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President Trump pardons rapper NBA YoungBoy in flurry of clemency actions

Published

9 months ago

May 29, 2025

President Trump pardons rapper NBA YoungBoy in flurry of clemency actions

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump pardoned rapper NBA YoungBoy as part of a spree of reprieves this week, including one for a couple known on reality television and a commuted federal sentence for a former Chicago gang leader convicted of murder.

A White House official confirmed the May 28 pardon of Louisiana-based NBA YoungBoy, 25, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden.

He was serving a 23-month sentence for federal gun charges as part of a plea deal reached with federal prosecutors in December. The previous month, Gaulden pleaded guilty to his involvement in a Utah pharmacy drug ring, but he avoided incarceration and paid a $25,000 fine.

“I want to thank President Trump for granting me a pardon and for giving me the opportunity to keep building ‒ as a man, as a father, and as an artist,” Gaulden, whose rap name stands for “Never Broke Again,” wrote on his Instagram account. “This moment means a lot.”

He added that the pardon “opens the door to a future I’ve worked hard for and I’m fully prepared to step into this.”

The pardon means Gaulden will no longer have travel restrictions, allowing him to embark on a 32-date national tour set to kick off in September that he’s dubbed the “MASA tour” ‒ “Make America Slime Again.” It’s a riff on Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. Slime refers to a close friend or homie in hip-hop lingo.

Trump has issued a slew of pardons that coincided with the first full week of Ed Martin serving as the Justice Department’s pardon attorney. Trump had previously nominated Martin to serve as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, but he withdrew in the face of Republican opposition on Capitol Hill over Martin’s support for Jan. 6 rioters.

Pardons fully wipe out a recipient’s guilt of a criminal act and any penalties tied to a conviction. Typically, a wave of pardons comes at the end of a president’s term. But Trump has smashed all norms, beginning with his day one pardons of more than 1,600 individuals charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Trump on May 27 pardoned Todd and Julie Chrisley of the USA Network television show “Chrisley Knows Best” fame, in which they portrayed themselves as real estate tycoons in the South. The couple was found guilty of conspiring to defraud community banks in Atlanta out of more than $36 million in fraudulent loans.

The next day, Trump commuted the sentence of Larry Hoover, 74, a notorious former Chicago gang leader who co-founded the Gangster Disciples and was convicted in 1973 for the murder of a drug dealer. Hoover, who was serving six life terms for his federal charges, still must serve a 200-year sentence for his Illinois state charges.

Trump also pardoned former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland, who resigned from his office after pleading guilty in late 2004 to one count of conspiring to commit tax fraud and depriving the public of honest service over $107,000 in gifts he accepted from companies doing business with the state.

Rowland, a former New York congressman, was later convicted of obstructing justice, conspiracy, falsifying government documents, and other violations of campaign finance laws. He was sentenced to nearly three years in prison.

Trump pardoned former New York Rep. Michael Grimm, a Republican congressman from 2011 to 2015, who resigned after being convicted of tax fraud and sentenced to eight months in prison.

And as first reported by USA TODAY, Trump also pardoned former 1st Lt. Mark Bashaw, a former U.S. Army officer who was found guilty by a special court martial during the Biden administration for refusing to follow COVID-19 safety measures.

The White House has not provided a full list of Trump’s pardons, deferring to the Department of Justice, which updates clemency actions on its website.

Contributing: Taijuan Moorman and Zac Anderson

Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.

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US says Kuwait accidentally shot down 3 American jets

Published

3 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

US says Kuwait accidentally shot down 3 American jets

The U.S. and Israel have been conducting strikes against targets in Iran since Saturday morning, with the aim of toppling Tehran’s clerical regime. Iran has fired back, with retaliatory assaults featuring missiles and drones targeting several Gulf countries and American bases in the Middle East.

“All six aircrew ejected safely, have been safely recovered, and are in stable condition. Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defense forces and their support in this ongoing operation,” Central Command said.

“The cause of the incident is under investigation. Additional information will be released as it becomes available,” it added.

In a separate statement later Monday, Central Command said that American forces had been killed during combat since the strikes began.

“As of 7:30 am ET, March 2, four U.S. service members have been killed in action. The fourth service member, who was seriously wounded during Iran’s initial attacks, eventually succumbed to their injuries,” it said.

Major combat operations continue and our response effort is ongoing. The identities of the fallen are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification,” Central Command added.

This story has been updated.

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Satellite images provide view inside Iran at war

Published

15 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Satellite images provide view inside Iran at war

Smoke rises over Konarak naval base in southern Iran on Sunday. The base was one of hundreds of targets of U.S. and Israeli forces throughout the country.

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Commercial satellite images are providing a unique look at the extent of damage being done to Iran’s military facilities across the country.

The U.S. and Israeli military campaign opened with a daytime attack that struck Iranian leadership in central Tehran. Smoke was still visible rising from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s compound following the attack that killed the supreme leader.

An image by the company Airbus taken on Saturday shows the aftermath of an Israeli strike on Iran’s Leadership House in central Tehran. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the opening wave of attacks.

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Israel and the U.S. have gone on to strike targets across the country. Reports on social media indicate that there have been numerous military bases and compounds attacked all over Iran, and Iran has responded with attacks throughout the Middle East.

U.S. forces have also been striking at Iran’s navy. In a post on his social media platform, President Trump said that he had been briefed that U.S. forces had sunk nine Iranian naval vessels. U.S. Central Command did not immediately confirm that number but it did say it had struck an Iranian warship in port.

An image captured on February 28 shows a ship burning at Iran's naval base at Konarak.

An image captured on Saturday shows a ship burning at Iran’s naval base at Konarak.

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Numerous satellite images show burning vessels at Konarak naval base in southern Iran. Images also show damage to a nearby airbase where hardened hangers were struck by precision munitions.

Hardened aircraft shelters at Konarak airbase were struck with precision munitions.

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And there was extensive damage at a drone base in the same area. Iran has launched numerous drones and missiles toward Israel and U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. Many drones have been intercepted but videos on social media show that some have evaded air defenses and caused damage in nearby Gulf countries. In Dubai, debris from an Iranian drone damaged the iconic Burj Al Arab, according to a statement from Dubai’s government.

Buildings at an Iranian drone base at Konarak were destroyed in the strikes.

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Iran’s most powerful weapons are its long-range missiles. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards have hidden the missiles deep inside mountain tunnels. Images taken Sunday in the mountains of northern Iran indicate that some of those tunnels were hit in a wave of strikes.

Following Khamenei’s death, Iran declared 40 days of mourning. Satellite images showed mourners gathering in Tehran’s Enghelab square on Sunday.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told NPR on Sunday that Iran will continue to fight “foreign aggression, foreign domination.”

A White House official told NPR that Trump plans to talk to Iran’s interim leadership “eventually,” but that for now, U.S. operations continue in the region “unabated.”

A large crowd of mourners fill Enghelab Square in Tehran on Sunday, following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike.

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Video: What the Texas Primary Battle Means for the Midterms

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Video: What the Texas Primary Battle Means for the Midterms

new video loaded: What the Texas Primary Battle Means for the Midterms

The first battle of the midterm elections will be the U.S. Senate primary in Texas. Our Texas bureau chief, David Goodman, explains why Democrats and Republicans across the U.S. are watching closely to see what happens in the state.

By J. David Goodman, Alexandra Ostasiewicz, June Kim and Luke Piotrowski

March 1, 2026