U.S. second lady Usha Vance has been selected to lead the presidential delegation to Italy for the 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games, the Office of President Donald Trump announced Thursday.
Vance will lead the delegation to Turin, Italy, the host city for this year's Games. The opening ceremony is scheduled for Friday.
Usha is a lawyer married to Vice President JD Vance since 2014. They have three children.
Usha sat next to former high school volleyball player Payton McNabb during Trump's address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night. McNabb told Fox News Digital she was "heartbroken" when she learned Trump's executive order on transgender athletes' participation in women’s and girls sports was not codified into law by the Senate.
"Last night, just overall, the Democrat Party was so disrespectful," McNabb said in reference to members of the party who were wearing pink during the joint session of Congress.
"And they didn't stand up for any of the guests. They didn't stand up for DJ Daniel, who is the young boy who survived brain cancer. They didn't stand up for Laken Riley's family, whose daughter literally suffered a traumatic death that should have never happened. And every other guest that was there had some sort of powerful story, and they didn't clap for any of that."
"So, it was heartbreaking, and honestly I wish I could say I was surprised, but I'm not," she concluded.
Other members of the presidential delegation, according to The White House, are:
Shawn Crowley, Chargé d’Affaires a.i., U.S. Embassy to Italy and San Marino; T.H. Trent Michael Morse, deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of presidential personnel; Riley M. Barnes, senior bureau official of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, U.S. Department of State; Douglass Benning, consul general, U.S. Consulate Milan, Italy; Rachel Campos-Duffy, "Fox & Friends Weekend" host and wife of U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy; Boris Epshteyn, senior counsel and senior advisor to President Donald Trump; and Richard Walters, partner at FGS Global.
Serena Williams held her daughter at the ASB Classic in 2020. WTA announced the Maternity Fund Program on Thursday, saying Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund will support the initiative.
MICHAEL BRADLEY / AFP
The Women's Tennis Association announced maternity benefits for its players.
The benefits include up to 12 months of paid maternity leave.
Stars like Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka have pushed for maternity benefits for athletes.
Women's tennis players are now eligible for paid maternal leave, marking a historic moment in the sport's history.
The Women's Tennis Association announced the Maternity Fund Program on Thursday, saying Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund will support the initiative. Eligible WTA players can receive up to 12 months of paid maternity leave.
Victoria Azarenka, a WTA Players' Council Representative and professional tennis player, said the program will help athletes navigate their careers and personal life.
"This marks the beginning of a meaningful shift in how we support women in tennis, making it easier for athletes to pursue both their careers and their aspirations of starting a family," she said in a statement. "Ensuring that programs like this exist has been a personal mission of mine, and I'm excited to see the lasting impact it will have for generations to come."
Navigating that balance can be difficult for tennis players who double as mothers, and some have spoken out about their experience returning to the game after having children.
Here's what they said.
Serena Williams
Serena Williams and her family attended the 2024 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.
Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty Images
Serena Williams was a dominating force during her 27-year professional tennis career, winning 23 Grand Slam singles titles and four Olympic gold medals.
Among her accomplishments is winning the 2017 Australian Open while pregnant with her and Alexis Ohanian's first child. Their daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., arrived in 2017.
Williams has discussed her experience navigating motherhood on several occasions, including a 2018 op-ed with CNN, in which Williams said she almost died giving birth to her daughter. Williams delivered Olympia through an emergency C-Section and experienced complications afterward.
"When I finally made it home to my family, I had to spend the first six weeks of motherhood in bed," she wrote.
During a 2018 interview with Time, Williams recounted juggling motherhood while trying to jump back into her career. She told the outlet she breastfed her daughter for eight months, which became a point of contention with her former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, who asked she stop nursing.
"It's absolutely hard to take from a guy," Williams said. "He's not a woman, he doesn't understand that connection, that the best time of the day for me was when I tried to feed her. I've spent my whole life making everyone happy, just servicing it seems like everyone. And this is something I wanted to do."
Williams told the outlet she later chose to stop breastfeeding, saying, "I looked at Olympia, and I was like, 'Listen, Mommy needs to get her body back, so Mommy's going to stop now.' We had a really good conversation. We talked it out."
Williams made a quick return to the tennis court, playing in an exhibit match in Abu Dhabi just four months after giving birth but losing to Jelena Ostapenko, according to People. However, she went on to win other matches and the 2020 ASB Classic.
Victoria Azarenka spent time with her son, Leo, during a tournament in 2024.
Foto Olimpik/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Victoria Azarenka is a notable figure in professional women's tennis, winning the Australian Open in 2012 and 2013 in addition to scoring two Olympic medals.
Azarenka and her former boyfriend, Billy McKeague, welcomed a son named Leo in 2016. She announced her pregnancy with an X post that July, saying she was "truly inspired by female athletes who return to the very top of their sport after having children, and I plan to do exactly that."
She returned to the court in 2017 and won her first match back, according to BBC. Two years later, the Belarusian athlete told the outlet that she thought getting pregnant would end her career.
"I was scared, it wasn't easy," she told the outlet. "I knew I was going to come back, but my first thought was, 'Oh my god, I'm never going to play tennis again.'"
However, said she felt "stronger" after giving birth.
"I'm sure a lot of women won't be able to relate to me, but I felt so much better after (the pregnancy)," she said. "I felt so much stronger physically, and my body became so much better. I felt like my body finally matured into being a woman."
Azarenka has publicly pushed for parental benefits for Women's Tennis Association players. She and Serena Williams were among those who campaigned to protect the rankings of players who go on maternity leave. The association updated its policies in 2019 about rankings and maternity leave.
She later advocated for maternity pay for Women's Tennis Association members in a 2024 interview with BBC Sports.
"There's a lot more that has to change, and I hope that we are on the right track to do it," Azarenka told the outlet. "I think the important part is to change the financial part of maternity leave. I think that would be a huge win for women in general, so I hope we find the resources to be able to do that. I think that would be incredible."
Azarenka said players with lower rankings could benefit from such a policy.
"I have, I'm guessing, more financial security than some players who may be outside the top 100 and maybe have the same desires and ambitions to have a child and continue to do their job," she said.
Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka gave birth to her daughter, Shai, in 2023.
Robert Prange/Getty Images
Naomi Osaka was among the wave of Gen Z female tennis players who gained prominence on the international stage. In 2019, she became the first Asian player to be world No. 1 after winning the Australian Open.
"Having a baby completely destroys your pelvic floor," Osaka told Glamour in 2024. "I was shocked because I couldn't get up out of my bed. I had to roll sideways, and it was a really long process because, for me, my immediate way of thinking is: To rebuild this, I have to do a lot of sit-ups. And I learned that that's totally not what you're supposed to do. You're supposed to do deep pelvic-floor work."
Osaka told Glamour that was one of the reasons she began training just 15 days after giving birth. She also decided not to breastfeed her daughter because of Serena Williams.
"I watched Serena's documentary, and I saw her pumping before she went onto the court to play a match," she said. "I was thinking to myself, This might not be the path for me."
Osaka vocally supported parental pay for Women's Tennis Association players during a 2024 interview with the BBC.
"I think it would definitely be life-changing, and I feel like having a kid shouldn't feel like a punishment," she said. "For most female athletes, I think there's a discussion that your career's going to change dramatically or going to finish because you have a kid, so just appreciating them more and giving more options is something that is very necessary."
Taylor Townsend
Taylor Townsend attended the National Bank Open in August 2024.
Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images
Taylor Townsend is a two-time Doubles Grand Slam champion, which includes a title at the 2025 Australian Open.
Townsend told Essence that she welcomed her son AJ in 2021 after learning of her pregnancy the prior year. The news came as a shock to Townsend, who told the outlet she didn't want children.
"One of the things that was shocking was I didn't want kids because I have spent my whole entire life playing tennis. I've been playing tennis since I was four," she said in January.
Townsend said she underwent a C-section during delivery, which affected her recovery and journey back to the tennis court.
"And when I finally got to the place where I could be active, moving my body, the core strengthening was the most important," she said. "But to be honest, I'm still in a place where I'm still working on that, and my core is still not a hundred percent because of the damage that was done with the C-section."
Townsend said the C-section process was "traumatic" for her body.
"So it is just something that I'm going to constantly have to work on basically for the rest of my life because it's something that was just so traumatic for the body," Townsend said. "So, it's a work in progress. It's definitely not anything that's just a one-time thing, but a lot of sit-ups, a lot of crunches, a lot of planks, all the things."
Townsend told the outlet that in the past, women who had children typically retired from their careers.
"And now I feel like we're in a place and in a time where women are having the ability to come back and play into their later years. I've even been playing my best tennis later in my career," she said.
Tatjana Maria
Tatjana Maria attended the 2023 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix with her husband and children.
Robert Prange/Getty Images
Tatjana Maria has won three singles titles and collected nearly $6 million during her professional tennis career.
Maria is married to and shares two daughters with Charles Edouard Maria, who also serves as her coach. Charlotte was born in 2013, while Cecilia arrived in 2021, according to Sky News.
During a 2022 interview with the Women's Tennis Association, Maria reflected on taking maternity leave twice. She told the association she honed new skills during her first maternity leave and returned to the court four months after giving birth to Charlotte.
However, things were different the second time around.
"Maria says that the major difference coming back the second time was that she made no fundamental changes to her game, consequently didn't practice as much and therefore found it harder to get back in shape," the association said.
Maria jumped back into her career three months after giving birth to Cecilia. She's currently ranked 87th in the Women's Tennis Association.
"I'm kind of proud of myself to reach this point again," Maria said. "When you start coming back after a child, you never know how it will go. I have to say, I have been really lucky with my body. I am not really the person who is injured a lot, so I hope it stays like this. I can play a lot, and I like to play a lot."
The author realized that now that her daughter is a teen, she's not the one who knows her the best.
Courtesy of the author
Parenting my teen wasn't hard until I realized I wasn't ready to let her go.
I got weirdly clingy and was afraid I'd push her away.
Refocusing on myself helped me look forward to the future and a new version of our relationship.
When my daughter was an adorably cheeky toddler, it seemed every older person I encountered told me, "Wait 'til she's a teen!" before sharing some teenager-related horror story.
I hated all the negativity and refused to believe that a difficult parent-teen connection was inevitable. I worked hard to maintain a healthy relationship, and at 17, my daughter rarely rolls her eyes at me. She still likes to hang out, has a kind boyfriend and an amazing group of friends, and is rocking high school.
I wasn't prepared for the realization that hit me as I waved goodnight to her boyfriend a couple of months ago; I no longer know her best. Instead of sharing her secrets with me, she shares them with him or her besties in the group chat. While she's living her best life, I am coming to terms with the fact that this amazing human is spreading her wings, and my job is to stand back, watch her soar, and be a steady, soft place if she needs to crash land.
I was surprised by my reaction to her growing independence
Having a graduate degree in psychology, I understood this was a normal, healthy part of adolescent individuation, the process that allows teens to fully develop their sense of self and become functioning adults. But nothing prepared me for the messiness of my own emotions. I was horrified to find myself peppering her with questions, barging in on her conversations, and feeling hurt when her dad knew something I didn't. My sadness had me holding on tighter when I was supposed to be letting go.
"The feeling of grief is sometimes surprising to people because they don't see it as grief," explained my neighbor Carla Corral, a licensed clinical psychologist whose oldest daughter is a sophomore in college. "We're not losing somebody, right, to death or illness or the abrupt end of a relationship, but it's grief."
I didn't like the way my grief had me inserting myself into my daughter's life. I felt needy, clingy, and decidedly not cool. I didn't want to push her away or make her feel she needed to care for my feelings. It was time to get hold of myself.
I had to change my behavior or risk pushing her away
I thought back to how exciting life was when I was her age and how eager and capable I felt. Shifting away from my current point of view as a concerned mom helped me see how smart, responsible, and prepared my daughter is. I also turned my attention back on myself and my dreams for the future. I grew up dancing, so I joined a tap class. It's great exercise and so much fun. Instead of gifts for Christmas, I gave my friends a breakfast or lunch date to prioritize connecting one-on-one.
I started journaling again to dump my worries on the page instead of on my daughter. This helped me see some of my concerns as ridiculous and others as important points to discuss before she leaves. I keep reminding myself my job as a parent is shifting, but it's not over. Making my life more about me again allowed those clingy behaviors to fade away, and when they occasionally pop up, I take a deep breath and focus on something I enjoy.
While I soak up the time I have with her — including family movie nights, a spring break trip to visit her top choice university, and long conversations while walking the dog — I'm building a list of things I want to do after she starts college, like visiting friends, volunteering for a local land trust and joining my husband for some of his work travel.
I remind myself I've loved every stage of being a mom, even with the challenges, and I trust I will enjoy parenting a young adult. The part of my job that involved driving her around and making sure her homework was turned in may be done, but I know there are wonderful times ahead for both of us, together and apart.
Low Seow Yee left her job at a government agency to open a laundromat business in Singapore.
Amanda Goh
In 2023, a breast cancer diagnosis reframed Low Seow Yee's perspective on life.
She decided to quit her job at a government agency to open Hangout Laundry, a laundromat, in Singapore.
Laundromats are often touted as a passive income business, but she's hosting parties and making laundry fun again.
When Low Seow Yee went for her routine yearly mammogram in March 2023, she wasn't expecting anything out of the ordinary.
But a few weeks later, she received a letter requesting that she come in for a follow-up. A biopsy revealed that she had stage one breast cancer. The next few months passed by in a blur.
Her bosses at the government agency whereshe worked were empathetic and told her to take as much time as she needed. After two surgeries and over 15 sessions of radiation therapy, Low was cancer-free.
Low Seow Yee left her job at a government agency to open a laundromat business in Singapore.
Amanda Goh
"It was on my first day back at work when I realized, 'Oh no, I really don't want to do this,'" Low, now 46, told Business Insider. She handed in her resignation the following week.
Her medical scare had reframed her perspective on life. She had always been working for people — first in the events and F&B industries early in her career, and then in a marketing role for a government agency — and she wanted to try something new.
"It occurred to me that if I keep on doing this, I don't know — I feel like maybe I'm missing out on some experiences in life," the mother of three said.
From federal employee to small-business owner
In December 2024, Low and her husband opened Hangout Laundry, a 24-hour self-service laundromat in Bedok, a neighborhood in the eastern region of Singapore.
Hangout Laundry is located in Bedok, a neighborhood in the eastern region of Singapore.
Amanda Goh
Low was drawn to the idea of starting a laundromat because it was an evergreen business. She also wanted to avoid making laundry feel like a chore.
"The whole idea was that we really want people to kind of look forward to laundry day. It doesn't have to be stuffy or boring," she said.
The laundromat is a bright, air-conditioned space with free WiFi and a coffee machine.
Amanda Goh
The air-conditioned interiors are bright and inviting. There's free WiFi and a coffee machine, and tables and chairs are set up where customers can wait.
Low's intention was to create a comfortable space where people could relax or get work done while doing their laundry.
Prices for the washer range between 7 and 12 Singapore dollars, or about $5 and $9. The cost of using the dryer is S$1 every 5 minutes.
There are six washers and eight dryers in her laundromat.
Amanda Goh.
While researching the industry, Low said she noticed that laundromats were often touted as a passive income business, which meant owners were not always around to keep an eye on things.
Dirty folding tables, or even a hot and stuffy atmosphere can have a big impact on the customer experience, and she wanted to change that. "I wanted it to be a more social place," she said.
There are chairs and tables where customers can sit while waiting for their laundry to be done.
The biggest challenge has been marketing the laundromat since it doesn't receive a lot of foot traffic; the nearest subway station is about a 15-minute walk away.
Everything on the laundromat's website has been optimized for search engines, Low said. That, coupled with getting their regulars to leave reviews, has helped boost their visibility online.
The laundromat uses a token system.
Amanda Goh
But ultimately, it's the experience that will keep customers coming back — something they feel is enhanced through social interaction. That's why Low and her husband take turns coming in almost every day to get to know their customers and listen to feedback.
Low said trusting her gut also paid off. For instance, she was told it was a bad idea to have a coffee machine in the laundromat, but she went ahead with the idea anyway.
Hot drinks range in price from S$3.30 to S$4.90, and Low said coffee now accounts for 20% of the store's sales.
Low says that there are customers who come into the laundromat just to enjoy a cup of coffee.
Amanda Goh
She added that there are people who come in just for a cup of coffee or to use the desks: "We highly encourage it. I also have kids who want to come and study. I say it's no problem if they just buy a drink."
The average cost of starting a self-service laundromat is not as hefty as many other businesses, Gary Tan, a general manager at Fresh Laundry, a distributor of commercial laundry machines in Singapore, told BI.
Fresh Laundry offers turnkey services to those who want to set up their own laundromats, with entry-level packages starting from S$130,000, he said.
"If we were to include all other miscellaneous licensing and costs that an investor needs to consider, he needs to set aside an estimate of about S$160,000," Tan said, adding that a typical laundromat would take about three years to break even.
Low preferred not to share how much she has invested in or earned from the laundromat.
Making laundry a social activity
In the spirit of making the laundromat a more social space, Low held a Valentine's Day-themed party in February.
Low held a Valentine's Day-themed party in the laundromat in February.
Low Hee Bun.
"We had a couple of rounds of silly games like blindfolded clothes-folding contests," she said, adding that there were multiple DJs and a pop-up bar that night.
Entry tickets were S$20 with one free drink, but free entry was granted to anyone who came with a load of laundry to wash or dry.
Low's already brainstorming ideas for the laundromat's next event — possibly a "Dungeons and Dragons" night, she says — and for ways to improve the laundry experience.
"Some people want iced coffee, so we're putting in an ice machine. Some people want a library of sorts, so we're thinking about it," Low said.
It's not easy being a small-business owner, but she hopes that it can rub off on her kids, who often come in on weekends to help her out.
"I'm hopeful that my kids can also learn to be a bit more entrepreneurial," Low said. "It would be nice."
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