Retired USWNT legend Alex Morgan says the NWSL will continue to attract top domestic and international players even under its $3.3M salary cap, which rises to $5.1M by 2030. Speaking ahead of her jersey retirement with the San Diego Wave, Morgan pointed to the league’s competitiveness, improved facilities, and consistent high-level matches as major draws.

Her comments follow Alyssa Thompson’s record move to Chelsea and other big-money transfers abroad, which have fueled debate over whether Europe’s spending power could lure away talent.

Morgan, now a Wave minority owner, acknowledged the growing fees — with multiple $1M+ transfers this year — but said the NWSL’s week-to-week intensity still makes it “the most competitive league in the world.”

USWNT forward Alyssa Thompson has joined Chelsea from Angel City FC in a record-breaking transfer, one of the most expensive in women’s soccer. The 20-year-old leaves behind her role as Angel City’s star player to test herself against some of the world’s best in England.

For Chelsea, the signing fits their “Vision 2030” strategy of securing elite young talent. With Mayra Ramírez sidelined long-term, Thompson adds immediate depth and long-term promise as the club continues its push for the elusive Champions League title.

For Thompson, it’s a chance to grow: daily training with top players, tougher league and European matches, and a more competitive environment than the mid-table NWSL side she leaves. While she won’t walk into Chelsea as the star, she will gain valuable experience that should also benefit the USWNT.

For Angel City and the NWSL, it’s a major loss — both on the field and symbolically. Thompson was a hometown face of the league, and her departure highlights the challenge U.S. clubs face in keeping top talent amid Europe’s growing pull.

In her own words, Thompson’s goals with Chelsea are clear: “Win the Champions League. Develop as a player. Win — a lot.”

The D.C. Council voted 9–3 to approve a $3.7 billion stadium project at the historic RFK site, clearing the way for the Washington Commanders to return to the District. The team will cover $2.7B, while the city contributes $1B.

The domed stadium is slated to open by 2030, part of a 174-acre redevelopment including housing, retail, and a sports complex. Officials project $779M in city gains over 30 years, plus immediate job creation. A final council vote comes Sept. 17, but approval is expected. Fans and leaders hail the move as a historic homecoming for the franchise.

Thirty Bangladeshi nationals were sent back from the United States in handcuffs and shackles on Thursday night when a special chartered flight carrying them landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. The deportees were brought to the runway still bound in chains. The shackles were removed only before they were taken to the arrival gate. During this time, no one was allowed to approach them or take photographs.

Officials at the airport said the flight landed just after 11 pm but remained on the runway for three hours while the handcuffs and shackles were removed. Around 2 am, the deportees were brought under tight security to the airport’s arrival area. A special team from the Ministry of Home Affairs, several intelligence units, and officials from the US embassy were present.

According to reports, the NGO Brac provided financial assistance to help the deportees reach their homes. Eyewitnesses described the deportees as “devastated” after the long journey. Abdullah, a 22-year-old from Noakhali, said: “Throughout the journey, I was shackled like a marked criminal. Being sent back is already heartbreaking, but arriving chained like a terrorist made it even worse.”

Since US President Donald Trump began his second term, deportations of illegal immigrants have intensified. Over the past months, at least 180 Bangladeshis have been deported in several phases. Initially, deportees were not handcuffed or shackled, but on August 2, a military transport aircraft carried 39 Bangladeshis—including one woman—bound in chains to Dhaka.

The deportees described enduring nearly 60 hours in chains, sitting in extreme pain and surviving on only bread and water. Even trips to the toilet required escorting and re-shackling.

According to sources from the police Special Branch and the Immigration Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), 42 Bangladeshis were deported on a chartered flight on June 8 this year, and from March 6 to April 21, another 34 were sent back.

Most migrants had entered the US through Mexico, Latin America, or other routes, often paying Tk30 lakh to Tk75 lakh. Many of those returned on Thursday reported being held captive in Mexico by human trafficking networks. At least six said they were tortured and their families forced to pay ransoms of Tk40 lakh to Tk50 lakh. Tanzil Hasan of Munshiganj said some were extorted up to Tk75 lakh, forcing them to sell all assets to pay traffickers. He added that countless Bangladeshis remain in captivity under national and international trafficking networks.

A similar deportation in 2016, where 27 Bangladeshis were sent back in handcuffs, sparked strong reactions in Bangladesh, raising human rights concerns and prompting discussions between Dhaka and US authorities.

Migration experts argue that deportees should not be shackled during repatriation, citing violations of international human rights standards. Shariful Hasan, associate director of Brac’s Migration and Youth Platform, said: “People go abroad with the dream of a better life, often paying traffickers large sums. Deporting them in handcuffs is extremely regrettable and causes lifelong trauma. We hope future repatriations will be more humane and that US authorities take this issue seriously.”

The Trump administration has finally named its nominee for US ambassador to Bangladesh, choosing a seasoned career diplomat to fill the top post at its Dhaka mission.

Brent Christensen, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, has been nominated to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, according to an announcement on the White House’s official website dated September 2, 2025.

Christensen’s name was unveiled in a slew of appointments and nominations, that included the nomination of the current State Department spokesperson, Tammy Bruce, as ambassador to the United Nations, and Sergey Gor as ambassador to India.

All three nominations are subject to approval by the Senate.

Christensen has previous experience in Bangladesh, having served as Counselor for Political and Economic Affairs at the US Embassy here from 2019-2021, according to his official profile on the State Department’s website.

Early on in his career, he also served as Bangladesh Country Officer in the Office of Pakistan and Bangladesh Affairs, which no longer exists under that name, at the State Department.

His other appointments include Deputy Director, Office of Regional Security and Arms Transfers, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs at the Department of State (2016-2019), and as a Pearson Fellow on detail to the majority staff of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific (2015-2016).

He has also been Special Assistant to the Special Representative for North Korea Policy, Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs Cyber Coordinator, Deputy Counselor for Economic Affairs at the US Embassy in Manila, Deputy Economic Counselor at the US Embassy in San Salvador, Economic Officer at the US Embassy in Riyadh, and Vice Consul at the US Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

The US Embassy in Dhaka has been running without an ambassador since Peter Haas wrapped up his eventful tenure in the summer of 2024.

Since then, a series of charge de affaires or CDAs have filled the role, with Tracey Ann Jacobson, the current CDA, having been in the position since January.

The Bangladesh ambassador to Washington DC post has been vacant since Asad Alam Siam became foreign secretary

Dhaka: Ambassador Tareq Md Ariful Islam, who served as the permanent representative of Bangladesh to the UN Offices in Geneva, is going to be Bangladesh’s next ambassador to the United States. The post of Bangladesh ambassador to Washington DC has remained vacant for months since Ambassador Asad Alam Siam was appointed foreign secretary.

A senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told on Wednesday that Ambassador Tareq has moved out of Geneva to Washington DC. Tareq served as Bangladesh envoy to Sri Lanka before his appointment as Bangladesh envoy to the UN offices in Geneva in June 2024, succeeding Ambassador Mohammad Sufiur Rahman in this capacity. Ambassador Tareq, a career diplomat belonging to the 17th batch of the BCS (Foreign Affairs) Cadre, joined the service in 1998.

Prior to taking up the current position in November 2020, he was serving as the Deputy Permanent Representative in the Bangladesh Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.

As for his other assignments abroad, he had another stint (from 2005 to 2009) in the New York Permanent Mission as First Secretary initially and at the later part as Counsellor. He then served in the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata, India (2009-2012) as counsellor as well.

At the headquarters, he served as director general (South Asia Wing) and before that in various other capacities, including director (South Asia Wing), director (Foreign Minister’s Office) as well as in the personnel wing and the foreign secretary’s office.

Ambassador Tareq obtained a Master of Diplomacy and Trade degree from the Monash University, Australia and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet).

US Chargé d’Affaires in Dhaka Tracey Ann Jacobson on Monday said the US does not support any particular party, politician, or election outcome, as it expects fair elections in an atmosphere of peace and security early next year.

“The US embassy or the US government does not support any particular party, but we do meet political parties to understand their platforms and their goals. We do not support any particular politician, but we do meet politicians to understand their goals, and we do not support any particular outcome. That is for the people of Bangladesh to decide, and we wish you all the best in doing it,” she said.

The US envoy made the remarks while talking to reporters after a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner A M M Nasir Uddin at Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital.

Tracey Ann Jacobson said she came to the EC with some of her colleagues to listen and to learn and understand, as there are so many rumours and conspiracy theories out there.

Noting that she wants to be very clear what the US government position is, the envoy said the US supports the interim government led by Professor Yunus and the Central Election Commission in charting a pathway to free and fair elections early next year.

“We hope those elections will happen in an atmosphere of peace and security, and we hope they will lead to a successful democratic government that will represent the aspirations and dreams of the Bangladeshi people,” she said.

Jacobson led a three-member delegation from the US Embassy to the meeting. Two other delegation members are David Moo (political chief at the embassy) and Firoze Ahmed (political specialist).

Over a year after Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power following a US deep state-led regime change operation, Awami League sources spill the beans on three ministers who ‘collaborated’ with American officials

Three key ministers in the erstwhile Sheikh Hasina government were effectively subverted by the American ‘deep state’ and guided in particular ways to act against the interests of the Awami League regime in the weeks and months before August 5, 2024.

An ongoing thorough evaluation and assessment of why the Hasina government and the Awami League failed in preventing the massive students’ protest in July-August 2024 uncovers the shadowy roles played by Private Investment and Industry Adviser to the them prime minister, Salman F Rahman, Law Minister Anisul Haq and Minister of State for Information Mohammad Arafat to advance the aims and objectives of the US ‘deep state’.

Rahman and Haq were together arrested under mysterious circumstances from Dhaka’s Sadarghat area on the night of August 13, 2024.

There is little or no information related to Arafat’s whereabouts even as a cross-section of Bangladesh’s former and current officialdom, including security agencies, suspect that he may have used his contacts in the western world to flee abroad.

Speaking with Northeast News on the condition of anonymity, Awami League sources who were familiar with the last weeks of the Hasina regime said that Rahman, Haq and Arafat acted in ways that “harmed the interests” of the government in general and the then prime minister in particular.

This was corroborated by a former senior minister in Sheikh Hasina’s cabinet, who was familiar with Salman F Rahman aka ‘Darbesh’s’ meetings with American officials in the US. This former minister said that Darbesh effectively “shut us out” from approaching Sheikh Hasina on government business.

“They were found to be in direct touch with serving and retired US State Department officials not only in Bangladesh but also abroad since at least 2023, if not earlier,” an Awami League functionary close to the ousted Hasina said.

What is significant is that while Hasina never suspected the three of “betraying” her and the regime, she is now familiar with the precise roles played by the trio.

While some Awami League sources said they suspected the US deep state’s regime change operations began as far back as 2018, after the “questionable” election that brought Hasina back to power, other party sources said that the ball was set rolling in April-May 2023 when overt noises over “free and fair” elections were begun to be made by the State Department and its representative in Dhaka, the then Ambassador Peter D Haas, followed by Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu.

In this context, a June 2, 2022, intelligence report by an Indian central agency is revealing. It said, “US ambassador Peter Haas, who is constantly reminding BD (Bangladesh) of the need for restoring democracy, is part of the broader plan to bring down Hasina’s Government”.

By September end, 2023, when she made her last official visit to the United States, Hasina had realised that the American ‘deep state’ intended to unseat her from power.

“In a closed-door meeting with some close party functionaries, she placed six vexed issues that her government was confronted with as a consequence of US pressure.

“These included a proposal for Bangladesh to join the Quad, signing the GESOMIA and ACSA deals, allowing American companies to explore and exploit 26 oil and gas-rich areas and the broader issue of Myanmar as envisaged by the US under its Burma Act,” a party functionary said, adding, “Her chin rested on her hands. She appeared perturbed and worried. She could see the threat to her government”.

Hasina, these Awami Leagues functionaries said, was not prepared to give in to the pressures from the US. The sources said that she did not want to give away all the 26 oil and gas fields to US companies and was interested in “dividing these up among two to three multinational firms”.

Meanwhile, Salman F Rahman aka ‘Darbesh’, who had squirmed his way up the Awami League hierarchy and had placed himself in No. 2 position – effectively the deputy prime minister – maintained a hawk eye on Hasina, taking note of who she spoke with or met. During the Washington DC-leg of Hasina’s two-nation (Japan and US) visit in April-May 2023, the then prime minister was booked to stay at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. Instead of taking up a room at this hotel, Darbesh chose to check in to St Regis Hotel.

“The drive between St Regis Hotel and Ritz Carlton would take between 20-30 minutes,” said this source. There was to be a meeting to work out the details of launching a new media platform to counter the “propaganda” launched by some Bangladeshi media, including newspapers and online portals.

“Besides Darbesh, Mohammad Arafat was to be there too for the meeting that would finalise the details of the proposed media platform. Just as I was about to enter the meeting, I saw Marcia Bernicat (who was Ambassador to Bangladesh between 2015 and 2018) leave a room in which Darbesh was ensconced,” the source said.

“When I asked Darbesh two questions related to this meeting with Bernicat, his response was evasive. First, he said this was a separate meeting. Secondly, Darbesh said he did not want his guest seen among others,” the source said, adding, “the previous evening, there was a meeting between Bangladesh’s Ambassador to the US Mohammad Imran and Hasina. The PM’s son Sajib Wazed Joy was also in the meeting”.

There were at least six Americans, including William Milam, the then Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Afrin Akter, a foreign policy analyst and South Asia specialist and Bernicat who were in regular touch with Darbesh, the source said.

Bernicat and two other US State Department officials were sacked by the Donald Trump administration in the second half of January 2025. At that time, Bernicat held the post of Director-General of the US Foreign Service and Director of global talent leading the recruitment, assignment and career development of the State Department’s workforce.

“What stunned me was that later, after the Bangladeshi delegation returned to Dhaka, Darbesh conveyed through Arafat that the new media platform project was no longer required”, the source said, lamenting the “hard work that had gone into preparing a feasibility study and other steps toward that direction”.

Darbesh’s last visit to the US was in October-end 2023, when she had a meeting with US Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights Uzra Zeya.

In December 2024, an Awami League functionary in New York was told by the chief of staff of US Representative From New York (D) and Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Gregory Weldon Meeks that “something major would happen in Bangladesh in six months”.

Sheikh Hasina had little or no inkling of the conspiracy against her. “It was only a few months ago (in 2025) that I had the opportunity to share with Hasina the details of what I could piece together. Her facial muscles tightened as I narrated the extent and depth of the conspiracy that was hatched against her. She then instructed me to prepare a written report,” the source said.

August 3, 2024, was a critical date in Bangladesh’s history in general and Sheikh Hasina’s regime in particular. By that time, the students’ movement had taken a deadly turn, as violence and lawlessness became the order of the day. The first phase of violence – July 16 to 20 – had claimed several lives. The second phase – August 4-6 – was to be deadlier still.

“During a televised interview, a comment by Arafat, that the government had plenty of bullets to counter the students’ movement, proved disastrous, fueling ever more anger against the Hasina regime. This was not foolish; it was deliberate,” the source said.

“On August 3, 2024, the prime minister had convened a meeting in her office. The three services chiefs, the Inspector General of Police and the Directors General of DGFI and NSI were present at the meeting. At one point, the Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal asked Gen Waker-uz-Zaman what the police should do. Gen Zaman responded, saying ‘do not worry, the Army will take over,” the source said.

Hasina, the source said, had the time to “sack him”, but for reasons best known to her, she did not.

The Awami League as a party had also reached a point of indecisiveness or perhaps unseen hands held it in check. The party’s July karmasuchi (programme) included shok michhil (condolence rallies) in every ward of the Dhaka metropolitan area. Besides, there was a plan to bring in 400,000-500,000 party activists and supporters into the capital. “They were to be put up at the Bangabandhu Sammelan Kendra (the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre) at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in Dhaka,” the source said.

On July 30, having sensed that the students’ movement would intensify, Salman F Rahman asked Sheikh Rehana to reach Dhaka post haste from the UK.

“She was given the responsibility of telling Sheikh Hasina that in the event there is bloodshed, the Awami League rally would need to be cancelled. The responsibility for calling off the rally was devolved on Awami League office Secretary Biplab Barua.

“When party leaders backed going ahead with the rally, Sheikh Rehana exploded in rage, telling the assembled party leaders ‘do as you are being told to do’. The planned rally was cancelled, preventing the Awami League from putting up an effective counter-force against the students, Islami Chhatra Shibir, Jamaat-e-Islami and BNP activists and supporters,” the source revealed.

On August 5, Sheikh Hasina resigned, leaving Dhaka for New Delhi.

Close to a year after Sheikh Hasina’s government was toppled in a carefully orchestrated regime change operation, party leaders in Kolkata are bitter with the Awami League leadership.

“They complained that they had been paralysed when the party was in power and everything went well for the organisation. They had no opportunity to candidly express their views either on issues related to the party or the government. So, there was no honest criticism, there was no opportunity to evaluate. This sprung from the fear that they would lose their party or government posts,” Awami League sources said.

Party sources now feel that even as the US deep state had penetrated the Awami League’s upper echelon, a key factor that led to Sheikh Hasina’s “isolation” was her “disastrous” China visit between July 8 and 10.

She returned home at least a day before her scheduled date of arrival, indicating that the China visit did not go as well as planned.

This had the effect of angering India too, Awami League sources said, adding that the “China visit was a wrong strategic decision as far Bangladesh’s relations with India were concerned”.

Three people were shot and wounded in New York’s Times Square, the New York Police Department said on Saturday (9 August). The people – an 18-year-old female, 19 19-year-old male, and a 65-year-old male – are in a stable condition in hospital, an NYPD spokesperson said. A 17-year-old male is in custody, the NYPD added. The police also recovered a firearm.

The shooting took place at around 1:20am ET (0520 GMT) and followed a verbal altercation with one of the victims, the NYPD added. It said it was not known at this time whether the shooter or the victims knew each other. Mass shootings are relatively common in the United States, where guns are widely available.

The incident at one of New York’s most iconic tourist spots comes after July’s high-profile shooting in a Manhattan office tower, which left four people dead, including a senior Blackstone executive and an NYPD officer.

New York experienced record-low shooting incidents and victims in the first seven months of this year, and in July, according to a statement published by the city’s police department on 4 August. Crime is a key electoral issue for America’s largest city, which is set to hold mayoral elections in November.

A one-on-one meeting was held between BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and US Chargé d’Affaires to Bangladesh Ambassador Tracey Ann Jacobson in July last in London. Tarique Rahman’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir and the US Embassy in Dhaka confirmed the meeting, according to a private television channel.

Humayun Kabir described the meeting as “very good” and said it lasted for a couple of hours.

“The ambassador exchanged pleasantries with Tarique Rahman and got to know him personally,” he added.

The discussion focused on BNP’s views regarding the upcoming national election, the party’s vision for future governance and its international outlook. They discussed fundamental issues—what kind of country the BNP wants to build if it wins the next election, what the party’s position is on the electoral framework and how it sees its role internationally, Kabir said.

He emphasised that the discussions were fully aligned with the interests of Bangladesh’s people. “There is nothing that conflicts with the interest of the people of this country,” he noted.

Kabir said Tarique Rahman’s approach to foreign policy will be shaped by the aspirations of the people of Bangladesh and the spirit of the July Uprising.

“His foreign policy will prioritise the people’s interest and be rooted in what they have fought for,” he said.

According to Kabir, the meeting took place in two phases. In the first phase, Ambassador Jacobson enquired about Tarique Rahman’s well-being and discussed how he has been guiding his party over the past 17 years while living abroad.