Visiting North Korea twice, in 1997 and 2011, I got a rare glimpse of the Kim personality cult firsthand. Epitomizing the extreme of brutal buffoonery was dictator Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A personality cult is a way to demand fealty through fear, and a theatrical way to enforce conformity. Across Syria after the December 2024 revolution, statues of Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez al-Assad, were reduced to rubble. President Donald Trump, a real estate mogul with a clear edifice complex, seems drawn to the temptation to leave a mark.

Shortly after taking a bobsled run with Team USA in Lake Placid, N.Y., in 2009, Colbert described the experience. “[He] currently suffers from traumatic brain injury and latent neurodegenerative disease,” the filing said. He filed a lawsuit in December 2021 that asked USA Bobsled/Skeleton to implement a medical monitoring system to identify and treat sledders with sled head symptoms. Edwards and Perry also filed personal injury lawsuits last week on behalf of two other former USA sledders — Joe Sisson and Rick Baird. The dangers of sliding sports took center stage at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics when 11 crashes occurred in two days of bobsled training ahead of the Games.

Democrats have long argued that they’d be willing to fund everything except ICE as negotiations over reining in Trump’s immigration enforcement policies have stalled in the Senate. Advertisement AdvertisementDespite lawmakers having multiple meetings with White House border czar Tom Homan in recent days, aides warn progress has been tedious and slow. That process last summer allowed the GOP to inject billions into immigration enforcement last summer without Democratic support. Even before the Sunday night missive, Republicans — who’d been waiting for Democrats to respond to the latest White House offer in DHS talks — suggested negotiations had slowed. The White House said that it is waiting until Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin is confirmed as Department of Homeland Security secretary to continue negotiating with Democrats.

LOS ANGELES — Robert Vargas is in a bit of a time crunch. In two seasons with L.A., Ohtani has won two National League MVP awards and helped the Dodgers win two World Series championships. On Saturday afternoon, East Los Angeles resident Edgar Reyes came out to see the super-sized artwork being created in real time. Guerrero, who also visited the site on Saturday, said it is "mesmerizing" to watch Vargas work and called the mural "mind-blowing." ©2026 Los Angeles Times.

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Black activist shocked by her FBI filesA powerful and emotional look at history through a deeply personal lens. In this clip from CNN Original Series Standoff: The FBI, Power and Paranoia, Fredrika Newton revisits her FBI files, uncovering the surveillance, tension, and fear that defined the 1960s. A member of the Black Panther Party and widow of activist Huey P. Newton, her story reveals what it meant to live under constant watch and the lasting weight of that scrutiny. Stream the series now on the CNN app.

Plane Collides With Vehicle at LaGuardia AirportEmergency crews swarmed a damaged Air Canada Express plane with a sheared-off nose at LaGuardia Airport, which was shut down early Monday. By Jiawei WangMarch 23, 2026

Your next visit to California’s poppy fields may come with a rattling surprise. VIDEO | 00:14 Mojave “Green” rattlesnake in the flower fieldThe snake appeared to be a Mojave rattlesnake, often called a “Mojave green,” known to inhabit areas of the Antelope Valley, which is part of the Western Mojave Desert. AdvertisementAbout 50 snake species can be found in California, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife . Seven native rattlesnake species are in California, including the Mojave, Western diamondback, red diamond, Southern Pacific, Northern Pacific, Great Basin, and the speckled rattlesnake. For visitors heading to the poppy fields, currently in peak bloom through May, here’s what to do if you encounter a snake.

LOADING ERROR LOADINGMost Americans are paying their first tangible cost of President Donald Trump’s war with Iran at the pump. AdvertisementOn Feb. 26, two days before the war, the national average sat at $2.98, according to data relayed by AAA. “There’s nothing more instantaneous to a consumer than standing there holding down the gas nozzle and watching the numbers tick on the pump,” he said. “If you’re filling up four times a week, that’s $80 of disposable income coming out of your pocket after tax ― disposable income. “Increasingly oil futures markets are suggesting that the Iran war is going to have (or has already had) effects that will last for years.”

Mayer Brown counsel Jakarri Hamlin has been recognized as a 2026 “Banking & Finance Visionary” by LA Times Studios. Among this year's honorees are advisors, financial experts, bankers, and deal brokers who exemplify excellence in Southern California's financial sector. Jakarri has built a sophisticated financing practice at the forefront of private capital and institutional lending. His practice is distinguished by a cross product perspective that integrates fund finance, structured products, and synthetic finance to deliver commercially attuned solutions in evolving markets. View the full list of honorees here.

Bill Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted a former waitress in 1972 after escorting her to one of his shows, a civil jury in California concluded Monday, awarding the woman $19.25 million in damages. He served about three years in a Pennsylvania prison on sexual assault charges before that case was overturned in 2021. Donna Motsinger, now 84, said in her lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court that Cosby had given her wine and a pill that left her unable to move. AdvertisementMotsinger didn’t consent to Cosby’s sexual contact and, having been rendered unconscious by drugging, she couldn’t consent to it to begin with, according to the complaint. Motsinger filed her suit half a century after the sexual assault — far beyond statutes of limitations in place for such cases.

The Colorado Rockies had their own part to play in this year’s World Baseball Classic. Playing in his second World Baseball Classic, left-handed veteran Jose Quintana also wore the Captain’s “C” for Colombia. Team Venezuela (6-1, World Baseball Classic Champions)Sometimes it is best to let the footage speak for itself. You are the 2026 World Baseball Classic champions! Following their victory ceremony, Tovar was named shortstop for the the All-World Baseball Classic team.

Donald Trump and Keir Starmer are at odds over the war. via Associated PressKeir Starmer has told Donald Trump he won’t be “pressured” into changing his position on the Iran war. His most recent jibe came on Sunday when he shared a Saturday Night Live UK sketch portraying Starmer as weak, indecisive and scared of Trump. “Notwithstanding the pressure that comes from elsewhere, I will remain laser focused on what is in the British national interest. I am the British prime minister and my job is to be absolutely focused on what is in the British national interest.

Passenger describes 'chaos' during LaGuardia collisionA passenger on an Air Canada flight says it was "chaos" after the plane collided with a fire truck while landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport. The pilot and copilot were killed, and two people in the truck were injured, a law enforcement official said.

Scripps News introduces new series, ‘Connected with Alisyn Camerota’The six-episode series premieres on Scripps News on March 27 at 8 p.m. ET with guest Don LemonWASHINGTON, D.C. – Alisyn Camerota, author and award-winning journalist formerly of CNN and Fox News, will host a new program on Scripps News, the national streaming news network owned by The E.W. “Connected with Alisyn Camerota” will feature one-on-one conversations with sports leaders, politicians, musicians, journalists and regular people caught in extraordinary situations. Scripps Company, 513-977-3713, [email protected]About Scripps NewsScripps News serves viewers trustworthy, reliable national and international news. Scripps News partners with the Scripps local station group to cover news from over 50 bureaus across the U.S. Scripps News is available on all major streaming and connected TV platforms.