WASHINGTON, D.C. — Vice President JD Vance published a heartfelt memorial to video game developer BioWare in a social media post, recalling countless late-night hours spent playing the company’s computer games in his mother’s basement.

In his tribute, Vance described BioWare’s role-playing games as a defining part of his youth, remembering long sessions spent exploring fictional worlds, making difficult choices, and following the stories of characters whose struggles extended far beyond the screen.

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump Jr. has begun quietly assembling a team of political advisers ahead of a potential 2028 presidential campaign as questions about the future of the Republican Party intensify during President Donald Trump’s second term.

The effort would place the president’s eldest son among a growing field of potential successors seeking to preserve the coalition that propelled his father to the White House.

NASHVILLE — Tennessee state media published photos of senator Mitch McConnell on Monday after viral rumors of his death stormed social media over the weekend.

The newly released images show McConnell at a clothing and shoe expo. He appeared well and fit, seemingly disputing unverified claims that he had fallen into a coma and died of a brain hemorrhage. According to these rumors, he had been taken to a hospital in Nashville.

None of the claims, spread by Tomi Lahren on X, have been confirmed.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has selected conservative activist Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, as his new White House press secretary, a move that would place a prominent conservative political figure at the center of the administration’s public communications operation.

The Pentagon has announced plans to sell advertising slots around the broadcast execution of former Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people, on Dec. 3. 

According to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, ads will appear before the livestream and during scheduled breaks, rather than over the execution itself. Officials say the arrangement could offset production, distribution and security costs associated with the broadcast. Blackrock Security and Red Bull have reportedly expressed interest in sponsoring the event.

OTTAWA — Canadian writer Anne Carson has offered her Nobel Prize medal to U.S. President Donald Trump in a move widely interpreted as an attempt to persuade the administration to lift tariffs on Canadian goods.

WASHINGTON — Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., sought to explain questions that arose after his exchange with former special counsel Jack Smith during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing this week, saying he had been unfamiliar with the history and popularity of women’s basketball.

In an interview with Fox News, Schmitt was quoted as saying, “I’d never heard of women playing basketball. I certainly didn’t know there was a women’s league. I’m sure I’m not the only one.”