Russian attacks on Ukraine killed one person and wounded 18 overnight, as negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States were set to met in Abu Dhabi for a second day of talks aimed at ending Moscow’s nearly four-year invasion
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian attacks on Ukraine killed at least one person and wounded 18 overnight into Saturday, as negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States were set to meet in Abu Dhabi for a second day of talks to end Russia’s nearly four-year full-scale invasion.
One person was killed and four wounded in Russian drone attacks on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, according to Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko.
In Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, drone attacks wounded 14 people, the State Emergency Service said Saturday.
The attacks came as envoys were expected to meet in the United Arab Emirates for a second day of talks on Saturday. The talks are the first known instance that officials from the Trump administration have sat down with both countries as part of Washington’s push for progress to end Moscow’s nearly 4-year-old invasion.
The UAE’s foreign ministry said the talks are part of efforts “to promote dialogue and identify political solutions to the crisis.” The White House described Friday’s first day as productive.
There has been a flurry of diplomatic activity in recent days, from Switzerland to the Kremlin, even though serious obstacles remain between both sides.
While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday that a potential peace deal was “nearly ready,” certain sensitive sticking points — most notably those related to territorial issues — remain unresolved.
Just hours before the three-way talks began, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed a Ukraine settlement with U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner during marathon overnight talks. The Kremlin insists that to reach a peace deal, Kyiv must withdraw its troops from the areas in the east that Russia illegally annexed but has not fully captured.
Nearly two months ago, Conner Smith said that he was getting closer to releasing new music — but that he was being very careful to let God lead the way.
“There’s been so many people asking me, ‘Man, when are you gonna get back and post on socials? Put out music again?’ …And it’s, like, ‘When God tells me to,'” he said at that time.
He’s been mostly quiet since last June, when he was involved in a fatal car accident that left a woman dead.
Smith released a new song called “Ain’t Got Enough Faith” last November, wiped his social media and shared 10 unreleased songs on YouTube. But he’s been spending the bulk of his time in self-reflection, and hasn’t been touring or promoting music the way he did before the accident.
Conner Smith Releases New Song, ‘Man I Was Made to Be’
Now, Smith is stepping back out into the spotlight with a song that reflects all the growing, learning and praying he’s been doing over the better part of the past year.
“Man I Was Made to Be” is an emotional letter to his wife, a woman who he says has always seen him in his best light, despite his flaws.
“I’m hard to love but I love how you see / Not the man I am but the man that I was made to be,” he sings in the chorus.
Smith’s wife is Leah Thompson, a former professional surfer who is also the founder of a swim and resort wear line called Legacy the Label. The couple married in September 2024 after getting engaged the year prior.
In his new song, Smith reflects on how much he’s learned over the two-and-a-half-year span since he first asked his wife to marry him, and vows to try and love her with as much selflessness and dedication as Jesus’ love for the world.
The lyrics don’t specifically touch on the fatal accident that altered the course of Smith’s life, but it’s clear they arose from a time of growing, learning and important self-work. Through everything he’s been through, his wife has been at his side, and those hard times have only made their bond stronger.
What Happened During Conner Smith’s Fatal Accident?
In June 2025, Smith was behind the wheel of a truck that hit and killed a 77-year-old Nashville woman.
The victim, Dorothy Dobbins, was transported to Vanderbilt Medical Center but died of her injuries.
The accident took place at 3rd Ave. North near Van Buren St., at the north end of Nashville, away from the then-ongoing CMA Fest activities.
According to police, Dobbins was within a crosswalk when she was fatally struck at about 7:30PM. Smith was not impaired in any way at the time of the accident.
The singer was issued a misdemeanor citation for failure to yield resulting in a fatality. The citation was classified as a traffic violation, not a criminal offense, indicating that there was no intent to cause harm.
Here Are the Lyrics to Conner Smith’s New Song, “Man I Was Made to Be”:
My tendencies are selfish / My fallback is pride / I think about my own ambitions about 90 percent of the time / When I gave you a diamond I thought all I was changing was your name / But the further down the road we go / I realized it changed everything
Chorus:
But that’s why Jesus says we’re his bride / ‘Cause he loved us enough to lay down his whole life / And baby I know it’ll take some time / But that’s what I wanna do for you / ‘Cause you’re an angel sent from the sky / And I know I got a long way to go ’til I am / Hard to love but I love how you see / Not the man I am but the man that I was made to be
‘Cause your tendencies are goodness / Keep forgiveness in your eyes / And over and over I’m amazing by the heart I get to call mine / I meant it when I said forever and I got lucky that you said it to me / So no matter where it goes through the highs and the lows / Yours is who I choose to be
Repeat Chorus
One day when I reach Heaven / And I meet him face to face / He’ll tell me all my sins are forgiven by the blood, by the cross I’ll be in those gates / I can’t wait to see your smile when you finally get to see / Yeah, that same man / That you always saw in me
Repeat Chorus
Country Stars Who Suffered Unthinkable Tragedy
Not all country stars came by their storytelling ability naturally. Sadly, many singers have encountered great tragedies in their lives, or have overcome sharp odds to get where they are today. Many have battled unbearable, unimaginable pain.
Shares in Paris fell more than 30% as investors digested plans including the discontinuation and postponement of several games, studio closures and financial-target cuts.
There is only one team in Division I men’s basketball that ranks in the top five in both adjusted offensive efficiency and adjusted defensive efficiency, according to BartTorvik.com. It’s Michigan. And the Wolverines will return to the court Friday to try to improve on those numbers, and extend their winning streak to four, when they host Ohio State in a game scheduled to tip a little after 8 p.m. ET.
OSU forward Colin White provided the best pregame quote.
“We hate Michigan, so we’re coming out for blood,” he said following the Buckeyes’ 82-74 win over Minnesota earlier this week. “We’re going up there to win — and we’re going to have fun doing it.”
Perhaps. Crazier things have certainly happened. But, for whatever it’s worth, Michigan is listed as a 15.5-point favorite, meaning the odds are stacked heavily against Ohio State.
The Wolverines, now 17-1, are well-rounded and capable of beating opponents in a variety of ways — but the strength is in the frontcourt. Their top three scorers are frontcourt-starters — specifically Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson and Aday Mara. Two of them are shooting above 67% from the field. All three are shooting above 51%. They are the biggest reasons Michigan leads the nation in offensive 2-point field goal percentage (63.8) and defensive 2-point field goal percentage (40.7).
Michigan is No. 5 in Friday’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Arizona remains No. 1 for the 13th consecutive day. After the Wolverines play Ohio State, they will turn their attention to hosting Nebraska on Tuesday inside the Crisler Center. Nebraska is 19-0 and ranked second in the Top 25 And 1.
Florida’s Todd Golden sounds off on Charles Bediako’s potential return to Alabama: ‘We’ll beat them anyway’
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Four people learned their punishment for a robbery that escalated into kidnapping and murder. In 2020, police responded to a neighborhood near the corner of 8th Street and Menaul Blvd., where Antonio Jaramillo was found tied up in his home and killed with a shot to the head. Officers used nearby surveillance video […]
A lot of metal has some classical influences sewn in. I can hear it in a typical Alkaloid song, so this record of Bach interpretations and Bach-inspired songs isn’t that surprising. What is sort of surprising is that the live album included some new songs not recorded anywhere else. Not how one would typically premiere new music these days, but are Alkaloid a typical band? Nah.
Melissa Bonny – Cherry Red Apocalypse
Genre: Hard rock/heavy metal Origin: Montreux, Vaud, Switzerland Label: Rebellion Republic
Ad Infinitum‘s vocalist is setting out on her own here. A few songs are pure pop while some still have a foot in her band’s symphonic metal/rock vibe. This is a pretty successful exploration of more of Bonny’s artistry.
Megadeth – Megadeth
Genre: Thrash Origin: Los Angeles, California Label: Tradecraft
We all know what we have here. This is album number seventeen from Dave and the boys, and it’s being called their last – though I expect at least one live record from this multi-year end of the line tour. Their farewell record keeps the recent sound of since Endgame or so. The highlight, of course, is Dave’s version of “Ride The Lightning.”
New Miserable Experience – Gild The Lily
Genre: Synth rock Origin: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Label: Pelagic
New Miserable Experience is what happens when a bunch of metal dudes team up and make a Depeche Mode album. The folks from Rivers of Nihil, Revocation and Rosetta and more pull it off too. It probably won’t make you want to mosh, but it’s hard to be mad at.
Pelican – Ascending
Genre: Post-metal/doom Origin: Chicago, Illinois Label: Run For Cover
Less than a year after last year’s Flickering Resonance, Pelican have returned with this expanded single of sorts.There’s the titular new/leftover song, two songs were stand alone songs a couple years ago, one a version of “Cascading Crescent” now with vocals from Geoff from Thursday. A pretty cool one for the completists.
Poppy – Empty Hands
Genre: Metalcore/pop metal Origin: Boston, Massachusetts Label: Sumerian
I really liked Negative Spaces from 2024, and what I’ve heard of this record sounds like more of what worked there. Heavy grooves, hella catchy choruses, fun production. I’m here for it.
Textures – Genotype
Genre: Progressive metalcore/djent Origin: Tilburg, North Brabant, Netherlands Label: Kscope
Wrapping this week with some high tech sounding prog on the return of Textures. If you were a fan of Phenotype, then you’ll dig this counterpart as that whole crew is back for more soaring djenty goodness. There is also a cameo from Charlotte Wessels (ex-Delain) on the track below. This felt like an unexpected combo, but she kills it as always.
Also dropping this week…
Asaru – V.O.I.D. (Schwarzdorn Production) – Black metal
Jeff Borzello is a basketball recruiting insider. He has joined ESPN in 2014.
Jan 23, 2026, 09:00 AM ET
There are 50 days until the NCAA tournament bracket is set on Selection Sunday.
We’ve learned a lot in the 80-plus days since the 2025-26 college basketball season tipped off, especially as conference play has hit high gear. Freshmen are dominating. Scoring is at a historically high pace. Nebraska and Miami (Ohio) are among the final three unbeatens. And that’s just scratching the surface.
Whether you’re just tuning in or enjoy the bird’s-eye view, ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf quickly break down the eight biggest storylines shaping the season so far below.
The biggest surprises so far
Indiana, the losingest program in college football history entering the 2025 season, just won the national championship. A miraculous run could be brewing in college basketball, too.
Undefeated Nebraska has orchestrated one of the top turnarounds in recent history. Miami (Ohio) hasn’t lost, either. Clemson is off to a surprising start in ACC play (6-0). And in his first season, Kevin Willard has made Villanova a top-tier offensive and defensive team in the Big East.
Vanderbilt is in this conversation, too. Before the Commodores’ current three-game losing streak, they had won 16 games in a row. Tyler Tanner (17.1 PPG, 39% from 3) is a projected first-round NBA draft pick in ESPN’s latest mock. And like Vanderbilt, which was picked 11th in the preseason SEC poll, neither Georgia (14th) nor Virginia (fifth) was picked to finish in the top tier of its respective preseason conference poll — yet both have emerged as early contenders for league titles as a result of surprising starts. — Myron Medcalf
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0:29
Miami (OH) stays perfect after Luke Skaljac forces OT with acrobatic layup
Luke Skaljac hits an off-balance layup in the closing seconds as Miami (OH) forces overtime and ultimately beats Kent State.
The biggest disappointments so far
A number of teams and players have unexpectedly disappointed.
Donovan Dent was one of the top available transfers in the portal after winning Mountain West Player of the Year last season. Yet he has struggled at UCLA, shooting just 17% from 3 for the bubble team.
Kentucky is on a winning streak right now, but the Wildcats don’t look like the national contenders they were supposed to be after reportedly spending $20 million on their current roster. The same goes for Oregon, which already had a disappointing roster before recent injuries continued to derail its season.
In the Big 12, Baylor boasts two projected lottery picks, and yet the Bears still managed to kick off league play with a 1-5 record. Tennessee can’t seem to find its footing, either, despite having five-star freshman and projected lottery pick Nate Ament in the fold. A top-three defensive team in SEC play for the past five years, the Vols are currently ranked eighth.
A chunk of the Big East — see: Marquette, Providence and Georgetown, especially — is struggling to meet preseason expectations, too.
All of that said, Memphis might be at the top of this list: The Tigers are just 9-9 on the season, following the best season of Penny Hardaway’s tenure in 2024-25 (29-6). — Medcalf
Scoring is on the rise
A confluence of factors — NBA prospects returning to school, a historically strong freshman class, top Europeans coming to college — has led to an enormous amount of talent in the sport and some of the most explosive offense in decades. Entering last weekend, Division I teams were averaging 77.2 points per game this season; that would be the highest number for a single season since 1971-72, when teams put up 77.7 points per game.
On a similar note, teams entered last weekend shooting 45.4% from the field. That would be the highest collective field goal percentage since teams shot 45.7% in 1991-92.
Only one team finished last season averaging better than 90 points per game (Alabama at 90.7 PPG). There are 15 teams right now hitting that threshold.
From an efficiency standpoint, there’s been an upward swing, too. There are 11 teams currently with an adjusted offensive rating of 125.0 or better at KenPom, compared with just five last season. — Jeff Borzello
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2:24
Highlight: No. 20 Arkansas’ offense shines at home in win over No. 15 Vandy
Six Razorbacks reach double-digits as they shoot 57.8% and 40.9% from three to knock off the Commodores, 93-68.
Star players managing injuries
When he’s on the floor, Kansas star freshman Darryn Peterson is among the elite players in college basketball. The potential No. 1 NBA draft pick would rank in the top 10 in the country in scoring, averaging 22.2 points per game — if he had played enough games to qualify, that is. Peterson entered the week with just nine games under his belt, having missed seven with a hamstring injury in November and December, and another two right before Christmas after apparently reaggravating the injury. He has played all six games in January, although not with a full allotment of minutes. And now he is contending with a sprained ankle, putting his status for the immediate future in doubt.
Peterson isn’t the only projected lottery pick to have missed time with injuries and also have a vague timeline for return. Louisville‘s Mikel Brown Jr. hasn’t played since the Cardinals’ Dec. 13 game against Memphis, missing the past nine matchups with a lower back injury. Head coach Pat Kelsey admitted last week that, although he expects Brown to return at some point this season, he doesn’t know when that will be.
Meanwhile, Kentucky’s Jayden Quaintance missed the first 11 games of the season while recovering from a torn ACL he suffered last February. He returned on Dec. 20 and was outstanding against St. John’s before scoring just 10 points over his next three contests and then being ruled out for Kentucky’s past three games. — Borzello
More former pros in college ranks
Has anyone checked on Tom Izzo? He and other power brokers in the game sounded the alarm in October after two G League players (Thierry Darlan and London Johnson) were cleared to play college basketball, a first-of-its-kind move by the NCAA. Then, James Nnaji — the 31st pick in the 2023 NBA draft who played only in summer league and EuroLeague games but never an official NBA contest — was cleared to compete for Baylor in late December. He had never played college basketball, so his case rivaled that of the former international pros who have been allowed to play Division I basketball with the exception of his draft status.
On Wednesday, an Alabama judge gave former Crimson Tide standout Charles Bediako — who had signed a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs after going undrafted in 2023 — a temporary restraining order allowing him to return to play college basketball for the following 10 days. Prior to Bediako’s case, no player who had actually played in the college and professional ranks had been given an opportunity to return to college. His Tuesday hearing for a preliminary injunction to play the rest of the season, if successful, could open the floodgates for other young two-way and NBA players to make their case for NCAA eligibility. — Medcalf
The strongest freshman class in recent memory
The recruiting class of 2025 had been circled by college coaches and NBA scouts for multiple years — and these freshmen have collectively exceeded all expectations.
Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Duke’s Cameron Boozer entered the 2025-26 season as the three big names in the class; they’ve become three of the best players in college basketball, with Boozer and Dybantsa running 1 and 2 in most National Player of the Year discussions. But it’s about more than just those three.
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2:25
Cam Boozer leads Duke to a comeback win vs. Louisville
Cam Boozer drops 27 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in Duke’s comeback win over Louisville.
That doesn’t even include UConn’s Braylon Mullins or Arizona’s Brayden Burries, who are starting for the top two teams in the country. Or breakout stars Keaton Wagler of Illinois and Ebuka Okorie of Stanford. Nor does it include the former European pros who are classified as freshmen, such as Virginia’s Thijs De Ridder and Washington’s Hannes Steinbach. — Borzello
Strength of high-major conferences
The 2025-26 season is anchored by a deep field of contenders in the nation’s top leagues. The Big Ten has 10 teams ranked in the top 40 on KenPom, including top-15 Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, Nebraska and Illinois.
The ACC has also demanded respect in a bounce-back season. Duke is Duke, of course. And North Carolina, Clemson and Virginia have added to the depth of the league with strong overall starts.
Having said that, the SEC remains KenPom’s top-ranked conference a year after its record 14 NCAA tournament bids. It might not match that number again, but reigning national champion Florida is shaping up to defend its title. Alabama’s defense is still phenomenal. Kentucky is improving. John Calipari might have the best point guard in the country at Arkansas. And Vanderbilt already has six top-50 KenPom wins. — Medcalf
Big lineups are dominating
It wasn’t long ago that three-guard lineups were the preferred setup for high-level teams — think Villanova’s perimeter-oriented championship teams in 2015 and 2017, or Baylor’s 2021 title team that started four players 6-foot-5 or shorter. According to KenPom’s average height metric, only four NCAA tournament teams were in the top 20 in height in 2021.
This season, the top three teams in average height are ranked in the AP poll. Six other top-25 teams aren’t far behind.
Just look at the top four teams in this week’s AP poll. Arizona’s eight-man rotation features six players 6-6 or taller. UConn doesn’t start anyone shorter than 6-4. Michigan starts three players 6-9 or taller. Duke is No. 2 in average height and doesn’t have a single player in its nine-man rotation shorter than 6-4.
The NBA has valued positional size more and more, and unsurprisingly, college basketball is following suit. — Borzello
Albuquerque is preparing for this weekend’s strong winter storm with city departments on standby, offering shelter and safety resources for residents and pets.Fire Rescue is reminding residents to use space heaters safely and take extra care with home heating.”The city is fully prepared for whatever weather we’re going to be experiencing,” said Rebecca Atkins with the city of Albuquerque. For those trying to escape the cold, Albuquerque Community Safety is offering free rides to shelters. The contact number for this service is 505-651-5515. The city is confident in its capacity to provide shelter, with 713 beds available, plus 80 overflow and 25 first-responder drop-off beds. For those needing assistance but unsure where to call, 311 is recommended.”311 is a really helpful resource for folks, especially if they’re elderly and they’re just not sure what to do. Our team at 311 can help them and steer them in the right direction and hopefully help encourage them to go to a warming center if they really are needing to get out of the cold,” Atkins said. Animal Welfare is urging people to bring pets inside and is offering free straw for dog houses while supplies last. As crews prepare to plow and clear debris, public transit riders should check the city website for route changes.”Please don’t go out on the roadways if you really don’t have to, just until all of this clears up. That would be super appreciated for all of our folks working this weekend,” Atkins said.
Albuquerque is preparing for this weekend’s strong winter storm with city departments on standby, offering shelter and safety resources for residents and pets.
Fire Rescue is reminding residents to use space heaters safely and take extra care with home heating.
“The city is fully prepared for whatever weather we’re going to be experiencing,” said Rebecca Atkins with the city of Albuquerque.
For those trying to escape the cold, Albuquerque Community Safety is offering free rides to shelters. The contact number for this service is 505-651-5515.
The city is confident in its capacity to provide shelter, with 713 beds available, plus 80 overflow and 25 first-responder drop-off beds.
For those needing assistance but unsure where to call, 311 is recommended.
“311 is a really helpful resource for folks, especially if they’re elderly and they’re just not sure what to do. Our team at 311 can help them and steer them in the right direction and hopefully help encourage them to go to a warming center if they really are needing to get out of the cold,” Atkins said.
Animal Welfare is urging people to bring pets inside and is offering free straw for dog houses while supplies last. As crews prepare to plow and clear debris, public transit riders should check the city website for route changes.
“Please don’t go out on the roadways if you really don’t have to, just until all of this clears up. That would be super appreciated for all of our folks working this weekend,” Atkins said.
