Robot umpires are coming to MLB. Here’s how they work

NEW YORK (AP) —Robot umpiresare coming to the big leagues this year.

The Automated Ball/Strike System will be introduced in the form of a challenge system in which the human umpire makes each call, which can be appealed tothe computer. Robot umpires have been tested in the minor leagues since 2019, with recent testing done at Triple-A since 2022, MLB spring training last year and at the 2025 All-Star Game in Atlanta.

Here's what to know about MLB's robot umps.

How does the Automated Ball-Strike System work?

Stadiums are outfitted with cameras that track each pitch and judge whether it crossed home plate within the strike zone. In early testing, umpires wore ear buds and would hear "ball" or "strike," then relay that to players and fans with traditional hand signals.

The challenge system adds a wrinkle. Human umps call every pitch, but each team has the ability to challenge two calls per game. Teams that waste their challenges get one additional challenge in each extra inning. A team retains its challenge if successful, similar to the regulations for big league teams with video reviews, which were first used for home run calls in August 2008 andwidely expanded to many calls for the 2014 season.

Only a batter, pitcher or catcher may challenge a call, signaling with the tap of a helmet or cap; and assistance from the dugout is not allowed. A challenge must be made within 2 seconds, and the graphic of the pitch and strike zone is shown on the scoreboard and broadcast feed. The umpire then announces the updated count.

Challenges during spring training last year averaged 13.8 seconds.

What is the technology?

A Hawk-Eye pose-tracking system of cameras tracks pitches and whether they are within a strike zone based on the height of each batter, who is measured without shoes. Each player will be measured for his strike zone starting at 10 a.m. to noon on a rolling basis during spring training — the time of day to maintain uniformity, becauseheight shortens later in the day. Data will be verified by the Southwest Research Institute. MLB estimated the calibration process at less than one minute for each player.

While the strike zone actually called by big league umpires tends to be oval in shape, the ABS strike zone is a rectangle, as in the rule book.

Developing a consensus on what a computer strike zonewas an issue.

So what is the MLB strike zone?

MLB has changed the shape of the ABS strike zone several times.

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It started with a 19-inch width in 2022, then dropped it to 17 inches — matching the width of home plate. Narrowing the strike zone led to an increase in walks and only small changes in strikeout rates.

The top of the strike zone was 51% of a batter's height in 2022 and 2023, then raised to 53.5% in 2024 after pitchers complained. The bottom of the strike zone has been 27% since 2022 after initially being set at 28%. A batter's stance is not taken into account.

ABS makes the ball/strike decision at the midpoint of the plate, 8 1/2 inches from the front and 8 1/2 inches from the back. The contrasts with the rule book zone called by umpires, which says the zone is a cube and a strike is a pitch that crosses any part. Big league umpires call roughly 94% of pitches correctly, according to UmpScorecards.

Where has ABS been tested?

ABS, which utilizes Hawk-Eye cameras, has been tested in the minor leagues since 2019. The independent Atlantic Leaguetrialed the systemat its 2019 All-Star Game and MLB installed the technology for that's yearArizona Fall League of top prospects. The ABS was tried ateight of nine ballparks of the Low-A Southeast League in 2021, thenmoved up to Triple-A in 2022.

At Triple-A at the start of the 2023 season, half the games used the robots for ball/strike calls and half had a human making decisionssubject to appealsby teams to the ABS.

MLB switched Triple-A to an all-challenge system on June 26, 2024, then used the challenge system last year at13 spring training ballparks hosting 19 teamsfor a total of 288 exhibition games. Teams won 52.2% of their ball/strike challenges (617 of 1,182) challenges.

At last year's MLBAll-Star Game, four of five challenges of plate umpire Dan Iassogna's calls were successful.

How successful are teams at challenging?

Success rate have hovered around 50% in the minors. At Triple-A last season, the success rate dropped to 49.5% from 50.6%. Defenses — usually catchers — have been more successful, winning 53.7% of challenges compared to 45% by batters. Challenges increased to 4.2 from 3.9 per game.

In 2024 at Triple-A, just 1.6% of first pitches were challenged, but the figure increased to 3.9% for two-strike pitches, 5.2% for three-ball pitches and 8.2% for full counts.

Challenge percentages were higher later in the game. While 1.9% of pitches were challenged in the first three innings, 2.5% were challenged from the fourth through the sixth, 2.8% in the seventh and eighth and 3.6% in the ninth.

AP MLB:https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

byAlpha World

in

March 23, 2026

Robot umpires are coming to MLB. Here’s how they work

NEW YORK (AP) —Robot umpiresare coming to the big leagues this year. The Automated Ball/Strike System will b...

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Below Deck Down Under Season 4 Episode 8 Recap: Ellie Sees Red

Welcome back,Below Deck Down Underfans!Last week, Jenna fully moved on from Eddy.  Likewise, Mike moved on from his tasks, even when they weren't fully finished (or even started, really). Likewise, Ben's oven was still on ice. So, what better time for a four-day charter, complete with a vow renewal, to come aboard? Here's what happened on BDDU Season 4 Episode 8.

What happened in Below Deck Down Under Season 4 Episode 8?

Jenna makes a cleaning-related mistake at the start of the charter, which isn't a great first impression for their guests. Downstairs, the pressure is on in the galley. Ben feels it, as does Ellie. But when Ben keeps calling Ellie everything but her actual name,Ellie finally snaps, and now, Captain Jason has no choice but to intervene.

Ellie feels disrespected

Jenna is drunk, but her words are clear. She shuts Eddy down as an unbothered Betual takes a nap at her side. When their sprinter van finally pulls up to the yacht,João kisses Daisy's handwhile helping her exit. He later texts Daisy, asking if she wants to join him for a glass of wine.

But Daisy is far too tired. Outside, a tipsy Eddy lies by the hot tub, hoping others join him. Sadly for him, everyone heads to their cabins, minus Jenna and Ben.

Eddy finally gives up, but then he spots Jenna and Ben getting cozy. Eddy finally gets it. He "fucked up." So did Daisy, since Ellie has just joined João for that glass of wine.

But Ellie only wants advice. Ben keeps calling her "honey" and "baby" instead of Ellie. "Tell him you don't like it," João suggests.

In the morning, Ben leaves Ellie to the cleaning while he takes a dip in the ocean. Ellie is frustrated, which Daisy validates, right as their new oven finally arrives. Soon, so will their next group of guests, who are staying onboard for four long days.

They're from Tampa, my hometown. PLEASE, don't let them suck … But, luckily for us all, Clay and Mark are delightful. And they will also renew their vows during their charter.

"Pussy liners" and a medical emergency

Ben and Elliehave a sit-down. Ellie, trying to control Ben's emotions, only airs one of her grievances. She is tired of working alone while he does as he pleases. Ben apologizes.

João and Daisy talk about their post-charter plans. As they flirt, João admits that he has never dated an Irish girl, while Daisy admits that she pretty much only likes "dickheads." Their smiles, however, say more than their words. They are totally into each other.

But Alesia is not into turning over her assigned cabin. Instead, she gets distracted folding towels. The guests board, but once the yacht comes off the dock, guest Neshea spots a "pussy liner" stuck to the inside of her cabinet, which Jenna somehow missed.

Down below, Ben says his millionth "sweetie pie," and now, Ellie is ready to blow. Outside, guest Christina twerks on a platform that's attached to the yacht. Eddy offers her his hand when she tries to climb back on the deck, but Christina says, "No." She then slips and hits her head.

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Captain Jason checks Christina out and gives her a bag of ice. All is luckily well.

Mike and Alesia argue

Tonight is Pride Night-themed. The guests look fabulous. But in the galley, Ben is still calling Ellie everything but her actual name. Nevertheless, everything goes off without a noticeable hitch.

The next morning, Mike asks Ben for an omelet. Alesia pulls Mike aside, warning him to never ask Ben for anything during this extended charter. Cool. That makes two women trying to manage Ben's emotions this week.

But then,gossiping Mike reemerges. He angrily walks right back into the galley, telling Ben everything Alesia said. Mike next pops off on Alesia for telling him how to act, but as Ben realizes and explains to Mike, "She was helping."

Alesia vents to Daisy. Daisy, like Ben, is also on her side. "Next time, come to me," Daisy instructs. Daisy finds Mike, who explains that Alesia used a mean tone, which, nope, but since Daisy was not there, all she can do is reiterate what Alesia said, which is, "Don't ask the chef for anything."

Co-primary Marc shares his coming-out story with Betual. In her homeland, "Gay marriage is not legal." She is so thankful for yachting, which "educated" her. I love Betual, and so does Marc.

Ellie angrily seeks out Captain Jason

The guests are running low on toilet paper. In his talking head, Mike blames Alesia. But Daisy blames her stews equally.

In the galley, Ellie tells Ben to "take a little breather." He is far too worked up, she thinks. But "dinner is in half an hour," so, no, Ben answers. Ellie sighs, and then she tells Ben that he needs to speak to her in a more professional way.

"I'm never gonna have that again," Ellie argues. Ben asks, "How didI speak to you, honey?" And then Ellie let's loose, letting Ben know that she has had it with all of his little pet names. They continue arguing about everything under the sun as their guests sit for dinner.

"I'm gonna go to the Captain. I don't give a f*ck," Ellie says. She then angrily stalks around the yacht, right in front of their guests, until she finds him. "Captain, what just happened in the galley is unacceptable," she says, as the credits roll on another episode of BDDU.

Below Deck Down Underis streaming on Peacock. BDDU airs on Mondays at 8/7c on Bravo.

TELL US – DID YOU WATCH BELOW DECK DOWN UNDER SEASON 4 EPISODE 8? WHO IS IN THE WRONG, ELLIE OR BEN? SAME QUESTION, BUT ALESIA OR MIKE?

The postBelow Deck Down Under Season 4 Episode 8 Recap: Ellie Sees Redappeared first onReality Tea.

byAlpha World

in

March 23, 2026

Below Deck Down Under Season 4 Episode 8 Recap: Ellie Sees Red

Welcome back,Below Deck Down Underfans!Last week, Jenna fully moved on from Eddy.  Likewise, Mike moved on from his tasks, even when they ...

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Drew Barrymore and Valerie Bertinelli get candid about sex dreams: 'Not exclusive to men'

"Drew's News" is the segment for hot topics, after all.

On Tuesday's episode ofThe Drew Barrymore Show,the host brings up a recent TIME magazine report decoding the secret of sex dreams — which leads to a candid admission from Drew Crew memberValerie Bertinelli.

Barrymore, 51, opens up the conversation by admitting it's been "years" since she last had a sex dream. "This brain ain't working. I don't know what is going on," she confesses. "I feel like I used to have really sexy dreams and wake up really turned on. And it's just gone, it's not there."

"Even the men in your dreams are ghosting you," jokes cohost Ross Mathews.

Barrymore then asks Bertinelli about her own most recent subconscious fantasy. "Not too long ago," admits the 65-year-old actress. In fact, the dream was about someone she knew.

Yet that isn't even the most shocking admission from Bertinelli, who recently released the memoirGetting Naked: The Quiet Work of Becoming Perfectly Imperfect.

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"But have you had a sex dream where you climaxed?" she asks. "That's the good one." Barrymore seems unfazed at first, agreeing, "I don't think it's exclusive to men, for sure."

However, things get a little, well, wet, when Mathews makes a crack just as Barrymore takes a sip from her yellow "Drew's News" mug.

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with ourEW Dispatch newsletter.

"I love that Val can sit in front of so many people and just, 'climax,'" he quips — prompting Barrymore to spit water all over the desk.

As she cleans up the mess, Mathews can't help but joke, "Now, she's turned on."

The Drew Barrymore Showairs weekdays on CBS.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

byAlpha World

in

March 23, 2026

Drew Barrymore and Valerie Bertinelli get candid about sex dreams: 'Not exclusive to men'

"Drew's News" is the segment for hot topics, after all. On Tuesday's episode ofThe Drew Ba...

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Houston, Illinois carry strong opening-weekend efficiency in March Madness into Sweet 16 collision

Houston coach Kelvin Sampson wanted his Cougars simply to stick to what they do best in defending with their typical toughness to openMarch Madness. Illinois coach Brad Underwood hoped his team would "just let it rip."

NCAA VCU Illinois Basketball

They got what they wanted in the opening weekend of theNCAA Tournamentwhile posting the two most lopsided scoring margins of any teams to advance tothe Sweet 16.Now they will try those very different approaches against one another in a Thursday clash in Houston.

The second-seeded Cougars — who played in last year's national-title game — rolled to 31-point wins against bothIdahoandTexas A&M. That came while allowing just 0.839 points per possession (104 points on 124 possessions).

"Everybody's got a style," coach Kelvin Sampson said after the 88-57 win against the Aggies. "We have a style. Texas A&M has a style, but it doesn't come down to what you are doing vs. them. It's how you do what you do."

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Houston allowed the Vandals and Aggies to score on just 37.1% of their possessions, with those teams shooting a combined 31.5% while making 12 of 54 3-pointers (22.2%).

The third-seeded Illini had the second-largest scoring margin (plus-56) of the first weekend while averaging 1.382 points per possession (181 points on 131 possessions). Illinois scored on 60.3% of its possessions againstPennandVCU.

"We're 34 or 35 games in, whatever we're in, and there's not a lot we don't know," Underwood said. "I'm really glad to see us — I used the term before the tournament — 'just let it rip.' We've got to play that way, and we've got to play loose and we've got to play free."

Things figure to be tighter against the stingy Cougars and which team is the most successful doing what it does best will likely advance. Houston is a 3.5-point favorite, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.

Shooting the 3

Purdue is shooting the 3-pointer better than anyone heading tothe regional roundso far, whileAlabama continues firing from long rangeat a frenetic pace under Nate Oats.The Boilermakers made 22 of 38 3-pointers in wins againstQueensandMiami, good for 57.9% to lead all tournament teams. They were the only tournament team to make more than half their attempts while playing multiple games.In all, six Sweet 16 teams shot at least 40% from 3-point range in the tournament's opening weekend, including Michigan (46.8%, 22 of 47) and Michigan State (45.7%, 21 of 46).The Crimson Tide, meanwhile, leads all tournament teams with 31 made 3s through two rounds, at least five more than any other team. And Alabama's 78 attempted 3s were tied with 12-seed High Point — which upset Wisconsin before falling in a shootout to Arkansas — for the most in the tournament, at least eight more than any other team.Winning profiles and tiersGoing back to the 2001 tournament, 55 of 96 teams to reach the Final Four (57.3%) were ranked inside the top 25 in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency for KenPom entering March Madness, with 21 of those ranking in the top 10 at both ends.Slightly more than half of the remaining teams (21) ranked inside the top 10 at one end of the court to offset a ranking outside the top 25 in the other.That leaves 20 outliers that reached the sport's final weekend without holding top-10 status in at least one category.Looking at the three tiers of the 16 teams that will play this week:— Six favorites entered the tournament with top-25 rankings at both ends of the floor: 1-seeds Duke, Arizona and Michigan; and 2-seeds Houston, Iowa State and Michigan State. Of that group, the Blue Devils and Wildcats were top-5 in both categories.— Five teams ranked in the top 10 at one end of the court: 2-seed Purdue; 3-seed Illinois; and 4-seeds Alabama, Arkansas and Nebraska. The Huskers were the only one of that quintet to rank in the top 10 defensively.— The five outliers: 2-seed UConn, 5-seed St. John's, 6-seed Tennessee; 9-seed Iowa and 11-seed Texas. The Huskies are the surprise addition in this group after flirting with earning a No. 1 seed coming down the stretch, but they entered March Madness ranked 30th in offense (122.0 points per 100 possessions) and 11th in defense (94.1).___AP March Madness bracket:https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracketand coverage:https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Purdue is shooting the 3-pointer better than anyone heading tothe regional roundso far, whileAlabama continues firing from long rangeat a frenetic pace under Nate Oats.

The Boilermakers made 22 of 38 3-pointers in wins againstQueensandMiami, good for 57.9% to lead all tournament teams. They were the only tournament team to make more than half their attempts while playing multiple games.

In all, six Sweet 16 teams shot at least 40% from 3-point range in the tournament's opening weekend, including Michigan (46.8%, 22 of 47) and Michigan State (45.7%, 21 of 46).

The Crimson Tide, meanwhile, leads all tournament teams with 31 made 3s through two rounds, at least five more than any other team. And Alabama's 78 attempted 3s were tied with 12-seed High Point — which upset Wisconsin before falling in a shootout to Arkansas — for the most in the tournament, at least eight more than any other team.

Winning profiles and tiers

Going back to the 2001 tournament, 55 of 96 teams to reach the Final Four (57.3%) were ranked inside the top 25 in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency for KenPom entering March Madness, with 21 of those ranking in the top 10 at both ends.

Slightly more than half of the remaining teams (21) ranked inside the top 10 at one end of the court to offset a ranking outside the top 25 in the other.

That leaves 20 outliers that reached the sport's final weekend without holding top-10 status in at least one category.

Looking at the three tiers of the 16 teams that will play this week:

— Six favorites entered the tournament with top-25 rankings at both ends of the floor: 1-seeds Duke, Arizona and Michigan; and 2-seeds Houston, Iowa State and Michigan State. Of that group, the Blue Devils and Wildcats were top-5 in both categories.

— Five teams ranked in the top 10 at one end of the court: 2-seed Purdue; 3-seed Illinois; and 4-seeds Alabama, Arkansas and Nebraska. The Huskers were the only one of that quintet to rank in the top 10 defensively.

— The five outliers: 2-seed UConn, 5-seed St. John's, 6-seed Tennessee; 9-seed Iowa and 11-seed Texas. The Huskies are the surprise addition in this group after flirting with earning a No. 1 seed coming down the stretch, but they entered March Madness ranked 30th in offense (122.0 points per 100 possessions) and 11th in defense (94.1).

AP March Madness bracket:https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracketand coverage:https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

byAlpha World

in

March 23, 2026

Houston, Illinois carry strong opening-weekend efficiency in March Madness into Sweet 16 collision

Houston coach Kelvin Sampson wanted his Cougars simply to stick to what they do best in defending with their typical tou...

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LaGuardia crash underscores pressures on already strained air traffic control workforce

Just before an Air Canadajet collided with an airport fire truck, air traffic controllers at New York's LaGuardia Airport were juggling a developing late night emergency on the runway.

LaGuardia Crash

A United Airlines flight had twice aborted takeoff and reported an odor coming from the back of the plane. But with no gate immediately available, the pilot and controllers went back and forth over the radio as controllers tried to reach the airline and find a safe spot to put the plane.Audio recordingscaptured the chaotic conversation as the cockpit conveyed growing urgency.

"Flight attendants in the back are feeling ill because of the odor," the pilot can be heard saying. "We will need to go into any available gate at this time."

With no place to park the aircraft, air traffic control dispatched fire trucks to go to the plane instead and offered stairs to evacuate passengers, all while continuing to manage other traffic. Then a frantic warning cut across the radio: "Stop, stop, stop, Truck 1. Stop, stop, stop."

Moments later, the Air Canada flight landed and crashed into one of the fire trucks as it crossed the runway toward the United aircraft. The pilot and co-pilot of theregional jet flying from Montrealwere killed.

A system under stress

The collisionlate Sunday is putting a renewed focus on the pressures facing air traffic controllers in the United States, a workforce that has long grappled with staffing shortages, demanding schedules, outdated equipment and the lingering effects of government shutdowns.

About 40 passengers and crew members on the Air Canada jet and the two people in the fire truck were taken to hospitals, some with serious injuries. Most were released by Monday morning, authorities said.

While investigators work to determine what led to the runway crash, aviation experts say the incident highlights the demanding environment controllers navigate every day — managing planes landing and taking off, aircraft moving between gates and runways, and service vehicles ranging from emergency responders to maintenance trucks.

"In the best of times, air traffic controls and air traffic controllers are under a great deal of stress," said Alan Diehl, a former federal crash investigator. "These are people with very high cognitive levels. They're carefully selected, extensively trained. And one of the problems is there is a shortage of 3,000 of them in this country right now."

At a news conference Monday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, whose department oversees the Federal Aviation Administration, declined to say how many controllers were on duty at LaGuardia when the Canadian plane and the fire truck carrying Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police officers crossed paths. But he described the airport's tower as generally "well staffed" and just short of its target of 37 controllers. He said the airport currently has 33 controllers assigned to it, and seven more who are in training.

Duffy was confirmed as President Donald Trump's transportation secretary the day before an Army helicopter and a passenger plane collided over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, killing 67 people. Since taking office, he has pledged to improve air controller staffing and to upgrade traffic control equipment.

A longstanding problem

The FAA has been chronically understaffed for years. Air traffic controllers routinely work overtime and six-day work weeks, while dealing with outdated equipment.

Former FAA air traffic control chief Mike McCormick said that while LaGuardia is "not a control tower that has perennial staffing problems," the overnight shift — when the crash occurred — would typically be staffed more lightly. Investigators were expected to examine how much overtime local controllers were working and how many consecutive days they had been on duty to determine whether fatigue could have played a role.

Those questions are standard after crashes. John Cox, CEO of aviation consulting firm Safety Operating Systems, said National Transportation Safety Board investigators would closely examine the human factors surrounding the tower's operations.

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"The staffing issue and the controller's work schedule will certainly be something that they look at and only then can we determine if it's a staffing or fatigue issue," Cox said.

In a statement Monday, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association emphasized the weight of the job.

"Air traffic controllers work every day to keep passengers and cargo moving safely and efficiently," the statement said. "We serve quietly, but moments like this remind us of the responsibility we carry — and how deeply it stays with us when tragedy occurs."

Roughly 20 minutes after the crash, a controller appears to blame himself.

"We were dealing with an emergency," he said, "and I messed up."

Modernizing the FAA

The strain on the workforcehas been building for years. During a record U.S. government shutdown last fall that lasted 43 days, and a 35-day shutdown that spanned December 2018 and January 2019, controllers were required to continue working without pay, pushing some to quit or retire early. At the same time, training and hiring for new recruits was halted or slowed.

Because certification can take years, experts, union leaders and agency officials have warned that the effects would linger long after funding resumed, compounding attrition and making recruitment more difficult. Shutdowns also diminish morale, Diehl said.

Since becoming

Still, industry officials emphasize that moves to modernize the technology and equipment air traffic controllers use underway. Chris Sununu, CEO of airline trade group Airlines for America, said Congress has invested billions of dollars to upgrade aging technology and improve the system.

"I think the air traffic control system has been under a lot of strain for 30 years," Sununu said. "And that's why Congress has put billions of dollars behind rebuilding the entire system. And we've already seen some pretty good successes."

He pointed to the transition away from paper flight progress strips to digital tools at many airports, along with the purchase of hundreds of new radar systems nationwide. A new traffic flow system with upgraded back-end technology is expected to roll out later this year, he said.

"By and large, the air traffic controllers work really, really well with a very antiquated system and every day that goes by the system is now getting upgraded," Sununu said.

Associated Press reporters Mae Anderson in New York and Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.

byAlpha World

in

March 23, 2026

LaGuardia crash underscores pressures on already strained air traffic control workforce

Just before an Air Canadajet collided with an airport fire truck, air traffic controllers at New York's LaGuardia Ai...

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Jessi Draper's husband seeks restraining order after filing for divorce

The legal conflict between"Secret Lives of Mormon Wives"starJessi Draperand herhusband Jordan Ngatikaurais escalating.

Ngatikaura, who also appearson the Hulu reality show, filed for divorce earlier this month. On Friday, March 20, he also reportedly filed a temporary restraining order against Draper.

Draper, for her part, filed an opposition to the temporary restraining order the same day,TMZandPeoplereport, based on court documents. USA TODAY has reached out to a representative for Draper for comment.

A representative for Ngatikaura was not immediately available at the time of publication.

Ngatikaura filed for a legal split from Draper on Thursday, March 19, perPeopleandTMZ.

The pair, who share two children − son, Jagger, 5, and daughter, Jovi, 3 − have been separated for a year. Their marital troubles were documented on the most recentseason of "Mormon Wives,"a runaway success thatpremiered on the streamerin 2024.

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"This has not been an easy decision and it comes with a heavy heart," Ngatikaura said in a statement to People at the time. "I'm grateful for the shared memories and the lessons."

"While our paths are now moving in different directions, my priority remains my children and ensuring they feel loved, supported, and protected through this transition," he continued. "I am committed to handling this next chapter with kindness and respect."

Taylor Frankie Paul took the reality TV world by storm in 2024 when "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" became a cultural phenomenon. The "MomTok" influencer and most recent "Bachelorette" spoke candidly about her infamous "swinging scandal" and has faced legal troubles throughout the show.

See her career in the spotlight, beginning here backstage during the 98th Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026, in Hollywood, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Paul attends the 2026 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game at The Kia Forum on Feb. 13, 2026, in Inglewood, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Former NBA player Tacko Fall and Paul before the start of the game.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Paul was named ABC's "Bachelorette" for 2026. She is the first "Bachelorette" lead to helm the franchise despite never appearing on "The Bachelor".

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Paul attends the 2025 TIME100 Creators Launch Party at Gansevoort Rooftop on July 10, 2025, in New York City.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Paul at an event hosted by Hulu on April 22, 2025, in Los Angeles.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> "The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives" stars Layla Taylor, Miranda McWhorter, Jessi Ngatikaura, Mikayla Matthews, Mayci Neeley, Paul, Jennifer Affleck, Whitney Leavitt and Demi Engemann attend the Los Angeles Premiere of Season 2 at Paramount Studios on May 9, 2025, in Los Angeles.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> From left, Affleck, Paul, McWhorter, Neeley, and Matthews at SiriusXM Studios on May 8, 2025, in Los Angeles.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Mitchell Tenpenny and Paul speak onstage during The 58th Annual CMA Awards on Nov. 20, 2024, in Nashville.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Paul poses on the red carpet before the CMAs.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

See 'Mormon Wives' star Taylor Frankie Paul's life in the spotlight

Taylor Frankie Paultook the reality TV world by storm in 2024 when "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" became a cultural phenomenon. The "MomTok" influencer and most recent "Bachelorette" spoke candidly about her infamous "swinging scandal" and hasfaced legal troubles throughout the show.See her career in the spotlight, beginning here backstage during the 98th Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026, in Hollywood, California.

News of Draper's divorce comes amid a tornado of negative mediafor the ensemble show,which sees her and other youngMormon influences navigate marriage, motherhood and newfound fame.

Days prior, news broke thatpolice were investigating a domestic disputebetween her costar,Taylor Frankie Paul, and Paul's ex-partner,Dakota Mortenson.

Both have levied accusations of violence, and an impending season of "The Bachelorette," set to star Paul, was pulled by ABC in light of a video showing her alleged2023 assaultonMortensen.

Mortenson has since filed his own restraining order against Paul and asked for sole custody of their shared child, Ever.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Jessi Draper's ex seeks restraining order after divorce filing

byAlpha World

in

March 23, 2026

Jessi Draper's husband seeks restraining order after filing for divorce

The legal conflict between"Secret Lives of Mormon Wives"starJessi Draperand herhusband Jordan Ngatikaurais esc...

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NCAA tournament: If Cinderella is dead, who (or what) is to blame? Here are the biggest culprits

Midnight came early again for Cinderella.

All 16 teams that advanced to the second week of this year'sNCAA tournamenthail from one of the five power conferences.

The only double-digit-seeded upstart that managed to crash the party is aSean Miller-coached Texas team with a $22.4 million operating budgetand an enviable NIL war chest. The closest thing to a charming underdog story left in this year's field is aBig Ten runner-up Nebraska teammaking its firstSweet 16appearance after decades of basketball irrelevance.

At least one team from outside the power conferences reached the round of 16 for 49 straight years after the NCAA tournament expanded to 32 teams in 1975. That streak ended last March when none of those schools advanced beyond the NCAA tournament's opening weekend. Now the mid-majors have been eliminated early for a second consecutive year.

Why is March Madness becoming less mad? Why are the NCAA tournament's giants swatting aside the giant slayers more consistently than they did just a few years ago? Jeff Eisenberg and Dan Wolken of Yahoo Sports examined what's behind this trend and offer differing theories below.

Jump to:Jeff Eisenberg on NIL's impact|Dan Wolken on the hidden villain(s)

Cinderellas worried about tourney future can blame NIL

By Jeff Eisenberg

When his team opened conference tournament play earlier this month, Queens University men's basketball coach Grant Leonard glanced into the stands and was surprised by what he saw.

Sitting courtside, Leonard said, was an SEC assistant coach who was there to get a head start scouting and recruiting a Queens player who had not yet entered the transfer portal. The SEC assistant wore school-branded apparel just like coaches do when trying to make their presence known to high school prospects while attending Peach Jam or other AAU tournaments.

"I don't think it is the right thing ethically to go to our conference tournament, sit on the floor and try to interact with my player in an elimination game," Leonard told reporters Thursday on the eve of Queens' first-round NCAA tournament game against Purdue. "That is my opinion; it is not a fact. Is it permissible? Maybe, maybe not. Is it ethical? In my opinion no."

Stories like that help illustratewhy the Cinderella runs that have long been the lifeblood of the NCAA tournament are rapidly becoming more scarce. The gap between college basketball's haves and have-nots is rapidly widening because top-tier programs can offer massive NIL payouts to the best available talent and because transfer rules no longer prevent players from switching schools as often as they want without penalty.

The name-brand programs who have advanced in this year's NCAA tournament have treated mid-major teams like their personal farm system. Their rosters are littered with players who began their college careers at a lower level, from Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg, to Louisville's Ryan Conwell, to UCLA's Donovan Dent, to Tennessee's Ja'Kobi Gillepsie.

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Mid-majors struggling to keep best players

Those player retention issues have eaten away at the biggest advantage that small-conference programs used to have in March. The Loyola Chicagos, Wichita States and Butlers of the past overcame the talent gap with older players who developed superior cohesiveness through years of playing together. That's harder to pull off today with wealthier programs sliding into players' DMs or making life-altering offers through back channels.

The ability to offer NIL payouts well into seven figures has also allowed high-majors to recruit guys who in the past would be playing professional basketball. Teams at the top of this year's NCAA tournament bracket are loaded with prized freshmen, international prospects and proven veterans who can earn more playing college basketball than they can in overseas pro leagues, the G League or even on an NBA two-way contract. There are teams who are paying six figures to players coming off their bench.

The concentration of talent at the top of college basketball is exemplified by how the past two NCAA tournaments have unfolded. Not a single team seeded 13th or worse has advanced out of the round of 64. Every team that has made the past two Sweet 16s has come from a power conference.

Thirteen of 32 first-round games in this year's tournament were decided by more than 20 points. The average margin of victory in the first round was 17.4,the highest since the tournament expanded in 1985, per ESPN research.

Impact of regular season

Two NCAA tournaments may be a small sample size, but regular-season results also reflect the growing chasm between top-tier teams and everyone else. There were 378 matchups this November between high-majors and non-Gonzaga teams from other conferences. The little guy won only 22 of them, according to research by Yahoo Sports.

"In the past, if you did a good job evaluating and a good job recruiting and you found guys who were a notch above your level, they wouldn't leave because they'd have to sit out some place," former Fairleigh Dickinson and Iona coach Tobin Anderson told Yahoo Sports in November. "Now with the portal and nonstop free agency, a good low-major or mid-major team for the most part is going to lose its best players every year."

By the numbers, Duke, Arizona and Michigan entered this year's NCAA tournament as three of the strongest No. 1 seeds in recent memory. Each boasted KenPom adjusted efficiency margins of at least 37.59, meaning that's how many points that college basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy would project them to outscore the average Division I opponent by over 100 possessions.

Since the KenPom era began in 1997, only 10 teams have ever finished a season with adjusted efficiency margins higher than 35. Four of those are last year's No. 1 seeds.

It isn't just the No. 1 seeds who were unusually formidable this season. A total of 20 teams seeded sixth or higher entered the NCAA tournament with adjusted efficiency margins of plus-25, compared to just four at the end of the 2022-23 college basketball season and nine the year before that.

It's the opposite story for schools from single-bid leagues, the sorts of programs who populated the seed lines at the bottom of this year's bracket.

That's why this has been another NCAA tournament where the giants have swatted aside the giant slayers, where the teams that advance have deep pockets, not glass slippers.

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Jump to:Jeff Eisenberg on NIL's impact|Dan Wolken on the hidden villain(s)

Meet the real villain(s) behind death of Cinderella

By Dan Wolken

As we endure a second straight year without much mid-major magic in the NCAA tournament's opening weekend, plenty of fingers will be pointed at the current NIL and transfer environmentfor killing Cinderella.

That may or may not be true. Two years is still a small sample size, and if a couple close games go the other way — Santa Clara, Siena and Wright State all had great chances in the final few minutes to take down blue-blood programs — we're having a totally different discussion.

But, in the aggregate, I'll acknowledge it certainlyfeltlike the first round of the NCAA tournament was top heavy. A lot of blowouts — the first-round average margin of victory was 17.4 points, the highest since the tournament expanded in 1985. A lot of 12, 13, 14 and 15 seeds that looked significantly outclassed.

The transfer portal is an easybête noirein this discussion. All the power conference schools are scouting mid-major rosters, and anyone who shows promise at a lower level is being offered big money to transfer. Again, I'll acknowledge this isn't great for mid-major programs. From a 30,000-foot view, it is harder to maintain talent and continuity across the bottom 270 or so programs in the sport.

In terms of how it's specifically affecting the NCAA tournament, however, there's another factor that deserves more of the blame than it's getting.

Conference realignment.

If Cinderella is indeed on life support, it's far more likely that the mad rush since 2010 to draw up coast-to-coast, mammoth football conferences was what put her in the ICU in the first place.

Mid-majors had proud history in NCAA tournament

Go back 15 years and look at some of these conferences that produced the iconic mid-major teams of recent vintage like Butler, VCU, Wichita State and Loyola Chicago. They are almost unrecognizable today, and you can trace the reason directly to the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC gluttonizing themselves into amorphous blobs and creating a domino effect that significantly weakened dozens of conferences below them.

And yet all those conferences continue to get automatic bids, and the quality of teams filling those slots has undeniably gotten weaker.

Let's look at 2016 — just 10 years ago. The average pre-tournament KenPom ranking of the No. 15 seeds was 124, the average No. 14 seeds was 105, the average of No. 13 seeds was 84 and the average No. 12 seeds was 73.

Four years ago, in 2022, we had one of the craziest tournaments ever. Here were the KenPom averages: No. 15 seeds were 140, No. 14 seeds were 134, No. 13 seeds were 83, No. 12 seeds were 61. (In that tournament, a 15 seed won a first-round game, two 12 seeds won first-round games and the 4-13 games were decided by a total of 18 points.)

This year? It's a totally different story. The 15 seed average is around 179, the 14 seed average is roughly 142, the 13 seed average is 113, the 12 seed average is 76.

As you can see, it's very clear in the numbers that the quality of automatic bid winners filling these Cinderella seed lines has declined over time. The same conferences that put good teams in the tournament are now producing weaker champions. And that's happened at the same time fringe NBA prospects are staying in college longer because of NIL, making the top layer of the sport stronger.

But when you're talking about the NCAA tournament, where a limited number of teams from that top layer are playing the cream of the crop from smaller conferences, it's crucial to understand that many of those conferences are now a shell of what they once were due to realignment.

Realignment erodes lower-level conferences

When the Big East reformed as a basketball-only league in 2013 because it got tired of being jerked around by football realignment, it weakened the A-10 by taking Xavier and Butler, and the Missouri Valley by inviting Creighton. The A-10 responded by taking VCU and George Mason from the CAA, Davidson from the Southern Conference, then Loyola from the Missouri Valley several years later.

The Valley, having lost Creighton, Loyola and Wichita State (which bolted to the American), backfilled with Belmont and Murray State, which took the two best programs from the Ohio Valley Conference, which in turn added Little Rock and Western Illinois.

Meanwhile, the American losing SMU, Houston, UCF and Cincinnati to power conferences sparked a raid of Conference USA, which caused that league to take a grab bag of schools from the CAA, Atlantic Sun and Missouri Valley.

This has happened over and over across all these realignment moves. As one league scrambles for survival by taking the best members of a league just below them in the pecking order, it erodes the strength of each conference down the chain.

For a long time, leagues like the MVC, CAA and Horizon could reliably put competitive 12 or 13 seeds in the tournament because they had a core of solid programs and good brands. Now, the membership of those leagues is totally different, but they're still getting the same automatic bids.

You don't even need to mention NIL or the transfer portal to see very easily how the quality of teams filling those bids could slip, which is now showing up clearly in the numbers. And if you get a year like this one where several of the No. 1 seeds in the mid- and low-major leagues lost their conference tournaments, it takes the quality of the No. 12-15 seeds down another notch and you end up with the kind of blowouts we saw on Thursday and Friday.

The NCAA tournament is not a microcosm of the sport. College basketball has never been as equal as the March Madness branding makes it look. With 350-plus teams, the gap between the haves and have-nots has always been massive.

But in a one-off event like this, how you sort the teams in the field matters significantly. If the 100th-best team in the country was a typical 14 seed a decade ago and now the typical 14 seed is the 142nd-best team, that's a huge difference driving a decline in upsets.

Is that an issue the NCAA needs to address? Perhaps. But if we're going to worry about the death of Cinderella, we need to correctly identify what killed her. NIL and the transfer portal are only part of the story — and maybe even the smallest part compared to 15 years of realignment shock coming home to roost.

byAlpha World

in

March 23, 2026

NCAA tournament: If Cinderella is dead, who (or what) is to blame? Here are the biggest culprits

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What We Know About Charges Against Joseph and Kendra Duggar: Are Kendra’s Charges Connected to Sex Abuse Case?

Joseph and Kendra Duggar were both arrested in Arkansas and are each facing criminal charges

NEED TO KNOW

• Joseph was initially charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim less than 12 years in Florida before Arkansas authorities subsequently charged him with child endangerment and false imprisonment

• Kendra also faces the same Arkansas charges in a case sources say is not connected to Joseph's Florida case

Former19 Kids and CountingstarJoseph Duggaris facing accusations that he molested a 9-year-old girl in 2020, while he and his wife,Kendra, are also charged with child endangerment in what police have said are unrelated accusations.

Joseph, who lives with his family in Arkansas, was initially charged in Florida with lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim less than 12 years, the Bay County Sheriff's Office.

According to the sheriff's office, Joseph is accused of molesting the girl while on vacation with her family in Panama Beach City, Fla., in 2020.

"As the vacation continued, [Joseph] also asked her to sit next to him on a couch and covered them with a blanket," the sheriff's office alleged. "During this time, Joseph manipulated the victim's underwear and grazed her genitals. He would also continue to rub his hands on her thighs."

Police alleged that the former reality star confessed to the allegations after being confronted by the girl's father.

Joseph was arrested in Washington County, Ark., on March 18 and will need to be extradited to Florida to face charges there.

Two days after Joseph's arrest, police in Tontitown, Ark., said that he and Kendra were each being charged with four counts ofendangering the welfare of a minorand four counts of false imprisonment.

Kendra was arrested on March 20 and was subsequently released after posting bond. Joseph is still being held in Washington County, Ark., jail awaiting extradition.

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A source close to the investigation tells PEOPLE the Arkansas charges against both Joseph and Kendra are unrelated to the charge Joseph faces in Florida.

A spokesperson for the Duggars further said that Kendra is not accused or suspected in relation to Joseph's Florida case and that her arrest had nothing to do with it.

A source close to the Duggar family tells PEOPLE Kendra and Joseph were arrested on the child endangerment and false imprisonment charges after investigators allegedly found locks on the exterior of doors in their home. In 2015, Duggar family members said their parents installed locks on bedroom doors as a safeguard after Josh Duggar admitted to molesting his sisters.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE's free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Joseph's older brother Josh Duggar is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence in Texas after he was convicted ofreceiving and possessing material depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conductin federal court in 2021.

Joseph is a father of four children and has been married to Kendra since 2017.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

Read the original article onPeople

byAlpha World

in

March 23, 2026

What We Know About Charges Against Joseph and Kendra Duggar: Are Kendra’s Charges Connected to Sex Abuse Case?

Joseph and Kendra Duggar were both arrested in Arkansas and are each facing criminal charges NEED TO KNOW Jo...

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Savannah Guthrie’s Return to ‘Today’ Anchor Chair Could Be Sooner Than You Think

Savannah Guthrie has been absent from the Today show anchor desk since her mother, Nancy Guthrie, was last seen on January 31.

The Gist

• Savannah has spent ample time in Tucson, Arizona helping with search efforts for the 84-year-old.

• A new report indicates that Savannah may return on air as soon as April after stopping by the Today set to visit colleagues earlier this month.

According to a new report,Today'sSavannah Guthriecould be returning to her post at the anchor desk as soon as April after being away from her on-camera role since the January 31 disappearance of her mother,Nancy Guthrie, in Tucson, Arizona.

Page Sixreported that Savannah could be back on the air in just a matter of weeks, though plans are subject to change as Nancy's case continues to develop. The outlet reported that Savannah is hoping to return toTodayafter her kids' spring break, with the publication noting that most schools are back in session in New York City by April 10.

The outlet added that Savannah is seeking to spend as much time as possible with her husband, Michael Feldman, their 11-year-old daughter Vale, and their 9-year-old son Charley before going back to work.

Another source toldPage Sixthat "There is no announcement regarding Savannah's return date, and Hoda [Kotb] will remain filling in for her."

Savannah paid an emotional visit to see herTodaycolleagues at Studio 1A in Rockefeller Center on March 5, thanking them for "caring about my mom as much as I do."She added, "I wanted you to know that I'm still standing, and I still have hope, and I'm still me. And I don't know what version of me that will be, but it will be. I'm holding onto my faith. I still believe. And as my mom would say, 'Where else would I go?'"

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"I have every intention of coming back," she continued. "I don't know how to come back, but I don't know how not to. You're my family. And I would like to try."

As aTodayspokesperson toldPeopleafter the March 5 visit, "While she plans to return to the show on air, she remains focused right now supporting her family and working to help bring Nancy home."

Immediately after Savannah's visit earlier this month,Jenna Bush Hagerwent on air, saying as she became visibly emotional, "Savannah has come back to her home here at 30 Rock in Studio 1A. We got to see her this morning and, in her perfect way, she talked to all of us, hugged every single person in this room, the crew."

"She said that she has the intention to return to the show even though it feels like the hardest thing to do,"Bush Hager continued. "It's also her home and where she feels so loved. And she is beyond loved here. So we're happy she's home. I don't know when she's actually returning to the show. But she was here, and that felt so good to get to hug her."

Read the original article onInStyle

byAlpha World

in

March 23, 2026

Savannah Guthrie’s Return to ‘Today’ Anchor Chair Could Be Sooner Than You Think

Savannah Guthrie has been absent from the Today show anchor desk since her mother, Nancy Guthrie, was last seen on Janu...

Read More