Beyoncé, Bezos, baubles and bustiers: What to know about the 2026 Met Gala
NEW YORK (AP) — It’s nearly upon us: The Met Gala is back on May 4. This year’s broad dress code, “Fashion is Art,” promises to produce some truly flamboyant ensembles when stars make their way up the carpeted museum steps. None other than Beyoncé is co-chairing, along with Venus Williams, Nicole Kidman and Vogue’s Anna Wintour. The gala is a huge fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. Last year it brought in more than $31 million, another record sum. Speaking of record sums: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are footing much of the bill as lead sponsors and honorary chairs.
UK passes bill that will eventually ban cigarette purchases
LONDON (AP) — Parliament has passed a bill to make cigarettes inaccessible to future generations in the U.K. Children born after Dec. 31, 2008, will never be able to buy cigarettes under the new Tobacco and Vapes Bill. The legislation, approved Tuesday, awaits formal approval by King Charles III. It will also regulate tobacco, vaping, and nicotine products. The UK will have one of the toughest antismoking measures globally. Smoking rates have declined since the 1970s, but 13% of the population still smokes. Authorities say smoking causes 80,000 deaths annually in Britain.
People living with dementia are often overlooked. This tour at the Berlin Zoo seeks to change that
BERLIN (AP) — Museums and other cultural institutions across the globe have added barrier-free tours and guides to their repertoire. But in Germany, Catholic aid organization Malteser Deutschland noticed people living with dementia often were overlooked. The organization last year designed a specialized cultural tour program to cater to this population in Berlin. Their tours for people with dementia occur at the Berlin Zoo, the Museum of Natural History, Britzer Garden and Charlottenburg Palace. The organization hopes to expand to other locations. There are roughly 1.6 million people living with dementia in Germany, and the figure is expected to rise to 2.8 million by 2050.
Researchers have spent decades breeding better potatoes for chips, and their work isn't done
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — There’s a surprising amount of science in a bag of potato chips. Researchers have spent decades developing chipping potatoes that can grow in all kinds of climates, avoid diseases and pests, sit in storage for months and still deliver a satisfying crunch. There are about 50 varieties of potatoes used for chips in the U.S. right now. A Michigan State University professor who developed five new potato varieties for chips in the the last 15 years is currently growing seeds for commercial testing of another. It's a bioengineered potato that can maintain a proper sugar balance when stored at colder temperatures to prevent rotting. he also has developed disease-resistant potato varieties for farmers in Africa.
Mike Vrabel says he's had difficult conversations after publication of photos with NFL reporter
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Mike Vrabel said Tuesday that he’s had “difficult conversations with people I care about,” including his family, his coaching staff and players, following the publication of photos of the Patriots coach and longtime NFL reporter Dianna Russini at an Arizona resort. The photos were of Vrabel and Russini at a Sedona resort and were taken before the annual NFL meetings that began in Phoenix on March 29, according to the New York Post, which published the photos. Vrabel and Russini, who are both married, released written statements to the Post after the publication of the story downplaying what the photos depict. But Russini resigned from The Athletic less than a week later after the Post’s report prompted an internal investigation at The New York Times-owned sports outlet.
Former Steelers coach Mike Tomlin joining NBC's pregame show, AP sources say
Mike Tomlin is going from the glare of an NFL sideline to the glare of television lights. The former Pittsburgh Steelers coach will join NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” coverage as a pregame analyst, two people briefed on the move tell The Associated Press. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because NBC has not announced the move. Tomlin stepped down in January after 19 seasons as Steelers coach. NBC had a studio opening as it is retooling its “Football Night in America” pregame show. Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy announced last month that he was told he would not be back after 17 years.
Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan resigns after 6 seasons
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan has resigned after six seasons, opting to step aside rather than work with a new front office. President and CEO Michael Reinsdorf made it clear after firing executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley near the end of the season that he wanted the 60-year-old Donovan to remain on the job. He said anyone who wanted to bring in a new coach was “probably not the right candidate for us.” Now, it looks like whoever the Bulls hire to run their organization will get that opportunity.
Most fashion mannequins are about a size 2. The Met Gala exhibit is making room for diverse bodies
NEW YORK (AP) — The upcoming fashion exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art examines “the dressed body” in art over the centuries. But “Costume Art” also aims to include bodies that art has traditionally ignored. The museum has created 25 mannequins for display based on “real bodies.” Nine people modeled for the mannequins. Those include disability activist Sinéad Burke and body-positive lingerie designer Michaela Stark. Curator Andrew Bolton explains he's seeking to challenge centuries-old conceptions of beauty. The exhibit is launching with the May 4 Met Gala and opens to the public May 10. It runs until January 2027.
The Onion launches new bid to take over Alex Jones' Infowars and turn it into a parody platform
The satirical news outlet The Onion has a new plan to take over conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' Infowars platforms and turn them into parodies. Under a proposal submitted to a Texas judge on Monday, The Onion would be granted a temporary license to the intellectual property of Infowars' parent company. That would allow The Onion to post its own content on the Infowars platforms. Jones is vowing to fight the plan in court. His company is facing liquidation because of the more than $1 billion in defamation judgments he owes relatives of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting for calling the massacre in Connecticut a hoax.
Marcel Hug claims his ninth Boston Marathon wheelchair title, Eden Rainbow-Cooper wins women's race
BOSTON (AP) — Marcel Hug of Switzerland vaulted to the front of the field and cruised to win his ninth Boston Marathon wheelchair title, claiming the victory in the 130th edition of the race in 1 hour, 16 minutes, 6 seconds. Hug’s fourth consecutive win in Boston puts him into second place all-time in Boston men’s wheelchair history, behind only South African great Ernst van Dyk’s record 10 titles between 2001 and 2014. American racer Daniel Romanchuk was second in 1:22:44, followed by Jetze Plat of the Netherlands in 1:24:13. Eden Rainbow-Cooper of Britain won the women’s wheelchair race in 1:30:51.
