Members of the Alaska Organized Militia board an Alaska Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter, assigned to the 207th Aviation Troop Command, while traveling from Bethel to Tuntutuliak, Alaska, during storm response operations after Typhoon Halong on Oct. 23, 2025. (Courtesy photo)
Officials with the Alaska National Guard said plans to deploy a trained rapid response force this month to support federal authorities in Washington D.C. has been pushed back to May.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy in November approved the U.S. Secretary of the Army’s request for 100 service members to deploy to the nation’s capital as part of a joint federal task force this month. The effort is part of a national directive by the Pentagon to all 50 states to prepare National Guard service members to train for “civil disturbance operations.”
By email on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Alaska National Guard said the timeline has been extended.
“The Alaska National Guard remains in contact with the Pentagon, through the National Guard Bureau, and continues to move through the established processes to support Joint Task Force-District of Columbia,” said Dana Rosso, a public affairs officer with the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, which houses the Army and Air National Guard divisions.
“The current activation timeline has been refined to May 2026,” he wrote.
As of January, there were roughly 2,700 National Guard members stationed in Washington D.C., which the Trump administration has said is to help drive down crime. Service members are expected to be stationed there through the end of the year. On Tuesday, an additional District of Columbia Army National Guard brigade was activated“to coordinate military support to civil authorities and protect critical infrastructure in the nation’s capital.”
A spokesperson for Dunleavy’s office declined to comment on the extended timeline on Wednesday.
Torrence Saxe, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, speaks at an Oct. 13, 2015, news conference about the impacts of Typhoon Halong’s to Western Alaska and the response there. Behind him and also speaking at the news conference, which was held at Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s Anchorage office, is National Weather Service meterologist David Kramer, U.S. Coast Guard Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic Commanding Officer Captain Christopher Culpepper and Ryan Anderson, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
At the time the request was announced, Maj. Gen. Torrence Saxe, Adjutant General of the Alaska National Guard and Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, said in a letter to lawmakers that 100 service members were in training for the mission to be “aligned with nation-level requirements.”
“The team will consist of Alaska Army and Air National Guard personnel trained in mission sets that may include site security, roadblocks and checkpoints, civil disturbance control, critical infrastructure protection, and personnel security,” Saxe wrote.
But the process for how the deployment was formally requested and approved has raised questions from lawmakers.
Rosso said by email Thursday the request was made by phone call.
“The request for activation of the Alaska National Guard to support Joint Task Force – DC came via phone call to Governor Mike Dunleavy from the Secretary of the Army following the President’s Executive Orders from August 2025,” he wrote.
Dunleavy’s office could not find a written copy of the U.S. Secretary of Defense that requested the deployment, a spokesperson for the governor’s office said Wednesday.
Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage and co-chair of the Joint Armed Services Committee, is a veteran of the Alaska National Guard and was among lawmakers thatraised concerns in November when the announcement was made. He questioned the legality of the directive in an interview on Wednesday.
“Until they get something in writing, then there’s no actual deployment to prepare for,” Gray said.
“I think it’s a big misuse of the American taxpayer dollar to fly any soldiers from Alaska to D.C. for what we know is a trash pickup mission in many ways, and it’s a waste,” he added. “It’s just a waste of taxpayer dollars. So I hope that it continues to get pushed off indefinitely and that it never happens.”
Editor’s note: “This article was updated on 3/12/2026 at 12:30 with more information from the Alaska National Guard.”
According to the report, 48-year-old Tom and 39-year-old Yael were “huddled up at the bar together” during the party.
And it doesn’t sound like it stopped there.
The same report says that Tom and Yael departed together.
Obviously, that could technically mean anything.
Many people may interpret that as a sign of advancing familiarity. Leaving an event together — particularly a party — can be a display of intimacy.
Watching Team USA compete in gymnastics at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Tom Brady displays his awe at some of the best athletes in the world. (Image Credit: Peacock)
Both had fairly famous divorces not too long ago
In 2022, Tom and his ex-wife, supermodel Gisele Bündchen, divorced.
Following that split, both eyewitness reports and wild speculation have linked him to a wide array of women.
These women have included model Irina Shayk, though those months were in early 2023.
More recently, folks have spotted him in the proximity of TikToker Alix Earle.
In the interim, rumors have repeatedly tried to land him and Kim Kardashian in an entanglement. That never seemed to manifest in reality, however.
Scooter Braun denies rumors that Taylor Swift’s “Vigilante Sh*t” was inspired by him and his ex-wife, Yael Cohen:
“No, ’cause I talk to Yael every day. My ex-wife is one of my best friends. Me and my ex-wife laugh about that stuff — we don’t even call each other ‘ex.’ That’s… pic.twitter.com/yacaLCc7uG
Meanwhile, Yael split from her controversial ex-husband just one year sooner than Tom and Gisele’s split.
She and Scooter broke up in 2021, finalizing their divorce in 2022.
We mention that Scooter is controversial. That may be an understatement. And it isn’t just about Taylor Swift’s beef with him.
Scooter is accused of being a Zionist — though we should emphasize that he does not seem to be a war crimes apologist amidst the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Most recently, he and Sydney Sweeney have been linked. Reports say that the two were taken aback by the backlash. More recently, the two allegedly split.
Chatting from home, Tom Brady discusses his sport of choice. (Image Credit: Fox Sports/NFL)
Does leaving a party together mean anything?
So, what’s happening between Tom and Yael?
We obviously do not know.
Neither of them have made anything official — even in the form of a denial.
Sometimes, people leave a party together for reasons that have nothing to do with boning each other’s brains out. It happens!
If these two really have hit it off, perhaps we’ll know more about them very soon.
March is filled with drama, but for a pair of blue-blood brands, it might come down to the longest wait in sports: Selection Sunday. The Texas Longhorns and Indiana Hoosiers both find themselves squarely on the bubble heading into Selection Sunday. According to FOX Sports bracket forecaster Mike DeCourcy, Texas remains among his “Last Four In” following a loss to Ole Miss in the opening round of the SEC Tournament. Sean Miller’s team owns six Quad 1 wins — more than several SEC contenders — but five losses in its last six games have left the Longhorns sweating. Meanwhile, Indiana’s late slide might have pushed the Hoosiers to the wrong side of the bubble. A double-digit loss to Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament was their sixth loss in seven games, dropping them into DeCourcy’s “First Four Out.” With that, DeCourcy shares his latest NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament projections: EAST REGION SOUTH REGION MIDWEST REGION WEST REGION And it’s never too early to check in on the bubble. According to DeCourcy’s projections, VCU, SMU, Texas and New Mexico are the last four teams in the tournament, while Auburn, Seton Hall, San Diego State and Indiana are the first four out. As for conference representation, the SEC leads the way with 10 teams, while the Big Ten has nine teams. The ACC and the Big 12 each have eight teams in DeCourcy’s latest tournament projections. The Big East and the West Coast have three teams represented, while the Mountain West and A-10 have two teams. Selection Sunday is three days away, and these projections will inevitably evolve. For now, DeCourcy’s latest bracket forecast offers a clear snapshot of who’s rising, who’s falling and which programs are already building the résumés they’ll need when March Madness arrives.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
Lakelin Lemmings is just 19 years old, but she has already spent more than a decade chasing her dreams. Growing up in West Tennessee surrounded by music, she discovered her passion for country at an early age. That desire to create in her own way has carried her all the way to the release of her debut EP, Get Around Boy, in which she embraces her small-town roots and tells her story on her own terms.
The songstress got her first taste of performing at six years old when she entered various talent shows and took the stage at local festivals. She was homeschooled at the time, allowing her to dedicate more time to voice lessons and developing her craft for songwriting. By the age of 12, she was writing her own music in Nashville, by 17 she had signed her first publishing deal. Last June, she entered a new chapter when she inked an artist deal with Quartz Hill Music Group.
Photo Courtesy of Lakelin Lemmings
There has never been a doubt in Lemmings’ mind that this was her calling. She was immersed in the music scene early on, between her dad, Phillip, being a touring country guitarist and the sounds of Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Loretta Lynn, Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood and more filling her home.
“There’s no plan B. Even now, I’m like, I hope this works out,” Lemmings told Country Now in an exclusive interview.
With her just-dropped EP, Get Around Boy, Lemmings wanted to give listeners a clear picture of who she is as an artist. The five-track project blends autobiographical moments with heartfelt storytelling, capturing the reality of chasing dreams, and navigating faith and relationships.
Lakelin Lemmings; Get Around Boy
At the heart of it all is her mission to create music that connects with girls in the same way she felt with songs from female icons like Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, and Carrie Underwood. She hopes to provide her listeners with the same kind of confidence and comfort while letting them know they’re never alone.
Keep reading the Q&A below to learn more about Lakelin Lemmings, from her musical upbringing to finding her own space in Music City, lessons learned along the way, and more.
What kind of memories do you have of these early performances? Were there ever any nerves or it was always just a natural thing for you?
For sure I was nervous. I still get nervous to this day. But yeah, one of my earliest memories was I sang “You’re Looking At Country,” Loretta Lynn. It was one of the first country songs I ever learned. And I sang at this place called Red Bones Grill & Bar in Jackson, Tennessee. When I was six years old, it was a random karaoke night. And they threw me up on stage. And I think I knew in that moment, I was like, “Yeah, this is kind of cool. I might do this for a living.”
You were writing and recording in Nashville by the time you were 12. How did you navigate that at such a young age?
I don’t really know what other 12-year-olds did. I’m like, I’ve been working for a while now. But no, I think it was great. I wouldn’t change a thing. And I’m glad that I got an early start and knew that this was what I wanted to do because I mean, now I’m 19 with a record deal and traveling the world and doing the thing and it’s super fun.
What did you learn from growing up in a musical household and watching your dad play guitar? How did that help you later on?
Yeah, him being involved in the band and stuff, obviously he was out of the band when I was younger. He actually quit the band because I was being born. Sorry, dad. But he always played the guitar in the house and went to play in church and stuff so me and my sister actually grew up singing in church in the choir and that kind of thing. And so that was obviously an influence as well. And then I was homeschooled, so I didn’t really go to school and do all the extracurriculars and stuff. My parents put me in voice lessons and I started doing that and just really grew to love it and started writing and kind of the rest is history.
Photo Courtesy of Lakelin Lemmings
You achieved another big milestone at 17 when you signed her first publishing deal.How did things change for you after that?
I mean, going to Nashville since at the age of 12, I was like, I don’t really know a whole lot about the music industry, at that point still. And I was like, how do I do this for a living and to make money? And so when I got offered my publishing deal, I was like, whoa, I can get paid to write songs. This is a job. I don’t have to work at Sonic. So yeah, I was super blessed, super fortunate to get that. And then progressed into the record. It’s been crazy.
What do you feel like has been the biggest lesson that you’ve learned either from another artist or just from your experience growing up in this world?
Laney Wilson once said on an award show, I can’t remember which one, but it was like, “if you’re going to be a dreamer, you got to be a doer.” And I 100% agree because even though this career is very fun and I’m very blessed and fortunate with different things, it is hard work and it’s a lot of time away from family and friends. But if you really love it and you’re really passionate about it, then it’s all worth it.
Talk about signing your record deal last summer and how it felt to have that new level of support behind you?
I signed the publishing deal when I was 17 and then actually had my meeting with the label when I was still 18 Ash Bowers, my producer had started working at the label and he was like, “I’m going to get you in for a meeting, but no promises. I don’t know. But I’m trying my best.” And I went to the meeting with Benny Brown, Jason Sellers, Paul Brown, and I think I was supposed to sing three songs. I only ended up singing two because after the second one, Benny, the head of the label, he was like, “I think I heard you. ” My parents actually came with me to that meeting, which was really special. And he was like, “I can tell you have a good background, a good head on your shoulders, and obviously a beautiful voice.” So he was like, “Let’s do it. ” And I was like, “Oh my gosh, okay.” And after speaking to some people, they’re like, “That’s not normally how it goes.” And I was like, “I don’t think so either.” But I was very happy with how it turned out. And after that, we just hit the ground running. I had photo shoots and content shoots, and I’d already been writing a ton. So just picking out the right songs to put out. And we picked “American Dreamin’,” which I think was a great debut single. And threw that on the radio for the first time. Shortly after that, it was just like, what is my life? I’m thinking this might actually work out.
When you were putting together your latest EP, Get Around Boy, what kind of vision did you have for it?
So with the EP, I wanted to be very specific and make sure there was a song for everybody and a song that represented me as, I mean, my career really, because this is the first project I’ve ever put out. And so I wanted people to hear it and be like, “Okay, so this is what she’s about.” So obviously I have “American Dreamin’,” which is the story of my life and talking about chasing my dreams and it’s just fun and upbeat. And you have “What Are We Doing”, which is kind of the situationship anthem. So for people my age or people older, younger, it doesn’t matter, I think we’ve all been through a complicated relationship…And then you have “Parking Lot,” which is kind of another story of just growing up in my hometown, not having much to do, but just hang out with friends in the parking lot. And then you have “Get Around Boy,” which is kind of the story of two high school sweethearts being torn apart. And the girl has a dream she’s chasing. Wonder where I got that out idea. And the boy stays back home, but she kind of thinks about him everywhere she goes. So it’s a beautiful little…t wrapped up in a bow and I’m very proud of it.
Talk about the only song you didn’t cut for the project, “Keep The Faith.”
I’m very fortunate to cut that song because that was the only song that I didn’t write for this project actually. But the incredible Lori McKenna and Jaron Boyer and Phil Barton wrote that. I think Carrie Underwood had it on hold at one time, maybe a rumor, I don’t know. So I was like, the fact that I got to cut that was amazing.
Can you share a bit more about your mission to put out music that lets other girls feel seen and why that is important to you?
It’s so important to me because I think growing up for me, music was kind of my therapy and music was kind of what I reached to in times of need. And I remember just hearing voices like Carrie Underwood with “Jesus Take the Wheel” and Miranda Lambert and Dolly Parton, Reba, all these amazing female voices that, at a time where I needed it, they made me feel like I wasn’t alone and they made me have confidence. And so I really want to just be another one of them and just kind of be a light to those that need it.
What advice would you offer to other female artists who are just starting out in pursuing their dreams?
If you’re just starting out, make sure you’re passionate about it and make sure you love it because it sure is hard, but it’s rewarding. And for me, this has always been a God thing. I knew that this is what God had called me to do, and so who am I to deny him? But yeah, just love what you do and do with all your heart.
Food in the ’80s was a lot like food today, but there were some trends that were totally radical. These after-school snacks were all the rage back then.
Though no official cause of death has been revealed, Reyes — who had amassed hundreds of millions of followers during her short career — had been battling cancer in recent months.
Carol first hinted at her health struggles in late December of 2025.
“The most difficult chapter of my life will close,” she captioned her New Year’s Eve post.
“The year in which I cried the most and suffered the most will come to an end—but also the year in which I learned the most.
“A year that broke me into pieces, but that also taught me how to rebuild myself from zero. I realized that life doesn’t wait, that the people you love won’t always be there, and that sometimes pain is the price of loving truly.
“This year showed me how strong I can be, even when I felt like I couldn’t go on anymore. And now, as I say goodbye to this year, I’m not just closing a cycle. I’m closing a version of myself.
Influencer Carol the Warrior has died at the age of 23. (YouTube)
“Because even though it hurt, I am ready to never give up again.”
Sadly, Carol’s condition only worsened from there.
In her final months, she continued to post glamorous beach photos from her native Colombia while never shying away from the reality of her illness.
While casual fans might have known that Reyes was sick, those who followed her journey more closely frequently wished her well and offered prayers.
Our thoughts go out to Carol the Warrior’s loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.
She certainly lived up to that nickname in her final months.
