SANTA BARBARA, Calif.—An edgy musical exploring some of the darkest chapters of American history is hitting the stage Friday night in Santa Barbara.

Local non-profit Out of the Box Theater Company is bringing audiences into a thought-provoking production of Assassins—a show that dives into the lives of nine men and women who either killed, or attempted to kill, a President of the United States.

The musical takes a bold look at the darker side of the American Dream, combining history with powerful storytelling and music.

“I do a lot of yelling,” said actor Jim Sirianni, who plays Samuel Byck. “He uses colorful language throughout the show.”

Other cast members say the production gave them a deeper understanding of the people behind the headlines.

“I’ve learned a lot about these individual assassins—what their motives were and how they went through life,” said Nik Valinski, who plays Leon Czolgosz.

But the production isn’t just focused on the past—it’s also bringing together a new generation of performers.

The cast includes local students, including elementary and high schoolers, who say the experience has been both fun and eye-opening.

“It’s a very fun character,” said Theodore Henning, a young actor in the show.
Henning added that performing has allowed him to express a side of himself he doesn’t usually show.
“I get to show this side of me… I don’t really show to anyone except maybe my mom,” he said.

The young performers also say the musical covers a side of American history they haven’t learned in school.

“More than I would ever learn in school,” Henning said. “This is not something you really learn… it has to do with killing people.”

Artistic Director Samantha Eve says the show ultimately raises deeper questions about the American Dream and human behavior.
“I think a lot of it is really about the promise of the American dream… that everyone has the right to be successful and happy,” Eve said. “But when that promise isn't fulfilled… how does that drive us as a human race towards violence?”

The production offers a powerful—and at times uncomfortable—look at history, ambition, and the cost of feeling unheard.

Assassins premieres Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Center Stage Theater. There will be four performances, with the final show scheduled for April 19.

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By Auzinea Bacon, CNN

(CNN) — IBM reached a settlement with the federal government on Friday, agreeing to pay roughly $17 million to resolve allegations of illegal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the settlement agreement in a press release.

The DOJ had alleged that the New York-based technology firm “knowingly” made “false claims” about its hiring and employment practices in its federal contracts, according to the settlement. IBM allegedly identified “diverse” candidates for hiring or promotions, while developing race and sex demographic goals.

“IBM is pleased to have resolved this matter,” an IBM spokesperson told CNN over email. “Our workforce strategy is driven by a single principle: having the right people with the right skills that our clients depend on.”

IBM denied that it had discriminatory and illegal DEI practices. The settlement emphasized that the agreement was “neither an admission of liability by IBM nor a concession by the United States that its claims are not well founded.”

The Trump administration last year cracked down on DEI practices in public and private sectors, including in federal hiring and contracting. Four days into President Donald Trump’s second term, federal agencies were told to terminate all DEI offices and positions.

The DOJ in May 2025 began using the False Claims Act to target diversity initiatives at colleges and alleged that IBM, as a contractor, violated the act by maintaining “practices that the United States contends were discriminatory employment practices,” according to the announcement on Friday.

“Racial discrimination is illegal, and government contractors cannot evade the law by repackaging it as DEI,” Blanche said in Friday’s press release. “The Department launched the Civil Rights Fraud Initiative to root out this misconduct, hold offenders accountable, and end this practice for good.”

The False Claims Act dates back to the Civil War era and allows the government to recover funds up to three times the damages it incurs, in addition to penalties, according to the DOJ.

The law also allows private citizens to file suit, claiming the government was defrauded and to keep a portion of any money the federal government recovers.

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CNN’s Karina Tsui and Andy Rose contributed to this report.

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Juan Montesló

INDIO, California (KUNA) – La emoción por el gran festival de música en el valle de Coachella continúa en ascenso, y la comunidad latina se encuentra lista para disfrutar la presentación de la estrella internacional Karol G, primera latina en encabezar la lista de presentaciones.

En Telemundo 15 decidimos salir a conocer como viven el ambiente los visitantes y cuando ocupada se encuentra la comunidad atendiendo al gran número de aficionados de la música.

Nos encontramos con visitantes que aprovechan este día para realizar preparativos, es decir, compras de alimentos y bebidas, por lo que uno de los supermercados en cercanía del Empire Polo club, se encuentra abarrotado de gente.

Decenas de asistentes se dispusieron a realizar una larga fila para conseguir bebidas hidratantes un insumo primordial para soportar las condiciones climatológicas del valle de Coachella, ya que enfrentar intensas horas bajo el sol, puede provocar inclusive un golpe de calor.

Por otra parte, se supondría que los espacios aéreos de esta zona estarían restringidos para uso comercial, situación que claramente no se ha cumplido.

Hoy en punto de las 6 de la tarde estaremos en vivo desde el Empire Polo Club para brindarles una cobertura completa.

The post El festival de Coachella ha iniciado y las aglomeraciones continúan en aumento en la ciudad de Indio, tráfico en vialidades principales appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

The post Santa Barbara Harbor Dredging Funds Restored After Federal Cut appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

By Don Riddell, CNN

Augusta, Georgia (CNN) — At the Masters this week, a thought stuck in the minds of the patrons: Surely, it’s Justin time.

On a golf course where every hole is named after a flower, only one player bears the name of one, and none has been as close to full bloom at Augusta National as often as England’s Justin Rose.

“I feel like I’ve lived this before,” Rose said of his 2025 playoff defeat to Rory McIlroy, recalling a surreal sense of déjà vu as he stood on the 18^th green with a queasy ringside seat to an historic triumph, knowing that the roles could so easily have been reversed.

It was his second playoff defeat and his third runner-up finish at the Masters. He’s been close enough to taste it, close enough to feel his hand sliding into the sleeve of the iconic green jacket.

“I could see what it felt like,” he explained. “I can see the celebrations. It all played out right in front of me. So, I kind of lived it as if I’d have won it, but obviously without any of the real positive emotion that goes with that.”

Thanks to a quirk of Masters tradition, Rose’s name has been engraved onto the trophy three times as the runner-up, but he’s never held it. It’s a sequence of results that ranks him among the greats: Only Rose and Ben Hogan have lost multiple playoffs at Augusta without ever winning the tournament.

He has led or co-led the tournament after a round 11 times throughout his career, behind only Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player, who won 13 green jackets between them.

At the age of 45, Rose is playing in his 21st Masters, and after playing two rounds this week, he told CNN Sports that he isn’t feeling his age.

“I feel the same, which is good,” he said from a podium just outside the clubhouse. “If I can feel the same, I’m doing a lot of other good things because I’m not feeling older. I feel in good form, I feel in good spirits.”

Nobody has had to play more than 19 tournaments before finally winning it, and Rose is approaching the age of the tournament’s oldest champion, 46-year-old Nicklaus. But he’s never given up, and this year he’s back in the conversation again with Friday’s three-under par round of 69 for a 5-under par tournament score.

Rose has a resumé to be proud of – a US Open title, an Olympic gold medal, he’s topped the world rankings and helped the European team to five Ryder Cup wins. But he told the media at Augusta this week that he’s always taken a philosophical approach to the game, and it has clearly helped him navigate some of his biggest professional disappointments.

“I kind of realized that you can’t skip through a career without a little bit of heartache and heartbreak. No chance,” he said. “If you’re going to be willing to win them, you’ve got to be willing to kind of be on the wrong side of it as well. The key is showing up. The point is you’ve got to put yourself there. That’s the hard part.”

It’s 28 years now since Rose flirted with victory as a 17-year-old amateur at the Open Championship in 1998 and his longevity since has been remarkable. In February, he destroyed the field by seven strokes to win the Farmers Insurance Open, and he’s finished second in two of his last five major tournaments.

A key to his success is the lens through which he regards the ones that got away. Instead of forming scar tissue, he says there is only a kind of positive muscle memory.

“I hope it only boosts my belief that I can go ahead and do it,” he said, “I feel like I’ve pretty much done what it takes to win, I just haven’t walked over the line. I won’t ever think, ‘Why me?’

“I’m very aware that I’ve been close here. I’m very aware that I’ve had tough, tough losses here. I also am aware that I enjoy this place. I come here with a good attitude; it’s a place I enjoy being. It’s a very enjoyable and comfortable place to be. I