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Seattle Medium
about 2 hours
Supreme Court Rules Against Rastafarian Who Sued Prison Officials For Cutting His Dreadlocks
The Supreme Court has ruled that a devout Rastafarian, Damon Landor, cannot proceed with his lawsuit against prison officials who cut his dreadlocks. This 6-3 decision, authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch, is expected to make it more challenging for individuals of other faiths to enforce federal religious protections within the prison system, drawing criticism from Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson for weakening these safeguards.
Seattle Medium
about 2 hours
Exxon Can Sue Cuba Over Property Confiscated In 1960, Supreme Court Rules
The Supreme Court has permitted Exxon Mobil to sue state-owned oil companies in Cuba over property confiscated nearly seven decades ago after Fidel Castro's regime seized power, a decision backed by the Trump administration amidst its aggressive stance toward Havana.
Seattle Medium
about 3 hours
Federal Judge Blocks State Bans On Buying Soda And Candy With Food Stamps
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson has blocked the Trump administration's efforts to permit five states to ban the purchase of sugary drinks and candy using food stamps. The ruling asserts that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) lacked the legal authority to approve state waivers for pilot projects aimed at restricting food purchases within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), marking a significant setback for the administration's 'Make America Healthy Again' initiative.
Seattle Medium
about 3 hours
Obama Still Lives Rent-Free In Trump’s Head
President Donald Trump recently defended a provisional agreement to end the Iran conflict, an accord critics have characterized as hastily assembled and less comprehensive than previous diplomatic efforts. This development coincided with former President Barack Obama's inauguration of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, a project years in the making designed as a civic space and community hub. The contrasting events underscore the divergent approaches of the two leaders and their distinct visions for their legacies.
Seattle Medium
about 3 hours
AI Could Breach Government And Business Defenses In Months, U.S. And Its Intelligence Partners Warn
The Five Eyes intelligence alliance, comprising the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, has issued a stark warning that advanced AI models capable of orchestrating significant cyberattacks are anticipated to emerge within months, not years, prompting an urgent call for governments and corporate leaders to bolster their cyber defenses immediately.
Seattle Medium
about 3 hours
Teenagers And Young Adults Need To Stay Informed
The United States is reportedly facing a period of decline, a sentiment reinforced by the Trump-Vance administration's policies. These policies, which include efforts to diminish Black history and impede Black progress, are seen as contributing to the nation's moral decline.
Davy Jones Locker Room
about 3 hours
Draft Profiles 2k26: Ty Lawrence is a 200 foot Center with something to prove
Well, now that we’ve gotten the guy who is probably the consensus #7 pick, give or take a draft ranking or two… …Let’s immediately take a turn left from a perfectly reasonable 7th overall choice in this draft full of solid defenders into GAMBLING!!!!! …On a potentially game-changing Center with a lot of risk, given how his draft year went. Who is he? Tynan Lawrence is a New Brunswick-born Center who is a Left-handed shot. He measures at 6’1, and 185 pounds. He plays for Boston University in the NCAA, but also had a stint in the USHL with the Muskegon Lumberjacks. What’s He Good At? Playmaking through superior intelligence. Tynan Lawrence is a player who thinks the game well above his peers. When he has the puck, Lawrence finds ways to create space through simple, easy adjustments of his position on the ice and his seriously scary ability to see the ice and look for advantages for his team to exploit. Gaps in the defense open when he moves, and he fills that space. When it locks down, he finds a way out of danger. While his hands aren’t going to wow anybody; what makes him so dangerous is that he has already figured out a way to get around you that involves having and also not having the puck. When he’s got the puck, he can blow past you and open up your stick for extra ice with speed, or he can pass it in just such a way to carve through the backcheck in order to facilitate a break. Even with a player almost on top of him, his strength on the puck and his ability to quickly gain body position on backcheckers means that rarely is a play ever going to die when it’s on his stick; he will make sure it gets to the right player to get a scoring chance. Away from it, or if he has to get rid of it, Lawrence seems to understand just the right way to turn what should probably be a dump-in into a pretty damn solid pass, and when he has to go find it, his understanding of where the puck carrier will want to go combined with his speed and determination make him an active misery to play against while on the forecheck, because he is going to break that play up at any cost. Lawrence also uses this for razor sharp passing; forcing the defense to commit time and positioning to keeping him away from their goalie, and usually this is where Lawrence springs his trap. For many prospects, figuring out this part can be the single biggest hurdle to getting their talent to translate to the NHL level, and it looks like Lawrence will not struggle with that if he’s able to do the kinds of things he’s doing in the junior/college levels. It’s why Lawrence does a little bit of everything for Team Canada and when he played in Muskegon; they could trust him to do it and at a level beyond a prospect of his age. What’s He Not So Good At? Picking times to jump up a level. If there’s a concrete issue to Lawrence’s game, it’s that explosiveness for him is not always coming off of the first step of his skate. At speed he’s excellent, but he needs a second or two to get going, and in the NHL that kind of second can easily be exploited. He will need to find a way to get that serious first burst of speed to truly become the game warping talent he’s sometimes been projected as. If he gets that, he’s a certified star. The real issue that has Lawrence bouncing all over the draft board is his timing when it comes to advancing up a level. The USHL level of the game was pretty clearly something that Tynan Lawrence was already above, having a point per game 2024-25 and 18 points in the USHL playoffs…and then he experienced a violent injury that left him out of much of the regular season, which he came back and was just about as productive with a 17 point campaign in 13 games. Then he decided now was as good a time as any to join the Boston University Terriers; a storied program in a fiercely competitive Hockey East Division, which finished with 5 ranked teams in the Top 25 in both the poll and NPI. It was there in his first taste of NCAA action that he struggled a bit to actually show any of that offensive flash, and while I understand the concern…I think it should also be clear that college hockey is kind of hard! He was 17 playing in a league comprised primarily of 19 thru 21 year olds, and the NCAA game is a lot more defensively responsible than the North American junior leagues! The kids playing in the NCHC are gigantic! I think we can at least recognize this was a possibility before deciding to drop him into the middle of the first round. But it is a cause for concern; while he is quite talented and in a full season might’ve been able to find his offense, Lawrence probably should’ve waited until he was 18 to play College Puck, and as a result of his aggressive push to prove himself after a miserable stroke of luck, he put himself in a position to look pedestrian in the most important year of his career to this point. That was a miscalculation that may save him from playing for the league’s dregs…but it might also mean he stays on the board way longer than he should, simply because his gamble didn’t look all that smart with the low, low sample size of 18 games. While none of that is his fault necessarily, he wasn’t at the level yet to actively try and take over that part of the game, and that will cause some scouts concern. Prospect Rankings 7th by NHL Central Scouting (among North American Skaters) 16th by EliteProspects.com 6th by TSN’s Chris Peters 13th by McKeen’s Hockey 6th by FloHockey’s Chris Peters 11th by DailyFaceoff 4th by Smaht Scouting 4th by Dobberprospects 4th by THN’s Tony Ferrari My Verdict As much as I like the idea of 200-foot, 2-way dynamic Centers, I recognize the log-jam at this position in Seattle; whether or not they want it to be seen that way, is not going to be solved by adding yet another one to it. Beniers fits that mold, Wright fits that mold, Chandler Stephenson…should fit that mold at least by reputation, unless you think Lawrence is able or willing to convert to wing, the only thing this is going to do is continue to cram this teams’ depth with roughly the same kind of player that may be great in the middle six, but needs to be transcendent to be a top line player. Lawrence however has a lot of what the Kraken ideally want to be (or wanted to be) in his game; smart, motivated, ferocious on the puck, and with a natural predilection towards attacking the middle of the ice. If he is available, then there is plenty of evidence to suggest that it would be a bad idea to pass him up. After all, do you dare take a chance?
Seattle Medium
1 day
At Obama Center, Democracy’s Triumphs and Contradictions Share The Stage
The United States, established on principles of liberty, navigates a complex history characterized by inherent contradictions and past errors. Critical acknowledgment of these historical shortcomings is imperative for the nation's ongoing evolution and societal advancement.
Seattle Medium
1 day
Michelle Obama’s ‘Imperfect Democracy’ Remark Revives Questions America Has Never Fully Answered
During the opening of the Obama Presidential Center, former First Lady Michelle Obama underscored its significance as a "living testament to the power of choice" and an "urgent call" for Americans to continue striving for a more perfect democracy. Her remarks highlighted the nation's "imperfect democracy" and the ongoing imperative to align its foundational ideals with its actions, reflecting a broader national dialogue on historical contradictions and future aspirations.
Seattle Medium
1 day
Explaining The World Cup’s Newest Rules
FIFA has implemented a new regulation for the current World Cup, stipulating that players can be sent off for covering their mouths in confrontational situations with opponents. This rule was notably applied when Miguel Almiron received a red card during Paraguay's victory over Turkey.
Seattle Medium
1 day
From New York To Seattle To DC, More Cities Are Picking Democratic Socialist Leaders
Janeese Lewis George has won the Democratic primary for Mayor of Washington, DC, garnering support from a diverse coalition. This victory marks the latest electoral success for candidates aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America and the far left, often campaigning on issues of affordability and social equity.
Davy Jones Locker Room
1 day
Draft Profiles 2k26: Alberts Šmits is Latvia’s ferocious hope
The Draft Profiles are back! And we start with a defender! Defenseman Alberts Šmits has one of the more unique paths as a defenseman in this draft; being a Latvian playing in Finland as one of the younger players in the top finnish league, and having a serious chance of being the highest drafted player from his home country. And he’s done it in a simple, easy to understand way; bowling over the competition. Who is he? Alberts Šmits is a Valmiera, Latvian-born, 6’3, 209-pound defenseman who shoots Left. He plays for Jukurit in the Finnish Liiga; the highest level of Finnish hockey. At the conclusion of their season, Jukurit loaned Šmits to EHC Red Bull München in the highest level of German hockey; the DEL. He also had a pretty active career this year with the Latvian National Team; playing at the World Juniors, the World Championships, and the Olympics. What’s he good at? AGGRESSION. European players have largely broken this through the last two decades, but there is a low level stigma around the European game of not being especially physical. This is largely because you need to actually commit to being physical overseas; their commitment to larger, Olympic sized rinks means if you whiff on a hit, you’re going to be extremely out of a play and looking ridiculous. As such, players develop more of an understanding of the defensive game from a less physical side of things. It appears nobody really told Šmits any of that, because he loooooooves gettin’ involved physically. Šmits combines a lot of the best aspects of your modern defenseman; good skating, solid instincts on how to clog up a lane and when, and strong stickwork, and marries it to a ferocious work ethic that makes him a nightmare to forecheck against. Alberts Šmits will move heaven and earth to get after you. His aggression regularly forces forecheckers to get rid of the puck in a hurry with the fear of a large Latvian sitting on top of them whacking away at the puck or at them, and his strong stickwork allows for a major advantage in winning board battles (the NHL-sized frame helps there a lot), then can allow him to either get a clean breakout through a pass, or he’ll get himself involved in the play as a first line of attack; using solid skating to get as close to a zone entry and then dump it, or even just go and see if he can create some offense. And yet, when in high danger situations, it always appears as though Šmits is right in his element. He closes shooting lanes with ease both on the cycle and in transition, he will casually maneuver players at speed away from the middle of the ice, and towards his Indeed, when he’s on his game, Šmits is a shift-warping defender who can be a major force of danger for his team. What’s he not so good at? Harnessing said aggression responsibly. It’s only natural that a player this aggressive will sometimes put himself in hot water, especially in a more stringent european league. This sometimes means whiffed hits, undisciplined play, or taking himself out of the play in order to tie up one player or go impose himself on the other team. It’s especially prominent in net-front defense, where he can be caught focusing down on one player and ignoring others; pulling himself out of position. Further, Šmits aggression didn’t come from nowhere; Jukurit would’ve been on the relegation chopping block had Liiga still operated as of the Finnish ice hockey relegation/promotion pyramid. Further, his national team is Latvia; an eternal underdog that is continually hard up for offense. His minute munching tendencies for both of these squads meant he wasn’t just being asked to do a lot defensively, he was often asked to be the instigating force for the offense. This has created a very shoot-first mentality in the young man that is prone to taking any old shot to see if it can get to the dangerous area of the ice, no matter if there’s a shooting lane or not. This can also end up creating bad bounces that have him on the back foot or making passes to seemingly nowhere in the desperate hope of creating something, anything, for his team. More than anything, honing Šmits’ aggression so that it compliments his skillset rather than giving it the chance to undermine his abilities will be critical to his development; allowing him the space to not feel like he needs to be the hero all the time. Prospect Rankings Ranked 2nd by NHL Central Scouting among European Skaters. Ranked 11th by EliteProspects.com Ranked 8th by TSN’s Craig Button Ranked 7th by DailyFaceoff.com Ranked 7th by Smaht Scouting Ranked 11th by DobberProspects Should the Kraken take him? If Šmits ends up in Seattle, it’s hard not to think of a scenario in which he doesn’t become a fan favorite as Šmits has a game that your average NHL fan can just wrap themselves in like a big, angry hug. It helps that other than Chase Reid, the rest of the defensive prospects in this draft will probably need at least a couple of years to find themselves in the pro level whereas Smits will almost certainly have a major leg up from having played in pro leagues already. I’m not saying he’ll play immediately, but if he gets to wear Deep Blue? It will be difficult taking him out of it if he brings that game to the NHL.