Dan Wetzel is a senior writer focused on investigative reporting, news analysis and feature storytelling.
Multiple Authors
For a team to succeed in college athletics, you need a quality coach, top-of-the-line facilities and, at least these days, a new asset: a five-star local judge.
On Friday alone, judges will decide if Alabama basketball can continue playing a 7-footer who spent 2½ seasons, including games last month, in the G League and whether Tennessee football next season will have a 25-year-old quarterback who first enrolled in junior college back in 2019.
The rulings, from courthouses in Tuscaloosa and Knoxville, respectively, are likely to be a “yes,” in part because the NCAA has allowed plenty of inconsistencies in eligibility rulings that allowed precedents to be set.
As for judicial home cooking, that’s anyone’s guess — there’s no truth to rumors that one ruling will be stamped “Roll Tide,” or that the other court plays “Rocky Top” before closing arguments.
The issue for college athletics, as aggressive plaintiff lawyers and coaches desperate to keep up use local courts to blow through once agreed upon statutes, is that this tidal wave is just getting started.
And the NCAA seems to have no plan to stop it.
By not controlling who is or isn’t eligible to play, the NCAA is quickly losing the ability to function as an organizing athletic body. This is far more important than, say, NIL compensation, where well-meaning arguments on all sides exist. This is basic stuff.
You can’t play U8 soccer if you’re 10. You can’t be on a city team in the Little League World Series if your players hail from three states over. You can’t play high school sports if you already graduated. You can’t get drafted into the NFL until three years after high school.
This is no longer about establishing guardrails for college sports. It’s about having an actual road on which to establish the guardrails.
The trend is to get a local judge to offer an injunction that allows a player eligibility, even in violation of clear NCAA rules. The player then competes through the season before dropping the case before it’s even heard.
If that holds, then college football in August will be about grabbing any player with even the slightest argument for eligibility who just got cut from NFL training camps.
Come make seven figures in college ball rather than sit on a practice squad … where maxed-out pay for rookies is $235,000 a year. Come play for us until injuries force an NFL team to bring someone in.
A constantly revolving door between NCAA rosters and the pros, with college coaches mining the NFL waiver wire, sounds far-fetched. A guy playing G League ball one Saturday and SEC ball the next once sounded crazy, too, until Alabama’s Charles Bediako made it a reality last month.
Each new absurd eligibility ruling — junior college years don’t count, being drafted isn’t the same as being in the league, it’s just summer league — begets the next even more absurd ruling. Schools now look to exploit the rules they once wrote because if they don’t, the other guy will.
The NCAA spent decades and millions of dollars on a failed legal strategy to preserve “amateurism.” It was beaten in the Supreme Court, 9-zip.
The past half dozen or so years, it has spent millions more seeking a federal legislative solution. The NCAA hasn’t even gotten a bill to the floor for a vote.
And it won’t any time soon, either, at least not the broad reform it wants. Not only can few people agree on what is needed, their opinions keep changing. Even once hardcore advocate Dabo Swinney, the Clemson football coach, now wonders if the answer is granting athletes employee status and collectively bargaining with them.
Asking Washington to save college sports was always a long shot pursuit. Politicians are about politics, not problem-solving. Consider Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s comment to ESPN’s Dan Murphy last week about employee status and possible union membership for athletes.
“From a political perspective, you have labor union bosses that would love to see every college athlete deemed an employee, made a member of a union and contributing union dues to elect Democrats,” Cruz said.
Cruz is saying the quiet part out loud, namely that Democrats might favor this solution so there are 100,000 new union members whose dues might eventually bolster their elections, which is also why Republicans might oppose it. The merits of the argument, one way or the other, are secondary.
Don’t blame Cruz. This is how a politician probably should think. But it doesn’t help college sports.
The NCAA needs a skinny bill that sets clear eligibility standards — five years starting after your high school graduation, voided if you declare yourself for the pros. No carve outs. No exemptions. No granting an extra year because of some heartrending story — illness or injury doesn’t get you more high school eligibility.
The NCAA needs to present that simple, common sense, bipartisan request to Congress that can’t get bogged down in politics. It should lean on the NFL, NBA and other pro leagues, which have considerable lobbying muscle, to get the bill passed.
The NFL, for example, doesn’t want to have its practice squad offers subject to counterbids from desperate college teams.
“There’s obviously a lot of change going on and a lot of disruption, and they do need to bring some clarity to that,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said this week. “If for some reason we could be helpful with the right people, we would obviously be willing to engage with anybody.
“But I think we try to stay in our lane unless we’re invited in to be part of the solution.”
NCAA president Charlie Baker should extend that invitation immediately.
There are other solutions, say, having the NCAA incorporate to limit legal jurisdictions, creating new rules with severe consequences for schools who play questionable eligibility cases and so on.
The skinny bill is perhaps the simplest way, though, to force a yes or no decision.
If not, these eligibility cases — and the value of those five-star judges — will only continue to grow in importance.
Two qualify as fake news or AI generated trash. One is certified truth. No cheating!
Jason Kempin, Getty Images
Jason Kempin, Getty Images
Headline No. 1: Morgan Wallen Shocks Fans, Donates $514K Performance Earnings to ICE
Facebook page Rhythm Republic shared this headline with a caption that quotes Wallen as saying, “America needs secure borders. ICE plays a critical role in keeping our communities safe and deserves full support.”
A link goes to a blog that hedges slightly in saying “Rumors Claim Morgan Wallen Donated …”
Some fans supported this alleged donation. “Good for him, ice ice baby,” says John Spaeth.
“Good for him! Finally someone famous with his head on straight,” offers Austin Borota. Dozens more were all in on the concept.
Others noted that Wallen was the third celebrity in three days to have allegedly donated the same amount of money to ICE, per a Facebook post that used the same wording. This group of skeptics was in the minority however.
Headline No. 2: Ella Langley Pregnant With Riley Green’s Baby
A Facebook group called Country Music Universe shares that Ella Langley and her partner Riley Green are ecstatic and proud as they prepare for their first baby together. A pair of pictures show them in love and one finds Green with his hands on Langley’s belly as she smiles back at him.
They’re said to have shared the baby’s name and gender. Social media was instantly ignited with love, excitement and endless congratulations from fans of modern country music.
This particular post has no comments or engagement however.
ella langley riley green
Jason Kempin, Getty Images
Headline No. 3: That Time Kid Rock Sang ‘I Like ‘Em Underage’ in a Song on a Kids Movie Soundtrack
“Young ladies, young ladies / I like ’em underage, see / Some say that’s statutory,” Rock sings, before his collaborator, the late Joe C., chimes in with: “But I say it’s mandatory.”
And the Real News Is …
In 2001, Kid Rock recorded a song for a film called Osmosis Jones. Listen to “Cool, Daddy Cool” yourself. The “underage” lyric comes at the bridge, at the 2:10 mark.
The Green / Langley rumor is just the latest AI generated photo that shows them either expecting a baby or (sometimes) with baby. They do have two hit duets together but neither has ever confirmed they dated.
Wallen’s team didn’t respond to Snopes request for comment on the large donation but it’s pretty rare for anyone to consider donating to a taxpayer-funded government agency. Also the reuse of key details and quotes in similar posts is a big red flag.
He’s a generous guy with millions going toward sports or music initiatives in Nashville or his hometown. But, nobody is that generous.
13 Criminally Underrated Country Stars
We talk about ’80s ladies like Dolly and Reba. We’ll go on forever about the ’90s gals like Trisha, Faith, Shania and Martina, but what about Anne and Mary.
Anne Murray and Mary Chapin Carpenter were record setters and they’re just two of the great women found on this list of underrated country stars. Six solo men, five solo women, one duo and one country group are included. Who would you add?
Marc Armengol, who currently serves as the CEO of TSB, will take over from Cesar Gonzalez-Bueno, who is widely credited for his work fending off a hostile takeover bid by larger rival BBVA.
Duke vs. North Carolina requires no special introduction. It’s one of the best rivalries in sports, regardless of who’s playing or coaching in it. It’s a matchup of two of the most storied programs in the sport with plenty of lore behind it.
Simply put, this rivalry has had almost everything over the years. The only thing missing — more so from the North Carolina side — is a prospect matchup that equally matches the hype. Sure, North Carolina has produced plenty of pros this decade, and Duke has also produced dozens of lottery picks since the turn of the century. But the stars haven’t aligned to give basketball fans a matchup between two elite draft prospects on opposite sidelines during the same draft year until now.
The latest chapter of this storied rivalry– and one of the best prospect matchups this rivalry has seen in almost four decades — will be written on Saturday when No. 4 Duke faces No. 14 North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Duke star Cameron Boozer is the current favorite to win National Player of the Year honors. Statistically, he’s having a better season than Cooper Flagg did last year for the Blue Devils. Flagg had one of the best one-and-done seasons in college basketball history and was the clear-cut No. 1-ranked prospect in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Ranking college basketball’s best freshmen: Kansas’ Bryson Tiller earns Freshman of the Week honors
Cameron Salerno
This year will be different. Boozer has been the best player in the sport this season, but the odds are stacked against him to go No. 1 this summer. That’s because Kansas‘ Darryn Peterson and BYU’sAJ Dybantsa will likely go 1-2. Those two players faced off last weekend in Lawrence, Kansas, and although Peterson played 18 of his 21 minutes in the first half, that was all that was needed to show why he’s the best prospect in this class.
On the other side, you have North Carolina star forward Caleb Wilson. Draft pundits have considered this class as a “Big Three” with Boozer, Dybantsa and Peterson, but Wilson has been knocking on the door of that tier since the season started. He plays like a scrappy walk-on despite being a blue-chip recruit. Wilson is a hyper-athletic, jump-out-of-the-gym forward who has a game that can directly translate to the next level.
More than that, though, Wilson represents the best North Carolina draft prospect since Marvin Williams, who was selected No. 2 overall in the 2005 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks and Raymond Felton, who was selected No. 5 overall in the same draft by the Charlotte Bobcats (now known as the Charlotte Hornets). That is the last time North Carolina’s basketball program has seen a player get selected in the top five of the NBA Draft.
The drought for North Carolina producing a lottery pick is going to end this year. The last time the Tar Heels had a player selected in the lottery, you have to go back to 2019, when Coby White (No. 7) and Cameron Johnson (No. 11) were both taken in the first 11 picks.
If Wilson and Boozer are indeed selected top five this summer, it would mark the first time since 1989 that this rivalry has had a prospect matchup with those credentials. That year, North Carolina’s J.R. Reid was selected No. 5 and Duke’s Danny Ferry was taken No. 2 overall.
How North Carolina and Duke stack up in the draft since 2000
Since the turn of the century, Duke has produced 40 first-round selections, while North Carolina has 26. During that span, Duke has seen four players (Flagg, Paolo Banchero, Zion Williamson and Kyrie Irving) get selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. Brad Daugherty (1986) was North Carolina’s last No. 1 overall pick.
Williams and Felton were UNC’s last top-five selections in 2005. That year, North Carolina had four players selected in the lottery: Williams Felton, Sean May and Rashad McCants. Since 2020, North Carolina has seen just three players get selected in the first round: Powell, Day’Ron Sharpe and Cole Anthony.
Here is how North Carolina and Duke stack up in the NBA Draft since 2000.
Where in the first round?
Duke
North Carolina
First round (1-30)
40
26
Lottery (1-14)
25
12
Top five
14
2
No. 1 overall
4
0
Wilson represents a new era for North Carolina basketball. The former No. 8 overall player in the 2025 recruiting cycle by 247Sports has quickly established himself as a top-four prospect in the sport. Although it seems unlikely (as of now) for Wilson to jump any of those three players, he should be taken within the first five picks this summer.
Scouting Boozer and Wilson with an eye to the NBA
(by CBS Sports Director of Basketball Scouting Adam Finkelstein)
The first thing you have to realize when scouting Cameron Boozer is that he is the winningest player in modern high school history.
And that on the college level, he’s been every bit ready to impact winning as we expected.
Boozer won four Florida state championships, a gold medal every time he played for USA Basketball, every Nike EYBL Championship, and then, as a senior, his Columbus High School team in Miami, Fla., won the GEICO Nationals. So Boozer very literally won every competition he ever entered during his high school years. Which is remarkable.
What people may realize is that Wilson and Boozer were actually teammates in the EYBL their last season playing for the Nightrydas Elite. Wilson started the season for a different EYBL team and wasn’t not playing great, and the perception was that his stock was slipping. So he switched teams and came on and joined the team that had the Boozers, and Alex Lloyd, who is at Florda, and Dante Allen, who is at Miami.
Boozer’s physicality and impact on winning
While Boozer, who finished No. 3 in the 247Sports class rankings, didn’t necessarily have the glaring upside as someone like AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson coming out of high school, his ability to impact winning was second to none, and that has carried through to this season at Duke. In fact, I think Boozer has been better than expected in a lot of ways. That has flown under the radar because all three of them (Dybantsa, Peterson, Boozer) have all exceeded expectations as freshmen in college.
The shooting has translated more quickly than we expected. Boozer is someone who can not only make movement threes, but his shooting ability has opened up his attack. I think the other thing is that his physicality, even by college standards, is exceptional. We knew he would be college-ready from a physical standpoint, but even the best frontlines in college (like Florida, which is arguably the best in college basketball) struggle containing him.
Boozer’s physicality — his ability to bump defenders off their spots and throw in multiple fake and ultimately get back to his right hand — has worked from day one. And he poses this significant game plan challenge to opposing defenses because he is such a good passer. Boozer’s individual offense has popped quicker than expected. He stresses and puts defenses in a bind: ‘Okay, he’s good enough to warrant a double team, but if we send a second defender, he’ll pick us apart, so if we send it, when do we send it and where do we send it from?’
The bottom line is that Boozer’s core competency is in his overlap of physicality and a high basketball IQ that is the best in college basketball.
Duke’s Cameron Boozer vs. Virginia Tech on Jan. 31 in Blacksburg, Va.
Ryan Hunt / Getty Images
How will Boozer’s game translate to the NBA?
Boozer is exactly what we thought coming out of high school – he has the highest floor in the class. It’s hard to envision any scenario where he is not successful in the NBA. Now, can he be the offensive focal point of an NBA Championship-caliber team? I don’t know about that – there is a question of whether or not he has the same high upside outcomes that Dybantsa and Peterson have.
But in terms of needing a sure-thing, the vast majority of scouts consider him to be as close to a sure thing as possible.”
Wilson’s surprising offense
With North Carolina, Wilson’s offense has definitely been better than expected. And the consistency with which he has been able to put up high-volume scoring numbers has exceeded what we expected.
Because Wilson, who finished as the No. 8 overall prospect in the 247Sports class rankings, was the secondary offensive threat, next to Boozer for the NightRydas in the EYBL, there was real skepticism about his ability to come he come in and be an offensive focal point from day one as a freshman. Wilson has really answered those concerns in a convincing and consistent way.
Wilson’s half-court offensive game is very mid-range centric. So the question is how much of that is translatable and how much of that indicates future shooting potential beyond the three-point line. I still think that is a big if, but stylistically, for as much as he has exceeded expectations at North Carolina, the way in which he is doing it is going to have to evolve to translate to an NBA game because he is just not going to get that much mid-range volume.
Wilson’s athleticism and activity level will certainly translate. The potential to be versatile defensively could also really translate, but as good as he has been offensively, there have been some defensive processing things that have stood out that he will have to try and fix. Things like court-mapping and understanding how to rotate. The physical tools are all there; the processing ability on defense will be a key.
UNC’s Caleb Wilson vs. Florida State on Dec. 30 in Chapel Hill, N.C.
David Jensen / Getty Images
The Boozer-Wilson matchup in Chapel Hill on Saturday
Boozer is going to be more physical, and Wilson is going to be bouncier and quicker. In many ways, Boozer is also just a smarter overall player, right now. The timeliness and efficiency of Boozer’s decisions are going to be an advantage. He processes the game quicker.
What will decide this matchup is the level to which Wilson can physically battle with Boozer inside, and whether Boozer’s physicality negates some of Caleb’s athleticism.
Additionally, UNC has had its biggest defensive problems this year when its bigs get extended to the perimeter and are put in long, close-out situations. Boozer and Duke center Pat Ngongba can shoot it, which creates a difficult matchup for the entire North Carolina defense.
Conversely, Wilson should try to beat Boozer down the floor. Wilson will certainly try to put it on the floor and attack him off the bounce and challenge him laterally. If they meet at the rim and this turns into a jumping contest, Wilson is going to win. If it turns into a wrestling match, Boozer is going to win.
Boozer is ultra reliable, and there are not many holes in his overlap of physicality, intelligence, durability and skill.
Tale of the Tape
Stat
Caleb Wilson (UNC)
Cameron Boozer (Duke)
Games Played
22
22
Points (PPG)
20
23.3
Rebounds (RPG)
9.8
9.9
Assists (APG)
2.8
4
Blocks (BPG)
1.3
0.5
FG%
58.1%
58.3%
Notable prospects matchups in Duke vs. UNC
This rivalry has featured plenty of future NBA standouts from Duke and North Carolina. Here are a few notable matchups of future draft picks from this rivalry.
Feb. 1, 2025: Duke 87, North Carolina 70. The headliner of this matchup, obviously, was Flagg. It was his first time playing against North Carolina. Flagg finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. On the other side, Drake Powell, who was selected No. 22 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, scored 12 points and provided a spark off the bench. Duke had three players selected in the top 10 last summer (Flagg, Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach)
March 15, 2019: Duke 74, North Carolina 73. Duke’s 2018-19 team featured the top-three-ranked recruits (Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish). North Carolina had three future first-rounders on its roster in Coby White, Cameron Johnson and Nassir Little. In the ACC Tournament semifinals, Williamson recorded a double-double (31 points, 11 rebounds) to send Duke to the conference title game. Johnson scored a team-high 23 points.
Feb. 8, 2012: Duke 85, North Carolina 84. One of the most iconic moments in the rivalry featured future first-round pick Austin Rivers drilling a game-winning 3-pointer on the road against the Tar Heels. Rivers finished with 29 points in that game. UNC’s starting lineup of Kendall Marshall Harrison Barnes, John Henson, Reggie Bullock and Tyler Zeller was all selected in the first round.
March 4, 2006. North Carolina 83, Duke 76. In the final game of the 2005-06 regular season, North Carolina defeated Duke behind 27 points from Tyler Hansbrough. On the other side, Duke star JJ Redick finished with 18 in the loss. That was the final time Redick faced UNC in his college career.
March 6, 2005: North Carolina 75, Duke 73. The last time UNC had a player selected in the top two of the NBA Draft was 2005. In the closing seconds of this banger, Marvin Williams grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a fading putback and-one to give the Tar Heels the lead. Sean May scored a game-high 26 points for UNC. Shelden Williams, who was selected No. 5 overall that summer, dropped 22 points.
One day before the Opening Ceremony at the Winter Olympics in Milan, officials from the World Anti-Doping Agency addressed claims in a German tabloid that male skiers could be injecting their penises with hyaluronic acid to gain an advantage in the Games.
Last month, a report in the German paper Bild suggested that male athletes were injecting the filler into their genitalia ahead of their ski jumping suit fittings, so that 3D scanned measurements used to assess their suit sizes would be slightly larger, thus potentially giving them an advantage in competition.
“I am not aware of the details of ski jumping, and how that could improve performance,” WADA director general Olivier Niggli told journalists in Milan when asked about the claims, BBC Sport reported.
“If anything was to come to the surface, we would look at it and see if it is doping related. We don’t address other [non-doping] means of enhancing performance,” Niggli said.
Witold Banka, WADA’s Polish president, joked in response to the question: “Ski jumping is very popular in Poland, so I promise you, I’m going to look at it,” BBC Sport reported.
In ski jumping, a small difference in suit size can make a significant difference in an athlete’s performance.
“Every extra centimeter on a suit counts,” Sandro Pertile, the men’s race director for the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), said in 2024. “If your suit has a 5% bigger surface area, you fly further.”
WADA Head of Media Relations James Fitzgerald, WADA Vice-President Yang Yang, WADA President Witold Banka, WADA Director General Olivier Niggli and Chair of WADA’s Independent Observer team Thomas Capdevielle speak prior to the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Feb. 5, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
Mike Lawrie / Getty Images
Before the start of each season, ski jumpers are measured for their suits by body scanners, according to BBC Sport. The rules dictate their suits must conform to their body measurements, within 2 to 4 centimeters.
“There has never been any indication, let alone evidence, that any competitor has ever made use of a hyaluronic acid injection to attempt to gain a competitive advantage,” FIS communications director Bruno Sassi told BBC Sport.
There have, however, been previous instances of suit tampering.
In August last year, Norwegian Olympic medallists Johann Andre Forfang and Marius Lindvik accepted three-month suspensions for their roles in tampering with suits using reinforced thread during the 2025 World Ski Championships, BBC Sport reported.
Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother is ‘still out there,’ sheriff says, but no suspects
Right now, We believe Nancy is still out there. We want our home Our, our department, the sheriff’s department, along with all of our partners at the FBI. I’ve been working around the clock. And, and, and we just want her home and get and, and find *** way to get to the bottom of all of this just as you do. But I have other partners out there who have stepped up, and you’ve probably noticed them in the last few days, if not the last few hours, and you’re gonna see more of that. I’ve made *** decision to contact our PCRIT team, and those of you not local, that’s our Pima Regional Critical Incident team. It’s made up of law enforcement officers from this entire valley, uh, Pascua Yaqui Police Department, Tucson Police Department, Miranana Police Department, Orwell Valley Police Department, uh, Pima College Police Department. This is Tucson International Police Department. Sarita police, so many of them, and they are going to help us tremendously, and that’s really done because we, we have so much in front of us still and we’re hoping that, you know, I know the FBI has committed *** very large number of men and women to partner with us, work side by side with us. We go do it. Interview they’re going to be there with us. We’re going to go look at some evidence or process evidence. They’re going to be right there with us. We’re sharing every piece of information, all the data we can to get this thing solved, and it’s important that my partners in law enforcement know and understand their roles because it is very large, complex investigation with *** lot of moving parts and and we’re at that phase now. We sometimes we’re, we’re, we’re, we’re, we’re waiting, right? We’re waiting for analysis, we’re waiting for lab reports, but even then when they come back quickly, for example, some DNA, uh, we rushed what we thought was the best target for DNA. We did *** rush through and, and got some of that back. The the results were minimal. I think you all know the, the, the, um, blood on the porch, that was one we did. It, it, it came back to Nancy. Um, that’s, that’s what we know, but there’s still more items that have been submitted. We just haven’t got them back yet. But in the meantime, we’re not just sitting on our haunches waiting. We do have *** number of leads coming in, and that’s why we brought in the FBI for one, but PRI as well to be able to get out there and and handle these leads as they come in as quickly and as expeditiously as we can, and every single lead is looked at. Every one of them. And so we’re, we’re, we’re gearing up. You probably have some questions about what you’ve seen in the last couple of days. I’ll gladly answer those at that time, uh, but it really is about getting our partners out there, to be fair, when we went to that scene the first night, Saturday night, uh, it was just us. Uh, since then, the FBI and others have asked, can we go and, and see it as well, and that’s what you’ve been seeing. But it is *** very important case to not just me and my team but this entire community, all of our law enforcement partners. Suspects I know there’s been *** lot out there. About suspects and I want to be very clear at this time we have not identified *** suspect or *** person of interest in this case we are working our best to do that but to be clear we have nobody of interest or any suspects that you would consider *** prime suspect. We’re just not there. We’re not there yet. The timeline, I think we’ve got it on the board, do we not? This is *** timeline that we have been able to develop with some of the things that we’ve had processed, uh, various pieces of, of, of electronics that we’ve gathered, um, and, and you, you look at some of this, and I know you’re gonna say, well, why did it take you so long to get this to us, Sheriff? Well, because one thing, it’s gotta go out and be processed at different lab sites, and sometimes that stuff comes back to us and like you we have questions and we say. Wait *** minute. What is this about? What, what about this? Could it be that? And so it’s sent back or it’s sent somewhere else. So, and that’s happening with all of the things we see that process, that review, and that questioning of all right, what is it we’re looking at? So I, I’ll go over it with you. You can see it on the board there, but at about 5:30, 2 p.m. these are approximate times. 5:32 p.m. Nancy travels to the, to her local family’s home for dinner and, and playing games with the family and just visiting. At 9:48 p.m., which is very consistent to what we were told by the family, that Nancy was dropped off at home, and we, we, we know that because we have *** garage door open at approximately, I can’t stress that enough, at approximately 9:48 p.m. At 9:50 p.m. that garage door closes. It is that time we assume that Nancy’s home and probably going to bed. Sunday morning, early morning at 1:47 a.m. Doorbell camera disconnects. At 2:12 a.m. software detects *** person on *** camera, but there’s no video available. They had no subscription and therefore it would rewrite itself, it just kind of loops right and covers up. That’s what our analysis teams have told us. We’re not done with that. We’ll do all we can, but That’s what it says. So that detects *** person on camera. Could that be an animal? I, I, I imagine that’s possible. We don’t know that. We, we just have no video, but we’re not giving up on that. 228. Nancy’s pacemaker app shows that it was *** disconnect from the phone. And at 11:56 a.m. Uh, the family checks on Nancy. Discovers her missing and at 12:03 p.m. 911 is called in to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. I believe it’s about approximately 10 minutes later, 12 minutes later, our patrol teams arrive. They see the scene and we start our response with our search and rescue teams and our detectives from homicide and various units. In fact, Every unit here, I think somebody questioned how come there’s an ICAC member out here or this member. Every, everybody in our criminal investigations team is *** part of this team and part of this investigative effort. Um, I think with that, Let me make sure. I want to clarify some things that I may have already done, but yeah, I’ve gone over with the blood at the front door, the doorbell camera, um, it, it, it was removed, we know that, but we’re not confirming that any cameras were smashed or destroyed around the house. I don’t know where that came from, but that’s something we’re not confirming. The car. Uh, the, the, the car that was at the home, uh, it’s just standard investigative practices. It’s part of the search warrant scene, court orders. We, we pull it out of there and do our scene processing with the vehicle. Uber. We did speak to *** driver because Nancy, we learned had been taken uh the Uber to the family residence, um, uh, the, the, the daughter for dinner and we located that driver and spoke with them and, and got that information. Uh, the Uh, you guys got this, I think, you’re conducting follow up, um, Uh, you, I think you said somebody had mentioned that they saw *** team out there again last night or yesterday and it was, that’s just again what I was talking about before. Our partners wanted *** chance to see it and, and, and examine things themselves, and more importantly, it, it’s just we, we’re constantly following up on things and go, hey, what about this, so we wanna go back and check on some things. I Oh, here’s the other thing. Someone had mentioned there was forced entry. I have no clue where that comes from. We have been very consistent. We are not discussing that at all, um, whether it’s forced entry and not forced entry. That is something we’re just not discussing, so I don’t know where anybody got that information. I think I am about done with my piece of this. I’m going to introduce, bring up here, uh, Kei Yanke, and, and I think you know. John Edwards is the assistant agent in charge with the FBI here at the Tucson office. Keith Yanke is the uh uh special agent in charge for the state of Arizona out of Phoenix, and he will come up and speak. Thank you, Sheriff. Hello, I’m Heath Yanke, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Phoenix division. First, I want to let the Guthrie family know that our hearts are heavy for them. After seeing your message last night, it is clear that you and your family are in pain. Please know that we are doing everything to bring your mother home. The FBI is now working this case jointly with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. And we’re going to start today by announcing *** $50,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of Nancy Guthrie and or the arrest. and conviction. Of anyone involved in her disappearance, and this will be the missing persons with the reward that will be going out. The FBI has agents, analysts, and professional staff employees working day and night with our partners at the sheriff’s department. We have deployed additional intelligence and agents from our Phoenix office. We have brought in our critical incident response group from Quantico, Virginia. Members from our cellular analysis survey team are here and they continue to collect and process digital information. We are actively reviewing and analyzing information from all digital sources, which includes banks, social media companies, phone companies, and any other organizations where *** digital footprint could have been captured. All this information provides data points and helps put the picture together. And we will be in the community continuing to conduct *** thorough investigation with our partners. You heard about us out there last night. We will be back out there today. I would ask the media, give our investigators the space to do their jobs while they’re out there. Next, regarding the ransom letter. We are aware of *** ransom letter that was sent to the local media and then to national outlets. As with every lead. We are taking it seriously. We are in communication with the family. And while we advise and recommend from *** law enforcement perspective, any action taken on any ransom is ultimately decided by the family. Thank you to those in the community that have called in tips. For anyone out there that may have information, no matter how small you think it may be, please report it. You can do so by calling 1-800-CAL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov. My next message is to those impostors who are trying to take advantage and profit from this situation. We will investigate and ensure you are held accountable for your actions. We have made one arrest related to an imposter ransom demand, and the complaint will be presented to *** magistrate judge later today. You will get more on that from the FBI and our US Attorney’s Office here in Arizona when it becomes available. To anyone that may be involved. Do the right thing. This is an 80 four-year-old grandma. This is an 84 year old grandma that needs vital medication for her well-being. You still have the time to do the right thing before this becomes *** worse, much worse scenario for you. Please return Nancy home. Thank you.
Investigators believe the missing mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie is “still out there,” but they have not identified any suspects, a sheriff in Arizona said Thursday. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos also said DNA tests showed blood found on Nancy Guthrie’s porch came back a match to her.“Right now, we believe Nancy is still out there. We want her home,” Nanos said at a news conference five days after she was reported missing.There was no public sign early Thursday of a response to NBC “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s message to her 84-year-old mother’s kidnapper.Guthrie said her family is ready to talk but wants proof that Nancy Guthrie, who authorities believe was taken from her home in Arizona against her will, is still alive. Guthrie said in a heart-wrenching video posted on social media Wednesday that her family has heard media reports about a ransom letter.“We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated,” Savannah Guthrie said while reading from a prepared statement. “We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please reach out to us.”The FBI on Thursday offered a $50,000 reward for information on the case.Nancy Guthrie approximate timelineJan. 315:32 p.m. local time: Nancy travels to local family’s home9:48 p.m.: Family drops Nancy off at home and garage door opens9:50 p.m.: Garage door closesFeb. 11:47 a.m.: Doorbell camera disconnects2:12 a.m.: Software detects person on camera (Authorities say no video is currently available because there was no subscription)2:28 a.m.: Pacemaker app shows disconnect from phone11:56 a.m.: Family checks on Nancy12:03 p.m.: 911 call made to Pima County Sheriff’s Department12:15 p.m.: Patrol arrivesThe search for Nancy GuthrieShe was last seen Saturday night when she was dropped off at her Tucson home by family after having dinner with them, the sheriff’s department said. She was reported missing about 14 hours later on Sunday after she didn’t show up at a church.Guthrie has limited mobility, and officials don’t believe she left on her own. A sheriff’s dispatcher said during the search Sunday that Guthrie has high blood pressure, a pacemaker and heart issues, according to audio from broadcastify.com.The neighborhood’s desert terrain can make looking for people difficult, said Jim Mason, longtime commander of a search-and-rescue team in Maricopa County that isn’t involved in the search. He said it can be hard to see into areas dense with mesquite trees, cholla cactus and desert brush.“Some of it is so thick you can’t drive through it,” Mason said.Purported ransom notesAt least three media organizations have reported receiving purported ransom notes that they handed over to investigators. The sheriff’s department has said it was taking the notes and other tips seriously but declined to comment further.Video above: Savannah Guthrie posts video statement asking for proof mom is aliveA note emailed Monday to the KOLD-TV newsroom in Tucson included information that only the abductor would know, anchor Mary Coleman told CNN. It also included a dollar amount and a deadline, she said.“When we saw some of those details, it was clear after a couple of sentences that this might not be a hoax,” she said in an interview aired Wednesday.The family posted their plea after police searched in and around Nancy Guthrie’s home for several hours Wednesday.Investigators returned for the follow-up investigation after being at the home earlier in the week for a couple of days, said Kevin Adger, a spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. He said the sheriff’s department was not commenting on the family’s video message.The Guthrie siblings’ message to their motherSavannah Guthrie was emotional during the recording, with her voice cracking. She addressed her mother directly, saying the family was praying for her and that people were looking for her.“Mommy, if you are hearing this, you are a strong woman. You are God’s precious daughter,” she said.Savannah Guthrie described her mother as a “kind, faithful, loyal, fiercely loving woman of goodness and light” and said she was funny, spunky and clever.“Talk to her and you’ll see,” she said.Guthrie was flanked by her sister Annie and her brother Camron.“Mamma, If you’re listening, we need you to come home. We miss you,” Annie Guthrie said.Nation prays for Nancy GuthriePresident Donald Trump posted on social media that he was directing federal authorities to help where they can, after the White House said he spoke with Savannah Guthrie on Wednesday.A couple hundred people prayed and placed lit candles on an altar during a vigil at a Tucson church.Jeremy Thacker had tears in his eyes as he described the heartbreak and helplessness. He worked with Savannah Guthrie at an Arizona news station. They shared losing their fathers at a young age, and his own sister was kidnapped when he was young.Thacker said he knew Nancy Guthrie to be sharp, grounded and earnest.“We’re all holding our breath,” Thacker said.
TUCSON, Ariz. —
Investigators believe the missing mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie is “still out there,” but they have not identified any suspects, a sheriff in Arizona said Thursday.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos also said DNA tests showed blood found on Nancy Guthrie’s porch came back a match to her.
“Right now, we believe Nancy is still out there. We want her home,” Nanos said at a news conference five days after she was reported missing.
There was no public sign early Thursday of a response to NBC “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s message to her 84-year-old mother’s kidnapper.
Guthrie said her family is ready to talk but wants proof that Nancy Guthrie, who authorities believe was taken from her home in Arizona against her will, is still alive. Guthrie said in a heart-wrenching video posted on social media Wednesday that her family has heard media reports about a ransom letter.
“We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated,” Savannah Guthrie said while reading from a prepared statement. “We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please reach out to us.”
The FBI on Thursday offered a $50,000 reward for information on the case.
Nancy Guthrie approximate timeline
Jan. 31
5:32 p.m. local time: Nancy travels to local family’s home
9:48 p.m.: Family drops Nancy off at home and garage door opens
9:50 p.m.: Garage door closes
Feb. 1
1:47 a.m.: Doorbell camera disconnects
2:12 a.m.: Software detects person on camera (Authorities say no video is currently available because there was no subscription)
2:28 a.m.: Pacemaker app shows disconnect from phone
11:56 a.m.: Family checks on Nancy
12:03 p.m.: 911 call made to Pima County Sheriff’s Department
12:15 p.m.: Patrol arrives
The search for Nancy Guthrie
She was last seen Saturday night when she was dropped off at her Tucson home by family after having dinner with them, the sheriff’s department said. She was reported missing about 14 hours later on Sunday after she didn’t show up at a church.
Guthrie has limited mobility, and officials don’t believe she left on her own. A sheriff’s dispatcher said during the search Sunday that Guthrie has high blood pressure, a pacemaker and heart issues, according to audio from broadcastify.com.
The neighborhood’s desert terrain can make looking for people difficult, said Jim Mason, longtime commander of a search-and-rescue team in Maricopa County that isn’t involved in the search. He said it can be hard to see into areas dense with mesquite trees, cholla cactus and desert brush.
“Some of it is so thick you can’t drive through it,” Mason said.
Purported ransom notes
At least three media organizations have reported receiving purported ransom notes that they handed over to investigators. The sheriff’s department has said it was taking the notes and other tips seriously but declined to comment further.
Video above: Savannah Guthrie posts video statement asking for proof mom is alive
A note emailed Monday to the KOLD-TV newsroom in Tucson included information that only the abductor would know, anchor Mary Coleman told CNN. It also included a dollar amount and a deadline, she said.
“When we saw some of those details, it was clear after a couple of sentences that this might not be a hoax,” she said in an interview aired Wednesday.
The family posted their plea after police searched in and around Nancy Guthrie’s home for several hours Wednesday.
Investigators returned for the follow-up investigation after being at the home earlier in the week for a couple of days, said Kevin Adger, a spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. He said the sheriff’s department was not commenting on the family’s video message.
The Guthrie siblings’ message to their mother
Savannah Guthrie was emotional during the recording, with her voice cracking. She addressed her mother directly, saying the family was praying for her and that people were looking for her.
“Mommy, if you are hearing this, you are a strong woman. You are God’s precious daughter,” she said.
Savannah Guthrie described her mother as a “kind, faithful, loyal, fiercely loving woman of goodness and light” and said she was funny, spunky and clever.
“Talk to her and you’ll see,” she said.
Guthrie was flanked by her sister Annie and her brother Camron.
“Mamma, If you’re listening, we need you to come home. We miss you,” Annie Guthrie said.
Nation prays for Nancy Guthrie
President Donald Trump posted on social media that he was directing federal authorities to help where they can, after the White House said he spoke with Savannah Guthrie on Wednesday.
A couple hundred people prayed and placed lit candles on an altar during a vigil at a Tucson church.
Jeremy Thacker had tears in his eyes as he described the heartbreak and helplessness. He worked with Savannah Guthrie at an Arizona news station. They shared losing their fathers at a young age, and his own sister was kidnapped when he was young.
Thacker said he knew Nancy Guthrie to be sharp, grounded and earnest.
Queen guitarist Brian May has revealed that the band has no plans to tour the United States again in the foreseeable future, citing concerns that the country has become too “dangerous.”
Queen wrapped up their most recent U.S. tour in 2023, but in a new interview with the Daily Mail, May explained why a return is currently off the table.
“America is a dangerous place at the moment, so you have to take that into account,” May said. “It’s very sad because I feel like Queen grew up in America and we love it, but it’s not what it was.”
Queen have a deep history with the United States, having performed hundreds of shows across the country throughout the mid-to-late 1970s and early 1980s. More recently, the band toured extensively in North America with Adam Lambert, who joined as lead vocalist in 2014.
Despite that long-standing relationship, May says the current climate has made touring the U.S. a more complicated decision. “Everyone is thinking twice about going there at the moment,” he added.
May‘s remarks come amid heightened political and social tensions in the United States, including widespread protests against ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) following the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti during encounters with ICE agents.
In recent weeks, numerous musicians have publicly criticized ICE and President Donald Trump, including Green Day, Neil Young, Moby, Duran Duran, Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter, and Bruce Springsteen, who recently released the protest song “Streets of Minneapolis.”
Elsewhere in the interview, May reflected more broadly on the state of the world, expressing concern over increasing division and cruelty. “I feel despondent about the world of humans,” he said. “It keeps me awake at night. The cruelty, the ignorance, the lies, the rewriting of history. I think an understanding and love of art and music make it impossible to be the kind of person who wants to go out and be cruel to others.
“There’s so much suffering in the world, why would we want to add to it? We’ve lost the ability to discuss things and respect other people’s point of view. We have a horrendous polarization. If people spent more time looking at the stars and making music, none of this would be possible.”
Want More Metal? Subscribe To Our Daily Newsletter
Enter your information below to get a daily update with all of our headlines and receive The Orchard Metal newsletter.
The furniture chain, is betting its low-price model can carry it through economic uncertainty and fuel its next phase of growth, following a volatile period for the home-furnishings industry marked by a sluggish housing market and tariffs.
