Tiger Woods says he will step away “for a period of time” to seek treatment after pleading not guilty in his DUI case tied to a Florida rollover crash, acknowledging the “seriousness” of the situation. “I know and understand the seriousness of the situation I find myself in today. I am stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on my health. This is necessary in order for me to prioritize my well-being and work toward lasting recovery. “I’m committed to taking the time needed to return in a healthier, stronger, and more focused place, both personally and professionally. I appreciate your understanding and support, and ask for privacy for my family, loved ones and myself at this time.” The PGA Tour also released a statement following Woods’ announcement: “Tiger Woods is a legend of our sport whose impact extends far beyond his achievements on the course. But above all else, Tiger is a person, and our focus is on his health and well-being. Tiger continues to have our full support as he takes this important step.” It comes just hours after Woods entered a not guilty plea in his latest DUI case, according to court records. He’s once again turned to prominent Florida defense attorney Douglas Duncan — the same lawyer who represented him after his 2017 arrest. On Friday afternoon, Woods crashed his Range Rover near his Jupiter Island home while attempting to pass a truck towing a pressure cleaner. The vehicle flipped. He managed to crawl out, but responding officers said he appeared “lethargic” and possibly under the influence of medication or drugs. He was charged with DUI, property damage, and refusal to submit to a lawful test, and spent roughly eight hours in jail. “DUI investigators came to the scene here, and Mr. Woods did exemplify signs of impairment. They did several tests on him. Of course, he did explain the injuries and the surgeries that he had. We did take that into account, but they did do some in-depth roadside tests,” Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said. Deputies said Woods showed signs of impairment at the scene. A breath test later showed no alcohol in his system, shifting attention to whether another substance may have been involved. “We really weren’t suspicious of alcohol being involved in this case, and that proved to be true at the jail. … But when it came time for us to ask for a urinalysis test, he refused. And, so, he’s been charged with DUI, with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test,” Budensiek added. President Donald Trump weighed in Tuesday, saying Woods is “doing great” despite suffering “a lot of pain.” “He tested negative for alcohol, as you know, and he is under a tremendous physical pressure from his various ailments, you know, the back and the leg,” Trump told The New York Post. “He lives a life of pain. He has a lot of pain. He’s an amazing guy. He’s an amazing athlete. He does have pain.” Trump has previously spoken about his close relationship with the 15-time major champion, who is dating Trump’s former daughter-in-law, Vanessa Trump. Vanessa is the ex-wife of Donald Trump Jr. and the mother of the president’s granddaughter, Kai, who committed to the University of Miami to play golf.

The Texas Senate Republican primary runoff is pressing onward, as President Donald Trump has yet to make an endorsement between Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the May 26 runoff. When neither Paxton nor Cornyn was able to deliver a decisive victory in the initial vote — triggering the coming runoff — Trump indicated that an endorsement of one candidate was imminent. He did not name the candidate at the time — and has not indicated since who he might endorse or when — but said that when he did deliver his endorsement, he planned to call on the other candidate to drop out of the race. A GOP operative familiar with the Cornyn campaign said that the campaign have not heard anything regarding where the president stands on an endorsement. “Senator Cornyn over-performed all expectations by winning the March 3 primary after Ken Paxton spent two weeks predicting he would win without a runoff,” Cornyn campaign senior advisor Matt Mackowiak said in a statement, adding that Cornyn has “voted with President Trump 99.3% of the time and is one of his most effective allies in the Senate.” “Democrats nominated their strongest candidate for U.S. Senate. Texas Republicans must nominate John Cornyn who is our strongest nominee by far to gain five new Congressional seats and advance Trump’s legislative agenda in the final two years of his second term,” Mackowiak added. The Daily Wire reached out to the Paxton campaign for comment. Paxton is backed by Turning Point Action, and Cornyn is backed by the National Republican Senatorial Committee. “The runoff electorate is gonna naturally favor Paxton, because these are conservatives, these are people that are enthusiastic to turn out and support a strong attorney general and President Trump,” a Republican consultant told The Daily Wire on background in order to speak freely about the race. NBC News reported on March 14 that the president would make a decision “over the next week or so,” but no announcement had been made even after two weeks had passed. “I like both candidates very much,” he told the outlet, stressing that “a lot has to do with the SAVE America Act.” “A lot is going to determine — Republicans have to get that passed, because that will secure voting in this country,” he added. Paxton made waves after posting to X on March 5 that he would consider dropping out of the competitive runoff election if the Senate was able to pass the SAVE America Act. “I would consider dropping out of this race if Senate Leadership agrees to lift the filibuster and passes the SAVE America Act,” Paxton wrote. The Republican later criticized Cornyn for his New York Post op-ed, saying he would back potential changes to Senate rules in order to pass the voter identification legislation, calling it a “historic” pivot. Cornyn wrote in the op-ed that he had previously backed the “60-vote threshold to protect the country,” but said that “when the reality on the ground changes, leaders must take stock and adapt.” Prior to the SAVE America Act push, Paxton had previously said he would remain in the race even if the president gave Cornyn his blessing. “Well, that’s bad for him to say,” Trump told Politico on March 5. “That is bad for him. So maybe, maybe that leads me to go the other direction.” Whoever wins the May 26 runoff will face off against Democrat James Talarico, at whom who the president had taken direct aim despite not weighing in on the Republican race. In a March 22 Truth Social post, the president called Talarico a “weak, ineffective guy.” The president added that “this guy is worse” than his primary opponent, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX). “It does not matter because they’re both solid candidates,” an individual familiar with Republicans thinking on the race said on background, saying that recent coverage of the Democrat has been hurting his campaign. “At this point, it’s more likely that Talarico drags Dems down at the bottom of the ticket.” The Daily Wire reached out to the Talarico campaign for comment.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday afternoon aimed at securing mail-in voting and ensuring that only eligible voters are allowed to cast ballots in federal elections. While states are responsible the election process, including their mail-in voting systems, Trump’s order seeks to use the power of the federal government to verify that mail-in ballots are only sent to American citizens who are eligible to vote. The order, which was first reported by The Daily Caller, requires the Department of Homeland Security to create a list of American voters and tasks the United States Postal Service with ensuring that absentee ballots are only sent to people on the list. “The right to vote in Federal elections is reserved exclusively for citizens of the United States under the Constitution and Federal law,” Trump’s order states. “Federal statutes explicitly prohibit non-citizens from registering to vote or voting in Federal elections and impose criminal penalties for violations.” Under the order, the federal data on eligible voters would be shared with state election officials, who would see who is on the list of eligible voters in their jurisdictions. States would receive the list of confirmed voters no fewer than 60 days before each federal election, the order stipulates. The order also requires that absentee ballots are placed into envelopes that have specific barcodes to make them easy to track. In the order, Trump instructs the attorney general to prosecute state and local officials and any public or private entities that issue ballots to ineligible voters. Immediately after signing the order, the president acknowledges that a federal judge would likely challenge his action. “You may find a rogue judge, you have a lot of rogue judges — very bad, bad, people, very bad judges. But that’s the only way that can be changed, and hopefully we’ll win on appeal if it is,” Trump said. “I don’t see how anybody can challenge it.” Trump is attempting to address concerns around mail-in voting through executive action as the Republican-led Senate sits on the SAVE America Act, legislation pushed by Trump that would impose more restrictions on mail-in voting and require voters to provide ID and proof of citizenship when they register. Trump has pressured Republicans to pass the SAVE America Act, but the bill would have to overcome the 60-vote filibuster threshold that Democrats are relying on to block the voter ID legislation. Trump has argued that the SAVE America Act is vital to maintain trust in U.S. elections, and his push for stronger voter ID and mail-in ballot laws comes just months before the important 2026 midterm elections. Democrats have already condemned Trump’s order as “unconstitutional” and argue that the president’s action would disenfranchise voters. Democrats are also united in their opposition to the SAVE America Act, with the party claiming that stricter voter ID and citizenship requirements would prevent tens of millions of people from voting.

The Chicago Bulls released guard Jaden Ivey on Monday after Ivey posted multiple videos on social media, calling out the NBA’s celebration of LGBT “unrighteousness” and speaking about his Christian faith. Ivey, who is averaging over eight points per game this season, was dropped by the Bulls just a month after he arrived in Chicago due to a trade with the Detroit Pistons. In one video Ivey posted on Instagram on Monday, the guard ripped the NBA for celebrating LGBT “Pride” month. “The world can proclaim LGBTQ, right?” Ivey said. “They proclaim ‘Pride Month’ in the NBA. They proclaim it. They show it to the world. They say, ‘Come join us for Pride Month to celebrate unrighteousness.’ They proclaim it. They proclaim it on the billboards. They proclaim it on the streets. Unrighteousness.” In another video that Ivey recorded while on an airplane, he called out NBA star Stephen Curry and questioned Curry’s Christian faith. “He’s not even surrendered and y’all believe he’s a Christian. Y’all believe he’s a Christian because he wrote Philippians 4:13. Ya’ll think he’s a Christian, but he’s cursing just like the world. … He don’t know Jesus and I pray he comes to the truth,” Ivey said. The Bulls announced on Monday afternoon that the team was releasing Ivey “due to conduct detrimental to the team.” Bulls head coach Billy Donovan told reporters shortly after the team’s decision that he didn’t want to get into details about Ivey’s social media posts. Donovan added that in his conversations with Ivey, the player has been focused on trying to rehab after suffering a knee injury and said the team hoped Ivey would be part of the roster for the “long term” after he was traded from Detroit. “Organizationally, there’s certain standards I think we want to have as an organization and live up to those each and every day,” Donovan said, adding, “Everybody comes with their own personal experiences, right? But we have to all be professional, there has to be a high level of respect for one another, and we’ve got to help each other and be accountable to those standards.” Ivey responded in another social media video after the Bulls dropped him. “They said my conduct is detrimental to the team, right? Why didn’t they just say we don’t agree with his stance on LGBTQ? Why didn’t they say that?” Ivey asked. “How is it conduct detrimental to the team? What did I do to the team? What did I do to the players? I did nothing but practice with them, play with them, pass the ball to them, [be] a good teammate to them.” “So why is it that the NBA and the Chicago Bulls say I’m detrimental to the team? How? Because I believe in the truth? Because I know Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life?” he added. Some Christian athletes have come out in defense of Ivey after he was released by the Bulls. Patriots star running back TreVeyon Henderson reposted a clip of Ivey’s comments about gay “Pride” alongside a Bible verse from Matthew 5:10, which states, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Henderson’s coach, Mike Vrabel, was asked about the running back’s support for Ivey and told reporters that he wants players like Henderson to express what they believe, but added that he wants to “make sure that they’re educated.” “We want to be inclusive. Everything we want to do, we want to provide an environment for people to feel comfortable, but also to share their personal beliefs. And also, we represent the team, and we represent the organization,” Vrabel added. New York Jets cornerback Azareyeh Thomas also posted support for Ivey and his stance against LGBT “Pride” celebrations. “The world will try to make sin look normal and righteousness look strange. Believer or not, every single person on earth will soon have an appointment before Jesus. So if living for Christ makes us look crazy or ‘weird,’ that’s okay because it isn’t strange to Christ. When it’s all said and done, we’ll give an account to an audience of One. (Romans 14:12, 2 Cor. 5:10),” Thomas wrote. “’Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness…’ Isaiah 5:20.” Miami Dolphins long snapper Blake Ferguson also publicly backed Ivey after the Bulls player was released. Former New Orleans Saints tight end and outspoken Christian Benjamin Watson said he expects the Bulls to clarify what exactly led to Ivey’s release. “Conduct detrimental covers a host of actions. It’s a catch all term for everything from being late to curfew, to saying the wrong thing to the media, to fighting in the locker room. It allows clubs to discipline players without specifying certain actions. I expect the Bulls to clarify if it also includes using the term ‘unrighteousness.’ If so that’s an even bigger problem,” Watson said. Ivey has recently become more outspoken about his Christian faith and has even opened up about his struggles with depression this season. After Ivey was kept on the bench for an entire month despite being healthy in February, the guard told reporters that because of his faith, he “wasn’t the same player as he used to be.” “I’m not the J.I. I used to be. The old J.I. is dead,” Ivey said. “I’m alive in Christ no matter what the basketball setting is.” Ivey also faced criticism for some of his responses to people who commented on his Instagram videos. In one instance, a person asked the NBA player about going to confession, and Ivey replied by writing, “Catholicism is a false religion. And is not the true Doctrine of Christ. [It] does not lead to salvation in Jesus Christ.” Another person commented on Ivey’s video and wrote, “Sending prayers. Detroit misses you.” Ivey responded to that comment, writing, “God does not hear your Prayer if you are a sinner.”

An American journalist was kidnapped off the streets of Baghdad, Iraq, by armed men in an abduction likely carried out by an Iranian-backed militia — and Iraqi security forces scrambled in their unsuccessful attempt to intercept the kidnappers. A group of armed men stopped Shelly Kittleson’s car in the middle of the street, pulled her out, and quickly fled the scene with her in tow. Iraqi security forces immediately pursued, but were unable to stop the kidnappers, CCTV video shows the moment American journalist @shellykittleson was taken in Baghdad. pic.twitter.com/JqJcdW7TOb — Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) March 31, 2026 CNN National Security Analyst and former Pentagon official Alex Plitsas stated via X that Kittleson was likely taken hostage by Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Kittleson, a journalist specializing in the Middle East who has reported for the BBC, Foreign Relations, and POLITICO, was in Baghdad reporting on Iraqi politics for the outlet Al-Monitor at the time of her kidnapping. The Iraqi Ministry of Interior said in a statement that efforts are underway to track down the perpetrators and rescue Kittleson. “Security forces immediately launched an operation to apprehend the perpetrators, acting on precise intelligence and through intensive field operations, tracking the kidnappers’ movements,” a translated statement from the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior reads. “The pursuit resulted in the interception of a vehicle belonging to the kidnappers, which overturned as they attempted to escape. Security forces were able to arrest one of the suspects and seize one of the vehicles used in the crime.” Assistant Secretary of State Dylan Johnson said in a statement on X that the State Department was “aware of the reported kidnapping” and that Kittleson had been warned of the dangers of continuing to work in Iraq. “The State Department previously fulfilled our duty to warn this individual of threats against them and we will continue to coordinate with the FBI to ensure their release as quickly as possible,” the statement reads. “An individual with ties to the Iranian-aligned militia group Kataib Hezbollah believed to be involved in the kidnapping has been taken into custody by Iraqi authorities.” “Iraq remains at a Level 4 Travel Advisory and Americans are advised not to travel to Iraq for any reason and to leave Iraq now. The State Department strongly advise all Americans, including members of the press, to adhere to all travel advisories,” the statement concludes.