Odd News // 3 weeks ago
Virginia man buys 20 tickets for one lottery drawing, wins 20 times
March 27 (UPI) — A Virginia man bought 20 identical tickets for a single Pick 4 lottery drawing and ended up winning $5,000 for each ticket — a total of $100,000.
Q: “People suspect that there’s insider trading happening on these prediction markets around the war. Are you concerned?”
Trump: “The whole world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino.” pic.twitter.com/gESZk6GF2Z
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) April 23, 2026
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As tensions ramp up amid fragile truce, US military says it ‘redirected’ 34 vessels as part of blockade on Iran’s ports.
Published On 24 Apr 2026
The United States has three aircraft carriers in the Middle East for the first time in 23 years with the arrival of the USS George HW Bush, the US military has said, amid a fragile ceasefire with Iran.
The Middle East-based Central Command (CENTCOM) of the US military said on Friday that the carriers include 12 accompanying ships, more than 200 aircraft, and 15,000 soldiers.
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“For the first time in decades, three aircraft carriers are operating in the Middle East at the same time,” CENTCOM said.
The last time the US amassed that amount of military assets in the region’s waters was in the lead up to the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
The other two US aircraft carriers in the region are USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R Ford, which is the largest in the world.
The show of force signals that the US is preparing to return to fighting should the fragile ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran unravel.
Diplomacy between the two countries has been in limbo, with Iran setting the lifting of the US naval blockade against its ports as a condition for resuming the talks.
US President Donald Trump announced extending the truce on Wednesday, but he said the naval siege would persist.
For its part, Iran has reblocked the Strait of Hormuz in response to the US blockade after declaring the waterway completely open last week when the regional ceasefire was extended to Lebanon.
Trump has not set a deadline for the extended ceasefire and suggested that he is comfortable with the status quo, which he argues is depleting the Iranian economy at a low cost for the US.
“I have all the time in the World, but Iran doesn’t,” he wrote in a social media post on Thursday.
The US president was later asked how long he would be willing to wait before receiving a proposed deal from Iran. He said: “Don’t rush me.”
Iran has described the blockade – which has seen US forces seize at least two Iranian oil ships – as an “act of war”.
Iranian forces have also captured foreign commercial ships in the Hormuz Strait, accusing them of violating maritime regulations.
With negotiations on hold, Trump has shown no signs of willingness to lift the siege in order to facilitate talks.
On Friday, the US military said it has “redirected” 34 vessels in the region. “The blockade against ships entering or exiting Iranian ports continues,” CENTCOM said.
Trump has previously threatened to destroy Iran’s civilian infrastructure, including bridges, power and water stations.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that his country is awaiting the green light from Trump to return Iran to the “age of darkness”.
“Israel is prepared to renew the war against Iran. The [Israeli military] is ready in defence and offence, and the targets are marked,” Katz said, according to The Times of Israel newspaper.
The announcement on Friday is expected to clear the path for the confirmation of his successor, Kevin Warsh.
Published On 24 Apr 2026
The United States Department of Justice has ended its probe into US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, clearing a major roadblock to the confirmation of his successor, Kevin Warsh.
US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeannine Pirro said on X on Friday that her office was ending its probe into the Fed’s extensive building renovations because the Fed’s inspector general would scrutinise them instead.
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Pirro, a Trump ally and the top federal prosecutor in Washington, DC, said she had instead asked the Fed’s internal watchdog, the Office of Inspector General, to examine cost overruns in renovations of the central bank’s Washington headquarters.
“The IG has the authority to hold the Federal Reserve accountable to American taxpayers,” Pirro said in a social media post. “I expect a comprehensive report in short order and am confident the outcome will assist in resolving, once and for all, the questions that led this office to issue subpoenas.”
The move could lead to a swift confirmation vote by the Senate for Warsh, a former top Fed official whom US President Donald Trump, a Republican, nominated in January to replace Powell. Powell’s term as chair ends May 15.
Senator Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, had said he would oppose Warsh until the investigation was resolved, effectively blocking his confirmation.
The leadership transition at the world’s leading central bank could now proceed quickly.
Republicans praised Warsh during a Tuesday hearing even as Democrats questioned his independence from Trump, the lack of transparency around some of his financial holdings, and what they said was his flip-flopping on interest rates. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, the ranking Democrat on the committee, questioned if Warsh will be a “sock puppet“.
Still, Trump’s previous appointment to the Fed’s board of governors, Stephen Miran, was approved by the full Senate just 13 days after his nomination.
The investigation was among several undertaken by the Department of Justice into Trump’s perceived adversaries. For months, it had failed to gain traction as prosecutors struggled to articulate a basis to suspect criminal conduct.
A prosecutor handling the case conceded at a closed-door court hearing in March that the government had not yet found any evidence of a crime, and a judge subsequently quashed subpoenas issued to the Federal Reserve.
The judge, James Boasberg, said prosecutors had produced “essentially zero evidence” to suspect Powell of a crime. Boasberg branded prosecutors’ justification for the subpoenas as “thin and unsubstantiated”.
More recently, prosecutors made an unannounced visit to a construction site at the Fed’s headquarters but were turned away, drawing a rebuke from a defence lawyer in the case who called the manoeuvre “not appropriate”.
Warsh said during the Senate hearing on Tuesday that he never promised the White House that he would cut interest rates, even as the president renewed his calls for the central bank to do so.
“The president never once asked me to commit to any particular interest rate decision, period,” Warsh said during the hearing. “Nor would I ever agree to do so if he had … I will be an independent actor if confirmed as chair of the Federal Reserve.”
Warsh’s comments came just hours after Trump, in an interview on CNBC, was asked if he would be disappointed if Warsh did not immediately cut rates and responded, “I would.”
The decision to abandon the investigation represents a rare pullback for a Department of Justice that over the last year has moved aggressively, albeit unsuccessfully, to prosecute public figures the president does not like.
Robert Hur, an lawyer for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, did not immediately respond on Friday to an email seeking comment.
Jane Street asked a U.S. court to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the bankruptcy estate of Terraform Labs, rejecting claims that the trading firm helped trigger the 2022 collapse of the TerraUSD (UST) stablecoin and its sister token Luna.
In two filings submitted Thursday to the Southern District of New York, Jane Street and several employees said the case is an attempt to shift blame for the failure of the Terra ecosystem, which erased roughly $40 billion in value within days.
The firm urged the court to dismiss the complaint with prejudice, which would prevent Terraform from pursuing the same claims again.
“This case is an attempt by the estate of Terraform Labs to extract cash from Jane Street to foot the bill for a fraud that Terraform itself perpetrated on the market,” the defendants wrote.
Jane Street argued that the core issues behind Terra’s collapse have already been settled in court. It pointed to criminal and civil cases against Terraform founder Do Kwon, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy and wire fraud and is serving a 15-year prison sentence. A jury also found Kwon and Terraform liable for securities fraud. According to the filing, Kwon said he was “alone responsible for everyone’s pain.”
Terraform’s lawsuit, filed in January by administrator Todd Snyder, accuses Jane Street of insider trading that sped up the collapse. Snyder alleges the firm used nonpublic information from Terraform insiders to trade ahead of major moves, including large withdrawals from the Curve liquidity pool that preceded UST losing its dollar peg.
For example, the complaint claims Terraform withdrew 150 million UST on May 7, 2022, and that a wallet linked to Jane Street pulled 85 million UST minutes later, sparking market panic. Jane Street disputes that narrative and denies any role in the collapse.
Jane Street maintains that “Terraform’s fraud scheme — in which Jane Street had no involvement — has already been prosecuted, adjudicated, and punished.”
Terraform Labs, founded in 2018, filed for bankruptcy in January 2024. Its downfall rippled across the crypto sector, contributing to failures at several firms exposed to the project. The court’s decision on Jane Street’s motion could shape how responsibility for that collapse is assigned.
Bitcoin (BTC) has remained strong in recent days, and analysts are painting an optimistic picture for the future.
At this point, Michael Saylor, founder of Strategy, the largest publicly traded Bitcoin company, was the first to adopt an optimistic tone regarding Bitcoin, writing that the Bitcoin winter was over. However, some analysts said that Saylor’s statements might be premature.
Saylor X, in a post on her social media account, said “The Bitcoin winter is over,” reigniting the debate on the subject.
Speaking to Coindesk, AdLunam co-founder Jason Fernandes countered Saylor’s view, saying that even if the Bitcoin winter is over, altcoins are still in a deep downturn. However, Fernandes stated that he doesn’t believe the crypto winter is over.
“Even if the Bitcoin winter is over – a view I disagree with – altcoins are still in deep cold.”
Mati Greenspan, founder of Quantum Economics and former senior market analyst at eToro, believes that there has never been a crypto winter.
Mati Greenspan argues that the movements in Bitcoin and the crypto market since the massive crash on October 10th (which wiped out approximately $19 billion in liquidations within 24 hours) cannot even be described as a crypto winter.
At this point, Greenspan stated that the correction since October was a temporary dip within a long-term bull market, and that Bitcoin had likely already formed a bottom.
According to him, the next surge will depend on Bitcoin’s adoption by institutions and nation-states.
“Increased corporate adoption will kickstart the next phase, but Saylor is missing the sovereign state adoption phase – which is definitely coming soon.”
*This is not investment advice.
Odd News // 3 weeks ago
Virginia man buys 20 tickets for one lottery drawing, wins 20 times
March 27 (UPI) — A Virginia man bought 20 identical tickets for a single Pick 4 lottery drawing and ended up winning $5,000 for each ticket — a total of $100,000.
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With the end of the 2025-26 NHL regular season, the best teams compete to win the iconic Stanley Cup trophy. There’s a lot of top players going into the playoffs — such as Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Jason Robertson, Nikita Kucherov, Leon Draisaitl, Cale Makar and others — but only one team can claim victory.
The NHL Playoffs continues until the end of the the NHL Stanley Cup Final on Sunday, June 21 — if the championship series goes seven games.
At a Glance: Watch the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Live Online
Keep reading to find out how to watch the 2026 NHL Playoffs. In the meantime, check out a complete schedule of playoff games here, or the tournament bracket here.
While the NHL Playoffs broadcast on TV across ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, TNT and truTV, games can be streamed on internet-based streaming cable services, like DirecTV, Sling and Hulu + Live TV. Postseason games are also available to livestream on platforms, such as ESPN Unlimited and HBO Max.
Ahead, find out how to watch the NHL Playoffs with and without a cable subscription.
EDitor’s Choice
125+ channels
Watch the 2026 NHL Playoffs with DirecTV, which carries ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, TNT and truTV, along with more than 125 other channels — such as NHL Network, CBS Sports Network, FOX Sports, NFL Network, FanDuel TV and others. Sports fans can watch NHL games for free with the cable streamer’s five-day trial. Afterwards, you can either cancel the service or keep watching, with prices starting at $59.99 for the first month of service ($94.99 per month afterward) for the entry-level “Choice” package with the streamer’s current deals.
Please note: Prices and channel availability depend on your local TV market.
Sling is one of the most affordable options for new live TV streaming subscribers who want to watch the NHL Playoffs on ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, TNT and truTV with the Orange + Blue plan with prices starting at $60.99 per month. Meanwhile, NHL Network is available through Sling’s Sports Extra package for an additional $11 per month. The sports package includes NBA TV, MLB Network, ESPNU and more.
Comes with Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN Unlimited
To watch ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, TNT and truTV online, a subscription to Hulu + Live TV is fantastic option. The streaming service includes Disney+, ESPN Unlimited and access to more than 95 live channels — like CBS Sports Network, BET, CNN, Food Network and more — starting at $89.99 per month. In addition to live cable, Hulu + Live TV lets subscribers watch originals from Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN Unlimited. It includes unlimited cloud DVR, too. Hulu also offers a three-day free trial.
Watch NHL games on ESPN Unlimited; plants from $29.99 per month.
ESPN Unlimited includes all of the sports network’s channels, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ABC on ESPN, ESPNU, ESPNEWS and others, as well as original programming, such as The Pat McAfee Show, 30 For 30, McEnroe’s Places, Man in the Arena: Tom Brady, Southern Hoops: A History of SEC Basketball, Deion’s Double Play and others. It also comes with streaming access to live sports from NBA, UFC, Formula 1, MLB and other sports leagues.
Sign up via Prime Video
HBO Max has the B/R Sports add-on for free, as part of its streaming service.
Available through Prime Video, HBO Max’s sports hub has access to the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs starting at $10.99 per month; note that a Prime Membership ($14.99 monthly or $139 annually) or Prime Video subscription ($8.99 monthly) is required.
In addition, HBO Max includes NHL on TNT, U.S. Soccer, MotoGP and other sports leagues. The service has hit movies like Sinners, One Battle After Another, Barbie, The Zone of Interest, Wonka, Avatar: The Way of Water and others, as well as award-winning series, such as The Last of Us, Hacks, The White Lotus and others.
NHL postseason games air across ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, TNT and truTV. You can watch by tuning in through your cable TV provider, on the networks’ respective websites and mobile apps with your cable TV account login — including streaming and traditional services such as DirecTV, Sling, Verizon, Xfinity and others.
Apple TV dropped a teaser for Widow’s Bay earlier this month, and the horror series looked predictably scary with ominous music paired with chilling sequences in a New England island town. But there’s a moment at the end of the trailer that telegraphed that the series is not a typical jump scare show.
“I don’t understand,” says Matthew Rhys, playing the town’s mayor, Tom Loftis, who is perplexed by the tale of a killer sea hag. “How do you die?” Stephen Root’s character has a surprising answer: “She crawls into your bed and sits on your face.”
The punchline is indicative of a level of comedy infused throughout in creator Katie Dippold’s Widow’s Bay. The series is set in, well, Widow’s Bay, which is 40-miles off the coast of New England. Mayor Tom Loftis (Rhys) is desperate to revive his struggling community in the face of some challenging circumstances like the absence of Wi-Fi, spotty cellular reception and superstitious locals who believe the place is cursed. Loftis remains determined to build a better future for his teenage son and turn the island into a tourist destination. As he begins to succeed in his goal, old stories that seemed too ludicrous begin happening, sending shivers throughout the island. Rhys and Root star opposite Kate O’Flynn, Kingston Rumi Southwick, Kevin Caroll and Dale Dickey.
“I’d certainly never read anything like it,” Rhys said during an Apple TV panel discussion at the streamer’s Santa Monica press day in February. “I’d grown up with things like the Wicker Man and Jaws and things like this, and this was kind of everything I’d always thought I would never get to do. When I knew it was this mash-up and meeting these two, it was sort of done in a millisecond. It became a true dream job.”
Widow’s Bay: Rhys also executive produces the show, which was created, showrun and executive produced by Katie Dippold. Emmy winner Hiro Murai directs and executive produces through his Chum Films alongside Carver Karaszewski, Claudia Shin and Rhys. Other directors include Ti West, Sam Donovan and Andrew DeYoung.
Credit: Courtesy of Apple TV
Murai, best known for his work on Atlanta and The Bear, agreed about the show’s singular tone. “I just never read anything like it before. It felt like a TV show from the past but so modern at the same time. And to be totally honest, when I first read it I was like, I don’t know what this is yet, and that’s always the most exciting place to start,” he said of working with Dippold, who has experience blending horror and comedy after having written the features Haunted Mansion and Ghostbusters. “I’ve never read something that has so much hard comedy in it and truly scary kind of terrifying horror while trying to be honest about the emotional lives of these characters. It felt like we’re just kind of like hanging on to two sled dogs at the same time.”
Rhys added that the laughs are not shoehorned in for fun. “There’s no conscious choice of anything comedic. Everything is played for real in the situation and then what comes comes,” he said. “Almost every script surprised me in the genuine sense and just getting to watch the visual world or the visual mind of Hiro Murai was a real treat and seeing how you brought things to life. I would often go oh my God, that’s so dark. I was constantly surprised in the best way and obviously nothing I can say into a microphone.”
The 10-episode series will make its global debut on Wednesday, April 29, by dropping the first three episodes. New episodes will follow every Wednesday through June 17.
Neil Casey, Hiro Murai, Katie Dippold and Matthew Rhys at Apple TV’s press day at Santa Monica’s Barker Hangar on Feb. 3, 2026.
(Photo by Dan Steinberg/Apple TV via Getty Images)
Tyrese Maxey finishes with 29 points and nine assists in a Game 2 win for the Sixers.
The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers have a rich postseason history and, for decades, stood as one of the league’s original rivalries. It was one with epic performances and finishes, especially in the 1980s, when their playoff series often sent the eventual NBA champion to the NBA Finals.
Fast forward to today, and there’s a scent of a rivalry brewing again, if only because their first-round series is tied at one game each and suspense has entered the building.
The Sixers have the next two games in Philly and should have an emotional boost. Expect all the old-time legends (like Allen Iverson and Julius Erving) to sit courtside and provide motivation.
However, Iverson and Erving can’t suit up and play for the Sixers. It’s up to the current players lacking in championship experience to keep the series moving in a positive direction. That won’t be a simple task against a team that’s healthier, bringing higher expectations and championship mettle with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Whether this series elevates in terms of intrigue and intensity, therefore, falls on the shoulders of the Sixers and whether they can either maintain the home court or at least split the next two games.
Here’s what to watch for Game 3 tonight (7 ET, Prime Video) in Philadelphia:
The following statement is to be taken in context and isn’t meant to offer a comparison. Now that it’s understood, here it goes — the last time the Sixers were led in the playoffs by a quicksilver point guard who caused whiplash and broke ankles and was tough to contain was Iverson.
The latest problem for other teams is Tyrese Maxey, who can shift gears off the dribble and change directions on a dime and score on anyone the Celtics offer up in defense. Sometimes two Celtics.
How Maxey craves the ball in big moments is something to behold. He was always a shooting guard trapped in a point guard’s body, although in his case, that’s not such a bad thing. If Maxey has the will, the Sixers might find a way to win more than a game against Boston, and Maxey definitely has the will.
The playoffs have a way of exposing you for the player you truly are, with every game and often every possession magnified along with the demands. Some players gravitate toward this, while others regress.
Maxey’s shooting hasn’t always been sharp in this series, but he doesn’t allow the misses to discourage him. As the Sixers continue without Joel Embiid, Maxey can’t afford to lose confidence.
The elephant in the room, metaphorically speaking, of course, is the former Kia MVP and Sixers starting center. He can change an entire game or maybe even a best-of-seven series, but is currently inactive because of injury. The identity of that person isn’t very hard to know.
This has been Embiid’s career, for the most part. His games played and games missed, if placed on opposite ends of a scale, would show an even balance. This season, he played just 38 games.
But the longer the Sixers stretch this series, the more the possibility — nothing certain, but still — that Embiid, upgraded as doubtful for Game 3, could heal up in time to see action.
The last thing the Sixers will do is rush their big man back from an emergency appendectomy, which he suffered on April 9. He has entered the next phase of his rehab, but hasn’t done any contact drills. That means it’s safe to assume he’s more likely not to play than to play, which means more Adem Bona and Andre Drummond in the post.
But Sixers fans can dream. If somehow this series is tougher than anyone imagined and Embiid, who averaged 26.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, finds a way to suit up…well, let’s just pencil that in for the event of the entire playoffs.
The one constant for the Celtics, not only in this series but all season, is Jaylen Brown and his high level of performance. He’s averaging 31 ppg in the playoffs and is the only Celtics player hitting his 3-pointers (at 50%). All this comes on the heels of a Kia MVP-flavored regular season where he carried the Celtics for stretches and finished among the league’s top scorers and rebounding guards.
His next trip, if it becomes necessary, is to carry the Celtics through this series, especially if the 3-pointers don’t fall for his teammates and the Sixers somehow get juiced by two home games.
Speaking of the home court, the Celtics are not pushovers on the road. Only Detroit, San Antonio and Oklahoma City were better in hostile arenas. And again, this was without Tatum for the most part.
Brown enjoys being one of the league’s top players, an ascent that began with his performance in the 2024 NBA Finals, and he intends to keep his place in line. The best way is to be the finest player on the floor, starting with this series.
In that sense, so far anyway, it’s Brown vs. Maxey. Who will be the last player standing at the end?
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at spowell@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.
