CHICAGO (WLS) — Chicago is set to host the All-Star Game, welcoming the league’s elite athletes to the Windy City.

Showcasing top-tier talent, this illustrious event shines a spotlight on the league’s standout figures. Despite the absence of Chicago Sky players on the All-Star lineup, the city offers a myriad of activities celebrating the league and the greatness of women’s sports.

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Angel Reese, who once played for the Chicago Sky and now suits up for the Atlanta Dream, has earned a spot as an All-Star Reserve. Meanwhile, Caitlin Clark from the Indiana Fever has secured her place as a starter.

Fans are eagerly gearing up long before the exciting tip-off, as the WNBA’s All-Star Weekend kicks into high gear.

A lively crowd filled Wintrust Arena for Friday’s action-packed WNBA Skills Challenge, showcasing a vibrant enthusiasm that many say illustrates the tremendous progress women’s sports have made recently.

Several fans pointed to the contrast between this year’s event and previous years, describing a sold-out arena and growing enthusiasm around the league.

“It’s crazy how it’s sold out now, and like a couple years ago, it was like barely filling,” fan Elise Brown said.

Fans said the event highlighted the increasing popularity of women’s sports and the impact athletes are having on younger generations. Azzi Fudd’s performance, which earned her the 3-point championship, served as inspiration for some young attendees.

“When I was like watching her shoot, and I was like, wow, I wanted to be like that because like I used to play basketball, but I had quit because of like I thought I was bad and stuff. And then like watching her, I was like, okay, I can revisit that moment,” fan Khloe Jointer said.

Others said the event represented more than competition on the court.

“Just seeing strong women do what they do, be themselves, and be supported and loved for it is incredible,” fan Hannah Moore said.

The event drew longtime WNBA supporters as well as newer fans, with many describing the Skills Challenge as a must-see experience.

Taking center court at McCormick Place is WNBA Live, an interactive fan festival featuring special appearances and more.

“You want to pick up a ball and shoot, if you want to take photo ops, if you want customized merch, there is so many different things that fans can do here” said Amanda Allhouse, WNBA senior director.

This is the second time Chicago has hosted the game.

Like in past years, along with the premier event, the goal is to deliver an unforgettable fan experience.

“I just love basketball in general so seeing all of it and playing, it’s fun to me,” fan Jimmy Hanson said. “Any kind of basketball skill is great.”

Earlier in the week, Mayor Brandon Johnson provided 500 children with tickets to attend the festivities. He said the effort aligns with broader investments aimed at encouraging participation in sports.

“Those tickets, as well as the investments that we’re making in our park districts to encourage our young ladies, our young women to become more involved in sports,” Johnson said.

Fans said the increased attention on women’s sports is long overdue.

“Everyone watches women’s sports. They say it for a reason. So, we’re here. We’re finally getting the attention we deserve,” fan Queenie Dominique said.

The weekend’s excitement extended beyond Wintrust Arena. Players also had the opportunity to practice at the Obama Presidential Center, where former President Barack Obama made a surprise appearance.

“All of you are extraordinary and I could not be bigger fans. The way the game has been going lately, the way it’s been picking up, and people paying attention to your excellence, I think, has been something for basketball fans generally, a sight to see,” Obama said.

For many fans, the sold-out crowd and high-profile attention signal continued growth for the league and women’s sports overall.

Asked where that momentum goes from here, Brown offered a simple answer, saying, “Nowhere but up.”

The weekend’s events continue with the WNBA All-Star Game scheduled to take place at the United Center at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

At a zoo in Japan, a young monkey named Punch has captured hearts around the globe, finding a home in the hearts of many as he celebrates his first birthday. Once known for his endearing bond with an orangutan plush toy, Punch is now enjoying the company of his fellow monkeys. Despite his newfound friendships, admirers continue to send him a flood of birthday wishes, delighting in his journey from a solitary child to a playful youngster.

A year ago, Punch faced a challenging start when his mother, likely overwhelmed and exhausted, left him shortly after his birth.

Caregivers at the zoo stepped in, nurturing the infant and gifting him a plush orangutan, which was more than a toy—it was crucial for honing an essential survival skill in newborn macaques: gripping.

Today, Punch has seamlessly integrated into life within the enclosure at Ichikawa City Zoological and Botanical Garden. Gone is the rotund baby who clutched his cuddly companion; he’s now just one of the many playful monkeys, indistinct but thriving among his peers.

Yet Punch continues to draw significant attention. His story resonates with many, culminating in some 2,500 birthday greetings from around the world, according to Takashi Yasunaga, who heads the zoo.

Many of the cards and other messages fill the walls at an indoor Punch birthday exhibit where visitors can also view video chronicling Punch from his earliest days.

“As Punch was trying very hard struggling to live each day, his two keepers did everything they can while other staff watched over him,” Yasunaga said, recalling the past year.

“It was extremely hot when Punch was born. The memory is still clear to me as the hot season returns.”

In mid-January, after six months of special care by his keepers, Punch was placed into the zoo’s monkey enclosure to join some 50 other monkeys — a challenge that led to his fame.

In February, images of Punch with his toy posted by the zoo on social media immediately became a sensation and drove tens of thousand of visitors to the zoo, half of them from overseas, Yasunaga said.

When other monkeys shooed the baby away, Punch rushed back to the toy orangutan, hugging it for comfort. Fans cheered him with a #HangInTherePunch tag on social media.

It was not just the cuteness factor of seeing Punch with his toy, but also his lone struggle to be gradually accepted by others that struck a chord, fans say.

Kumi Ishizawa, a Kobe resident who was at the birthday exhibit, said she found Punch on social media earlier this year. From then on, overcoming her illness to come see him had become her goal.

“He moved me … I kept on telling myself that I’m going to get well and come visit to see Punch,” said Ishizawa, who has since recovered and dropped by the zoo after wrapping up a business trip.

“And here I am, I made it. I’m very happy I could finally see him in person.”

Yeye Lights, a longtime resident in the city, had never visited the zoo until she became a Punch fan and now has an annual visitor pass.

She was hooked by Punch after her daughter in the Philippines told her about the monkey.

“I have a cake for Punch-kun, I’m celebrating with my friends,” Lights said, using an affectionate Japanese honorific for boys. She thanked the monkey’s two carers for taking good care of him.

In a striking verdict, a mother from Maine has been compensated with $15.75 million following a shocking medical blunder where her bladder was mistakenly removed in place of an ovarian cyst.

Emily Mitchell, a 43-year-old resident of Skowhegan, finally saw justice when the Kennebec County Superior Court determined her case in her favor last Thursday. The decision comes over three years after the harrowing surgical error by Dr. Danielle Gagnon, as reported by the Bangor Daily News.

The error led to a cascade of subsequent surgeries, including a complex procedure where doctors fashioned a new bladder using intestinal tissue.

Even today, Mitchell faces continuous medical interventions and struggles with recurrent urinary tract infections as a result of the mistake.

In a unanimous decision, all nine jurors found Northern Light Inland Hospital accountable for the negligence that dramatically altered Mitchell’s life.

Her husband, Joshua Mitchell, secured a separate $1.25 million payout in damages stemming from the consequences of the disastrous operation. 

‘For Emily and her family, this is the closure they’ve needed for a long time,’ Mitchell’s attorney, Susan Faunce, told the outlet.

‘They can finally begin to move forward, knowing that what happened to them was seen, heard and acknowledged,’ she added.

Northern Light spokesperson Suzanne Spruce responded to the verdict, saying in a statement: ‘We respect the jury’s verdict and extend our sympathy to Ms Mitchell and her family,’ according to the outlet.

‘Every patient who comes to our organization deserves safe, compassionate and high-quality care,’ she added. ‘When outcomes fall short of those expectations, we take them very seriously.’ 

The family’s combined $17 million award marks the largest medical malpractice verdict in Kennebec County history. 

It also marks the fourth lawsuit this year alone in which a jury has found a hospital run by Northern Light negligent in the medical care it provided to patients. 

Mitchell, 40 at the time, underwent laparoscopic surgery on March 1, 2023, expecting a cyst on her left ovary to be removed. Instead, according to court documents, Dr Gagnon removed her bladder. 

In July 2025, she filed a lawsuit against Inland Hospital in Waterville and Northern Light Health, alleging Gagnon failed to follow safety protocols during the procedure.

‘Emily Mitchell is living a nightmare, suffering daily with a permanent injury that has dramatically altered her life,’ attorney Faunce told Bangor Daily News at the time. ‘Emily went to Inland Hospital for a routine day surgery and left without a vital organ.’

The lawsuit, obtained by the outlet, accused the hospital of removing Mitchell’s bladder without her consent during what was supposed to be a routine surgery. 

She alleged the hospital system was medically negligent due to multiple failures surrounding the ‘preventable’ removal and its lack of timely action to address the complications that followed.

According to the documents, Gagnon never raised the possibility of bladder removal with Mitchell before she went under the knife.

‘A reasonable person, under all surrounding circumstances, would not have consented to the surgery if she had known that Dr Gagnon was going to remove her bladder or if there was a substantial risk that her bladder could be removed,’ it said. 

Mitchell’s husband also claimed that he lost the care, comfort and companionship of his wife as a result, according to the outlet.

The lawsuit detailed the surgical error, revealing that Mitchell returned to the hospital shortly afterward suffering from ‘intense pain and discomfort, bloating and trouble urinating.’ 

She was transferred to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor just two days after the operation as her symptoms continued to worsen. 

There, doctors performed exploratory surgery expecting to find and repair what they believed was a bladder injury. Instead, they made a shocking discovery: Mitchell’s bladder wall was nowhere to be found. 

Two more surgeons were called in and agreed that there was not enough viable bladder tissue remaining to perform a reconstruction, according to the filing.

‘Gagnon had incorrectly removed nearly all of Emily’s healthy bladder,’ according to the lawsuit.

A pathology report revealed that the tissue removed during surgery contained ‘full thickness fragments of bladder wall’ and showed no sign of ovarian tissue.

Mitchell was left with temporary tubes inside her body and endured a cascade of complications in the following months, including kidney infections, urinary tract infections and issues with medications, the lawsuit said.

In October 2023, Mitchell traveled to Boston for yet another major surgery to create a new bladder. 

According to the lawsuit, the procedure was 200 percent more difficult and lasted three hours longer than normal after surgeons discovered even more damage. 

The high-profile medical malpractice trial began on July 13, and jurors returned a unanimous verdict in Mitchell’s favor on Thursday. 

Her multimillion-dollar award includes compensation for her injuries, pain and suffering and ongoing medical expenses. 

Gagnon is no longer employed by Northern Light Health, according to the Bangor Daily News. 

The hospital where the surgery took place also shut down last year after executives said it was losing about $1.5 million every month. 

In a bold assertion made recently, President Donald Trump expressed confidence that more nations are poised to sign the Abraham Accords. This statement reignites discussions on whether Israel faces isolation or is, in fact, broadening its significant strategic alliances.

“The Abraham Accords have proven to be incredibly successful,” Trump remarked during a meeting held on Tuesday in the Oval Office with the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun. “I believe you’ll see a number of countries joining very soon.”

Trump’s forecast highlights a key debate regarding Israel’s standing on the global stage: Despite a notable decline in public support within the United States and internationally, Israel continues to strengthen or maintain its diplomatic, military, energy, and technology ties with other nations.

The Abraham Accords, established under Trump’s leadership in 2020, were historic in normalizing relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. This initiative forms a pivotal aspect of Trump’s Middle East diplomatic strategy.

The dispute depends partly on how isolation is measured. Critics point to worsening public opinion, pressure at international institutions and growing opposition among Democrats and younger voters. Israeli officials and conservative foreign-policy experts argue that government-to-government cooperation remains strong and, in some regions, is expanding.

Trump reinforced that strategy Thursday by saying a U.S. civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia would depend on the kingdom joining the Abraham Accords. The statement showed the administration attempting to use one of Washington’s most valuable offers to Riyadh to secure normalization with Israel, but it did not demonstrate that Saudi Arabia had agreed to do so.

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon rejected the contention that Israel had become isolated.

“The claim that Israel is an isolated country is simply not true,” Danon told News Media. “While the campaign to dismantle the Hamas terrorist organization has drawn international criticism, Israel’s relationships with other countries have not weakened. They have evolved.”

Former White House national security official Richard Goldberg similarly argued that Israel retains strong support among conservatives and that its electoral gains are translating into closer government relations.

“Polling in the United States shows massive support among conservatives and Republicans, including self-described MAGA, for Israel still,” Goldberg told News Media. “And that’s reflected around the world, particularly among conservative candidates and parties that win elected office right now.”

Goldberg pointed to political changes in Latin America, expanding partnerships in the Eastern Mediterranean and Israel’s continuing defense and technology relationships as evidence that public criticism has not translated into comprehensive strategic isolation.

The dispute comes amid polling that shows Israel retaining deep support among Republicans while losing ground across the broader American electorate and much of the world.

Eighty percent of self-identified MAGA Republicans said Israel’s security matters to U.S. security and prosperity, a Reagan Institute survey released in June found, while 73% supported sending Israel U.S. weapons. Among MAGA Republicans under 30, 63% said Israel’s security matters to the United States and 60% supported sending weapons.

The same survey found that broader support was narrowing. Sixty-five percent of Americans said Israel’s security matters to U.S. security and prosperity, down six percentage points from a year earlier. 

The figure fell nine points among Democrats to 57%, compared with 75% of Republicans and 80% of MAGA Republicans.

A Pew Research Center survey published in June found that a median of 67% of adults across 36 countries viewed Israel unfavorably, while 25% viewed it favorably. The findings came from Pew’s Spring 2026 Global Attitudes Survey.

In the United States, 60% of adults viewed Israel unfavorably, up from 53% in 2025 and 42% in 2022, according to a separate Pew survey conducted March 23 to March 29. Eighty percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents held an unfavorable view, while negative assessments were also widespread among adults under 50.

Israel no longer held a statistically significant advantage over the Palestinians in Americans’ sympathies, Gallup reported in February. Forty-one percent said they sympathized more with the Palestinians and 36% with the Israelis, although Gallup said the five-point difference was not statistically significant. 

In 2023, 54% sympathized more with Israelis and 31% with Palestinians.

Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel highlighted that erosion during a July 8 speech at Tel Aviv University.

“Support for Israel around the world is declining,” Emanuel said, “The only diplomatic achievement Israel has secured in the past three years is Somaliland.”

Emanuel’s conclusion focuses on Israel’s declining public legitimacy and its strained position in traditional diplomatic institutions. Goldberg and Danon argue that it overlooks expanding government-to-government relationships built around defense, intelligence, energy, technology and trade.

Goldberg pointed in particular to Latin America, where he said newly elected conservative governments have made closer ties with Israel an early priority.

“Every time a government in South America right now flips from left wing to right wing, one of the first things they do is reestablish better relations with Israel, withdraw recognition of a Palestinian state and see what else they can do to make Israel a strategic partner,” Goldberg said.

He cited Argentina under President Javier Milei and the proposed “Isaac Accords,” along with political changes in Chile, Colombia and Bolivia, as evidence of a broader realignment.

Goldberg also argued that Israel remains central to emerging partnerships involving energy, defense, intelligence and critical infrastructure.

“If you’re in the Eastern Mediterranean and you’re Greece and you are Cyprus, you’re thinking about how do we work with Israel to make the Eastern Mediterranean partnership even stronger,” he said. “If you’re Armenia and Azerbaijan in a tough neighborhood between Turkey and Iran, you’re talking to Israel, you’re getting closer to Israel.”

Israel, Greece and Cyprus reaffirmed their strategic partnership during a trilateral summit in December 2025, agreeing to expand cooperation in energy, security, emergency preparedness and regional connectivity.

Danon said the diplomatic shift is visible even inside the United Nations, an institution where Israel routinely faces critical resolutions and public condemnation.

“We see this every day in the corridors of the United Nations,” he said. “While many South American countries were once highly critical of Israel in recent years, we are now cooperating with many of them. These discussions are happening in public and behind the scenes.”

“As Israel’s official representative to the United Nations, I regularly meet with ambassadors from around the world, including from Arab countries, to quietly advance initiatives where we share common interests,” Danon said.

Danon went further than Goldberg in assessing Israel’s position since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks and the subsequent war.

“Compared to the period before October 7, Israel is in a far stronger geostrategic position,” Danon said. “That is reflected not only in regional developments but also in the country’s diplomatic relationships around the world.”

The competing evidence suggests that much of the disagreement depends on how isolation is defined.

Israel may be losing public support and influence in traditional international institutions while simultaneously preserving or expanding government-to-government cooperation in defense, technology, intelligence, energy and agriculture.

Goldberg acknowledged that relationships driven by conservative political victories could become vulnerable when governments change.

But he argued that Israel is increasingly building relationships around durable national interests rather than political ideology alone.

The central risk for Israel is that today’s collapse in public opinion could eventually reshape tomorrow’s government policies. Conservative governments may currently protect and expand strategic ties, but younger voters and left-wing parties could alter those relationships after future elections.

Israel is scheduled to hold national elections Oct. 27, the country’s first since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.

Goldberg argued that a change in Israel’s government would provide a test of whether international opposition is directed primarily at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or at Israel itself.

“If there is somebody else who becomes prime minister next, we will have to evaluate,” Goldberg said. “Those very loud detractors of Israel who right now use Netanyahu as their symbol for bashing and say it’s not about Israel, it’s about Netanyahu, they’ll be put to the test very quickly.”

He noted that the boycott movement and anti-Israel campus organizations remained active during the previous government led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, when Netanyahu was not prime minister.

“Is their hatred and venom really just about Bibi Netanyahu, or is it fundamentally about a Jewish state that they don’t like existing?” Goldberg asked.

For now, both realities appear to be unfolding at once: Israel remains a sought-after military, intelligence and technology partner for a growing group of governments, while its support among the global public has fallen to levels that could eventually threaten those relationships.

San Diego Comic-Con is world-renowned not only for its headline-grabbing panels focused on the latest in pop culture but also for its captivating cosplayers who steal the spotlight with stunning creativity. Each year, the convention draws enthusiasts eager to see both beloved and new interpretations of iconic characters.

Devoted fans of comics, video games, movies, and fantasy genres dedicate months to constructing meticulously detailed costumes that pay homage to their favorite heroes and villains, showcasing a blend of passion and craftsmanship.

Take Sarah Lu, for instance. At 27, having recently relocated to San Diego, she undertook the challenging task of crafting a costume of Toothless, the beloved dragon from DreamWorks’ “How to Train Your Dragon.” Starting her project in January, Sarah invested approximately $400 to bring her vision to life.

“For me, cosplay is where theater, music, and dance converge. I harness all these elements to animate a character. There’s something truly magical about that process,” she expressed to Reuters while mingling on the busy convention floor.

Some cosplays capture the hearts of Comic-Con attendees, becoming instant crowd favorites, while others quietly contribute to the vibrant tapestry of the event. Regardless of the attention they receive, each costume adds another layer to the energetic atmosphere of the convention.

San Diego resident Jose Samaniego, 21, said success often comes down to attitude.

“Be confident in yourself,” he said. “If you’re not confident in your own cosplay you’re going to give off a really bad aura and no-one’s going to like you. If you don’t like how you’re dressing, then your outfit’s awful,” he added.

With Comic-Con taking place during the summer, cosplayers in intricate outfits must also contend with the heat.

“‘How do you stay cool?’ Hydrate, hydrate and hydrate,” said David Martinez, 54, a project manager for a pharmaceutical company in San Diego, who attended dressed as a mashup of Spider-Man and the artist Bob Ross.

Despite months of preparation, costumes can malfunction.

Glue can soften in the heat, causing pieces to fall apart, while fabric can rip or tear.

That is where Bryan Mero, a costume repairperson passionate about helping attendees steps in.

Dressed as Fix-it Felix from the Disney animated film “Wreck-it Ralph,” Mero patrols the convention floor carrying a yellow hammer and a backpack filled with repair supplies.

Lu told Reuters that Mero is the real “MVP” of the entire convention.

“I come and bring a supply of anything we need to fix a cosplay; superglue, duct tape, safety pins, bobby pins, hairspray, hair ties, all different colors, all the main colors for that, a soldering iron, a hot glue gun. I know I’m missing quite a few things because my pack is about 15 pounds,” he said.

“That’s kind of what I provide and I do it for free only because I’m just asking to just pay it forward,” Mero added.

San Diego Comic-Con is an annual multi-genre entertainment and comic book convention that takes place in San Diego, California, and celebrates comics, popular culture, and related media.