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Trump says national security concerns in Nippon-U.S. Steel deal can be resolved

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that concerns over national security risks posed by Nippon Steel’s $14.9 billion bid for U.S. Steel can be resolved if the companies fulfill certain conditions that his administration has laid out, paving the way for the deal’s approval.

Shares of U.S. Steel rose 3.5% on the news in after-the-bell trading as investors bet the deal was close to done. Trump, in an executive order, said conditions for resolving the national security concerns would be laid out in an agreement, without providing details. “I additionally find that the threatened impairment to the national security of the United States arising as a result of the Proposed Transaction can be adequately mitigated if the conditions set forth in section 3 of this order are met,” Trump said in the order, which was released by the White House.

The companies thanked Trump in a news release, saying the agreement includes $11 billion in new investments to be made by 2028 and governance commitments including a golden share to be issued to the U.S. government. They did not detail how much control the golden share would give the U.S. Shares of U.S. Steel had dipped earlier on Friday after a Nippon Steel executive told the Japanese Nikkei newspaper that its planned takeover of U.S. Steel required “a degree of management freedom” to go ahead after Trump earlier had said the U.S. would be in control with a golden share.

The bid, first announced by Nippon Steel in December 2023, has faced opposition from the start. Both Democratic former President Joe Biden and Trump, a Republican, asserted last year that U.S. Steel should remain U.S.-owned, as they sought to woo voters ahead of the presidential election in Pennsylvania, where the company is headquartered.

Biden in January, shortly before leaving office, blocked the deal on national security grounds, prompting lawsuits by the companies, which argued the national security review they received was biased. The Biden White House disputed the charge.

The steel companies saw a new opportunity in the Trump administration, which began on January 20 and opened a fresh 45-day national security review into the proposed merger in April.

But Trump’s public comments, ranging from welcoming a simple “investment” in U.S. Steel by the Japanese firm to floating a minority stake for Nippon Steel, spurred confusion.

At a rally in Pennsylvania on May 30, Trump lauded an agreement between the companies and said Nippon Steel would make a “great partner” for U.S. Steel. But he later told reporters the deal still lacked his final approval, leaving unresolved whether he would allow Nippon Steel to take ownership.

Nippon Steel and the Trump administration asked a U.S. appeals court on June 5 for an eight-day extension of a pause in litigation to give them more time to reach a deal for the Japanese firm. The pause expires Friday, but could be extended.

June 18 is the expiration date of the current acquisition contract between Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel, but the firms could agree to postpone that date

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

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5 Mins Read

What the S&P 500, VIX, and ARKK are Telling Us Now

While the S&P 500 ($SPX) logged a negative reversal on Wednesday, the Cboe Volatility Index ($VIX), Wall Street’s fear gauge, logged a positive reversal. This is pretty typical: when the S&P 500 falls, the VIX rises.

Here’s what makes it interesting: the VIX has quietly crept up in three of the last four days. Before the midday pivot, the VIX hit its lowest level since February 21, 2025. And while that wasn’t the low in February, it was close. As the chart below depicts, back then, the VIX’s intraday low occurred on February 14, 2025, a few days before the SPX topped on February 19.

It wasn’t a screaming sell signal for equities. The S&P 500 was set to follow through on the big cup-with-handle pattern breakout, even though two straight bullish patterns failed in December and January.

Ultimately, the combination of the S&P 500 failing to get much higher than 6,100 and the VIX bouncing near support set the stage for the market rolling over. It was, of course, news-induced, but the market’s character had been changing since December, when breadth first took a major hit.

So, with the VIX closer to that same support zone now than it has been at any time the last few months and the S&P 500 back above 6,000, the pendulum has swung back near the extreme levels where the fireworks began. But there are two major differences now vs. then.

Bullish Patterns Are Working

Bullish patterns weren’t holding up well in December, January, and February (and then again in March). But they are working now.

Let’s not take this for granted. The S&P 500 starts the day with three live bullish patterns, and the index already hit one upside objective (5,840).

Most importantly, the index has extended above the breakout zones of the two biggest ones by 5.4% and 9%, respectively (see charts below). This means it could endure a not-so-small drawdown, and the patterns (and their upside targets) would remain in place. The index had no such cushion in February.

Still No 1% Declines

Since April 21, the S&P 500 has logged just one 1% decline, which now spans 35 trading days. It had 20 over the prior 71 days since January 6, 2025. That’s a rate of 2.8% vs. 28%. We had literally 10 times more 1% declines from January to April 21.

We didn’t see too many 1% losses in the first few weeks of 2025 either (see chart below). But with the index continuously failing at resistance, it just couldn’t leverage the low-volatility environment like it did from late 2023 through late 2024. As described above, in the last two months, the S&P 500 has been capitalizing on breakouts on low two-way volatility.

So, could all of this completely flip again with a massively surprising “unknown unknown” headline? There’s always that risk. And we know about the big collection of sell signals out there (MACD and Demark).

All of this suggests a respite is due. Bulls and bears seem to agree about that. What they don’t agree upon is the severity of that next pullback. There’s no use in trying to predict how far or how damaging it will be, however. As long as the bullish patterns remain intact, the nascent uptrend has a chance to continue in the months to come.

Zooming In: ARKK’s Strong Run

Let’s take a closer look at one of the more popular growth-focused ETFs: ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK). Despite finishing off its highs, ARKK logged its fourth straight gain yesterday and is now up eight of the last nine trading sessions. Over that time, it has fully leveraged the bull flag we mentioned two weeks ago. The target from that pattern is near $67.

ARKK also logged its third straight trading box breakout in the last few days. So, from a short-term pattern perspective, things have continued to work for the stock.

Indicator-wise, ARKK is now officially overbought for the first time since last December. Over the last year, here’s how the ETF has fared after first reaching overbought territory.

Last July, ARKK hit its summer top just a few days after becoming overbought. In November and December (while ARKK’s upswing continued through mid-February), the ETF pulled back to levels below where the relative strength index (RSI) first hit 70 over the ensuing days/weeks both times.

In other words, this is not the best trading setup for new short-term longs. We expect the risk-reward to improve after the next pullback.

ARKK is also approaching the upper threshold of its big two-year trading channel, which could slow things down soon.

The Bottom Line

The S&P 500 is rising slowly and steadily, volatility is still relatively low, and growth plays like ARKK are looking strong, although they may be due for a pullback in the near term. Keep an eye on the chart patterns that are forming and look for investment opportunities on pullbacks.

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3 Mins Read

Three Sectors Stand Out and One Sports a Bullish Breakout

Three sectors stand out, with one sporting a recent breakout that argues for higher prices. Today’s report will highlight three criteria to define a leading uptrend. First, price should be above the rising 200-day SMA. Second, the price-relative should be above its rising 200-day SMA. And finally, leaders should trade at or near 52-week highs. Let’s compare the Utilities SPDR (XLU) to see how it stacks up.

The CandleGlance charts below show the top five sectors and SPY. I am ranking performance using Fast Stochastics (255,1). Stochastic values reflect the level of the close relative to the high-low range over the given period. 255 trading days is around 1 year. An ETF is at a 52-week high when the value is above 99 (XLK) and an ETF is near a new high with a value above 90 (XLU). The CandleGlance charts show XLK, XLI and XLU with values above 90, which means the are near new highs.

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TrendInvestorPro is following the breakout in XLU, the bull flag in GLD, a small wedge in AMLP, a breakout in XLP and more. We also covered trailing stop alternatives for the pennant breakouts in some key tech related ETFs. Take a trial and get three free bonus reports.

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Now let’s turn to price action. XLU is trading above its rising 200-day SMA. Thus, the long-term trend is up. XLU also broke falling channel resistance in early May. The pink lines show a falling channel that retraced around 61.8% of the July-December advance (23.6%). Both the pattern and the retracement amount are typical for corrections within a bigger uptrend. The early May breakout signals a continuation of the long-term uptrend and new highs are expected. The May lows mark first support at 78. A close below this level would warrant a re-evaluation.

And finally, let’s measure relative performance using the price-relative (XLU/RSP ratio). The lower window shows the price-relative in an uptrend for over a year and above its 200-day SMA since early March. This shows long-term relative strength. The pink trendlines show relative performance corrections when XLU underperformed for short periods. XLU is currently experiencing an underperformance correction because the broader market surge from early April to early June.

TrendInvestorPro is following the breakout in XLU, the bull flag in GLD, a small wedge in AMLP, a breakout in XLP and more. We also covered trailing stop alternatives for the pennant breakouts in some key tech related ETFs. Click here to learn more and gain immediate access.

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6 Mins Read

Is a Bold Rotation Brewing in Healthcare and Biotech? Here’s What to Watch Now

Catching a sector early as it rotates out of a slump is one of the more reliable ways to get ahead of an emerging trend. You just have to make sure the rotation has enough strength to follow through.

On Thursday morning, as the markets maintained a cautiously bullish tone, I checked the New Highs panel on the StockCharts Dashboard, scanning the 1-, 3-, 6-, and 9-month highs list. A clear theme emerged—biotech and healthcare stocks dominated the shorter-term highs.

Seeing strength in healthcare and biotech, I checked the Market Summary BPI panel to compare breadth across sectors. Healthcare posted a 63.93% reading—an early sign the sector may be turning higher.

Comparing the broader sector with the biotech industry, the Key Ratios – Offense vs. Defense panel showed that Biotech outperformed Healthcare by a modest 2.31% over the past three months. This panel compares the SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (XBI), which represents the biotech sector, with the broader Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV).

Are Biotech and Healthcare Starting a Bullish Rotation?

So, are we seeing an early rotation of both industry and sector toward the upside, and could either be shaping up as an opportunity for investment? Let’s take a comparative look at both relative to the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), our broad market stand-in.

Comparing XBI and XLV to SPY: Signs of Leadership?

FIGURE 1. PERFCHARTS OF XBI, XLV, AND SPY. This is typical of what you’d see during an early-stage rotation.

This PerfCharts view shows a one-year snapshot of relative performance, with biotech lagging behind healthcare, and both trailing the SPY in negative territory. Yet XBI and XLV are showing signs of recovery, with XBI exhibiting a sharper angle of ascent.

Seasonal Strength in Healthcare and Biotech Stocks

Now here’s an interesting addition to the current analysis: what if we considered the industry and the sector from a seasonality perspective? The reason for this is that certain sectors and the industries within them tend to exhibit recurring patterns of strength or weakness during specific times of the year. If we’re seeing a potential turning point in either, could a seasonality lens offer additional insight or clarity to the analysis?

Biotech Seasonality: Strong Months for XBI

Let’s start with XBI, and notice how it’s now entering a cluster of seasonally-favorable months.

FIGURE 2. SEASONALITY CHART OF XBI. The industry is entering a cluster of seasonally strong months.

According to this 10-year seasonality chart, June, July, August, and November tend to be strong months for XBI, with positive closing rates well above 50% (see figures above each bar) and higher-than-average returns (see figures at the bottom of the bars). Among them, June and November stand out as XBI’s strongest seasonal months.

XLV Seasonality: November Still Reigns

FIGURE 3. SEASONALITY CHART OF XLV.  According to this, July is XLV’s second-strongest month after November.

XLV’s seasonal profile shares a similar pattern, with a few key differences. July emerges as XLV’s second-strongest month, boasting a close rate of 89% and an average return of 3.1%. Like XBI, November is XLV’s top month in terms of average return.

What this tells us is that the biotech industry and the broader healthcare sector have historically performed well during these periods (especially November), suggesting that seasonal strength could serve as a tailwind if the current rotation continues to build momentum.

Charting the Rotation: XBI Trend Structure Shows Some Clarity

Next, let’s take a look at their current price action, starting with a daily chart of XBI.

FIGURE 4. DAILY CHART OF XBI. Notice how the trend structure is well-defined by the Fibonacci retracement, providing clear measurements for you to gauge the subsequent directionality once the market decides which way XBI will go.

XBI’s price action shows it reversed at the 50% Fibonacci Retracement level (November high to April low). Will the bears take control, or will XBI’s near-term reaction strengthen into an uptrend, eventually pushing XBI past the 61.8% retracement level, a threshold wherein bears may fold their positions and bulls increase theirs?

In light of the latter, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) is at 61 and rising, indicating room for upside, but only under the condition that the current bullish swing maintains its trajectory.

A few actionable tips. If you’re bullish on XBI and planning to add it to your portfolio, consider the following:

  • If XBI were to pull back deeper, watch to see if it bounces near the last recent swing low area at $76.
  • If XBI reverses to the upside, expect resistance at the 61.8% Fib retracement at around $91. Also, watch the yellow-shaded zone around $94, an area of concentrated trading activity which may also act as a strong resistance zone.

If XBI rotates in a bullish fashion, these key levels can help guide your analysis.

XLV Technical Setup: Strength, But Not Yet a Breakout

Next, shift over to a daily chart of XLV. You’ll notice it’s quite different despite also exhibiting a recovery.

FIGURE 5. DAILY CHART OF XLV. Unlike the previous example, XLV’s price action is more muddled.

XLV’s recovery doesn’t appear as convincing just yet, as it still needs to clear multiple swing highs and resistance levels clustered between $139 and $141 (highlighted in green). If it manages to break above this zone, the next resistance range—shaded in yellow—sits between $148 and $150. In short, the sector proxy faces several hurdles and technical headwinds ahead.

The RSI, at 58 and rising, is nowhere near overbought territory, but it may not immediately indicate bullishness unless XLV is able to establish an uptrend. For now, it isn’t clear if that will happen, so exercise caution.

From an actionable standpoint, the current technical structure doesn’t offer a clear entry setup. That’s largely because the trend lacks a well-defined sequence of higher swing highs and higher swing lows—something you’d typically look for when establishing favorable entry and exit positions.

At the Close

If healthcare and biotech are starting to rotate higher, XBI and XLV are the charts to watch. XBI shows a stronger trend structure, while XLV still faces resistance.  With seasonality on their side, add them to your ChartLists to track key levels and price action.

Disclaimer: This blog is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. The ideas and strategies should never be used without first assessing your own personal and financial situation, or without consulting a financial professional.

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4 Mins Read

Bearish Divergence Suggests Caution For S&P 500

With Friday’s pullback after a relatively strong week, the S&P 500 chart appears to be flashing a rare but powerful signal that is quite common at major market tops. The signal in question is a bearish momentum divergence, formed by a pattern of higher highs in price combined with lower peaks in momentum, which indicates weakening buying power after an extended bullish phase.

Today, we’ll share a brief history lesson of previous market tops starting with the COVID peak in 2020. And while we don’t necessarily see a sudden downdraft as the most likely outcome, this bearish price and momentum structure suggests limited upside for the S&P 500 until and unless this divergence is invalidated.

First, let’s review some classic market tops, see how divergences are formed, and learn what often comes next.

The year 2020 started in a position of strength, continuing the uptrend phase of 2019. But conditions soon deteriorated, with weaker momentum and breadth signals flashing cautionary patterns. In the chart below, we can see the higher highs and higher lows in price action in January and February 2020.

Notice how the RSI was overbought at the January peak but not overbought at the February top? This pattern of higher prices on weaker momentum is what we’re looking for, as it implies a lack of buying power and therefore limited upside.

Almost two years later, the market had been driven higher due to an unprecedented amount of liquidity injected into the financial system. Toward the end of 2021, however, we saw the familiar bearish divergence flash again.

Here, we can see the higher price highs in November 2021 through January 2022 were marked by lower readings on momentum indicators like RSI. It’s worth noting here that these divergences don’t happen in a vacuum. In other words, we can use other tools in the technical analysis toolkit to evaluate the trend and determine if the price is reacting as expected to the bearish divergence.

In the weeks after the 2022 peak, we can see that the price broke down through an ascending 50-day moving average. The RSI eventually broke below the 40 level, confirming the rotation from a bullish phase to a bearish phase. So while the divergence itself does not imply a particular path in the months after the signal, it alerts us to use other indicators to validate and track a subsequent downtrend move.

More recently, the February 2025 market peak featured some classic momentum patterns going into the eventual top.

Starting in August 2024, we can see a series of higher price highs that were accompanied by improving RSI peaks. As the price was moving higher, the stronger momentum readings confirmed the uptrend phase. Then, starting December 2024, the next couple price peaks were marked with weaker momentum readings. This bearish divergence with price and RSI once again signaled waning momentum going into a major market peak.

That brings us to the current S&P 500 chart, featuring yet another bearish momentum divergence. And based on what we’ve reviewed so far, you can probably understand why I’m a bit skeptical going into next week!

To be fair, I’ve highlighted price and momentum divergences from significant market tops, many of which came after extended bull market phases. In this case, we’re still only two months off a major market low. However, I would argue the basic premise still holds true. With Friday’s pullback, the S&P 500 appears to be flashing this same pattern of higher prices on weaker momentum. Considering this negative rotation on momentum, I would anticipate at least a retest of the May swing low around 5770.

What would change this tactical bearish expectation? The only way for a bearish divergence to be negated is for the price to continue higher on stronger momentum. So, until we see the price make a new peak combined with the RSI pushing back up to overbought levels, a pullback may be the most likely scenario in the coming weeks.

RR#6,

Dave

P.S. Ready to upgrade your investment process? Check out my free behavioral investing course!

David Keller, CMT

President and Chief Strategist

Sierra Alpha Research LLC

marketmisbehavior.com

https://www.youtube.com/c/MarketMisbehavior

Disclaimer: This blog is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. The ideas and strategies should never be used without first assessing your own personal and financial situation, or without consulting a financial professional.

The author does not have a position in mentioned securities at the time of publication. Any opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not in any way represent the views or opinions of any other person or entity.

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2 Mins Read

Who wins on Day 2? Predictions, picks for College World Series openers

OMAHA, NE ― Day 2 of the 2025 Men’s College World Series will get underway June 14 with the second half of the bracket beginning play.

In the afternoon game (2 p.m. ET, ESPN), Murray State will take on UCLA. In the nightcap (7 p.m. ET, ESPN), Arkansas will face LSU.

The game between the Tigers and Razorbacks is the only one among the Omaha openers featuring two teams that hosted a regional.

Saturday’s two losing teams will play an early game Monday in the losers bracket, while the winning teams will play Wednesday night for a spot in the semifinals.

Here are our predictions:

Murray State vs. UCLA

UCLA 9, Murray State 7

How’s this one for intrigue? UCLA hasn’t been to Omaha since its national title run in 2013 and Murray State is making its first trip ever. The Racers are the mid-major darlings who have proven near-impossible to put away. Their offense is a perfect fit for Charles Schwab Field, too.

But the Bruins, while lacking a true ace, have a trump card: arguably the best player in Omaha, shortstop Roch Cholowsky. He has the ability to take over any game, and that’s a powerful thing.

LSU vs. Arkansas

Arkansas 4, LSU 2

This matchup, which features a battle of aces (Zach Root vs. Kade Anderson), is the headliner of the Omaha slate. It’s easy to see either team coming away victorious, as LSU has better top-end pitching, but Arkansas has more depth and a better offense. The Tigers won the series when the two teams faced off earlier this season in Baton Rouge, but the bet is that the Razorbacks get a few more big hits.

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

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4 Mins Read

Could Murray State win CWS as No. 4 seed? What history says

  • Murray State is making its first appearance in the Men’s College World Series.
  • As a No. 4 seed, Murray State joins a select group of teams to reach the CWS, including 2008 national champion Fresno State.
  • Murray State’s first opponent is UCLA in 2025 CWS.

OMAHA, NE ― Dan Skirka doesn’t actually cut the grass at Murray State’s home ballpark, as a viral social media post wrongly asserted, but the Racers’ coach has still done more with much less.

Murray State, making its fourth NCAA tournament appearance and first since 2003, is in the Men’s College World Series for the first time. The Racers stunned in the Oxford Regional, defeating Ole Miss and Georgia Tech, and then again in the Durham Super Regional, defeating Duke.

The No. 4 regional seed — the lowest possible entering the NCAA Tournament — will take on UCLA in their opening game of the CWS on June 14 (1 p.m. CT, ESPN) at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha.

It’s rare for No. 4 seeds to reach Omaha — only three other teams have accomplished the feat — but it’s not unprecedented for those teams to make noise (most notably Fresno State, the 2008 national champion).

Here’s how bottom seeds have fared in the College World Series and how Murray State compares to the teams that made runs:

2008 Fresno State

The original mid-major Omaha darling, Fresno State made the most of its 2008 trip to the CWS by winning the whole thing.

The Bulldogs weren’t a traditional No. 4 seed, as expectations were high entering the season. They were ranked in two polls and picked to win the WAC in the preseason. The roster consisted of four eventual major leaguers. But despite the talent, they got off to an 8-12 start.

Fresno State still won the WAC regular season and conference titles, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs won a regional at Long Beach State and a super regional at No. 3 national seed Arizona State to advance to Omaha. Despite losing Game 1 of the championship series to Georgia, Fresno State won the final two games by a combined score of 25-11.

2012 Stony Brook

Led by future big leaguer Travis Jankowski, Stony Brook was the class of the America East. The Seawolves had a whopping 43-7 regular season record and swept the America East tournament. A team from that conference, typically one of the worst in Division I, had never advanced to Omaha. And Stony Brook didn’t have an easy route. The Seawolves were sent to a regional against Miami, and they waded through the losers’ bracket to win. Then they rallied to win a super regional against LSU despite dropping the first game in a 12-inning heartbreaker.

Stony Brook’s run in Omaha ended quickly, as the Seawolves lost to UCLA and Florida State and were the first team eliminated.

2023 Oral Roberts

After a so-so start to the season, Oral Roberts got hot at the right time. The Golden Eagles were 14-2 in April and 11-0 in May, and even after being assigned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament, it was clear they were dangerous.

Oral Roberts went 3-0 in the Stillwater Regional, defeating Oklahoma State, Washington and Dallas Baptist. Like Stony Brook, the Golden Eagles won their super regional, against Oregon, despite losing Game 1.

Oral Roberts was competitive in Omaha, too. The Golden Eagles won their first game against TCU and played a one-run game against Florida. But they ran out of gas and fell in their second game with TCU to end their season.

How Murray State compares to previous CWS 4-seeds

Murray State wasn’t ranked preseason and likely won’t have as many major leaguers as the Fresno State team that won it all. But the Racers are more akin to the 2023 Oral Roberts team than the Stony Brook underdogs. Murray State was viewed as one of the strongest — if not the strongest — 4-seeds in the field, and while the Racers have never been on this stage, teams from the Missouri Valley Conference have a good track record. Indiana State and Evansville, the last two MVC champions, advanced to super regionals, and the Sycamores even hosted in 2023.

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

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4 Mins Read

Why Shannon Harris was ‘the guy’ to take over UFL’s Defenders

The DC Defenders have made it to a spring football championship game for the second time in three seasons. They did so despite losing their coach six days before the 2025 UFL season.

Reggie Barlow left the Defenders less than a week before the 2025 season to take the coaching job at Tennessee State, which opened late in the offseason hiring cycle after Eddie George was hired for the same job at Bowling Green.

DC had to pivot quickly with just days remaining until their season opener against the three-time reigning champion Birmingham Stallions. They ultimately decided to promote quarterbacks coach Shannon Harris into the interim coaching role.

That decision delighted Harris’ long-time collaborator, Defenders offensive coordinator Fred Kaiss.

‘That’s who I thought deserved it,’ Kaiss told USA TODAY about Harris’ promotion. ‘I think that’s what this league is all about.’

Why Shannon Harris was ‘the guy’ to take over UFL’s Defenders

Kaiss has been witness to Harris’ growth throughout their 19-year history together. The 66-year-old used to view himself as the mentor to his long-time No. 1 assistant.

The tables haven’t yet turned in full, but in recent years, they have shifted.

‘There’s aspects of the game where he’s passed me,’ Kaiss said.

Despite Harris’ progression, the two still work collaboratively. Kaiss insists they are ‘always on the same page’ and that if you asked the two each to draw up 100 plays without consulting the other, 90 would be the same. That’s one of the perks of their two decades working together – and their decision to live together during the 2025 UFL season.

Their bond was also key in navigating DC’s early-season turbulence. The Defenders didn’t just lose Barlow to Tennessee State. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams stepped down to join Barlow’s staff while offensive line coach Cody Crill took a job at North Texas in the weeks leading up to the season.

The Harris-Kaiss partnership also allowed the Defenders continuity while quickly achieving stability. They came with built-in chemistry, while the other notable replacements on staff – Brian Braswell, who played for Kaiss during his college days, and Blake Williams, son of Gregg Williams – were able to quickly integrate themselves into DC’s operation.

‘When you got other coaches around you that you trust, that makes the job much easier,’ Harris said. ‘Now, it just turns into knowing how to manage it all.’

Harris successfully managed those goals and expectations. He helped build upon the winning culture Barlow created – something for which Harris is careful not to take too much credit – while also instilling the idea the Defenders would be ‘a player-led football team’ in 2025, as quarterback Jordan Ta’amu described.

Harris’ ability to do so helped allow him to smoothly transition into the Defenders coaching job.

‘We just flowed with it,’ Harris explained of his elevation. ‘Everyone rallied around myself. The team rallied around each other, and it was kinda status quo from that standpoint.’

Because, in part, of that cohesion, the Defenders are playing for a UFL championship Saturday against the Michigan Panthers.

Kaiss, 66, acknowledged he would love to win that game not just for himself, but also for Harris.

‘I think I’ve had more stress on me this year than I have in a lot of years, and it’s mainly because I want this for him,’ Kaiss said. ‘I want to see him succeed. He deserves this. He’s a really good football coach.’

Regardless of the result, Kaiss is coming away with the conviction he was spot-on about Harris’ chances of succeeding as DC’s coach.

‘I believe he was the guy. I believe he was ready,’ Kaiss said. ‘He’s proven it without question.’

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

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4 Mins Read

Josh Allen, Hailee Steinfeld wedding: Here’s 4 things we learned

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen showed up to training camp with a new ring on his ringer — not a Super Bowl ring, but a wedding band following his nuptials to “Sinners” actress Hailee Steinfeld on May 31.

‘Got some hardware now, so good to go,’ Allen said at the Bills’ mandatory minicamp on Tuesday.

The couple, who went Instagram official in July 2024 after a year of speculation, is notoriously private about their relationship, so not many details about their Santa Barbara, California wedding have been shared, until now. Steinfeld offered fans an inside look into their big day by sharing memories and photos they ‘can’t stop thinking about’ in the latest issue of her ‘Beau Society’ newsletter.

‘As you know, I’m always somewhere in between wanting to share every detail and wanting to keep them close to my heart,’ Steinfeld wrote on Friday. ‘But Beau Society felt like the right place to share some of the love and magic that made up our wedding weekend.’

Here are four things we learned about Allen and Steinfeld’s wedding:

Breakfast for two with pancakes on the menu

The bride and groom are traditionally separated from each other ahead of the wedding, but Allen and Steinfeld moved the goalposts and opted for an intimate breakfast with just the two of them.

‘On the morning of our wedding, Josh and I met for breakfast just before 7,’ Steinfeld wrote. ‘I’m so glad we did that. I don’t think I could’ve gone the whole day without seeing him! We had a little spread, which included my favorite lemon ricotta pancakes.’

Josh Allen ‘stunned’ by Steinfeld’s wedding dress

Steinfeld walked down the aisle in a strapless ivory wedding dress designed and tailored by Tamara Ralph, which was ‘easily the most perfect gown I’ve ever put on my body,’ she said. Steinfeld accessorized her gown with a pair of long, sheer gloves, Mikimoto earrings and a sleek bun adorned with a French Chantilly lace veil. Steinfeld said she ‘stunned (Allen) when I got to the altar,’ but noted that her wedding day look almost didn’t happen.

‘We were on the tightest timeline. Six weeks before the wedding, my mom and I flew to Paris straight from the ‘Sinners’ premiere in London for the fitting,’ she revealed. ‘I really had to lean into the whole ‘trust the process’ thing and thank God for Rob, Mariel, Tamara, and her team for pulling it all together in time. On our wedding day, when I put on this dress, I actually lost my breath. I’ve never felt more like myselfand more beautiful.’

Allen donned a Tom Ford tuxedo that he paired with a pleated shirt and black cufflinks. ‘Josh looked like the man of every dream I’ve ever had,’ Steinfeld gushed.

As for the guests? Steinfeld said the dress code was ‘all-black black tie’ to seamlessly match their ‘very classic and bold’ theme. The wedding was also ‘a no-phone wedding,’ which was ‘one of the best decisions we made.’

They walked down the aisle to this classic song

Steinfeld ditched a wedding bouquet and instead walked down the aisle with one single crystal rose. She was accompanied by her father Peter Steinfeld, which she called an emotional moment.

‘I’m very proud of us. It became a running joke that we’d be crying too hard to walk straight,’ she said. ‘I just remember the walkup looked like a façade. Josh was standing under this huge structure; it was the most surreal thing I’d ever seen.’

After Allen and Steinfeld said ‘I do,’ the newlyweds exited the altar to Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours).’ They also got a round of applause, from the sky that is: ‘The coolest thing happened after we got married: We walked off the aisle … and it started thundering. No rain, just thunder and lightning. Magical.’

The bridal party jumped into the pool

Allen and Steinfeld hosted an underground after-party to comply with sound ordinances in the area. The party was decked out with a cigar bar, Angel Margarita, grilled cheese sandwiches and chocolate chip cookies served with shot glasses of milk. The party didn’t stop until around 3 a.m. and they ended it with a bang. The bridal party jumped into the pool (except Steinfeld, who was dressed in feathers) in their tuxedos and dresses.

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SEC showdowns leads College World Series schedule for Day 2

If the goal was to save the best for last then the schedule-makers at the College World Series did their job with the lineup on Day 2 of the event.

Friday’s action saw two of the five national remaining seeds take the field. Saturday’s nightcap that wraps up the initial matchup in the opening round will feature the top two teams, which also to be SEC rivals. No. 2 Arkansas is the highest seed remaining. The Razorbacks will face perennial power LSU, the No. 7 seed in the field. It’s a dream matchup that should be full of drama.

But before those teams meet, there’s also another chapter to add to the story of Murray State. The Racers are the fourth No. 4 seed to make the CWS. They’ll get a matchup with UCLA in the afternoon, and we’ll see if the slipper still fits Cinderella.

How will the games play out? We break down the matchups.

No. 15 UCLA (47-16) vs. Murray State (44-15)

Time/TV: Saturday, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN

After quieting Texas-San Antonio’s hot bats in the superregionals, the Bruins’ first challenge in Omaha is another high-scoring squad. Michael Barnett (12-1, 4. 09 ERA) will likely draw the assignment, but whoever climbs the hill can count on a solid defense behind him. UCLA leads the nation with 63 double plays turned, exactly one a game.

The Racers figure to get traffic on the bases, as they lead the Omaha field in total hits with 641 and sport a .309 team batting average.  Much of the power is supplied by Jonathan Hogart with 22 homers, while Dom Decker and Dustin Mercer set the table.

No. 3 Arkansas (48-13) vs. No. 6 LSU (48-15)

Time/TV: Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN

This pairing might be viewed as an argument for reseeding the field, as pitting the highest-ranked survivors against each other in their first action in Omaha seems somewhat unbalanced. The Razorbacks, on paper at least, are the most complete squad here with the most home runs (124) as well as the nation’s best strikeout-to-walk ratio. Wehiwa Aloy leads the onslaught from the plate with 20 round-trippers, while Zach Root enters with 119 punchouts in 92.2 innings pitched.

It is worth noting, however, that LSU took a regular-season series from the Hogs in Baton Rouge in early May. The Tigers’ one-two punch of Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson also rack up their fair share of strikeouts, and Jared Jones paces a typically scary LSU batting order.

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