In his eighth start of the season, Will Warren, who had been consistently strong with no more than two earned runs allowed in his previous seven games, surprisingly gave up three runs in just the third inning.

Prior to this game, Warren had never walked more than three batters in a single outing, but he matched this number before the fourth inning concluded.

The Yankees’ offense, known for its recent scoring prowess of at least seven runs in each of the last five games, was unexpectedly stifled, managing just one run on a total of three hits.

Despite leading the American League in walks, the Yankees failed to earn a single walk in eight innings against Nathan Eovaldi. The closest they came was a three-ball count during Trent Grisham’s initial at-bat.

For both Warren and the Yankees, Wednesday’s performance was an unusual blemish in an otherwise impressive start to the season.

Warren’s location was amiss and the Yankees’ offense missed plenty against Eovaldi in a 6-1 loss to the Rangers in front of 40,269 in The Bronx on a night that was pleasant before rain arrived late.

The Yankees (25-12) dropped just a third game in their past 18 and head Thursday afternoon’s rubber match with hopes of avoiding their first series defeat since that sweep in Tampa on April 10-12.

Warren allowed six runs on seven hits and three walks in four innings, swelling his ERA from 2.39 to 3.46 in less than 90 minutes. Every start matters for Warren, who is believed to be competing with Weathers to keep a rotation spot when Gerrit Cole returns in the next few weeks.

The young right-hander again had stuff good enough to swerve around bats, seven of his 12 outs coming from strikeouts, but he did not bait Rangers hitters to chase outside of the strike zone enough, watched as four strike calls were overturned through Texas challenges and fell behind in counts too many times, a problem that became apparent immediately.

In the first inning, Warren threw three straight balls to Corey Seager. He then grooved a 3-0 fastball that was reversed to the short porch, a solo home run that gave the Rangers a lead they would not return.

They added on from there. After an eight-pitch walk to Brandon Nimmo, whom Warren could not put away to begin the third, Ezequiel Duran drove an RBI double into left-center. Later in the inning, Evan Carter saw a 2-1 sweeper and hooked a two-run homer off the facing of the second deck in right.

An inning later, three of the first four batters reached — Andrew McCutchen and Nimmo on walks — before a Duran sacrifice fly and a well-placed Seager single up the middle became the last of the damage against Warren. Warren, who had allowed five earned runs in his past four starts, was pulled after the six-spot. Yerry De los Santos (3 ⅓ scoreless innings) impressed quickly in the hours after his summons from Triple-A.

The entirety of the Yankees’ offense was home run No. 15 for Aaron Judge in the sixth inning. Otherwise, Eovaldi — the former Yankee and frequent Yankee killer, entering with a 3.05 ERA in 25 games against the club — looked like vintage Eovaldi, throwing 72 of his 101 pitches for strikes and relying heavily on a splitter and curveball that the Yankees could not barrel up.

Meghan Markle has delighted fans by releasing a rare photo of Prince Archie as a baby to mark his 7th birthday. The touching image captures the young prince peacefully asleep on his father, Prince Harry.

The Duchess of Sussex shared these intimate moments on Instagram, unveiling two previously unseen photos. One features Archie snuggled against Harry, while the other shows him enjoying a beach day with his younger sister, Princess Lilibet.

“7 years later… happy birthday to our sweet boy,” Meghan captioned the heartfelt images.

Archie was born on May 6, 2019, at London’s exclusive Portland Hospital, a departure from the royal tradition of births at the Lindo Wing in St. Mary’s Hospital. Breaking with convention, the Sussexes opted out of the customary post-birth press photo session.

A significant point of intrigue surrounding Archie’s birth was the question of his royal title—or more precisely, the absence of one.

Shortly after Archie’s birth, Meghan announced that Archie would be a ‘private citizen’ without a title as they did not want the youngster to be bound by convention or history.

The couple were insistent that they wanted their son to be known as plain ‘Mister Archie’ and not bear the title of royal, which was done to help preserve his privacy.

When Harry and Meghan made the unprecedented decision to give up their royal roles in 2020, it was unknown what the future would look like for their son Archie, who at that time did not hold a title.

At the time, journalists such as Omid Scobie, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s future biographer, gushed that this decision was ‘all part’ of their desire to give their son ‘as normal a life as possible’. 

The Duchess of Sussex took to Instagram to post a pair of unseen photos of Archie, one of the young prince lying on his father’s chest

Another picture showed Archie on a beach with his little sister Princess Lilibet. ‘7 years later…happy birthday to our sweet boy,’ Meghan wrote alongside the pictures

Archie and Lilibet were not ‘prince’ and ‘princess’ at birth because they were not grandchildren of the monarch at the time. However, they gained the right to these titles when King Charles acceded to the throne in 2022.

Harry and Meghan are understood to be keen to not deny their children, Archie and Lilibet, their birthright, but to allow them the chance to decide for themselves when they are older whether to drop or keep using their titles.

King Charles has reportedly only met Archie a few times, and the Sussexes’ four-year-old daughter, Princess Lilibet, only once in 2022. 

Meanwhile, the late Queen was also said to have been ‘heartbroken’ that she would not get to see Archie grow up – after Harry and Meghan relocated to Montecito, California.

Charles is, however, said to be keen to rebuild his relationship with Harry’s two young children based across the pond, despite the Duke of Sussex’s estrangement from the Firm. 

In 2024, royal commentator Michael Cole told the Daily Mail that Charles feels the ‘lack of closeness with his California grandchildren acutely’, given his own childhood was affected by his parents’ long absences on extensive tours of the Commonwealth.

The former BBC royal correspondent said the King ‘looks as happy and as content as I have ever seen him’ but his ‘only regret is that he does not see Archie and Lilibet’.

He added that the two ‘innocent young children’ are growing up without any ‘real contact’ with the Royal Family in Britain while Charles undergoes treatment for cancer and ‘would welcome the pleasure and comfort of seeing his grandchildren’.

Mr Cole told the Daily Mail: ‘Painfully aware that time is precious, the King regrets that he cannot be closer to his grandchildren Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

‘It is not just the 5,000 miles between Clarence House and California that keeps the monarch at a distance from his youngest grandchildren.

‘The antipathy between Prince Harry and his wife Meghan and the Royal Family has created a deep divide that makes normal family relationships so fraught as to be almost impossible.’

Mr Cole added that Charles plays the loving role of a ‘hands-on’ grandparent with his other grandchildren: Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11 and Prince Louis, eight.

Prince Archie will today celebrate his seventh birthday more than 5,000 miles away from the Royal Family, who have only met the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son a handful of times

Over the years, Harry and Meghan have shared few details about young Archie’s life in Montecito, with most of the snaps shared by Meghan in particular showing him with his face hidden

During an event hosted in Melbourne, Australia, in April, Harry explained that he wanted to be the ‘best version’ of himself for his children, Archie and Lilibet, and that being a dad is the most important role a man can occupy.

Reflecting on taking part in therapy before the birth of his children, Harry said: ‘Certainly from a therapy standpoint, you want to be the best version of yourself for your kids.

‘And I knew that I had stuff from the past that I needed to deal with, and therefore prepare myself to basically cleanse myself of the past.’

In a discussion on stage with Movember’s global director of men’s health research Dr Zac Seidler, Harry said: ‘Conversations that are now happening in households between kids and parents that never existed between me and my parents.’

He spoke about the evolving roles of parents, telling the guests: ‘From my perspective, our kids are our upgrade. That’s not how I was taught but that was my take on it – not to say I was an upgrade of my dad or that my kids are an upgrade of me.

‘That’s the approach that I take, to know that with the world the way that it goes, the kids that we bring up in today’s world need to be an upgrade.’

The Duke added: ‘There’s no judgment, there’s no blame, there’s no pointing the finger. The reality is that – however you are parenting – that is a personal experience to you, you are going to want to improve on that.’

He added: ‘Fatherhood is the most important and sort of transformational role that a guy can ever, can ever move into.’

Over the years, Harry and Meghan have shared few details about young Archie’s life in Montecito, with most of the snaps shared by Meghan in particular showing him with his face hidden.

According to royal biographer Omid Scobie, it was actually Archie that gave the Duke and Duchess of Sussex the courage to leave the Royal Family in the first place. Pictured: Members of the Royal Family at Archie Mountbatten-Windsor’s christening 

The family moved to California with Archie, who was less than a year old at the time, and their daughter Lilibet was born in 2021.

Meghan and Harry have worked hard to keep their children out of the spotlight by carefully controlling their public image.

While Lilibet was born in the US after the Sussexes had stepped down, Archie began his life in May 2019 while his parents were working royals. 

In September and October 2019, he accompanied his parents on a tour of southern Africa, visiting Malawi, Angola, South Africa and Botswana, and he was photographed with South Africa’s Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

A man from Kentucky confessed on Tuesday to the horrific murder of his grandmother, admitting to the crime as part of a plea of guilty but mentally ill.

Wyatt Testerman, aged 19, submitted this plea to charges of murder, which under Kentucky law, allows him to receive mental health care while incarcerated.

Testerman’s plea was made without any prosecutorial agreement, and Kenton County Commonwealth Attorney Rob Sanders stated that his office intends to pursue the maximum punishment of life imprisonment, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Authorities revealed that Testerman filmed the October 2024 incident, during which he attacked his 74-year-old grandmother, Cheri Oliver, in her residence.

Testerman’s admission of guilt, acknowledging his mental illness, highlights the complexities of the case, as legal proceedings continue to unfold in Kentucky.

The video allegedly shows Testerman setting up a phone to record before shoving Oliver to the floor and beating her.

At one point, he stopped to check her pulse and said, “How the [expletive] is she still breathing?”

According to court filings, Testerman struck Oliver more than 40 times, including with a metal cup, and stomped on her about a dozen times.

A Kentucky teenager admitted in court to killing his grandmother in what prosecutors described as a brutal and unprovoked attack. (Kenton County Detention Center; Erlanger Police Department)

Police found Oliver unconscious in a pool of blood. She later died from blunt force trauma to the head, according to the report.

Testerman’s mother told investigators she witnessed the attack and tried to stop him.

Another witness told police that Testerman had earlier accused Oliver of being “suicidal and a terrorist” and warned her to stay seated or “suffer the consequences.”

Prosecutors say a teenager recorded a deadly attack on his grandmother in an unprovoked assault. (Erlanger Police Department)

In court, Testerman said he had been struggling with substance abuse.

“I had been abusing acid for quite some time,” he said. “Without reason on that date, I attacked my grandmother, striking her numerous times and killing her.”

Testerman had been expected to pursue an insanity defense when his trial was set to begin May 12, but a defense expert later determined he suffers from antisocial personality disorder, his attorney said.

According to the report, Testerman told the judge he was experiencing hallucinations in the courtroom but acknowledged he understood the proceedings.

He faces 20 years to life in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced July 7.

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Disguised as construction workers, two cunning thieves managed to steal 100 feet of steel fencing from a distillery in New Mexico, leaving the owner astounded and urging the community to let the soon-to-open establishment “have a f–king chance.”

Frank Holloway, proprietor of Hollow Spirits Distillery in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was left in disbelief on April 30 when he discovered that half the fencing at the rear of his new location had disappeared.

“They stole our fence. I didn’t realize people steal fences,” Holloway shared with KOB 4.

Initially, Holloway suspected the theft occurred under the cover of night, but security footage quickly dispelled that notion.

The video revealed two men, their identities hidden by substantial hard hats, casually dismantling and removing 100 feet of fencing in broad daylight, completing the act in less than two hours.

The pair started by sawing off the bottom of the fence, which connected it to the ground.

The thieves were seemingly satisfied after they removed 10 sections of the fence. All the materials were placed in an idling flatbed truck parked on the corner nearest to the fences, according to surveillance footage obtained by the outlet.

Holloway said that the duo’s “construction crew” disguise fooled dozens of unknowing witnesses.

“They came, they cut everything, looks like pretty decent cuts so they clearly knew what they were doing. But goddammit Albuquerque like, I love us, but just one time, give us a f–king chance,” Holloway begged on Facebook.

The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office speculated that the thieves were planning on reselling the fence materials, which can go for up to 80% market value.

“It’s going to cost us $10,000 and get them $100. I’m just more disappointed in the crime. It’s like, be better,” Holloway told the outlet.

“$10,000 is a lot of money, and it’s a lot of money that we did not plan for unfortunately. You could blame us for not planning for it, but I didn’t think my fence was gonna get stolen,” he added.

In an assertive move during this election year, Republicans across several Southern states are forging ahead with plans to reshape majority-Black congressional districts, unfazed by protests and criticism. This push comes in the wake of a pivotal U.S. Supreme Court ruling, which has rendered these districts particularly susceptible to changes.

In Tennessee, the atmosphere was heated as protesters repeatedly interrupted legislative hearings focused on the redistricting agenda. Nevertheless, Republicans remained steadfast, advancing the proposals toward a crucial vote anticipated on Thursday.

Similarly, in Alabama, despite impassioned arguments from Black Democratic lawmakers, Republicans in the state House moved forward with a strategy to potentially alter the state’s congressional primaries, contingent on court approval to adjust their U.S. House districts. Meanwhile, in South Carolina, the Democratic opposition criticized their Republican counterparts for seemingly aligning with former President Donald Trump’s directives as they initiated steps to redraw a district traditionally represented by a Black Democratic lawmaker.

The implications of these redistricting efforts are profound, particularly for minority voters who may find themselves losing representation aligned with their preferences. Additionally, Republican lawmakers who hesitate to align with Trump face political risks. This was evident in Tuesday’s Republican primary elections in Indiana, where Trump-backed challengers succeeded in unseating at least five of the seven state legislators who had previously resisted a congressional redistricting effort.

The recent Supreme Court decision targeting Louisiana’s approach to forming a second Black-majority House district has significantly shifted the interpretation of the Voting Rights Act. It has provided Republicans in Louisiana and other states with a foundation to potentially dismantle majority-Black districts that typically support Democratic candidates.

The ruling intensified an already fierce national redistricting battle ahead of a November midterm election that will determine control of the closely divided House.

Since Trump prodded Texas to redraw its U.S. House districts last year, eight states have adopted new congressional districts. From that, Republicans think they could gain as many as 13 seats while Democrats think they could gain up to 10. But some of the new districts could be competitive in November, meaning the parties may not get all they sought.

Tennessee plan splits up Memphis district

Republicans on Wednesday proposed a new U.S. House map that would split Memphis’ home of Shelby County into three districts, instead of the current two. The map would break up Tennessee’s lone Democratic-held district, centered on the majority-Black city, creating a ripple effect of alterations to districts throughout the western and central parts of the state.

“Tennessee is a conservative state, and our congressional delegation should reflect that. This bill ensures it does,” Republican state Sen. John Stevens said.

Republican House Speaker Cameron Sexton said the proposed districts were drawn based on population and politics, not racial data.

To adopt new House districts, Tennessee lawmakers also are seeking to repeal a state law prohibiting mid-decade redistricting.

Democrats and civil rights activists denounced the efforts during Wednesday’s committee hearings.

The proposal “is Black vote dilution at an industrial scale,” said Sekou Franklin, a political science professor at Middle Tennessee State University who is part of the Tennessee branch of the NAACP.

Protesters interrupted a Senate committee meeting, loudly chanting “Hands off our vote!” After senators suspended the hearing, state troopers cleared people from the room. Senators resumed their work elsewhere, advancing the legislation.

Later Wednesday, protesters in the hallway beat on the walls and doors of a committee room where senators were meeting. A House committee also paused its work as state troopers escorted chanting protesters from the room.

The candidate qualifying period in Tennessee ended in March, but legislation would reopen it to allow new candidates to join the races and existing candidates to switch districts. The primary election is Aug. 6.

Democrats noted that the state Supreme Court in April 2022 rejected a challenge to the current congressional map, finding it was too close to the election to make changes. This year, there’s even less time before the primary elections, raising the potential of confusion for both candidates and voters, Democrats said.

Alabama House backs a new primary

The Republican-led Alabama House on Wednesday passed legislation authorizing special congressional primaries as Republicans eye the possibility of getting a different congressional map in place for the November elections. The bill now moves to the state Senate.

Alabama is seeking to lift a federal court order that created a second congressional district with a near-majority of Black voters. That map led to the 2024 election of Rep. Shomari Figures, a Black Democrat. Republicans want instead to use a 2023 map drawn by state lawmakers that would give the GOP an opportunity to reclaim Figures’ south Alabama district.

The legislation won House approval on a party-line vote after four hours of fiery debate during which Black legislators said the moment calls back to the state’s shameful Jim Crow-era history.

“It’s a tragic step backward for Black Alabama voters. But we’ve been here before, and we will not give up this fight,” Democratic state Rep. Adline Clarke said.

Democratic state Rep. Juandalynn Givan likened the legislation to poll taxes and counting jelly beans in a jar — a virtually impossible task that was used to suppress Black voters during the Jim Crow era.

“It is a calculated political maneuver born out of fear, a fear that is of Black people and most importantly Black political power,” Givan said.

Tensions rose later Wednesday as dozens of protesters temporarily blocked a hallway outside the Senate, singing “We Shall Overcome” and shouting “we’re not going back” as security officers tried to get them to leave.

Alabama’s legislation hinges on the U.S. Supreme Court or a district court agreeing to lift the injunction.

“We’re going to be ready if the court hands down a favorable ruling,” said Republican state Rep. Chris Pringle, who sponsored the bill.

Alabama’s primaries are May 19. If a court grants the state’s request, the legislation would ignore the results for congressional seats and direct the governor to schedule a new primary under the revised districts.

South Carolina moves toward redistricting

The South Carolina House on Wednesday approved a resolution giving lawmakers permission to return later, after their regular work ends, to redraw congressional districts that could eliminate the state’s only Democratic-held district. The proposal now goes to the Senate, where it would need a two-thirds vote.

Republican House leaders said after the vote that they plan to introduce a new map Thursday and hold committee meetings on Friday. But during debate Wednesday, Republicans fended off specific questions from Democrats, including why they were willing to stop the June 9 U.S. House primary elections well after candidates filed and how much a rescheduled primary could cost.

Democratic Rep. Justin Bamberg said he felt sorry for Republicans who he said were giving up their principles to follow the whims of Trump.

“The president of the United States is a very powerful man. Wields a heavy, heavy thumb — Truth Social, X, Meta, Instagram. To be honest I don’t envy our Republican colleagues,” Bamberg said.

Democratic Rep. Leon Stavrinakis said democracy will die if lawmakers redraw voting districts for political reasons every time power changes or to protect someone in office.

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