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Indeed, Kiffin isn't just representing Louisiana State in Baton Rouge. He's representing Louisiana, as evidenced by him receiving the key to the city of New Orleans after serving as the co-grand marshal for the Krewe of Endymion Parade, part of Mardi Gras.

Kiffin was at the parade wearing an LSU Odell Beckham III jersey, a backwards hat, and beads. And while he seemed to be enjoying himself, the message being conveyed to him was clear: The fun will last if he's successful. If he isn't, he isn't going to appearing on floats any time soon.

REQUIRED READING:Lane Kiffin attempts to extend olive branch between Ole Miss, LSU after Jeff Landry chirp

Indeed, councilman Matt Willard explicitly said the expectation for Kiffin is to bring a championship to Baton Rouge.

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As controversial as Kiffin's arrival to LSU was, he's clearly being embraced, at least officially. Endymion is the largest of the Mardi Gras parades, and Kiffin was joined by Mardi Gras historian Arthur Hardy.

In a speech to the crowd, Kiffin said he'd never been to Mardi Gras and ended with the traditional "Geaux Tigers."

The float he stood upon was as extra as one might expect: A giant tiger commemorating the LSU mascot.

Kiffin was also awarded a key to the city of Boca Raton during his time at FAU.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:LSU coach Lane Kiffin gets key to New Orleans as expectations build

Banks has become a regular starter this season for Augsburg, despite only recently turning 19. The 6-foot-4 defender is considered one of the best American center-back prospects in many years and has earned one USMNT call-up.

But the defender did not see the field last fall during his only USMNT camp, making next month's camp massive for his World Cup hopes.

If he is to make a late charge toward a World Cup spot, Banks will likely need to earn a call-up for friendlies against Belgium and Portugal – the team's last two games before Mauricio Pochettino names his World Cup squad.

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5. Christian Pulisic - 32 (2016-present; through Nov. 18, 2024)

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USMNT all-time leading goal scorers

Donovan is feeling bullish on the young defender's chances. On his "Unfiltered Soccer" show, the USMNT legend explained why he believes Banks won't just make Pochettino's World Cup squad, but will start this summer.

"Tim Ream is locked and going to play. Chris Richards is more than locked and going to play. I think Pochettino wants this team to have the ability to play in a back three," he said. "I think the team performs best in a back three.

"So your options become (Mark) McKenzie, Miles Robinson and even Noahkai Banks. You can maybe move Joe Scally if he makes the team. Alex Freeman can play there, maybe Antonee Robinson can play on the (right).

"But I think (Banks is) a kid who's played on the right side of a (back) three earlier this season, played on the left side of a (back) three. So he's clearly comfortable. He's playing in the Bundesliga every week as an 18-year-old. And I just think when push comes to shove, Pochettino might go, 'OK, yeah, he's young. But what are the alternatives?'"

If you thought theNFLwas about to slow down and go into hibernation for a few months before the offseason kicks into high gear, think again. The league might only play meaningful games for just over five months a year, but the offseason is a different beast.

Unlike the on-field games, there is no time limit to what happens off the field.

The NFL world is constantly spinning in preparation for the next season, so they have crafted a calendar that clearly outlines what the next seven or so months will look like before kickoff in September.

It's a whole new game now.

Here's what to know about all the important dates on the NFL's offseason calendar in 2026.

NFL offseason calendar 2026

Feb. 17: Franchise tag window opens

Teams can choose to place the franchise tag or transition tag on players who are set to hit free agency. The window is open until 4 p.m. ET on March 3. NFL teams can use the franchise tag only once per offseason, which essentially serves as a one-year deal to keep a player from departing in free agency.

Feb. 23 to March 2:NFL combine

The NFL invited 319 prospects to the pre-draft event in 2026, which is slated to take place at the home of the Indianapolis Colts – Lucas Oil Stadium.

March 3: Franchise tag window closes

It's deadline day for the franchise and transition tag. Teams have until 4 p.m. ET to make a decision.

March 9: NFL legal tampering begins

The NFL tampering period is the pregame to free agency and it begins at Noon ET on March 9. Teams can talk with agents and agree to terms, but there will be no pen-to-paper or finger to the tablet from the player to make the deal official.

March 11: NFLfree agency, new league year

The new league year officially begins at 4 p.m. ET on March 11, meaning all signings and trades can become official.

March 29 to April 1: NFL league meetings

Rule changes and other matters will be discussed when the league convenes in Phoenix for the annual meetings.

April 6: Offseason workouts begin (for teams with new HCs)

Nearly a third of the league will be able to begin offseason workouts this year after the coaching carousel saw 10 coaching changes.

April 17: Restricted free agent offer sheet deadline

Restricted free agents have until this day to sign offer sheets.

April 20: Offseason workouts begin (for teams with returning HCs)

The remaining 22 teams can officially begin offseason workouts.

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April 23 to April 25:NFL draft

The 2026 NFL Draft is set to take place in Pittsburgh.

May 1: Fifth-year option deadline for 2023 first-round picks

Every first-round pick in the NFL draft has a "fifth-year" option built into their initial four-year contract after being drafted. Teams may elect to exercise the option to keep the player for another season, but that decision must be made by May 1 for 2023 first-round picks.

May 1-4 or May 8-11: Rookie minicamps

Teams can choose between these dates for their three-day rookie minicamp after the draft.

Mid-May: NFL schedule release

The NFL has traditionally released the schedule for the upcoming season in mid-May.

May 19 to May 20: Spring league meeting

The spring league meetings will be held in Orlando, where everyone will gather again to discuss potential rule changes and related matters.

June 1 cuts

This is akey date for managing salary cap spacewhen it comes to trades, releases or retirements.

July 15: Franchise tag extension deadline

Players on a franchise tag have until 4 p.m. ET on July 15 to sign a contract extension. After that time, the player will have to wait until after the team's last regular-season game to ink an extension of any kind.

Mid-to-Late July: Training camp opens

Training camps officially open, signaling that football season is just around the corner.

Early August: NFL preseason begins

There are about four weeks of preseason action, which traditionally begins with the Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio. The two teams participating in that game will play four preseason contests, while the remaining 30 teams will play only three.

Late August: NFL roster cutdown

Rosters must be reduced to 53 players ahead of the regular season.

When does the 2026 NFL regular season begin?

The 2026 NFL regular season is expected to begin on Thursday, Sept. 10, if previous seasons are any indication. However, the league could break tradition and open on Wednesday, Sept. 9, according toPuck's John Ourand.

A scheduling quirk created by the significant time difference has the league exploring its options ahead of the Week 1 matchup between theLos Angeles Ramsand San Francisco 49ers.

If the game is scheduled for Wednesday, it would mark the first time since 2019 that the NFL's kickoff game didn't feature the defending Super Bowl champion. The league elected to feature theGreen Bay Packersand Chicago Bears to open its 100th season, rather than the defending champion New England Patriots.

Traditionally, the Super Bowl winner hosts the first game of the season on Thursday night after Labor Day, with the remaining teams playing over the weekend.

The schedule announcement is expected to come in mid-May.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:2026 NFL calendar: Season start date, free agency, draft, more

A former Ukrainian energy minister has been detained in connection with a major corruption scandal while trying to leave the country, authorities said on Sunday.

Ukraine's anti-corruption bureau (NABU) said its detectives "detained the former minister of energy as part of the Midas case," referencing a wide-ranging investigation into corruption in Ukraine's energy sector that triggered a major political crisis last year.

"Initial investigative actions are ongoing, carried out in accordance with the requirements of the law," NABU added in a statement, without naming the former minister.

The scandal, which centers on alleged kickbacks from contractors including those working to protect critical energy infrastructure, led both the serving and a former energy minister to resign last year at President Volodymyr Zelensky's request. Both denied wrongdoing.

Chief of staff to the president, Andriy Yermak, alsoresignedamid the fallout.

Investigators said about $100 million had been siphoned off as state-owned businesses including Energoatom, which operates Ukraine's nuclear power plants, paid companies for work done to enhance security at key sites.

At the time, Ukraine's anti-corruption body announced it had carried out searches on dozens of properties as part of the investigation.

Corruption allegations are nothing new in Ukraine. Since 2023, NABU has opened investigations into a series of scandals.

In January 2024, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) said it had discovered amass corruption schemein the purchase of weapons by the country's military amounting to nearly $40 million.

CNN's Andrew Carey contributed reporting.

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JERUSALEM, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Israel's cabinet on Sunday approved further measures to tighten Israel's control over the occupied West Bank and make it easier ‌for settlers to buy land, a move Palestinians called a "de-facto annexation".

The West Bank is ‌among the territories that Palestinians seek for a future independent state. Much of it is under Israeli military control, ​with limited Palestinian self-rule in some areas run by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing an election later this year, deems the establishment of any Palestinian state a security threat.

His ruling coalition, which has a large voter base in the settlements, includes many ‌members who want Israel to ⁠annex the West Bank, land captured in the 1967 Middle East war to which Israel cites biblical and historical ties.

Ministers voted in favour of ⁠beginning a process of land registration for the first time since 1967, a week after approving another series of measures in the West Bank that drew international condemnation.

"We are continuing the revolution of ​settlement and ​strengthening our hold across all parts of our ​land," said far-right Finance Minister Bezalel ‌Smotrich.

Defence Minister Israel Katz said land registration was a vital security measure while the cabinet said in a statement it was an "appropriate response to illegal land registration processes promoted by the Palestinian Authority."

The foreign ministry said the measure would promote transparency and help resolve land disputes.

The Palestinian presidency condemned the step, saying it constitutes "a de-facto annexation of occupied Palestinian territory and a ‌declaration of the commencement of annexation plans aimed at ​entrenching the occupation through illegal settlement activity."

Israeli settlement watchdog ​Peace Now said the measure could lead ​to dispossession of Palestinians from up to half of the West Bank.

U.S. ‌President Donald Trump has ruled out Israeli ​annexation of the West ​Bank but his administration has not sought to curb Israel's accelerated settlement building.

The United Nations' highest court said in a non-binding advisory opinion in 2024 that Israel's occupation ​of Palestinian territories and settlements ‌there are illegal and should be ended as soon as possible. Israel disputes ​this view.

(Reporting by Steven Scheer, Maayan Lubell, Jaidaa Taha, Ahmed Elimam and Nidal ​al-Mughrabi; Editing by Alexandra Hudson and Christina Fincher)

Credit - Ali Daniels

On Jan. 20, one of the coldest days of the year in Minneapolis, Ali Daniels received a text message warning that ICE agents were targeting school bus stops in Columbia Heights. Daniels, an office administrator working in the metro area, had recently completed legal observer training and was participating in rapid response work for the second time.

Grabbing a friend as her passenger seat sidekick, the two patrolled the neighborhood for signs of ICE activity. After about 10 minutes of turning down residential streets, they spotted a large SUV stopped in the middle of the road. She recalls seeing ICE agents in masks and tactical vests standing outside the vehicle.

That's when Daniels saw Liam Conejo Ramos—a small, wide-eyed child in a Spider Man backpack and blue bunny hat—being escorted to a slush-streaked car. Daniels recalls agents shouting "getitin the car," referring to Liam.

People at the scene pleaded with the agents to allow the five-year-old to go with authorized staff from Columbia Heights schools, where Liam attended pre-kindergarten classes. Daniels says the agents refused.

"I decided to start taking pictures," she said. "This wasn't part of the training; it was something I did out of impulse."

Daniels took out her Samsung to snap photos of the agents, the vehicle, and then bent down to Liam's eye-level. "He was silent, staring ahead, undoubtedly scared and in shock," she said. "That's when I got the photo of him."

Daniels posted the image to her private Facebook page, unaware of the journey this one photograph would take.

We all know this photo and the surrounding details intimately now. Liam was returning from school with his father when immigration agents pulled them from their car near their home,according to the school district. The boy's father, Adrián Alexander Conejo Arias, was also detained, and the pair were transferred to an immigration detention center outside San Antonio.

A lawyer for the family said that Mr. Conejo Arias, who is from Ecuador, had entered the United States under existing asylum guidelines. The Department of Homeland Security, however, charged that he entered the country unlawfully in Dec. 2024. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that "ICE did NOT target a child," and that the operation was instead to arrest the child's father.

Against this backdrop, Daniels' image of Liam's seizure went mega-viral at a moment when public anger over immigration enforcement was already acute in Minnesota and elsewhere across the country—the incalculable, inescapable kind of viral in which images move faster than explanation.

X, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and BlueSky were flooded with versions of the photo: cropped, captioned, subtitled, paired with legal explainers, donation links, and calls to action demanding Liam's release. The power of these posts came from their terrifying precision: that this child could be anyone's, that Minneapolis could be home.

By Jan. 31, Judge Fred Biery, a U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Texas, ordered the release of both Liam and his father from immigration custody, condemning their removal from their suburban Minneapolis neighborhood as unconstitutional. At the bottom of his three-page ruling,Judge Biery included the viral photographof Liam with the caption: "Matthew 19:14" and "John 11:35."

Those New Testament verses quote Jesus saying "Let the little children come to me" and "Jesus wept." The image that had proliferated on social media was now part of the legal record.

Aftermore than a week in detention, Liam and his father were released from the Texas immigration facility and returned to Minneapolis, according to U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro. Castrodocumented the trip on social media, where he shared a photo of a handwritten note he gave Liam, in which he wrote that the boy had "moved the world."

"Liam is now home. With his hat and his backpack. Thank you to everyone who demanded freedom for Liam," Castro, a San Antonio Democrat,wrote on X.

To be sure, this is not the first social movement in which social media has played a central role in global political resistance. During the Arab Spring, platforms like Facebook and Twitter functioned as organizing tools and distribution channels for footage that state-controlled media suppressed—most notably in Egypt in 2011, when live updates andimages from Tahrir Squaretransformed local protests into an international crisis within days.

A decade later, mass mobilization around Black Lives Matter was catalyzed bycellphone video made by then 17-year-old Darnella Frazierdocumenting the murder of George Floyd, turning a single Minneapolis street into the epicenter of a worldwide uprising.

Since the racial justice protests of 2020, however, political posting has existed under sustained suspicion as performative. During thesummer of 2020,criticsofallideologiesmockedsymbolicgesturesuntethered from action:blacksquaresonInstagram,TikTok videosof white influencers (hair done, makeup snatched)raising fists to trending audio, memeslampooning allyshipthat required no material risk.

That skepticism has lingered over the past several years, particularly when crises feel distant or abstract, where posting about Sudan or Gaza, for example, can resemble a stand-in for action. "Spreading awareness" remains notoriously difficult to measure.

What makes this moment distinct is that the debate no longer feels theoretical. As recently as last week, reposting Liam's photo wascriticized as performative on platforms such as TikTok.But the outcome complicates that charge. The circulation, and the demands it elicited, forced visibility, legal scrutiny, and response.

The spread of Daniels' photo of Liam shows how public pressure on social media can still bend the machinery of the state.

This is not to say that posting is enough. It is easy to criticize acelebrity wearingapolitical pinon the red carpet (or a Facebook infographic, or a hashtag in anInstagram bio) as virtue signaling. Talk can only take you so far.

Social media can also flatten nuance. As the photo was reshared and reposted on Facebook, Daniels began seeing comments questioning its authenticity, suggesting it was fake or AI-generated. She decided to identify herself as the photographer to establish the image's provenance.

"It's hard to be told you're changing hearts and minds with one photo, yet knowing that no amount of saying 'I saw this firsthand' will make people see how cruel and unjust the whole institution is," Daniels told me. "Nothing is that easy."

Liam is far from the only child impacted by the Trump administration's policies. According to aGuardiananalysis of recordsobtained by theDeportation Data Project, ICE booked about 3,800 minors into immigrant family detention from Jan. to Oct. 2025. The number of children currently in migrant detention centers remains unclear. Posting on social media will not free the thousands of children currently detained.

Minnesotans like Daniels with a cell phone camera are demonstrating in real time how social media can push beyond symbolism into tangible change. The photograph of Liam, videos of the killings ofRenee GoodandAlex Pretti, and other images have contributed to stepping up the pressure on the federal government, ultimately forcing a reversal of its tactics inMinnesota.

And social media is proving to be an indispensable tool for coordination. Instagram, X, Facebook, Threads, WhatsApp, and Signal are being used to track ICE activity, mobilize protests, circulate witness requests, and distribute precise call and email templates for elected officials. On streets across the country, Americans are putting their own bodies on the line to impede the operations of a federal police force in their city.

"Like so many people in the Twin Cities, I got trained [as a legal observer and rapid responder] because I felt like I had to," Daniels said. "I couldn't just do nothing while our neighbors are being snatched up from their homes."

Instead, she turned to her phone's camera. Her image not only helped change the life of one child, it helped change policy.

Contact usatletters@time.com.

The other a 26-year-old reliever with his fourth team in 11 months who wasn't even on the playoff roster the first three rounds.

Who would have imagined that in a clubhouse full of All-Stars and future Hall of Famers, Miguel Rojas andWill Kleinwould be honest-to-goodnessLos Angeles DodgersWorld Series heroes, still basking three months later from the most glorious moments of their careers?

Rojas, who hit perhaps the most unlikely home run in World Series history, will not only forever be remembered in Dodgers lore for not that ninth-inning Game 7 homer, but also saving the game with a spectacular defensive play in the bottom of the frame.

"I've watched that moment over and over so many times, but it's still hard to believe it happened," Rojas tells USA TODAY Sports. "It's just overwhelming. I've always wanted to have a moment in my career where I feel valuable, especially on the offensive side. And then when you do something like that, you know it's going to be remembered for a long time.

"Probably forever."

Klein was working out in Arizona and wasn't even on the Dodgers' postseason roster untilAlex Vesia left the team before the World Seriesto be with his wife after the loss of their newborn daughter. He was summoned in the 15thinning of Game 3, and then pitched four shutout innings in the 6-5, 18-inning victory.

"It's still crazy to think about," Klein says. "I mean, I was hearing from people I went to high school with and old teams. There were people I went to middle school and high school with that didn't even know I was playing baseball. They saw me on TV, and started sending me random stuff."

'No one expected' Miguel Rojas home run

The Dodgers were down to their last two outs, trailing theToronto Blue Jays, 4-3, in the ninth inning of Game 7. Rojas, who hadn't had a hit in an entire month, stepped to the plate facing Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman. Rojas worked the count to 3-and-2 when Hoffman tried to fool him with a slider. Rojas belted it over the left field wall and the screaming crowd at the Rogers Centre went dead silent.

The only sound you heard was the Dodger bench and scattered fans screaming in euphoria with Rojas barely able to feel his feet trotting around the bases.

"No one expected Miguel Rojas to hit that home run," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says. "No one."

Still, it looked like it might be all forgotten when the Blue Jays loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the ninth. The Dodgers pulled the infield in, and Daulton Varsho hit a bouncer to the right side of Rojas. He snared the ball, but then slipped, and had his momentum carrying him towards second base. Rojas set, and fired home just in the nick of time to nail Isiah Kiner-Falefa at the plate and prevent the winning run.

Two innings later – and after Yoshinobu Yamamto's 2 ⅔ shutout innings in relief on no days' rest – the Dodgers were back-to-back World Series champions with Yamamoto winning the World Series MVP.

With the Dodgers all gathering for the first time since their World Series parade, everyone still is talking about Rojas and Klein's heroics.

"(Rojas) is one of the best teammates I ever had, and just one of the best people in baseball," says third baseman Max Muncy, who delivered an eighth-inning homer in Game 7 then made his own big defensive play. "So, for something like that to happen to him, after all of the work he out in and the mentality he had about certain situations, it was so well deserved.

"It was like how the game was rewarding him for how he handled his role last year."

Rojas, who didn't even play the first five games of the World Series, and was informed only a text message from manager Dave Roberts that he was starting Game 6 in Toronto, never complained about his role. Sure, he wanted to play more, but once Mookie Betts shifted from right field to shortstop, he did everything possible to help Betts improve so dramatically defensively that Betts became a Gold Glove finalist.

And in one glorious moment, it was Rojas who went from an understudy to an Academy Award winning performance, getting congratulatory messages from the likes of Hall of Famer Derek Jeter, Don Mattingly, and the scout who signed him out of Venezuela.

"That's why I felt so great after it happened, not just because I hit a home run that tied the game," Rojas says, "but seeing the reaction of the people that I really care about. It was so cool. And everybody in the media had something good to say about me.

"The biggest compliment for me is that a guy like me, in front of the whole team, Doc [Roberts] told them that the game honors me because I did things the right way. I'll remember those words forever. That makes me feel like after the 20 years that I've been in professional baseball, I've been doing something good."

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Rojas, who plans to retire after the season and stay with the Dodgers in player development with hopes one day of being a manager, still has strangers stopping him and thanking him for his home run. He has had more autograph requests during the winter than he's had in his entire life.

Yet, the question no one asks is which play meant to  him, the game-tying home run or the game-saving play in the bottom of the ninth inning that forced the game into extra innings.

"The home run is going to be something that people will remember forever because you're two outs away from being done," Rojas says. "But the play, I mean that's the hardest play I ever made because it's do-or-die to not only win the game but lose your season. If I don't make the play, the home run and everything is kind of our of the window.

"So, it's really tough to put it into context because if I don't hit the home run, I don't make the play, and then if I don't make the play, the homer doesn't count. I'm just so proud I was able to come through when it counted."

MLB spring training 2026: Sunshine, good vibes in Arizona and Florida

Will Klein: 'No one knows who I am'

Klein was working out at the Dodgers' spring-training complex in Phoenix when he got the emergency call to join the team in Toronto. Klein, who had spent most of the season pitching in Triple-A, threw a grueling 72 pitches across four innings in Game 3, the most he had thrown since he was at Eastern Illinois, and became an overnight hero.

He was congratulated by legendary Dodger Sandy Koufax, who shook his hand after the game.

"I didn't think most people," Klein says, "even knew who I was."

So now that he's a World Series hero, do people recognize him now wherever he goes?

"I heard people say that everybody would know me now," Klein says, "but it hasn't really changed. My wife and I went to Disneyland and Universal Studios, and maybe like two people recognized me. We'll walk around Pasadena and LA, and no one knows who I am."

Besides, Klein says laughing, it's not like he's Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza of Indiana University. Klein, born and raised in Indiana, is a diehard Hoosiers fan and says he may have celebrated the school's football national championship harder than he did the Dodgers' World Series win.

"I mean, to be the losingest team ever in college football history before that, and then win it all," Klein says, "it's something I'll remember forever. I remember going to games when Wisconsin would beat us like82 to 20, and losing to teams like North Texas and Ball State, so it's been a long ride.

"I can't even imagine how many kids are going to be born in Indiana now named Fernando."

2025 World Series: All the best moments from Dodgers vs. Blue Jays Game 7

While Rojas will be retiring after the 2026 season, Klein is hoping his World Series performance will kick-start his career. Hey, if you can throw four shutout innings in a World Series game, you're sure not going to be fazed by a regular season relief appearance against the San Francisco Giants.

"It's easy to look at it like that," Klein says, "but that doesn't mean I'm going to automatically pitch well this year. I've still got to go out and put the work in each day, and use that confidence. But I can't get lazy and think, 'Oh, I'm going to be great just because I did that in one game of the World Series.'"

It's the same with the Dodgers, Roberts says. They had a bullseye on their back then, and they'll have it now.

The Dodgers can't simply throw $400 million worth of talent on the field each night and expect to automatically win. They have to move forward and focus on 2026 if they have a chance to make history, but still, no matter what transpires, those memories of that glorious 2025 World Series will live forever.

"Man, when I think about it," Roberts says, "it still blows my mind. Who would ever have thought that Miggy would hit that home run? Who could have ever thought that Will Klein was going to throw four scoreless innings in a World Series?

"But you have to have stuff like that go right for you."

No matter who steps up as the hero.

Follow Nightengale on X:@Bnightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Dodgers' unlikely World Series heroes still have champions in awe