Midwest
Gov. Sanders announces plan to empower parents to sue Big Tech for role in teen mental health crisis
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Friday she will be addressing her state’s share of the national youth mental health crisis by planning to give parents the power to sue Big Tech companies and “hold bad actors accountable.”
Sanders will also be addressing the issue at the World Economic Forum next week in Davos, Switzerland. She will join “The Anxious Generation” author Jonathan Haidt to discuss the role of smartphones and social media in causing harm to America’s youth.
BIDEN WARNS OF ‘ULTRA-WEALTHY’ OLIGARCHY IN BIG TECH DESPITE ACCEPTING DONATIONS FROM MEGADONORS
Sarah Huckabee Sanders (AFP Getty)
At Davos, Sanders will also join Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear for a bipartisan session discussing state priorities and state governments’ role in a presidential transition – as President Biden yields to President-elect Trump.
As for the Big Tech issue, Sanders told Fox News Digital that protecting children is paramount to her administration.
“In the past decade, across America, anxiety, depression and suicide among teens have skyrocketed, and the culprit is clear: unrestricted access to phones and social media,” she said.
“Under my leadership, Arkansas will act to empower parents and protect kids.”
FLASHBACK: SANDERS GIVE SOTU RESPONSE
“I look forward to … Davos to talk about this critical issue and how my administration is stepping up to hold Big Tech accountable.”
In terms of addressing Big Tech’s alleged role in accentuating the nationwide youth mental health crisis, Sanders noted that she had previously launched a phone-free-school pilot program in 2024. The program offers schools state funding for phone pouches to prevent use during the school day.
Sanders, whose father, Mike Huckabee, previously served as Arkansas governor, said she plans to update the state’s Social Media Safety Act as well.
In terms of holding Big Tech responsible in the mental health crisis, Sanders said that “modern threats … require modern solutions.”
“Nowhere is that truer than with our kids,” she said in her State of the State.
“In the past decade, across America, suicide rates among teens have tripled, self-harm among girls has risen by nearly 200%, and depression among teenagers has increased by 150%. The culprit is clear: unrestricted access to phones and social media.”
She had invited a Centerton, Ark., mother whose 16-year-old son took his own life after going from an active, sports-loving teen to one who spent more and more time watching social media videos on his phone.
Social media applications are seen on an iPhone screen. (Getty)
The boy’s mother tried to take his phone away, and he eventually retreated to his room, where within 13 minutes he had already taken his own life.
“Months later, reeling from grief,” Sanders said, “[The boy’s mother] decided to go through [his] phone. She got on his TikTok, and what she saw shocked her: video after video giving step-by-step instructions on how to take his own life.”
“We will give moms like [her] the right to sue Big Tech companies under state law, so that they can hold bad actors accountable.”
In a recent New Yorker interview, Haidt – the author appearing with Sanders at Davos – expressed shock at the difference between the “You’re sitting too close to the television, your eyes will burn out” generation and the new generation being warned about the pitfalls of social media.
“The technological environment in the ’90s was miraculous. We loved it. The millennial generation grew up on it. Their mental health was fine. . . . And then in 2012 and 2013: Boom. The graphs go way, way up. Mental health falls off a cliff. It’s incredibly sudden,” Haidt said.
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Kansas
Kansas City, Kansas, becomes sister city to Concepción, Argentina, ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026
KSHB 41 reporter Fernanda Silva covers stories in the Northland, including Liberty. She also focuses on issues surrounding immigration. Share your story idea with Fernanda.
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Kansas City, Kansas, is now a sister city to Concepción, in the Tucumán province of Argentina.
The connection that carries deep personal meaning for members of the Kansas City area’s Argentinian community, with less than six weeks until Lionel Messi and their national team play at Kansas City Stadium (GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium).
Kansas City, Kansas, becomes sister city to Concepción, Argentina, ahead of World Cup
The official Sister Cities Agreement was signed Wednesday at Sporting Park, in a ceremony that also served as the kickoff of a broader cultural and economic initiative connecting Argentina and Kansas.
Federico Carmona has lived in the United States for more than two decades. He spent Wednesday afternoon cheering and smiling.
“This is my dream,” Carmona said.
For Carmona, the moment was personal — a merging of the two places he calls home.
KSHB/ Brian Luton
“This is a blessing,” Carmona said.
He continued, “Argentina is my heart. I was born in Argentina. I have so much passion for soccer. I used to play, my kids play. We never thought that Argentina was going to be in Kansas City. So that was a big, big surprise for us.”
Claudia Luna West, chair of the Sister Cities Association and a native of Concepción, Tucumán, was one of the driving forces behind the partnership.
“It means the world to me,” Luna West said.
KSHB/ Brian Luton
She described the pairing of the two cities as a natural collaboration — like the ingredients of a perfect recipe coming together.
“Everything collaborates to be this great thing,” Luna West said.
That recipe metaphor extended to food. The event featured the announcement of a partnership between Kansas BBQ Empanadas and Jack Stack BBQ — a culinary symbol of the two cultures meeting.
“Now, empanadas aren’t going to be just an ethnic food. They’re going to be a landmark of Kansas,” Luna West said.
Mayor/CEO of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and KCK, Christal Watson, said the designation reflects the city’s diversity and its ability to connect with the world.
KSHB
“I think it’s important that we set a global stage on how diverse we are and how beautifully, wonderfully made we are with all the different cultures,” Watson said.
Watson said shared experiences — including food — are what bring communities together.
KSHB
“Food is a common link. Those are the things that get us engaged… those are the things that help us grow and be a better community overall,” Watson said. “We already have a flavor going on.”
Jake Reid, president and CEO of Sporting Kansas City, said the timing of the sister city announcement — with the FIFA World Cup 2026 approaching — felt right.
KSHB/ Brian Luton
“We’ve been planning this for so long. I think to have it on the doorstep now and be probably a month out is becoming very real and exciting,” Reid said. “They’re meant to be from… kind of everything we’ve got going on right now, for sure.”
For Carmona, the day was a long time coming.
“We can’t wait for all this to happen,” Carmona said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Dusty May, Michigan basketball get ovation at Pistons playoff game
Coach Dusty May and members from the Michigan basketball national championship team got an ovation during Game 2 of Pistons-Magic, April 22, 2026, at Little Caesars Arena.
The most notable Michigan basketball returnees are Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney. The most exciting, proven players came from the transfer portal in Moustapha Thiam (Cincinnati), J.P. Estrella (Tennessee) and Jalen Reed (LSU). The most intriguing prospects came from the high school ranks, and five-star Brandon McCoy (Sierra Canyon) tops the list.
But in terms of potential glue guys and those who could make a sneaky impact on next year’s roster, it’s two holdovers from the 2025-26 national championship team who could be flying under the radar more than anybody.
“Oscar Goodman and Ricky Liburd, I think they’ve even gotten buried in terms of attention below the incoming freshman class,” assistant coach Mike Boynton Jr. told the Free Press when he joined the “Hail Yes!” podcast earlier this week. “Oscar’s been in our program for two years. He knows our system really, really well.
“He has an opportunity to be a nice rotational player for us, a guy who fills an energy, rebounding, versatile defender [role] … think of the energy and versatility that we were able to use Will Tschetter with. Shoots it well, brings great energy, tough enough to guard multiple positions, so it gives you great versatility in a system that requires it.”
Goodman, a 6-foot-7, 235-pound forward from New Zealand, was buried on the depth chart this past season behind Aday Mara, Morez Johnson Jr., Yaxel Lendeborg and Tschetter in what was a crowded frontcourt. But he didn’t look overmatched when he was on the court.
His highlights were a few high-flying dunks, as Goodman, who appeared in 16 games, averaged 1.4 points and 1.3 rebounds in 5.2 minutes per contest. Goodman joined in the program in January 2025 and was able to serve on scout team in practice for the back half of Dusty May’s first season with the program, then was a freshman last year who got his first complete season of experience.
Goodman is strong enough to play the four but athletic enough to play the wing, a position he may need to fill more than initially expected without many natural 3s on the roster.
U-M can go a few ways, with someone like McKenney running the wing in a small ball lineup or someone like Goodman manning the spot in a larger lineup, and if his early years are any indication, May will likely try both options.
“He’s not a one-trick pony kind of guy,” Boynton said of Goodman.
Meanwhile, Liburd, who redshirted in 2025-26 after coming in as an unheralded three-star out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, impressed coaches behind the scenes and appears poised to crack the rotation next season.
The 6-foot-4 wing came up frequently last season as a standout on the scout team and, after putting in time behind the scenes, could be a real piece to U-M’s new puzzle.
“He’s flown under the radar as much as anybody because he was new to our program and didn’t play at all,” Boynton said. “He’s a guy who’s got the ability to both defend one-through-four from his size, quickness, strength, physicality and he can also play offensively in any of our perimeter spots, as well.
“He can be a floor-spacer, he can be a shot-creator, he’s a guy who’s really good on the move as a cutter and offensive rebounder. I think both of those guys are names people should just right now pencil in and keep their eyes on early in the year to see how they progress.”
Boynton said the hope is that Michigan can get those guys “a lot of reps” on the team’s foreign trip this summer (which hasn’t been officially reported but appears almost a certainty to happen sometime in late August) to find out how they fit with the new pieces and see the leap they’ve taken from one year to the next.
Boynton isn’t the only one with high hopes for this team. Assistant coach and general manager Kyle Church recently joined Brian Boesch on “Defend The Block” and lauded where the Wolverines stand with their roster largely complete. He spoke of the importance of players who help keep the culture going from one year to the next, which Goodman and Liburd both intend to do.
“I think we have a very, very competitive roster. I think a potential top-five, top-10 type roster,” Church said. “No matter who joins us or doesn’t join us, we’re really excited about the position we’re in.
“To have some guys that [joined] more with the future in mind and keep that continuity is going to be so important.”
Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
The San Antonio Spurs had their backs to the wall, so they had a Game 7 mentality from tip-off, and they cruised their way to the finish line against the ravenous Minnesota Timberwolves. The Spurs are now going on tour and the winner of a Game 3 in a best of seven series when it’s tied advances 73.7 percent of the time, per the NBA’s Facts and Figures.
Both sides were implacable, defending the lane like it was a scared temple and neither had much breathing room until the levy broke for the Spurs in transition. San Antonio’s defense was more potent, holding them to their lowest output of the season (35 points) in the first half, which included a stretch where it forced Minnesota into a stream of bad shots.
Usually, even playoff games with a large difference get close, but the Spurs didn’t permit such shenanigans because Victor Wembanyama’s help defense was omnipresent, despite 10 less blocks, and his teammates were just as unforgiving, hounding the ball before it crossed half court and controlling the boards.
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