, BUT HE WAS LIKE, SURE, YOU KNOW, I’LL I’LL GO OUT WITH YOU AND A BUNCH OF GUYS. THE OFFICER THAT ARRESTED CARPENTER’S CLIENT RECENTLY PLED GUILTY TO FEDERAL CHARGES FOR HIS ROLE IN WHAT’S BEING CALLED THE DWI ENTERPRISE SCANDAL. HE ADMITTED THAT NIGHT THAT MENDEZ INTENTIONALLY GOT THE MAN DRUNK AT THIS STRIP CLUB, EVEN TO THE POINT WHERE HE TOLD MY CLIENT THAT HE WAS LIKE, DON’T WORRY, MAN. I CAN DRIVE. BUT SHE SAYS MENDEZ ENDED UP TELLING HER CLIENT HE WAS TOO DRUNK AND THAT HE WOULD HAVE TO BE THE ONE TO DRIVE. JUST MINUTES AFTER LEAVING THE STRIP CLUB, THEY WERE PULLED OVER. SO DO YOU BELIEVE MENDEZ INTENTIONALLY GOT YOUR CLIENT DRUNK? OH, THERE’S NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. IT WAS. IT WAS COMPLETELY SET UP. FORMER OFFICER HUNT ADMITTED IN COURT DOCUMENTS THAT MENDEZ CALLED HIM TO PULL THE MAN OVER. RICK WAS COMMUNICATING WITH THE OFFICER ABOUT WHERE THEY WERE GOING TO BE, WHAT TIME THEY WERE GOING TO BE THERE AND WHEN THEY WERE LEAVING. BUT CARPENTER SAYS GOING TO JAIL WAS JUST THE START OF HER CLIENT’S TROUBLES. WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR CLIENT AFTER THE ARREST? HE WAS IN THERE FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS, AND DURING THE TIME THAT HE WAS IN JAIL, HIS HOME WAS BROKEN INTO. CARPENTER SAYS AROUND $300,000 WORTH OF WATCHES, GOLD BARS AND GUNS WERE TAKEN FROM THE MAN’S HOME. POLICE REPORTS WERE FILED. SHE SUSPECTS THE PERSON WHO BROKE IN KNEW HE WAS IN JAIL. THESE INDIVIDUALS KNEW THAT HE WAS AFFLUENT AND LIKELY KNEW WHAT HE HAD IN HIS SAFE, AND HE WAS TARGETED. CARPENTER, ALSO SPEARHEADING THE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST THE CITY FOR VICTIMS OF THE SCANDAL. HER OFFICE IS URGING ANYONE WHO MAY HAVE BEEN TARGETED TO COME FORWARD. TARGET 7 I’M JASON MCNABB. IF YOU HAVE A STORY FOR US TO INVESTIGAT
Man set up in DWI bribery scandal on his birthday, attorney says
Details continue to emerge in a scheme where attorneys and officers allegedly conspired to set up individuals for drunk driving arrests. One victim, represented by Frances Carpenter, was set up on his birthday when his attorney’s paralegal invited him out for drinks, leading to his arrest.
Target 7 reported a couple of weeks back that former Albuquerque Police officer Justin Hunt, who resigned as a lieutenant in February 2024, admitted in a federal plea deal to collaborating with attorney Thomas Clear’s private investigator and paralegal, Ricardo Mendez, to target certain individuals for DWI arrests as part of the DWI enterprise scandal. Hunt’s plea revealed that Mendez would get Clear’s clients drunk, have them drive with him in the car, and then tip off officers like Hunt about their location and vehicle.A case outlined in the plea states that in 2014, Mendez took a man, previously represented by Clear in another DWI case, to a strip club, got him drunk, and then had him drive. Mendez then tipped off Hunt, who arrested the man shortly after. The man rehired Clear for his defense, and Hunt said Clear gave him tires and parts for his Jeep in exchange for not appearing in court, leading to the case’s dismissal.Target 7 obtained officer-worn lapel camera video of that arrest.In the video, Officer Hunt is seen conducting the traffic stop, pulling over the man for riding between lanes. Hunt said, “You can do me a favor, step out real quick.” The man struggled with sobriety tests, and Hunt said, “Okay, sir, I’d like to give you some tests if you’re safe to keep driving you and your passengers tonight, all right? “Yes, sir,” responded the man. Shortly after, he was handcuffed for DWI, with Hunt stating, “The best thing I can tell you is you got yourself into this situation, not me.”Target 7 also tracked down the man who was arrested and sat down with his new attorney, Frances Carpenter.Carpenter reiterated that the traffic stop was a setup, saying, ” knew exactly where he was going to be.” She told Target 7 how Mendez called her client on his birthday, saying, “Hey, do you want to hang out? Let’s go out. My client was not good friends with him. He didn’t socialize with him, but he was like, sure. You know, I’ll go out with you and a bunch of guys.” Carpenter says Mendez kept ordering her client rounds of drinks, and promised him he would drive. However, Mendez told the man later in the night that he was too drunk, and that he would have to be the one to drive instead. Minutes after leaving the strip club, they were pulled over. Carpenter stated, “There’s no doubt about it. It was completely set up.” Hunt admitted in court documents that Mendez coordinated with him for the traffic stop. “Rick was communicating with the officer about where they were going to, what time they were gonna be there, and when they were leaving,” she said.Carpenter also told Target 7 the arrest was just the beginning of her client’s troubles. “He was in there for a couple days, and during the time that he was in jail, his home was broken into,” she said. Around $300,000 worth of watches, gold bars, and guns were stolen, with police reports filed. Carpenter suspects whoever was responsible for the burglary knew the man was in jail, saying, “These individuals knew that he was affluent and likely knew what he had in his safe, and he was targeted.”Carpenter is leading the class-action lawsuit against the city for victims of the scandal and is urging anyone who may have been targeted to come forward.Thirteen people have pled guilty so far in the DWI enterprise scandal, including nine officers from the APD, one deputy from the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, and three legal professionals. At this time, no one has been sentenced for their roles. Mendez was among those who pled guilty and was granted permission last year by a federal judge to travel outside of the country before a sentencing date was set. His whereabouts are currently unknown.
Target 7 reported a couple of weeks back that former Albuquerque Police officer Justin Hunt, who resigned as a lieutenant in February 2024, admitted in a federal plea deal to collaborating with attorney Thomas Clear’s private investigator and paralegal, Ricardo Mendez, to target certain individuals for DWI arrests as part of the DWI enterprise scandal. Hunt’s plea revealed that Mendez would get Clear’s clients drunk, have them drive with him in the car, and then tip off officers like Hunt about their location and vehicle.
A case outlined in the plea states that in 2014, Mendez took a man, previously represented by Clear in another DWI case, to a strip club, got him drunk, and then had him drive. Mendez then tipped off Hunt, who arrested the man shortly after. The man rehired Clear for his defense, and Hunt said Clear gave him tires and parts for his Jeep in exchange for not appearing in court, leading to the case’s dismissal.
Target 7 obtained officer-worn lapel camera video of that arrest.
In the video, Officer Hunt is seen conducting the traffic stop, pulling over the man for riding between lanes. Hunt said, “You can do me a favor, step out real quick.” The man struggled with sobriety tests, and Hunt said, “Okay, sir, I’d like to give you some tests if you’re safe to keep driving you and your passengers tonight, all right? “Yes, sir,” responded the man.
Shortly after, he was handcuffed for DWI, with Hunt stating, “The best thing I can tell you is you got yourself into this situation, not me.”
Target 7 also tracked down the man who was arrested and sat down with his new attorney, Frances Carpenter.
Carpenter reiterated that the traffic stop was a setup, saying, “[Officer Hunt] knew exactly where he was going to be.”
She told Target 7 how Mendez called her client on his birthday, saying, “Hey, do you want to hang out? Let’s go out. My client was not good friends with him. He didn’t socialize with him, but he was like, sure. You know, I’ll go out with you and a bunch of guys.”
Carpenter says Mendez kept ordering her client rounds of drinks, and promised him he would drive. However, Mendez told the man later in the night that he was too drunk, and that he would have to be the one to drive instead. Minutes after leaving the strip club, they were pulled over.
Carpenter stated, “There’s no doubt about it. It was completely set up.” Hunt admitted in court documents that Mendez coordinated with him for the traffic stop. “Rick was communicating with the officer about where they were going to, what time they were gonna be there, and when they were leaving,” she said.
Carpenter also told Target 7 the arrest was just the beginning of her client’s troubles. “He was in there for a couple days, and during the time that he was in jail, his home was broken into,” she said. Around $300,000 worth of watches, gold bars, and guns were stolen, with police reports filed. Carpenter suspects whoever was responsible for the burglary knew the man was in jail, saying, “These individuals knew that he was affluent and likely knew what he had in his safe, and he was targeted.”
Carpenter is leading the class-action lawsuit against the city for victims of the scandal and is urging anyone who may have been targeted to come forward.
Thirteen people have pled guilty so far in the DWI enterprise scandal, including nine officers from the APD, one deputy from the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, and three legal professionals.
At this time, no one has been sentenced for their roles.
Mendez was among those who pled guilty and was granted permission last year by a federal judge to travel outside of the country before a sentencing date was set. His whereabouts are currently unknown.
Ella Langley is setting new records with her hit song “Choosin’ Texas.”
As the track climbs the charts — even making waves on Billboard Hot 100 all-genre rankings — fans have also begun sharing some hilarious misheard lyrics online.
The song, written by Langley alongside Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick and Joybeth Taylor, has quickly become one of the biggest moments of the young singer’s career.
First, let’s set the record straight with the actual lyrics:
It doesn’t take a crystal ball to see / A cowboy always finds a way to leave
Drinkin’ Jack all by myself / He’s choosin’ Texas, I can tell.
Let’s just say many of the viral misheard versions of Langley’s lyrics aren’t exactly safe for work.
Okay, so we know those aren’t the real lyrics — but now it’s hard to unhear it.
Another misheard lyric fans keep joking about comes during the bridge of “Choosin’ Texas,” where Langley actually sings:
When I’m eastbound and down and I can’t help but cry / ’Cause I-40 gets lonelier with every mile.
But some listeners swear they hear:
My knees bending down and I can’t help but cry / ’Cause I farted…
And once you’ve heard it that way, well… good luck unhearing it.
With so many eyes on Langley right now, fans are eager to see what she’ll do next.
Fortunately, she recently revealed the answer: a brand-new album titled Dandelion, set for release on April 10.
Read More: The Wait Is Over! Ella Langley Announces New Album ‘Dandelion’ Arriving April 10
Since we have to wait a couple more months for Langley’s sophomore album, let’s dive into Langley’s 10 best songs so far.
As a breakout artist, having one massive hit is sort of a mixed blessing. So it is with Ella Langley and “You Look Like You Love Me,” a Riley Green duet that was a monster country radio hit in 2024.
It’s a great song, but fans are doing themselves a disservice if they don’t dig further. In fact, the very top song on this list is another — way underrated — track. Keep reading to see which one it is!
Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak
The country music family is growing once again! 2026 will bring new additions to several artists and their families.
Keep scrolling to see which artists will be welcoming bundles of joy this year.
Gallery Credit: Jess Rose
ella
The brewer said it will remove between 5,000 and 6,000 roles over the next two years after sales volumes continued to slide at the end of 2025.
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Greg Wyshynski
Multiple Authors
The 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic men’s ice hockey tournament begins Wednesday with round-robin play, and it’s the first time NHL players have participated in the Winter Games since 2014.
Here’s a primer for this best-on-best tournament for the hockey die-hards — and for those Olympic fans asking, “What’s a Tkachuk?”
The NHL began sending its players to the Winter Olympics in 1998. Perhaps not coincidentally, the Canada men have won three gold medals since then, having previously not won once since 1952. Canada’s last gold was in the 2014 Sochi Games, which was also the last time NHL players graced Olympic ice.
For decades, the NHL and its players have sparred over Olympic participation. The players want to represent their countries in the world’s most prestigious and historic athletic event — like the generations of Americans inspired by the “Miracle on Ice” in 1980. NHL owners are loathe to shut down their regular season and loan their talent to an IOC that doesn’t share revenues or give the league any tangible financial benefit. But for the sake of “growing the game,” the NHL has participated, with some exceptions.
The league didn’t participate in the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang because of a change in terms with the IOC and because “the overwhelming majority of our clubs” were “adamantly opposed” to disrupting the 2017-18 season, according to commissioner Gary Bettman, who was also seeking concessions from the NHL Players Association. NHL owners were opposed to shutting down the regular season to play in South Korea, a market the league didn’t consider a priority for global growth.
Discouraged by that decision, the NHLPA had language written into their new collective bargaining agreement signed in 2020 that stated the players would participate in the 2022 and 2026 Olympics. But the caveat for the 2022 Beijing Games was whether the 2021-22 NHL season was “materially impacted” by COVID-19 postponements. The NHL and NHLPA agreed to hold players back from the Beijing Games after 50 NHL games had already have been postponed through Dec. 23, 2021.
International Ice Hockey Federation president Luc Tardif backed the league, saying, “We understand the NHL’s decision is in the best interest of the health and safety of its players.” When Marty Walsh, former U.S. Secretary of Labor under President Joe Biden, was hired as NHLPA executive director in 2023, he made a return to the Olympics his priority. After months of contentious negotiations, the NHL announced in February 2024 that it would send its players to the Milan Cortina Games. Bettman said the negotiations turned on the players’ “big ticket” items being taken care of, like insurance and travel and accommodation costs, as that responsibility fell to the IIHF and IOC.
With that, it was game on for Italy, for players from almost every country.
Russia and Belarus have been banned from IIHF events at every level since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, including the 2026 Olympics. The IIHF has cited “security conditions” as the motivating factor.
Hence, some see the 2026 tournament as “best-on-most-of-the-best.” Two of the NHL’s top 10 scorers — Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov and Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov — are absent from the tournament, as are stars such as Artemi Panarin (Los Angeles Kings), Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins) and Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals), who became the NHL’s all-time leader in goals scored last season.
This could be the last Olympic hockey tournament played under these restrictions. The IIHF kept its ban in place for the 2026-27 season, but signaled a willingness to reconsider the status of Russian and Belarusian under-18 teams for 2027-28. Organizations such as FIFA also have signaled they’re ready to lift their restrictions on Russia.
Russia’s absence from international tournaments prevented the NHL and NHLPA from staging another World Cup of Hockey since the last one in 2016, so they had to get creative. The result was the 4 Nations Face-Off held last February in Montreal and Boston, a successful event that solidified the U.S. and Canada as hockey’s current superpowers and gave their rivalry nuclear-level heat.
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P.K. Subban’s biggest question for Team USA heading into the Olympics
P.K. Subban’s biggest question for Team USA heading into the Olympics
Like King Kong and Godzilla (or the Canadian kaiju equivalent) flattening cities before the two monsters throw down against each other, so are the U.S. and Canada in the men’s tournament. They are easily the deepest two teams in all positions, especially as injuries have affected other traditional hockey powers. They also have Cup-winning coaches in Canada’s Jon Cooper (Lightning) and Team USA’s Mike Sullivan (Rangers).
Team Canada’s offense offers:
One of the greatest center trios in hockey history. Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid, in his first Olympics, has four MVP wins (three regular season, one postseason) and five scoring titles in his 11-year NHL career. Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon, also in his first Olympics, has scored 40 goals in 55 games this season. Pittsburgh Penguins star and two-time Olympic gold-medalist Sidney Crosby remains a point-per-game player at 38 years old and is considered the NHL’s best all-around player of this century.
A collection of wingers such as Mitch Marner and Mark Stone (Vegas Golden Knights), Nick Suzuki (Montreal Canadiens), Brandon Hagel (Tampa Bay Lightning) and Sam Reinhart (Florida Panthers) who are as good offensively as they are defensively.
The NHL’s greatest antagonist in Brad Marchand (aka the “Rat King”) of the Panthers, and the league’s most controversial checker in Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals, both of whom can also thrive offensively.
Macklin Celebrini, the San Jose Sharks‘ 18-year-old scoring phenom who played his way onto the Olympic team.
Defenseman Cale Makar of the Avalanche, who is third all time in the NHL for points per game among defensemen (1.08).
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Macklin Celebrini scores filthy tying goal, then sets up Sharks’ OT winner
Macklin Celebrini scores the tying goal in the third period, then makes the winning assist to William Eklund.
But for the first time in the NHL’s Olympic era, Team USA has iced a roster that can match Canada’s depth while surpassing it in some areas. Even while deciding to leave some great offensive players off the roster — Montreal’s Cole Caufield and Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson most prominently — the Americans might have their deepest collection of scoring talent ever.
Minnesota GM Bill Guerin built the 4 Nations team that lost in overtime to Canada in the championship, and ran back much of that roster for the Olympics. Among the Team USA highlights:
There’s a reason fans have been shaking with anticipation about these Olympics. U.S. vs. Canada could be an all-timer, whether they meet for a medal or earlier in the knockout round.
The Olympic men’s hockey tournament is split into three groups for the qualification round. Though the Olympic draw does give us an opening-round rivalry game between Finland and Sweden, the other two teams from the 4 Nations Face-Off, Canada and the U.S., are in separate groups:
Group A: Canada, Switzerland, Czechia, France
Group B: Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, Italy
Group C: United States, Germany, Latvia, Denmark
Seeding for the elimination round is determined (in order) by record, points, goal differential, total goals scored and then IIHF world ranking. The top four teams receive a bye to the qualification round, and it would be stunning if Canada and the U.S. were not among them. Team USA has arguably the easiest draw, while Canada should be better than Switzerland and Czechia — although neither will be easy outs.
Keep in mind that this isn’t a rigid bracket. According to the IIHF, the semifinal round has the highest-seeded team playing the lowest-seeded team after the quarterfinals, and the second- and third-highest seeds play each other. So if Canada and the U.S. are seeded first and second after the round robin and win out, they could meet for gold.
But there’s an X factor here: Group B. Please recall in the 2014 Sochi Games that the U.S. and Canada were seeded in different groups and both had two regulation wins and one overtime/shootout win. Sweden, meanwhile, was in a third group and had three regulation wins to finish first after the round-robin. That led to the U.S. and Canada facing off in the semifinals for the right to play for gold. Canada beat the U.S. 1-0 and the Americans were so disheartened that they didn’t even win bronze.
Canada’s weakness is glaring: Its goaltending.
St. Louis Blues netminder Jordan Binnington was absolutely brilliant in Canada’s 4 Nations overtime win over the U.S. but has been one of the two worst goalies in the NHL this season by traditional or advanced stats. Canada swapped out its other 4 Nations goalies (Adin Hill of Vegas and Samuel Montembeault of Montreal) for demonstrable upgrades: Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper, who won a Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2022; and Capitals goalie Logan Thompson, tied for sixth in NHL save percentage over the past two seasons. They’re better, but still nowhere near the U.S. in goaltending quality.
For the Americans, it’s scoring and experience. Will GM Guerin regret leaving off some pure scorers at forward and on defense — where Montreal’s Lane Hutson and the Rangers’ Adam Fox were snubbed — in favor of players with more defensive acumen? How much can New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes, hampered by injuries and playing out of position, and New York Rangers captain J.T. Miller, having a terrible season, contribute? Can Matthews, who didn’t have a goal at 4 Nations, find the back of the net?
Team USA has Stanley Cup champions in forwards Eichel, Matthew Tkachuk and Jake Guentzel (Tampa Bay Lightning), but Canada has more rings in the room. It also has Crosby, and no one on the U.S. roster comes close to matching the experience and leadership of Canada’s captain. When adversity hits — like a third-period deficit in an elimination game — the Canadians have calming influences where the Americans might have players gripping their sticks tighter.
One of Guerin’s big bets on this roster is IIHF world championship experience. The Americans won that event in 2025, the first on-ice trophy for USA Hockey in the tournament in 92 years. Olympic forwards Tage Thompson (Buffalo Sabres) and Clayton Keller (Utah Mammoth), defensemen Jackson LaCombe (Anaheim Ducks, an injury replacement for Florida’s Seth Jones) and Werenski, as well as Swayman, played in that championship game. So a lot of American players have “big game” experience. But they don’t come much bigger than Olympic tournament elimination games.
Sweden is the consensus pick for the third-best team in the tournament, and it would be foolish to count the Swedes out.
They have a stout defense corps: Buffalo Sabres star Rasmus Dahlin and Panthers stopper Gustav Forsling; Tampa Bay Lightning captain Victor Hedman and the Golden Knights’ Rasmus Andersson; as well as Erik Karlsson, the 35-year-old Penguins blueliner who can still make things happen on offense.
Their forward group has dangerous scorers in William Nylander (Maple Leafs), Adrian Kempe (Kings), Filip Forsberg (Nashville Predators) and Lucas Raymond (Detroit Red Wings). What they lack is quality down the middle, especially with Anaheim star Leo Carlsson (44 points in 44 games) missing the Olympics because of injury. That said, Mika Zibanejad‘s resurgent season with the New York Rangers (23 goals) has helped ease some concern.
But to take down either Canada or the U.S., it will take elite goaltending. Sweden might have it. Minnesota’s Filip Gustavsson has been one of the NHL’s top netminders and is seeking redemption after giving up two goals on four shots to Finland in the 4 Nations Face-Off before being pulled because of illness. He should be their No. 1 over the inconsistent Jacob Markstrom (Devils) and Wild rookie sensation Jesper Wallstedt, who has better numbers than Gustavsson this season.
Finland is the reigning gold medal winner, having captured the championship in Beijing with non-NHL players. The Finns suffered the tournament’s most significant injury loss when Florida star Aleksander Barkov needed preseason surgery to repair a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee. He was the engine that drove the Panthers to back-to-back Stanley Cup wins and a center who would have given Finland formidable depth at the position along with Sebastian Aho (Hurricanes), Roope Hintz (Stars) and Anton Lundell (Panthers).
As usual, underestimate the hard-working Finns at one’s own peril. Winger Mikko Rantanen (Stars) showed in last season’s Stanley Cup playoffs that he can carry a team on his back offensively. His Stars teammate Miro Heiskanen is one of the best defensemen in the tournament. If Juuse Saros (Predators) can level up his game from a below-average regular season, the Finns could be dangerous. At a minimum, Finland is never a pushover.
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Mikko Rantanen scores a beauty for the Stars
Mikko Rantanen dangles his way to the net and scores a brilliant goal for the Stars.
Switzerland brings an interesting squad to Italy, with NHL standouts in forwards Nico Hischier and Timo Meier (Devils), Kevin Fiala (Kings), Nino Niederreiter (Jets) as well as defenseman Roman Josi (Predators) and J.J. Moser (Lightning). What they don’t have in these Olympics is a difference-maker in goal, with NHL goalie Akira Schmid (Golden Knights) joining Swiss league players Reto Berra (who has NHL experience) and Leonardo Genoni, who has played well at Worlds. Where have you gone, Jonas Hiller?
Germany boasts one of the best hockey players in the world in Oilers star Leon Draisaitl, as well as one of the NHL’s best defensemen in Moritz Seider of the Red Wings. They also have pair of accomplished scorers in Utah’s JJ Peterka and Ottawa’s Tim Stutzle. The rest of the roster is mostly made up of Deutsche Eishockey Liga players, some with NHL experience. Someone who could play spoiler: Seattle Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer, one of the NHL’s best netminders this season and a candidate for comeback player of the year.
Czechia’s forward group is dotted with names familiar to NHL fans, each of whom have 22 goals on the season: Boston scoring star David Pastrnak, Colorado winger Martin Necas and Vegas center Tomas Hertl. But the great hope for the Czechs is their goaltending, which boasts one of the best trios in the tournament based on their NHL campaigns: Anaheim’s Lukas Dostal, Utah’s Karel Vejmelka and Philadelphia’s Dan Vladar.
Slovakia won its first men’s hockey medal when it captured bronze in Beijing. Montreal forward Juraj Slafkovsky was that tournament’s MVP and returns here as one of Slovakia’s only NHL standouts at forward. They have some NHL talent on the back end, including Erik Cernak (Lightning), Martin Fehervary (Capitals) and Simon Nemec (Devils). But none of their three goalies have any NHL experience — and one of them, Adam Gajan, is in his second NCAA season with the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
Denmark has three familiar faces at forward — Nikolaj Ehlers (Hurricanes), Oliver Bjorkstrand (Lightning) and Lars Eller (Senators) — and in net Frederik Andersen (Hurricanes), who once upon a time was a game-stealer internationally but has been off his mark with Carolina this season.
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Oliver Bjorkstrand capitalizes on the power play
Oliver Bjorkstrand nets power-play goal
Latvia has several players with North American experience but only three currently in the NHL: Forwards Teddy Blueger of Vancouver, Zemgus Girgensons of Tampa Bay and Uvis Balinskis of Florida. The Latvians do have some intriguing goaltenders in Elvis Merzlikins of the Blue Jackets and Arturs Silovs of the Penguins.
France made the 2026 Olympics after Russia was ruled ineligible. Italy made the tournament as the host nation. It would be a mini-miracle if either of them won a game in group play. But hey, maybe they’ll benefit from the smaller ice.
Well, the most prominent controversy was whether the Olympic hockey tournament would be held in a pile of slush in the middle of rubble. As of November, construction was so far behind schedule that test events had to be moved and Olympic organizers declared there was no “Plan B.” As late as Jan. 25, there was a layer of mud down the Zamboni tunnel all the way to the ice at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
By the time the Olympics started, the venues were still be worked on but were more than functional — including the ice, which players called soft but not unplayable.
The other controversy was over the size of the Olympic ice. A few months ago, Team Canada GM Doug Armstrong and assistant coach Peter DeBoer casually mentioned that the ice in the 2026 Olympics would be smaller than an NHL rink. The IIHF released a statement in September confirming the rink would be a 196.85-foot by 85.3-foot sheet, smaller than the NHL’s standard 200-foot by 85-foot dimensions.
Though NHL teams that play internationally have often had to adapt to different ice dimensions, the fact the Olympic sheet was smaller caught some observers off guard. Will the smaller ice surface create more physicality between the teams, necessitating Canada’s adding of Wilson to the roster? Or is he simply an anti-Tkachuk deployment mechanism?
The fun starts Wednesday with round-robin action in Group B. Team USA, seeking its first gold medal since 1980, hits the ice against Latvia on Thursday, and Canada opens against Czechia.
The men’s qualification round playoff is scheduled for Feb. 17, with the quarterfinals set for Feb. 18. The semifinals are set for Feb. 20, with the losers of those games vying for the bronze medal on Feb. 21, and the winners playing for Olympic gold on Feb. 22.
Will we see another round of hockey’s greatest rivalry in these games? It’s finally time to find out.
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