'Fixer' in college basketball point-shaving scandal enters guilty plea

A North Carolina man prosecutors say had a "leadership role" in amassive college basketball point shaving schemehas pleaded guilty to bribery, wire fraud and firearms charges.

Jalen Smith, 30, of Charlotte, was the first of 26 defendants to admit criminal wrongdoing, entering his plea on Monday, March 9, at a hearing in Philadelphia.

Smith was a "fixer" who recruited players "to underperform and help ensure their team failed to cover the spread in games during the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 NCAA men's basketball seasons," federal prosecutors said in a statement.

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Smith was one of the primary figures in the operation, responsible for "recruiting, managing, and paying players for their roles," according to the statement.

Former Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended in 2022 after the NFL determined he had placed bets on games the season prior. Ridley played in only five games during the 2021 season, citing mental health issues. During Ridley's time away, Ridley acknowledged he bet on NFL games for a total of $1,500. He was reinstated in the league in 2023 and was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Ippei Mizuhara, left, Shohei Ohtani's former longtime interpreter and confidant, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison in 2025 after stealing nearly $17 million from baseball's two-way global superstar to pay off sports gambling debts. Mizuhara, 40, utilized his proximity to Ohtani's personal information and his role tending to many of the superstar's off-field affairs to siphon funds from accounts and, as prosecutors allege, impersonate Ohtani in bank communications.

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Betting scandals that have shaken up every major sports league over the century

Former Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley wassuspended in 2022after the NFL determined he had placed bets on games the season prior. Ridley played in only five games during the 2021 season,citing mental health issues. During Ridley's time away,Ridley acknowledged he bet on NFL games for a total of $1,500. He was reinstated in the league in 2023 and wastraded to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Theoperation involved 39 playersonmore than 17 Division I teamsfrom 2022-2025, with bettors wagering millions of dollars on at least 29 different games,according to the original indictment in January. Payments to players ranged from $10,000 to $30,000 per game.

The fraud charges carry a maximum sentence of up to 20 years. The bribery charges have a maximum sentence of five years. Smith also pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a firearm.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:College basketball point-shaving 'fixer' enters guilty plea

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'Fixer' in college basketball point-shaving scandal enters guilty plea

A North Carolina man prosecutors say had a "leadership role" in amassive college basketball point shaving schem...

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'The streets are emptier than ever': Iranians describe life as US escalates war

LONDON -- As the United States and Israel intensify their aerial assault and continue to urge Iranians to overthrow the government, Iranians inside the country have expressed mixed feelings, describing growing fear of the strikes and worries that the war will escalate further following the appointment of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's son as the new supreme leader.

Israel attacked oil depots on Sunday, igniting huge fires that smothered Tehran in thick, choking smoke, amid what residents have said is the heaviest bombing of the war so far.

Residents in the capital told ABC News the streets were quiet on Monday, with many people having left or else sheltering indoors fearful of airstrikes. The toxic smoke from the oil depot fire had dissipated somewhat because of rain, they said, but still lingered. There were many checkpoints set up by government forces and a heavy security presence around the city.

ABC News is not identifying the people by their real names over concerns they could face retaliation.

"The city is almost emptied out. Shops are open hoping against hope for customers. But many have left Tehran," a man, who ABC News is calling Amir, said Monday. "It's mostly silence unless there's an attack."

An internet blackout imposed by the regime makes it difficult to communicate with people inside Iran, but some people are succeeding, connecting for a few hours by Starlink and VPNs.

Golshan Fathi wrote on social media that bakeries are packed and that the city was still feeling the effects of the huge oil depot fire.

"The air is heavy," she wrote. "Tehran smells of smoke, of metal and fuel and a city trapped under a giant glass dome. The streets are emptier than ever, but the city isn't calm. In cities gripped by fear, calm is just a façade."

Iranians were also digesting the announcement of Mojtaba Khamenei as the successor to his late father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the opening day of the strikes by Israel and the U.S. A group of senior Iranian officials and clerics, called the Council of Experts, said it had voted to select Mojtaba, who is seen as a hard-line figure. He is likely to continue his father's unyielding approach.

MORE: What to know about Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's next supreme leader

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The residents who spoke to ABC News are among the educated, middle class. They have been critical of the government and expressed shock at Mojtaba's appointment, saying they feared it meant a compromise to end the war was less likely and that the regime may act more violently inside Iran.

Amir said his more liberal circle felt caught between the regime and the war unleashed by the U.S. and Israel.

"Most of us feel entrapped between an oppressive regime and warmonger nutters in Israel and the U.S. It's all very tiring for our agency, our lives," Amir said. "The hardliners have succeeded in implanting their guy mostly because at the time of war civil society is sidelined. It's frustrating."

Thousands of Iranians on Monday gathered for rallies in different cities to celebrate the new supreme leader's appointment. Most observers say the regime retains a hardcore base of conservative, religious supporters, despite the large-scale protests that shook the country in January. Those protests were crushed in a crackdown by security forces that killed thousands, according to rights groups.

Signs and posters cheering Mojtaba's appointment have gone up around Tehran, according to Fathi. "The military presence is much more visible than in previous days; plainclothes agents, Basij [paramilitary] forces, and anti-riot units are stationed at key points," she wrote.

MORE: What a 2nd week of war could mean for Iran

More than a thousand people have been killed in Iran since the U.S. and Israel began bombing on Feb. 28, according to Iranian officials. Over 160 schoolgirls were killed in a missile strike that hit a school in the southern city of Minab, according to local authorities. Multiple media investigations, including by The New York Times and Reuters, have suggested the U.S. military was responsible for the strike, although President Donald Trump has sought to blame Iran.

Other Iranians who spoke to ABC News expressed clear support for the American-Israeli war and the strikes, which have also targeted key institutions of repression, including prisons and security service headquarters.

"Everyone in Iran rejoiced over Khamenei's death, especially families whose children were killed in protests in the last two months," one woman, who asked to use the alias B16, told ABC News. She said she was "very happy about this war and the attacks by America and Israel," seeing it as a "hope for freedom from the evil of the Islamic Republic."

Some Iranians said their fear now is that the war could devastate the country but still leave the regime intact and more violent toward dissent.

"I think mostly people are worried about a failed state situation, that infrastructure is gone and the regime is in place," said Mehdi Yahyanejad, an activist based in the U.S. who has worked to set up technologies to help Iranians evade government censorship. "That would be the worst combination if it happens."

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'The streets are emptier than ever': Iranians describe life as US escalates war

LONDON -- As the United States and Israel intensify their aerial assault and continue to urge Iranians to overthrow the g...

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No. 1 UConn wins its 24th Big East Tournament title, routing Villanova 90-51

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Azzi Fudd appreciates what UConn has done so far this season by going undefeated and winning another Big East title. There's still work to be done for the top-ranked Huskies.

BEast Villanova UConn Basketball

Fudd scored 19 points and Sarah Strong added 18 as UConn rolled to its 24th Big East Tournament championship, beating Villanova 90-51 on Monday night.

"I think it's a great accomplishment what we've been able to achieve so far this year," Fudd said. "We'll have a couple days off. and our work isn't done yet. ... Being Big East champion won't really matter in a couple of weeks."

It was the 50th consecutive win for the defending national champion Huskies (34-0), who enter the women's NCAA Tournament undefeated for the 11th time in their storied history. The Huskies own four of the five longest winning streaks in Division I, including a record 111-game run.

The Huskies are six wins away from a record 13th national title. They'll be a No. 1 seed when the March Madness bracket is released Sunday. UConn has won all six Big East Tournament titles since the Huskies rejoined the conference in 2021.

The two teams met a few weeks ago and Villanova actually led UConn at halftime of that game. The Huskies didn't let that happen again. They took a quick lead behind Strong — who was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player — and were up 23-11 after the opening quarter.

Strong said the Huskies learned a lot from the last meeting.

"We can't let them get going, just try to play our defense," she said. "Speed them up and get them out of their rhythm."

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Fudd and Blanca Quinonez helped extend the margin to 49-23 at the break. Strong had 15 points in the opening half. Fudd added 11.

The lead ballooned in the second half and coach Geno Auriemma rested his starters in the fourth quarter.

Villanova (25-7) now will wait to see where it's placed in the NCAA field. Jasmine Bascoe led the Wildcats with 14 points.

"We did what we needed to do to build that resume," Villanova coach Denise Dillon said. "Look at our record, 25-7, three of those losses coming to the No. 1 team in the nation. ... Excited for next Sunday to see where we're getting sent."

A 3-pointer by Kelsey Joens with just a few seconds left helped Villanova avoid matching the worst loss in Big East final history. UConn beat Boston College by 42 points in 2002.

The tournament was played at Mohegan Sun Arena, and the conference announced during the game it will continue to play there through 2029.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign uphereandhere(AP mobile app). AP women's college basketball:https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-pollandhttps://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

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No. 1 UConn wins its 24th Big East Tournament title, routing Villanova 90-51

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Azzi Fudd appreciates what UConn has done so far this season by going undefeated and winning ano...

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Brazil's Haddad says Durigan likely to replace him as finance minister

SAO PAULO, March 10 (Reuters) - Brazil's Finance ‌Minister Fernando Haddad ‌said on Tuesday that ​his deputy, Dario Durigan, is likely to succeed him once he ‌leaves ⁠the post, but stressed that a ⁠formal announcement was up to President ​Luiz Inacio ​Lula ​da Silva.

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"Dario ‌has a very good relationship with the president, one of great trust... He is ‌a great ​public administrator," ​said ​Haddad, who had ‌previously announced he ​would ​step down ahead of Brazil's general ​elections ‌in October.

(Reporting by Isabel ​Teles; Editing by ​Gabriel Araujo)

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Brazil's Haddad says Durigan likely to replace him as finance minister

SAO PAULO, March 10 (Reuters) - Brazil's Finance ‌Minister Fernando Haddad ‌said on Tuesday that ​his deputy, Dario D...

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Young kids missed the pandemic's school disruptions. Their reading scores are still behind

WASHINGTON (AP) — WhenCOVID-19 wrought havocon society in early 2020, today's youngest schoolchildren were infants or yet to be born. Now in their early school years, researchers are beginning to see how the pandemic years have shaped their education, even though many had yet to set foot in a classroom when it began.

First and second graders continue to perform worse than their pre-pandemic counterparts on math and reading tests, according to a report published Tuesday by the education assessment and research group NWEA. But while math scores have inched up every year,reading scoresremain stagnant, the report shows. The data suggests the slump in academic performance is not rooted only in instructional disruption. Broader societal shifts might be at play.

In the youngest students' failure to recover, "there's something kind of systemic here happening ... within schools and outside of schools," said Megan Kuhfeld, a researcher at NWEA. "We can't pinpoint one specific cause."

The pandemic's effects on older children'sacademic achievementare well-documented. COVID-19 forced kids out of classrooms and into online learning. Students lost out on face time with instructors, theirmental healthsuffered in the isolation, and their well-beingdeterioratedas some families endured hardship. Some schoolchildrenstopped showing up to schoolaltogether.

The federal government gave billions of dollars to school districts to help students catch up — with mixed results. In 2024, reading scores for fourth- and eighth-graderscontinued a downward slide, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Math scores, however, trended upward.

Testing for younger kids is less common, so the NWEA report offers insights into the depth of the academic disruption. It's based on assessments given to students in the 2024-25 school year.

Kindergarten scores for math and science remained roughly the same throughout the pandemic. First and second graders are trending in the same way as their older peers. Math and reading scores are still falling short of pre-pandemic levels, although math scores are slowly rising. Reading scores have remained roughly the same since the spring of 2021, when the first full school year in the pandemic was wrapping up.

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It's unclear what is depressing the scores. Kuhfeld pointed to emerging data showing that fewer parents are reading to their children, an activity that has been shown to boost literacy. A 2024 survey of parents in the United Kingdom found that less than half of children under 5were regularly read to, a 20-point drop from a dozen years prior.

In Minnetonka Public Schools outside Minneapolis, school leaders say that while reading scores dipped during the pandemic, they have since recovered. Teachers now focus more onphonicsand also regularly assess students on literacy. Students who are behindreceive extra helpon the parts of reading where they struggle. A student who has difficulty reading aloud might be asked to read to one of their classmates, for example.

But some things are out of the district's control. During the pandemic, Associate Superintendent Amy LaDue said, many young children were homebound. They missed out on activities like going to museums and playing with other children, which are helpful for language and literacy development. She believes that's one factor that continues to hamper kids, especially those from low-income families.

"These kids weren't in school when the pandemic happened, but (some) were ... in early childhood and preschool," LaDue said. "Their opportunities ... to have those experiences outside of their home that build literacy skills and to apply them with peers probably were impacted because they were home."

Along with interventions at school, a growing number of states and cities are investing in pre-kindergarten to help children with early literacy. California has introduced universal pre-kindergarten, and New York City is expanding its pre-kindergarten program to 2-year-olds, giving toddlers an early start on learning.New Mexicohas made child care free for nearly all families.

The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP'sstandardsfor working with philanthropies, alistof supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

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Young kids missed the pandemic's school disruptions. Their reading scores are still behind

WASHINGTON (AP) — WhenCOVID-19 wrought havocon society in early 2020, today's youngest schoolchildren were infants or...

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