NEO NEWS

British police said they are searching two properties linked toPeter Mandelsonas part of their investigation into misconduct in public office, following revelations about the former UK ambassador to the US' links to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Since the US Justice Department's latest release of materials related to Epstein,Mandelson has been accused of passing on market-sensitive government information that was of clear financial interest to Epstein in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.

London's Metropolitan Police said Friday that its officers were carrying out search warrants at two addresses, one in the southern county of Wiltshire and one in Camden, a neighborhood in the north of the capital.

"The searches are related to an ongoing investigation into misconduct in public office offenses, involving a 72-year-old man," said Hayley Sewart, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Met.

Mandelson, 72, has not been arrested and enquiries are ongoing, she said.

Mandelson resigned from the Labour Party on Sunday and quit the House of Lords, the upper chamber of Britain's parliament, on Wednesday.

CNN has been unable to contact Mandelson this week.

The Mandelson scandal has plunged Keir Starmer's government into crisis and raised questions about the prime minister's political judgment. Starmer appointed Mandelson as ambassador last year, despite his well-known friendship with Epstein, which continued after the financier was convicted in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from an underage girl.

Mandelson has offered scant comment to British media this week. Previously, he has said: "I want to say loudly and clearly that I was wrong to believe (Epstein) following his conviction and to continue my association with him afterwards. I apologize unequivocally for doing so to the women and girls who suffered."

Starmer fired Mandelson as ambassador in September, following a previous release of Epstein files which showed that Mandelson had penned a handwritten note for the financier's 50th birthday, describing him as "my best pal." A trove of emails reported by British media at the same time showed that Mandelson said he felt "hopeless and furious" after Epstein's conviction. Mandelson's sacking as ambassador marked the third time he had been removed from a senior role in government due to his ties to wealthy individuals.

The DOJ's latest release of Epstein files revealed that Mandelson – while serving as business secretary in the government of Prime Minister Gordon Brown – appeared to leak sensitive UK government information to Epstein as the country considered a raft of policy measures to aid its recovery from the 2008 financial crisis.

Newly released emails from June 2009 showed that Mandelson forwarded Epstein a memo written for Brown, which advocated £20 billion of asset sales to help relieve Britain's debt burden and revealed Labour's tax policy plans.

Bank statements from the DOJ's latest release also appeared to show that Epstein paid a total of $75,000 into bank accounts linked to Mandelson between 2003 and 2004. Email exchanges also suggested that the financier may have sent £10,000 to Reinaldo Avila da Silva, now Mandelson's husband, to help fund his osteopathy course.

Addressing Parliament on Wednesday, Starmer said the revelations about Mandelson were "beyond infuriating" and that the former ambassador had "lied repeatedly" about his relationship with Epstein. "Mandelson betrayed our country, our parliament, and our party," he said.

Starmer is under intense pressure to explain what the vetting process uncovered about Mandelson's ties to Epstein before his appointment as ambassador a year ago. Following a public outcry, the government has agreed to release documents surrounding Mandelson's appointment.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

There have been at least 733 confirmed measles cases reported across the nation, thelatest datafrom the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed Friday.

In just a few weeks, the United States reported four times as many cases than typically seen throughout an entire calendar year, the CDC said.

Before last year, which had a record breaking 2,276 cases, the U.S. averaged 180 cases annually since measles was declared eliminated in 2000.

The record numbers come asSouth Carolinais dealing with the largest outbreak recorded in recent memory.

Other states that have reported cases and are dealing with ongoing outbreaks include Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Most of the outbreaks occurring across the country are in pockets of under-vaccinated or unvaccinated communities.

"Because it's such an infectious virus, whenever you see measles outbreaks, it in effect, highlights areas of the country or communities in which vaccination rates are low," Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, the former head of the CDC's branch that tracks diseases including measles, told ABC News.

1 year since measles cases found in Texas, US still seeing surge of infections with elimination status at risk

The rate of kindergartners vaccinated with the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine has fallen from 95% in 2019 to below 93% in 2025, CDC data shows. Herd immunity, a threshold for vaccination rates that slow a virus' ability to spread, is typically achieved at 95% vaccination rates, public health experts say.

"I think that this highlights that our defenses are down, especially in some parts of the country and in some communities where vaccination rates aren't high enough to stop measles outbreaks in their tracks," Daskalakis said.

Declining vaccination rates have left approximately 300,000 kindergarteners unprotected from measles infection.

The MMR vaccine is given in two doses, the initial shot given after the first year of life and the second shot given after the fourth year of life.

Low vaccination rates in communities may lead to further outbreaks and spread of the virus, potentially even putting those who are vaccinated at risk.

"If you have someone vaccinated for an infection and expose them to enough of that pathogen, you can overwhelm that immunity," Daskalakis said.

"The lowest hanging fruit strategy to end the measles outbreak is to increase rates of vaccination," he added.

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The U.S. government wants a judge to dismiss a lawsuit from survivors and relatives of the victims ofMaine's deadliest mass shooting, who say the Army failed them by not intervening before the killings.

The familiesallege the government was negligentin failing to act on warning signs displayed by the shooter, an Army reservist.

Eighteen people were killed when the 40-year-old reservist opened fire at a bowling alley and a bar and grill in Lewiston in October 2023. An independent commission appointed by Maine's governor later concluded that there were numerousopportunities for interventionby both Army officials and civilian law enforcement.

In a filing Thursday in Maine federal court, the government urged a judge to toss the lawsuit, saying the court lacks the authority to hear the case and that the families' claims don't meet the legal standard to move forward.

The lawsuit alleges that the Army was negligent when it failed to properly investigate the shooter's mental condition. But the government says the shooter was "solely responsible" for the attack and the government should not be held liable for his actions.

Attorneys for 100 survivors and victims' family members announced the filing of the lawsuit last year. They thenrefiled their lawsuitin September following a U.S. Department of Defense watchdog report that faulted the Army for a high rate of failure to report violent threats by service members.

"Unfortunately, the government's motion was predictable and expected. The government's motion is a lengthy denial of any legal responsibility for broken promises to protect the community it pledges to defend. We look forward to filing our response," said Travis Brennan and Ben Gideon, attorneys for the families, in a Friday statement.

The lawsuit faults the Army, U.S. Department of Defense and Keller Army Community Hospital for negligence, and names the U.S. government as the defendant. The lawsuit said the defendants failed to "respond to warning signs and an explicit threat to commit a mass shooting" by the shooter, Robert Card.

Card was found dead by suicide two days after the shootings.

The attorneys have said the Army did not act despite being aware of Card'smental health decline. Card's mental health spiral led to his hospitalization and left him paranoid, delusional and expressing homicidal ideations, plaintiffs said. He even produced a "hit list" of those he wanted to attack, they said.

The Lewiston shootings led to new guns laws in Maine, a state with a long tradition of hunting and gun ownership. The laws promptedlegal actionon the part of gun rights advocates in the state and remain a contentious topic more than two years later.

Atlanta Dream center Brittney GrinerandWNBA legend Sue Birdare among the latest list of athletes calling out ICE.

On Thursday, Athletes for Impact, a network of athlete activists,shared an open lettertitled "ICE OUT." Griner, Bird and nearly 60 women's sports stars endorsed the statement. Among the notable names on the list wereNew York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore and Megan Rapinoe. College starsNebraska volleyball player Harper MurrayandUCLA basketball guard Kiki Ricewere also part of the group.

"Across Minneapolis and communities nationwide, excessive and illegal federal immigration enforcement has led to fatal shootings, fear and trauma, reminding us how fragile safety becomes when power goes unchecked," the statement said.

"When we say 'ICE OUT', we are calling for institutions and policies that uplift communities, not ones that fuel fear and violence."

Amid growing frustration with ICE's operations,stars across the sports landscape have shared their thoughts.

"We're so fueled by hate right now instead of love, so I wanted to have a simple message of 'Abolish ICE,' which means having policies to uplift families and communities instead of fueling fear and violence," Stewart said after speaking out against ICE.

"It hits a little bit home for me because I'm from there,"Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers, a Minnesota native, said.

"What's going on is not OK. We hope and pray there's a change in direction from where this is heading."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Brittney Griner, Sue Bird among women's sports stars calling out ICE

Each week during the 2025-26 NBA season, we will take a deeper dive into some of the league's biggest storylines in an attempt to determine whether trends are based more in fact or fiction moving forward.

Last week:LeBron James belongs in the All-Star Game

Fact or Fiction: The Thunder won the trade deadline

Ifnobody drastically improved at the NBA's 2026 trade deadline, did the Oklahoma City Thunder — heavybetting favoritesfor this year's championship, before and after — win it?

There weremore winners and losers, of course, but in terms of the title picture — what actually matters this season — can anyone match the defending champions on talent?

After all, the Thunder were the only serious contender — and the only team with a winning record, in fact — to trade a first-round draft pick at the deadline. They traded one of their many first-round picks (probably the one belonging to the fourth-place Houston Rockets), along with a trio of second-rounders,to the Philadelphia 76ers for Jared McCain, who was in the Rookie of the Year conversation last season before surgery on a torn left meniscus.

McCain averaged a 14-4-4 (on 39/38/88 shooting splits) per 36 minutes, almost entirely off the bench, for the Sixers in 37 appearances this season. It will be difficult for him to crack a guard rotation that is headlined by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso and Ajay Mitchell, though injuries to SGA (now out through the All-Star break withan abdominal strain) and Mitchell (hip) have left the door open for additional contributions.

And McCain could contribute. He was averaging a far more efficient 21.4 points per 36 minutes before his knee injury, and he remains on a rookie contract through the 2027-28 season. The Thunder must have liked him more than whoever they figured they might get with Houston's pick, and for good reason. McCain is good. He may not meaningfully alter their championship odds, but they were already the team to beat, and they got deeper.

(Of course, this all hinges on the health of Gilgeous-Alexander, as it does for any team and its superstar. Let us not pretend that McCain is some sort of SGA insurance. He may help in the absences of Mitchell, who hardly played on last year's title run, and other guards.)

[Subscribe to Yahoo Sports NBA on YouTube]

And if the Thunder are willing to spend a first-round pick to get deeper, then shouldn't everyone else in pursuit of the defending champions be willing to spend even more?

Well, not so fast. The Thunder own a dozen first-round picks over the next handful of years, as many as any other team, and that is what makes them so unique. They have both constructed the best roster and compiled the most draft assets, all at the same time.

In fact, the Thunder own the Los Angeles Clippers' 2026 first-round pick, and they justtraded two of their three best players— James Harden and Ivica Zubac — for a collection that includes Darius Garland, Bennedict Mathurin and multiple picks in each round of the draft. They all but guaranteed they will hand-deliver a lottery pick to the Thunder in June. Another reason the Thunder may have won the deadline.

It's not as though nobodytriedto get better. It's just that no contender took a big swing.

The Minnesota Timberwolves scored Ayo Dosunmufrom the Chicago Bulls for a package that included Rob Dillingham and four second-round picks. Dosunmu is very good, posting a 21-4-5 on 51/45/85 shooting splits(!) per 36 minutes, mostly off the bench, for Chicago.

Dosunmu deepens a playoff outfit that includes Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels, Donte DiVincenzo and Naz Reid. They were already capable of giving the Thunder a series, as their 2-1 record against OKC indicates, and with Dosunmu in place of a 38-year-old Mike Conley they are a little deeper on the back end of their rotation.

[Get more Thunder news: Oklahoma City team feed]

The Timberwolves failed in rumored pursuits of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Ja Morant. Three of the bigger names to move ahead of the deadline — Anthony Davis, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Trae Young — joined the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz, two teams that have strong incentive (with picks protected only for the top eight) to lose the rest of the year.

(The Jazz owe their pick to the Thunder if it falls anywhere from 9-30.)

The other big name, Harden,joined a Cleveland Cavaliers teamthat was looking up in the Eastern Conference standings at the Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks and Boston Celtics. It was a bet on a 36-year-old against a 26-year-old's health, and it is unclear whether it made the Cavaliers any better than the second-round playoff fodder they were in 2025.

The Pistons, Knicks and Celtics all made moves on the fringes, respectively turning Jaden Ivey, Guerschon Yabusele and Anfernee Simons into Kevin Huerter, Jose Alvarado and Nikola Vučević. While all of those deals extend their rotations, none of them close what is perceived to be a significant gap between the East and whoever emerges from the West.

Speaking of which, neither the Denver Nuggets nor San Antonio Spurs — arguably the two biggest threats to the Thunder, when healthy — made any moves ahead of the deadline. Likewise, the Rockets, who were already teetering on the brink of serious contention, with injuries to both Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams, did nothing to further bolster the roster.

The Los Angeles Lakers, the fringiest of title contenders, turned two-way guard Gabe Vincent and a second-round pick into sharpshooter Luke Kennard, and it is hard to see how that move helps their 24th-rated defense. Maybe they just stun OKC on offense.

In reality, though, where there are only a handful of challengers who could upset the Thunder, none of them closed the gap on the current betting favorites. While that does not guarantee the defending champions of a repeat, it allows them to breathe a sigh of relief, as they are now assured of carrying their edge on talent into the playoffs, if healthy.

Determination: Fact.The Thunder won the deadline.

Our latestNCAA men's basketballbracket projection features a few changes in the upper quadrant. Several programs with national titles in the past decade are among the teams with upward mobility.

Kansas,riding a six-game winning streak, has surged to a No. 3 seed along with defending champ Florida. Purdue is also back up to the third line, as Michigan State slips to a No. 4 afterdropping its second game in a rowWednesday night at Minnesota. Virginia is back in the top 16 as well, grabbing a No. 4 seed as Brigham Young slides to a five after a three-game losing skid.

STARTING FIVE:The biggest college basketball games to watch this weekend

Gonzaga, thanks to a stunning upset Wednesday at Portland, falls off the second line to a No. 3. That result wasn't all bad for the West Coast Conference, however, as it moved Santa Clara into first place in the league standings. That puts theBroncosin line for the automatic bid, giving the WCC three teams in the field for the moment. Saint Louis is now the lone Atlantic 10 squad in the projected field with George Mason taking a damaging loss to Duquesne this week.

March Madness bracketology update for NCAA tournament

March Madness Last four in

San Diego State, UCLA, Ohio State, New Mexico.

March Madness First four out

Miami (Fla.), Virginia Tech, California, Missouri.

NCAA tournament bids conference breakdown

Multi-bid leagues:Big Ten (11), SEC (10), ACC (7) Big 12 (7), Big East (3), Mountain West (3), West Coast (3).

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Bracketology: Kansas rises in March Madness NCAA tournament projection

Thousands of units of M&M's products are being recalled across more than a dozen states because their packaging does not include proper allergen warnings.

The recall wasannounced by the Food & Drug Administrationafter it emerged that more than 6,000 units had been repackaged by Beacon Promotions Inc. without advisories that they may contain milk, soy and peanuts.

It was first issued on January 26, and on Wednesday, the FDA classified the recall as Class II, meaning consuming the product could cause "temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences."

However, the recall only affects consumers who may beallergic or sensitive to soy, peanuts or milk; the candies themselves are safe to eat, and those without allergies will not be affected by their consumption.

The M&M's in question were distributed in packaging that was labelled for promotional purposes,according to the FDA,and could contain any of the following promotional labels or packages:

Next Up; Smith Pro; Jaxport, Jacksonville Port Authority; Climax Molybdenum, A Freeport-McMoRan Company; University of Maryland, School of Public Policy; Liberty University Environmental Health & Safety; Subaru; Trinity Cyb3r; Candy Treats; JSE, Jordan & Skala Engineers; Dropbox DocSend; PP, Prosperity Promotions; Northwest Indian College Foundation; FES Branding Solutions; Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance Companies; merry maids Annual 26 Conference; BW, Best Western; Morgan Stanley; tufin; Compliments of Pioneer; A.D. Morgan, Construction Manager, Design Builder, General Contractor; Adobe; Xfinity; Fundermax Interiors; White Cup; Acadia Commercial; Aviagen; ORG Expo; and Make Your Mark.

The recalled repackaged M&M's Peanut candies can be identified by the "Make Your Mark" label with lot code M1823200 and a "best by" date of April 30, 2026.

Regular M&M's candies being recalled all have the lot code L450ARCLV03 with a "best by" date of December 1, 2025; the lot code L502FLHKP01 with a "best by" date of January 1, 2026; the lot code L523CMHKP01 with a "best by" date of June 30, 2026; or the lot code L537GMHKP01 with a "best by" date of September 1, 2026.

They were distributed in the following 20 states: Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Anyone who has the products in question and is allergic to or sensitive to nuts, soy, or milk should throw them away. Those who are not allergic or sensitive can safely consume them.

HPG Brands, the parent company of Beacon Promotions Inc., did not immediately respond to requests for comment on how the labelling mix-up had occurred.