Stephen Colbert officially made his final bow as host of "The Late Show" after 11 years with a star-studded series finale that refrained from getting political. "This show... has been a joy for us to do for you," Colbert told his audience in the cold open. "On night one of 'The Colbert Report' back in the day, I said 'Anyone can read the news to you, I promise to feel the news at you.' And I realized pretty soon in this job that our job over here was different. We were here to feel the news with you. And I don't know about you, but I sure have felt it," he said. A LOOK BACK AT STEPHEN COLBERT'S MOST PARTISAN MOMENTS AS ‘THE LATE SHOW’ HOST Colbert, who is widely credited for leading the politicization of late-night television, avoided politics in his final show, not even uttering President Donald Trump's name. Filling the political void was a slew of Colbert's famous friends. Among the cameos were Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd...

Stephen Colbert and I go way back. I’ve interviewed him many times. I’ve been on his show, he’s been on my show. Whether or not you agree with his liberal crusading – and half the country can’t stand it – his final show raised questions about political retribution, a splintered media universe and the crumbling future of late night itself.  THE ART OF PERFECTION: HOW TRUMP SURVIVES EVEN HIS WORST BLUNDERS THROUGH SHEER REPETITION Putting aside the cosmic conclusions for a moment, I first interviewed Colbert when Comedy Central was giving "The Daily Show" correspondent an eight-week tryout as host of his own show, and he didn’t know if it would last. He was congenial and about as quick-witted as any comedian I’ve seen, possibly matched by Jon Stewart. While playing a blowhard conservative anchor on "The Colbert Report," he once took a mild swipe at me. I had reported, factually, on Fox that some Republicans and right-wing media figures were taking shots at Hillary Cli...

A Brooklyn woman who drowned her three children in the Atlantic Ocean near Coney Island’s famous boardwalk will spend decades behind bars. Erin Merdy, 34, was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty earlier this year to first-degree murder charges in the 2022 deaths of her 7-year-old son Zachary, her 4-year-old daughter Liliana and her 3-month-old son Oliver. "No sentence can fully measure the loss of a seven-year-old, a four-year-old and a three-month-old baby, or the grief their loved ones will carry forever," Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement. "We sought the strongest possible accountability in this devastating case, and while nothing can bring these children back, this sentence ensures the defendant will be held responsible for taking their lives," he added. JUDGE SENTENCES NEVADA MOM FOR DROWNING YOUNG SON, DAUGHTER: 'I WILL REMEMBER YOUR CASE FOREVER' Gonzalez said the children’s lives were taken "in the most heartbr...

After spending six years as the head coach, leading the Tigers to a national championship in 2019, Ed Orgeron is returning to LSU to join Lane Kiffin's staff. Sometimes, college football creates some of the wildest marriages that you could imagine. And this latest move by the Tigers will surely create a buzz along the Bayou. After spending the past number of years outside of the game, providing us with plenty of hilarious moments along the way, the stars aligned for the former head coach to return to LSU after being let go in 2021 by former athletic director Scott Woodward. ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! But, with his firing came a massive $17.1 million buyout, which Orgeron gladly took on his way out the door with a national title in his back pocket. Now, he returns to the building as the "special assistant to recruiting and defense" for Kiffin, which will also allow him hit the road recruiting thanks to a rule passed...

The quest to find the one candidate that can beat Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., isn’t quite over yet, with a runoff between a political outsider and an experienced lawmaker teed up for next month.  Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., and former college football coach Derek Dooley are headed to a runoff election on June 16 in a state of particular political consequence for either party hoping to keep or gain power in the Senate. The contest comes after a bruising primary between Collins, Dooley, and Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., and a battle that President Donald Trump has so far avoided.  GOP CIVIL WAR ERUPTS OVER SHUTDOWN POLITICS IN CRITICAL SENATE RACE: ‘NOT A WINNING FORMULA’ His endorsement, as in other races, could make or break either Collins’ or Dooley’s chances moving forward. Dooley has embraced the outsider moniker, arguing that he would side with Trump in ways that benefit Georgians.  "As your Senator, I’ll never forget that you’re the boss and D.C. politicians need accountability,"...

The following is kind of a made-up story, but required reading for anyone with a 2028 fixation . I don’t mean that it’s fictional. This Axios piece is based on real reporting. But it’s just another angle out of a thousand possible angles about who might win the next Democratic nomination . I’m an Axios fan. I’ve written many such stories myself. It’s what you do when there’s no hard news about an event that won’t start for another year and a half.  You’ve got to keep feeding the beast. AOC, ASKED ABOUT RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT, SAYS HER AMBITION IS 'WAY BIGGER THAN THAT' (In fairness, Axios’ first three stories yesterday were about the war, Donald Trump’s suit against the IRS and congressional maneuvering.) So this is one of those in-between stories, for days when there are no hard-news developments. We used to call this the "invisible primary." But that term has to be retired. In the era of X and Instagram, of group chats, of powerhouse podcasts, nothing is invisible a...

A former Virginia assistant principal is on trial on felony child neglect charges after prosecutors say she ignored warnings that a 6-year-old student had a loaded gun before the child shot his teacher in 2023. Jury selection began Monday in Newport News in the trial of Ebony Parker, the former assistant principal at Richneck Elementary School. Parker, who has pleaded not guilty, faces eight felony child neglect charges tied to the shooting of first-grade teacher Abby Zwerner, according to The Associated Press. Prosecutors allege several school employees warned Parker that the student might have a gun, but she failed to take action before the shooting happened, the outlet reported. Parker’s defense has argued she is being unfairly blamed for broader failures that preceded the shooting. ATTORNEY SAYS VIRGINIA SCHOOL MISSED WARNINGS BEFORE 6-YEAR-OLD SHOT TEACHER Prosecutors brought one count for each of the eight bullets loaded in the gun. If convicted, Parker could face up to five y...