Category: U.S. News

A tragic security breach at a major Colorado airport has highlighted potential vulnerabilities in aviation safety systems across the country after an intruder managed to reach an active runway in under three minutes.

The incident unfolded late Friday night when a 41-year-old individual bypassed motion detection systems at Denver International Airport’s remote perimeter and climbed over an 8-foot fence equipped with barbed wire. The massive airport facility spans an area double the size of Manhattan across Colorado’s open plains.

Once inside the secure area, the man walked directly onto an active runway where he was struck and killed by a departing Frontier Airlines aircraft carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members. The pilot was forced to halt takeoff procedures and evacuate all 231 people on board, with twelve individuals sustaining minor injuries during the emergency evacuation.

Video footage captured the moment the individual was drawn into the aircraft’s engine, which immediately ignited, prompting the pilot to abort takeoff while traveling at 150 miles per hour.

Security and aviation specialists have characterized the Colorado incident as a significant safety breakdown that could have resulted in catastrophic consequences had the pilot failed to stop the high-speed aircraft safely.

“People ought to be concerned. This was really an unprecedented risk. But now there is precedent,” stated Eric Chafee, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University who specializes in aviation industry risk assessment.

“The individual ended up with a bad result. But having somebody basically damage a plane is really quite concerning because of all those lives aboard any given aircraft,” Chafee continued. “There ought to be new measures put into place to prevent this type of tragedy.”

However, other industry professionals questioned whether additional regulations are necessary, arguing that comprehensive surveillance systems or impenetrable airport barriers would be financially unfeasible given how infrequently such dangerous incidents occur.

Local medical authorities have classified the intruder’s death as suicide. Airport administrators from the city-operated facility have pledged to conduct a thorough review of existing procedures while maintaining that their perimeter security systems have earned “perfect scores” in federal evaluations.

The Associated Press has requested information from the Transportation Security Administration regarding Denver’s inspection records and detailed security protocols.

“Safety is something we take very, very seriously,” airport CEO Phillip Washington stated during a Tuesday press conference.

Washington noted that increasing fence height or adding razor wire might not prevent determined individuals from finding alternative entry methods.

The security breach began when ground sensors detected movement along the airport’s eastern perimeter, located approximately 2 miles from the main terminal building. A surveillance operator monitoring camera feeds mistakenly attributed the alarm activation to wildlife in the area, failing to identify the human intruder.

According to Washington, the individual required roughly 15 seconds to clear the perimeter fence and an additional two minutes to reach the runway area. Airport personnel remained unaware of the trespasser’s presence until the aircraft pilot contacted the control tower to report the collision.

Security specialist Jeff Price, who previously oversaw safety operations at the Denver facility during the 1990s, explained that perimeter violations occur regularly at airports nationwide, potentially numbering in the dozens annually. The Colorado airport maintains approximately 36 miles of fencing that officials say undergoes constant inspection and regular security patrols.

Price emphasized that most airport trespassers do not present genuine threats to public safety. A similar fatal incident occurred at an Austin airport in 2020 when a Southwest Airlines aircraft struck an individual on the runway, which authorities also determined was suicide.

Two legal firms informed Denver officials Tuesday of their intention to file lawsuits representing Frontier passengers, seeking damages exceeding $10 million. The firms have alleged “multiple failures” in airport security systems without providing specific details.

Steven Wallace, who formerly directed accident investigations for the Federal Aviation Administration, characterized the Denver fatality as a “one-off event” that would not warrant expensive nationwide improvements to airport perimeter security programs.

Wallace acknowledged that many perimeter barriers can be easily compromised, noting that no standardized construction requirements exist and that their main function involves keeping wildlife away from flight operations.

“I just don’t see how you’re going to think of and deal with every possible way a human could get into an airport,” he explained.

Jim Hall, former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, warned that Friday’s incident could increase the likelihood of similar events due to potential copycat behavior. Hall recommended that Denver consider deploying additional personnel and enhanced surveillance systems to properly monitor its perimeter.

“With the amount of cameras and technology that is available, they need to address the problem,” he stated. “They’ve had a failure and they don’t need to have another one.”

ARDMORE, Pa. — High school senior Aliyah Pack struggles to stay focused during classes in her Pennsylvania school district, where students receive iPads in kindergarten, transition to Chromebooks by second grade, and receive MacBooks in eighth grade.

With ADHD making it challenging to concentrate on screen-based learning, Aliyah often finds herself streaming Netflix during class on her school-issued laptop, concealing her earbuds beneath her curly hair.

“It’s very hard to get into the mindset of being in school,” Aliyah said.

When Aliyah’s mother noticed declining grades and requested the school remove her daughter’s laptop access, administrators told her such accommodations were impossible.

Throughout the nation, families are expressing alarm about excessive classroom screen exposure and urging schools to return to traditional paper-and-pencil methods. In Lower Merion Township, where Aliyah attends school, more than 600 residents of the wealthy Philadelphia-area community have endorsed a petition demanding preservation of parental rights to remove their children from mandatory digital device usage during school hours. District officials have rejected this request, arguing that removing hundreds of students from technology-integrated curriculum would be impractical.

During Monday evening’s school board session, officials indicated they were exploring various responses to parent technology concerns, but exemptions would not be considered.

“There is not an option for us to not have technology in schools,” said Lower Merion School Board member Anna Shurak.

The board convened to review technology policy updates, including eliminating the current opt-out provision. More than 100 attendees gathered in opposition, many displaying “Screens Down, Pencils Up” buttons.

Numerous speakers clarified they don’t oppose technology entirely — most acknowledge that computer literacy represents a crucial life skill. Their objection centers on technology’s classroom dominance.

“Teaching how to use technology is not the same thing as using technology to teach everything else,” said Sara Sullivan, a parent.

Lower Merion’s controversy highlights whether educational technology has become so embedded in instruction that opting out is no longer viable. Students rely on devices for educational gaming, assignment submission, online resource access, and essay composition — yet parents question the educational value of game-like software.

Subashini Subramanian described how DreamBox, the math software used by her second-grade daughter, encourages rapid completion to earn points. When she advised her daughter to work through problems carefully, the 8-year-old responded, “If I go through all the steps, it’s slowing me down. I have to click, click, click.”

Many parents at the board meeting expressed frustration over constant screen time battles with their children. Adam Washington explained that his son’s screen addiction leads him to confiscate phones and televisions, only to discover the child watching YouTube on his school laptop.

“The screen is killing him. It is killing me, and him, together with our relationship,” Washington said.

One meeting attendee questioned what alternatives students would have without computers.

“Opting out is not a solution. It’s avoiding the hard work of finding a solution,” Seth Ruderman said.

Nationwide resistance to classroom technology has intensified. Ballotpedia reports that at least 14 states have introduced legislation limiting school screen time, with Alabama, Tennessee, Utah and Iowa enacting such measures.

Los Angeles, the country’s second-largest school system, announced plans to prohibit screens through second grade, establish daily screen time limits by grade level, ban YouTube access, and audit all educational technology contracts.

In Vermont, proposed legislation would permit both parents and teachers to refuse classroom technology use. Democratic State Rep. Angela Arsenault, a bill co-sponsor, said she’s addressing parental concerns about educational technology.

“Parents in many districts and states just aren’t being listened to or not being heard when they ask that their students not be forced to use these products,” Arsenault said.

Lower Merion officials say they’re addressing community feedback and have implemented changes, including blocking problematic websites identified by parents.

“We have wonderful teachers who have continuously prioritized human interaction and relationships,” Superintendent Frank Ranelli wrote in a parent letter. He declined to provide additional comments to the AP.

District officials are exploring potential modifications, including enhanced cellphone restrictions, preventing youngest students from taking devices home, and installing classroom monitoring software.

However, surveillance technology creates privacy concerns and additional complications. In 2010, Lower Merion School District paid $610,000 to resolve lawsuits from two students who claimed the district conducted surveillance through webcams on school-issued laptops.

Sixteen-year-old student Mia Tatar voiced concerns at the board meeting about unintended consequences from the anti-technology movement. She reported that current internet filtering is so restrictive that she’s been blocked while researching legitimate school topics, including breast cancer.

Mia argued that students must develop responsible technology habits, and that filtering or laptop removal won’t accomplish this goal.

“It doesn’t teach kids how to hold themselves accountable and how to be responsible for regulating their own screen time once they’re in the world,” Mia said in an interview.

Her friend Elliot Campbell, 15, suggested implementing strict screen limitations for younger students while providing older students greater autonomy.

“If we lose our laptops or if we lose the partial freedom we have on them, it’s not going to prepare us for college,” Elliot told board members at the hearing.

High school student Joaquin Imaizumi offered a contrasting perspective. He called it “completely unfair” to expect children to control devices that prove addictive even for adults.

“This isn’t about learning to constrain yourself,” he said in an interview. “We don’t give someone drugs and say, ‘OK, now learn how to deal with this.’”

His primary concern involves devices providing easy access to AI tools like ChatGPT, which he believes undermines his classmates’ independent thinking abilities.

“I’ve seen the atrophy of my peers’ thinking, which is existentially concerning,” Joaquin said.

AI influence begins early. Second-grader Lillian Keshet, who addressed the board meeting, explained that Google Docs offers writing “suggestions” during class.

“I’m a pretty good writer by myself,” Lillian said. “I don’t need your suggestions, Google!”

McALESTER, Okla. — A 52-year-old Oklahoma inmate was scheduled to face lethal injection Thursday for the brutal murders of his former girlfriend and her infant daughter in a case dating back nearly two decades.

Raymond Johnson was set to be executed at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary for the June 2007 killings of 24-year-old Brooke Whitaker and her 7-month-old daughter, Kya.

According to prosecutors, Johnson attacked Whitaker during an early morning dispute at her Tulsa residence, striking her head multiple times with a metal claw hammer.

The assault left Whitaker with a fractured skull and more than 20 wounds to her face and head. Despite her severe injuries, she remained alert and pleaded with Johnson to spare both herself and Kya, who was asleep in another room, according to prosecution documents from Johnson’s April clemency proceedings.

“She begged him to call 911. She begged him to let her mom come get baby Kya. She begged him to think of her children,” stated the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office. Whitaker was the mother of three other children.

Authorities said Johnson then went to a backyard tool shed to get a gasoline container, poured fuel on Whitaker and throughout the house, ignited a dishtowel, hurled it at Whitaker, and fled the scene. Whitaker succumbed to head trauma and smoke inhalation, while her daughter died from severe burn injuries.

“Raymond Johnson is a cruel murderer who inflicted unimaginable pain and suffering on his victims,” stated Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond.

Johnson’s legal team had not submitted any final appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court to halt the execution. His lawyer did not respond to requests for comment.

Previous appeals by his defense team challenged the legality of Johnson’s arrest, claimed police forced his confession, and argued his trial attorney admitted guilt in Whitaker’s death without Johnson’s consent.

Oklahoma’s five-member Pardon and Parole Board unanimously rejected Johnson’s clemency request in April.

During the clemency proceedings, Johnson expressed remorse to the victims’ relatives and requested forgiveness, claiming he had transformed as a person.

“I apologize. No excuses, no justifications, a sincere apology. And to know that it’s sincere, look at my actions. Look at my life. Look how I’ve changed. I’m living a remorseful life. I’m living it,” Johnson stated in an interview with Death Penalty Action, a national anti-death penalty group.

Family members of Whitaker urged the board to proceed with the execution during Johnson’s clemency hearing.

“Executing him will not give me my mom or sister back, it will not take away almost 20 years of pain. What it will do is finally stop him from continuing to hurt us,” wrote Logan Kleck, Whitaker’s eldest daughter, in her letter to the board.

Beyond his first-degree murder conviction, Johnson was previously convicted of manslaughter in 1996 and completed nine years of a 20-year sentence for that offense.

Should the execution proceed as planned, Johnson would become Oklahoma’s second execution this year and the nation’s eleventh.

The United States Postal Service has introduced commemorative stamps depicting the nation’s most recognizable symbol in honor of America’s upcoming 250th anniversary celebration.

Officials revealed the special collection Thursday at the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota. The stamps display bald eagles throughout five distinct phases of development, beginning with young hatchlings and progressing to the mature, white-headed birds featured on America’s official seal. The stamps became available for purchase nationwide immediately following the announcement.

“The fact that we’re seeing the eagles in all different stages of its life, it’s sort of making us look back at the stages of the life of our country,” said Steve Kochersperger, a historian at the Postal Service. “At one time, we were just fuzzy little hatchlings, too.”

Congress established the bald eagle as a national emblem when it approved the Great Seal in 1782, although the bird didn’t receive official national bird status until 2024.

According to Kochersperger, the species has traditionally represented American principles including strength, freedom and independence. The bird’s position as an apex predator, combined with its remarkable wingspan and powerful talons, makes it a dominant force in its aerial habitat.

While some people think Benjamin Franklin preferred the wild turkey as the national bird due to the eagle’s habit of taking food from other species, Kochersperger explained this belief is incorrect.

The bald eagle also represents a remarkable environmental recovery story, providing another connection to American identity. During the 1960s, these birds nearly disappeared from American skies due to DDT pesticide contamination.

However, officials reversed this population decline through a DDT prohibition implemented in 1972 and the species’ inclusion on the endangered species list in 1978.

“The public relations campaign brought greater awareness that, ‘Hey, this is our national symbol, but they may all be gone if we don’t change our ways,’” Kochersperger said. “And that turned out to be very effective.”

The bald eagle regained stable population status in 2007 when it was removed from endangered species protection, and current estimates show over 300,000 eagles living throughout the continental United States, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

David Sibley, the Massachusetts-based artist and bird watcher behind the stamp collection, said the conservation story is part of what makes him think of the bald eagle as a symbol.

“Maybe seeing a bald eagle on the stamp as a bird, living its life from nestling to adult, will hopefully make people think about the natural world and how important things like eagles are, not as a symbol but as part of the ecosystem around us,” he said.

Sibley dedicated almost twelve months to creating the digital artwork for the collection. Working within the small stamp dimensions presented the greatest difficulty for someone accustomed to drawing life-sized birds, leading him to emphasize the bald eagle’s head to capture maximum detail.

While postage stamps traditionally commemorate holidays and showcase American culture, they also provide educational opportunities for those who examine them carefully.

“A stamp does not demand your attention, but it rewards it,” Kochersperger said. “A tremendous amount of planning and effort went into producing that tiny little piece of paper.”

HALIFAX, N.C. — A .75-caliber Brown Bess flintlock musket, identical to those wielded by British soldiers during the Revolutionary War, can propel a lead ball at roughly 1,000 feet per second when loaded with 165 grains of black powder.

The destructive potential is significant, yet these historic weapons face virtually no regulatory oversight under current gun laws.

The reason lies in how federal and state legislation defines firearms. Many historical and reproduction weapons fall outside the technical classification of regulated firearms, allowing even individuals with felony convictions to legally possess them in most jurisdictions.

“I suspect the average judge would be surprised to find that out,” notes Second Amendment scholar and gun-rights attorney Dave Hardy, who owns two Civil War-era long guns himself.

The regulatory gap traces back to a memorable 2000 National Rifle Association gathering where late actor Charlton Heston raised a flintlock rifle — the single-shot weapon that secured American independence and remained common decades after the Second Amendment’s creation — declaring Democrats would have to pry it “from my cold, dead hands.”

His concerns proved unnecessary.

When lawmakers crafted the Gun Control Act of 1968, Sen. John Goodwin Tower pushed for exemptions covering flintlocks and similar historical weapons.

The Texas Republican justified the provision as necessary “to relieve an unnecessarily burdensome problem for serious collectors of antique firearms and for historians and museums.” He contended that uniform regulation would unfairly impact collectible items “which have little, if any, practical use as a firearm in the modern connotation.”

Current federal law categorizes weapons as antique if they feature “a matchlock, flintlock, percussion cap, or similar type of ignition system” and were produced “in or before 1898” — provided they haven’t been altered to accommodate contemporary ammunition. This typically covers muzzle-loading weapons using black powder or substitutes, plus some early cartridge firearms.

The exemption even extends to cannon ownership and operation.

While most states mirror this federal language either exactly or through reference, military historian Patrick Luther describes the regulatory landscape as “a patchwork.”

“I live in NY (New York) and bought a civil war musket,” Luther, a Marine veteran with the website milsurpia.com, explained via email. “It was very similar to buying a regular firearm. Buying the blackpowder for the rifle felt not much different than buying a T-shirt.”

Three states — Hawaii, Ohio and North Dakota — regulate smoothbore muskets identically to AK-47 or AR-15 rifles. Reenactor Jason Monhollen, a U.S. Army officer, calls this “comparing apples and oranges.”

“It seems silly to put restriction on something that would be such a terrible weapon if you wanted to, you know, kill people,” explains Monhollen, who portrays a private carrying a French Charleville musket with the 2nd North Carolina Regiment. “There’s just much better things. You can kill more people quickly with a car than you can with a musket.”

However, these weapons retain lethal capability.

Maryland revised its laws following an incident where a convicted sex offender used a six-shot, .44-caliber cap and ball revolver purchased online to kill his former girlfriend.

“It may have loaded like an 1851 weapon, but it fired like a 2017 manufactured modern handgun that was capable of lethal force,” Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy explained to media.

Shadé’s Law, enacted in 2019, now prevents individuals convicted of specific violent offenses from purchasing or possessing such weapons. Yet many states continue allowing convicted felons access to these firearms; West Virginia only restricts those subject to active protective orders.

Certain states maintain unclear or ambiguous regulations.

Montana’s statutes reference “antique or replica arms” within codes governing state-manufactured firearms and ammunition, but provide no definition for these weapons.

Wisconsin adopts federal definitions but only references them in legislation addressing “look-alike” firearms.

Meanwhile, numerous local rules, including Wake County, North Carolina’s ordinance, ban discharging any “barreled weapon capable of discharging projectiles.” Many communities also prohibit brandishing even toy weapons.

“Federal law does not exclude antique firearms from location-based restrictions,” Austin Gunderson, counsel for the North Dakota Legislative Council, clarified in an email.

Efforts to strengthen firearms legislation sometimes create unexpected complications.

New Jersey’s attorney general recently issued clarification when new ghost gun legislation appeared to mandate serial numbers for all firearms — including antiques and air guns.

New York’s 2022 gun law strengthening required background checks for antique firearm transfers and purchases, while banning all firearms from designated “sensitive places” including parks and museum sites — precisely where reenactors typically perform.

Lawmakers later created an exception for individuals “lawfully engaged in historical reenactments, educational programming involving historical weapons of warfare, or motion picture or theatrical productions.” Despite this, out-of-state reenactors remain concerned about potential confiscation at the George Washington Bridge, according to Justin Costantino, adjutant of the Long Island Companies of the 3rd New York Regiment.

“If the New York State Police department wants to charge me with weapons possession while I’m wearing a cocked hat and carrying around a Charleville ’66,” says Costantino, a history graduate student, “then please, don’t call my lawyer. Call the New York Post!”

Still, Costantino dislikes hearing mothers at reenactments reassure children by saying, “Oh, no. Don’t worry, sweetie. It’s not real.”

“It’s not really loaded, but it is really a weapon,” he emphasizes. “It’s really gunpowder. And if you stand close to it, you’ll feel the kind of breath of hot air … They’re still things that we have to take very seriously, and you have to be safe with.”

A federal jury in Brooklyn has found a 64-year-old man guilty of operating an unauthorized Chinese government facility from an unremarkable office building in Manhattan’s Chinatown district.

Lu Jianwang was found guilty Wednesday of serving as an unregistered foreign agent and destroying evidence by erasing text messages that federal prosecutors claimed contained directives from Beijing to target, harass and threaten pro-democracy activists. The jury cleared him of a conspiracy charge.

The week-long trial in Brooklyn federal court highlighted tensions between American concerns over China’s suppression of dissidents and defense arguments that prosecutors transformed a well-intentioned Chinese American community leader’s administrative oversight into a criminal case.

“A police station operating in New York City at the direction of the Chinese government has been exposed, its sinister purpose disrupted, and its founder held accountable for blatantly disregarding the law and our country’s sovereignty,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said.

Following the verdict, Lu addressed supporters in his native Fujianese dialect but refused to take questions from the media. His attorney, John Carman, announced plans to appeal.

Carman argued that federal prosecutors transformed a routine paperwork matter into an international espionage drama. The foreign agent conviction stems from Lu’s failure to notify the U.S. government about his activities on China’s behalf, which his legal team maintains was restricted to assisting Chinese diaspora members with renewing their Chinese driver’s licenses.

“This is not espionage. This is not spying. This is not intelligence gathering,” Carman said while standing with Lu outside the courthouse. “He wasn’t charged with any of that.” The underlying message of the prosecution’s case, Carman argued, was that Lu “associated with a lot of Chinese people.”

“Is that window dressing or dressing up a paperwork case? A hundred percent,” Carman said.

Lu, a decades-long U.S. citizen who also uses the name Harry Lu, remains on bail pending sentencing, which hasn’t been set.

He could receive up to 10 years in prison for the foreign agent charge and up to 20 years for evidence destruction.

Prosecutors alleged that Lu and co-defendant Chen Jinping created the Chinatown facility in 2022 following Lu’s attendance at a ceremony in his home province of Fujian, where China’s Ministry of Public Security announced plans to establish 30 covert police stations worldwide.

China’s communist leadership utilizes these facilities to surveil individuals it considers threats to its agenda, Assistant U.S. Attorney Antoinette Rangel argued during Tuesday’s closing statements.

Throughout the trial, jurors viewed a prominent sign from the Chinatown site reading: “Fuzhou Police Overseas Service Station, New York USA.” They also heard from Xu Jie, a Chinese dissident, activist and YouTuber residing in California whom prosecutors claimed was targeted by Lu’s operation.

“The police station wasn’t the defendant’s idea or initiative, this was the Chinese government,” Rangel told jurors during her closing argument. “This was the Chinese government’s plan and the defendant made it happen.”

Chen admitted guilt in December 2024 to conspiring to act as a foreign agent.

Lu’s defense team maintained the facility functioned as a community center where individuals could remotely renew their Chinese driver’s licenses without returning to China during COVID-19 travel limitations.

Carman noted that people also gathered there for ping-pong and mahjong games. However, prosecutors argued that even if Lu’s sole connection to China involved driver’s licenses, that would still constitute a legal violation.

The Manhattan facility, located between a hotel, spa and coffee shop, operated within offices shared with the America ChangLe Association, a community group that Lu and his brother, Jimmy, helped manage. The organization identified itself on tax documents as a “social gathering place for Fujianese people.” ChangLe translates to “eternal joy,” Carman explained.

“Harry’s motives were pure. Harry’s support in the community is enormous for a reason — not because he’s some underworld operative,” Carman said. “His support is there because he’s helped a lot of people in the 45 years that he’s been in the United States of America, becoming a citizen and reaching out to members of his community to help them.”

The FBI, prompted by a report from an organization tracking Chinese transnational repression, searched the Chinatown facility on Oct. 3, 2022. The following day, prosecutors said, Lu confessed to FBI agents that he created the outpost, maintained contact with his handler through WeChat and had erased those communications.

The messages, some recovered through phone screenshots, demonstrated he was “in lockstep with what the Chinese government tasked him to do,” Rangel said.

Eleven passengers aboard a private aircraft that plummeted into Atlantic waters off Florida’s coast were successfully pulled to safety following a dramatic rescue operation, according to U.S. Coast Guard and Air Force officials who spoke Wednesday.

“For all those people to survive is pretty miraculous,” said Air Force Major Elizabeth Piowaty, who commanded one of the rescue aircraft, during a media briefing held the day following Tuesday’s ocean crash.

The twin-engine turboprop aircraft was traveling from the Bahamas carrying 11 adults when it plunged into the ocean approximately 80 miles from Melbourne, Florida. An emergency beacon activated during the crash alerted Coast Guard officials to the incident.

Major Piowaty’s HC-130J Combat King II aircraft, designed for combat search and rescue operations, was conducting training exercises when the emergency call came in, prompting her crew to immediately respond to the rescue mission.

The major reported that her team located the life raft just as storm clouds were moving in, and they dropped supplies including food, water and extra flotation devices to help the crash victims until water rescue teams could arrive.

“The survivors had already been in the raft for about five hours, and we could tell just by looking at them they were in distress, physically, mentally, emotionally,” said Air Force Captain Rory Whipple, one of the pararescuers who participated in the briefing.

A rescue helicopter crew from the Air Force Reserve’s 920th Rescue Wing, operating from a base near Melbourne, ultimately lifted the survivors to safety using a hovering aircraft. The rescued passengers were then transported to Melbourne Orlando International Airport to receive medical care.

Captain Whipple noted that rescue crews managed to extract all 11 crash survivors using nine separate hoist operations, finishing the mission with only five minutes of fuel remaining before they would have needed to either refuel in mid-air or make an emergency landing.

Neither Air Force nor Coast Guard representatives had immediate details regarding the severity of injuries or medical status of those rescued.

Officials from the Bahamas are conducting an investigation into what caused the crash, though the aircraft reportedly suffered engine problems, according to Coast Guard information. The agency stated that the plane had departed from Marsh Harbour in the Bahamas and was traveling toward Freeport on Grand Bahama Island, a flight path covering roughly 100 miles.

Eleven people who survived a plane crash off Florida’s coast spent five agonizing hours floating in the ocean on a life raft Tuesday, unable to contact rescuers and uncertain whether anyone would find them. The group huddled beneath a tarp as storm clouds gathered overhead.

Military search and rescue teams eventually spotted them from above, according to officials who spoke at a Wednesday press conference.

“You could tell just by looking at them that they were in distress — physically, mentally and emotionally,” said Air Force Capt. Rory Whipple, a combat rescue specialist who jumped into the water and swam to the survivors. “You have to imagine the emotional injuries that they sustained out there, not knowing if someone was going to rescue them.”

Officials said the Beechcraft 300 King Air turboprop was traveling from Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco island in the Bahamas to Grand Bahama International Airport in Freeport when the engine failed Tuesday. The pilot brought the aircraft down in waters approximately 50 miles off Vero Beach, Florida, and successfully evacuated all 10 passengers onto a yellow life raft. Three people sustained minor injuries.

Air Force Reserve Maj. Elizabeth Piowaty praised the pilot’s emergency response, noting concerns about ocean swells and the need to reduce speed as much as possible before impact.

“I’ve not known anyone to survive a ditching in the ocean,” said Piowaty, who commanded a HC-130J Combat King II plane that assisted with the rescue. “From what I’ve seen, for all those people to survive is pretty miraculous.”

The aircraft’s emergency beacon notified the U.S. Coast Guard of its position. Fortunately, the Air Force Reserve’s 920th Rescue Wing had a crew conducting training exercises in a HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter nearby. Officials redirected that crew to assist with the search operation.

After finding the survivors, Piowaty’s aircraft flew overhead and delivered a survival package containing two extra rafts, food and water. This allowed the group to spread out more comfortably. The HH-60W crew, including Whipple, then lifted each person to safety despite 3- to 5-foot ocean swells. They rescued the final survivor just minutes before the helicopter would have needed to return for fuel.

Piowaty reported no trace of the crashed aircraft was found.

Emergency medical teams were waiting when all 11 survivors arrived at Melbourne Orlando International Airport. Medical officials said everyone was in stable condition.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration announced it will conduct an investigation into the crash.

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — A Tennessee man who broadcasts racist content online under the alias “Chud the Builder” was arrested following a Wednesday shooting incident near a courthouse, according to local officials.

Dalton Eatherly and another individual became involved in an altercation that led to gunshots being fired, announced District Attorney Robert J. Nash. Nash declined to reveal Eatherly’s reason for being at the Clarksville courthouse, his activities there, or what sparked the confrontation.

Authorities did not disclose the race of the second person involved. A witness who observed him being placed in an ambulance identified him as Black.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office confirmed both individuals were taken to medical facilities for treatment and remained in stable condition.

Claire Martin, an employee at a law firm located across from the courthouse, described Eatherly as “well known in Clarksville for antagonizing people to see what he can get them to do.” She explained that he “yells racial slurs” at individuals while recording them. “He’s not a contributing member of society,” she stated.

While Martin did not witness the incident directly, she observed what happened afterward. The other individual “waved at us as he got in the ambulance,” she noted.

On Wednesday, Eatherly posted a video to the website Pump.fun claiming he fired at someone in self-defense after being physically attacked.

Jacob Fendley, the lawyer representing Eatherly in an unrelated November harassment matter according to court documents, did not respond to requests for comment.

Records show Eatherly was scheduled for a Wednesday morning court appearance in Clarksville, situated approximately 50 miles northeast of Nashville, regarding an alleged $3,300 debt to a credit company. The civil lawsuit was initiated in February by Midland Credit Management.

Court documents do not show whether Eatherly attended the status hearing. Online records indicate the case remains active.

Eatherly, who is white, broadcasts confrontational encounters on social media platforms where he can be observed making racist remarks toward Black individuals in public spaces.

In one recording filmed at a store, he addresses a Black man passing by, saying “You chimpin’ out,” referencing chimpanzees. He then repeatedly uses the N-word.

The Black individual is shown using his phone to document the encounter, telling Eatherly, “Don’t touch me.”

A store employee informs Eatherly that such language is prohibited. He replies “America is free speech. Tell me I can’t say something again. This is (expletive) America.”

Throughout history, racists in America and internationally have drawn comparisons between Black people and monkeys or apes. In February, President Donald Trump shared a racist social media post depicting former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, as primates in a jungle setting. The post was removed following criticism from both Republicans and Democrats who called the video offensive.

Beyond the credit debt matter, Eatherly is facing criminal charges related to an incident at a Nashville steakhouse on Saturday where he allegedly became disruptive and refused to pay a bill totaling nearly $400.

Court documents state that while the restaurant requested he not livestream on the premises, he continued doing so. When staff asked him to cease, he began shouting and “started making racial statements.”

He was taken into custody on Sunday and charged with theft of services, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, then released on $5,000 bond. His next court date for this matter is set for July 17 in Davidson County criminal court.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reported that one person from Wednesday’s shooting was treated at Vanderbilt of Clarksville Hospital. Hospital officials did not return messages seeking information.

The second individual was airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, according to the sheriff’s office. Hospital spokesperson Craig Boerner stated that medical privacy regulations prevent sharing information about violence victims.

A former Brooklyn judge who stepped down from the bench last year amid misconduct allegations now faces federal criminal charges for allegedly using his judicial authority to defraud real estate investors of more than $5 million, with some of those stolen funds going toward his personal expenses.

Edward Harold King, who departed his judicial role at the close of 2025, along with Yechiel “Sam” Sprei, a real estate developer with political connections, were taken into custody by federal agents on charges of wire fraud conspiracy. Prosecutors allege the pair misled two investors into providing $6.5 million for a fraudulent property purchase, then returned only a small portion of the funds.

These criminal accusations mirror allegations previously raised in civil court cases and complaints filed with the state Commission on Judicial Conduct, which prompted King’s departure from the bench.

During the defendants’ first court hearing on Wednesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Wang informed the presiding judge that the criminal case represents “one of several schemes that the government has been investigating.” When addressing Sprei’s financial situation, the prosecutor noted that “it’s safe to say many, many millions of dollars” have passed through his banking accounts recently.

Both King, age 72, and Sprei, age 37, were granted bail and must return to Brooklyn federal court on Monday to complete their bond proceedings. King and his attorney, Michael Vitaliano, refused to speak to media as they exited the courthouse. The former judge escaped through nearby park trees to evade reporters and cameras. Sprei’s attorney, Ezra Lent, also declined comment.

Wang revealed in court that during Sprei’s arrest, the developer falsely told FBI agents he possessed no electronic devices except his cellphone. After agents confiscated the phone during a search warrant execution, they discovered a second phone while conducting a pat-down search, Wang stated.

Both defendants face potential sentences of up to 20 years in federal prison if found guilty.

“As alleged, the defendants stole millions of dollars from investors by cynically leveraging King’s position as a sitting judge to lend false legitimacy to supposed investment opportunities,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said in a statement.

King stepped down on Dec. 31, 2025, merely three years into his judicial career, after the Commission on Judicial Conduct notified him of an investigation into complaints that parallel his current criminal charges.

The commission stated that among the complaints were allegations that King participated in a real estate investor fraud scheme and continued practicing law despite judicial prohibitions, including accepting money into his personal attorney escrow accounts. Full-time judges are forbidden from legal practice, serving as fiduciaries, or conducting business activities. King disputed these allegations.

Federal prosecutors say King and Sprei presented investors with fake investment opportunities while falsely promising their money would remain secure in attorney escrow accounts and be returned upon request if investors chose to withdraw.

In November 2024, according to prosecutors, Sprei and King presented two investors with a chance to purchase commercial property in Freehold, New Jersey, through a bankruptcy sale. Sprei explained that all potential bidders must first demonstrate “proof of liquidity” by placing $6.5 million in King’s escrow account, prosecutors stated. Sprei informed the investors that King served as both an independent escrow agent and a judge, according to prosecutors.

The investors transferred the funds to King’s account, where they were assured the money would remain untouched and not be spent or moved without authorization, prosecutors said. Within days, prosecutors alleged, King and Sprei moved several million dollars to an account under Sprei’s name.

When the investors later requested their money back as promised, King provided excuses and alternative proposals, including one instance where he claimed his lawyer would deposit the funds with an unspecified court, prosecutors said. King and Sprei ultimately returned $1.5 million to the investors but have failed to provide the remainder, prosecutors stated.

King began his judicial service in 2023, winning election to the New York City Civil Court in Brooklyn before receiving appointment to the state’s primary trial court in June 2024.

Before becoming a judge, he worked in private legal practice and, based on news coverage of his campaign, received court appointments to oversee assets in real estate litigation. He previously worked as an administrative law judge for the city’s Parking Violations Bureau and provided legal counsel to the state assembly.

Upon accepting King’s resignation, commission administrator Robert Tembeckjian described the allegations as “so egregious as to warrant his permanent departure from the bench.”

Military authorities announced Wednesday they have found the body of the second American soldier who disappeared during training operations in Morocco, bringing closure to an extensive international search mission that utilized advanced technology and over 1,000 personnel.

The recovered service member has been identified as Spc. Mariyah Symone Collington, a 19-year-old from Taveres, Florida, according to U.S. military Europe and Africa officials.

“Royal Moroccan Armed Forces transported the Soldier’s remains by a Moroccan helicopter to the morgue of Moulay El Hassan Military Hospital in Guelmim, Morocco,” the statement said.

Collington worked as an air and missile defense crewmember with Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, military officials reported.

The young soldier joined the Regular Army’s Delayed Entry Program in 2023 and started active duty in 2024. She finished Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Sill in Oklahoma as a 14P air and missile defense crewmember. In February 2025, she was assigned to Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment in Ansbach, Germany, and received promotion to specialist on May 1, 2026.

She received the Army Service Ribbon among her military honors.

This discovery follows the earlier recovery of 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., a 14A Air Defense Artillery officer. Both soldiers tragically fell from a cliff while hiking during their free time in Morocco. Their bodies are being returned to the United States.

A spokesperson for U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa confirmed to The Associated Press that officials continue investigating what led to the fatal incident.

Both soldiers were reported missing on May 2 following their participation in African Lion, a yearly multinational training exercise conducted in Morocco. Their disappearance launched a comprehensive search involving more than 1,000 American and Moroccan military and civilian personnel, the SETAF-AF spokesperson confirmed.

The search operation deployed sophisticated equipment including a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, unmanned aerial systems, thermal and ISR sensors, an unmanned underwater vehicle, side-scan sonar, a Moroccan multibeam echosounder and U.S. Coast Guard drift modeling capabilities, the spokesperson detailed.

African Lion 26 is a U.S.-directed exercise that began in April spanning four nations – Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana and Senegal – involving more than 7,000 personnel from over 30 countries.

In 2012, two U.S. Marines died and two others sustained injuries in a helicopter crash in Morocco’s southern city of Agadir during the same exercises.

A 64-year-old New York resident was convicted Wednesday on charges of serving as an unregistered Chinese government agent following a trial concerning allegations he ran a covert police station for Beijing in Manhattan’s Chinatown district.

Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn stated that Lu Jianwang, 64, was required to notify the U.S. Attorney General of his role as a Chinese agent when he assisted in establishing the alleged police station in 2022. Authorities also accused him of assisting China’s government in tracking down a pro-democracy activist residing in California.

Lu’s arrest occurred in April 2023. He had entered not guilty pleas to three felony counts: conspiracy to serve as an unregistered foreign agent, operating as an unregistered Chinese agent, and obstruction of justice.

A Brooklyn federal court jury delivered the guilty verdict following a week of testimony. Lu could receive up to 30 years behind bars.

“May today’s verdict send a message to other foreign agents–the FBI maintains its unwavering resolve to reveal and disrupt the clandestine operations of adversarial nations,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Barnacle in an announcement of the verdict.

The Justice Department has recently increased investigations into what officials term “transnational repression” by U.S. adversaries including China and Iran to threaten political dissidents residing in America.

China’s government has labeled the accusations “fabricated” and described them as part of a campaign to damage the nation’s reputation. Beijing maintains that overseas centers are operated by local volunteers rather than Chinese police officers to assist Chinese citizens with document renewals and other services.

During her May 6 opening remarks, prosecutor Lindsey Oken described Lu – a naturalized U.S. citizen – as having connections with Chinese law enforcement and meeting with officials who assigned him to establish the station during a 2022 China visit.

Oken explained that Lu operated the station from an unremarkable office building in Chinatown. She noted he initially assisted Chinese nationals in New York with driver’s license renewals, which constitutes a crime when not reported to the U.S. government.

Oken stated that Lu also consented to assist the Chinese government in locating a pro-democracy activist living in the United States. Prosecutors did not claim the activist suffered harm.

John Carman, Lu’s attorney, argued his client agreed to establish the center to assist Chinese nationals unable to travel to China for document renewals during the COVID pandemic. However, Carman maintained Lu was not directed to do so by the Chinese government.

Chen Jinping, a co-defendant arrested with Lu, entered a guilty plea in 2024 to conspiring to act as an unregistered Chinese agent.

The arrests followed a 2022 investigation published by Spain-based advocacy group Safeguard Defenders that documented China’s establishment of overseas “service stations,” including in New York, that unlawfully collaborated with Chinese police to coerce fugitives into returning to China.

Federal aviation safety officials issued new recommendations Wednesday calling for airlines to provide more realistic training scenarios to help pilots handle smoke-filled cockpits, following an incident involving a Southwest Airlines aircraft that suffered a bird strike.

The National Transportation Safety Board stated that the flight crew who successfully brought their aircraft back to New Orleans informed investigators that the conditions they faced were significantly more difficult than any training exercise they had previously encountered.

“If such an event occurred at night or in instrument meteorological conditions, the consequences could be catastrophic,” the NTSB determined.

While the Federal Aviation Administration receives nearly daily reports about cockpit smoke incidents, the NTSB noted that the agency has not mandated airlines to perform realistic smoke simulation training. Current preparation typically involves only classroom discussions about proper response procedures. The FAA had not provided a response to the new guidance by Wednesday.

During the December 2023 emergency, the Southwest flight crew reported difficulty viewing their control panels and emergency procedures. They immediately put on oxygen equipment and executed emergency landing protocols. All 139 passengers and crew members escaped injury.

Southwest and the Airlines for America trade group had not responded to the latest findings by Wednesday.

Previously, the NTSB had recommended that Boeing and engine manufacturer CFM develop software modifications for 737 Max engines to prevent smoke infiltration into cockpits or passenger areas when safety systems activate after bird strikes.

The aircraft and engine companies had not provided progress updates on those modifications as of Wednesday.

WASHINGTON – The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday its plan to invest $16.5 million in transponder technology for airport vehicles following a deadly March incident at LaGuardia airport in New York where an Air Canada Express aircraft collided with a fire truck.

The emergency vehicle involved in the fatal crash was not equipped with a transponder, though the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has announced plans to outfit all airfield vehicles with the technology. The FAA will begin immediately installing transponders on roughly 1,900 vehicles across 264 airports that currently have or will receive surface awareness technology systems.

A newly released nationwide Education Scorecard reveals that American schools continue working to recover from significant academic setbacks in mathematics and reading skills, while also discovering that these declining trends actually started years before the coronavirus pandemic began.

The comprehensive report highlights how educational institutions across the country are still addressing substantial learning losses, but the data indicates these troubling patterns were already emerging well before COVID-19 disrupted classroom learning nationwide.

A puzzling case has emerged in New York City involving a black Pontiac Trans Am resembling the iconic vehicle from the 1980s television show “Knight Rider” – complete with matching license plates and multiple unpaid traffic violations.

The Volo Museum located near Chicago finds itself at the center of this mystery after receiving a $50 traffic citation from New York City. The ticket claims their Knight Rider replica was traveling 36 mph in a 25 mph zone in Brooklyn on April 22, despite the fact that their display car hasn’t been driven in years.

The citation included traffic camera images of a black Trans Am bearing the California license plate KNIGHT – identical to both the television show’s vehicle and the novelty plate on the museum’s unregistered exhibit car. City records indicate this same plate number is connected to five additional unpaid traffic violations in New York City dating back to late 2024.

The process by which city officials connected the license plate to the Illinois museum remains unclear. City representatives had not responded to requests for comment as of Wednesday.

“The fact that we’re legally tied to a movie prop is interesting,” said Jim Wojdyla, the museum’s marketing director. “We’re known for having our Hollywood cars from TV and movies, but I have no idea how we got registered from a ticket in New York to the plates in California to the Volo Museum in Illinois. We’re still trying to figure it out.”

Museum officials have filed a request for a hearing to contest the citation.

“It’s really amusing,” Wojdyla said. “We want to find out who this Knight Rider guy is because, birds of a feather. We just want to know is this from a museum, is this just a guy that built this car as a hobby? And it looks pretty damn accurate. We’d like to meet those guys.”

The original “Knight Rider” series featured David Hasselhoff as a crime-fighting protagonist and aired on NBC between 1982 and 1986. The show’s star was KITT, the black Trans Am equipped with an artificial intelligence system. (KITT is an acronym for Knight Industries Two Thousand). Approximately 20 vehicles were constructed for production, though Road & Track magazine reports only five originals still exist.

Many replica versions exist today, including the museum’s display model. The Facebook group Knight Rider KITT Car Club, dedicated to replica owners, boasts nearly 19,000 members.

Records from the California Department of Motor Vehicles show that an individual with the surname Knight renewed their registration for the KNIGHT license plate in March.

New York City operates up to 750 speed detection cameras under state authorization. These cameras photograph speeding vehicles and their license plates, with Department of Transportation staff reviewing violations and mailing citations to registered owners when vehicles exceed speed limits by more than 10 mph, according to the city’s website.

The Volo Museum has embraced the unusual situation on social media platforms. They recently updated their Facebook page header to read “Home of the Knight Rider KITT that famously got a speeding ticket in New York City without ever leaving its exhibit in Illinois!”

One of their social media posts reads: “Does anyone have Hasselhoff’s number? He owes us $50!!!!”

NORTH BERGEN, N.J. — More than a hundred years ago, construction crews built the first rail tunnel under the Hudson River linking Manhattan and New Jersey using basic hand tools, digging from opposite ends until they connected underground.

Now, a massive new tunnel project representing one of America’s biggest mass transit undertakings in decades and carrying a $16 billion price tag will employ cutting-edge technology for the job.

Enormous automated drilling equipment stretching nearly 400 feet long and equipped with diamond-hard cutting tools will bore through solid rock formations. Teams of approximately 40 workers will manage conveyor belt systems that remove excavated material while simultaneously installing the tunnel’s curved concrete walls.

“This is a fully automated, underground factory,” said James Starace, chief of program delivery for the Gateway Development Commission, a public agency formed by New York and New Jersey that’s undertaking the tunnel project.

Dressed in protective gear and a bright yellow safety jacket, Starace spoke Tuesday while standing in an excavated area carved into the hillside opposite New York City. Above him loomed a massive rock face where, according to current schedules, trains will enter and exit the completed tunnel by 2035, reducing congestion along the country’s most heavily used passenger railway route.

The specialized boring equipment was shipped “like Lego pieces” from Germany in almost 100 separate parts, explained Hamed Nejad, the project’s chief engineer. Near the planned tunnel opening, welding crews worked with flying sparks to assemble sections of the enormous cutting mechanisms.

Danny Pearlstein, a spokesperson for the transit advocacy group Riders Alliance, said America has grown unaccustomed to building megaprojects at this scale, which has contributed to the cost.

“What’s astonishing about Gateway isn’t the size and scope of the project,” Pearlstein said, “but that it’s taken this long to get only so far.”

The drilling equipment is projected to require roughly 12 months to penetrate the initial section through the New Jersey Palisades, composed of hardened volcanic stone, once excavation begins later this year, Starace noted. Progress is expected at approximately 30 feet daily. Additional machines will tunnel beneath the river bottom.

When completed, the new dual-track tunnel will span almost 2.5 miles (4 kilometers). The existing two-track passage, which suffered saltwater damage during Superstorm Sandy, will undergo restoration.

The large-scale project gained essential approvals and financial backing during the Biden administration, but nearly stalled completely several months ago.

The Trump administration halted funding during the recent federal government shutdown, citing concerns that the project was allocating funds based on diversity, equity and inclusion principles.

With financing nearly exhausted in February, a federal judge commanded the administration to release the money. Funding has resumed while a legal challenge filed by New York and New Jersey against the federal government continues in court.

WASHINGTON, May 13 – Federal aviation safety investigators issued new recommendations Wednesday for enhanced pilot preparation to handle cockpit smoke emergencies, prompted by a frightening incident last year.

The National Transportation Safety Board referenced a 2023 Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-8 flight where the aircraft struck a bird with its left engine, causing smoke to quickly flood the pilot area. The safety board warned that “If such an event occurred at night or in instrument meteorological conditions, the consequences could be catastrophic.”

Louisiana authorities have reached a tentative $4.8 million agreement with relatives of Ronald Greene, an unarmed Black man who lost his life during a brutal encounter with law enforcement officers in May 2019, according to state police and news reports.

Authorities originally claimed Greene died while operating his vehicle, but body camera video released in 2021 showed white officers striking Greene while he was handcuffed after he crashed his vehicle following a high-speed pursuit. The footage also captured officers dragging him along the pavement by his shackled ankles and using stun guns on him while he pleaded, “I’m scared.”

Greene’s death contributed to nationwide discussions about police violence, particularly against Black men, which ultimately sparked “Black Lives Matter” demonstrations throughout the United States and around the globe in 2020.

The settlement amount was disclosed Tuesday evening by the Associated Press, which cited two sources familiar with the agreement.

Louisiana State Police stated they were “unable to discuss the terms of the settlement at this time, as the process has not yet been finalized,” according to spokesperson Lieutenant Kate Stegall in a Wednesday email.

A lawyer representing Greene’s family did not return phone calls or respond to email requests for comment.

A grand jury brought charges against five Louisiana law enforcement officers in 2022 on counts including negligent homicide and malfeasance related to Greene’s death, though those charges were subsequently reduced.

In January 2025, just before President Joe Biden’s term ended, the Justice Department informed Greene’s family they would not pursue federal criminal charges in the matter.

During that same period, the department issued a report stating “Greene’s death and its aftermath demonstrated serious failures at LSP — excessive force, improper supervision, ineffective training, and breakdowns in accountability.”

The report noted that police had implemented some positive reforms following Greene’s death, but recommended additional changes including enhanced training, specifically focusing on less aggressive tactics before resorting to force.

When Alan Bauer lifted his seven-year-old son from a Jerusalem street in March 2002, his only concern was whether the child was still breathing.

A Palestinian suicide bomber had exploded behind them on King George Street. Bauer had been walking home with his son after spending the day at a doctor’s appointment and his office. The explosion hurled him forward, and when he looked back, the boy who had been gripping his hand was nowhere to be seen.

“We were hand in hand a minute ago, a second ago,” Bauer explained to The Media Line. “Anyway, I turn around, and I don’t see him.”

Bauer discovered his son lying face-down on the sidewalk. While both survived the attack, his son sustained severe head trauma that later necessitated emergency surgery and extensive rehabilitation. Bauer suffered shrapnel wounds to his arm. More than twenty years later, this bombing has become central to a renewed legal battle following a federal appeals court’s decision to restore a $655.5 million judgment against the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

According to Bauer, this case represents more than just financial compensation—it’s about forcing accountability for what he describes as a PA-orchestrated attack conducted not by external groups, but by individuals directly connected to the PA’s security and political structure. “The entire attack was Palestinian Authority people,” Bauer stated. “It wasn’t Hamas, it wasn’t Islamic Jihad. These were people who were formally paid by the Palestinian Authority.”

The affected families initially prevailed in 2015, when a New York jury determined the PA and PLO were responsible and granted $655.5 million in compensation to American families harmed during Second Intifada attacks. However, an appeals court later overturned this decision—not because they disputed the trial evidence, but because they ruled that U.S. courts lacked proper jurisdiction over the PA and PLO.

This situation shifted after Congress modified the relevant legislation and the U.S. Supreme Court validated the new jurisdictional structure. In March, the Second Circuit restored the original judgment, reinstating the $655.5 million award. The victims have yet to receive payment, making enforcement the next phase of their struggle.

Bauer said his legal pursuit began months following the bombing, after reading Israeli media reports based on military charges that revealed the attack’s participants. “The bomber, as I mentioned, was a policeman,” Bauer explained. “The one who sent him was an intelligence agent. The bomb itself actually came from the Intelligence Bureau of the Palestinian Authority.”

He further claimed that prominent Palestinian officials were linked to the attack’s support structure. According to Bauer, Marwan Barghouti provided funding shortly before the bombing. He also alleged that Hussein al-Sheikh, currently a senior PA official, was identified by those involved as having supplied money and weapons and as having authored the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades’ responsibility letter following the attack.

The legal action was initiated in 2004 representing American families impacted by seven separate attacks. Bauer noted that eleven families were initially included in the lawsuit, though one was removed before trial. Legal discovery didn’t commence until 2014, with the case proceeding to trial the next year. “We won completely,” Bauer said. “All 24 counts, they were found guilty. There was a large judgment, tripled … $655.5 million.”

The victory proved temporary. In 2016, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the verdict on jurisdictional grounds, determining that U.S. courts lacked authority over the PA and PLO. Bauer said the victims found themselves “lost in space,” not because their evidence was rejected, but because the Palestinian defendants argued they maintained insufficient presence in the United States. “They said the Palestinian Authority is not at home,” he explained. “They don’t have, there’s no jurisdiction over them because they don’t have enough of a presence in the US.”

This jurisdictional challenge moved the case from courtrooms to Congress. Lawmakers initially attempted to address the issue by linking U.S. jurisdiction to the PA’s acceptance of American assistance, but Bauer said the Palestinians circumvented this requirement by declining the funds. Congress then pursued a different approach, targeting the PA’s payments to terrorists who had killed or injured American citizens.

Under this legislation, the PA received 120 days to cease these payments or be considered as having agreed to U.S. jurisdiction. “The law was signed by President Donald Trump, went into 2019, became the law, 120 days passed, and they kept paying the terrorists,” Bauer said. “But they can’t stop paying the terrorists.”

The matter eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court. Bauer said the Biden administration’s Department of Justice supported the victims, arguing the law was constitutional, while President Trump’s administration maintained this position before the court. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of the legal framework, returning the case to lower courts. “The Department of Justice under Biden came on our side,” Bauer said. “The Trump administration, they continued being on our side. And the Supreme Court heard our case, with the US arguing with our lawyer, Kent Yalowitz. And we won 9-0.”

When the case returned to the Second Circuit, Bauer said the court faced two options: restore the original verdict or require a new trial. “Either a new trial, which nobody on our side wanted, it would be more flying back and forth, going through the whole process again, or to return the verdict,” he said. “So a month ago, approximately, the Second Circuit, 3-0, they returned the verdict.”

Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, who founded Shurat HaDin, the Israel Law Center, told The Media Line that the restored judgment resulted from a legal battle spanning more than two decades that required both courtroom persistence and legislative changes in Washington. “Now we have a final judgment against the Palestinian Authority for $655 million after 22 years of litigation.

Darshan-Leitner said the PA’s defense claimed that while the attackers may have been on their payroll, they acted independently. “They said, ‘Indeed they were our employees, but they were rogue employees,’” she explained. “‘They did the attacks after work hours. It wasn’t our policy to kill Israelis. We were against killing Jews.’”

However, Darshan-Leitner said this argument failed when confronted with the PA’s continued payments to imprisoned terrorists and attackers’ families. “If they were wrong employees, how do we keep paying their salary until today?” she said, describing her side’s argument to the jury. “You promote them in rank every three years, you pay stipends to the families of the suicide bombers, you call town squares and streets in the name of the suicide bombers. This is not how you treat wrong employees.”

The case now enters the collection phase. Darshan-Leitner said the PA and PLO possess assets and revenue sources that can be pursued, including a PLO mission building in New York, tax revenues held by Israel for the PA, Palestinian bank accounts, and investment funds. “First of all, they do have the money,” she said. “But let’s say they will come and say they don’t have the money. We are going to demand from the State Department to enforce the judgment.”

She indicated the judgment could be paid in installments. “If they cannot pay it all at once, we can do it over payments,” Darshan-Leitner said. “Monthly payments of $20 million a month will not bankrupt the Palestinian Authority. This is what we did in previous cases against the Palestinian Authority.”

Darshan-Leitner said her broader objective extends beyond victim compensation to pressuring systems that finance and incentivize terrorism. “We go after the deep pockets, because we want to, not only to get the money for the victims, but we want to influence,” she said. “I don’t believe you can influence a terrorist that goes with a mission to kill someone.”

Bauer characterized the case in similar terms. He said the years of litigation revealed what he considers a false distinction often drawn in Western diplomacy between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. “One of the canards of the Intifada was ‘Hamas is bad and the Palestinian Authority is good,’” Bauer said. “‘The Hamas guys, they’re crazy. They’re murderers. They’re exploding terrorists. The PA, they want peace.’ And unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth.”

He said while the PA and Hamas have different structures and ideologies, both have employed violence against Israelis and Jews. “They’re both terrorist organizations,” Bauer said. “Each has its own goals. Sometimes they work together. Sometimes they hate each other.”

For Bauer, the issue remains relevant because several Palestinian figures connected in his view to Second Intifada violence continue to be treated internationally as political leaders. He specifically mentioned Barghouti, whose release has been demanded by supporters who present him as a future Palestinian leader. “He’s never said, ‘I will never be involved in another terror attack,’” Bauer said. “‘I apologize to all those whom I harmed.’”

The case also reveals a complex record of U.S. government involvement. Bauer said Congress consistently supported terror victims and the Justice Department eventually backed the plaintiffs before the Supreme Court. However, he strongly criticized the State Department, claiming it repeatedly prioritized PA stability over enforcing judgments for American victims.

“The Congress always was very supportive,” Bauer said. “The laws were passed. President Trump signed them. The Department of Justice has always been very supportive of terror victims and anything to help hold terror groups responsible. The Department of State has, let’s say, been more reticent on the good times, actually opposed to us and the bad times.”

The Palestinian Authority has claimed in recent years that it has modified or eliminated its formal prisoner payment program. Darshan-Leitner said courts should not accept this assertion without evidence. “In my current cases, they come and say we canceled the law, we don’t have this policy anymore, but the court doesn’t take their word,” she said. “The court asks them to prove that they don’t pay the terrorists.”

When asked whether they continue making payments, she responded: “Yes, yes, yes, they keep paying.”

She said new cases filed after October 7 will directly test these claims, because the PA will need to demonstrate whether its payment system has genuinely changed or whether it has simply been rebranded as welfare or social assistance. This question has evolved beyond a legal dispute—it addresses whether the PA can still be presented internationally as a reformed governing entity while victims argue in court that its own structures rewarded the violence that harmed them.

For Bauer, the judgment follows a personal journey that began with survival, not litigation. In the weeks following the bombing, his family’s priority was simply getting through each day. His son was initially blind and unable to move his left side, Bauer said, though his sight and movement eventually returned. The boy underwent physical therapy, hydrotherapy, electrotherapy, and other rehabilitation treatments. “Thank God his vision came back, as did his motion on his left side,” Bauer said. “This day, over 20 years later, he still limps a little bit.”

Bauer himself authored a memoir the year following the bombing, describing how the attack lasted only seconds but transformed every aspect of family life. In the interview, he expressed it more simply. “At that point, we started a completely new life,” he said. “Up to that point, we had one life. And that ended. You close the book, seal it.”

Now, after 22 years in court, Bauer said the verdict gives the law “teeth,” particularly for American victims harmed overseas. “You can’t hold al-Qaida. Al-Qaida has no representative,” he said. “But something like the Palestinian Authority that specifically does have an office in New York with the UN, they have facilities also in Washington. They can’t run away anymore.”

The PA and PLO may still pursue additional review. But Bauer said the plaintiffs have already endured the trial, the appeal, the legislative battle, the Supreme Court, and the return to the Second Circuit. “Our lawyer joked for the Supreme Court that our lawsuit could have already gone to law school,” Bauer said. “By the time it reached them.”

For Darshan-Leitner, the restored verdict represents part of a broader legal strategy: follow the money, force institutions to account for attacks they enabled, and treat financial infrastructure as part of terrorism’s machinery. “The one who sent him has to pay,” she said. “I’m not going after the individuals. I want to direct the other one that I want to find responsible.”

For Bauer, the case has returned to where he and the other plaintiffs stood in 2015: with a judgment in hand, but still awaiting payment. After 22 years of litigation, he said the ruling gives the law “teeth.” What remains is whether the Palestinian Authority and PLO will be compelled to pay it.

A New York jury began deliberating Wednesday in the rape retrial of Harvey Weinstein, considering a remaining charge from a case that became a symbol of the #MeToo movement.

The panel must determine if the disgraced film producer sexually assaulted Jessica Mann, a hairstylist and actress, at a Manhattan hotel on March 18, 2013.

Mann, now 40, told the court she had maintained a consensual relationship with Weinstein but testified that he forced himself on her sexually that day despite her repeated refusals.

Defense attorneys for the 74-year-old Weinstein argue the sexual encounter was consensual, pointing to evidence that Mann continued meeting with Weinstein following the alleged assault and maintained friendly communications. Mann explained she struggled with complex emotions about Weinstein and the incident, saying she was “normalizing everything.”

Mann’s perspective shifted in 2017 when multiple sexual misconduct allegations against the Academy Award-winning producer sparked the #MeToo movement, demanding accountability from powerful figures accused of sexual wrongdoing. While Weinstein has acknowledged he “acted wrongly,” he maintains he never sexually assaulted anyone.

Several of these allegations resulted in criminal convictions against Weinstein in both New York and California courts.

A New York appeals court reversed his 2020 conviction on charges involving Mann and a second accuser. During last year’s retrial, jurors could not reach a unanimous decision regarding Mann’s case, necessitating this second retrial. Weinstein faces one count of third-degree rape.

The current jury listened to almost three weeks of testimony, including five days from Mann herself. Weinstein chose not to take the stand in his defense.

The Associated Press typically does not name individuals who report sexual assault. However, Mann has consented to public identification.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina’s highest court has thrown out the murder conviction and life sentence for former attorney Alex Murdaugh in the fatal shootings of his wife and son on Wednesday.

The state Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision stating that the court clerk’s behavior “egregiously attacked Murdaugh’s credibility” by hinting to jury members that his testimony was unreliable. The justices also determined that the trial judge improperly permitted evidence about Murdaugh’s financial misconduct during the murder proceedings.

However, Murdaugh will remain behind bars. The 57-year-old admitted guilt to embezzling approximately $12 million from his legal clients and is currently serving a 40-year federal prison term.

Nevertheless, the state Supreme Court decision represents a victory for Murdaugh, who acknowledges being a criminal, dishonest person, insurance fraudster and incompetent attorney, but has consistently maintained his innocence in the deaths of his wife Maggie and younger son Paul after discovering their bodies at their residence in 2021.

State prosecutors have not yet announced whether they intend to pursue a new murder trial against Murdaugh given his lengthy sentence for financial offenses. The initial trial lasted six weeks.

The court determined that Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill, who was responsible for managing evidence and jury oversight during the trial, swayed jurors toward a guilty verdict. Her motivation was to boost sales of a book she was authoring about the case.

Hill’s book was titled “Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders.” Publishers withdrew it after facing accusations of plagiarism.

“As her book’s title suggests, it turns out Hill was quite busy behind the doors of justice, thwarting the integrity of the justice system she was sworn to protect and uphold,” the justices wrote in an unsigned 27-page ruling.

Hill has subsequently admitted guilt to providing false information about her statements and actions to another judge.

Defense attorneys for Murdaugh also contended before the Supreme Court that the presiding judge in his 2023 trial made decisions that compromised fairness, including permitting testimony about Murdaugh’s client theft that was unrelated to the homicides but prejudiced jurors against him.

They emphasized the absence of physical evidence — investigators found no DNA or blood spatter on Murdaugh or his clothing, despite the close-range killings with high-powered firearms that were never recovered.

State attorneys maintained that the clerk’s remarks were brief and the case against Murdaugh was compelling. His defense team argued that was irrelevant because the comments a juror reported she made — encouraging jurors to observe Murdaugh’s body language and pay close attention to his testimony — eliminated his presumption of innocence before jury deliberations began.

The Murdaugh legal saga remains fascinating to the public. Multiple streaming series, bestselling publications and numerous true crime podcasts have explored how the wealthy Southern attorney whose family dominated the legal system in small Hampton County wound up in a maximum security South Carolina penitentiary.

In their decision, the justices commended prosecutors, defense counsel and the judge for exceptional performance, placing complete responsibility for necessitating a new trial on Hill.

Hill’s criminal defense attorney did not respond to requests for comment via phone or email.

Hill “placed her fingers on the scales of justice, thereby denying Murdaugh his right to a fair trial by an impartial jury,” the justices wrote. “Our justice system provides — indeed demands — that every person is entitled to a fair trial.”

Northampton County, Virginia officials are encouraging residents to enroll in their complimentary emergency notification system designed to keep the community well-informed during critical situations.

The Citizen Alert program offers no-cost registration for residents who want to receive timely updates about emergencies and important county information. Officials emphasize that staying prepared and maintaining awareness of local developments are key benefits of participating in the alert system.

County emergency services personnel are promoting the initiative as part of their broader effort to enhance community preparedness and ensure residents have access to vital information when they need it most.

Interested residents can sign up for the service through the county’s official channels, with registration remaining completely free of charge.

The Defense Department announced Wednesday it has secured framework deals with four companies that could lead to purchasing more than 10,000 affordable, containerized missiles beginning in 2027.

According to a Pentagon statement, the agreements involve Anduril, CoAspire, Leidos and Zone 5 as part of the newly launched “Low‑Cost Containerized Munitions (LCCM) program.”

The program’s assessment phase will begin in June 2026 with the Pentagon purchasing test missiles from all four contractors. While the statement did not reveal costs or specify particular weapon systems, it established terms for future fixed-price production contracts.

Military officials have long promoted containerized weapon systems as an affordable, portable method for deploying missiles using standard shipping containers.

In a separate deal, defense startup Castelion has outlined plans for a two-year contract requiring a minimum annual purchase of 500 Blackbeard missiles – the company’s inaugural hypersonic strike weapon – once testing and validation requirements are met.

The Pentagon is seeking authorization and funding to acquire more than 12,000 Blackbeard missiles across five years.

Michael Duffey, the Pentagon’s chief weapons buyer serving as under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, stated the agreements demonstrate how the U.S. is expanding beyond traditional “prime” contractors to broaden the industrial base.

The deals send “a clear, long-term demand signal to innovative new entrants,” Duffey added.

Emil Michael, under secretary of defense for research and engineering, emphasized the agreements require companies to meet delivery deadlines and cost targets.

“We will deliver affordable mass for our warfighters at unprecedented speed,” Michael said in the statement.

The Pentagon has increased its congressional funding requests for munitions amid high demand due to the ongoing conflict in Iran.

General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testified this week that the Pentagon’s fiscal year 2027 budget would allocate more than $26 billion for multi-year procurement contracts for essential munitions.

Federal prosecutors have brought criminal charges against companies connected to the cargo vessel that struck Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in 2024, resulting in a fatal collapse.

The charges represent a major development in the investigation into the maritime disaster that brought down the iconic span crossing Baltimore’s harbor.

The 2024 incident involved a cargo ship collision that led to the bridge’s catastrophic failure, marking one of the most significant infrastructure disasters in recent Maryland history.

Communities nationwide are grappling with questions about youth gatherings that have disrupted public spaces and raised safety concerns. The phenomenon has prompted discussions among law enforcement, community leaders, and legal experts about appropriate responses.

NPR host Michel Martin recently explored this issue with Kristin Henning, who leads the Juvenile Justice Clinic and Initiative at Georgetown Law. The conversation focused on understanding the nature of these youth gatherings and evaluating their actual impact on community safety.

The incidents have occurred in multiple locations across the United States, leading to varying responses from local authorities and raising questions about how communities should address such situations involving young people.

A tentative $4.8 million settlement has been reached between Louisiana state officials and the family of Ronald Greene, according to sources familiar with the agreement.

Greene, a Black man, died following a violent arrest conducted by five white state troopers during a traffic stop incident that occurred on May 10, 2019, near Monroe, Louisiana.

Body camera footage from the incident shows the confrontation that led to Greene’s death during the roadside arrest.

The settlement agreement represents the latest development in a case that has drawn significant attention regarding police conduct and accountability in Louisiana.

Korean American filmmaker Eugene Yi has long questioned which ethnic groups truly fall under the Asian American and Pacific Islander umbrella term.

“When we’re talking about Asian Americans or Asian people in the U.S., oftentimes it’s people who might look like you and me, and maybe not people who look like (New York City Mayor) Zohran Mamdani,” Yi explained to The Associated Press. “Why is that when this term is supposed to be so capacious and so inclusive?”

These questions drove Yi’s enthusiasm when he was selected to direct an HBO documentary exploring AAPI identity and community connections.

Launching Wednesday on HBO Max during AAPI Heritage Month, “The A List: 15 Stories from Asian and Pacific Diasporas” represents the newest installment in Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’ “List Series.” Previous documentaries in this collection have highlighted prominent figures from Black, Latino, and LGBTQ+ communities.

Yi’s film features straightforward, personal conversations between journalist Jada Yuan and 15 individuals of AAPI background from various fields. Participants include news anchor Connie Chung, Senator Tammy Duckworth, and “Basement Bhangra” founder DJ Rekha. Comedy stars Sandra Oh, Kumail Nanjiani, and Bowen Yang also opened up about questions of identity and acceptance.

“When talking to people who are professionally funny, oftentimes they’re really comfortable not being funny,” during unscripted discussions, Yi noted. “I appreciated that chance to get a little bit deeper into some of their stories.”

Minneapolis chef Yia Vang, who operates the acclaimed Hmong restaurant Vinai, recorded his interview three years ago and has since appeared on numerous culinary programs. Born in a Thai refugee camp before his family relocated to Wisconsin when he turned 4, Vang compared the filmed conversation to a spiritual confession.

Through tears, Vang shared how his childhood embarrassment about being “the weird kid” led him to discard school lunches of sticky rice and fermented vegetables his mother prepared. The unexpected emotion revealed a fundamental life principle.

“I will never, ever try to be ‘cool,’” Vang declared. “That’s why I guess I get so intense about like how we do our food here. Not because I’m chasing perfection or some kind of award, but I just want to make sure I stay true to the integrity that they (my parents) laid before me.”

In what Vang describes as “full-circle redemption,” those same dishes he once threw away now appear on his restaurant’s menu.

During a Milwaukee Film Festival screening last month, Vang witnessed local reactions to the documentary. His childhood fears of being seen as different proved unfounded.

“The audience really connected because I’m a Wisconsin boy,” Vang shared. Several attendees approached him simply to express: “It’s so awesome to see a Midwest kid in there.”

Despite Asian Americans representing one of America’s fastest-growing demographic groups, adults struggle more to identify AAPI influence compared to other racial communities, according to recent research from The Asian American Foundation.

The organization’s yearly Social Tracking of Asian Americans in the United States (STAATUS) Index, conducted with NORC at the University of Chicago, revealed that 40% of American adults cannot name a single famous Asian American. Jackie Chan, who is not American, ranked among the most common responses. Approximately half could not identify any notable Native Hawaiians or Pacific Islanders.

“It’s an indication of just how for most of America — and our data shows this as well — people get most of their information about Asian Americans not so much from direct contacts, but from the media,” explained Norman Chen, The Asian American Foundation’s CEO.

Chen attended a recent “A List” screening and praised the diverse range of personal narratives Yi assembled. He believes such a film might not have found support ten years earlier, making audience reactions to both celebrity and ordinary citizen stories particularly meaningful.

“Even people that we don’t know have such powerful stories to show you the depth and richness of our community and the struggles that we’ve had to go through in multiple generations,” Chen observed.

Production began while Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned against Donald Trump. With a Republican Trump administration now opposing diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, Yi recognizes the documentary’s potential political interpretation.

“What I’ve certainly seen during the stretch of time — just speaking for myself — is just how quickly things can backslide and how quickly people can be erased,” Yi reflected. “We literally have people being disappeared on the streets and we literally have histories being erased.”

Yi particularly values contributions from older participants who witnessed historical events, including activist Kathy Masaoka’s account of her mother’s imprisonment in Japanese American detention facilities. He hopes viewers will understand both past and present AAPI struggles while recognizing community strength.

“We can really move forward from this moment in terms of rebuilding and reclaiming and taking up space with confidence and hope again,” Yi concluded.

PARK CITY, Utah — A mother from Utah who authored a children’s book about dealing with loss following her husband’s passing will discover Wednesday the length of her prison term for his murder.

In March, Kouri Richins received a guilty verdict for aggravated murder after poisoning her husband’s drink with a fentanyl dose five times stronger than what would be fatal at their residence near Park City in 2022.

According to prosecutors, the 35-year-old real estate professional who ran a home renovation business owed millions of dollars and was planning a life with another man. Without Eric Richins’ awareness, she had secured multiple life insurance policies on him and incorrectly assumed she would receive his estate valued at over $4 million following his death.

The Park City jury also convicted Richins on four additional felony charges, including attempted murder for her earlier effort to poison her husband on Valentine’s Day using a fentanyl-contaminated sandwich.

The case drew significant attention from true-crime followers when authorities arrested her in 2023 during promotional activities for her children’s book titled “Are You with Me?” which tells the story of a young boy dealing with his father’s passing.

At Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, which coincides with what would have been her husband’s 44th birthday, Richins could receive anywhere from several decades to life imprisonment. Her legal representatives chose not to provide statements prior to the proceeding.

Following the verdict, Eric Richins’ sister Amy Richins expressed satisfaction, stating she was “just very happy that we got justice for my brother” and could now concentrate entirely on caring for his sons, who were 9, 7, and 5 years old when their father passed away.

According to a prosecution document submitted before the hearing, the children informed the judge they would feel unsafe if their mother ever gained freedom from prison.

“I’m afraid if she gets out, she will come after me and my brothers, my whole family,” said the oldest boy, who is now 13. “I think she would come and take us and not do good things to us, like hurt us.”

The middle child, now 11, expressed sadness that his father won’t be present for important life events. With his mother incarcerated, he said he can “live a happy and successful life without fear of (her) hurting me or anyone I love.”

The youngest child stated he would be “so scared” if his mother received release.

Utah judges commonly assign sentences as broad ranges instead of specific year amounts.

The primary charge of aggravated murder carries a penalty of 25 years to life imprisonment, or life without the possibility of parole. The prosecution chose not to seek capital punishment.

The prison term for attempted aggravated murder varies based on the extent of physical harm inflicted. Following a bite of the sandwich his wife prepared for him, Eric Richins developed hives, used his son’s EpiPen on himself, consumed an entire bottle of Benadryl, and lost consciousness, according to prosecutors. Based on the judge’s evaluation, Kouri Richins might receive 15 years to life, 6 years to life, or 5 years to life for this charge.

Two insurance fraud counts, classified as second-degree felonies, each come with 1-15 year sentences, while a third-degree felony forgery charge carries a 0-5 year prison term.

Judge Richard Mrazik holds the authority to determine whether Richins’ sentences for each conviction will run concurrently or consecutively. Prosecutors have requested no concurrent sentencing and pushed for life imprisonment without parole.

Richins additionally faces more than twenty financial criminal charges in a separate proceeding that remains pending.

The trial was originally planned for five weeks but concluded ahead of schedule when Richins chose not to testify, and her defense team concluded their case without presenting any witnesses. Her lawyers expressed confidence that prosecutors had failed to provide sufficient evidence for a murder conviction.

The jury reached a guilty verdict on all charges after deliberating for slightly less than three hours.

During the proceedings, prosecutors depicted the mother of three as someone driven by greed to commit murder. They presented text messages between Richins and her romantic partner where she discussed leaving her husband and obtaining millions through divorce. Prosecutors also revealed internet searches from Richins’ device, including inquiries about fatal fentanyl amounts, upscale correctional facilities, and how poisoning appears on death certificates.

The defense maintained that Eric Richins struggled with painkiller addiction. Prosecutors responded by showing police body camera recordings from the evening of his death, where Kouri Richins tells an officer her husband had no background with illegal drug consumption.

Defense lawyers also questioned the credibility of the prosecution’s key witness, a housekeeper who testified about selling Kouri Richins fentanyl multiple times, suggesting she was incentivized to provide false testimony for legal immunity. The housekeeper received immunity in exchange for her cooperation in the investigation.

MODESTO, Calif. — Teacher Nancy Barajas creates an energetic atmosphere before major assessments by dimming classroom lights, activating a disco ball, and playing upbeat music. Her sixth-grade students participate in this “pre-celebration” dance routine to build confidence before tackling their tests.

Recently, elementary schools in Modesto, California have found plenty of reasons for such celebrations, as both mathematics and reading performance has steadily improved over recent years.

However, the national picture tells a different story. Education experts are sounding alarms about what they’re calling a reading recession — a troubling downward trend that began well before COVID-19 disrupted classroom learning.

Academic researchers from Harvard, Stanford and Dartmouth examined standardized test results for grades three through eight across more than 5,000 school districts spanning 38 states, creating a comprehensive national Education Scorecard for comparison purposes.

Their findings paint a concerning picture: Between 2022 and 2025, only five states along with the District of Columbia demonstrated significant improvement in reading test performance. Across the nation, students continue to lag nearly half a grade level below their pre-pandemic reading abilities, with mathematics showing only marginal improvement.

Although educational institutions have concentrated efforts on helping students recover from COVID-19’s educational disruptions, reading assessment scores have actually been declining since 2013 for eighth graders and 2015 for fourth graders, based on National Assessment of Educational Progress data.

“The pandemic was the mudslide that had followed seven years of steady erosion in achievement,” said Thomas Kane, a Harvard professor who helped create the Education Scorecard.

Despite these challenges, certain states and school systems are demonstrating positive outcomes — primarily through adopting phonics-centered teaching methods and offering additional assistance to students experiencing reading difficulties.

Mathematics presents a more encouraging scenario.

Nearly all states included in the research showed mathematics test score improvements between 2022 and 2025. Student attendance rates also improved across most states. More than 400 U.S. school districts, including Modesto, achieved reading or mathematics progress that exceeded similar districts within their respective states.

Education researchers continue to examine potential causes behind the reading recession.

Experts suggest one contributing factor may be increased smartphone social media usage and related decreases in children’s leisure reading habits. States have also reduced strict accountability measures for schools whose students fail to demonstrate adequate progress on standardized assessments, Kane explained.

However, states achieving reading score improvements — particularly Louisiana, Maryland, Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana — shared a common approach: mandating schools implement phonics-based instruction known as the “science of reading.”

For many years, educational institutions taught reading through methods that minimized phonics instruction and promoted strategies like using contextual clues to guess unfamiliar words. As reading performance declined over the past decade, parents, researchers and literacy supporters advocated for teaching approaches aligned with extensive research on children’s reading development — primarily through phonetic word recognition.

Beyond reforming instructional practices, states have also mandated schools conduct screenings for learning differences such as dyslexia and employ coaches to enhance teachers’ reading instruction capabilities.

Nevertheless, implementing “science of reading” reforms didn’t ensure universal success. Several states, including Florida, Arizona and Nebraska, modified portions of their reading curriculum but continued experiencing declining test scores.

Modesto transformed its reading instruction during the pandemic period, having previously updated mathematics curriculum several years earlier. The district established a specialized department supporting English language learners. Schools also enhanced teacher preparation, compensating educators $5,000 for completing comprehensive “science of reading” training called LETRS, or Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling.

Modesto’s assessment results improved sufficiently to represent an additional 18 weeks of mathematics learning and 13 weeks of reading progress. However, the district acknowledges continued challenges: overall performance remains significantly below grade-level expectations.

Detroit has also seen score improvements through reading emphasis — combined with efforts to increase consistent school attendance. The large urban district previously struggled with inadequate facility conditions, resulting in a 2016 legal challenge where students claimed denial of their “right to read.”

The litigation concluded with a settlement exceeding $94 million, funding that contributed to meaningful progress. While the district continues performing below national averages, student assessment scores have improved more rapidly than comparable urban districts throughout Michigan.

“It took a lot to rebuild systems, and now kids are learning at higher levels, but I’m still not satisfied. And I think that’s the next challenge: continuing to motivate, inspire and change things,” said Detroit Superintendent Nikolai Vitti.

Settlement funds have enabled Munger Elementary-Middle School, situated in a predominantly Latino Detroit neighborhood, to employ 18 educators providing individualized small-group support. An attendance specialist contacts families of absent students and conducts home visits when necessary.

Just recently, explains first grade teacher Samantha Ciaffone, seven or eight daily absences from her classroom were typical. Currently, only one or two students are usually absent.

“It allows us to be better educators to see kids consistently in the seat instead of once or twice a week,” said Ciaffone. “It makes such a difference.”

Throughout the past decade, Southern states have emerged as educational reform leaders — challenging their historical position at the bottom of education rankings. These states quickly adopted research-supported teaching methodologies, with state governments funding teacher training and coaching programs.

These investments have produced results. Louisiana and Alabama were the only states achieving higher mathematics scores in 2025 compared to pre-pandemic levels. Louisiana also stands alone in exceeding pre-pandemic reading averages, with 87% of traditional public school students attending districts with higher scores than 2019.

Alabama achieved remarkable reading gains following the pandemic, driven by state legislation requiring all schools to implement phonics-based instruction. The Legislature modeled 2022 mathematics reforms after Alabama’s reading achievements. The state’s Numeracy Act standardized mathematics instruction, established regular assessment requirements and mandated intervention for students lacking sufficient mathematical skills.

Birmingham’s Oxmoor Valley Elementary hired a dedicated mathematics specialist this year to assist struggling students. The school, which appeared on the state’s “failing” designation in 2016, has consistently improved both mathematics and reading scores, though most students still test below proficiency in both areas.

“We can provide all of these supports, but at the same time, hold kids to high expectations,” Birmingham Superintendent Mark Sullivan said.

Researchers emphasize such advancement is achievable nationwide, citing historical precedent. Beginning in the 1990s, the country experienced decades of improved test scores and graduation rates while reducing racial achievement gaps. This progress continued through the mid-2010s.

“We made enormous progress as a country in terms of educational success from over a 30-year period. Test scores went up dramatically,” said Stanford professor Sean Reardon. “And so I think that says, as a country, we can improve education and educational opportunity.”

At Modesto’s Fairview Elementary, where Barajas teaches, students now practice reading speed and fluency daily. Following their dance break, the class reads a one-page passage together for one minute, then students work in pairs for additional practice. English language learners partner with native English speakers, and each student receives individual reading time with Barajas.

“Eventually, you get through the word like it’s water,” one boy said. “You just say it smooth.”

Louisiana state officials have reached a preliminary $4.8 million settlement agreement with Ronald Greene’s family, according to sources familiar with the deal. Greene, a Black driver, died following a brutal 2019 arrest involving five white Louisiana State Police officers.

The proposed settlement would resolve a federal wrongful death case brought by Greene’s relatives. His death became a national story after The Associated Press obtained video in 2021 that captured state troopers beating, striking and shocking Greene with stun guns near Monroe.

Sources with direct knowledge of the lawsuit told reporters the settlement requires Louisiana Legislature approval. These individuals were not permitted to speak publicly about the arrangement.

Louisiana State Police Captain Russell Graham declined to discuss settlement details, stating the agency cannot comment because the process “has not yet been finalized.”

Greene’s mother, Mona Hardin, did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

Federal prosecutors chose not to file criminal charges against the officers involved in Greene’s deadly arrest last year.

The details surrounding Greene’s traffic stop death remained hidden for two years following the incident. State police withheld arrest footage and initially stated that Greene, 49, died when his vehicle struck a tree during a high-speed pursuit.

Video footage later acquired by AP revealed officers had shocked the defenseless Greene with stun guns while he expressed remorse for the chase. Officers forced Greene to the pavement, applied a chokehold and struck him repeatedly. They pulled him face-first across the ground with his hands restrained and legs bound, then abandoned him without medical assistance.

Officers had originally attempted to stop Greene for an undisclosed traffic infraction.

During President Joe Biden’s final weeks in office in January 2025, the Justice Department determined Louisiana State Police had engaged in systematic excessive force during arrests and vehicle chases statewide. The DOJ under President Donald Trump later withdrew these conclusions.

The federal probe began in 2022 following AP reporting that revealed multiple instances of severe beatings by state troopers.

SALT LAKE CITY — Three young children whose mother was found guilty of murdering their father have expressed deep fears about their safety should she ever be released from custody, according to court documents filed before Wednesday’s sentencing hearing.

Kouri Richins, a 35-year-old writer, is facing the possibility of spending decades behind bars or life imprisonment following her conviction on five felony charges, including aggravated murder.

According to prosecutors, Richins poisoned her husband Eric’s drink with a fatal amount of fentanyl — five times what would be considered lethal — at their residence near Park City’s ski area in 2022. Following his death, she wrote and released a children’s book focusing on a young boy dealing with his father’s passing, publishing it shortly before authorities arrested her in 2023.

Defense lawyers for Richins chose not to provide statements Tuesday ahead of the sentencing, which is scheduled for what would have been Eric Richins’ 44th birthday.

The children’s emotional statements were included in a prosecutorial filing asking Judge Richard Mrazik to impose a life sentence without the possibility of parole. The boys were 9, 7, and 5 years old when they lost their father.

The eldest son, now 13, told the court he feels no longing for his mother’s return. “I’m afraid if she gets out, she will come after me and my brothers, my whole family,” he stated. “I think she would come and take us and not do good things to us, like hurt us.”

Court filings indicate the oldest child endured both emotional and physical mistreatment from Richins following his father’s death, with allegations backed by findings from Utah’s Division of Child and Family Services contained in sealed court records.

Investigators revealed that Richins worked in real estate and house flipping but had accumulated millions in debt while secretly planning a relationship with another man. She had taken out multiple life insurance policies on her spouse without his awareness and incorrectly assumed she would receive his estate valued at over $4 million upon his death.

The aggravated murder charge alone carries potential penalties ranging from 25 years to life imprisonment, or life without parole. The prosecution did not seek capital punishment.

The jury also convicted Richins on additional felony charges including insurance fraud, forgery, and attempted murder for an earlier incident on Valentine’s Day when she allegedly tried to poison her husband with a fentanyl-contaminated sandwich that caused him to lose consciousness.

The middle son, now 11, contradicted his mother’s account that she slept in his room the night his father died. He remembered strange details from that evening, including being sent to bed early without bathing, finding his parents’ bedroom door locked, and hearing loud television sounds from inside. The boy recalled his mother shouting at him to leave when he attempted to use a broom handle to reach a key to the bedroom, where Richins later told emergency responders she discovered her husband’s lifeless body.

The 11-year-old expressed sorrow that his father would miss future camping trips, fishing excursions, sports coaching, and important life events. Similar to his older sibling, he said his mother’s freedom would make him feel unsafe.

“With (her) in jail, I will be able to continue to feel safe and live a happy and successful life without fear of (her) hurting me or anyone I love,” his written statement declared.

The youngest child shared feelings of “hateful and ashamed” emotions when others mention his mother “because she took away my dad.” He expressed he would be “so scared” if she was released from prison.

“Once she is gone I will feel happy and I will feel safer and relaxed and trust people more,” the youngest boy wrote, though his current age was not specified in court documents.

Richins is also facing more than two dozen financial criminal charges in a separate legal proceeding that has not yet reached trial.

Austin, Texas officials have agreed to a $35 million settlement with four men who were falsely charged in connection with the brutal 1991 slayings of four teenage girls at a local yogurt shop, one of the city’s most infamous unsolved cases that eventually sent one defendant to death row and another to life imprisonment.

Robert Springsteen, Michael Scott, Forrest Welborn and Maurice Pierce had consistently maintained their innocence in the heinous crime. A judge formally cleared their names in February following an investigation that identified the actual perpetrator as someone who had been dead since 1999.

The proposed settlement requires approval from Austin’s city council before becoming final. Officials have not disclosed how the compensation will be distributed among the men and their relatives.

“This settlement closes the final chapter of a devastating story in Austin’s history,” Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax said in a statement. “We are pleased to have reached an agreement with those who were wrongly accused and wrongly convicted in this case and hope that this settlement brings a sense of closure to everyone affected by this horrific event.”

Legal representatives for Springsteen and Scott have not yet responded to media inquiries about the agreement.

The victims – Amy Ayers, 13; Eliza Thomas, 17; and sisters Jennifer and Sarah Harbison, ages 17 and 15 – were restrained, gagged and executed at the “I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt” shop where two were employed. The perpetrator then burned down the building.

Law enforcement pursued thousands of tips and multiple false admissions before apprehending the four suspects, all teenagers at the time of the murders, in late 1999.

Both Springsteen and Scott received convictions primarily based on confessions they claimed were forced by investigators. Appeals courts reversed both verdicts during the mid-2000s.

While Welborn faced charges, he never went to trial after two separate grand juries declined to issue indictments. Pierce remained incarcerated for three years before prosecutors dropped the case. He was killed in 2010 during a police encounter following a traffic violation.

Although prosecutors sought new trials for Springsteen and Scott, a judge dismissed all charges in 2009 when advanced DNA testing unavailable during the original investigation identified a different male perpetrator.

In 2025, investigators concluded that cutting-edge DNA analysis and reexamination of ballistics evidence confirmed Robert Eugene Brashers as the lone gunman.

Beginning in 2018, law enforcement had connected Brashers through sophisticated DNA methods to multiple violent crimes: the 1990 strangulation murder of a South Carolina woman, the 1997 sexual assault of a 14-year-old Tennessee girl, and the 1998 shooting deaths of a mother and daughter in Missouri.

The breakthrough in the Austin case occurred when DNA recovered from beneath Ayers’ fingernail matched Brashers’ genetic profile from the 1990 homicide.

Brashers took his own life in 1999 during an extended police standoff at a Kennett, Missouri motel.

MADISON, Wis. — An unexpected alliance formed Tuesday as pop icon Debbie Gibson joined forces with Terry “Geezer” Butler from legendary metal band Black Sabbath to champion the rescue of approximately 1,500 beagles from a Wisconsin research facility.

The two celebrities gathered not to collaborate musically, but to support the massive rehoming operation for dogs acquired from Ridglan Farms, a breeding and research operation located near Madison.

Setting aside Black Sabbath’s famous protest songs, Butler focused entirely on four-legged friends during his visit to the rescue effort.

“It was so profound to be able to hold each of these dogs in our arms and be able to assure them that their new life was starting,” Gibson expressed. “Today was a very emotional day.”

Both celebrities cradled beagles that had just arrived at the Dane County Humane Society from Ridglan Farms on Tuesday.

“They’ve never let me down,” Butler shared about his personal pets while visiting the humane society, which is handling placement for 500 of the rescued beagles. “They’re always loving.”

During their appearance in the humane society’s barn area, volunteers held beagles awaiting veterinary examinations, vaccinations, and additional medical attention.

Two animal advocacy organizations — the Washington, D.C.-based Center for a Humane Economy and Big Dog Ranch Rescue from Florida — negotiated the purchase agreement last month, acquiring all the dogs from Ridglan Farms for an undisclosed sum. Both groups actively oppose animal experimentation.

The rescue announcement came shortly after confrontations erupted between animal rights activists and law enforcement at the Ridglan facility. Officers deployed tear gas and pepper spray against protesters who claimed they intended to liberate the animals. Earlier in March, demonstrators had broken into the property and removed 30 dogs.

Multiple organizations are coordinating the relocation of all 1,500 purchased dogs to facilities providing veterinary treatment before transport to shelters across the nation for eventual adoption.

Interest in adopting these specific beagles has been extraordinary, with over 1,300 individuals contacting the Dane County Humane Society alone, according to Amy Good, the organization’s marketing director.

“It’s not a tough sell to get beagles into homes,” explained Wayne Pacelle, who leads the Center for a Humane Economy. “The response across the nation has been overwhelming.”

The initial group of 1,000 dogs was relocated earlier this month to temporary facilities managed by Big Dog Ranch Rescue’s partner organizations. This week marked the beginning of the Dane County Humane Society receiving the final 500 animals.

Ridglan Farms reached an agreement in October to surrender its state breeding permit effective July 1, avoiding felony animal abuse prosecution. While the company has maintained its innocence regarding animal mistreatment allegations, a special prosecutor concluded that Ridglan violated state veterinary regulations by conducting unauthorized eye procedures.

Butler, who shares his home with five dogs and five cats, described the day as a milestone in ending animal experimentation.

“This is just the beginning,” he declared.

Gibson, who launched her recording career at 16 with her 1987 debut album, announced plans to foster and potentially adopt one of Tuesday’s beagles.

“This little guy was the last one put in my arms, and I couldn’t put him back in a cage,” she said while holding the dog during her remarks.

When asked about potential musical collaboration focused on canines, both Butler and Gibson laughed.

“Maybe,” Butler responded with a grin, still holding a beagle.

Drivers using East Edinburgh Drive are experiencing periodic lane restrictions that will remain in effect until 6 PM today.

The intermittent closures are creating temporary traffic delays for motorists traveling through the area. Authorities advise drivers to plan for additional travel time and exercise caution when navigating the affected roadway.

The lane restrictions are expected to be lifted by this evening, allowing normal traffic flow to resume on East Edinburgh Drive.

Criminal charges have been filed against the operator of the cargo vessel that crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, resulting in six deaths more than two years ago.

The Dali cargo vessel experienced electrical failures that caused it to lose power and steering control before crashing into the bridge’s support structure, resulting in the fatal collapse that shut down Baltimore’s port for several months.

Beyond the criminal charges revealed on Tuesday, the companies responsible for owning and operating the vessel have encountered numerous legal battles, most of which have been settled through financial agreements.

State officials in Maryland estimate the replacement of the heavily used bridge will cost between $4.3 billion and $5.2 billion, with traffic not expected to resume until the end of 2030.

The following timeline details the crash sequence and major developments afterward:

March 26, 2024

12:39 a.m.: The vessel departed Baltimore’s port bound for Sri Lanka. The Singapore-flagged cargo ship stretched approximately 985 feet in length and 157 feet in width.

Between 1:25 a.m. and 1:28 a.m.: The vessel experienced power failure and crew members broadcast a distress signal while approaching the Francis Scott Key Bridge at roughly 9 mph.

Law enforcement had approximately 90 seconds to halt vehicle traffic from entering the bridge from both sides.

Around 1:29 a.m.: The cargo vessel collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge, hitting a support pillar and causing the structure to collapse into the water in seconds.

March 27, 2024

Federal authorities started gathering evidence from the vessel.

March 30, 2024

Engineering teams and multiple floating cranes extracted the initial piece of steel debris, beginning a lengthy and complex operation to secure the area for divers searching for missing construction workers and to establish alternative shipping routes for Baltimore’s port.

April 1, 2024

Grace Ocean Private Ltd. of Singapore, the ship’s owner, and Synergy Marine PTE Ltd., the vessel’s operator, submitted a legal filing attempting to restrict their financial responsibility.

May 8, 2024

Recovery teams found the remains of the final missing construction worker. All victims were Latino immigrants working the night shift repairing potholes on the bridge.

May 15, 2024

Federal investigators published initial findings about the ship’s electrical malfunctions while docked in Baltimore but did not confirm these were connected to the power failure that occurred just before the bridge collision.

June 19, 2024

National Transportation Safety Board records revealed investigators discovered a disconnected cable in a transformer and circuit breaker system that crew members had activated before leaving Baltimore’s port.

September 18, 2024

Federal authorities filed legal action against the ship’s owner and operator, alleging they disregarded known electrical issues and demanding $100 million in damages.

September 19, 2024

Maryland state government initiated similar legal proceedings, joined by Baltimore dock workers who filed a group lawsuit demanding compensation for lost earnings during the port closure.

October 24, 2024

The cargo ship’s owner and operator agreed to pay over $102 million in cleanup expenses to resolve the Justice Department’s lawsuit.

November 18, 2024

Maryland authorities revealed plans for a replacement Francis Scott Key Bridge that would be constructed higher than the previous structure, with an estimated cost of $1.9 billion.

December 19, 2024

Federal investigators reported that Maryland’s transportation department had not finished a recommended security evaluation of the Francis Scott Key Bridge prior to its collapse, which would have identified ship collision risks.

January 13, 2025

The vessel’s owner and operator initiated legal action in federal court against Hyundai Heavy Industries, the shipbuilder, claiming negligent design of an essential electrical panel.

January 23, 2025

Maryland officials increased their cost projection for the Francis Scott Key Bridge replacement to between $4.3 billion and $5.2 billion, more than doubling the original estimate.

February 26, 2025

The National Transportation Safety Board determined that a disconnected electrical wire caused the power failure that resulted in the ship losing propulsion and steering before the crash. Investigators concluded the crew could have identified the loose wire beforehand using thermal imaging technology.

November 14, 2025

The ship’s owner and operator announced settlement deals with Maryland and ACE American Insurance Co. The $350 million insurance settlement equaled the amount ACE had paid to Maryland, representing the maximum coverage under the state’s insurance policy.

December 2, 2025

Federal prosecutors filed criminal charges against the ship’s operator and a senior staff member, accusing them of making decisions that caused the crash and attempting to conceal the facts.

On the same day, Maryland’s attorney general revealed the $2.24 billion settlement amount between the state and the ship’s owner and operator, which had been previously announced without specific figures.

Discriminatory phrases like “No dogs, no Negros, no Mexicans,” “Colored served in rear,” and “For whites only” once appeared prominently on businesses throughout the American South.

These signs served as daily, unavoidable reminders to Black Americans of their legally mandated second-class status in a society where they lived alongside, yet completely apart from, white citizens of any social standing.

Following the end of the Civil War and the eventual failure of Reconstruction efforts, the Jim Crow era established a comprehensive system of social rules and legislation that controlled how both Black and white Americans could move through public spaces for multiple generations, lasting until civil rights activists began dismantling institutionalized racial discrimination.

This segregation framework was built upon the premise that formerly enslaved individuals and their children were naturally inferior to white people in areas such as intellect, ethics, and conduct. Those who supported the system feared that treating Black and white people as equals would lead to interracial relationships and create what they viewed as a mixed race that would contaminate what they considered the superior white population.

Geographic separation initially gained cultural acceptance before being maintained through violence or threats of imprisonment that essentially recreated slavery conditions. Following the Supreme Court’s 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson ruling that established “separate but equal” as constitutional, Jim Crow segregation markers became legal mandates rather than simple warnings.

What began as systematic humiliation transformed into government-sanctioned oppression. Train cars, public transportation, drinking fountains, bathrooms, lodging, dining establishments, and recreational facilities represented just some of the many public amenities divided by discriminatory signage. African Americans were compelled to utilize inferior accommodations. Educational institutions, religious buildings, and burial grounds had already been racially separated for years. This deliberate structure prevented most Black men from interacting with white women while robbing Black people of their self-respect, civic identity, and sense of social and political inclusion.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 abolished legal racial separation, though many throughout the American South continued opposing integration even after discriminatory signs were removed and placed in historical collections. Steven Reich, a history professor who authored an encyclopedia covering the Jim Crow period, notes that one enduring consequence of legalized segregation continues affecting today’s American workplace.

According to Reich, segregation created divisions within the working class that pushed white employees to align themselves more closely with management rather than their Black colleagues. This dynamic continues limiting opportunities for Black and white workers to unite and collaborate on shared concerns, including diversity and inclusion initiatives.

ATLANTA — A Georgia man admitted his guilt Tuesday in a vehicle burglary case that authorities say involved stealing unreleased tracks from music superstar Beyoncé.

Kelvin Evans, age 41, accepted responsibility in Fulton County Superior Court for automobile burglary and unlawful entry charges. Court officials sentenced him to serve two years behind bars, avoiding a trial that was set to begin this week.

The defendant targeted a rented Jeep Wagoneer in July that belonged to members of Beyoncé’s touring production team.

Christoper Grant, who works as a choreographer, and Diandre Blue, a professional dancer, reported to Atlanta authorities that they discovered their vehicle compromised on July 8, with a broken rear window and two missing travel bags.

The missing property contained computer hard drives with unpublished musical recordings, video content blueprints, and performance setlists, police documentation revealed. The crime happened just 48 hours before Beyoncé launched her four-show run at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium during her “Cowboy Carter” concert series.

Security footage documented the criminal activity. Authorities took Evans into custody the following month in August.

Law enforcement officials have not located the stolen hard drives or remaining property.