Mercury reload from WNBA Finals loss, talk 2026 disrespect, motivation

Kahleah Copper is familiar with the euphoria of winning a WNBA title and the gut-punch of losing one.

Five months after the Phoenix Mercury were eliminated in a four-game sweep by the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA Finals, the 11-year veteran Copper spoke at the Mercury's media day on May 6 at Mortgage Matchup Center about her third season in Phoenix.

She described playing in Phoenix as "paradise," and was asked by a reporter if this past offseason drove her to return to the Finals.

"I just got swept, right? We just got swept," Copper bluntly replied. "You would have some motivation, too, right?”

After the sweep, Copper corralled her teammates into a huddle on their home court — coincidentally, the same court she earned the 2021 Finals MVP after leading the Chicago Sky over Phoenix — so the Mercury would be driven by that agony after their unexpected run.

Mercury third-year coach Nate Tibbetts said a return to the Finals is the goal, despite being placed at a modest No. 7 inESPN's WNBA preseason power team rankings.

“Our expectations are always going to be bigger than what the national media thinks," Tibbetts said. "No one expected us to be there last year in the WNBA Finals. I saw this morning some national media picked us to be the seventh-best team in our league.

"When we look in the mirror, we don’t see that. We see a team that’s playing for a championship.”

Mercury All-Star Alyssa Thomas, now in her second year with the team, and teammate DeWanna Bonner lost to the Aces in the 2022 Finals when they played for the Connecticut Sun. Now they're ready to prove naysayers wrong again in 2026.

“Nobody expected us to be there," Thomas said. "We had a lot of people on our team who were first time in the W, first time going through playoffs. I don’t think you can prepare people enough for how hard playoffs is.

"We had a great first two rounds, but Finals is the hardest part of the game, which is why a lot of people don’t make it there.”

New "life-changing" CBA

The Mercury players have a lot more to smile about financially.

Mercury general manager Nick U'Ren said it's a "point of pride" being part of the Mercury's 30th season, but is happier that players are getting "everything they deserve" from the new CBA.

The league salary cap went from $1.5 million in 2025 to $7 million in a new revenue-sharing model in which players receive 20% of gross revenue over the life of the deal. The average player salary jumped from $102,000 to $583,000.

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“I have two kids, so just love that they’re going to be taken care of," Bonner said. "Knowing that I can not really sit back and not work, but also you don’t have to worry. ... You put your body on the line, you do a lot of things to make sure you stay here, also to be rewarded for it. It’s amazing to see.”

Bonner added that she was “emotional” waking up to breaking news stories about players such as the Las Vegas Aces’ four-time MVP A’ja Wilson, Minnesota Lynx’s Napheesa Collier and Dallas Wings’ Arika Ogunbowale signing “life-changing” million-dollar contracts.

Whitcomb injury

Shortly before media day began, the Mercury announced that Whitcomb, one of their top 3-point shooters (36.1% in 2025) will undergo arthroscopic surgery to remove a loose body in her left knee. She will be re-evaluated in four to six weeks.

Tibbetts and Whitcomb explained that it's not a lingering injury, but she heard an "unusual" pop in her knee during practice earlier this week.

Tibbetts credited Whitcomb as the “ultimate leader” and a “big part of our culture.” U'Ren said the team is just glad her injury is not worse.

Thomas-Bonner connection, Sabally exit

The Mercury's former leading scorer, Satou Sabally, joined the New York Liberty during the league's truncated free agency period in April.

Thomas feels fortunate to be reunited with Bonner for her first full season back in Phoenix, after they were one of the league's more dynamic tandems in Connecticut from 2020-24.

Bonner was released by Indiana after just nine games played in June 2025. Thomas said she didn't "feel we go as far without her," when Bonner averaged 9.1 points and Phoenix's third-best 6.8 rebounds off the bench during the playoffs.

Copper called Bonner's locker room presence a "breath of fresh air."

Thomas said that the Mercury will "continue to be a defensive team” this season (tied for fourth with New York in defensive rating in 2025). Bonner said playing with Thomas means "you better play defense" with her as one of the league's best on that end of the floor.

Tips or story ideas? Email sports reporter Dana Scott atdana.scott@azcentral.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at@mr_danascott.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic:Mercury reload from WNBA Finals loss, talk new CBA at 2026 media day

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May 07, 2026

Mercury reload from WNBA Finals loss, talk 2026 disrespect, motivation

Kahleah Copper is familiar with the euphoria of winning a WNBA title and the gut-punch of losing one. Five months after the Phoen...

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Over 2 dozen charged in federal drug operation at Los Angeles' MacArthur Park: DOJ

Over two dozen people have been charged in an operation targeting what federal prosecutors called an "open-air drug market" at a Los Angeles park.

Authorities are executing 25 arrest warrants and eight search warrants, including six for businesses around MacArthur Park, according to First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, whose office is prosecuting the case.

So far, 18 of the defendants have been arrested for federal drug trafficking in connection with the operation, including two believed to be the main sources of fentanyl and methamphetamine in the troubled park, the Los Angeles U.S. attorney's office said Wednesday.

"Today, we begin reclaiming MacArthur Park from criminals and drug addicts to return this public space to the citizens of Los Angeles," Essayli said in astatement.

The complaint charges all 25 defendants with the intent to distribute, and distribution of, a controlled substance in and around the park, located west of downtown Los Angeles, prosecutors said.

Those charged include the "street dealers and the suppliers who've been selling drugs openly here at MacArthur Park," Essayli said during a press briefing Wednesday.

The complaint affidavit alleges more than two dozen fentanyl and meth drug deals occurred in and around the park from March 9 to April 15.

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At the home of one defendant, law enforcement seized approximately 40 pounds of fentanyl, prosecutors said.

Parents of 2-year-old girl who died from fentanyl overdose charged with murder

The U.S. Attorney's office said the park and surrounding area are "heavily contested gang territory."

Two of the defendants charged in the complaint allegedly served as one of the main sources of fentanyl powder and meth distributed in the park on behalf of the 18th Street Gang, according to the complaint. The couple are also accused of storing and stashing the drugs at businesses near the park for distribution by street-level drug dealers, prosecutors said.

Law enforcement began arresting people Tuesday night, with search warrants at homes and businesses being executed on Wednesday, officials said.

The operation comes after leadership of the 18th Street Gang wasarrestedin March on federal charges alleging that the gang controlled MacArthur Park as an open-air drug marketplace, using tents to avoid detection by police and blend in with the homeless population.

"This is not a one-and-done operation," Essayli said during Wednesday's press briefing. "We have 300 law enforcement personnel on this operation, and they're not going anywhere. And we've got bigger guns than the gangsters, so we're not going anywhere."

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May 07, 2026

Over 2 dozen charged in federal drug operation at Los Angeles' MacArthur Park: DOJ

Over two dozen people have been charged in an operation targeting what federal prosecutors called an "open-air drug market" a...

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Justice Department agrees to return Rep. Andy Ogles' phone, signaling end of campaign finance probe

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has agreed to return U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles' personal cellphone that wasseized as part of an investigation into his campaign finances, signaling it's abandoning its probe into the staunch Trump supporter that began under the Biden administration.

Ogles FBI Investigation

The FBI confiscated the Tennessee Republican's cellphone in August 2024 to examine issues with his campaign finance reporting, but it had agreed not to review material from it and his personal email account as he challenged the matter in court.

A judge had not yet ruled on Ogles' challenge when defense lawyers revealed in a court filing on Tuesday that the Justice Department had voluntarily agreed to “promptly” return his phone and destroy the information it had obtained from it and his Google email account.

The investigation, started under President Joe Biden, a Democrat, had remained open under President Donald Trump, a Republican, but had stalled while the government awaited the judge’s ruling on whether investigators could examine Ogles’ phone and emails. The Justice Department's criminal division last year, led at the time by acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Galeotti, had concluded the investigation should move forward even after local prosecutors in Tennessee withdrew from the case, a criminal division prosecutor wrote in an email last July urging the Tennessee attorneys to reconsider.

The move comes as the Justice Department is facing intense scrutiny over its pursuit of Trump’s perceived political enemies, includingformer FBI Director James ComeyandNew York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat.

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The Department of Justice didn't immediately respond to questions on Wednesday about its decision and whether it was formally closing the Ogles investigation. Ogles' lawyers told the court they were notified of the decision during discussions with the department's criminal division, now led by Assistant Attorney General Tysen Duva.

Ogles called it a “complete win for the responsible exercise of prosecutorial discretion and respect for the Constitution’s Separation of Powers.” Ogles is still facing a House Ethics Committee investigation.

“From the day the FBI showed up, I said this investigation should never have happened and that the Biden DOJ had no right to rummage through a sitting congressman’s legislative communications," Ogles said in a statement. "Today the Justice Department has effectively acknowledged I was right."

At the time his phone was seized, Ogles said his understanding was that the FBI was investigating “mistakes" in his initial financial filings that had been “widely reported for months.”

Ogles reported making a $320,000 loan to his campaign committee in 2022. He later amended his filings to show that he only loaned his campaign $20,000, telling news outlets that he originally meant to “pledge” $320,000 but that pledge was mistakenly included in his campaign reports.

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May 07, 2026

Justice Department agrees to return Rep. Andy Ogles' phone, signaling end of campaign finance probe

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has agreed to return U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles' personal cellphone that wasseized as part of an...

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Pender County man convicted of killing stepfather

After deliberating for 40 minutes, a Pender County jury on May 5 convicted a man for the killing of his stepfather and sentenced to life in prison.

Michael Thomas Richwas convicted of first-degree murder in the killing of his stepfather, Paul Busovne, on Nov. 13, 2021, according to a news release from the district attorney's office. In addition, he was also convicted of attempted murder and three felony assaults for assaulting and attempting to kill his mother, the district attorney’s office said.

Rich was also sentenced by Judge Tiffany Powers to 14-18 years in prison on attempted murder to run concurrent with the life sentence. The judge arrested judgment on the felony assaults, the news release said.

According to the news release, Rich, who had a history of substance abuse and mental health issues, was living in a farmhouse on his parents’ property on Shiloh Road in Willard. When they approached Rich to talk to him about taking his medication and living there, Rich grabbed a knife and stabbed Busovne 19 times, killing him. He then chased his mother and attacked her by pushing her and jumping on her, breaking her ribs and clavicle.

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Prior coverage:Man with stab wounds killed, second victim assaulted

“Rich was taken to the hospital for cuts on his own hand and then was interviewed by detectives with the Pender County Sheriff’s Office,” the news release said. “He stated to them that it was self-defense and stated that his parents had shot him and left him for dead in the past and they were trying to poison him, none of which was true. After he was interviewed and arrested for murder and attempted murder, he requested to return to the hospital for back pain. Once he was cleared at the hospital, he ran from officers and was quickly caught before getting outside the hospital.”

At the trial, Rich claimed self-defense, diminished capacity, and took the position that he was not guilty by reason of insanity, the news release said.

Bob Liepa is the city of Wilmington and public safety reporter for the StarNews. You can reach him atRLiepa@usatodayco.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews:Pender County, NC, man convicted of killing stepfather

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May 06, 2026

Pender County man convicted of killing stepfather

After deliberating for 40 minutes, a Pender County jury on May 5 convicted a man for the killing of his stepfather and sentenced to lif...

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Costa Rica's leader to keep immunity as minister in his successor's government in face of legal woes

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) —Costa Rica's outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves will remain a top official in his successor's government, the country's president-elect announced on Tuesday, granting the outgoing populist and Trump ally ongoing immunity in the face of corruption allegations.

Chaves will hold the posts of Minister of the Presidency and Minister of Finance in the incoming administration, Chaves’ political ally and president-elect Laura Fernández announced on Tuesday.

Such a move is unprecedented in Costa Rican politics and will offer the outgoing leader incredible sway over the next government. It marks another bold move by Chaves' political movement that has tested the Central American nation's democratic norms.

Fernández, set to take office on Friday, pitched herself as a figure of “continuity" in the lead up to February elections — so much so that many ministers and leaders of Chaves’ government will also remain in their previous positions or swap roles. Fernández herself once acted as Minister to the President to Chaves, the role the outgoing leader will now assume.

“Just as we have done since the first day of your administration, we will continue working very well as a team,” Fernández said to Chaves at a public event Tuesday in capital San José.

Chaves is a firebrand populist who has cozied up to U.S. President Donald Trump. He's known for lashing out at the media and critics, and has sought toproject himself as a figuresimilar to El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele by cracking down on anuptick in crimein the historically peaceful Central American nation.

Recently, Chaves agreed to accept 25 third-country deportees per week from the U.S. His government was accused of pushing for the Trump administration tostrip the board of directors of a critical newspaperof their visas.

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The move by Fernández marks not just a continuation of Chaves' grip on power, but also a temporary balm to his mounting legal ails, preserving the immunity he enjoyed as president.

Last year, Chaves' presidency was rocked by scandal when he faced accusations by Costa Rican prosecutors ofillegal campaign financeandcorruption charges, which the president has denied.

Prosecutors accused Chaves of pressuring a close associate and government contractor to give a chunk of money from the contract to a former campaign adviser.

As a result, Costa Rica’s legislature has tried and failed to strip Chaves of his immunity twice. With his appointment as a minister, another attempt appears unlikely, especially as the ruling party now holds a majority in the legislature.

Chaves has said the accusations are political revenge by the country’s attorney general and Supreme Court magistrates.

Costa Rica's opposition politicians criticized Chaves' appointment. Legislator José María Villalta said Tuesday the appointment was a blatant attempt to “grant or preserve immunity for controversial politicians from the outgoing government rather than to improve the functioning of institutions.”

Associated Press journalist Megan Janetsky contributed to this report from Mexico City.

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May 06, 2026

Costa Rica's leader to keep immunity as minister in his successor's government in face of legal woes

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) —Costa Rica's outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves will remain a top official in his successor's governm...

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Jake Paul Reacts to Olivia Rodrigo Mentioning Him in Her ‘Saturday Night Live’ Monologue

Jake Paulresponded to his former Disney Channel costarOlivia Rodrigomentioning him in herSaturday Night Liveopening monologue.

During the Saturday, May 2,episodeofSNL, Rodrigo, 23, had spoken about starring in Disney’sBizaardvarkas a 13-year-old alongside Paul, 29, telling the crowd that she and the boxer “always talked about our futures” together. She then joked, “I’d say, ‘I really wanna create music that explores the complexities of girls my age,’ and he’d say, ‘Well, one day I really wanna beat up old guys on Netflix.’”

Paul took to X the following day to address the comment, which seemingly referenced his 2024 Netflix boxing match againstMike Tyson. “We had the vision … I told you that you would sell stadiums out and then we both did … proud of you fr [for real],” Paul wrote.

The post attracted a fan reply, which noted, “I think he didn’t get that she laughed at him and not with him.” The fan comment sparked further reflection from Paul. “I got that she was making a joke at my expense. So what. She’s onSNLand that’s what they are supposed to do.”

Olivia Rodrigo Proclaims ‘Tiny Ass’ Handbags Are Trendy in ‘Saturday Night Live’ Cameo

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Paul concluded, “Doesn’t change my admiration of her [Rodrigo] and her success.”

Rodrigo’s monologue had also poked fun at Paul’s acting ability. “When I was 13, I was on a Disney show calledBizaardvarkand we had an incredible cast which included acting legend Jake Paul,” the singer said, which drew laughter from the crowd.

Paul starred onBizaardvark, which premiered in 2016 when he was 19 years old, for 18 months while Rodrigo worked on the show for its entire three-season run. Rodrigo portrayed one of the show’s main characters Paige Olvera, while Paul served as a series regular named Dirk Mann.

Once Paul left the show, he focused on building his YouTube channel, which eventually evolved into a professional boxing career and a lead role in the reality TV seriesPaul American(the Max series, which followed Paul and his brotherLogan Paul, wrapped season 1 in 2025 and a second season has not been confirmed.)

Rodrigo, meanwhile, launched a successful singer-songwriting career that has earned her threeGrammy Awardsso far. (She took out Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album for 2021’s Sour and Best Pop Solo Performance for “Drivers License” at the 2022 Grammy Awards.)

During Rodrigo’sSNLmonologue, she reflected on the remarkable fame she has achieved. “A lot has changed for me since my first single ‘Drivers License,’ which was about the biggest event in my life when I was a teenager,” she detailed on the show just prior to performing a parody version of the single.

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May 06, 2026

Jake Paul Reacts to Olivia Rodrigo Mentioning Him in Her ‘Saturday Night Live’ Monologue

Jake Paulresponded to his former Disney Channel costarOlivia Rodrigomentioning him in herSaturday Night Liveopening monologue. Du...

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Rolling Stones celebrate coming launch of 25th studio album

By Alicia Powell and Steve Gorman

The Rolling Stones launch their new studio album "Foreign Tongues", in New York

NEW YORK, May 5 (Reuters) - The three surviving members of the Rolling Stones attended a red-carpet event in Brooklyn on Tuesday to celebrate the launch of the band's 25th studio album, "Foreign Tongues," a follow-up to their Grammy-winning 2023 ‌release.

The 14-track collection will make its debut on July 10 as Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood mark the 64th anniversary ‌of the blues and R&B-rooted English rock band that became one of the world's most successful, influential and enduring pop music acts.

The album cover, created by painter Nathaniel Mary Quinn, features ​a colorful, almost grotesque, three-in-one composite likeness of Jagger, Richards and Wood, their exaggerated, jumbled facial features assembled into a single disfigured portrait.

At an afternoon launch party held at the Weylin, a landmark special-events venue in New York City's Brooklyn borough, the three Stones walked a red carpet, posed for pictures and submitted to an interview session with comedian and talk show host Conan O'Brien.

The forthcoming arrival of "Foreign Tongues," a title invoking the Stones' distinctive lips-and-tongue logo, was preceded by Tuesday's ‌digital release of the album's lead single, "In the Stars," ⁠along with the album's opening track "Rough and Twisted."

"In the Stars" is due for physical distribution on May 15.

Fans got a sneak peek of "Rough and Twisted" when it was given a limited vinyl-only release in April as a single credited to ⁠the Cockroaches, an old pseudonym for the Stones, to stoke buzz about the album as a whole.

'RAUCOUS BLUES BELTER'

Neil McCormick, chief music critic for the Telegraph, called "Rough and Twisted" a "stomping, raucous, frayed and tattered blues belter" that would not sound out of place on the band's seminal 1972 album "Exile on Main Street."

"Foreign Tongues" marks the Stones' ​second ​studio album since the 2021 death of drummer Charlie Watts and 25th set of ​new music since the band was founded in 1962 with ‌a lineup that included Jagger as vocalist, Richards on guitar, and multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones, who died in 1969.

Watts and bassist Bill Wyman joined early on to round out the first stable roster of players billed as the Stones. Wood joined the group in the 1970s to replace then-departing rhythm guitarist Mick Taylor, and Wyman quit the band in the early 1990s.

The remaining core trio of Jagger, Richards and Wood reunited for 2023's "Hackney Diamonds," then the first album of original music from the Stones in 18 years and a collection that won the Grammy Award for best rock album. It was also noteworthy for ‌containing some of the last studio work recorded by Watts, as well as the Stones' ​first studio contributions from drummer Steve Jordan.

Jordan and bassist Darryl Jones comprise the rhythm section ​on "Foreign Tongues," which also features a "special appearance" from Watts, according to ​the band's promotional materials.

Other guest artists on the latest album include Paul McCartney, Steve Winwood, Robert Smith of The Cure, ‌and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Speaking at ​Tuesday's event, Jagger said the album's producer, ​Andrew Watt, "was trying to get me together with Paul (McCartney) to write something, but we never actually did." McCartney also played on "Hackney Diamonds," with Watt overseeing that project as well.

Despite the considerable rock-star mileage Jagger, 82, Richards, 82, and Wood, 78, have racked up, the Stones' 25th ​studio release may not be the band's swan song.

British ‌daily The Times' chief rock and pop critic, Will Hodgkinson, reported in April that the band had amassed a stockpile of at ​least 10 more unused songs from their latest sessions as material for another album.

(Reporting by Alicia Powell in New York. Writing ​and additional reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Kate Mayberry)

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May 06, 2026

Rolling Stones celebrate coming launch of 25th studio album

By Alicia Powell and Steve Gorman The Rolling Stones launch their new studio album "Foreign Tongues...

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