A series of police pursuits across the United States have resulted in at least eight deaths in less than a week, reigniting debates among law enforcement experts about the dangers of high-speed chases.

Tragic incidents unfolded in multiple states: On Sunday, a man died while trying to evade police in Texas. In Alabama, a high-speed pursuit ended with four fatalities after a vehicle veered off the road and struck a tree while being chased by a state trooper on Friday. Additionally, California witnessed three deaths from separate vehicle crashes linked to police pursuits over the past week.

These incidents contribute to the alarming number of fatalities that occur annually due to police chases, highlighting an ongoing concern within the law enforcement community.

Earlier this year, the Police Executive Research Forum—a respected national think tank focusing on policing standards—released a report urging law enforcement agencies to limit car chases to situations involving violent crimes where the suspect poses an immediate threat. The report highlighted a concerning rise in pursuit-related fatalities and noted an uptick in the number of chases conducted by departments in cities such as Houston and New York City.

In the Alabama incident, the crash occurred late Friday night as a driver attempted to outrun the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s highway patrol on a rural road in Pike County, according to agency spokeswoman Amanda Wasden. The crash did not involve any other vehicles.

The driver and two passengers, one of them a 17-year-old, were not wearing seat belts and were thrown from the sedan. A third passenger was not ejected, but all four were pronounced dead at the scene.

Wasden said the crash was under investigation, and no additional information was available. Her email did not say what prompted the pursuit.

In Fort Worth, Texas, police had been pursuing a car which had been driving without headlights on Interstate 35 when the car hit multiple other vehicles and eventually crashed, killing the driver, according to the Fort Worth Police Department.

In southern California, the Pomona Police Department said in a statement that its officers were pursuing a fleeing domestic violence suspect Wednesday when his car hit another vehicle, killing the couple inside. The two were days away from the birth of their child, according to KCBS-TV.

In another case, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said that deputies had attempted to stop a stolen U-Haul truck before it slammed into an SUV, killing the SUV’s driver and critically injuring her three passengers.

For much of the afternoon, the Mets’ offense appeared dormant. However, once they found their stride, there was no stopping them from clinching a series win at Oracle Park.

During a relentless eighth inning, the Mets consistently made contact, sending balls to every corner of the field and racking up four crucial runs. This offensive burst secured their 5-2 victory over the Giants.

With this win, the Mets celebrated their third consecutive victory, concluding a successful 4-3 road trip.

The turning point came with Luis Torrens’ pinch-hit double, which drove in both the tying and go-ahead runs, setting the stage for further scoring.

Adding to the momentum, Mark Vientos and Marcus Semien each delivered run-scoring hits, providing a comfortable lead. This buffer allowed Luke Weaver and Devin Williams to confidently close out the game with two scoreless innings.

Jared Young, who had already delivered three hits in the game, wasn’t permitted to face lefty reliever Erik Miller in the seventh with runners on second and third with one out.

Enter Torrens, who worked the at-bat to eight pitches before slicing a changeup just inside the right field line, scoring both runners.

Torrens scored when Matt Chapman threw away Vientos’ grounder. The go-ahead rally was complete on Semien’s RBI double. Others involved included Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert Jr., whose double and single, respectively, ignited the comeback.

In a second straight solid outing to begin his season, Kodai Senga allowed two earned runs on five hits with seven strikeouts and two walks over 5 ²/₃ innings.

The right-hander took a shutout into the sixth but was undermined by two bloop hits sandwiched around Chapman’s game-tying double. Huascar Brazobán gave the Mets 1 ¹/₃ scoreless innings in relief before Weaver and Williams handled the rest.

Vientos’ sizzling stretch continued with an RBI single in the second that gave the Mets a 1-0 lead. Vientos, who reached base a combined seven times in the previous two games, began the day batting .471.

Robert and Young singled in succession before Vientos delivered against Logan Webb for a third straight hit to begin the inning. But Semien’s ensuing double-play grounder thwarted any dreams of a big inning.

Senga struck out six of eight batters to begin his afternoon, utilizing the forkball as his weapon of choice.

Luis Arraez’s 10-pitch at-bat culminated with a leadoff single in the fourth, but Senga rebounded by getting Chapman to ground into a double play. After Rafael Devers walked, Senga escaped the inning by getting Heliot Ramos to hit into a fielder’s choice.

Jerar Encarnacion smoked a shot off the left field fence in the fifth, but Young fielded the carom cleanly and threw a strike to Semien, nailing Encarnacion as he attempted to stretch the single into a double.

Chapman jumped on an 0-1 forkball in the sixth and smashed an RBI double that tied it 1-1. Patrick Bailey singled leading off the inning and stole second before Chapman, with one out, delivered. Devers’ ensuing bloop single — just in front of lunging Robert — gave the Giants a 2-1 lead and ended Senga’s afternoon.

Young doubled leading off the seventh for his third hit of the game and reached third on Vientos’ fly out. But Semien struck out, following a disputed check swing that drew manager Carlos Mendoza’s ire toward plate umpire Edwin Jimenez, and after Carson Benge walked on four pitches and stole second, Francisco Alvarez reached first on a catcher’s interference. Lindor, with the bases loaded, grounded weakly to second for the final out.

The Mets wasted a go-ahead opportunity in the seventh when Francisco Lindor was retired for the final out with the bases loaded on Webb’s final pitch of the game.

Pope Leo XIV marked his inaugural Easter Mass as the leader of the Catholic Church with a heartfelt appeal for global peace, urging an end to conflict through dialogue. Departing from the tradition of specifically naming global issues during the Urbi et Orbi blessing, he addressed the world from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

The first pope from the United States, Leo XIV, underscored the hopeful message of Easter, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. His homily and blessing both highlighted this theme of hope.

“Let us open our hearts to be transformed by His boundless love!” the pope urged. “Let those who wield weapons lay them down. Let those with the power to wage war choose peace—peace not enforced by might, but achieved through dialogue. Not with the intent to dominate, but to engage with one another!”

As the conflict involving the U.S. and Israel against Iran continues into its second month, and as Russia persists in its military actions in Ukraine, Pope Leo acknowledged the prevailing sense of apathy towards the loss of life and the divisive consequences these conflicts engender. He also reflected on the economic and social toll that wars inflict.

While refraining from mentioning specific conflicts, Pope Leo echoed the words of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who, during his final Easter address from the same balcony, spoke of the pervasive “thirst for death and killing” witnessed daily.

Francis, weakened by a long illness, died the next day on Easter Monday.

The Urbi et Orbi blessing, Latin for “to the city and the world,” has traditionally included a litany of the world’s woes. Leo followed that formula during his Christmas blessing. There was no immediate explanation for the shift.

Earlier, Leo addressed some 50,000 faithful from an open-air altar in St. Peter’s Square flanked with white roses, while the steps leading down to the piazza where the faithful gathered were filled with spring perennials, symbolically resonating with the pope’s words.

He implored the faithful to keep their hope in the face of death, which lurks “in the abuses that crush the weakest among us, because the idolatry of profit that plunders the earth’s resources, because of the violence of war that kills and destroys.”

Speaking from the loggia, the pope announced a prayer vigil for peace April 11 in the Basilica.

“On this day of celebration, let us abandon every desire for conflict, domination, and power, and implore the Lord to grant his peace to a world ravaged by wars and marked by a hatred and indifference that makes us feel powerless in the face of evil,” he said.

Small shifts in traditions

Leo greeted the global faithful in 10 languages, including Arabic, Chinese and Latin, reviving a practice that his predecessor Pope Francis had let lapse.

Before retreating into the basilica, Leo stepped forward out of the loggia’s shadow and waved to the cheering crowd below.

During the marathon that is Holy Week, Leo also reclaimed the tradition of washing priests’ feet on Holy Thursday, a gesture of encouragement toward clergy, after Francis had chosen a more inclusive path, traveling to prisons and homes for the disabled to wash the feet of women, non-Christians and prisoners.

The 70-year-old pontiff also became the first pope in decades to carry the light wooden cross for the entire 14 stations during the Way of the Cross on Good Friday.

Christians in the Holy Land were marking a subdued Easter

Traditional ceremonies at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, revered by Christians as the traditional site of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, were scaled back under an agreement with Israeli police. Authorities have put limits on the sizes of public gatherings due to ongoing missile attacks.

The restrictions also dampened the recent Muslim holy month of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr holiday, as well as the current weeklong Jewish festival of Passover. On Sunday, the Jewish priestly blessing at the Western Wall – normally attended by tens of thousands – was limited to just 50 people.

The restrictions have strained relations between Israeli authorities and Christian leaders. Police last week prevented two of the church’s top religious leaders, including Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, from celebrating Palm Sunday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

On Tuesday, the pope had expressed hope that the war could be finished before Easter.

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Barry reported from Milan. Associated Press writer Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report

“Today” show anchor Savannah Guthrie used the occasion of Easter to ponder themes of faith, doubt, and the unknown, as the search for her mother, Nancy Guthrie, continues after more than two months.

Her reflections were part of a digital Easter service hosted by Good Shepherd New York on YouTube. During the gathering, Guthrie shared her heartfelt thoughts on coping with sorrow and unanswered questions during this particularly challenging time.

Nancy Guthrie, who is 84, disappeared after reportedly being taken from her bedroom in northern Tucson, Arizona, at around 2 a.m. on February 1. When authorities arrived, they discovered a faint line of blood droplets leading from the front entrance to the driveway. The back doors were ajar, and a doorbell camera had been removed.

Police later uncovered security footage from the home, capturing an unidentified masked man at the doorstep. The evidence trail appears to have concluded at the driveway, leaving her current location a mystery.

Savannah Guthrie’s poignant Easter message touches on themes of faith and uncertainty as her mother, now missing for 63 days, remains unlocated. (Good Shepherd New York YouTube)

Guthrie acknowledged that Easter’s promise of hope and new life can feel distant as she faces the uncertainty surrounding her mother’s disappearance.

“There are moments in which that promise seems irretrievably far away, when life itself seems far harder than death,” Guthrie said. “These moments of deep disappointment with God, the feeling of utter abandonment.”

Guthrie said that in her recent “season of trial,” she questioned whether Jesus experienced the same kind of uncertainty she now feels, particularly the pain of not knowing what comes next or why suffering is unfolding.

Savannah Guthrie poses alongside her mother Nancy Guthrie during a production break whilst hosting NBC’s “Today Show” live from Australia. (Don Arnold/WireImage)

“I have wondered – I have questioned – whether Jesus really ever experienced this particular wound that I feel, this grievous and uniquely cruel injury of not knowing, of uncertainty and confusion and answers withheld,” she said. “In those darkest moments I have thought, bitterly and perhaps irreverently, that I have stumbled upon a feeling that Jesus did not know.”

She said her perspective began to shift as she reflected on the period between the crucifixion and resurrection, a span she described as often overlooked but central to understanding faith in moments of uncertainty.

“After Jesus died, after he breathed his last, what did he actually know?” Guthrie said. “Did he think his time in the grave would be a day or two or a thousand years? In the grave, does his agony seem indefinite to him? That torment of uncertainty? The way indefinite pain can feel eternal? Perhaps he did know this feeling after all.”

Savannah Guthrie visits the Today show at Rockefeller Plaza in New York on Thursday, March 5, 2026. (Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Guthrie said that realization helped her reframe her own experience, describing life as existing in a kind of “meantime” — a period marked by waiting, unanswered questions and the absence of clear resolution.

She said that in those moments, people can feel unsure, lost, abandoned, disappointed and forgotten, even as faith calls them to trust in a future they cannot yet see.

Despite that struggle, Guthrie said her faith remains rooted in the belief that God is present even without immediate answers, offering comfort not through certainty, but through presence.

“It is the darkness that makes this morning’s light so magnificent, so blindingly beautiful,” Guthrie said. “It is all the brighter because it is so desperately needed.”

“So I close my eyes this morning and I feel the sunshine,” she continued. “I see a bright vision of the day when heaven and earth pass away because they are one on earth as it is in heaven.”

“When we celebrate today, this is what we celebrate, and I celebrate, too,” she said. “I still believe. And so I say with conviction, happy Easter.”

On Sunday, Nicola Peltz appeared to send a subtle message to the Beckhams by posting a photo of her lavish Easter basket.

Earlier that day, Victoria Beckham, 51, had showcased a collection of personalized Easter hampers on Instagram. These were tailored for her family, including her husband David, daughter Harper, sons Romeo and Cruz, as well as their partners, Kim Turnbull and Jackie Apostel.

Conspicuously missing from the list were their estranged son Brooklyn and his wife Nicola, highlighting ongoing tensions.

In what seemed to be a response, Nicola offered a glimpse into her and Brooklyn’s own Easter festivities.

She shared an image of two vibrant Easter baskets brimming with chocolates, flowers, and various gifts—one in blue and the other in pink.

The two baskets were in stark comparison to Victoria’s meticulously laid out, personalised hampers – featuring Mini Eggs Easter eggs with each person’s name printed on them as well as a canvas shopping bag full of wrapped gifts. 

Nicola Peltz appeared to hit back at the Beckhams as she shared a snap of her extravagant Easter basket on Sunday

The two baskets were in stark comparison to Victoria’s meticulously laid out, personalised hampers – featuring Mini Eggs Easter eggs with each person’s name

Victoria and David Beckham, celebrated Easter with the rest of the Beckham family in Miami. 

The family flew out to America to celebrate the opening of Inter Miami’s new $750million (£566.5m) stadium Freedom Park Stadium on Saturday. 

In January, Brooklyn, 27, released an explosive six-page statement aimed at his parents, where he revealed he did not wish to reconcile with his family. 

Victoria shared an insight into the festivities on her Instagram stories. 

In one photo, Posh rocked a stripy dressing gown and bunny ears as she showed off everyone’s bespoke gifts, with eggs for David, 50, sons Romeo, 23, Cruz, 21, and daughter Harper, 14.

There were also Cadbury’s eggs and presents in personalised tote bags for Cruz’s girlfriend Jackie Apostel, 30, and Romeo’s girlfriend Kim Turnbull, 24. 

Both joined the family in flying out to support David for his team’s stadium opening. 

Victoria also shared a sweet snap of David posing with a Country magazine and Creme Eggs. 

She captioned the post: ‘Happy Easter!!!’ 

Nicola posted a picture of two Easter baskets, one blue and one pink, filled to the brim with chocolate goodies, flowers and gifts

Victoria also shared a sweet snap of David posing with a Country magazine and Creme Eggs. She captioned the post: ‘Happy Easter!!!’

Cruz also reshared a picture of himself and Harper at the family’s £60million mansion

Cruz also reshared a picture of himself and Harper at the family’s £60million mansion. 

The family get-together highlighted Brooklyn and wife Nicola’s absence. 

The couple, who are based in America, snubbed the occasion despite it being another opportunity to reconnect. 

Earlier in the day, Victoria shared a gushing tribute to her husband David after the stadium’s ribbon-cutting ceremony prior to the MLS match between Inter Miami CF and Austin FC at Nu Stadium. 

Victoria shared a snap of the family all posing together at the stadium, and another of her and David holding hands, with the fashion designer gazing lovingly at her beaming husband. 

His sons were also quick to show their support, with Romeo sharing a picture of his father at the stadium, while Cruz shared a number of snaps of the venue. 

Meanwhile, over in West Hollywood, eldest child Brooklyn appeared tense during a phone call outside the Sunset Plaza Hotel on Friday evening, as he was spotted pacing and animatedly moving his arms during the lengthy conversation.