D.C. United made North Carolina State defender Nikola Markovic the No. 1 overall selection of the 2026 MLS SuperDraft on Thursday.
The full three-round, 90-pick draft was conducted Thursday, just three days after Washington beat Markovic’s Wolfpack 3-2 in overtime to win the College Cup men’s national championship.
Markovic, a 6-foot-4 native of Quebec whose parents came from Serbia, played two seasons of college soccer at NC State and started 22 matches in 2025. He helped the Wolfpack lead the nation with 15 shutouts; they yielded just 13 goals all season.
‘It’s a dream come true,’ Markovic said after going No. 1, according to the league website. ‘I’ve been wanting to play pro all my life, and even though this is a dream come true, I think this is just the start because I want to accomplish a lot more.’
Markovic tallied one goal and one assist in each of his two seasons at NC State, but his value for rebuilding D.C. United is clearly at the defensive end, along with his leadership.
‘What Nikola brought to the table was not just that he was on the leader on the pitch, which we observed in detail, but he’s also a great leader off the pitch,’ D.C. United managing director of soccer operations Erkut Sogut said.
‘… He was a (College Cup) attendant, so we watched the games. We were live there, so we really went deep in making this decision, and it was very important to bring into this culture of D.C. United, a player with that winning mentality.’
D.C. United picked first overall for the first time since choosing 14-year-old wunderkind Freddy Adu in 2004.
FC Dallas held the second and third overall picks thanks to a pair of trades with Atlanta United and CF Montreal. Dallas selected Georgia Southern forward Ricky Louis at No. 2 and Virginia forward Nicholas Simmonds at No. 3.
Dallas also owned the No. 16 pick and took the first goalkeeper off the board, Vermont’s Niklas Herceg.
‘We were aggressive (in the draft) for a couple reasons,’ FC Dallas president Dan Hunt said, per the team website. ‘We have some open roster spots on our supplemental roster, which makes sense to fill with good college draft picks, especially when you can get top talent. This is a really talented group of players, and we listened to the staff talk about them over the last couple of weeks so I think we filled a lot of needs here.’
Sporting Kansas City took Clemson midfielder Kwaku Agyabeng fourth overall, and Orlando City picked the first American native at No. 5, Wake Forest midfielder Harvey Sarajian.
The Colorado Rapids opted to pick one of their own academy players, Rapids 2 forward Mamadou Billo Diop, with the sixth selection.
Rounding out the top 10, St. Louis City grabbed UC Davis defender Zack Lillington, D.C. United added Washington forward Richie Aman, Orlando selected Michigan defender Nolan Miller and the Rapids drafted Georgetown forward Mitchell Baker.
Inter Miami picked 30th overall after winning the MLS Cup on Dec. 6. Lionel Messi’s team drafted Bryant defender Abdel Talabi.
In “No Pain,” the third episode of Interview With the Vampire season two, Armand (Assad Zaman) shares the story of the Theatre des Vampires as Louis (Jacob Anderson) expresses reluctance to join—something that doesn’t stop Claudia (Delainey Hayles) from eagerly wanting to be a part of it.
Why Are Vampires Associated With Queerness?
This week we bite into the history of Paris’ vampire coven and Lestat’s (Sam Reid) role in its founding, as well as vampire rules, dark gifts, and more immortal romance. Levan Akin directs “No Pain” from a script by Heather Bellson in Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe of vampire lore, airing Sundays on AMC and AMC+.
Taking a break from the isolating room at Louis and Armand’s penthouse, Molloy (Eric Bogosian) gets a real meal at a posh sushi restaurant in Dubai. There he’s accosted by a man who goes by Raglan James (Justin Kirk), who represents another mysterious party tracking vampires that knows more than Molloy is being told by Louis and Armand. Book fans definitely geeked out a bit here at the character’s introduction and little foreshadowing lines from James thoughout (if you know you know). Molloy thinks he’s not exposed, but after James advises him to be open to communication, he ends up getting hacked by the mysterious figure anyway when he gets back into the penthouse. Talk about a poor firewall, friend! Daniel is immediately sent files of more vampire information that he ever imagined in relation to his interview subjects and himself.
Molloy tries to play it cool and hide James’ helpful info dump via chat box, as Armand arrives before Louis to share an on-the-record history lesson about the Paris Coven’s origins. The soft-spoken Armand is very old, despite his perpetually angelic-looking appearance: in 1556, the Roman Coven he was a part of sent him to Paris to head up its enclave, which lived in squalor deep in the shadows underground. They were run by sects driven through ancient religious laws and gods to keep them in eternal damnation mode under Satan. It got old very quickly for Armand; by the 18th century, when Lestat began to run amok in the city above, flaunting his alluring menace on the unsuspecting living, it drove most of the Paris Coven crazy to see such heretical behavior. But it intrigued Armand.
In order to exert dominance as the Paris Coven’s maitre, Armand reveals himself to the fledgling Lestat and informs him he’s his new master as he exists in their domain and must follow vampire law. So of course Lestat blows him off, with the swish of his cape and his blond bouncy hair, because he does not want to be an obedient, poor, peasant vampire. The rejection only makes the brat Frenchman more hot to Armand, who’s never faced a challenge. Naturally, the coven wants severe punishment for Lestat as they see him break so many more rules including taking a mortal lover. That’s the breaks for letting Lestat run his showman lifestyle—and Armand uses his ancient powers to literally drop his ass and drag him into cooperating with a show of power that switches Lestat’s view on Armand.
The boy wants power and he immediately plans to get it, so he shows up to the coven’s hovel with Christ on a cross (literally) to dismantle the old ways, which is what Armand wanted but knew he couldn’t get away with. He pisses on their rules and old god worship, because to Lestat they’re not there to stop them from being gods themselves. The coven breaks loose into the night; some end up taking to the sun to escape meaningless existence, while others jump into power. Knowing they need to be reeled in, because careless killing endangers all of them, Lestat encourages Armand to begin the coven anew through the Theatre des Vampires, a show where they perform their true identity and take their prey while the living laugh at the fiction they think they’re seeing.
Lestat’s reformation leads to a new age of the vampire, giving Armand the freedom he sought, and he tells Lestat he loves him while Lestat being Lestat only covets Armand’s dark gifts. As soon as he learns them from the maitre, Lestat abandons him and the coven but leaves them the means to continue without him. Lestat’s ghosting and lover melodrama is something Louis is aware of and helps provide insight on when he sits with Armand and Molloy. It would take Armand 150 years to tell someone else he loved them, and you can deduce it’s Louis—oh, the piping hot tea!
Molloy resumes Claudia’s Paris diaries, as she campaigns to join the coven that Louis wants no part of except to see her happy (and also he’s sweet on its maitre). She takes on the tasks of cleaning the theater house as she learns more about the coven, particularly Santiago. The acting troupe’s lead inspires her with his performances and dark gift of making people accept death before killing, and with her Daddy Lestat’s ambitious streak, she wants that power too. So Santiago takes her under his wing because he was also orphaned by a terrible maker, but of course he doesn’t know hers was Lestat—just some rando vamp named “Bruce.”
Lestat’s presence is also felt in Louis’ motivations; like his former lover, there’s an independent streak that prevents him from having any interest in the coven, and that makes him attractive to Armand. The Paris Coven resents that even though all Louis does is enjoy Parisian culture and take up photography, with sporadic human meals, Armand begins to join him on his late-night wandering throughout the city. They fall in love over discourse about good vs. evil and enjoying music at jazz clubs—even with the occasional mental projection of Lestat showing up in Louis’ mind. Last season’s “Come to Me” song reappears in a fun scene as a diss track with Lestat on piano singing to Louis, “You little whore, you only want him because you’re feeling blue,” which disrupts the romantic evening—and Armand reveals he knows his maker is Lestat. Foolishly, Louis tells Armand everything and the maitre reprimands him over breaking so many rules he needs to enforce punishments for. Honestly, the expectation that Lestat would even teach Louis any rules is ridiculous, so when he says Lestat told him “shit” the frustration is understandable. Thankfully, Armand is stupidly sprung on Louis too, so he doesn’t kill him or Claudia immediately as was probably expected.
Louis, of course, does not tell Claudia that his new boyfriend knows the truth; he continues to build a fake story around their history with “Bruce” and bond with her over their shared Lestat trauma. It really mirrors the complex PTSD that survivors of emotional and physical abuse can carry on from loved ones—even after making it out of the situation, it can haunt you, and in Louis’ case this presents as that manifestation of Lestat always following him. In anger, Louis kills a random person imagining them as Lestat and carelessly leaves the body behind. Within the coven, Santiago points out that his own maker was killed for less.
Tensions begin to rise as the coven wants Louis dealt with, even as they embrace Claudia. As they begin to induct her into the coven by reciting the rules every vampire should follow (not knowing she’s broken a few of them), Armand takes Louis through the sewers to finally kill him. Louis is ready for it and asks for Armand to take care of Claudia, but the maitre reveals her being in such a young body will break her in time. Louis doesn’t accept that and begs for the coven to give her a chance, but Armand insists he’s seen it before; over the centuries, vampires in children’s bodies are not able to evolve past their physical limitations. Louis defends her, insisting she’s strong and it wouldn’t break her—perhaps blinded by her love for her. Seeing the damage Lestat has caused, Armand asks if Lestat broke him and Louis says no, but he carries him. The trauma bonding brings them together as do the life and death stakes here. The tension is too much and they kiss, starting a tryst and avoiding all the punishment talk for now.
Just one week after Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, apologized for editing a photo of herself and her children on Mother’s Day, the UK royal family is in hot water again over another family portrait—which coincidentally is connected to Middleton.
Getty Images Wants AI to Stop Copying Them
Getty Images, one of the world’s largest photo agencies, alerted the public to the second manipulated image on Monday when it placed an editor’s note on a photo of the late Queen Elizabeth II surrounded by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. “Image has been digitally enhanced at source,” reads the editor’s note on the photo, which is still available for licensing.
The photo, a rare look at the late monarch with the family’s youngest members, was taken by Middleton in August 2022 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. It was shared by the official social media account for the Prince and Princess of Wales on April 21, 2023, to commemorate what would have been Queen Elizabeth’s 97th birthday. Queen Elizabeth died in September 2022. The photo was also sent to agencies like Getty.
Getty was one of many photo agencies, along with the Associated Press and Reuters, that removed Middleton’s Mother’s Day photo from its offerings last week. The agencies only allow minimal editing in the photos they distribute.
“Getty Images is undertaking a review of handout images and in accordance with its editorial policy is placing an editor’s note on images where the source has suggested they could be digitally enhanced,” a Getty Images spokesperson told Gizmodo in an emailed statement on Tuesday.
The press office of the Prince and the Princess of Wales couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
To my untrained eyes, it’s not clear how many edits have been made to the photo of Queen Elizabeth with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and Getty didn’t specify. CNN reports that it found 19 possible alterations, while The Telegraph found 7.
Here are the ones I can see with my face pressed up to my computer screen:
There is a misalignment of Queen Elizabeth’s plaid skirt near her right elbow. This one is pretty bad. The misalignment run from the skirt to the green couch, where the fabric dimples near the button don’t align.
There is a black cutout above Prince George’s shoulder. You can see it set against the green dress of Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor.
Prince Louis, who is on the right next to the vase with the red rose, looks like his head was cropped out from somewhere else if you zoom in.
Savannah Philips, the Queen’s great-granddaughter who is sitting next to her in red, looks like her blonde hair is going through her red sleeve. It then magically reappears.
On the side of the couch near the vase with the rose, there’s another bad alignment. Dimple marks don’t line up.
If you all find more, please feel free to let me know in the comments!
While Middleton hasn’t come out to say the edits were her work—it’s very possible she only took the photo—it’s hard not to make the connection. (The Royal Family credited the Princess as the photographer on social media.) The incident calls the UK royal family’s reputation into question and increases the storm of scrutiny already surrounding them due to Middleton’s months-long disappearance from the public eye after abdominal surgery. Middleton’s absence has prompted a slew of conspiracy theories, with some speculating that she’s getting a divorce from Prince William or is actually dead.
Coupled with AI, which has been creating fake celebrity porn and other atrocities, the incident seems to reflect the dawn of a new era where we can’t trust what we see.
In an interview last week, Phil Chetwynd, the global news director of Agence France-Presse (AFP) said that the palace had been considered a trusted source for a long time. Asked if it was still a trusted source, Chetwynd said: “No, absolutely not.”
Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, wants everyone to chill out about the photo of her and her kids, which has caused an international firestorm after being pulled by some of the world’s biggest photo agencies for being “manipulated.” According to Middleton, that is correct. In fact, she Photoshopped it herself.
Treating GIFs as Fine Art | Gizmodo Interview
“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” Middleton said in a post on her and Prince William’s X, formerly Twitter, account on Monday morning. “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C.”
Middleton posted the photo, which shows her sitting down and smiling with her children George, Charlotte, and Louis, to social media on Sunday to commemorate the U.K.’s Mother Day holiday. Ironically, the photo appeared to be aimed at quelling the intense speculation around Middleton’s absence from the public eye for nearly two months after a planned abdominal surgery.
Her rare disappearance set off a swirl of rumors and conspiracy theories, with some stating that it was proof that she and Prince William were having problems in their marriage. Others speculated that she was suffering from a more serious health condition and could be in a coma.
“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day,” the Sunday photo caption read, ending with “C” to indicate that it was posted by Middleton. The caption also added that it was taken by Prince William in 2024.
As of the time of publication of this article, the photo had been viewed more than 68 million times on X. It was also still available on Middleton and Prince William’s X account.
Middleton’s Mother’s Day Photo Fuels Conspiracies
However, instead of calming the public’s conspiracy theories, Middleton’s recent photo only fueled them. Online sleuths pointed out that Middleton was not wearing her wedding ring in the photo—Gizmodo also could not see a ring on Middleton’s left hand—and that her face appeared different from a paparazzi photo taken less than a week ago. (It’s not clear that it was Middleton in the photo.)
The firestorm only intensified when some of the world’s biggest photo agencies pulled the image from their wires and issued a “kill notice,” claiming the photo had been manipulated. The Associated Press and Getty confirmed to Gizmodo that they had pulled the photo, with the AP stating that Princess Charlotte’s hand been edited.
“The Associated Press initially published the photo, which was issued by Kensington Palace. The AP later retracted the image because at closer inspection, it appears that the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet AP’s photo standards,” AP spokesperson Nicole Meir said in an emailed statement. “The photo shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand.”
Reuters and Agence France-Presse also pulled it, according to The Telegraph. The photo agencies did not immediately return Gizmodo’s request for comment.
While I didn’t see what was up with Princess Charlotte’s hand at first, after a lot of concentration and zooming, you can clearly see that part of her left arm has been erased. Some users on X also noticed that Middleton’s hair was strangely blurred, which I can also see. They also pointed out that the Princess’ hand holding Prince George was also blurred (ditto, I see that too).
Gizmodo reached out to media representatives for the royal family on Monday morning but did not immediately hear back.
TLDR: Middleton Is Probably Just a Mom Who Edited a Pic She Didn’t Like
With key words like “royals,” “missing princess,” “kill notice,” and “manipulated photo,” it’s no wonder why this incident quickly snowballed into one of the biggest stories of the last few days. I get it. But I also have a lot of friends who are moms, and a lot of friends who are women, that edit their photos all the time—especially when their significant other is the one snapping the pic. If I had to bet, that’s what probably happened here. (Feel free to remind me if I turn out to be wrong so I can eat my computer.)
In today’s ruthless and fake photo landscape, it’s normal to see “flaws” where there may not be any and want to fix them. Maybe Princess Charlotte had a seam popping out of her sweater, or maybe Middleton had a gray hair that was visible. Technology makes it easier than ever to fix these details or erase them, but it also creates a vicious cycle where people are motivated to keep editing their photos in search of “perfection.”
Unfortunately, while Middleton is probably just a mom who didn’t like the photo her husband took or simply looked at it for way too long, when you’re one of the main members of the UK royal family, you’re not allowed to do normal things like editing your photos. Middleton has been in the royal family’s orbit for more than two decades, so I have no doubt she knows this. But alas, she’s a human who’s recently had abdominal surgery and is under a lot of public scrutiny. In this situation, anyone can make a mistake, even a person who’s known for being a pro at her job.
While she grew up wanting to live among animals, she was actually approached to study the chimpanzees by Louis Leakey, an anthropologist whos research she was helping. Until Jane Goodall’s research, chimps were believed to be passive vegetarians and that only humans used tools.
Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of State, national security advisor, and lover of carpet bombing innocent civilians, passed away at the age of 100. The Onion asked Americans how they felt about his death, and this is what they said.
James Kessler, Psychologist
James Kessler, Psychologist
“Look, being nice in life won’t get you a Nobel Peace Prize.”
Sharon Thatcher, Teacher
“He wasn’t just a war criminal, he was our war criminal.”
Whitney Plainfield, Administrative Assistant
Whitney Plainfield, Administrative Assistant
“He would have hated to see anyone die painlessly and peacefully like this.”
Lisa Johnson, Dietician
“I don’t want to diminish his legacy by citing the Cambodian government’s official death toll because I know the real number was much, much worse.”
Gina Garroni, Delivery Driver
Gina Garroni, Delivery Driver
“Is that what I ran over last night?”
Christa Deacon, Guidance Counselor
Christa Deacon, Guidance Counselor
“May he be as bloodthirsty in death as he was in life.”
Melissa Stevens, Mortgage Banker
Melissa Stevens, Mortgage Banker
“Love him or hate him, he’ll always be remembered as the best goddamn contestant Rock Of Love ever saw.”
Dan Potter, Fireman
“I sprayed some agent orange on my kids today in his honor.”
Brook Pratt, Pest Control Worker
Brook Pratt, Pest Control Worker
“But he still had so many war crimes left in him.”
George W. Bush, Former President
George W. Bush, Former President
“I remember the first day of my presidency, he was nice enough to send me an unexploded IED.”
Greg Bentley, Graphic Artist
Greg Bentley, Graphic Artist
“But he looked so young in ‘Oppenheimer’?”
Al Preston, Copywriter
“If we all close our eyes and say a racial slur at the same time, maybe he’ll come back to life.”
Carter Jacobs, Electrician
Carter Jacobs, Electrician
“Say what you will about the guy.”
Barack Obama, Former President
Barack Obama, Former President
“He taught me that war didn’t have to be fair. The most important part was that it was pointless and bloody.”
Tom Buchner, Woodworker
“That’s what he gets for breaking into a house in a state with stand-your-ground laws.”
Alejandro Sotolongo, Art Director
Alejandro Sotolongo, Art Director
“Let he who has not carpet bombed Cambodia throw the first stone.”
Paul Flannery, Line Cook
“This is just like Paul Walker all over again.”
Lisa Hitchens, File Clerk
Lisa Hitchens, File Clerk
“He put Cambodia on the map and almost took it off.”
Dick Cheney, Retired
“Nobody’s perfect, but he came pretty close.”
Dean Verecci, Software Engineer
Dean Verecci, Software Engineer
“Oh thank god, the last war criminal in the American government is finally dead.”
Kevin Spell, Physical Trainer
Kevin Spell, Physical Trainer
“It brings a tear to my eye thinking of all the innocent people that will never get to die by his hand.”
Gene Schaefer, Bus Driver
Gene Schaefer, Bus Driver
“If you think that man was impressive, you should taste my wife Beth’s homemade potato salad. It’s out of this world!”
Irene Stobbs, Accountant
“Oh no, Paula and Louis’s kid?”
Nick Farrington, Dentist
“I just hope we don’t start tearing down all the Henry Kissinger monuments.”
Jessie Untermeyer, Music Teacher
Jessie Untermeyer, Music Teacher
“I hope he had just as much fun killing all those people as we had watching him kill them.”
George Huntington, Retired
George Huntington, Retired
“I’m not going to sugarcoat it—Henry had the mind of a supervillain, the heart of a serial killer, and the elegant gams of a va-va-voom showgirl.”
St. Louis Fed President James Bullard on Monday said he would like to see two more quarter-percentage-point interest-rate hikes this year.
“I think we’re going to have to grind higher with the policy rate in order to put downward pressure on inflation,” Bullard said in a moderated discussion at the American Gas Association’s Financial Forum in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Bullard said that the timing of the rate hikes was uncertain but that he has been an advocate of raising rates “sooner rather than later.”
“You want to get the downward pressure while you can,” he said.
The Fed raised its benchmark rate by 25 basis points to a range of 5%-5.25% at its meeting in May. That matches the median forecast of Fed officials for the peak interest rate in this cycle.
Officials at the Fed are divided over whether to continue to hike rates at their meeting in mid-June or pausing to see how the economy is affected by lags from the rapid pace of hikes. Some officials don’t like the word “pause” and have described holding rates steady in June as a “skip,” because it underlines that they are not saying they are done raising rates.
The markets think the Fed is done with rate hikes and have even been pricing in rate cuts later this year.
Bullard said that the Fed’s forecast of no more hikes was based on its expectations of slower growth and a faster drop in inflation in the first half of the year than has been seen in subsequent data.
Put together by two talented chefs – one French and one Indian; a five-course menu that took nine months to be finalised; and 60ml of LOUIS XIII by Remy Martin – one of the most exclusive cognacs in the world, and you get a meal fit for royalty. The LOUIS XIII Gastronomy experience – a rare culinary event is now available for booking at Jamavar at The Leela Palace, New Delhi. There will be one dinner hosted per month starting November 25, and through to March 2023.
The dinner paired with 30ml of LOUIS XIII is priced at Rs 30,000 plus taxes, with 60ml of LOUIS XIII it is priced at Rs 50,000 plus taxes and in case you wish to invite friends over (up to eight guests) you can book an entire decanter of LOUIS XIII for Rs 450,000.
“The ephemeral experience is an invitation on a journey through time, space and aromas; combining past, present and future into one single moment of excellence,” says Malo Le Mestre, LOUIS XIII Brand Ambassador in India.
This is the first time that LOUIS XIII is offering a culinary pairing experience. Initiated in January 2022 during a LOUIS XIII tasting, the collaboration got the two chefs — The Executive Chef of Maison Rémy Martin, Romuald Feger and Shamsher Ahmed, Masterchef at Jamavar, The Leela Palace New Delhi – to create dishes that would perfectly pair with the aromatic complexity of LOUIS XIII.
The five-course menu offers both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. On the menu are dishes like kale chaat, gucchi (Kashmiri morel) and yam gilauti kebab, murgh doheri kebab with Himalayan trout, gosht nalli nihari, among others. Chef Feger has reinterpreted a traditional dessert — malai makhan or daulat ki chaat — found in Old Delhi to be complimented by LOUIS XIII.
“Beyond the intense and demanding work we performed with Chef Ahmed on pairings, what I truly appreciate about this creation is that we went beyond the usual concept of a fusion of cultures, wishing to respect the true nature and identity of Indian cuisine. It is not an adaption to serve the purpose; it is the reveal of an unexplored and subtle reality,” says Chef Romuald Feger, Executive Chef of Maison Rémy Martin.
Chef Shamsher Ahmed, Jamavar, The Leela Palace New Delhi added: “With this collaboration, I truly experienced what ‘pioneering” means. As culinary explorers, Chef Feger and I did numerous experiments to confirm which sensations each ingredient, each cooking technique, each texture would offer once paired with LOUIS XIII.”
Bookings can be made at The Leela Palace New Delhi or register online on the LOUIS XIII society.
