A 3-year-old child from Wisconsin who went missing from home in the middle of the night was found dead the next morning.

The toddler has not been publicly identified. However, New London, Wisconsin police issued a missing persons post via Facebook on Monday, April 13, and shared a photo of the young boy. Authorities said that he was last seen near a middle school around midnight.

In the post, the boy was described as standing 3-foot and having brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing an orange Chicago Bears shirt and a diaper.

Police did not name the school where the child was last seen in their press release, though WLUK and WFRV reported that it was New London Middle School.

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The young boy reportedly wandered about four blocks away from his family’s home after his dad checked on him around midnight, according to WLUK. Police were then contacted around 5 a.m. regarding his disappearance.

He was reportedly found in the Wolf River at 7:17 a.m. and was transported to ThedaCare-New London facility, where he was later pronounced dead, according to WFRV. It is not currently known how long the boy was in the water or how he got there.

The New London Police Department did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment regarding the boy’s death.

John Faucher, who owns local store Johnny’s Little Shop of Bait, spoke to WSAW about the incident, explaining that he saw police activity near the river after an Amber Alert was issued for the boy.

“We saw drones. We saw lots of county squads, city squads,” Faucher told the outlet. “I think we had a lot of inter-agency support from other communities here in town. Being right here, so close to the middle school, there was a lot of that presence right here, right away in the morning. Before it even got light out, there were teams out looking.”

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Faucher also said that there were recent flooding concerns near Wolf River, with water levels now above 10 feet. He added that the conditions on the river are not normal for this time of year, which has caused concern for nearby business owners.

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“It hit up to 10.26 feet, which is getting pretty close to where we get really nervous,” Faucher said. “We’re sandbagging here, just because we know it probably could come back up.”

The current is strong and water levels are higher than normal due to the recent rain, according to Faucher.

“It doesn’t look dangerous, but this is [a] pretty dangerous current level for even healthy people,” he said. “Definitely don’t recommend being anywhere around it without life jackets. You can pinch your hands in docks and different things, and things appear slowly when they’re floating down towards you, but they come with pretty good momentum at 10,000 cubic feet per second.”

It’s easy to think of Christopher Lloyd’s Doc Brown as your run-of-the-mill eccentric genius. Or simply a wild-haired inventor with a time-traveling DeLorean and a heart in the right place. But if everyone is being honest, if he weren’t so charming in his own way, half of what he does in the Back to the Future trilogy would be classified as extremely suspect. Now, here’s a guy who recruits a 17-year-old to help him conduct dangerous experiments. Even more, he casually hurls his teenage friend, Michael J. Fox’s Marty McFly, into a series of life-altering moral dilemmas across the space-time continuum. But hey — science, right?

The thing is, the moment viewers stop giving Doc a free pass just because he’s fun, the entire narrative is flipped on its head. Make no mistake, it wouldn’t be ruined or destroyed, simply darker and, dare we say, even more interesting. Because if Doc Brown isn’t just the lovable eccentric we all thought he was, then there are tons of layers to the man. It could mean that he’s actually driven by ego, guilt, or some deep need to rewrite his own failures. By extension, Back to the Future would quietly shift from a lighthearted time-travel classic into something far more intense.

Every Time-Travel Problem in ‘Back to the Future’ Starts With Doc Brown

Image via Universal Pictures

Doc Brown is presented to viewers as the smartest guy in the room — and maybe he is. But that doesn’t stop him from being the reason the timeline in Back to the Future spirals out of control in the first place. Here’s a brief peek at the past to back that up. Doc sends Marty back to 1955 in a DeLorean powered by plutonium —which he stole from terrorists, by the way — and only gives him some basic instructions. Still, Doc is caught off guard by how easily things start to spiral out of control, especially when Marty nearly erases himself from existence. It’s time travel 101: don’t let your teen buddy interfere with his parents’ first meeting. But Doc doesn’t mention this critical rule until it’s almost too late.

There’s also the fact that back in 1955, Doc willingly helped Marty manipulate his parents into falling in love. The pair literally script their first kiss with a staged assault and rescue at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance. Instead of using his intelligence to preserve the timeline in better ways, he’s out there producing a romantic drama. The real kicker is that even after Marty returns to 1985, the timeline has obviously been altered. Case in point, his parents are completely different versions of themselves, and for Doc, it’s more than enough to call it a win, with a “Great Scott” to boot. Doc doesn’t exactly stop to clean up the mess as things spiral out of control, even though he does warn Marty about the dangers of messing with the timeline. Still, it almost seems that he’s in it for the thrill and the unpredictable experiment at play. Makes you wonder if deep down, he doesn’t sweat the little details or care about paradoxes. In a way, it’s probably just a grand experiment for him.

Doc Brown Acting Clueless in ‘Back to the Future’ Might Be His Most Calculated Move

At first glance, Doc Brown seems like your classic eccentric scientist with the big hair, big energy, and a penchant for forgetting where he parked his nuclear-powered DeLorean. But once you take a closer look, that wide-eyed confusion starts to feel a little too convenient. This raises one pertinent question. If Doc’s really as clueless as he acts, why is he always five steps ahead? Here’s a man who secretly builds a time machine, steals plutonium from terrorists, and then ends up having a high schooler go back in time to save his life, causing a chain reaction that could unravel space-time. Sure, he tells Marty not to interact with anyone in the past, but then he immediately helps him do exactly that with the whole plan to manipulate his parents into falling in love after the timeline is altered. It’s safe to assume that’s not an oversight, it’s deliberately orchestrated, perhaps for the pure chaos of it all.

And then there’s the fact that Doc repeatedly states he can’t know too much about his future. That only held up until his life was in danger. He reads Marty’s letter and wears a bulletproof vest because that saves him from a sure end. All in all, Doc acts like he’s just making it up as he goes, but he’s actually stacking the deck and dodging accountability like a pro throughout the Back to the Future trilogy. The truth is, Doc’s “bumbling genius” act makes him untouchable. It gives him the freedom to do whatever he wants, then shrug and say, “Whoops!” It’s equal parts endearing and terrifying.

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 15 seconds ago

In every way that counts, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was ahead of the curve. In a time of strictly episodic adventures, it introduced ongoing stories to the franchise that, years later, made it Trek’s most bingeable show. The series tested the boundaries of network TV with same-sex romances and queer-coded character relationships. The show even went against the grain of Trek’s peacenik roots with a showstopping Dominion War arc that left audiences on the edge of their seats from beginning to end.

Deep Space Nine is, without a doubt, Star Trek’s greatest show, and it is filled with some of the greatest episodes in television history. But to hear showrunner Ira Steven Behr tell it, the show’s absolute best story is one that happened offscreen. It all goes back to when he and the show’s best writers were brainstorming ways to make “Trials and Tribble-ations,” the Original Series crossover episode, a reality. Behr had just mentioned the need to bring back guest star Charlie Brill to bridge the two shows. As if by cosmic kismet, he then noticed Brill was in the same restaurant ordering pizza, a coincidence the showrunner later described as “the best story of seven years at Deep Space Nine.”

Just For The Brill Of It

Ira Steven Behr elaborated on this when he appeared on Trek Talks, the annual livestream telethon that donates its proceeds to Hollywood Food Coalition. First, he dropped the surprising knowledge that it was Rick Berman who wanted to do a Star Trek 30th anniversary episode, and that the DS9 team was very “lukewarm” about making it. Eventually, they got excited about splicing their own actors into a vintage episode of The Original Series. The episode they chose was “The Trouble With Tribbles,” but there was just one problem: they couldn’t afford to bring any of the core TOS cast back, and most of that episode’s guest stars had passed away. 

One day, Behr and several writers (including Ronald D. Moore, Robert Hewitt Wolfe, and Hans Beimler) were puzzling over this problem at a nearby pizza restaurant. Over a long lunch, Behr mentioned standup comedian “Charlie Brill … who played Arne Darvin, the Klingon, who is undercover as a human being.” Since he played a relatively prominent role in “The Trouble With Tribbles,” Brill was a natural choice to appear in Deep Space Nine’s “Trials and Tribble-ations.” Best of all, because Behr’s wife had recently written a pilot that Brill would appear in, Behr knew the comedian was still alive.

Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Fuzzy

The writers nodded along with the idea and expressed how they “vaguely [remembered]” who Brill is. That’s when something truly fantastic happened: Behr looked up and noticed that Brill was in the restaurant, ordering himself some pizza! He told the other writers, all of whom believed their boss was making a joke. But the showrunner pointed Brill out, and once the writers saw him, “They suddenly realized it … what were the chances that we would be talking about this old TV episode from 30 years ago, and the guy who we were talking about to bring back on the show would be standing there ordering a slice of pizza?”

It was a sign from the universe that Behr had the right idea for “Trials and Tribble-ations.” Behr certainly thought so, as he later joked on a Deep Space Nine commentary track that this incident proved God was a Star Trek fan. He and the writers struck up a conversation with Brill, who became a pivotal part of Deep Space Nine’s most ambitious episode as a villain determined to blow Captain Kirk up with a weaponized tribble. Many fans consider that episode the show’s best story, but Behr doesn’t agree with them. As he told everyone via Trek Talks, he believes that running into Charlie Brill at this exact moment was “the best story of seven years at Deep Space Nine.”

Is Behr correct that God is a Star Trek fan? Maybe, maybe not. From where I’m standing, all of this seems more like the will of the Prophets!

A 71-year-old woman, one of two people accused of killing a 3-year-old Georgia boy on Easter Sunday, has been arrested in connection with his death, according to authorities.

Barbara Edwards was identified by police as a babysitter for the toddler, Armani Lyons, who was fatally shot at an apartment in Atlanta on April 5, WAGA-TV reported.

The evening of Monday, April 13, Edwards was arrested on charges of cruelty to children, murder, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in connection with his death, the Atlanta Police Department announced in an update on Tuesday, April 14.

Another person, 35-year-old Jermaine Hardeman, also faces the same charges in the boy’s murder, according to police, who said Hardeman was not in custody as of April 14.

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It was not currently clear whether Edwards or Hardeman had attorneys who could comment on their behalf.

Before Edwards’ arrest, Armani Lyons’ grandmother, Trinetta Julian, made a public plea to Edwards and Hardeman while speaking with WSB-TV.

“Just turn yourself in,” Julian said. “Turn yourself in, please.”

Armani was killed weeks before what would have been his fourth birthday on May 3, according to a GoFundMe page created by Dinisha Lyons in support of funeral-related expenses for Armani.

“Our sweet Armani was taken from us far too soon due to senseless gun violence … Armani was full of life, joy, and innocence — a bright light who brought smiles to everyone he met,” the page reads, in part. “No family is ever prepared for a loss like this.”

Edwards had been babysitting Armani on Easter while his parent had been working, Atlanta Assistant Police Chief Carvan Tyrus said at an April 6 news conference, according to Atlanta News First.

“Somehow, that 3-year-old ends up with a gunshot wound to the head,” Tyrus told news outlets.

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After Atlanta officers responded to the April 5 shooting, the toddler was taken to a nearby hospital in an ambulance, according to police.

He was declared dead at the hospital, police said.

On Sunday, April 12, the Atlanta Police Department announced “investigators were able to establish probable cause and obtain arrest warrants” for Edwards and Hardeman.

A potential motive for the fatal shooting was not specified by law enforcement.

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“Rest peacefully, baby Armani,” the GoFundMe page says. “You will forever be loved and never forgotten.”

Julian told WSB-TV that her grandson “still should be here.”

“That’s my baby,” she said while speaking with the TV station.

By Jennifer Asencio
| Published 16 seconds ago

Round Two: Fight! Mortal Kombat II is coming to theaters and bringing back a major legacy character who was omitted from the 2021 reboot: Johnny Cage. To top it off, they complimented the all-star cast of the first film with Karl Urban playing the role, freshly shaved after his final season as Butcher in The Boys. The final official trailer for the movie was released on April 9, 2026, one month ahead of the movie’s theatrical debut.

The Cage Connection

Mortal Kombat II reintroduces Cage after he was replaced in the lore by the movie-only character Cole Young, played by Lewis Tan. Cole’s storyline sees him as an MMA fighter, just like Johnny Cage, but it was revealed in the first movie that Cole has ties to a legendary Mortal Kombat warrior. While the new character was introduced in the film, he has to date not been made part of the game and was intended to be a bridge between the moviegoing audience and the Mortal Kombat world depicted in the video games.

However, new characters in established settings don’t always perform well with audiences, and Cole was a blatant Johnny Cage replacement. In the trailer, Johnny returns, and Cole is not even in the top-billed cast on IMDb, strongly hinting that there is a return to the lore fans were looking for in the first film, although the game and prior films put that emphasis on Liu Kang (played in these films by Ludi Lin). Fortunately for Cole Young, his martial arts style and intriguing lineage were popular enough on the cinematic front that fans are clamoring for him to be included in the game, and there have been strong hints that his character will be further explored in Mortal Kombat II.

A Reluctant Hero’s Journey

What this sets up is a situation where Cage could step in as a mentor for Cole, embracing the newer character in the Mortal Kombat canon by having this major legacy character embrace him in the movie. The fact that they both share the same profession makes it very likely that they will work together in some capacity, even if Cole is resistant to Cage at first.

The trailer we’ve been shown centers squarely on Johnny Cage and his hero’s journey that sees him called to the tournament unwillingly by Lord Raiden (Tadanobu Asano). What little dialogue is featured in the trailer features all the snark and one-liners we’ve come to expect from both Johnny Cage and Karl Urban, surrounded by a smorgasbord of martial arts extravaganza performed with the special skills we all know and love. If Kitana’s razor-fans featured in the trailer are any indication of what to expect, this is going to blow fans’ minds with its close adherence to the game.

A Noble Idea: Giving The Fans What They Want

That’s all we’re really anticipating from a Mortal Kombat movie. We don’t want deep philosophy or meaningful messaging. Mortal Kombat games are strictly about fighting, being the successor of Street Fighter and the spiritual guardian of games that have appeared since, like Killer Instinct and Soul Calibur. It has resonance and endless remake-ability because it has a simple format: a bunch of fighters in a tournament where there can be only one winner. It is a format that is so loved in games that the competitors of the Mortal Kombat games are also best sellers, even if the OG still takes the top spot.

This means that fans likely aren’t going into the movie expecting a whole lot of plot lines. All fans want is the fighting, with maybe a little explanation as to why they are fighting, and nothing more. Mortal Kombat II looks like it’s going to fulfill its role as a popcorn action flick without trying too hard to stray from that purpose, and audiences have been craving this sort of “check your brain at the door and come along for the ride” movie for a while. Even if it’s terrible, it will still be fun.

We’ll all find out when with the release of Mortal Kombat II, in theaters May 8, 2026.

Barstool Sports leader Dave Portnoy has responded to Dianna Russini‘s resignation from The New York Times’ sports brand, The Athletic. In a new social media post, the controversial media personality questioned Russini’s departure, saying it “makes zero sense.” Russini came under fire in early April 2026 after photos of her appearing to get close to NFL head coach Mike Vrabel were shared online, sparking much conversation and backlash.

Dave Portnoy Shares Bold Statement About Dianna Russini’s Resignation From The Athletic

“If we’re just being honest this explanation really makes zero sense. I don’t think anybody should lose their job over alleged canoodling but this statement makes it seem like there was definitely canoodling happening,” Portnoy wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “An innocent canoodler would prob welcome a thorough investigation to prove their innocence and exonerate themselves right? This screams guilty canoodler to me.”

Russini’s resignation comes days after Page Six published photos appearing to show New England Patriots’ head coach Mike Vrabel holding hands with Russini, a prominent sports journalist with years of skin in the game. The two were seen at the Ambiente in Sedona, Arizona.

Dianna Russini Denies Wrongdoing After Being Spotted Having Breakfast With Vrabel

A source told the outlet that Vrabel and Russini, who are both married to other people, were spotted having breakfast on the patio on Saturday, March 28, 2026, before being seen together for nearly an hour at the pool and in the hot tub.

Later in the day, the pair were seen having a private moment in a bungalow on the hotel’s rooftop, which offered views of Arizona’s Red Rock formations. According to the outlet, the hotel’s two-person bungalows cost more than $2,100 per night. The insider saw the two hugging that night, interlacing their fingers as they stared into each other’s eyes.

The photos sparked much criticism, sparking Vrabel to deny wrongdoing in a statement to Page Six. “These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,” he said. “This doesn’t deserve any further response.”

Russini chimed in, saying the photos only show part of the truth and fail to include the “group of six people” who were also at the Ambiente that day. “Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues,” she said.

Dianna Russini’s Resignation Is Made Public

The heat might’ve been too much for Russini to deal with, as she officially announced her resignation from the NYT’s Athletic brand on April 14.

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“I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published,” the letter, sent to Athletic executive editor Steven Ginsberg, read. “When the Page Six item first appeared, The Athletic supported me unequivocally, expressed confidence in my work and pride in my journalism. For that I am grateful. In the days that followed, unfortunately, commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts.”

Russini went on to say that the “media frenzy” has only exacerbated the situation, ultimately causing “far more damage than I am willing to accept.”

The Athletic Is Still Investigating Russini

Ginsberg confirmed that The Athletic’s review of her work — conducted by standards editor Mike Semel — will continue.

He also acknowledged the shifting messages: “When this situation was brought to our attention last week, there were clear concerns, but we received a detailed…

— Jeremy Barr (@jeremymbarr) April 14, 2026

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Despite her resignation, The Athletic is still investigating Russini. According to NBC Sports, Ginsberg alerted the Athletic staff via Slack that the probe into Russini was still ongoing before emphasizing the seriousness of the matter and allegations.

Ginsberg also appeared to acknowledge the outlet’s changed stance, stating, “When this situation was brought to our attention last week, there were clear concerns, but we received a detailed explanation and it was our instinct to support and defend a colleague while we continued to review the matter.”

Ginsberg initially called the released photos “misleading” and claimed they lacked “essential context.” He added, “These were public interactions in front of many people. Dianna is a premier journalist covering the NFL and we’re proud to have her at The Athletic.”

The Athletic Has Clear Guidelines For Its Staff

The Athletic has clear editorial guidelines for its staff. Specifically, it says team members “should avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest and reveal those sources or affiliations that may put into question our ability to be credible.”

Throughout her career, Russini worked for NBC New York and ESPN.

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By Robert Scucci
| Published 1 hour ago

Movie fans always love to say “you can’t make a movie like Blazing Saddles today.” What they don’t realize is that Seth MacFarlane tried to give us the next best thing in the form of 2014’s A Million Ways to Die in the West. While I can’t in good conscience say the film is a one-to-one analog to the 1974 Mel Brooks masterpiece, it proves that offensive satire is alive and well, and if the jokes actually land, filmmakers can still get away with it. The jokes in A Million Ways to Die in the West are racially and sexually charged, with just the right amount of toilet humor to round things out.

Don’t believe me? I have three little words for you: Neil Patrick Harris. And three more describing what he does: poops in hat.

A Million Ways to Die in the West, while a valiant effort to channel some serious Blazing Saddles energy, was ultimately a critical failure, landing at 33 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. If I’m being honest, that’s a fair assessment. People didn’t hate this movie because it was offensive. It struggled because it feels tryhard, treating the art of landing jokes like a numbers game.

Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments in A Million Ways to Die in the West. But for every zinger, there are about ten clunkers that don’t add much to the film.

Albert Stark’s Old Stump Stomping Grounds

Set in 19th century Old Stump, Arizona, A Million Ways to Die in the West introduces us to sheep farmer Albert Stark (Seth MacFarlane). His girlfriend Louise (Amanda Seyfried) dumps him because he’s a coward, sending him on what I’d call a complaining bender that basically explains the title. Albert goes on extended rants about why living in the 1880s sucks, and it’s a lot of telling without much showing. We get it. There’s no running water or heat, people die of dysentery, duels are dangerous, hired companionship is expensive and unhygienic, and Albert never lets up.

Albert’s life gets infinitely more interesting when he meets and befriends Anna Barnes-Leatherwood (Charlize Theron), and the two quickly develop a spark. Unbeknownst to Albert, Anna is married to Clinch Leatherwood (Liam Neeson), a rough, no-nonsense outlaw whose primary means of communication is shooting people in the face.

As Albert and Anna’s relationship grows, we meet a lineup of colorful side characters, including Albert’s best friend Edward (Giovanni Ribisi), who’s dating a prostitute named Ruth (Sarah Silverman) who, despite her occupation, wants to save herself for marriage. Many of these interactions are facilitated by Family Guy mainstay Alex Borstein as Millie, one of the local brothel’s madames. A rivalry also develops between Albert and Louise’s new boyfriend Foy (Neil Patrick Harris), who comes off like a mustache-twirling antagonist because he is one who literally twirls his mustache.

Tries Its Best, But There’s Just Too Much Going On

While I appreciate Seth MacFarlane’s attempt to write and direct a raunchy Western comedy clearly inspired by Mel Brooks, A Million Ways to Die in the West suffers from trying to do too many things at once. There are so many side characters and cameos that it feels like the movie is leaning on star power instead of refining the script. Even Patrick Stewart shows up in an uncredited role as a talking sheep during Albert’s psychedelic trip after taking a massive dose of hallucinogens from a group of Apaches.

This only reinforces the problem. The entire freakout sequence is a hilarious vignette, with Seth MacFarlane going for a Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas style spiral, but it doesn’t move the story forward at all. The whole movie feels like this, cramming gags into the runtime without asking if they’re necessary. The end result is a hodgepodge of Western tropes wrapped in Family Guy humor, in a film that never fully finds its own identity.

A Million Ways to Die in the West SCORE

I’ll call it a modern Blazing Saddles in spirit, but in execution it falls well short. Still, it’s a silly movie that fans of Seth MacFarlane will appreciate on some level.

A Million Ways to Die in the West is currently streaming on Netflix.