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Almost without fail, the brilliance of August Wilson emerges even in mediocre stagings of his plays.

Report card from the Knicks' 114-98 blowout win over the Hawks on Saturday night in Atlanta.

Photos show the chaos that ensued after several gunshots were fired at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

“He was in that room […] he grabbed it out of a bag or something,” Mabus said, adding that the weapon “was long” and “didn’t look like a typical gun.”

The college baseball gods must have decreed there would be drama in this series. How else does one explain what’s unfolded at Jackie Robinson Stadium over the last two days?

A beloved Bay Area ski destination is undergoing a sweeping transformation, with Sugar Bowl Resort launching a multiyear, $100 million overhaul aimed at modernizing its 87-year-old mountain operations. The project kicked off last summer with visible changes already underway, including the removal of the resort’s historic wooden sundeck. In its place, a new dining terrace...

A car exploded outside a police station in Northern Ireland in an incident that grimly echoes the "troubles" terrorist attacks.

Top US Diplomat Takes Post In Caracas As Part Of Post-Maduro Transition Plan

For the first time in many years, the United States has a top diplomat officially in residence representing Washington to Venezuela.

Veteran US diplomat John M. Barrett has arrived in Caracas to serve as chargé d’affaires at the US Embassy in Venezuela, the mission announced Thursday, marking a new phase in Washington's diplomatic presence in Venezuela, and after a US military raid on Jan.3 ousted and captured longtime leader Nicolás Maduro.

Image via Prensa Libre

Barrett is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, and he was tapped by the Trump admin for role in April after most recently serving as chargé d’affaires at the US Embassy in Guatemala.

His arrival forms part of President Trump's stated three-phase plan to "restore democracy" in Venezuela, with the chargé d’affaires acting as the top US representative in the absence of a Senate-confirmed ambassador.

It must be recalled that it was actually the Director of the CIA who was the first top Trump admin official to visit post-Maduro Caracas and warmly shake hands with new leader, then-Vice President Delcy Rodríguez.

Ironically she had long been among the most staunchly socialist officials within the Chavista regime of Maduro, and her being accepted by Washington shows there was not actual regime change on any institutional level, just the tapping of a more pliant US puppet.

Various reports review that before his posting in Guatemala, Barrett served from 2023 to 2025 as deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Panama.

"The relationship between the United States and Venezuela will shape the future of our hemisphere. My name is John Barrett, and I have just arrived in Venezuela to serve as charge d'affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Caracas," Barrett said in a newly video published introducing himself and the new role by the embassy on social media.

"President Trump and Secretary Rubio have a clear vision for the prosperity of our region, and I am here to continue implementing their three-phase plan for Venezuela. We remain committed to Venezuela," he added.

His prior diplomatic roles include serving as counselor for economic affairs at the US Embassy in Peru and as consul general in Recife, where he led US diplomatic engagement across eight northeastern states.

CNN: Maduro presented the CIA as a boogeyman attempting to topple the regime, without any evidence.

Also CNN: "the CIA has helped supplant Maduro and is poised to help actively manage the Trump administration's dealings with Venezuela's new leadership" pic.twitter.com/nno8e1bJNu

— Glenn Diesen (@Glenn_Diesen) January 29, 2026

It's expected that with the reopening and normalization of embassy operations, so will the presence of American spies in Caracas grow - as goes the pattern with most any country, but especially in the case of Latin America, and given the presence of the world's largest proven oil reserves under the ground.

Tyler Durden Sat, 04/25/2026 - 21:35

President Trump, first lady Melania and a slew of top lawmakers and White House officials had to be dramatically evacuated from the White House Correspondents Dinner Saturday night after a gunman opened fire outside the ballroom. Law enforcement sources identified the suspected gunman as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, a teacher and Caltech grad from Torrance,...

Trump Admin Pitching US Companies To Rebuild Gulf Infrastructure Hit By Iran, Arab Officials Say 'Tone-Deaf'

Via Middle East Eye

The Trump administration has told several Gulf states that they should use American companies to rebuild their infrastructure damaged by Iran's retaliatory strikes amid the US-Israeli war on the Islamic Republic, US and Arab officials familiar with the discussions told Middle East Eye.

Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE are among the countries the US has tapped as potential customers for US engineering, manufacturing and construction firms, given the extent of damage in their countries, the officials told MEE.

Smoke rises following a strike on the Bapco oil refinery, amid the US-Israeli war on Iran, on Sitra Island, Bahrain, on March 9, 2026. via Reuters

Saudi Arabia and Oman have been less impacted by Iranian air strikes. In their talking points, US officials have been emphasizing the economic partnership the Gulf countries share with the US and its importance to reconstruction. 

A US official told MEE that promoting US companies for Gulf reconstruction was part of the Trump administration’s "America First" foreign policy, which prioritizes economic statecraft. 

But an Arab official told MEE that the push appeared "a little tone-deaf", as the Gulf is still wary of a return to fighting and on edge over the US’s commitments to regional security.

The Trump administration’s push is not merely symbolic. Rystad Energy estimates the repair costs for energy-linked infrastructure in the Gulf alone could reach as high as $39bn, excluding the damage in Iran.

A fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran is holding, even as the two are locked in a stalemate over the Strait of Hormuz with rival blockades. Iran's government has estimated that its economy overall suffered $270bn in direct and indirect war damages.

The Gulf monarchies generally opposed the US-Israeli war on Iran, but they faced the brunt of the Islamic Republic’s reprisals. The UAE was targeted with at least 2,000 ballistic missiles and drones.

The countries which suffered the most damage are also the most exposed to Iran's newfound control over the Strait of Hormuz, as opposed to Saudi Arabia, which has a pipeline bypassing the chokepoint via the Red Sea. 

Gulf states have deep pockets to rebuild infrastructure, but there are signs they are wary of a longer-term downturn.

Kuwait has one of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds. Valued at $1 trillion, the fund rivals those of the UAE and Saudi Arabia, although it flies below the radar. 

US Secretary of State Scott Bessent said this week, however, that the UAE and other Gulf states were seeking currency swap lines from the US, which would allow them to tap into US dollars while their energy exports are stalled. 

"I could see the US looking for a trade-off where Gulf states using a swap line commit to US firms for rebuilding," a former US official told MEE. 

Kuwait, which sits at the northeastern corner of the Gulf, was also hammered by Iranian air strikes. While Kuwait keeps a lower profile than Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, it has the fourth-largest US troop presence in the world. Iranian strikes hit the US’s Camp Arifjan as well as Ali al-Salem Air Base.

But Reuters reported that Kuwait International Airport also suffered significant damage. At least two major Kuwaiti power and water desalination plants were damaged as well.

Likewise, Bahrain, a tiny Gulf island kingdom whose only land connection to the outside world is the King Fahd Causeway to Saudi Arabia, suffered significant damage from Iranian strikes.

🇸🇦🇶🇦🇦🇪🇧🇭🇰🇼GULF WAR DRIVES $58B REBUILD BILL - STRAINS GLOBAL EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLY CHAINS

The recent conflict across the Gulf is expected to generate a reconstruction burden of roughly $55–60 billion, with damage concentrated in energy infrastructure, logistics corridors, and… pic.twitter.com/wyBiGBuSVN

— THE GLOBAL WATCHDOG (@glwatchdog) April 18, 2026

Bahrain’s port, which hosts the US’s Fifth Fleet, was pummelled by Iran, but key industrial sites also suffered damage.

The Financial Times reported that Amazon's cloud computing operation in Bahrain was hit by Iranian strikes. Aluminium Bahrain, one of the world's largest single-site smelters, was attacked and had to declare a force majeure as a result of the damage. Bahrain’s Bapco refinery also declared a force majeure after the strikes.

US and Arab officials said the US has not yet lobbied on behalf of specific companies, but wants to put American firms at the front lines of reconstruction.

Tyler Durden Sat, 04/25/2026 - 21:00

Role Model and Dakota Johnson walk through Tribeca, Mel B strikes a pose and more.

Role Model and Dakota Johnson walk through Tribeca, Mel B strikes a pose and more.

President Trump was evacuated from the White House Correspondents' Dinner after gunfire erupted.

Even the most ardent Jets hater would have a difficult time poking holes into what Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey have done in the past four months.

In a game the Knicks couldn't afford to lose in their first-round series, they delivered their most complete 48-minute sample yet against the Hawks.

See the best photos from the red carpet.

See the best photos from the red carpet.

LA sees a decline in tourism for the first time since the pandemic as the President and CEO of ‘Visit California’ announced plans this year to step down.

Jessie Eldridge scored the first of four Boston goals in the third period to lead the Fleet to a 4-0 victory over the Sirens on Saturday.

Here are The Post’s pick-by-pick grades for the Jets draft class.